where were you when i was new ☀︎ disappearance

[SUNFLOWERMASK]

⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊　WindClan burns. It's nothing too terrible in the grand scheme of things.

(Is that wrong to think?)

Only one dead, and a leader with a missing leg. The carnage is minimal. They have faced far worse; fire is no match for war, Sunflowermask decides. They have seen bloodshed since they were only a child. They were young, far too young to know the scent of blood so intimately. Bodies strewn about the moorland have never been a strange sight.

(They wish they never had to get used to it.)

Something in Sunflowermask's stomach still roils at the sight of blood, still cowers like a frightened kit. Why, they wonder now, was that so wrong? They were so young. They were so scared. Drath after death was met with silent maw and trembling paws, when they were barely old enough to process the sight before them. Too young, really. They couldn't understand. They can't quite, still. The sight of cat-bodies still brings to mind mouseflesh. It's easier to think of it that way.

Why did no one comfort them? Why did those they looked to for guidance still bloody their paws?

Sunflowermask has killed. It was moons ago. It was unremarkable.

Their heart beats a frantic rabbitbreath chorus inside their chest. Their wide eyes burn a frightful molten shade in the sunlight. WindClan burns. It is unremarkable.

Everything is wrong. Life continues on. They return to where their nest once was and it is empty. The flowerstem from Petalpaw was eaten up, and he is gone. Everything is gone. The ground they walk upon is singed, and life continues on. They look around camp and everyone has blood on their paws, but life continues on. WindClan rebuilds, they pretend like nothing ever happened. Snakehiss is gone, and they are all the more glad for it.

They don't understand - why had he been allowed to stay in the first place? How many chances before someone becomes unsaveable? How can WindClan act like they are innocent?

Sunflowermask was a child. They did not know better. They tell themself that, and yet they still feel sick. Sick for tearing prey to bits in an imitation of brutality, sick for pulling the throat from the neck of a rogue, sick for promise they would keep an eye on the other apprentices, sick for watching and watching and doing nothing.

(Why did no one ever do anything?)

Why did it take so long? They feel bitter, they feel childish. The nursery is full of kits becoming soldiers much later than they ever had. Kits sheltered and shown kindness, mercy. Where was that when they were young? It is better now, they know; they do not begrudge the children their prosperity.

Still, they ache for it. Why must WindClan grow kinder now, when they have grown so much colder?

All that is left of the home they knew is a charred wasteland. New flowers are beginning to bloom from the dust. This is not the home they once knew. They were always running away from that one, sneaking out, longing for something better.

A better life has come far too late. Sunflowermask cannot bring themself to accept it anymore. They had grown too accustomed to hurting.

It is not a strange thing for the feline to slip away from their nest in the nights. They are a restless soul, after all.

And yet, when morning comes, they do not return.

‎‎┌── BROKE MY HEART TO SO MUCH AS TRY ☀︎ TO LIVE THE LIFE THAT LAY BEFORE ME ──┐‎

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  "SPEECH"
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• 
  SUNFLOWERMASK ☀︎ they / them, moor runner of windclan, twenty moons.
  ➳ lithe lilac tortoiseshell with messy fur and bright golden eyes.
  ➳ rarely speaks & has very muted expressions. dislikes physical touch.
  ➳ walks with a slight limp & tends to hold left forepaw off the ground when idle.
  ➳ rain x npc; half-sibling to vulturemask & littermate to goldenstrike & shadowrunner.
  ➳ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ➳ penned by SATURNID ↛ saturnids on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

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[Periwinklebreeze.]

PLAY US LIKE PAWNS AND RELENTLESSLY CONFINE
INTO LIVING UP TO GENDER ROLES AND HAVING ABSENT MINDS ​

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periwinklebreeze ❀ 22 moons ❀ demi-boy ❀ windclan queen ​

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periwinklebreeze is no strnager to nights spent tossing and turning, laying awake staring at the stars or soft paws carrying him wandering if only for lack of better things to do. Sleep evades him often, and o he is no stranger to the listlessness that rouses sunflowermask's paws. He watches them leave idly - only the knowledge that it's no longer his place to wander on nighttime hunts keeping him from offering his company, instead going quiet and still as golden furred frame vanishes. He spares no worry towards why sunflowermask might be leaving - only a passing thought that really, it'd be better if they'd at least taken someone with them, but content in the knowledge that they are a warrior now, and can surely keep their own.

