Salt in the wound ⸙ Celadinepaw

[Brackenpaw]

Whispers of the Horseplace were something that Brackenkit had grown up hearing. That was a forbidden place, along with any piece of Windclan territory that stretched beyond camp. It frustrates them endlessly, having a group of stuffy old cats dictating where she could or couldn't go. Sure it was for safety or whatever but youthful ignorance willed them into belief that they would be different out there on their own. Horseplace was interesting, it housed cats that didn't belong to any clan. The kit had heard their parents talk poorly about these barncats, maybe when they were younger they may have taken their parents words at face value.

That was before they had been cast aside in favour for ther oh so important opinions about Windclan. Now they were determined to make their own mind up on this, her parents were flawed, the illusion she held of them shattered. Clearly every opinion they held were just as flawed, it had to be. Today, as the sun rose mighty and tall in the sky, was the day she was going to decide on what Horseplace and barncats were.

The best way to do this would be to corner someone who has experience there. Brackenkit was drawing a blank on who to corner, there were those outsiders who joined recently. She had heard their mother gossip about that, this would be a good place to start. They bided their time, waiting until Celadinepaw had taken a moment to relax before she pounced on the opportunity. Quite literally, she jumped over so she was practically nose to nose with the apprentice.

“You’re from the Horseplace right?” they asked with narrowed eyes, making sure that she got the right cat. Backing up from her position to give them just a little bit of space, never relaxing her position. “What's it like? Ma says that it smells funny, does it smell? Does that mean you smell?” Her questions were blunt, like she was making factual statements rather than asking out of curiosity. Taking a moment to breathe before her next onslaught of questions the kit had taken notice of the fact that she didn’t seem to smell. Not outside of the risidual smoke smell that everyone seemed to be carrying these days. “You don’t smell.” They sounded disappointed, maybe she had her facts wrong or it was far more likely that her mother was wrong about Horseplace smelling.

They wondered if it smelled of smoke like camp did now, did Celadinepaw know anything about that? She wasn't at Riverclan with them so it was possible that they would know. A part of her wanted to ask about what being stuck at camp was like while the mayhem was happening. That wasn't why they were here though, with a pout they directed themself back on topic. “Would it smell now? because of the fire and stuff?” Was it even standing? Another important question to add to her ever growing list.

@CELANDINEPAW

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‎‎ ‎┌── Im just a dog ⸙ with no bite ──┐‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

• 
  ooc.
  

• 

• BIOGRAPHY
  ✩ they/she, kit of Windclan, 6 moons (ages on the 22nd)
  ⭃ Speech, thoughts, attacking
  ⭃ a lithe and fragile looking calico that looks like they still need to grow into her ears
  ⭃ easy to befriend other kits, gradually harder to befriend every rank after that
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Juice ↛ @/ouijeejuice on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  ⭃ All opinions are IC!! Bracken is a little hater
  

​

 

[CELANDINEPAW]

It was not often that a Windclan cat approached Celandinepaw. She noted that many of them tended to keep to themselves, simply going about their duties of the day and settling in for the night. So when Brackenkit's calico pelt pushed into the periphery of her wheat-tinged eye, it caught her by surprise and the golden spotted molly almost leapt from her seat, though any raised hackles soon settled and bowed as soon as she realized it was just a kitten. Her nerves had been frayed, to say the very least. She supposed the air of grief that clung from sunshine pelt, atypical of the she-cat whose smile usually beamed from ear to ear, was enough to drive away any prying nose. She supposed wrong. "I-I don't smell. At least, I don't think I do." Mention of the Horseplace, like the tinder of her heart sparked and brayed, and the smoke cluminated within gossamer throat. Whiplike tail swished behind her, though it was merely a display of anxiety that whistled through her limbs and her whiskers. Celandinepaw sucked in a breath, and though golden countenance rarely showed much sign of trepidation, the curls upon her features misgave her deeply. The molly figured that Brackenkit meant no wrong with their incessant questions, though the intent behind the knife did not cease its wound.

"Uh, I don't think so... The Horseplace didn't burn down. Everyone's safe." As though a pall of dread had blanketed rounded frame, Celandinepaw shivered, though tried to hide her eyes from Brackenkit whose stare seemed to singe into her own fur. What did the kit want her to say? And why did they think it appropriate to poke into her personal business? She was sure that the news that she had turned tail when her clan truly needed her the most had spread like wildfire. She wasn't sure if her family and friends from the Horseplace were safe, though, and that uncertainty razed into her as if the great inferno of the plains had taken root within twine body and yarn pelage. It hurt more than the daggered stares and the mired murmurs and the tensed strings of uneasiness. Sniffles and small sobs escaped the marigold-hued molly, as any sort of front she had put on had dissipated andmelted into the world around her, and her emotions came rushing forth as a raging, embroiled tide. "S-Sorry. It's just... I miss my family. They're all in the Horseplace."

