WILL I STILL RECOIL — open

Snakehiss had departed the medicine den a cat forever changed. Everything he ever knew had been uprooted in what felt like an instant. His status in WindClan, his authority, his expecting mate, many cats he had grown up with... now were all gone. All Snakehiss had left was his dignity, but even maintaining that was a struggle now that he was put under surveillance.

Still, Snakehiss had to try and navigate this new way of living. He could not mope about in camp forever. "I wish to leave camp." The former deputy meows aloud as he stands near the exit of the hollow. It was not a question, but a request. Viridian eyes flit about his clanmates with an expectancy that is not quite as entitled as it may have once been, but perhaps a silent plea to simply just tag along and leave it at that. It's bad enough that Snakehiss has to have a chaperone while leaving the Sandy Hollow; he does not want to resort to throwing himself to the floor and begging for the basic right to leave camp.

  • retro to this thread
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    *
    snakehiss
    he/him; moor runner of windclan
    long-limbed black tom with green eyes, a small white chest patch, and multiple scars
    "speech", thoughts, attack
    link to full tags; @ on discord or dm @beaaats for plots!​
 
Even as one who had not stayed with Sootstar until nearly the end, Sparkspirit agrees that this new WindClan is difficult to navigate. Suddenly he is no longer the child of traitors. Both of his parents have returned, prodigal heroes, and Larkfeather's loss is mourned by many of his clanmates. It was weird. It was wrong. How was he supposed to let go of all that had happened to him? How were they meant to just move on? In the end, he supposes it's meant to go much like it had with Snakehiss. They saw Sootstar. They saw her for what she was, and all that she would ever be. Her power and her madness, all of her strength and her glory, ended swiftly and buried. So too would they have to bury the past.

Though in the midst of a meal, freshly returned from a patrol of his own, the rust-patched tom looks up with curious expectation and not a hint of malice. Some of the others surely would have made him beg for it. Maybe they even thought that he would deserve such a thing. But in between bites of his mouse, the moor runner simply asks: "Where are we going? Finish the mouse so I can go with." He paws it towards him the way that a clanmate would. Maybe even a friend.
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  • OOC.
  • 🗲  .   ˚ .  SPARKSPIRIT. HE - HIM - HIS. 17 MOON OLD MOOR RUNNER OF WINDCLAN. VERY LOYAL TO HIS CLAN. PENNED BY REVELATIONS.  ————
    sparkchibi.png
    ——  a trim mock tortoiseshell tom with mostly black fur splashed with the occasional patch orange. he has a singular white mark on the back of his neck shaped similarly to a lightning strike, and a small scar across the bridge of his nose. his eyes are a shocking electric blue.
    ✦ ECHOLIGHT x ELMBREEZE. ADOPTED BY YEWBERRY. BRIGHTFAM, BUT SOMEWHAT ESTRANGED DUE TO HIS LOYALTY TO WINDCLAN. ————————
  • "speech"
 
──ᨒ↟↟ᨒ↟ᨒ↟↟ᨒ── Wolfsong can admit he derived a fair amount of satisfaction from keeping Snakehiss in the medicine den, though because they remain clanmates –despite his temporary loyalty to Sootstar– he has made an effort to stifle that gratification. Seeing the proud fool laid low, he has reasoned with himself that most of his insufferable behavior occurred as an apprentice, and he should not deny growth because of past infractions— yet the question remains whether Snakehiss has improved. His betrayal of Sootstar might satisfy some, but Wolfsong isn't quite convinced that wasn't self-preservation recognizing Sunstar as the better path.

He will simply keep his eye on him, as he has always done.

His gaze tracks Sparkspirit's offering of the mouse, then shifts to the black warrior's face. Interesting that his request to leave lacks the haughtiness Wolfsong would have expected. Perhaps he has learned a degree of humility, then. "I may force you both to join my herb-hunt," he says, still studying Snakehiss' face.
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WOLFSONG of WINDCLAN FORMER ROGUE TURNED MEDICINE CAT. 41 MOONS, HE/HIM, NPC X NPC. MATES WITH SUNSTRIDE (07/05/2023). BIOGRAPHY, PINTEREST, & PLAYLIST.
  • ★★★☆☆ 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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Maybe it was naive of him to be so openly willing to forgive the cats who had once screamed for blood and spilled it in Sootstar's name so openly, but he found he could not keep hatred in his heart in regards to those who lingered still - from Sedgepounce's return, to Badgermoon's surprising revival to Snakehiss who had found some sense of honor before teetering over the edge and drowning in the shadows the ashen queen left in her wake. Bearpaw knew he should be more cautious but he moved gingerly forward without much of it at all as he sidled up alongside Wolfsong and regarded the other cats present. Snakehiss wished to leave, Sparkspirit would join and he would immediately volunteer to come along with as the medicine cat spoke, "Me too. More mouths to carry things, yes?"
Wolfsong wanting herbs meant they would go to where the grass was trying to grow once more, the flowers making effort to rise above the surface again - he could find more poppy flowers, he might get a few for Downypaw as well.

