border HOW EASY IT IS // urgent ThunderClan patrol

[HOWLINGSTAR]

// @nightbird @SHININGSUN
No need to wait for them!

Howlingstar is more cautious than ever when she makes her way to the WindClan border. She pads alongside two of her trusted warriors, and she glances over to each of them with a bit of curiosity. How are they holding up, she wonders? Nightbird is always so hard to read - that can be a good and bad thing. She wants to know what her lead warrior is thinking, but she can also always count on her to reliably give her best to ThunderClan without letting any emotion get in the way. Shiningsun is the opposite, always wearing his heart on his pelt, which usually comes across as a bright smile. She wouldn’t be surprised if his smile is noticeably dimmed today. The wolves have already taken so much from them, and they’ll only take more. That’s why we’re here, She resolves, eyes growing steely with determination.

“I need to see Sunstar. It’s urgent,” She reports to the first WindClanner she sees. Unfortunately, it had taken a bit before a patrol approached the border, but she will not trespass. Howlingstar is no code-breaker, and if she’s going to do this, she will do it right.​

 

[Bluepool]

A blue tabby figure stalks the moors along with her apprentice. They don’t have a particular goal in mind today but it was so nice out, it would be a waste to not do something. So Bluepool had grabbed her apprentice and a couple other warriors who weren’t doing much and also wanted to get out of camp and she had assembled an impromptu hunting patrol. "Now remember, if a rabbit runs over the border just let it go, we don’t want to start anything with ThunderClan today" she says to her patrol. Prey was plentiful right now and there was no reason to start any fights over food if it wasn’t a scarcity anymore.

When they get closer to the border though, she can see three figures emerge from the undergrowth on their side. The way they were paused, Bluepool could only guess that they probably were waiting for a patrol to come along. Which means they wanted something. "Howlingstar!" she calls out when they get closer, a friendly smile lifting up the corners of her lips "To what do we owe the pleasure?" ‘I need to see Sunstar, it’s urgent’ she replies and Bluepool flicks her scrappy tail in the direction of her apprentice. "Of course. Featherpaw, would you please run back to camp to fetch him?" they had been running nearly every morning since her apprentices recovery from her injury, Bluepool was confident that he could run there and back just fine.

// sent @FEATHERPAW to get @SUNSTAR

( ➸ ) test my worth in blood

• 
  
  
• 
  BLUEPOOL WINDCLAN LEAD WARRIOR ; SHE / HER ; SISTER TO SOOTSTAR & MINTSHADE
  

  A small framed moor runner with a blue toned pelt and black stripes. Her tail is cropped and her eyes are golden in color. On her chest, she sports a large 'X' shaped scar.

  ✦ Difficult in battle. A skilled fighter + isn’t above using dirty tricks in order to win
  

​

 

[Periwinklebreeze.]

OH, WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SOMEONE ━
THAT EVERYBODY HAS TO TALK TO━​

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

periwinklebreeze ❀ 20 moons ❀ demi-boy ❀ windclan lead warrior ​

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Despite now sharing the same position, periwinklebreeze is more than willing to take a step back and let Bluepool lead the conversation, unsure of what to say or ask. When they'd left on this hunting patrol he'd expected nothing but casual wanderings - catching some prey if they were lucky. New leaf had brought new life to the moorlands, flowers and baby animals abundant. He hadn't expected to see familiar thunderclan faces lined up and waiting.

Head dips in a respectful greeting though - Howlingstar had thanked him once, for his actions in remaining behind (he ignored that niggling guilt that said it hadn't been out of kindness, but his own incompetence). And nightbird had been one of many he'd journeyed with - in fact, they'd even been tapped in the mountain caves together. If that didn't lend itself to a healthy dose of respect for the older molly, he's not sure what would. The only one he didn't recognize was shiningsun.

