camp still breathing — attempted grooming

[DUSKPOOL]

anger makes you stupid . stupid gets you killed .

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶​

His obsidian fur grew tangled while he remained trapped, nose wrinkling in exasperation. Damnit. His sandpaper tongue lapped up against his injured side, head barely swerved as he knicked the cobweb-tasting copper. He bit back a grunt, pulling away with a twitch of his whiskers.

He wasn’t one to give up, but he was losing his patience. No longer able to see out of his left eye, he couldn’t tell a damn thing apart. Bitterness pooled, resting heavily on a copper-tasted tongue, ear lying flat against his helm.

The large brute sighed, pressing a paw against his remaining eye, letting out a deep breath. He needed more time to adjust to his missing eye, better yet, a limb he needed to live without. Naturally, Duskpool would do it again, but damn was this ‘recovery’ a pain in his backside.

He’d rather be spending it out in the hallowed nest he created, only now trying to adjust to sleeping in the warrior’s den before the attack. The prickling sensation returned, setting his nerves on fire as a molten copper optic narrowed, staring vacantly.

Duskpool would just have to deal with the tangled mess of his side. His ear swerved in vexation. With a tired sigh, the obsidian brute shifted, exposing the mess his side had become, tail fluttering across the surface as he watched his clanmates with a critical hue, poised just outside of the medicine cat’s den. ​

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thought speech​

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[Johnnyflame]

HE SAID, "WELL MY NAME'S JOHNNY, AND IT MIGHT BE A SIN
BUT I'LL TAKE YOUR BET, AND YOU'RE GONNA REGRET, CUZ IM THE BEST THERE'S EVER BEEN."​

---

Johnnyflame had been shocked the day Duskpool and the others stumbled into camp, bleeding, bruised, and freshly revived from a lost life. Anger and panic had stormed through the bobtail at the realization that it had been a dog, that Duskpool hadn't just been torn up but that it had been the very beast that stalked their nightmares to do it. Often that evening out by the twoleg border would come to him, spoken worried of the dark-furred tom meeting something dangerous out there -alone- and Johnnyflame could only thank the stars that such hadn't been the case; Skyclan had been there to fight alongside him.

Johnny wished he'd been there to help sink his on claws into the mutt, but he wasn't, and instead he and Slate had been sent out afterward to make sure the thing was gone and wouldn't be coming back.

The overall drama and danger of the situation was over and done with, but as the koi tomcat made his way into camp that day t return from his patrol, he was reminded that the suffering itself hadn't yet passed as amber eyes landed on the familiar, smokey fur of Duskpool. He hesitate dfor only a moment before making up his mind, and promptly snagged a mouse of the freshkill pile before heading over to drop it at the others paws- making sure to approach on the side he could be seen from. He'd learned from his apprentice that it was preferable than coming up on their blind side, and he dind't want to startle the other.

"I'm startin' to think you might have something against a comfy nest." mused the bobtail as he wordlessly pushed the small meal toward them, bright eyes shifting to look over their exposed side and the many tangles it was in possession of. "Though on second thought, I can't imagine it's very comfortable laying on anything with your fur like that."

He didn't think anything of it as he stepped around the relaxing tom and made himself comfortable beside them. "Eat if you can. I'll get ya fixed up in no time." he said, and then got to work trying to groom the tangles out of the others fur.

---

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[MALLOWLARK]

What a patrol-return that had been, stocking up new company in the medicine cat's den. He wondered how Skyclanners did not drive themselves mad with worry when Twolegs unleashed creatures capable of doing all of that on the regular, seemingly holding bonds with the slathering beasts. His old life was not void of threats, of course, but- it seemed different when you neighboured a nest of up-walking hornets, capable of harnessing forces like dogs and monsters to whirl wildly at- and past- the border.

At least everyone was alive, though. That was the main thing. Even the most vicious jaws couldn't sever life, if the life was deemed worthy enough! There was some force looking out for Duskpool, surely, that had ensured he hadn't died. Many others might have, mangled up like that.

