TW: Sensitive Content TW: Death Open PAFP SC feels weird but calm. i'm calm. ✦ sickness

[Timberfrost]

{$title} warning !! graphic discussions of sickness, mentions of death

—————————————————— 'Till I can't run no more ✦

It had gotten worse. Whether it be from the hunger that settled like a stone in his stomach, or the stress of the many, many kittens now crowded around him, or even just happenstance, Timber had gotten worse. Of course, not that he'd let anyone see. As though his very life was on the line, the tom hid the hacking coughs, the constant drip of mucus that all but strangled him, and that strange buzzing in his head he just couldn't seem to shake. He still busied himself, of course—the sun had set long ago, but the tom still found himself out in the territory. What prey he could scent often evaded him easily, and so he had begun to take much longer days out in the field.... but with the catching of a small, filthy mouse, he bowed his head in exhaustion. It would have to do for the night.

He didn't think of much as he shambled home with uneven steps, didn't think of anything particularly new anyway. 'It was going to be fine', he'd tell himself, 'I'm going to be fine.' He couldn't bear the thought of anything more than that, and so he ignored the possibility. The chocolate tom didn't have the time for anything more, not with dozens of hungry mouths and watchful eyes waiting for him back home. He didn't even have time to think about it as another set of coughs wracked his weary body, forcing something awful and phlegm-y into his mouth. Dropping the mouse, Timber spat the offending thing into the grass, not caring to take notice of how the rusty-colored thing glinted in the moonlight, nor how the metallic taste made his mouth salivate. The tom ran a dry tongue over his teeth, swallowing with some difficulty to force the rest of it down his throat. "I'm fine..." Timber muttered hoarsely to himself, an empty affirmation as he trudged on, the mouse that he had caught forgotten within the weeds.

The tom all but collapsed into the scraps of moss that he called his nest—amidst all the refreshing of the other's moss and that terrible feeling of losing grip on tasks usually well-known to him, he must've forgotten his own. It hardly mattered anyway. Something between his paws caught his attention, and he curled around it protectively, instinctively. He had assumed it was Saffronkit (who had likely found some other warm place to sleep for the night), and hadn't noticed the particularly ragged nature of it, nor that it was missing an eye, nor that it was decidedly not alive. Timber curled up with Fleafire's old stuffed thing anyway, drifting off into something that was feverish and troubled.

It's true, I want to be with you tonight

But I'm a little too late

• this is a pfap!!! please wait until @Stoatstream responds :)
• 
  Timberfrost
  ✦—Shadowclan Caregiver | 30 Moons
  ✦—He/Him
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A large chocolate tabby with pale gold eyes
  #9A775A

 

[Stoatstream Stoatstream]

SOMETHING SACRED

HIDES IN EVERY DROP OF DEW

The night was high and the air cool. Stoatstream had taken to her nightly hunt. Prey was pathetically low already, even for the time of the year; she ignored her own hunger pangs in favour of searching deeper in the territory for something meaty to bring back to the clan. For all the kittens and caretakers and old pawpaw - though he seemed more than capable to hunt, it seemed.

With a meagre toad in maw, the best she could do for now, she decided to retreat back to camp, before she used up too much of her energy chasing fruitless hunts. Until something made her take pause, kicking something soft as she walked. Recoiling a little, the ivory warrior peered down to see... A mouse?

Her face scrunched in confusion, looking around. Taking a quick sniff at the thing, it wasn't rotten, killed recently, even? Stoat had to blink in absent confusion, realising she reconfused the scent. 'Father?' Her face soured. Why had he abandoned his prey? He, of all cats, needed it to help care for the kittens... Unsettled, she decided to pick the thing up, bring it back to him and ask what the matter was. Though she did hesitate at the blood scent in the area, it was most likely the mouse, though, she was just paranoid.

It hadn't taken long to get home, the night still as always, cats asleep in their nests, safe and content. But she didn't stop for any of them; instead, with prey in tow, she nosed her way into the nursery, scanning the area and quickly finding her father. He hadn't been right as of late, some annoying cold having pestered him, but as much as she tried to convince him that she would hunt for him, he was determined to take care of his own prey. But, then again, she wasn't one to be known to listen, bringing him both his mouse and toad.

Her expression scrunched slightly, squinting a little at what Timberfrost had clutched in his paws. Fleafire's scrappy little twoleg pelt she lovingly called Ma, she never quite knew why she loved the thing so, but clearly even her Father had grown affectionate of the thing. She had to chuckle warmly as she reached down and nosed at his shoulder to stir him awake. "Father, that's not one of the kittens." Stoatstream teased, lightly, he had been a little foggy-brained, so she couldn't be too rough on him.

