HallowedClan shorts and rambles - name a demon poll
Jul 22, 2021 1:31:10 GMT -5
little blu ♥ likes this
Post by Brownie on Jul 22, 2021 1:31:10 GMT -5
Select cats from Blu's hallowedclan
These are my claims, others referenced either as siblings/relationships/mentors credit to their respective owners
Amberdusk - aging siamese tomcat
Lichenfrost - orange tomcat. Missing a hind leg.
Scarletmoon - Black she-cat. Elder.
Poppystorm - tortoiseshell she-cat. Scarlet's mate.
Coyoteleap - tan-and-white she-cat with her left eye missing.
Lioncloud - light ginger tabby tom. Medicine cat.
Cirrusblaze - grey and white patched tom. Brother to Lion.
Palethorn - light grey she-cat with darker spots. Vampire.
Eaglepaw - white tom with grey tabby dapples.
Wildpath - calico she-cat with orange eyes. Exorcist.
+
Murkshadow - brown tom with black markings. Vampire. General.
Silentwind - pale grey oriental longhair. Blind. Necromancer.
Foxthroat - red tom with black markings.
Dovestrike - white she-cat. Eagle/Sorrel/Onyx mom
Lostrose - Calico she-cat. Wildpath and Amberdusk's kid, sis to Littlebriar.
Thistlescar - Brown tabby with black markings. Half demon. S-rank merc.
Darkstep - Dark she-cat with lighter point markings. Outsider. Grimwolf's sis.
Embersky - ginger she-cat with white markings. Blazerunner's sis.
Fadedwing - light grey tom with darker markings. Vampire. Pale and Crimsonfeather's bro
Ichorpaw - black nb tom with silver splatters down his back and dark blue eyes. Half-demon. Zephyrpaw's bro
Geckopaw - Orange and white molly. Flamepaw's sis
Duskpaw - Golden tabby she-cat. Owlshiver and Cactusbloom's kid.
Rushingkit - grey smoke she-cat with lynx point markings. Thunderkit's sis and daughter of Cinderdapple.
Table Of Contents
- Eaglepaw's Daily Life p1
- Palethorn mopes
- Cirrusblaze fighting patrol p(1/3)
- Pale x Coyote fluff
- Wildpath the exorcist
- Ichorpaw the newbietryhard
Eaglepaw's Day p1
Palethorn Sulking 1
Cirrusblaze night hunt 1
Pale x Coyote fluff
Wildpath Excorcist
Ichorpaw the newbie
These are my claims, others referenced either as siblings/relationships/mentors credit to their respective owners
Amberdusk - aging siamese tomcat
Lichenfrost - orange tomcat. Missing a hind leg.
Scarletmoon - Black she-cat. Elder.
Poppystorm - tortoiseshell she-cat. Scarlet's mate.
Coyoteleap - tan-and-white she-cat with her left eye missing.
Lioncloud - light ginger tabby tom. Medicine cat.
Cirrusblaze - grey and white patched tom. Brother to Lion.
Palethorn - light grey she-cat with darker spots. Vampire.
Eaglepaw - white tom with grey tabby dapples.
Wildpath - calico she-cat with orange eyes. Exorcist.
+
Murkshadow - brown tom with black markings. Vampire. General.
Silentwind - pale grey oriental longhair. Blind. Necromancer.
Foxthroat - red tom with black markings.
Dovestrike - white she-cat. Eagle/Sorrel/Onyx mom
Lostrose - Calico she-cat. Wildpath and Amberdusk's kid, sis to Littlebriar.
Thistlescar - Brown tabby with black markings. Half demon. S-rank merc.
Darkstep - Dark she-cat with lighter point markings. Outsider. Grimwolf's sis.
Embersky - ginger she-cat with white markings. Blazerunner's sis.
Fadedwing - light grey tom with darker markings. Vampire. Pale and Crimsonfeather's bro
Ichorpaw - black nb tom with silver splatters down his back and dark blue eyes. Half-demon. Zephyrpaw's bro
Geckopaw - Orange and white molly. Flamepaw's sis
Duskpaw - Golden tabby she-cat. Owlshiver and Cactusbloom's kid.
Rushingkit - grey smoke she-cat with lynx point markings. Thunderkit's sis and daughter of Cinderdapple.
Table Of Contents
- Eaglepaw's Daily Life p1
- Palethorn mopes
- Cirrusblaze fighting patrol p(1/3)
- Pale x Coyote fluff
- Wildpath the exorcist
- Ichorpaw the newbie
Eaglepaw's Day p1
Dawn came sooner than he expected.
Eaglepaw staggered into the church, wordlessly dragging himself into the darkness under one of the pews where he and his siblings nested. His paws itched where the cuts and scrapes of the night quickly mended themselves and he licked at them compulsively. However much he enjoyed avoiding the sticky, smelly salves some of the others needed for their weary pawpads, the itchy, tingling feeling of his paws flaking off skin as new flesh healed bright and pink underneath was something he couldn't learn to ignore. The roughness of his tongue helped speed the process, however, and only minutes later did the itching stop, his paws fully repaired.
The older private sighed as he pulled his paws underneath him, curling in to warm the thin blankets which were cold from laying on the night-touched stone. It wasn't long until Sorrelpaw nudged aside the cloth draped over the pew and pulled herself into the nest beside his with exaggerated exhaustion. Her long tail flicked over Eaglepaw's paws while she let her head hang from the pile of cloth, her ears brushing the stone floor.
Eaglepaw brushed her tail off his paws. "How'd the first full night patrol go?" he asked his sister softly. He didn't want to wake anyone, though he knew it wouldn't be long until the other three apprentices that shared this corner of the church would be up for their own duties.
Sorrelpaw muttered something into the nest that he didn't quite catch, then, rolling his direction, "saw nothing there, so Thistlescar took it as a challenge and made us loop past the old Den. Foxbrained--" She rolled back into the bundle of cloth, cutting off her insults as she pulled her limbs into the nest and wriggled herself deeper into the fabrics.
