development LET ME SLEEP, PLEASE | growing pains

[MERLINPAW]

It started as a mere throbbing in Merlinpaw's legs, fading as quickly as she had noticed it.

Scrubby mosses for a nest seemed to shrink beneath her body, as though it were a luxuriant forest falling back into the stubbles of the earth. The girl's shadow crooned a little longer than before, as though the gloom that she cast arced and loomed farther than her, like it aimed to taper somewhere upon the ground. Clumsy paws made the leaves beneath her sing in crackle-song, and she soon realized that stealth was not her gift. Eyes that she once craned her crown upwards to meet now fell a little below hers, as though she slowly rose upon anabatic winds, floating upwards to somehow scratch at the empyrean dome. Merlinpaw knew she would flourish and unfurl into an adult, but did it always happen so soon? And did she always feel so... foreign in her own body? Whatever scraps of grace that the dilute tortoiseshell once had now eluded her, like she were stuck in a chrysalis of renascence, a butterfly-wing prison of her own undoing. Dull-hued eyes glanced down to the soil that she walked upon, and she believed it more certain than the own limbs that carried her everywhere. It was a strange feeling that she could never describe in limited vocabulary, as if the concept simply rolled along her tongue, a steel marble that refused to be swallowed nor spat out. So, she harbored it uncomfortably between twine teeth.

It grew larger and larger, though she tried to push it to the side. Like all beasts with a bruised ego, it only culminated further.

Merlinpaw ducked much lower than she remembered having to as she passed the brackens of the entrance, before emerging once more through the acclivities and banks of thicket, looking much more like a stranger who had never traversed the land before than one who had lived here her entire life. Did the entrance get smaller? Is it just me? Puzzled, the apprentice glanced back at the entrance, which had no visible changes to her. It was just her, it seemed to always be just her. A great pain then racked her legs at once, as if a tumid sun dwelled within her bones and sinews, and it burgeoned at the walls to escape her. Balance almost buckling from her grasp, she gritted her ivories and squeezed her eyes shut like it would relieve any of her white-hot anguish. "Eeeep!" Merlinpaw exclaimed as she crouched down in pain, breath lilting like the shudder of a wave broaching the shore, decreasing in magnitude but always bedeviling her. Help me! What's going on?! I'm dying! Panic flooded her head, infesting even the littlest cracks of her consciousness, like ever-growing brilliance that only burst at the seams and swelled from its center. ​

 

[leafhusk]

growing up isn’t a ceremonious thing when you live with twolegs. there is no thunderous applause as clanmates chant your name. other queens don’t coo at you over how big you’ve gotten; sometimes you get a new bell collar, that’s about it. leafhusk grew full height one day, and her owner changed the type of food she put into her bowl.

she’s been free from the confides of the medicine cat’s den for some time, now. she routines around the camp as usual, but with more duty than before, because flamestar hasn’t picked a deputy yet. whatever that entailed, admittedly, was lost on the lead warrior. does she get to boss people around more? stand around and pretend to look busy? she’s decided on the latter for now.

leafhusk’s tawny ears flick at the sudden cry from the young apprentice. "what? what’s wrong?" she nearly demands, looking down at the crouched merlinpaw. with a quick sweep, and the little medical knowledge she posses, she can deduce that merlinpaw isn’t going to die. perhaps she’s just trying to get out of chores, she assumes.

⚘

​

 

[nightbird]

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ distracted by the sound on her way across camp, nightbird changes course to join leafhusk at the gorse tunnel with a similar air of confusion. just what was the squealing for, exactly? merlinpaw did not look hurt, hardly a hair out of place upon her pelt. still, the apprentice looked rather... encumbered. with what? nightbird was no medicine cat, hadn't a clue what could be wrong if there were no crimson stains on a diluted pelt.

"do you need gentlestorm?" she hums in question, silver gaze flicking momentarily back to the nursery. some of her children would undoubtedly use her absence to their advantage, she almost felt bad any time she left them with tansyshine and badgerstripe. she'd grab her friend's attention on the way back, if needed. what else was there to do? whatever ailment had crumpled a seemingly healthy apprentice into a clump of fur should be looked over at the least. only one amongst thunderclan's ranks was versed in such a thing.