She waited a moment for him to stir, though it seemed he was quite deep in slumber. "C'mon, you're not that heavy of a sleeper." She chuckled, reaching down to nudge his cheek this time, a little harder than before. He didn't move.

Stoatstream felt her stomach turn, laughing nervously. "This isn't funny now, wake up." With more urgency, she pressed her nose hard into the side of Timberfrost's face, shifting him slightly from how he rested as his head lolled without resistance.

"Wake up. Dad, wake up." Her blood ran cold. Reaching out a paw and shaking Timberfrost with a sudden burst of desperation, Stoat's voice breaking as each word grew louder without her realising. "No, no, you have to wake up please." Timberfrost lay there, motionless.

YOU'RE MORE THAN STAINED GLASS ​

OOC -

YOU'RE THE LIGHT THAT COMES THROUGH ​

STOATSTREAM She/Her, Shadowclan Thief, 13 moons old.
A slender white cat with lilac markings and dark blue eyes.
Mentored by Sablestar // mentoring none
Sibling to Fleafire, Monsterpaw and Saffronkit
Timberfrost x Oleander (Gen 3) / mated to none
"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK, PAWSPEAK
penned by Pheo ↛ phoenixwashere on Discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Saffronkit Saffronkit]

❁ . ° ✦

She had fallen asleep a few feet away from their usual nest, playing too hard with the other kits. She could not wait for papa to come back before she all but collapsed on the floor, her small frame rising and falling as she slept. Her paw moved over her eyes as she heard the voice of Stoatstream, it was quiet at first, but gradually it grew more frantic --- panicked. "Wake up. Dad, wake up." Saffronkit's own eyes slowly opened, blinking the sleep from them. She sat up, seeing Stoatstream in the nursery, she was standing over Timberfrost, her usual demeanour entirely gone --- replaced with panic. When she had asked papa Timber about if she had siblings, he smiled, talking about Stoatstream, Fleafire, and Monsterpaw with a hearty smile. Seeing her sister look so visibly afraid scared the kit, as she always knew Stoatstream as a more reserved molly.

"No, no, you have to wake up please." her voice had an edge to it that Saffron had never heard before, a fear that lingered there as her wide blue eyes focused on Timberfrost. Saffronkit pulled herself to her feet, her voice coming out much smaller than she meant it to.

"Stoatstream?" She mewed quietly, looking at Timberfrost laying in the nest they usually shared together. His body and paws wrapped around some sort of old memento that Fleafire once had, smelling strongly of the molly. Saffronkit looked at Timberfrost with wide eyes, playing off of Stoatstream's own panic as she realized something was wrong. "W-what's wrong with papa?" She asked, almost pitifully. Her blue eyes welling with all sorts of emotion: fear, sorrow, a touch of anger. Papa was the only parent she had, and she had never grappled with loss before. She felt her stomach sink, before the young molly dove into Timberfrost's chest fur. His scent was there, but something felt wrong.

"Papa?!" She meowed, her voice loud, anguished. Her paws met his muzzle, so little, smaller than the tom's nose. "Papa! P-please!" Her tiny claws came out, hitting the tom on the muzzle with the most strength a three moon old kit could muster. Tears welling from her eyes, "PAPA!" She was screaming now, she continued hitting the tom, before small eyes looked back up at Stoatsteam.

"Wake him up, Stoatstream! P-please!" She pleaded to the older molly.

✧ ° . ✶ . ° ✧

ooc Information

• ooc: tags
  "meow" (#ff5d5d)
  "someone else's meow" (#FF7F50)
  thoughts (#ffe88a)
  actions
• 
  
  
  a smaller than average primarily auburn calico molly with blue eyes. Has been
  blessed
  by Starclan... but is it really a blessing if your family has been scattered? Each of her siblings have been taken to another clan, Hollykit, Branchkit, Pricklekit, and Skykit. She will know naught of them, only being embraced by her new life and new family in Shadowclan.

 

[Monsterpaw]

x

x

x

MONSTERPAW

SHADOWCLAN

APPRENTICE

HE/HIM

09 MOONS

DINGO

Monsterpaw startled from his slumber at the sound of Stoatstreams' desperation. Quick to rise and even quicker on his large paws as he headed for the nursery in pursuit of her pleas for their father to wake, he'd freeze at the entrance to the den copper eyes scanning the scene before him as he tried to work out what was going on. Despite Stoatstreams' pushing Timberfrost wasn't waking up, he lay there motionless in his nest that looked as though it was desperately in need of new moss. Saffronkit tried waking him too, diving into their father's chest fur in attempt to stir him. Timberfrost's scent was sour with something Monsterpaw couldn't quite explain but the coppery scent of blood was also unmistakable. Surely it hadn't come from just the prey Stoat had brought in alone?

