sensitive topics REGRET THE WORDS YOU SAID &. injury / death

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

// this takes place after this thread! ripplestream's injuries is a mangled face from a fox and chilledstar's injuries are one deep wound to the throat. chilledstar's wound is fatal! powerplay perms were given and this is open for anyone! no need to wait for @Starlingheart //

it's too much. they can't do this anymore. they can barely breathe. they're slowing down, stumbling in their step as their vision blurs in and out. still, they force themself to carry on. they trip over themself, and ripplestream's unconscious body, while they push through the camp's entrance. they drop him as soon as they fully get through, swallowing thickly and wincing as they cough. blood seeps down the side of their mouth and they stare at ripplestream.

"...s...starling...heart... please they're... d...dying..."

they can't stand up anymore. they collapse to the ground, blood seeping from a neck wound. they're a lost cause and they know it. they can feel themself slipping and the only thing they can think about is the fact that they should have been nicer to him. they will come back... they don't know if ripplestream will.

"d...don't let them... d...die..."

———————---***i try to live in black and white***———————---​

but i'm so blue✧ i'd like to mean it when i say i'm over you

•  
• — black feline with a white marking across their face, a white chin, a white right front paw, and blue eyes. chilledstar is covered in scars, the most prominent ones being the one across their face, and the one across their neck.
  — 47 moons old; ages the 3rd every month
  — they / them pronouns
  — aromantic / homosexual ; currently not looking
  — child of JAGGED and RAVEN
  — shadowclan ; loyal to shadowclan ; other info if applicable
  — mildly difficult to befriend ; trusts barely anyone; trusts no one outside of shadowclan
  — "speech", thoughts, attacking
  — peaceful powerplay allowed

​

​

 

[sneezepaw]

Today was a day like any other, ordinary and calm. The weather was beautiful, and Sneezepaw was finding himself enjoying Greenleaf more and more each day. He should have came to expect something like this would tumble into camp.. Why did all simple days seem to end in tragedy for ShadowClan?

The scent of blood hits Sneezepaw like a Thunderpath monster, unexpecting and heavy and stopping for no one. His heart skips a beat at the sight of Chilledstar and Ripplestream; one unconscious, and the other barely holding by a thread. Blood and death were concepts so foreign to him, he who had not experienced loss, but he had held blood on his paws recently when he aided Starlingheart with that injured rogue past their border. He wanted to be adjusted to the sight.. he wanted to mindlessly comply like he did that day, to focus more on his helpfulness than the horrifying realization that life was no fairytale.

It's impossible to move forward towards Chilledstar with a clear mind. Not like he did with the rogue, too shocked by his first sight of blood to do anything but follow orders. Today, when he moves towards the bloodied cats, he eyes are greeted with tears, and his lungs carry a cry muffled to his own ears that ring with fear and shock.

"Starlingheart!" comes his first cry, logically. Next, an instinctual call.. "Duckshimmer! Mom!"

He's seen the way those two looked at each other. It surpassed the usual flirting that Duckshimmer did with a lot of cats. If there was any cat to help with a sense of urgency.. it was her, and perhaps that is why he called - that, and for the simple comfort of his mother in such a fearful moment.

Sneezepaw is at Chilledstar's side in a swift movement, staring at him with wavering eyes, but cannot seem to find where to use his paws. There's no poultice ready to hold in place like last time, with the rogue. The boy is stunned and scared, hesitating and waving his paws around as he tries to find anything he can do. But when Chilledstar begs, don't let them die.. he finally finds his bearings, and turns to Ripplestream instead.

He's much too small yet to carry a full grown warrior by himself, but it doesn't stop him from beginning. Sneezepaw grabs hold of Ripplestream's scruff, wherever he can find a grip, and begins to tug - slowly, but surely.. he can only hope he's not hurting the poor thing. It's working, but barely, but if he wanted to get Ripplestream to the medicine cat's den before they die.. he needed a different approach. Sneezepaw drops the cat's scruff and instead pushes his nose under his side, nudging into their fur in attempt to shimmy them sideways onto his back - again, to no avail. Stars.. why did he have to be so little and so, so useless?

"Help!" he calls again. The tears keep coming.


// calling for starl and @Duckshimmer
​

CHARACTER INFORMATION — ♡ ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ ♡ — OUT OF CHARACTER

• sneezekit SNEEZEPAW
  ━━ APPRENTICE of SHADOWCLAN | 7 MOONS ,, ages every 2nd
  ━━ DUCKSHIMMER xx NPC | SIBLING to SINGEPAW and SWALLOWPAW
  ━━ MATE to none | PARENT to none
  ━━ MENTOR to none | MENTORED by SHARPSHADOW​
• 
  
  
• speech is #ffcc8a​

 

[Snowlark.]

