camp LIFT MY WINGS AND FLY [fireflies]

[CRABPAW]

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 Crabkit shouldn't be out here, he knows that. He's supposed to be tucked into a nest beside his mother, purring away at her side while his siblings and cousins slumber alongside him. But he's not tired, and besides, there's other cats who are awake even though it's nighttime! Warriors stand guard at night, too, right? He's super safe, even as he's wandering out of the nursery on his own… as far as he knows.

The camp around him is lit only by faint moonlight, casting nearly everything in shadow. If he stares too hard, he can spot movement in the darkness of each corner; he winces away when he steps too close to the shadows. Buzzing surrounds him, high-pitched but somehow melodic. It's almost pretty, the sound of insects singing all around him. He can't see them, but he still knows they're there. Just like his grandfather, and his aunt, and all the other cats who are up in the stars. His eyes dart upward, to the stars that hang in the sky… and right before his eyes, they begin to shift and move. Brilliant dots of glowing light gradually lower from the sky, floating about him like leaves on the wind.

Orange-rippled paws dance in place, excitement coursing through his small body. With a flicker of his tail, Crabkit gasps out, "Whoa…! StarClan!" The kit spins in a wide circle, mossy eyes wide. The shining of minuscule dots of light reflect in green irises, glittering in the nighttime. They're everywhere!

❀ The crickets are singing at night once more, other insects are buzzing as well and fireflies begin to drift through the night.

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[HOUNDSTRIDE.]

The dark world around him is filled with a comforting buzz. The crickets and frogs that make their home near the shore of their river sing quiet songs. A few whispering voices of clanmates. The soft, thoughtful sounds'f nothing. There'll be times that he's awake and grimacing, mood soured through all of the night for the lack of sleep. The loneliness. Somehow this quiet night's not all that bad. Maybe some corner of his soul knows he's not alone in all of this. Paws treading quietly through camp. Soft wonder at the way he sees the world. The fireflies, swarming around them.

His paw shifts to curl and wrap, going to pull Crabkit away from the edges of their camp where he lingers just a tad too close. But he doesn't quite make contact. Maybe there's a fear of startlin' him, or. . . touching anyone at all. Both seem silly. Crabkit's likely to have seen him during the spin, even in the distance. The tom chuckles a little and takes a step back. "Careful now," he murmurs. "You'll fall over if you keep that up." His own verdant eyes lift to the sky. Glittering yellow amidst the pale white. "They do look like it, don't they?" StarClan.

𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐋𝐄𝐓: 𝐎 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊.  ╱ ( 𝑬𝑿𝑰𝑻 𝑯𝑨𝑴𝑳𝑬𝑻 ) 〚 03.11.2024 〛 𓆟༝ ˚ ｡ ⋆｡˚ ༝ • .𓆝

• OOC. —
• 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄. HE - HIM - HIS. PRODIGAL WARRIOR OF RIVERCLAN. ————— mauled by a fox moons ago and has the scars to prove it. though his wounds are healed, nothing can rid him of that pain. ╱ PENNED BY REVELATIONS
  
  a lean chocolate tabby with lime green eyes. the scars that had once been limited to the bridge of his nose now shatter and expand across that entire side of his face, up to a ripped ear and down to his shoulder and front right leg. it is somewhat difficult for him to put his weight on that paw at odd angles, and he gets grumpy after a long while of walking, but it does not inhibit him terribly.

• "speech"

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[valesight ➶]

⸙͎｡˚⋆ ⍋ ѧѦ ѧ⍋ ⸙͎｡˚⋆

Valepaw doesn't think he's ever seen these before either... much alike the starry-eyed kit that stares in wild wonder. They glimmer and gleam softly as if plucked from Silverpelt itself and he is keen to marvel at them too, flicking green-gold orbs around the floating display of lights in their lazy dance just out of reach. The hum of their wings tells him they are bugs, rather than low-hanging stars coming to visit from on high... but it's comforting to pretend... that it might be their dead clan-mates saying hello in snuck-in messages and winking glows.

"What are they," he asks, turning towards Houndstride whose softness is a rarity worth capitalizing on. His eyes look tired... drawn by wrinkled lines that speak to years of weariness. Valepaw wonders, briefly, if maybe he'll make it to that same age and look just as exhausted... if he'll be just as grouchy, only eased from his prickliness when brushed against new-born soft tufts of fur.

