YOU MAKE IT EASY LOVIN' UP ON YOU 𐚁₊⊹ NUTMEGPURR

[ROOSTERTUFT]

x

The memory of the gathering is fresh within the front of his mind and remembering the sudden spray of scarlet upon the boulders where the leaders sat caused him to jolt from his sleep, Roostertuft pushes himself upwards until he sat on his haunches and blinked around at the bodies that surrounded him. The tortie chimera sits there for a long heartbeat trying to ignore the sunshine dipped fur that rests near him and a part of him wants to use a paw to swat the other back to his nest but he finds out that he can't be bothered to do that right now in the dead of the night. He didn't wish to wake anyone while they slept soundly so he carefully moves around the bodies and manages to slip away, a low breath slips from his jaws, and gives a shake of his head unable to tear his mind off of the blood split from Juniperstar's throat and how Hawkstar had done it without hesitation when she killed the Thunderclan leader.

It had been a barbaric display for all of the clans to see and Hawkstar made it known that Skyclan wouldn't allow itself to get pushed around by any of the neighboring clans, a small frown pulling at both sides of his mouth, and his ivory dipped paws shuffle against the blades of grass. The only thing keeping him from diving further into his thoughts is the cricket song and the faint lights in the distance that he can only assume to be fireflies, Roostertuft's ears angle forward to blink and take in the sight... how calm it is right now. For a heartbeat, he doesn't think about what had happened during the gathering and his muscles are able to relax as he rolls his shoulders to lose the tension building up in his body.

The sound of pawsteps is what makes his ears twitch suddenly and he turns his clay-toned eyes in the direction of the Gale Guard, his mouth twitches upward in a tired smile. Roostertuft holds her rosy sunrise hued gaze with his own before parting his jaws to speak "We gotta quit meeting like this." The moor runner jests lightheartedly only to motion for her to join him and he turns his gaze away to turn it towards the sky to take in the sight of starlight and Silverpelt that hangs over their heads "You couldn't sleep either?" Perhaps, the death of the Thunderclan leader haunts them both and understandably so considering that its such a fresh memory, he swallows not uttering another word. Instead, he would try focusing on the fireflies dancing in the distance like psuedo starlight and the loud cricket song that made sure that the night didn't fall completely silent, the presence of Nutmegpurr is a comforting one despite him not openly admitting it.

"What if we get away from this place for a bit, huh?" The black smoke tortie rises to his paws and stretches out his front limbs until his bones popped faintly, Roostertuft stands upright once more to spare a glance her way knowing that she likely didn't wanna leave Meadowpaw... maybe that's why she had gotten up at all and he's selfishly requesting for the cinnamon tortie to join him instead of checking up on her younger littermate. He could've brushed away the invitation but he ends up saying rather swiftly "We'll be back before they even realize that we were gone t'begin with."

For a heartbeat, the both of them could forget that they were warriors of Windclan and simply run out into the prairie without much of a care or worry... just for tonight, the two of them could be a little selfish. Together.

FACES ILLUMINATED IN THE DARK

ROOSTERTUFT

WINDCLAN WARRIOR
TRANS MASC x HE/HIM​

x

"speech", thoughts, attacking
a large, longhaired black smoke tortie/blue ticked tabby chimera with a pair of earthy toned eyes and low white
has complicated feelings towards goldenroar and subtly interested in nutmegpurr

charismatic, stubborn, adventurous, aloof, and awkward would be a few words that describe roostertuft as an individual. a former barncat that's getting accustomed to clan life after the events of the barn burning down, he oftentimes misses the life before it burnt down yet he's someone who'll adapt to change.

 

[nutmegpurr nutmegpurr]

Its well in to the night, now. Cricket song fills the warm greenleaf air, and in the distance she can hear frogs chime in with the symphony. The moon hangs overhead, the stars twinkle, and Nutmegpurr just cannot sleep. She had settled down what felt like a long time ago, and she will admit that exhaustion drags at her bones, drags her through every waking moment. Her sides have long since settled in to a steady rise and fall, much different than when she had arrived to camp, and despite her body slowing down she feels… Strangely on edge. Each time she shuts her eyes, foolishly thinking that this time would be any different than the last, she still sees them up on that boulder. She still sees Hawkstar's regal form, painted in crimson, can see the light die in Juniperstars eyes. She swears she can still hear it too, the screams, Merrystalks firm promise ringing at the back of her mind. She shifts in her nest.

