march of the witch hunters [closed]

With SkyClan still making themselves at home within RiverClan camp, Ivystar (and her warriors) had been busier than ever. With their gaggle of kits (including newborn ones... in Ivystar's opinion, quite disgusting- rearing SkyClan kits in RiverClan camp- but whatever) and elders, there were nearly double the mouths to feed than sets of claws and teeth to provide the food. The fluffy leader had effectively doubled RiverClan's hunting patrols and frequently found herself sending Spiderquill and Thornpaw out for more herbs to treat the Clan that had burned half to death. So many things had been at the forefront of her mind, grabbing any last bit of attention that she had. She hardly had enough time to spend with her mates, much less her own son.

She'd never found herself getting entirely attached to the tom- she loved him, of course- that much she had never doubted. The tabby hesitated to think that other tasks had become a higher priority than her kit, but that was practically undeniable. Guilt was a feeling that Ivystar rarely felt, but it certainly resonated with how she felt now. She'd asked Honeytongue to take a break for the day and let her patrol with Jaypaw, hoping that perhaps he hadn't thought worse of her because of the lack of attention. She also had some... rather interesting news to share with him. Hopefully, he wouldn't be hurt.

The chilly late afternoon sky was richly colored with the dying light of the slowly setting sun, barren branches of riverside foliage sprawling across the gathering dusk awash in various hues of reds and golds. However, instead of taking solace in a seemingly lovely stroll alongside his horrifically busy mother, Jaypaw could only scrounge up a feeling of ineptitude, a strange mixing of discomfort and surprise. He had three mothers, and maintained a significant distance with all of them. He had three mothers, and he was close with none. It wasn't the fault of any one individual in particular, that was just the unfortunate reality of the situation; kin lofted upon higher-ranks and an army of Queens left to raise him in their seemingly permanent absence.

Of course, as a kit, it had fostered a thorn of hurt within his heart. But Jaypaw was nearing on the status of Warriorhood, so he had acquiesced those feelings long ago. Really, it didn't bother him.

Swallowing down the lingering heat of discomfort flickering within the fathoms of his chest, Jaypaw continued to blindly make his way further downstream- hardly paying any mind to the subtle changes in the scent markings that resided across the slow-going waters, pale gaze remaining fixed upon the shape of Ivystar, pacing ahead by just a step or two. Pristine teeth clicking together softly in a physical display of the visceral discomfort currently wedged deep within the tightening confines of his belly, the dark-furred tom couldn't help but mull over the seemingly endless possibilities as to why Ivystar had taken time out of her evening to simply... go on a walk with him. Brushing beneath a wilting stalk, sending forth a shower of pollen and brittle remnants of broken debris raining upon his silky coat, Jaypaw's aquiline features tightened into something akin to wariness.

"Is something wrong?"

As Ivystar padded along the river, several thoughts occurred to her. Among them, many excuses for what she'd forced her son to endure. The tabby knew that none of them were reasonable- family before Clan, right? but she couldn't help but try to excuse her behavior, to feel like perhaps she wasn't entirely in the wrong. She knew, however, that she was. It was a simple fact of undeniable plausibility. She'd all but abandoned Jaypaw, and now she ran the risk of doing the same to yet another litter of kits- if they would even make it to birth. The uncomfortable silence between the two grew thinner and thinner as they walked, and when it was finally broken, the she-cat stopped walking. "No, nothing is wrong. We should fish a bit. It's been a while since the river has been this high." She may have been lying through her teeth, but she wasn't quite ready to talk with Jaypaw like that yet.

She gestured towards the river, having already spotted a small gathering of rather skimpy looking fish. But some was better than none, no?

