pafp unjustifiable means // questions for vulturemask

[cottonsprig]

Cottonkit's recent visit to the medicine den was, thankfully, not for her own injury. She had stopped in to visit and cheer up a friend, an act she would like to think herself successful in, in one way or another. Regardless of her successes in that matter, however, the grey soon-to-be-apprentice couldn't get out of her head the multitudes of curiosities she spied whilst just being near the medicine den. What was that smell? What had Vulturemask used on Sunflowerpaw? Would her friend just die like Juniperfrost, and become a worthless husk? Questions, questions - and she has the time to ask them!

Surely, however, the medicine cat must be paid for his time. Cottonkit knows nothing about herbs, perhaps even less than the next cat given her age and ineptitude. She finds a spot of freshly sprouted crabgrass of all things and bites off several blades, excitement fueling her steps as she trots towards the crowded medicine den. She spies the dark furred tom lingering not far from it, and another question sparks on her tongue.

The kitten nears him with a wave of her tail. The blades of grass fall deftly to his paws - payment, maybe. "Hi, Vulturemask!" she greets him, however it's far from a bid to be polite as she launches directly into her intentions, "I've brought you... uh... herbs...! You need lots of those, right?" It's not yet occurred to Cottonkit that not only has she only brought him grass five feet from his very own paws, but that there are several other plants out there with potentially medicinal qualities. She is unwavering when she continues, "Yeah, so I brought you these in exchange for some..." Training? It's not like she wants to be his apprentice - she's destined to be a tunneller after all. "Answers," she eventually decides, tail twitching, "To start - where'd you get th'scars from? Why haven't y'made them go away yet?" It doesn't make too much sense that a cat with so much herbal knowledge would have such blatant scars on his muzzle, unless he purposefully retained them. That should be an interesting story, she thinks.

[ pls wait for @VULTUREMASK !! <3 ]​

 

[VULTUREMASK]

Why did the kits of this clan always pick him to torment for?. Sootstars own brats none the less. First it had been Harrierkit, then it had been Adderkit. Not long ago he had saved Moorkit from choking on a worm. Today it was Cottonkit. Tch. All of them were just noisy brats. He actually liked Sootstars first litter better. Windstrider and Sootchase had never bothered him like this litter did. They where better raised too not being as spoiled like her second litter was. He was glad that his siblings never acted like this. All three of them were well behaved.

The medicine cat turned himself around to face the noisy kit only to stare down at the 'gift' she had been so generous to give. Grass. It was nothing but useless grass. He couldn't use it for anything. " How thoughtful of you..." He was indifferent not showing to be pleased or displeased. Vulturemask was hoping the kit would be satisfied with his words and run along to get out of his den and go being a pest to somebody else. Unfortunately he was not that lucky...he never was. She claimed to want something in exchange for the...unappreciated gift.

Vulturemask said nothing just waiting for the kit to spat it out what she wanted in return. The questions she had for him suprised the medicine cat a bit. His scars?. Cottonkit wanted to know about how he had got these scars. Vulturemask would narrow his eyes. This was a topic he was not fond of talking about but up until now no one had asked him about them either. Most knew the story already if they had lived here during the time he had got them. The scars were a bitter sweet memory for him. Vulturemask decided after a moment of thinking it through to share the story but only because he hoped that would get Cottonkit to leave his den faster. " I got them from fighting a hawk." He had been nine months back then. That was the reason why his warrior ceremony had been kept on hold because he had needed time to heal in the medicine den...that and what had happend before that. The reason why he had attacked that hawk out of blind rage. He had killed that hawk for revenge and now he would forever carry these scars as a reminder for the loss and victory he had received through them.

" Not all scars can be healed...not even by a medicine cat." Words that carried more depth and meaning then what Cottonkit would understand being too young to understand.


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[SUNFLOWERMASK]

.°☀ AND IF IT EVER STARTS TO FEEL BAD, LITTLE FANG

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Sunflowerpaw is glad to see Cottonkit in the medicine den again. She'd come to ask them for visit them just recently, an act they found themself very grateful for. They like spending time with the soon-to-be-apprenticed little cat, even if she can be a bit high-energy for them. They wave their tail in greeting, but it seems she has her sights set on Vulturemask. Sunflowerpaw watches curiously as she deposits some grass at his feet. They've seen the grass in camp, but never among the medicine cat's stores. What's its purpose, they wonder? They steady themself on their good paw, lean forward to snatch one of the blades as it flutters to the ground.

...Tastes like grass. They incline their head in question, looking from Cottonkit to Vulturemask.

The two seem preoccupied by Cottonkit's request: knowledge in exchange for herbs. It seems a good trade to Sunflowerpaw. She asks about his scars. They've never asked themself, though they've heard from Silverpaw: a fight with a hawk, something they'd love to have seen themself. His response merely reiterates this fact, and they find themself mildly disappointed. It's good to have confirmation, but it'd be nice if he could elaborate a bit. They want to know everything about Vulturemask, even the scary parts.

Not all scars can be healed, says Vulturemask. Sunflowerpaw is still, eyes flicking from his own scars to their twisted paw. There's something more to his words, they think, something strange in his voice, but they can't quite place it.

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IT'S EASY TO EXPLAIN 'CAUSE THIS WORLD'S NOT TAME .°☀

⟪ OOC ⟫ ⟪ INFO ⟫ ⟪ REF ⟫

• //​
• SUNFLOWERPAW named by their half-brother vulturemask after his friend and mentor.
  — they/them, 4 moons. semiverbal.
  — windclan apprentice, mentored by wolfsong.
  — reserved yet loyal, distrusts most.
  
  primary character, high activity. penned by saturnid.​
• 

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[SOOTSTAR]

Sootstar watches over the scene like a hawk searching for it’s next kill. The prior time one of her kittens had been curiously sticking their nose around the medicine cats den they were unkindly met, to say the least. There was no sight as of right now of Silverpaw at least, the former kitty pet likely too busy with chore duty. It seemed as of late numerous of their apprentices were being ill-tempered and rude… Sootstar wrinkles her nose, a matter that would be fixed.

