camp I BET ON LOSING DOGS — RETURN

[THISTLEPAW !]

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His heart drums loudly in his chest and blood roars in his ears. His aunt's leg has begun swelling from the venom, but she continues treading on akin to raging fire that refuses to be extinguished. Stubbornly so, but he's the last cat who can speak on stubborness. Thistlepaw looks anxiously at her as they make their way back to camp wordlessly, but the apprentice doubts anything he might say will sound coherent. I'm sorry. It's on the tip of his tongue, and yet it refuses to come out. Your fault, echoes Periwinklebreeze's voice, haunting him from beyond the grave. At the time he'd disagreed with the Lead Warrior, but now as Scorchstar had taken a snake's bite for him, he finds himself agreeing; if he'd been faster, if he'd paid more attention. . .

"Cottonsprig!" The pointed apprentice yells from outside camp, his eyes blown wide in a frenzied panic. "Cottonsprig," He rasps, again, refusing to leave his aunt's side for even a moment. "Scorchstar has been bit by a snake — I. . ." I'm useless here. "You have to help her," His words are demanding, yet his tone isn't as rough as it usually is; it's a plea. He's begging for her help. Because StarClan knows he won't forgive himself if she loses a life because of this, because of him.

𝐆𝐎𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 *:･ﾟ✧ 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓

• ooc. takes place after this thread. @SCORCHSTAR has been bitten by an adder. @cottonsprig @CELANDINEPAW
  
• 
  

  LH Seal-point with low white​

  
• 
  
  
  THISTLEPAW he / him apprentice of windclan
  son of Rattleheart x Venomstrike, brother to Bunnypaw, Crunchykit, Breezepaw and Splinterpaw.
  Lissom seal-point prickly-furred feline with white markings on his face, chest, belly, paws and tail. His tail is long and has a tufted tip.
  "speech" thoughts

​

 

[SCORCHSTAR]

༄༄ The bite mark on her leg had not been visible beneath her fur, at first. It had not hurt, did not hinder her movements as she did her best to remain standing on her own. Somewhere on the walk back, however, her leg had begun to swell, revealing the ragged twin wounds that lie just above the ankle joint. It causes her to limp rather heavily, but Scorchstar refuses to die out in the middle of the moorland—she could never forgive herself for failing Thistlepaw so. If he thought he were the reason for her losing a life, if he tells himself that the burden of blame is his to bear, then he will never put down the guilt. He will carry it with him forever; she cannot do that to him. So the leader grits her teeth, ignoring the way that the ground tilts beneath her as she presses closer to camp at the younger tom's side.

Thistlepaw calls out for the medicine cat, demanding that she help his aunt. Scorchstar's tense muscle finally relax, and their head drops, panting as they focus on keeping their feet underneath them. "I'm fine. I'll be fine," they insist, their voice rumbling around each individual word. It takes a bit more effort than they would hope—their tongue feels wrong, somehow. Their golden gaze flutters to Cottonsprig, landing upon the healer's face. They say nothing more, but their eyes speak for them: Get me out of his sight, now.

OF THE FOLKLORE AND THE FABLES ☽♰☾ SHE’S THE TALLEST TALE OF ALL

• ooc: —
• 
• SCORCHSTAR ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ she/they, leader of windclan, tunneler
  ༄ small, slim flame-streaked calico with fiery golden eyes. stern and serious, ferociously protective of her clanmates.
  ༄ mate to bluepool ; sibling to rattleheart & rabbitclaw
  ༄ mentor to bilberrypaw & splinterpaw
  ༄ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted
  ༄ penned by foxlore

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[SPLINTERPAW.]

SHOULDA TAKEN A BREAK, NOT AN OXFORD COMMA​

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splinterpaw is a cat filled with anger and resentment. it's not hard, really, for them to be. they latch on to it, it being the only thing that seems to be constant and though it is unpredictable, at least it feels good. stars, it feels great to be angry. but that has never crossed over to family members. slight annoyance, maybe, but never anger. they often reserve it for everyone else but... this seems to be an exception. when scorchstar returns with thistlepaw, their fur fluffs up immediately with worry. thistlepaw says that scorchstar got bit by a snake and instinctively, splinterpaw looks over their brother to see if he got hurt too. he didn't. why did the snake only bite... their eyes move to scorchstar who insists that she will be fine and they can only feel the coals slowly push into the fire. as it becomes more and more clear that she is indeed not okay, splinterpaw does the one thing that they think they'd never do.