━ actions & " speech, " & 'thoughts/quotes' ━

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━H E━H AD━N O━O N E━T H A T━H E━C O U L D━T A L K━T O━

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[SCORCHSTREAK]

༄༄ At the sound of noise above, Scorchstreak pulls her dappled form out of a tunnel—she gestures for her apprentice to follow, ears swiveling to seek out the source of whatever she’d heard. When she at last spots the cats gathered near the border, golden eyes narrow. Howlingstar stands there, with Bluepool and Featherpaw across from the small patrol she’s brought with her. Making her way over, Scorchstreak takes her place beside the silvery tabby to listen to what the leader has to say. Her opinion of ThunderClan is more favorable than that of RiverClan—but that does not mean that she trusts them implicitly. If there are to be any shenanigans, she will bare witness to them along with her fellow lead warrior. "Howlingstar," she greets the other clan’s leader, offering the brown tabby a polite dip of her head. The leader has already asked to speak with Sunstar, and so the calico has nothing more to say until the rosetted leader makes his way onto the scene. She only hopes that Featherpaw’s feet are swift, and that Howlingstar’s urgency can wait at least until the leader is present at the border.

// apprentice tag @PINKPAW​

​

 

[FEATHERSPINE]

If Featherpaw was happy to see the ThunderClan patrol- which she did not show upon her face- it was only because that jeering calico was not among them. Intrigue glimmered in her glare as she and Bluepool approached, soon joined by Periwinklebreeze, Scorchstreak and Pinkpaw. His gaze did not fall to his Clanmates, not his friends- simply, he studied the Thunderclanners flanking the leader. Both of them were faces he was not wholly familiar with... still, no buzz of hostility bristled along his back. I need to see Sunstar. It's urgent.

Howlingstar continued to impress her. Prompt, efficient... not mincing words. It was her sincerety, her resolve, that subconsciously fended away any suspicion Featherpaw might have bore against her for requesting her father so directly.

Would you please run back to camp to fetch him? Pride, and then decisiveness, glinted blistering in Featherpaw's ever-narrowed gaze. "Yes." Featherpaw dipped his head, for once not pushing back against Bluepool's kindness. Her speed still needed work, but every tireless atom within her soon sent her in a blur of brown across the moor. Swiftly, affixed, he ran toward camp, not wasting a moment in fixing his attention upon his father.

Narrowed yellow met the familiar kindness. "Howlingstar, at the b-buh... b-border. Says it's urgent." He held his father's gaze levelly, chest heaving with the aftermath of his burst of energy, but all the while ready to follow her father back to the border.

\ went to fetch @SUNSTAR !​

✦ penned by pin​

 

[SHININGSUN]

☼ It came as no surprise that Shiningsun was on edge with eyes wide with worry and fear. His mind was focused on that of the wolves and of the recent horror that had befallen ThunderClan. It was hard to find a smile amidst it all, so he didn't bother trying. His expression was serious as he followed Howlingstar's lead until they reached the border to WindClan, and thankfully they didn't have to wait long to be spotted by a passing patrol. The tom lingered by his leader's flank as he left the talking to her.
​

 

[RATTLEHEART]

AS HE RAISED HIS FIST BEFORE HE SPOKE — As one might expect, it was normal to scent Thunderclan along their shared border with Windclan. Both sides made sure that their boundaries were marked regularly, not to mention the sheer number of patrols that often passed to make it smell that way naturally. This time though, as he emerged from the tunnels not long after Scorchstreak, he was surprised to find the smell on the air much stronger than usual. Not only potent, but tinged with something off. Stale but unpleasant, enough to make the lead warrior's pelt spike involuntarily even as the presence of Howlingstar and her own leads did nothing to frighten him. Rattleheart had no reason to believe they were here for any kind of hostility, especially considering the Thunderclan leader wore nothing but determination and exhaustion on her face.

Featherpaw had already been sent back to grab Sunstar as requested, so he simply turned and flicked his tail to his own apprentice, motioning for them to sit and relax as they waited to see what was going on. "Howlingstar, it's good to see you again." And for once he meant it genuinely, considering she hadn't been anything near unkind to them in recent moons. In fact, she had been one of the leaders that seemed most eager to see them grow and change without Sootstar dragging them all down. "Although... I get the feeling we'll be wishing it was with happier news." The serious expression on Shiningsun's face almost seemed like it was directly at odds with the brightness of his golden pelt, the absence of smiles on his and Nightbird's face only further worrying Rattleheart.

It's urgent.

What could be plaguing Thunderclan with such woe?

// @downypaw apprentice tag !

