SERPENTINE || snake bite

[Nettlepaw-]

NETTLEPAW ♂
RIVERCLAN
APPRENTICE
THREE MOONS
BLIND IN BOTH EYES
BIOGRAPHY AND TAGS
APPRENTICED TO PIKESPLASH
PLAYED BY SHEOGORATH​

---

He hates this. Another hunting patrol, another failure. Nettlepaw could track prey well enough, but to actually manage to pounce on it? That almost seemed impossible. He couldn't fish either. It seemed the only thing he was good at was scavenging crow-food and lying to his own clan-mates about it. He has a bitter expression as the patrol turns toward the river to see what could be caught there. It's fairly warm, at least. A brief respite from the recent frost and late leaf-fall chill. He has been told that the sky is clear and sunless, that the sun showers the land in golden rays of light. He can see that at least, a great ball of blinding fire when he turns his near-sightless gaze to the skies with a squint.

Regardless, he seems to be the only cat not in good spirits for the moment. They reach the river, and he already knows he won't catch anything. While others let the water lick their paws, Nettlepaw wanders the nearby shore, hoping to get a second chance at a water vole, or perhaps even an elusive shrew. What he finds instead is something entirely foreign... he hears something moving across the pebbles of the bank. The scent is something Nettlepaw had yet to experience. Of course, he has heard of snakes, but words did little to the tom. It wasn't like he could imagine the creature exactly as his clan-mates described it. Nettlepaw needed experience before he could recognize something, a sound, a sensation, something other than sight. The warning hiss comes too late, Nettlepaw had already pounced on the thing. His momentary surge of victory is cut short. He doesn't even manage to kill it, because the thing feels like a flexible stick beneath his paws, and it writhes like a living vine.

Fangs sink into the youth's fore-leg, and he lets out a pained shriek, back-peddling away from the creature and slipping on wet stone. His triumph turns to burning pain, to fear. His fur bristles as two fang-marks bleed droplets of red upon the mud and stone he now sat upon. Snake, he thinks to himself. It must have been a snake. He's heard that cats could die from their bites, and panic floods his clouded eyes. Am I going to die? Whipping his head around, he scents the air for the rest of his patrol. Surely they had heard his cry of alarm? "Snake!" Nettlepaw blurts out, "A snake bit me!" And as the patrol arrives at his side, the creature slithers back into the grass as if nothing had ever happened.

(No worries, it was just a non-venomous rat snake, he just has a lil wound where the fangs got him.)
​

​

 

[BEEFANG]

FIGHT SO DIRTY BUT YOU LOVE SO SWEET — The molly remained near her parent's side hardly ever straying too far especially now as she's at the rivers bank letting the water touched her snowy paws, she's focused on trying to catch a fish as her paw subtly lifts as if ready to swipe up one up but Nettlepaw's screech is enough to make the molly swipe and miss a catch completely. A brief hiss of frustration slipping from gritted jaws but rises to her paws already quickly heading in the direction of the tom that was crying out that a snake had bitten him and her bicolored gaze focuses on his leg where beads of crimson spring forth. Beepaw glances over her shoulder knowing that more of their clanmates would approach the panicked tom, she wonders if its a harmless snake like the one that had bitten Carawaypaw when she had been a mere kitten or worse. She hopes its nonvenomous for Nettlepaw's sake and she approaches with both of her ears pricked in his direction, a frown tugging at the sides of her mouth as she opens and closes it momentarily like a gaping fish struggling to breathe.

"Try to calm down, you'll be fine," Hopefully. She mews to him not knowing how to comfort him and it didn't help that she didn't catch sight of the snake itself not that she could identify which are and aren't poisonous but maybe Ravensong could. The bicolored molly drawing closer for a moment to get a good look at the bitemark left behind by the serpent and wonders silently to herself if she should get Ravensong then turns to her father with a quiet mew "I'm going to get Ravensong..." Beepaw begins to hurriedly walk off to retrieve the medicine cat and hopes that they would return in time to see Nettlepaw well.

