MoonClan
The thing no one tells you about being dead is that it’s boring
Posts: 114
Pronouns: She/He
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Daisyfire on Jul 15, 2022 5:01:29 GMT -6
*＊✿❀ Daisyfire ❀✿＊* Some sort of emotion, unknown to Daisyfire, turned his head and perked his ears when Turtlefang gave his play-compliment. It didn’t feel so play, somehow - why did she want his approval? She’d have bitten him most other days in any other place. And yet. Yet here she was, hopeful with his approval and once more at rapt attention as he elaborated with that serious shift in behavior. She listened like his words held the stars in their place, any missed sentiment would tear the heavens apart and swallow them whole if she dared tune him out for even a second. The treasonous feeling of the conversation left a ball of cold in her throat, but how could Daisyfire be expected to stop this conversation? Turtlefang had shifted so suddenly, so easily, a glimpse into the mind of a cat who so easily could balance the sun and the moon with his mind. Surely, a hypothetical never killed anyone? Her ears wiggled with pleasure as he slid him another compliment, moving on from that darker edge Daisyfire had noticed in him a pawful of times before, but she didn’t respond in fear of interrupting his momentum. That would be like stopping the rotation of the Earth. Daisyfire’s face of awe briefly darkened at Turtlefang’s mention of superiors - he didn’t know what Pansystar thought about all this. He only knew he’d heard Foxlily muttering about it to herself in the medicine den when he’d gone in for his routine inspections. What that calico thought, he couldn’t be sure of either. Then Turtlefang resumed his musing, and Daisyfire lowered herself promptly, as if it were all part of it somehow. Her tail twitched at what he said, and she had to think about just how she felt about it. Praise, in a sense, but still along those lines of their game. Still, there was that approval. Something Daisyfire hadn’t realized she needed so badly since MoonClan became less strict about their own rules. She was happy to stick to her opinions, even if they were unpopular, but praise seemed to have been something she’d been hunting, the shadow of a mouse she didn’t know was there. “I can’t say how they feel about it, but I know Foxlily has thought about the logistics of the Clans living together. I can usually hear her muttering about it when I visit her den,” she answered carelessly, her eyes wandering as she spoke. “I guess that doesn’t matter, but I guess I never have any idea what’s going on in Pansystar’s head.”Wandering eyes settled once more on the Moonpond, the reflection of the two of them, in relaxed positions talking. Like Clanmates. It sent an epiphany rippling down her back like the dripping of a thawing icicle. “I’m sorry, Turtlefang, I misjudged you. I wanted so badly to fit in in MoonClan, I took all the most ancient lessons to heart I forgot what my mentor actually wanted me to learn. The code we all live by gives a warrior honor, regardless of which Clan they’re from. I forgot that.” Saying those words felt like added treachery. Surely, though, they could respect SunClan’s own honor without there being a need for such drastic changes? It was hypothetical. It wasn’t real. “Your words are so smooth and thought out, I’m sure if anyone could convince any cat in either Clan to go with your ideas, it’d be you,” she mused, trying to return to that teasing tone. It didn’t help that she meant it. What was happening here and why was she not getting a say in where her feelings and mind went? He pointed is eyes away once more. “You must be named for your sharp words, Turtle.” |
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SunClan
don't call me nice; i'm gonna eat your heart out
Posts: 150
Pronouns: he/him
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Turtlefang on Jul 15, 2022 13:14:30 GMT -6
From where he now truly laid, tucked in on himself like he were sunning by the warriors den at home, Turtlefang stared aimlessly at Daisyfire, face going blank once more. Revealing nothing when he responded with a soft mew, neither accusation nor tease. "You sound like you really mean all that." A measured statement, meant as mere observation but betraying a particular line of thought- an unvoiced wariness. After all, was this not the same cat who'd breached their gap earlier, drew him in with faux sincerity only to lick his ear like they were comrades? What's real and what isn't? Although not the best himself at practicing congeniality in his daily interactions, he could generally get a good read on the social cues of other cats, use them against those cats if doing so served his interests. So why was it that here, with this tom who's entire soul seemed to squirm under the surface with every good prod, Turtlefang was still struggling to make sense of what was going on? A terrible idea came to mind. It could be, he pieced together like a puzzle, that some of these slips were accidents from the start. A Moonclan cat who wasn't actively trying to manipulate him? Turtlefang would have laughed at the mention before. Laughed before he tore the lying tongue out of the brindle and thrown it to the crows. However... None of the warning bells were going off this time, not even when she shifted back to shortening his name, pawing at his ego like a plaything. Are you really confiding in someone like me? Not a Sunclan warrior, not a lifesworn enemy, but Turtlefang- possibly the worst of all the clans to choose for the job, wasn't he? Aren't you wary of me? Mystified, caught up in the moments-ago memory of how Daisyfire had stared at him all wide and moony- Why?- his pelt was starting to feel uncomfortably warm, humid and clammy like a fever had been trapped beneath his skin. Am I sick? I feel a little sick. That'd explain the weird swirling in his gut, the tightness in his chest. Turtlefang's tail pressed tighter against him in a rare instance of self-comfort. Do you like me? That's..."As flattered as I am," he began with the airs of nonchalance. "I'm not really suited to the job. That'd have to be you. Your heart speaks so loudly, all of Starclan can hear it through your fur. That kind of sincerity is what moves the masses. I suppose you owe it to your name as well- inner fire, is what they call it? What better than a spark to start a flame? And we would need a flame to transform the social landscape. A fire that eats alive what is and spits out what wasn't." It's more of that half-praise, tainted by Turtlefang's own interest in speculation. But he gave it another shot, summoned a return to form. Summoned a warning. "I'm a Sunclan cat, you know. Regardless of the code we share, that's all I am in the eyes of our clanmates. No amount of reasoning can change it. It's only here with you," Turtlefang forced a lazy smirk, forced the needed emphasis into his tone. Because in spite of everything, Daisyfire was slipping, saying dangerous things no warrior should entertain outside of jest. Outside of their hypothetical. "That it's ever been called into question. Does your honor take priority over your station? If that's the case, I ought to take you back with me... since there's no difference between us. I promise you'd fit in."
