claws rut the jungle blood . Power discovery

[VASS .]

There was something to be said about faith, in times like these where their ancestors bore down upon them and found them lacking. The silence of the stars a sign of their own quiet dismay; their distaste. Vaas had lived with a disquiet rebellion of his family for years. Took dark, silent delight in their traditions failing. His home life, however disruptive, fucking shitty as it was, taught him something: Taught him to snarl before he smiled, taught him to never trust a witch that held power over him, and taught him that belief - belief in family, was just as easily shattered as the belief in anything.

It made him a cynic, no- it made him worse. At least cynics could trust. Deep down there was always that other, baseless side that craved destruction, wrought blood with claws and fang, took pleasure with the thrill of the hunt, the chase of battle. Vaas had never refuted it, indulging in his more carnal delight of wanting war, fights. It wone him respect in the Typhoon and it won him the boss role of the boardwalk group, before the merger. Vaas has always been praised for his brutality, it was expected from him within his home, known of him- in the typhoon. But here, this place was so complex so… fucking comlicated

Here, there were lives at stake: lives that mattered, that Vaas refused to loose. He lost his family and still felt the sting no matter how much he refused to admit the care for them. It hurt when they left, it hurt so horribly that he couldn’t stand his own fucking home. He didn’t want to leave again, didn’t want to. So he did what he could to keep it, to assure it’s survival. If it meant leaving the clan, if it meant confronting his old home for help then it was easy, laughably so.

But then the witch looked at him and shook her head no. Goldenluxury was apathetic, and her deputy were worse. Feeling the sudden betrayal of his own home- his own beliefs shatter so fucking easily – hurt. Vaas had come back on the throws of that anger, and he hid it well. Jumping into the water and clawing through the sands until the meeting had last been called.

He didn’t know he still had that kind of faith in him, until it shattered.

It was easy to push it aside, for days the tiger quietly stewed on it, left it along and refused to look at it. No matter how brutish he was known for, he was smarter than to just leave it, until it blew over. He was smarter than that, but- it was an accident. it was an accident.

Vaas was on the outskirts of the boardwalk, where the buildings were flush against the woods that flanked their south side. From the distance he could see the faint glow of his older painting, and he didn’t go towards it, instead slipping between the tree’s enjoying the chill that promised storms of a frigid winter. Between tree’s there was movement, between the fading light that winked between the tree’s Vaas stepped closer, and found himself at the edges of a pond, starting to frost over.

Thin ice coated the surface, and something shined at the bottom of the pool. Some sort of gem, he thought- and pushing past the ice that didn’t crack- didn’t fissure so much as melt as he retrieved it: didn’t alarm him. Instead when he pulled it out of the water, the moss coated gem: the water came with it.

/seems spoopy bc he hates powers so /shrug/

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"take me into your heart , accept me as your savior nail me to the fucking cross and let me be reborn" — an antagonist with a silver tongue , a pirate with nothing to loose and everything to gain .  vaas montenegro ; he who lives to fight demons should be weary he himself does not become one ." it's not like i am fucking crazy — "

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[RHINESTONE.]

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

Powers. Rhine knew of them, although he knew very little in the way of how they worked, or how to control them. It wasn't as if he had any powers of his own, and for some time, they had been outright banned within Palmclan. Thought to be gifts given from somewhere other than Starclan. Somewhere deeply cursed, where none of them should wander. In technicality, the rules against powers still stood, albeit shaky. It wasn't as if Rhinestone had enforced it. Not ever since the first dinosaur had shown up at their border, and the whole concept of having powers banned seemed silly, and backwards. Perhaps it was time for him to abolish the rule entirely. Although... there would be time to ponder that at another date. When it didn't seem as though Starclan had turned their backs on the clan as a whole. When the air wasn't freezing, and when everything didn't seem so hopeless. They didn't feel hopeless to Rhinestonestar, simply because he refused to let them feel hopeless. He wouldn't, not after all that had happened as a result of the hurricane. He wouldn't let them get to that point again, even as the air remained freezing and the prey seemed to flee deeper and deeper underground by the day. Part of him wanted to lash out, or scream, or do something to just snap and let it all out, but he couldn't. Not yet.