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    Bearpaw
    —⊰⋅ Apprentice of WindClan
    —⊰⋅ He/Him
    "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
    —⊰⋅ SH Chocolate Rosette Tabby w/blue eyes.

 
༄༄ The idea of allowing Snakehiss outside of WindClan’s camp is one that the lead warrior would readily deny, were he being treated as a prisoner rather than a warrior under observation. Sparkspirit’s immediate offer to go with him is another point in the black-furred tom’s favor, to her disappointment. It is clear that none of WindClan’s warriors can feasibly hold Snakehiss to the highest degree of punishment, especially after he’d reportedly turned on Sootstar in defense of Sparkspirit in the end. She stands as Wolfsong speaks of having them aid him in collecting herbs, her golden gaze flitting between each of the surrounding cats. She considers fetching Pinkpaw, but the healer’s proclaimed “herb-hunt” sounds rather uninteresting. Her apprentice will probably speculate being left out.

"I’ll come along as well," she flicks her tail to confirm the offer to join them, though her expression remains closed-off. Not unfriendly, but also not pretending to be happy to escort Snakehiss anywhere. Forgiveness may be a virtue that Sunstar preaches readily, but Scorchstreak will not allow forgiveness to stand in the way of vigilance. "What herbs would we be searching for, Wolfsong?" She pointedly does not look at Sparkspirit or Snakehiss—only Bearpaw and Wolfsong receive the touch of a fiery stare. The clan is recovering, still, and she is certain that Wolfsong and Cottonpaw could use all the herbs they can get. Let’s get this done, then.
 
Burying the past was surely much easier said than done. It was impossible to do so when cats gave him looks from across camp and whispered about him behind his back. The chaperone glued to his side indefinitely was also a reminder of the freedom that had been stripped from him. However, some days were more tolerable than others, especially when his "chaperone" wasn't someone who annoyed him to no end. Never would he have deemed such a cat to be Sparkspirit, but at the moment, he was perhaps the only one who wanted him to remain in WindClan. Feeling genuinely and wholeheartedly wanted around was foreign to Snakehiss; it was different with Sparkspirit than it had been with Cottonfang. It didn't feel so superficial... like talking to a lovestruck kit who obsessed over him. Sparkspirit—stars know how or why—saw past his past mistakes, their history together.

For the first time in what felt like seasons, Snakehiss' green gaze brightens when the red-splashed tom approaches him. Where would the two of them embark today? Snakehiss knew a few places around the territory where he liked to retreat when his mind ran rampant. Going somewhere to decompress and take in some fresh air did not sound half bad. "Perhaps—"

Then, Snakehiss is flung back into reality. They are here, staring at him, disapproving of his very existence. The disgraced warrior's gaze flicks to Wolfsong, who had mentioned something about an herb patrol. "Er..." "I'd sooner shove rocks in my mouth than carry your stinky herbs", a younger and bolder Snakehiss might have snorted in response. However, things are different now. Snakehiss could not afford to sass his superiors any longer; Sootstar was no longer in charge. Wolfsong was Sunstar's mate and would have the skin off his back if he gave the medicine cat any lip.

Sunstar's miniature, Bearpaw, does not appear to hold the same amount of malice that other cats do ( perhaps he was a far more forgiving soul, or was just naive ) whereas Snakehiss can pick up on the iciness that Scorchstreak emits. She cannot even afford to look his way, though he can tell that she is one such cat who'd rather him run off than a prisoner here. Snakehiss had always thought the woman to possess an intimidating air, though then again, he used to also think himself untouchable. Now, the dynamics had changed quite a bit.

Seeming to have no room to object, Snakehiss glances Sparkspirit's way once more, disappointed. He focuses on the medicine cat again, meowing quieter this time, "... Very well." At least he would still be getting out of camp for the time being.

  •  
  • 77053620_v7IN9LxSdUc41lI.png
    *
    snakehiss
    he/him; moor runner of windclan
    long-limbed black tom with green eyes, a small white chest patch, and multiple scars
    father to violetkit, waspkit, cricketkit, and privetkit (duskclan)
    "speech", thoughts, attack
    link to full tags; @ on discord or dm @beaaats for plots!​