pafp STRUCK DOWN, BEFORE OUR PRIME · LOST KITS?

[PUPKIT]

There's a ring in a scrambled, blue-hued kit's mind as they lay huddled and curled in with their similarly-colored siblings, a repeated nuisance that demands to be known. Though it had only just began the day before, they felt as though they couldn't remember if it had always been there or not. It felt familiar, comforting – yet it get them a headache, piercing into their head like the fangs of the fox against their mother's skull-

The thought made a hurting, pitiful growl-like wail leave their throat with shut eyes. They were supposed to be sleeping with their siblings and mother in those tunnels, warm and sound as their snores drifted into the swirling cold air above them. It was supposed to be the night they shared their biggest meal together, a fat squirrel that had decided to venture from its den too soon. But the fox... it had smelled their prey, and attacked them in order to get the prey it believed it rightfully owned.

They had ran with their siblings – hustled out with frantic, panicked barks and yowls by the eldest of their small pack (besides mother, of course). She had ushered them into the very tree trunk that they now made their stay in, telling them all to stay put and to not follow her. Some listened, staying behind and pressing up together to ground themselves from the events transpiring. But some (if not all of them – they hadn't... spoken to anyone since the event) didn't listen, sprinting after the eldest with spit and snot slightly freezing against their fur.

One of those was the runt, running as fast as their tiny legs would allow. Their muscles seared, burning hot as they tumbled in after her, her reaction hard to hide (though they were sure she tried her best). The sniffling kit stood beside their sister, their once bright and cheery gaze losing its light as they grew wide with terror. The same wail that left them just the moment before was let out the moment they laid eyes on their mother, mangled and red. She had died protecting them and their prey – but the squirrel was gone.

Swallowing back their bile, the wallowing thing nuzzled their head into the flank of the sibling closest to them, tears prickling at their twitching eyes. They had never gotten to say goodbye to her. Told her that they appreciated her, that they loved her. The small pack didn't talk much, and if they did it definitely wasn't about their feelings, their emotions. There was something that made them content about the silence, yet their throat still burned from the crying they had been letting out during the moon's highest peak. It was easier to keep in all their emotions if they didn't talk about it.

Snap!

It echoed into the hole of the tree trunk, the silvery feline's hackles puffing out immediately as they leapt to their paws with a loud growl. A signal to their siblings, though it seemed maybe they had heard it already. Was it that demented creature, back to finish off the scraps? They whined ever so softly before baring their fangs. They couldn't show weakness anymore. They had to be strong if their pack was going to survive.​

·ㅤi know its not your fault but lately i begin to shake for no reason at all

• OOC. / please wait for at least one of the siblings (@tbdkit, @tbdkit -, @Silentkit, @/rotkit) and @Swansong! CW for mentions of death
• 

  PUPKIT · THEY/THEM, 04 MOONS · TAGS, ETC.​

  selective mute. will only speak to siblings or trusted figures. sibling to tbdkit, silentkit, rotkit, and tbdkit. watched over and discovered by swansong, not close with. approach with caution, may lash out physically. important: semi-feral, anxious, behaviorally inhibited.
• 

  geneticsㅤ·ㅤsmells of wet soil.
  a disheveled, grimy coat. currently ridden with ear-mites in one ear, contagious. haunting wide, yellow eyes. runt of the litter, tiny puffball.
  ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤLl
  

  health ░░█
  social...░░░
  mentality ░░░
  instincts....██░

​

 

[tbdkit -]

Sharp fangs bit down into a lip that was trying to desperately scab over. Eyes snapped to and fro, pressed tight to her siblings, tail swept about them. Ears were angled forward, ever on the lookout for danger, fur along her spine bristled and teeth bared. Ever since they had run after their mother- the very thing she thought she could help with- and discovered her corpse, the eldest had been on wary edge.

