A STILLNESS IN THE RAIN \ cherrypaw

[TWITCHBOLT]

Somehow, he'd ended up a bit separated from the rest of the hunting patrol- the thunderstorm had rolled in quickly, though Twitchbolt cold tell that it was only heavy fainfall and distant roaring. No lightning would shatter the forest, at least not for a long while- they were fine out here, and he took a few long moments to admire the clouds, wide eyes of green dancing with the light of crackling electricity and awe. Blinking up at the eruptive clouds through the snowmelt-soaked pine needles, a smile began to etch its way across his face. Slowly, Twitchbolt padded out of cover.

It was then he heard the shuffling of more paws- he whipped around to meet the intruder on his moment, pelt electric-prickling- only to settle his gaze upon Cherrypaw. Startlement faded from him instantaneously, the storm and the sight of a Clanmate working against his natural anxiety. A smile fluttered across his maw. "You alright?" To accompany his words, the sky flashed with light, and a growl of thunder rippled to punctuate them.

\ @Cherrypaw !!​

penned by pin ✧​

 

[Cherryblossom]

Cherrypaw had caught nothing so far, which was to be expected. All the critters and creepers would be sheltering in their dens now, something she longed to do too instead of continuing a futile search for them. The gray-black sky is a suffocating blanket; the water on the wind chokes her like a hand. Ambient static and ambient terror have cultivated her pelt into a bristling little land cloud, whose rapidly dishevling state is lost in the brain fog creeping up along her spine.

She almost gasps when a pair of bright olive eyes find her from beneath a potential shelter. "Twitchbolt?" The greeting is hissed and furtive, as though too loud of a noise would startle the storm into breaking. She frowns at the concern in it voice; it's really that obvious, huh? "I—GAH!" A shrill scream follows a heartbeat after a note of thunder slams across the sky. The girl shoots a sullen look towards the deputy as she scrambles beneath the dripping pine boughs. "What do you think?" she mutters sarcastically.

Twitchbolt seems to be alright enough though. Even in the gray, she can see the excitement in the faint lines of light on his face. In fact, she's probably ever only seen him like this under the cover of dim. He's been absolutely dandy the one time he, Slate, Orangeblossom, and she had gotten swamped in a snow storm. "What's up with you?" Contrary to the prickliness she offers him now, Cherrypaw has always liked Twitchbolt, or at least never disliked him, ever since she was a kit. Not enough to think he should be deputy, but then again, she wouldn't know who she would chose in his place.​

 

[TWITCHBOLT]

Her sarcastic response, bundled with thistle, was met with a flicker of amusement across his face. "I think maybe you're not..." For once, though... he knew there wasn't anything to worry about. Still shaking, of course, but with a distinct lack of fear about him. Weeping rain kept flattening the natural bristles of his scruffy pelt, and he kept his eyes on Cherrypaw as she padded beneath cover, thorned confusion barbing every word she sent his way. Fear, he could guess... an ever-pacing mind scrambled back to the sight of Snowpath's passing body, crushed beneath a felled tree.

That was a good reason. Still... in a rare time such as this that he was calm, Twitchbolt could maybe be some sort of rock. Perhaps. So long as she didn't expect it often. "Other than a lack of hunting luck, I'm- I'm fine," he asserted. The sky lit up again, a sheet of light sprawling across the cloud. Concentration fluttered on the bicolour's face for a few moments, gaze flicking skyward, whiskers trembling. It took a few seconds for thunder to boom, a low purr.

Olivine eyes alight with certainty, sparked with an amber flame of awe, met Cherrypaw's gaze then. "The thunder's not close enough to hurt us, you know." Sure, some cats didn't like the rain... but he knew startlement well in another. Stars, did he!​

penned by pin ✧​

 

[Cherryblossom]

Snowpath's death haunts every stormcloud over SkyClan territory, which is funny with how Cherrypaw barely remembers it or even blames it. Even if she thought about it, she could hardly blame someone for dying, especially on her behalf. Her mouth is a nest of nettles, yet Twitchbolt seems unfazed, even gently humorous with his response. While her ears are flattened against her head like her fur is soon to be against her body, the face of SkyClan's deputy is as slack as a drifting thread of spiderweb.

Lightning blooms in the sky, and Cherrypaw waits till the thunder finishes rolling across the clouds to make her dry remark: "I can tell." Sunkissed eyes narrow against the gossamer sheet of rain that reaches them beneath the shelter; in contrast, Twitchbolt's eyes are wide, as though to devour the entire cloud-filled horizon. As though storms tasted good to him. "You can't know that," she stubbornly huffs, wrapping her tail tigher around herself. "I mean, something could still happen." The calico suppresses a shudder, maybe of premonition, maybe of remembrance.​

 

[TWITCHBOLT]

Something could still happen. It was a phrase that ruled Twitchbolt's life, for the most part- that squealing terror that so persisitently speared itself into his skull, refusing to waver even when all the evidence went against it. In truth, he'd never understood why storms were the exception. They were predictable, though... in their danger and their safety. And this, this was a safe storm. The lightning was sheet rather than fork, the rain was abundant but not torrential.

He drew himself into the shelter then, though, sitting. "It won't," he assured, voice hoarse but gentle, soothing struggling through moons of vocal fry. "Listen to how long it takes for the thunder to reach us, after the lightning flashes." Waiting for a few moments for another flash to spill through the clouds, he nodded. Silence stretched luxuriously for a few moments, before the growl finally reached them. "It's far away, see? You... you don't have to like the storm, but you're safe." Was he being patronising? He hoped she wouldn't see it that way. It was an odd thing to know about, after all, but if it helped her...​

penned by pin ✧​

 

[Cherryblossom]

The mismatched tips of Cherrypaw's ears brush against the low-hanging branches of their shelter, sprinkling her with water droplets with every twitch. Any measure of protection from the unforgiving sky was a welcome one; one had to wonder if her fear of storms and the open sky went paw-in-paw. For no reason at all, Twitchbolt's reassurance makes the fur along her back stiffen with irritation. Of course nothing would happen, though she'd just said something still could. They've had plenty of Newleaf storms so far, and none had been of much consequence save for what had happened to the parents of Twitchbolt's own apprentice. Huh. And here they were, two cats alone in a storm so similar...

Cherrypaw grits her teeth. Her paws are practically buzzing. Her heart flutters and jumps about her ribcage like a mouse trapped by the tail. Ears press stubbornly against the back of her head, refusing to stand straight no matter how much she wills them to. Is this what it was like to be Twitchbolt? Jittery, paranoid, snappish? She glances at him. It's as though, beneath the cover of storm and sound, their bodies had secretly switched places.

The apprentice remains crouches as the deputy pulls himself into a sitting position. With a voice steadier than any time he'd issued patrols, he advises her to take a moment and listen to what scares her. Cherrypaw presses her lips into a flat line, curiosity shining through the doubt and dismissal. Like clockwork, lightning streaks through the sky, followed by a few terse heartbeats of sizzling rain punctured by a low rumble. "Sure...I guess..." she mumbles, giving her tail a few, futile licks. "I won't ever like these things," she continues, between nibbles of her tail. "You seem to like it," she adds pointedly, in the way of an observation that's actually a question that'd be too awkward to ask.​