PARADISE LOST \ disappearance

[MALLOWLARK]

A pair of cats, and only those two, had warning.

In the dead of night, that frigid stillness, Mallowlark had feigned slumber. It was not a rare occurrence for the white tom to take off in the night, often simply enjoying the embrace of the dark air- and sometimes, it brought up prey opportunities he would not have otherwise had, tracking made easier without patrolling cats about. But this night he had let his vision stretch over the horizon, had watched his path being illuminated by the stars themselves. The earth beckoned him in its breeze, and thus he obeyed it, rising to his paws and taking great care to employ only his finest stealth. He had been in no rush... and once he was out of camp, he was confident he would be able to tell if anyone had followed him.

He was never to return.

A home, for many moons... infected by a maddening corrosion that drove cats against each other. He would not draw blood, nor slay a friend... but he would escape, lest the immunity wane, and because leaving Fourtrees each moon felt more painful every time. There was a place he could go.

The morning came, and there was no sign of the hulking white tom- no glimmer of his grin, no echo of his laughter. His scent was stone-stale upon his nest, and lost to the winds of night.​

☺PENNED BY PIN​

 

[SOOTSTAR]

The morning came and she did not stir. In her nest she slumbered, breathing in her mate's departing scent as he arose to carry out duties. The crowing of ravens can be heard in the distance, they've found the carcass of a brown-furred rabbit to pick on. The scavenger's feast goes undisturbed, for there is no cat on the moors to take curiosity on entrails they slide down their throats anymore.

And to the sound of white-chested birds, the slumbering feline thinks, "what a quiet morning". Like the crows her peace goes undisturbed, for there is no cat on the moors to obnoxiously giggle and grin anymore. An absence she does not even realize, a change she does not open an eye to.​

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Spoiler: TAGS ★ 03/13

( primary character / "speech" / ic opinions )​

╰ ★ ჻ 001 GENERAL INFORMATION ,
· SOOTSTAR, female — she / her
╰ ‣ 39 moons . pisces. ages on the first
╰ ‣ windclan leader . marsh-born . believes in starclan
╰ ‣ former soldier of the marsh group

╰ ★ ჻ 002 VISUALS & AESTHETICS ,
· DOMESTIC FELINE, smells like heather and wet dirt , status — 100%
╰ ‣ blue smoke . scarred chest, difficult to see through fur . green eyes

╰ ★ ჻ 003 MENTALITY & MANNERISMS ,
· ESTJ-A ❝ EXECTUTIVE ❞ , Slytherin, Lawful Evil
╰ ‣ Cunning, brash, fierce, confident, self-reliant, envious & selfish
╰ ‣ finds great difficulty in relating to others . can be cruel, usually shows mercy to those she can find sympathy with
╰ ‣ sole key to her heart is loyalty, if you have her trust, she often shows a completely different side of herself. Aggression tends to manifest from her extreme paranoia
╰ ‣ Appreciates titles such as "miss, m'am" etc

╰ ★ ჻ 004 INTERACTIONS & RELATIONSHIPS ,
· SOOT CLAW x PEBBLE BREEZE, sister to Pebblenose
╰ ‣ heterosexual. mate to Weaselclaw
╰ ‣ mother to Windstrider, Sootchaser, Moorkit, Adderkit, Harrierkit, Bluekit & Cottonkit
╰ ‣ mentor to N/A
╰ ‣ average fighter . skilled hunter .
╰ ‣ will start fights . unlikely to flee .
╰ ‣ attack in underline . penned by user @ava.​

​

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[Bluepool]

There’s something about today that makes the air sweeter, more breathable. She stretches out and it’s so funny she swears there is more room here. Her pale yellow eyes open slowly and her mouth parts in a large yawn. She turns to the cat next to her "Is it just me or does this morning feel extra peaceful for some reason?" she asks.

Something is different, she knows it but can’t quite put her paw on what. Like her sister, who slumbers soundly in her den, Bluepool has noticed the change but hasn’t all at the same time. Not a single thought would be spared for the snowy white tom with the large grin, the one who she was afraid had some sort of disease.

If news would come her way that he succumbed to whatever sickness he had she would not be surprised, would not think of him unless he was in front of her or mentioned by another.

For now, she curls back up into her nest and promptly falls back asleep.

​

 

[sparkspirit]

Though Mallowlark was in many ways an odd creature, who laughed and grinned his way through each day, he was, at the end of it– family. As comforting a presence as the rest, even if his days were now filled with his fellow apprentices and Weaselclaw’s tutelage. He did not often talk to him, but his presence was felt. Acknowledged. A part of each and every day. And today…it is the lack of his presence Sparkpaw feels. The others bask in the silence. To Sparkpaw, though, it is much like someone had shut off the white noise he needed to sleep.

He stands in the midst of camp, his fur still slightly ruffled from rest and his search for his mentor quite abruptly paused. And his voice, pitched a little high with concern: "Where’s Mallowlark?"

