TW: Sensitive Content Open Camp better days || returning with injured [open]

[WOLFPACK]

AND I AM SORRY MY CONSCIENCE CALLED IN SICK AGAIN

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Trigger Warning For Injuries/Blood!

The slope into camp was slick with last nights rain, but Wolfpack didn't slow– just dug his claws into the slick mud as he began to slide, letting them snag on the sticks and rocks and pine needles that were in place to help ease a cats descent into the hollow. His legs were already caked in mud from the run back to camp anyways, Marbleshines blood smeared across his shoulders like war paint. Her injuries overlooked his own– a shallow tear above one eye and stinging of lines across his flank.

He hardly even felt them, too distracted by the sticky warmth of her blood matting his fur as he did his best to keep her balanced on his back. He'd tried to find something to use to slow it– cobwebs, like she'd said– but a cursory glance had offered him nothing and he wasn't sure how much time he had to spare on it. Between treating her himself, and risking the rush back to Cicada, he knew which one he had to bet his luck on.

He hit the ground of the camp hard, spraying grit and muck underpaw and not sparing a single glance at any of the heads that turned in his direction to complain or watch. "Cicadabuzz!" he called, not breaking his stride as he rushed toward the healers den. "There's been a fox attack."

---

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OOC NOTES . ◭ . CHARACTER INFO

• ooc : — @Marbleshine @cicadabuzz !! Wolfpack's injuries are fairly minor - he got clipped on the face right above his eye, and on the flank! Fox retreated after Wolf got a very lucky claw in it's eye.
  ​
• shadowclan deputy - male - a large, monochrome chimera with mismatched eyes and several scars

 

[Marbleshine]

In the morning when I wake and the sun is coming through
Oh, you fill my lungs with sweetness and you fill my head with you

.

Trembling weakly atop Wolfpack's back, Marbleshine could feel herself slipping every so often, but just as quickly, he would shift, steadying her without a word. Each time it happened, she murmured a soft, breathless "sorry," but he didn't answer, didn't slow. His steps were relentless, focused, driven by the single need to get her home. All she could do was hold on with what little strength she had left. Her shoulder throbbed with sharp, pulsing pain. She was still bleeding. No cobwebs, no herbs... she hadn't even managed that. And... Oh. Oh, Stars. They'd left their prey behind. All that effort... someone else would find it now. Some fox or badger or rogue. Not the clanmates who needed it most.

Her head lowered slightly, cheek pressing faintly into the warmth of his fur. I'm sorry. The words swirled in her chest, too tangled to form on her tongue. She had tried. She really had. But it hadn't been enough. Eyes fluttered shut. Everything ached. Her pride. Her body. Her heart. But then... Movement. The camp. She felt it before she saw it. The way the air changed. The faint scents of home. Pawsteps muffled by familiar paths. Her ears folded back as her stomach twisted in shame. They were here. And everyone would see her like this... Bloodied, broken, useless. I'm sorry, she wanted to sob. I'm sorry, I'll do better. I'll be better. I promise, I will.

" Wolf... " Her voice was a whisper, barely audible above the thundering in her own ears. She heard him call for Cicadabuzz, firm and clear. Strong, like always. She wanted to thank him. She wanted to say something... Anything... But she didn't know how. Didn't know where to begin. Her chin dipped lower. A breath hitched painfully in her throat as her lips parted in a tiny murmur... A single word...

" ..Sorry. "

Whether it was for Wolfpack, for Cicadabuzz, for the Stars above, or for herself she wasn't sure. All she knew was that it sat heavy in her chest, aching and quiet. The only word she could offer.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

6 MOONS

𖧧

SHADOWCLANNER

𖧧

SONG

𖧧

bio

 

[Sealpaw Sealpaw]

You Say That You Are Close

Is Close The Closest Star?

x

There's a wailing that echoes around camp, aghast and fearful, that's only silenced when Sealpaw shoves her face into Marbleshine's cheek to muffle the sound. What had happened. What had happened? Wolfpack's words don't reach her, not really. The word 'fox' echoes in her mind like a dirge and the tabby apprentice vaguely recalls Leopard mentioning in passing once that the reason her father was no longer around was because of a fox. As a kit she hadn't really understood what that meant but now seeing her adoptive mother in this state it was all entirely too real.

"M-marble- Mom!" Her breath caught in her throat, painful with guilt. She'd been avoiding the other since their fight, any conversation had been cold or dismissive at best. Outright ignoring her at worst. If that was going to be her last conversation with her mother she was going to kick herself. "Y-you're ok... Please be ok..."

Her gaze briefly shifts to Wolfpack properly, noting how compared to Marbleshine he hardly had a scratch on him and somewhere within her chest a growl is dragged out. "Why didn't you do anything to stop it?" It's quiet, barely above a whisper before Sealpaw finds herself in the tom's face with teeth bared and fur bristling. "YOU'RE THE DEPUTY AREN'T YOU!? AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO PREVENT STUFF LIKE THIS!?"

