development IMITATING THE SEASONS — DISAPPEARANCE

[hitch]

A warm breeze learns the shape of ShadowClan's border, and heats its breath on every complaining monster darkening the black road. It is early still, not quite bright enough to pale the sky light blue, though not so dark that eyes glint in every muddy thicket. This is the sort of weather and time preferred by the sensitive skin and eyes of one such as Rosemire, and yet he does not poke his way through the territory for frogs. He does not eye the distant sun and slather his fur with the wetland mud. He does not sit in camp, staring into air.

Where he is begins with where he was— and the newleaf wind kicks up his scent along the Thunderpath like idle pebbles underfoot, slightly stale and likely fresh when the moon was high. The acrid stink of monsters pollutes the border quite heavily, yet it cannot conceal the odd twoleg prints in the mud, long and deeply wrinkled, and most importantly, overlaying impressions of large paws.
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[ONYXPAW]

I WISH YOU COULD SEE THE WICKED TRUTH — Most apprentices likely would've shied away from the thought of early morning patrols like this. They were all often eager to get as much sleep as possible, wanting to soak in every last bit of heat from their nests before they even entertained the thought of venturing out. Onyxpaw was not most apprentices, however. While she didn't blame anyone else for having that mindset, she found that she actually liked heading out during the earliest hours of the morning. The territory was often nice and quiet, free of noise save for the usual croaking of frogs. The patrols themselves were also often smaller, a blessing for the young chimera's anxious nature.

Her peace, regrettably, would not last for all that long. Speckled paws had only just carried her to the edge of the Thunderpath when she noticed an odd scent on the air, mixing and mingling freely with the familiar scent of a clanmate. She didn't know Rosemire well, but her ears still pinned back against her skull as she turned, trying to figure out where he had gone. When she came up short, she turned a bit frantically back towards the rest of the patrol. "Guys? Scorchfrost? I don't... I think something is wrong. I can smell Rosemire, but... I don't know. What do we do...?" Onyxpaw couldn't help the desperation in her voice, her worry slowly mounting with each moment that passed. She was reminded of how Roosterstrut had been taken, and that only drove the pit in her stomach even deeper.

CAUGHT UP IN A RUSH ✦ IT IS KILLING YOU

• // mentor tag @scorchfrost !

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• 
  ✧ shorthaired tortoiseshell point and chocolate point chimera with blue eyes
  ✧ 7 moons old; ages the 1st every month
  ✧ bisexual; crushing on yellowpaw
  ✧ daughter of monarchroot and sleetjaw
  ✧ shadowclan born; silently loyal to her home
  ✧ difficult to befriend; shy to most except yellowpaw
  ✧ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ✧ peaceful powerplay allowed

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[Swansong]

⋆⁺₊ ☾ ⁺₊⋆ 　Swanpaw takes pride in their tracking abilities, though they would never be one to boast. They know where a scent leads - and when it is gone. When Rosemire vanishes, they are quick to assume the worst. Yet his scent is not tinged with blood as Sabletuft's had. Instead, there is something... stranger.

"Ah... here," they breathe. The end of the scent trail, right where the thunderpath slashes its way through the marshes. And there, upon the dirt, two sets of tracks. A monster, perhaps, come to take him? Maybe they were right to assume the worst. "His prints... And something else..." They stare at it with a blank sort of expression. There is no body. They do not know whether the stars welcome another or not, do not know whether to mourn another stranger. What has become of Rosemire? They wonder at it with a distant sort of intrigue.

‎‎┌── WE FOUND TWO DEAD SWANS ⋆⁺₊ ☾ ⁺₊⋆ AND FILLED THEIR BODIES WITH FLOWERS ──┐‎

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  "SPEECH"
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• 
  SWANPAW　☁︎　she / they, apprentice of shadowclan, twelve moons.
  ➳ a pale, silky-furred cream tabby with droopy blue eyes.
  ➳ dreamy and detached, more ghost than cat. known for her perpetual sleepiness.
  ➳ halfshade x smogmaw, littermate to applepaw, garlicpaw, & ashenpaw.
  ➳ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ➳ penned by SATURNID ↛ saturnids on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

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[lilacfur]

Rosemire had been part of ShadowClan since she could open her eyes, and while the pale tom wasn't always the friendliest he did have a good heart. She liked to believe, at least. He and Lilacfur were worlds apart in that their time as Clanmates never overlapped more than a patrol with little words shared between them. But he was a good warrior, a good mentor where it mattered.

