[Deleted]

Weather - Day 10. A wicked autumn wind chills the bones of every elder in the valley, where even the sunshine feels lukewarm and dull.

Sunrise was just barely raising above the horizon, with most cats of StoneClan still curled up and sound asleep in their nests. Lost in the endless slumber and dreams that StarClan so generously provided for them, completely unaware of what path the day's activities would lead them down. One cat, however, was not lost in the peacefulness that sleep should have been given him. Instead the mostly brown tom, known as Coppertalon, was wide awake. Curled in his nest, with paws outstretched against the comfortable lining of his bedding, one would have believed that he was just waking up and just blinking the sleep out of his eyes. That was far from the truth; in fact if you looked at his face, you could easily tell that this wasn't the case at all. The truth of the matter was that he had been up for several hours now. Having been jarred from his sleep by the sudden pain in his left shoulder. While the injury in itself had been one of the many that had received from the battle with the eagles, that had happened several moons before. Those had been small cuts and bruises and they had healed with no dwindling issues to be felt.

In fact during the time after the eagle's demise, he had been too proud to even bother to go to the medicine cat's den. To him, it was a weakness to be seen as weak. To venture into the type of dependence, where you would have to crawl to another on your belly and beg them to help you. No, Coppertalon was many things; prideful, not trusting, ambitious to name three things off the bat. But he was certainly not weak. His former mentor, Leapingstorm, the beautiful but clearly deranged she-cat, had made sure of that. She had pummeled him, degraded him and had poisoned his mind. Even seasons later after her demise, by his own claws, her sweet and honey laced words were whispering venom in his ears, even now. He could almost smell her sweet scent, encircling him and her body pressing itself against him. Laughing at him and mocking him for even considering what his mind was telling him to do.

Go to Ebonyheart now!

A low hiss of air fell from the back of his throat but he was quick to stop the noise from becoming louder than it already had, when his eyes took notice of a few of his den mates, shifting in their sleep. Those large amber eyes of his, narrowed on a few particular forms of the cats that lay nearby, before the elderly warrior pushed himself to his feet slowly. He shifted his attention towards the warrior den's opening, noticing the soft caress of the outline of light from where he stood. His eyes were back on his sleeping clanmates, and he snorted in response. Tch, apparently, he was the only one he could tell time. With that thought stuck in mind, the elderly tom shifted carefully forward. With careful grace and precision that could only be seen with cats of age and practice, he crossed the distance from his nest and to the opening of the den. Managing to avoid any paws and tails in his wake. With that huddle done, the tom shifted forward once again on his steady paws and walked outside.

His body seemingly froze upon exiting as a cold wind came by and swept over his form. The thin hairs of his pelt were quick to respond and the ache from his shoulder only seemed to react following suit. Another hiss fell from his maw. Yet as he stood there, basking in warmth of the sun and the chill of that unforgiving wind, more pain seemed to come out of nowhere. As if it were feeding off every fiber of his entire body. He knew he was an elder but this was ridiculous! He was a warrior and warriors weren't supposed to feel this bad! Letting out a loud growl, at this, he turned and looked towards the medicine cat den. He was already walking towards it, before his brain could even take note of his body's movements. He crossed the distance with a few several steps, and yet he lingered outside for many minutes. His pride and a long forgotten mentor's harsh words preventing him from going any further...

Coppertalon Talking

Tag: Open to all | WC: 811 | Notes: Just Coppertalon visiting the medicine cat den after a few weeks after the eagle's battle. Most of his wounds have healed but the wound he got on his left shoulder hasn't completely, not to mention he's an old bean whose too prideful to ask for help...until now.

[Phoenix]

I'm an angel with a shotgun
fighting 'til the war's won

The battle with the eagles might have ended moons ago, but the remnants of that fight had yet to completely fade – and some of them never would. As with most warriors, Ospreywing was intimately familiar with scars. Vestiges of various battles, those twisted marks lay scattered across his lean frame, and they were joined by two new wounds: a small scab on his shoulder and a torn left ear. Toms younger than he might have worn the evidence of such experiences with vain satisfaction, but he took no pride in them. Scars were testimony of past injury, of survival not skill. He would much rather avoid accumulating those costly trophies if he could. There was no sense in throwing oneself into unnecessary danger for the sake of pride.

In his experience, those who held their head too high often lost it. Besides – his mind strayed to StormClan – Ospreywing had enough scars for a lifetime.

Ever the insomniac, the tuxedo tom had long since vacated the warriors den for the cold quiet of camp by the time Coppertalon made his way toward Ebonyheart’s den. The changing of the seasons came with a chill that reached his bones, and his joints reminded him once again that his long nights of keeping watch over the camp would someday start drawing to a close. Though the relative warmth of the warriors den had become increasingly tempting, the thought of simply retiring had his claws itching.

