NIGHT TERRORS / intro

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    tags ✦ ✧ ✦ The boy's fur was fluffed out, silken white coat marred by claw marks. His heart pounded in his chest, loud enough that he was sure it would wake half of BloodClan. He stank of fear and shivered nearly uncontrollably, despite the lack of any real bite to the night's air. This wasn't the way Tamarind had envisioned returning home.


    Four moons. That was how long it felt like he'd been away, although he had no way of knowing if it was accurate. All he knew was that in the time since he'd last seen the Blood House and his family, he'd grown bigger and stronger, nearly double his previous size. His hearing hadn't gotten any worse, but it hadn't gotten better either, and the scars that marked his once pristine pelt felt as though they'd been there forever.


    His wide yellow eyes examined the Blood House from across the street. Tam could remember, as a kit, sitting on that wooden porch and begging his father not to cross the street. He could remember sneaking out with his sister to go on an adventure, and getting captured by twolegs instead. They'd spent the night in the twoleg den, and he'd emerged with a bitter hatred from all things twoleg.


    Finally, working up his courage, he eyed the area around him and dashed across the street, ivory limbs blurring with movement. He banged his shoulder across the door of the Blood House, trying to remember how he'd gotten in and out as a child, but in his panic, Tam couldn't recall how to shove the door aside. "Open!" he gasped loudly, claws tearing at the surface of the door. "Open, please, just open." He had to get inside, get to where it was safe, to his parents and siblings. The urge burned in him brightly, giving him energy despite the late hour, until his paws finally found the gap between the door and doorframe, and he wrenched them apart, tumbling inside.

    ✦ ✧ ✦

    her siblings were all gone. she was the only one left from her litter who'd remained loyal. she hated them for leaving, hated them for abandoning her. they didn't even know that sheo was dead, they hadn't been there to see his body thump to the ground, to feel the blood pool around his massive body, to know that their father was dead, gone, never coming back. she sort of hated her siblings (but she loved them. she missed them.) she didn't want them to come back. (she did want them to. she did.)

    scrabbling at the door made the dark feline narrow her eyes. most bloodclanners knew how to get in... which meant that this wasn't a bloodclanner. ears twitching as she heard the gasping voice, she wondered who would have the audacity to burst into the bloodhouse.

    the door swung open.

    her brother stumbled in.

    she gasped.

    (her heart leapt.)

    her heart plunged.

    she stood, tail whisking behind her, scarred face shocked, eyes not leaving his face. she took in his form. she stood stalk still, staring at him. her voice rang loud in her ears.

    "tam?"

    tags ✦ ✧ ✦ Being indoors brought no sense of security to him. Tam wanted to sob and howl, to curse whoever had thought it fair to allow him inside when shadows still lurked in the corners, stinking of death and danger. Rising stiffly to his paws, he backed up, shoulders tense as his body strained against the door, pushing it shut. He could not lock the evil outside; it was coming for him, it would find him soon. It had gotten some of his siblings already. Who would it take next, as punishment for his disobedience? His mother? Uncle Cal?


    Through the pounding in his ears, he became aware of a voice. Tam. His name. Raising his head, Tamarind's gaze fell on Artemis, shock spreading slowly over his features like dust settling after a great battle. Misa. She'd always been sensitive to his poor hearing: of course her voice was the first he'd hear. But how? He'd seen her tail bloodied and covered in dirt, a gruesome trophy reminding him to obey. He risked a glance toward his sister's rear, but her tail was there, long like their father's. "N-no," he stuttered out, taking shallow, rapid breaths. "Misa, no, it got you, I saw, it got you." She wasn't here. No, she was. His mind could not make sense of it. This wasn't the Artemis he remembered, but this was Artemis all the same, although his very essence protested the idea. He'd seen her tail, torn from her body, a sure sign that the evil stalking him had killed her. How could she be here, clear as day?


    He darted forward, raising one paw toward his sister, trying to be sure that she was really there. "Misa, are you here? For real?" He'd made it! He was home. It had not killed Misa, as it had promised. Perhaps it had not really killed the others as well. Perhaps it had not hurt him—but looking down at his pelt, he still saw the ugly scars the evil had left. Ashamed, he stumbled back, ears flattening against his head.

    The cool morn air whistled past cracked glass windows and boarded exits. The cool breeze brushed lupine fur and blew it this way and that, long strands of wolf’s bodice waving in the wind, a banner swaying its surrender blatantly in the open air. Her short bobbed tail bounced up and down as she moved, snake slithering through cracks it the wood till reaching it’s prey, predatory gaze sharp and unmatched like any other. But then the waterfall fell, water cut off, and suddenly a cavern was revealed. A cavern of sadness. This open blank, a hidden gem which released airborne depression. Her form quaked in its spot, a quivering leaf in the fall air just not flying into the wind just quite yet. Electric thalassic luminaries flickered as cloudy white froth overcame the waves of saline, pounding against pointed rocks like an angry child throwing a tantrum that he couldn’t get the last of the dessert, fisting pounding against the table in hatred.


