sensitive topics LOOK LESS LOVELY | RETURN WITH A BODY

[sneezeduck]

SNEEZEDUCK

HE/HIM SHADOWCLAN WARRIOR

The walk home from the Thunderpath is laborous and nerve-wracking as Sneezeduck painstakingly drags his fallen Clanmate across the marsh. The dragging stain of blood had been lost long ago, and he pleas to the warrior's spirit for forgiveness. For my negligence. For my blindness. For not having the strength to.. avenge you..

There's a point in time, long after his cream-tipped paws had become muddied with marsh-thaw, that familiar alarm-written faces break through the undergrowth, startled by the sight before them - a wayward warrior with a damp face, dragging the cold body of Bumbletail for stars knows how long by now, whose body is caked in mud and smothered in the scent of decaying blood and a molly who is alarmingly missing from the scene. Sneezeduck's gaze meets Swansong first, then Amberhaze, and then to Sharpshadow - and from his old mentor, he cannot help but tear his gaze away. " Help me.. bring him home.. and I will explain, " he murmurs tiredly.

He should be grateful for the patrol's timely arrival, even as they duck under Bumbletail's arms to hoist him upon their shoulders, relieving the aching young warrior of the weight he's dragged for many, many cat-lengths. But as they walk in uncomfortable silence, all he feels is the same fear Caterpillarfuzz must have felt; the fear that he inflicted upon her.

Wary eyes turn unanimously his way as Sneezeduck breaks through the entrance of camp, patrol and body in tow. He is worn and uneasy, stained with mud and trembling from the combined effort of dragging an older warrior and convincing himself that everything will be okay. There is a question in each face he meets, accusation in some, and he sinks his fangs into the sore spots they had fit into before, when he had taken upon himself the responsibility of chasing off Caterpillarfuzz. This must be his responsibility too, he reminds himself - one he cannot run from, one he dreads nonetheless.

" Bumbletail was.. killed.. by the Thunderpath, " he speaks hoarsely. His lip trembles - he presses his toes into the ground, hard. He answers the next unspoken question, raising his voice, though it remains to shake with a terrible sadness. " Caterpillarfuzz. I.. found her, with her p..paws in his neck. I don't know.. don't know why.. " Why, exactly, would such a seemingly harmless creature inflict a pain so great? Sneezeduck raises his eyes to the sky briefly, takes in a deep breath, and then levels his gaze once more with his Clanmates. Startled, confused, disappointed. " I had to.. chase her off.. so that I may bring Bumbletail home. I don't know where she is now.. if she still lingers.. "

ooc:

patrol tag @Swansong @Amberhaze @SHARPSHADOW but no need to wait! takes place after this thread

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Sneezeduck is a chocolate tabby tom with cream under-accents, a disorganized pelt, and abnormally long head-fur. He is tall and lanky with big paws - overall clumsy in appearance.

— duckshimmer x unknown tom
— brother to singeglare and swallowflutter
— half-brother to unnamed kit and unnamed kit
— mentored by sharpshadow
— 17 moons old as of 3/05/2025

penned by ixora

 

[greystare]

"Oh, goodness." Oh dear, doomed Bumbletail. Greystare's whiskers droop with the news, though her pale eyes are wide at the sight of Sneezeduck carrying a limp corpse with the assistance of a patrol - whom, no doubt, had only left camp in search of prey.

Her mind whirls, a maelstrom of thought, ears pricked to catch Sneezeduck's hoarse admission. To outright kill another cat, let alone a Clanmate, seems out of character for the young Caterpillarfuzz ... yet Greystare has been surprised by the volatility of her dear ShadowClanners before now. While unlikely, it is not impossible.

"Did Caterpillarfuzz have a fight with him before today?" She muses. The question is not posed to any cat in particular, though it would likely thread between the ears of the warrior she had been sharing tongues with just heartbeats before this new and exciting development. With a hum, she continues in her grave and gentle voice, "I had noticed no whisper of discord between them ... But I am not all-knowing like our StarClan. Perhaps Ternstar or Marbleleaf will have some insight."

Coyly, she turns pale eyes from the scene, dipping briefly to the ever-soft earth at her paws before her attention rises, seeking their Medicine Cat or Leader.​

 

[Ternstar.]

SCORPION STING,
I DON'T WANNA BLEED​

---

ternstar & 27 moons & female & she/her & leader of shadowclan

---

★★★★★★★★★

—— ─ ─ The smell of blood taints the air - and with it, comes death.

