Private i'm still counting down all of the days . . .

[swarmswirl]

It's easier to enjoy Starlitpath's company when they're not surrounded by others. She still has the suffocating need to prove herself... but when it's just them, it becomes less of a rivalry, and more simply wanting to show off for her courtship. The point prince has held firm to his reassurance that much of their life hasn't changed, and she is grateful - but she is just as grateful for these fleeting seconds.

The molly presses her cheek into his, muttering a perhaps still too curt, "You sure you're not cold?" The snow has begun to fall already, leafbare coming quick and leaving a blanket atop their ground. And even with her own plush coat having grown thicker in recent days, Starlitpath's pelt is as short as ever. She'd wager that Hawkstar's long line of ancestors were forever better suited for the gorge, where the sun beat down with no reprieve. But even then, snow chilled the air, so maybe they were rarely the lucky sort, too.

Before she can fully comprehend her companion's answer, the wind itself shifts, revealing a stomach-churning scent with it. And not too far from them is evidence of exactly that. Swarmswirl turns her gaze to look over her shoulder, where the hill crests just slightly, and between the thinning trees she can see: a fox, already blazingly orange against the pale snowscape, but dyed red from its latest hunt. If she were any bit self preserving, Swarmswirl would've nudged her fellow warrior to retreat and warn the Clan. But among the floating scents, she finds... cats. And she thinks of her sister, broken, battered, barely alive.

I can save them. She pulls wordlessly from Starlitpath's side, paws gaining speed as she mindlessly races towards the fox. I can save them.

She launches at the beast before it notices her. Her claws hitch into the darker fur on its leg, and she lunges her teeth to sink into the flesh of its ankle. The fox yelps in surprise but twists with ease, latching its fowl smelling maw into her scruff and ripping her away. Her body is flung into a nearby tree and the wind is knocked from her. Swarmswirl wheezes out a cry of pain, but is quick to stagger back to her paws. She hacks and coughs, but keeps her gaze on the fox, eyebrows knit together.

[ context: this thread is dated to december 1st, we have started writing it a little early simply bc i'm a slow poster rn and this personal event has a deadline.
the fox has 20 hp. swarmswirl has 20 hp.
swarmswirl rolled a 4 against the fox. it now has 16 hp.
the fox rolled a 9 against swarmswirl. she now has 11 hp. ]

 

[starlitpath starlitpath]

(˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗) it's easier to get used to when it's just the two of them. this is something, he thinks, they agree on. the clan still side eyes them, wonders aloud whether they'll ever declare mateship, whether they've told hawkstar (as if the king needs to know), and starlitpath swears he heard somecat talk about kits earlier. they're two weeks into this... thing, and it's good. more than good. he's warm at night, secure in her embrace, and he has a cat who he looks for finally. once, he had embraced a 'too cool for you' attitude, but she makes him soft. she pries things out of him he'd once rather die than admit, and his heart gushes for her. gooey and in love (what!?), the point is content to pad beside the warm-pelted warrior forever.

she leans into him, and he nuzzles back, although a huff escapes his maw. "positive," even as he fluffs his fur. blessed with a coat of beautiful dilute patches, the feline will swear he's got thick fur. still, leaf-bare in the new forest nips at his skin, despite the brave face he adopts. his companion is distracted as he speaks, and he looks to her, brow furrowing. swarmswirl is looking over her shoulder, and starlitpath follows her gaze, eyes darkening as he spots what she is staring at. a fox, crimson stained, gleaming in the pale light. before the feline can speak to his partner, she has torn off, paws churning up snowy earth as she dashes toward the scene.

with a shout, starlitpath takes off after her, cursing her in their mind even as their heart swoons for her bravery. cat scent and metallic blood mingle in the air, clinging to the musky fox smell as swarmswirl crashes into the beast, a tangle of claws and teeth. she is thrown backwards, body cracking into a tree where she clambers to her paws, breath rough. rage boils deep in the warrior's stomach as they drive themself into the fox, sliding beneath it to score thorn-like claws across its belly. it yelps, hopping in place which allows starlitpath to twist to their paws and rain more blows down. teeth snap near its ear, claws sting across its eye until beads of red paint the harsh ginger fur.

