WHO SHOT THE SHERIFF // shot

[Sunnyday]

☀ - WHILST MY HEART STILL BEATS
THWACK!
Again the noise reached Sunnyday's ears. It was unnatural and set his nerves on edge, but curiosity urged him to seek out the source. The male took a cautious step onto the worn path that cut through the wood and led up to the bridge. Normally he wouldn't stray out so far alone, but today he had. The noise was getting louder, closer in fact. A strange smell reached his nose, and after pushing his way through a patch of brambles he discovered a tree trunk with a large, colourful... splotch? The tom tilted his head to the side as he examined the strange substance dripping down the tree, and during his moment of distraction he was suddenly struck hard on his left thigh. A yowl of pain broke from his lungs as he recoiled back against the trunk, but more splashes of colour rained around him causing panic and confusion. He broke into a sprint and bolted away from the scene and away from the noise.

His lungs and muscles were burning by the time he came to a stop near the outskirts of the camp, and as the adrenaline began to ebb he became painfully aware of how sore his thigh actually was. Sunnyday sucked a hiss of breath through his clenched teeth as he peered back at the patch of wet pink fur. Just what had he been hit with? He went to lick it but the vile taste made him flinch away with a violent gag. "BLEH!" What a day this was turning out to be!

//Summary: he's been hit with a paintball. His injury is just severe bruising of his leg.​

 

[emberstar]

"AND THOUGH THE EMBERS ARE NEW, WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T LET THE FIRE DIE"​

Emberstar's ears perked up. The patter of paws sprinting through the forest met it. Worry clouded her gaze in an instant as her head swiveled to find the source of the sound. Someone might be in trouble, on her territory.

She broke out into a sprint, racing out of camp to find the source of the sound. Fortunately, it came to her. Sunnyday burst from the underbrush, breathing hard and looking terrified. She skidded to a stop in front of him, eyes wide. She scanned his form for injuries, only to find a strange pink goup amassed around his thigh. She blinked, staring at the strange substance. Too confused to say a word as the tom attempted to lick it clean and flinched in revulsion.

"What happened?" she breathed. This was unlike anything she had ever seen, but something had clearly scared one of her warriors out of his wits, and she needed to know what. "Does that stuff... hurt?" she added hesitantly. It didn't look like it did, but she had no way of knowing.​

⁎ ✦ ★ ✦ ⁎​

 

[BERRYHEART]

Thunderclap echoed, but the skies were clear. Haunted for a moment, Berryheart was reminded of the booming sounds that had been heard from RiverClan's side of the border a few weeks ago. Dappled ears stood to attention, swivelled to locate the source of the sound- white-toed paws carried him in the general direction, not long after Sparky. It was not a long walk until he found the victim- though he appeared to be walking fine, albeit just a little bit stilted. Fictive brows furrowed in brief concern for this invisible injury- that was until it proved itself entirely visible, a horrible smudge of claret right before him- he should have smelled it, he was going to faint-

"That's..." Eyes having squeezed shut, his lazy one creaked open to realise that what was splattered across Leggy's thigh was not red but pink. "...not blood." Quite an obvious observation in hindsight, but if it was no wound, what was it? Disgust still stained subtle upon his features, though it had lessened, accompanies with the slightest verdant-in-olivine spark of intrigue.​

[ PENNED BY PIN ]​

 

[Sunfreckle]

He practically swallowed his mouse in surprise at the sudden sharp bang of thunder that rumbled across the forest, it had him pressing himself to the ground in alarm and reflexively biting into the prey he was on the way home with; the burst of warm blood made his fur prickle uneasily as he imagined what might have made such a noise. Two-leg sticks with their horrible projectiles? Some kind of beast? Some kind of danger? Fear made him want to hurry home, but the sure of protectiveness in his chest at the idea of allowing any threat to linger when his kits were at camp and so close had him instead rising to stand and hurry over. The red tabby arrived to the sound of familiar voices, easing most of his concerns but also emphasizing his uncertainty.
Sunfreckle dropped his mouse to speak, "What happ-oh Stars! What's that stuff?" Sunnyday had some kind of strange blemish on his side, a bright pink color that did not look too unsimilar to the pink scarring on his own body but it had an acrid aroma that wrinkled his nose as he got closer.
It seemed oddly familiar though, it reminded him of the white walls around his cage at the shelter-how sometimes the two-legs came in and coated them in new white when the surfaces got too dark or dingy. He shook his head and offered a light paw nudge to the shoulder, "Are you okay?"

​

 

[Sunnyday]

☀ - WHILST MY HEART STILL BEATS
Sunnyday nearly jumped out of his own fur when Emberstar approached, his focus having been rather intently set on his leg and his nerves still frayed from the earlier scare. His poor heart didn't need any more excitement that day. "I got hit by... something. I suggest keeping today's patrols away from the bridge for the sake of their safety." He warned, naturally more concerned for everyone else. He had gotten off with a sore thigh and a new splash of colour, but an apprentices could potentially be at higher risk of greater injury if targeted by the twoleg wandering the path.

"It hurt when it hit me, but this stuff isn't causing me any further pain." At least he wasn't registering any further discomfort beyond the bruise forming and the horrid feeling of sticky paint clinging to his thinning pelt. Berryheart and Sunfreckle arrived, though neither seemed to know what he was covered in anyway. But Berryheart was right, it wasn't blood, thankfully! Feeling a touch on his shoulder he then straightened up and offered a soft smile. "I think I'm going to be alright. Just rattled and a bit sore. I just don't know how to get this stuff off of me. I don't even know what it is." If his father had still been alive then he might have broached the query to him, given that his father had been a kittypet.

Determined to rid himself of the paint he flopped down on the ground on his side and scooted across the grass, smearing pink across the earth and unfortunately down the length of his tail. Standing up, he then looked back in dismay as he came to realise that things had become all the worse! "Oh fox dung!"​

 

[BERRYHEART]

Though stories often left him drowsy, this one was... interesting, to say the least. Something that stain you with not-quite-blood, yet cause no further harm beyond that? Some miracle, really! Perhaps he had simply gotten lucky, and this substance had struck somewhere that could not feel pain. No, no- that could not be it, for Leggy said he was sore, implying that there was a small sensation. Fascinating, truly- was this another Twoleg device, mysterious as they were?

Backwards did he lean slightly as Leggy collapsed to the ground, writhing furiously in a feverish attempt to rid himself of his bother. Yet all it did was smear the ground and spread the splash of pink even further across his pelt, leaving the fur a spiky sunset hue. In thought his askew gaze narrowed, lit by the slightest murmur of humour- and after a few moments, as if a flame was struck anew in his mind, an uneven olivine gaze snapped up. "Can you swim?" Asked directly, he figured the implications of such a question were obvious... though If anyone asked for an explanation, he would gladly provide one.​

[ PENNED BY PIN ]​

 

[Sunnyday]

☀ - WHILST MY HEART STILL BEATS
Could he swim? Sunnyday couldn't say that he had ever tried, but he sussed what Berryheart was suggesting. It was actually a good idea, in theory anyway, but what if the water didn't work? What if in his desperate bid to remove the paint he ended up drowning instead? He heaved a long sigh before straightening himself up. "I... I've never tried swimming before, so probably no. Though maybe if the water is shallow... should we head to the river?" He didn't want to go on his own out of fear of attracting further bad luck.​