Post by DELAWARE on May 19, 2023 14:38:08 GMT -8
this thread takes place in spring 2022.
Piper inhaled the cool scent of rain as he emerged from his dreams. The storm had finally broken, then. It had been threatening throughout the day, clouds so low and ominous and heavy it plunged the city into a dull gray twilight, but it seemed to have been waiting for dusk to unleash the torrent. He could not have slept long - it was late afternoon when he curled up for a nap, and the glimmer of blue-gray beyond the warehouse windows told him that behind the clouds, there was a sun still somewhere - but night was fast approaching. He tilted his head, listening to the murmurs of the Clan beyond his den. No distinct words could be heard over the gentle pattering of rain on the warehouse's metal roof, but the peaceful mood carried, and Piper relaxed a little, as he always did, to know his Clan was safe.
He pushed himself out of his nest, wincing slightly at the ache in his leg. Storms were always hard, and this particular one had unleashed the worst kind of torture on his old injury, the fluctuating barometric pressure giving him no end of grief. Even his wheelchair had not helped much; though it allowed him to be mobile, it could do nothing for the pain of swelling joints. Still, now that the storm had landed, he felt better than he had all day - enough to make his way out of his den and down to the floor. He used his ramp, though. He did not quite have enough faith to try and perform the more athletic jump. Setting himself on a route towards the front door, he took his time in wending through the Clan, giving greetings here, receiving a report there. In the beginning it had been hard for him to fall into this easy socialization, the routine but necessary upkeep of a good leader, but now it was mindless, pleasant even. One of the many things, Piper reflected to himself as he paused by the door, that had changed.
There was still the slightest smudge of lightness to the clouds when Piper stuck his head out, but it was fading fast. Directly in front of him, he could make out the shadowy shape of the night watch, about a block from the warehouse. He squinted, then frowned. There were supposed to be two cats on watch tonight, and yet, despite the distortion of the rainy haze, the distant silhouette looked very much like only one. Ears flicking against the rain, Piper set out, heart clenching slightly in anxiety despite the cool, logical reassurance of his mind that nothing had happened, there was no danger, he could simply go back to bed if he truly wanted. But Piper had not lived this long by believing in platitudes, even when they came from himself. BloodClan might have been peaceful for the past year, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.
He could not approach quietly, though the rain helped. The sentry - who was most definitely alone and facing away from him, Piper concluded as he drew nearer, which meant (since any scent was obscured by the rain) that chances for identification dropped straight to zero - would hear him in a moment. More to stave off any unexpected aggression or accusations of creeping up, he called in half-polite alert, half-greeting, all terrible small talk - "Evening. Nice weather we're having, isn't it?" God; Tinsel had truly seized him from the jaws of death just so he could turn into a massive bore.
[ ooc WOW first post back omg. + JAMIE sorry it's a bit rough lol. decided to set it in early 2022 bc it's implausible to me they haven't had a heart to heart by irl now... notes for the bc timeline are going to be released soon but for the purposes of this thread: axel died/piper returned in jan 2018; he and tinsel have been leading bc since then, with goals of restoration/peace/healing in the clan and with the rest of the city; it's been a rocky journey but they've finally had their first entirely peaceful year. piper also has been trundling around in a cat wheelchair thanks to tinsel, but he can get around without it if he needs. think that's it but if you have q's, let me know! ]
