TW: Sensitive Content Open Border these sweet instincts ruin my life 𓉸⁺‧₊˚ weird guy nearby

Please review the more detailed TW summary at the top of the post.
This thread takes place at the border of the clan territory.

MAUDIRE

YOU LOSE!
2
0
Freshkill
15
Pronouns
HE/HIM
Played by
BUZZ
{$title} ***CONTENT WARNING*** FOR nastyyyy... he is eating a quite decayed squirrel near the skyclan border. the mention begins at the star idk i wanted to #playitsafe
Night may have been terrifying for some. For him, he enjoyed it. It was to him as water is to a fish — easiest to move in, to breathe. If everyone before was right, then it cloaked his hideous form. He never had come across another cat moving in the dark world.

He wasn't sure why his breath hitched harder at the idea of stumbling across another feline. Would they recognize him as the same, or would he appear as a different animal to them? The dusty, classic scent of a cat had long been masked by layers of sweat and infection. Even the long ruff of fur around his neck hung like rags, draping mostly over his faded collar. It had been stretched and loosened by distant teeth and branch snags and weather, the color indistinguishable from the grime coating him.

Maudire did not recognize the mark of the border, but for once in his unlucky life, he remained behind it unconsciously. His dirty pink nose had been long used to his own filth. The hint of ammonia and concentrated pine needles that cut through did nothing to his fuzzy mind. Wet leaves fell under his muzzle as he roved, a promise of leaffall. If it wasn't for his wounds and his hunger, he might have found the collecting dew soothing.

⋆ Flies hummed in his ear as he moved forwards, jotting stiff with growing mats. A twitch batted them away, but the buzz grew more intense. Suddenly, his nose could no longer be blind, and a rot sweeter than his metallic weeping wounds stunned him. Maudire's stomach turned, a barrel roll he had befriended moons ago, yet disgust was distant.

The squirrel had died long enough ago that the carrion feasters had arrived to relish. Yet it had been untouched by the sun's heat, only lightly bloated. He hunched over it, watching beetles and flies sing in luxury. His vibrant yellow eyes devoured his pupils as they turned to slits.

"No…" he murmured, the sound warbled and feral. Maudire never needed to speak, because he never saw anyone. This, however, required voice. His willpower had fallen off its bones, off him, a hulking skeleton with shaggy fur.

He needed it. Maudire closed his eyes, reminiscing on his latest meals. Scraps and mostly-empty metal cans, having come to wilderness too exhausted and already starving to give chase to a mouse or bird. He had never eaten wild meat. He had never stooped so low for this…

The tom shot a paranoid glance to the gloom surrounding him, as if something lurked there, watching curiously. He swallowed thickly, even his fear and nausea blurred under the temptation. With a swipe of his paw, he scattered the other scavengers away. Easy competition, he thought with a wobbly smile.
 
BRIGHTNOSE ──
skyclan | warrior
Brightnose wouldn't be able to go on nighttime walks for much longer with the weather getting colder, so when she unexpectedly woke up in the middle of the night, she decided, Why not? She might as well take advantage of the opportunity while she can.

As she pads through the forest, she listens to the crickets sing and stares up at Silverpelt with wonder. She loves nighttime for these reasons and more; it's peace and solitude and comfort all wrapped into one. Or at least, it usually provides solitude...
Brightnose stops abruptly when the sudden stench of rot fills her nose. Frowning with disgust, she glances around to find what died, but what she finds is something she definitely wasn't expecting. Kneeled over a dead squirrel was what Brightnose assumed was a cat - they at least resembled one somewhat - who seemed to be just across the border of SkyClan territory. Hawkstar had said there might be soft-paws at the border... but this... this isn't...