He wasn't sure what led him out to the forest that day. It might have been a search for prey, or a search for Medusa, or just because that was where his paws happened to carry him. He truthfully didn't know, nor did he exactly care all that much. After all, if he couldn't just snap and let loose, then he needed something else to relieve stress - wandering was good enough for that, he supposed. Of course, he hadn't really been expecting to see anyone else out at this time of day, not that he particularly minded. Especially not when that someone happened to be Vaas, the tiger's scent reaching him before the other properly came into view. Rhinestone slipped silently through the trees, trying to weigh the pros and cons of surprising Vaas in some way. It probably wasn't the best idea, considering the other could easily snap him in half if angered, but a fun Halloween surprise between friends could be pleasant. However, he wasn't given much more time to ponder this, before he saw the other walk into the water. Vass didn't seem to have a care in the world, the water and ice shifting around him and causing Rhine to gasp, his pale eyes gone wide. His chest tightened, and he found himself tensed and anxious, until the former boardwalk leader eventually emerged, gem and water along with him.

The tom remained still for a moment, just staring blankly in Vaas's direction, before he eventually regained control of his legs again. As soon as he did, he went charging towards the tiger, his voice raised as he kicked up leaves and snow in his wake, "Vaas!" When he finally grew near to the other, despite it having only been a short jog, he still found himself breathless. He was half staring at Vaas, and half simply staring at what the other was holding. The moss covered gem dazzled him, not to mention the shifting waters that the waverunner carried along with it. The whole situation was almost funny - Vaas had managed to make his rank name quite literal, hadn't he? Either way, Rhinestone knew that he had more to say, as soon as he didn't feel as though he had swallowed his tongue. When he finally seemed confident in his ability to speak again, he still found himself sputtering, "Vaas, I... how the hell are you doing that? You went... you went down beneath the water. You didn't even flinch. Did you know that you could do that?" The other was so calm... it seemed impossible that he hadn't known of his powers already.

NEVER OPENED MYSELF THIS WAY
LIFE IS OURS, WE LIVE IT OUR WAY

— Reggan

[number nine.]

Number Nine was quite familiar with powers, mainly because he had some of his own. He was able to move between forms at will, and he certainly wouldn't have been able to fly, if not for the mutated wings that had grown upon his back. He had learned over time that some within Palmclan weren't so fond of those with powers - it was hard not to tell by the occasional whispers - but considering Rhinestone had never said anything about it, he had just ignored it. After all, why let himself be made upset, if it was clear that Rhine wasn't creating that sort of environment? Of course, him having a few different powers also meant that he knew just how petrifying it could be when you discovered a new one. When he had first discovered his ability to shapeshift, he had been stunned and caught off guard, wondering if something was wrong when he had suddenly woken up one day in another body. In the end, however, that power had ended up being a godsend. Most within Palmclan didn't know of this fact, but Nine was trans. Without shapeshifting, he wasn't sure he ever would've figured out how to finally feel comfortable in his skin. Sure, he could've learned to present in a masculine way within his birth body, but getting trapped in a male body for a while had certainly expedited his journey of self discovery.

The frantic shout of Vaas's voice from Rhinestone was actually what had caught Nine's attention that day, the jaguar's flower covered gaze moving downward and pausing when he spotted the tiger crawling up, and out of a pond. He let out a soft intrigued noise, wondering if that was something new to the other. Letting his curiosity drive him, Number Nine came to a landing nearby, moving over to where Vaas was at a significantly slower pace than Rhine. That made sense, considering he didn't have the same number of strong feelings about Vaas that Rhinestonestar did. The thought made the warrior snort, before he shook his head and spoke up, "'Ey there, Vaas. Neat trick y'just pulled off there... have you ever done that before?" Seeing the neutral look on the tiger's face, Nine found himself wondering if Vaas ever realized what he had done. It seemed ridiculous that someone could just walk straight down into a pond without realizing, but... Nine had certainly seen weirder than that happen in the past. Partially because he was a bounty hunter, and partially just by virtue of being married to Lewis. It was hard not to be exposed to weird shit, when you were married to someone who essentially was a soul reaper.