He could feel his own panic and dread rising alongside the other two's, Saffronkit's anguish growing louder until they became screams for Timber to wake, for Stoatstream to wake him up. Monsterpaw would gently nudge the kitten with his nose in an effort to comfort her, and to try to discourage them from further disturbing Timberfrost as it seemed to only cause them more distress. "It'll be alright little one" He'd rumble softly, trying to mask his own panic that gnawed at his heart, Saffronkit was younger than them and with Timberfrost currently unresponsive it was up to them to comfort the kit, "I'll get Cicadabuzz, bug will help him" Or at least he hoped so... If Timberfrost was beyond help like how Coalstrike had been? He didn't know what he would do.

Monsterpaw would pad away from the nursery with haste, breaking into a thundering sprint as he headed straight for the medicine den, usually he was not one to disturb the medicine cats without permission for entry first but right now there was no time to waste. His father needed help and he wasn't about to wait around to get it. "Cicadabuzz. Timberfrost needs your expertise. Urgently." His conversation was as stiff as it usually was, but there was a notable sense of urgency to it that was rare to ever hear from the apprentice. "He is not waking from his nest"

You sold your soul, to who you thought you needed most

A massive solid black tom with red rusting and piercing copper coloured eyes. Has scruffy medium-length fur with most fluff being around the neck area with a bobbed but still scruffy tail. Described oftentimes as quiet and observant. Silently an ambitious guard dog for his family.

Adoptive Sibling to FLEAFIRE, STOATSTREAM and SAFFRONKIT
Adoptive son of TIMBERFROST
Mentored by MOTHBITE
"speech" // "thoughts" // #ff5700

OOC- Requesting help from @CICADABUZZ !

 

[MIREPURR]

It is no secret that the nursery is overwhelmed; the amount of kits that need to be taken care of has increased, much like the amount of hungry bellies that warriors tirelessly try to fill. ShadowClan is struggling... and yet it is only leaf-fall. What will they do when the frost sets in, when the fresh-kill pile will be even more meager than right now? When cats will begin to cough and their noses will start to run? Desperation claws at the edges of Mirepurr's mind, but they try to keep themself afloat based on Sablestar's commands. No weakness. But the entire Clan is anything but strong.

A scrawny mouse dangles from their jaws. Mirepurr's own stomach is not yet full—and it might be a while before it experiences that feeling again—but they want to provide Timberfrost with a little something. The caregiver has been hard at work; the others, too, but he is notorious for locking onto something specific, and then neglecting himself in the favor of others. Isn't that what Mirepurr is doing, right this moment? Oh well.

"Timberfrost-"

they start once they enter the den, but they trail off quickly, mouse dropped and entirely forgotten. The nursery is full of panic. Stoatstream, Saffronkit, Monsterpaw- they all crowd around Timberfrost.

Timberfrost's unmoving body.

No...

Mirepurr appears beside them in a flash, pawing at that too-hot pelt like that will do something. In truth, they don't know what to do. Monsterpaw calls for Cicadabuzz, that much they know, but in the meantime... there must be something they can do, right?

"Timberfrost!"

Dread makes itself known to Mirepurr, cruel and grim. He can't die. Their friend can't die.

"I... I am sure Cicadabuzz will know what to do."

The suggestion is hollow, but it is at least something—Saffronkit needs a resemblance of comfort right now. They all do.

 

[Blightpaw]

Blightpaw didn't know how much they would miss the nests that surround the queens and caretakers when they were moved from them to train to become a warrior within the pocasin, how much they would miss the days of simply being able to play and be able to not have to worry about training and making their mentor happy, doing what their mentor said. It was why when they got a chance after training outside of camp despite the way their paws screamed for rest, despite the way their stomach grumbled at and ached for food, they moved towards where the kits sleep, where those who had kit lie in rest so that the dark-colored apprentice could visit those they had grown under the care of to make sure they were well, for Blightpaw had not forgotten the kind way they had taken care of them when their mother could no longer nurse them, when she had gone back to being a warrior soon after only visiting to bring them food and tell small stories before running off to join another patrol.