THE RIGHTEOUS HAND OF GOD 𓆩♡𓆪 THE DEVIL THAT YOU FORGOT

• 

• 
  ❥ longhaired black and white tom with pale green eyes
  ❥ 49 moons old; ages the 1st every month
  ❥ afab; uses he/she/they pronouns
  ❥ homosexual homoromantic; mated to venomstrike
  ❥ sibling to scorchstreak, lizardbounce, and rabbitclaw
  ❥ currently mentoring downypaw
  ❥ somewhat difficult to befriend; wary but kind
  ❥ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ❥ peaceful powerplay allowed
  ❥ all opinions are ic

​

 

[SUNSTAR]

He is not slow to find his way there once Featherpaw's presence roused him. With brisk directions to send Wolfsong along as well, should she find him, he is off into the dark without a light to guide him. Whatever lies before him now, the curiosity of urgency is the only lure. Surely it would be desperate, if ThunderClan would turn to them. Though the forest dwellers had been the kindest of late, well above ShadowClan or RiverClan, he knows that they are not friends. In this new life they have forged, WindClan has none. His thoughts go to the loyalists and all manner of trouble. Trespassing, or murder. Another life lost to paws he could not himself kill?

But when he comes to see the small, harried patrol, he is not so certain this is about them at all.

It may be nothing more than her stance, but Sunstar can see that this weariness goes far beyond the struggles of cats. His gaze swiftly crosses his gathered warriors. There are no answers to be found in their confused silence. They do not clamor to give him context. Whatever was this urgent. . . it was not so urgent to speak to any but him. Or, he wonders, had it simply been far too important? This brings him more unease than his once-fearless heart had carried. He had thought that battle was the bravest a cat could be. Now he knows that he cannot always be a warrior. Sometimes, to be a leader or a father, one must learn to embrace cowardice. His heart still strains against this.

"Howlingstar," he greets cautiously. "My kin told me you sought me– urgently. What is it that brings you to our border?" Though not unkind, there is caution on his tongue.

⋆°•☁︎ 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝗕𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃  ╱╱ 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝗕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝗕𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 〚 02.11.2024 〛 𖤓

• OOC. —
• 

  SUNSTAR. LEADER OF WINDCLAN.   ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
  ——– HE – HIM – HIS ╱╱ 48+ MOONS OLD, ADULT.

  NPC x NPC, MOUNTAIN CATS. MATE TO WOLFSONG; FATHER TO BEARPAW, SINGEDPAW, RIVEPAW, SUNLITPAW AND FEATHERPAW. MENTORING RIVEPAW.
  
  TH ╱╱ A LARGE, FRESHLY SCARRED CHOCOLATE AND WHITE ROSETTE TABBY TOM WITH SEAGLASS BLUE EYES

• "speech"

​

 

[dimmingsun]

-

When he had departed camp with the others, Dimmingsun didn't think much of it. Perhaps he's let his guard down too much already; even when the hills seem quiet and lacking in anything too foreboding, one needs to prepare for the worst. That's how Dimmingsun views it at least.

Howlingstar's appearance at their border would not have crossed his mind, even if he had stayed true to his word and let his body remain stiff with anticipation for what's to come.

His long tail lashes behind him, once, twice, then stays still. It's difficult to remain stoic when the air feels electric around them - it's not often another Clan's head shows up at your doorstep with such urgency, probably not saying a word more until Sunstar appears.

Dimmingsun remains quiet. He merely dips his head in greeting, respectful towards Howlingstar but ultimately hesitant. It's always like that with him; for as friendly and easy-going he is with his Clanmates, there's something else radiating off him during times like these. Hostile, almost, ready to bolt and fight if need be. Danger.

˗ˏˋ ᴀ ꜱɪɴɴᴇʀ, ᴀ ꜱᴀɪɴᴛ / ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪɴʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ´ˎ˗ ᓚᘏᗢ 03.12.24

• 
• ✦ OOC -

• DIMMINGSUN ⸝⸝-- WINDCLAN -- HE/HIM -- 32 MOONS

  ✦ Large golden-brown tom with green eyes.
  ✦ Penned by ˏ 𝙠𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙣 ´​
•  

​

 

[HOWLINGSTAR]

Fortunately, it’s a number of familiar faces that greet Howlingstar’s patrol at the border. That’s good. She dips her head to the Bluepool and Scorchstreak who are swift to greet her. As Featherpaw runs off to retrieve their leader, the tabby looks to the warriors present and frowns, expression heavy. “I wish my visit was under more favorable conditions. My forest is in danger, and I need WindClan’s help to make it safe again.” It is all she can say without repeating herself; thank StarClan the moorland clan is fast. Sunstar arrives on swift paws and is quick to question her. She meets his gaze with her own tired one.

