try me -- joining, ill

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    — SLEEP IN PEACE WHEN DAY IS DONE


    It was so cold that Alizarin could see their breath in the frosty night air. Even through their thick layer of lilac fur, the short feline could feel the icy sidewalk under their pawpads and shuddered as a frosty breeze swept through the city streets. It was a relief from the fever burning under her pelt, but not much of one. She was lost, hopelessly lost, and with nobody in sight the shivering loner began to feel particularly unwell. She was cold, and she'd been walking for hours, and she just wanted to get out of this miserable snow. She couldn't take much more of it. For a second she entertained the notion of a pretty she-cat coming to save her, but that was unlikely in this freezing cold.


    The short cat sniffled, and shook out their fur with a miserable sneeze. The sound of something hitting snow caused the fluffy cat to turn in fright, peering down an alleyway, but in the darkness she couldn't see what might have caused it.


    "Hello?" They called miserably, hoping that their cracking, exhausted meow would attract some attention.


    tags | "speech"

    A she-cat was coming to save her, but Ruth was not pretty. Well, she might have been, and maybe she was, but she often viewed herself in low self-esteem thanks to the scars inflicted on her face by parents who were supposed to love and protect, but instead hated and abused. She slithered out of the shadows of the alleyways, drawn to the stench of a stranger and most importantly, sickness. When she found the culprit of such a foul stench, the tortoiseshell wrinkled her nose, watching as the feline called out into the quietness of the alley.


    Ruth approached but reminded herself not to get too close. “Hello,” she said evenly, stumpy tail twitching curiously as she eyed the feline with her dark eyes. “This is BloodClan territory. What are you doing here?” the question was delivered gently but it was clear there was a firm demand behind her tone. The tortoiseshell awaited an answer, lips tugged into a frown. The smell of sickness was alarming and she could only hope Waspwing or Aleksei joined her soon.


    — TAGS —


    The primarily white feline would never view herself with such high esteem ever either. Her so-called friends had taken her pretty looks away by scarring her in the most disastrous way possible. One sided vision locks into the two cats, happy to let them do the talking.

    — SLEEP IN PEACE WHEN DAY IS DONE


    Alizarin wasn't sure if they were hallucinating or not by this point, but it definitely looked like an angel had come to save them. They stopped when Ruth approached, ears pricking upwards, and she wobbled just a bit when she turned her head towards the scarred molly. Moving one short leg in an attempt to steady herself, Rin tried to focus on the words spilling from Ruth's maw. This is BloodClan territory. What are you doing here? Dimly, they saw a pale shape moving in the alley, no doubt another stranger.


    "Blood...Clan?" Alizarin managed a moment later, a dazed frown pulling at her maw. She didn't recognise the name. Of course, she had a hard time recognising anything, with her heartbeat pounding in her ears and a genuine sense of unwellness clouding in her mind. "I don't ... Not from here."


    tags | "speech"

    When the feline’s eyes moved behind her, Ruth turned to see Skullcap lurking in the alley but quickly averted her gaze back to Alizarin after flicking her tail in an attempt to draw her Clanmate closer. “We’re a group of cats who live in a big red house a few blocks from here,” she informed the lilac feline. “You’re on our territory. But... you look very unwell, so I won’t hassle you about that further.” She waited a moment to allow the information to sink in before asking, “What’s your name? I’m Ruth.”


    — TAGS —


    Was that sickness you were scenting as you padded closer like your House-Mate wanted? Your nose crinkles in distaste, as you stand silently beside Ruth.


    (Lame post)

    — SLEEP IN PEACE WHEN DAY IS DONE


    A group of cats? Alizarin's heart ached with longing and jealousy for a drawn-out moment. All she could do was stare in shock for its duration, Some sort of barely-there hope flaring in their tired copper eyes. It sounded like this cat, Ruth as she introduced herself as, belonged to something. And that was something that Rin had wanted for a long time.


    "I'm..." They turned their head away from Ruth politely and coughed, short body shaking with it. "I'm Alizarin. Nice to meet you, do you--" Another violent coughing fit, again directed away from the BloodClanners in an attempt to not get them ill. "Sorry." They croaked. "Do you know a place I can get out of this snow? I'm uh ... not feeling great."


    tags | "speech"

    Ruth took a step back with Alizarin coughed, concerned that if she ventured too close, she might catch the illness that plagued the other feline. She glanced at Skullcap as she ventured closer, hoping that her Clanmate would have enough sense to recognize the sickness in their visitor and not get too close either. As much as Ruth wanted to turn them away to avoid spreading the illness to the rest of her Clan, she also knew that Waspwing or Aleksei might be able to cure her.


    So, reluctantly, she nodded. "I'm sure BloodClan can spare a bit of extra room. We have a healer who can give you herbs for that cough. There's plenty of food and shelter for you to rest for a few days," she said. That was, of course, depending on if Alizarin was allowed to stay. Ruth thought the only hinderance might be her illness. "Skullcap and I can show you back to our home. We'll talk to our leader about you staying on with us until you're better, or perhaps you'd look in to becoming a full member of BloodClan if you like it well enough."


    — TAGS —

    ✦ ✧ ✦ The snow and cold hadn't been friendly to the weaker cats in the Bloodhouse. Her Greenhouse was a festering pool of illness, the rattling coughs and sneezes keeping the healer busy and awake at all hours of the night, just to make sure that none of the cats under her watch died.