HELLBENT ON MAKING YOU LOVE ME TOO

[VASS .]

So much love, tender care and belief in the water. Vaas had stuck close to the water for the comfort, the familiarity when all else he couldn't stand. It was easy when he was younger, just a young uppity kid digging up from the grave his family made for him and stumbling bright eyed towards the waters. When Vaas didn't have to think- but all he did now was think. The call of the water has always been present. It had always been there and Vaas had learned to ignore it. Had learned to stick close, and how to swim, and even then heard it's tide roar it's invitation, it's challange towards him.

There wasn't an expression that could sit on his features well, terror crept up his spine and yet the expression along his maw was blank. Water like ice his companion for a space moment's before his name tore into the air stolen from his very lungs at the sight of the worry, concern there - for a sparse moment looking in deep into sea blue and feeling overwhelmed, exhausted: like a kid before his Madre waiting for the sting of her claws as training.

Remeber's how she would grow the herbs to heal the very injuries she induced.

How his sister quickly took that place.

-have you ever done that before? did you know you could do that?

how the fuck to explain it? Hysteria bubbled into his expression, stunned he sat down, hardly feeling the sting as his back leg's gave out-maybe. The gem laying down forgotten as he stared back towards the water. The pond suddenly so much more larger than he remembered, more daunting

"If i knew what the fuck i was doing you think i would be fucking doing this?" It came out as a snarl, defensive- tense and brittle. The tiger felt the water shift, sparks of ice encroaching on his pelt gods he was cold. He regretted the words as soon as they came out, Nine and Rhine both had came there out of concern, but Vaas was an inch from breaking and such power- such history... Well, Vaas was known for being violence, but his was such finely controlled, such a thin line it were to cross but one he wouldn't. Not this clan, not his family- fuck

fuck!

"Oh, this is fucking hysterical" and it trembled out of his voice, the edge slipping from it as he blinked past wet eyes. "Knew the bitch was wrong but i would love to shove this one up her fuckin' face, ya know?" He felt all the tension and let it go. A dangerous edge crept into his voice as he sat, the water stirring around him settling into the earth beyond a single band of water that kept at his wrists, like a manacle- like chains.

"poder no es todo, lo que sabes?" Vaas had fought for his, he gained this place, this family and this life and he left their bodies to rot. Spit on their thought of power, laughed that they were dead, and gods did it hurt bu it was worth it. It was worth it to know that the curse of power, abuse, cycle of theirs was gone

Such a funny thing, belief is.

"As if there is a fucking choice, in this shit!" Vaas roared, into the ground- digging his claws into the dirt. He felt raw, felt open and vulnerable and he didn't like it. Felt his whole body quake with the force of will he will not cry. he will control himself. He couldn't afford anything else.

"Yeah, it's a family trait" Vaas spit, his eyes looking- meeting the paws of Nine and Rhine both who were close- too fucking close. "They're dead and gone, all of 'em. I made sure of it" It was hard not to get the stench of the burn out of his noes, it's why he distastes smoking. Why booze was such an easy love- it made one forget for spare moments- enough. " Fuck, what am i going to do with this."

So fragile was the belief, but concrete was the tiger that came from it. He wouldn't allow this to be something he could slip responsibility from. The knowledge of it there frightened him, scared the shit of him- but he wouldn't allow it to control him. Fear was a tool, it was a tool and it was his.

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"take me into your heart , accept me as your savior nail me to the fucking cross and let me be reborn" — an antagonist with a silver tongue , a pirate with nothing to loose and everything to gain .  vaas montenegro ; he who lives to fight demons should be weary he himself does not become one ." it's not like i am fucking crazy — "

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[METEOR]

“Not a family trait.” The autumn wind snatched Quasar’s soft voice, and the young apprentice nearly bristled at his own quietness. An itch crackled in his chest, thrumming in his paws, bushing up his tail’s fur. Vaas’s tone and behavior scared him in a way the boy never saw—not from Vaas, anyway.

