stop and stare - THUNDERCLAN PATROL

[Flamestar]

Flamewhisker — I'll sleep when I'm dead

The sun was starting to set, and whatever warmth it had provided was disappearing along with it. It had snowed the night before, so the ground was still covered in the white powder. Flamewhisker's pelt was bushed out in an attempt to keep herself warm. The healing wounds on her front paw stung with each step she took through the snow, but soon they would be done and that's what she had to keep telling herself. Once they arrived at the edge of the Thunderpath, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Never before had a patrol felt so...laboring. If I'm already this tired...I don't even want to know what I'll feel like in a few more weeks.. her stomach twisted as she silently worried about bringing new life into the forest during leaf bare.

"Stay close to me, Jaypaw. And keep your tongue to yourself please." she hadn't forgotten about the time where he had called Windclan morons in front of Sootstar. Please don't do that to Pitchstar. she thought desperately. They couldn't afford another border skirmish right now...and she had already unknowingly fought in one battle while expecting. "Everyone be quick, and don't start anything or I will line my nest with your pelts." It was a harmless threat, but it was a clear warning. Leafbare was hard enough without adding more wounds onto the mix.

//
@covecatcher @BLACKMOON @JAYWISH
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[BLACKMOON]

I AM THE DEVIL THAT YOU FORGOT​

---

Blackmoon twitched his ears as he strolled along with a confident stride, all the while maintaining a sense of wariness about his surroundings. The tom remained near the back of the patrol as a way of ensuring that nothing came creeping up behind them. Even with the cough now plaguing his daily life he still seemed to be one of the better off in terms of strength. And if he was quite frank, right now they needed to look strong in front of the other clans.

It hadn't gone unnoticed how Flamewhisker had needed a pause, so it became somewhat amusing in his eyes that she was asking everyone to be quick. "It'll take as long as it takes. As long as everyone respects the border then all will be well, so no chasing prey. Those lil' blighters seem to have a knack for being the root cause of the recent incidents." Given what he had learned at the Gathering it was clear that ThunderClan and SkyClan weren't alone when it came to border skirmishes.
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[TEASELPAW]

Well, wasn't this nice! On their border that fringed a verdant forest- though it was slightly deader looking at the moment, he had to admit- frolicked a load of Thunder-cats, hopefully harbouring no more insane medicine cats in their midst. Boredom had already struck him, piercing his skull like an arrow and leaving him to wander off whistling from the patrol he was on. Not like he was much use anyway- they'd probably hardly notice he was gone. Bright eyes set ablaze with the possibilities for entertainment as soon as the ThunderClan patrol drifted into his sights, and in the undergrowth he crouched, wondering what words to strike them with.

Black white shot out then, keen to tightrope the border between the Clans. "Hi," he said, thin tail flicking in rushed accompaniment. Even the low winter light danced tango in his eyes, flared-up. "Bet you hate doing this one, don't you?" A shadowed paw drew an invisible line between them. Sharp, a grin set itself upon his snowy mask. He'd see if they took the bait, or if they were just as boring as the hunting patrol he was on.​

PENNED BY PIN​

 

[GRANITEPELT]

( ¡! ❞ ) He doesn't see the hated pale tawny apprentice who'd taunted him over his mother at the Gathering, but the ThunderClan stench in his nostrils is enough to set his hackles ablaze. He hates Teaselpaw, hates everything about the white-faced skulking apprentice, but they are temporary allies when faced with an enemy Clan.

The stone-faced, stone-pelted apprentice smirks. "We hear you like to steal prey," he says, giving Teaselpaw a conspiratorial look. "Don't even think about it. Our apprentices don't die in border fights." Oh, it's a low blow, beyond inflammatory, but Granitepaw only sits and waits to see if his remark hit home. He wants ThunderClan to attack them. Everyone thinks ShadowClan is so bad -- hypocrites, they're all hypocrites when they all have to be ten times worse!

// obligatory @PITCHSTAR tag​

( TOOK YOU HOME, PUT YOU ON THE GLASS ; I PULLED OFF YOUR WINGS, AND I LAUGHED )

 

[PITCHSTAR]

accompanying his baby brother and his apprentice, pitchstar unconsciously positions himself as if to shield both young toms from the thunderpath that lay in front of them once they stop. (he still sees the red. it's leaking onto the asphalt, painting it with his mother's innards. she's writhing, losing life after life, and there's nothing that he can do-)

his head pounds, spine arched. every tremor of a monster passing reverberates through his skull, he swears that he hears his mother's scream as she's ripped in half underneath the thunderous growling, and the leader barely suppresses a flinch each time. it must be some cruel twist of fate that his territory is surrounded by his greatest fear.

crueler yet, is his apprentice's words. pitchstar snaps to attention, flattened ears rising, as granitepaw addresses... ah, a thunderclan patrol. funny... they typically aren't out this late, are they? shadowclan is the one to rise with the moon. the leader glances at the setting sun- (bleeding into the sky. his mother, bleeding out onto the thunderpath.)

pitchstar jerks as if the sun had burned him.

