camp INTO THE DARK 〘 STORYTELLING 〙ˊˎ﹤

[SUNSTAR]

"And there it was, this beast of legend. Its fangs dripping white onto the hard stone." In a mimicry of a beast, Sunstride's maw opens, his body dropped low to a hunter's crouch though he does not stray too close to the youngsters that listen. "Even in the dark, you could see its shadow. It seemed so great, so mighty, that it must swallow the whole cave! You could not begin to imagine it. The sheer power of it, its fur rippling like water. Its voice was an avalanche, a growl that rattled our very bones." His pacing has taken a predator's stride, low and strong with cunning eyes. He circles the kittens, savage mirth simmering at how they turn to watch him as if he was the beast– they could not trust him at their back, lest his fur turn to shadow and his voice drop to a shaking rumble. Never would he hurt them, but that they have lost this knowledge speaks only to his skill at storytelling. One that the warrior leans into without shame.

One brave child has refused to follow his path, staring resolutely ahead, and Sunstride drops lower behind them, voice near their ear. "It snapped as it stirred, the very ground quaking beneath its might. Its great maw could have taken us whole. Standing beneath it, we were nothing more than prey." He leaves the brave one to continue his pacing, and only at the end of this circuit does his beastly demeanor fade into that of a warrior once more. "Were it not for the bravery of my companion, it might have been the end of us. He swiped at its nose, the red of its blood blooming like flowers from the earth." Sunstride swipes at the beast himself, his claws glinting as they slam back into the ground. "It roared, the likes of which you have never heard. Louder than these monsters that roam your lands, or the dogs that howl to the moon. And as it pulled away from my friend's fearless claws, we had just enough time to escape."

Pale eyes glimmer with the life of his story, the joy of memory casting its own light from his face. "But do not be afraid. This was many moons ago, and rather far away– though it lives, it should not come to hunt you. But I have heard of these beasts and their wandering. They walk far, and hunger immensely. Do not be afraid, but...be wary. And if you should hear the sound of its snoring in the dark, like pebbles that stir to a dance, do not follow. You may not be so lucky as I."

﹥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"

​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──⇌•〘 INFO 〙 His story-tongue has improved since they were boys. After the taking of Wolf's eye and during the weeks spent in a pained mind-fever fog, he remembers Sunstride murmuring tales into the night. They were both too young to have many stories of their own, but Sunstride's father had enough adventures to keep a little Wolfsong from falling too deeply into the frozen pits of heart-gloom.

His exaggerations have taken on greener life as well, it seems. Always so quick to sing my praises.

Wolfsong watches from a careful distance as the flame-furred tom dips low and circles the kits, animated and charming as ever. Though childless –to his father's eternal despair– Sunstride does not fumble awkwardly with the youngest of the brood. "Ah, but you have an advantage," he says to the kits as soon as Sunstride's speech lilts into silence. "They have great bellies, these bears, like the caves they sleep in. Too vast to be filled by just one of you. Let it eat Sunstride first and it will lumber off to sleep." He aims an impish grin in his direction.
​

 

[POLLENFUR]

( ♬ ) Oh, the stories the chocolate tortoiseshell could share with her grand-niece and grand-nephews, but perhaps none rival the immense beast Sunstride and Wolfsong speak of. She sits nearby, amber eyes half-lidded and sleepy, head tilted to the side. Two cats who had once traveled far,

A great beast with fur rippling like water, Sunstride intones. "It roared, the likes of which you have never heard. Louder than these monsters that roam your lands, or the dogs that howl to the moon." Pollenfur's pelt prickles, imagining a beast more frightening than a Twoleg's monster, eyes glaring and made of cold fire, paws twisted enough to shatter a cat's body entirely.

"You faced such a beast yourselves? And where was this?" Her gaze twinkles with interest, and her paws begin to itch. Even imagining the two cats trekking over winding trails of stone and frost begins to set her heart pitter-pattering.​

( THERE AIN'T NOTHING HERE FOR ME ANYMORE ; BUT I DON'T WANNA BE ALONE )

 

[MALLOWLARK]

Mallowlark lay not relaxed as he heard the story- and he was indeed listening, mountainous white form craning forward in a kit-like manner despite his size and starkness. His ears were skyward to attention, and his silver stare mimicked the moon in roundness and intensity. Not a blink crossed his gaze, intent on catching every nuance, as if he could hear better whilst staring. Sharp grin stretching ear-to-ear, Mallowlark nodded along with his aunt's question as she asked it- indeed, where did these horrible beasts live? Maybe- maybe if he went there he'd find a dead one, and he could lug it all the way back- imagine the taste of something like that! And the size of it's skull would be as big as him, he'd bet!