Cicadasong and Beetlejaw may have earned their warrior names seasons ago, but warrior names were just as useless as apprentice names when it came to warding off death. Skunkspots, too, remained in the warrior’s den, though he had a feeling she slept more often than not in the elder’s den with her mate, who had been driven by old age to retire from his position as deputy. Ospreywing wasn’t sure how long it would be until his sister simply slipped over to Valiantstride’s nest and decided to stay; after all, her kits were grown, and the lack of duties would allow her to spend considerably more time with him. Skunkspots seemed happy enough with another cat by her side that occasionally the tuxedo tom found himself idly imagining such a future for himself – perhaps with a beautiful silvery she-cat. Then again, perhaps not.

When the brown-furred warrior emerged from the warrior’s den, Ospreywing’s attention latched onto him, welcoming the distraction from his meandering thoughts. Though, like himself, Coppertalon was among the older cats in the warrior’s den, they only knew each other peripherally. Dedicated though he was to the well-being of the clan, the other senior warrior tended to spend a large amount of time on his own, courtesy of both his unsympathetic demeanor and perhaps a preference for his own company over that of other cats. For many moments, Ospreywing watched as the tom lingered, silent and motionless, outside of Ebonyheart’s den before yellow eyes narrowed – was he listing ever so slightly to the side? – and he strode over to investigate, right forepaw twinging.

“Coppertalon,” He said as he approached, waving his tail to catch the brown-furred tom’s attention. An observation had him pausing as he neared. One did not need to be a medicine cat to detect the tangy scent of infection, and remembering the aftermath of the eagle fight, he glanced toward his clan mate’s shoulder to see the source of the smell. What? The fight had been moons ago. Though the flesh was still tender, his own ear had nearly healed as much as it ever would, so why were these talon wounds still so angry? “Did you not—“ Ospreywing interrupted himself to call into the den, already knowing the answer to his partially voiced questions and entirely unimpressed with it. Might as well get help now. “Ebonyheart!”

I don't care if heaven won't take me back

Ospreywing

@jen Ghost the Undead Goddess Fawn (Skunk and Beetle mentions) Hellion (Valiant mention) | background image

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Ebonyheart,

Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams

It was quiet within the early morning, though it was always that way it seemed. Not that the young healer minded. In fact, one of the reasons that the ebony coated molly woke so early was to spend a few final moments with the fading stars that dotted Silverpelt. She was curious as to who was watching down on Stoneclan as she sat with her head tilted to the inky sky. 

Was Nightpetal up there, watching silently next to his mate that he had finally reunited with. Perhaps Redpaw, the former living apprentice watching happily as Birdstar led Stoneclan into a more peaceful and prosperous time. 

A shiver ran down the spine of the still young Medicine Cat, knowing that one day she would look up to the stars and wonder where her mother lay. Would Rabbitfur sit up among the warriors of Starclan and forever watch down on her singular kit with those always observant green pools? Each stretching day that past, the nugget of fear took plant stronger within the base of her heart. The black and white warrior had already retired to the Elder's Den, how much longer would their ancestors allow to her walk comfortably before calling her home forever. 

"Ebonyheart!"

The sudden sound broke the large feline from her distracted thoughts, wide paws having long since paused at their original job of sorting out dead herbs from still usable, green ones. An ear flickered with almost irritation at the sound of her name being called rather close to the entrance of her den. Better let the whole of Stoneclan know that one of her clanmates needed her medical attention. 

Flickering the nub of a tail she had, Ebonyheart rose to those flat paws of hers before padding from where she hid among boulders and vines to the more open expanse of the clan's barren-like campsite. The already temperamental she-cat could feel her irritation rising as the shapes of Ospreywing and Coppertalon stood literally right outside the curve of her den. They couldn't have managed a few more paw-steps to reach the inside?

"What is it?" Her tone was sharp as always, and quick to jump straight to the point. She was not one for being a no-nonsense kind of cat nor did she like to dilly-dally when it came to her work and treating those who needed her attention. However, her question didn't necessarily need to be answered as she was greeted with the foul taste of infection practically rolling off of the brown senior warrior.

Her lips curled back to reveal sharp, bright white teeth as her normally expressionless gaze flashed briefly within pale green pools. "Coppertalon." Her tone was fierce as she addressed the tom with their obviously infected shoulder, why he hadn't come to her sooner was beyond her comprehension. "Is this from back when you fought those eagles?" It was obvious within the tone of her voice that she was most displeased with her clanmates carelessness.

"What's wrong with you?" She snapped, letting the blaze of fire within mossy hues burn as she practically stared a hole through the stubborn tomcat. "Toms and their inability to show pain because of 'weakness'. You're as much of a birdbrain as those damned raptors." Ebonyheart didn't lessen the sting of her insult as she happily dished it out before she turned to fixate Ospreywing with her intense yet unreadable glare. 

"I need you to get me some water soaked moss." She stated with authority, though the tone of her mew lessened as she respectfully ordered the eldest of the three gathered Stoneclanners to preform a task for her. She figured he'd be quick about it, considering her temper could grow a whole lot worse depending on how difficult Coppertalon made her life within the next pawful of minutes. 

