ThunderClan: Life Before 2023's Sinkhole

[littlelove]

One day. One normal, goddamn day that Cinderpaw wished for. One where she didn't have to stare at the blood of those younger than her, of those gone too soon smeared across the clearing and invading all of her senses. If that day was to come though, it would not be today -- and the overgrown apprentice found herself forcing down a scream as she surged forward to meet Rainpaw carrying the limp body of his sister.

She placed her remaining stump of a tail on the younger tom's back in an attempt to sooth him, enveloping his broken body as she curled around him like a shock blanket, uttering out a shaky murmur. "You've done e-enough. You've done enough for her." The tabby soothed, eyes flickering around camp... "We need-- We need help out here! Dammit, so-someone go get Sundust! Quietpaw's--"

She stared down to the unmoving body before her, and knew the grip of death had dragged her under, and that there was nothing Cinderpaw could do about it. "They're both hurt...!"

[ @SpiritedWarrior @/anyone else ]

[ShadeCosmic]

『Burntpaw』

She sat

[Closed - activity post]

[Willowfern]

Roosterflame padded into the warriors’ den after a refreshing walk and sat down in his nest for a small catnap. He’d walked a little further than usual, and he was a little tuckered out. He decided he’d revitalize himself before he went back out for his duties.
As he sat in his nest, he felt something poking into his side.
Hm, what’s that? He thought, standing and pulling up his nest. Beneath it was a small rock poking through the den floor. It had a curious shape, kind of like a duck, Where did you come from, little treasure?
Roosterflame looked over the little rock, turning it in his paws. It was cute, maybe someone would like to have it. Roosterflame resolved he’d find a little friend to give it to when he woke up. He put the rock beside his nest and laid back down, curling his tail over his nose.
@Eaglet
(Hehe, little Jaggedkit gets a duck rock out of this exchange.)

[Eaglet]

Thrushfur

Thrushfur hurried past, weaving fast among the swell of folks. When he discovered that his path was obstructed, he stopped moving. He pushed through while growling. "Get out of my way!!" To get to the scene of the crime, he forcibly pushed through. He arrived here due to his instincts being prompted by Rainpaws' cries. His muscles tightened as adrenaline raced through his blood vessels. Before he could respond, he fluttered his eyes. His face was filled with utter terror. In addition to a body, Rainpaw was covered in blood. His gaze moved hesitantly toward the body. No, no, no, no, no. He scurried over to her body and touched every inch of it. Quietpaw? Please god why- His breathing was accelerating rapidly. His mouth was hanging open, uncontrollable. He sank his head into Quietpaw's body, unable to scream forth any words. In her physique, no heat ever built up. Thrushfur, she's now a corpse.

Her paws, eyes, and fur. Never again would he be able to see them. He was unable to comprehend a word Rainpaw had spoken. Why now? why, why, why, why! She cannot be dead. 'You didn't have to do that. Instead of you, I would have taken your position. I would have swapped out your body for mine. I would have given you some fresh air. I'd offer my heart to you. Come back to me, please. Please, please, please stay Quietpaw. Please display any signs of life.' His head was nestled in Quietpaws' torso. He was sobbing hysterically. No matter how slobbery he appeared in front of his clanmates, he didn't care. His pulse rate and breathing were out of this world, and embarrassment flew off his pelt. His nostrils was blocked up with mucus. He inhaled her bloodied body while painting himself with it. It seems since that would be the greatest way to keep her here, with him.

[ @SpiritedWarrior, @littlelove ]

[littlelove]

Jaystorm's eyes narrowed as he watched his clanmates go about their day.

[ open! i need more activity with him on god ]

[Willowfern]

Roosterflame trotted into the clearing. He’d just been on a very refreshing walk. It hadn’t been too too cold today, so Roosterflame had been able to savor his little adventure. He’d come across a little leaf-bare flower blooming, and he’d sat by it for a while, enjoying its beauty, before he’d set off for home. He had decided that he’d go back out for hunting in a moment, he was just coming to camp to collect some cats, and then he’d be off again for another leaf-bare adventure.
When he stepped over the threshold of the camp, though, he recognized something was amiss, there was an odd smell in the air. One he wasn’t familiar with. His eyes swept the clearing, and when they landed on the scene, all words died on his tongue. For once, the chatterer was speechless.
Two apprentices, streaked with blood. One dead, the other in grieving. ThunderClan’s deputy knelt over the corpse sobbing monstrously. The corpse was Thrushfur’s child. Thrushfur’s own kin.
Bile rose in Roosterflame’s throat. He hated death. Hell, he loathed it. But the death of an apprentice really took the cake. This was worse. Ten thousand times worse than any death he’d witnessed.
Roosterflame backed up, his hind pressing against the camp wall.
Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, Was all he could think, fear and horror mingling and twisting in his gut. He was sick. Sick with terror. Oh, this was so so bad.
All thoughts of hunting and flowers were forgotten as Roosterflame began to shake, entirely unable to take his eyes off of the scene before him. The scene he watched from afar.
Oh my God.

[Open to One Cat]

[dino.]

bumblebreak === > @SpiritedWarrior @naiad @Willowfern

The metallic stench of blood tainted the air of the camp and Bumblebreak sprang to her feet, fur bristling. The sight that greeted her was not one she was happy to see.

