The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
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Characters : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T3 Warrior| ShadowClan, Apprentice Number of posts : 330 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: come back, when i am not so dead (c) Tue 19 Dec 2023 - 10:26
cindersky
t2 warrior | riverclan
Cindersky did not like this. She did not like how weak her body felt, how tired she was. She did not like how any new movement made her vision swim, and even standing still did not help because she would become dizzy then too. She was missing things, as well. Larkspring had become a mentor and she had wanted to congratulate him and the apprentice-- Spiderpaw, she believed it was-- both, but the last thing she wanted was them to become sick because of her. And she did not want to leave Rookflight by himself in case they took a turn.
She had waited until Larkspring was out with his apprentice, and Rookflight was in a steady sleep with other warriors nearby to take a trip out for herself. She shouldn't be, she knew that, but she hated feeling useless. She did not like being cared for, as grateful as she was for it. She felt guilty. That guilt had resulted in her attempting to hunt, or find moss, or something to bring back, and she was not doing well. She had muck around her face from stumbling attempting to catch a mouse, and she had only managed to find a bit of moss that she couldn't even wet. She had never been this sick, and yet she had seen others with the same illness traipsing about with ease.
She had been so lost in thought and determination that she didn't notice her steps getting heavier and slower, and before she knew it, she had stumbled into a tree. Her chest heaved with effort and her skin burned, her eyes squeezed. She took and breath and devolved into a coughing fit, grumbling all sorts of 'snap out of it', 'get it together', and any other nonsense she could between coughs. She was just being dramatic, she decided.
Subject: Re: come back, when i am not so dead (c) Tue 19 Dec 2023 - 12:00
Watching so many of her clanmates fall so ill was... A little terrifying, not that Swanpaw would say so out loud. She had managed to catch a single water vole, the one thing she had not managed to scare off with her own sneezing, and had reluctantly turned back toward where Riverclan was camped, knowing that further efforts to hunt would be futile. The coughing and sneezing fits would not let up, and the last thing Swanpaw wanted to do was make herself sicker than she was. How would she be able to help her siblings then? How would she be able to give back to the clan who had taken them in, if she was just another dead weight? And the cats who were delirious and hacking up blood, barely able to move from their nests... Swanpaw didn't want to be that. It made her skin crawl, to be around.
The sounds of someone else's coughing and muttering drew the pale she-cat from her own thoughts, and Swanpaw padded toward the source, a pit of dread opening in her stomach.
"Cindersky...?" Swanpaw blinked at the warrior, ears flattening as they cought a brief snippet of muttered words. "You should be resting, shouldn't you?"
Characters : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T3 Warrior| ShadowClan, Apprentice Number of posts : 330 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: Re: come back, when i am not so dead (c) Wed 20 Dec 2023 - 9:59
cindersky
t2 warrior | riverclan
Cindersky started at the voice, as soft-spoken and concerned as it sounded. She whirled around, vertigo taking hold of her as she did, and stumbled unsteadily on her paws until she could right herself again. She swallowed thickly, feeling the scrape of her sore and dry throat, and offered Swanpaw a weak smile.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trouble you--" She began to say, pausing mid-sentence to clear her throat. "I.. I should be, I know, don't worry. I just... Larkspring has been ran off his feet trying to care for Rookflight and I and I thought I should help, but--" Her voice petered out for another set of coughs and she mumbled as many apologies as she could. "It's a bit more of a challenge than I thought... I'm-- I'm alright, though, I promise."
Subject: Re: come back, when i am not so dead (c) Thu 21 Dec 2023 - 12:47
"I was returning from hunting, I wasn't sent to find you or anything." Swanpaw scoffed, shrugging off the apology. "It's no trouble at all. Well, aside from the fact that you can't even walk straight." Swanpaw found it concerning that Cindersky had been able to get this far from camp at all without anyone accompanying her, truthfully. Why was it so hard for her sick clanmates to stay in their nests?
"Finding your nest would be a better way to help them, I think." The apprentice huffed out. "What happens if you make your illness worse by traipsing about out here? Or injure yourself?" She asked, tail twitching behind her in annoyance. "I doubt either of them would take it well if you got into trouble while sick." She added, tone perhaps a bit sharper than intended.
Characters : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T3 Warrior| ShadowClan, Apprentice Number of posts : 330 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: Re: come back, when i am not so dead (c) Fri 22 Dec 2023 - 8:35
cindersky
t2 warrior | riverclan
Cindersky hadn't spoken with Swanpaw much during her apprenticeship. But she didn't think even that would prepare her for the sudden tensity of tone. It caught her off guard, so much so that her ears went back and she forgot to keep her smile going as best as she could. It was dual edged, her voice, or so she thought. Concern and irritance. It reminded her of-...
She shook her head free of her stupor (and immediately regretted it, with the way her head spun) and put the smile back on, but her puffed fur betrayed her apparent 'calm'. She blinked to unblur her eyes, which must have gotten watery from the wind or her cough, and steadied her voice. "I-- I know my limits, Swanpaw, I promise. I wouldn't put myself in harms way for no reason. I can't sit in a nest all day, I-... I needed to do something. I was away from cats so I mightn't risk making them ill, and if it got too much, I swore to myself I'd turn back before I couldn't."
Subject: Re: come back, when i am not so dead (c) Fri 22 Dec 2023 - 17:02
The warrior's ears pinned back and her fur fluffed up a bit, and the way she shook her head and immediately seemed to regain a sense of dizzyness made Swanpaw want to swat at her with a paw. "Don't do-" She began, then sighed. It was obvious to her that Cindersky's state was... Not good, and Swanpaw simply had no idea what to do with that. She needed to be in a nest under the care of medicine cats, not out here, and Swanpaw was the farthest thing from a medicine cat as one could get.