Lounging nearby, Johnnyflame's encouragement to the other tom coaxed a nod from Mallowlark. Cheering on would cheer him up, hopefully. Dressed with his face-dominating smile, spherical silver eyes snapped toward the two toms, catching the sight of Johnnyflame beginning to help Duskpool work the knots out of his gash-torn fur. "Don't have to do it all yourself, see?" A blackened paw motioned to the Johnnyflame, fixed unmoving and unblinking upon Duskpool. "Or else you'll tear yourself up again, contorting like that." A half tail twitched in emphasis as the white tom imagined the pain.​

☺PENNED BY PIN​

 

[DUSKPOOL]

anger makes you stupid . stupid gets you killed .

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶​

A smokey ear twitched at Johnny’s presence, blinking languidly up at the tom, optic veering towards the mouse. At Johnny’s comment, Duskpool huffed, head pivoting to stare at them fully. “Maybe I do.” Not that he didn’t enjoy a comfortable nest, but when he’d been lounging around in the same damn thing for a while, he was going stir-crazy.

Molten copper narrowed at the mouse pushed towards him, lips twitching in a quiet tsk as he bit into it without further prompting, grumbling as he did so. “No shit.” He swallowed. “Goin’ stir-crazy sittin’ in that den.” He grumbled, tensing as Johnny disappeared from sight, jerking back at the touch, mind flaring in panic, heart squeezing tight in his chest. Shit. He knew it was Johnny. So why the hell did…? Nevermind. Duskpool forced himself to relax, the fur along his spine lowering with a shaky breath, biting back a wince from the jarred movement, cursing his reduced vision. “Sorry.” He muttered to the lead warrior, voice barely audible.

Duskpool pivoted, staring at Mallowlark with a deadpan expression, relaxing into the hard earth, paw pressing against his uninjured eye in exasperation. “Wasn’t like I was going to try an’ deal with it.” He rumbled. “Can’t see shit.” Tone uninterested, peering at Mallowlark, brow raised. It was then that Dusk would direct his next works at Johnny, mumbling a quiet thanks, settling further into heavy paws. ​

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thought speech​

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[Johnnyflame]

HE SAID, "WELL MY NAME'S JOHNNY, AND IT MIGHT BE A SIN
BUT I'LL TAKE YOUR BET, AND YOU'RE GONNA REGRET, CUZ IM THE BEST THERE'S EVER BEEN."​

---

The tom gave a good-natured roll of his eyes at the others stubborn response of 'maybe i do', and if Johnny'd had a tail, he would have given them a playful flick with it. Thankfully, for all Duskpools harmless attitude, he didn't fuss over eating the mouse Johnny brought him, and the bobtails whiskers gave a little twitch of satisfaction.

"Well ya can't have lost your mind too much if you've still got that winnin' personality of yours." he teased, lifting a paw to wave at Mallowlark as they made their way over, nodding in agreement at their words.

He hadn't really spent a lot of time with Dawnglares mate since they first joined, but to be fair that was because they were Dawnglares mate and that guy already weirded Johnny out pretty bad. Half the time the patched tomcat couldn't even tell what they were saying, and the weird vibes he'd got from them out on the fences the first time they'd met -before Johnny had even joined Skyclan- were enough to keep him wary and avoidant.

But Mallow, for all his oddness, had always seemed friendly and easy to understand.

As the white tomcat went about speaking to the smokey one, Johnnyflame turned his attention to the task at hand.

He wasn't expect the sudden flinch at his touch, and it jolted the bobtail into pulling back somewhat, uncertain eyes of sunshine-gold flicking toward a single optic of copper. Had he hurt them? Ears twitched back at the notion, not having meant to cause them any pain, but it was replaced by a new kind of guilt he realized that hadn't been the case.

"Sorry."

He refused to pity Dusk, partly because he knew the tom didn't need it and partly because he had a feeling they'd cuff him if they ever found out. Still, he couldn't help the part of his heart that immediately softened at the near silent apology.

"Not your fault." he replied quietly, gaze falling guiltily to his paws. "I get ahead of myself sometimes. Shoulda asked first."

It was only when Duskpool spoke again of not being able to do it himself, along with a quiet 'thanks' that the tabby realized he'd been given permission to continue.

"Just let me know if it's hurts too much, or you want to stop." he said as eyes went back to the mess of knots before him, eyes narrowing in determination.

He'd have Duskpool looking bonnie again in no time.

With that thought in mind, he leaned down and began rasping his tongue gently through the tangles of smoke and charcoal, trying to tease the knots out of the older cats fur.

---

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