out of the corner of their eye, starlitpath spies her companion, rushing back into the battle, and spins, luring the fox's attention onto her own body. the beast huffs and snarls, biting down on the warrior's shoulder as she reaches out to scratch it, and shaking. starlitpath shrieks and wrenches her shoulder from its grasp, jaws flashing as she aims to bite deep into the creature's neck fur. teeth find their mark and the warrior rips backward, tearing fur and flesh from it as it staggers back, oozing blood.

LIKE CONSTELLATIONS ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ IMPLODING IN THE NIGHT

• // " #dcccf0" starlitpath has 20 hp. the fox has 16 hp. starlitpath rolled an 18 against the fox. it now has 0 hp. the fox rolled a 5 against starlitpath. she now has 15 hp.
• 
• 
  STARLITPATH ★ tags / toyhouse
  
  ★ genderfluid (he / she / they) / bisexual, mate of none
  ★ 31 moons old, ages realistically
  ★ warrior of skyclan
  ★ padding after SWARMSWIRL
  ★ HAWKSTAR, WHITE EYE
  ★ younger sibling to THREETOE, BADGERTAIL, BEARFACE
  ★ mentoring SPIKEPAW / mentored by DUSKPOOL
  ★ penned by LAVS / message lavendes on discord for plots!
  
  a shorthaired dilute calico point with low white and aqua eyes. short, thick fur decorates her frame, cream hued, swooping into a cowlick on her head. their face, paws, and tail are dappled with fawn and slate gray, broken through by speckles of white. a star shaped white splotch on their forehead offers them their namesake. eyes like ocean water, a deep aqua blue, pierce out of almond shaped sockets.

​

 

[swarmswirl]

The world becomes clearer with every wheeze, and soon amidst the white-and-red landscape, she sees the eggshell pelt of Starlitpath crash in. Mottled blue-and-cream paws unsheathe their claws and quite literally rip into the predator - the molly snaps her teeth to distract the beast and shred its face in return. Swarmswirl finds her blood boiling - or, is that her heart racing? Starlitpath is such a show off! ... But in truth, for the few spare moments she has with her breath finally rattling calmly in her chest, it's kind of... nice to be saved. Cherished and protected, even.

The tortoiseshell shakes the distraction from her pelt but it remains a twinkle in her eyes. She doesn't watch for long, her own claws digging into the soft snow underfoot as she launches back into battle. She doesn't notice it when Starlitpath's distraction until her companion finds herself with teeth lodged into her shoulder. "Mousebrain -!" She hisses, and suddenly the allure of having a savior is lost all at once. How stupid must the pine's prince be, to let the fox drive its teeth into him like that? For what, the sake of her -?

Great stars, she scrapes her claws along the frame of the fox, further bringing it down. I lead her here. Her foolish bravado has harmed someone she honestly, truly likes. Maybe it's not the first time, but it stings worse than any time before. Her gaze slips towards the bleeding injury Starlitpath bears now and she cringes, feinting left to miss the swipe of the fox. Who was I trying to save? These souls are long gone, their bodies already cold and ravaged. Swarmswirl would apologize, if not for the heat of the fox's breath baring down on her.

She notes now that the beast has wounds that have clotted up some already, and imagines for the split moment that the cats that lie by their paws must've put up a fight, too. If she can just... push herself, she can save Starlitpath from having to sweep back in again. And she risks it.