    “ T-Tam? ” her voice broke into shattered glass sharp and frightening. At the foot of the stairs did she stand, anchored to the floor, unable to move by such shock. Saline ocean water spilled from her optics, and up and over the lip of her lids, before slipping down her iron beneath her oculars, and then down down her lupine pelt. She blinked quickly, afraid if she closed her eyes too long then he’d disappear.


    And then like a bullet she rammed into him, knocking him over like a bowling pin before letting out ugly loud sobs of joy. “ Oh Tam! ” Shaking like a piece of paper she wrapped her giant body around her son and placed her head on his shoulder, tears soaking into his alabaster pelt. Oh how she’d missed him. At this moment did she remember Sheogorath and how happy he would have been to see his son again. And yet, he wasn’t around. Harsher sobbed ripped Jailbird’s body as her spine curled tightly around her son as the flood gates broke free.

           

    ☼

    ✦ ✧ ✦ her ears flattened in confusion- he was speaking nonsense, babbling about how something had gotten her, it had gotten her. what had? what had tam seen in his moons away from the bloodhouse?

    "i'm here..." her voice, still loud (for she'd never make that mistake to talk quietly to him) was full of confusion, eyes not leaving his frame as he padded slowly towards her, then moved back.

    where had he been? why had he left? he'd left her and jailbird and sheogorath along with all her other siblings. she hated him- she hated that he'd left. (she didn't hate him. she loved him- he was her brother, she'd missed him.) she hated him.

    sheo should've been here to see him return- he would've been overjoyed to see his son return. she could imagine his accented voice, booming from the stairs. she could see his tabby pelt streak towards tam, she could imagine him hugging the younger boy, jailbird, too.

    he was gone. tam didn't know. she hated him.

    and then jail was there, voice shuttering, not daring to believe it. oh! she was crying and she ran to tam and knocked him over, sobbing, holding him. and artemis stood there.

    (she'd missed him so goddamn much.)

    "you're home. tam, you're back." wonder filled her voice now, and she ran to him too, rubbing against his alabaster coat, dark smoke fur blending with the white of his ruff. she felt comfort in his larger frame. she didn't forgive him... (she did.)

    tags ✦ ✧ ✦ The scent was one Tam had dreamed about during his moons away, but it had slowly faded until he barely remembered it, becoming a vague memory alongside the scents and faces of his father and siblings. Jailbird, although he wouldn't be able to put a name to the smell until he saw his mother's face. She stood by the stairs, but his deep golden eyes didn't notice her. He was too focused on Artemis, on the fact that his sister was alive and healthy, to notice anything else—not to mention that Jailbird's whisper had been too soft for him to hear, especially from such a distance as there was between the door and stairs.


    Here. Misa was here. Hesitantly, Tam smiled, although the expression felt foreign on his face and brittle enough that he was half afraid the smile would crack and fade away. He didn't know how Misa was okay, but she was, and he had her again. Her and Jailbird and Sheogorath and all of his siblings.


    And then Jailbird spoke again, much louder, and this time he heard her. He half rose, ears twitching as an expression of joy crossed his face. Due to her tears, he couldn't make out her words, but he could imagine them. Tam, she was saying, or maybe, My boy. "Jailbird, mama." The words slipped from his lips unbidden as she wrapped herself around him. Pressing against her, he finally let the tears fall, relief overcoming him.


    Artemis was on his other side, he realized, rubbing against him where Jailbird wasn't. He had them both. "I'm home." He could scarcely believe it, but the evidence couldn't be ignored. All he needed now was Sheogorath to join in on the bear hug and he'd be the happiest child in existence. "I'm here, I missed you, I'm here." He was blubbering, nearly unaware of what he was saying, simply relieved to be safe and have his family with him.

    ooc: welcome + oop i'm sorry for my random furball <3


    Chatter combined with chaotic sobbing or purring (sobrring?) caused a certain red she-cat to dip her head into the main room of the Blood House, curious as ever. Upon the sight of Artemis and Jailbird all snuggly with a stranger, who seemed quite fond of her, Liv decided she didn't like being out of the loop. Who was this guy? Family? Friend? She wanted to know! Pouting softly at her lack of knowledge, she scooted in uninvited to their embrace. "Hello, I'm Liv. I don't know who you are but since Misa seems to like you, I've decided you're good," chattered the flaming tabby, grinning mischievously up at Tamarind before stepping back to get a better look at him.