development why are you here ;; murder

[hyacinthbreath]

NOTE: Please don't reply until permission is given! This thread will be private until the main stuff is done and over with, and then the two chosen patrol members on both sides will deal with the situation. This is NOT a border skirmish, where people can jump into the fight willy-nilly. With that being said, I'll let y'all know when you can reply. /gen
TW: Bad language, really horrible insults, bad injuries.

TAGS ON RIVERCLAN'S SIDE: @LIGHTNINGSTONE @Cindershade
TAGS ON WINDCLAN'S SIDE: @Juniperfrost @WOLFSONG @SOOTCHASER
Patrol members, don't reply until asked to, please!

---

The river sloshing against her paws is comforting, to say the least; she finds comfort in the way the water laps at her paws, cooling them down from the aching pain in her toes. Lightningstone and Cindershade aren't too far away, having been tasked with watching her on this hunting patrol so she could learn how to fish properly. Violet-tinted hues flick over the reed-covered lands she now lived, adoration in her eyes- only dirtied by the flash of guilt that soon passes right after. Her children were stuck in that hellhole, but they chose to stay- chose to pick their loyalties, and Hyacinthbreath couldn't find it in herself to deny them that right. However, that didn't mean that she still didn't struggle with her own place in this big world.

Coldsnap and Coalfoot were the last of her friends that were exiled from WindClan, aside from Vulturemask- but she supposed the medicine cat wasn't a friend anymore. He was loyal to Sootstar, and wouldn't disobey her for someone who'd betrayed her Clan. Her eyes shut as she sighs, marking the wooden bridge that separated WindClan's territory from RiverClan's. She's always wondered if it was owned by any specific side, or if the river itself laid claim to the twoleg's creation. Her nose presses to the wood, a soft prayer to the river not from her paws.

Take care of them, please. Whoever.. Or whatever, is listening. She prayed softly, backing away from the bridge to look around once more. The sound of footsteps catches her attention soon, and pupils slit in annoyance as a familiar pelt makes his way over to the other side of the bridge. Smirking.

"Well, if it isn't the leech." Hyacinthbreath huffs softly to herself, preparing to turn and walk away from the bridge in favor of avoiding an issue. Not now, not now. She couldn't deal with this right now. Looking at him made her want to explode.
​

❝ there are wounds inside me, gaping holes of disconnect.
can you drown inside your own body? can you suffocate within this mind? ❞

 

[Juniperfrost]

Border patrols with RiverClan were a pain. He despised the scent of them, the very sight of them, at least most clans faked pleasantries in passing but the fools across the water only shot back remarks and barbed jabs to any who might come across them. He still remembers the patrol where those whimpering idiots tried to apologize for mauling on of the river cats over a rabbit; prey rightfully belonging to WindClan. He remembers the bleedinghearts crying out to think of the children, the apprentices who had bravely fought under orders of their lead warrior. He despises the lot of them, would sooner enjoy watching them perish than tolerate their company. Juniperfrost snorts, there are no whisping clouds to his breath now, newleaf approached and with it promise. Promise for a better future, WindClan's strength returning so that they may continue to challenge the other clans that dare consider themselves superior.
He hates that he has to witness the silver molly across the river, just the sight of her alone is enough to boil his blood. Sootstar granted her a mercy in leaving, they should have killed her on the spot. Killed her and every cat who wept for her, slain the traitors before they became an issue. Too long did the bad blood course through moorland veins, he wanted it all purged and with a smile of satisfaction in face of her smirking he realized it had been.
"How many bodies did you leave behind you think? Safe in your new little clan, protected by the river and this lone bridge." Moons before Weaselclaw had crossed this to punish RiverClan for their misdeeds, "How does it feel to know you abandoned the other traitors to die? That they may all be rotting in fields by now? Tigerfrost nearly ripped that healer's paw clean off-no doubt it's festered away by now if he even lives to suffer it. Your previous apprentice? A waste, carrion. That sleepy, lazing idiot Coalfoot probably bled out fully by now. Funny you call me a leech..." Juniperfrost's ice blue eyes blaze bright, for once a smile graces his maw, "There's still filth yet to be removed. Perhaps I take it into my own paws...you've a son left there don't you? Weak, sickly, pathetic...not even fit for the crows."
​

 

[hyacinthbreath]

She should have known the stupid tom would have an opinion and voice it aloud. Part of her wonders why she didn't bite his tongue out the last time she saw him, so he'd never be able to speak nonsense any longer. At least, he could blubber his way through life like the pitiful little bug he was. She halts when he speaks, however, listening to him with a stoic expression on her face- her back turned to him, though she soon turns and rolls her eyes at the tom. How many bodies did you leave behind you think? Safe in your new little clan, protected by the river and this lone bridge. He speaks again, blubbering and blabbering that big fat mouth of his; she wanted to tie his jaws shut then. His voice grating on her ears. She would not give him the luxury of a response yet, thinks idly about turning around and heading back to Lightning and Cinder, back to safety.

