this thorn in my flesh | washed up thunderclanner

[Silverlightning]

War weighin' on my heart but I can't fall

(This thread takes place before the gathering and right after this thread)
He heard the sound of his clanmates calling out to him, the muffled noise of his name shouted upon their lips as raging water pulled him further away. His consciousness was ever slipping, ebbing and flowing, in and out as he is tossed relentlessly, battered against frothy white foam and the occasional stone. Beaten and bruised, Silverlightning finds himself deposited along a sandy ravine of sorts, the slash against his side still weeping pale red from the dog's attack. Sopping wet he groans in discomfort, the world around him a rapid spinning whirl of colors as his attention fails to focus. Trembling with cold the ticked tabby remains on his side, breathing shallow, haggard as he stifles a cough. Where was he? His senses refused to cooperate, any attempt to command detail of the area failing to do so. Another violent shiver courses through his lithe frame and with weak sluggishness he draws his limbs in as close as he could. Trying to reserve what little warmth the freezing water and frigid air sapped from his body. ​

Seekin' shelter from the storm on this blank road​

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[Orangestar]

If she personally earned a night off every time SkyClan found a random Clan cat on their border, in some state of disarray, Orangeblossom wouldn't have to take night watch for the rest of the moon. She's due to lead a group down by the river, hoping for enough luck to snatch some prey from the waterline, but something moves and the fur on the back of her neck fluffs up. It takes a moment of peering for her to realise that it's that lanky silver warrior from the ThunderClan side of her border patrol the half moon before.

"Oh, for the love of StarClan." She hisses, making for the path as it winds down the side of the sandy ravine. She calls to the rest of her patrol: "Someone fetch Dawnglare and Fireflypaw! If he's in camp, tell Blazestar a ThunderClanner just washed up and he's injured, no I don't know who it is. If he's not there, tell the others I'm at the ravine looking for him." Too many words. A pelt turns tail and takes off into the pines, so Orangeblossom does the opposite with the rest of her patrol in tow and skids down the winding path as fast as her limp will let her. Hovering over the ball of fur called a warrior, Orangeblossom shudders- falling into the river with an injury like this is an awful way to die. She's impressed he'd made it this far, practically out of the shallows all on his own.

"Silversmoke, help me get him out of the riverbank." She orders, making eye contact with the large tom. To her apprentice, she continues: "Eveningpaw, once we get him away from the water, I want you to lick his fur the wrong way. Make it look like Thistleback's. Alice says it keeps kits warm. Okay. Ready, set-" Orangeblossom leans down to grab Silverlightning by the scruff and hopefully haul him further up the bank, away from the lapping water.

— info

• @SILVERSMOKE @eveningpaw
• 
  orangeblossom. tags.
  — she/her, skyclan deputy.
  — mentor to eveningpaw.
  — attack in #e08550. uses trees as an integral part of her fighting style.
  — mean enough to note that her thoughts don't reflect my opinions as a writer haha.
  — penned by mercibun; @ me in any official tabbytales discord for plots. :]
  — art by merc!<3
  

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[SILVERSMOKE]

Orangeblossom's hiss caused the tom's large head to shoot upwards, angled towards her with calm concern. When she finally addressed them, he blinked incredulously at the words she spoke. Allegedly, there was an injured ThunderClanner in the river, even with the trust he placed in SkyClan's authority, Silversmoke had to see it to believe it. "Come." He murmured dismissively to Chrys before hopping towards the pale she-cat, his mismatched eyes growing wide at the silver shape laying near-dormant on the banks. Tufted ears shot backwards, his fur bristling defensively. For StarClan's sake, why couldn't he ever have a normal patrol? If he wasn't finding kittens and twolegs, he was finding strays who didn't belong on their lands. First, it had been WindClan, now, ThunderClan. Both were vexing sights for different reasons. The latter had not done anything to harm his home, as far as Silversmoke was aware, but they'd still prefer to be left alone by the other groups where possible - it'd save them all the pain of betrayal when they inevitably went to war. The bundle wasn't a SkyClanner, the blue tabby had obligation to help him, but with Orangeblossom calling out to him, he relented and rushed to her side.

