SWEAR I FEEL MY ORGANS FAILIN’ // Emberstar

[RAGWORTPAW]

Ragwortpaw knew she shouldn’t be out here, not without Little Wolf. Yet with the ebony she-cat taking residency in the nursery the number of outings they took began to dwindle, Ragwortpaw was beginning to have a bored mind, dangerous for a child. A child plagued with boredom will inevitably find ways to fill the void, sometimes that means acting on stupidity.

She shouldn’t be out here, the guilty thought echoes in her mind, even a girl like Ragwortpaw knew that.
I’m in so much trouble! Tick duty for moons! She’ll never get the scent of mousebile off her paws…

Even if she wanted to turn back, sneak back into camp before anyone noticed could she? Honestly… she wasn’t even sure HOW to get back! Little Wolf has ran her through the territory numerous times, but she’s still grasping what is right and what is left. What is down and what is up. Might as well just make the best of it and have some fun, right? Explore a bit without Little Wolf right over her shoulder.

That’s how she wound up at Snakerocks. At first pure joy washes over her, for this was her favorite location in the entire land. She wonders if she’ll be able to spot any green slimes snakes slithering beneath the stone cracks, or maybe she’ll find a mouse to beg forgiveness with? It all fleets from her when a pile of bones is discovered at her paws, then a smell. It’s when it all crashes down on her.

Dogs, Burnpaw.
How many?
At least two.
Moved into Snakerocks.

Grrr… It was like a giant purr, only it lacked warmth, Ragwortpaw hears it behind her shoulder. GrrrRRR.. Louder. In her ear. She feels its hot breath against her fur, the petrified Ragwortpaw yowls and breaks out into a frantic run. Her fleeing was enough encouragement for the monstrous canine to kick into pursuit, the action draws another dog to the scene that the blue apprentice was yet to discover. Aware or not, both were hot on Ragwortpaw’s tail.

This is it! Any moment now she was going to feel needles dig into her skin, she was going to feel herself get torn apart, and then it’d be over. The dogs were screaming now, howling a terrifying tune. One of Ragwort’s giant paws meet an unexpected soft patch in the earth, mud, causing her paw to land awkwardly. She stumbles right over, and though she begins to scramble up the blue she-cat knows her fate is sealed.

// @emberstar ​

---

Spoiler: RAGWORTPAW | TAGS

( primary character / "speech" / ic opinions )​

╰ ★ ჻ 001 GENERAL INFORMATION ,
· RAGWORTPAW, female — she / her
╰ ‣ named for her health & strength at birth .
╰ ‣ 5 moons . ages on the ??
╰ ‣ thunderclan apprentice . loner born . believes in starclan


╰ ★ ჻ 002 VISUALS & AESTHETICS ,
· DOMESTIC FELINE, oak and maple trees , status — 100%
╰ ‣ blue furred . long-hared . a very furry head, chest, and tail


╰ ★ ჻ 003 MENTALITY & MANNERISMS ,
· ESTJ-A ❝​

EXECTUTIVE ❞ , Hufflepuff, Lawful Good
╰ ‣ Kind-hearted . Honest . Loud .Justice-seeking . People-pleaser . Gullible . Empty-headed . Humorous
╰ ‣ Though she is all brawn and no brain, Ragwort tries her best and carries a bleeding heart to all whom surround her. She takes the role of "big sister" with her siblings and friends, never failing to have their backs, take care of them, and defend them when needed (sometimes even jumping the gun). While she doesn't offer the best emotional support (not due to a lack of trying) she gives the best hugs and is great at giving cats distractions with her shenanigans.
╰ ‣ finds minimal difficulty relating to others . wears a bleeding heart


╰ ★ ჻ 004 INTERACTIONS & RELATIONSHIPS ,
· GRIME x CINDERFROST, sister to toadpaw, prowlingpaw, hollypaw
╰ ‣ unknown sexuality.
╰ ‣ poor fighter . poor hunter .
╰ ‣ will start fights . unlikely to flee .
╰ ‣ attack in underline . penned by user @ava.​

 

[emberstar]

IT WENT FROM A SPARK TO AN OPEN FLAME ⋆⁺₊⋆ Fear scent.

That was what drew her attention first. Her head shot up from the place her and Flickerfire had been hidden, ears perked up. The thud of paws hit them. "Something's wrong." Emberstar stated simply, standing up. There was no time to explain any more than that, she burst out into a run toward the source of the commotion. "I'll be right back!" she reassured over her shoulder.