And even to him, he felt a little mean. Taking someone's vulnerability and rejecting it, turning it inside out like a coat to slide into and wear around just to make a point. But it's necessary. It's not the first time he's done it, not the first time he's wanted to put someone on the defensive and see the anger spark in their eyes. But he found, with the same sick feeling from within, that he wished he didn't have to. He found himself understanding Daisyfire and hating it. Hating him. Right? And... "A deputy's place is by their leader's side, isn't it?" You should hate me, too. Stop playing around and start playing again...
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MoonClan
The thing no one tells you about being dead is that it’s boring
Posts: 114
Pronouns: She/He
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Daisyfire on Jul 15, 2022 21:15:41 GMT -6
*＊✿❀ Daisyfire ❀✿＊* “Beestar would have my pelt,” her voice came an empty sound. The cavern between them finally remembered. “… This isn’t fun anymore.” She got up, the feelings coursing through her body like a wind, still unsure if they’d put out the flame or make it wilder than ever. She paced around the pond, putting distance between them but not leaving yet. There was too much on his mind to just leave. He stopped his angry pacing, turning his burning eyes towards Turtlefang again. “I’m not playing anymore. I get it, okay? You’re smarter than I am and better at lying, you’ve got it all figured out. Even a SunClan cat can see where I don’t fit the mold.” Her anger rose with every word, curly fur spiking as her emotions picked up the wind. With a lash of her tail, she swat a small rock nearby, sending it flying towards one of the stone walls. “This place is a poison,” she hissed, more so to herself than to Turtlefang. Another rock was sent flying. Claws unsheathed now as she paced, she didn’t return her gaze to Turtlefang. “We shouldn’t have come here. I get that now! The water and the air here change cats, makes them vulnerable, weak, in the sake of what? Peace? For cats who can’t suffer war’s consequences anymore! I should know by now, shouldn’t I? There aren’t friends in the Clans, no matter what StarClan or gods made of light have to say! Peace is a lie meant to make us take our deaths peacefully, and you know that! You knew1 You knew you won the moment you started to show me the fun parts of yourself! For what? What could you stand to gain? This?”Yowling like this, it cost her a lot of air, as did punctuating her sentences by attacking the Moonpond’s surroundings. Anything that wouldn’t break her vengeful paws fell victim. Swat from their spot, but every time it was away from Turtlefang’s direction. She didn’t care what StarClan had to say if she did attack a SunClan cat here, but… all the same, she didn’t want to hurt him. For some weird, stupid reason! It just made Daisyfire angrier. Made him wish he could pull the stars down with his claws and demand an answer, demand an explanation for why all of this had to happen. Why he and Turtlefang could never be- It didn’t matter. This was Turtlefang’s choice, wasn’t it? His choice to make Daisyfire intrigued by the way he’d play on equal grounds though, rules they cobbled together and had a weird, angry sort of fun with. His choice to answer that stupid question, that question that gave what Daisyfire had hoped was a glimpse into the true Turtlefang. She’d been doomed from the start. Face contorted with rage and an exhaustion long overdue between this little tirade and the swim, all he could do right now was stare at the Moonpond. “I have learned one thing today. The dead should learn to stay in the ground.” She struck at her reflection in that stupid pond, let the water splash and ripple, like it was shocked to have had its surface breached. Good. Things were much simpler when the only frame of beliefs she had of the dead were that they became flowers. The flowers didn’t tell her how to live her life. Panting and coughing for air from her yelling and her attack on the environment, she dropped her body like a rock next to the pond that rippled in fear. “The game is over, you don’t have to be here anymore. You won, Turtlestar,” she hissed. |
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SunClan
don't call me nice; i'm gonna eat your heart out
Posts: 150
Pronouns: he/him
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Turtlefang on Jul 15, 2022 23:36:08 GMT -6