"Chrys, help Eveningpaw." He ordered his apprentice, failing to catch their eye as he did so. He leaned over the ThunderClanner, getting as close to the water as his broad paws would enable him to. One wrong move and he'd be taking a bath too, thankfully for his own skin, he was defter than he gave himself credit for. "ThunderClan better pay us back for this. I swear to the Stars this is getting ridiculous," he muttered, half-under his breath, half to the Deputy whom he presumed was just as fatigued by the charity SkyClan had been offering as of late. Hoping to grip Silverlightning by the skin and fur somewhat lower than his scruff, the warrior would pull alongside his superior, lacking little in gentleness or grace to the gesture. Though he tried his best not to break skin, he did not try to keep the experience painless either, presuming that a sharp bruise of two would wake the other up from his water-induced stupor.

[ lil apprentice tag ; @CHRYSALISPAW ]



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[eveningsun]

eve watched wide eyed as the two older cats dragged the cat to dry ground. a quick nod was given to orangeblossom's directions. lick his fur the opposite way to make it spikey like her father's. if she weren't in such a shocked state, the tortie may have giggled at the sentiment.

as soon as the thunderclanner was pulled, she quickly moved in and began grooming in opposite but there was a strong scent, coppery and harsh. eveningpaw screwed up her nose, blue gaze trailing along the bright gash on the silver feline's flank. "he's bleeding real bad, they're gonna hurry right?" she asked between licks, a nervous feeling beginning to slide down her spine. ​

[ FALLEN STAR ]​

 

[Silverlightning]

War weighin' on my heart but I can't fall

Muffled voices meet ears that feel as if they'd been stuffed with cotton, the sound drowning in its own way. Shadows intermingle within his swirling vision, indicating that someone was there although he failed to make out who. The sharp pinch of fangs causes his eyes to grow wide, body lurching sluggishly in a moment of brief instinct. The dogs. They were the last thing he encountered, surely they could not have found him here, wherever he was. Limbs falter akin to a newborn foal, scrambling to seek stable footing. Trembling legs hold the ticked tabby up as he wobbles in place, only able to stumble several steps away from the pair that grasped him prior. Icy droplets drip from Silver's chin as he stares at the group in a moment of wavering clarity. "Skyclan..." He processes that much, gunmetal gaze shifting to lapping water and then towards the swell of the falls.

"That's right, I fell into the rapids." He thinks to himself as memories of snapping teeth and vicious barks come to him. It amazed him that he survived it all, given his inability to swim. Brows pull taunt as he glances back at the patrol, ears angled back as another violent shiver ripples through him. "My apologies f-for the in-inconvenience." Silverlightning voices breathlessly, wobbling slightly on his paws. How long was he like this before they found him? It was a fleeting thought. However, the more pressing matter was the state of thunderclan as a whole. "I'm aware you all have your own matters to attend to. But, may I trouble you a moment longer for an expedited escort to the border? I have very pressing matters to attend to." Silver murmurs, jaw set to keep his teeth from chattering as he speaks. He was well aware of the jagged cuts carved by canine claws across his side. It was something he chose to ignore for now, to the best of his ability anyway. ​

Seekin' shelter from the storm on this blank road​

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[CHRYSALISWING]

Distraction buzzed around him until the snap of his mentor ripped him from it, as though a whip lashing and swiping at all the flies of interruption, though he didn't exactly drive them off either. Truthfully, patrols grew tedious easily, walking in practical circles over and over. He knew the territory by heart, he would claim. This time, there was an incongruity in the rhythm, a finger pinching at thrumming strings. Dubiety lit a heterochromatic gaze as he spotted a silver splash upon the sandbanks, spat up by the rushing rapids, as if he were no meal for even the ravenous rivers. Chrys hadn't much experience with the waters, but he always noticed how its stomach never seemed to keep objects in for long before bringing them to the surface. He strutted closer for a better look at Silverlightning's damp and drooped form, breathing shallowed and ragged.