[ ༻❄༺ ] This wasn't how the day was supposed to go. This wasn't how Snowpaw wished to witness their leader lose a life to... to the scent of blood wafting through his nose mixed with that of fox, the way his stomach dropped like a heavy rock thrown into the river. Yellow eyes trained on Chilledstar hardly holding on... slipping from this realm, and their sibling unconscious with half his face practically mangle. He grimaced as he heard the cries of Sneezepaw begging for help and... what could Snowpaw even do? He never first handedly witness someone die, or get injured aside from Bloodpaw and Singepaw when Magpiepaw had thrust him into helping to make surs the two survive.

This time... this was different, Magpiepaw was gone and Starlingheart was to deal with this on her own for the most part. His fur rising as he quickly went to Sneezepaws side, body trembling trying to remember what he had to do what did Magpiepaw tell him to do that one day? Yellow eyes squeeze shut as he tried to control his breathing, to not panic in this situation because that would not help in any way possible "The best thing we could do for now is wait for Starlingheart and others" he breathed aiming his trembling paws towards the wound in an attempt to put pressure on it yet he was trembling too much, he didn't know what to do and blood oozed between his paw, staining his pure white paws red.

How did Starlingheart do this? How did Magpiepaw tolerate this? He felt the panic rising more and moee in his throat, this wasn't like last time with Bloodpaw and Singepaw, no not at all... this... this was worse, their leader lie dying, or is dead while their sibling was bleeding out with half of a face missing and all he could do is just stand there useless jusf as Sneezepaw was... The best they could do was wait for Starlingheart to get here for her to instruct them what to properly do or to tell them where they could help

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── You ve wasted your life , but thanks for applying ──┐‎

• 
  "speak""Thoughts"
  
• 
  Snowpaw ❄ He/Him, apprentice of Shadowclan, 10 moons.
  ⭃ Lithe long hair blue lynx sepia with high white, and yellow eyes. Stubby tail, permanent resting bitch face
  ⭃ Hailfreckle x Mudsplash
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted (ask first) / / underline and tag when attacking
  ↛ see battle info here
  ⭃ penned by Ryn ↛ @/Rynnaro on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[shriketalon]

Shrike had been following Lotus around today, pestering their littermate with a wide and dopey grin, all teeth. The change of weather may have been dreadful in the sense it felt like they were being slowly roasted and charred at any point throughout the day. It also brought change, thoroughly melting away the more icier aspects of their personality. The barbs of thorns that they pierced perceived threats had been dulled, or was it rather that they had come to realise that ShadowClan wasn’t a threat to them? They hoped that things were looking that way for their littermates too, no doubt in their mind that Ripplestream was adjusting quite nicely. Lotus seemed to be needing time to adjust, they don’t blame her, they too still needed that crawling spectre of time to wait up for them.

Time is an interesting thing, you never seem to notice when you've run out of it until you're peering over the cliff face and about to plummet. The sound of Sneezepaw’s crying for Starlingheart and for his mother had snapped their head up from where they were trying to ram against their siblings flank. Nothing good is ever around the corner when someone calls out for a medicine cat, they have learned that quickly. There’s a slow walk that evolved into fast pacing, as the smell of blood lingers in the air and assaults their senses long before they recognise the victims of such a scent. Two familiar pelts come into view, two pelts that they wished weren’t familiar at all.

“RIPPLE! CHILLED!” The wail that is torn from their throat is violent, like a dying animal which was ironic enough given the situation in front of them. They hadn’t registered that the use of clan names was forgotten, nor would they care if someone pulled them up on it. There was a sense of urgency in their veins as they ran to their siblings sides. There is a high pitched keen, it’s so grating and they feel the urge to snap their jaws over the throat that the sound belongs to just to shut them up. That was until they realised the blubbering mess that was wailing and keening was themself. Watching in horror as they notice the life drain from one siblings eyes, seeping out along with the blood that pooled from their throat.

They have to rip their eyes away from that grizzly sight to focus on their little mate. Little ripple- they always tried to be around him, trying to shield him growing up. It was always Shrike that tried to throw themself into danger for him so why weren’t they here now? Chilledstar had taken up that mantle it seemed, they gave their life for this. Vaguely they recall an explanation that their older half sibling had more than one life, they hoped- for the first time they prayed that this was the case. Just so they could cuff them for scaring them like that.

