[ Brackenstar ]
She-Cat • 42 Moons • DawnClan Leader
Location: Camp • Mentions: (D) None - OPEN / (ID) Sandflower

Fear washed over Brackenstar in intense waves as she propelled herself through the forest on tiring legs, the sound of enraged caterwauls and pursuing pawsteps not far behind. No matter how fast she ran the safety of camp seemed forever out of reach and the brown she-cat knew she couldn’t keep going like this forever. Her breathing had become ragged, her lungs burned and ribs ached from her desperate attempt to flee her attacker’s wrath, but there was no escape. She knew this the moment claws pierced her shoulders and a heavier body forced her to the ground.

She twisted in her enemy’s grasp, claws tearing through skin and leaving behind a searing pain as Brackenstar struggled to face the cat who had caught her. An eyeless feline with lengthy canines and pitch black fur stared down at her, unrecognizable and seeming out of this world. “You have failed your Clan. The forest belongs to us now,” he meowed darkly, his voice seeming to echo around her before his elongated teeth plunged into her throat.

Brackenstar awoke with a gasp, her nest torn to shreds from a night full of endless tossing and turning. It took her a moment to realize it had all just been a horrible dream. The eyeless tom was gone. She was alive and well in camp. DawnClan was still here and thriving. She drew in a shaky breath and rolled onto her paws, shaking out her thin coat to free it of the grass and scraps of moss that clung to it before leaving her den. Yellow eyes scanned the camp to find it already bustling with activity and a rush of shame had the she-cat glancing away briefly, embarrassed she had slept in so much longer than her deputy and warriors.

Fragments of the dream still played in her mind and a shudder rushed through her lean frame, unease tightening her chest. What were the chances the nightmare had been an omen? Her gaze immediately sought out Sandflower, desperate for his council. For the first time since becoming leader Brackenstar couldn't keep the concern from showing on her face. 'Sometimes dreams are just dreams,' she reminded herself silently, but it would calm some of her worries if she could speak with her medicine cat and confirm he hadn't received any troubling visions.

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[ Hornetwing ]
Genderfluid (Masc Pronouns) • 27 Moons • DawnClan Warrior
Location: Outside Camp • Mentions: (D) None - OPEN

Hornetwing’s paws trembled as he lowered his body into a hunter’s crouch, tail raised mere inches above the ground as the tip flicked back and forth anxiously. A light breeze blew toward him, ruffling his amber tabby fur as he crept closer to the unsuspecting rabbit grazing a foxlength or so ahead of him. His heart raced as he drew ever nearer, conflicting emotions twisting knots in his stomach. The Clan needed prey. He had to put his personal feelings aside for the time being. Just long enough to catch this rabbit.

Well hidden among the tall golden grasses surrounding him, he was almost within pouncing distance when the rabbit suddenly rose onto it’s hind legs, nose twitching while large ears swiveled. Almost immediately it returned to all four paws and darted away across the clearing. Cursing under his breath, Hornetwing tore after it. Long legs swiftly carried him across the sparse, shorter grass of the glade, but he was losing stamina, his lungs beginning to burn with the exertion. The rabbit vanished down a nearby burrow and Hornetwing threw himself into the hole after it, wriggling into the narrow tunnel.

Little more than a waving tail and braced hindquarters to any creature who remained outside, Hornetwing reached for his escaping prey. Claws lanced its haunches and the rabbit let out a squeal of mingled fear and pain. Hornetwing winced. This was a messy kill. He hated messy kills. At last the rabbit was dragged close enough for his teeth to close around the back of its neck. The struggle ended quickly after that, and the rabbit fell limp in his jaws. Feeling absolutely wretched, Hornetwing pulled the plump body free of the warren and dropped it near the entrance, laying flat on his belly to rest his tired legs.