Eaglepaw made himself comfortable, pushing his face into the side of Sorrelpaw's nest of assorted cloth. The light would shine through the bottom of the pew for a few hours in the mornings, and while he didn't mind the warm sunlight that would soak his fur, he would hate to be awoken by it. After all, he only had a few hours to sleep before he needed to be up for afternoon training. At least he'd have the next night off to rest.
Luckily for him, sleep came quickly.
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"Eaglepaw," Embersky hissed, batting at his hindquarters with a paw. The white private peeled his face from his sister's nest with a groan. How long did he manage to sleep? From the sunlight trailing in behind Embersky, it was hardly past noon. Not enough, never enough. He got to his paws, enviously eyeing Sorrelpaw, still asleep, her ears twitching to some dream.
Embersky backed out from under the pew, giving Eaglepaw room to follow. He scratched his spine against the bottom of the wood as he nosed aside the banner that kept their den shaded and squinted against the sudden sunlight. "How do you do it?" he asked his mentor as he stretched, still very much sore from his night-long patrol just hours previous. "I mean, most mercenaries do full-night shifts, but they're still around during the daylight hours too." They had started towards the stone hollow, where the privates did most their training. That meant crossing through the bottom floor of the church, where many cats were sharing tongues around their dens or gathering near pools of light streaking through broken windows and the crumbling southern wall. Eaglepaw gestured to a group of them, some of which were on the same patrol he was on the night before.
Grimwolf and Eaglepaw's uncle, Shadowflare, were lounging in the sun atop a sideways lectern, while Thistlescar --who led Sorrelpaw's patrol-- interrupted from below to give some command. The two tomcats laughed and Thistlescar turned away, a venomous look on his face, the curled ram's horn on the side of his head gleaming as he bared silver-capped fangs. Eaglepaw realized he had stopped when he locked eyes with the half-demon tomcat and only when Thistlescar turned away did Eaglepaw notice his mentor had also stopped and was waiting several lengths ahead. He scampered to catch up with Embersky, shaking his head to rid himself of the buzzing.
"I said," Embersky said when Eaglepaw caught up, "that you'll soon learn to make the most of quick naps and days off." She started onwards again, but Eaglepaw noticed she watched Thistlescar until he disappeared over one of the pews and out a window. Eaglepaw wasn't really the best at, well, noticing things most the time --that was usually Bleakpaw's specialty-- but even he could see the gap between the S-rank mercenaries and the rest of the Clan. He'd always wanted to be an S-rank, just like every kit did. All the good stories featured an S-rank hero after all. But in reality... they're more terrifying than the demons, Eaglepaw thought.
Eaglepaw staggered into the church, wordlessly dragging himself into the darkness under one of the pews where he and his siblings nested. His paws itched where the cuts and scrapes of the night quickly mended themselves and he licked at them compulsively. However much he enjoyed avoiding the sticky, smelly salves some of the others needed for their weary pawpads, the itchy, tingling feeling of his paws flaking off skin as new flesh healed bright and pink underneath was something he couldn't learn to ignore. The roughness of his tongue helped speed the process, however, and only minutes later did the itching stop, his paws fully repaired.
The older private sighed as he pulled his paws underneath him, curling in to warm the thin blankets which were cold from laying on the night-touched stone. It wasn't long until Sorrelpaw nudged aside the cloth draped over the pew and pulled herself into the nest beside his with exaggerated exhaustion. Her long tail flicked over Eaglepaw's paws while she let her head hang from the pile of cloth, her ears brushing the stone floor.
Eaglepaw brushed her tail off his paws. "How'd the first full night patrol go?" he asked his sister softly. He didn't want to wake anyone, though he knew it wouldn't be long until the other three apprentices that shared this corner of the church would be up for their own duties.
Sorrelpaw muttered something into the nest that he didn't quite catch, then, rolling his direction, "saw nothing there, so Thistlescar took it as a challenge and made us loop past the old Den. Foxbrained--" She rolled back into the bundle of cloth, cutting off her insults as she pulled her limbs into the nest and wriggled herself deeper into the fabrics.
Eaglepaw made himself comfortable, pushing his face into the side of Sorrelpaw's nest of assorted cloth. The light would shine through the bottom of the pew for a few hours in the mornings, and while he didn't mind the warm sunlight that would soak his fur, he would hate to be awoken by it. After all, he only had a few hours to sleep before he needed to be up for afternoon training. At least he'd have the next night off to rest.
Luckily for him, sleep came quickly.
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"Eaglepaw," Embersky hissed, batting at his hindquarters with a paw. The white private peeled his face from his sister's nest with a groan. How long did he manage to sleep? From the sunlight trailing in behind Embersky, it was hardly past noon. Not enough, never enough. He got to his paws, enviously eyeing Sorrelpaw, still asleep, her ears twitching to some dream.
Embersky backed out from under the pew, giving Eaglepaw room to follow. He scratched his spine against the bottom of the wood as he nosed aside the banner that kept their den shaded and squinted against the sudden sunlight. "How do you do it?" he asked his mentor as he stretched, still very much sore from his night-long patrol just hours previous. "I mean, most mercenaries do full-night shifts, but they're still around during the daylight hours too." They had started towards the stone hollow, where the privates did most their training. That meant crossing through the bottom floor of the church, where many cats were sharing tongues around their dens or gathering near pools of light streaking through broken windows and the crumbling southern wall. Eaglepaw gestured to a group of them, some of which were on the same patrol he was on the night before.
Grimwolf and Eaglepaw's uncle, Shadowflare, were lounging in the sun atop a sideways lectern, while Thistlescar --who led Sorrelpaw's patrol-- interrupted from below to give some command. The two tomcats laughed and Thistlescar turned away, a venomous look on his face, the curled ram's horn on the side of his head gleaming as he bared silver-capped fangs. Eaglepaw realized he had stopped when he locked eyes with the half-demon tomcat and only when Thistlescar turned away did Eaglepaw notice his mentor had also stopped and was waiting several lengths ahead. He scampered to catch up with Embersky, shaking his head to rid himself of the buzzing.