Choking back tears they crumple next to Sneezepaw’s side “L-let me help. Please.” Begging was unbecoming for Shrike but they could live with that. They’d rather live with looking like sniveling little whelp of a cat then keep their pride and lose their littermate. They try to help Sneezepaw, nudging Ripplestream along further. Only to stop at Snowpaw’s suggestion, he seemed smart. They weren’t going to jostle their littermate if it was going to do more damage. Small hiccups of sobs held back between grit teeth, Starlingheart could help. Surely she could, if there was any hope for Shrike sticking around she needed to help. “Don’t die, come on Ripper you can’t do this.” They plead, knowing it falls on deaf ears. Falling back on relying on old childhood nicknames that they used to pester him with, hoping that they’d have the energy to either laugh at it or tell them to not call him that.

---

‎‎ ‎┌── Black sheep ⤜ Come home ──┐‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

• 
  OOC. Was with @Lotus☽ before Chilledstar came back with Ripplestream <33
  
•  
• Shrike│Bio
  ⤜ They / Them, Loner , 27 moons {ages on the 1st},
  ✧ A long haired black feline with low white spotting and hazel eyes.
  ✧ Jagged x NPC
  ✧ Speech, #ad744a, thoughts, attacking
  ✧ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ✧ penned by Juice ↛ @/ouijeejuice on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[Swansong]

⋆⁺₊ ☾ ⁺₊⋆ 　The scent of death hangs heavy in the air, copper tang and bitter rot. Swansong breathes deeply, steels themself, and comes to meet the tragedy. Wails punctuate the scene - Sneezepaw, Shrike, calling the names of the victims and the one who might assist. The wraith of a warrior arrives quietly, face empty but for the sadness that colors their droppy eyes.

There is so much blood that it is hard to parse the scene, at first. Black fur stains darker than night with mats of crimson, spilling across the marsh.

Chilledstar will live. They always do, but Swansong is not blind to the toll it takes. A gentle nose is touched to the leader's bloodied pelt, and their eyes slip closed. "Rest peacefully... and wake soon," they murmur, a quiet blessing as the leader's life bleeds into the grass below. Then, their raises, a conflicted look meeting Ripplestream's body.

The stars have not yet decided his fate. His face spills out red and mangled where it lies; she cannot find him in it any longer. "Do not move him, lest his wounds tear further..." they murmur, moving over to brush a feathery tail across Shrike and Sneezepaw's flanks. Their actions are distant, automatic. Comfort in grief, with little else to offer. "Starlingheart will be here soon..." they murmur. Their head lifts to scan the horizon, hoping their words to be true. That is all they can hope for now, that the stars' chosen healer will come to bring their mercy. ShadowClan cannot handle much more tragedy.

‎‎┌── WE FOUND TWO DEAD SWANS ⋆⁺₊ ☾ ⁺₊⋆ AND FILLED THEIR BODIES WITH FLOWERS ──┐‎

• 
  
• 
  
  

  "SPEECH"

• 
  SWANSONG　⋆⁺₊ ☾ ⁺₊⋆　she / they, warrior of shadowclan, fourteen moons.
  ➳ a pale, silky-furred cream tabby with tired blue eyes.
  ➳ dreamy and detached, known for her perpetual sleepiness.
  ➳ halfshade x smogmaw, littermate to applejaw, garlicheart, & ashenfall.
  ➳ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ➳ penned by SATURNID ↛ saturnids on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[Duckshimmer]

*+:｡.｡ Duckshimmer is a step too late.
From noticing the trail of blood outside of camp while returning from patrol to bursting inside in time to see Swansong whispering lullabies to their dying leader, it's all over before Duckshimmer has a chance to so much as mewl. The woman feels her fur blister against her skin. "Why are none of you helping them!?" She feels hysterical just asking, like a fish that demands the river's current to switch the other way. You can't stop fate. You look ridiculous for even trying. So she clicks her teeth shut, trying and failing to keep her expression from betraying the panic that burns and freezes and burns and freezes through her veins. She avoids everyone struggling to save Ripplestream with stiff steps, focusing solely on one cat alone.

She couldn't give two shits about the rogue that lies dying beside her leader. There's no doubt in her mind that the fool is the cause behind all this. One way or another, the outsider must've manipulated Chilledstar's selfless need to serve and protect, costing them yet another life before so much as a season has passed. If she hadn't hated them before, she most certainly does now. The woman spares the dying tom, not a single glance as cats scream his name and press their paws on his wound - efforts that should've been solely for Chilledstar's sake. She holds no sympathy for any of them. If you want kindness, look for it in the creature that has since stopped breathing.