[ Venomheart ]
Bi-Sexual: No Preference ~ 23 Moons ~ Location [Outside Camp] ~ Interaction [Hornetwing] ~ Dawnclan Warrior
Paw steps sounded behind Hornetwing. It was none other than Venomheart. "You don't have any stamina do you Hornetwing?" She meowed, a little disappointed in her clanmates messy kill and his lack of stamina. Her tail tip flicked some. "And you jumped into the rabbits burrow. Eh, can't be too disappointed, it was ammusing, watching you squirm around in that hole." She teased, she loved teasing others sometimes.

Sandflower
Tom •56 Moons • Dawnclan Medicine Cat
Location: Medcat Den | Mentions: Olivepaw, Brackenclaw

Dreams were a rarity for Sandflower. Not due to some normal lack of night thoughts, but due to medical intervention. After Leechfang had left, he'd been plagued. Every night would be terror. He'd see himself happy with his mate and their kits and wake up to an empty den. Through trial and error, he'd found that a nice dosing of poppy seeds would prevent the dreams. Or at least he'd thought so. He'd gotten comfy the night before, curled up amongst the smell of herbs and grass, and then he awoke, but... not quite. He felt foggy, and not all there. It was only once the voices of Starclan called to him that he realised what was happening. A prophecy. It shouldn't have been surprising, a few seeds couldn't stop a live cat let alone the voices of dead ones, and yet the dream unnerved him. They spoke in riddles, their voices rising and falling, creating an almost song-like repetition of the words. No light. Empty gaze. Fall. Their words seemed to circle, around and around, growing louder until it seemed like they were screaming. And then-

Sandflower awoke with a start. His eyes darted around the den looking for the past Dawnclan leaders, but the only cat he saw was Olivepaw. He let out a shaky breath and to calm himself. He was back home, back in the den, he was safe. Though the prophecy filled him with terror, he knew he had to remember it. He ran it over and over in his mind.
There is no light without the lark / In the loon's empty gaze, ducks will begin / Face the swallows or fall
He squinted. What did all the nonsense about birds mean? Was there a Starclan for birds perhaps? Had he just gotten a message from the great birds past? But then... where had his message gone? He jumped up with a start. The birds! There must be a medicine bird! He had to find it, swap his message with it! Or... maybe just get his message and then turn the bird into breakfast. Either one worked.

He bolted out of the den, yellow eyes skyward looking for a bird. He spied a robin take off from the trees. "Wait!" He called, chasing after it. "I have your prophe-" He collided face-first with something soft and furry. His momentum carried him up and over the obstacle and sent him sprawling into the dirt with a hard thud. Sandflower lay there for a bit, his body aching, before giving out a pitiful cough of dust. He groggily glanced back to what he'd hit and- oh no. His eyes widened and he scurried to his feet hurrying back to the cat. "Brackenstar, oh gosh are you ok I saw a robin and I thought they might be the medicine bird and I didn't want to lose it so I kept staring at it and I didn't see you I'm so sorry!"

[ Brackenstar ]
She-Cat • 42 Moons • DawnClan Leader
Location: Camp • Mentions: (D) Sandflower / (ID) Starlingfur, Mintwhisker

Brackenstar leaped from the low hanging branch she previously perched upon, landing neatly below. Her eyes closed briefly to keep the dust billowing around her from blinding her, only opening them again once the particles had settled. Brackenstar always felt more at ease in high places, her nest fit inside one of the camp’s trees, the entrance a wide hole far up the trunk. It was any wonder her tossing and turning throughout the night hadn't seen her waking on the ground.

Sandflower was nowhere to be found and she glanced toward the medicine den, assuming the tom must still be asleep in his own nest. Calming her bristling pelt, she immediately moved to check. As she passed Starlingfur and Mintwhisker sharing a meal she dipped her head in greeting, a warm expression crossing her features before continuing forward. She couldn’t allow the Clan to see her so unsettled. Especially when she didn’t yet have an explanation for her dream.

A flash of cream colored fur rushing through the entrance of Sandflower’s den caught her by surprise, eyes widening. She opened her mouth to call to him, but before even a single syllable could be uttered the other cat crashed into her, the force of the collision knocking her off her paws as her Clanmate tumbled over her back and landed roughly a mouselength or so away. Her head bounced off the earth as her body jerked sideways, pain seeming to radiate throughout her entire skull as she lay stunned in the dirt, vision blurring in and out of focus.