The longer she looks at the other cat, the more her stomach begins to churn with fear. Dark, matted fur, unable to have its color discerned from the layers of grime. Flies buzz around them, no doubt attracted to the smell of rot and disease that the cat carries with them. But, just barely, Brightnose thinks she can see a loose, faded collar around their neck. Could they really have been a kittypet at one point? She can't even imagine it.
Perhaps this cat was a loner or a rogue, driven by starvation to come this close to the Clan's territory; should Brightnose be poised to defend herself if attacked? Then again, she's not sure that someone so visibly starved, especially if desperate enough to feast on potentially diseased prey, could put up much of a fight. Still, she should keep her guard up just in case... swallowing hard, Brightnose takes a few steps closer, trying not to recoil from the smell.
"U-um. Hello," she mews quietly, trying not to startle the cat before her. "I'm one of the cats who inhabits this territory. Are you, uh. In need of assistance? Did your twolegs do this to you...?" She internally cringes at her attempt to sound professional, but hopes it will suffice nonetheless.
now i will tell you what i've done for you

  • ooc:
  • "speaking" | thinking | action
 
For all of Brightnose's gentleness in her approach, Maudire still startled, clumped tufts trembling as he leaped back, a mucus-filled gasp strangling him. If he could bristle his fur, he would have. Despite being larger-boned than the stranger he shivered and cowered like a dog.

Kindness had preceded cruelty. Kindness was an apology through sharp teeth, in order to get closer to bite again. He had been so trusting… And trust had tainted his soul.

Still, it felt strange to be faced with a quiet greeting when rotten blood was smeared across his mouth and chest. He had never been found in such a disgusting state before. Shame hit him like a paw, a sharp clarity that made aware his own appearance to him. Maudire curled his shoulders, shrinking in on himself. Maybe he could fold all his bones over and over until he disappeared, and the moonlit molly would not have to look at him.

Did your twolegs do this to you? Subtly he tilted his head. In his blurry mind, Maudire scrambled to process this word.

Really, he had had no term for the last creature that loved him.

His chest rumbled to work through more mucus, the acrid taste of his meal stifling him as his unused voice tried to cough out words. They were terrible noises, and though Maudire tilted his head to the ground, he guessed they might scare off the silver stranger.
"...Twolegs?"
he gagged out, barely above a whisper.
 
BRIGHTNOSE ──
skyclan | warrior
Brightnose's ears flatten in response to the other cat's startle, her tail bristling for several moments before realizing that he's just as scared as she is. Watching him cower and tremble almost gives the illusion that Brightnose can hear his bones rattling underneath his ruined pelt; she casts him a look of sympathy, a pang of guilt rising in her chest for even thinking he would be aggressive.
The cat's voice sounds the way he looks - it rattles in his lungs, and his question came out as more of a weak cough than a meow. Oh, of course. It makes sense he wouldn't know, I suppose.

"They're the tall creatures that live in those huge dens over that way," she explains, her tail flicking in the direction of the twolegplace. "I can see what I think is a collar around your neck, so I thought maybe you came from there, or somewhere similar..." she trails off, resisting the urge to look down at her paws or even just flee the scene entirely. She's unable to decide whether she should offer this cat shelter within SkyClan; the Code says to always take in kits, of course, but what about older cats who are in this kind of state? Surely Hawkstar wouldn't be opposed to a potential new warrior, would she? That was the whole point of allowing daylight warriors, after all, though this cat would surely need some time to recover before he could start any kind of warrior training. Regardless, the thought of leaving a cat so clearly in need to fend for himself makes Brightnose feels sick; yes, of course she's going to offer him shelter here. If she gets into trouble for doing so, she'll accept her penalty willingly.

"As I mentioned, I'm one of many cats who live in this part of the forest. We call ourselves SkyClan," Brightnose says, willing her voice to sound calm. "If you, um, would like some kind of shelter... or at least something to eat that won't potentially kill you-" she gives the squirrel another squeamish glance- "I could lead you to our camp, where you can speak with our higher-ranking warriors about maybe staying here for a while. If that's, you know, something that you'd want." If this cat has survived whatever he went through to end up in the position he's in now, perhaps he could be a valuable asset to SkyClan's ranks. That's what Brightnose hopes, anyway.
"Um, I'm Brightnose, by the way," she mews suddenly, feeling embarrassed that she'd nearly forgotten to introduce herself properly.
now i will tell you what i've done for you

  • ooc:
  • "speaking" | thinking | action