"I said," Embersky said when Eaglepaw caught up, "that you'll soon learn to make the most of quick naps and days off." She started onwards again, but Eaglepaw noticed she watched Thistlescar until he disappeared over one of the pews and out a window. Eaglepaw wasn't really the best at, well, noticing things most the time --that was usually Bleakpaw's specialty-- but even he could see the gap between the S-rank mercenaries and the rest of the Clan. He'd always wanted to be an S-rank, just like every kit did. All the good stories featured an S-rank hero after all. But in reality... they're more terrifying than the demons, Eaglepaw thought.
Palethorn Sulking 1
"You shouldn't sulk, it doesn't suit you."
Palethorn startled. She hadn't noticed Fadedwing come up beside her, too busy watching the staircase to the roof where she had followed Coyoteleap. "I'm... not sulking," she said after a moment, convincing to no one, least of all herself.
Fadedwing stared pointedly down at her, his dark-ringed red eyes piercing as ever. "Trust me," her brother started, finding a spot to sit beside her, "I am an expert on sulking, brooding, scowls and glowering, sullen stares, etcetera." He smiled over at Palethorn to take the seriousness from the words, and she couldn't help but laugh. "There's only two cats that could put you this deep into a funk: our sister and Coyoteleap. And since Crimsonfeather is the one who asked me to check on you, I'm guessing this isn't because of her."
Palethorn was surprised Fadedwing knew how close she and Coyoteleap were. There were a lot of cats around their age in the Clan --every mercenary had an apprentice back in those days, some even took two when her litter reached age. It would have been easy to lose track of anyone in that sea of apprentices. And while both she and Fadedwing were close to Crimsonfeather, Palethorn had never felt that same closeness with her brother. But of course, it was Coyoteleap. "Who else would be on the roof in the middle of the day?" she muttered.
"She's okay?"
Palethorn shrugged, keeping her watch on the staircase. "Lioncloud said it's been long enough. If her eye was going to go bad, it would have shown infection by now."
Fadedwing tapped his tail against her shoulder. "That's not what I meant."
Palethorn knew exactly what he was asking. Her ears flicked back as her fur prickled. "I might know more if she'd talk to me," Palethorn admitted quietly. "She... doesn't want to see me."
"And so," Fadedwing said gently, "you're sulking at the bottom of the stairs, ready to run away as soon as you see her come down so she doesn't know you were here, waiting."
Palethorn wanted to rebuke his statement, but that was exactly what she was doing. What she had done every day that Coyoteleap spent up on the roof, alone. Palethorn's own lonely vigil. She felt herself shrinking beside Fadedwing, pushing herself into his bulk as if to hide from Coyoteleap's sight. "From where I stand, you only have two choices." Her brother's voice rumbled deep in his chest, familiar and comforting where she pushed her fur into his. "Either you go up there, or you do something for yourself. You really aren't good at sulking."
"Maybe I just need more practice." She tapped teasingly at Fadedwing's paws.
"Or maybe, you know what you need to do and you just need a push to go do it." Fadedwing jumped to his paws and pushed Palethorn forward with enough force that she almost fell over before she got her paws beneath her.
"Hey!" she squeaked, but Fadedwing nipped at her paws and pounced her tail like they were kits, a sight so familiar and so different with his grown bulk that Palethorn couldn't help but laugh as he corralled her across the church floor closer and closer to the base of the stairs.
When they were just out of sight from the roof, Fadedwing stopped and nodded towards the staircase. "You are brave enough to do this, Palethorn."
She nodded. She felt lighter, now. The nerves were still there, a tight ball of emotion heavy in her stomach. But every breath made her lighter, pushed the nerves deeper, until it no longer felt like she was being held down by its weight. "Thanks," she said.
Fadedwing smiled, then turned to leave. "Sulking is my hobby, you can't have it," he said as he crossed back over to the downstairs staircase and disappeared back into the heart of the church, leaving her alone to take the final steps. With one last deep breath, Palethorn peered up the hole in the roof to the light sky beyond and started up the stairs.
Palethorn startled. She hadn't noticed Fadedwing come up beside her, too busy watching the staircase to the roof where she had followed Coyoteleap. "I'm... not sulking," she said after a moment, convincing to no one, least of all herself.
Fadedwing stared pointedly down at her, his dark-ringed red eyes piercing as ever. "Trust me," her brother started, finding a spot to sit beside her, "I am an expert on sulking, brooding, scowls and glowering, sullen stares, etcetera." He smiled over at Palethorn to take the seriousness from the words, and she couldn't help but laugh. "There's only two cats that could put you this deep into a funk: our sister and Coyoteleap. And since Crimsonfeather is the one who asked me to check on you, I'm guessing this isn't because of her."
Palethorn was surprised Fadedwing knew how close she and Coyoteleap were. There were a lot of cats around their age in the Clan --every mercenary had an apprentice back in those days, some even took two when her litter reached age. It would have been easy to lose track of anyone in that sea of apprentices. And while both she and Fadedwing were close to Crimsonfeather, Palethorn had never felt that same closeness with her brother. But of course, it was Coyoteleap. "Who else would be on the roof in the middle of the day?" she muttered.
"She's okay?"
Palethorn shrugged, keeping her watch on the staircase. "Lioncloud said it's been long enough. If her eye was going to go bad, it would have shown infection by now."
Fadedwing tapped his tail against her shoulder. "That's not what I meant."
Palethorn knew exactly what he was asking. Her ears flicked back as her fur prickled. "I might know more if she'd talk to me," Palethorn admitted quietly. "She... doesn't want to see me."
"And so," Fadedwing said gently, "you're sulking at the bottom of the stairs, ready to run away as soon as you see her come down so she doesn't know you were here, waiting."
Palethorn wanted to rebuke his statement, but that was exactly what she was doing. What she had done every day that Coyoteleap spent up on the roof, alone. Palethorn's own lonely vigil. She felt herself shrinking beside Fadedwing, pushing herself into his bulk as if to hide from Coyoteleap's sight. "From where I stand, you only have two choices." Her brother's voice rumbled deep in his chest, familiar and comforting where she pushed her fur into his. "Either you go up there, or you do something for yourself. You really aren't good at sulking."
"Maybe I just need more practice." She tapped teasingly at Fadedwing's paws.