All at once, the world exploded. Turtlefang tensed, braced himself against the strength of Daisyfire's sudden yowling- Why? What? Rocks ricocheted off the walls, off the stone foundation, and went flying askew like swat flies, tumbling to their violent ends. Missing him like shrapnel, he stayed frozen in place, rooted like an ancient trunk amid the earthquake. The only motion were the darting of his eyes to follow every pebble that flew by, ready for the instance one would be sent his way. Everything shook, until it didn't. And somehow, it was only when the Moonpool itself was breached that he couldn't help but jolt from his stillness, heart racing in spite of himself as he watched the broken surface sway, scattering the light within like smacking a cluster of glow worms. Like extinguishing the sky itself. He stared into the blackness, and then back at its master; the one who burnt everything out. What had happened? Sitting up on his haunches, as slowly as if any sudden movement might trigger an encore, Turtlefang recovered from the spectacle that'd taken place before him. Alarmingly quickly, for someone who'd been within the area of effect. "You know," He winced at the way his voice interrupted the silence, sounding so small after the magnitude of shouting that'd just encompassed the prior space. "You make it pretty hard to feel good, when you put it that way. Did you like making me feel bad?" Bold words from someone fresh out of the rock storm, but he wasn't one to tiptoe. "Not that I didn't enjoy the compliments. But kind of an empty delivery. You make it sound like I did all this on purpose, or something." He had the gall to shut his eyes, a small huff of annoyance puffing short and punctuated from his nose. Then, returning his gaze to the small form of the warrior crouched across the pond, he got to his paws and examined him. Nothing but ashes.
He wasn't sure what had gone wrong. This whole time, in spite of the little bumps, they'd seemed to have a solid rapport between one another. A careful balance that kept everything tense, but in check. And now, so abruptly, it'd all collapsed. Thinking over his last few words, he knew he'd been rude, but nothing she hadn't been able to take before. Maybe it'd been that little glimmer of weakness. Lashing out at me doesn't solve your problems, though. Turtlefang's ears pinned back at the thought, stiff and tight against his skull. But then, this was how it always was. Why'd I think it'd go any different? Just because they're mean back to you doesn't mean you won't break them. Break him. He felt his tail, which had prickled like static once the yelling had started, slowly relax back to limpness. Tried to take advantage of his cooldown, defy the blood rushing heavy and painful in his head with the jump of adrenaline all the action had caused. "Listen." The tortie sighed, half to slow his heart and half to maintain at least a little bit of cool for the sake of the cat who'd just lost all of hers. But he found, unexpectedly, that the right words slipped away from him like shadows on the water. Like the flicker of stars in the Moonpool, just now beginning to reform, but no more within reach.
Grimacing to himself, Turtlefang turned his head to the side, hating the frail sound of his words when they finally shifted in his mouth. "I thought you were having fun. I'm sorry I couldn't give you what you wanted." A bitter sentiment, echoing a self loathing he preferred to leave untouched. But it was impossible not to feel it now, bitter on his tongue as he came to realize just how one-sided this whole thing may have been. That maybe he'd misunderstood and got caught up in something pointless. Got caught up in something he was going to lose, and he didn't know why that made him feel so stressed out. "I wasn't trying to make you mad. Like this, I mean. But don't talk like Starclan has anything to do with it. If it makes you feel any better, it's normal for things to end up like this. With me. Whatever you think I was gaining, I promise it it wasn't there. I didn't come as anyone but myself. You just don't like me, and that's fine. You're not supposed to. That was the point for both of us." With a frustrated twitch in his whiskers, his voice lowered into a murmur. "Don't waste your feelings on me."
He grew quiet again for a moment, head still turned firmly away from Daisyfire, but expression hardening into something more unreadable, shutting off the stilted out-pour of muddled rationales. From where Turtlefang stood, he shifted his weight a little from paw to paw, swaying minutely before settling his stance more definitively. Lowered his gaze to stare at the ground instead, not quite understanding himself when he continued a phrase longer than intended. "I can't leave you alone and injured, though."