A soft groan escaped her as Sandflower scurried closer, a stream of apologies and an nonsensical explanation for his hasty exit from the medicine den only making her pounding head hurt worse. “A moment Sandflower,” she gasped. “Give me a moment.” Several more seconds passed before the dizziness faded and only a dull ache where her face had met the ground remained. Slowly, she rolled onto her belly, paws tucked under her as she pushed herself upward. Another brief wave of vertigo had her swaying on her paws before steadying herself, her golden gaze refocusing on Sandflower’s face. “What’s all this about birds now?”

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[ Hornetwing ]
Genderfluid (Masc Pronouns) • 27 Moons • DawnClan Warrior
Location: Outside Camp • Mentions: (D) Venomheart / (ID) Brackenstar

Tufted ears flicked as pawsteps thrummed behind him, rising swiftly to his own paws so as not to be caught resting. His quick recovery proved fruitless however, as it appeared Venomheart had witnessed the entire incident. Her mocking tone had his tail-tip twitching with restrained irritation, but his tone was calm and even as he responded, “A kill is a kill. I’ve provided for the Clan regardless of how I achieved it.”

His amber gaze shifted to the plump, motionless body beside him. The rabbit’s pelt was sprinkled with dirt from the struggle, blood congealing around the bite wound that had ended its life. A fresh wave of guilt crashed over him and a queasy feeling twisted his stomach, his disgust showing in his eyes. “I should get this back to camp while its still warm. I’m sure the queens and elders would appreciate a fresh meal,” Hornetwing announced, resisting the urge to recoil as he lifted the dead rabbit by its scruff and started for camp. With prey so scarce lately he couldn’t afford to be squeamish.

He hadn’t gotten far when a strange scent drifted toward him, brought along by a gentle breeze. Hornetwing stiffened, a mixture of anxiety and curiosity urging him to run home to alert Brackenstar and investigate at the same time. Allowing the rabbit to slide gingerly back to the ground, he opened his mouth, breathing in the scent more thoroughly and left perplexed when he still couldn’t identify it. “Odd…”

[ Venomheart ]
Bi-Sexual: No Preference ~ 23 Moons ~ Location [Outside Camp] ~ Interaction [Hornetwing] ~ Dawnclan Warrior

Venomheart took a few steps forward, now beside him. "Hornetwing, I know you're squeamish. But you don't need to pretend around me." She spoke, her voice calm. Then she noticed how he was sniffing all the sudden. Which brought her to raise her head and sniff as well.. "You're right...this is odd.." Her voice now lowered to a near whisper.

"Any clue as to what that is..? Anything familiar?" Venomheart's voice now a whisper, if there was anything out there, she would know not alert them to their presence.

Sandstripe|24 moon Orange Tabby She-Cat|Dawnclan Queen|Location- Camp at dusk|Mentions- Open~
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It was quiet, like it always was in the dusk hours of the day. Cats sharing tongues, or heading to their dens. The patrols had already come back, and the last bits of prey added to the small divet where all fresh-kill was placed. There was a sense of peace about, a calm that reminded Sandstripe to much of the moment before a storm. Slender paws scratched at the dirt, her green gaze turning to peer outside of the camp. As she was one of the two on guard duty the first half of the night, her body was far more alert and awake than her clan-mates.

"Most boring job." She mewed, body lowering from a sit to a more comfortable lay, paws tucked neatly underneath. It really wasn't the worst, but animals knew better than to harass the mass of cats, and any predator worth its merit wouldn't come sauntering in through the entrance. Mostly, she saw warriors who had been hunting late, or apprentices trying to sneak out for some midnight adventuring. She half noted that Hornetwing and Venomheart were still out, and was curious what the two warriors were doing. Prey had been scare, so more hunting parties had been out but still. Her tail twitched. No sense in worrying, they were able to take care of themselves.