pafp my heart has joined the thousand ☣︎ omens

[Mintshade]

—————————————————————⊰☣︎⊱————————————————————
She's still tired but she doesn't do much to stave it off, allowing slumber to take her whenever it suited her whim and not fighting off the urge to curl up into a tight ball and snooze her days away. She considered it a break, a reprieve from all the hard work she'd done before - such as bullying Badgermoon when she had the chance. A very powerful 'I told you so' was going to be delivered to Sootstar once she was well again. She'd never liked that soft and useless excuse of a tom but she knew why her sister picked him. He was an easy cat to push around. The news of Sunstride as deputy was met with both disdain and delight. The spotted tom was more suited to it, but he did annoy her with his constant cheer. It made her itch. The dark molly yawned and raised her head, looking around as she heard the distinct sound of pawsteps.

Maybe she was still feverish, but in her tired state the figure loping forward to her was dark furred with eyes like a burnt sunset and for a moment she feels her chest tighten with unease. The tall elder's tale had only begun to be spoken since coming to the moors, she'd never heard of it before in the marshlands though they rarely saw rabbits there, but many of the apprentices had chattered on about it the season before; a black hare with blood red eyes who appeared as a harbinger to warn cats of their impending deaths. Mintshade dismissed it, of course, she only ever knew the story because remembering it so she could tell misbehaving kits about it had been a highlight of the previous leaf-fall. She had sent many a young cat scampering away in terror as she described the shadow with the long ears falling over them and whispering a warning of their soon to be doom. Now she was paying the price for her teasing, ears flattening as she stared with wide acid green eyes to the messenger come to speak of her numbered days.
And then her vision sharpens, her focus comes back. She has her moments lately, but the lungwort had done a good job of getting her back into some sense of self-awareness. The dark looming figure was no rabbit, only a stretched shadow from its very distinctly feline owner. The red eyes were only a trick of the light.
The long-limbed black she-cat gives a groan of dismay and a hacking cough of a greeting, "...Azaleafrost. Visiting little ole' me?"

☣︎ All my friends are heathens, take it slow ☣︎ — Wait for them to ask you who you know

• PAFP - @Azaleafrost
  Prompts - Legend says a black, red-eyed rabbit appears on the moors this time of year. Elders say it only shows itself to cats whose time is coming to an end. Is this just a silly elders tale?
• 
  
  
  Mintshade
  —⊰⋅ Warrior (Moor Runner) of WindClan
  —⊰⋅ She/Her
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  —⊰⋅ SH Solid black cat w/ acid green eyes.
  

 

[Azaleafrost]

Her nerves had finally begun to relax when everyone she cared about was safe. Periwinklebreeze came home, Wolfsong and his kits are okay, and Mintshade was finally getting better despite everything that had just happened. She was sure some of the clan's sick died from the stress and moving the rogues forced onto them. Not that she cared about them, Mintshade was okay and thats all that mattered.

She's been itching to talk to her old mentor ever since Weaselclaw died and Sootstar and several others denouncing Starclan. On top of that, she wasn't sure how to feel about the Shadowclan kits. She thought it was a poor move at the moment. Perhaps if Sootstar had waited until they were completely back on their feet and well rested and ready for the battle it would bring, she wouldnt be against it.....As long as the kits themselves were safe. And she thinks they are, for now. Nobody has been cruel to them like they were to her. There's still a vicious, biting jealousy and bitterness that grips her when she thinks about it.

It only serves to remind her of what these cats think of her.

She picks up a mouse from the pile and brings it out to the badger set. She stands at the entrance as Mintshade stirs, and she enters, placing the mouse down beside her.

"Yes." She says. "You're getting better....And I'm glad." She adds. "A lot's been happening... Even after getting back to our territory."

She's not even sure how much Mintshade knows about current happenings but its important she knows.... What if she sees the Shadowclan kits and tries to eat them or something???? That would be terrible. Just awful.​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ᨒ↟↟ᨒ── Since Sparkspirit's catch of a dark rabbit and the explained elders' tale, Wolfsong has mulled over its origins with curiosity. Perhaps, as Scorchstreak claimed, it is pure folly, an elder's idea of entertainment, but he thinks of the stories his mother told him and the signs the world gives them. StarClan's signs are not so different; did they not send him a bud of cotton when he was debating which apprentice to take? Of course, that a black rabbit should signify an impending death is odd to Wolfsong. Rabbits are not creatures of decay or carrion; their presence brings life to WindClan, a sign of prosperity. If it is the color which so drastically alters its symbolism, he cannot make heads of that, either.

It is perhaps too somber a thought to dwell on while visiting the badger set. He would not carry his ideas of death to such a vulnerable place, even one visited by the revitalizing lungwort.

