IMMORTAL FLAME (intro)

[Firefang]

The tension in the air was tangible; like static in the air before a storm that’d tear the very earth beneath her paws - she awaits the sound of distant thunder with bated breath. Does she desire it? She can’t say but the tension of what was to come weighs heavy on her heart; a heart that pounds like a wardrum in her chest. Even out here outside of camp with no one in the radius around her it persists, carried on the wind like a plague. She takes a deep breath as she crouches low, her stomach fur brushing against the snow beneath her paws; a puddle of shadow against an expanse of white. Her mind races even as she watches her prey, her claws unsheathe and she takes a step forward.

Being out here at least soothes her mind, it breathes life into her heavy soul and gives her reprieve from the insanity she’d return to in camp. All the worries of dangers within and outside their borders, the outbreak of green cough, and the discontent she can hear whispered through the mumbled voices of her clanmates. Everything is going wrong, it feels like it’s a commonality as of late. She knows plenty about things going wrong.

It’s too much for her. It’s easy for her to avoid it all together whenever she can, the inclination for her to run away and hide has never left her. Her ears pin against her skull. She's not much different to the rabbit she hunts is she? Alone and scared out in the open, doing whatever they can to not just get by but provide for the ‘families’ they return to. She takes another step forward her weight shifts however a tad too much and the snow beneath her crunches, she watches one long ear swivel as the rabbit looks her direction and she knows she can’t mess this up - only one of them would return home. With a powerful kick she shoots off, her paws slip against the snow slowing her but she persists. With so many sick every bit of prey needed to be caught, she had to work harder to make up for those who could no longer hunt. She wouldn’t let Windclan starve, she’d make her mentor proud, she’d make Sootstar proud, she’d make them all proud. It’s all Firepaw wanted.

The rabbit races ahead of her, outpacing her by at least a fox length and quickly gaining but she wouldn’t lose it. She runs as fast as she can even if it hurts but she can spot something within the snow coming close; a burrow one far too small for her. The rabbit bolts within it disappearing into the darkness, the chances of a successful hunt disappearing with it, despite that she crashes into the ground, paws reaching out claws outstretched as she forces her arm within its depths only to claw at empty air and dirt. It’s an all too familiar situation for Firepaw. An angry yowl tears through her throat as she continues to search in vain. ❝FOXDUNG!❞ She curses loudly, her paw wrenching itself out with a harsh tug only for it to join her other paw in stomping against the snow in frustration. She so desperately wanted to be a proper warrior to grow up completely, but she was still just an apprentice; an apprentice throwing a tantrum. She wasn’t adept at this, at anything really she’d ought to think outside of fighting but what good did that do now? They needed prey more than anything and she couldn’t even succeed at catching one lousy, no good smelly rabbit. Her muzzle crinkles up in frustration, her tail lashes.

If there was one good thing, it was that no one saw her. At least she hopes​

( PLACE ME IN MY CASKET TONIGHT ; BECAUSE IM ALREADY DYING INSIDE )

 

[strawmoon]

Straw doesn't mean to stumble upon apprentices in distress but they seem to have a knack for it at this point, unblinking eyes trained upon Firepaw. Oh... They make a correlation; isn't it funny how they have both a Firepaw and an Icepaw? Strawpaw thinks its funny... But nothing bubbles out as they watch the other shoot in to ground and screech angrily. Oh, ouch... That looks like it hurt... Firepaw should let Medicine Man cure her... "The worms... think it was funny." perhaps it was the first time Straw spoke a strung together sentence as they make their way over with an even face.

Normally rabbits lived underground with the bones and the worms and the bodies. "Kill them." another crusader to take back their lands against the wretched creatures, they blink in question towards Firepaw. Next time you will get it, they want to say but they decide they've talked too much and its too much effort to open up their mouth again. Straw didn't normally bother hunting, often times just following their mentor in to the tunnels and learning the underground fortress of mazes. Maybe they will take Fire down there... The tunnels always made Straw feel better, truly.​

"speech"​

 

[Firefang]

Firepaw's pelt prickles, her ears swivel at the sound of paw steps that weren't her own and far too heavy to be a rabbit's crunching down close by. Damnit what should she do, she couldn't book it in time and she's sure if they got this close they must've heard her if not seen her. If she could she'd burrow herself in the snow and vanish just like that foul little idiot rabbit but it's too late and all she can do is let out a muffled groan as she hears Strawpaw's voice mraow out. They were strange (but weren't all Tunnelers), that was one thing Firepaw knew for sure about them, they had just this odd air to them and always said the strangest things like it was a special talent of theirs. She turns her head to face them, eyes sharp as they're pointed in a glare. She feels heat pool in her face, her ear tips feel like they're boiling. ❝I dun' care what some slimey worms find funny!❞ she hisses fur on her neck prickling, it was clear she felt the exact opposite - though it wasn't really about the worms. Her tail lashes and she'd stand squaring her shoulders and standing tall whilst her height had been a subject of controversy for her at the very least she could say it was 'intimidating' as intimidating as she an apprentice covered in snow and dirt could be anyway.

