camp what am i to do? ❀ DISAPPEARANCE


It's been too many sunrises since she returned Poppyglow home, and the revelation of her unruly secret had poured forth. Lilacfur had waited in agonizing limbo, continuing her duties and following her routine as close as possible. Unfortunate timing had struck once again, this time towards Smogstar as sickness weakened him.

Another Gathering passed with Mirepurr taking the tabby's place, and Lilacfur had lingered outside the leaders den with a hesitant pause. It was late, and with how the chances to spot him grew less and less, she would hate to interrupt the much needed rest for what ailed him.

The night ended quickly as the late hour sent attendees to their nests, still whispering about the events under the full moon. The lead warrior joined them, settling beside Mirepurr. A late night rain began to patter against the hard bark that protected the den, a perfect sleeping lull. But Lilacfur swore she spent more hours staring at the back of her eyelids than actual sleep. Even after letting go of her secrecy, the guilt and shame from it all still beckoned her to simply lay there and reflect, to remember it over and over again.

The first chirp of birdsong began before the sun had taken its first breath and the rosette was promptly absent from her nest. Her paws found their way back to the leaders den, hesitant once more to enter in his state but a flash of bravery pushed her forward.

"Smogstar, we can't... keep..." Whiskers twitched in confusion at the sight of an empty nest. Lilacfur curiously investigated the den, spotting no signs of struggle. His pawprints perhaps suggesting lethargy but nothing else, nothing forceful.

The den was barren of anything else that could be useful, and thus she turned to the next likely witness to have seen their leader.

"Hognose, has Smogstar left camp?" The camp guard dipped his head before giving a pointed look, gesturing with his chin.

"Went that direction, I assumed he was headed for the graveyard. He must've spent the whole night there." Maybe he was giving Halfshade another visit? The fading scent trail would prove this to be true, but once again she's come upon an empty scene. Lilacfur eerily felt as though she were chasing a ghost, as the mix of last nights rain and uncooperative winds made the rest of the trail too messy to track.

Defeated, Lilacfur returned to camp empty-pawed and with more questions than answers. Mirepurr is awake now, though, and she's unable to hide her concern as she approached the deputy.

"I can't find Smogstar, he wasn't in his den or where the camp guard had last seen him." Her voice is hushed but it's no subtle whisper, the cats awaiting their patrols would overhear. "I can't follow a damned thing from the rain, do you have any ideas?"

  • @MIREPURR // pls be aware this takes place the MORNING AFTER THE GATHERING! im gonna miss you my friend, and all our fun in writing together on here <3 best of luck to all your future endeavors, we'll hang around again real soon :)

  • 82313904_EOrjiqreK2nTja8.png
  • LILACFUR she/her, 26 moons, mother to marblepaw and sycamorepaw
    lh lilac rosette with yellow eyes (carrying cinnamon, solid), a torn ear and claw marks beside her eye.
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking ↛ see battle info here
    penned by this loser@gonkpilled on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 
Not every sickness is something... dangerous, she knows. She's seen plenty of sniffles that went away without much trouble, no life-threatening, all-clan-encompassing journey needed... And even if it was... that. Even if it was Yellowcough, surely they've learned their lesson by now, and Starlingheart would have what they needed...

And Smogmaw- Smogstar had nine entire lives to lose now. Sure, it would be a pretty terrible omen for their newly-named leader to instantly lose a life to a cold, but it was still just that... a life. It's not as if ShadowClan wasn't accustomed to bad omens, so really... this was nothing new. Really, there was nothing to worry about. Sharpshadow would carry on. He'd keep acting as if Smogstar could appear behind his shoulder at any moment. He'd keep saying this and that, dragging his name through the proverbial mud whenever it came to anything unimportant, because that's what she's always done. Whether she was an apprentice, a warrior, a... a lead warrior even, she'd keep doing it.

That's until she overheard Lilacfur, mumbling urgently to the just-as-newly-named-Mirepurr.

She doesn't mean to eavesdrop, really, but it's hard in ShadowClan. When the Clan was so small- when the Clan was so drab- when this Clan, and probably no other, had so so many reasons to never, ever trust each other, or ever dare think that they might've found peace. Even a moon is too long to go without tragedy.

" What do you mean you can't find him? " he blurts, and shame burns just as the back of his throat, but his panic overtakes any embarrassment he feels in the moment. " Where would he- He- He's sick, " he insists, as if they were all in need of a reminder. Nevermind that a sick Smogstar gone only lit things under an even more foreboding moon. No, obviously it just meant that it was impossible He was here. He was.... Was waiting for them somewhere.