Awkwardly, Swarmswirl launches upwards, latching her teeth into the softer flesh of the predator's throat. It thrashes against her, dragging her body across the muck and slush trampled beneath them. Her maw is mostly filled with fur, but she thinks if she can just break enough, the fox will be irreparable. And that's... what happens. The fox throws her again, however a far shorter distance this time, and stumbles steps backwards. It heaves a few breaths, clearly struggling, and the chocolate tortoiseshell shifts on her paws to link her shoulder to Starlitpath's. Her teeth are drawn back in a hiss, but the fox doesn't leap for them again. Instead, it turns, trying to escape... only to make it a few steps before collapsing.

She doesn't know if she did enough to take it out, or if Starlitpath's work had dug the grave. But looking at the deceased before them, she knows that neither herself nor her pointed lover (huh?) would have survived without the sacrifices these strangers made.

"Let me - let me look," she turns her fury onto Starlitpath, it hardly shifting into worry besides the barest glimmer at the corner of her eyes. "Great stars, Swallowbreeze will have my head for this. Your shoulder, Star! You - you - you...! You're better than that, how could you let it...!?" She finds she can't fathom anything worthwhile, her emotions tumultuous and frustrating. The molly's tail lashes and though her frustration doesn't fade, she murmurs into the silent air, "Are you okay? I... need you to be okay..."

The silence answers back in quiet, muffled sounds.

[ the fox had 0 hp and swarm rolled an 18 so sorry. that mf dead as hell. thanks the murdered for getting a few good hits in first.
and for the culture the fox also still hit swarm for 8 so she's at like 3 hp and totally fine (shes freaking the fuck out)
and also.... hey. whats that? ]

 

[MOONLITKIT MOONLITKIT MOONLITKIT's icon]

From the moment he had been born, the small kitten had only known warmth and the faint yet rich smell of milk but it had been short-lived. The warmth of his caregiver taken away without a warning for he couldn't hear with deaf ears nor see with sealed eyes, perhaps, it had been his blessing to not be exposed to such a thing when he's new to the world that surrounds him. He wouldn't understand how his small body is thrown from the makeshift den nor would he recall if he had littermates, all he knows is that his body shivers, and the snow threatens to swallow him whole. The unnamed soul is unaware of the battle that has intiated by beast and the parent that he'd never know, the smell of copper only growing stronger, and his nose wrinkles at the stench. It makes him feel uneasy and uncomfortable, his frail little body shivering, and yet he feels his little body getting justled around by larger paws.

Frost covered plants seem to hide him from the russet creature that prepares itself for its first meal since the cold has arrived but it goes interrupted by two different souls, the kitten remains silent for what feels like an eternity, and feels as if he's startled despite being unable to see anything but his nose... oh, his nose. He could only smell more and more blood that causes the little hairs on his body to prickle in every direction, his body shivers pathetically against the cold feeling as if it threatens to take whatever warmth lingers in his little body.

The unnamed kit doesn't know that the beast that caused the demise of his caregiver is dead nor of his unaware saviors, all he knows is that everything is unfamiliar, and fear siezing at his heart as it races within his chest. It isn't long before his toothless maw parts and he allows himself to be heard for the first time as he cries out though it is muffled by the snow that threatens to blanket him. His shrill cries are pathetic and tired from having been born into such an overwhelming world, his little paws lifting from the snow covered ground but his cries only grow louder at the displeasure of feeling the cold touch his empty belly.

"I'm here! I'm here!" His cries beckon for anyone to hear him for he can feel the warmth beginning to drain from his body and all the energy that he hadn't wished to waste is spent.​

 

[starlitpath starlitpath]

(˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗) the fox bares down upon swarmswirl, and she leaps up, plunging her jaws deep into the beast's crimson throat. starlitpath catches her breath, for the first time feeling the pain in her shoulder as the adrenaline begins to fade. the fox writhes and then tosses her lover a distance away, stumbling off. swarmswirl presses hard against the lynx point and both mollies bare their teeth, ears flat with fury. the beast growls, a pitiful sound, gurgling in the bloodied throat before it pitches over into the gentle dusting of snow, twitching once before falling still. there is little time to process before an angry green gaze flashes in her direction. the warrior gazes down at her partner with wide eyes, maw still stained with the fox's lifeblood. her shoulder throbs, but is hardly a concern, and when she looks at the chocolate tortie before her, all she can feel is gratitude that the woman is alive. "i'm okay!" she protests, shuffling her paws as her companion sniffs at the wound. "it's barely anything, swarm. don't get your tail in a twist," a rakish grin appears, cheeks lifting as the feline attempts at humor. "i'm okay," she repeats, softer, nudging swarmswirl gently with her snout. "you're hurt too," she murmurs. "you reckless warrior."