"Indeed," Wolfsong concurs from behind Azaleafrost, whose pelt he gives a cursory glance-over, just in case. "Soon you will be free of this place, and with luck, you will not have to visit again for some time." He clears his throat and sits slowly. "We have...new kits among us. Ouzelkit and Larkkit, brought to us by Sootspot. They were born in ShadowClan, but a cat there told Sootspot they were being mistreated." ​

WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 38 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC. MATES WITH SUNSTRIDE (07/05/2023). BIOGRAPHY, PINTEREST, & PLAYLIST.

medicinal expertise med. part ii med. part iii med. part iv

• — ★★★☆☆ WOUNDS: You're (mostly) in safe paws. You'll know if he's less experienced if he asks for your permission to try a treatment. No wound can scare him away from knowledge.
  — ★★★☆☆ INFECTION: He can prevent most infections. If you feel feverish, let him know; he'll hum thoughtfully over herbs and sniff your wound before saying, "With your blessing..."
• — ★☆☆☆☆ ACHES & PAINS: If you complain to him of pain, he'll ask where. If it's a headache, you'll likely feel a bit better. For anything else, "Try this, if you'd like, and tell me how you feel."
  — ★☆☆☆☆ BROKEN BONES: At best. he can ask you to remain lying down in the den. He may try to distract you with conversation while he considers what herb to feed you.
• — ★★★★★ TRAVELING HERBS: Going somewhere? No worries; Wolfsong knows just what you need to stay hale and healthy during your journey. The rest is up to you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ KITTING: Thanks to Starlingheart, he's better prepared for the arrival of kits, but any complications will need a little faith and a lot of luck.
• — ★☆☆☆☆ POISONS: It's best if you avoid eating anything unfamiliar to you— it's probably just as unfamiliar to Wolfsong. The best he can do is offer you yarrow and sit with you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ ILLNESS: If it's white or greencough, you'll likely recover. Otherwise, prepare for odd concoctions and the usual request that you consent to a little trial-and-error.

​

 

[SEDGEPOUNCE]

Sedge's taken to the moor to stretch his legs, meandering in a roundabout way that eventually takes him to the badger sett.

At first, his paws still on the very edge of No Man's Land. He's never gone so far, for good reason. The sick were cordoned off and then Sedge was off with the rest of the journeying cats, wishing for the best but not witnessing firsthand the ravages of Yellowcough. The sett was a place for the dying. But the cure has long been dispersed, the ill are on the mend, and the threat of Yellowcough is really beginning to feel like a thing of the past. So eventually Sedgepounce does skirt his way forward, if only to see what things are like.

It's there that he sees Azaleafrost, first. Her ashy pelt buffets against the cool gray clouds gathered overhead, softening the otherwise perpetual crease between her brows. Her companion, though, seems to melt in the shadows of the den. Sedge has to step closer to even make out Mintshade's rumpled form, bringing him close enough to catch the snippets of conversation between them.

The kits. The mere mention fills him with nausea and an overwhelming tangle of feelings. It feels as though his whole heart skips a beat, its foot caught on a root of morality and struggling to keep its pace. "Do you think that's true?" he blurts out at once. Stupidly. Looking to Wolfsong like a kitten asking a warrior to promise that the boogeyman isn't real. He knows cats from ShadowClan. Needledrift wouldn't mistreat a kit. Not Honeyjaw.

It's the most treasonous thing Sedgepounce has ever said in his life, and the dawning realization of that is enough to overcome his spiraling thoughts. "Like—I mean. If that ShadowClanner lied, then...I just—um." The stream of consciousness grinds to a halt. His face grows hot "I...I just. Uh. I don't know what I'm talking about," he backtracks sheepishly. "Ignore me."​

 

[HARRIERSTRIPE]

Harrierstripe has never witnessed one of these shadow rabbits before… Everyone spoke of it, many claiming to have recently spotted it itself. He thought all the fear mongering over a queen's tale was stupid, hare-brained. If a melanistic rabbit foreshadowing death is how cats wanted to entertain themselves than so be it… But some of these cats actually believed in it.

It's been awhile since Harrierstripe has seen Mintshade- especially this healthy. He peaks in from the entrance of the badger set den initially aiming to get a peak at Moorpaw when he hears Wolfsong informing Mintshade of the two kits they had taken in. Sedgepounce's sheepish doubt earns a snarl from the moor-runner, "Of course it's true." His tail lashes, "Think before speaking next time… A cat might think you were implying something treacherous." He looks to Wolfsong and Mintshade for their agreement.