Ternstar watches as patrol returns - two extra members in tow, only one of them still moving. She hardly waits before speaking, barking out a sharp question. " What happened?! "

But Sneezeduck explains, a puzzled, anxious thing, the way he quivers uncertainly - and her worry turns to anger. Eyes blaze as she stands straighter, the edge of her lip curled into a faint snarl. " Caterpillarfuzz did this? " it is a surprise - though, perhaps, it shouldn't be. She'd been trained by a traitor after all - and she'd killed before, hadn't she? Neither Forestshade nor Caterpillarfuzz had ever been helpless despite their ailments. Perhaps they'd been foolish, to think the girl unassuming.

" I will take a patrol out to make sure she is gone. " she says, already looking for volunteers when Greystare speaks. Blue eyes stare at the molly, and tail whips irritably. " No argument would justify a death. " Though she supposes if Caterpillarfuzz had been attacked or something, that would be reasonable excuse. But no such claim comes from Sneezeduck - and surely, the girl would have argued her innocence, or her reasoning. And why else would he hae to fight her away from the body?

─ actions & " speech " & 'thoughts / qoutes'​

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( TELL ME THAT I'M NOT LOST )

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. ݁₊ ⊹ Ternstar is a massive blue-silver tabby she-cat with an all white head and striking vibrant blue eyes. She is far from the kindest of cats, often cold and aloof - with a notable soft-spot for kits, and a rather dark streak for mischief. She is supposedly mates with Wormwatcher, and is parent to Rainbowpaw, Cornflowerpaw, and Ivorypaw. She is gifted in battle, and still maintains all nine of her star-given lives. ​

 

[Snowlark.]

[ ༻❄༺ ] The scent of blood carching his nose, his head lifting to the scene before him Sneezeduck wary with explanation, how Catterpillerfuzz was the one to kill Bumblefuzz, and confusion drift onto his face. Though it wouldn't be impossible for someone who comes off as meek like the warrior had been, since here in Shadowclan anything was possible, there still lay something questionable in this given information.

Then again, Siltcloud had been her mentor so that could of all but been a rouse to make them believe she was a meek thing incapable of killing. With a soft sigh he moved to stand next to the leader with a tilt of his head and a calm look in his yellow eyes. "I'll come with you" the lead warrior volunteered, it'll be good practice for Frozenpaw too.

❄

SnowlarkㅤBIOGRAPHYㅤ/ㅤTOYHOU.SE
✦ Trans FTM (he / him)ㅤ/ㅤBi-sexual/Demi-Romantic
✦ㅤ18 moons oldㅤ/ㅤAges on the 3rd
✦ㅤLead Warrior of Shadowclan for 5 moons
✦ㅤHailfreckle x Mudsplashㅤ/ㅤN/A
✦ㅤmentoring Frozenpawㅤ/ㅤmentored by Mirestar
✦ "Speak" ❄ Thoughts
✦ㅤpenned by Rynnarooㅤ/ㅤmessage Rinnaroo on discord for plots!

A pale blue sepia lynx long-haired tom where the majority of his body is covered in white, pale yellow eyes that are normally unreadable by most. His sole blue ear was nicked from an accident that happened to him as an apprentice, something he carries with honor. Snowlark is considered strange by most due to his usual "stoic" tones underlined by his immaturity at times, be it pulling pranks on others, to making out-of-pocket jokes or moments of outbursts of anger, Snowlark is strange but isn't one afraid to be blunt and tell one how it is.

 

[Swansong]

Swansong is no stranger to finding bodies of clanmates. Though she is not there to witness this loss, she is dutiful in her carrying of the dead. Quiet, as she walks with the exhausted Sneezeduck. She does not question him, for she knows he is as much a pupil of the spirits as she. For whatever reason he has found this cat, she is certain that it was meant to be.

She does not expect the name that falls from his maw.

"Caterpillarfuzz...?" There is disbelief in the word. One of her closest friends, a creature of gentleness. Wide eyes search Sneezeduck's expression. Chased her off...? It is a cruelty, to have one gone with no body to mourn - not dead, but out of reach.

The way that Greystare speaks makes her tail lash - that is not the cat that she knew. And Ternstar just accepts it, no faith in her own warrior. "No... No, a mere argument would not..." They trail off in confusion, words soft. "She... Caterpillarfuzz was... not one to act in anger." Fear, more likely. Their eyes trail back to the body, making no offers to join the search patrol. They will seek her out on their own, in time.

There is something more here. This isn't right. "Hunger makes beasts of us all..." they murmur, eyes glassy. Whatever happened... Caterpillarfuzz is innocent. If she killed Bumbletail, it must have been deserved - even if their clanmates cannot understand that.