"shut up and start markin' the border," he reprimands granitepaw, more-so out of a need to get away from this wretched path than a desire to curb his apprentice's venomous tongue. he couldn't stay here much longer- he fears that it'd drive him mad.​

 

[hitch]

in character   out of character   character tags   reference

• 
  
  
  ── No, their apprentices don't die in border fights— just great battles to decide whose borders are where, and standing vigil over their bodies are their siblings and parents and aunts and uncles. He'd known that the reminder of the cost wouldn't last longer than it took the soil to settle in their graves, and he'd doubted the star-pelted cats' decisions to split them into clans. And he was right, and children will fight and die again and the worst part is that so many of them crave it. Rosemire shouldn't be surprised. What can grow from the seeds of babies' teeth except hunger? The very same hunger he sees in the apprentices attempting to goad the ThunderClan patrol.
  
  Retreating to their own corners did nothing but deepen the fissures between them, water more pastures to be greener than their own. They're stronger for it. Fierce. Nothing is yours if it isn't taken. Are they stronger? Is it strength he sees in their taunting smirks or the helplessness of boys who aren't allowed to grow to be anything else?
  
  But what does he know? He's half-mad and he can't blame it on the shortage of food. He's been seeing shadows since the Great Battle and he wouldn't even be here if he hadn't— if Flint and Rubble were still alive.
  
  Maybe he should be more wary of Pitchstar, but it's hard to see him as more than a boy who's lost his mother. Grief makes children of them all. It's made a fool of Rosemire, anyway, and so it's without concern that he settles his bones near the border instead of marking it. "Don't mind them," Rosemire says with what passes for a smile on his face these days. He doubts it will smooth over the cruel jab from Granitepaw. "They're in that stage when they idolize flies. Just showing off their best buzzing impressions right now. I'm Rosemire, if it matters."
  

  ---

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•  
• n/a​
•  
• ──── surr'oseal'isme (rosemire; formerly roseal). he/him. shadowclan. voice ref.
  ──── approximately forty-two (ish) months old; not entirely certain of his own age.
  ──── single & uninterested in any romantic attachments; possibly open for flings.
  ──── very tall, scarred albino with sharply-peaked ears and a bobbed, scruffy tail.
  ──── ─── currently noticeably thin and haggard. ribs and spine are pronounced.​
•  
• 
  
  

 

[covecatcher]

Cove is silent the whole patrol, either listening to the idle chatter of the others or locked up inside her own head. Its nice just listening to the world for a moment and she nearly smiles at Flames attempt to be intimidating. “Let me know if you need help-”

An ear flicks as apprentices come out from the swamp side of the border. Cove personally held no ill regard for Shadowclan but as the first one speaks she blinks at him. Where is his mentor? Perhaps Shadowclan did it differently and she guessed that was okay. She would have been able to shrug it off if a slate colored apprentice did not show up spouting something that would have gotten him slapped.

We hear you like to steal prey, our apprentices don’t die in border fights.

Be kind. Keep loving. Be kind. She has to remind herself over and over and over as the anger flares in her chest, heats up her face. Be kind, be kind, be kind, she struggles to keep her composure, how dare he! Morningpaw was a child, she didn’t deserve it, and to be reminded of it- Deep breath in, deep breath out, smile. It’s strained but it is all she can do. The next to approach is Pitchstar himself, a slap on the wrist for the comments, the anger bubbles once more. She has to physically swallow it down, banish it to the depths of her mind as she blinks rapidly, was she crying? No. No, she wasn’t, shes calm.

“I see. Covecatcher.” she greets back and Rosemire’s assumption was right, the words did nothing to disperse of the comment. Part of her is glad that Morningpaw’s family isn’t here. Eyes flicker towards Blackmoon and Flamewhisker, alongside her is her apprentice. “Come, lets go.” her voice is gentle as she speaks to them. Idle chit chat will get us no where after that, she wants to say but it dies on the tip of her tongue. Bummer.​

✦ ★ ✦​

 

[BLACKMOON]

I AM THE DEVIL THAT YOU FORGOT​

---

Avoid trouble... that was rather hard when whelps were running their mouths. Blackmoon slowed to a stop and he let out a long exhale as he looked over at the ShadowClan apprentices. "I'd be careful, keep running your mouths like that and one day you might get someone you love killed, kiddos. Think you have the strength to live with that? Words can have consequences." A threat? A life lesson? He'd leave them to decide for themselves, but at least it seemed that Pitchstar had no intention of adding to things, so it earned a respectful nod from the older warrior. Still, he remained on edge just in case trouble actually wanted to brew. If a scuffle did occur he'd ensure that he met it head on for the sake of his fellow clanmates.

However, it seemed as though one ShadowClanner was being... friendly-ish? Heck, it even earned a chuckle from him. "Naw, I get it, every apprentice thinks they're the next big thing. Pretty sure we all go through that stage. The main thing is growing past that point."
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