An ear flicks her muzzle crinkles in confusion at the blunt order Strawpaw meows ❝Kill what? The worms?❞ she sticks her tongue out in disgust ❝No that's gross I'll leave that to you❞ she'd look around briefly searching for any other clanmates, she hoped it was just Strawpaw out here that was bad enough - she just needed to be sure. ❝…No one else followed you right? It's jus' you? No one saw me❞ worry seeps into her voice.

Her claws flex into the snow.

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( PLACE ME IN MY CASKET TONIGHT ; BECAUSE IM ALREADY DYING INSIDE )

 

[Badgermoon]

It was like a rite of passage, failing at least one hunt in spectacular fashion; Badgermoon's had been when he was a yearling and had thrown himself off a cliff's edge in pursuit of a sparrow. Even now, dwelling too much on it made him wince; the combination of the pain of his fall, the merry-mocking song of the escaped bird, and the sheer embarrassment of the misguided leap was just too much. So, he was more than a little sympathetic towards missing your prey, or in missing it quite dramatically (that bird incident, perhaps, was not the only such event in his life) - but as it happened, he had not seen Firepaw's prey escape her, nor had he arrived in time to see her throw herself against the small burrow. He was stalking past, trying to catch a mouse, when he had heard the sudden thrum of voices. The mouse heard it, too, and he spat in frustration as it disappeared into a tight knot of bracken.

Badgermoon pushed himself to his feet and prowled over to the pair of apprentices, catching only a mention of worms and killing before a silence fell. "Sometimes," he said with a halfhearted smile and a flick of his dark tail, "the moor is not the best place for conversation. Prey can hear us, too...especially mice. Those big ears..." if he was walking in on a sensitive movement, he had no idea; he was mostly lamenting his lost mouse. But, ah, well - apprentices, right? They were just kits, really, with gangly legs and big personalities. The bicolor tom allowed himself to fall into a sitting position and finally looked closely at Strawpaw and Firepaw. The former looked as normal as they ever did, but the latter...he tilted his head and frowned slightly. "Why are you all dirty? You okay?" in his experience, a coat that messy usually resulted from some sort of scuffle. He glanced between the two younger WindClanners with a bit of suspicion. "You two weren't fighting, were you?"​

 

[SUNSTAR]

Failure was not so unfamiliar a face as one might think to Sunstride. he was a warrior, after all. Competent, bold and brave. A former rogue with stories to tell, of chasing monsters into caves and dragging beasts as large as himself to earth as prey. They did not know his history, for he did not share it. What good was there in admitting to those around him that he had learned as they did? That he had suffered defeat, had lost his meals, had fallen to the dirt with a cry of rage much as this little one does now? No, best they think of him as something untouchable. They did not need the comfort of his failures through this snow-bitten season– they needed strength, and resilience, and bold tales of survival.

That was what would get them through this.

Yet there are times that he finds his voice yearning for an outlet. Unlike Badgermoon, the flame-colored tom had seen all of it. The chase in its fiery heat, the failure and the anguish that chased upon its heels. He thinks for a moment that he might tell a story of his own grand mistakes, mouth even opening for the words, but quickly it shuts again. Those tales were best left for Wolfsong's clever tongue, not his own stumbling words. It is for the best then that the bicolor speaks first, dry chastisement bringing a smile to his maw as he draws closer. "Ah, and what a fight it was." He does not speak of Firepaw's missed prey, though the way that his eyes meet hers speaks a quiet approval. It was a fight, and he knows it as such. You did well, those summer's sky eyes seem to say.

﹥ˏˋ〘  OOC NOTES INFORMATION 〙ˊˎ﹤

• ooc: —
• SUNSTRIDE. named for his coloration and his bold chasing of fate.
  —— cis male, uses he - him. thirty-four moons old. warrior of windclan and former rogue.
  —— cautious of clan life, but an apt learner. encourages close bonds between clanmates.
  —— loyalty uncertain, cares for those surrounding him. undoubtedly closest to wolfsong.
  
  sunstride is broad and bold– a creature standing above most of windclan, though not a beast beyond its borders, with fur that flames red at its base and deepens to a burnt amber with every whorl and stripe. his eyes, in comparison, are a pale summer's blue, still as bold as the rest of him.
• "speech"

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[icebreath]