Starclan, forgive Duckshimmer, for the woman wishes for nothing more than to trade that sniveling welp's existence for Chilledstar's - let him die instead of them, please. What Duckshimmer would give to make a soul so much less worthy to die instead of her beloved's...

But onwards the river of life carries forth. Her clan-mates focus their efforts on keeping Ripplestream alive, and Duckshimmer merely collapses beside Chilledstar. They'll be waking up soon, she's certain of it. But she's also certain of their nightmares, their heartache, their never-ending battle with giving up every piece and fragment of their soul to keep safe those around them; a promise to suffer more and more and more still. Lifting a chocolate-dipped paw, she brushes it along their cheek, her expression kept carefully neutral despite the torment rising behind her eyes. You idiot, she plans already to inform them, holding the words close to her heart, I'll kill you myself for doing this to me again.
They feel so cold already beneath her touch.

What can she possibly do to keep them warm?

There's nothing she could do for Chilledstar. There is nothing she cares to do for Ripplestream. She'll stay out of everyone's way, at the very least, and wait for Chilledstar to awaken. In the meantime, she carefully begins to groom her leader's fur, rasping her tongue at their ears in the same way she comforted her kittens through a nightmare. Sleep well, sleep in peace, I'll see you tomorrow in dawn's new light.

*+:｡.｡ Updated 6/5/24

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
  GENERAL:
  ⚜ Duckshimmer
  ⚜ DFAB— She/Her — Bisexual
  ⚜ 33 moons — Ages 1 moon every month real-time
  ⚜ Mother to Singepaw, Swallowpaw and Sneezepaw
  ⚜ Shadowclan — Warrior
  
  
  
  
  
  COMBAT:
  ⚜Physically medium | mentally hard
  ⚜ Attack in bold #ffa98f
  injuries: None currently

​

 

[SHARPSHADOW]

A new wound marring the jet - black of her Leader's pelt. Another body, slumped and unocnscious, long before ShadowClan's leader had slipped into it themselves. Ripplestream hasn't been here long enough to deserve one of Chilledstar's lives.

Sharpshadow breaches the scene with a scowl first, face turned ugly at the stench of fox. If any of them dared to think it was washed away, another one of them proved them wrong. She thinks there must be a den somewhere, packed full of them, taking their time in picking them off; in giving Chilledstar new scars. Sharpshadow has no time to stumble, to be unsure. He is all adrenaline - blooded fury. WIthout a well - off tail to lash, fur is quick to sharpen into thorns a long his back. Again. Again? Any more of this, and he thinks they ought to lock Chilledstar up in their den, preserve them more like an elder - or a fossil, even, rather than Leader. " Chilledstar. " A half - bark, half - hiss. The gross, frenzied gaze he pins on his clanmates would be the same look he'd give that fox, if he could see it. It's frustration pinned at the wrong thing... but what was the right thing, really? Pinned at himself, and he'd only be useless and sniveling. At least last this, he could do something.

He'd like to think so, anyways, and yet his Clan is standing around as if there is nothing to do. This is why things are like this. They've brought their destruction to themselves, this way. She matches Duckshimmer in stride. " What — what — what're we doing? " he bites. His gaze snaps to Snowpaw, the apprentice seemingly eager to bathe in Chilledstar's blood. He'd only make it worse. " Don't touch them! " he snaps. Not - not like that, with paws in their wounds...

But they should move them, still. They should move them. Swansong is sinking her nose into Chilledstar's fur, as if it's already over. " Why are we giving up? " it comes out ragged, half - screamed. Despairingly, she looks to them. To Chilledstar.

They are still.

Teeth mash down onto her tongue. It's too soon. It's too damn soon.

She decides she'll drag Chilledstar to Starlingheart herself, if she has to. Twice now, the sight of her Leader's death creeps discomfortingly along her spine. No one else should have to see this " At least let them die in private, " she quiets, finally. She thinks of Gigglekit – who kept smiling despite what happened to her. She thinks of Marblekit, who had the privilege to believe their missing clanmate is only out on patrol. " At least save the kits f-from this view. "

He doesn't think he can stoop to it. To growled commands that glean resentment from your clanmates, but the look he gives them all is poignant. " Chilledstar probably dragged him across the whole territory already. " to Swansong, he grumbles. And then, he steps past them. Past the bowed heads of them all. Past Snowpaw's clumsy paws. A one - cat job is grueling, but she'd try to prop her Leader onto her shoulders, all the same.

TL;DR: Sharpshadow is bringing Chilledstar elsewhere, regardless of what anyone thinks.