BURNING SWORD // ───‎ ⋆ GUIDE MY HAND‎ ‎‎ ‎‎☽

• ooc ↛
  

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• 
  NIGHTBIRD ✩ she/her, lead warrior of thunderclan, 36 ☾'s
  ⭃ a small black smoke molly with a white paw and pale silver eyes. currently a queen residing in the nursery.
  ⭃ mate to raccoonstripe / / currently mentoring none.
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking ↛ see battle info here
  ⭃ penned by vayle ↛ @vayl3 on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[ORANGEPAW.]

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ- orangepaw was in pain a lot. he smiled through it, mostly, because he did not want to bother anyone about it. he still doesn't even know his own limits, and he's trying his best to figure them out but he's not quite there yet. needless to say, he understands pain. he understand that much at least. his tail gently sweeps behind him as he makes his way out of the medicine cat den. he knows he doesn't need to be in there but... he's just gotten used to it, and... gentlestorm is his friend. doepath is his friend. he just wants to be there for the both of them.

"hi merlinpaw! is... everything okay? i can grab gentlestorm if you want!"

he tilts his head off to the side, his gaze showcasing the worry, as his face only softens in his smile.

"or a mouse. i can get you one of those, too."

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── IN A RAGING BLACK OCEAN ⋅❁⋅ LOW IN THE WATER, AND NOWHERE TO GO ──┐‎

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• 

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  ORANGEPAW ✩ he/they, apprentice of thunderclan, 10 moons.
  ⭃ rather large polydactyl orange tabby with white markings, green eyes, a broken left hind leg, and scars on his face and right side
  ⭃ npc x npc // no known family. mother is deceased
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ↛ not necessarily great in battle. semi easy to attack due to lack of expereince alone.
  ⭃ penned by scar ↛ @salemdraws on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[BASILPAW!]

( 𖤓 ) in the weeks post civil-war, basilpaw has become increasingly clingier, even if he’ll never admit it out loud. he sticks to his siblings’ sides like pine sap stuck to tangled fur, never far from their sight. when training, he’ll often ask his father to see if merlinpaw or wolfpaw can join, and when they can’t, he’ll be sure to check in on them the minute he gets home. it’s a routine at this point, one he has crafted out of care, but more so out of fear that the one time he isn’t there will be the time something horrible happens. all this to say, basilpaw is not far behind merlinpaw when it happens.

he has noticed her growing, but then again, he’s been growing too. his limbs, once clumsy, are stretching into wiry things, his pelt smoothing from the tangled thing it used to be into sleek fur, accenting his slender shape. where he is growing upwards, filling out gangly legs and too-big paws, merlinpaw is growing in all directions. the blue tortoiseshell’s shoulders have broadened, her stature widening. where bas is slender, all legs, merl has become a tank. it would be impressive if basilpaw wasn’t the slightest bit jealous.

(he’s supposed to be the big man! he’s supposed to be the great warrior, not this stupid twiggy idiot that he’s filled out to be.)

ferny eyes widen as white splashed paws skitter to a halt, a whisker’s length away from crashing into his sister. “merl-” he’s about to complain, playful annoyance in his tone. the other is flighty sometimes - he assumes she’s stopped to stare at some object of interest. but then he hears her low groan, the clear signs of pain in her body, and his amusement is thrown out of his head. worry filters in, flooding his belly with absolute worsts.

skirting around her to enter camp, basilpaw crouches beside the girl, pressing his nose to her cheek. “what’s wrong?” he asks, and clanmates clamor behind him with the same question. leafhusk and nightbird don’t seem to recognize these symptoms, and orangepaw offers to fetch gentlestorm. the boy will nod at his denmate, worry darkening his eyes. “please get him!” he requests, brow furrowing as he turns back to his sister. “merl, talk to us.”

IF YOU LET IT ALONE 𖤓 IT WILL SURELY GROW

• // "#FAC966"
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  BASILPAW 𖤓 HE / THEY, APPRENTICE OF THUNDERCLAN. MENTORED BY CAMPIONSONG. SIBLING TO MERLINPAW, WOLFPAW. 7 MOONS OLD, PENNED BY LAVS
  
  
  a cream ticked tabby with high white, and green eyes. a tall boy sporting a chaotically ruffled coat of pale cream tabby. darker ticked stripes flow down his fur, and band around his legs and face. his chest, stomach, muzzle, and most of his tail are white, and he has ferny-green eyes that sparkle with mischief.
  

