pafp Sun Above, Graves Below | relaxing

Jan 5, 2023
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The taste of victory was that of blood, it seemed. Tigerfrost had taken a beating, despite his triumph. It seemed that in these past few moons, he could hardly catch a break. No, it was wound after wound, suffering after suffering. But then, he always was too stubborn for his own good. He'd endure it, just as he always had. Shedding blood for WindClan was part of his loyalties as a Warrior. Now, he sits outside of the medicine den, grooming himself in silence. His injuries were brutal, scars that would mark his coat forever, but he would heal, so long as Vulturemask could keep the rot from setting in. That night before had been a vicious scene, yowls and hisses and tangles of clawed limbs. And then that gathering... well, that was a whole different beast entirely, wasn't it? And Tigerfrost doesn't know what to think, really. He's been confused, emotional perhaps, thoughtful.

Why had StarClan struck the Great Rock like that, charring the stone where Sootstar's paws so often rest? He wonders this, time and time again, but cannot fathom the cause. Why would they be angry at Sootstar, when she had not even ordered the raid? It was her council that had sent the clan surging into RiverClan territory, thirsty for vengeance. Not Sootstar. So then, of course, his mind had shifted elsewhere. It was StarClan warning them all, showing their displeasure toward all clans, and the recent events. But he hopes the ancestors could understand why WindClan had retaliated. There needed to be justice for Juniperfrost, and since Cicadastar would not have given it freely, WindClan had taken it themselves. Now, another warrior was dead. Clearsight. Not one he had heard of before the gathering. A part of him knows that it's wrong to feel satisfied. But despite that, Tigerfrost feels that it still wasn't enough. Hyacinthbreath still lives. The traitor that had caused all of this war in the first place. Perhaps RiverClan will grieve for their Warrior enough to finally see clearly. Perhaps they'd exile the true cause of Clearsight's death.

Ah, but Tigerfrost doubts it. He's not the only stubborn tom in the forest, after all. Cicadastar seemed dead set on allowing the murderer to remain under his watchful eyes, even after all of the blood and death she had caused. His thoughts are soured, and he blows out a sigh, looking toward the afternoon skies above his head. I won't be able to hunt and patrol for awhile, the tom laments to himself. But at least the battle had been won. He had defeated his opponent, and WindClan had stolen a Warrior from the enemy. An eye for an eye. A life for a life. The Lead Warrior still wishes for Hyacinthbreath's blood, but he supposes... that debt between WindClan and RiverClan is settled for now. Until of course, Cicadastar and his warriors decided to strike again, to take another life for no other reason than bloodthirst. Tigerfrost lowers his eyes, returns to his effort of grooming his fur. There were better things to think about.

Like... Snailpaw. They had been in the raid. How had they fared? Tigerfrost casts his gaze out toward his apprentice, spotting them nearby. With a wave of his tail, he motions Snailpaw over to speak.

"You're still alive." He notes simply. "How went the raid for you?"

@SNAILPAW
 
They hurt. The struggle in the raid had only lasted seconds but to Snailpaw it felt like a lifetime, each tear through their skin burning eternally and each bat of a paw feeling like a blow sent from StarClan itself. Their injuries were not as severe as their mentors, perhaps blessed that they had been confronted by a medicine cat instead of a lead warrior, but the influence of them still sent the distant tabby further into their own head. They hadn't been able to breathe properly past the smell of blood within the camp, their own paws had been stained with it in an attempt to preserve their own life. The white fur upon their feet had long since regained its pure colour, still, Snailpaw could imagine the crimson on them, belonging both to him and the RiverClanner. They hadn't eaten since the raid for fear of seeing prey blood and remembering it all over again, plunging them into memories that they'd done their best to block out whilst on auto-pilot in battle. Their sapphire gaze lingering on their paw, they flexed their toes at routine points, a contemplative frown marring their maw and struggling to look away at their own volition.

Fortunately, someone was able to snap them out of it. A swish of a family tail in their periphery caused their pupils to shoot upwards, landing on their mentor with an unreadable emotion. Tentatively, they placed their paw back onto the earth and, registering what the lead warrior wanted, dragged themselves closer to the tabby. Stars, their legs felt sore. They'd run like hell from the scene that day, ran until they collapsed in a heap in the center of camp, just as their old mentor would've intended. Tigerfrost was similar in many ways but still so different. They recognised a devotion to the clan more than a devotion to their own reputation, and a strange selflessness behind the cruelty he showed to his many, many enemies. They didn't think their initial perception of the other was wrong, but it had given them pause on assigning 'good' or 'bad' to others without reason. Cats were more complicated than a tabby's stripes, they just wished they'd been more astute to recognise it before the worst had happened. A comment from the lead warrior caused their nicked ear to twitch, uncertain if Tigerfrost was surprised or pleased (or maybe even disappointed) that they hadn't crumbled.

They shuffled their paws upon being pressed further. "I saw where Hya..." They flinched. "The traitor came from and ran in there and... just as I thought, it was the medicine cat den." She'd been injured by Juniperfrost and didn't emerge from the same den as the other warriors, it'd been an astute observation, they thought. Almost completely deadpan, as if reciting a script, they continued. "I destroyed a few herbs before their medic got to me... a bunch of white flowers and-and some leaves and... I think I got the cat good with a claw strike too but... I didn't stick around to check." Did that sound cowardly? They thought about what Tigerfrost wanted to hear, and quickly followed up with, "I didn't want to get cornered in there after all." A whole coffee of truth sprinkled with the slightest hint of a lie.
 