☾ INFO BATTLE

• 
  » Harrierkit . Harrierpaw . Harrierstripe
  » WindClan Warrior
  » He/him
  » A black and chocolate chimera with golden eyes.
  » "Speech" ․ thoughts ․ attack
• 
  » A foe who uses jeers and jaunts to distract his opponents.
  » Excels in using terrain to his advantage.
  » Fights to outwit and see another day.
  » May powerplay minor harm. Can powerplay healing

 

[FOXGLARE]

⁀➷ There existed many a cat that claimed to witness death reveal itself to them. It would make sense—at least in his mind—that the visage of death would visit in a sprawling variety of forms, as its actions would enact themselves in just as many. Rabbits—in whatever color—were not the first creatures that came to mind when it came to precursors of demise, but the elder's tale seemed about as impractical as premonitions in the form of whisperings with no owner or chilling winds that made one's bones freeze over. Still, all of Foxglare's acquaintanceships with the face of death came paired with the sharpness of teeth and the wash of bloodscent in his nostrils.

Today's hunting venture brought him near Windclan's residential sick-den, and the sound of voices would bring his paws to have a look of his own, if only out of curiosity. The mention of the Shadowclan kittens Sootspot brought into camp lit a flame in Foxglare's chest. Sootstar and her son crowed about the mistreatment Windclan had saved them from, but the wary thing in the back of his head itched at him. Whatever it was that was really going on, the thoughtless passing of children between paws as if they were mere resources to be traded for political gain made his blood boil. But, he stayed silent. Even as clanmates made their protests at their arrival, he made no move to come to their defense nor to cast any words of his own. He recognized the cowardice of it, though the path before his paws was cast over with a dark fog, and he knew not of the consequences of a misstep.

Sedgepounce, with his heart surely in the right place, showed his doubts through a stuttering stream of consciousness that made Foxglare pause. Indeed, what if it wasn't true? Even with the future obscured—by fog or rabbit-pelt or what-have-you—it was plain to see that whatever would come of it would be ugly. Shadowclan discovering their kits were snatched up would be cause for war, at the very least. And would they deserve it...? Harrierstripe was quick to shut down Sedgepounce's inquiry, as Foxglare was coming to expect from the Moor Queen's sons.

Realizing that he'd so far been just standing around without saying anything, he padded closer to the mouth of the den to join the small crowd around it. "Glad to see the meds seem to be doin' their job," he says cordially, dipping his head toward their seniors Mintshade and Wolfsong, "Hope everyone can move outta the sett before leafbare." He makes no further reference to... current events. It may have seemed pointed, but it was in part due to him not knowing what more was to be said about it. At least not here, and not now.

He would move back away from the badger sett entrance, leveling a hard stare toward Sedgepounce as he did so. And though he was no black rabbit, he cast a silent forewarning of his own: Watch your words... Things are not quite like they were when you departed. The look would be broken by a cursory glance around the moors surrounding them, and Foxglare would busy himself with scenting the air for any sign of prey or perhaps a stray rogue.

ALL IN ALL ⁀➷☾⁺₊ IS ALL WE ARE

• OOC:
• 
• 
  — sun . fox . foxpaw . foxglare
  — he/him. 11mo moor-runner of windclan
  — bisexual ; single
  — a large, scarred, longhaired light ginger tabby with high white and grey eyes
  — smells like wet oak wood and dewy sedge
  — sounds like leon kennedy, with a vague texan drawl.
  — the straight-faced and taciturn adopted son of houndthistle, lived as a twolegplace loner until 7 moons old, now a moor-runner of windclan. stalwart and resilient, he is not easily shaken and lives by a very strict personal code of honor.
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — hs by mercurial, fullbody by antiigone
  — penned by eezy

​

 

[Mintshade]

—————————————————————⊰☣︎⊱————————————————————
"...kits." She repeats, regarding Wolfsong's words with some skepticism, the other cats joining the conversation painted another picture entirely.
Sootspot was an idiot of a cat and she wouldn't trust a word her less pretigious nephew had to say, but she could care less the reasoning for these kits being here - judging by Sedgepounce's stuttering and Harrierstripe's assured growl it was a topic of some contention. Which meant it was a giant headache.

"...whether they lied or not..it was still a stupid move." Mintshade says, bluntly, annoyed. She was still recovering, she didn't want to hear about the idiotic decisions being made right now. She dipped her head to rip another strip of meat from the mouse pinned under a curled paw, using the chewing time to pull together her thoughts. "Should toss'em back, who cares about dealing with another clans mangy kits. Since when were we in the business of raising other clan's problems." 'They'll make good WindClan warriors!' She can hear someone say, but no-they wouldn't. They weren't WindClan born. They weren't worth adopting, stealing or whatever was actually going on.
ShadowClan weren't a threat, a bunch of simpering fools which meant their children were hardly suited to be proper warriors anyways. Waste of time, moral quandry aside.