But Hyacinthbreath was always a hot tempered one, always led by her emotions.

How does it feel to know you abandoned the other traitors to die? That they may all be rotting in fields by now? Tigerfrost nearly ripped that healer's paw clean off-no doubt it's festered away by now if he even lives to suffer it. He speaks again, a smile gracing his maw- Hyacinthbreath turns to face the tom with an irritated twitch to her tail. Dandelionwish wouldn't fall so easily, he was smart. "I will never forgive myself for leaving behind my family, but I will never regret standing up against you, Weaselclaw, and Sootstar." She replies simply, not giving the benefit of a snarky smirk or grimace in disgust. Her tail whisps behind her, looking back over her shoulder to continue keeping an eye on the two cats tasked to her. Marking the borders. Hurry up.. She thinks to her clanmates, inhaling a sharp breath.

Silence envelops the two of them, Hyacinth purposely making it awkward for the tom. Let him run his mouth, let him.

Your previous apprentice? A waste, carrion. That sleepy, lazing idiot Coalfoot probably bled out fully by now. Funny you call me a leech... "Shut up, Juniperfrost." Hyacinthbreath snaps suddenly, the fur along her spine rising as her skin grows hot with bubbling fury. There it was, the trigger- it snaps like a weak branch, the small molly leaving her safety in favor of marching up onto the bridge- remaining on RiverClan's side of the wooden archway. She wasn't stupid, after all. "What did I say I'd do if I saw your ugly face again? Ah, that's right. I'd fucking gut you." Thick, deep accented tune drawls as the smaller molly paces along the border like an angry tiger. Oh, she wanted to rip his face off..

There's still filth yet to be removed. Perhaps I take it into my own paws...you've a son left there don't you? Weak, sickly, pathetic...not even fit for the crows.

Oh, now he's done it.

"Bring your cocky ass over this border and see how fast I tear into you, Hosenscheißer!" It's a blatant threat, and with Juniperfrost's ego, she knew he'd either step over the border to fight or attempt to draw her over it. But luckily for him, she's not moving from her side. Cicadastar had a better handle on her than one would think. Impatient, she shouts with bared fangs. "LEAVE MY SON'S NAME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!" She snarls, saliva dripping from the side of her lips as she zeroes in on him. Come on, come on. Jump first. I fucking dare you, you pissbaby.​

❝ there are wounds inside me, gaping holes of disconnect.
can you drown inside your own body? can you suffocate within this mind? ❞

 

[Juniperfrost]

She would always be just a loud little ingrate to him, a parasite; small and pervasive. She kept speaking about standing up to cats when she was merely weak-willed and wrong.
"You never deserved WindClan. A clan of strong, noble cats. You are a simpering little whelp with a softheart who thinks apprentices are kittens to be coddled and warriors are your children; pathetic. Disgraceful. RiverClan can have you, let them enjoy you until you feel they too are too harsh and leave to be a spoiled kittypet with a bow around her neck." Each word was spit, hissed with venom, the smirk never left his maw; his teeth a stark white contrast upon a dark muzzle and black lips as he continued on. She was goading him, but he was not as willing to be callous as she was, he would never break orders as she boldly decided herself above. Juniperfrost was a tom who cared enough about rules to follow them while Hyacinthbreath was nothing more than a rogue with a clan name at this point. She was clawing at the bridge, frothing with rage.
"Gut me? I would threaten you the same but you're gutless, hot air and untempered. A waste of WindClan's time and mine." Blue paws scuffed the edge of the bridge, amusement danced across his gaze as he tilted his head up proudly; high above where her small stature could even raise her gaze.
"No. I don't think I will. I think I'll be going back to WindClan and asking to mentor your son so we can properly acclimate him. Or he can die trying." The ticked tom turned, tail flicked dismissively behind him to head back to where the rest of his patrol was.
​

 

[hyacinthbreath]

Hyacinthbreath exhaled a heavy breath after her yell, teeth gritting- did he enjoy this? Getting this reaction out of her? She would show him.. Show him, show him, Show Him! She doesn't deserve WindClan? "You're right. WindClan deserves better than me and the Mad Queen that leads it. All of the Clans here do." She spoke calmly once more, though the bubbling fury is evident in her eyes. "When I helped Sootstar bring WindClan to the Moorlands, I would never have expected her to turn into the paranoid, tyrant of cat she is now. Only cats like her thrive in that type of environment." Hyacinthbreath takes a step forward, smiling ever so slightly for once. Kittypet, Kittypet, Kittypet.