OOC: Thank you so much for everything Willie. I and certainly Sharp will never forget you or your characters. I would never have found so much fun within ShadowClan without Smogstar ♡
 
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Mirepurr descends into sleep easily. It's like their bedding has turned into an impossibly soft cloud, carrying them away to dreamland. The anxieties about the Gathering fade away; the lingering scents fade from their nose to be replaced by Lilacfur's familiar one; the pitter-patter on the roof of their den sings a lullaby... and in turn, the claws of stress release their cruel hold.

They do not wake until morning. No restlessness jolts them awake — not until the lack of warmth beside them finally seeps into their bones.

"Lilacfur?" That bad feeling from last night is there again. It is endlessly frustrating; the foreboding clinging to their skin and propelling them to do something, but without the evident information needed, their brain is left feeling stuck and lost. That has been Mirepurr's last moon without the proper guidance of Smogstar. It is with hurry that Mirepurr detaches themself from their nest, uncaring for any pieces of moss clinging to their flank.

Lilacfur is fine — relief hits with as much strength as an enemy, threatening to push them off their feet. There is no blood and there is no lack of recognition in her eyes... but then why is she so panicked?

I can't find Smogstar.

"What?" The word tumbles from their lips in a ragged haze. Mirepurr's mouth hangs agape with the shock of it all; that ominous feeling reaches its highest point, and they do not realize they stopped breathing until Sharpshadow speaks.

He's sick, she says, and Mirepurr hates it. He's sick... instead of leading like he's been wanting to, like he's deserved to, he's been quarantined and seldom seen outside. He's sick, and it is so damn unfair. Just like for nearly all their deputyship, Mirepurr is forced to do something when all they want to do is nothing... it is decisively difficult to get their voice to work again. "He... he can't have gone far. He's probably- he's had to stop. Maybe he's just resting because he got tired." They nod, agreeing with both Sharpshadow and themself. Yes, that is what must have happened...

In a desperate attempt, Mirepurr pokes their head into the leader's den, uncaring of the possibility that they might get infected. They believe Lilacfur, of course... but it still feels impossible, and they need to see the lack of that striped hide to confirm.

The emptiness is a wake-up call.

"Everyone, wake up! We need to find Smogstar." Mirepurr's voice grows higher than it's ever gone so far as they near the warriors' den again; they manage to keep the panic at bay as to not terrify every single Clanmate, but the shakiness of their call is evident.

Lilacfur's presence normally calms them down. It does not work now, even as they turn to her again. The rain... why does it need to rain today? "I... I'm going to get a search party together. More. We need as many as we can afford."


You already know it by now, but again - thank you Willie for everything, it was such a blast to work with you. <3 I hope to RP with you in the future again, you've been a huge inspiration to me !!
 

[ ༻❄༺ ] Smogstar was strong, he always has been. The tom had been a staple in Snowlark's life, always seeing next to Chillledstar as their deputy and once it had been his time to rise? He got sick, and Snowlark didn't worry over it. He figured the leader would bounce right back, be there once more to lead the clan only... he didn't. Mirepurr's voice awoken the younger warrior from his sleep and yellow eyes were quick to blink the sleepiness away as he shot upon his paws, looking to the deputy with his normally sharp gaze.

"Smogstar...missing..." there was confusion that lingered in his own voice. He was sick, why would their own leader... nor how did he even managed to go missing just like that? He frantically shook moss bits out of his fur before quickly making steps towards the deputy and the other with clear confusion in his eyes before he looked between Lilacfur, Sharpshadow and then back to his former mentor with a flick of his own ear.

"I want to help" he spoke sharply, the sleepiness all but gone from him now as he sees the urgency in their deputy's eyes and even in Lilacfur's as well as Sharpshadow. Smogstar was truly missing, and yet... it only been two moons into his leadership, why... why would Starclan just simply take him away from them just like that? Why make him sick? His eyes furrowed slightly as many thoughts ran through his head.
  • "speak""Thoughts"
  • Snowlark He/Him, warrior of Shadowclan, 13 moons.
    Lithe long hair blue lynx sepia with high white, and yellow eyes. Stubby tail, permanent resting bitch face
    Hailfreckle x Mudsplash
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted (ask first) / / underline and tag when attacking
    see battle info here
    penned by Ryn@/Rynnaro on discord, feel free to dm for plots.


