private a million reasons - flycatcher

[Flamestar]

Hues of oranges and reds filled camp as the sun began to leave the sky. Near the warriors den, Flamewhisker sat with Falconheart, drawing her tongue over his shoulder as they shared tongues. She had unwillingly followed Flycatcher's orders since their disagreement over her spending too much time with their son. She was talking to him about Acornpaw's training session earlier that day, when a familiar scent started to grow stronger. As she looked up, she spotted her mate padding towards them. She narrowed her eyes slightly, and flicked her ear, a cue for Falconheart to excuse them for a moment.

Once the cream tabby left, she defensively stood to her paws. "What? Am I not allowed to talk to him now either?" she challenged. ​

★ don't need to save me

• @Flycatcher​
• 
  FLAMEWHISKER of THUNDERCLAN
  LH red tabby with low white (masks black tabby, carries dilute, solid)
  — Lead Warrior of Thunderclan ; currently mentoring Acornpaw
  — she/her ; mated with Flycatcher
  — mother to Stormfeather & Falconheart
  — 28 moons ; ages on the 20th
  — Smells like dirt, old leaves, tree sap, faint hint of flowers
  — will start a fight, will finish fights, will kill (case depending)
  — "speech" ; thoughts ; attacks
  — penned by Icey ! ; link to tags
  — link to toyhouse​

 

[Flycatcher]

For her part, Flamewhisker had done as he requested and kept off many patrols with their son. He could not stop them spending time in camp though, so when she challenges him, he blinks in surprise, clearly taken aback by the aggressive stance she has suddenly taken. "I was merely coming to say hello, but I can see you've clearly woken up with a thorn in your paw so I'll leave you to your business," Flycatcher responded coolly, the twitching of his tail being the only indicator of his true agitation. His gaze flickered back to their son before noticing a few stares of clanmates nearby. "If you wish to talk civilly, you can meet me outside of camp," Flycatcher mewed to her in a slightly hushed tone. "I will not argue with you in front of the warriors."

A curt nod was given to their son before he pushed on, already heading towards the exit of camp. Flycatcher didn't need to wait to see if she would respond and agree to come, he knew she would. There were clearly things that the two of them needed to discuss.​

 

[Flamestar]

At his comment about her having a thorn in her paw, she decides to not respond verbally...a huff and a tail lash says all she needs. If you wish to talk civilly, you can meet me outside of camp, She had been mostly avoiding him for the past couple days, and she truthfully didn't want to talk to him now, but she supposed she would follow him. He turned around and headed out the tunnel, not looking back at her. The gesture made her skin crawl, angering her in more ways than one. His orders were mouse brained, just as Fallowpaw had said...but the simple fact that she was angry at him made her angry. They are mates...they weren't supposed to argue.

She cast her gaze to the clanmates that were staring at them, and she lifted her chin to ignore them. It was no secret that they hadn't been getting along lately, but she refused to give them any satisfaction of gossip. It was a given that as soon as they left the camp, the rumors would ignite.

Flamewhisker followed him out of the camp, staying several fox-tail lengths behind him. Her fur was prickling, and she stared at the back of his head so fiercely it would be a miracle if he didn't notice. Once they were far enough away, she stomped a front foot down and lashed her tail. "Why are you keeping me away from him?" she demanded, her voice cold and raw. ​

★ don't need to save me

• ​
• 
  FLAMEWHISKER of THUNDERCLAN
  LH red tabby with low white (masks black tabby, carries dilute, solid)
  — Lead Warrior of Thunderclan ; currently mentoring Acornpaw
  — she/her ; mated with Flycatcher
  — mother to Stormfeather & Falconheart
  — 28 moons ; ages on the 20th
  — Smells like dirt, old leaves, tree sap, faint hint of flowers
  — will start a fight, will finish fights, will kill (case depending)
  — "speech" ; thoughts ; attacks
  — penned by Icey ! ; link to tags
  — link to toyhouse​

 

[Flycatcher]

Despite his earlier certainty that Flamewhisker could come, when he waits for her beyond camp he has a brief fluttering of doubt she won't come. He is oddly relieved when he hears her stomp, glad that despite the obvious anger displayed on her face, she wants to talk things out between the two of them.

