TW: Death PAFP Camp TC good things always come to an end ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ______ intro

[Daisynose]

DAISYNOSE

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Daisynose finished her meal with a satisfied lick of her lips. After a morning border patrol, her paws were tired, and a nice chipmunk had hit the spot. She was contemplating what she wanted to do for the rest of her day. She supposed the most responsible thing to do would be go hunting, or volunteer for another patrol, maybe check up on the elders. There was the distant sound of a dog barking, but the other patrols would surely alert the camp if there was any sort of danger. She opted to ignore the sound, though it did make her tailtip twitch anxiously.

She was tempted to go visit her sister in the nursery, but she hoped that she was spending time with some of the other kits. Her fathers had decided to go out on a hunt with each other - one of their first moments of alone time since Pineconekit had been born. She purred at the thought of them stealing away to spend time together. She hoped that, when she was older, she found someone she loved as much as her fathers loved each other. Someone she simply couldn't get enough of.

Getting to her paws, Daisynose stretched her achy limbs, first the front, then the back. She had just turned towards the warriors' den when shuffling pawsteps made her ear swivel towards the entrance to camp. Before she could even turn her head, a sharp gasp made her jump. "Cedarsnap!"

Daisynose felt her blood run cold. Time seemed to slow to a stop as she turned towards the sound, eyes widening with horror as her blue gaze landed upon the ragged form of her father. He was bleeding heavily, though she had trouble pinpointing specific wounds against his dark pelt. "Dad!" She yowled, propelling herself forward just in time to catch him as he lost his balance and toppled forward. Gently lowering him to the ground, she tried to get a better look, to see how dire his wounds were. There was so much blood - "Dad, what happened?"

"Dog-" Cedarsnap choked out. His eyes were lidded, sides heaving with the effort of taking in short, desperate breaths. Around her she was vaguely aware of a great commotion in camp, cats gathering and calling for a healer, asking questions, voicing concerns, but in that moment all she could focus on was her father, laying bleeding at her paws.

"Dog...?" Daisynose dug her claws into the earth. The dog she'd heard barking? "Dad, Dad, where's Papa?" Cedarsnap's eyes were falling further closed. She thought she detected a slight shake of his head. "Is he hurt?" Cedarsnap's eyes, opened just a sliver, grew unfocused. His ragged breathing was growing slower, shallower.

"I'm sor- sorry," Cedarsnap wheezed, so softly Daisynose almost didn't hear it. Blood had begun to trickle from between his lips.

"Dad, please... Dad, you'll be okay," Daisynose couldn't contain the quiver in her voice. She pressed her paws against his shoulder, trying to gently get his attention, prompt him to open his eyes. Blood seeped between her toes. He didn't react. "Dad...?" His final breath was so weak she couldn't even feel it vibrate through his broken frame. He was just... gone.

She stared down at her father, the cat who had nursed her. He'd comforted her at night when she had nightmares, tidied her fur for her apprentice ceremony, soothed her anxieties as she struggled to find her place in the clan. Where Sweetpetal was a strong, bold warrior, Cedarsnap had been her caretaker. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her paws under her. Her father was dead, and he other father was in danger. What could she do? What should she do? Tears pricked her eyes. She felt like she couldn't move; her mind chased itself in circles. Should she go out into the territory, look for Sweetpetal? What about Pineconekit?

"Pinecone," her head shot up upon remembering her little sister, hopefully blissfully unaware of what had just happened in camp. She whirled towards the nursery. She couldn't let her sister see their father like that.

ooc: will mark this thread open when its time :3 sweetpetal and cedarsnap are npcs!

dreamers dream until they don't

seal point she-cat with low white and blue eyes
she/her
warrior of Thunderclan
17 moons, ages every 30th
"speech", thoughts, attempted action, "other character's speech"

 

[Pineconekit]

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⸙ PINECONEKIT ⸙

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Pineconekit wasn't used to dad leaving her, his warmth a near constant in her life. But even at such a young age she understood he sometimes wanted some alone time with her papa, even if it left her colder for a while. She wasn't abandoned, she was left with the other caregivers of the clan, with the other kittens in the nursery. It was just that no one could replace her dad.

And so when she heard his name be called, blissfully unaware of the tone in which his name had been called, she excitedly got to her paws, ready to greet him outside. The caregiver who was in charge of her was taking a nap and so she slipped silently from the nursery with her tail held high. The sight she was met with was chaos - cats mingling all around, or frozen, so many voices and shuffling paws. She thought she heard her older sister somewhere, but couldn't pinpoint where. "What's going on?" she asked no one in particular.

Pineconekit was met with no answer, but an unfamiliar scent hit her nose - metallic and salty. A smell she could not recognise, though it intrigued her. For a moment, silence fell over the clearing, as if something significant had happened, something Pineconekit was not aware of. And then it was chaos again, noises of cats talking or moving. Someone yelled something, but Pineconekit wasn't listening.

