sensitive topics RAINSTORM DIRGE \ return

[MARBLEPAW]

The trek back to camp passes Marblepaw by in a snow-blanketed blur. The wind has teeth, today; they nip through her thin dust-hued fur, find the exposed flesh where the badger had clawed her leg. She limps with some effort, using Sycamorepaw as a support where she can. Her green gaze is dulled with pain, with exhaustion, with a grief that has settled so deep inside her it feels as though it has always been there. Scalejaw and Stonepaw bear the burden of Starlingheart's body; Marblepaw cannot bear to look behind her. To see the damage she has done, to see what cannot be unwritten.

They collectively spill back into ShadowClan's camp, waving a banner of blood-scent. Starlingheart's body has cooled; as she is laid upon the frost-stiff clearing floor, Marblepaw migrates weakly to her side. The tears burst across her vision — she can barely see the cats who begin to gather.

"A badger," she chokes; her limbs are stiff as she tries to stop herself from shaking. "She — she saved me." She saved me because I could not fend for myself. And now the aunt she had adored, the mentor she had learned so much from, the mother to Flintwish, the grandmother to her cousin's children, is gone.

Her lower jaw trembles; all she wants to do is sink back toward Starlingheart's body, to drape herself across it and refuse to let her go. But there are injuries, she thinks dully. And there is no one here to treat them now but you.

Marblepaw forces herself to remain upright. "If you were hurt... come see me," she manages. The words feel wrong. I should be telling them to come see Starlingheart. That is the medicine cat they have always known. That is the medicine cat they trust.

She regards her Clanmates with tear-blurred eyes. But you will have to trust me now. Stars save us all.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: tagging @STONEPAW @scalejaw @Sycamorepaw! since they were on the patrol, but no need to wait :') takes place after this thread.
• 
• Marblekit . Marblepaw, she/they w/ feminine and non-gendered terms.
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — 11 moons old, ages realistically on the 1st.
  — mentored by Starlingheart ; mentoring n/a ; previously mentored n/a
  — shadowclan medicine cat apprentice, formerly a rogue. siltcloud x lilacfur, gen 3.
  — currently mated to n/a.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh fawn tabby with dull green eyes. courageous, curious, introspective, observant, judgmental, snarky.

​

 

[shalestorm]

It is cold today, and it is windy today too. Shalestorm had only recently returned from yet another unsuccessful hunt, trudging back into camp with nothing to show for her efforts except the freezing bite of her paw pads and the icy tingle in her ears. She'd retreated into the shelter next to the warrior's den to warm up and maybe sulk for as long as she could reasonably allow herself to, paws curled up under her body in a tight loaf, tail wrapped all the way around to rest it's tip over the puff of fur on her chest, fluffed out to cover already hidden paws. Her stomach rumbles, but she does not move to go to the prey pile she knows is empty. She should go out for another hunt again soon... maybe this time, maybe this time she'll bring something back.

And then... then an alarmingly thick scent of blood reaches her, and she's alert again, on her paws as her eyes train on the camp entrance, expecting to be summoned to a potential fight - maybe another Clan got cocky enough to try and steal prey? But it's so much worse than that...

Trudging into camp, Scalejaw and Stonepaw carry a body, and behind them Marblepaw and Sycamorepaw follow. The body is lain on the ground, gently, reverently, and Shalestorm feels her heart sink as she finally allows herself to examine them, pelt immediately recognizable.

Starlingheart.

"No..." she hears herself whisper more than she remembers consciously speaking. It's... it's unthinkable. But ShadowClan has gone through many unthinkable changes in the past few moons, haven't they? Smogstar and Mirestar are gone... run away or worse, Shalestorm does not and may never know, and now... and now Starlingheart is dead. Shalestorm cannot remember a time when the medicine cat hasn't been around. A constant pillar in ShadowClan. Maybe she'd took it for granted that she'd alway be here, but it's not like that in reality. Amberhaze might say that they're cursed because of this, might start muttering that this is surely a bad omen, that maybe StarClan is unhappy with them... or perhaps those are Shalestorm's own thoughts.

Marblepaw looks about ready to break, and Shalestorm does not blame her, it's admirable, the way she pushes that down in order to treat any injuries the patrol might have sustained. But... but she is hurt too. Is it part of the medicine cat's code to treat the clan before treating yourself? Shalestorm doesn't know, she's never been that interested in the world of medicine cats, far too content with her own path as a warrior, so she isn't sure. It seems almost cruel, though. She's clearly hurt, she should treat her own wounds... but Shalestorm does not believe for a second that she will.

"She died a noble death," she says, voice low. Nobility. What a hollow word in the face of a loss this great. "May StarClan welcome her with open paws..."

if I held your hand // would that be okay?

• 
  ooc -
  
• 
  #e36f90
• 
  (img) Shalestorm * she/her* 28 moons
  blue point/blue chimera w/ low white; blue eyes
  Peaceful & healing powerplay allowed || underline for attack
  penned by Neptune. || Neptune on disc, dm me for plots

​

 

[Ternstar.]