Reason had flown out the window. She couldn't lose a mother a second time.

Be okay... please be okay...

You Just Feel Twice As Far

SEALPAW

— Shadowclan Apprentice
— She/They
"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
— Grey Rosetted Tabby With Blue Eyes And A Bobbed Tail.
#4c66bf

 

[possumgrin]

Wading through the grime and muck of Shadowclan terrain, he plopped the dead frog on the pile with venom.

Tufted cheeks, chest and legs tarnished with mud. Personally, he despised the slimy little wretches, but it was among the few morsels easiest to catch after rain. Coalstrike had been running him into the dirt, and left grunt work as reward. The ex-Night Guard had no leg to stand on let alone the gall to complain. Possumgrin would do as his namesake and bare it. Except something felt off as they sought a drier spot. Sighting the oddly shaped cats and what smelled like Wolfpack. Next he heard the wail and his skin crawled. Curious, he crept closer back spiking up. The outcast didn't want to bring more attention than he already had.

Once the cats came into focus, his stomach hit the floor. All caution was thrown to the wind, and his insides felt bruised.

"NO!" His own cry tore emptied lungs, nose catching the ichor of blood well before making out the slumped body of his sibling. Muscles trembled with terror, orange hues flickering in a blur. Paws struggled to maneuver the damp patches as he rushed at the trio, closing the distance haphazardly and matching their gait. She is alive! Momentary relief twinged at his chest before constricting with worry once again. Vision willfully unaware of those around as he followed the deputy.

"Did you kill the fox?!" The bluer feline questioned, wide eyed, a look that opposed his rougher meow. Rage quietly brewing below the surface of visible concern. I'll rip it apart! He observed in heartache as blood trickled from the mollies pale pelt, her eyes moving sleepily. Possumgrin had never seen Marbleshine in such a state, conscious blinded in horror. How can I save her? They held no Star powers and sure could not believe in them. Never knowing a single healing technique wasn't the most useful. Lazy idiot! She could die. Their pale jaw fell slack as he cursed himself.

Noting how Marbleshine's snowy appearance was stained a rusty color. His throat constricted hard from emotion. Holding back the need to bury his face into fur just as the apprentice had.

Willing a soothing internal mantra, he backed away, head whipping in a frantic search for Cicadabuzz. She needs to be looked at now! Catching movement all bravado deflated, and he called to her. Mouth puttering with disbelief, praying that it would all be okay. "Marbleshine?" The name cracked as it left him, falling at a much softer tone.

No. Not you. I can take humility, hatred, or worse but how can I live without you?

"It will be okay... You have to be." Yellowed fangs chatter as tears well and break the dam of his lashes. Camp seemed to crank in volume, and he barely caught the last whisper. Confused, he echoed back. "...Sorry?" Not gathering the first half as his attention dragged to yelling. Tearing his watery maw away, he sighed as Sealpaw shouted at the deputy. Fluffy ears pinning flat, earlier anger boiling back up.

Do not involve yourself just focus. You are already in enough shit. The rich and sickly scent of blood intensified and he felt like he was drowning.

"Enough!" Their dark coat moved before another thought could interrupt. Aiming to push himself between the two, leveling the youth with a firm expression. Wily pelt bristling as he tried to keep Sealpaw back. "This solves nothing. Get it together kid." It was not often he floated above the sea of emotions but his sister was hurt, and Sealpaw was acting out. There needed to be some stream of thought that did not involve more chaos.

Marble does not need this...

A part of him could still agree with the accusation. "We can argue later but right now she is what matters." Simmering down, he turned his heated face onto Wolfpack. Pupils thinning and dragging across the minor damage the other received, tongue clicking sharply. "She better be okay." There was a hidden growl in his thoughts. An unspoken promise. Directed squarely at the chimera.

OOC
Pushing @/Sealpaw away.​

 

[Stoatpaw Stoatpaw]

——————————————— Together, we'll make our way home ✦

Stoatpaw had been curled comfortably, unaware of the disturbance in camp, only bristling in confusion as Sealpaw roared past, the smallest glimpse she could see of her friend's expression was enough to drive a panic into her own chest. Seal's face was wrought in sorrow, and as Stoat rose to see what was the matter, she could see just the reason why.

She padded over, apprehensive of interveining into something so personal seeming. Marbleshine was a mess of blood and messily applied cobwebs; something had attacked her and Wolfpack. Stoat swallowed hard, nauseous at the scent of blood in the air. Part of her considered running to grab Cicadabuzz, though her fur bristled as Sealpaw rounded towards Wolfpack, her fur stood on end. Was she blaming the deputy for whatever happened?