Foxglare joins them and she nods in a quiet gesture of thanks to the well wishes, she also hoped the be out of here soon.

☣︎ All my friends are heathens, take it slow ☣︎ — Wait for them to ask you who you know

•  
• 
  
  
  Mintshade
  —⊰⋅ Warrior (Moor Runner) of WindClan
  —⊰⋅ She/Her
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  —⊰⋅ SH Solid black cat w/ acid green eyes.
  

 

[Azaleafrost]

Two of her favorite people are here and that means Azaleafrost will let herself feel a modicum of comfort. The topic of the Shadowclan kits was a touchy one, but Mintshade needed to know everything that was going on before she returned to duty. It was very important. Sedgepounce has joined them and she cant fault them for being skeptical of the whole situation.

"Who knows?" She says.

Harrierstripe arrives to make the conversation tense and Azaleafrost tenses her jaw. She feels the familiar feeling of wanting to grip someone in her jaws and shred them, shake them around like a raging dog. She wants to bite him SO BAD. But she can't. She has to stay on her self held leash. She can't say anything she wants to say right now, no snappy or snide remarks that she has at the ready. He'll run to his mother and the other starforsaken zealots and she'll be outnumbered.

Why were they so incapable of thinking for themselves??? Did they not see how even if those kits WERE abused, that this is still going to start a war? Shadowclan WILL come for those kits. Its only a matter of WHEN and they certainly will find out. Thinking they wont is just stupid. Word spreads faster than fire, it is only a matter of time. All it takes is for someone to recognize one of them from one of their neighbors. Maybe she's just overly pessimistic. When was the last time she even thought positively?? She doesn't even know. Maybe this will all be fine and she's irritated for nothing.

At least Foxglare doesn't grate her nerves so much. And he's right! It's a good thing the lungwort is working. With luck, the sick cats will be back home in no time.

And to her delight, Mintshade is of the same opinion on this kit matter- kind of.

"Mintshade, the wet moss is here." She says with a side eyed squint to Harrierstripe. She says it to pester him and to also possibly hint to Mintshade to be careful of what she says. Its mostly to annoy Harrierstripe, though.​

 

[Whisperwish]

Whisperwish's thoughts also drift to the elder's tale of the black furred rabbit with piercing red eyes as she approaches the crowd. A sign of someone perishing before they even do…could it be true? Certainly not. Unless it was StarClan themselves, she sees no reason to believe it. Besides, who would want to present as something so ominous anyways?

She shakes the thought away as the topic of the kits taken from ShadowClan recently is brought to Mintshade's attention. A contemptuous topic for sure, and one she falls more in line with the black molly's thoughts on. Her words wouldn't be as…harsh, but they really did not belong here. She highly doubts they were under bad conditions back in ShadowClan, as well.

Bile rises out of her stomach and into her throat at the thought of them taken without permission. There's no way they were given up freely to WindClan of all clans. She's been super worried about the thought of an attack being ravaged as well, even if she can't voice her opinion freely. It's a sickening feeling.

"Well, whatever happens with the kits is not for us to decide," Whisperwish says neutrally. Part of her hopes that Sootstar comes to her senses and sends them back to their proper place, but she highly doubts it. "I hope your recovery continues to go well, Mintshade." At least she isn't blindly agreeing with her sister…for now. She deserves to heal fully either way.​

​

 

[HARRIERSTRIPE]

Harrierstripe doesn't understand, stupid? He doesn't think so, Sootstar always had a plan even if she didn't make it widely known. She's gotten the clan this far despite all the ups and downs, any problem they've had she's succeeded in wiggling them out of it, for the most part… The doubt cats have began to formulate for his mother he finds to be hare-brained, to hear Mintshade had her doubts concerned the young warrior.

Azaleafrost's insult doesn't go unnoticed, his eyes harden with intense hositility. 'You better watch your back, kittypet.' The blue warrior never did know how to stick to her own lane, to bad mouth him to his own kin.

He agrees with Whisperwish, no matter what these cats thought at the end of the day they were all just warriors. They were hear to do as Sootstar instructed and keep the clan afloat, nothing else. He knew his place, did the rest of WindClan?

"Feel better, Mintshade." He dips his head, spins around and takes off into the hills.

☾ INFO BATTLE

• 
  » Harrierkit . Harrierpaw . Harrierstripe
  » WindClan Warrior
  » He/him
  » A black and chocolate chimera with golden eyes.
  » "Speech" ․ thoughts ․ attack
• 
  » A foe who uses jeers and taunts to distract his opponents.
  » Excels in using terrain to his advantage.
  » Fights to overpower and see another day.
  » May powerplay minor harm. Can powerplay healing