"Or maybe, you know what you need to do and you just need a push to go do it." Fadedwing jumped to his paws and pushed Palethorn forward with enough force that she almost fell over before she got her paws beneath her.
"Hey!" she squeaked, but Fadedwing nipped at her paws and pounced her tail like they were kits, a sight so familiar and so different with his grown bulk that Palethorn couldn't help but laugh as he corralled her across the church floor closer and closer to the base of the stairs.
When they were just out of sight from the roof, Fadedwing stopped and nodded towards the staircase. "You are brave enough to do this, Palethorn."
She nodded. She felt lighter, now. The nerves were still there, a tight ball of emotion heavy in her stomach. But every breath made her lighter, pushed the nerves deeper, until it no longer felt like she was being held down by its weight. "Thanks," she said.
Fadedwing smiled, then turned to leave. "Sulking is my hobby, you can't have it," he said as he crossed back over to the downstairs staircase and disappeared back into the heart of the church, leaving her alone to take the final steps. With one last deep breath, Palethorn peered up the hole in the roof to the light sky beyond and started up the stairs.
Cirrusblaze night hunt 1
Cirrusblaze was the second cat to arrive at the lamp post for the desert night hunt. Foxthroat, the most senior mercenary of their group, was already there, busy sharpening his silver-capped claws on the lamp's metal base. The dark steel had several long, vertical grooves worn into it from generations of HallowedClan cats using it for that same purpose. The lamp post was situated at the end of the graveyard closest to the path leading northwards to the desert and was the common meeting place for desert patrols.
The grey and white mercenary greeted Foxthroat, who didn't pause in his claw sharpening when he grumbled out a short and indistinct reply. Cirrusblaze shrugged and decided that if he were to wait, he'd do it in the last rays of the low-hanging spring sun. He knew a spot nearby atop the graveyard's short, stone wall that was perfect for the task. With a hop he jumped onto the wide wall, finding a large slab of stone to curl atop.
Cirrusblaze dozed as the rest of the patrol arrived. Wildpath and her daughter, Littlebriar, walked together. The exorcist carried a pouch --nearly hidden in her long, curling fur-- over her shoulder. Cirrusblaze knew from experience that it would be filled with extra silver- and iron-claw caps, as well as warded coins, a willow dowsing rod, and a few other trinkets to help navigate the desert sands. Vials of holy water shone like jewels on the pouch's strap, enough to make a warding circle in case the fighting grew dire.
Foxthroat stopped sharpening his claws when Wildpath approached, and the two began talking about their expected route and targets. They were to avoid the pack of wendigo east of the abandoned town and go no further than the Den. They were just going to clear the path for tomorrow's herb gathering, scouting the area between Ghastly Hollow and the Den for any greater threats and killing as many creatures as they could handle.
Sorrelpaw burst into the clearing with Geckopaw and Flamepaw hard on her heels. The three privates rolled in the long grass around the lamp post with Sorrelpaw trying to escape the two sister's chase. Tangledivy trailed in a few moments later, looking defeated. Cirrusblaze stretched and jumped down from the wall to join the group now that the entire patrol was present. "I always forget how much energy those kits have," Tangledivy said, sitting heavily on the ground. He stretched his bad leg, licking at the paw with a wince.
"They'll do plenty of running tonight," Wildpath said. The three apprentices went down in a giggling heap as Geckopaw managed to catch Sorrelpaw and slow the older private long enough for Flamepaw to catch up and roll her over with their combined weight. Littlebriar pulled her apprentice off the pile with a huff while Foxthroat looked on disapprovingly, and the three mollies came to sit with the others, though Geckopaw's hindquarters still trembled as if she were readying another pounce.
Foxthroat watched the three privates for a moment longer before jumping onto the base of the lamp post to address the rest of the patrol. He reiterated the warning against the wendigo and laid out their path in more detail. "Midnightstar is leading a patrol to follow behind us. Our goal is to scout out any threats, and pass on the message so her team can take them on. Geckopaw, Flamepaw," he adressed the two sisters, who sat taller when their names were called, "You two are responsible for taking messages between the two groups. No fighting, anything, at all, period. Understood?" He didn't wait for a reply. "If we get tangled up in something we can't avoid, its up to you two to get reinforcements from Midnightstar as quickly as possible. Use Flamepaw's voice if you can't get close, but try not to call attention on yourselves." The young she-cats nodded stoically, proud to have such an important job, even if it didn't include glorious fights.
"For the rest of us, we're going to exterminate all the lesser creatures we can get our claws on so that Midnightstar's fighters can focus on their own targets. We are not to engage with anything more dangerous than a lesser demon or strogoi. We're going to try and avoid anything dangerous tonight, but remember that Midnightstar's reinforcements are close. If it comes down to it, fight defensively and protect your Clanmates until help comes." The russet tom nodded emphatically at the end of his speech and jumped down from the lamp post, leading the patrol northward into the trees.
The grey and white mercenary greeted Foxthroat, who didn't pause in his claw sharpening when he grumbled out a short and indistinct reply. Cirrusblaze shrugged and decided that if he were to wait, he'd do it in the last rays of the low-hanging spring sun. He knew a spot nearby atop the graveyard's short, stone wall that was perfect for the task. With a hop he jumped onto the wide wall, finding a large slab of stone to curl atop.
Cirrusblaze dozed as the rest of the patrol arrived. Wildpath and her daughter, Littlebriar, walked together. The exorcist carried a pouch --nearly hidden in her long, curling fur-- over her shoulder. Cirrusblaze knew from experience that it would be filled with extra silver- and iron-claw caps, as well as warded coins, a willow dowsing rod, and a few other trinkets to help navigate the desert sands. Vials of holy water shone like jewels on the pouch's strap, enough to make a warding circle in case the fighting grew dire.
Foxthroat stopped sharpening his claws when Wildpath approached, and the two began talking about their expected route and targets. They were to avoid the pack of wendigo east of the abandoned town and go no further than the Den. They were just going to clear the path for tomorrow's herb gathering, scouting the area between Ghastly Hollow and the Den for any greater threats and killing as many creatures as they could handle.
