pafp MIGHTY FOX DEN [nursery visit]

[SCORCHSTREAK]

༄༄ The deputy has always felt out of place within the gorse walls of WindClan’s camp—the plants seem to press inward, shutting out the air that she needs to breathe. Then, Bluepool had confessed her love, and suddenly there was no place greater than the comfort of their nest in camp. She’d begun to grow used to sorting under the stars, dark nose pressed into silvered fur.

It’s all gone now, though. All of the comfort, all of the time spent tucked into soft moss and fluffy wool—Scorchstreak recalls those days fondly, but the memories also carry with them no small amount of hurt. Loss has worn her blaze down to embers, smoldering in their final moments. She feels no small amount of guilt for taking so long to greet her sibling’s kits, but in truth Scorchstreak is unsure hours to face them. The litter that lies curled against Rattleheart’s side deserves to know their aunt as WindClan’s strong, capable deputy; they do not deserve to see the wildfire within her so quieted. She cannot put off this meeting for any longer now, though, which draws dappled paws to the nursery’s entrance, gift in tow.

Sun-cleaned for days now, the skull is brighter than it had been when she had found it. It has been painstakingly picked clean—a new hobby, taking inspiration from the cracked rabbit skull that lies in the tunnel where she sleeps. She does not consider the morbidity of it as she enters the nursery. "Hey," she greets as she ducks through the entrance, and gently sets the rabbit skull on the dirt floor. She approaches the nest where her sibling lies, gaze fluttering over each of the five scraps of fur at Rattleheart’s side. Her old friend’s words return to her now, a hollow echo of Cygnetstare spoken in a voice brittle yet hopeful. "This is for you, and for them. So that they can know the tunnels… long before they enter them." There is no question in the deputy’s mind—at least one of the kits in the litter will be her apprentice. She will teach them, just as she had taught Pinkpaw.

☽♰☾ IT WAS WAR, IT WASN’T FAIR

• ooc: pls wait for @RATTLEHEART — also tagging the babies @Vinekit @THISTLEKIT @crunchykit @SPLINTERKIT. @breezekit
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  SCORCHSTREAK ❯❯ she/they, deputy (tunneler) of windclan
  ༄ small, slim flame-streaked calico with fiery golden eyes. cold and closed-off, ferociously protective of her clanmates. rarely seen aboveground.
  ༄ mate to bluepool ; sibling to rattleheart & rabbitclaw
  ༄ mentor to pinkpaw
  ༄ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted
  ༄ penned by foxlore

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[RATTLEHEART]

AS HE RAISED HIS FIST BEFORE HE SPOKE — Ever since she had moved into it, the nursery had become a sort of safe haven for Rattleheart - prison and oasis in equal measure. Though she wasn't allowed to stray far from it, or indeed far from camp at all at the moment, at least she always knew where she would be welcome. Where she would be safe, curled in the loving embrace of her mate while her kits laid peacefully alongside her belly. The lead warrior knew she was lucky to even have such a thing, many within Windclan not having the luxury of such an escape from the harsh realities of the scorched moors beyond. The warm touch of a mate that would never leave them, cooing lovingly over their children as the hours passed.

That was a luxury that Scorchstreak would no longer have, as difficult as it was for Rattleheart to accept her sister's loss. It just felt so impossible for Bluepool to truly be gone, especially when the tunneler hadn't seen her body with her own two eyes. Unfortunately, it seemed that she never would, regardless of how much their deputy had prayed for it.

There was a tightness in her chest whenever she thought about it all, one thankfully absent when Scorchstreak stepped forward into the warm and loving aura of the nursery. Rattleheart's head was quick to pop up from the plush moss of her nest, pale green flicking to meet the bright shade of her sister's own bright gold. "Scorchstreak. I wasn't expecting to see you." There was no hidden edge to her words, voice absent of any malice over how long it had taken her littermate to come and visit. There had been so much going on, even outside of Bluepool's brutal and sudden passing - it made sense that the deputy of the entire clan would have other things to worry about.

Yet, she was still quick to nudge the kittens curled at her side, still so small yet growing so fast - too fast. "Wake up, darlings. Your aunt Scorchstreak has come to visit." It would be their first time truly getting to speak to her, even if Rattleheart had told them many a story about her in the past. As they slowly unfurled and turned their attentions towards the newest face in the nursery, her own attention was caught by the gift that had been brought to her and her litter. "Thank you... it's wonderful." To some, such a prize might've seemed morbid. To her, though, she knew the meaning that the skull carried with it. The well wishes and connection to the tunnels that she had already wished for her young. "I'm sure at least a few of them will be joining us down there before too long. Unless they have any sudden growth spurts." Which wasn't entirely out of the question, considering how hulking their own moor runner father was.