( sorry for the late reply waaa )​

 

[Brackenpaw]

“Oh. That’s good!” Brackenkit nods and mentally adds that’s kind of lame that it doesn't smell, it’s good that no one died though. She didn’t wish harm on anyone, and they supposed that it’s a good thing that the barn cats still had a home. They were pleased to hear that their parents were in fact wrong, the Horseplace doesn't smell. Though they're disappointed that they weren't going to be met with a weird smelling structure when they eventually got to wonder out of home. Any musings that the kit held about the disappointment of not having a cool novelty to discover was dashed by the sniffles and sobs that emanated from the apprentice in front of them.

They couldn’t do anything other than stare at first, this was the first time they made anyone cry. Anyone that wasn’t like… older than a moon anyways? Her first thought is that they’re not equipped to handle this, they just wanted to hear about the outsider cat that joined. Wanting to hear about the mysterious Horseplace and if the fires had effected it, they didn’t think that what she perceived as innocent questions would cause such a response. Despite the belief that they weren’t equipped for this they realised that they’re six moons now, apprenticehood was around the corner. Apprentices are able to handle this right? Would she not receive her apprentice name if they faltered here?

“It’s okay! Crying is good, at least I think so.” They proclaim with a nod, moving to sit beside the molly rather than looming over her. Tail whipped in a wide radius around them, brushing up against Celadinepaw as the kit sat down. For a fleeting moment Brackenkit struggles to understand why she would miss her family, they were of the belief that families weren’t meant to miss each other when apart. Her mother didn’t really seem to miss them when they went on their misadventures and they had learnt to not miss their parents in kind, as that was what they were brought up with.

She faintly grasps that not all families are like that though. “Why didn’t they come with you? You can't visit them right?” She continues her questioning, not realising that this may not be the kind of comfort that Celadinepaw may be seeking. “I’m sorry for making you cry, can I ask you different questions?” Green eyes up at her with curiosity as they then pause to consider what else they could ask. They really wanted to ask more about Horseplace. If permitted to keep asking questions then they would continue, realising that they hadn't even introduced themself yet. “I’m Brackenkit. What’s your name? Is that a no crying question to ask?"

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‎‎ ‎┌── Im just a dog ⸙ with no bite ──┐‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

• 
  ooc.
  No need to apologise!! I'm always gonna go YIPEE and eat up your writing no matter the time between replies <3
  
•  
• BIOGRAPHY
  ✩ they/she, tunneler apprentice of Windclan, 7 moons (ages on the 22nd)
  ⭃ a lithe and fragile looking calico that looks like they still need to grow into her ears
  ⭃ Speech, thoughts, attacking
  ⭃ NPC x NPC, mentored by Bluefrost
  ⭃ easy to befriend other kits, gradually harder to befriend every rank after that
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Juice ↛ @/ouijeejuice on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  ⭃ All opinions are IC!! Bracken is a little hater
  

​

 

[CELANDINEPAW]

Celandinepaw couldn't match the burning stare that Brackenkit seemed intent to hone into her, like if she were to stare back into twin suns then she would surely burst into smoke, and wither away just as the wildfire had wolfed at the moorlands. She could hardly deal with the rumors of her suddenly running from the wildfire, and she felt as though she were nothing but an ant underneath the impassable ray of a magnifying glass. Now, even the kittens wanted to know what happened? She had been lucky to avoid most prying eyes, as they had simply tended to themselves and their own family. Now, she had come up against another force she had run from - accountability. At least the calico cat aimed to comfort her after they realized their mistake, though Celandine couldn't help but feel as though she had still immolated herself, accidentally exposing her deepest fears to an unsuspecting child. Quickly did the spotted molly raise one paw to her face and wipe away any stray tears, though the bout of weeping still remained as a streak of heat that seemed to singe across her face. She rarely saw Windclanners cry - they moreso howled in pain or cried in anger. Any sort of tears shed were not in pure sadness, but bathed in the depths of more fervant flame.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to do all that." The molly mewed, this time her voice much quieter than normal, as if it had been consumed wholly by the terrible vehemence that befell her. It was rare that she were to still her own melody, but she simply did not have the heart to maintain a usual candor. It had been too hard to play the charade as of late. "The only cat that came with me is my best friend Scorpionback. As for visiting them... It's hard to do that when you live in Windclan. I remember, on that fateful day when I first joined the clan, that they said to not come with them if I were not to live with them full-time. I haven't really been able to visit since the fire." She mused, tail rapidly thrumming behind her like it were keeping time, a sort of metronome to tell of the tumult within the young apprentice's mind. Celandine envisioned herself weaving through the wildgrasses at night, spying through the thick sedges, but never quite crossing to the fence. Why, as soon as she had attained the future, had the past become unprocurable? It wasn't fair. "It's okay. I'm sure you didn't mean it in a bad way. My name's Celandinepaw. It's nice to meet you, Brackenkit." Farmcat manenrs, drilled into her by diligent mother and father, had rushed back to her in her hour of need. ​