˗ˏˋ  †〚  OOC REFERENCE INFORMATION 〛

• ooc: bad mobile post but AAA MALLOW,,,,
• 
• sparkpaw, sparky. dmab male, he - him - his.
  ──── apprentice of windclan. loyal to windclan and his family.
  ──── 04 moons old. born on 12.15.22, and ages in real time.
  ──── echolight x elmbreeze, adopted by yewberry. brightfam.
• "speech"

​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──⇌•〘 INFO 〙 Sparkpaw's question gives the warrior pause, and yes, he has noticed the pale chuckler has been absent, but Wolfsong had initially dismissed it as Mallow gone on a hunt. Now, he thinks, and he frowns, and he walks until he finds Mallowlark's nest. It is long cold, and the scent far from recent, as though he left under the cover of the moon. Wolfsong recalls his interactions at the Gathering with SkyClan's miserly medicine cat.

A hunt may have ended in disaster on the moors, or we may one day see his grin among the tree-dwellers. He swings his gaze over to Sootstar, to Bluepool and the concerned apprentice. Love, like fear, makes witless beasts of us all. If he has gone to SkyClan, I hope he does not find his heart soured by the new proximity to his vile lover.

"I will search the moors for him," Wolfsong announces, though he doubts he will find him. "He has not been here since long before the sun's awakening. If he left to hunt, he should have returned by now."
​

 

[SNAKEHISS]

❪ TAGS ❫ — Chatter stirs about amidst WindClan's camp, particularly concerning Mallowmark. Snakepaw has personally never cared much for his incessant chattering, but it seems his apparent disappearance is causing a bit of a stir amongst the clan.

As much as Sparkpaw's voice alone causes a simmering distaste within Snakepaw's gut, the midnight black apprentice could not help but snort in response, "Who cares? It's quite nice around here for once, without his loony giggling and whatnot." A reptilian-esque stare momentarily darts toward Wolfsong, as if daring him to say something or issue him another punishment for using "unkind words" or "bullying clanmates". He'd be sure to go straight to Badgermoon the next time the lead warrior had the gall. Snakepaw was not his apprentice to reprimand, thank StarClan.

The tom hardly finds Mallowlark's absence a concern; he would probably end up striding through the camp entrance in a few moments like nothing had ever happened (with his luck, anyway). Ah well, Snakepaw was enjoying the serenity while it lasted.​

 

[MOORBLOSSOM]

An internal effort to attach a face to 'Mallowlark' yields no results. The name hangs in the morning air, uttered first as a question, then condemned by Snakepaw's forked tongue. If her clanmates' reactions to his apparent disappearance are indicative of their standing, it's safe to assume Mallowlark hadn't been very important, whoever and wherever he was. Stars willing, he'll end up safe and sound—for Wolfsong's sake, at least.

White-capped paws bounce across the sandy surface. With pep aplenty in her step, Moorpaw treks across the length of camp to be at her mother's side. A spirited smile blooms as her head nestles into smoky furs, before pulling her noggin away to look up with tender eyes. "Guh'morning, mama!" she mewls, her voice seeping with joy. Leadership duties and the like often leave her detached from mom. It's such a bummer. "Who's Mallowlark? Why did he run away?" the girl then asks, before pivoting to glimpse those who'd mentioned him. ​

 

[Badgermoon]

Perhaps because it was his job to arrange the warriors into patrols, or perhaps because Mallowlark was so inimitably weird and thus impossible not to notice, but the black-pawed tom's absence struck Badgermoon almost immediately. The deputy had done a brief lap around camp and the stretch of the moors just outside the hollow which cradled their lives, only to find nothing but the missing warrior's stale scent. A somewhat grim expression settled over Badgermoon's face as he returned to his Clanmates, casting Snakepaw a warning glance.

"I'll go with you, Wolfsong. Snakepaw, come with us." if the young tomcat wanted to be rude about his missing Clanmate, so be it: but that wouldn't exempt him from spending his morning searching for him. Moon-yellow eyes flicked over to Moorpaw as the young she-cat questioned her mother and he responded in a quiet voice, "He may not have run away, Moorpaw. Something may have happened to him. Would you care to come look for him with us? I'm sure Windstrider wouldn't object." ​

 

[WEASELCLAW]

Weaselclaw's ears twitch at the sound of the slightest commotion outside of Vulturemask's den. He rises, wincing at the tightening of healing flesh at his throat and shoulders, and limps to see Badgermoon and Wolfsong organizing a search party of some sort. For a moment, the tabby warrior is confused. If someone is missing, Sootstar and Bluepool certainly don't look worried about it. When he hears Moorpaw's innocent inquiry about Mallowlark, Weaselclaw's expression darkens.

He pads closer, careful to keep his gait as even as he can to avoid pulling any partly-healed wounds open. It's young Sparkpaw he stands beside, his blue eyes troubled at the worry on his apprentice's face. "Would you like to go, too, Sparkpaw? It might be better if you found out for yourself what happened to him." With any luck, the grinning fool had simply followed his treasonous kin into the ether. Weaselclaw has to remember Sparkpaw is blood to the crazed warrior, too, though. Even as discontented as he is with Mallowlark, he knows the boy will be upset to lose yet another family member.

