Open Camp What's sacred faded into nothing || mossball...?

[Talonpaw Talonpaw]

you must be strong.

talon sat rigid, as usual. rain lightly tapped against the flattened grass from pawsteps moving over it consistently. his pelt lightly flinched as cold drops hit against tight skin.

this world is cruel, unforgiving.

blue eye flickered as a cat passed, their name unknown. their face- every stripe, every scar, every marking- memorized. his body couldn't relax even as he took a small inhale through his nose.

a small tom like you will suffer if you let others get too close.

memories flashed, claws gently gripping into loose skin, a wild look in that all but familiar- almost faded face. eyes wild and distraught.

you have no choice. run, talon. do not forget.

he had run as fast as little legs would carry him. he swore the stench of death followed him, but it faded. just like the memories, but the voice remained. the voice was engrained. repeated. I can only imagine how strong you'd have to be to make it this far. It was almost like a strike against his facade, yet the boy did not recoil. there was a shame, however. letting his own kind help him- when before this, they showed nothing but the uncanny ability to be cruel. rogues ripped his mother from him, and yet- he stood in a camp of cats who claimed allies, friendliness.

Cats his mother had warned him about- and yet, they showed something talon had never yet seen before in his short life. unheard of. his tongue rolled in his mouth, his toes flexed against the dirt. And then he shifted from the sulking position- lifting his white muzzled chin, rolling his shoulders from behind his head and slinking back down.

And then a warning call, his head shooting to the side, fur on end as suddenly a green round moss hit his shoulder, teeth clenching and revealing, and blue eye wild in a moment of alarm. but it was only that- a ball of what he recognized as moss, bedding- yet it made him jump like a snake had attacked him.

Talons fur was on end, haunches raised as he faced the ball, and the strange faces moving forwards. his paw shot at it, a moment of thought- they were coming for it, not him- and sent it soaring back to the others.
​

 

[Ravenmask]

Bonk!

Ravenmask looked up in surprise as the mossball sailed over the heads of the younger cats playing and thumped right onto his head, leaving little wisps of green on his fur as it rolled harmlessly to the ground.

"What the-" he grumbled, clearly disturbed from his nap. He looked around until he saw the culprit- little Talon, looking like he'd been facing down a den of angry badgers. His gaze softened a bit as it landed on the frightened cat, and he shook his head to get rid of the fragments of moss on his pelt. He batted the mossball to the other young'uns and padded over to Talon.

"Powerful paws on ya, huh kid?"

OOC BIO

• 
  Tagging @Talon
• 92 moons || he/him
  SPEECH || THOUGHTS

 

[Finchpaw Finchpaw]

————————— There might be something outside your window. ✦

The kitten was more than content punting the mossball about with her friends, laughing boisterously as it soared between their paws. It felt like great training before she was apprenticed in just over a moon, she practised her power and pouncing and accuracy-

"Awh shoot-" She grimaced watching the thing launch towards that new fella in the clan, Talon if she recalled. Maybe she did need to work on her accuracy more... Finchkit prepared to give a muttered apology and return it, only to watch him launch the thing with a swatted paw. Her eyes sparkled as it soared and- "Not again!"

The thing squarely hit poor Ravenmask. While it was only a mossball, her face knit in horror, looking around to make sure no gale guard or - Starclan forbid - her mama was about to see her causing issues again. She was grateful to watch as Raven chuckled warmly and bat the thing back toward her and her friends. They gave the elder a sheepish smile, but her gaze fell back to the stranger, still in awe at his strength.

She left the mossball with her friends, trotting up behind Ravenmask and peering around him, looking up at the young tom with glittering eyes. "'m sorry I hitcha with the mossball, but that was a super strong hit!"

Finchkit beamed; he reminded her a little of Dimmingsun, a stranger to the clan but clearly strong enough to have lived alone for that long. "When yer feelin' better, couldcha show me how to hit things that hard? 'm not very good at it yet." They wiggled one of their tiny paws about. They still had a bit until they were apprenticed, but they wanted to get a head start on their littermates and the other kittens in the nursery!

———————— But you'll just....

Never know. —————————

• 
  Finchkit
  ✦—Windclan kit | 4 moons
  ✦—She/They
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A small creme tabby with a long bushy tail and wide owly eyes.
  #F5A837
  
  ⤷ Written by Phoenix ​

 

[Talonpaw Talonpaw]

A bigger cat had gotten hit, his blue eyes drew away, teeth pressing together as he came closer, toes digging into the dirt. Small actions that could be read, but he didn't even notice he was really doing. He shifted slightly, leaning weight to his other side as if he may need to escape back into Meadowpaws and Bengts den.

Powerful paws on ya, huh kid? It had been a long time since he was referred to as a child, a kid. He didn't feel that way, he felt older in his small body. "Have to, I guess." He spoke, gaze not really meeting the others, voice tight in his throat. Have to, to survive. When you're about the size of the child that was on his way with curiosity filled in his eyes- left alone. He felt like he was like that, once upon a time. But... that felt like more moons than he actually had under his belt.