Sorrelpaw burst into the clearing with Geckopaw and Flamepaw hard on her heels. The three privates rolled in the long grass around the lamp post with Sorrelpaw trying to escape the two sister's chase. Tangledivy trailed in a few moments later, looking defeated. Cirrusblaze stretched and jumped down from the wall to join the group now that the entire patrol was present. "I always forget how much energy those kits have," Tangledivy said, sitting heavily on the ground. He stretched his bad leg, licking at the paw with a wince.
"They'll do plenty of running tonight," Wildpath said. The three apprentices went down in a giggling heap as Geckopaw managed to catch Sorrelpaw and slow the older private long enough for Flamepaw to catch up and roll her over with their combined weight. Littlebriar pulled her apprentice off the pile with a huff while Foxthroat looked on disapprovingly, and the three mollies came to sit with the others, though Geckopaw's hindquarters still trembled as if she were readying another pounce.
Foxthroat watched the three privates for a moment longer before jumping onto the base of the lamp post to address the rest of the patrol. He reiterated the warning against the wendigo and laid out their path in more detail. "Midnightstar is leading a patrol to follow behind us. Our goal is to scout out any threats, and pass on the message so her team can take them on. Geckopaw, Flamepaw," he adressed the two sisters, who sat taller when their names were called, "You two are responsible for taking messages between the two groups. No fighting, anything, at all, period. Understood?" He didn't wait for a reply. "If we get tangled up in something we can't avoid, its up to you two to get reinforcements from Midnightstar as quickly as possible. Use Flamepaw's voice if you can't get close, but try not to call attention on yourselves." The young she-cats nodded stoically, proud to have such an important job, even if it didn't include glorious fights.
"For the rest of us, we're going to exterminate all the lesser creatures we can get our claws on so that Midnightstar's fighters can focus on their own targets. We are not to engage with anything more dangerous than a lesser demon or strogoi. We're going to try and avoid anything dangerous tonight, but remember that Midnightstar's reinforcements are close. If it comes down to it, fight defensively and protect your Clanmates until help comes." The russet tom nodded emphatically at the end of his speech and jumped down from the lamp post, leading the patrol northward into the trees.
Pale x Coyote fluff
"Coyoteleap?" Palethorn called hesitantly. Her eyes narrowed against the bright light from the setting sun, white-hot over the trees, even brighter to her vampire eyes. But she could see Coyoteleap silhouetted against it, her chestnut fur outlined in gold so beautiful it took Palethorn's breath away.
Why had it taken her so long to follow?
The grey dappled she-cat forced her eyes down, her breath tight. The pain, the longing, the sun, Coyoteleap. She picked her way across the crumbling rooftop, focusing only on the shifting tiles beneath her paws. One of them shifted and she stumbled, claws scraping against the unyielding polished clay. She slid down the steep slope until she suddenly stopped, teeth prickling her scruff as Coyoteleap braced against the peak of the rooftop to hold her steady until Palethorn could scramble back to safety.
"Careful," Coyoteleap scolded as Palethorn caught her breath.
Why had it taken her so long to follow?
The grey dappled she-cat forced her eyes down, her breath tight. The pain, the longing, the sun, Coyoteleap. She picked her way across the crumbling rooftop, focusing only on the shifting tiles beneath her paws. One of them shifted and she stumbled, claws scraping against the unyielding polished clay. She slid down the steep slope until she suddenly stopped, teeth prickling her scruff as Coyoteleap braced against the peak of the rooftop to hold her steady until Palethorn could scramble back to safety.
"Careful," Coyoteleap scolded as Palethorn caught her breath.
Wildpath Excorcist
Wildpath was tired from last night's patrol, but she enjoyed the bright sunlight soaking into her fur, particularly because she was able to enjoy it with Amberdusk. The siamese tom purred as he leaned into her flank and Wildpath knew her long, untamable fur would be flattened on one side from where he pressed against her. She pushed her nose into the thick fur of his neck, relishing the warmth of him, the sun, the smell of grass after the dew had passed. The graveyard behind camp was the perfect place to escape, at least for a little while. It was still firmly within the hallowed grounds and protected from any threat of greater demons, however unlikely, but was far enough from prying eyes that they could have a moment of privacy.
Of course, all good things couldn't last forever. Amberdusk nudged her and Wildpath playfully resisted for a few moments, pushing her paws down onto his flank to pin him to the stone wall they rested atop. "The hunting patrol will be waiting for me, my flower," he said with a laugh. She licked over his ear before letting him up, pulling herself into a sitting position atop the wall. He brushed against her as he jumped down to the grassy courtyard below. "I'll be back soon."
"Happy hunting," Wildpath called down after him. He quirked his tail over his back to acknowledge her words, slipping between the grave markers back towards camp where the patrol would be meeting.
Wildpath watched from her perch on the wall until he turned the corner around the church and out of sight. She took one last moment to look outside the graveyard to the forest beyond, allowing herself a glorious stretch against the warm stones, then she too hopped down from the short stone wall and put herself on the path back to the church. Being the senior exorcist, Wildpath was rarely told what she had to do. She probably could have followed Amberdusk's hunting patrol if she wished, though she hadn't hunted since that winter when prey had grown so thin every cat was forced to do their part scouring the forest and the desert for food. They had even resorted to asking the mercurial vampire Ignis for help. Wildpath shuddered at that, though the summer sun was hot on her back as she hopped into camp through a broken window near the southeastern corner of the church.
She had taken stock of their supplies yesterday and knew they were running low on holy water, but Wildpath was waiting until the full moon to bless another batch. It was only another four days away and holy water was always most potent under a full moon. They had enough to last until then, so long as they were conservative with their remaining stock.
So instead she wandered camp, nodding with a smile as she caught Amberdusk's patrol just leaving through the main doors. Apprentices were just beginning to wake from their night training, though most warriors were bustling about, more accustomed to the odd routine HallowedClan cats kept while they hunted demons in the night. She saw Lioncloud stretching atop a pew that boxed in the medicine cats' corner of the church and Wildpath headed towards the bulky golden tom. She waved a tail in greeting. "Good morning."
"How was the demon hunting?" the medicine cat asked, hopping down from the pew so that he was on the same level as Wildpath, though the large tom towered over her regardless.