GOING TO MISS HAVING YOU AROUND WILLIE!! YOU WERE AMAZING AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!))
 
THE GODS CAN KNEEL ⋆⁺₊⋆
The calls stirred Willowburn awake from his deep slumber. Even before he could fully adjust his vision to the waking world he could already feel it, the prickle of electricity in the air stirred by panic and urgency. The tom was on his paws in an instant and he stumbled out of the warriors den and into the rain. A quick scan of the camp urged him towards the others and he was soon stood beside Snowlark. "I'll come and help the search. Surely there are some tracks or something that we can find. Surely Smogstar hasn't gone far." He wanted to bring reassurance to the others, but deep down he had a horrid feeling that told him that things were not right.

He might not have always gotten along with Smogstar but he certainly hadn't wished ill on the tom. Just what had occurred during the span of the night?

//Take care Willie, I wish you all the best and hopefully we'll cross paths again in the future <3

- ⋆ -
 

Dawn. Was it dawn when she last realized love lost? When bodies cooled beneath four trees, when her mate's body was discovered with his throat torn free. Twilight, in the dawn that followed, bright colors paining the sky after a long night of rain, with mud underpaw- that's how they discovered Smogstar was missing. Mirepurr's call roused her, and she was there in an instant, vision haggard and ears pinned backwards.

We need to find Smogstar.

There's a brief flash of silver in her mind as she dregs up and remembers when she had last seen him. A bundle gifted. She stares at Mirepurr- maybe through him- as the worst comes to mind. Why am I panicking? What... She swallows thickly, trying to settle her breathing. "What..." She hears herself speak, but barely feels her jaw move. "No scent trail, is there?" Scalejaw asks softly, her eyes turning low. He knew better then to be sloppy. Left during one of the early leaffall rains, left when it would be covered.

Did he know he was beyond saving? There a hundred thousand thoughts rushing in her mind, inasmuch that she slowly sinks to her haunches. For the second time in her life, she feels she has lost something beyond important- but this time cannot decipher what or why it is so. Scalejaw swallows again, as if trying to beat down a rising bile that wasn't actually coming. No. She can't accept that. There is a rising anger that forces her to her paws, glowering oranges staring at the council. "I'll go." She volunteers, her tail sweeping the ground in discomfort.

Smogstar.. where are you?
  • "speech"
    // take care bud <3
  • SCALEJAW 🌧 she/her, warrior of shadowclan, sixty five moons.
    A SH black/LH blue smoke chimera with glowering orange eyes, tufts of fur that make her look dragon-akin, and scars that she wears with pride. motherly and stern attitude, with a warm streak for clanmates and a cruel streak for enemies.
    mentoring no one
    padding after no one / / mother to bonerattle, nightwhisper, and shadefall
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
    penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

"We need to find Smogstar," Mirepurr's voice, while it didn't wake him, shot him to his paws. Stonepaw shoved his way out of the apprentice den, icy eyes scanning camp. Where could he have gone? Smogstar was sick, he should've been sleeping in his den, right?

"What do you mean?" his voice was painfully young in that moment. He hated the vulnerability he showed but there were more important things to focus on. The cat he looked up to most was gone, and he needed him. What was he going to do?

  • I hope to see you again Willie, take care <333

    "speech"
  • STONEPAW he/him, apprentice of shadowclan, seven moons
    pretty lilac with low white and blue eyes. bossy, charismatic, manipulative. very loyal to smogstar. stealthy
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / tag when attacking
    penned by Twitchtail@iliawonders on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

Her aunt wasn't very good at keeping her voice down, but it was Mirepurr's response and call to action that actually dragged Gigglepaw out of the apprentices' den and into the camp clearing. Smogstar, gone? But he was sick! So like Willowburn said, he couldn't have gotten very far, could he? Gigglepaw frowned, watching as Stonepaw pushed his way out of the den behind her, questioning the situation that they were in. It was urgent, that a sick leader was nowhere to be found - Gigglepaw for one didn't want him to lose a life from his illness, much less anything that might pose a threat to him outside of camp. But Smogstar was formidable, and she didn't want to doubt his abilities.

"Maybe he just went out for a walk, and didn't feel like telling anyone where he was going." Gigglepaw offered her own branch of comfort for those gathered, trying not to let their fear-scent effect her too much. Smogstar certainly seemed too proud to ask for assistance if he was just going out on a walk. "I can help look for him, too! Me and Forestshade, I'm sure we'd be able to find some hint of where he's gone." She said, seeking out her mentor in the crowd of gathering cats. Forestshade was the best tracker that she knew, so if anyone could find Smogstar, it would be the lead warrior.