"you... you mousebrain! how could you let her get hurt!?"

thistlepaw always manages to be better than them, hasn't he? so how did he let their aunt get hurt? how could he be so stupid?

"if you can't do something as simple as fighting off a stupid snake, then you shouldn't even go out there! if... if anything bad happens to her, it's your fault, thistlepaw!"

the words tumble out before they can stop them. their eyes widen at what they've said before they simply just growl and shake their head. they may regret their words, but they'd never say it out loud. let thistlepaw sit with the guilt. it was his fault scorchstar got hurt anyways. he deserves to know that. I'm sorry I didn't mean to... it's really not your fault, thistlepaw. they refuse to admit they were wrong.

// edit: they're out ! forgot to mention they stormed off

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[BUCKFIRE]

BUCKFIRE

TAGS / WINDCLAN WARRIOR

Leafbare was undoubtedly a test of survival — starving bellies, scarce prey, desperate predators, and cold weather plagued every clan, only making the lives of the clan cats harder. Buckfire could not claim that he didn't miss the dry, warm shelter of a twoleg structure right about now but he wasn't the type of tom to give up when the going was tough. He had something to prove—to both himself and to his clanmates—so he would have to bite the pebble and brave through the harsh winter. Was it close to being over yet? Stars, it's felt like ages since he's set foot on bare earth and smelled the flowers.

Paws frosted and numb from the snowy floor, icy particles clinging to his pelt and whiskers, Buckfire rises to his paws once an urgent call rings through the camp entrance. An apprentice, one that he recognizes from that ill-fated blizzard, was assisting Scorchstar back to the hollow. She had apparently been short on luck today, having been bitten by a snake. They were seldom spotted in the snow in his experience, but maybe Scorchstar had managed to accidentally find her foot in one of their dens.

The calico could at least hobble back to camp and manage a few words, but stars knew how much pain she was masking behind that stoic persona of hers. "Foxdung," Buckfire hissed under his breath, faux brows knitting with concern as his molten gaze fixated onto her swollen ankle. Different snakes possessed different severities of bites—this he knew—and this one looked bad.

Thistlepaw is fretting over the leader and another apprentice comes along, placing the blame on him for all of this. Buckfire's chocolate ears duck back for a moment, tongue readied to jump to Thistlepaw's defense, but the other feline whips around and storms away before he can do so.

To whoever was remaining in the vicinity, the warrior sweeps a glance over his clanmates and meows, "We need to give 'em some room." This looked ugly as it was and Cottonsprig needed her space to work, surely. The kids didn't need to bear witness to this scene, either. "She'll be alright. She's as tough as thorns." Buckfire attempts to reassure those who are worried, though he truly does not know what will happen. Is there an herbal remedy for a snake bite?

ooc:

text

 

[THISTLEPAW !]

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In the midst of his panic, Splinterpaw's voice tears through the air like a knife; sharp and hurtful. You mouse-brain! They call him, and Thistlepaw takes it, because he knows it to be true. He was foolish, he always has been, to think that he's worth something - that he can protect anyone, when he clearly couldn't even protect himself.

If anything bad happens to her, it's your fault, thistlepaw! The apprentice inhales sharply. His heartbeat quickens, and the blood in his ears roars louder and louder. It always came back to him, didn't it? But to have it said to him by his own kin is perhaps the worst part of it all.

Thistlepaw's lips curl into a snarl and a growl rumbles from his chest. Splinterpaw's back is turned to him, now, but it doesn't matter - not in this moment, not as the seal-point barrels into the other and snaps his teeth. "Do you think I don't know that?!" He yells, breath hitching in his throat. "You think I can't tell she got hurt because of me, that you feel the need to come spit it in my face?" He clearly didn't have StarClan's blessing; misfortune kept happening whenever he was around. "I know this is my fault! You DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME!" With unsheathed paws, he bats at their sibling, wanting to hurt them the same way their words stung him. "Fuck, Splinterpaw, I know everything that happens is my fault! You don't have to remind me!"

Maybe if he'd died to yellowcough during his kithood none of this would have happened.

𝐆𝐎𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 *:･ﾟ✧ 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓

• ooc. attacking @SPLINTERPAW.
  