Wildpath shrugged. "A few lesser demons near the desert, but mostly quiet. You should know if no cat has visited this morning with fresh wounds."
"True!" Lioncloud said with a rumbling laugh. He gestured Wildpath to follow as he ducked under the pew and into the small corner of the church the medicine cats kept quiet and sequestered from the rest of the Clan. There were plenty of soft drapes and curtains leaned over against the pews, insulating the space from sounds and bright light. Plenty of boxes filled with both blankets and feathers lined the sides of the space, though the stone walls to the outside were barren. Instead, bunches of green herbs were shoved into clefts between the stones, with more laid about on the ground and bookshelves. Everything was mostly sorted away, though Stormpaw, Lioncloud's apprentice, worked to move bundles from place to place. Wildpath smiled as he rushed past; she knew he would be a medicine cat in full with only a few more moon's training.
The golden tom nodded approval at his apprentice before turning towards Wildpath. "I was just about to give Murkshadow his herbs. It would be helpful to add some holy water to the poultice, if you have any. It looks clean for now, but you never know when greater demon wounds can give in to rot. I'd rather be safe." Stormpaw trotted over to them with a bundle in his jaws which he dropped at Lioncloud's paws before scurrying off to finish his work. The medicine cat purred, "they grow so fast."
"They do," Wildpath agreed. Exorcists were more flexible when it came to training apprentices. Oftentimes, they would take turns with whoever was available and the least tired from their daily duties to train apprentices that were chosen by StarClan to follow the exorcist's path, but even so, as the most senior exorcist, it usually fell to Wildpath to take charge of Onyxpaw's training. The little she-cat was around Stormpaw's age, though she would probably take her name before the medicine cat apprentice would, though after her siblings.
Wildpath shook her head, the tag on her coller jingling. "I can grab some holy water upstairs," she said, just as Murkshadow entered the medicine cat's corner. The vampire had a pronounced limp and dried herbs were caked onto his brown fur along his chest where a long, ragged wound from under his neck, across his chest and over his shoulder parted the fur with an angry, red gash.
He smiled at Wildpath, noticing her gaze, though it was more of a grimace. "Just a scratch," he said jokingly. Wildpath shook her head and left the general with Lioncloud, crossing the bottom floor of the church to the staircase. The exorcists lived on the upper floor, where an old treasury left a room full of silver coins hidden in the floor that they used for making silvered weapons. The room also was open to the sky on one side where a tree branch shattered the wood and shingle roof many seasons ago. The exorcists, opportunistic and creative as was necessary for their job, had dragged metal buckets from the basement and grounds to where the holes were largest. When it rained, buckets were filled that could then be turned into holy water.
There were a few buckets on the far end of the room that were filled with plain rainwater: those would be what Wildpath and Clearchime would use to make new holy water on the full moon. Instead, Wildpath crossed over to the left, where only one bucket sat against the wall. It was only half-full, but the water there was milky white and seemed to glow with its own light, like a star had fallen to the bottom and was shining up through to the sky. Wildpath grabbed a vial from the shelf and reached her head in to submerge it in the water. She held the top in her mouth as she descended back downstairs to where Lioncloud and Murkshadow waited.
Lioncloud had already slathered the vampire's brown fur with new herbs after cleaning off the old. The wound looked clean, as the medicine cat had noted, but still puckered angry and red. "Just hurry up, I have things to do," Murkshadow said, licking the fur beside the wound with fresh pain in his eyes. Wildpath sympathized; she had her fair share of cuts and scrapes from the demons they fought, and no cat liked visiting the medicine cat's den if they could help it, knowing that the treatment, while administered with careful paws, would often sting worse than the cut itself for a while. That's just what healing felt like, and they all knew it was better than the wound festering from demon rot or even a more mundane infection.
Wildpath couldn't speak with the vial in her mouth, but she hurried to Murkshadow, tipping the water over his shoulder so that it could soak into the wound. The general hissed in pain as the holy water spat and bubbled against the supernatural toxins in his flesh. It was even worse because he was a vampire, she knew, and his blood reacted to the holy water. Lioncloud helped lick the holy water against the sides of the cut, making sure the water was able to cleanse the entire length. Murkshadow quivered as he worked, his claws clicking against the stone as he sheathed and unsheathed them, but the brown tom stood firm until Lioncloud backed away, satisfied with the work the herbs and holy water were doing for his healing. "I'd rather fight ten demons."
"Then be more careful next time," Lioncloud rumbled. "And no fighting for at least another few days. You're healing quickly, but we don't want anything opening back up because that just means more of this."
"I know, this isn't the first scrape I've gotten," Murkshadow muttered, shaking out his fur. Wildpath had been there when the general had almost died fighting a greater demon last fall, leaving him with two scars crossing an x across his neck. This would just be another scar to add to the others. Murkshadow nodded and dismissed himself.
He had hardly left when Onyxpaw peeked under the pews, catching Wildpath's eye. "Scorchmask said he saw you come down here and we need you upstairs." Wildpath flicked her ears at the apprentice, who darted off.
"Always busy," she said to Lioncloud, who agreed as she went to figure out what else needed her attention this early in the morning.
Of course, all good things couldn't last forever. Amberdusk nudged her and Wildpath playfully resisted for a few moments, pushing her paws down onto his flank to pin him to the stone wall they rested atop. "The hunting patrol will be waiting for me, my flower," he said with a laugh. She licked over his ear before letting him up, pulling herself into a sitting position atop the wall. He brushed against her as he jumped down to the grassy courtyard below. "I'll be back soon."
"Happy hunting," Wildpath called down after him. He quirked his tail over his back to acknowledge her words, slipping between the grave markers back towards camp where the patrol would be meeting.
Wildpath watched from her perch on the wall until he turned the corner around the church and out of sight. She took one last moment to look outside the graveyard to the forest beyond, allowing herself a glorious stretch against the warm stones, then she too hopped down from the short stone wall and put herself on the path back to the church. Being the senior exorcist, Wildpath was rarely told what she had to do. She probably could have followed Amberdusk's hunting patrol if she wished, though she hadn't hunted since that winter when prey had grown so thin every cat was forced to do their part scouring the forest and the desert for food. They had even resorted to asking the mercurial vampire Ignis for help. Wildpath shuddered at that, though the summer sun was hot on her back as she hopped into camp through a broken window near the southeastern corner of the church.