 
🦗 "Is this - like - an everybody thing? I wanna track too," Mantispaw piped up in a whine, her voice tipping and lilting in tandem with the swaying motion of her head. Smogstar missing.... wasn't that so funny? Like, why would a leader be missing when there were things to be done? Wasn't there, like, a bunch of stuff Smogstar had to do? It's not like Mirepurr could do all the leader things, they were just the deputy. That was a much less cool position.

The gravity of the situation does not permeate through Mantispaw's fluff, and so she quiets after a minute, waiting to see if she too will be allowed to search for the missing leader with all the worry of a child waiting for a game of hide and seek to begin.

speech is in #A3B288
 

Like her clanmates, Salamandersnap had been peacefully sleeping through the evening after a long evening of guarding the camp while others attended the gathering. The rain had peacefully sang her to sleep, only rising as the dawn's light began peeking into the warriors' den alongside the morning birdsongs. it didn't take long before calls of alarm, cries of despair began to fill the camp, and the woman was quickly awake, quickly padding to the source of the scene just in time to hear the news. Missing? Where could he have possibly gone? She couldn't understand why their leader had just up and left them like that. The deputy's call for the clan to wake had already long since reached her ears, and the woman began to shove her way through the crowd to face Mirepurr.

"Let me take a patrol out to search for Smogstar. We can search the thunderpath tunnels or... the carrionplace. He can't have gone far. We'll find him." Salamandersnap's nose wrinkles in disgust at the thought of searching the carrionplace, but she knew it had to be done. They couldn't leave any inch of the territory unsearched, and there would be few cats willing to search that part of the territory. Her lashes behind her as she gazes at Mirepurr with her signature narrow eyed glance, waiting for a response.

  • ooc. — i only briefly was able to rp with you willie before i left months ago and wish that we could have been able to rp together more !! i hope that sometime in the future we are able to rp with one another again ! <3​
  • SALAMANDERSNAP
    ↪ salamandersnap / cisgender female (she/her)
    ↪ 24 moons / ages realistically on the 19th
    ↪ shadowclan warrior
    ↪ lh black smoke
    ↪ "speech" / thoughts
    ↪ peaceful/healing actions may be powerplayed / attack in underline & @/account
    ↪ note: all thoughts/actions are based off ic opinions only !!
    ↪ penned by halimede
 

The world threatens to cave out from underneath team; disappear from view just like Smogstar had, leaving Mirepurr to flail around desperately in the dark. It feels like being a kit again, unable to control anything that happens around them — and thus unable to get a decent grip on their own emotions, heart beating overtime to the tune of their own anxiety. Helplessness... that's what it is. The terrible, bitter belief that no matter how many times they look for him, they will not come across anything concrete.

Warriors — and apprentices — speak up around them. There is a desire to help... even after Mirepurr abruptly cut their rest short. Surely, if they all work together to find just a single clue, their efforts would reward them with something before sunhigh?

"Okay," Mirepurr mutters, more to themself. Their chin is buried in the curled tufts of their chest as they think, think think; paws forcing them into a looping circle. It is with a sharp stop that they finally lift their head to speak. "We can find him. We will find him."

Mirepurr thinks of Ferndance, not for the first time within this past moon. The knowledge that not everyone can be found, not in the way one might assume...

They cannot let the possibilities get to them now with eager eyes looking to them for guidance.

"Sharpshadow," they address the baffled lead warrior first, "I want you to lead the first patrol. Check... check around the Burnt Sycamore, Twolegs could have taken him. The... graveyard, too, along the way. Look there too. Go with Scalejaw and Forestshade." A beat. An eager, young voice cuts through the fray. "Gigglepaw too."

Even as an ivory fang works at their lips, Mirepurr cannot let go of the overwhelming fear. The faces of their Clanmates blur around them as they look from one to the other. "Thank you, Salamandersnap... you can take Lilacfur-" They share a meaningful glance with her, "-Stonepaw and Willowburn. See if he might have gone towards the Moonstone. If you see a WindClan patrol, don't tell them anything. It's just a regular dawn patrol." It is so unlike Mirepurr to suggest- no, demand the art of secrecy... but then again, it is unlike them to bark orders at a whim, but time eats away at them like nothing else. With each moment passing, Smogstar could be getting further... weaker...

