- ℍ𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕘𝕒𝕫𝕖 -
𝔻𝕖𝕡𝕦𝕥𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕕ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕟
If it could go wrong, it was. From Sandadder and Briarfrost opening their big mouths to influence the weak willed. To the dark grey clouds that were beginning to roll in from the mountains, bringing with it high frosty winds. The tall and broad tomcat walked his way out of Desertstar’s den, his expression troubled. She was not in the forgiving mood, not that he could blame her since a good handful of their clan mates had turned their backs on her leadership. But he had a fairly good majority of family who were confused and just following mischief. Scorching amber eyes slowly scored over the clearing, ears twitching slightly as his long and feathery tail flashed. His mind was on Pinepaw, the son that had decided to follow after Sandadder and Briarfrost, which was hard to swallow. But he was the boys father, and he could be mad later as long as he knew Pinepaw was okay.
Grunting, the massive tomcat walked down the slight slope from the den, tip of his tail twitching slightly. “Nectarpool, Nightfire.” He called, dark grey and white fur fluffed up against the cold wind that was threatening to shear his pelt off. Beckoning the two mollies to his side, he narrowing his eyes slightly as he noticed a she-cat eyeing him from around the fresh-kill pile. Smirking, “Frozencinders, come here, please.” He ordered, walking with the three mollies at his heels as he gazed up at the sky for now. “We are heading out to see if we can track down Sandadder and his followers. This is a recon mission, I don’t plan on confrontation.” Hailgaze explained the reasoning for this patrol, his amber eyes turning back towards his warriors. “Remember these are your clanmates, whether they agree with us or not. If you happen to confront one of them, avoid conflict.” He explained, whiskers twitching slightly as he turned away from the she-cats beginning to lead them out of camp.
“Oh, and if you see my son. Let me know if we still standing or starving.” Hailgaze hummed.
Q U I E T
quiethawk -- currently a grumpy dad
don't bark if you can't bite
Hailgaze stands, presence silent but demanding authority. There is patience in his gaze, but the touch of mourning edging each syllable reflected in the hidden corners of his otherwise unreadable face. The observer remains quiet, hidden, ears pricked and vivid yellow gaze burning into the scene before him. The deputy dismisses the collected felines, and the former medic retreats, a limp marring his graceful movements. His shoulder stings, lacing each step with the echoes of pain.
His steps are silent, his presence a shadow and existence unspoke as he creeps after one duo. The pair were composed but young, fresh-faced-- they looked the part of experienced warriors, but he remains agitated, feverish anxiety setting each nerve on fire. His faith was in only one of them, but he was not trustful by nature, so this meant little beyond a declaration of blatant favoritism. The dark-pelted molly takes forward point, and it reassures him yet fails in soothing any of his uneasiness.
The warrior follows them, unaware of the passage of time until the temperature has become cruel on his short pelt. Still, he refuses to return now, fighting against the wind-- knowing his scent would carry if he walked anywhere else. Dry grass and snow prick his steps, but he ignores them in favor of eyeing the treeline closest to him as he follows the she-cats' decision of hiding themselves by a snow mound. There is something there, and it unsettles him, but he has never been called a coward-- he will not be one now.
"Intruders!"
The cry shatters the quiet, and the Windclanner is flinging forward, powering past the white-hot pain in his front leg to shove Nightfire behind him. There was a time when he eyed the former outsider with distaste, his purist views unable to accept the inevitable dilution of his clan. That time was long gone, a vague memory in the wake of the fierce, protective love that surges through him now. She is not his apprentice, and he is not her mentor, but she has assumed the role of someone precious in his life. It is that reason he trekked out here-- that reason he would not let her and Frozencinders face these traitors alone.
"Didn't Hailgaze say to avoid conflict, kit?" Quiethawk snaps, hushed and tenderly condemning. Louder, he whips toward their attacker, standing tall and disregarding the ache of his shoulder. "Traitors are intruders, actually-- kind of like you, actually?"