"I think you're fishing, buddy." She chimes, suddenly launching herself forward in an attempt to bite down on his fluffy throat fur, with the intention of using the downward incline of the bridge to her advantage to redistribute her weight and yank him forward onto the RiverClan side of the border. If successful, Hyacinthbreath would stand in the way of the way of safety; blocking the WindClan border. A manic grin reaches her lips, tail lashing behind her. Eyes wide, flickers of lights- and then she waits. Waits for the look of panic, for him to insult her again.

"Oopsie.. You're on the wrong side of the border, Juniperfrost. Talking about my son.. He'll be fine without you. Better than the kin you have, at least. Where is your son, by the way?"​

❝ there are wounds inside me, gaping holes of disconnect.
can you drown inside your own body? can you suffocate within this mind? ❞

 

[Juniperfrost]

Hyacinthbreath preached like she pledged her loyalty: wasting both time and air with her hypocrisy. There are teeth on his scruff as he moves to leave, his own weight used against him and the bridge hits his side to send him rolling back to leap upward onto his feet once more.
Across the bridge.
"You WRETCHED-" His words cut off into a furious yowl of rage, a sound he never expected to make but the audacity of her display was nothing less than dishonorable. To drag him across the boundary so that she could play the loyal RiverClan defender and not the lying traitor that she was and always would be; did she think forcing him into battle with her made her superior? Because she was beneath him even moreso now.
She speaks of sons, lineage, it was true that Coyotepaw had betrayed him so harshly he might never have a legacy to leave behind and he laughs in her face at her attempts to goad him, "I have no son. A farcry better than the pathetic waste you discarded back in the moors." If he was to leave through her then so be it, he would cut her to ribbons and remove one more mistake that had been made when the clans were new and fresh; this ex-loner should have been slaughtered where she stood when she joined rather than being allowed on the queen's council.
Juniperfrost lunged forward to try and throw them both into a tangle of limbs, his claw swung upward toward her face from beneath her jaw and then struck back down just as fast-he wanted her smug look removed and if he had to do it then he would.
​

 

[hyacinthbreath]

// tw/cw for minor gore!

High-pitched and nasally is the laugh that pours from the silvery molly's lips as she manages to get her nemesis on her side of the border; eyes wide with glee at this chance. Right here, right now- she could end it all. Her torture, her agony- it could all end in this moment. A chance she finds too sweet to pass up. Honor meant nothing when the person you're fighting had none- getting down and dirty, wasn't that how she taught Coldsnap in the first place? There was no fairness in battle, when your opponent had no honor to speak of. Chivalry was dead.

A sharp pain shoots up her jaw as she comes to once more, distracted momentarily by the raging thoughts of glee. Wretched, he calls her- and despite the agonizing pain, a howl of laughter ricochet's in her throat. "My son is more loyal, more kind, stronger than either of us, Juniperfrost. And he'll show everyone, one day!" The whine of her voice simmers as blood drips to the ground, chunks of flesh hanging from her face- and yet she continues to grin like a madman, teeth exposed through the sliced array in her cheek. Hyacinth spits out blood then, levelling her gaze with Juniperfrost's own- heaving a heavy breath in.

"...Puny." She cackles, accented voice deepening before she launches her tiny body forward once more. Used to the mushy ground, the marshy texture beneath her paws. She's quick to lash out with her own claws, aiming to batter them against his nose and eyes in attempt to make him back up further- towards a rock behind him. If he could trip over, she could get an advantage- do it, do it, do it! She wanted to feel him bleed, she wanted to make him pay- it would all be over, soon. She could finally feel peace! Soon, soon!​

❝ there are wounds inside me, gaping holes of disconnect.
can you drown inside your own body? can you suffocate within this mind? ❞

 

[Juniperfrost]

He did not want to hear talk of loyalty from a cat like her, whose loyalties seemingly changed on a whim, who could not decide where to place her support until the last moment; cowardly choosing the sides that benefit her bleedingheart morals more. He'd never despised a cat as much as her: the epitome of everything he stood against. Weak, soft, loud without purpose, traitorous and preachy despite that. Juniperfrost regrets holding his tongue and claws when she first struck him several moons prior, he almost feels anger at Sootstar for just allowing her to walk away rather than put her down like the filth she was.

