border LOST IN THE WEEDS [ abandoned kit ]

[PALADIN]

The breeze that rustled blew against a coat that was barely grown in- kitten-soft fur cradled that of a large kit, or what appeared large, anyways. Dog scent hovered heady in the area, clinging to that of the kit that slowly toddled itself across the border. Here, just down from twoleg place with deep, terracotta-colored leaf-fall wildflowers nearly obscuring the darkened pelt. Copper eyes blinked at the world about her, head turning to and fro as ears sensitive to noise and a nose sensitive to scent took in all that she could.

She remembered hands, a child's hands, placing her outside and promising to be back. But the sunlight had turned to night, and it was cold, and her tiny noises calling for help brought a threat of a different kind. Dog's jaws wrapped around her frail body and carried her here, as if a promise given for life. The dog had barked twice before scampering off, it's collar jingling. Paladin knew her name- and she knew that dogs weren't threats, not really. Her owners had them. It had only been minutes since the dog had barked like thunder in her ears.

It had been only minutes before her eyes came face to face with that of a Skyclanner. Cats, that smelled of the wild, of everything not soft-nests and not her mother. Ears flattened backwards, Paladin pressing into herself as if it would make these strangers go away. She did not quiver, did not shake, only stared forward at the stranger.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ┌── YOUVE BURNT ME ⋅❁⋅ NOW GUIDE ME ──┐‎

• "speech"
  

• 

• PALADIN she/her, kit of skyclan, one moon.
  ⭃ LH black tabby / silver tabby chimera with low white and strong copper eyes. white plumed hair sits center on her head down to the beginning of her mane. a 'sword' is outlined in white on her back. she's quiet but intent, serious but still kitten-soft.
  ⭃ mentored by no one / / mentoring no one
  ⭃ mated to no one / / sibling to unknown
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

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[Chickbloom]

Though no one in Skyclan would be cruel enough to leave a kit alone out in the wild, it was fair to say that Chickbloom was one of the more eager members when it came to taking in these lost lambs. The baby bird knew that sense of loneliness well, and it served to melt an already soft heart.

Still, the coward had his own limits. As the patrol stalked through the underbrush, egg-battered fur fluffed up as the acrid stench of dog snaked through the group. Dinner-plate eyes flicked to and fro in panic, waiting for the slab of muscle and teeth to crash into view and cut the Scottish Fold’s life short. Butter-stained paws began to take tiny half-steps backwards, eager to get away from the invisible danger. Chickbloom would’ve turned tail and fled entirely if an anxious gaze hadn’t spotted the scrap of fur sitting nearby, emanating the stench like an evil air freshener.

Trembling, the warrior signaled his discovery to the rest of the patrol with a flick of the tail. He didn’t know why the scent clung to the kit so strongly, but it was ringing alarm bells in the boy’s head nevertheless. “C-Come on” the whispered hiss left the whelp, too afraid to get closer but imploring the kit all the same. “C-Come with us, we - we n-need to get out of here!” ​

 

[Howlfire]

Howlfire was beginning to lose count of the amount of abandoned or lost kits they were finding along their borders. She felt no anger towards the kits, it was hardly their fault after all, but was beginning to feel slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of them they were finding.

Like Chickbloom and the rest of the patrol, the strong scent of dog had put her on edge, and she found herself looking around, half expecting to see a slobbering mutt emerge from a bush. She had been too distracted by thoughts of a potential dog that she hadn't picked up the scent of the kit until the patrol was virtually right on top of her. Despite her small size, the kit had some life in her at least, flattening her ears and staring down the patrol in the only way to defend herself that she knew. "Poor thing..." Howlfire muttered quietly under her breath, loud enough that only someone stood next to her would hear. She holds back as Chickbloom speaks to the child, hoping his gentle approach might soothe the kit enough to convince her to come with them.

/ apprentice tag @Ghostpaw! no obligation to post though!​

 

[edenberry ?!]

It seemed to be an odd twist of fate... a path tumbled down over and over again, slipping over dirt-dusted gravel as if they'd never learned their lesson the first time. Padding after the patchy pelt of a lead warrior, they can smell the rotting stench of canine so heavily that it proves overwhelming. They all seem to be equally distracted... the fur along many spines prickling in apprehension... up until egg-drop fur drops slow, creeping towards something in the muck.

His voice is low and struggles to find patience, aware of the threat that lingers somewhere in the distance. Was it here? Had it missed this kit? Had dogs gotten smarter since the last time Edenberry met one and had left the tiny scrap in wait as a trap?

They swallow, nervous, as they look to Chickbloom, "Kit's not very big... if we need to, we should just grab'em," they advise in a quiet hiss, ears swiveling on alert for the sound of approaching enemy paws. There is no cat scent underneath the stink... and they fear perhaps Snowy is no longer the only kit in the nursery to be found abandoned.

That's what you told Spicepurr isn't it? How convenient.... that your lie becomes someone else's reality...

