Camp i'm addicted to the mania // skirmish return

[SABLESTAR]

Paws stomp through the muck in measured steps. His anger could be steaming off his pelt, claws scoring through the mud in minuscule release of the frustration building into his muscles. Camp would have been a sanctuary if he hadn't been dragged away from it to address the actions of petty selfishness first. Were their stomachs so weak they couldn't handle the prey that the pocosin provided? There was an entire side of the thunderpath uninhabited as far as their loose laid patrols had found. Nothing could have driven them to take free reign of that- they had to pick a fight...

Sablestar exhaled in a huffy breath once he descended into the clearing, glancing toward Cicadabuzz's den before turning his sights back to the ground. "ShadowClan has won today!" The tuxedo lifted his head as his voice raised to address the Clan. "Hawthorne's colony has remade themselves on the other side of the Thunderpath- ThunderClan is their name, led by my mate. Juniperstar." Information he had already known, that he didn't think would need to be shared so quickly. He had expected them to be content, how dare he believe they be grateful for the land he brought them to.

"We've established a border for a short distance into their side. I want it to be patrolled regularly, it is ours to hunt in, but I expect there to be no more instigating for fights. Cicadabuzz does not have herbs to throw for every scratch and bite you ask for, and I expect even less of them to waste their stock on foolish antics." He only wished it hadn't needed to involve breaking his agreement with his mate. But if he had been forthcoming about it, would violence have been met sooner? He would have to trust he was continuing to make the right decisions for the both of them.

"Where is Fleakit?" Sablestar glanced around for the dusty kit until she entered his sights. "Since you wish so badly to break from the safety of your Caretakers, you'll saddle up with the apprentices. From this day, until you've earned your warrior name, you will be Fleapaw." Maybe then she would learn the dangers outside of camp were not meant to be leapt into at every chance.

this heart beats cold like the devil his own

• "mew"
• 

  SABLESTAR— he/him ･fifty-four moons ･leader; shadowclan ･penned by gonkpilled

  a black and white tuxedo with dark amber eyes

 

[F l e a p a w]

tw - language

By the time the patrol returned, Fleakit was still seething. The only reason she wasn't foaming at the mouth was because Stoatkit had thrown a wet towel over the fire.

Sablestar's voice rang through the camp, carrying the news of their victory. Fleakit's scowl only deepened. She should've been there to watch those ThunderClan cowards flee with her own eyes. But no, she was sitting in camp.

Now whose damn fault was that?

She huffed, shooting Sealpaw another blazing glare. She didn't know what the fuck nest was hers, but it was gonna be filled with mud and burrs until she got tired of pricking her paws on them. The next moon at least, if that dirty traitor didn't crawl to Thunderclan begging to be let in first. "Still has the gall to sit there and breathe," She muttered, claws digging ripping at the ground.

Shoulda killed her.

If she could.

If she wasn't so small.

The thought curled inside her like a thorn, twisting deep. She slumped forward, half-listening to the chatter. She was barely clinging to the words, sulking—until she heard her name.

Her ear flicked, side-eyeing the Shadowclan leader with disinterest. Right. She was in trouble. Again. What was it this time? Another bump on the head? Going to bed without fresh kill? A lecture she'd listen to for all of five seconds before zoning out.

"—you'll saddle up with the apprentices."

Her brain stuttered. She blinked, one eyelid at a time.

Fleakit snapped up so fast her legs wobbled in protest. "W-wait—Really?" She gawked, sweeping back into focus. He wasn't serious. Was he? Was he?! Her jaw went slack as he spoke to her, soaking up every word from then on.

He was rewarding her. That wasn't what she expected at all! What, was it 'cause she fought? 'Cause she did good? The days disappointments were crumpled and blown away like a leaf underfoot. Maybe Sealpaw didn't ruin everything after all.

"YES! Hear that Stoat?! I'm gonna be an apprentice!" She bounced from toe to toe, ears bouncing on her round head. This was like majorly awesome of him! Fleakit suddenly hated his face a smidge less... Maybe she would stop hiding frogs in his nest for a while.

She looked up at the tom with a crooked smile that could've split her face. "You're the bestest leader ever! You won't regret this!" He was totally gonna regret it. But who even cares! She was gonna be an apprentice— a real APPRENTICE! She was gonna learn to fight and hunt and do all kinds of cool shit!

"I get a mentor, right? Who is it?" The kit scanned the faces of her clanmates. She was already making guesses. Was it Jade? OOH or Flamerunner?!

This was the best day of her life.