Before she could take another step, another blur of fur passed by, Stoat had to take a pause, realising it was... Possumgrin? She hadn't seen anything of him since his frankly embarrassing public demotion. It took her a moment as she slowly approached, trying to comprehend the mess of back and forth with speech that was growing difficult to read in the escalating upset that she remembered Possum was Marble's sibling. It was no wonder he was just as upset...

Stoatpaw hurried her paws, steeling herself to have to drag the upset Sealpaw away herself so Marbleshine could get some space to get to the medicine den, but Possumgrin helped in that manner, pushing her away from Wolfpack. He was a little rougher than she would have liked, but then again, it was better than letting Seal work herself up more for something that may not have been Wolfpack's fault. She made her way over, slipping between the space Possumgrin had made between Seal and the others, shooting the warrior a grateful smile for helping.

Very gently, she nudged Sealpaw's shoulder, eyes still mottled with worry. "Let Possumgrin take her to Cicadabuzz, she can't get help if we start fighting more, Seal." She worried Sealpaw might turn her rage to Possum for being shoved away, so she didn't mind bringing the attention to herself instead. It was like the last time with Fleapaw, her friends wouldn't hurt her on purpose, right?

She didn't shove more, instead pressing her nose against her friend in a comforting gesture. At least giving the warriors some space to help Marbleshine to the medicine den would be more constructive than an argument that could happen once they knew she wasn't in any more danger. For now, she was gonna try to keep Sealpaw from lashing out at anyone and causing more injuries than needed.

——— While you were sleeping,

Everything changed at once. ———

• 
  Stoatpaw
  ✦—Shadowclan apprentice | 8 Moons
  ✦—She/Her
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK, PAWSPEAK
  ✦—A slender white cat with faint lilac markings and blue eyes.
  #96d5f1/#50BBF0
  
  ⤷ Written by Phoenix ​

 

[WOLFPACK]

AND I AM SORRY MY CONSCIENCE CALLED IN SICK AGAIN

______________________________________________________________________​

Wolfpack didn't flinch at the first shout. Or the second,. Or the third. Not at the sound of paws scrambling over themselves, wet earth churning as cats flooded to meet him with claws half-unsheathed and voices ready to assign to blame.

He kept walking.

Marbleshine was still on his back, her blood seeping into the muddied black and silver of his shoulders, stocky and warm. Her apology barely reached him– not over the noise. Not over the fire steadily crackling behind his teeth where instinct still itched to finish what the fox had started.

Instead, he just pushed forward, straight for Cicadabuzz's den like it was the only thing that mattered. Possumgrin falling into stride with him was only half-noted, the question of did you kill the fox, answered with a brief and distracted, "Took it's eye. Didn't have time to chase it down."

Not without Marbleshine bleeding out on the floor.

Even Sealpaws panicked cries fell away to background noise– until she was right up in his face.

That's when he stopped.

"YOU'RE THE DEPUTY, AREN'T YOU!? AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO PREVENT STUFF LIKE THIS!?"

His gaze locked onto hers, unreadable at first, but then, a flicker of something. His lips twitched just for a moment. Not into a snarl, but something caught between restraint and disbelief.

"I stopped it, didn't I?" the answer came low and flat, from between clenched teeth and a set jaw, trying to remind himself that she was just a kid– that she didn't know what she was saying, and that even if she had, Wolfpack shouldn't care. "Be grateful she's alive at all."

He could have left her there. Could have cut his losses and bailed the second she went down, writing her off as a lost cause and claiming an easy escape for himself. If it were any other cat– certainly any non-shadowclanner-- he very well may have.

Possumgrins voice cut through next, and for a moment Wolf thought he'd snap too– but the other warrior surprised him, stepping between him and the apprentice to offer Wolf an easy out. Just as well– another heartbeat of lingering and he would have shoved her aside to continue toward the medicine cats den anyway.

Without another word, Wold turned away and closed the distance between him and medicine cats den, ready to sink his teeth into the next cat that tried to get in his way and slow him down. He slipped into the cool gloom of Cicadas den without pausing to announce himself, making for the first clean nest he saw and doing his best to gently slide the shacat into it.

"Fix her.""

A command he had no right to make. No cat, alive or dead, commanded Cicadabuzz. And he knew that, but still. The alternative was unacceptable. "She's not–" his jaw snapped shut, cutting the rest off. Allowed to die? he thought to himself, almost cruel toward his own inner-conflict.

Everyones dies. He'd never cared about it before and he shouldn't care about it now.

He dragged a paw across the side of his neck where her blood had crusted into his fur, still damp in parts with russet clumps. His teeth grit so hard they ached.

"Just fix her."

---

​

OOC NOTES . ◭ . CHARACTER INFO

• ooc : —
  ​
• shadowclan deputy - male - a large, monochrome chimera with mismatched eyes and several scars