/ mentor tag @Smokestar & went to retrieve @RAVENSONG

TALK SO PRETTY ₊· ͟͟͞͞➳˚❥ BUT YOUR HEART GOT TEETH

• 

• 
  ₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ shorthaired black smoke molly w/low white and mismatched eyes
  ₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ 5 moons old; ages the 10th every month
  ₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ sexuality unknown/too young
  ₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ currently being mentored by smokestar
  ₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ daughter of cicadastar and smokestar
  ₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ sister of cicadapaw & starlightpaw
  ₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[FERNGILL]

Ferngill's land hunting wasn't masterful by any means, but the journey had taught him the basics- it meant on patrols like this he usually managed to catch at least one thing. Concentration glazed his expression, letting the apprentices on the patrols be minded by their mentors. There was- something rustling about nearby. His ears angled to attention, seeking the snuffling... paws grown from clumsiness to relative grace padded featherweight upon the ground...

Snake!

His trail was gone, but with a yelp like that Ferngill hardly cared- he jolted upright, seeking Nettlepaw. Panic immediately widened his sole eye- it took a moment for the ginger tom to remind himself that some snakes were nonvenomous. Hopefully, hopefully- his eye flitted down to the pin-pricks on the apprentice's foreleg, and he winced.

"Yeah, Beepaw's right," Ferngill attempted to reassure, managing to inject a fair amount of earnestness into his voice. He was close-to-certain enough to say it with a soft smile, words made a little more sensitive. Beepaw had already hurried off to get Ravensong, so Ferngill settled at Nettlepaw's side, seeing the tiny rope of a thing slithering back into the grass. "It was only a little one. Did you nearly kill it?" Distraction, maybe that was the best thing... besides, it probably wouldn't have bitten him if it didn't feel threatened.​

✦ penned by pin ✦​

 

[Feathergaze]

The silver molly's head snapped toward the commotion, her paws pulling her toward the cats before she really understood what was happening.
"Nettlepaw? What's happened? Did— did you say snake?" Eyes shining darkly she watched as Beepaw slid past, then focused on Ferngill. Small. He says it was a small one. So... So he's probably fine. Yes, he'll be fine. The thought of anything happening to Nettlepaw, of having to bury him alongside their other lost clanmates, alongside his mother... He's going to be fine. Ignoring the tremble in her muscles, stamping down the trickles of ice trailing through her veins, Feathergaze moved to the young apprentice's side. She had no words for him; Ferngill had that covered, and she feared she would not be able to keep the quake out of her voice. She would lean down to touch her nose to his shoulder if he left her, a silent attempt at comfort. We're here for you, Nettlepaw.​

 

[Nettlepaw-]

NETTLEPAW ♂
RIVERCLAN
APPRENTICE
FOUR MOONS
BLIND IN BOTH EYES
BIOGRAPHY AND TAGS
APPRENTICED TO PIKESPLASH
PLAYED BY SHEOGORATH​

---

Everyone assures him that he's going to be alright, but Beepaw rushes off to fetch Ravensong and that only deepens the youth's concern. Ferngill settles at the boy's side with an attempt at distraction, and it works a bit. Nettlepaw shakes his head as he replies, "No, I pounced on it, and that's when it bit me. It got away... " He admits, and for a moment, fear shifts into frustration. Even with prey already beneath his paws, he hadn't been able to actually catch it! The apprentice flattens his ears, ashamed at the loss. Feathergaze offers comfort, and Nettlepaw doesn't pull away just yet.

"A snake bit me." He explains, still holding his bleeding paw above the ground. It doesn't hurt quite so bad anymore, at least. "I didn't realize it was a snake at first, and I was trying to hunt."
​

​

 

[otterbite]

Otterpaw shared Nettlepaw's struggles in a way. He was rather poor at hunting compared to any other skill a warrior could pride themselves in, and that normally wouldn't bother the chimera so much if it weren't for the fact fishing was a vital part of RiverClans culture. Their hunting culture was more intense than WindClan's, as he heard through Gatherings. While a majority of their meals were hares and rabbits they didn't turn their noses up at voles and shrews where most of his Clan would.