“Wolves have been plaguing ThunderClan, Sunstar,” She tells him directly, refusing to mince words. With every heartbeat, more of her clanmates are put at risk. She won’t waste time. “Three of my warriors have already been slaughtered. They have found their way into our camp; our bramble walls were nothing to them. They cannot be driven out, but if they’re allowed to stay then ThunderClan will be no more within a pawful of moons. They’ll go to another territory, next, no doubt.” It’s a safety measure that she adds on the last part. If WindClan decides to say no, maybe a bit of self-preservation can convince them.

“We have a plan,” She continues without missing a beat, taking a step forward. “We will use our fastest warriors to bait the wolves to the gorge that splits your land with RiverClan’s meadows. The drop will kill them; the forest will be free. But we couldn’t do that without you knowing our plans. We’d be leading them straight through your territory.” She waits with bated breath, but her eyes shine with determination. What if he says no? What then? She doesn’t want to break the Warrior Code, but she may have no choice.​

 

[downyfur]

Downypaw sits as Rattleheart motions them to, cautiously reclining into the mixture of long-dead and newly-sprouting grasses. Large, black-tipped ears remain pricked, clearly turned towards the meager ThunderClan patrol as though they weren't standing only a fox-length away. The rest of her kit-like face is swallowed by widened eyes, though whether the expression is out of concern, anxiety, or unbearable curiosity is unreadable.

The stouth tabby in the middle, Howlingstar, clearly has some sort of grave news to share. Instead of forgetting her position and asking the ThunderClan leader outright (like Pinkpaw might), she entertains herself in the silence by trying to guess what it was they were all here for. Maybe it was that a ThunderClan warrior killed a WindClan warrior in a skirmish, and WindClan hadn't discovered yet because the dead warrior had only recently left camp to hunt by themself. Or maybe they didn't kill them, but they found them injured and invited them back to their camp.

The wizened feline answers her wondering herself, sort of. WindClan's help. Downypaw's first thought is to ask something of them in return. It'd be something Sootspot would do, they're sure. Howlingstar seemed in no position to deny whatever WindClan asked for; a tree-length of territory might be enough payment. WindClan wouldn't be able to do much with the trees, but weakening a potential enemy might be beneficial. Or, she thinks her former mentor might say, it'd make them desperate. So maybe they'd ask to construct tunnels underneath ThunderClan territory instead—but if they really wanted to do that and were in a position of power to, they would've done it anyway without bothering to let them know about it.

And, for a second, the harmless thought makes them a little guilty. It'd been ThunderClan who had sheltered WindClan when the rogues drove them out. Then again, none of WindClan's warriors had been permitted to stay in their camp, even if it meant being separated from kin. Heavy Snow and Sunstar hadn't gotten to see their kits for a quarter-moon. See, Downypaw would probably do the same, if they had been Howlingstar—but even the slightest wrongdoing of the persecuted was enough assuage the guilt.

Sunstar trots in on his great, flaming paws soon after. Wolves? The apprentice quizzically glances at Rattleheart. From what she can tell, wolves are strange, giant creatures, capable of trampling through WindClan's gorse if they could crush bramble. The deaths of three forest warriors makes her frown, nervousness for her own slightly outweighing the sorrow on ThunderClan's behalf.

When the leader reveals their plan, Downypaw can't help but think the fastest ThunderClan warriors would probably be slower than the average WindClan moor runner. If they were in Sunstar's position, they might offer to have their own warriors bait the wolves instead. Putting three WindClanners' lives on the line in exchange for the certainty of a task done well and the thwarting of any plan ThunderClan may have to lead the wolves into WindClan's camp sounded okay to them, if only because their status as a tunneller would never put them in the position to be the bait.