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MoonClan
The thing no one tells you about being dead is that it’s boring
Posts: 114
Pronouns: She/He
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Daisyfire on Jul 16, 2022 2:01:41 GMT -6
*＊✿❀ Daisyfire ❀✿＊* Daisyfire stared at Turtlefang, almost dumbstruck, shock and anger quickly returning to her features. “Are you serious? I changed my mind, you’re an idiot and I can’t believe you won. Do you really think I would’ve kept the rocks away if I didn’t like you? That, if I’m going to attack this stupid place, that I wouldn’t go ahead and claw your ears off while I’m at it? Why do you think that is? I’m mad because you don’t seem to want me to like you! I was having fun, but you seem dead set on being hated! Why? What is wrong with you? Use your-”The solely verbal ignition was interrupted by another fit of wheezing coughs. She’d really worked herself up. “… use your brain.” Frustrated more, Daisyfire curled her wiry tail around herself, becoming a little curly ball of frustration. It wasn’t as if he even understood his own feelings. Why did she like him so much? As she thought, sulking in on herself, it only made sense, didn’t it? Their little game had been fun, it was rare a cat met her in equal measure. Rare that she could use her temper as a challenge to bond with another cat. Then, she saw his own passion. Not a strategist herself, she found it entrancing to listen to how intently he thought things through, and even seemed to enjoy his hypothetical strategies! What wasn’t enjoyable about that? “Why am I not supposed to like you? If it doesn’t interfere with my Clan duties, I think I’m allowed to like whoever I want.” Her voice started of quiet, sulky, before looking at Turtlefang again, letting his voice rise once more. “If we’re not supposed to like each other, then why worry about me? What about your feelings? Are your feelings wasted on me and the game that didn’t matter anymore once I learned you were actually fun without it? What then, Turtlefang?”He huffed, lowering his head once more. “Looks like neither of us thought this through.” |
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SunClan
don't call me nice; i'm gonna eat your heart out
Posts: 150
Pronouns: he/him
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Turtlefang on Jul 16, 2022 3:21:40 GMT -6
| ⚠️🐢 content warning: depiction of a panic attack 🐢⚠️ |
What. Like he'd just heard someone confess to murder, Turtlefang took an immediate step back from the pond, putting one more ounce of distance between the two while his instincts screamed for a hundred. "Uh." What meant to be an awkward filler lilted high at the end, coming out closer to a questioning sound than he would have liked. But that was to be expected, when he was full of questions with no intention of providing any any answers of his own. Oh. This is really bad. Out of all the outcomes he'd considered would come of this encounter, Daisyfire trying to establish a bond between them was not one of his expectations. In fact, hadn't this been a whole thing about building tension? About feeding into the monstrous expectations he was meant to inhabit like a second skin? After being mean and condescending for what was getting to be a very good chunk of time, how had she come away with a positive impression of him? "Because. It interferes with your clan duties. It introduces bias." Staring at him like she'd grown a second head, Turtlefang lifted his muzzle as if to try and reclaim his prior haughtiness, but the nervous glow of his eyes, flickering around with instability, countered any real aura he could have manifested at that moment. "This has to be a joke. I get it- You had your big moment and you're trying to save face now by making me look stupid. You had me for a second, but believe me, I'm looking out for both of us when I tell you to cut back a bit. I mean. Really?" He chuckled, strained with a rigidity that caused the end to waver uncertainly. "Don't talk like that... Even if you're going to play around, that's going too far. I'm getting confused." The more he spoke, the more the rush of his thoughts pushed out into the open, putting his normally internal rationalizations out on full display. He was aware of what was going on, saw his mouth moving in his own reflection, projected back at him sickly and pale and glowing with skylight, glowing like a ghost already cut open and put to rest.
His throat felt dry. Turtlefang glance darted, quick and reflexive, to the path they'd come in from. "Hey. Do you know? You're here alone with me. How do you know I didn't isolate you here for a reason?" It's aimless rambling by now, autopilot while he thought hard for a way to put Daisyfire's obvious delusions to rest. "Did you knock your head around in the water, too?" Wow. Since when was breathing so painful? As if to make more room for air inside his body, he felt his fur raising down the spine, fluffing out, making himself bigger. For some reason. He couldn't even look at her. This is so gross. I'm so. "I don't understand what I did wrong. This doesn't map out. You've met me once before now. Don't talk to me like you know anything about me! What's wrong with you? What's wrong with me, even, for you to be so braindead? Ha!" Gone was every prepared response, every cool one-liner, all the practiced faces and tones and poses he'd built his life around. In the back of his mind, he could taste the tang of blood in his throat, could recall the last time someone tried to see good in him that just wasn't there. "Do I have to hurt you? Would that make it more obvious?" Quick, sharp words, and he didn't even know if he meant them. Turtlefang was a thundercloud, big and dark and on the verge of striking lightning, and being cohesive didn't matter right now. All that mattered was the feral edge of his wide glare, flashing with an aggression that spanned the present and the past which had begun to overlap it. All that mattered was finding the right words to get Daisyfire to back down, before he made them both regret it. Hard to calm down. What was going on again? Lashing out, for some reason. That's what he was good at.
From his stance across the pool, he ground his paws down hard, hard, hard so that he wouldn't move. The smartest move he'd made in the past few seconds.
A familiar voice, quiet and cautious, came to mind. You're panicking.
Turtlefang squashed it. They weren't even there. You're not even here! You never are, until it suits you.
"I'm not- I'm not an idiot," Somewhere in the middle of everything, he'd gotten a bit raspier, hunching over with the heave of his next breath. It reminded him- hadn't Daisyfire started coughing earlier? He's an easy target. He's so easy, if I have to. He didn't really want to. Traitor. "You're the one who licked me.. that's so stupid..."
