wc rebels i can't sleep — nightmare

[FOGBOUND]

your entire existence gives me a headache, go stand over there .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

A rare occurrence, seeing Fogbound hunched over with unkempt fur from poor attempts to keep the rare semblance of routine he cherished, and no Fogbound refused to be called vain, just … particularly invested in his appearance. He drew in a shaky breath, maw parted, taking in the barn's scent they had settled down in, mixed with the familiar scent of his clanmates that made his stomach churn uncomfortably. Oh. To see him so vulnerable? He nearly laughed in the pitch of night at the sleeping figures, flanks rising with gentle puffs.

Come look. See how the monster weeps. His grin hardened, ruby hues narrowing with a shudder, breath falling stuck in his throat when he gathered himself onto large paws, sweeping a tail against the delicious heat of his nest that had grown cold, sapped of his body heat, and forced to bear leafbare on its own. He slithered away from the sleeping bodies, plastered against the wall, paws moving fluidly until he breached the outside, nose wrinkling.

He flopped unceremoniously, helm hung with slouched shoulders, careful to take deep breaths, drawn out to puff around his muzzle. He remembered seeing rivets of blood, common, but to stare into familiar eyes, well, Fogbound may be morally questionable, but even he had fears, as tightly wounded as they were to his heart. He remembered nothing else, nightmare slipping from his grasp willingly, shooting up from his nest in a flurry of limbs, breath ragged, choked and now he sat, hunched over like a dying old man, relishing in the striking coldness and prayed that no one saw his rumpled, emotional appearance. ​

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thought speech​

 

[SCORCHSTREAK]

༄༄ Unfortunately for Fogbound, someone has been privy to his abrupt waking and subsequent venture outdoors. The calico has always from her slumber at the slightest sound on good nights—never mind nights like these, when her nest is formed from straw and it feels as though they are all walking on eggshells. The sound of something moving tugs her abruptly from sleep, sending the fur down her back bristling. She is prepared for battle, claws sliding from their sheaths, but her racing mind calms as the shifting figure comes into focus. Fogbound. Not a threat, not an enemy. He is not one of Sootstar’s ilk—he is a clanmate. She allows herself to relax.

The tunneler dips into a long stretch, a yawn parting her jaws as she stands to trail after the tom. His movements lead her outside, and though she doesn’t care for the chill of the air, Scorchstreak delicately takes a seat beside him. A swish of her tail clears her pelt of stray bits of hay, and she tips her head toward Fogbound. “It’s a bit late to be out, isn’t it?” She is a hypocrite, she knows, but it is a genuine question at the same time as it is a pointless one. “You look like you’ve had a rough one, though. Are you alright?” Her voice is rough from sleep, but still it carries a tone of concern for her clanmate’s well-being. He looks haggard, as though he’s been awoken by something more than the expected bout of insomnia.​

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[RATTLEHEART]

Nightmares were far from a rare occurrence to Rattleheart, an unfortunate usual part of her nightly routine that occasionally came to plague her when all she wanted was rest. Deep down she knew it was a form of her anxiety manifesting itself, holding her throat and her mind in an iron grip as visions of her family being taken away from her flashed in her mind. Pictures of Sootstar and her loyalists cackling in a barren moorland that was free from them all, their blood spilled out onto the grass and the territory "free" of them all. Those were only a couple of the frequent visitors as of late, her body usually trembling with fear and sadness when she gasped into consciousness. Though unlike Fogbound, she was lucky enough to always have Venomstrike at her side, his solid form offering a soft escape to curl into when the nightmares plagued her. Her mate's steady breathing was often enough to lull her back to sleep, if not the comforting touch of his forepaws around her.

Tonight though, she wasn't awake because of any nightmares or hidden anxieties stirring about in her head. Instead she was just enjoying the cool night breeze, a frigid touch that at least wasn't horrible when she was wrapped up in Venomstrike's embrace and surrounded by the walls of the barn. Her attention was pulled from relaxing by the sound of voices nearby though, and it wasn't long before she shifted out of her shared nest, heading out after her sister's soft, rough voice. "Scorchstreak? What are you doing- oh." She was caught off guard by the hunched over form of Fogbound nearby, further startled by just how wrecked he seemed. Suddenly the tunneler was glad he couldn't see the worried frown on her face. "Did... did something startle you from your sleep?" Rattleheart was careful not to directly ask about a nightmare, but it hardly seemed like there were any loyalists lurking nearby to wake any of them.
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[ PENNED BY EO ]​

 

[FOGBOUND]

your entire existence gives me a headache, go stand over there .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

A bitter laugh welled up from within the depths of his chest, nearly succumbing with the need to belt out a half-crazed laugh, muzzle wrinkling in disaster, swallowing the sound, leaving it to collect cobwebs in the far reaches of his muddled heart. Oh, how wishes were so easily thought, but hardly granted to beasts like himself, chivalrous, but morally grey, shrouded in pillowing darkness save for the fleeting cracks in the surface to illuminate ( more like recharge ) his ‘good meter’ until that to plunge in the swaying plumage of darkness.

It had been a chance, finding Fogbound hunched over with exaggerated breaths, devilish lips curled in a weak, charismatic grin. “It is nothing to worry about, my dears.” He rumbled, sitting straighter with a shaky inhale, helm tipped back to peer at the sky, or rather, pretend he was seeing when he could see a colorless world, but greying shadows. “I’ve long forgotten it.” He finished with a slow sweep of his tail curling elegantly over enormous paws.

A fleeting memory, conjured up by his terrible need to keep his loved ones safe. Truly. The only reason he remained with the clan, why he remained beside Sunstride with a cackling grin, and why he remained despite the upbringing of a war between clanmates of opinionated thoughts. Fools. He thought. There will be a day when karma strikes and that will be a glorious day, or a day shrouded in anguished cries and the spilled blood of kin. Of course, it’ll be far less amusing.

“Would the two of you care to stay and enjoy the moon’s light with me?” He inquired after a heartbeat. ​

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thought speech​