That confidence - that contentment, it flees him the moment the sun begins to rise high in the sky, and there is still no sign of their return. Paws pace anxiously as the charcoal tom worries and frets, until it at least bubbles over in a sharp yowl that draws attention to them regardless of whatever inane conversations the others might have been having. The usually quiet queen has clearly worked themselves into a right state, panic blowing eyes wide as they all but ell at the nearest returning patrol. " Has anyone s-s-seen sunflowermask? They... th-they left for a walk - or a hunt or... or... i don't know, b-but that was last night, and it's b-been hours and th-they haven't come back! " voices grows louder with each word, tail lashing anxiously as guilt gnaws upon his belly.

And with slatehearts recent disappearance, can anyone blame him? What if whatever had gotten him had gotten them? Sunflowermask was as good as family in the boys mind - and with vulturemasks death, he'd taken the burden of responsibility for his psuedo-siblings. No matter how much stock they'd put into his words, and no matter his own failings, he'd truly meant it - he was supposed to protect them.

━ actions & " speech, " & 'thoughts/quotes' ━

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Don't you think it's funny how they tell us how to live?​

Don't you think it's funny how we're all delinquent kids?​

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[BLUEFROST]

Bluefrost rouses easily from her nest at Periwinklebreeze’s stuttering cry. She pushes herself away from the moss and peat, giving unruly white chest fur a flattening lick. Sunflowermask is missing. First Gravelsnap’s brother, and now this? She tastes the air near Sunflowermask’s nest, noting how stale the scent is now. The charcoal-brushed lead warrior insists they’d left at night for some kind of foray into the territory and hadn’t yet returned. Her thick gray tail swishes against the ground, aggravation wrinkling the space between her emerald eyes.

“Perhaps we should send out a search party,” she murmurs. Normally, WindClan would not raise such an alarm about a warrior missing for less than a day, but—Slateheart is gone, and the possibility that something could have happened to Sunflowermask is real. She turns to Periwinklebreeze, alert now and awaiting further instruction.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: —
• 
• Bluekit . Bluepaw . Bluefrost, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 16 moons old, ages realistically on the 14th.
  — mentored by Sootstar ; mentoring n/a ; previously mentored n/a.
  — windclan warrior. sootstar x weaselclaw, gen 2.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  lh blue and white she-cat with emerald eyes. aloof, dignified, poised, haughty, composed, distant.
  
  

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[kitecall.]

speaking color is #BBE8EF​

➾ KITEPAW. AND HOW CAN WE WIN WHEN FOOLS CAN BE KINGS? † ☼
𖤓 ✟ —— his head snaps around at a sudden cry from periwinklebreeze sounds throughout the windclan camp. "starclan….that can’t be good.." the thought swiftly crosses his mind. hearing this sort of panic and noise come from the queen was very unlike him, and kitepaw quickly finds himself making his way towards the scene of distress, fur pricking in worry. from what he could gather—wait, sunflowermask was missing too now? slateheart's recent vanishing was concerning enough, but two missing clanmates couldn't possibly be a coincidence now, could it? especially not in such a short period of time. of course, there was no guarantee that sunflowermask was even missing. maybe they had just fallen asleep somewhere outside of camp, or they’d be walking back in at any second with a mouthful of prey. kitepaw wants to give the benefit of the doubt even though he is faced with uncertainty.

"do you think there's something out there…?" the boy asks periwinklebreeze and bluefrost slowly, his voice unusually nervous compared to his typical confidence. what would he do if he was out training or hunting and something happened? kitepaw liked to think that he would be able to defend himself and his clanmates should something happen… but slateheart and sunflowermask were capable warriors, and he was barely an apprentice. if they were unable to defend themselves…. "no. don't think about that." surely the both of them were ok. and surely… that was the end of cats disappearing…. right? ”if a party goes out, i’d like to help look for sunflowermask… if that’s alright.” kitepaw offers. though he was never close with the warrior, he wanted to help. surely windclan was capable of just catching a break?

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‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── ooc ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ info ──┐‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

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• KITEPAW ✩ he/him, moor-runner apprentice of windclan, 7.5 moons old
  ⭃ average sized tomcat with light cream tabby markings. he has a white chest and half face. his fur is a medium length and he has large whiskers. his eyes are a light blue.
  ⭃ highly religious, stubborn and hard-working, kindhearted and charismatic, honest, diligent, foolish and impulsive when frustrated, will speak out when something feels unjust.
  ⭃ open to minor and minor nonviolent powerplay / / underline and tag when attacking ⇌ see his bio here
  ⭃ penned by @DOFFERZ! ⇌ doffloppa on discord, feel free to dm for plots. template credit to vayle.
  