Soft curve of his already twisted lips further curling into the faintest remnant of a lingering scowl, the momentary offering of abdication withered away to ashes as Jaypaw simply nodded resolutely, movements mechanical and overly practiced. Perhaps it was a little foolish to believe that Ivystar would speak freely in his company, bring voice to whatever concern or displeasure that had suddenly brought them back into such close orbit, but was it really so futile to believe that his Clan Leader could drop the pretenses of side-stepping any sort of lingering tensions? Meticulously groomed nape fur prickling under the strain of his heightening frustration and discomfort, the angular dark-furred tom more closely resembled an awkwardly gaiting hedgehog as he continued to pace behind his mother, a soft cloud of brittle debris left suspended in the air after his somber steps and agitated tail.

"Of course, Ivystar." Jaypaw eventually conceded, blatantly displeased that his tentative bridge was already being subjected to flames, "I'm sure Honeytongue will be pleased to hear that you wish to monitor the progress she's made with our training."

Downy tufts of silky dark fur dragging softly against the cool mud of the riverbank, the young tom carried forth his signature reclusiveness as he settled against the softly sloping earth, carefully keeping his shadow angled away from the idling school of fish. The terse silence continuously peddled forward, a singular dark forepaw carefully raised in the ensuing heartbeats, Jaypaw's dark gaze intently trained upon the lazy currents of the somewhat low river. A silvery arc of droplets was sent sprawling out into the moderately cool afternoon air, the scales of the writhing fish flashing brilliantly in the low lighting of the riverside. Carefully dispatching the thrashing creature with nothing more than an idle, practiced nip to the base of the skull, the young Apprentice's dark gaze remained fixed upon the swirling depths of the riverside, hardly paying any mind to his mother seated alongside him.

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Jaypaw has successfully caught a fish, costing -3 SP.

Jaypaw
20/20 [HP]
77/80 [SP]

The member 'Seer' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

Ivystar nodded when Jaypaw responded to her question, the beginning of a smile teasing on her face before it quickly turned into something more akin to a scowl. "Is it really so questionable for a mother to hunt with her son?" She mewed, clearly irritated. After waiting a moment for the fish to settle back into their school, she dipped her paw into the river and snagged a fish of her own, mimicking the same motion her son had made and nipping the fish at the base of the skull. She tossed it on top of his lazily, sitting down in the muddy mixture of sand on the bank of the river.

She sighed, shaking her head a bit. "I'm sorry I haven't been very... Present. If you'll allow me, I'd like to do better. I've been a horrible mother thus far, but it doesn't have to stay that way. I'll understand if you don't want to give it a try, though." Emerald eyes gazed at those of her son's, watching each of the dark tom's movements carefully. His silky fur ruffled a bit with the slight breeze, an awkward silence stretching between the two.

Ivystar successfully caught a fish, costing -3 Stamina Points.

Ivystar:
120/120 HP
297/300 SP [-3]

The member 'spoopy maple' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

Pale gazed fixed upon the softly swaying movements of the deceptively gentle currents, Jaypaw's pointedly schooled expression appeared to be more apt with studying the circular ripples left the in the wake of Ivystar's quick movements. In the ensuing heartbeats of terse, admittedly awkward, silence, there was only the occasional twitch to be gleaned in the otherwise stone-still young tom; rigid posture belaying his intense focus on the silvery fish darting about just a pawstep below. Ivystar's tentative offer was left suspended in the chilly afternoon air, easily displaced under the heady rhythm of the chattering riverside. There was another sudden flash, the quiet forcefully disrupted by the sudden splash of a singular paw breaking the muddled surface. The fish unfortunately dredged from the murky riverwater was hardly offered a chance to react, instead left to aimlessly thrash and wriggle until neatly disposed of.

"I suppose." Jaypaw began after a heartbeat or two of beguiling silence, unease radiating from every last fiber in his being, the clipped acquiesce punctuated by a gentle flourish of his dark tail. It wasn't as though he didn't love Ivystar, or by extension Stormbringer and Honeytongue, but love didn't necessitate meaningful connection- their ties were simply of the blood, not by any deeper, grander emotion that demanded closeness. The idea of differentiating from the established norm felt... wrong, felt like venturing down an avenue that wasn't exactly meant for their type. A spark in a tinderbox, a lightning storm during the dry seasons, every nerve alight with the screaming potential for disaster.