 

[Brackenpaw]

She watched with curiosity as Celandine wiped away at her tears, she wasn't really sure if that's something that they should be doing for her. It made sense right? They had made her cry so those tears were her responsibility or something like that. “Why are you saying sorry?” There was no delicate way of asking, not to Brackenkit anyways. “You can't help crying, that's weird that you would say sorry for something that you can't control. I forgive you though” She declared with a single nod, trying to look as serious as they could muster. She may even look a little mad as a result of trying to make themself look so serious.

Scorpionback, she didn't know the name but she made an effort to not know most warriors names. It was nothing personal against this cat in particular, she just thought it was funny to see what reactions a warrior would have when a kit didn't know them. For some reason a few seem annoyed? Which they thought was a strange reaction. Why have the expectation that everyone's going to remember you, just because the clan chants your name once at one meeting doesn’t change anything.

“Hmph, typical. Who said that to you? I bet it was Sunstar” they grumble with a frown. The Warrior Code was the Warrior Code but to Brackenkit it seemed kind of mean for someone to not be able to visit their family at all. Tail lashed quickly against the ground as they thought about it, if it wasn't Sunstar then it must of been some other lead warrior or whatever. “Sorry you can't visit your family, hopefully they join WindClan too or something! Surely they'd be allowed in since you're here and you're family” perhaps it was the kitten idealisation that coloured the world. In the real world it seemed unlikely for that to happen, to Brackenkit it made sense.

She didn't like non windclanners as a general rule but Horseplace was technically part of Windclan so wouldn't cats from there count as WindClan cats? Brackenkit nodded in thought as Celandinepaw said her name “Nice to meet you. Why are you called Celandine?” It was a big word to Brackenkit, Bracken may have been a big word to them too if they weren't named after one.

---

‎‎ ‎┌── Im just a dog ⸙ with no bite ──┐‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

• 
  ooc.
  
•  
• BIOGRAPHY
  ✩ they/she, tunneler apprentice of Windclan, 7 moons (ages on the 22nd)
  ⭃ a lithe and fragile looking calico that looks like they still need to grow into her ears
  ⭃ Speech, thoughts, attacking
  ⭃ NPC x NPC, mentored by Bluefrost
  ⭃ easy to befriend other kits, gradually harder to befriend every rank after that
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Juice ↛ @/ouijeejuice on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  ⭃ All opinions are IC!! Bracken is a little hater
  

​

 

[CELANDINEPAW]

Celandinepaw let out an unexpected chuckle at Brackenkit's blunt response, like a reveille breaking through the sorrowful night, a sort of wake-up call to the melancholy that she allowed herself to slip into. In the disposition of the honest, all of her worries seemed to melt away like they were nothing but mallow and down-fluff. The molly often worked herself up into a bind, and all she needed was a willing claw to untangle her out of it. The golden spotted tabby never liked to dwell in the tar pits of sadness, just as the morning dew emerged from the morningtide. It was better to be of clear mind and cheery attitude. (No cat liked someone who was always down in the dumps...) "Oh! No, no, it wasn't Sunstar. It was, uh... Firefang, I think? She was quite muscular and full of scars. So scary." Fear had overtaken her sun-touched voice for a mere moment, as if gloom rising from the bile of her throat, before she forced it back into her gut. Celandine could still feel the searing gaze of the flame-brushed feline, regarding her with a suspicion that had been foreign to the former barncat, as though she leveraged a blade just along the furred parts of her neck.