"I won't leave the camp unprotected, but I want to check around the outskirts, see if there are any clues nearby... Snowlark, Sparrowheart and Mantispaw, come with me."

This has to be worth something, anything. Surely StarClan would not allow him to get led astray this soon after succeeding Chilledstar. "Come on, let's find Smogstar."



 
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"What?" Sparrowheart was nothing but surprised. Scared. A million emotions running through him. A whole camp of cats, how does the sick leader manage to disappear? But he has always been his own individual. The dark furred warrior wouldn't put blame on anyone though, shaking his head with unfamiliar emotions.

Grief, it was all too soon - just the same with Chilledstar. Hadnt it been both of them, and geckoscreech, to find him in the woods- to bring him in and save him from the horrors of living as a rogue so young? Yeah- and he would throw his life on the line for them.

"I'm going, where can I go? I need to look too," he said, his voice full of confidence. He would try to find him- he would, he swore.

 
It's Mirepurr's call that rouses her from her nest in Starlingheart's den. Marblepaw yawns, fighting sleepiness in every movement as she enters the clearing. Warriors and apprentices alike have gathered before their deputy, eyes gleaming and fur bristling with adrenaline. Something is in the air, something that sends a thrill of uneasiness down Marblepaw's pale tawny spine. Where is Smogstar?

Mirepurr's expression is grave, as is Lilacfur's. Sharpshadow's fur stands on end. The tension in their camp is palpable. "We need to find Smogstar," they meow, and Marblepaw's ears flick with surprise. "He's... he's sick," she mews, her belly stirring with uneasiness. "We've... we've been treating him. He's getting better, but... he couldn't have gotten very far."

It is not her place, as medicine cat apprentice, to join the search parties; she's not been trained in tracking, like the rest of them, and her nose will be even more useless after a night of rainfall. She shifts her paws, hoping the bud of uncertainty beginning to blossom in her belly is only nerves.

Surely, he's alright... he still has all his lives, doesn't he?

  • ooc:
  • pcAn1D5.jpeg
  • Marblekit . Marblepaw, she/they w/ feminine and non-gendered terms.
    — "speech", thoughts, attack
    — 8 moons old, ages realistically on the 1st.
    — mentored by Starlingheart ; mentoring n/a ; previously mentored n/a
    — shadowclan medicine cat apprentice, formerly a rogue. siltcloud x lilacfur, gen 3.
    — currently mated to n/a.
    — penned by Marquette.

    sh fawn tabby with dull green eyes. courageous, curious, introspective, observant, judgmental, snarky.

 
Voices of clanmates, pulls him from sleep. He stirs awake from his slumber, eyes peeking from behind a curtain of curls that were usually hidden. He lifts his head from his nest, eyes blurry as he adjusts to the radiant rays of the waking world. He detaches himself from his nest with a grunt, large ear twitching at the call of Mirepurr. Not even bothering to fix his messed-up fringe, a half-lidded eye of green rimmed with dark eyebags narrows. Smogstar is missing?

The tall, bicolored phantom pushes himself out of the warrior's den with a lazy tail flick. "He's missing...?" Isn't he sick? A confused expression settled on his face, muzzle scrunching up. His paws take him to the gathering clowder of clanmates, keeping his distance as he watches on with tired eyes.

He cranes his neck to scan the camp with a slow blink. Ears twitch and swivel at the voices of various clanmates speaking out of wanting to help— Mirepurr lists off the cats that want to help in different search parties. He shakes his head, letting his messed-up fringe fall over his green eye. He watches as cats go to their respective groups, with a flick of his ear.
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  • ( THAT'S ONE ENEMY DOWN! ) ⋆⁺₊ ☾ ⁺₊⋆ BATCHASER.shadowclan warrior.
    ― cismale ; HE / HIM, fine with gendered terms.
    ⸝⸝ CURRENTLY 35 MOONS OLD & AGES EVERY 10TH.
    pansexual / not actively looking / open to crushes & romance
    a tall shorthaired curly black smoke bicolor with gold/green heterochromia.
    thoughts ; "Speech, 7077A1" ; attacks only
    may powerplay minor harm ╱ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted
    smells like rain-soaked pavement, mist & sweet leaf rot
    — all opinions are ic

    biography / @ on discord for plots
    — penned by calzone
 
Forestshade sits on the outskirts of the camp, half-listening to the bustle around her. Smogstar's been sick for a while - everyone knows that. ShadowClan can weather anything, though, she tells herself, leaning against the damp bark of a stump. It's been rough, but they've been doing...fine.

