HOUSE ALWAYS WINS | OPEN

[DUSKBIRD]

✦　　. 　 ˚　.   Leafbare approaches, and in preparation, the forest sheds its wings. Cardinal feathers filter down into piles that dampen and rot. They make for awkward mulch in leafbare snows, he's sure, but for now they make for vantage. From up at the peak of this tree's strongest branches, Duskpaw is crouched in watch. The hunting patrol is not so far behind him; he'd departed in chase of a bird, whose fluttering wings had carried it high up into a nearby tree. One paw and another along the branch, and everything else is gone from his mind. Living with the weight drained him. Losses and changes. Terrible things he could never fully shake. Up here, though...up here, he feels nearly as weightless as the leaves.

He straightens his limbs into something quite like a prance, his paws dancing across the bark as powerful limbs carry him forward in a rush. Balanced right on the edge, claws digging into the bark — Duskpaw soars across the small gap of the branches, his paw raised and splayed wide to bare glinting claws. It's a terrifying descent. Even from the lowest branches, falling is a skill requiring mastery. The bird is still alive when they hit the ground. It squawks, its wings beating the earth into a frenzied storm. Despite his dizziness, he ducks his head to end its life swiftly. Ensnared by the sudden realization of the risk he had taken, the tom's saucer-wide eyes turn back towards the tree branches he had stood just a moment before. Falling should have been something slow motion, a descent he could feel with growing horror. Instead...he doesn't think his mind had been there at all for the drop.

Duskpaw exhales gratefulness in one swift gust, and looks back down to the bird.

𝘞𝘏𝘈𝘛 𝘐𝘍 𝘠𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘐𝘔𝘗𝘙𝘌𝘚𝘚𝘐𝘖𝘕 𝘖𝘍 𝘔𝘌 𝘐𝘚 𝘞𝘙𝘖𝘕𝘎 ﹖  ╱╱ 9.14.2023 ˊˎ＜

• OOC. @nightbird mentor tag <3
• ✦　　. 　 ˚　.  DUSKPAW. HE - HIM OR THEY - THEM. APPRENTICE OF THUNDERCLAN, NEARING WARRIORHOOD. PENNED BY REVELATIONS.  ———
  
  
  ——  a lanky apprentice with mostly dark brown fur that fades just slightly near the chest, throat, and ears, while the tip of their tail burns with the bright orange tabby flame. his eyes are a deep, rich amber-brown, seeming red, often somewhat critical and cautious but not unkind in expression. he is not terribly tall, but his shoulders are broadening with age and training.
  

  ✦ BLAZESTAR x LITTLE WOLF. LITTERMATE TO SKYPAW, PART OF HOWLINGFAM. MENTORED BY NIGHTBIRD. DOES NOT KNOW ABOUT HIS SKYCLAN HERITAGE. —

• "speech"

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[BURNSTORM]

Burnstorm does not often think about his SkyClan heritage, not anymore. He had proven his own merits far outweighed the blood of his sire, it was an unimportant detail in the light of his loyalty to his clan but one that he knows would be lorded over him in the wake of even the smallest miss-step. Duskpaw was lucky. He lived in ignorance of their shared father, the whole clan did. Skypaw too, though his mother had been a fool to name him the way she had. She had claimed it was after his "half" siblings but he knew better. He had seen the looks she had cast in Blazestar's direction at the gatherings when she had thought no one was looking, the sad wistfulness in her eyes that had lingered for moons after their separation. He had been glad for the distraction that came in snow-flurry colored fur but now... Now he is not sure if he can look the tom in the eyes knowing that he had spent his mothers last moments here in ThunderClan when he should have been by her side like Hailstorm had been. Perhaps if he had gone on the journey she would still be here now.

He quickly casts such thoughts out of his mind. It would do no one any good if he was distracted in such a way. ThunderClan needed all the prey that they could get right now. He is broken from his troubled mind by the sound of crashing, of leaves rustling far more than they would had a bird or a squirrel simply had a bad tumble. Immediately, he rushes to the sound, only to discover his brother with a bird clutched in his jaws.

It is not difficult to put the pieces together. Duskpaw had caught the bird and had fallen out of the tree. like a skyclanner he thinks bitterly but immediately he pushes the thought out of his mind. It would not do to say such things to his kin and besides, his main concern right now was checking the younger tom over for injuries. "Are you okay?" He asks, worry evident in his voice.

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[nightbird]

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ she is not far from her tree-scaling apprentice, stalking after a much safer prey on the ground. the mouse, smaller, more skeletal than she had grown used to since last leafbare, was quickly caught, killed. it sat secured in her jaws, but the violent shake of branches had her head swinging upwards.

duskpaw soared from one tree to the next in a swift pursuit. nightbird watched his paws as if they were her own, followed them through to each landing. it was a brave endeavor, hunting in the trees. one misplaced paw in the heat of the chase and you found yourself in berryheart's den for moons, if you're lucky. she rarely partook, found it too reckless for such little reward, it was an activity better left to the skyclanners. she didn't try to stop duskpaw from his quest, however. distracting the apprentice now be more dangerous than any slip up, and besides, duskpaw generally had a good head on his shoulders. she did not worry about his judgement.

nightbird blinks, nearly in surprise as he hurls himself from the tree after the bird in a move that most thunderclanner's wouldn't dare try. she certainly did not teach him that. the mouse is discarded onto a rock as she makes her way to where the flame-tailed apprentice had landed.

burnstorm arrives first, questioning if he was alright, physically she's sure he's fine. he was standing just fine, did not land with a yelp of pain. he got lucky this time, but to take such a risk only days away from his warrior ceremony? it was something she would have far more expected from lightstrike, even he was on good behavior leading up to his. "why did you do that?"

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── AND NO RIVERS AND NO LAKES ⋅⋆⋅ CAN PUT THE FIRE OUT ──┐‎

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  NIGHTBIRD ✩ she/her, lead warrior of thunderclan, twenty-eight moons.
  ⭃ a small black smoke molly with a single white paw and pale silver eyes.
  ⭃ mate to raccoonstripe / / mentor to duskpaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ↛ see battle info here
  ⭃ penned by vayle ↛ @vayl3 on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

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[WILDHEART]

"Heh! Seems we have another reckless apprentice-soon-to-be-warrior in the making." Wildheart remarked with a chuckle as he drew closer in order to cast a glance over Duskpaw to ensure that they hadn't actually caused themselves an injury. Everything seemed to be well however, and it had been a nice catch to boot. "Nice catch, Duskpaw, just try to pull off such moves closer to the ground next time. So, nothing hurting then?"
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