Her side still remembers the brush of fur, her chest still remembers the curve of Meadowpaw tucking herself in tight. Its gone, now, the warmth long since faded and still she can almost feel it. Can almost let herself slip in to it… If it weren't for the fact that her mind raced too fast, if it weren't for the fact that everything felt like some kind of sick, cruel joke that was played by Starclan… But how could it be when the flash of lightning had revealed a spirit of that place? Her thoughts had been too jumbled to process what he had said then, but as she lies awake and thinks it over, her muzzle scrunches in displeasure…

Another wave of fatigue rolls over her, and this time, this time, it feels different. It feels like a call she cannot shake, it feels… Eyes droop shut, and then (fangs glint pearl under the moonlight, red ichor sprays, horrified, horrific, terrifyingly…?) shes up on her paws. The urge to run, to get away from her problems, from the sleeping bodies around her is too much, and so she does. She picks her way through them, eyes blown wide as she feels the ever familiar roll of her stomach (why did she feel so guilty, its not like she was the one who had done that!) in its confines.

And then… Him. Again. Awake in front of her, and it was as if the coil that held her body taught finally snapped apart when her eyes meet his. Her shoulders sag, a long exhale leaves her mouth, but its not heavy, more of a sigh of relief; she visibly relaxes in his presence. "Must just be our fate," she puffs out the smallest sound of laughter and shes acutely aware of just how tired she sounds. Somehow, someway, this little meeting rejuvenates her, at least the smallest amount. "Not at all. Looks like we're in the same predicament." she muses in response to his comment about sleeping, her tail sweeping the ground behind her. The silence that befalls them is oddly welcoming, aside from the night chatter in the background. Her eyes never quite leave his face despite the sudden draw that the night sky above them has.

What if we get away from this place for a bit, huh? In all honesty, it shocks her, but her heart flutters with something (a beat skipped). To be seen is a scary thing, but… Oh, how welcomed it is, how nice it is to be seen in such a way. She squints at him, realizing she must look a little uninterested… "I would like that…" she breathes, meeting his gaze as he glances back. Her heart twists, and in a way, hes kind of right about her thinking of Meadowpaw, because in the moment she does. What if she needs her? What if she fails again as a big sister…? What if Meadow has a nightmare, and what if shes not there to help her? She runs her tongue over her fangs in an idle thought, already feeling the beginning of a spiral coming on.

We'll be back before they even realize that we were gone t'begin with.

She gently scrapes the earth below with her pawpad, eyes (finally) flicking down as she thinks. "Shes probably sleeping, anyways." she says this more for herself than for him to hear, a quiet reassurance. "I plan to make sure shes okay in the morning." she nods, convincing herself as she steps forwards, besides him, where it felt right, despite the fear that screams wrong. "I'll follow." she murmurs; she had lead him home from the gathering, and now expectantly (and maybe a little selfishly) she will let him lead. It would be a good break for her mind.

GOOD NEWS FOR ANYONE ♡ WHO LOVES BAD NEWS

• 
  
•  
• 
  NUTMEGPURR ♡
  
  ( gale guard of windclan )​
  ❥ a tall cinnamon tortie with curled ears & pink-brown eyes; well-muscled & fluffy
  ❥ mentoring pebblepaw
  ❥ sister to meadowpaw & peafowlpaw; reluctantly interested in roostertuft
  ❥ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ❥ penned by chuff
  
  "speech"

 

[ROOSTERTUFT]

x

Roostertuft allows himself to relax around her especially when he notes that her own shoulders seem to sag at the sight of him and he can't stifle the chuckle that slips out from his maw when he hears what she says next about how it must be their fate to keep running into one another. "Just our fate?" He repeats her words unable to think that its a bit corny and yet he won't deny it entirely, if this was their fate to continue running into each other, well, he didn't find that he minded it that much "I suppose so. I guess if its our fate then we'll get real familiar with one another." A coy yet tired grin forms on his maw before fading away as she admits that she wasn't able to sleep and he knows the reason that the both of them were unable to rest not with the fiasco that happened during the gathering so fresh in their memory, "I don't blame you honestly... that was some fucked up shit." The tortie smoke admits with a frown forming on his facial features and plucking out a few blades of grass with his paw.

"I suppose Skyclan likes to make sure their first impression is a barbaric one. What a charming bunch." Roostertuft says rather dryly with sarcasm lacing his words and his feathery tail lashes behind him, the faint greenleaf breeze ruffling the fur on his chest and body, and can't help but frown at the thought of Windclan attending the gathering again. He wonders if Nutmegpurr would dare show up there with the rest of their clan, he knows that Goldenroar might but the red tabby could handle himself and keep his own neck safe, though his clay toned eyes continue to linger on the cinnamon tortie for a heartbeat longer. "If you find yourself going to any more of those gatherings... try to keep yourself safe." The multicolored tom pauses then continues with a curt nod, "I'd hate for anything to happen to you... and your littermates still need you. Especially Meadowpaw, the tortoiseshell had recently lost her mentor so now she had to navigate around as the lone healer of Windclan and he can't imagine that's easy.