Her sister's face appeared out of the crowd, eyes wild, paws red. Pineconekit didn't understand. "Are you hurt?" she asked innocently. "Don't worry, dad will clean it out of your fur now that he's back!"

There was something intense in Daisynose's gaze, but Pineconekit wasn't aware of its meaning. "Where is he? I know he's back, I heard his name being called!" she giggled, impatiently waiting for his appearance. She couldn't wait for her source of warmth and safety to be close again, to comfort her and lay with her when she's sleepy. The other caregivers were alright, but none of them were Cedarsnap. He was the only one she could fall asleep next to.

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☘︎ OOC: Only open to @Daisynose and @Boarthorn for now!​

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[Boarthorn Boarthorn]

He had come out of camp to hunt, to seek extra prey for his mother; now he had free rein to leave camp when he wanted. But he never expected his expedition to turn into something so dire.

The air hung with something peculiar; he couldn't put a paw on it, but the prey seemed especially skittish. It was hard to hunt as it was, the deep cool in the earth as leafbare approached made the prey populations grow thinner by the day. He had been out there for some time, sneaking in the undergrowth for anything he could snag alone. But something was in the air, foul and bitter. An unease rested in his bones, part of him longed to return to camp, dread building in his chest the longer he lingered.

In the end, he resigned to return to camp; he could try another hunt in time. Patrols had left near the same time he had, but with that breath of freedom, he had decided to snatch it up.

And only as the mottled scent of blood, dogs and something else hung in the air did Boarthorn's blood run ice cold. On instinct, he pressed his body to the ground, let his senses catch up before striking into action. Off in the distance, the barking of dogs seemed to fade, as with the strange tongue of twolegs. The young warrior's face fell, he hadn't heard the strange tongue of twoleg since he and his sibling had been left for dead at the Thunderpath, why now had they passed by... The bitter scent of blood that didn't fade put him in a worsening unease. He hoped one of the dogs had been injured, but as he snuck towards the scent, his jaw tightened as a dreadful scene unfolded before him.

Blood and fur were scattered in the area. Far too much to be from just one dog. The scent of dog and human faded, their cacophony far enough for Boarthorn to feel safe to investigate. "Hello? Iths anyone- Here..." His voice faltered, expression falling as what he could only assume was the source of the blood had been found. Between marred flesh and seeping blood, the unmistakable brown tabby, Sweetpetal, or what remained of him.

Boarthorn dashed ahead, heart racing. He and Cedarsnap had a kit at home; he had to be okay. He stood before the bloodied fur of the tom, throat tightening. "Sweetpetal?" The name spoken as nothing but a whisper, the tom bowing his head and pressing a nose to the warrior's face. The tom's face twisted in a stifled anguish. He was still warm, but not a breath came from the opened maw, and where there should have been the rhythmic beat of his chest, there was silence. Boarthorn stared at the mangled corpse, praying desperately to see the slightest rise and fall of his chest. But Sweetpetal was still.

The new warrior had to tighten his jaw; tears threatened to prick his eyes. Never before had he been so close to death; he had been at Serpentberry's vigil, but Rowanpaw had decorated her with flowers with love and care. She had just appeared to be asleep. But Sweetpetal, oh poor Sweetpetal. Boarthorn bowed his head and gave himself a moment to steady himself as tears slipped down his cheeks. "May Starclan welcome you sthafely, Sweetpetal." He took a long, deep breath. Boarthorn couldn't leave him here, not when creatures of the forest were just as desperate as the cats to eat; he had to bring him to camp. To his family. To be buried safely amongst their fallen clanmates.

The tom bowed his head and ever so carefully moved Sweetpetal's body. It was frighteningly easy, but perhaps it was a kindness that he could carry Sweetpetal alone, shortening how long the trek back to camp would be. The tabby rested across his shoulders, and a tightness formed in his throat. He had recalled the tom's kindness, how fondly he regarded all kittens, even when he and Cindersnap's oldest had long become an apprentice, and their joy upon having Pineconekit.

Boarthorn steeled himself; how his heart broke for the sisters and mate, he did not want to be the one to shatter their worlds, but the world was never kind to good cats. He just prayed Sweetpetal's suffering had been short, and he could remain safe in Starclan to watch his kin, and Cedarsnap could brave his future without his mate.

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OOC - Boarthorn isn't in the main bulk of the thread yet, I'll add a note when he's part of it properly joined the thread! Anything I post with him is occurring at the same time, though, hence being in the same thread!

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BOARTHORN He/They, Thunderclan Ranger, 12 moons.
A long-haired, blue ticked tabby tom with a prominent underbite, blue eyes and growing vitiligo.
mentored by Loonstar // mentoring no one
littermate to Saltpaw // sibling to Leveretkit
Copperstorm x Dewshine // parent to none // mated to no one
"SPEECH" // "THOUGHTS" // ATTEMPTED ACTION
penned by Pheo ↛ phoenixwashere on discord, feel free to dm for plots.