when I see you again || loner in camp!

[leopardprowl]

A familiar scent; one thought to only ever be inhaled through the thick scent of death. Tiger was alive. Leopard had been convinced.

Numerous siblings draped their tails along her shoulders and assured her it wasn't her fault. They thought grief had driven her mad, especially since she blamed herself as the eldest of both litters. But they were wrong. Leopard knew what she scented that day.

She no longer cared to bicker with her siblings. If they didn't want to tag along then fine! Leopard would push forward without them. And once Tiger was proven to be alive, they'd be a completed family once more. Her stomach churned. No, not complete. They'd never be whole again. The possibility of Tiger being alive, though, sparked dangerous hope in the mighty she-cat.

However, tragedy loomed and consistently followed the family. She'd returned to the outskirts of the border that day only to be greeted by a cloud of thick, black smoke.

No, no! She couldn't lose him again. Unfortunately, the muscular warrioress was no match for the crackling embers, falling branches, and intense heat. All she could do was helplessly wait until the area was relatively safe. Relatively being a very loose term to the anxious molly.

She stumbled upon the ThunderClan camp by sheer accident, arriving before the cats returned from RiverClan. Her heart sunk as her golden gaze swept the disastrous area. Judging by the dens, cats lived here. Or.. used to live here? Had the fire consumed them?

Every inch of land was thoroughly inspected by the skilled huntress. And then she found it: a strand of striped fur. Mixed deep within the overbearing aroma of smoke, his scent lingered ever so subtly.

Paws collapsed beneath her sturdy frame. A silent sob caused her sides to heave. She felt like throwing up. Not again, not again. She couldn't lose him for a second time. He couldn't possibly be dead. He couldn't.. he couldn't..

She didn't hear when the first group of cats returned to their temporarily abandoned home. Instead, she remained in a near catatonic state until she was easily discovered by the rightful owners of the territory.

ooc:// takes place after the fire and when first cats are returning to ThunderClan. she's currently curled in a ball in the center of camp, clinging to a little clump of fur so feel free to engage / yell / attack her for trespassing, etc!​

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[frostkit]

// track until some warriors reply :D

 

[ROBINPAW]

Robinpaw was tired, between the smoke and staying with RiverClan he was worn out... Finally it was all coming to an end, tonight he'd be back in the familiar camp, in his comfortable nest... The reek of fish nowhere to be scented. Usually he was not one to get socially drained, but anyone would get tired after staying in foreign land with foreign cats.

Traveling ahead with a couple of warriors, Robinpaw drags his feet. So long as Tornstride didn't make him get to training right away, he had every intention of plopping right down in his nest. Snoozing away until the next day arrived. He prepares to release a sigh of relief now that he's one paw away from being inside camp, from being back home. But with that step, the sigh never comes, instead he is overcome by an elecricity of protection and rage.

In the middle of camp laid a stranger. A trespasser. They had only been gone for several days and there were already squatters in camp! Robinpaw couldn't believe it... Usually Tornstride told him not to attack cats on sight, but this she-cat- she was right in their camp! Right in the heart of their territory! Did she know where she was?! What she was doing by being here?! Robinpaw assumes the worst, assumes that she is very well aware of what she is doing.

So he unsheathes his battle virgin claws, and with a battle cry his paws kick against the earth. In a blink of an eye, he is paw-steps away from the stranger, powerful hindquarters kick upwards to send him into a leap. The tom-cat aims to tackle the intruder, allowing his claws to sink into her fur if they met skin. If he lands his leap, he aims to apply his weight onto her.

His ultimate goal was not to terribly injure her, but to keep her pinned for someone like Emberstar or Howling Wind to give the order. Though if she put up a fight, the apprentice would happily give her one... He knew fully well he was getting to be warrior aged, he wanted to do all he could to impress his mentor and clan. ​

---

 

[HOWLINGSTAR]

Howling Wind is filled with a similar anger upon seeing the stranger in the middle of their camp. Hadn't she smelled the borders? Seen the ThunderClanners coming to and from the camp to help clear it? Their scent was fresh, and she was a knowing trespasser. Robinpaw is faster than she, already throwing himself valiantly at the intruder and the tabby strides forward purposefully. Her tail lashes at her heels, ears pinned against her head. "You'd better leave our camp and territory this instant unless you want to be chased out," She warns with a low growl, allowing the fully grown apprentice to have his fight. He's proving himself already to be a loyal warrior, defending their safe haven, the place their kits and elders shouldn't have to expect a stranger to waltz right in!​

 

[leopardprowl]

A sudden weight caused her shoulders to sagged. Having previous been curled into a large ball, her strong physique ate much of the impact while her (quite literally) grounded position saved her from being knocked off balance. Reflexive instincts caused the muscular warrioress to somersault forward, claws slicing through fur but leaving her skin unscathed.

She had been successfully pinned down, though, and briefly knocked the wind out of her lungs. While she escaped without a scratch, bruises already promised to surface. Excluding her defensive manuevers, the molly made no attempt to shrug the tom off. Nor did her claws ever unsheathe. Instead, golden eyes looked upward toward her attacker in surprise.

"The fire spared the forest dwellers?" she asked despite the answer being inches from her face. Despite the circumstances, her lips curled into a smile. Hoped squeezed her chest and caused her heart to race.

"Tiger. Does he live?" Eyes pleaded with the cats. While she wanted to jump to her paws, she remained underneath the tom's weight. Tension already sizzled through the air and threatened to combust into a fresh fire.

"Take me prisoner if you must but I will not leave until I know whether my brother lives. His scent and his fur." They all lead here. Leopard blew on the clump of fur she'd been cradling, the striped bundle of fuzz carried briefly into the air. She wasn't in any position to ask questions but her lips thought otherwise, "This fur. It's his. Is he safe? Is he alive? Have you captured him? I offer my body in exchange for his if that is case. If it'll allow me to see him. If it means he's alive."

Carefully honed self-preservation skills were tossed into the wind without second thought. The peculiar she-cat looked willing to roll upon her back and completely submit if it rewarded her with the information she desperately craved.​