"I would like that..."

He can only imagine all the thoughts that may be racing within her mind and he understands in a sense, family usually meant everything even if he didn't have younger littermates like Nutmegpurr. His next words seem to bring her some sort of comfort as he watches her paw scrape against the ground and his ears angle forward only to give a slow nod "Who knows... maybe we'll catch something during our little adventure and it'll make for a nice breakfast." At least, that could be something that Meadowpaw could look forward to and maybe it'd lessen the weight on her sister's mind too. The Gale Guard tells him that she'll follow to which he's a bit surprised though he says nothing more and he's unable to stop the way that the sides of his mouth begins to twitch upwards into a smile "You're putting an awful lotta trust in me, Nutmeg... whose to say I won't led us astray and into danger?" Of course, he's just joking... he wouldn't in his right mind put the molly into danger or a lot of his clanmates would resent him for it. Besides, the guilt would likely eat at him if anything happend to one of Dustystar's council members.

And his new friend? Or so, he hopes that's the case given that certain circumstances had brought them a little closer to one another and he didn't mind that. It put his mind elsewhere and he appreciated that a lot, he didn't find himself thinking about Dustystar's prized pony, Goldenroar, that often whenever he seemed to run into Nutmegpurr. It's a blessing and a curse. Although, he tries not to linger on that thought for long instead motioning with his tail for Nutmegpurr to follow after him though he doesn't stray from her side simply because it felt right... and hell, if he somehow did accidentally lead them into trouble then he could defend her a lot more easily if they were attached to the hip. Just a smidge.

Without much thought, he allows his paws to carry him onward in whichever direction not knowing where they would end up and they wouldn't get lost (hopefully) so they might as well explore but he'd be mindful of their neighbors scent markers. The last thing that they needed was more split blood. Roostertuft doesn't say much while travelling alongside Nutmegpurr nor can he find anything worth talking about and his ears angle forward as he squints into the darkness. "So... what's it like being part of Dustystar's council?" A question that he could've asked Goldenroar himself but Roostertuft has been rather avoidant of the other tomcat despite how annoyingly close his nest is to his own, he'll need to move it away before anyone got the wrong idea about the two of them. That's a task for another day and a pain in his ass.

The tortie smoke tomcat pauses seeing the wooden structure ahead of them and can't help the way that his head tilts to the side, Rooster takes a few steps forward only to see the chasm underneath the bridge, and takes a step back "Holy shit." That would be quite the gruesome death and fall... he doesn't even know if the twoleg structure is sturdy enough to hold a cat or let alone two, he spares a glance in the direction of the Gale Guard with a twitch of his whiskers "You scared of heights?" A tree is simple to scale and the barn had a few places that offered higher leverage but... the sight of the gorge itself is making him rethink if he doesn't mind heights at all.

"We could head the other way... something less perilous... and daring." Roostertuft takes another step back unable to stop the curiosity that blooms within his mind, maybe, if he set a paw or two on the bridge to see if it was able to hold a portion of his weight. For now, he's content simply waiting to see what Nutmegpurr would prefer.

FACES ILLUMINATED IN THE DARK

ROOSTERTUFT

WINDCLAN WARRIOR
TRANS MASC x HE/HIM​

x

"speech", thoughts, attacking
a large, longhaired black smoke tortie/blue ticked tabby chimera with a pair of earthy toned eyes and low white
has complicated feelings towards goldenroar and subtly interested in nutmegpurr

charismatic, stubborn, adventurous, aloof, and awkward would be a few words that describe roostertuft as an individual. a former barncat that's getting accustomed to clan life after the events of the barn burning down, he oftentimes misses the life before it burnt down yet he's someone who'll adapt to change.

 

[nutmegpurr nutmegpurr]

I guess if its our fate then we'll get real familiar with one another, she shakes her head, a low snicker coming from her at this; somethings left unsaid there, and she knows exactly what it was. She has to stop herself from saying it, I wouldn't mind. The topic shifts back to Skyclan and the gathering, to it being fucked up, and she nods. "I don't think i'll ever understand Starclans will, how are we supposed to coexist with all of these other Clans?" she narrows her eyes. In a way, she agrees with Hawkstar, and maybe thats the worst part about this. A life for a life, because if anyone had touched the cats she had loved, she'd be demanding more than just a life. Maybe thats why Starclan chose Dustystar, the leader has remained impassive throughout all of this, pretty much.

She perks up at his next words.