His yellow ears, pinned against his head, twitched. Had he… heard Vaas admit to familicide? No matter how Quasar wished to the contrary, he understood. Oh, how he understood. After his parents died and Rhinestonestar stepped up to father him and his brother, both of their lives improved so dramatically. Everyday was a new breathe of fresh air. Each act of kindness released an inhale he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

Quasar looked at Vaas, his blue eyes shining with empathy and… loathing. The pup would’ve grown up to murder his father, if the beast of a man hadn’t died by rats’ claws instead. He knew this. But he hated knowing this disgusting fact about himself; he hated how quickly he took to violence. When he looked on Vaas now, he saw the person he would’ve been forced to become, if luck hadn’t struck the right animal down for him.

“Power isn’t a family trait, whether mental or magical,” he repeated, louder and clearer. “I won’t believe that. How else would a son surpass the father? It’s a lie used by the old to control the next generation. So many traditions and platitudes are force-fed into children while they are still young enough not to question it, so they will propagate the fucked up system well past the point when they would otherwise shake off such bullshit.”

He exhaled. And shivered, in the cold, but made no move to stand closer to any of the adults. The crackling in his chest became a roaring buzz in his ears, and the canine shook his head, desperate to clear the static, but the sounds only increased in volume. Quasar grimaced, gritting his teeth so hard his jaw popped, and snapped his glare from Vaas to Rhinestonestar and back to Vaas.

“Do what you like with your water. But don’t tell me it’s a gift—or curse—from your bloodline.”

[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[RHINESTONE.]

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

Rhinestone knew that power was a fickle thing. Whether it was more literal power, like the elemental force the Vaas now held within his grasp, or more metaphorical power, like what Rhine held as leader. Both of them had been given power, arguably, without either of them wanting it. The tom had ended up as leader of Palmclan not because he yearned for it, or because he had been working towards it his entire life. Yes, he had sometimes envisioned being leader one day when he was a child, but that had quickly lost its luster when he saw just how much responsibility went into the job. However, he had ended up taking on the title – and the power it held – anyways, because he hadn't had a choice. He had known that he couldn't just leave Palmclan to die, which had meant that someone needed to take the reigns. And seeing as he had been the only senior warrior left alive at the time, it only seemed right that he be the one to step up. Despite that, he hadn't really felt any joy in it. Pride? Maybe a little. But happiness? That felt so far away, when his mind had been solely focused on all the power he had been given, and the responsibility that came with it. He'd been in a constant panic mode for what felt like weeks after that, just trying to figure out what his next step forward would be. And unfortunately, it seemed as though Vaas was having a much more violent version of that happen to him.

Deep down, Rhine knew that it probably wasn't a great idea to get closer to Vaas in this moment. After all, the tiger was pouring his heart out before all of them, and admitting to sins that he had committed in the past. Despite this, the ruddy feline still found himself stepping forward, slowly willing himself closer to Vaas despite the fear in his chest screaming no. If he ended up being hurt as a result of this decision... well, he supposed that he would deserve it, but he didn't think he would regret it. After all, Vaas had already provided him with support in one of his most vulnerable moments, when he had been struggling after the terrible nightmares had arrived. Now, the tables were turned, and Rhine wasn't about to let his fear get in the way of him returning the favor. So, even as his heart was pounding wildly in his chest, the leader grew closer, until eventually he was right in front of Vaas. He felt a bit breathless as he looked up, the other towering over him even as he was slightly slumped. He spoke softly, a frown pulling at his muzzle as he did so, "Vaas... you are not cursed. I don't know the full story of what happened with your family – I'm not sure I could ever even understand the whole of it – but I know that you aren't them. And I believe that you wouldn't just turn your back on them without reason. Cause I trust you..." Perhaps that was a poor decision – in fact, it almost assuredly was – but Rhine didn't care. He wanted Vaas to know that he had someone, who would trust him no matter what.