    Pushing her way through the snow, the black-striped molly made her way over to Ruth's side, Skullcap catching her eye momentarily before her full attention focused on the sick cat in front of her. "Oh, dear...you must be freezing. I can help you get back, you can lean on me if you'd like. Caledon should be alright with you staying, but it's a good idea for the both of you to check with him, just to be sure." Waspwing instructed, voice tight with worry as she dragged her way over to Aliizarin, pelt brushing against the newcomer's to offer support if they so desired it.

    gargling upon thy own blood, the rat gave one final squeal before the life slipped from his husk, within the jaws of the ravenous king. Powerful jaws crunching down, rib-cage giving in to the demand of his mighty jaw. What a horrible way to kill a creature, not by the neck with a swift kill, but by the torso. Making the death slow and painful. Alas, the meek creature was out of its misery. The hungry monster lifted it into the air and shook it like a dog. Letting go to watch it roll across the snow-covered pavement as he licked his lips. Halted by the stench of sickness, Caledon opened his jaws to draw in the toxic scent. Locating the general direction, he trotted over to the rat, snatched it, before pelting down the street.


    Miles could stretch between the two, and caledon could decipher the mere whisper of his beloved Waspwing. Luckily, it was only a few meters away it seemed. Voices sounded off again. He caught words, faintly. ‘alizarin’ ‘back to our home’ ‘must be freezing’ ‘caledon should be alright with you staying’ . Rounding the corner, scapula swiveling with the beat of his swift turn before he sauntered forward and happen upon the scene. A sickly youth with a distinctive patch around her eye. "Good eye Ruth and Skullcap. Escort her to the Bloodhouse. We will arrange an isolated den for you. When you get better. We can discuss more. " his authoritative voice rang out. "Waspwing. you are going to catch your death out here…. " he sighed, worry hanging blatantly in his tone.


    CALEDON'S STATS.

    — SLEEP IN PEACE WHEN DAY IS DONE


    Alizarin nodded slowly in response to Ruth, connecting the understandable pieces of information they had been given. This was home to a group called BloodClan. They had healers, ones who could help her. If she wanted to, she could stay. This was an opportunity, one that part of Alizarin desperately wanted to embrace. The larger of the scarred cats was Skullcap, or she assumed so as Ruth had gestured to the feline when mentioning that thy could go back to camp and ask the leader to stay. The white-marked cat was silent for a few moments, coppery eyes narrow with thought, but another scent made the fluffy she-cat jerk her head upwards.


    Are you sure you didn't die? You've found two literal angels. quipped the small part of their mind that was coherent as Rin was reduced to blinking, stunned silence due to Waspwing's presence. Oh, stars, and she was concerned for the sick loner. Alizarin sneezed again, trying to direct their illness away from the BloodClanners, and her poor heart just about stopped when Waspwing stood close by for support.



    "Th-thank you, miss." Alizarin meowed softly, pressing close to Waspwing. There was certainly a height difference between the two of them, but for now Rin could use all the support they could get. "I ... didn't get your name." They also didn't recognise the name Caledon, but supposed that they would meet its owner soon.


    The tom that appeared next carried authority in every step and every scar, and a part of Alizarin knew that they had just stumbled upon someone high up in the hierarchy. They pressed a little closer to Waspwing, uncharacteristically nervous, but they nodded slowly at the explanation that she would get her own room and they'd speak when she was feeling better.


    //ninja'd STINE PLEAS


    tags | "speech"

    Relief crashed over Ruth like a tidal wave as Waspwing appeared on the scene. Her shoulders visibly relaxed as she allowed the healer to take over the situation. When she instructed Ruth and Skullcap to go on ahead and seek Caledon’s permission, the tortoiseshell turned on her paws to go find him only to see him round the corner towards the group that had gathered around their newcomer. Upon his instruction, she awaited Waspwing and Skullcap to join her, especially since the former was assisting Alizarin in walking back towards their camp.


    “I can fetch some pillows and blankets so you’re comfortable and warm,” she said to them with a warm smile. Ruth went silent again as Caledon fretted over his mate, a soft purr vibrating in the back of her throat. Those two were so cute, and it was adorable how such a tyrannical feline like Caledon could turn so soft when around Waspwing. Ruth hoped to find love like that someday.


    — TAGS —


    ✦ ✧ ✦ Geez, it was bitter cold out here. The she-cat couldn't help but shiver before feeling the weight of the cat next to her as they leaned in, graciously taking her side to support themselves. Waspwing situated herself, positioning her paws wide so that she could catch herself and Alizarin if one of them happened to slip. The dark voice of Caledon caught her attention, black-tipped ears perking forward and yellow gaze quickly meeting cyan eyes. A tired smile came onto Waspwing's face at Caledon's words; even though they had been together for so long, it seemed like Caledon's worry never seemed to fade.


    "I'll be fine, Cal. I'm not that old yet, I still have a few moons left in me." Waspwing answered softly as Alizarin's voice piped up. "It's no problem, dear. Ruth, blankets and pillows would be much appreciated, we'll need to warm them up as quickly as possible when we get back to the Greenhouse." The healer replied, nodding her head to Ruth before catching the female purring, her eyes on Caledon. If she were to be in Ruth's shoes, she would be taken aback at Caledon's softness, too. The alabaster king was more than just a ruthless leader, he was also a gentle and kind tom to htos ehe cared and loved for. He wasn't just a bloodthirsty monster, he was...real, just like they were. He wasn't merciless, he was tactical and he would do whatever it took to protect his family and friends, anything to protect Bloodclan.

    The Dark King’s Words of praise heat you a little, the voices of the others tuned out as he approaches. You give no show of speaking, and should the others start actually moving to get the sick cat back to the House, you’re gonna be following as this is rushed and you need to clock in to work.