The child began hiding behind the black and white cat, and peeking around him. He boasted of Talons strength over a 'mossball' being launched, and apologized over hitting him. Sorry wasnt much a term he had heard. Mumblings from meadowpaw about working around his face, but he didn't mind, so he didn't see a point- he didn't understand.

"I had t' learn." He wasn't protected like they were, and blue gaze flicking to the black cat before back to the child. He didn't want to break the child like he was, and his tongue rolled in his maw. "If y' cup y' paw, an' hit it more towards the bottom- it'll get higher- further." He was only guessing by the movements he had just made with the mossball- never before having played such a game. But the beaming look the child gave, made him want to share the knowledge.

Like he said, he had been learning.
​

 

[Ravenmask]

Ravenmask felt his heart ache a bit at Talon's body language, his mumbled apology of sorts. The kid was right- Ravenmask had been lucky to be born into a place where everyone took care of each other, where he grew up not needing to learn to survive before he got to an appropriate age.

"Ain't no problem, Talon," he mewed. "Truthfully 'm just glad t'see young cats like yourself and lil' Finchkit over here enjoying life. Playin' and such." He shifts so that he avoids sitting any part of his body in Talon's blind spot. "And while I'm impressed at your strength and such, I'm mighty sorry you had to learn to protect yourself so young."

OOC BIO

•  
• 92 moons || he/him
  SPEECH || THOUGHTS
  

 

[Yewkit]

YEWKIT

.

Yewkit sat at the entrance of the nursery, watching her clanmates - bringing in prey, eating, sunning, talking among each other. She was still unsure of what her role here was meant to be, but maybe she would figure it out once she got a little older.

As she watched the other kittens play with a mossball, throwing it and attempting to catch it, her tail twitched and her paws tingled - she felt the tiniest longing to join them in their fun, to try it out herself, to run around, stretch her legs and play with her peers. She would sometimes nib at her siblings' tails and ears playfully, but she had always felt eyes watching her, waiting for her to mess up, to make a mistake. And just as well, as these thoughts occupied her, she watched the mossball fly up and far, hitting an older cat right on the head. The culprit cowered in fear and the elder frowned, in surprise and frustration.

No, Yewkit thought, this is exactly what happens when one isn't careful. Things go wrong and others get hurt. While this may have been an accident, the cats already making up with no hard feelings, Yew knew for her, mistakes are never that simple. She couldn't afford to upset others, for the fear of coldness and anger in their eyes. And everything that would follow.

And so, as the game resumed, Yewkit kept on sitting and watching, making no attempt to stand up and join them. She sat, aware of the eyes watching her every movement, waiting for her to misstep and fall.

 

[Talonpaw Talonpaw]

Talon wasn't even really playing. He knew better than to do that, yet Ravenmask spoke like he was, and his lips pulled taught, stiffening as he pulled himself back to lower his head even with his shoulders. Playing was not for him, he could not give in to that. He was defending himself from being surrounded, yet here he was- being talked to by a child and an adult.

His blue gaze flicked towards the other, darting to match his gaze. "Why are y' sorry? Y' didn't do it t' me. And it's better I learned. Sometimes, maybe, it would've been nice to live in the luxuries that this group has provided for y', but it doesn't mean I regret what knowledge was given t' me." Talon said, the tabby rolling his shoulders. Perhaps if he was given more knowledge, he wouldn't have been blinded and here.

But... Then he wouldn't be here. And the thought of that alone made him uneasy.

​

Talon he/him, windclan 8 moons old.
black tabby with dark greyish brown undercoat and white underbelly. white crest on chest, and scars lining left side of face, blinding his right eye. icey blue eyes and white that is slowly starting to streak his features. Back scars non-existent for now.
mentored by Merrystalk // mentoring none
littermate to none
NPC x NPC / father/mother to none / mated to none
"speech" // "thoughts"
penned by Deidre ↛ deidre on discord, feel free to dm for plots. Art by PurpleCandyCorn.

 

[Ravenmask]

Well, he wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, honestly. Maybe the kid hadn't really been socialized much? That seemed most likely.

"Er, I ain't apologizin' for doin' nothin' to ya," he said, twitching his ear awkwardly. "Only meant to say that... well, that I sympathize for ya. And it ain't like we lived in luxury all the time, y'know. Whole home burnt down not too long ago." He ruffled his fur and let his tail curl around his paws.

"Learnin' ain't a bad thing. And I'm glad ya don't have regrets. But again, I can let my heart hurt for ya."

___________________ UPHILL IN THE SNOW ☆ BOTH WAYS ___________________

• "speech" || "thoughts"
  Tagging:
  
• 
  
• RAVENMASK he/him, windclan elder, 93 moons.
  ☆ White and black tom with smoky stripes, bright green eyes, and a twisted back paw.
  ☆ brother of Mallowfeather
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline when attacking/physically interacting
  ☆ penned by plot ↛ plot_twists on discord, feel free to dm for interacts.