The storm-furred feline looks towards Sunstar, as every cat in the vicinity does. Even as Howlingstar makes clear the fact that they would be leading monsters to their lands, Downypaw remains curiously detached. This is not their problem, in any facet of it. It is Sunstar's decision to make and the three warriors' path to run. But if they failed and it came down to it...they gulp.

Such beasts would never be able to follow Downypaw into the tunnels, but Brightshine, Heavy Snow, and Finchpaw were moor runners. They could all gather on the side of the territory farthest from the gorge, a head start in case ThunderClan's plan failed, but doing that would require herding all the kittens out too. They could probably fit them all into the tunnels, but with so many children, things were bound to go wrong. Howlingstar's face is set with determination, but Downypaw's stomach twists. Something could go wrong, really wrong. She can see why ThunderClan wouldn't care, though: so many things have gone wrong for them already.​

 

[SNAKEHISS]

Snakehiss does not think about much when it comes to these patrols; he simply utilizes them as a means of getting out of camp and refreshing his gaze with a view other than the Sandy Hollow. While he does his part in marking the borders and hunting, he does not typically care to sass the other clans or make comments like he used to. A strange quietness had befallen Snakehiss ever since the loyalists got driven out; a recoil, a step back, so to speak.

As much as Snakehiss had never liked Howlingstar or ThunderClan, he does not bother wasting his breath as the patrol he's on encounters them. He keeps his head down, viridian gaze scanning the other patrol curiously.

When Sunstar finally arrives, Howlingstar finally addresses ThunderClan's reasoning for showing up on the moorlands today — wolves. Snakehiss' ears flick backward slightly at the thought, knowing those drooling mongrels were so close by. He had not encountered one himself, but he knew that they were bigger and stronger than foxes. "What?" Even being on probation does not stop Snakehiss from speaking his mind. "And if this plan fails, if the wolves end up taking a liking to WindClan territory next..." This was a ridiculous idea, leading a pack of wolves right through their moors!

The obvious answer for Snakehiss was a flat-out no. Let the beasts torment ThunderClan for however long; why should it become their issue? Why should WindClan help them this time, especially when wolves were involved? Maybe Howlingstar would finally learn what it felt like to be denied help, just as she had done to WindClan many times over.

₊ ⋆ * ⊹ ₊ ☾ —— 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙟𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙨

•  

• 

• 
  ₊ ⋆ * ⊹ ₊ ☾
  snakehiss
  

  — he/him; moor runner of windclan
  — long-limbed black tom with green eyes, a small white chest patch, and multiple scars
  — father to violetkit, waspkit, cricketkit, and privetkit (duskclan)
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — link to full tags; @ on discord or dm @beaaats for plots!​

​

 

[Periwinklebreeze.]

OH, WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SOMEONE ━
THAT EVERYBODY HAS TO TALK TO━​

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

periwinklebreeze ❀ 20 moons ❀ demi-boy ❀ windclan lead warrior ​

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Whatever he's expecting, it could never be close to the truth of what spills past the leaders lips. Wolves -eaths - the gorge. For a mooment, he's stunned. And then... he thinks. Dogs are stupid, clumsy despite their size and speed. He remembers the way they'd lured them away on the journey - some out pacing them, some loosing them in the woods, some not so lucky (himself mostly). Wolves... were big dogs, weren't they? Towering hulking things that he's only heard stories of, that cats were named after but had never graced windclans moors. If they were in thunderclan territory, what would stop them from coming to windclan? They had plentiful prey this newleaf - if breeding rabbits could bring hawks, certainly wolves would be no different?

" That.... c-could work, " He admits softly - though theres pause. " but... are y-your w-warriors fast enough? " even if windclan agreed to the plan, what use would it be if thunderclan simply got snapped up along the way before ever reaching the gorge. They're built for traversing forest and undergrowth - not speed. " L-like the lure of r-rabbit isn't enough once th-they've eaten thunderclan, " he snaps back at snakehiss, head shaking.

Dogs kill just to kill sometimes, leaving carrion strewn in their path. Foxes were no better, just smarter about it, raiding burrows and nests and tunnels. Wolves can't be much different then their kin.