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MoonClan
The thing no one tells you about being dead is that it’s boring
Posts: 114
Pronouns: She/He
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Daisyfire on Jul 16, 2022 15:48:34 GMT -6
*＊✿❀ Daisyfire ❀✿＊* She moved very little but the twitch of her ear, at first, when Turtlefang had made the refutation of bias. That’s so stupid, what are the odds of the Clans going to war right now? So we can kill each other off before those cats made of light get to us first?But then he kept talking. Rambling, nervously. It made her head lift up quickly, concern quick to course through her body, quick to ignore aching joints and wheezy breaths. What was happening? He didn’t really answer any of her questions - she hardly expected him to in this state. But it made her all the more curious just what she had said to get him to act like this? Keeping a tail-length away, she got up and tried to examine him as best she could. “Turtlefang, listen, listen, it’s okay, okay? We can figure this out, but I need you to just focus on breathing right now, alright?”Daisyfire had seen Foxlily like this before, seen how cats with gentler paws like Lionshine had approached the situation, but he himself had never had to get a cat out of this situation. Been in it, maybe, but those were instances more faded than her kithood memories. How was she supposed to help him, anyway, if she didn’t know what was wrong? When he seemed upset by the notion that she was genuinely coming to care for him? Did he not think it scared her, either? “Just focus on breathing in and out, okay? We’ll get you some water, and then maybe we can talk, does that sound good? I know it’s scary, but… that’s all part of being a warrior. Dealing with the scary stuff.”Yeah, too bad she took after her suffix more than her prefix. She just prayed internally that he didn’t get worse. |
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SunClan
don't call me nice; i'm gonna eat your heart out
Posts: 150
Pronouns: he/him
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Turtlefang on Jul 16, 2022 23:38:53 GMT -6
Unfortunately, the softened edge of Daisyfire's approach didn't seem to register in the warrior's muddled mind. "I'm not scared of you," Turtlefang hissed, misconstruing the comfort as backhanded insult in his selective processing of the situation. On the bright side, his confused offense did at least serve to sober him slightly, deglazing the exhausted haze from his eyes where he hunched, rattling for breath. Grounded by irritation, but grounded nonetheless, his attention slid with the other cat's movement sluggishly. Growling low in his throat, Turtlefang twisted his body a little further out of the provided tail length, forcing his fur smooth to create more space to hide in while he panted, soft and shallow and stubborn. "Scared of- a lame warrior, that's the biggest joke yet... You were coughing too, just before. You... I'm not scared." It was a short fuse he'd blown, not nearly as impressive as Daisyfire's own explosion, but it'd tired him just as quickly. Feeling lethargy overtake him, he dropped to his haunches, ears twitching uneasily as he considered the other warrior watching him, watching everything. Humiliating. I don't need help from someone who can't help themselves. A crooked grin crossed over his features at the thought, toothy and haggard. "Taking you down... even like this, it'd be easy. You're no better than me." Turtlefang's voice recovered faster than the rest of him, all chatter against the protest of his aching lungs, against the fog obscuring his mind's usual sharpness. But it didn't dim the brightness of his stare as he eyed Daisyfire over the shoulder like a wounded animal. Latching onto that mean streak like a lifeline, he rushed out his words before his stuttered breath ensnared them. "When we met at the river- I would have mauled you. I really wanted to, and I could see it in your eyes. You wanted to hurt me, too."
The need to bite down on a Moonclan cat far outweighed the anxiety swirling throughout his ribcage. His tail gave a hard thrash, hitting the stones as a new plan struck him, distracted him. "I have an idea," He said, with the sudden impulsivity of someone with a very bad idea. "I'll give you exactly what you wanted." Turtlefang stood up so fast, he couldn't help but stagger back with the momentum, legs shaking awkwardly as he recentered his balance. He had the restraint to keep a dignified expression as he played it off with a toss of his head, high and mighty. "Let's settle this like we were meant to all along. I'm calling in my favor early- The clans might be afraid to clash right now, but I'm not. I'm not scared of anything. So let's fight." After the test stand to ensure his security on his paws, he dropped into a combat stance, set to pounce to the best of his effort. Yet, in spite of his enthusiasm, Turtlefang still held true to their earlier agreement for reasons he wasn't sure of. He waited for the go-ahead. Not without some urging, though. "A true warrior can defend his word with tooth and claw. If you believe everything you said, you'll prove it here and now! It's-" He winced only slightly as his chest tightened randomly, body still acting against him, acting against the surge of intensity that spurred his words on with a sudden ambition. Doesn't matter. Use it. "This is the only chance I'll ever give you at a fair fight, since in my prime, we both know you wouldn't stand a chance. But right now, with you injured and my current state, we're evenly matched. It won't be long before I'm better, though, so you'll have to hurry. I already know you want to..."