it's one of her favorite things about the other - that unfaltering bravery in face of the unknown. of course, swarmswirl can never know this soft thought, and so starlitpath rolls his shoulder, testing it gently. pain flares in his muscles, but not nearly as bad as it could've been. "you got some good hits in," he comments, turning to glance in the fox's direction. it's eerily still, body crumpled against the pale snowy landscape, stiff and cold, like the two cats who it'd slain. for the first time, starlitpath sees them, adrenaline no longer tunneling his vision to swarmswirl and only her. "stars," the warrior breathes, sorrow clouding sea-blue eyes. he wishes they could bury these cats, put them to rest in the proper warrior's way, but the ground is cold, freezing in preparation for leaf-bare. it'd take hours, days even, to scrape at the earth enough for a proper grave. they'll return to the earth another way, here until their bones shine white and blend with the snow. sorrow grips the feline's heart, regret that they hadn't arrived sooner. starlitpath drifts from his partner's side, padding towards the two who lay reaching towards each other, snarls still on their faces. he bends to sniff them, whispering a soft prayer he'd heard swallowbreeze use to send off spirits to their next lives. he knows not if these cats knew of starclan, or if they have their own afterlife they now run free within. perhaps they've simply ceased being at all. either way, it's a damn shame. glancing back at the chocolate and flame woman, he sighs. "should we move them?"

it's as he asks this that the sound reaches them . head twisting around, the warrior narrows their eyes, ears angling this way and that to catch the noise again. a soft cry, growing louder every moment. starlitpath follows it, maw open as he scents for the source. there is something still living here, or someone. frosted ferns hang over a snow drift, the source of the mewling. starlitpath snuffles in the snow, nose finally touching a trembling form, the tiniest body. "lover!" they call, unaware of the pet name they've used as a frantic tone takes over. "there's a kit here!" gentle white capped paws scrape away the snow around the child, whose pale flecked fur is slicked to his body. as swarmswirl approaches, starlitpath finds her with sorrowful eyes. "he's hardly a few days old," voice trembling, they bend to lap at the sobbing child, gently nipping his scruff and moving him into the curl of their tail. "we can't leave him," they murmur, trying to force warmth into the icicle body of the kitten. he's impossibly small, eyes not yet open, ears still curled to his head. strings of attachment melt from the warrior's heart, tangling around the child until they are intrinsically bound, fated.

LIKE CONSTELLATIONS ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ IMPLODING IN THE NIGHT

• // " #dcccf0"
• 
• 
  STARLITPATH ★ tags / toyhouse
  
  ★ genderfluid (he / she / they) / bisexual, mate of none
  ★ 31 moons old, ages realistically
  ★ warrior of skyclan
  ★ padding after SWARMSWIRL
  ★ HAWKSTAR, WHITE EYE
  ★ younger sibling to THREETOE, BADGERTAIL, BEARFACE
  ★ mentoring SPIKEPAW / mentored by DUSKPOOL
  ★ penned by LAVS / message lavendes on discord for plots!
  
  a shorthaired dilute calico point with low white and aqua eyes. short, thick fur decorates her frame, cream hued, swooping into a cowlick on her head. their face, paws, and tail are dappled with fawn and slate gray, broken through by speckles of white. a star shaped white splotch on their forehead offers them their namesake. eyes like ocean water, a deep aqua blue, pierce out of almond shaped sockets.

​