Wait, missing?

Her ears twitch towards the deputy, her heartbeat quickening. "Can't find him?" She mutters, blind eyes narrowing. She's barely paying attention to Gigglepaw at her side, the apprentice's eager voice blending into the rising din. Her leader's disappearance gnaws at the lead warrior, irritating her as much as it scares her. He was sick, sure...but leaving camp alone? Is he mouse-brained? Rhetorical question - she'd always thought he was a bit thick in the skull, never much liked him when he took Chilledstar's place with such eagerness, but this? She'd never wish for this.

She stands up, shaking the moisture from her fur, and strides quickly to Mirepurr's side. "We'll find him," She assures the deputy, staying as calm as she can. When she's told to join Sharpshadow, along with her apprentice and Scalejaw, her response is immediate. The torbie nods briskly, ears angling towards Gigglepaw. "Stay close, and use your nose like we've been practicing. The rain's got nothing on ShadowClan's future best tracker, right?" She nudges her, trying to remain optimistic. But mentally, she is steeling herself. She has no clue how far Smogstar has gone.

She takes her place behind Sharpshadow, leaning briefly into her friend to try and comfort him. Even if she didn't think the tom was all that great, he had been her co-lead warrior's mentor. He was her Chilledstar. "We'll find him," She murmurs to her, but beneath it all, there's a sliver of fear twisting in her gut. What if we're too late?
 
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The bright pink light of morning wears a funeral veil of rain. Flintwish cannot help but feel it is foreboding. When Lilacfur comes into camp in a panic, fretting about a missing Smogstar, it is hard not to feel a bit doomed.

He'd been lingering outside the warriors' den, reluctant to take Branchpaw out in all of this mess. We'll be on flea-picking duty today, he'd thought, but before either of them could start — before Flintwish could even tell Branchpaw the plan for the day — Lilacfur had spilled, and Sharpshadow had has erupted, and Mirepurr, too.

And Flintwish understands. Smogstar is sick. Even a brief visit to the graveyard would be difficult, and resting in this downpour would only make it worse. One voice nags at the back of his mind anyway, but he has nine lives. He would have to do a lot of suffering to waste them all today. Another voice: he wouldn't abandon ShadowClan. This is most certainly true, which makes the absence all the more foreboding. If Smogstar is gone... and he isn't, not yet, but if he must be gone... then it must be because of something really, really bad.

It kills him to realize that this news only makes him miserable. No schadenfreude for hearing that Smogstar, this cat who has lorded over him all his life, who has humiliated him and confused him, has disappeared in a mysterious but terrible accident. It feels miserable, and if Flintwish feels miserable, he can only begin to imagine the position that Ashenfall and his siblings are in. And maybe he should know, to some degree — after all, Granitepelt had disappeared, and then he'd died. But Granitepelt and Smogstar are not comparable. These tragedies (most would say a tragedy and a celebration, really) are not comparable.

Flintwish's tufted tail flicks. Her face maintains a rocky composure, but her heart is fluttering like the rainswept leaves, which fall pitifully to the ground, the last of their strength sapped by the violent turning of the season. Her mismatched gaze rakes camp for Ashenfall and Branchpaw, and she declares to both of them and neither of them, "I'm going to help guard camp." It is not that she does not itch to go on a search patrol, but Mirepurr has already organized them, and she is too late. And, who knows, maybe Smogstar would come crawling back to camp's entrance the moment they all dispersed. She'd be here for that.
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  • ooc.
  • FLINTWISH —— warrior of shadowclan, mentoring branchpaw . granitepelt x starlingheart . littermate to nettlepaw, ghostmask . mates with ashenfall ✦ penned by meghan

    a small, slate-blue tom with mismatched blue and green eyes. hard to approach and harder to enjoy, but beneath his spines he seems to have a good heart, and cares for his clanmates
    unlabeled gender / he, she, they pronouns / 16 moons & ages every 12th
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / underline & tag account when attacking
    —— will start fights / may flee / may show mercy. tends to fight dirty on account of granitepelt's teachings. will fight tooth and nail to win, as this is one of the few ways flintwish can prove his worth to himself

    "speech", thoughts, all opinions are in character
    full biography — msg on discord for plots — toyhouse
 
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⋆⁺₊ ☾ ⁺₊⋆ Daylight bleeds into camp, and Swansong is slow to rise. The gentle grasp of sleep slips from the film of her eyes, blinking blearily against the light of dawn. There is commotion in camp - but in the haze of waking, it hardly feels real.