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[Flamestar]

〔✦〕Even with her wounds from the battle mostly healed by now, she had been camp ridden until Gentlestorm deemed her able to leave. Part of her wondered if perhaps he was punishing her for dragging him to the moonstone (even thought she had told him to stay home), and then her trek to the gathering several sunrises ago. She had been having Brackentuft take Merlinpaw out every day to keep up on her missed training, but she was anxious to get back out in the forest with her apprentice. They had just started to be making progress before the uprising against Skyclaw, so with her being unable to continue training she felt like she was letting Merlinpaw down.

She had been listening to the tail end of a patrol report when she heard her apprentice's exclamation. The leader waved her tail as a signal she would be right back, and hurried over on stiff legs. Leafhusk asked what had happened, while Nightbird and Orangepaw asked if she needed Gentlestorm. "Merlinpaw?" her eyes glowed with concern as she watched her apprentice crouch in visible pain. "Has Brackentuft been overworking you?" The fur prickled on the back of her neck, but she forced it to flatten. He better not be...he'll never hear the end of it. The leader scans the clearing for the tom, but he didn't seem to be around at the moment. Beside her, Merlinpaw's brother begs for someone to fetch their Medicine Cat. "I'll be right back." she says, before quickly turning back to go fetch the furry tom. She hadn't smelled blood, so there must not've been a wound. Maybe she ate bad prey? Or a thorn in her paw? There were so many possibilities, but she was no healer.

The leader stopped inside the entrance to the Medicine Den, poking her muzzle in. "Gentlestorm, something is wrong with Merlinpaw. She's in pain, hurry."

even on my weakest days ( I get a little bit stronger ) //

• ooc. fetching @GENTLESTORM
  
• FLAMESTAR —— leader of thunderclan , mentoring merlinpaw . storm x lily . littermate to nala, smokey, and nemo ✦ penned by icey !
  ✦ afab / she/her / 38 moons & ages every 20ᵗʰ
  ✦ widowed / heterosexual / closed to romance
  ✦ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / underline & tag account when attacking
  —— difficult in battle
  ★★★★★★★★★
  
  ✦ “speech”, 'thoughts', all opinions are in character
  ✦ tags — msg on discord for plots — toyhouse
  
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  a longhaired red tabby with low white and green eyes. flamewhisker's fur is a vibrant hue of red, riddled with thick classic tabby markings. her fur is medium in length, and she has a large, feathery tail. her chest, belly, tail tip, and her paws are dipped white. flamewhisker's eyes are a dark, deep shade of green. her shoulder has a large scar on it from a fight with a dog. she also has a shredded ear from a disagreement with a loner during her time alone before joining thunderclan. on particularly cold days, or sometimes before a major weather change, she will walk with a slight limp from her shoulder injury.

​

 

[MERLINPAW]

Oh, great. I made a scene of myself. I should've just stayed outside where nobody could hear me! Thoughts raced and riveted through her skull, like beams of bright light spinning around a winding shell, torment of a labyrinth for words that would never well at her bayed tongue. It had been her anxiety that swept her up into this madness, moreso than the physical pain that afflicted her, as her heart beat to the furor of her own insecurities. Dull golden gaze only turned downwards to the ground, as if fixated upon her own shadow - at least that seemed constant upon the sudden changes and the wresting nerves. Her clanmates clambered at her sides (including her brother and her mentor, of which only deepened the dagger of embarassment that coursed through her peach-flesh), like walls or jaws that closed inwards in agonal demise, gnawing at the tips of her flanks and whiskers. They moved too close to her, even though they did keep their distance, and perhaps it was because she was nothing more than some cornered creature to guffaw and chuckle at. Pain still rushed through her legs as white-hot rivers along her bones, but it seemed to convulse in and out of pure fury, and instead dimmed down to a mere throbbing sensation that lie along twine-woven seams. She lifted her crown and slowly looked upwards to meet the concerned eyes of her peers, though she could never hold a particular set of eyes in her own for too long, lest they burn her up from the inside out.

"'M - 'M fine. R-Really, no need to, uh, um, get Gentle - Gentlestorm... My - My legs... They started, um, hurtin'... 'M sorry..." Ears still remained plastered to the side of her head as she apologized for the faults of her own body. Immediately did she reason that it must have been of her own shortcomings, that she had someone done something to deserve this. Perhaps she hadn't trained hard enough, or she was simply too weak to even be an apprentice at all.​