As Emberstar ran the smells and sounds grew louder, grew closer, and her eyes narrowed as she prepared for what she might find. Ragwortpaw caught her eye first, and she was about to call out to the apprentice before she saw what was behind her. She didn't even have to think to know what she was going to do.

Emberstar raced past Ragwortpaw, toward the open jaws of the dogs behind her. She caught it off guard, ducked under its snapping jaws above her head, and dove underneath it to slash at it's exposed underbelly. It yipped in pain as she emerged behind it, swinging around to face her. It growled. She hissed back.

It lunged again towards her and once more she darted away, giving it a few shallow scratches before slipping out of its reach. Hatred burned in it's eyes. It was bigger and faster than her, but she was quicker and cleverer. All she needed to do was keep its attention. She would keep it busy long enough for help to arrive. This was a fight she could win.

Something crashed through the underbrush behind her.

Before she could turn, jaws clamped down on her tail as the second dog attacked. She yowled with pain. It had been followed at enough of a distance to escape her notice. It's grip was like iron, there was no escape. So she turned upon it, unleashing a flurry of claws upon its face, tearing at it with a desperation she had not known since the great battle. Her claws found their mark, and its eye turned to ribbons under them, blood pouring from the wound.

It opened its mouth to howl with pain, and she was free.

Then the first dog's jaws closed around her torso.

Breath escaped her. She choked on nothing. Her eyes went wide and she went limp. The ground retreated from her paws as she was lifted in the air, shaken so hard she couldn't think, then tossed away like a piece of bad prey.

Her eyes were empty before she hit the ground. ​

 

[FLICKERFIRE]

The fear scent finds Flickerfire, too, and the moment Emberstar's body tenses, the tortoiseshell finds herself following suit instinctively. She's wired-tight, fine-tuned as any ShadowClan warrior would be on enemy territory, but the thump-thump of the pawsteps hitting the earth that she can detect aren't ThunderClan steps. At least, not just ThunderClan steps. She flashes Emberstar a warning look through slitted eyes. "Where are you going?" She hisses, but the mousebrain doesn't take the time to answer her besides, "I'll be right back!"

A golden streak, she's left the shaded confines of their hiding place, and Flickerfire is alone. She scowls and attempts to settle back into their spot. Probably nothing. ThunderClan has dead grass in their skulls anyway, don't they? Some kit wandered onto the Thunderpath again. The pawsteps... but no, it couldn't be.

When the scent of dog hits her, when she hears a high-pitched yip of pain and Emberstar's battle cry, Flickerfire scrabbles to her feet. Idiot! Her pelt fluffs up against the fear that begins to wash over her in nauseating waves. She crashes through the brambles, paws clumsy in the muddy undergrowth, tripping through bramble patches that snag her fur and tear nicks in her flesh.

The sight that greets her is a nightmare become reality. A hulking, slobbing beast, stinking and cruel and lunging for Emberstar with its flashing jaws. Not one, but two of them, two of the monsters together, and the ugly thing that held her in its grasp has snuck up on her from behind. Tag teaming. One she manages to take the sight from, and the one behind her, it--

"Let go of her!" Her wail is piercing, loud. The beast looks at her, and it seems to listen. It tosses Emberstar like a frog bone, and when she hits the ground, it's sickeningly thick-sounding. Flickerfire gives a startled cry -- the ThunderClan leader's eyes are blank, the life stolen from their silver depths.

She scrabbles forward, movements nimble despite her lack of familiarity with a home long lost to her, despite the fear radiating from her small black body, despite the tempest of rage and grief that is building inside of her chest and stomach. Her claws find purchase in the earth, and she catapults herself toward the dog that had taken Emberstar's third life from her. She swipes a paw alongside the canine's mouth and jaw, dragging her claws along it's snout so that part of its fearsome fangs remain exposed in a deadly smile.

Flesh and fur part like silk behind wielded blades, and the stench of the dog's blood accompany a warm, wet wave of scarlet that drenches her.

It howls, but it's a furious cry, and the one-eyed hound swings its head her way. She barely dodges the attack; teeth clip on air, hard, where her forelimbs had been.