"I will." she says, earnest when he says try to keep yourself safe. It sends a blossom of… warmth, maybe, through her chest. The words are odd, shes never really had anyone say that to her outside of Meadowpaw, outside of Peafowlpaw. She grinds her teeth, her tail flicking behind her as she steals a glance at him for just a moment. She meets his eyes and her stomach flutters, and for a second she swears her breath hitches before she turns her own eyes away. "I wouldn't leave my siblings to go alone- I know Meadowpaw might try to go to another one, but I don't trust the other clans." she mutters out, curled ears swiveling backwards. She doesn't really like the thought of going to another one, but if it meant she could make sure her siblings were safe herself, well… She sighs, quiet, hardly audible as she dips her head. Meadowpaw has been her whole life, her world pretty much. And Peafowl, little Peafowl who had shown up to the barn with nothing left, she had taken him under her wing against her better judgment (a fear of her mother, a fear of being seen), but shes glad she did. She can't think of a life without either of the two kittens she had practically raised, and she will continue to protect them to the best of her abilities.

His next words bring her out of the momentary frustration and anger about how the gathering went, head jerking up to look at him. "I'm well versed in traversing danger," a low chuckle rolls from her throat. "Least we're in good paws." she jests. She's had to chase it all her life, and in all honesty, maybe she'd even welcome the fact she wouldn't have to chase it, per se, with him.

So... what's it like being part of Dustystar's council? She scrunches her nose up, tail whipping behind her once as she thinks of how to respond to this.

"… It's fine." she shrugs her shoulders upwards, because really, what else was she supposed to say? And maybe its a sore point, but she feels like she doesn't do much of anything, really. Besides her rank being a new fancy badge to flash, nothing much had changed. "I just do the same stuff that warriors do." her brows furrow in thought for a moment. She hardly knows the rest of the council, hardly knows anybody beyond surface observation level… Asides from her younger sister. Is it a bad thing, to be so closed off? "Sometimes I forget that I'm supposed to be in-charge until cats look at me like I am." she admits, quiet. So used to doing everything by herself, working herself to the bone, its hard, sometimes… And it's a bit scary when she's put in the position of gale guard, when cats look at her with expectations in their eyes, ready to follow… She shivers at the thought, but she passes it off as being cold when a breeze rustles past them.

Silence befalls them. Nutmeg doesn't really have complaints about it as they walk together. It doesn't feel suffocating, it feels nice, it feels… comforting. She hardly hears him speak at first, her eyelids growing heavy in the warmth of the greenleaf night. Right here, she thinks, right here is where I can fall asleep.

You scared of heights? She tilts her head up, as if it were a challenge, eyes fluttering back open as she turns to him. "Not really." and its true, Nutmeg doesn't really matter what she has to do or see, she doesn't really have room to be afraid. "Are you?" she murmurs lightly, curious to see if he was as big of a daredevil as she, as he takes a step back from the bridge that connects the gorge sides together; she hadn't even realized they had walked this far, and it certainly doesn't feel like it. Her paws would feel a steady burn by now, or maybe she's just built up that muscle from running all the time (and she'd hope so, with how often she does).

"Afraid to live a little?" a teasing lilt; she'd always been a thrill seeker, a stormchaser, a risk taker and the bridge is no different than a sprawl of lightning across the sky, paws thundering beneath it as its chased. "I'll test it." she moves forwards, past him— the brush of fur, lingering and fleeting all the same (for the one hundredth time, she thinks), is welcomed (and for a second, she swears she loses her mind; so unlike her, but right, but justified).

The bridge beneath her paws is wooden, and it creaks every so often. It creaks when Nutmeg shuffles across, and she can feel it slightly sway and bend to the winds that whistle through the gorge… But its sturdy, and theres no sign of breaking coming soon, at least. Wouldn't it just be horrible if it broke right now? She watches the moonlight catch the roaring water at the bottom, brows raising ever so slightly. Yeah, that'd suck, she finally agrees with herself. "You wanna come over? Just don't look down." she throws from over her shoulders, rolling them back as the wind whips through her own fur, now, too. She turns to look at him, and for once, not brief or short-lived, there is a smile on her face. It's a nice little escape from the world, just her, just him, underneath the same moon— its nice having a friend for the first time, really, and she swears she'll never let the moment go.

GOOD NEWS FOR ANYONE ♡ WHO LOVES BAD NEWS

• 
  
•  
• 
  NUTMEGPURR ♡
  
  ( gale guard of windclan )​
  ❥ a tall cinnamon tortie with curled ears & pink-brown eyes; well-muscled & fluffy
  ❥ mentoring pebblepaw
  ❥ sister to meadowpaw & peafowlpaw; reluctantly interested in roostertuft
  ❥ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ❥ penned by chuff
  
  "speech"