Pale paws trail aimlessly out of the warrior's den, the ghostly figure of Swansong bearing an empty espression. Her eyes are dull, half-lidded. Her movements are languid, as though moving through molasses - as though dreaming, still. The deputy speaks with a decisive tone. They listen silently as patrols are assigned, sleep-addled mind struggling to comprehend. "He's... gone...?" They breathe, blinking in confusion. "No, that... That cannot be. He is sick, he wouldn't... Where could he have even gone?" A birdlike tilt of their head. Pallid eyes stare out into the moors, unfocused. He's out there, somewhere.

"We... We will find him," they declare softly. They feel strangely calm. "I am certain... He cannot have gone far." And yet - it doesn't make sense. None of it does. How does a sickly leader just disappear? They have gotten so good at suppressing panic, suppressing grief, that they hardly feel the weight of it. Not yet, at least.

They missed their chance at patrols; warriors are already preparing to head out. Their eyes drift over to Flintwish. "I shall keep lookout... with Flintwish. Let us pray that he was merely going for a walk... And I shall await his return..." An empty smile. All she can do is hope.

  • 81294824_mjXd5ejx6RrZPyn.png
  • SWANSONG ⋆⁺₊ ⁺₊⋆ she / they, warrior of shadowclan, sixteen moons.
    a pale, silky-furred cream tabby with tired blue eyes.
    dreamy and detached, known for her perpetual sleepiness.
    halfshade x smogmaw, littermate to applejaw, garlicheart, & ashenfall.
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
    penned by SATURNID ↛ saturnids on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
 
*+:。.。 Duckshimmer arrives on the scene with silent steps and a persistent elegant air. There's nothing left to say, so she says nothing, merely watching the chaos unfold as Mirepurr rises and promptly leaves the scene with their gathered army towing behind. Soft periwinkle eyes, velvet-like flower petals with a wasp hidden between find their mark briefly on Marblepaw. The daughter of a witch mewls excuses, unaware that each word was another pebble cast upon a tranquil lake, each ripple a reminder of her corrupted roots. If Smogstar isn't found soon, all eyes will turn on who saw him last...and who was foolish enough to let him go. And Marblepaw had none of Starlingheart's reputation to back any claims of innocence.

For now, though, Duckshimmer pulls her gaze away. She exists as a pearl might, nestled within a clam, unbothered by the turbulent waters that tug and pull but unable to touch her. She can't yet accept that a man as weathered as Smogstar, sick or not, would simply disappear as the clan fears. There's been no sighting of predators, and the likelihood that he was captured by two legs remains still improbable unless he managed to walk to the thunderpath unnoticed. He'll be found, perhaps dazed and soon-to-be flustered, and Duckshimmer will be the first to tease him on the shortening path to the elder's den.

And yet, something uncomfortable settles on her chest. A weight that easily settles on a groove just above her heart, worn down by so many - too many - disappointments that have long since made grief a family member rather than a surprise guest. Although the clans have gathered together and forged a community of strong bonds and promises, there belies even now that eternal instinct that pulls at your joints when one's time has drawn near. She can't help but wonder...she can't help but not be surprised if...She closes her eyes and tries not to think such a hopeless thought.

"I'm sure he'll return" she purrs, laying her tail down comfortingly on Swansong's shoulders.

  • //IC opinions!!
  • GENERAL:
    Duckshimmer
    DFAB— She/Her — Bisexual
    33 moons — Ages 1 moon every month real-time
    Mother to Singepaw, Swallowpaw and Sneezepaw
    Shadowclan — Warrior



    COMBAT:
    Physically medium | mentally hard
    Attack in bold #ffa98f
    injuries: None currently
 
WONDERED WHAT IT'S LIKE TO
TOUCH AND FEEL SOMETHING
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maggotfur 22 moons female she/her shadowclan queen
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" What-? " when voice raises, it is not entirely out of shock - no, maggotfur is startled yes, and yet she is also worried. She has not been the only visitor Starlingheart has had these past two moons - and Smogstars dissapearance sets warning bells ringing in her head. It is not like the leader to just... leave. Has there ever been a moment where Smogstar wasn't around, if not in camp then on some patrol? ' Why would he leave?'