  
  
  
  

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[WOLFSONG]

──ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ᨒ↟↟ᨒ── Wolfsong knows he cares for Sunflowermask. They were his first apprentice, and besides that, they gave Wolfsong his first gift— and he watched them grow from a curious kit to a thoughtful warrior. When they were injured in the twoleg trap, he had of course feared for their life, and later, for their future. It has never been a matter of debate whether they are important to him, even as his duties as medicine cat and parenthood tugged him from crossing paths as they once did.

And so of course he is concerned when he hears Periwinklebreeze talk of their absence, that they had left early and have yet to return. Slateheart's recent disappearance has Wolfsong wondering, like Bluefrost, if perhaps they have done the same and simply...turned their back on WindClan. But why would they do such a thing? Was this not their home, imperfect as it may be? Did they wake up and find that what once tied them here no longer holds?

No, no. It is foolish to conjecture so early without knowing anything yet. They could simply be taking a nap, or lost in thought, and Periwinklebreeze is making a mountain of an anthill.

"We should search, yes, and speak with Scorchstreak and Sunstar— though I do not think we should leap to the worst outcome." He inhales carefully, his one-eyed stare shifting from Bluefrost and Periwinklebreeze to the younger Kitepaw, volunteering his services. "That will be between you and Scorchstreak or Sunstar, though I doubt they would rebuff a volunteer."
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WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 42 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC. MATES WITH SUNSTAR (07/05/2023). BIOGRAPHY, PINTEREST, & PLAYLIST.

medicinal expertise med. part ii med. part iii med. part iv

• — ★★★☆☆ WOUNDS: You're (mostly) in safe paws. You'll know if he's less experienced if he asks for your permission to try a treatment. No wound can scare him away from knowledge.
  — ★★★☆☆ INFECTION: He can prevent most infections. If you feel feverish, let him know; he'll hum thoughtfully over herbs and sniff your wound before saying, "With your blessing..."
• — ★☆☆☆☆ ACHES & PAINS: If you complain to him of pain, he'll ask where. If it's a headache, you'll likely feel a bit better. For anything else, "Try this, if you'd like, and tell me how you feel."
  — ★☆☆☆☆ BROKEN BONES: At best. he can ask you to remain lying down in the den. He may try to distract you with conversation while he considers what herb to feed you.
• — ★★★★★ TRAVELING HERBS: Going somewhere? No worries; Wolfsong knows just what you need to stay hale and healthy during your journey. The rest is up to you.
  — ★★★☆☆ KITTING: Thanks to Starlingheart and his own pregnancy, he's better prepared for the arrival of kits, but any complications will need a little faith and a lot of luck.
• — ★☆☆☆☆ POISONS: It's best if you avoid eating anything unfamiliar to you— it's probably just as unfamiliar to Wolfsong. The best he can do is offer you yarrow and sit with you.
  — ★★☆☆☆ ILLNESS: If it's white or greencough, you'll likely recover. Otherwise, prepare for odd concoctions and the usual request that you consent to a little trial-and-error.

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[cottonsprig]

Sunflowermask is a long time friend of Cottonpaw's. They would spend countless hours together in their kitten days, one listening while the other talked the sunlight away. Perhaps they were even bound together by threads of fate - two sides of a coin unknowingly so similar. Cottonpaw would confide in her friend whatever troubled her and she always hoped that Sunflowermask would do the same but - did they? In their silence and comfort, had they ever expressed fear or worry? Discomfort, mistreatment? Cottonpaw doesn't recall. Even in the coming moments she cannot discern how unequal their friendship truly came to be.

"They left...?" Cottonpaw sidles up in beside her mentor, eyebrows knit together. She's selfish in her thoughts - Slateheart's disappearance is worrying, yes, but she finds more pain in her friend's. First the fire, then the mutiny, and now this? Cottonpaw does not dare to think Sunflowermask would continue the streak of disobedience but... If not that, then what? Is her friend truly still out in the territory, and they're worrying over nothing - or were they stolen by whatever must've taken Slateheart away? She swallows the lump of fear in her throat, ears pinning back. If it was voluntary, they wouldn't have left without telling her. Right?

"Maybe they fell asleep in the moors. The sun rises earlier now - maybe the warmth lulled them to sleep?" Cottonpaw tries to be a starlit hope for her Clanmates, even when her own heart tremors with the unknown.
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