THE RIGHTEOUS HAND OF GOD 𓆩♡𓆪 THE DEVIL THAT YOU FORGOT

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• 
  ❥ longhaired black and white tom with pale green eyes
  ❥ 53 moons old; ages the 1st every month
  ❥ afab; uses he/she/they pronouns
  ❥ homosexual homoromantic; mated to venomstrike
  ❥ sibling to scorchstreak, lizardbounce, and rabbitclaw
  ❥ mother to thistlekit, breezekit, splinterkit, crunchykit, and vinekit
  ❥ somewhat difficult to befriend; wary but kind
  ❥ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ❥ peaceful powerplay allowed
  ❥ all opinions are ic

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[Vinekit]

Vinekit does not remember what she was dreaming about. What she does remember was that it had been a pleasant dream at least, the one you long to recall, only to find it fading away as you come back to the waking realm. After Rattleheart nudges her awake, Vinekit stirs sleepily, blinking a few times at her mother before, turning to give Scorchstreak the same sleepy stare.

It takes a few moments for Vinekit to wake up fully, after which she finally seems to note the strange gift Scorchstreak has brought with her. Kit-like curiosity takes over and Vinekit inches away from the safety of Rattleheart to inspect the rabbit skull on the floor. She has never seen anything like it before and does not know what to make of it. What was its purpose? Was it dangerous? Did it move? Vinekit took a deep breath next to it, drawing in the unusual faint scent that clung to the bone, and frowns. "It smells funny," She declares, looking between Rattlerheart and Scorchstreak. Satisfied her curiosity has been met for now, the tiny black kitten steps back, closer to the safety of Rattleheart. She sits down but continues to look at the skull. "What is it?"​

 

[THISTLEKIT]

❝ THE TENACITY I HOLD✧°.☀ ——————————————————————————————————
Thistlekit's sleeping form shudders as he and his littermates are nudged by Rattleheart. He drowsily opens his eyes, a high-pitched whine echoing from his throat to show his disatisfaction at being woken up. The kitten yawns, blinking at his parent, then at Scorchstreak - their aunt, he duly remembers - and that's when he properly wakes up. Their aunt, flesh and blood, the deputy, was visiting!

He stumbles away from Rattleheart, wobbling towards their aunt when he finally notices the rabbit skull by their nest. He paws at it warily, making a face at it like it's going to move. Vinekit had already asked that it was, so he didn't ask the same question again. Instead, he glances up at Scorchstreak. "Will you be my mentor?" His inquiry is genuine, although a bit expectant for a yes right away. "Can Scorchstreak be my mentor?" He asks his father, now; maybe it was the queen's decision.

[penned by nocthymia - ☀

————————————————— ☀.°✧ I HOPE IT'S HARD TO BREAK DOWN ❞ ​

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‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── ooc ⋆⋅☾⋅⋆ info ──┐‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

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  "Speech" Thoughts
  
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• THISTLEKIT ✩ HE/HIM, kit of windclan, two moons
  ⭃ long haired seal-point kitten with an unusually long tail and pale blue eyes. short history blurb, short opinion on clan/clan specific traits. 1-2 sentences bout personality stuff and any other important details.
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking ↛ see battle info here
  ⭃ penned by nocthymia ↛ @hypmic on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

 

[SPLINTERKIT.]

SURE IT'S A CALMING NOTION​

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he wasn't sleeping. not really. his eyes were closed and he's trying to pretend, to soak up the soft quiet and serene safety he feels from being against his dad. she is very quiet when she speaks, gently and soothing to his ears like a soft balm of honey. his eyes blink open and he pushes up on his paws to a seated position, tilting his head and twitching his nose. he creeps forward to smell the skull, tail swishing curiously behind him. what is it? he wants go ask but the words don't come out at all. his eyes slowly blink as he looks up at scorchstreak, nudging his paw against her.

"what are the tumbles like?"

he speaks for the first time in a long time. he doesn't like to speak to anyone that's outside of family– not because he doesn't like them. he just doesn't wanna be annoying and he feels a lot less loud and obnoxious when it comes to family members.

// yes i spelled tunnels wrong on purpose <3

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[SCORCHSTREAK]

༄༄ Rattleheart says that she hadn’t been expecting the visit, and something cold and sharp lodged itself into the deputy’s chest. She knows that she has been far from the greatest aunt in the world, and guilt stings like nettle in her throat. Her black-patched sister doesn’t linger, however, and seems grateful that she’s visited after all. Rattleheart wakes the kits quickly, and thanks her for the gift that would likely be a tad too morbid for any cat outside of WindClan to understand. As each kit stirs, golden eyes shift over their pelts. They are perfect, just as she expected from Rattleheart’s first litter. "And if they happen to turn out like Venomstrike… they will still be loved immensely for it," she adds, her voice soft in the quiet of the nursery.