━ actions & " speech, " & 'thoughts/quotes' ━

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━H E━H AD━N O━O N E━T H A T━H E━C O U L D━T A L K━T O━

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[SUNSTAR]

His mind, like that of his warriors', goes unfailingly to ThunderClan's failings. Even knowing what he knew, of Howlingstar, of the choices that she had made, his mind has not let go of his kittens' time away from him, or the rage upon Sootstar's face as she told him of how ThunderClan denied them passage through their lands. Now they seek what they had once refused — not merely for their warriors, but for the wolves that will follow. Though he knows that rabbits would not be enough for a ravenous pack, their territory is bountiful and bright. And the cats that traverse it have little cover with which to hide themselves, and few trees to scale. They were easy prey were it not for their speed. And Sunstar, at the very least, is not built for flight of paw. Neither were those of his kits, should they have inherited anything from him at all.

"You do not want WindClan's warriors involved." It seemed greater than simply not wishing to ask for it. was it a matter of trust? Or did he simply look too far into her weary words? "Surely you know how great a risk this poses to our clan. If your warriors fall before these wolves do, it is not only ThunderClan that will suffer. This would move them on to our lands, and your problem would not be solved." The gorge is a great, gaping maw that splits this land. It swallows all who fall to it, and if these creatures are so clever as to tear through bramble and hunt the clans, surely they would not fall for this twice. His expression lacks its usual fire, or its openness. The rosetted tom wears a mask of brittle glass as he examines the leader and memories far older than this moorland.

Snapping jaws, a family torn apart as he did what he could to haul a small, sunshine-kissed cat through the snow. Never before had he stood in the steps of Ellisif's father. Never before had he considered it an act of bravery, to die.

"Bluepool, Periwinklebreeze." Their names are snapped, firm, his head turned only just so that he might take in the both of them. "Return to camp, shelter the kits. They are not to leave your sight until I have given the clear. All patrols along the gorge are to cease until I have spoken otherwise. Rattleheart and Scorchstreak, you will. . . remain, for a moment. The rest of you are to return to camp as well." Weariness shifts his mask and his shoulders — knowing the risk of failure that is not even his to claim, and all that may happen to his clanmates because of it stiffens them both. "For the sake of both our clans, Howlingstar, I hope this cost is not too great."

⋆°•☁︎ 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝗕𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃  ╱╱ 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝗕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝗕𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 〚 02.11.2024 〛 𖤓

• OOC. —
• 

  SUNSTAR. LEADER OF WINDCLAN.   ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
  ——– HE – HIM – HIS ╱╱ 48+ MOONS OLD, ADULT.

  NPC x NPC, MOUNTAIN CATS. MATE TO WOLFSONG; FATHER TO BEARPAW, SINGEDPAW, RIVEPAW, SUNLITPAW AND FEATHERPAW. MENTORING RIVEPAW.
  
  TH ╱╱ A LARGE, FRESHLY SCARRED CHOCOLATE AND WHITE ROSETTE TABBY TOM WITH SEAGLASS BLUE EYES

• "speech"

​

 

[SCORCHSTREAK]

༄༄ The situation remains tense, with none of the ThunderClanners speaking until Sunstar arrives. And when he does, standing golden-hued against the bright flowers and green grass of the moorland, just at Featherpaw’s heels. Howlingstar begins to speak, and the calico’s stomach drops.

We’d be leading them straight through your territory.

"That’s," she says in a sharp bite, fiery eyes flaring bright with sudden rage. Her expression does not change, however, remaining stony and stoic despite the way that her nostrils flare. That Howlingstar would ask such a question of WindClan, to put them all in danger—her gaze shifts to Bluepool, to Rattleheart. Not only her clan, but also her loved ones, will be in danger if Sunstar agrees to such a request. If what Howlingstar says is true, then allowing the other clan to lead a pack of wolves here… it could be deadly. It could wipe each and every WindClanner out. And then what would ThunderClan do? Claim the moorland territory as their own? The thought makes her want to demand that they keep their problems far from WindClan—but Sunstar ends up agreeing with the tabby-striped leader, and the calico stays silent.