She had taken stock of their supplies yesterday and knew they were running low on holy water, but Wildpath was waiting until the full moon to bless another batch. It was only another four days away and holy water was always most potent under a full moon. They had enough to last until then, so long as they were conservative with their remaining stock.
So instead she wandered camp, nodding with a smile as she caught Amberdusk's patrol just leaving through the main doors. Apprentices were just beginning to wake from their night training, though most warriors were bustling about, more accustomed to the odd routine HallowedClan cats kept while they hunted demons in the night. She saw Lioncloud stretching atop a pew that boxed in the medicine cats' corner of the church and Wildpath headed towards the bulky golden tom. She waved a tail in greeting. "Good morning."
"How was the demon hunting?" the medicine cat asked, hopping down from the pew so that he was on the same level as Wildpath, though the large tom towered over her regardless.
Wildpath shrugged. "A few lesser demons near the desert, but mostly quiet. You should know if no cat has visited this morning with fresh wounds."
"True!" Lioncloud said with a rumbling laugh. He gestured Wildpath to follow as he ducked under the pew and into the small corner of the church the medicine cats kept quiet and sequestered from the rest of the Clan. There were plenty of soft drapes and curtains leaned over against the pews, insulating the space from sounds and bright light. Plenty of boxes filled with both blankets and feathers lined the sides of the space, though the stone walls to the outside were barren. Instead, bunches of green herbs were shoved into clefts between the stones, with more laid about on the ground and bookshelves. Everything was mostly sorted away, though Stormpaw, Lioncloud's apprentice, worked to move bundles from place to place. Wildpath smiled as he rushed past; she knew he would be a medicine cat in full with only a few more moon's training.
The golden tom nodded approval at his apprentice before turning towards Wildpath. "I was just about to give Murkshadow his herbs. It would be helpful to add some holy water to the poultice, if you have any. It looks clean for now, but you never know when greater demon wounds can give in to rot. I'd rather be safe." Stormpaw trotted over to them with a bundle in his jaws which he dropped at Lioncloud's paws before scurrying off to finish his work. The medicine cat purred, "they grow so fast."
"They do," Wildpath agreed. Exorcists were more flexible when it came to training apprentices. Oftentimes, they would take turns with whoever was available and the least tired from their daily duties to train apprentices that were chosen by StarClan to follow the exorcist's path, but even so, as the most senior exorcist, it usually fell to Wildpath to take charge of Onyxpaw's training. The little she-cat was around Stormpaw's age, though she would probably take her name before the medicine cat apprentice would, though after her siblings.
Wildpath shook her head, the tag on her coller jingling. "I can grab some holy water upstairs," she said, just as Murkshadow entered the medicine cat's corner. The vampire had a pronounced limp and dried herbs were caked onto his brown fur along his chest where a long, ragged wound from under his neck, across his chest and over his shoulder parted the fur with an angry, red gash.
He smiled at Wildpath, noticing her gaze, though it was more of a grimace. "Just a scratch," he said jokingly. Wildpath shook her head and left the general with Lioncloud, crossing the bottom floor of the church to the staircase. The exorcists lived on the upper floor, where an old treasury left a room full of silver coins hidden in the floor that they used for making silvered weapons. The room also was open to the sky on one side where a tree branch shattered the wood and shingle roof many seasons ago. The exorcists, opportunistic and creative as was necessary for their job, had dragged metal buckets from the basement and grounds to where the holes were largest. When it rained, buckets were filled that could then be turned into holy water.
There were a few buckets on the far end of the room that were filled with plain rainwater: those would be what Wildpath and Clearchime would use to make new holy water on the full moon. Instead, Wildpath crossed over to the left, where only one bucket sat against the wall. It was only half-full, but the water there was milky white and seemed to glow with its own light, like a star had fallen to the bottom and was shining up through to the sky. Wildpath grabbed a vial from the shelf and reached her head in to submerge it in the water. She held the top in her mouth as she descended back downstairs to where Lioncloud and Murkshadow waited.
Lioncloud had already slathered the vampire's brown fur with new herbs after cleaning off the old. The wound looked clean, as the medicine cat had noted, but still puckered angry and red. "Just hurry up, I have things to do," Murkshadow said, licking the fur beside the wound with fresh pain in his eyes. Wildpath sympathized; she had her fair share of cuts and scrapes from the demons they fought, and no cat liked visiting the medicine cat's den if they could help it, knowing that the treatment, while administered with careful paws, would often sting worse than the cut itself for a while. That's just what healing felt like, and they all knew it was better than the wound festering from demon rot or even a more mundane infection.
Wildpath couldn't speak with the vial in her mouth, but she hurried to Murkshadow, tipping the water over his shoulder so that it could soak into the wound. The general hissed in pain as the holy water spat and bubbled against the supernatural toxins in his flesh. It was even worse because he was a vampire, she knew, and his blood reacted to the holy water. Lioncloud helped lick the holy water against the sides of the cut, making sure the water was able to cleanse the entire length. Murkshadow quivered as he worked, his claws clicking against the stone as he sheathed and unsheathed them, but the brown tom stood firm until Lioncloud backed away, satisfied with the work the herbs and holy water were doing for his healing. "I'd rather fight ten demons."
"Then be more careful next time," Lioncloud rumbled. "And no fighting for at least another few days. You're healing quickly, but we don't want anything opening back up because that just means more of this."
"I know, this isn't the first scrape I've gotten," Murkshadow muttered, shaking out his fur. Wildpath had been there when the general had almost died fighting a greater demon last fall, leaving him with two scars crossing an x across his neck. This would just be another scar to add to the others. Murkshadow nodded and dismissed himself.
He had hardly left when Onyxpaw peeked under the pews, catching Wildpath's eye. "Scorchmask said he saw you come down here and we need you upstairs." Wildpath flicked her ears at the apprentice, who darted off.