TAGS — Icepaw didn't see the ordeal unfold, but as they approach it's not too difficult to put the pieces together. The furious shout that brought her over in the first place, the burrow before Firepaw, the dirt sticking to her, and the scattering of pawprints both big and small in the snow; she knows what rabbit tracks look like and clearly something had gone amiss here. Icepaw has half a mind to tease her peer for the blunder, or smugly offer to slip into the burrow herself and grab the missed catch herself — StarClan knows Firepaw deserves it for all the taunts she showers Icepaw with. But Icepaw's above that; she's actually mature. Not to mention the thought of starting anything herself makes her heart pound with anxiety. She tries to pretend that's not the primary thing that always holds her back from this kind of thing, or from defending herself. And so she opts to feign ignorance, which feels like the easiest route to take for everyone involved. "Are you okay?" she asks Firepaw in her characteristically quiet voice. The dark-furred molly's clearly ruffled.
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[Firefang]

She'd been raised where failure just wasn't much of an option, her mother wanted the best for her and for her brothers had pushed them even as kits to be strong to be worthy. Firepaw can't say now where she stands she's any of those things, fur a mess and dirt covering her forelegs she was tired of failing it didn't matter to her if she was told it was normal that they all failed a good portion of their hunts it still was shameful for her. Especially now with so many eyes on her, her head lowers as Badgermoon approaches a low growl involuntarily echoing in her throat she never quite knew what to think of the well spoken warrior - he made her uneasy for her he wasn't easy to read and that bothered her a great deal. She doesn't apoligize to him just loks down at her paws her eas fold back as he turns his attention directly to her and she fights the urge to begin grooming the dirt off of her pelt in front of him. She doesn't look up even as she answers him ❝I'm fine just slipped on the snow that's all❞ her tone is terse she doesn't want to talk more about this and luckily his piercing gaze doesn't linger on her for two long as he addresses her and her worm obsessed peer. Her fur prickles and she finally looks up ❝Wha! No way they aren't even worth fighting!❞ she claims, she couldn't say for sure how strong they were but figured they were on the weaker end sure they could probably dig a nice tunnel but no way could they beat her; a 'proud' moorrunner in a one to one fight.

Sunstride's arrives and she looks away from the fluffy tom, much like Badgermoon she couldn't say she held the best opinion of him but certainly not the worst he just confused her. He was a former rogue, and that did interest her just what had he seen and done but yet she didn't have the nerve to ask him. She wouldn't say she was afraid of him by any means but... She just couldn't stroll up to him and ask to talk it just felt too awkward! She looks up only for a moment and when she does their eyes meet, and she wonders what he means by his words. Did he see her? See her with the rabbit as it retreated just a few mouse lengths from her paws? Her paws shift uncomfortably in the snow she looks down at them once more. She huffs ❝... I guess❞ she'd do better bring something plump and nice back to camp and show him and them all she wasn't a horrendous hunter that she could make for a great Moorunner way better then she would've been as a Tunneler!

The last cat however she wants to be seen by comes next and she can recognize the sound of those paws anywhere, briefly she looks towards her and she wonders why she approaches her, why her gaze isn't so hateful or annoyed. It wasn't like they got along so why would she seek her out, did she want something? To make fun of her? Would Firepaw have done that if their situations were reversed? Her face feels hot as the other apprentice looks at her and asks if she's alright. She finds it hard to look at her like this her tail twitches behind her. ❝Umm... yeah i'm fine❞ she gulps forcing a grin that feels painful it's more akin to grimace. ❝Great even❞

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( PLACE ME IN MY CASKET TONIGHT ; BECAUSE IM ALREADY DYING INSIDE )

 

[SMOKESTEP]

TAGS — As Firepaw's brother, their shared upbringing made them both intolerant of failure- and that attitude pervades as Smokepaw sidles up next to Icepaw, skepticism in his amber gaze as he sets it on his sister. Like his friend, he'd missed most of what had actually happened- but losing a catch wasn't an exactly uncommon occurrence, so it wasn't hard to piece it all together. His focus slides to the burrow the rabbit had apparently dived into, his tail flicking behind him. Firepaw is bigger than he is, but he doubts he would be able to fit even as a tunneler. Maybe he could find another way in underground, but it's a lost cause for right now. Instead he re-affixes his attention to his littermate, unable to keep the hints of Ravencry's judgement out of his heart. Unable to quit comparing her to himself.

Scarred paws flex in the snow. Despite Sunstride's vague encouragement, Smokepaw finds himself doubting that fighting Strawpaw of all cats is what had caused Firepaw her vexation. Well, at least Firepaw had seemed to fare better against the rabbit than Rainpaw- even if she couldn't bring anything home to show for it. "There's always next time," Smokepaw mews. It's not impossible to decipher his true meaning, though; something along the lines of too bad it couldn't be this time.​

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