YOU LOSE YOUR FRIENDS &. pacing

[EERIENIGHT]

What little space he has in the tunnels of their temporary home is filled with pacing - each step producing a clicking of claws against cold concrete that he's hardly aware of, a sound drowned out by his thoughts. It is rare his face shows emotion, but it seems these days emotion is spilling out of him more than ever. As Eeriepaw moves a frown pulls at his face, his eyes tear-blurred.

His frantic mind sits upon an image - a recollection, one that only just hit him moments before his pacing began. His bird skull - his Friend - sat within the safety of his nest back at camp. Their real one, left invaded by shadows - by bears, he's learned the beasts are called upon their arrival. Destructive fiends, killers. Left to wander the ghost town that their camp has become, left to trample large paws near the dens, to crush what's in their path. To shatter Friend.

In the midst of everything, could Eeriepaw have forgotten to retrieve the bird skull he's kept with him since his first days in ShadowClan? How could he have put Friend in danger? Such an important treasure to him, now trapped in the bear-reigned camp.

And now, Eeriepaw doesn't know if he'll ever see Friend again. Eeriepaw doesn't know if he'll ever see camp again - doesn't know the likelihood of Friend being in one piece, if his own shadowed paws someday get to step foot in the apprentice den once more.

His back-and-forth march is never-ending - the image of a bird skull broken into irreparable pieces now clinging to his mind as the apprentice sniffles, as tears threaten to fall.
​

 

[loampelt]

Worry had never set Loampaw to pacing, but he recognizes it in Eeriepaw. He watches for a time, thinking to himself now, now Eeriepaw will slow and sigh and realize he's spent all the worry he can. The moment doesn't come, and with a searching so is anyone else going to to say something? glance about ShadowClan's temporary camp, Loampaw makes his choice.

"Hey," Loampaw drawls upon approach. His head twists to follow Eeriepaw's predictable path, "If you're tr-truh-tr-trying t-tuh-to wear the t-tuh-tuh-tunnel deeper, I-eee-uh think digging at eh-eh-it would be faster." One of Loampaw's hindfeet curls at the toes as if digging at the hard stone beneath him, then flinches at the harsh noise such an act produces.

If he tries to step in Eeriepaw's way, would that stop Eeriepaw or would it result in a collision? Loampaw considers testing his theory, and then thinks better of it. Only if it comes down to it.

"M-mmmm-me and some oh-oh-of the other apprentices were going tuh-to go... go racing. Yuh-yeah," Loampaw huffs. He hopes Eeriepaw isn't interested — he doesn't want to race, "So maybe instead of wasting uh-uh-all that energy on walking back uh-and forth, you cuh-cuh-could waste it... running?" ​

tags ∘ shadowclan apprentice ∘ solid black with hazel eyes ∘ curled front foot ∘ 12 moons​

​

 

[smogstar]

ShadowClan's far-flung, ill-suited choice of a temporary home has left everybody with frayed nerves, and why wouldn't it? No sensible mind would take a gander at these tunnels and think them to be a cosy spot to bide one's time. They're cramped, dimly lit, and suffused with an oppressive air of confinement. The low ceiling is a whisker's length away from pressing down on his shoulders, and the sturdy floor is a hazard to sleep upon and nothing less.

It comes as zero surprise whatsoever that the younger portion of the clan was struggling significantly to adapt. That Eeriepaw was driven into a pacing, dithery state of being hardly raises an eyebrow. His shadowed hues were wretchedly fastened to the abyss which lay before him, enthralled by the realm of nothing whilst he (as per Loampaw's observation) wore the tunnel down with his footfalls. It isn't a deadpan blankness, nor a look of worry strapped to the young tom's features, however—it's an unmistakable sadness, probably materialising in the form of a knot in his clenched throat.

Better to step in now before the tears begin to fall. That shit's contagious.

"What's got your tail in a knot, Eeriepaw?" the deputy asks, lumbering forwards on the side opposite to Loampaw. "Anything apart from the obvious?" If it's something he can nip in the bud before it devolves into an even worse issue, Smogmaw would eagerly oblige. The least desirable outcome for anyone is for this narrow corridor to be filled with loud sobs.​

 

[✧ Siltcloud.]

THERE'S A HOLE IN MY SOUL ( I CAN'T FILL IT )
siltcloud | 13 months | female | she/her | physically medium | mentally hard | attack in bold #905d5d

---

Siltcloud cares little for eeriepaw - for most of her clanmates these days, actually. She no longer finds herself as interested in seeking out the attentions of others - respect, approval, love, what does it matter? She only has eyes for one these days, slipping along silently after loampaw despite the discomfort the tunnels bring her - the rolling sense or turmoil in her belly, the utter unease of it all. As though the shadows themselves are reaching out to drag her into their depths. Pelt twitches and she shuffles closer to her black furred friend, gaze averted from the topic of conversation. What does it matter what eeriepaw does anyways?