Nightfire
Warrior of Windclan
Nightfire gave him a nod, signaling that she understood. “And you, as well,” she returned his sentiment, though silently hoped that none of them would run into trouble. Although it didn’t seem like a risky mission, even someone as cowardly as Sandadder could prove dangerous, especially now that he had a group. Eager to get going, she signaled her tail for Frozencinders to follow and took the lead. “Come on, I have a feeling they didn’t completely leave Windclan,” she told her, moving quickly as her amber eyes scanned their surroundings, pointed ears straining to pick up any sound. The two warriors made quick work combing through the territory, but as the sun began to drop, so did the overall temperature. There were no trees or mountains to block the bitingly cold winds, either, which made the air feel even colder.
Nightfire shivered, longing for the warmth of her den when her eyes darted over to the treeline nearest to them, movements in the shadows revealing the location of a makeshift camp. She stopped, a feeling of dread settling in the pit of her stomach before she glanced over her shoulder to look at Frozencinders. When the warrior neared, she looked back over to the camp. “Over there,” she gestured, her voice dropping to a low whisper. Crouching behind a mound of snow, she watched as the group bustled around and tried to get an idea of what they were up to. Though, before she can even attempt to do that, there was a loud shout from behind them.
“Intruders!” Shit.
- ℍ𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕘𝕒𝕫𝕖 -
𝔻𝕖𝕡𝕦𝕥𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕕ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕟
He was pleased to see that everyone he had chosen for this patrol were all in agreement. They were not to engage if they were to find the make shift camp for the Sandadder followers. Not to mention that he wanted to hear if any of them saw Pinepaw. Whiskers twitched slightly as they walked further into the territory, eyes narrowing slightly before looked towards Nectarpool as she spoke about his son, gritting his teeth slightly as he greatly hoped that his child was being taken care of. “I surely hope so.” Hailgaze grunted, ears lying flat against his skull as the breeze was turning into a howling wind. Although his scorching ambers did flicker back towards the oddly patterned female as she mentioned his younger brother, letting out a soft huff. “Talk some sense into him, will ya?” Hailgaze gave her a small grin before he looked away from his sister-in-law.
Misled. He was having to remind himself that his clanmates were simply being misled by felines that were weighed down with jealousy. Desertstar was the rightful leader of WindClan and he would stand by her decisions. But right now all he could focus upon was knowing that his son and brothers were safe and protecting one another somewhere amongst the moor. Lips pressed together as unspoken anxieties were sparking through his chest with each step they took. “Nightfire, Frozencinders. I want the two of you to take the west towards the ShadowClan border. There are a few stray trees and burrows that they could be using for shelter. Nectarpool and myself will take the east, to the boulders.” He commanded, eyes narrowing upon his patrol. “No contact unless absolutely necessary and remember.. they are still our clanmates. Be safe out there.” Hailgaze bid Nightfire and Frozencinders, gazing upon them for a moment more before the massive grey and white tom began to pad off first with a sway of his feathery tail. “Do not keep me waiting Nectarpool!” He meowed over his shoulder.
Pupils narrowed as he felt like his heart was in his throat, desperately wanting to know how Pinepaw was. But perhaps he was doing just fine without him, but that thought both hurt and made him proud. How his own child could choose against him, made him feel like he had failed Pinepaw but his voice was just as important. Sighing softly, he briefly looked up to the sky, the clouds were getting darker and darker with the scent of snow heavy in the air. Starclan, please protect them. He begged silently before his scorching amber eyes flickered towards the strikingly patterned Molly beside him. “Don’t be too mad. Love is not lost, just a test.” He said in a reassuring tone, the tip of his feathery tail twitching as the blaring wind forced him to pin his ears back against his head.
#23a2e3
Nectarpool had been waiting, she didn't know what she was waiting for but every bone in her body told her simply to wait. She tried her hardest to show that none of this was bothering her, but she feared the constant twitching of her tail would give away her uneasy feeling, simply pulling her tail underneath her hind legs. Nectarpool had so many emotions swirling around in her heart, being Wolfstars last apprentice the molly had grown close to all of Wolfstars children, knowing that some of Wolfstars family would choose to side with Sandadder over his chosen successor did not sit easy with the warrior. Nectarpool had always looked up to Hailgaze, he was a successful warrior, a wonderful father and you could feel his love for Tinyflame still wafting off of him even after her passing. Nectarpool was having a hard time coping with the idea that Breezehowl wasn’t there when she laid down at night and it was even harder waking up without him, but she knew Hailgaze must have been having a much harder time knowing that both his brother and his own son would make such a foolish decision. Her head swerved around to face the direction in which the familiar voice came from, this was it, the thing she had been waiting for. Pulling herself to her paws, giving her odd colored pelt a quick shake before trotting to take her place with the patrol.