"Loyal to what? That weak-minded medicine cat? To you? To that mate of yours who simply vanished without a trace? If only you had followed in her footsteps, WindClan would be better for it, but instead you went groveling to our enemies for aid! Let them have you, you're NOTHING!"
Perhaps it was his own hubris that lead to him not realizing he was being pushed purposefully, his dodging her and swinging claws back as she kept darting back and forth and forcing him to step back to avoid her were all a foolish dance in his eyes. She had nothing on him, he was larger and more powerful than she was; he was a hardened veteran of warfare, he'd put down many a kittypet in the Great Battle. It is the final strike to his nose that has him stumble back, legs catching the rock and his entire body knocked off-balance; he is aware of his folly as he slams down against the ground on his back, underbelly exposed and his claws brandish on all four paws in a bid to prevent her striking downward, slashing violently at whatever cut of silver fur and flesh he could sink them into.
​

 

[hyacinthbreath]

⋆⍋ // Patrols can reply now! Permission to powerplay is given by Rai. TW for violent death & gore.

Hyacinthbreath can only hear the roaring in her ears, the pulsating of her blood that makes her quiver from the adrenaline that rushed through her. He falls, swiping wildly at her- and Hyacinthbreath lunges onto him. Claws dig into her shoulder, shredding into them- a wince of pain drawn out. And yet, she continues nonetheless, teeth latching into the toms neck and snapping tightly closed. Life bubbles beneath her jaws, and she clenches harder- claws digging into the toms sides for leverage until her head wrenches sideways harshly and tears backwards- ripping a chunk of meat out of the tom's throat.

She waits for the bubbling blood, watching it spill out- and yet he still struggles beneath her. So, with her back claws, she pummels his stomach until fur gives way to skin, and skin gives way to blood and muscle- leaking out. Her teeth let go momentarily, only to let her front paws connect with the sides of his head- lifting it up and using her body weight to bash it into the rock beneath him over and over again.

"You!" Hyacinth screams, tears slipping down her cheeks as the manic smile spreads wider. "Don't know me! Don't know my kits!" Pound, pound, bam! "Don't know what I've been through, don't know the things I've done! What I've sacrificed!" Silence. Nothing comes from the tom, and yet she kept pounding nonetheless- hammering his head into the rock until the light fades from his eyes. Her sides heave, wheezing heavily.

...And then she hears footsteps, can hear someone talking in her ears- paws grasping at her sides and trying to grab her attention. No, she wasn't done- "Let me go- I'm not done. I'm not done!"​

 

[Cindershade]

She had been so foolish to let something like this happen, to let Hyacinthbreath be within her own merits as she leaves her to hunt. She had trailed after Lightningstone while spreading apart to find a good fishing spot. Hyacinthbreath was left by the Two-Leg bridge to try there, as some fish decided to hide within the group of thick posts to support the bridge in the reeds that grew at the bottom. She's busy within her mind, focused on the crystalline edges when a sounds echoes and grates her ears. Her fur is instantly bristling, eyes widened as she whips her head towards where Hyacinthbreath was. "Lightningstone! There's trouble!" The molly yowls to the disheveled gray tom who lingered a bit away. She's moving before he replies to her, paws thundering again the pebble-laiden earth and kicked up from behind her.
The sickly scent of blood is pungent, followed by the air was WindClan on the breeze. Rage ignites the kindling flame in her chest till it's a raging fire, burning through her muscles and seeping into the tips of razor-sharp claws. Muscles tense as she sprints closer, catching the end of the scene before her. What she sees is not what she's expecting, but it was still an unforgettable sight nonetheless. Cindershade slows her pace, as Hyacinthbreath bashes the form of a cat against a large stone. Splatters of blood fly around the smaller molly, staining her silver fur. She's screaming at him, screaming manically and—laughing. The rosetted warrior's eyes grew wide at the sound, a dark evil that'd haunt the very nightmares of some. It's enough to send an ice cold chill up her own spine. "Hyacinthbreath." She murmurs, edging towards the warrior. Stop her. He's dead. "Hyacinthbreath, stop. He's gone. You killed him." Her shaded paws move closer to the murder scene before her, but her friend does not hear her. Her brows furrow in a mixture of concern and anger, finally aiming to grasp at her. "Hyacinthbreath! Stop! Stop it now!" The lead warrior commands, an edge of a snarl ripping from her throat when her previous words fell upon deaf ears. She prays Lightningstone isn't far behind her. It was clear she was going to need help. The molly finally answers when she's pulled back, screaming at Cindershade for her to let go but she does not yield. The gray tom was nothing but a muddled mess of blood and fur, his mangled features hardly recognizable. What was he doing on their side of the river?
She has no time to ponder over such things, right now all she can do is get Hyacinthbreath away from the situation. "I SAID STOP IT. HE'S GONE, HYCAINTH. YOU'VE GOT HIM. HE'S DEAD. PLEASE STOP." A scream is tearing from her vocal chords now, a shuddering and trembling tone shaking her words. The warrior aims to shoulder the silver molly away from the body she continued to mutilate, scorching green flames boring into Hyacinthbreath's features. How long would she have gone till she was finally done? Evidently this tom was someone of her past. Cindershade tries not to look at the crumpled body behind her, only staring at her friend with a near pleading expression twisting her features. "Breathe, Hyacinth. Look at me. Look at me. It's done, my friend."
​