"But why now?" Jaypaw eventually inquired, casually peeking at the smudged shape of his mother through the peripheral of his vision.

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Jaypaw has successfully caught a fish, costing -3 SP.

Jaypaw
20/20 [HP]
74/80 [SP]

The member 'Seer' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

A breathy sigh passed Ivystar's maw as she dipped her paw into the water once again, effortlessly bringing up yet another fish, tossing it in the pile without a second thought. It was a good question, but arent' all the good questions hard? "If not now, then when?" She meowed, stance rigid as she contemplated whether this was the right decision. Perhaps things were better left as they were, untouched by her own desires for a sense of a true family bond with her son. It was far too late for such sentiments now, though. "It should have never been a question of when, this is the way it should've always been. Turns out I wasn't ready for such responsibilities, I suppose." She stared down at the reflection of the silver scales of fish, who came right back to that same spot even after so many of them had been caught. "I am now, though," Was telling him about what grew inside her womb really the right choice? He'd find out eventually, but perhaps she could enjoy a moment of time with her son without such things on her mind. Yes, that was it- she'd tell him, just not now.

Ivystar successfully caught a fish, costing -3 Stamina Points.

Ivystar:
120/120 HP
294/300 SP [-3]

The member 'maple' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

Silvery ripples of lightly-cresting waves drifted outwards from Ivystar's mechanical movements, the instinctual reflex smooth and overly practiced; nothing more than an idle, secondhand instinct lacking any sort of thought of hesitation behind the movement. The dark shade of his reflection was disrupted under the strain of such movements, odd features further distorted under the lazy ripples. Ears pulling flat against the hard line of his skull as his mother continued to speak, the dark-furred young tom continued to stare down at his ever-changing reflection, studying the strange picture carefully knitted together under the refinement of trembling currents.

Jaypaw's features looked strange, even to himself; caught in some grey fog between bearing resemblance to both his mother and father. Eyes a bit too hard and unfamiliar, as though looking into a mirror that showed someone else. An ugly little duckling.

"It wasn't so bad," He eventually began after a painfully long reprise, occasionally peeking at Ivystar through the limited scape of his peripheral vision. Forcefully realigning his wavering focus upon the idly drifting fish currently enthralled within the grasp of a leisurely-moving current, there was another sudden flash, the quiet forcefully disrupted by the sudden splash of a singular paw breaking the muddled surface. The fish unfortunately dredged from the murky riverwater was hardly offered a chance to react, suffering a similar fate to those that had come before it. "Not.. having anyone around. I don't blame you, or anything in such a vein."

-

Jaypaw has successfully caught a fish, costing -3 SP.

Jaypaw
20/20 [HP]
71/80 [SP]

The member 'Seer' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Ivystar's gaze faltered a bit, hooked on the silvery scales of the fish dancing beneath the surface of the water. The awkward silence that hung between the duo was insufferably deafening, but she didn't dare interrupt it. Eventually, Jaypaw effortlessly snagged a fish from the water, sending the school darting in every direction they could in order to escape the dark-colored tom's claws. She nodded, a sigh erupting from her maw when he spoke up again. "When we live our entire lives in a world that isn't quite right, it's harder to recognize that things can, and should, be better." Her long, fluffy tail disturbed the sand underpaw, sending several grains into the gently flowing river. The slight disturbance attracted several fish to the surface, their beady eyes seemingly staring at absolutely nothing. With a quick swipe, Ivystar dragged one of them from the surface, tossing it on top of the pile once she'd nipped it near the skull.

"Never lose sight of what is good. Just because something feels normal doesn't mean it isn't bad. If we commit to that mindset, we'll live our entire lives miserably. That's not a life fit for my son." She mewed, guilt rising in her chest.

Ivystar successfully caught a fish, costing -3 Stamina Points.

Ivystar:
120/120 HP
291/300 SP [-3]

The member 'maple' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 7