[Moonraven]

 

Originally Posted by TheNyanCatMinecart

[TW: This post contains blood and gore.]

[This post is open to anyone to interact. However, no matter what, Wolffang will die.]

~ WOLFFANG OF WINDCLAN ~

One paw in front of the other. One paw in front of the other...

The pattern repeated in Wolffang's mind as he set paw in the WindClan camp. The journey back here had gone by in a blur. Lioncloud had blabbed about being loyal and stupid at the same time while she'd helped Toadpounce, Fernpaw had stuck by his side, fretting over his wounds... but he'd found it difficult to pay much attention to the apprentice. It felt like a massive paw was pressing down on him, slowing his pawsteps and forcing him to the ground, but he kept on walking. He didn't stop; he couldn't stop. They had to get back to camp. Now his teeth were gritted and his legs were trembling, but he wouldn't slow down. They had to get back. And... he had to see his home one last time.

On the journey back, it had become obvious. The horrific pain should've been an indicator, along with the blood. The blood, which had poured down from his multitude of wounds, seeping into the earth relentlessly... It was still coming down in a ceaseless red tide, surprising even him. Who knew a cat could lose this much blood? How could a cat even have this much? His pelt was badly torn, his flesh exposed in multiple places, and his dappled gray fur had turned dark red. His tipless tail dragged in the sand of the clearing, causing the grains to stick to it, and blood was trickling from his missing ear into one eye, forcing him to close it. He doubted that he looked much like a cat anymore.

No cat could survive wounds like this.

A little bit farther. Just a little bit... Wolffang wanted to think of so many things, but he was focused on his current goal. The simple action of moving, of not giving in just yet, was taking all he had. The former deputy continued to stumble into the camp, trailing blood behind him. Then, finally... finally, he reached the center of the clearing. He stopped and allowed himself a moment to spit out blood, too weak to try and hide it, before he painfully lifted his head. He had to speak. He needed to speak. The yellow eye that wasn't covered in blood flitted around his patrol and he sank his claws into the ground, willing himself not to fall over.

"Lioncloud, you're the least injured out of all of us. Tell Twilightstar that we drove out some dogs by the ThunderClan border and that they shouldn't be coming back. They’re badly wounded and scared enough…" He hoped that the scatterbrained she-cat would be able to handle that simple task. But right now, he didn't have time for that. In a worn-out voice tight from agony and wet with blood, he continued to the other members, "Toadpounce, Fernpaw, get to Cowpaw, now. Don't worry about me." He almost wanted to say I'll be fine, but that was so obviously a lie. And he remembered something, right before they'd been leaving...

You don't need to lie to me, Wolffang. Wolffang's gaze found Fernpaw. Fernpaw... he'd been through so much... and Wolffang didn't want him to lose him, too. If he could stay alive, he would, but... he couldn't. His wounds were too great, and too much of his blood had been spilled. Also... Fernpaw was older now. Stronger, had seen too many things for his age, but he wasn't a feeble young apprentice anymore. Wolffang knew that trying to hide it would be cruel, especially when it was plain to see. "There's... nothing you can do for me. It would just be... a waste... of herbs-"

Wolffang cut himself off, turning away and hacking up blood clots. His legs trembled even more severely, and suddenly he was on the ground, not remembering the fall. His own blood was turning the sand around him red, and he felt so weak, his head feeling like all of Seastones had been placed on it. He wouldn't die yet, but he was well on his way. "Go! Don't worry about me," he managed to gasp to his patrol members. He didn't want them sticking around, thinking they could save him. They had to report this in. But Fernpaw... Wolffang glanced at the apprentice and felt tight claws grip his heart. I'm so sorry. And... I'm sorry to everyone else, too. He really had thought that he'd get a good chance to serve WindClan now that he'd become a better cat. He had well-established friends, a strong sense of loyalty, a more stable mindset...

I've improved so much, and it's thanks to those around me. I wanted to use everything I've learned to serve WindClan. But I guess StarClan didn't have that destined for me. Wolffang glanced up at the sky, which was as clear and blue as ever. I... I'll hang on as long as I can. I don't want to leave... not yet... Wolffang didn't have long, but maybe he'd be able to see some of the cats he cared about? Get one last chance to speak to them before he died? Leopardsong... The bengal she-cat was the first cat to pop into his mind. I'm sorry. I... don't want to leave you or WindClan. He'd never get the chance to express his feelings or use Lilacdawn's advice.

Wolffang was determined to hold on as long as he could, but he knew that it wouldn't be long. Most cats would've passed out or died by now due to the severity of the wounds or the blood loss in general. And he was feeling the effects. His body felt limp and heavy, his head was spinning, and the agony felt like it was taking over... but he focused on the sky, the big blue sky, which, he decided now, was his favorite color. The blue of the sky. It made him think of WindClan, of home, of his friends and his Clan. He just wanted to spend a few moments here. Just a few moments. But then... he'd have to let go.

@JAE. @Ravensong @Kunaiskrill @Moonraven

She was sleeping, Leopardsong didn't do that often if she could avoid it, but lately her paws seemed to be dragging and she found it hard to remain as optimistic about everything. The warrior wasn't certain what caused her to drag her paws like this, but it wasn't the first time she's been in a bit of a funk, she was sure every cat got them here and there. Maybe she needed a new purpose, clan life was fun and all, but having not seen either of the two apprentices she was supposed to be training in what felt like moons, and no longer having the guardian rank, left Leopardsong feeling aimless.

