camp WOUNDED WOES | going for a walk

Jan 5, 2023
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The weather was getting warm again. The mornings were not so frosty. The sun was bright and burning, high above their heads. It was a good morning, and Tigerfrost had not been chosen for the dawn patrol. Oh, he's irritable, how could he not be? He wonders how much longer he'll be required to rest this injured joint of his. He'll never forgive Dandelionwish and that little brat that had tripped him during the exile's escape. Now, he felt utterly useless. Couldn't hunt, couldn't patrol... couldn't contribute. Half the time, he felt like a lowly apprentice again, taking on small tasks around camp like cleaning out old moss from the nursery bedding. Sure, it was necessary work, but Tigerfrost was going stir crazy. He felt trapped in this camp which was supposed to be his home, and all because that snake-tongued traitor. If he couldn't get some fresh air beyond the hollow, he thinks he might claw some poor fool's eyes out.

"I'm going for a walk." The dusty hued tabby announces grumpily, rising to his paws from where he had been sitting. He didn't want to hear his clan-mate's comments about how he should be resting in view of Vulturemask, no. Tigerfrost needed a break from it all, the staring, the pity, the bitter scent of herbs. He limps toward the exit with a determined expression. If anyone wanted to tag along, they were welcome to, he supposed. As long as they didn't try to mother him.
 


Newleaf was swiftly arriving in WindClan, but the troubles of winter had not completely abated the clan yet. The attitudes still reminded Snailpaw of the snowy tempest, still, they tried their best to continue mingling with all crowds of cats no matter how they felt about them personally. Splayed out a few long tail-lengths away from the medicine den, the apprentice lifted their fluffy head at Tigerfrost's announcement, blinking in confusion. Wasn't he still injured? They couldn't imagine Vulturemask saying anything about it, though, other clanmates might have something to say about the insolence he displayed to his own health. "Ok byeeeeeeeeeeee~" They raised a paw and began moving it up and down, an attempt to wave as they'd seen horseplace twolegs do months prior. Snailpaw made no effort to follow Tigerfrost toward the camp entrance. Their paws were aching up a storm that day, and speaking honestly, they would rather be caught slacking than have to endure any moments of solitude with Tigerfrost. Anybody that was likely to murder them was not someone they would want to be alone with, especially when said the potential murderer had the clan's hardiest warriors at his beck and call. "Don't die... and if you do, make sure it's someplace we can find your body!"



 

It was an invitation, as far as Petalkit was aware. Tiny and dark lilac paws carried him along behind the brown tabby on slow lopping steps; his head up and his gait a jaunty skip. The silent kitten had spent his morning staring up at the clouds now visible in the sky, streaks of white and crisp blue now hanging overhead with the cold gone; no longer did he see the constant white of snow, the dreary gray of clouded days. Petalkit had never seen newleaf, he was named for blooms more commonly grown in such a time yet had never witnessed the wildflower fields rolling over their hills, the moors lit with color and greenery. He heard older cats speak longing for them, wishes for plump rabbits and green grass; an increase in herbs for their medicine cat's den and prey for the freshkill pile. The kitten wondered quietly to himself why they had leaf-bare if no one liked it. Why no cat had simply told it no. Or perhaps it was something that no one could stop, a force that even their strongest warriors would struggle to hold back. Silly to him that such things existed.
The tabby tom continued following after Tigerfrost, for every long stride the taller tom took Petalkit had to make several quick ones in order to remain at a similar pace yet gradually he began to lag behind bit by bit. If they were going to walk, he wanted to go with, so he pushed his limbs forward despite the burning racing through them; he had never really exerted himself so much before. Kittens didn't have many jobs, they guarded the nursery and ate the food presented to them, busy work but nothing like this. The lilac kitten slowed eventually, paws dragging and he sat down suddenly hard on the ground long before Tigerfrost met the camp's border; who knew their home was so big. He didn't. He had half a mind to lay down right here and nap.
 
The others were children. Petulant, small. He knows their voices, knows that even though Snailpaw should have earned his warrior name time and time again, he is childish still. The other does not speak, but he knows that the pawsteps are small. Ambertail cocks his head, unfocused gaze not quite on the quick triple-step that tries to match Tigerfrost's. "Who follows you?" Curious and slinking low to the ground, the short-furred tortoiseshell begins to follow as well. He knows of the injuries, and how poorly they could have helped anyone. Not in the fight, not in the escape. They are useless aboveground, uncertain without the guiding walls. Perhaps it is time to test his limits.

Completely missing where Petalkit had dropped, the tunneler barely misses stepping on the young bundle of fur. "Do you mind if I follow as well? I should practice my paws without the tunnels above me. You seem a skilled enough guide."
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  • ooc:
  • ──── ambertail. tunneler of windclan. nb, he or they.
    ──── adult, though precise age unlabeled as of now.
    ──── sexuality unknown. a strange windclan cryptid.