Her eyes studied the small group Hailstorm put together, a smirk making an appearance on her muzzle briefly. The three ladies were certainly heavy hitters within Windclan, and with Hailgaze at the helm even Sandadder would be a fool to try and take them on. Nectarpools smirk disappeared when Hailgaze spoke of his son, it broke her heart knowing even if Pinepaw wasn't loyal to his father, Hailgaze would never turn his back on him. Her expression softened as she approached her dear brother in law, giving his shoulder a quick friendly bump, “Don't fret Hailgaze, Pinepaw may be a bit misguided right now, but he is a smart tom. He’s doing good, I can feel it. Besides, Breezehowl wouldn't let anything happen to him.” Her tone and words were filled with confidence but honestly her mind wouldn't let her feel that same way. She thought she knew Breezehowl better than everyone but clearly she had misjudged something about him, she could only hope he would look after his nephew. Her eyes narrowed as she mentioned her husband, “Your brother on the other paw…Just wait until I get his stupid tail in my paws I might just bite it off.”
Nightfire
Warrior of Windclan
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After checking in on Dandelionstem to make sure she was okay, seeing as her mate had just completely blindsided her with his sudden outburst, Nightfire walked out of the nursery with a heavy sigh. Though no one besides Desertstar knew that she was a child of Sandadder’s born outside of the clans, she and Dandelionstem had become good friends, and it bothered her to see the older queen so shaken. The cream colored tabby had reassured her that she was fine, but the look in her pale, green eyes and the tremble in her voice told Nightfire otherwise. It was hard to imagine how she was feeling. Being mates with someone as inconsiderate and unpredictable as Sandadder had to be difficult.
The sound of her name being called pulled her from her thoughts, though, and she quickly turned to see Hailgaze walking in her direction. "Yes, Hailgaze?" she asked him, curious as to what he had to say. A part of her suspected that it probably had something to do with what just happened moments ago, and she was right. Nodding, she sucked in a deep breath. “This should be fun,” her voice was sarcastic, rolling her powerful shoulders to loosen the tension that was building between them. She knew that no matter how non confrontational they were that Sandadder and his group wouldn’t hesitate to shred their pelts if they saw them. They weren’t exactly the most hospitable bunch. Still, she would follow his orders and hope for the best. “I’ll be sure to keep a low profile, and I’ll definitely keep an eye out for your son.”
Frozencinders followed alongside Hailgaze, matching his stride step by step. She stayed as silent as a Leaf-bare's day, her mind a storm of emotional turmoil, but her body giving off no indication of the turbulence currently coursing through her. Her mind was focusing on how Briarfrost and her brother Rootfrost could have been swayed to betray their clan and in doing so- betraying her in the process. Frozencinders had become somewhat of a mother to the two troubled kits in their youth, while their parents merely outright ignored them or caused them emotional and physical harm. Perhaps the damages done by their birth parents had been far too great for the two of them to overcome, and thus they were allowing all the pain to snowball and come crashing down upon them like an unforgiving blizzard. She couldn't be certain as to why they had abandoned the clan of their birth, but it hardly mattered in the grand scheme of it all. Her confusion as to why they betrayed Windclan was nothing in comparison to preventing what seemed to be an incoming threat of war within their clan. First and foremost, it was Frozencinders duty to protect her clan, she couldn't waste her time in trying to pick apart the how and the why of the bitter betrayal of two cats she thought of s her own kits. Her emotions upon the matter came last, the safety of her clan came first.
"Understood, I shall keep my eyes open, and my ears perked while scouting. If I should happen upon your son, I shall take note of his condition and report back to you immediately."