pafp this thorn in my flesh | marked

[Addervenom]

Life doesn't discriminate

(tw for animal cruelty) A sudden rustling gathers his attention, burning amber eyes flicking just in time to spot the fleeing white tail of a rabbit. It was the same one the patrol nearly let slip away and there was no way he would let it happen a second time. "I've got it." Adderpaw rasps quickly over his shoulder. Adrenaline courses through his veins as he makes a tight turn, tearing after the long eared rodent with claws extended. Wind whistles through his ears as he plans to guide his prey back into the awaiting jaws of his father, mentor, and several others. However, at the last second something shiny spooks it, causing the critter to veer from its original path. Unable to stop in time, he realizes far too late what made the rabbit stray. A cage.

His body tumbles and crashes harshly against metal grating, the horrid sound of it snapping shut behind him making him scramble to his paws. Wide eyes wander impenetrable bars, steps staggering as he pushes against one side with all his might yet it wouldn't budge. Tooth and nail failed to do much of anything after many frantic bites and scratches. Another ram of his shoulder and all he managed to do is knock himself and the grey contraption on its side. "Weaselclaw! Sunstride?!" He calls out, hoping to gain their attention. If Sunflowerpaw managed to escape a trap then surely he could too, right?

Yet the excited bellowing of a large two leg captures his attention and panic instantly seeps into every fiber of his being as he watches not one, but two of them trample through tall grass to reach him. Their naked paws seem to push and shove each other in a playful manner while staring down at him. Blunt teeth flash in a stretched smile as they draw closer, kneeling down beside the cage, laughing. "Get away from me!" Adderpaw hisses, tufted ears falling flat alongside his broad skull. His pelt bristles further, hackles dancing as he watches one grab a stick to poke at him from one end of the cage. A mahogany paw raises to claw at the flimsy piece of wood. The distraction keeps his attention just long enough for the other human to snag him roughly by the scruff and pin the apprentice to the ground.

Terror seized him as his limbs flailed, claws cleaving nothing but the earth beneath his paws. "Get off!" The cackling two leg pulled something out of its clothing that he could not see but certainly felt. Searing pain bloomed and spread throughout the length of his ear as he heard a sickening click and snap. The sound of something locking itself against his very flesh. A cold, golden tag now hung from his ear. Fearful, albeit angry tears spilled from amber eyes as a wounded yowl bursts from his maw. Then, as quick as it happened, he was hoisted into the air like some prize to be admired. His ear burned like it was on fire as crimson trickled from the piercing and stained his fur. In one last ditch effort Adderpaw attempted another strike and claws finally cleaved the arm of the laughing two leg.

A howl of agony filled the air, the grip on his scruff released in the process as Adderpaw dropped to the ground. A hefty boot swiftly followed up with its own attack, kicking him several feet away. The air from his lungs is forcibly removed as he goes rolling, body flipping and tumbling over itself before finally rolling to a halt. Gritting his teeth as darkness edges around the outskirts of his vision he watches on as the pair scampered off, the aggressor clutching their bleeding arm. (parent and mentor tag! @WEASELCLAW, @SOOTSTAR, @SUNSTRIDE please wait for weaselclaw and sootstar to post first!) ​

Between the sinners and the saints​

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[SOOTSTAR]

SOOTSTAR ♀​

From the shadow of the tunnels a streak of blue fur races outwards, paw thumping in the direction of the fleeing twolegs. With the instincts of a mother coursing through her veins she is blessed with the bravery to face any foe, no matter how big or small, in order to save her kit. One of the twoleg kit’s glances back for one last look at the cat they’ve tormented, only to see fleet-footed Sootstar racing toward them. The twoleg lets out a shriek and picks up the pace, the others mimicking, the blue she-cat slows and begins to pant. Between the scratch her son had left and the final fright she had invoked they could only pray they’d never show their faces on WindClan land again. Spinning around she races back toward her kit, her eyes glittered with worry. She licks her son’s forehead, looking over his scruff and legs for any injuries. It takes her a moment to notice an ugly, golden piece of twoleg trash on his ear. Startled, she extends a paw and attempts to carefully bat it off as if it was a disgusting insect, but it doesn’t budge as blood continues to seep through the wound. Her fur bristles in alarm, what had they done to her son?! She noses the tabby gently, ”Stand. We must get this removed.” Why had a twoleg done this? She’s heard of twolegs taking cats, she’s heard of their monsters killing cats, but never… this… They had pierced right through her son’s ear. Twolegs have marked her son. Green eyes draw away from Adderpaw, finding it difficult to even look at him with that… thing dangling from his ear. But they’d make it better. By twilight they’d be able to forget all about this, they could make up some story that Adderpaw had snagged his ear against a gorse bush. They’d tell the story over and over again until they all believed it to be true, and no one would ever know that Sootstar’s son bore the markings of a twoleg toy.