Unsurprisingly, it does not take long before she is being bombarded with questions. Curious kits cannot be kept from speaking their minds—to them, each and every question is of the utmost importance and must be answered swiftly and succinctly. She understands this. Little Vinekit is first to leave the nest, toddling over to sniff at the skull. She seems it funny smelling, before asking what it is. "This is a rabbit’s skull. In the tunnels, this is the prey we most often hunt." A smile finds its way onto her muzzle. What a precious kit, so close in appearance to Rattleheart—if only she had a speck of white on her! "When my kits, your cousins Scorchstorm and Frostwind, were just kits, a good friend brought them a rabbit skull so they could have a little bit of the tunnels around, just until they could actually explore them." That skull had survived so much, from sickness to war to wildfire, and the calico had been glad to find it lying just where she’d left it all those months ago. It isn’t quite a tradition, but something in her hopes that this skull will be treasured just as she treasures hers still.

The next kit to approach is Thistlekit, whose prickly fur makes it clear why he bears the name that he does. She sees an even mix of both parents in the young tom, but her expression falters as she’s immediately asked to be Thistlekit’s mentor. Quickly recovering, she lowers herself to the little tom’s height. "Now, sproutling, I would love to be your mentor. Not quite yet, though. When you are around… this tall," a dappled paw rises to a height near her shoulder, "…Sunstar shall decide who your mentor will be. Whether that is myself or another tunneler, your mentor will come in due time. Until then, you only need to practice your skills at hunting and digging." At this, she casts a glance at Rattleheart. Hopefully her sister’s litter won’t take their ‘practicing’ too far—but as a mother herself, she recalls being pleased when her own kits had shown talent at only two moons old.

The one named Splinterkit, surely dubbed such by Venomstrike, speaks up next. With a voice soft as feathers and a nudge of a tiny, tiny paw against her own, the kit asks about the tunnels. Scorchstreak lets out a purr despite herself, emotion getting in the way of her often-stoic face. "They are called tunnels, little thorn. They are dark and dangerous—only the most brave WindClanners can traverse them safely. But they are comforting, and a necessary part of our life. Because of the tunnels, our clan is able to find prey even in the harshest seasons." She blinks, and a silent prayer is sent to the starry cats up above. Do not let these kits know starvation. Do not let them know sickness, or loss, if it can be avoided. Prayers mean nothing, and she knows that StarClan will never answer, but for these kits? For these kits, she will try.

☽♰☾ IT WAS WAR, IT WASN’T FAIR

• ooc: —
• 
  SCORCHSTREAK ❯❯ she/they, deputy (tunneler) of windclan
  ༄ small, slim flame-streaked calico with fiery golden eyes. cold and closed-off, ferociously protective of her clanmates. rarely seen aboveground.
  ༄ mate to bluepool ; sibling to rattleheart & rabbitclaw
  ༄ mentor to none ; previously mentored pinkshine
  ༄ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted
  ༄ penned by foxlore

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[breezekit]

:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·: breezekit's eyes are wide as she stares at scorchstreak. not only her aunt, but windclan's deputy. important in every sense of the word, and, she had brought them a gift. the pale furred she-kit slinks up beside her sister, inspecting the skull of the rabbit. she had tasted them before, this white part, the skull, she had not yet eaten. and nobody else was making a move to either, she wanted to rake her tongue against it, find out for herself why they left it alone. blue eyes flick up to analyze the movements of her siblings, none of them did, they would think her silly if she did. breezekit backs away, looking from rattleheart before returning to scorchstreak as she addressed her siblings.

they spoke of the tunnels so beautifully, breezekit's eyes widened as she imagined them. lush underground paths, filled with rabbits and clanmates. she couldn't go yet, scorchstreak said they must practice first. her brow lowers in understanding. but there was something else, danger in the tunnels. she wondered, were tunnelers scared? was rattleheart, scorchstreak? her maw moves before she can snap it shut. "do you get scared?" half-baked, the question does not ask what she wants to know. a pink tongue rakes her maw before she tries again. "in the, uh, tunnels. you said they're dangerous..."

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── WHEREVER YOURE GOING ⋅✦⋅ IM GOING THAT WAY ──┐‎

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• BREEZEKIT ✦ she/her, kit of windclan, two moons.
  ✧ a small, yet leggy longhaired blue point chimera with icy eyes and a long tail.
  ✧ rattleheart x venomstrike / / littermate to thistlekit, vinekit, splinterkit, and crunchykit.
  ✧ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking ↛ battle info
  ✧ penned by vayle ↛ @vayl3 on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

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