It seemed all was well, Vulturemask’s answers her kitten’s curiosities in his typical manner. Eyes briefly catch Sunflowerpaw in the darkness of the den but past that she pays the healing feline no mind. She turns her gaze away from the scene and becomes preoccupied with something nearby. ​

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Spoiler: TAGS ★ 03/13

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

╰ ★ ჻ 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

╰ ★ ჻ 002 VISUALS & AESTHETICS ,
· DOMESTIC FELINE, smells like heather and wet dirt , status — 100%
╰ ‣ blue smoke . scarred chest, difficult to see through fur . green eyes

╰ ★ ჻ 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

╰ ★ ჻ 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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[MALLOWLARK]

From where he lay nearby, rasping a tongue over a night-veiled paw, Mallowlark overheard Vulturemask's mention of the hawk they had fought once upon a time. A scar from a hawk- a shared experience between them! How funny that kinship could be formed over the tearing of flesh, and yet- yet, here was the proof presented in the pudding, sweet and bitter and metallic like blood! A chitter of laughter escaped him, chitinous vibration from behind his smile-fastened fangs; a twitch of the ears to attention, and he was staring again. Unblinking, intense- with the slightest tilt of the head, too. That owlish, empty expression of glee perpetually stitched upon his face...

"I've got one of those too! Ripped right into my ribs, nya-hahaha!" Meling, discordant giggle- and he rolled over onto his side, showing the faint thinning of fur where a scar might have shown on a scrawnier frame. Luckily his thick fur did him favours... kept him without mark, pure as the full moon... though he knew even she sometimes bled. ​

☺PENNED BY PIN​

 

[cottonsprig]

As per usual, Cottonkit's determination leaves her to be oblivious to others and their shifting emotions. Vulturemask's expression hardly changes from what she's used to - the casual indifference doesn't waver in his eyes nor his words, and she takes it as it is. She's paid him, and surely that means that he owes her, and in all honesty that's all she really cares about. Knowledge is power for some cats, though Cottonkit clearly lacks in some areas still. Others approach - like her mother and Sunflowerpaw. She notes the former's sharpened gaze before she becomes distracted with something else, and how the latter tries to eat the grass she's brought. A part of her wants to tap Sunflowerpaw away from her payment, but she remains tunnel-visioned instead, especially as Vulturemask speaks.

"A hawk...!" A sense of amazement spills into her tone, ears perking up. She doesn't think she's seen those sorts of birds yet, winter being harsh on more than just the cats of the moorlands. Regardless, she, like Sunflowerpaw, wants more. His continuance on what can and can't be fixed is nearly ignored (at most, Cottonkit furrows her brow for a second, considering the idea before moving on,) "How did you fight a hawk!?" She queries next, tail twitching. She recalls the mangled bird Sunstride brought into camp as an example - little thing it was, she still can't imagine something larger, more threatening as the nursery tales suggest, and a cat fighting one! "Did it just..." she lifts a paw to simulate what she imagines a bird falling out of the sky would look like, slamming it into the ground and startling the grass-herbs she brought with her, "Get stuck here? Can't they fly away?" She would, she thinks, if she ever got caught up fighting Vulturemask.

Too enamored with the possible story and the questions she continues to spit, Cottonkit herself startles with the sudden laughter that sprouts behind her. She's quickly learning that it's a signal that Mallowlark is gaining in on them. A part of her wants to ignore the creepy feline, but his words keep her enraptured instead. He rolls over and his fur parts to exhibit even more scarring from a hawk. The same one, maybe? Or were there two separate hawk fights? Does it happen often!? She steps closer to the white furred tom, somehow more comfortable observing his long healed injuries than asking Vulturemask to hulk over and show his at a better angle. She keeps a few pawsteps away, still. "How... often to hawks come down?" She asks, though the question is then posed for any of the adults nearby. She'll be a tunneller, and the predator birds hardly dare with the tunnels from what she understands, but - should she worry? Should she prepare herself for a hawk-scar just like them?​

 

[VULTUREMASK]

His reply seemed to not only have left Cottonpaw unsatisfied but even Sunflowerpaw looked curious about wanting to hear more about the story. He noticed Sootstar lurking around outside of the medicine cat den as well to keep an eye on him he could only assume which left him with bitterness. Ignoring his leaders close presence the medicine cat would instead rest his eyes on the white warrior with the black paws as they entered the den to add in on the story of the hawk. Aha, at least he could count on Mallowlark to lighten up his day. Overtime he had actually started to grow fond of them with how they always made his clanmates feel uncomfortable and unnerved around him which always was delightening for him to see.

Turning his attention back to the two curious apprentices he stared them down for a moment before he decided to give in and give a more proper explanation over what had happend that day, all while keeping out details. " It happend before leafbare. The moors started to get covered by shadow figures in the sky. Hawks were hovering over the skies threatening to take both our preys and our own clanmates lives.... To save ourselves from this threat we had to come up with a plan to drive them away. I together with Mallowlark and some others of our clanmates decided to head out to hunt in groups in case one of the hawks appeared...Just like we had prepared ourselves for a hawk did arrived into the sky and dived down to attack one of our own clanmates. Together we attacked and killed the hawk. I got my scars as the hawk used its talons to claw my face." hopefully that would be satisfiying enough to spare him from anymore questions.




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