But she can't fight two dogs, even one half-blinded, even one half-maimed, even when she feels superpowered by StarClan itself. Emberstar will come back to life, she knows, and Emberstar will need to run. The dogs will take every last one of her lives, just like the monster on the Thunderpath, just like Briarstar --

Agony. Flickerfire gasps, breathless, as fangs close around the back of her neck. The teeth pierce and tear at the skin and flesh around her scruff. She struggles, attempts to dart for safety and stagger just out of reach as new blood, her blood, begins to soak her neck and shoulders. The pain rings loudly in her ears, but she does not flee. Does not leave the ThunderClan leader to die.

Will not leave the cat she loves to die.

"Come and get the rest of it, then, if you're so hungry," she rasps to the dogs, half-turning to face them. Somewhere in the forest, she knows, too, is the Clanmate Emberstar has drawn these beasts away from.

"I won't let her die for nothing," she mumbles, and blood begins to drip down the front of her gold-flecked chest.

She flings herself at the half-blind dog, and the smiling one moves, moves cat-quick, lightning-quick, and she feels its teeth in her flank, scoring deep into her belly. Her claws smack into its muzzle, just hard enough to dislodge the jaws from her flesh, but the wound is bad.

Strangely, this one does not hurt the way the neck wound had stung, had burned like fire. This one is almost numb, heavy-feeling, and with disbelief she turns to look at it. She's never worn a wound so deep in her life. Has not seen one like it since the Great Battle. Since the white cat who'd killed Moth, who she'd killed in vengeance.

She gasps, just a little, and collapses, almost bowed before the beasts who begin to advance upon her and Emberstar. The forest seems to breathe with her, the colors becoming sharp and defiant, the wind exhaling in time with her breath.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

​

 

[RAGWORTPAW]

A heroic flash of orange bounds past her, the sound of battle erupts once more. With her face plastered in mud, Ragwortpaw wiggles out of the slop and turns to see Emberstar fighting the giant beast. This predator is what they called dog and it was the first time the blue she-cat actually turned to face it. Everything about it was much larger than her, down from its paws to its fangs, just gazing upon the evil made her stomach churn.

A gasp explodes from her maw as another dog erupts from the foliage, is jaws quickly clamping right around her StarClan blessed leader. Tears swell up in her eyes and her heart pounds against her heavy chest, spinning around her paws slosh through the mud as she makes a retreat. I’ll go back to camp! I’ll get help! Emberstar would be okay, she was brave and had nine lives, even if she lost one it’d be okay. It was all going to be alright!

Ragwortpaw vanishes back into depths of ThunderClan territory right before a ShadowClan warrior joins the battle.​

---

Spoiler: RAGWORTPAW | TAGS

( primary character / "speech" / ic opinions )​

╰ ★ ჻ 001 GENERAL INFORMATION ,
· RAGWORTPAW, female — she / her
╰ ‣ named for her health & strength at birth .
╰ ‣ 5 moons . ages on the ??
╰ ‣ thunderclan apprentice . loner born . believes in starclan


╰ ★ ჻ 002 VISUALS & AESTHETICS ,
· DOMESTIC FELINE, oak and maple trees , status — 100%
╰ ‣ blue furred . long-hared . a very furry head, chest, and tail


╰ ★ ჻ 003 MENTALITY & MANNERISMS ,
· ESTJ-A ❝​

EXECTUTIVE ❞ , Hufflepuff, Lawful Good
╰ ‣ Kind-hearted . Honest . Loud .Justice-seeking . People-pleaser . Gullible . Empty-headed . Humorous
╰ ‣ Though she is all brawn and no brain, Ragwort tries her best and carries a bleeding heart to all whom surround her. She takes the role of "big sister" with her siblings and friends, never failing to have their backs, take care of them, and defend them when needed (sometimes even jumping the gun). While she doesn't offer the best emotional support (not due to a lack of trying) she gives the best hugs and is great at giving cats distractions with her shenanigans.
╰ ‣ finds minimal difficulty relating to others . wears a bleeding heart


╰ ★ ჻ 004 INTERACTIONS & RELATIONSHIPS ,
· GRIME x CINDERFROST, sister to toadpaw, prowlingpaw, hollypaw
╰ ‣ unknown sexuality.
╰ ‣ poor fighter . poor hunter .
╰ ‣ will start fights . unlikely to flee .
╰ ‣ attack in underline . penned by user @ava.​

 

[emberstar]

IT WENT FROM A SPARK TO AN OPEN FLAME ⋆⁺₊⋆ New life flowed into her body quicker than the last time. Emberstar was getting used to dying. Her rise back to her paws was almost graceful, aside from the slight tremble in her step. She was alert, aware. That was more than she could have once said.