Cindersky spoke, and Swanpaw let out a soft snort as Cindersky tried to reason with her. It sounded more like embarrassment to her... Good. She should feel embarrassed. "...I think this sickness has addled your brain. You're delusional if you think this is knowing your limits." She muttered. "Come on, let's get you back to camp before you fall over. Please." She added, she didn't know what to do with a sick cat, especially not one in such a state as this. But there were cats who would, and that was where their care should reside.
Characters : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T3 Warrior| ShadowClan, Apprentice Number of posts : 330 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: Re: come back, when i am not so dead (c) Sun 24 Dec 2023 - 11:37
cindersky
t2 warrior | riverclan
"My mind is not addled!" Cindersky spat back, a bit louder-sounding than she had intended it to. Her eyes, though watered, seemed to darken then when she drew into it and muttered out a whispered; "Oh, stars, forgive me..."
"I-I'm sorry, Swanpaw, I didn't mean to snap," She had heard someone elses voice in hers and she disliked it. She gulped against her raw throat and moved her eyes to her paws. She did not want to sit idle. She wanted to stand here and argue black and blue with Swanpaw to let her resume her hunt, but she had a point. She was in no state to do this, not by herself at least, with nobody knowing where she had gotten to.
"Lead the way," She affirmed quietly, lifting her head again but not matching eyes with the apprentice. Her skin still burned beneath her pelt and she wasn't sure if it was fever, embarrasment, or disappointment. Perhaps a blend?
Subject: Re: come back, when i am not so dead (c) Tue 26 Dec 2023 - 7:55
Cindersky's indignantly snappish response - uncharacteristic from what little Swanpaw knew of her - made her own fur lift. Equal parts surprise and... Swanpaw's own indignation at being challenged on the words that had just left her mouth.
"Well, you're more alert than some... Perhaps you're not as addled as I thought. Good!" She mewed, waving off the apology only to add, "But still. I can't do a thing for the sick, I'd rather they be with those who can. So! Back to camp." The apprentice chirped, tail twitching as she turned in the direction of the camp Riverclan had made for itself - not home, not home at all. But it was what they had.
"I suppose we're lucky to be standing at all. Maybe I was harsh but..." Swanpaw's voice trailed off as she shrugged, uncomfortable voicing the idea of anyone showing worse symptoms. She knew Perchstar and Rookflight were very ill, and most of her siblings had been lucky to escape with milder symptoms like herself... But it still scared her.
Characters : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T3 Warrior| ShadowClan, Apprentice Number of posts : 330 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: Re: come back, when i am not so dead (c) Wed 27 Dec 2023 - 14:23
cindersky
t2 warrior | riverclan
Cindersky plodded along behind Swanpaw reluctantly. Nothing to show for her efforts except for a dirty, dusty nose and a bruised pride. She kept her head low, fixed on the back of Swanpaws darker ears as she trailed after her. It kept her steady as she could be, and the vertigo that still clutched her had less of an affect.
She heard Swanpaw speak, lifted her head and replied; "It's because I know that I am still standing that I'm trying," She said softly, her voice a bit hoarse but she cleared it away as best she could. "I thought if I could teach myself out to hunt despite the dizziness, then I could contribute... Give the healthier cats some respite. I..." Was her mind addled to believe that was possible? She did not know.
Subject: Re: come back, when i am not so dead (c) Wed 27 Dec 2023 - 14:53
"I-" Swanpaw paused when Cindersky had finished speaking. "I understand that." She said finally. "Without Perchstar and Owlcall my siblings and I wouldn't be here. I just want to do everything I can to help, but everyone's so ill and..." The apprentice gave her head a shake. How else was she supposed to help other than hunting and providing for them, if not making sure the sick stayed in their nests among cats who could care for them?
"I get wanting to try anyways, despite everything."
Characters : [C]indersky, [W]olfpaw Clan/Rank : RiverClan, T3 Warrior| ShadowClan, Apprentice Number of posts : 330 Gender : They/She Age : 20
Subject: Re: come back, when i am not so dead (c) Sat 6 Jan 2024 - 13:17
cindersky
t2 warrior | riverclan
"It feels a bit like we left one problem and then got another," Cindersky mused. It was a bit depressing, but it was the truth. They had too little prey to support them before, and now they had the prey but none to catch it. "At least now that I've tried, I know it is not a good idea to attempt it again... I know I can move about, but hunting is still off the table..."
She smiled, an attempt to lighten the mood. Her chest ached and the uncomfortable, itchy heat of the fever was creeping back up her neck again. She wanted her nest, safe and secure and near the ones she worried about. She felt guilty for it, especially after arguing with Swanpaw about it back and forth. She did have a point.
"I'm sorry for not talking to you much when I was apprentice," She said sofly, keeping her eyes on the path ahead. "I know I should have. I did not talk to a lot of us in the den."
Subject: Re: come back, when i am not so dead (c) Sat 6 Jan 2024 - 17:27
Swanpaw nodded at Cindersky's words. It really did seem like they had traded one problem for another, didn't it? "The medicine cats will have to figure something out, right?" Their poisoned waters back home sure hadn't been, and the longer this illness seemed to have the clan in its claws, the less sure Swanpaw was of that.
An apology for not speaking much to her as an apprentice was unexpected, leaving Swanpaw blinking up at the warrior. "It's alright." She mewed, "We all sort of kept to ourselves, I guess. And training kept us busy." She added, truthfully. Drizzlepool had fallen ill seemingly the moment Swanpaw was apprenticed, and once Poppyshine had become her mentor she had been driven to learn as much as she could to catch up with her peers. She had spared time for few of her denmates, outside of brief desires to get to know the cats she shared a camp with.