 

[WEASELCLAW]

The hunting patrol had started out so well. Weaselclaw had watched with pride glittering in his blue eyes as Adderpaw had scented the rabbit before any of the other cats. He'd looked back with a self-assured, "I've got it," lowering his pale tabby body into the grass before streaking after it's cotton-tailed hindquarters.

He'd tensed, preparing to snap forward after Adderpaw sent the bit of prey closer, but he finds himself waiting heartbeats too long. He blinks. Had his son lost the rabbit after all?

"Weaselclaw! Sunstride!" The fur begins to bristle along the tabby warrior's spine. His son's voice is full of panic, despite the ever-present fury, and it seems to echo off of something hollow. He rises from his crouch, sprinting through the heather to see a pair of Twoleg kits pinning his writhing, yowling child to the ground.

"Get away from him, you foxhearts!" His lips peel back from fearsome fangs, but he's not quick enough to stop the disgusting creatures from harming his kit. Adderpaw lets out a sickening screech of pain, and even from Weaselclaw's vantage point, he can smell an uncharacteristic fear scent radiating from his small body.

His own cry is rough -- he feels as he did the day Cottonpaw had almost been taken by a hawk. "Adderpaw, no!" Blood scent stains the air, coppery and hot. The Twoleg kits recoil from Adderpaw, one cradling a fleshy forelimb. He's relieved, until it delivers an angry kick to his child's flank.

Weaselclaw snarls with every bit of fury and energy he has, hoping it propels the Twolegs away from his son faster. Sootstar bursts from a nearby tunnel, her body like blue lightning as she chases them away from Adderpaw. He takes the opportunity to crouch closer to his kit, worry creasing his features. The blood is wealing around a strange-looking golden object, now part of Adderpaw's ear.

"What in the name of... what is that?" He stammers as Sootstar returns. She extends a paw to bat at it, but it does not come off. Fear writhes through him like smoke through a hollow. With empty eyes, Weaselclaw stares at Adderpaw as though the tabby has died. "The Twolegs have marked him," he whispers, gutted. "Even if he lives, that thing... that thing is on his ear unless it's clawed off..." He shudders, feeling as though he's been stripped of his pelt.

With grief-filled eyes, Weaselclaw backs away. Sootstar nudges Adderpaw. "Stand. We must get this removed." He's not so sure it can be removed. Dread courses through his veins. "We have to see Vulturemask," he mutters hoarsely, but his voice is devoid of hope. His son has been marked by Twolegs. Ruined by their filth.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

 

[Azaleafrost]

The cries of Adderpaw caught her attention, and soon the cries of Sootstar and Weaselclaw reached her too. Could it be rogues? They were getting bold lately. Before she could start running to investigate, Two creatures she had never seen before sped past her. They ran on two legs, had strange pelts-

Were these the things called twolegs?

As soon as they were farther away, she ran in the direction they came. She wondered what had happened. Azaleapaw could only imagine the things she would find upon reaching her clanmates...Would Adderpaw be dead? Crushed by those strange paws the twolegs had? Would they be burying another clanmate today? She slowed to a walk as she neared the scene, fearing what she would find. She didn't smell death....The scent of blood wasn't strong...

She pushed through the grass to see what at first looked like nothing. She glanced quickly between the cats present and her eyes stopped on a strange orange....Thing, on Adderpaw's ear. What.... Was that supposed to be?

"What....What happened?" She asked.

What did those twolegs do to Adderpaw?

((@Mintshade Mentor tag!))
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[heathermoon !!]

The patrol had been quiet for the most part. Heatherpaw, typically used to his days being spent somewhere in the depths of the tunnels, had admittedly reacted skittishly around the loud sounds and strong smells. The red tabby had kept his jaw shut tighter than a steel trap, as Sootstar and her brutish son were present with him and his mentor.

Robinfang had sensed Heatherpaw's apprehension, though. Of course, the pair had been working alongside one another for several moons now, practically in tune with one another. Occasionally the tom would swipe his tail over his flank to remind him he was there, but otherwise remained quiet.

When Adderpaw darted on after the hare, immediately the apprentice felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He shouldn't run off like that. He could practically hear Robinfang's voice in his own thoughts. Of course they look to follow after the leaders son, but they hesitated. Just mere moments too long. Heatherpaw winced at the sound of screams, both catlike and twoleg. He could feel his heart slamming against his chest, but even at the sight of what they had done to Adderpaw, he would consider himself in better shape.

Heatherpaw glanced between Weaselclaw and Sootstar, then back to his younger denmate.