Rainpaw hauled the body of a nearly unrecognizeable apprentice into the clearing and let it drop, leaving Thrushfur and Cinderpaw to immediately race over. A garbled curse slipped through her teeth and she, too, hurried over. Cinderpaw was attempting to console Rainpaw; Thrushfur was apparently inconsolable, and Bumblebreak had to pause and consider that, foxdung, this might be his kid, before she swung her head in the direction of the medicine den. "SUNDUST!" she roared, voice scraping against the back of her throat. "A little help out here!!"

Moons had come and gone since what Bumblebreak had dubbed 'The Incident', and yet it seemed death was still commonplace in ThunderClan's camp. Her eyes scoured the clearing and found Roosterflame near the camp's entrance, just past the body and the group of cats. Before she could think her paws were skirting around the scene to land her right in front of him.

"Hey, hey, Roosterflame." A little sharper than she had meant, but maybe that was needed right now. "Look at me, eyes on me, I need you to snap out of this for a second. Kits don't need to see this, can you help me keep them inside of the nursery?"

[ @littlelove and @Eaglet for cinder and thrush mentions ]

[Willowfern]

Roosterflame saw Bumblebreak padding up, but he didn’t really register it was her until she was right in his face. For a moment, he looked at her, his yellow eyes wide with fear and lack of recognition, but that quickly faded. He blinked at her and nodded, shakily.
Oh, good ol’ Bumblebreak. She was right there. He needed to snap out of this. He couldn’t stand here forever, after all, and it wasn’t making it better, this staring at the body. Roosterflame shook his head from side to side, facing the ground, trying to dislodge the image before it burned into the back of his eyelids. When he looked back up, he was more stable.
“O-okay,” He meowed, not too confidently, “Okay, yes,” More confident, more like himself, good. He looked around, there didn’t seem to be many or any kits outside right now, but barricading the nursery to prevent kits seeing this would be good. That would be good. He turned to look at Bumblebreak again, “Not many kits seem to be around right now, but barricading the nursery so none of them slip out would be good,” He padded over to the nursery, though he glanced back at Bumblebreak ever so often, and he tried his best to ignore the scene in the clearing.
He sat at the entrance, facing the inside halfway. He looked at Bumblebreak hard and long before meowing, very quietly,
“Thank you, Bumblebreak.”
@dino.

[Lilacquartz]

Quailfur
Walking amidst the crowd, she found herself to be in a trance finding a crowd to be accumulated. She whisked her head in the direction of the crowd, before her nose caught the scent of rusty blood in the air. She slowly sped into a trot then a canter, her silver stripped tail tailing behind her. The former queen made herself be known before she saw Thrushfur and Cinderpaw immediately rush on over. Additionally Bumblebreak had already gathered to help. She couldn’t exactly see through the crowd, but she narrowed her eyes. Slinking through as it came to light what it was all about. She gasped, pure shock and terror being plastered on her face. Seeing her sobbing mate and her son grieving. She already knew. She let out hoarse repetitive breaths. Her green eyes softening into dilated irises. She bolted over screaming her heart out. "MY BABY! NO NO NO!" She joined in with Thrushfurs commotion of sobs.

Crashing herself into Quietpaws body. She couldn’t make sense of what happened. She went on a rambling of words that were squeaked and slurred with sobs and sniffles. "You were just getting comfortable too! We missed you so much! You didn’t have to leave us! Curse the one who killed you! Curse your suffering! I was supposed to be your MOTHER! You didn’t have to leave me! ME! CURSE YOU!!" She yowled, her voice cracking. Unable to control herself as her eye veins were stained a violent red. Her uncontrollable anger was present in the situation. She swatted her tail, digging and grieving into Quietpaws pelt with all her might. Almost suffocating the poor corpse.

( hope I wasn’t too late, @SpiritedWarrior, @Eaglet )

[occultation]

Oriolepaw had recently moved back into the apprentices’ den after his week in Sundust’s den. His shoulder was still quite achy and stiff, but it was getting better each day. It was his hope that it would be all better very soon; he knew he was getting close to becoming a warrior, and he didn’t want his shoulder to stop that.

The tom was spending most of his time in his nest, only leaving for occasional walks or to go use the dirtplace. As he settled his chin on the edge of his nest, a small wilting flower tickled his nose. He sniffled, but didn’t move. The flowers that Quietpaw had gifted him were woven into his nest, a constant source of comfort and a reminder of friendship.

As he slowly began to doze off, a chorus of wailing sliced through his peace. Oriolepaw’s head shot up, and he was quickly on his paws. His shoulder protested with a crack of pain, but he ignored it. Worry surging through him, he padded out into the clearing.

Several cats surrounded a body. He recognized Thrushfur, thrown over the body and sobbing. That must’ve been who I heard.

Slowly, he crept forward. Uncertainty flickered in his gaze, his tail sweeping low and slow. As he came within a tail-length of the body, a familiar face reached the thresholds of his vision. His heart dropped into his stomach.

No. Oh, no. No, no, no. Not her!

The apprentice darted forward, stumbling a little as his shoulder failed to properly support his movement. Quietpaw was bloody and torn. Her eyes were closed; if someone would just lay a covering of moss over her, she’d look as if she were only sleeping. Oriolepaw focused hard on her eyes, wishing he could play pretend for just a little while.

But he was an adult now; the time for playing pretend hadn’t come with him as he grew.

Bending down, Oriolepaw pressed his nose into Quietpaw’s neck fur. No heartbeat greeted his touch; instead, there was only stillness. He closed his eyes, focusing on his last memory of his first real friend. The image of her standing before him, jaws stuffed with flowers, would remain close to his heart for the rest of his life.

{ Closed }