I ain't as young as I once was | Sleeping walking gone wrong

[>Alderjaw]

— The elder was a known active sleeper, just ask Foxpoppy. Poor molly had to listen to his snuffles and snores. Tonight, he was a little more active than usual. A dream was feverishly pulling him, to the point where his own limbs from dream and waking world were moving. Cinnamon-hued limbs were leaving his shared nest with his mate. They exited the elder's den and even passed through the entry of the camp. Alderjaw only saw with closed eyes, unaware of the dangers that lurked ahead..

The elderly tom would continue to walk the forest. He had managed to avoid most hazards up until a root snagged his paw, sending him to the ground with an "Umf!" This would wake him. Green eyes were half-lidded as he slowly recovered to his paws, only to shoot wide open like moons. He wasn't in his nest, he wasn't even in the den or camp. A loud snort would stab at the ears of the tom, causing him to drop down into a crouch. The old heart of the male cat started to beat rapidly, he had heard from the warriors what was going on outside of camp. Maybe in his youth, he would've dared to challenge the large creature he could hear rooting around but his joints creaked and he had aches just from sitting around. "Dung heaps.." He'd hiss to himself.

Slowly he'd raise his head just a little, and he could just make out the figure of the brutish being, which caused him to crouch back down quickly. Alderjaw would shake his head angrily at himself. He could try to run but.. Against that? "Oh, Foxpoppy.. I'm sorry." He'd whisper remorsefully. He wasn't certain if he'd make it out of this one. His mate would wind up waking up in the morning to him missing or maybe warriors bringing back his mangled body.. The thought tore up the old tom. He didn't want that for her. He wanted to see her again. To lick the top of her head in the morning to get that same sweet smile he had seen for moons.. What could he do now though?
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[Foxpoppy .]

FOXPOPPY —Smiled with the rising sun

Foxpoppy had always been cursed with the habit of being a light-sleeper, often subjected to jokes amongst her peers about how in the stars she managed to get a wink of sleep with her beloveds own curse of sniffles and snores throughout the night, her answer?
To be truthful, her mates noisy sleeping habits had actually became her white noise, her lull to sleep. It hadn’t always been that way, more often than not causing many arguments in their youth, but after too many seasons to count… she now found it difficult to bring herself to an easy drift-away without it.
She feels when her mate stumbles groggily out of their nest, one eye lazily flickering open as she watches him exit the den.
A late night dirt-break at their age wasnt as uncommon as some of these youngsters might think, and truthfully that is all the grey-freckled tortoiseshell chalks it up to as she patiently waits for Alderjaw to return, her flank gone cold without his presence.
She doesn’t realize her terrible mistake until it is too late, and Alderjaw had already wandered himself into a sticky situation.
With a grunt of effort the elder picks herself up from out of their nest, her usual relaxed hobble now urgent as she exits the den in her mates pawsteps.
Worry squeezes at her chest when his trail doesn’t lead her to the dirt-place (a thought she’d never imagine she’d have.) Instead, leading in the opposite direction.
Her next destination was the warriors den, and she’d urgently shake the warrior slumbering the nearest to the entrance.
"Wake up! My Alderjaw has gone missing, I need help finding him!" Her tone is whispered but frantic, lacking it’s usual gentle touch. "His scent… it leads out of camp, and with those beasts out- please, help find him!"

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[batwing]

Batwing was roused by the shaking. Unlike Foxpoppy, he was a deep sleeper, and had just gotten through a dream about chasing a bird through the treetops. His ears twitched, then his eyes shot wide open as she finally roused him, his head picking up. Batwing stood, not bothering to stretch in this moment, green optics shifted towards Foxpoppy. Hair along his spine stood up as he finally listened to her pleas. After that patrol with Flame and Red the other day... Ears flattened and Batwing turned, pushing his nose back into the warrior's den. "Wake up! An elder has wandered out of camp. I'm going ahead." That could be a mistake, but there wasn't time to waste in this case. Batwing moved past Foxpoppy, tossing a call over his shoulder- "I'll go ahead. Don't worry."