TELL YOU YOU'RE THE GREATEST
BUT ONCE YOU TURN, THEY HATE US ​

---

Ternstar ♛ 24 Moons ♛ Female ♛ She/Her ♛ Leader of Shadowclan

---

​

★★★★★★★★★

—— The scent of blood draws her from her task - but in truth, nothing could prepare her for the sight that meets her eyes. For a moment, Ternstar stands frozen, looking truly human as grief flashes across plae face and wide blue eyes. Stomach churns, but without pregnancy weighing down on her, she finds she does not get sick - if only just.

Eyes shutter as she breathes, a trembling thing. Starlingheart had always been there. From the day Maggotkit had been born, to the day that Maggotfur had given birth herself - stars, she'd just been pressed against the black and white molly mere days ago, as Ternstar was granted her nine lives. And now she was gone - life snuffed out just as quickly as any other.

Stomach rolls again, and she has to forcibly push down the hurt that threatens to burry her, as she moves forwards - paws twitching hesitantly as though unsure of what to do with herself. " I'm sorry, " she murmurs, paw moving to gently press against the body as the medicine cat is finally laid down. " May starclan light your path, "

'We will miss you'

━ actions & " speech, " & 'thoughts/quotes' ━

---

E V E R Y B O D Y - W A N T S - T O - B E - M Y - E N E M Y

---

 

[LIVIDSMOKE]

Lividsmoke stepped forward as they took in the news with dread. Out of all times that Starlingheart could have decided to go and get herself killed by a badger, it had to be now during leafbare when they needed her the most. Shadowclan had never survived a leafbare without her before, it would be the first time with no preparation whatsoever. Marblepaw was young, having many months ahead of her so her age was in favor of Starlingheart but...that was the only thing that made her more comptable because she was still not even closed as experienced as Starlingheart had been, especially not during leafbare. It would be her first time experiencing leafbare as a medic and now without Starlingheart to guide and help them all through this....Lividsmoke couldn't help but feel bitterness over it, knowing they now had yet another disadvantage that would make this leafbare even more unbearable.

" The badge, is it still out there or was it taken care of? ." They directed thier attention to the patrol that had returned back with Marblepaw and Starlingheart's body, barely looking at thier fallen medicine cat body. The dead couldn't be brought back which made Starlingheart useless now. Her usefulness had been used up the moment her heart had stopped beating. There was no time to think anymore of a dead body. That badge though were a threat that Lividsmoke wished to take care of to make sure it wouldn't bring more dead bodies to thier camp.






​

 

[STONEPAW]

The walk home was grueling. Slow and painful. Stonepaw barely felt the throb of his ribs as he shouldered the weight of Starlingheart with Scalejaw. As they neared the entrance to camp, the dread of seeing everyone's faces settled deep in the pit of his stomach. His chest ached from more than just being thrown around by a badger. Starlingheart had been a constant. A reassuring face among the crowd. He hadn't been fast enough. If only he'd pushed harder, maybe she'd be alive to tell the tale herself.

Shalestorm and Ternstar's reactions sent new pangs of guilt and grief through him. He lowered her body with as much care as he could muster, wincing at the ache along his side, in his shoulder. He must've wrenched his leg when the beast threw him. Marblepaw spoke, her voice so thick with grief it broke his heart all over again. I'll make it up to you, he thought. Realistically there was no such way to do so. He'd try his damn best either way. "Let me help, please," Please don't be like me, don't soldier through, went unspoken. They weren't close. He should back off. He can't.

---

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

• "speech"

• 

• STONEPAW ✩ he/him, apprentice of shadowclan, ten moons
  ⭃ pretty lilac with low white and blue eyes. very driven, wants to be the best, pushy. has built up a bit of muscle but is still agile.
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Twitchtail ↛ @iliawonders on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[scalejaw]

★ The body across her back is heavy. Not heavy in the sense that the senior warrior couldn't carry it- no, it was heavy like grief, heavy like rain. It weighed her down, made her bruised body sluggish, glowering eyes narrowed forward as she carried on. As she headed after Marblepaw, trusting the wounded medicine cat apprentice to leave them back home without a second thought. And the gasps as they entered camp, the heavy burden of sorrow, of being too late starts to tug at Scalejaw's soul instead.

She is careful in laying Starlingheart's broken body down, like a beacon for the rest of Shadowclan to see. She is silent when she stands, still covered in Starlingheart's blood, covered in that of the badger's own wounds. Truthfully, once she had blinded it, the beast was easy to chase off and dispose of. Nothing like the one she had protected Flintwish from in their apprenticeship. At the thought, briefly, do her eyes flick amongst camp to find them, the small family- then towards where Mapletuft might be, then away again back towards Starlingheart's body.