This trip however it would not be filled with a story of what had happened out in today's training to the kits that had trouble sleeping to try and get them to rest their tired eyes, it was filled with dread. As Blightpaw was moving towards the nests it seemed as though Monsterpaw was pushing past, the words of gathering Cicadabuzz only just catching the apprentice's ears before they quickened the last few paces, frown plastered to their face as the sight was seen, as the view of Timberfrost, unmoving and crowded around was seen, and quickly heart was thumping in their ears before it suddenly dropped to their stomach. "We gotta move," It was quiet, a mew too quiet for others to hear even if they hadn't been screaming the name of the caretaker that had taken in so many around the clan, and eyes widened as thumping began in Blightpaw's ears once more, as they felt the world begin to slow once more and they swallowed the bile that rose within their throat before clearing it, before speaking louder, before attempting to move into Stoatstream, their friend, to try and move her "We gotta move, so-so Cicadabuzz can get through when bug comes back with Monsterpaw to help, we gotta get out of the way."

They couldn't be in the way, too many times were cats crowded around the others and Cicadabuzz had to tell everyone to move and Blightpaw wasn't going to let this be the time bug had to tell everyone to move and it be the one time everyone moving caused someone their life, Timberfrost was too important. Hopefully it worked, hopefully there was a path, hopefully there was a whole side of the caretaker free for Cicadabuzz to work on, free and open and enough.

And hopefully Stoatstream didn't mind the fact that Blightpaw was still pressed against her, shaking in worry.

​

BLIGHTPAW they/them, shadowclan 6 moons old.
black smoke with orange eyes
mentored by Hollowmist // mentoring none
littermate to none
NPC x NPC / parent / mated to none
"speech" // "thoughts"
penned by tikki ↛ rabbitcake on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Stoatstream Stoatstream]

SOMETHING SACRED

HIDES IN EVERY DROP OF DEW

Stood there, in near enough a daze as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. But the only thing that pulled her back was the sensation of something nudging her side. Blinking hard, she looked to notice Blightpaw, looking up with eyes that glittered in worry, pressed against her. Shaking. Stoatstream let out a shuddered breath as she braced herself, swallowing hard.

There were far more cats awake now; she hadn't realised her fervour of panic had been loud enough to stir the clan, but considering her throat stung, she wasn't surprised. To her horror, though, Saffronkit had awoken too, and she looked up to her with a teary desperation. Stoatstream's heart broke, watching the tiny thing plead for their father, for Stoat to help. She looked to Mirepurr, who reminded them about Cicadabuzz, and the absent scent of Monsterpaw made her realise her little brother had gone to retrieve the medicine cat.

And, she was standing there, doing nothing. She swallowed hard again, trying to stifile back the tears that clawed at her eyes. She was the oldest; she had to take control. Blightpaw was right; they needed to move, at least give Cicadabuzz space to help Timberfrost. So, she dipped her head down, rasping Saffronkit gently across the cheek, trying to dry her face. "Father will be okay, Cicadabuzz will help." The ivory molly steeled the shake in her voice; she had to be strong. "Come here, Saffy." She bowed down, gently picking up the kitten by the scruff, just as she had seen her father do time and time again.

With a motion of her head for Blightpaw to follow, she moved them all a short way from Timberfrost. He was still close by, but there was room for the medicine cat when bug was brought in. Stoatstream's paws gave in beneath her, where she could steel her heart and bury her tears; her whole form shook in the careful retreat from their father. She tucked the kitten close to her chest, resting her chin atop Safffronkit defensively, as if something would try and snap her up too. She flickered her tail to Blightpaw to sit, too. Her smaller friend was shaken clearly, and if she was to be brave for Saffronkit, she would hold Blight too, if they needed it.

She spoke again, looking to Mirepurr with a watery expression. "Thank you for coming to help..." Her gaze flickered to Timberfrost, where a flicker of pain flashed across her face again. Immediately turning to look away from anyone, trying to hide her face, knit in fear. Instead, muttering softly to the kitten, trying to console her. "It'll be okay, he's going to be okay."

YOU'RE MORE THAN STAINED GLASS ​

OOC -

YOU'RE THE LIGHT THAT COMES THROUGH ​

STOATSTREAM She/Her, Shadowclan Thief, 13 moons old.
A slender white cat with lilac markings and dark blue eyes.
Mentored by Sablestar // mentoring none
Sibling to Fleafire, Monsterpaw and Saffronkit
Timberfrost x Oleander (Gen 3) / mated to none
"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ACTIONS/INTERACTIONS, PAWSPEAK
penned by Pheo ↛ phoenixwashere on Discord, feel free to dm for plots.