Breathing in hard, evening his stance, Turtlefang smiled sweet and self-assured at his self-declared opponent, widening his gaze in jest. "You won't keep your leader waiting, will you? Show me your strength, and maybe I'll respect the honor you've attested to. Who knows? I might even listen to what you have to say." He lifted a dark paw from the ground and nudged it forward for show, voice trailing into a purr. "If you're scared, I might even keep my claws sheathed."
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MoonClan
The thing no one tells you about being dead is that it’s boring
Posts: 114
Pronouns: She/He
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Daisyfire on Jul 17, 2022 1:05:36 GMT -6
*＊✿❀ Daisyfire ❀✿＊* Huh. What? Why. Daisyfire watched, dumbstruck as she listened to Turtlefang’s violent words - for what? A battle? She didn’t think he was in any state for a battle. This was her natural state for battle. Her tail swished in contemplation as she eyed him cautiously, like her gaze alone might send him back into another fit of flying words. He didn’t seem to have any comprehension for… anything, right now. Twisting Daisyfire’s every word into something to egg him on instead of an extension for help. He was starting to feel like his paws might be bound here. A normal fight wasn’t easy for her, though. His tactic had always been to strike hard, not afraid to maim in a way that would end a fight quickly. She was a fire, indiscriminate in what would become ash. She couldn’t do that to Turtlefang, though. She’d just have to hope being accustomed to it was enough of an advantage in the case that his current state wasn’t enough of a disadvantage for him. In case he really did start to come to his senses and continue with the battle. She thought vaguely to her attack on the water of the Moonpond being the only thing to get Turtlefang to move during that frenzy - a detail she’d only noticed from her refusal to hurt him. Daisyfire only hoped that by accepting Turtlefang’s challenge, he wasn’t going to cause a different sort of panic once Turtlefang returned to his senses. “You aren’t going to understand me until you calm down, but I just wanted to tell you in advance: I’m sorry, Turtlefang.”Maybe it’d be okay as long as they didn’t seriously hurt one another or actually try to kill each other. With that little source of comfort, she readied her body and prepared. She’d have to make first strike, of course - both for the sake of ending it without them getting too hurt, and because that was how she always did it. That was part of the tactic. Tensing up, Daisyfire launched herself at Turtlefang in a familiar tactic meant to slam her opponent onto her side. It was too familiar though, and she’d overshot the jump, a brief moment of terror freeing her claws from her sheathes to latch themselves into his back to stop the momentum she hadn’t intended. |
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SunClan
don't call me nice; i'm gonna eat your heart out
Posts: 150
Pronouns: he/him
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Turtlefang on Jul 17, 2022 1:43:00 GMT -6
When she actually agreed- Why so surprised? Of course he would.- Turtlefang perked up slightly, an earnest lift to his ears as he watched the other cat settle into position. A warrior's stance through and through. Somehow, in spite of meeting at the literal Gathering, he hadn't really processed Daisyfire as a fellow warrior until right now. Seeing him like this, body strung with trained tension and set to launch, it was all so clear. Here and now, on the battleground of his choosing, they were equals. Ah.
In the moment before it hit, Turtlefang's eyes darkened with something akin to rapture.
Then, in a brown and ginger blur, Daisyfire was upon him, claws grasping his back and opening molten scratches where they clung on. He didn't make a sound- Didn't need to. The warrior grit his teeth hard to bear the pain, felt the weight of the lunge push him violently to one side. He knew better than to resist it, and let his body fall limp with the heavy force of his attacker and go slinging across the Moonpool's foundation like a tumbling moss ball. It was easier than he would've liked to let go of his muscle control, and hitting the ground still hurt regardless of how well he'd prepared for impact. The stone greeted his body with an audible smack, knocking the breath he'd worked to collect right back out of his lungs.
Turtlefang was stunned only for a second before he lashed out at the cat who'd thrown him there, making good use of his namesake and lunging upward to try and catch her shoulder with a snap of his jaws; Unfortunately, the sudden thrash of his body worsened the dizziness already inflicted upon him by the initial attack, and his lunge for her white shoulder went horribly askew. With a soft grunt, he broke free from her grip, dislodged from those awful claws, but the stumble outwards was unexpected, and as his weight carried him backwards, he-
Splash!
Suddenly submerged, Turtlefang went still with horror upon realizing where he'd just fallen. But it only took the water rushing up his nose to send him floundering back up with a gasp, claws scraping harshly at the Moonpool's rocky edges for an escape.