[ SILENCE IS DEAFENING ]​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──⇌•〘 INFO 〙 This was meant to be a simple patrol. Part of Wolfsong had hoped that, in their inspection of the border, he would catch sight of the broad-shouldered Houndsnarl and reprise their playful banter. Despite the tensions between their clans, there is no animosity between them; their insults were rather like jests, even if other participants hadn't quite seen it that way. But he should have remembered that many of WindClan's exiles have taken up roots on the other side of the river— and still left remnants of their replanting in WindClan.

It is far too easy at times to forget that there is a long, storied history Wolfsong was not part of. Juniperfrost is crushed under it, motionless and awash in flying crimson under the maddened violence of a screeching RiverClanner. Wolfsong has seen far more brutal ends, but he had not thought these clan cats capable of anything similar— and perhaps they aren't, not without first reaching a fracturing. The crazed set of her face is not a calm cruelty, and as Wolfsong's paws tear the distance of the bridge, her visage is all the more unsettling. Crying and smiling all at once, as though the halves of her are at a dissonance.

One of her clanmates pulls her away from Juniperfrost's mauled body, and though there is a temptation to lunge for the attacker's eyes as she's hindered by the other RiverClanner, he refrains. "Sunnvar!" He bellows, chaos momentarily wiping clean the bloodied soil of their argument, "take his scruff!" There is no time to stop and mourn for their lost warrior, loyal to the end; they need to recover his body for a proper vigil, and Wolfsong is not convinced that they can do so unharassed. "Get him back to our side of the bridge and I'll help you carry him from there."

Until then, he positions himself between the fallen warrior and the RiverClanners, body held low in preparation for battle.
​

 

[SUNSTAR]

Sunstride had been far less keen to come upon this journey. Though there is no hatred between them in his own heart, WindClan does not seem to agree. He may find distaste for their help to SkyClan, but the rest of his clan is filled with more than this. It is rage, distaste and violence. Juniperfrost has been the cusp of this for so many moons. He had thought that Wolfsong at least would settle the hatred some. He is one who loves other clans, their peace an offering easily taken by him.

There would be no hiding the fact that he thought there was more to it. For what reason might he volunteer, except to find the same face that had so occupied him at the Gathering? He does not know the name, but he does know of the whispers he'd sought out.

To think the warrior had thought it would end at this. That this burden of pain would end at just that, and nothing more. Instead, jaws glide forth and everything breaks. "Juniperfrost," he remembers snapping, clipped and cold. It had been meant as a command, yet it was one that came too late. The traitor that he had never known does as it would seemed she always would. Ever the monster, the murderer– even further, his mentality shifts. Anger and rage begin to boil over. Were it not his dear friend that stood between his body and the cats that now cluster back on the RiverClan border, he might have gone for more than her eyes. It is not the order that he follows, but the certainty of his steadiness. Even in this moment, the wheaten warrior is a place of stability.

It must help that they are as accustomed to this as anything else. Sunstride sinks his teeth to a limp, cooling scruff, and hauls backwards. His claws scrabble at the worn wood, heaving him back from the border and this polluted stench that mixes with the blood.

﹥ˏˋ〘  OOC NOTES INFORMATION 〙ˊˎ﹤

• ooc: —
• SUNSTRIDE. named for his coloration and his bold chasing of fate.
  —— cis male, he - him. thirty-six moons old. lead warrior of windclan and former rogue.
  —— gay, but somewhat closeted. will not be open about his interests.  single, will be so.
  —— seems comparatively stranger than who he was some moons ago, serious and cool.
  
  sunstride is broad and bold– a creature standing above most of windclan, though not a beast beyond its borders, with fur that flames red at its base and deepens to a burnt amber with every whorl and stripe. his eyes, in comparison, are a pale summer's blue, still as bold as the rest of him.
• "speech"

​