Sunstar tells Bluepool and Prriwinklebreeze to go back to camp, and a wave of relief washes over her. They will have a fighting chance to escape, even if the wolves stray from following after ThunderClan’s warriors. Scorchstreak cannot imagine being one of the cats to lead them away; she had nearly died when mere dogs had chased after them upon their return from the mountains. It is only by Milkthorn’s quick thinking and boldness that she is still alive today. But the rosetted tom calls to herself and to Rattleheart, asking them to remain at his side. "Whatever you need of me," she states with a dip of her head to the leader, golden eyes serious.​

​

 

[nightbird]

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ it is a heavy request howlingstar brings to windclan's border, one she may have denied if in sunstar's paws. there were too many possibilities that the situation would turn sour. if the wolves decided that the thunderclanner's were less interesting than a crossing windclan patrol or the pack decided this chase simply wasn't worth it.

there was no other way, if there was nightbird doubted they would be here begging for good-will by windclan's paws. they didn't have the means to rid their territory of these beasts without using the gorge. howlingstar's assumption that they would only move on to the next clan once thunderclan had been dealt with could be true, if it was and sunstar refused them she would not live to see the aftermath.

they weren't left in anticipation for long, begrudgingly the moorland leader agrees. nightbird's ears twitch, something akin to surprise, pale gaze shifting to howlingstar. all that was left was to execute their plan, hopefully without bulking starclan's ranks with their own warriors.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎┌── AND TIME IS RAGING ⋅⋆⋅ MAY IT RAGE IN VAIN ──┐‎

• ooc ↛
  

• 

• 
  NIGHTBIRD ✩ she/her, lead warrior of thunderclan, 31 ☾'s
  ⭃ a small black smoke molly with a single white paw and pale silver eyes.
  ⭃ mate to raccoonstripe / / mentor to none
  ⭃ 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.
  

​

 

[RATTLEHEART]

AS HE RAISED HIS FIST BEFORE HE SPOKE — Wolves. Thought Rattleheart had certainly heard of the hulking, vicious creatures in the past, he had never had the misfortune of actually being face to face with one. The nearest he had ever come was back in his loner days, the stale scent of the creatures alone enough to have left him recoiling and bristling in fear. He knew them mainly as horrible, terrifying stories - practically the kind of things made up to scare kits back into their dens. Yet here Howlingstar was, asking them to offer up their territory as part of a plan that could go terribly wrong. That could end up with many, many lives lost, on both sides.

But what other choice did they have, really?

In spite of his own hesitance, the tunneler didn't hesitate in nodding along with Periwinklebreeze's words, a direct contradiction against Snakehiss' outrage. "Periwinklebreeze is right. If we don't help now, we'll just end up with all of them as a threat in the future. And frankly... I'd rather step in now and make sure their bellies aren't full of other cats' lives before we have to deal with them." His words were firm, even with the many anxious thoughts about what could go wrong clawing away at the insides of his mind. He supported helping Thunderclan - not only for their own safety, but for the benefits that it could bring them in the future as well. The wolves would inevitably end up a thorn in their side either way, but helping now ensured that Howlingstar could see they were serious about changing.

They wouldn't be the same totally self-serving clan they had been under Sootstar, even if the number of ways things could spiral out of control remained a heavy weight on his back.

Thankfully Sunstar seemed to be in agreement, a realization that drew a relieved sigh from Rattleheart's muzzle. The sound of his own name caused his ears to temporarily flick back, chest clenching at the thought of what their leader could be asking of him and Scorchstreak. He wouldn't dream of protesting though - and at least it being them would keep other cats from potentially ending up in danger. Cats like Venomstrike, and his niblings as well. "Of course, Sunstar." He turned back towards Downypaw, the wary expression on her face a younger, fluffier mirror of his own. Yet he still offered his apprentice a grin. "Go on back with the others, Downypaw. Help make sure all the kits are behaving, alright?" He didn't comment on anything beyond that, his tail twitching high in the air behind him. Part of him wanted to tell Downypaw that he'd come and get him once this was all over with, and they could figure out more training and patrols as needed.

Yet something else kept his muzzle clamped shut, not willing to comment on whether or not he would be returning to camp anytime soon. It would depend on what Sunstar was going to ask of him and his sister, and whether he became trapped in the gnashing jaws of a beast or not.