"It's just the tip of his ear..." Heatherpaw looked pointedly at Weaselclaws own torn ear, same general area Adderpaw's new decor had been gifted. "It would hurt, but it could be taken off. Maybe even still keep most of it-" Robinfang barred his apprentice from continuing, the fur of his tail suddenly between the boys jaw. He glowered at Heatherpaw in a wordless demand to stop speaking.​

WINDCLAN APPRENTICE ✦ RED MACKEREL TABBY ✦ 7 MOONS ✦ TAGS​

 

[Bluepool]

The time was coming soon that her apprentice would be made into a warrior, soon there would be no more training sessions, no more cat following her around on patrols and looking to her for constant guidance. Periwinklepaw would be his own warrior, his own cat, given his own name. He had passed her test but still, she cannot help but wonder..... Her thoughts are interrupted by screams - horrible yelling from voices she recognizes. It makes her blood run cold. Her nephew, her sister, screeching. And then twolegs come crashing through the undergrowth, she flattens herself to the ground, ears pinned to the back of her head though first she quickly moves to stand in front of her apprentice, on the off chance that if their heads did happen to turn their way theym would only see her, only go after her and not the young cat she had been charged with. But they continue on, their sick mission accomplished. She straightens and immediately runs in the direction of the yelling with only a quick "Stay close!" directed Periwinklepaws way.
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When she comes upon the scene her eyes immediately fix upon Adderjaws ears, the strange thing that has found itself imbedded there. Disgust. That is the only word that could come to mind. How could they do such a thing. Her claws curl into the dirt and her fir bristles with anger. If she was bigger, stronger, she would chase them down and rip her claws through their flesh, sink her teeth into their throats and taste their blood. No one hurt her family! No one! She feels frustrated that there is nothing she can do.
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Her brother in law suggests they go and see the medicine cat and silently she resents the idea but what was he good for if not stuff like this? "What if its dangerous?" she says, worried "What if it leads the twolegs straight to our camp? I wish we knew what it was. I would give what's left of my tail..." she hates this, this feeling of not knowing.

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[Addervenom]

Life doesn't discriminate

An airy cough wracks his lungs as he lifts his head from the ground, weakened from his fight. Pain radiates from the force of the brutal kick delivered to his side, pulsing and no doubt heavily bruised beneath silver chocolate fur. The shadow of his mother soon washes over him and he briefly ponders when Sootstar appeared. "Mom..." He croaks, hushed by the lick placed upon his forehead. Without much warning she bats at the golden metal fixed within his ear, reigniting the pain that'd previously fallen into a numb ache. A soft hiss of discomfort leaks from his maw, eyes trying in vain to see what horrified his mother so. "Wha-what is it?" He asks, the usual confidence he carried wavering as he shakily pushes himself to stand.

Amber eyes dart to Weasleclaw as he hurries over next, expression gutted as if he stood dead before him. "Dad?" Expression uncharacteristically solmen he looks between both his parents, teeth gritting as he glares at his paws. "The twolegs have marked him" Adderpaw's pelt bristles alongside his grief. Claws stained with twoleg blood pierce the ground. Twolegs. They ruined everything, they'd ruined him. Several were crowding around by now, all worried about what took place yet he remains tight lipped. Bluepool introduces the idea that it could possibly be dangerous, leading the cruel beings straight to their camp. His heart hammers in his chest as he weighs the possibilities. Could they do something like that?

Heatherpaw, like his father mentions perhaps clawing it off. But they would not know for sure until they reached Vulturemask. As it were, his ear hurt so much he truly did not want anyone touching it. Regardless, Adderpaw anchors himself between his parents, limping back in the direction of camp. ​

Between the sinners and the saints​

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[SOOTSTAR]

SOOTSTAR ♀​

Adderpaw winces at her touch upon her ear, in her panic she hardly sympathizes with her son’s pain. Weaselclaw is here, thank StarClan, to help her deal with this vile situation. Prying her eyes away from her son’s ear she sees Azaleapaw and Heatherpaw emerge. Her eyes narrow on the blue apprentice, if anyone had been marked it should’ve been Silverpaw or her. They were kittypets by blood, if anyone was to be marked by twolegs it should’ve been them! Not her pure moor born son! ”You would know better than any of us, wouldn’t you?!” The jeer was a blatant insult to Azaleapaw before she whips her head to Heatherpaw. It was a solution… The idea her sister proposes of twolegs being able to track him due to this… thing… was frightening. She gulps, ”He returns to Vulturemask first. StarClan will tell him what is right.” Of course she knows that isn’t true, but she knows it was what she was suppose to say. She ignores Adderpaw’s dismay, confusion, and pain. She can barely stand to look at him as she aims to nudge him onwards in the direction of camp.

 

[Azaleafrost]

Azaleapaws ears flattened immediately at Sootstars sharp tone and insult and her fur bristled for just a moment before lying flat again. She forced her expression to remain void as always. She couldn't let it twist into the snarl she wanted.

She had come ready to help her clanmates only to be snapped at. Perhaps next time she should just ignore any cries of terror or anguish.

She seethed on the inside as she so often did when it came to Sootstar.

"My earliest memories are on the moors, so I'm afraid I don't." She answered honestly and without a hint of the boiling anger that she kept hidden inside.

She had only just seen a twoleg for the first time, after all. And if this is the kind of thing they do to cats, then she wanted nothing to do with them.

She looks at Adderpaw with a glint of worry shining through her facade. Was he going to lose his whole ear? She wasn't sure what to say, so she took her leave, off in the direction of camp.​