She had pushed them back into the tree trunk, hiding the youngest's eyes from the corpse any longer. The thought of their mother's body rotting without them there only made her feel sick, so she focused on the flanks pressed against hers, wary yellow eyes staring out into the night. Moonlight dripped down on the bloodied scene in her mind, and much like herself, the youngest keened with a sorrow much like her own. She couldn't keep thinking that this was her fault. She had to do what was right. She'd give her life to protect her siblings, if it meant that they could survive. That the pack could keep living.

"Sh." The syllable is short, hissed in the direction of her siblings, eyes snapping back forward. She had heard footsteps long before the snap! echoed through the hollowed tree, but it did nothing but set her more on edge. The youngest is standing, vision forward and fangs bared much like her own, but the steady drip... drip... of her own blood down her muzzle from the bitten lip is the only noise she hears for a moment. Wait. Wait and see. Wait. She chants in her own mind, yellow eyes narrowing, pupils small pinslits of anger and instinct.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ┌── BUT IM MORE THAN A NEED ⋅❁⋅ OR A THING YOU BELIEVE ──┐‎

• "speech"

• 

• TBDKIT she/her, kitten, 4 moons.
  ⭃ LH blue lynx tabby with rosettes and yellow eyes. she typically will look at you with disdain or anger. 'leader' of the siblings.
  ⭃ mentored by no one / / mentoring no one
  ⭃ sibling to silentkit, pupkit, rotkit, tbdkit
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[Silentkit]

Silentkit

Status: Numb, Cold

---

The black coat of the kitten almost blended into the darkness of the trunk they hid in. His unblinking yellow eyes staring out into the outside world but seeing nothing. The events that had transpired flashed before his eyes, a splash of red over a mockery of fake black. The color drained from that particular memory as the only thing he saw was the vividness of blood.

He blinked out of it and turned to the youngest. He was pressed against their side and leaned over to lick a stripe between the youngest ones ears flattening the fur there and attempting to offer comfort that he didn't feel. Everything was numb and yet from the outside he looked calm. He did not showcase his inner emotions on the outside like the youngest was doing, but neither was he showcasing a brave front that he believes the eldest was. He just... was. Existing. If it can be called that.

His ears perked at the snap! that echoed into the tree. His fur bristled as the youngest jumped up to growl at the approaching threat. The whine he heard from them is what prompted his frozen bones into action. He pushed his way to the front, attempting to shove the smallest and youngest of their pack behind him, in the process he took note of the eldest not moving, but his main concern right now was keeping the little one safe. He hissed to the outside and fluffed his fur up, making himself bigger then he seemed. Now the wait begins.

---

Louder The Bark ☣────☣────☣ The Bigger The Blade

• OOC:
• Silentkit - Male Black Smoke with Yellow Eyes ☣ He/Him ☣ Kit ☣ Penned by Snowy ☣ 4 moons
  ☣ Contact TimelordSnowy on Discord for plotting
  ☣ Sibling to TBDkit, Rotkit, TBDkit, Pupkit
  ☣ "Speech"
  ☣ Thoughts
  
  

​

​

 

[Swansong]

⋆⁺₊ ☾ ⁺₊⋆ Swansong lets herself drift from her patrol, as she is often want to do. Her paws take her where she needs to be, though she seldom knows where that is. She is far from the world, mind adrift in wandering, when the snap of a branch underpaw jolts her back to reality.

Her tail flicks, once, a rare show of irritation. As easy as it is to let her mind wander, it will not do to alert herself to every prey animal in the area.

The sound of growling cuts through the air, and Swansong's ears swivel.

It does not sound like any beast she knows. Curious. Something about the sound is pitiful, small. She is drawn to it, just as she was drawn to this spot. Long limbs stride across the snow-dusted ground, bringing her soft skyglow eyes to peer into the hollow of the tree. "Oh..." The warrior breathes in surprise. Their expression softens at the kit-chorus of growls and hisses, the sight of flashing milk-teeth. She blinks, slowly, as five small bodies shift within the dim of their makeshift shelter.