THE RIGHTEOUS HAND OF GOD 𓆩♡𓆪 THE DEVIL THAT YOU FORGOT

• 

• 
  ❥ longhaired black and white tom with pale green eyes
  ❥ 49 moons old; ages the 1st every month
  ❥ afab; uses he/she/they pronouns
  ❥ homosexual homoromantic; mated to venomstrike
  ❥ sibling to scorchstreak, lizardbounce, and rabbitclaw
  ❥ currently mentoring downypaw
  ❥ somewhat difficult to befriend; wary but kind
  ❥ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ❥ peaceful powerplay allowed
  ❥ all opinions are ic

​

 

[HOWLINGSTAR]

Howlingstar waits in horrible agony for Sunstar's response, her gaze burning searing holes into his skull as apprehension takes hold. But another speaks first - Snakehiss, she recognizes. Her eyes snap to him as he blurts out his shock, clearly disapproving of the idea. Her maw tightens in a frown - Sunstar, don't listen to him. We need this. And luckily, the warrior she knows to be Periwinklebreeze is quick to support the idea, but shows doubt that ThunderClan warriors can be fast enough. Her ears flatten against her will. It's the same concern some of her own warriors had. "We have to be fast enough," She utters, attention returning to Sunstar as he comments that they don't want to use any WindClan warriors. "I am not asking you to endanger your clanmates. I just need you to make sure they're not nearby when we come." He expresses doubt. Of course he expresses doubt. This idea is...insane, really, but it's all they've got. It's their only chance.

And he agrees. She lets out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, relief taking hold as he begins to give orders to his warriors, to keep them away from the area, to keep everyone safe. "Thank you, Sunstar. My warriors will succeed, StarClan willing," She tells him earnestly. She looks to Nightbird and Shiningsun with a look of contentment. Now, it's time to return to camp and let them know the plan is on.​

 

[Periwinklebreeze.]

OH, WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SOMEONE ━
THAT EVERYBODY HAS TO TALK TO━​

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

periwinklebreeze ❀ 20 moons ❀ demi-boy ❀ windclan lead warrior ​

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

In the end, sunstar agree's - ordering him and his former mentor back to camp. He almost thinks to ask to stay, but the reminder of the nursery and the many helpless kittens within keeps him silent. " Of curse, " Head nods - he's guarded the nursery many times during the past, today will simply be no different. A bow of goodbye to the other clan's patrol and then he's gone - paws carrying his slim figure back home as fast as the wind their clan is named for.

━ actions & " speech, " & 'thoughts/quotes' ━

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

━H E━H AD━N O━O N E━T H A T━H E━C O U L D━T A L K━T O━

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
// out

 

[dimmingsun]

-

Dimmingsun certainly doesn't envy Sunstar - or Howlingstar for that matter, but one often becomes biased towards their own when in peril - in moments like this. With the threat of wolves no less, the danger bleeds past the border between ThunderClan and WindClan. Should the plan fail, it's not only them who will get affected. The sparse tufts of grass beneath Dimmingsun's paws stand no chance as he tears at them, subconsciously, being harshly reminded of the possibility that they might get driven out of their home once again. He wishes he could encircle their camp with his own body and shield it from the world.

But it's not so simple.

Snakehiss is quick to voice his opinion, but Periwinklebreeze and Rattleheart are quick to counter it. Dimmingsun wonders why they can't just send one of their own moor-runners instead of whoever is ThunderClan's fastest, but his maw remains shut, not wanting to throw his Clanmates (or himself) to the wolves... literally.

It's Sunstar who gets to make that decision. Blessed or cursed in this moment? StarClan knows.

Dimmingsun feels alive with anticipation, but not the good kind - it's the kind that makes him feel restless, like he could keep running for days and not grow tired. The order has been made, and he's quick to turn tail and return home with grave news.

˗ˏˋ ᴀ ꜱɪɴɴᴇʀ, ᴀ ꜱᴀɪɴᴛ / ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪɴʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ´ˎ˗ ᓚᘏᗢ 03.12.24

• 
• ✦ OOC out !

• DIMMINGSUN ⸝⸝-- WINDCLAN -- HE/HIM -- 32 MOONS

  ✦ Large golden-brown tom with green eyes.
  ✦ Penned by ˏ 𝙠𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙣 ´​
•  

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