"The badger is gone. That... that was ensured." She spoke, her voice like venom, like spitting acid on a fire, bubbling and sharp and painful. She inhales, and while it stabs her lungs to know that she can continue to breathe, and the now dead medicine-cat cannot, she know she has a duty to the clan. Scalejaw's vision shifts amongst the cats gathered. Marblepaw's final statement has her twitching her ears, then, "Ensure you care for your own just as diligently as the rest." She says this not out of demand for Marblepaw to do her duty- but so that they do not lose another healer.

Scalejaw finally returns to looking towards Starlingheart, who was dappled in Shadowclan's minimal lighting, and her head tips down, and bows. Because at the end of the day, Scalejaw knows Starlingheart is going to be sorely missed. By all, by her children, by herself. "May your hunts be plenty and your heart full. May Starclan guide you home." She murmurs. Say hello to Chilledstar for me, would you?

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎┌── AND JUST LIKE THE RAIN ⋅❁⋅ YOU CAST THE DUST INTO NOTHING ──┐‎

• "speech"

• 

• SCALEJAW 🌧 she/her, lead warrior of shadowclan, sixty-seven moons.
  ★ A SH black/LH blue smoke chimera with glowering orange eyes, tufts of fur that make her look dragon-akin, and scars that she wears with pride. motherly and stern attitude, with a warm streak for clanmates and a cruel streak for enemies.
  ★ mentoring no one
  ★ padding after no one / / mother to bonerattle, nightwhisper, and shadefall
  ★ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ★ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[SHARPSHADOW]

Something drags Sharpshadow to the mouth of the den.

He wouldn't say it was anything stupid like premonition… nothing like fate. Sharpshadow did not have the nose to tell Feverfew from Chickweed. She didn't have the eyes to spot a bird flying off toward the mountains, and know for certain StarClan would not approve of the likes of Maplestar. He'd say something like: it felt like the forest itself was holding its breath… That didn't sound much more sensical than the average nudge from StarClan, did it?

She might understand them more now than she ever has.

Smogstar, Mirestar, no Maplestar, but a queen freshly-plucked from their nursery now standing at ShadowClan's helm. Marblepaw all alone. It didn't matter if Scalejaw or Stonepaw were beside her. It didn't matter if Shalestorm and Lividsmoke gathered beside her now. It didn't matter if their newly star-blessed leader dipped her head at their side… Marblepaw is alone, burying her face in the cold fur of her mentor.

She stopped giving StarClan much thought a while ago now. Maybe it's almost better that she did. She's not sure their ancestors knew much more than they did.

In the midst of Leaf-Bare, ShadowClan's Medicine Cat has left them. It wouldn't be the first time. Sharpshadow has no reason to think that it would be the last.

Sharpshadow can't hear the murmuring, and he's not sure that he wants to. He's heard it all before, hasn't he? Muttered shock, condolences passed between them all. On the tongues of those they couldn't bother to be shocked: What did this? Can we kill it? Only the name would be different, really. He tells himself he doesn't need to care.

He wants to, though. Starlingheart deserves more than apathy. Anything but apathy. He knows he hated her once. He can hardly remember why. Not now.

She hadn't mourned for Smogstar. She hadn't mourned for Mirestar… but for Starlingheart, she would bow her head. His frustration was just another thing Starlingheart hadn't deserved… and yet she'd kept on living, anyway.​

 

[BURDOCKTAIL]

The cloying scent of blood fills the bitter air. Sharp, metallic, and foreboding. Burdocktail's fur stands on end, watching the patrol trudge back into camp with their heads hung low. Grieving. Yellow eyes flick to the shadowy figure on their backs, horror dawning on his face. Starlingheart. Their medicine cat is dead. Gossip is forgotten.

Starlingheart has followed in her aunt's pawsteps and left ShadowClan with an ill-suited successor. Except Starlingheart departs them with more dignity and honor than Bonejaw did. But what good is dignity and honor when their medicine cat lies bloody and stiff on the frost-laden ground? What will they do if they get injured, sick? Is Marblepaw truly prepared?

A badger, Marblepaw explains through unshed tears. The damned beast had taken Starlingheart from them. Scalejaw confirms that the badger is gone. But that's not enough. It shouldn't be allowed to live. It should have the light snuffed from its beady eyes, just as it had done to Starlingheart. It should be left to rot, for scavengers to come and pick apart its carcass.

Not even a patrol could bring down a badger, though, so he grits his teeth and turns his face to the heavens above. Why?

Smogstar, Mirestar, and now Starlingheart. StarClan truly has cursed them.

make me feel alive 𑁍ࠬܓ INFO

• ooc: text
• 
  ■■■■■■■ ✶ burdocktail. warrior of shadowclan ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ་༘࿐⋆｡𖦹°⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
  𖤓 ㅤafab nonbinary, he/they | bisexual, single
  𖤓ㅤ 36 moons old | ages every 1st
  𖤓ㅤ original marsh group member | mentoring none
  𖤓ㅤ lh tortoiseshell smoke/tortoiseshell chimera
  𖤓ㅤ npc xx npc | close with ???
  𖤓ㅤ written by nico, ic opinions | tags‎

​