Otterpaw himself had acquired the taste for fish as any other cat that was molded by the Clan since kithood, a luxury not many warriors had. At least Nettlepaw had the excuse for being blind, Otterpaw was stuck with the fact he simply sucks fish eggs at catching anything whether it had scales or fur.

Nettlepaw's screech rounded the attention of their patrol and he glanced at @coyotecreek with a brief flash of confusion before joining them. He watched the last few inches of the snakes tail slither away among the reeds and clenched his teeth.

"Stupid snake, we should go kill that stupid snake right now!" Otterpaw huffed as he started to stomp in the direction it left. "Teach that dumb snake a lesson, find its stupid snake family and get rid of all'em.'​

RIVERCLAN APPRENTICE ✦ BLUE-BLACK CHIMERA ✦ 8 MOONS ✦ TAGS​

 

[Asphodelrain]

*+:｡.｡ Asphodelpaw had heard about snakes, but had never actually seen one in the flesh before. The tales where enough to convince him to steer clear of anything long and wriggly. Even now, he was ashamed to admit, he froze in place when he heard the screech of 'SNAKE!', too possessed with fear to move lest he somehow incurs the attention of the wormy monstrosity. But eventually, he regained control of his limbs and, although very cautiously, made his way over. Coming upon the sight of everyone surrounding Nettlepaw, he quickly put two and two together and jogged over, keeping a nervous lookout for the returning vermin. Once the coast was confirmed clear, he swung his attention to the injured paw and was relieved to notice no signs of mouth froth or sightless, glazed-over death eyes - for if the stories about snakes were to be trusted, death came on quicker than you could cry out for help! He shivered again at the thought.

"W-well I'm no medicine cat, but I think you're going to be fine" he offers, swallowing back the last remnants of his fear. In a rare show of hoping to bring some levity to the situation, Asphodelpaw mews earnestly, "But that was an impressive attempt Nettlepaw! I'm sorry it got away from you, but you're braver than I for even trying to take on a snake!" Much, much braver, as the idea alone of touching one of those things makes him shiver again. He heard that the monsters could swim too! Barbaric!

*+:｡.｡ Updated 11/22/23

• 
  
• 
  
  
  
  
  GENERAL:
  ☆ Asphodelpaw
  ☆ DMAB— He/Him — Unsure
  ☆ 8 moons — Ages 1 moon every month real-time
  ☆ Mentored by Crashingtide
  ☆ Riverclan — Apprentice
  
  
  
  
  
  COMBAT:
  ☆ Physically easy | mentally medium
  ☆ Attack in bold #9fc3fc
  injuries: None currently

​

 

[FERNGILL]

Seemed, thankfully, that his attempt at diverting Nettlepaw's attention from pin-prick pain was working. Bright green glimmered upon the tom thoughtfully, as he claimed he didn't nearly kill it- just pounced on it. His nose wrinkled with light humour, ears flicking to the encouraging words of Asphodelpaw, who seemed in a better temper than he'd seen before. "Very brave. And you must've been scary, else it wouldn't have bit you!" Ferngill's voice thrummed with excitement, with a genuine glow.

Otterpaw, though- he wasn't taking the lane of encouragement, soothing, or anything of the like. Marching past and chanting something about killing it, shock shuddering obviously across his face. A quick glance was sent over his shoulder, glancing around for Coyotecreek- because, well, wouldn't it be invasive to order someone else's apprentice around?

Grimacing, he called "Otterpaw, it'll- it'll bite you too." A friendly warning, then... something like that. Not long ago did he share a den with Otterpaw, anyway.​

✦ penned by pin ✦​