Perhaps, she wonders idly as she hovers, he has crawled off to die in peace - she does not know what sickness ails him, but cannot help the thought. eyes flick to land upon medicine cat and apprentice, contemplating. Was whatever ailed him dangerous enough to claim nine lives? Mind thinks back upon the past gathering - Windclans claimed resurgence of yellowcough, and tail wraps tightly around her figure.
Surely not.

Whatever the case, she's certain that he will be found - already, patrols being formed, volunteers already leaping at the chance. Lip curls in distaste, and she's as quick to vanish back into the shadows as she was o arrived - tail lashing. There's no place for her here - she's in no shape to leave camp to chase after their wayward leader.

actions & " speech, " & 'thoughts/quotes'
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M O N S T E R , - H O W - S H O U L D - I - F E E L - ?
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˚₊‧ ⛧ CW: EMETOPHOBIA WARNING FOR THE LAST PARAGRAPH

Ashenfall wakes slowly, a sludgy sort of awareness taking hold as the dim light of morning spots into the den, groaning at the disturbance of Flintwish leaving their nest for a patrol (he assumed.) There's some sort of something going on, a commotion, something that makes others hop out of their nests and add to the drone of voices outside. He waits longer than he should, probably—if there were a badger trying to break down their camp walls he would be terribly unprepared to face it. But, fatigue weighs upon his limbs, and as he crawls out of bed, an uncharacteristic nausea creeps through his torso.

Hmm, it was really happening, then. Flintwish knew of his suspicions, and perhaps she'd suggested he see her mother about it and perhaps he'd been avoiding doing just that, but even with his scant knowledge…

He thought he'd ought to let his father know about it, today maybe. Get ahead of the clan gossip, at least. It smelled like it'd rained last night, the first rain after greenleaf was a blessing for any frog-enjoyer.

Despite feeling so crappy, Ashenfall stretched out of his nest and he imagined that Smogstar would be happy to hear about it. He wouldn't appreciate the intrusion, at first, that nasty bug (that wasn't yellowcough, Ashenfall's brain supplied compulsively) still leaving him out of sorts. But he imagined he'd be getting visibly better today, and Ashenfall would tell him that the night's rain would probably spawn some frog eggs, if he wanted to get out of bed and put his sniffer to use. And then it'd be sudden, and graceless, but understood, which is all that mattered. He'd put on that gruff sort of nonchalant acceptance or maybe the surprise would be more front-facing, but he liked to think that he'd commend him (his most directionless offspring, Ashenfall admitted) for having his ducks in a row so early into his warriorhood. He's exited the warrior's den, and the dewy stillness of the morning air does little to distract from the subject of conversation.

"What?"

Smogstar's missing, and without much of a trace.

"He-he wouldn't just leave!" But that assumes something worse has happened, "You have to find him." The other option, what was it? There were too many, actually. None good. Mirepurr is already rounding up paws and fulfilling their role as dutiful deputy and Ashenfall is left looking lost.

Smogstar was sick. He had been for more than a moon. Glaring eyes twitch over to the entrance of camp, at whoever was supposed to be standing guard. Why would anyone just let him leave? Head swivels to find someone else to blame, the medicine den sits dark and guilty from across camp. Why couldn't they have just healed him already?

Flintwish sweeps their gaze around toward him and to Branchpaw and away again, and he surely looks back with nothing more than a glazed-over sort of despair, and they're going to guard camp. He's grateful to keep them in his sightline, at least, for now. And Swansong sounds just as confused, and her serene assurances don't fill him with any confidence, and Duckshimmer offering his sister some words of comfort feels off in a way that makes his limbs shake.

Something was very wrong. He wouldn't just leave. He thought this again. Something happened. They had to find him. He should go too but the patrols were already out and he-

"I-I… uh-.."

The churning in Ashenfall's stomach has not subsided since being weighed down with the boulder of despair that sat in it now. It rolled back and forth with the force of it, it seemed. He held back a gag, panicky feet shifting for a second before configuring the necessary path out from the middle of camp. "I'm gonna go puke," a half-wheeze and he'd made his exit.

  • OOC:
  • 29y3n1.png
  • ashenkit . ashenpaw . ashenfall
    — he/him. 17mo warrior of shadowclan. formerly mentored by smogstar. mated with flintwish.
    — smogstar x halfshade. littermate to applejaw, swansong & garlicheart. older brother of halfsun and laurelgrin
    — a stout, longhaired blue torbie w/ pale blue and amber eyes
    — sarcastic, sharp-eyed, sulky, nostalgic, faithful, impulsive, candid, provocative, remorseful
    — "speech", thoughts

    — penned by eezy
 
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