A monument to the forests before the Clans has disappeared once again, and the number of cats that knew a world before continued to dwindle. "Twoleg." Lilacfur answered for Swanpaw, her muzzle twisting into a grimace at the sight. They took Roosterstrut from her already, now Rosemire? For what purpose, for what gain? Too many questions never to be answered flood her mind until she tore her gaze away from the muddy ground.

"We'll pray for his return. All we can do." The Lead's tail lashed bitterly before pulling away from the patrol.​

[ i need the clouds to cover me ]​

 

[MIRESTAR]

Admittedly, Rosemire's lack of presence had not alerted Mirepurr at first. He has never been without kindness; sometimes it was concealed within him and sometimes it poured out of him, battling something within himself that no other cat could possibly understand from the outside. This always gave Mirepurr the impression that he just needed some time alone every now and then, or maybe the two of them just didn't cross paths much due to their contrast in personality. Still, Rosemire was an important part of ShadowClan for them.

And now the apprentices pick up his scent at the border, mingling with something other.

Mirepurr's stomach twists.

Lilacfur is quick to help out Onyxpaw's more inexperienced nose, and Swanpaw points the patrol towards signs embedded within the mud. They hover their paw over it - not wanting to mess too much with the scene laid before them -, smaller than the prints left behind.

"Wait-" Mirepurr finds themself saying, eyeing Lilacfur. She's already turning away. Their eyes search hers, blue melting into gold, willing her to not say the answer that they already feel is coming from the lead warrior's mouth. "Shouldn't we... try to find him? At least follow the trail a little bit?" We can't just abandon him.

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TRUTH BE TOLD ✦ I'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE

• 
• MIREPURR ✦ SHADOWCLAN WARRIOR
  ────── THEY/THEM ✦ PENNED BY KARMEN ✦ 04/15
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[MARSHROOT]

જ➶ Quiet. Like a thief he watches from the back of the patrol. Here upon his least favorite border there is commotion. The telling signs of something gone wrong. Onyxpaw notices it first and others come to investigate. The scent of Rosemire swirling and twisting with the scent of twolegs together. His own muzzle frowns as he looks upon the area ans Lilacfur speaks, saying all they can do is pray for their safe return. Sounds swell to him. Anything that is entangled up with those heinous upwalkers is enough for him to leave it alone and he pushes himself to stand up only to pause when he hears Mirepurr speak up. A gentle wait coasting the soft breeze and Marsh turns olivine eyes to look at them. They ask about at least looking, following a trail. His maw pulls into a grim line personally before he sighs. There is...understsnd he guesses. But again, he has a nasty hatred for twolegs. "There isn't any point. If twolegs got him more than likely he is long gone from here. There isn't anything to find, Mirepurr."

Perhaps he is trying to be gentle and understanding because it's Mire. But he doesn't want to waste his own time on a fruitless endeavor. ​

 

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

marshroot was right. it was unfortunate, really. they couldn't do anything at all. to feel so helpless was like being lost at sea in a tiny rowboat, with no oars or paddles. they couldn't swim, and there was no island in sight. there was nothing to be done. but... maybe they could try anyways. maybe it would make other cats feel better because chilledstar isn't hopeful like the others might be. they've never really been too optimistic anyways.

"we... can certainly try to come back every once in a while. send patrols. but... we cannot possibly fight a twoleg. we will do our best to find him but..."

the loud part of their brain tells them that there's not even a chance they will find him. if he's stolen, and made into a kittypet... what could they do about it? nothing. he was gone. and they hated that there was nothing more to be done.

———————---***ALL OF MY FEELINGS ARE GONE***———————---​

I LEFT 'EM ALL ON THE FLOOR✧ MAN WHO'S TO BLAME IF YOU DON'T LOVE ME NO MORE

•  
• — black feline with a white marking across their face, a white chin, a white right front paw, and blue eyes. chilledstar is covered in scars, the most prominent ones being the one across their face, and the one across their neck.
  — 45 moons old; ages the 3rd every month
  — they / them pronouns
  — aromantic / homosexual ; currently not looking / looking
  — child of JAGGED and RAVEN
  — shadowclan ; loyal to shadowclan ; other info if applicable
  — mildly difficult to befriend ; trusts barely anyone; trusts no one outside of shadowclan
  — "speech", thoughts, attacking
  — peaceful powerplay allowed

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