​

shes got a knife ▬ι═ﺤ stab stab

• ooc —— I am proud to announce that it's all downhill from here! : )
• 
  I extend my hand like a mob boss and allow you to kiss my ring but when you lean closer you see its one of those glow-in-the-dark spider rings you win at arcades [MUNCH] you disrespec me - and eat my spooky spida ring! which cost me 50 tickets at funtime arcade and pizzeria. VINNY! Hit her with da sticky hand!​
  ​
• FLEAKIT / FLEAPAW / FLEABITE
  - she/her
  - kit
  - 5 moons; ages on the 1st of every month
  - speech thought
  - physical powerplay permitted (smol bean)
  
  
  penned by Scarlet​

​

 

[Stoatkit]

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

Stoatkit made sure to keep close by to Fleakit; after what happened earlier, she was desperate to stop her friend from trying to kill anyone. While she was small, she had the determination to, and at least Stoatkit knew she could put herself in the middle, and Fleakit wouldn't raise a claw to her. She pressed her forehead against the other's shoulder, an affectionate gesture, as she noticed the other stiffen at the sight of Sablestar. From everything she gathered, Stoatkit was almost certain Fleakit was about to be punished and crinkled her nose a little as she looked to the leader to decipher what he was saying... "-with the apprentices.". She tilted her head, stunned for a moment. Was... Did Fleakit just get...

Suddenly, her friend bound up, hopping around like a rabbit with excitement across her face. 'She's an apprentice...' Stoatkit knew this day was coming, but this feeling? It was that awful lump in her throat, a wad of mud caught in her mouth, making it hard to breathe. Shouldn't she be excited too? She looked to Fleakit- paw. Fleapaw. Her friend hadn't been so happy in so long, not since getting that reaction out the nursery with the frog mishap. Stoatkit swallowed hard and blinked back a pain in her eyes she couldn't quite pinpoint.

"You're gonna be an apprentice!!" She chirped, standing up and grinning. She was happy for her friend; she wouldn't think anything otherwise. She again leant forward and pressed her forehead against the other's. "You're gonna be amazing." It was more a reassurance to herself than anything. She'd heard the fight with Thunderclan, a warrior twice her size could have killed her like that. Why was Sablestar letting her become an apprentice? She knew she wasn't meant to doubt her leader, though, so instead, she shot a watery smile at Sablestar. As if she was meant to be grateful to see her friend enabled to throw herself into more dangerous situations. At least now she could be trained...

——— While you were sleeping,

Everything changed at once. ———

• 
  Stoatkit
  ✦—Shadowclan kit | 5 Moons
  ✦—She/Her
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A slender white cat with faint lilac markings and blue eyes.
  #96d5f1

 

[WOLFPACK]

AND I AM SORRY MY CONSCIENCE CALLED IN SICK AGAIN​

---

OOC- takes place near the burnt sycamore!
PROMPT- while on patrol, a fog begins to surround your character(s) and they are overwhelmed by the scent of rot

---

Wolfpack did not share in their leaders sense of dread over what had happened. They were right, after all; the world was a massive place with lots to offer; and if Thunderclan didn't want to share their forest, they could go somewhere else with fewer neighbors to contend with. Selfish, perhaps, but the mottled tomcat wouldn't lower his own quality of living just so some stranger felt like they're toes weren't getting stepped on. And apparently, much of the clan felt similarly. They didn't want to hunt in the mud or to eat scaly, slimy prey, and quite frankly, Wolf commended them for going after what they wanted.

For solving the problem instead of sitting there complaining about it.

Sable should be grateful. They could have chosen to sit in camp stirring up dissent over the shitty hunting conditions, but instead they'd chosen to just get up and do something about it. A familiar tale with a different ending.

"Shadowclan has won today!"

Wolf let his yowl of victory ring out with the others, though he wasn't foolish enough as to think the conflict between them and Thunderclan was over. In half a moon, when Shadowclan was expected to give up their access to dry land and mammalian prey, the mottled brute wasn't sure his clanmates would be so keen on just hanging it over.

He chose –in an attempt not to ruin the moment– not to call out Sablestars choice of address for Juniperstar. They were not mates anymore– couldn't be, when their clans would never allow them to have lives together. Did Sable expect Thunderclan to forgive him? Did he expect his own followers to overlook the fact that juniper had sided with the cats who would have seen them and their loved ones perish to starvation?

It was a stupid, dangerous fantasy for their leader to be entertaining, and as much as Wolfpack wanted assurance that those ties would be severed– that they would never need to worry about Sable compromising their well being for his mates– he would not dampen the unexpected victory they'd gotten themselves today.

​

---

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

​

 

[Smogmaw.]

The diplomatic particularities that'd cropped up from their foray across the border have the Night Guard caught in something of an impasse. This bothers him, because politics bother him, but there's a stone the size of a boulder in his chest, a weight telling him to be worried.