A sigh whistled from his lips as he rushed to Eveningpaw's side, with the other apprentice much more concerned about whether this cat lived or died, as if truly mattered to her if this stranger were okay. Chrys didn't have much obligation to care about those outside of his narrow scope, but he figured he should listen to Silversmoke. He licked at Silverlightning's fur, trying to make it stick up like thorns on a rosebush, miniature mountain ranges of shrapnel and grey jutting from wet fur. Apparently it helped keep kittens warm, according to Orangeblossom. Pallid crimsons stained the pristine pelt of the Thunderclanner, a gash breaking through butterfly-wing skin, for even the painting bled behind linen surface. Chrys had seen such grievous injuries before, but not so up close. As Silverlightning spoke, he was tempted to make a remark of how he'd probably keel over and die if Skyclan let him run off to the border, though flame-brushed tongue held themselves behind ivory bars. He didn't want to be scolded for the thousandth time, especially not in front of this strange cat.
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[Orangestar]

"Take it easy, you're safe. What's your name?" Orangeblossom meows as the ashen ThunderClanner lurches to his paws, staggering away from her and Silversmoke and not even giving the apprentices a chance to warm him up. She takes a step back to give him space, ears pricking as he speaks in a low, hurried tone. She nods at his apology, though he doesn't acknowledge it in turn, too wrapped up in a ramble and a request to escort him back to the border as fast as they could.

Orangeblossom still doesn't know the name of this monochromatic stranger, but some part of her mind acknowledges an odd and unlikely beauty in his perseverance. Half drowned and bleeding, yet full of the resilience to get back up and get back to his Clan to attend to whatever pressing matter may have been calling. It earns some respect from the deputy, and immediately ranks him high up in the meagre list of ThunderClanners she's met. She'd have to pass on a good word about him to Howling Wind, next time she saw her counterpart in passing.

She exchanges a glance with Silversmoke, and then turns her eyes back to their impromptu visitor. Half echoing Chrysalispaw's thoughts, unaware, she nods to their guest. "We can walk you back. Did you want to wait for something to stop that bleeding, though?"

— info

• // prompt 5
• 
  orangeblossom. tags.
  — she/her, skyclan deputy.
  — mentor to eveningpaw.
  — attack in #e08550. uses trees as an integral part of her fighting style.
  — mean enough to note that her thoughts don't reflect my opinions as a writer haha.
  — penned by mercibun; @ me in any official tabbytales discord for plots. :]
  — art by merc!<3
  

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[Silverlightning]

War weighin' on my heart but I can't fall

He fumbles a step, turning his head to get a better look at the weeping wound located upon his side. Thankfully the mark was relatively tame, especially since he knew what those dogs were capable of. Deep but not debilitating. His attention is pulled back to the cream colored molly as she asks for his name. "Ah, pardon m-my lack of manners." He voices, teeth threatening to begin their chattering again. "Silverlightning," The ever formal tom speaks, introducing himself with a shallow nod of his head. "It's a pleasure to meet each of you, despite the unfortunate circumstances." He expects that they will give him their names in return and in the meantime takes to licking the sodden fur upon his chest.

Large ears angle forward, considering the skyclanner's words momentarily, eyes cutting back to the wound lacing his side. Waiting around for further assistance continued to leave him in the unknown of thunderclan's current status. Something that greatly bothered him. But hobbling toward back to the border and risking infection just to continue the fight was less than optimal. A soft hum of contemplation vibrates within his throat as he turns to face the deputy again. "That would be greatly appreciated, thank you." Silver murmurs, placing a few more rasps over wet shoulders. He was still freezing and his paws and ears ached at the bitter cold experienced. ​

Seekin' shelter from the storm on this blank road​

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