• 
  

  LH Seal-point with low white​

  
• 
  
  
  THISTLEPAW he / him apprentice of windclan
  son of Rattleheart x Venomstrike, brother to Bunnypaw, Crunchykit, Breezepaw and Splinterpaw.
  Lissom seal-point prickly-furred feline with white markings on his face, chest, belly, paws and tail. His tail is long and has a tufted tip.
  "speech" thoughts

​

 

[SPLINTERPAW.]

SHOULDA TAKEN A BREAK, NOT AN OXFORD COMMA​

---

they tried to walk away. they tried to distance themself from it all, but of course– thistlepaw doesn't let them. they can't help the yelp they let out when they're barreled to the ground, landing on their back with a grunt and a low growl. their teeth bared as they look up at thistlepaw, claws out on instinct. they try to keep calm, but thistlepaw gets louder and louder, making them flinch snd wince as their ears feel like they're bleeding. they expect it, but not what happens next. suddenly, claws score deeply across their face, and they find themself shocked more than they ever have. words were one thing. claws were another. did... did thistlepaw really...? as the blood runs from the wound, they find themself feeling completely cold.

"h-have you lost your mind!?"

even when exclaiming, they're not loud, but the anger in their voice cannot be missed. they csn feel a panic attack riding right under their lungs but they force it down underneath the anger. with a hiss they aim to kick the other off of them, standing up if successful and pinning him to the ground, keeping a sheathed paw on his muzzle to keep him in place.

"stop it! n-not everything is your fault, don't be so–"

they're cut off with a wheeze, eyes shrinking back as they feel like they can't breathe. they find themself panting heavily trying to catch their breath, but they dont move off of thistlepaw in case he tries to attack them again.

"it's... selfish... t...to think that everything is a...about you!"

this is the only way they can express it, even in the midst of a panic attack. somewhere in their gaze, they're truly sorry, but any sense of an apology right now died on their tongue when thistlepaw attacked them. now, they simply would let the guilt consume, as it always did.

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[SCORCHSTAR]

༄༄ The camp erupts into movement and sound as she and Thistlepaw press through the heather tunnel and into WindClan's welcoming arms. First there is Splinterpaw, who bursts into a tirade directed at Thistlepaw; the words shift in and out, past her ears, but from what she can gather, the siblings are blaming one another for her injury. Splinterpaw's outburst is unacceptable, and although her hunched-over stance is unintimidating as can be, Scorchstar attempts to shoot her apprentice a withering glare. They will face punishment and likely a lecture for stepping so far out of line in regards to their treatment of clanmates, but for now the calico says nothing.

It isn't until the tom at her side leaps at his littermate that Scorchstar attempts to move, either. Buckfire is right there, trying to reassure the rest of WindClan—stepping up, as is his duty as a warrior—so she hopes that he will be able to stop the fight that is surely coming. But no one is able to move quickly enough, and Thistlepaw bowls over his sibling as they both bat at each other in their fury. "Thistlepaw," she snaps, with waning strength and a voice pitched oddly with steadily growing pain. She shuts her eyes against the growing headache that cuts into her temples, throbs behind her eyes. She is fine, she will be fine, she will pull through this as she has pulled through every injury before it. Thistlepaw is treating her as if she is already dead, a martyr to be compiled with the rest of his guilt. She will not allow him to burn bridges in her name.

She is Splinterpaw's mentor; she will handle their lecture for the blatantly cruel way they had flung barbed words at their brother. But Thistlepaw… "Go to my den, and stay there… until you can behave as… as a warrior would." Despite the dullness of her voice, Scorchstar manages to find a shard of glass to point at her nephew. It is understandable for him to be upset, but going so far as to attack a clanmate… to strike claws against his own littermate in anger is a great offense. She would tell him this, would straighten and begin her lecture right now, but she can hardly stand as it is—she needs to disappear into the medicine den, now.

OF THE FOLKLORE AND THE FABLES ☽♰☾ SHE’S THE TALLEST TALE OF ALL

• ooc: —
• 
• SCORCHSTAR ⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆ she/they, leader of windclan, tunneler
  ༄ small, slim flame-streaked calico with fiery golden eyes. stern and serious, ferociously protective of her clanmates.
  ༄ mate to bluepool ; sibling to rattleheart & rabbitclaw
  ༄ mentor to bilberrypaw & splinterpaw
  ༄ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted
  ༄ penned by foxlore

​

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