camp SCALY TERROR [tail autotomy]

[BRANCHPAW]

𖠰𖠰 The uptick in rain has brought frogs galore into ShdaowClan’s camp. They hop around like funny little friends, and Branchkit enjoys mimicking their movements, hopping about and pretending to be a frog himself. But the frogs aren’t the only strange little creature that has become more common in camp—for the past few days, Branchkit has seen a little lizard running about, and it’s fast. But Branchkit is fast, too! And he’s gonna be a big, strong hunter when he grows up, so he has to start trying now!

The little lilac tabby drops into a clumsy hunter’s crouch, sneaking as good as he can toward the lizard. It doesn’t look like it’s noticed him yet, turned away with its back to him, and it’s not hard at all to sneak up on the smaller creature. Branchkit is able to get close enough to see each and every one of its scales, and that’s when he knows it’s time to strike. He tips his head, reaches out with a pale paw, and snatches its tail up in his claws. But when he goes to pick it up-

The lizard’s tail comes off!! The lizard skitters away, little legs carrying it toward the camp’s borders, not stopping until it’s disappeared into the various flora that populated the marshland. But instead of going with it, the creature’s tail drops to the damp ground behind it. The tail doesn’t fall still, and instead flops around haphazardly, but there isn’t any blood at all… "Heheh!" A series of harsh laughs leaves his mouth, completely unprompted and at odds with the horror that he really feels. For a moment the unexpected reaction takes the boy by surprise, and he clamps his muzzle shut, eyes wide. He doesn’t know what to do! It takes a moment to get his paws moving, but when he takes off, he does not pause to see whether the tail has stopped moving.

Branchkit darts off in the direction of the nursery, fear driving little paws in a mad dash for one of his mothers. Murky blue eyes are widened in horror as he crosses the nursery’s threshold, crying out, "Mama—ha! Mama!" If either of the she-cats are inside, Branchkit would rush to them immediately, trying to stop himself from barking out another sudden laugh.


// @Needledrift @FERNDANCE but you don’t have to wait for them !​

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[Gigglepaw]

One would be hard-pressed to find one of Needledrift's litter alone without one of the others tugging along behind, and this occasion is no different. Gigglekit had followed her brother out of the nursery and was playing with a frog of her own when she heard the laughter, and she dropped back to her paws and turned to see Branchkit racing off back towards the nursery, calling for their mothers. Curious, Gigglekit trots over to where her brother had been moments prior, and she stares at a small distance as the lizard-like thing squirms on the ground. It was weird, yes, but why had it startled Branchkit so much?

"Branchkit! Branchkit!" Gigglekit calls as she follows her brother back into the nursery after a few more seconds of watching the thing writhe on the ground. "What's happenin'?" She asks her brother, setting a gentle paw on his back since he seems as though he's torn halfway between laughter and tears. He seems frightened though, so Gigglekit's not really sure what there is to be laughing about.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎OOC ᓚ₍ ^. .^₎ .ᐟ.ᐟ INFO ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

• !
  

• 

• GIGGLEKIT ✩ kit of shadowclan, two moons
  → blinks incessantly & uncontrollably.
  → peaceful and healing powerplay permitted.
  → penned by Archivist → .archivist on discord.
  

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[FERNDANCE]

The cinnamon tabby's licks were accentuated with purrs as she groomed the fur upon her mate's neck, the horrors of a clan swarmed with frogs and predators lost to Ferndance in that moment of bliss. Any conversations had been light on the she-cat's end, introversion taking over as she found the repetitive gesture gently lulling her into an early sleep. There was peace, there was love, there was... Mama! The voice was not her own, nor was it internal. Emerald eyes shot wide open and Ferndance angled her head towards the Nursery's entrance where a ball of fluff zoomed through it and towards them, with another one following suit. It didn't take long to recognise the pair or her son's fear, certain she could hear the hiccups of the boy trying to suppress his laughter. Disappointment at interrupted peace made way for concern as Branchkit barrelled ever closer, her daughter equally as confused as herself. In the back of her mind, she thought of the foxes and the badgers that loomed in the shadows eager for a froggy meal and her claws soon buried into the tangle of bedding beneath her - what in StarClan's name had Branchkit seen?

She offered a look to her daughter before wrapping a comforting paw around Branchkit, hoping to bring the lilac tabby into a hug. Over his miniature form, she tried to peer through the den's entrance, blinking slowly. The outside world seemed... normal, at the very least, there were no ShadowClan bodies thrown about or angry teeth snapping at her through gaps in the thorn bush. It was then when she angled her head downwards to rest her nose between Branchkit's ears. "What's happened, dear?"

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[BRANCHPAW]

𖠰𖠰 He can hear Gigglekit calling for him, but the lilac tabby tom doesn’t respond to her shouts. Maybe she’s seen what he saw, maybe she hasn’t; either way, Branchkit wants to get away from it. Ferndance, thankfully, is right there waiting for him as he rushes to her, and as she wraps a paw around him the little tom can’t help but lean into her. He smushes his face into cinnamon-striped fur, and attempts to explain to his mother what happened. "Heh—scary," he gasps out, his little tail still bristled out in fear. He feels his sister’s paw settle on his back and shifts slightly, settling onto his haunches.

He sniffs, tipping his head back to look at Gigglekit and then at Ferndance. "There was a lizard—it came apart!" He chokes down laughter, his throat spasming with the effort. "I… I touched it and the tail, ha, the tail came off!" Despite being on the verge of tears, the little lilac kit lets out a burst of a giggle, eyes widening with further panic.​

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[FERNDANCE]

Scary. The mother worried and the hunter saw a challenge - both sides of Ferndance were silent as they wrestled. Luckily, as her mouth remained shut and her paw remained around Branchkit, her son elaborated what had terrified him enough into a hiccup of suppressed giggles. It was no great predator but instead a lizard and with her never seeing any longer than a tail length, it was safe to say that her children were in no danger. All the same, her eyes grew wide with intrigue at the first comment. "It exploded?" Envy and curiosity mixed like a cloud in her thoughts, with an interest in the macabre and a feline's natural inquisitiveness, she wished she had been in Branchkit's place to observe the spontaneous eruption. It was an idea that disappeared just as quickly as it formed with one simple statement: 'the tail came off.' Her shoulders sagged, unable to hide the disappointment that Branchkit had not discovered the world's first booming reptile. In their defeated place appeared a knowing smile. "It means you're becoming a good hunter," she purred. A good hunter would've caught the thing, but getting one to detach its tail was a start -- it meant the prey feared you.

"If you catch a lizard by its tail, or are scary enough for it to think you wanna eat it, it'll rip its own tail off to get away," she explained, lying down to reach the kittens' eye-level. Calm in tone and thoughts, Ferndance talked as if a lizard shedding a limb was a totally natural thing, because to someone who'd grown up learning about all manners of creature, it was. Empathising with someone who'd never had such an experience was tricky, but for her child, she tried her best. "It's nothing to be afraid of, if it'll help it be less scary, you could even eat the tail if you want. show it who's boss."




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