She is still, staring with eyes that bleed sorrowful sympathy. "Hello, little ones..." Swansong trills quietly, voice gentle. Her head angles down, teeth away from the bristling kittens. A paw raises slowly as if to come closer, then hangs in the air. "Left... here on your own, are you...? Is this your home, or..." Her gaze parts from the bundles of fur, sweeps across the surrounding landscape. The subtle plink of blood echoes from the tree hollow, running down one of the kitten's faces.

The surrounding marshes are empty, but for the quiet stalking of their patrol. They do not glance behind themself, but flick their tail in a warning to wait. Her voice remains sweet, but raises just a bit for prying ears. "Do not fear, little ones... I will not hurt you. Where are... Is there anyone to care for you...?" She fears she already knows the answer, looking back to the fearful kits.

I FELL ASLEEP WITH A VISION ⋆⁺₊ ☾ ⁺₊⋆ AND I ALMOST PULLED IT THROUGH‎

• 
  
  

  "SPEECH"

• 
  SWANSONG ☾ she / they, warrior of shadowclan, 22 moons.
  ★ a pale, silky-furred cream tabby with tired blue eyes.
  ★ dreamy and detached, known for her perpetual sleepiness.
  ★ halfshade x smogstar, littermate to applejaw, garlicheart, & ashenfall.
  ★ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ★ penned by SATURNID ↛ saturnids on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[ROTKIT]

*+:｡.｡ Where its siblings struggled to sleep or outright refused to, the second palest in the pack would doze - fitfully, yes, but asleep they still managed to be. It was a privilege, not a right - even before their shared mother died...the forest, the swamp, the world was never a safe place. It just so happened they'd all been proved so painfully right. Its dreams are happy to remind it of the fact. In the few chances any of them managed to relax enough to close their eyes - usually thanks to Pack Leader or one of the other bigger ones (sorry Littlest) watching over them - their dreams were expectedly the same. Despite none of the siblings talking about it, the pack knew. When one closed their eyes...they saw their mother.

Mangled and shredded, mouth still bared with all the rage of a creature that fought until its last breath. Rotkit remembered seeing what a cat's insides looked like - what a cat looked like with missing limbs, with death behind the eyes...what they looked like as a piece of meat half-eaten and rotting...but more than that, it recalled the smell.

Metallic, almost sweet. Pungent, it filled the air like an invitation, a threat. Musty, earthy, soil far too deep for any canine's paws to reach even in their most determined, hungriest state...breached, releasing trapped spirits into an unnatural world with little regard for those now fated for haunting. And haunted the pack would forever be.
It's paws tremble in it's sleep, the scent filling their nose, their mouth, their throat - it can taste it, their mother's last stand - their mother's failure.
It tastes like prey. It tastes like prey. It tastes like prey. It tastes like prey. It tastes like prey. It tastes like prey.It tastes like prey. It tastes like prey.

It wakes with a violent jerk, bitten ears twitching and useless but still - it heard. Immediately, a snarl parts it's lips as it attempts to scramble over it's siblings, determined to reach the front lines. The Littlest's whines egg them on, protectiveness burning through grogginess - The Darkest One's attempts to push them back ignites a fire, rebellious against the order to stay and wait - an order that, in failing before, had cost This one its dreams. But the Eldest won't move - a stature barring the entrance, calm presence alone keeping This one from tearing out into the cold and the wild - I won't die, I won't die! at last quelled by Wait for Pack leader, wait, wait.

But it spits and snarls, practically trembling with the force of its growls. Or perhaps it's trembling with fear.
It thinks about it's mother's final expression.
If it's meant to die, it will die with the same skeletal grin!



A ghost greets them.
Fur so pale it practically glows, paws so graceful, it's convinced she's floating. This one still bares its teeth, shoving against the Darker one once more, refusing to be caught cornered. It meets the woman's eyes with its intensely furious ones, refusing to sway to that soft look in her eyes.