⟡₊ ⊹ i ll betray you like a man

• 
• -- edenberry / skyclan daylight warrior / any pronouns / 17 moons
  -- mostly white with black pinstripe and green eyes / scarred face and back
  -- color #728c69

​

 

[DOEBLAZE]

A cool breeze sweeps burnished leaves across white forepaws as Doeblaze ventures through the scattering of dead foliage, telltale crunching marking every light pawstep. A glance to the side confirms @cloudypaw~ is still flanking her, his tabby-dappled pelt blending well with the bits of copper speckling their mostly-pine landscape. When she ducks out from under a rare oak, the dead leaves dissipate as if banished by a great paw, leaving smooth, hard-packed ground coated only in springy pine. Much of the patrol is just ahead of her—she'd gotten a touch sidetracked lecturing on the tracking complexities of dead leaves—clustered around something their multicolored limbs obscure.

" ... Another kit? " Doeblaze cranes her neck, brow furrowing in an unreadable expression. There'd been so many kits along their borders as of late, you'd think SkyClan territory was one giant nursery. As much as she'd like to chalk it up to neglect, she knows it isn't that simple. And as much as she'd like to think that could never be her, that she'd never leave her children ... she would. If it came down to certain death with her or an uncertain fate elsewhere, she'd give them up in a heartbeat to keep them alive. No matter how much it hurt.

This one doesn't seem so simple, though; the chilly air is rank with dog-scent but nothing that speaks to the kit's vanished queen. Chickbloom, stars bless him, puts his mild demeanour to work imploring the child to come with them. Silently flanking Howlfire, she nods in agreement with the chocolate torbie's quiet murmur. " Maybe it's leaf-fall bringing them on, " she muses, kneading thoughtfully at the ground. " Cats who can no longer keep their kits safe or fed, things like that. "

" Doesn't look more than a moon or so old to me. Probably not off milk yet, " she agrees with Edenberry in clipped, workmanlike sentences. The intent isn't to offend—the tabby's mind is merely elsewhere, shifted firmly into decision-making mode as it often is in such circumstances. She finds herself moving without pretense or hesitation, not checking her sure motions with anxiety. " We should get her back to camp before she catches cold. "

With that said, Doeblaze aims to scoop the kit up by the scruff, holding the smaller body with relative ease. Jaws occupied with a mouthful of silver-black fur, she jerks her head roughly back campwards in a silent question.

OOC : —

✦

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[PALADIN]

The dog is not who returns- burnt coppers blink at the swath of unfamiliar cats, ears pressed backwards and lips trying to pull back in a feeble attempt of a snarl. A defensive get back, one that Paladin had no means of backing up. Ears shift and turn forward instead as Chickbloom, who Paladin has decided was very bright on the eyes, speaks to her. Fear. Paladin does not have a word for it, not really, but that's what's written in Chickbloom's tone.

Others approach, speak, adlib- they do not offer movement. Her eyes flick amongst them nervously. Words are spoken finally, like a twisted knife- gnarled and sharp and unintelligent. "Not... thing. Paladin." She insists. The only thing she remembers from her mother, beyond a face broad and strong, was a voice insisting her name was that of strength, something to be feared. Only one is brave enough to approach- the air still stinks of dog, and yet, this cat steps through the fog of it like it wasn't there. Ears flatten backwards as the stranger grasps here.

Paladin knows better then to try and wiggle free of Doeblaze's grasp- it would spell falling to the ground, possibly left here alone. Her stomach growled- hungry, hungry. It's almost eerie how her body goes all but limp, paws dangling down towards the ground. "Dog." She whispers, ears twitching to-and-fro. Dog, she knows that word. Is that what they were scared of? Copper eyes blinked again before sliding close. I'm tired.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ┌── YOUVE BURNT ME ⋅❁⋅ NOW GUIDE ME ──┐‎

• "speech"
  

• 

• PALADIN she/her, kit of skyclan, one moon.
  ⭃ LH black tabby / silver tabby chimera with low white and strong copper eyes. white plumed hair sits center on her head down to the beginning of her mane. a 'sword' is outlined in white on her back. she's quiet but intent, serious but still kitten-soft.
  ⭃ mentored by no one / / mentoring no one
  ⭃ mated to no one / / sibling to unknown
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[Howlfire]

Doeblaze and Edenberry are soon at her side, heading up the end of the patrol as they look down at the young kit and offer up their own views on the matter. Doeblaze seems equally sympathetic as Howlfire was, suggesting perhaps it was leaf-fall bringing on all these sudden arrivals. It made a fair bit of sense. Prey was becoming scarce, the days were getting darker much earlier, and the weather was cooling. Howlfire had given birth in leaf-fall and it hadn't been easy. And she had been part of a clan - albeit one forced to temporarily leave their home - she could not imagine what it was like to try and provide for your children without a clan to help in these difficult months.

Edenberry and Doeblaze consider the age of the kit, noting her small size and deducing she's only a few moons old at best, something which Howlfire also agrees with. Following Edenberry's suggestion, Doeblaze quickly grabs the kitten by the scruff, and despite her earlier attempt to defend herself, the child makes little attempt to free herself from the older she-cat's grasp. Howlfire nods her head at Doeblaze's silent question, gesturing for her apprentice to fall in next to her. "Let's get home," She mewed. Her amber gaze glances down at the kitten, who despite not saying much, seems to be liestening to everything at least. "Don't worry," Howlfire cooed soothingly. "You are safe now, Paladin."​