​

 

[Starlingheart]

"Stop-stop moving him!" the order flies from her maw the second she exits her den, her name screamed by the lips of her clanmates putting an extra rush to her steps as she comes to the call for aid from her leader and the command directed at Sneexepaw as he tries to bring the mangled body of Ripplestream to her den. One look at Chilledstar and she knows... There is nothing she can do for them, soon they would be with StarClan, another one of their lives taken from them. Not nearly as swiftly as her mother and her brother had they been taken from them but still, Starlingheart knows that after this, Chilledstar cannot afford anymore sacrifices. ShadowClan needed them. She needed them "I'm sorry" she whispers to them before quickly turning to her other patient, the one who did not have any lives to spare through StarClan's blessing. "There's nothing I- there's nothing that can be done for them" she says to the others quietly and then, louder she gives an order, move assured and kept steady as she slips into the role she has grown so comfortable in. "Take these cobwebs, it'll stop the bleeding while StarClan- while they heal the wounds. Move them-move them into their den so they can recover there" Because Sharpshadow was right, this was not something the kits of the clan should have to see. Hopefully, the queens would have the good sense to keep them in the nursery but she knows how easy it is for small eyes to witness the tragedies that befell their clan as frequently as green-leaf rains.

While she speaks she is already moving to Ripplestream's side "Thank you Snowpaw, you did good by stopping the bleeding until I could get here" she says, gently dismissing the white furred apprentice with a tired smile that doesn't quite reach her eye as she swiftly and expertly takes over. Cobwebs have to cover nearly his entire face, as destroyed as it was. She does not say anything as she works, with no apprentice to have to guide through the motions she is able to lose herself in the duty of holding cobwebs down with one paw, shoveling herbs into her mouth and chewing with the other before she smears them onto the wound. StarClan guide my paws she prays silently.

( ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. ) fly me up on a silver wing

• 
  
  
• 
  STARLINGHEART SHADOWCLAN MEDICINE CAT; SHE / HER ; SISTER TO PITCHSTAR, CHITTERTONGUE, NIGHTSWARM, SKUNKTAIL, AND LILACFUR. MOTHER TO NETTLEPAW, FLINTWISH AND GHOSTMASK.
  

  A skinny she cat with short black and white fur littered with scars and one singular green eye.

  ✦ Easy in battle + has little to no formal battle training
  

​

 

[Lotus☽]

And I couldn't stand the person inside me​

---

The day was increasingly hot and it felt like everything was going to melt away into nothing from it. The cicadas sang out in the distance and frogs hopped from nearby. The sun beat down but the pines seemed to at least block some of the hot rays so it wasnt to be unbearable point yet. Though there was still time in the day for it all. Shrike had been following around the black molly and she wasnt minding, it was no different than when the lived elsewhere together. They were always on her tail no matter what, and she wouldn’t have it any other way really.

It helped in adjusting to the life of the clan and it was rather crazy how much there was to learn. Like nothing was ever stopping, like it was ever changing and nothing was concrete. There was laws, borders and different places of clans. It was insane how anyone could keep it all straight and learning their names were something else entirely too. Still, she was trying her best really and she was finding is slow but it was getting there.

Lotus had turned to swipe at her sibling when there was a cry, a loud cry for Starlingheart and it made her blood run cold. That wasnt good. Though then it was like chaos was simmering as blood filtered through the air and made her fur stand on end hotly. What was going on?

Then the horrific sight of two pelts came into view and Lotus felt her voice catch in her throat. Her heart dropped into her paws and she flattened her ears against her head, no this- this couldn’t be. This had to be a nightmare, had to be not real or a hallucination she was having.

Shrike then wailed out names that made her freeze in place were she stood. Lotus remained were she stood like she had seen a monster while her sibling scramble off to help, or try too. Yet she couldnt move. She couldnt find it in herself to lift a paw and she watched as blood poured from open wounds staining the ground. Then there was voices around her as Swansong came and was talking to Sneezepaw and Shrike. A high pitched buzzing filtered through her ear drums as drowned out the sounds.

It felt unreal, it felt like she’d wake up any minute and she was staring at it outside of her own body. Duckshimmer comes running to help as well and Sharpshadow speaks, letting them die in private. No.

Lotus felt her front legs started to shake slightly and she bit her lower lip, watching as finally Starlingheart comes and it at Ripplestreams side. Though she doesn’t help Chilledstar as much and she feels fury rise through her body like a hot knife. Why not? Where they just letting them- die? Lotus couldnt find her voice though and she clamped it shut, watching intently as if she couldnt even move away. Please be okay, Ripple, please She begged.

"Speech"