Once more her gaze affixed itself to the dogs, and she tensed, readying herself. The fight was not yet over. She took a step forward.

Then her paw bumped into something, warm and wet.

Emberstar blinked.

Looking down, she saw her. Flickerfire, lying bloodied on the ground. Her eyes widened, her breath swallowed. "No, no, no," she whispered hoarsely, each word more strained than the last. "Y-you shouldn't have followed me, you-" Words failed her. The edges of her vision blurred with tears. For a single, terrible moment, her entire world narrowed to a bloody point.

It felt like only yesterday that love had entered her life, she wasn't ready to lose it, not yet. She never thought she would even have it. It was something for other cats, a wonderful thing that she had only heard of. When she had found it for herself it had felt like a miracle. Emberstar watched as that miracle bled out onto the grass. Tears intermingled with blood as they fell from her freely, and she almost chocked on her own sobs.

Apathetic to her dismay, the dogs advanced. She caught sight of them through her blurry vision. Her resurrection had made them wary, but not wary enough. They intended to finished what they started.

Jaws snapped above her head, taking a chunk out of her ear, as she dropped into a crouch.

Emberstar wouldn't let them.

The Thunderclan leader threw herself toward them, claws managing to find the underside of one of the dogs jaws. She tore a long red slashes into the side of his face and he howled at the pain. The dog she had half-blinded leapt toward her. Its outstretched claws dug into her side as she slipped passed her, tearing a low hiss from her. She returned the favor by slashing at its hind leg.

The sound of the thump of large paws behind her alerted her just in time to duck under another attack, and she had to fling herself away in order to not get crushed by the dog dropping its weight. Giving her no time to retalite. No sooner had she done that than the other dog swung its large paw toward her in a massive arc, slamming into her side with the sting of claws and sending her into a tumble she barely manage to turn into a roll.

She pulled herself to her paws, panting.

Every attack was too close now, she couldn't keep up with the two of them forever. She perked up her ears desperately for the sound of incoming paw steps. Around her, she heard only the ragged breaths of herself and Flickerfire, and the panting of the dogs.

She backed up toward her love, eyes darting between her two opponents, waiting for them to make the next move. Any misstep meant death, so she couldn't afford pro-activity. All she could do was keep reacting and hope.

Then both dogs lunged at once. Her dart away from the claws of one sent her straight into the jaws of another, and they slammed down on her neck like a steel trap. The dog dug its teeth in deep, as if seeking to ensure that THIS time, she would not get back up. The pain was like nothing she had ever felt before. The rest of the world faded away in contrast to it. She made a noise that should have been a scream, if her throat hadn't been torn to shreds. The dog ground its teeth for what seemed like an eternity, then, it just let go.

Emberstar staggered, stumbled, and fell at Flickerfire's side. Her blood seeped into the earth around her. Through the shadows at the edge of her vision, she saw the dogs retreating. Whether because they were leaving her for dead, or simply to lick their own wounds she knew not.

Whatever the reason, it was over now.

She tried to find some comfort in her love's presence at her side as her consciousness faded. ​

 

[FLICKERFIRE]

Her body is weak now. Her eyelids are weighted with stone, and darkness eclipses her vision even as she struggles to remain upright. Her senses are confused, stained with the stench of blood and hound—and the wind feels as though it’s pushing through the leafbare-ravaged forest in tune with her breaths.

Perhaps it is.

Emberstar awakens, and Flickerfire senses her close. Tears. You weren’t supposed to follow me, and with the last of her spirit, the tortoiseshell snorts. She tilts her bloodied face towards her lover like a withered plant seeking the sun. “Thought I’d let ya die alone? You really are stupid.” Her voice is thin and wheezing, but she struggles to her paws to stand as Emberstar walks into the jaws of death again.

The earth lurches beneath her. She takes several broken steps toward the beasts, her flank pulsing. Blood falls in easy cascades and soaks the shriveled brown leaves under her paws. StarClan is calling her, silver mists singing her name.

"I'll see you later," she calls to Emberstar, and she knows it's true. They were meant to go together, to walk a starry path none could follow. She's relieved when her legs buckle, when she can give up the fight she's grown weary of fighting..​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

​