​

​

​

​

 

[primrosethorn]

"do you want something to do?" primrosethorn offers. "a distraction? so you'll stop that damn pacing." he means it kindly but it might sound biting, might sound angry, frustrated, done. it wouldn't be totally inaccurate. he is done as fuck with these tunnels. the sound carries in here, sounds of pawsteps on stone and low murmured voices and worry, worry, worry. and he can't turn his ears off and he's sick of this — it comes out in his voice as he continues, overshadowing genuine desire to help. "how about a game, huh? what do you kids even do in your free time — you must have something better to do than pace. stars above." a groan punctuates the sentiment. the sound of claws scratching on stone continues, and his head feels numb, his ears ringing, wholly overstimulated. stars above indeed.

he doesn't bother to rise from his spot nearby, unlike smogmaw who approaches to offer concern ... he huffs his agreement at loampaw's suggestion. "yeah, why not do that, brat. go and run off that anxiety. somewhere that isn't here."

he really doesn't mean to sound like such an asshole. ​

 

[EERIENIGHT]

He's found himself an audience now with his pacing. None of which he thinks will understand, despite their attempts at consoling him - more or less, with Primrosethorn's harsh tones that only make him feel worse. A brat, the tom calls him, tells him to stop pacing, to play a game.

Such as the one Loampaw suggests - a race, only brought forth after a suggestion of digging at the ground instead, harsh claws scratching at the cooling rock only causing Eeriepaw's ears to twitch.

Running where? The tunnels didn't provide much space for a race, the territory outside was riddled with shadow-beasts. Maybe if he were lucky - if he was quick - he could run back to camp; he could find Friend and free the bird skull from danger.

Siltcloud stands beside her friend, just as silent as Eeriepaw. Perhaps more, as the apprentice sniffles. She's merely uninterested in the problem at hand, and Eeriepaw only finds himself frustrated at that - at how little she would understand this too.

But Smogmaw asks, so maybe he'll get it. Maybe he'll understand - at least, enough for the deputy will be able to tell Chilledstar. Or, Spectermask. Someone who will actually understand how important this realization is.

"Friend," he says, wide eyes looking at the deputy as his pacing slows to a stop, "I left Friend."

// late but i wanted to get one more post in!​

​

 

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

DON'T YOU GIVE ME UP, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP​

---

it's eeriepaw. they're protective of him in ways that they don't really understand themself... maybe its because of how spectermask feels about the little void. protective in a way that a parent is of their kit, he is, and for that, chilledstar is protective like an aunt or uncle is protective of their niece or nephew. the pacing is picked up by many, and they find themself trying to find the source. some are more upset about it than others when it made no sense... why be up about something he couldn't control? with a sharp lash of their tail, teeth gritting they find themself next to eeriepaw.

"what's going on?"

they ask, before blinking. friend. he left friend. and they know, immediately, what he meant.

"oh... hey. it's gonna be okay. im sure friend is nice and safe... would you like another friend? that way when we get back and find friend, friend has a... friend. how does that sound?"

they're purposefully ignoring the others. they don't know what crawled in their pelts to be so upset with eerie, but they're doing their best not to snap back for the tom.
​

 

[EERIENIGHT]

An ounce of relief arrives in Chilledstar's emergence. Finally, someone who will understand. Someone who will know what's wrong - someone who will understand how important that bird skull is to Eeriepaw. The abyss-coated tom looks up at Chilledstar with wide, tear-filled eyes.

Could they do something to fix this? Send a search party? Let Eeriepaw retrieve his treasure from the safety of his nest?

But it seems like that solution won't come, as Chilledstar offers a different solution with the assurance that Friend is safe in the apprentice den: another Friend.

"Can we still look?" he asks anyway, long tail swaying behind him. He needs to know for sure that the corvid is okay.

Besides, it doesn't seem right, a replacement. The ShadowClan leader tells him it wouldn't be - rather, a friend for his Friend. Two bird skulls to keep in his nest when he returns, two to move to the warrior den come next moon.

He wishes otherwise, that Friend would be the one found instead of a new one. The bird skull doesn't deserve the demise he imagines could happen, - the countless amount of pieces he may return to. Still, after a moment of hesitation, he nods his head. A guardian for the tunnels, just as Friend guards the camp.

It would have to do, for now.
​