"I told you that I don't think you should be on as many patrols together. I didn't tell you to stay away from him entirely," Flycatcher pointed out, his tail still twitching. As deputy, he assigned patrols, and other than hunting patrols he was able to make sure they went on separate patrols. But he could not control what they did in and around camp. "Since you came back from the mountains you've hardly left Falconheart's side. I can't stop you from speaking to him if you wish Flamewhisker - he's our son for StarClan's sake - but it's becoming a bit of an issue. There's been talk of you showing favouritism. Focusing your attention solely on Falconheart instead of your clanmates equally."The blue tom exhales deeply, trying to cool the agitation blooming within him. "Falconheart is a warrior now. We can't spend all our time watching over him as it was when he and Stormfeather were kits."​

 

[Flamestar]

After he finished, she remained eerily quiet for a few moments. She gritted her teeth together, and her claws sunk into the frozen dirt beneath their paws. Pain, anger, grief, and guilt burned through her blood, igniting a combination of feelings that were almost too hard for her to control. "I have to" she exclaimed, her legs felt weak but her claws sturdied her as she sunk them deeper into the ground. Their clanmates were accusing her of favoritism, but they didn't understand. Nobody understood.

"I can't let anything happen to him. I won't" Her was stained, but she forced the words out. "I won't let us lose another kit. I can't fail him like I failed Stormfeather...That should have been me laying crippled in the medicine den, not her! She had her whole life ahead of her, and because I wasn't there now she is basically an elder." Tears dripped from her face, but she didn't walk towards him. "I would have let those dogs tear me apart if it meant she could have gotten away unharmed!"

We can't spend all our time watching over him as it was when he and Stormfeather were kits

His words were not harsh, but they stung nonetheless. There was nothing but the truth in them, and she could see it regardless of how she felt. Their kits were indeed not kits anymore, but she still wanted to protect them like they were. She wondered briefly if this was how her mother had felt, but her mother had not made it to see Flame or her siblings at adulthood. "I just..I don't..." she fumbled for words, before finally her gaze darkened in defeat. "I don't know how to let them go."
​

★ don't need to save me

• ​
• 
  FLAMEWHISKER of THUNDERCLAN
  LH red tabby with low white (masks black tabby, carries dilute, solid)
  — Lead Warrior of Thunderclan ; currently mentoring Acornpaw
  — she/her ; mated with Flycatcher
  — mother to Stormfeather & Falconheart
  — 28 moons ; ages on the 20th
  — Smells like dirt, old leaves, tree sap, faint hint of flowers
  — will start a fight, will finish fights, will kill (case depending)
  — "speech" ; thoughts ; attacks
  — penned by Icey ! ; link to tags
  — link to toyhouse​

 

[Flycatcher]

Flycatcher watched her with a pained expression. This whole situation was a difficult one and deep down he did not have the words to truly convey how he truly felt. Flamewhisker tearfully tells him that she would have rather it be her that had been injured by the dogs and be crippled in Berryheart's den. "I would have rather it haven been neither of you," Flycatcher says truthfully. Rather selfishly he wishes it had been a cat from another clan instead. He wishes that his kin had gotten to return home unscathed from the mountains. That his daughter would be leading a proud life as a ThunderClan warrior.

"You don't have to let them go, Flame. You - we - just have to learn when to step back," Flycatcher tells her, taking a step forward but not quite closing the gap between them. "After what happened with Lilykit and Butterflykit I think we'll always be a little more protective over our kits than most. But we have to realise that sometimes things are just outside of our control, and neither we nor StarClan can stop things from happening."​