A flash of that confident smile of his towards her, then Batwing was off. The taller tom was stretching his body as he moved, pushing through the briar entrance and his mouth parting slightly as he lowered his head down to the ground. Focusing for a moment, he managed to pick up the smell of the elder, and he began to swiftly head in the direction that the tom had gone. But the closer he got, the more he could pick up on the smell of.. something else. The worse situation right now, he could think. Batwing slowed down as he approached in the undergrowth, trying to assess the situation before he did anything.. rash. Like he was planning to.

A boar, and the elder. The elder, just barely brushing himself off and standing up as he notices. The boar- he doesn't think has noticed yet. No, not yet. Batwing bit down on his tongue, turning his head back towards camp. Was help following? Coming? Would he be on his own against this beast? He looked back at the situation at paw. Stars help me. Just this once. A silent prayer, before he leapt from the undergrowth- a half moon around from where Alderjaw was standing. "HEY, SNOUTFACE." He shouted at the boar. Perhaps he'd wake half of the forest like this, but saving his clan member was.. a bit more important at this point. Let's see if he could get that beast's attention first. ​

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[nightbird]

the frantic tone of foxpoppy had her head lifting in her nest. although she was not prodded, she rose all the same. as she was pulling herself to her paws, batwing announced he would race ahead. silver eyes narrowed slightly, disapproving of the recklessness of the action. despite it, she followed, hot on the other warriors heels.

they found alderjaw rather swiftly, orange fur an almost stark contrast to the darkness that enveloped them. the hard part was now over, all they had to do was retrieve him, lead him back to camp. all silently, all without bringing the boars attention to them or their wandering elder. it would be easy to use the night as cover in this mission. with the undergrowth as cover, she moved slowly, paws silent against the lush ground. it went off without a hitch, she had almost reached alderjaw. thankfully the brutish creature had yet to discover them, things would go well.

"HEY, SNOUTFACE."

wildly, her head swung to cast a scorching gaze onto batwing who stood out in the open, challenging a creature that could sit on him and crush every idiotic bone in his body. her jaw threatened to hang open, she almost could not believe what she was seeing. this was no action of bravery, shouting into the night and making an enemy of something that would perceive him as nothing more than an easily disposable waste. the boar hadn't even been aware of alderjaw's presence. but now, they would have one angry pig to deal with. no, batwing would have one angry pig to deal with. nightbird would not throw herself in harms way for an event that was so easily avoidable if not for her clanmate's desire to put himself, and quite possibly the clan, at risk. there was possibly no other word to describe her than seething. "you better fucking pray that thing does not catch you."

the lead warrior had turned away from the sleek tom, closing the distance to alderjaw. "batwing's witlessness has granted you a path back to camp. i suggest you take it before the boar turns him into crowfood." her gaze was still blazing, but her voice remained level as she addressed the older cat.​

 

[SPIDERLILY]

to be reborn , you have to die first .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

The odd-eyed feline stared at the commotion from afar, brow raised at the utter stupidity Batwing displayed. Thinning the herd. He mused, whiskers twitching in amusement. One less cat to feed. He sighed, head rolling to relieve the tension from his neck, ear twitching. Was he being harsh? Perhaps. Spider wasn’t too keen on anything positive.

He’d been happy once. A long time ago he had a family … A small family, but a mate he cherished and a kit he loved to the end of time. But life was cruel.

He sighed, slithering down the trunk until he stood beside Nightbird with silent paws, not bothering to offer a hello, instead steering towards Alderjaw. “The trees.” He offered with no use in explaining further. If they were smart enough, that is, then they’d get the simple one-worded solution.

He wasn’t too keen on scraping guts off the ground to present to their leader. Another death caused by long-snouted creatures. He huffed, keeping close to the undergrowth. “Someone is going to die.” He mused, lips curled into an eerie grin, gaze flashing.

“Perhaps I can offer some assistance. I’d rather not pick up another bloodied carcass, so let’s hurry along before it realizes there’s more … crowfood on the menu.” How long had it been since he’d spoken longer than a full sentence? Spider couldn’t recall, simply shifting to offer Alderjaw a shoulder to rely on if he so needed it on their trek to camp. ​

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