⋆⁺₊ ☾ ⁺₊⋆

SWANSONGㅤ BIOGRAPHY ㅤ/ ㅤTOYHOU.SE
★ demigirl ( she / they ) ㅤ& lesbian, mate to poppyglow (npc'd)
★ㅤ 24 moons old & ages realistically, every 17th of the month
★ㅤ warrior of shadowclan for 12 moons
★ ㅤhalfshade x smogstar ㅤ& littermate to applejaw, ashenfall, garlicheart
★ㅤ ㅤmentored agaterain, swallowflutter & mentored by skunktail, sabletuft
★ㅤ penned by saturnid & ㅤmessage saturnids on discord for plots!

"SPEECH"

 

[EERIENIGHT]

EERIENIGHT

HE / HIM | SHADOWCLAN WARRIOR

The blood scent of a clanmate he hardly knew doesn't strike him as much as the culprit's name does, the fate Sneezeduck has decided for her. Eerienight's head is swift to turn to the scene, round orbs blinking in confusion. Had he heard wrong? He must've, he must've.

But his shadow's name becomes an echo, and so does his disbelief. " Caterpillar...? " Eerienight joins the choir. Caterpillarfuzz wouldn't have done this. His Caterpillar? She was not forged to give in to such a fate. She is too kind, too soft to snap so quickly. " Where...? " Is she?

She can't have done this. She couldn't have possibly murdered anyone, much less a clanmate. An argument wouldn't have spilled her anger over, wouldn't have turned her against the stars, against Spectermask and Chilledstar. Surely. Is he wrong to think such, as he looks down upon Bumbletail and conceals the tear-threatening sting in his eyes?

Ternstar's voice lifts his head. A patrol — to make sure she's gone. No further questioning. Eerienight's tail lashes at the decision, wondering if Chilledstar would've possibly been so cruel to make the same decision. " Let me go, " he blurts out. Let me speak to her, one last time. Let me be certain of the truth Sneezeduck claims to share.

Eerienight is a peculiar, spindly-formed tom with a void-like presence. With bat-like ears, a rat-thin tail, and round, unblinking eyes, the oriental shorthair often watches the camp with little emotion and an equal amount of words to follow.

- ??? x ??? ⋅ Single
- Only child ; Brother-figure to Caterpillarfuzz
- Mentored by Spectermask ⋅ Mentor to no one
- Penned by Abri

 

[Amberhaze]

AMBERHAZE

HE/HIM SHADOWCLAN LEAD WARRIOR

Amberhaze had not expected for a hunting patrol to turn into a deliverance of tragedy, and yet... here they were. Him and his clanmates pressed together at the flank, bearing the weight of one who had been alive and well only hours before. It was a reminder that despite whatever good may come of the world, morbid reality would always follow close behind to bite at their heels. It left them raw and bloodied, yet they continued to walk on the soles of them, the ache of it slowly dulling into something reluctantly bearable as time trudged slowly along. It was an insufferable thing, but there was no other way to live. Not for Shadowclan, anyways. He would not utter a word as they pressed into camp, his initial shock ebbing into something that resembled exhaustion. Edging his way from beneath the body of Bumbletail, Amberhaze would slowly slink away to the edges of the swiftly assembling crowd, his presence easily overshadowed by those around him.

The implication that this was Caterpillarfuzz's doing caused his brow to crease with quizzical disbelief. He was not the only one confused by the claim, mutterings of the molly's timid disposition pointing towards anything but. She was more likely to cry over accidentally stepping on a butterfly than to sink her dainty claws into the flesh of one of their own. But according to Sneezeduck, she had been the only one around upon the discovery... so who else was there to possibly suspect? To blame?

Ternstar was quick to accumulate a patrol, and his clanmates were even quicker to offer themselves to the cause. Something that he would not do himself, the lack of evidence and the incomplete trail left behind by one so quickly villainized leaving him too unsure of what had truly conspired outside of their view to make a definitive conclusion. He could not possibly bring harm to someone who had only ever shown him and others compassion.

"Um... I-I'll go tell Marbleleaf to p-prepare a vigil..." And he would do just that, turning away from the scene with a sullen posture as he made his way unsteadily towards the medicine den.

ooc:

Out unless stopped! On his way to tell @MARBLELEAF the bad news. </3

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Amberhaze is a black oriental shorthair crossed with a cornish rex. He has a sickly looking build with a rat-like tail and unnaturally wide ocher eyes.

npc x npc / sibling to wormwatcher / other kin unknown
mentored by wormwatcher / mentoring lostpaw
21 moons old as of 02/21/2025

penned by sloane