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MoonClan
The thing no one tells you about being dead is that it’s boring
Posts: 114
Pronouns: She/He
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Daisyfire on Jul 17, 2022 2:56:44 GMT -6
*＊✿❀ Daisyfire ❀✿＊* “Turtlefang!” The shriek was instinctual, panicked, and for a moment she shed the shame she’d have otherwise felt for being so worried about a SunClan cat. It’s not against the code to have friends, it’s okay! It’s alright, it’s fine! Daisyfire hurried to the water’s edge, relief ebbing into her consciousness as Turtlefang surfaced. It couldn’t overshadow the ongoing fear and adrenaline coursing through his veins, though. After all, Turtlefang wasn’t out of the water yet. They still had time for something to go south, didn’t they? Talk about a cruel irony. The thought was struck down instantly, drowned out with a more intense shame than she felt for her more treacherous thoughts. Get it together! “Sorry, but it’s for your life.” With the third apology the Moonpond had ripped from her today, she reached forward and grabbed onto Turtlefang’s scruff as best as she could without falling in herself, and began to pull. She was painfully aware of the scratches she’d left on his back, especially now that she was facing his back. She wasn’t a medicine cat, of course, but they didn’t look too deep. Maybe they’d heal without scarring? I ruined it.Well, at least that meant she didn’t have to feel as bad about breaching his personal space like this. He’d likely run off in his fury, with her scent staining his blood. … That, or he might just try to return the favor, or just drown her. That didn’t matter right now, though and she centered her focus on just getting him to survive this part of the interaction. Whatever happened beyond that, well… he’d just have to find out, just have to see what mood Turtlefang would be in. Not remotely what she had in mind when she’d told him to get some water. |
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SunClan
don't call me nice; i'm gonna eat your heart out
Posts: 150
Pronouns: he/him
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Turtlefang on Jul 17, 2022 3:25:34 GMT -6
Head still spinning, Turtlefang barely noticed the pull of a second warrior in his own scramble to get back onto dry land. As soon as he'd gotten his back paws into a foothold on the pond rim, he was back- and dropped with a wet thud onto his belly, ears flattened back as if pinned down by an unseen weight. The holy water ran down his pelt in icy rivulets, simultaneously soothing the cuts on his back and irritating his pounding heart. Wet. Worse than being clawed, worse than falling, worse than everything that'd happened, he was soaked to the bone. The weight of moisture in his fur was swampy and cold, a sensory hell so unpleasant that Turtlefang closed his paws over his face in an uncharacteristic display of distress, a weak groan shaking his frame as he prayed it'd dry sooner than later.
If there was one benefit to the fall, the shock had forced any other worry far out of his mind until there was nothing left to focus on but the cradle of the Moonpond's embrace. In spite of his unexpected swim, his breathe had been restored as he lay there like a sopping rug. It wasn't the only thing- As temperature began to regulate and water continued to run off, the sting of his wounds returned with it. And with that, Turtlefang remembered who'd done this in the first place.
In an instance of snap judgement, he flashed one angry paw at Daisyfire's worried hovering only to fall short in his own disorientation- the hit skimmed the air, too weak to land with any accuracy, and connected violently where his claws then met the ground. The impact resonated through his sheathes, it hurt like a bad pinch, and wouldn't it be just his luck if he'd incapacitated his own paw at this rate, too? It went numb where it landed, slithered back to his face where he could nurse it with an anxious lick across the pad to try and jumpstart the nerves from where they'd gone off to static. In his misery, there was no chance of fighting back anymore. It'd already been ruined. But.
She had attacked on his request. His only real regret was that he hadn't been able to enjoy it. Everything had came and ended too fast to relish, halted by Starclan itself once they tripped him into their depths, tried to take him up and punish him a few moons too early. "Why is it," He finally uttered from the muffled cage his paws had formed over his muzzle. "That when you're the one crossing the stars, I'm the only one who has to suffer for it?"
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MoonClan
The thing no one tells you about being dead is that it’s boring
Posts: 114
Pronouns: She/He
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Daisyfire on Jul 17, 2022 3:58:47 GMT -6
*＊✿❀ Daisyfire ❀✿＊* “Maybe I’m not meant for the stars,” he answered simply, no real answer or reasonable response he could find to give Turtlefang. Clanborn bias? Expecting it from a MoonClan cat? As if she would know. “Are you- are you okay, Turtlefang? Look, I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t think you’d fall like that.” At least he’s not panicking anymore. A hollow victory, maybe, but still. It was now Daisyfire’s turn to watch the wetness of Turtlefang, watching with concern for every moment that passed without him taking the initiative to dry out his coat. He seemed so utterly defeated in so many ways, she didn’t have it in her to ask his permission to help him dry out his coat. … Didn’t have it in her? She was Daisyfire! The cat with more audacity than he could fit in his body. He would not accept the little bee sting of anxiety-induced rejection as a reason to shed her pride. “You must be tired, Turtlefang, I can help you dry, if you want? Either way, I’m not leaving you here like this. If you want to talk, I’m right here.” She paused for a second. “I think you’ve got more weighing you down than just this conversation, personally. But you were right about one thing, at least. I don’t know you. I’ve offered to change that, but if that’s… if that’s upsetting to you…? Just tell me. I’m not a complete idiot.”With that, she sat down, half a tail length away from him. She was worried, sure, but he seemed… overwhelmed. She’d give him some breathing room, but she didn’t want to stray too far in case he did accept her help. How had things gotten so messed up? What had been the point where things went wrong? She’d blame the lick, Turtlefang had even mentioned it in his panic, clearly something wasn’t healed after that rift had come between them. … Well, it was possible there was something that wasn’t healed even before that. If he didn’t want to talk about it, though, then it wasn’t any of Daisyfire’s business. As badly as he wanted to know, to learn more, to understand - he wouldn’t get that from trying to force it out of Turtlefang. Everyone knew that the worst way to hunt a turtle, after all, was to beat on its shell. |
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SunClan
don't call me nice; i'm gonna eat your heart out
Posts: 150
Pronouns: he/him
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Turtlefang on Jul 17, 2022 13:53:45 GMT -6
"You are," Turtlefang replied matter-of-factly, without pretense. Glowering murderously from between his paws, he continued dryly, "Don't apologize. You've bested an enemy. Aren't you lucky?" It'd been an unfair fight, ruled against him the moment he'd asked for it on Starclan's turf. They never did like me much. Airier now, like reciting verse, Turtlefang turned his begrudging gaze towards the pool."A favor from beyond, a victory decreed by fate. It's a special thing, to be so loved without any basis for reciprocation."