"Do they only come out at night?"​

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[Pinepaw ⭒]

-ˋˏ ༻ ❆༺ ˎˊ- Crabkits presence was far from missed within the crowded nest, made up of four sleeping kits.
In fact, Pinekit's subconscious relishes in the extra leg room, and she is able to let herself sprawl out more.
Wait.
When eyelids peel open, the kitten is laying side-ways, right where Crabkit should be snoring next to her.
The tortoiseshell is quick to roll onto her belly, head turning side-to-side as she scans the dimly-lit den for her fiery littermate.
Her search comes up empty-pawed, and with a glance over her shoulder towards her slumbering mother, Pinekit sneaks away from the nest, scampering towards the entrance.
Poking her head out, her wary gaze was able to find her wayward brother immediately- he was being surrounded by the stars themselves!
Amber optics practically pop from the she-kits skull, and curiosity squanders any rational thought as the mottled child dashes forwards.
She wanted to catch one of the stars!
Stopping just short of the ring they have made around her brother, Pinekit lifts a forepaw without a word towards Crabkit, and bats at one of them.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── IF YOUR LOVE'S THE TRUTH ⋅ ࿏ ⋅ OR THE SPIRIT OF DECEIT ──┐‎

• 

• 
  PINEKIT ✩ she/her, kit of riverclan, 2 moons.
  ⭃ plush-furred tortoiseshell she-kit with white dipped forepaws, tail tip, and muzzle and round, honey hued optics.
  ⭃ daughter of Iciclefang && Stormywing ࿏ sister to Cragkit && Crabkit
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Noor ↛ @toyangel on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

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[iciclefang]

Her dreams are peaceful, for once. She stirs only when she feels a cool spot near her flank where not one, but two kits have abandoned the nest. Yawning, her teeth on display, the tortoiseshell queen pushes herself to her paws. To the remaining kits in the nest, she murmurs, "If you want to come, stick close to me, please." Crabkit and Pinekit know better than to amble off into the night by themselves… and when she sees them, it's only the wonder glowing in rounded eyes that prevents her from snapping a reprimand in their direction.

"StarClan!" Her son's joyous cry comes as he spins, the fireflies' glow like fire in moss-colored eyes. Pinekit says nothing, but one sneaky black paw lifts to bat at one of the insects. The tortoiseshell queen shares a humorous glance with Houndstride before she approaches. "They're fireflies. Bugs that glow like embers." She glances toward Valepaw, though she keeps her children's orange-streaked pelts in her periphery. "They come out when the weather is warm. And yes, only at night-time." Her whiskers twitch as a smile threatens her icy features.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: —
• 
• Iciclekit . Iciclepaw . Iciclefang, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — 22 moons old, ages realistically on the 17th.
  — mentored by Smokestar ; mentoring Cicadapaw ; previously mentored n/a
  — riverclan lead warrior & queen. mudpelt x icesparkle, gen 2.
  — former mate to Stormywing ; current mate to no one.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh tortoiseshell and white she-cat with ice-blue eyes. confident, capable, proud, dry, conceited, condescending, distrustful.

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[CRABPAW]

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 The shape of a large, dark paw strikes out toward him through the nighttime air, and though it doesn't make contact with his fur, Crabkit whirls around to face the would-be threat. His face breaks into a bright smile when he sees that it's just Houndstride, though—he may be all scar-covered and scary-looking, but he's a clanmate! He'd never do anything bad, like push Crabkit into the river or something. As he spins to look at each and every little light surrounding them, the older tom warns him to be careful or else he'll fall over, and the kit scoffs lightly. He's got good balance, he's not gonna fall. (Just ignore the way he loses his balance for a heartbeat and almost actually goes toppling over.)

Valepaw asks the exact question that's on Crabkit's mind and, not to be overshadowed, the little tom repeats, "Yeah, what are they? Can you see them in daytime?" Mossy eyes slide from Houndstride to Pinekit when the tortoiseshell kit approaches, and when she bats at one of the little lights, a sudden sense of panic rises up within the ginger-splashed kit. Does she want to kill everything? Will she kill the little StarClan lights, just like she'd killed the injured bird? Will their mother tell her exactly how to do it? The thought forces him to blink away tears, a frown tugging at his muzzle.

But just as quickly as his mood is soured, he is lifted back into good spirits as Iciclefang joins all of them. She doesn't scold him for being out of the nest, and that's probably because he gives her a big, bright smile. "Firebugs…" he mumbles in response to her explanation, staring up at one of the glowing things. Now that he knows they're bugs, he can make out the shapes of their little buggy bodies behind the glowing of their lights. "I didn't know bugs could glow! If I eat one… will I glow, too?" Maybe Pinekit has a good idea, actually…​

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