Giving a twitch of one ear, Ebonyheart swung her head back around to face the injured tom though the last of her tail nub went unnoticed as it remained hidden within the thickness of her long coat. "As for you." Her tone grew harder again, "Get your tail in my den and start licking that wound clean. Now!" She almost growled, his defiance in coming to her sooner now forcing the possibility of him being unable to continue either his warrior duties or his mentor duties.  

27 Moons StoneClan Medicine Cat 

@jen Phoenix KARAZHAL (Birdstar) Abyss (Nightpetal) || Made by Fawn || 744 Words

[Deleted]

Coppertalon

StoneClan - Male - 68 Moons

It was taking all of Coppertalon's effort to keep himself from falling over. His entire body felt like it was on fire. Yet the wind whipping around him was cold and brought a shiver from him. His pelt felt like tiny little ants were marching on his body and in their wake, their tiny little feet were leaving white spots of hot, burning pain at each passing step. He let out a low hiss, and swayed a little, before managing to catch himself. He planned his feet to the ground, curling his claws into the stoned ground, all in an effort to keep himself in place. StarClan, what in the world was wrong with him

'You're not looking so well, my dearest, Coppertalon' That honey venom laced tone, drew the elder warrior's attention up and towards Ospreywing. Yet he wasn't actually looking at the other tom, his attention in fact was drawn to something directly behind him. As if he was staring off into space, bewitched by something that he knew wasn't there. Even with his eyes burning and unclear, he could easily spot the dark figure that hovered so closely to the other warrior. A shadow of the past, a ghost that only he could see. The beautiful and deranged creature of the very she-cat, who had died moons before, by his own claws. The same she-cat who he had loved with all of his heart and had damaged him with a simple breath of her voice. She was vibrate and still beautiful, and yet the large crimson stains that specked about that once breathing and vibrate body was an indication enough. This cat was dead and the stench of death and blood clung to this dark creature's pelt, making Coppertalon almost gag from such a vile stench.

"You're not...real," The tom hissed with a snarl, his eyes narrowing, and tail lashing. His words were almost a whisper but with as close as Ospreywing was to him, it was quite possible that the other tom would hear him. Coppetalon, was too far gone in his own absurd vision to even take note if the other tom had. His attention was on the she-cat. The dark figure, he knew was dead, but was standing so clearly in front of him, as if death in itself had alluded her. He knew it wasn't possible and yet here, she was appearing there in front of him. Mocking him with the eternal vision of her own death. "Y...you can't be" There was a pause, after that, before a soft laugh erupted from the dark shadow's maw. Though it was hard to call it a laugh, it was more of wheezing than an actual laugh. A moist and almost wet popping sound that brought goosebumps beneath Coppertalon's pelt.

'You're right....I'm not...I'm just a haunting vision of your imagination....' The thing laughed again, and it took all of Coppertalon's effort not to back off and run off. It had been the first time, since becoming a warrior, that real fear, swept through the tom, but it was not immediately shown. It started with the widening of his eyes, and the heightening of his breath and the hard beat of his heart in his chest. And yet, as his body was beginning to turn and take flight, a loud screech brought him back reality. It was coming from Ospreywing, when he had called Ebonyheart's name, but at that moment, Coppertalon hadn't heard a name. All he had heard, was the rushing of a air in his ears, followed by a thick wash of realization as reality fell back onto him. It was like he had been drowning and then his head had emerged from a swallowing wall of water. He gasped loudly. His eye flicking around wildly, searching for the source of his previous torment. There was no trace of that hideous beast. What replaced it was the large and towering form of the seething medicine cat, in all of her fury.

Coppertalon stood staring at her for moments. His eyes were wide and wild, but not from the seething anger coming from her, he was still highly affected by what he had just saw. He let out several gasping breaths, before lowering his head and closing his eyes. He breathed normally then, taking in the scent of the medicine cat then, letting her scent bath over his senses. Riding him of the unseen torture that he had just seen. The anger that rolled off of her, was actually comforting and using that to his advantage, he shifted forward, one paw at a time. Moving past Ebonyheart into her den, and he took but a few short paw steps, before collapsing to the side, nearest to the entrance. With enough energy to bring his head to the side, his tongue shifted to lick at the infection at his shoulder, purposely avoiding the medicine cat's eyes. Such weakness he had showed too her. His pride diminished, he kept tired and haunted eyes down, forcing himself away from his own troubled thoughts.

Coppertalon Talking

sorry for the wait on this. So Coppetalon sees the "ghost" of his former mentor, goes a little crazy only to brought of his dark vison by both Ebonyheart and Ospreywing. He's unusually quiet as he does what Ebonyheart tells him to do. And I'm sorry Ebonyhert and Ospreywing, you guys have to deal with him LMAO •Ghost the Undead Goddess and Phoenix • 852

PYXIS ★