Quasar's words were echoing softly in Rhine's mind as he reached a paw forward, seeming ever so small despite the power he held within the group. He tried to lay his paw down on top of Vaas's, the soft press of his pads against the other's fur as he continued, "Quasar is right, too. You are different from your family, and this power is yours, not theirs. I can tell... I can tell that this isn't something you ever expected, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Palmclan has a complicated history with... everything, really, including powers. But you're a valued member here, and you're a part of this family. A family that isn't going to exclude you, or fear you, because of this. So, I need you to take a deep breath, alright? I need you to realize that we're here, and that this isn't the end of the world... that you're okay. Can you do that? For me?" His voice softened at the end, in a way that caught even Rhine himself off guard. He hadn't meant to make it sound as though he mattered any more to Vaas than anyone else, but it had just slipped out, really. It just physically pained the small feline, seeing Vaas in such anguish, and all he wanted was for there to be a calm in the clearing once again.

NEVER OPENED MYSELF THIS WAY
LIFE IS OURS, WE LIVE IT OUR WAY

— Reggan

[VASS .]

Vaas felt brittle edge anger, where the fear and hysteria bubbled forth, a froth of it mixing into the tension that refused to leave him. There was no choice in this, this curse that had wrought from him, he knew that his family would surly kill them, if they weren’t already dead, they would see the coil of their power and worship his very fucking feet, would see it and know that he was chosen- destined more so than the bitch of a sister who could only sway the plants with her paws. Who could crumble earth under her paws, Vaas felt the tide call, the cuff around his wrist flexed and with the hill of the air, shifted to a rigid ice.

Quesar’s voice cut across his thoughts, and to see the tiger flinch from the voice, void for a moment and quiet. Vaas knew that voice, that quiet anger like he knew his own. Vaas grew up to hear the quiet resentment of other’s and felt his tail still, a shiver of anticipation up his spine. What if it proved them wrong? Did his apprentice see the power and fear it? Anger was easier than fear… so much easier.

It’s a curse, but Quesar was right – it was his. Vaas had lived quiet in rebellion but Vaas was free now. He shuddered, his eyes shooting up to the violet tinge of the apprentice’s jaw, seeing the from that married his features and let out a breath. “No,” tradition had never held the appeal to him, but the fault lie to vaas, to believe the lies he so plainly knew them as, it still stung, to hear his apprentice spit before him what he knew, what he should’ve known. He drew this out, prolonged it and for a moment allowed himself to be weak, let the tide of it flood him. Infront of Quesar and Rhinestone, in front of nine. Vaas blinked, and the salt water dribbled down into the soft grass below him. “We outlived them, hm?”

There was guilt there, it cut. "I outlived them" Felt the edge of his own tide of emotions soften into something more bearable. Rhinestone’s voice drawled him in, the other’s smaller frame, ruby russet mingled with soft green and beyond the blur of tears Vaas heard his voice. Trust. Vaas had denied it, pushed it aside for so long now, Vaas trusted this clan, he wanted this, to claim it as his had been selfish- but it was the truest thing he ever did.

He hoped to never regret it, because now he couldn’t see a way without it.

When rhinestone approached, vaas’ reaction was instant. Before he could try any kind of meager comfort, vaas lunged. His eyes meeting the color of blue before the other was ensured. His paw left unmarred from his magic aiming to curl around the other’s back, tugging him closer into a tight hug. His breath came out more like a gasp, his head heavy atop the other’s, but with careful control he breathed in deeply.

Emotion was not a weakness, and he built himself up with each breath. Emotion was not a weakness. It was stronger than any torrent, any hurricane. Belief blew away at the wind’s control, but Vaas’ trust in this clan was absolute. Rhinestone, quasar both had made that concrete. His loyalty here was cemented with each careful breath.