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Slow, as befitting of their name, perhaps. But... Snailpaw is injured, and Tigerfrost isn't doing much better. He moves all the same as his apprentice, with a limp and a struggle. But Snailpaw doesn't seem nearly as wounded as the Lead Warrior. Lucky them, then, Tigerfrost thinks. He's quiet as the apprentice begins, speaking of their initial sighting of Hyacinthbreath. Ah, yes. She had been there. She had taunted Tigerfrost while he had struggled against Cindershade. He hopes at least someone in WindClan had been able to get their claws into her skin.

Not Snailpaw, it would seem. They had found their way to the medicine cat's den, where they had apparently gotten into a scuffle with... who was it again? Beesong? Hmph. But the more interesting part of that conversation was when Snailpaw admitted to destroying herbs. A feline brow raises with interest, tail flicking lightly against the warm, dry ground beside him. Initially, he might have scolded his apprentice for fleeing the battle too soon. Tigerfrost would be trapped in camp for a week or two before he'd be able to rejoin patrols, while Snailpaw would heal much faster. It's a sour thought.

But... but.

Tigerfrost holds his tongue in that regard. Snailpaw had destroyed some of RiverClan's precious herbs. The chimera doesn't recognize the descriptions, he's no medicine cat, but he understands enough to know that those herbs were probably important. He had intended to target the medicine den himself, before Badgermoon had shot the idea down. But... the deputy had never told the rest of the clan not to do it, had he? No. And Tigerfrost had no intentions of bringing it up to Badgermoon either. In fact, he was glad Snailpaw had done it.

"Excellent work, Snailpaw. I am proud of what you did." The words are gruffly spoken, like thunder from his tongue, but they are not unkind. Snailpaw has struggled a great deal to find their place in WindClan. They would continue to struggle, even under Tigerfrost's guidance. But he was not going to berate them over their retreat, not when the apprentice had the clarity of mind to target Beesong's herb stores. He pointedly overlooked the cowardice of the apprentice to offer encouragement, instead. "The enemy will show no mercy to us, therefore we should show no mercy to them." He continues in explanation as to why destroying those herbs was a good thing.

Perhaps Snailpaw was the one truly responsible for Clearsight's death. Perhaps the destroyed herbs had meant that RiverClan's medicine cat had been unable to save his own dying warriors. Good, the brutish tom thinks with satisfaction.

"Now, I will have to rest for the next several days. Longer than you, I'm afraid. Once you've recovered from your injuries, resume your schedule as I instructed. Tag along on patrols, as well. As soon as I'm able to move without tearing my wounds open again, I will resume your training." The Lead Warrior explains. The fact that Snailpaw had managed to stay awake for the battle was a good sign. Perhaps the strict routine was actually making a difference, or perhaps it had simply been luck. Whatever it was, Tigerfrost intends to find out once he's capable of training his apprentice once more.
 


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This was most astonishing to Sootstar. Snailpaw, a misled apprentice had just informed Tigerfrost their point of view of the battle. The tabby had laid eyes on Hyacinthbreath, the traitor had been hiding in the walls of their woven medicine cat den. The feline then had raced over and destroyed a bunch of white-pedaled flowers, herbs no doubt!

Good, Sootstar approvingly thinks, hopefully they’ll be left hurting longer than us!

”Perhaps Snailpaw could accompany me while you heal. I lack an apprentice, for now, I have my paws free.” She offers simply, but it was most certainly a sign she was pleased with Snailpaw’s progress. She knew a loyal WindClan cat could be made out of them yet! ”and no worries, I wouldn’t expect you to dive into tunnels with me.” She snorts, amused. It’d be an incredibly brief arrangement, she could handle it.

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( primary character / "speech" / ic opinions )

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╰ ★ ჻ 001 GENERAL INFORMATION ,

· SOOTSTAR, female — she / her

╰ ‣ 39 moons . pisces. ages on the first

╰ ‣ windclan leader . marsh-born . believes in starclan

╰ ‣ former soldier of the marsh group



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╰ ★ ჻ 002 VISUALS & AESTHETICS ,

· DOMESTIC FELINE, smells like heather and wet dirt , status — 100%

╰ ‣ blue smoke . scarred chest, difficult to see through fur . green eyes





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╰ ★ ჻ 003 MENTALITY & MANNERISMS ,

· ESTJ-A ❝ EXECTUTIVE ❞ , Slytherin, Lawful Evil

╰ ‣ Cunning, brash, fierce, confident, self-reliant, envious & selfish

╰ ‣ finds great difficulty in relating to others . can be cruel, usually shows mercy to those she can find sympathy with

╰ ‣ sole key to her heart is loyalty, if you have her trust, she often shows a completely different side of herself. Aggression tends to manifest from her extreme paranoia

╰ ‣ Appreciates titles such as "miss, m'am" etc



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╰ ★ ჻ 004 INTERACTIONS & RELATIONSHIPS ,

· SOOT CLAW x PEBBLE BREEZE, sister to Pebblenose

╰ ‣ heterosexual. mate to Weaselclaw

╰ ‣ mother to Windstrider, Sootchaser, Moorkit, Adderkit, Harrierkit, Bluekit & Cottonkit

╰ ‣ mentor to N/A

╰ ‣ average fighter . skilled hunter .

╰ ‣ will start fights . unlikely to flee .

╰ ‣ attack in underline . penned by user @ava.

 
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