At Wolfsong's verdict- a meat-shield, thrown as a sacrifice into gaping jaws- Mallowlark could not help but let a cackle shatter the barrier of his fastened-shut smile. "KHHH- HAH, you better hope one doesn't come crashing in here, then!" Loud exclamation, a night-gloved paw pointed toward Sunstride. If Wolfsong was about when it happened, he'd be beast-food before he could blink!​

[ PENNED BY PIN ]​

 

[icebreath]

TAGS — Like Mallowlark, the little apprentice listens to Sunstride's tale with fervent interest, eyes wide and ears pricked from her seat close by. She almost wishes she were a kit among the bunch in this moment, fully immersed as the towering warrior circles them, elevating his storytelling with a theatrical flourish. "That sounds so scary," she says in a hushed voice full of wonder, but still loud enough to be heard by the others. The thought of battling a regular cat is stressful enough, so a massive beast? She could never. "You guys are so brave!" Their expression is full of admiration as they glance between the pair of heroic toms, striped tail lashing back and forth. It's pulled to Pollenfur as she asks a question, which she also nods along with in tandem with Mallowlark, and then she comes up with a couple of her own. "How big was it, exactly?" Bigger than a twoleg? It must be; they don't shake the ground with their pawsteps, nor do they make that much noise. As big as the Horseplace?

​

 

[RAMWIND !]

MAY I STAND UNSHAKEN AMIDST THE CRASH OF THE WORLD ✧​

rampaw had trailed in after icepaw, sure that he had something to tell her, just not really remembering what it was. maybe a compliment, or a critique, or anything in between. but she's listening to stories by some raving tom, and ram can't help but choke and scoff as the others go along with this rambling man. it's lost on ram that some cats can simply enjoy stories simply because they are nothing more than stories. to ram, a story was something truthful and great and wondrous. but they were not lies.

the younger tom's nose twitches and crinkles, displeasure shown in his face. "naw," comes the child's drawl, pushing every syllable in the word and drawing it out as much as he could. "it ain't real ice, he's lying." his words are more hushed this time, but still audible and clear. no cat can face some big thing like a bear. those things were supposed to be big, bigger than any hill or mound or anything. something to rival the trees, he thinks. sunstride's a big tom, but he ain't that big. ​

 

[BUMBLEBREEZE.]

the tom cat wanted nothing to do with any of that. even just listening to the story had him trembling, his anxiety overwhelming. his face was a constant reminder of the trauma he faced as a kit, and it would never go away. some kits thought he looked cool, others were terrified. he, personally, would have been had he still been a kit. but he was a warrior now. a warrior of the "glorious" windclan. he wasn't supposed to be scared, but he can't help it. he watched the story being told from a laying position, paws covering his eyes ( or rather eye ), only occasionally peaking through. some warrior he was.

"i really hope he's lying. etoilés."

he barey survived a dog. he would not even be close to surviving whatever the hell that was, warrior or not. he doesn't think anything could.
​

[ WISH I COULD TURN YOU BACK INTO A STRANGER ]​

 

[SUNSTAR]

He laughs– first at Wolfsong's gleaming tongue, and then to the reaction of others. Long-forgotten is this hunter's persona, now nothing more than a tom with a tale to tell. There is an easy joy to be found in their reaction. From the fear to the disbelief, his heart begins to soar. Few greater pleasures are there than sharing a moment with the warriors surrounding him. For a moment it brings him home, to the warm cradle of their shared den with bones and sinew strewn about in their feast. Full bellies and full mouths, uncouth laughter and shouts. Back there, these stories would not have been so out of place. Each of them filled with bravery, a burn that WindClan has yet to match. But ah, he does not miss it as dearly as he could have. There is hope here, and the beginnings of something grander. They could become.

"I would not be so quick to dismiss my tale, Rampaw. You may learn a thing or two when you listen." It was not the voice of one leaning to chastisement. Sunstride is warm in tone and laughter both, as true as the words may be. "But do not lose sleep over this," he says to the others, a twinkle in his eyes. "Wolfsong is as much a warrior as he was when this story came to be, though I could not begin to describe its might. In the moment, I felt no bigger than one of its paws. It towered like a mountain, each of its fangs long as a leg. It would surely swallow each of us."

﹥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"

​

 

[Marmotbite.]

I ACT LIKE I DON'T F*CKING CARE​

marmotkit | 1.5 months | female | she/her | physically easy | mentally medium | attack in bold #9ab973​

---

Marmotkit thinks the story sounds like nonsense. If these 'bears' were such big terrifying creatures, a simple scratch would not have scared it off. The girl frowns from her spot, coiled at the edges of the group like a serpent about to strike, mismatched gaze watchful as she listens and absorbs the story. The motion tugs at her scars in an uncomfortable way, but she's beginning to grow used to it - to the discomfort, to the change in her appearance, to being in windclan. Head tips to the side in a languid, fluid motion, mouth stretching wide in a mockery of a yawn, needle sharp teeth flashing for a moment. "I would've just bit it - sent it running," she says challengingly, a quiet noise of distaste slipping past her lips. The tiny kit isn't scared of anything after all - not whatever it is that brought her here, not these strange new cats, not some bear.