"Always busy," she said to Lioncloud, who agreed as she went to figure out what else needed her attention this early in the morning.
Ichorpaw the newbie
He didn't want to seem like he was trying too hard, but Ichorpaw wanted to execute it flawlessly. "Again!" he spat, blood trailing from his broken lip to the dark fur on his chin. Eaglepaw hesitated, the brown tabby apprentice backing a few steps away, looking to Embersky.
His mentor waved him on with a paw. "More practice never hurt anyone," Embersky called out from atop the barrel where she was overseeing the mock fight.
"We've been at it for hours," Eaglepaw muttered, glaring at Ichorpaw. But he came forward all the same, leaping to Ichorpaw's left, paw extended as if to rake his claws down their flank. But Ichorpaw had already spun away, making a smooth half-turn so that his eyes were always on Eaglepaw as they slid into a crouch, paws steady on the floor and prepared to leap in any direction. Ichorpaw held their breath a moment longer and then released as Eaglepaw relaxed, his part complete in the exercise.
Embersky hopped down from the barrel, her dark ginger fur sparkling like fire in the low, evening light coming through the single window at the back of the stone circle training hall. "Good work, both of you," she said, dismissing them. Ichorpaw and Eaglepaw were the last apprentices left training in the stone circle from that day's session; even Ichorpaw's own mentor Crimsonfeather needed to step out when Murkshadow called for her, leaving just Eaglepaw and his mentor to spar as the sun set. Now Embersky too ascended the steps back into camp, leaving the two apprentices.
As soon as she was out of sight, Eaglepaw turned on him, a snarl set on his face. "We should have had free time after this, but I had to be unlucky enough to be paired with you," he growled.
Ichorpaw almost explained himself, but then thought better of it and snapped his jaws closed, letting silence answer. Eaglepaw glared a moment longer before shaking his head with a frustrated sound and storming out behind his mentor.
Ichorpaw watched as he left, frustrated himself but without anything to vent it on, merely sat on the dirt floor, curling his long claws into the earth. He didn't understand: Eaglepaw might be older, but his form wasn't consistant, even on the training room floor. If he couldn't manage that in a controlled environment, how did he expect to perform the same moves out on a real battle in real time? Ichorpaw would have let Eaglepaw practice against them too if he had wanted to, they even would have told him that his tail was too high on the turn and that's why he couldn't control his rotation smoothly. Why didn't he care?
The black apprentice stood and faced a training dummy, a bag filled with straw and hay slightly bigger than himself. They started on the side, and like they did with Eaglepaw, they spun aside and placed the dummy at their front as they spun, keeping their tail low for a smooth, controlled turn into a slow crouch. The movements were burned into his flesh now, he could do it without thinking. Wasn't that the point of training? Ichorpaw thought, shaking his head. The motion send flecks of blood into his mouth and he startled at the bold taste.
He stepped away from the dummy, working to clean the wound with a paw, then clean his fur of dust that had accumulated from the dry dirt floor. Doing so calmed them, and they felt the frustration at Eaglepaw dissolve into indifference. Without the anger, Ichorpaw almost pitied the older apprentice. If Eaglepaw didn't start learning soon, Ichorpaw knew he would soon surpass him; however much Eaglepaw wished to be the best mercenary, Ichorpaw would ensure he was always better.
His mentor waved him on with a paw. "More practice never hurt anyone," Embersky called out from atop the barrel where she was overseeing the mock fight.
"We've been at it for hours," Eaglepaw muttered, glaring at Ichorpaw. But he came forward all the same, leaping to Ichorpaw's left, paw extended as if to rake his claws down their flank. But Ichorpaw had already spun away, making a smooth half-turn so that his eyes were always on Eaglepaw as they slid into a crouch, paws steady on the floor and prepared to leap in any direction. Ichorpaw held their breath a moment longer and then released as Eaglepaw relaxed, his part complete in the exercise.
Embersky hopped down from the barrel, her dark ginger fur sparkling like fire in the low, evening light coming through the single window at the back of the stone circle training hall. "Good work, both of you," she said, dismissing them. Ichorpaw and Eaglepaw were the last apprentices left training in the stone circle from that day's session; even Ichorpaw's own mentor Crimsonfeather needed to step out when Murkshadow called for her, leaving just Eaglepaw and his mentor to spar as the sun set. Now Embersky too ascended the steps back into camp, leaving the two apprentices.
As soon as she was out of sight, Eaglepaw turned on him, a snarl set on his face. "We should have had free time after this, but I had to be unlucky enough to be paired with you," he growled.
Ichorpaw almost explained himself, but then thought better of it and snapped his jaws closed, letting silence answer. Eaglepaw glared a moment longer before shaking his head with a frustrated sound and storming out behind his mentor.
Ichorpaw watched as he left, frustrated himself but without anything to vent it on, merely sat on the dirt floor, curling his long claws into the earth. He didn't understand: Eaglepaw might be older, but his form wasn't consistant, even on the training room floor. If he couldn't manage that in a controlled environment, how did he expect to perform the same moves out on a real battle in real time? Ichorpaw would have let Eaglepaw practice against them too if he had wanted to, they even would have told him that his tail was too high on the turn and that's why he couldn't control his rotation smoothly. Why didn't he care?
The black apprentice stood and faced a training dummy, a bag filled with straw and hay slightly bigger than himself. They started on the side, and like they did with Eaglepaw, they spun aside and placed the dummy at their front as they spun, keeping their tail low for a smooth, controlled turn into a slow crouch. The movements were burned into his flesh now, he could do it without thinking. Wasn't that the point of training? Ichorpaw thought, shaking his head. The motion send flecks of blood into his mouth and he startled at the bold taste.
He stepped away from the dummy, working to clean the wound with a paw, then clean his fur of dust that had accumulated from the dry dirt floor. Doing so calmed them, and they felt the frustration at Eaglepaw dissolve into indifference. Without the anger, Ichorpaw almost pitied the older apprentice. If Eaglepaw didn't start learning soon, Ichorpaw knew he would soon surpass him; however much Eaglepaw wished to be the best mercenary, Ichorpaw would ensure he was always better.