    ──── a tiny, yet proportionally long-limbed tortoiseshell with unfocused amber eyes. though they retain their color, ambertail is blind. those who don't know as much may be confused, and will certainly be met with dry responses from the tunneler himself.
  • "speech"
 
Cottonkit admittedly did not know much about Tigerfrost. The tom had been nestbound since her birth, irritable with his stationary pursuit of healing. She knows his injuries stem from that of the former medicine cat's escape (what was his name? Something vile, she thinks, but she must've long since decided that names of the enemies didn't matter.) That made him his own brand of cool, though his lameness just about negated that. Other WindClan warriors, like Scorchstreak and Icebreath, were still out and about! What made Tigerfrost so special? She's too young to decipher the gravity of injuries, simply valuing each warrior by their successes as she sees them. And she supposes, as she watches the tom rise to his paws and declare his intentions, that he can add more to his value (in her eyes) should he wish to.

She doesn't follow so quickly like Petalkit does, the other tiring quickly and finding himself just-short of being flattened by Ambertail (the blind tunneler a different enigma to Cottonkit.) Instead, she stands from where she sat prior, tail waving to try and garner the injured's attention - "Bring me back something!" It's very clearly a demand rather than a request. Being so highly regarded in her blood alone allows her to be so blunt, too, right? No one's yet corrected her. Regardless she stays where she's at, figuring that the duo - and Petalkit, though she doesn't think the little tom will make it out the camp's edges, for one reason or another - would appease her easily.

(mobile ghaofnlandksndka)​
 

AND IF IT EVER STARTS TO FEEL BAD, LITTLE FANG
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Sunflowerpaw has been taking any chance they get to see the rest of WindClan's territory, the thrill of exploration still thrumming beneath their skin, drowning out any anxieties about apprenticehood. Or well, they're trying to let it drown out their anxieties, at least. They're tempted to tag along for the walk, now that they have free reign of the territory, but... Tigerfrost is not a face they know well, nor is Ambertail. Yet the third addition to their small party does catch Sunflowerpaw's eye, ironically the one most likely to go unnoticed due to his small size.

The adults don't seem to be paying Petalkit much mind at all, when the kit scampers underfoot. That simply will not do; Sunflowerpaw's lingering distrust for adults draws them closer, keeping an eye on the younger kit. Important to keep him safe, after all. The kit doesn't have any parents to look after him, who would search for him if he wandered off and got lost? There's a tightness in their chest at the thought. Well, Sunflowerpaw would, obviously. They pad after Petalkit, following after at a slight distance. Cottonkit's words catch their ear -- "Bring me back something!" -- and they turn briefly, nod to her. They'll keep an eye out.

As Petalkit slows, so too does his dusty-furred follower, the apprentice more interested in the kit than either of the strangers he's tagged along with. Concern begins to grow in Sunflowerpaw as his steps slowed and dragged, only sharpening once he sat down so suddenly and heavily. Their steps are quick as they round to face the kit, tail brushing across his legs. Is he alright? They tilt their head in question, brow slightly furrowed.

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IT'S EASY TO EXPLAIN 'CAUSE THIS WORLD'S NOT TAME

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  • //
  • SUNFLOWERPAW named by their half-brother vulturemask after his friend and mentor.
    — they/them, 3 moons.
    — windclan apprentice, mentored by wolfsong.
    — messy-furred lilac tortoiseshell, white tail tip, golden eyes.
    — reserved yet loyal & determined, rarely speaks, distrusts most.

    primary character, high activity. penned by saturnid.​
 
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Snailpaw. Being their typical self, it seemed. Lazing about in camp, and where was their mentor this time? Tigerfrost snorts, doesn't respond to the apprentice. His distaste is clear enough, and he makes no effort to disguise it. Like I'd die out there, he thinks with a flick of his tail. If any cat thought to attack him on his own territory, they'd surely be sent straight to StarClan for their efforts. Those exiles lurking about would not best him a second time.

Ears twitch at the sound of smaller paw-steps in swift pursuit. Tigerfrost peers backward, sights Petalkit prancing along in the chimera's prints. That one was as silent as the snow, and Tigerfrost is never certain about what the youth might be thinking. Nonetheless, the kit finally slows to a stop, plopping down in the clearing for a rest. When another Warrior is drawn to the scene, Tigerfrost flicks his tail in greeting, an unseen gesture perhaps.

"That's Petalkit. He doesn't talk." The dusty hued tabby explained. He's testing a bit of pressure on his injured paw, finds that it's not nearly as bad as before, but he'll continue to rest it anyways. The brute goes back to his awkward, three legged gait as Ambertail suggests they come along. Tigerfrost supposed he wouldn't mind. It wasn't as if he was going for a hunt, or a patrol.

"Follow if you wish. The air is quite nice today." Tigerfrost comments simply, carrying on toward the edge of camp. The call of a kit draws his eyes, and he recognizes Cottonkit. Bring her back something, she demands. Well, unless someone else decided to tag along and go for a hunt, the youth would probably be out of luck. Tigerfrost wasn't going to risk making his paw any worse, and Ambertail probably had no idea how to chase hares across open ground. He was tunneler, after all.

Perhaps Sunflowerpaw would hunt, but they had stopped to check on young Petalkit. Tigerfrost pauses, peering back as he speaks, "Kits will have to stay in camp, so if you're coming along, hop to it." The chimera directs his words toward Sunflowerpaw, clearly impatient. Being trapped in camp for several weeks had a tendency to bring out most attitudes, it seemed.