"I hope so, too! I don't think they'd like it, though. My folks are the... routinely kind. Their schedule consists of hunting mice in the barn and taking naps in the sun. Not really wildcat material." Hay-tinged gaze leered into the distance, like the sun stirring into the clouded sky, twin lights distracted and off-kilter just for a heartbeat. She wondered, briefly, how they were faring... Did they miss her? Did they care? Surely, they must have. If anything, did they believe that she did not care for them? That wasn't true, either, and the rift between them only grew larger and more ravenous in its soundless howls. "Hm... My name's Celandine because my yellow pelt looks like celandine flowers. My parents were named Comfrey and Hay, so I think they wanted to follow the trend of their child having a similar name." She blinked at the calico kitten. "How about you? Why are you named 'Brackenkit'?" She couldn't really guess.

𝘗𝘙𝘌𝘔𝘖𝘕𝘐𝘛𝘐𝘖𝘕𝘚 𝘚𝘔𝘐𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘐𝘕 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘋𝘈𝘙𝘒 .° ✿ °. 𝘐 𝘊𝘈𝘕 𝘚𝘌𝘌 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘚𝘛𝘖𝘙𝘠 𝘐𝘚 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘛𝘖 𝘈𝘙𝘊

• OOC:
  
• ( NOTE: Reference is a placeholder until a drawn reference can be supplied. Credit HERE )​
  
• 

  —— CELANDINEPAW / She/They/He / 9 Moons
  —— Moor Runner Apprentice of Windclan / Mentored by Dimmingsun
  —— A shorthaired golden spotted tabby with yellowish-green eyes. Somewhat pudgy, though lean and able to hold her ground in the wild.
  —— Extroverted and unafraid to speak their mind, she is a friendly and affable face in Windclan. Though ditzy and somewhat cowardly, she tries her best to help her clan.
  —— Penned by Tempest. Contact on Discord (naruk4mi) for plots and threads.

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[Brackenpaw]

“Oh. Well I don’t like her either” they comment with a huff, they didn’t necessarily dislike her. When you were a warrior in Brackenkit’s eyes that generally meant that you would meet their ire in some shape or form. They stretched and frowned, their frown seemingly growing deeper as they thought about the warriors that shaped up WindClan. “If you pretend that you aren’t scared then they can’t tell” they offer in an attempt to be helpful. They noticed the slight tremor in their voice, she thought it was stupid to be scared of someone like Firefang, she’s just big and loud at least in Brackenkit’s simple black and white mindset.

“Hm that sounds nice, I want to sleep in the sun” they were determined to try and see what the appeal was, while they did think it sounded kind of lazy she had to admit that there was an aspect of it that seemed fun. “Why do you call us wild cats?” She didn’t think that anyone in WindClan was that wild, well, maybe Sheepkit was but he was just more loud than wild. They guess maybe it was just a word, like how the barn cats are called loners, well that and lazy but that wasn’t really a term they needed clarification on.


“Did your parents look like Hay and Comfrey?” They ask in rapid succession after Celandinepaw finishes explaining, completely serious in their question. They spoke like the question was on the tip of their tongue rather than the fact that she was quick with her rebuttals and questions. “That’s pretty, I guess your pelt does look like celandine flowers” she narrows her eyes as she leans in to get a better look at her pelt, acting like it would change if they looked away. She gets a little too close to respect ones personal space and doesn’t seem to pick on that fact, lingering there to study just a minute longer before pulling back to sit where they once were.

“My parents named me Bracken because my pelt kinda looks like the fern” She huffs, not annoyed at Celandinepaw but rather seemingly bothered by their name. They thought the reasoning was kinda dumb, her mother had later changed the answer to say that their eyes looked like the fern but she wrote that off. “The kit part is just cuz of… Clan stuff? But you probably know that already” they presumed that she did anyways, even Brackenkit had a basic grasp on that stuff.

---

‎‎ ‎┌── Im just a dog ⸙ with no bite ──┐‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

• 
  ooc.
  
•  
• BIOGRAPHY
  ✩ they/she, tunneler apprentice of Windclan, 7 moons (ages on the 22nd)
  ⭃ a lithe and fragile looking calico that looks like they still need to grow into her ears
  ⭃ Speech, thoughts, attacking
  ⭃ NPC x NPC, mentored by Bluefrost
  ⭃ easy to befriend other kits, gradually harder to befriend every rank after that
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Juice ↛ @/ouijeejuice on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  ⭃ All opinions are IC!! Bracken is a little hater
  

​