Wolffang was still around though. It perked her up seeing him act like a goofball around her. Since he wasn't being an angsty moody featherbrain, he was a lot more fun to be around and took her mind off of things that would eat her up if she let them. Leopardsong hated talking about her past, the bad stuff anyway, she rarely spoke a word about her kin, she had none left anyway. She enjoyed being that bubble ball of sunshine that was willing to be an ear for her clanmates' problems over speaking about her own. Wolffang was a walking problem, he had a complicated past, and once a rather terrible perspective on the cats that he should have called clanmates. He had started out all icy and doom and gloom, but now he was more like a cloudy day instead of a constantly stormy sky.

He was working on himself and Leopardsong was doing her best to support him, so long as he wasn't being an ass or taking her for granted. She really did enjoy tom's company though, and she was learning new things about him. He had a variety of expressions she had yet to see and it was honestly fun to learn that there was so much he didn't know. Like how—

Drawn from her musing, the white bengal left her nest in the warrior's den and padded out into the clearing at a cry from outside. The scent of fresh blood nearly knocked her off her paws. Her brown eyes drifted around filled with alarm as she frantically searched for a threat of some sort. Her eyes stopped on the cat laying on the ground near the entrance, she could see the red soaking into the ground from where stood. There were already cats drawn around him, but Leopardsong didn't see them as she recognized the large form and the gray pelt.

"Oh, no please no." The she-cat whispered ominously to herself as she finally unrooted her paws and padded stiffly over to the gravely injured warrior. She could feel the sting sensation behind her eyelids, and noticed the buildup of water in her eyes. Leopardsong let her tears drizzle down her face as she took a seat on the other side of Wolffang. Her sight went blurry briefly as weep quietly. She didn't feel the wet blood between her toes, and a mere glance at the wounds Fernpaw was desperately trying to stop bleeding told her everything she needed to know.

"H-H-How?" Her voice quivered as she lowered herself to lean down over the tom's face. As her heart broke, Leopardsong bled an ocean through her eyes, and her body trembled and chilled. Wolffang was dying and she didn't know how to make it stop. "This is a j-j-j-joke, right?" The she-cat words felt stuck in her through it was a fight to get them out. "You're getting me back for pranking you earlier. Well, I'm sorry I won't do it ever again. So please get up, Wolfie." Her tears blurred her vision and her sniffles shook her chest. Her throat felt tight and tense, words escaped as she butted her against the top of Wolffang's. StarClan couldn't take him from her too.

 

Originally Posted by NinjaBloss

Fallownose padded back into camp at the head of the patrol. Exhaustion caused his tail to droop and there was dried blood on his shoulder and muzzle, but he did not appear to be severely injured. "Those of you who are injured go see Cowpaw immediately, otherwise make sure you get some prey and rest. I'm going to report to Twilightstar," he ordered, before turning to look for the leader.

"Twilightstar! RiverClan lost the Cove and some of their cats, but WindClan is fine. Though Acornnose, Eagleheart, and Shredsky decided not to come at all and Cricketfire disobeyed orders once we were there," the deputy reported.

@Moonraven @poppy. @starry. @Undertaker @x ghostie @R0WAN @Bliss.

You know when you make a decision and then you immediately regret the decision but you can't take it back. That is how Twilightstar felt after sending Fallownose out with her cats to aid RiverClan in whatever problem they had. It felt a little hasty now that she thought a bit about it, Kestrelstar and Lionstorm were the only two leaders who actually put in the effort to aid WindClan, but by denying support to their successor, Skystar, would that be the same as damning the former leaders? The WindClan leader was extremely conflicted about this... but she knew in her heart that she couldn't turn away the request. Though her clan may have forgotten it, Twilightstar will always remember the cats that helped WindClan at their lowest.

Still, she needed to figure out how to make this work without getting overly involved in the feud against ThunderClan. She knew that she was not fond of ThunderClan at the moment and she held little to no remorse for fighting them, what really had her worried was if her clanmates would suffer again because of her decisions. Will they turn their backs to me again? She watched them do that to her once before, joining ShadowClan of all clans, because she was unable to protect and provide for them as a leader should. She tried to show them that WindClan was strong... no that was a lie.

She had tried to show them that she was strong enough, good enough to be their leader by raiding ShadowClan.... now look at the pain she brought them in return, Ashfeather, Deadpool, Nettlespark, Fernpaw, Yellowpaw, Breezefeather, Coyotesnarl, and the names went on. So many deaths and for what, because she was scared they abandon her. Now she finally got them out from underneath ShadowClan's claws to what! Throw them into ThunderClan's, a fight that wasn't theirs. It was for a good cause, it was, but was it really....

The WindClan leader's ears shot forward at the sound of her name called. Twilightstar composed herself as best she could, fighting off the urge to race out of her den, and padded out of the entrance and over to her deputy. Visibly, she appeared as stoic and tranquil as the moon, but that single green eye of hers bled with unspoken concern as she looked Fallownose over. Her deputy's report was short and simple, at the moment she couldn't even be upset at the cats that failed to heed the call for battle, she was just overwhelmingly relieved that WindClan wouldn't be burying any more of their clanmates today.

"You can punishment the warriors that didn't show up and Cricketfire as you wish, but I'm simply glad you all came home safely." The leader meowed earnestly, Twilightstar literally could not handle choosing another deputy after all of this. "You should rest, and if you have time, check in with Cowpaw about herb and see if he needs herb patrols added to the regular ones." The she-cat meowed and sighed loudly after.

"Oh, before you go, assuming Skystar was a part of the battle, can you tell me how he was?" Twilightstar was still curious about what kind of leader she was dealing with. Hearing they had lost the Cove, Firefly Cove, meant little to her. That chunk of territory originally belong to ThunderClan anyway. What she wanted to know was if Skystar would continue retaliating in his own way as Kestrelstar had done. Regardless, she should take some prey and pay a visit to RiverClan herself, once she worked out what she was doing about her current dilemma.