But...admittedly...it finds itself trembling harder.

In meeting the specter's eyes, despite the lack of blood-lust expected of this would-be pack killer...it sees something far more frightening.


There's a memory here. One of a time when sleep was easier when the wild didn't hold so many teeth. A memory...in which a woman looked down at This one in a similar way to how this phantom looks at the pack now...a woman whose smile is lost now beneath so much red.

*+:｡.｡ Updated 1/14/25

• 
  
  GENERAL:
  ➶ Rotkit
  ➶ DMAB— it/its — Unsure
  ➶ 4 moons — Ages 1 moon every month 28th
  ➶ Shadowclan — kit
  ➶ Sibling to tbdkit, Silentkit, tbdkit, and Pupkit
  
  
  
  
  COMBAT:
  ➶Physically easy | mentally medium
  ➶ Attack in bold #d4c115
  injuries: None currently

 

[PUPKIT]

The littlest one's head jerked at the eldest one's short "sh" of silence, the sound reverberating through their ears as it softly echoed through the hollow of the trunk. It was an abrasive noise, one that made them want to cower and cover their ears and eyes, never to be opened again to see the world before them. Sounds now gave them a sickening feeling, one too strong for such a small body – and ones sharp and pierce in tone just made the sensation worse. Struggling to stay on their paws, they stumble back slightly at the darker one's shove, now choosing to cower and shiver behind his tall and comforting presence. It hit them, then, that this their place in the pack; the one to be protected, and the one who couldn't protect themself.

Letting out a soft "oof!" as the pale one scrambled over their soft little head, they rubbed it after while still trying to maintain their intimidating composure. They may be one less, but they were still just as powerful! The littlest one braced themself for whatever came next, looking at their siblings with a pang in their chest. They took in their bristled pelts, their gleaming red-stained ivories bared yet haunted wide eyes exposing the fear they all held deep down. They were just kits, and they all knew it. But they had to be strong for each other, or else they'd never survive.

Expecting the flashes of orange embers and dark charcoal, the kit scrambles towards the back wall of the trunk, back pressed against it with fear and dread enveloping their body and mind, adrenaline rushing through their ears and making their heart feel as though it would pound straight out of their chest. But they opened their shut golden eyes to one as pale and misty as themself, swirls of cream floating like a dream before their eyes. They blink, hearing a voice so soft and full of concern that it felt like their very bones had melted. Had they died, gone to some starry afterlife and approached by a ghost of past?

Chomping down on their bottom lip, they waited until the irony taste of red spilled onto their tongue to know that the woman in front of them was indeed real. Shifting their gaze to the eldest, their new pack leader, the growl they let out questioning in tone as they tried to communicate with the other, to see what her move would be. Pinning their ears to their skull, they look at the angelic figure with a sad shine glistening in their eyes, shaking their head softly and subtly at the question presented. Their fangs were still shining in the little light allowed in their hide-away hole, lips pulled back and stance now taken to reflect that of defense. Blue and white hues bristled, and their back was uncomfortably arched now that it wasn't pressed against bark. How could they truly trust this... possible sign from the afterlife?​

·ㅤi know its not your fault but lately i begin to shake for no reason at all

• OOC. /
• 

  PUPKIT · THEY/THEM, 04 MOONS · TAGS, ETC.​

  selective mute. will only speak to siblings or trusted figures. sibling to tbdkit, silentkit, rotkit, and tbdkit. watched over and discovered by swansong, not close with. approach with caution, may lash out physically. important: semi-feral, anxious, behaviorally inhibited.
• 

  geneticsㅤ·ㅤsmells of wet soil.
  a disheveled, grimy coat. currently ridden with ear-mites in one ear, contagious. haunting wide, yellow eyes. runt of the litter, tiny puffball.
  ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤLl
  

  health ░░█
  social...░░░
  mentality ░░░
  instincts....██░

​