Clearly, though, Weaselclaw is in no shape to take Sparkpaw anywhere. Not yet. The tabby inclines his head to his deputy and fellow lead warrior. "I'm sure you won't mind if Sparkpaw goes?"​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

​

 

[TIGERFROST]

TIGERFROST ♂

0/9

WINDCLAN / LEAD WARRIOR
BIOGRAPHY AND TAGS
PLAYED BY SHEOGORATH

HEALTH: ████████████████████​

---

Mallowlark was missing? Ears prick as Tigerfrost finds his way over, seeking additional information. There is none, but it's clear that the local reactions are a fairly mixed bag. Some, like Snakepaw, seem entirely disinterested in looking for the pale white warrior. Others, like Wolfsong, are unwilling to allow a clan-mate to disappear without at least trying to locate them. What if Mallowlark was hurt, somewhere? Killed by a rogue, seeing as how bold those outsider have grown in the past few moons.

Tigerfrost sighs. He's not so sure about how he feels in regards to Mallowlark, but the other warrior was a clan-mate, and a member of WindClan. That meant that Tigerfrost agreed with the deputy's quick actions to gather a patrol together.

The dusty tabby takes a seat near Weaselclaw, quietly observing. It seemed the patrol was big enough without him causing a crowd, but if Badgermoon asked him to take part in the search, he would. For now, he was content to simply observe the proceedings, thoughtful of what might have happened to that strange, grinning cat.

"Keep an eye out for rogues." Tigerfrost reminds them. Branchfall had been killed by one, and she hadn't been the first. There was an attack on an apprentice, as well. And with those exiles lurking about... one could never be too careful. Tigerfrost is in no shape to take part in another battle so soon, but he'd certainly pray to the stars that there were no rogues left on the territory, if they had taken Mallowlark.​

​

 

[sparkspirit]

There is something about the way that Weaselclaw speaks that sinks something within him. There is something definitive, something– something certain about the way that he reacts. As if he already knows the answer to the question looming above the apprentice like a guillotine's blade. He wishes only that it would not be true, but has he been wrong about anything yet? Every single one of those is a coward. Would Mallowlark now count himself among the list? Is the blood in his veins now even more a reason for Snakepaw's ire? He wishes he could snap at the other apprentice, or any of those that think he would simply walk away, but Weaselclaw– Weaselclaw was not worried either. And his mentor had never failed him.

Electric eyes turn downwards, brow scrunched in thought and pain both. Perhaps they will be wrong, and he has just spent too long out of camp. He could come back any minute. Or maybe, as Tigerfrost suggests, a rogue had– oh, StarClan, when had that become the better option? Selfishly, horribly...at least then, he would have something to mourn. At least this time, there would be something to say goodbye to. He closes his eyes fully, tightly, so that bursts of light might dance in his vision, and when he opens them again the world feels less suffocating. "Yes." He looks at Wolfsong, and then Badgermoon, and back to Weaselclaw. "I'd like to come. If that's okay."

˗ˏˋ  †〚  OOC REFERENCE INFORMATION 〛

• ooc: —
• 
• sparkpaw, sparky. dmab male, he - him - his.
  ──── apprentice of windclan. loyal to windclan and his family.
  ──── 04 moons old. born on 12.15.22, and ages in real time.
  ──── echolight x elmbreeze, adopted by yewberry. brightfam.
• "speech"

​

 

[SOOTSTAR]

ㅤ

SOOTSTAR

WindClan Leader
☆☆★★★★★★★

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HP:​

██████████

Loves:

Hates:

​

Well, seems she forgot she was a mother. Turns out even without Mallowlark she won’t be able to sleep in! Still Moorpaw is hardly met with disdain, the feline blinks her eyes open and aims to give a lick to Moorpaw’s forehead. Rising onto her limbs she departs her den and arrives in the clearing when the apprentice asks her about Mallowlark. Huh?

Chatter made it evident he wasn’t in camp at the moment. Sootstar was hardly concerned, and to reply to Moorpaw she leans over and whispers in her ears, ”An irritable tick… if he’s run let him.” To be frank, Sootstar doesn’t believe they’d be blessed enough… and to see her high rankings making such a fuss? Sootstar doesn’t mean to bring humiliation to her deputy, but she frowns in uncertainty. ”Don’t we think there are better things for these apprentices to be doing? He’s probably just found carrion to play with.“ The leader snorts, though it is not spoken in a manner to completely reveal her full disdain for the white and black Tom.

​

 

[cottonsprig]

Cottonpaw's attachment to the missing is as thin as a strand of hair - she often found Mallowlark inflicted with some sort of illness that she was, and still is, afraid of catching. That said, the tom provided some sort of difference to them all. A change of pace, whether they liked it or not. Cottonpaw approaches, unable to tell within herself if she'd be upset should the white furred tom arrive beaten and bruised, dead, or not at all. She stands in beside Weaselclaw, offering him and her mother cursory glances whilst the older warriors discuss what to do.

"Yeah -" she opts to agree with Sootstar, taking care to tug her father's tail closer to her body. A sort of safety blanket, should he allow it. "Maybe he's drinkin' the dew off some grass right now - it'll take a long while yet to quench any thirst that way." Mallowlark seems the sort to do something silly like that, in any case.​