This power, it is mine. It is mine to wield and I chose to protect this, this clan. This home. This family.
 

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"take me into your heart , accept me as your savior nail me to the fucking cross and let me be reborn" — an antagonist with a silver tongue , a pirate with nothing to loose and everything to gain .  vaas montenegro ; he who lives to fight demons should be weary he himself does not become one ." it's not like i am fucking crazy — "

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[RHINESTONE.]

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

Vaas's words were so soft and vulnerable, and honestly, that scared Rhinestone. He wasn't used to the tiger showing much emotion, beyond anger or some amused sense of sarcasm. In most cases, that was a relief to Rhine – the other's presence had a tendency to balance him out. He was such an emotional leader, driven by what he believed was best for his group, and what he believed that he should do. Meanwhile, Vaas's contemplative silence was often a boon, since it provided him with the ability to calm himself slightly. Rhinestone certainly didn't think of himself as an idiot, but he didn't have as much experience with leading as Vaas did. The ruddy feline had only taken over Palmclan a few months ago, and he had no idea how long the tiger before him had been leading the boardwalk group, but it certainly seemed as though it was a long time. It was good, having a more experienced and calm voice working alongside him – even if Vaas certainly did have his moments where he came unhinged. Now, however, to hear genuine fear in Vaas's voice... it was unnerving, and the leader almost wanted to retreat. Run away, and find somewhere that was familiar, and more safe. However, he stood his ground, unwilling to give in to that little horrified inner voice.

When Vaas rushed forward, Rhine took in a harsh gasp of breath, a mix of fear and surprise. He wasn't really expecting Vaas to hurt him – he trusted the other, after all – but he couldn't deny that the sudden movement startled him. He allowed himself to settle into the other's firm grip, his pale blue gaze briefly falling shut as he muttered, "Yeah... you did good, Vaas. We're your family now, right? Or at least... I like to think that we are." He pulled back just enough to smile lightly up at Vaas, his grin crooked and kindhearted. He honestly did think of Vaas as family, even if their relationship had grown more and more complicated over time. He knew that Quasar felt close to the other – that alone was obvious through how harsh and emotional he had just sounded – and he didn't want to do anything to wreck that relationship. So, it was just easier to be that with Vaas – family. Nothing specific, but something that showed just how much he cared for the other male.

Maybe, some day, he'd be able to tell Vaas how he truly felt. Or figure out how he truly felt, really, since it wasn't as easy as all the books made it seem. One day, he and Vaas might be able to just sit together and talk, without any kind of crazy nonsense making things so much harder. Rhinestone knew that it was a long-shot, especially considering how much Palmclan seemed to be going through as of late, but a man could hope.

NEVER OPENED MYSELF THIS WAY
LIFE IS OURS, WE LIVE IT OUR WAY

— Reggan

[METEOR]

Quasar restlessly shifted from paw to paw, and his tails curled and coiled around each other. He meant every word, but he wanted to physically throw them into Vaas’s skull or otherwise cram them into the tiger’s mind. Words carried little weight on their own; why couldn’t people just change their mindset over night? He wished he could. And he thought Vaas might feel the same frustration at this unending war against your own mind.

“Isn’t that always the goal? To outlive. By any means necessary.” His yellow ears flicked back, and he glanced at Rhinestonestar, nervously anticipating a poor reaction from his adoptive father. But he leaned on his zealous independence to speak candidly. “I’m glad you did….”

He stood back, glancing between Rhinestonestar and Vaas as the two embraced. Deep physical contact like that rarely appealed to Quasar, and he stood away by choice. Yet one corner of his maw turned up in a lopsided smirk, as he’d anticipated this. Oh, hadn’t he seen this coming a month or more ago! Quasar covered his uncontainable smirk with a green paw, but his flicking tail tips betrayed his amusement.

“You’re the older brother I always wanted.” Quasar said the words with no hesitation, and he grinned wider after the confession. “So you better accept I’m your hermanito. Cause I’m not giving you much choice.”

[sub][W]isker[/sub]