As he'd spoke, he found himself slipping out of his pads to deliver a withering glare, broken only by another wince when a droplet clung to his brow whisker fell free and splattered on his muzzle unceremoniously. After spending so long critiquing Daisyfire for his own swim, Turtlefang's pelt was itching for a good tidying, but his vanity could not outweigh the embarrassment he'd already suffered. With wounded pride to be made a fool of so publicly, without even a chance make it right now that the warrior's dominant paw had deactivated, he couldn't bear the thought of turning his back and tending to himself in front of the cat who was surely already ridiculing him. Recovery was a private matter, not to be performed before those who had forced you into a state of weakness in the first place.
But for all his ferocity, the wet cling of his fur to the ground was unbearable. There was no conceivable way anything else would be worse, as much as he dreaded the touch of Daisyfire's flat muzzle.
"I'm not a kit who needs your coddling," Turtlefang murmured, still somehow managing to lift his head in a salvageable attempt at reclaiming respectability. A strength unshared by his body persisted in the action, a grapple for superiority even now, after everything. "But if you're so eager to keep throwing yourself all over me, be my guest. I can't reach my back, and it is your fault." His tail unconsciously flicked outward in an automatic beckon, only to flop down with the weight of the moisture still trapped inside it. He very decidedly did not give it the dismayed attention that flared up at the sensation, merely stiffening in silence. Then, like a promise, Turtlefang's voice grew deadly soft. "But if your teeth so much as graze me, I don't care what happens to me this time. You'll drown."
With little more to say, the tortie pointedly tucked his nose back beneath his paws, stirring kithood memories as he was enveloped in his own temporal dissonance. My turtle, my turtle. Nosing against him like a pest from the darkness. After a dunk in the Moonpond, her voice was clearer than he remembered, a fact that only sunk the cold deeper into his bones.
Turtlefang had become still once more, but his eyes burnt rapt and watchful on Daisyfire's colorful pelt, unmistakably alert.
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MoonClan
The thing no one tells you about being dead is that it’s boring
Posts: 114
Pronouns: She/He
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Daisyfire on Jul 17, 2022 20:58:28 GMT -6
*＊✿❀ Daisyfire ❀✿＊* She rolled her eyes, but began to close the distance between them anyway. “Has it occurred to you yet, in all of your raging panic, that you don’t know me all that well, either? That you can’t actually tell that I actually do like you? Have you thought about the fact that you’ll never know how much a cat can genuinely care for you until you let them get to know you?” With some hesitation brought upon by the way Turtlefang reacted the last time she chose physical affection, she began to dry his miserable back. “That might be scary with Clanmates, but we live across the river. Not a single cat in MoonClan will be hearing about this from me.”He resumed licking, careful to avoid irritating Turtlefang’s wounds. She almost didn’t want to look at them. Guilt seemed to turn her very soul into ice. Maybe she’d just run away from the Clans altogether when SunClan inevitably went hunting for her for whatever explanation Turtlefang had to give his Clanmates. Yeah, but running away would suck. My honor is in MoonClan, and I will not leave it.
“Why did you choose to challenge me, anyway? Now we’re both just upset about how it turned out.” Of course, Daisyfire knew that some of it had to be the panic that had driven Turtlefang to violence, but she didn’t think that that could be the whole story. She was pretty certain that the number of times Foxlily tried tearing apart a cat due to one of her panic attacks was a earth-shattering zero. Earth-shattering in this context, of course, meaning “not surprising at all”.
She was careful to start around his shoulders, thinking to herself that it would be one of the trickier spots and that Turtlefang could more easily change his mind with that dry. He could only wish, though, that he’d known something more about treating wounds than putting moss or cobwebs on it, and some herbs that Daisyfire had never really learned. After all, that was why they had a medicine cat, right?
“Besides, I didn’t best an enemy or whatever. I hurt a cat I want to care about. That’s never something that makes a cat feel like StarClan’s favor is with them.” |
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