ThunderClan's leader is the ShadowClan leader's mate. Not ex-mate, or any other indicator of estrangement. Mate, present tense.

The silvered tom is a silent spectator to the clan's celebration. With no paw lent to the skirmish (his were otherwise bound for the camp when it'd broken out), his contributions to the territorial gains end at the squirrel dangling from his maw. It is deposited on the fresh-kill pile as Sablestar's attention turns toward Fleakit, and thereafter meanders back to the gathering's outskirts. A slow, simmering fire burns in his amber glare, spreading to the deputy in taciturn study. He's of a mind to inquire what the mottled brute thinks of all this, after the others disperse.

As things stand, though, Smogmaw rises from his haunches and pads forward a few paces. "So, what does that mean?" he asks of his leader. "That your mate is leadin' a clan right next to ours, who we just took land from, and might someday fight with again. Is this gonna affect how we do business with 'em?" He deigns not to voice the most prominent thought of his; that they're going to get an extra claw's length of slack in negotiations, simply because the pair's relationship transcends borders.

It's a most troublesome development indeed. History has taught him that when family presides over foresight, it condemns a population to wither in weakness, setting in motion this parasitic cycle where discord feeds on the resulting stagnation, until a schism rises between the willful and the idle. Back in the colony, when the battle lines were drawn, Smogmaw cast his lot in with those who sought to upend what had deteriorated—he did not join Sable's cause to see blood ties reassert their influence anew, nor did he sign up to be an accessory to one's relationship woes. There was no attempt to disguise the bond still lingering when Juniperstar's name was invoked by his leader. It's the exact sort of liability that, given time, could undermine them.

For now, it merely vexes. Smogmaw does not question the commitment to which Sablestar has staked for his clan. But calling this a conflict of interest doesn't even begin to cut it. It's more of a full-blown collision, and Smogmaw wants assurances that it won't see their efforts undone. If his station as Night Guard demands his counsel when the leader needs it, he will not hesitate to seek clarity from his leader in return.

 

[SABLESTAR]

Fleapaw's taken to the launch into early graduation as he would expect. Overexcited, jumping about in show of her kithood. Maturity absent for as much as she had height and weight to spare. Timberfrost had done enough with her now, and clearly she was outgrowing the bounds of his control. The only saving grace waved his way was the implication she could follow directive at all- she was driven with purpose. Motivated by something to do when it proved something in her favor and the quickest outlet into that was somehow siphoning it into something more useful than biting the ankles of ThunderClan.

A mentor- she wanted a mentor- her own little babysitter of sorts? Great way to make monitoring her messy behavior without a fight. "You'll train like the rest of the apprentices do for now, a warrior will get you when you're needed." Were expectations too loose for their youthful paws? Maybe they should all find something more direct and then there wouldn't be so many sitting on their tails at camp, rallying at the first chance to cause trouble.

He pointedly does not meet Wolfpack's gaze but Smogmaw wrought the elephant from the room before them. The kits wouldn't understand or recognize the complexity of his reveal, especially not those whose paws treaded outside the a life of the Colony. Juniper leading ThunderClan would mean the wrath and anger of ShadowClan may over boil, those expectant of a day for revenge or petty greed now cut off for the sake of a mateship out of their own care.

"It means," Sablestar began as he turned to look at the tabby, glancing to the addition he added to the prey pile before focusing back to the tom. "Is that there is no such thing as Hawthorne's Colony, nor Fray's. The days of warring with Hawthorne died with him- It means there is equal understanding between two powers, the tension bared is simply residual on their end." There were plenty out for his pelt, that he knew, and he had said as much the night he told of Hawthorne's death. Whether it was his fangs that clutched Hawthorne's last breath or not, they would find blame on his shoulders.

"Juniperstar and I are of equal mind in regards to the safety for both of our Clans. Her warriors follow her word and order and meet the repercussions when those commands are ignored- just like you all do. They know their place beneath her, that bit of land was repayment for forgetting. There should be no concern of anymore trouble or war while both Clan's learn beside one another, some of your Clanmates still have kin beyond the Thunderpath, and I would hope to see a day we may coexist." Another breath lifted his chest in a gleam of... something akin to pride, with a smug turn of his maw.

"My kittens will certainly benefit for a life without anymore squabbling, and you should all reap the benefits that extends upon you when you meet the in the next half-moon."

this heart beats cold like the devil his own

• "mew"
• 

  SABLESTAR— he/him ･fifty-four moons ･leader; shadowclan ･penned by gonkpilled

  a black and white tuxedo with dark amber eyes