ALL THE BATTLES NEVER WON [✦] Hailstorm

[LITTLE WOLF]

A hunting party with only two was a welcome respite from the groups that usually she ventured out with. Though going out on her own was sometimes preferable she had to admit that with everything that had happened lately it was no longer safe to traverse the territory alone. Dangerous rogues stalked the forest, dogs, boars, bears, you name it. Just last week, one of her kits mentors was killed by an adder even. Lately, it feels as if she will never get away from this never ending cycle of death and loss. Grief hangs over her like a black cloud, heavy and overbearing. She tries her best not to let it show, though, doing everything she can to keep her head above the water that threatens to pull her under. If not for her own sake then for her family and friends.

She looks to her companion, the white and gray tom that traversed the forest with her now. She does not know much about him, other than the fact that he seemed kind and kindness was a virtue that she often found herself appreciating in others, something she hopes that most see within her for she strives to always be kind and understanding when it can be afforded. "Do you have difficulty hunting in seasons that aren't leaf bare?" she finds herself asking her partner, genuinely curious and looking for a distraction to take her mind off her most recent losses. His brightly colored pelt sticks out like a sore thumb now but in the snow she imagines he would have an advantage over the rest of them at least. It was cats like Hailstorm that keep them afloat in the harsh throes of leaf-bare.

// @HAILSTORM.
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[GENTLESTORM]

( ❄ ) His whiskers twitched as he walked along the territory making sure not to step so loudly onto the leaves, in case, there was anything around them. Thoughts lingered in his mind over the recent events that had occurred to Thunderclan, those that died and those that were born around the same time. He recalled having helped Killdeercry carry the body of Scaleclaw back to camp, a brief troubled look on his face for just a moment before it vanished when Little Wolf began talking to him. Hailstorm offering her a warm smile though it faltered to a more sheepish one when he heard the question that she decided to ask him, his ears lowering down briefly brushing against his head and he let out a chuckle "I do. It's not easy hunting while looking like a mound of moving snow," He answered her back tilting his head to the side and added with a nod "Sometimes, I wish I had a darker coat. It would be a lot easier for other seasons,"

Maybe if he had one similar to Little Wolf hunting would be the least of his problems but despite his honesty, he knows that his coat is beneficial for leaf-bare considering that he was a lot less easier to spot and his longer coat made the cold bearable. Sometimes, he misses the crunch of snow underneath his paws but he didn't miss it that much considering that meant less prey for his clanmates. Hailstorm would simply need to accept the crunch of leaves beneath his paws instead, he made sure to keep his voice low and was trying to be attentive of his surroundings. His warm gaze focused on Little Wolf deciding to continue their conversation to break the silence that would distract the both of them from their thoughts "What about you? Is there a season where you don't have any trouble?" He could imagine she didn't have any issues aside from possibly leaf-bare but part of he knows that Little Wolf likely gets by it, she's a smart feline... It shouldn't be much of an issue. ​

( O SOL PEDIU A ; LUA EM CASAMENTO )

 

[LITTLE WOLF]

She can't help herself, a breathy laugh escapes her mouth at the other warriors declaration that he looks like a walking pile of snow. Her eyes crinkle at the corners and her whiskers twitch in amusement as she turns her head slightly to look at him from the corner of her eye. Like most of her clanmates, but especially, she is finding, her kits, she has to look up to find those amber colored eyes. He says sometimes he wishes he had a darker colored coat and that elicits another small laugh from her "And I sometimes wish mine was lighter!" she's of course, thinking of how her pelt absorbs the heat in green-leaf but does little to keep her warm in leaf-bare, not to mention she sticks out like a sore claw among the rolling fields of white that blanket the lands during the cold seasons. The prey is always jucier in another part of the forest though, she knows that it was just a matter of wanting something she does not have, or wondering what her life would be like if she had been born differently. Would she still be the same Little Wolf? Questions for a different time perhaps...

"I have trouble in green-leaf and leaf-bare" she tells him, playfully rolling her eyes "Green-leaf is too hot, my pelt feels as if it's going to combust sometimes, and leaf-bare is too cold, plus the snow does me no favors" her tone is light as she speaks and she actually finds herself enjoying herself, the first time in a long time she's been able to just forget her many troubles and enjoy herself. It almost makes her feel light-headed. "I like new-leaf the most" she admits quietly, her voice turning soft "It's when all the plants start waking up from their long slumber, there's life everywhere, bellies get filled and the weather is good" there were still signs across the territory of the fire that had swept through last green-leaf, but it was coming back, slowly but surely the forest was mending itself. "What about you? Do you have a favorite?" she asks, her gaze flickering upwards so that green meets amber in a brief second before she looks forwards again, concentrating on where she was going so as not to stumble over anything.



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[GENTLESTORM]

( ❄ ) A stupid grin present on his face when he hears Little Wolf laugh at his comment about looking like walking snow, he head tilts to the side slightly when amber eyes meet with green ones and couldn't help but let out his own chuckle when he hears that she wishes she had a lighter coat. "Perhaps we can trade coats if that's the case," Hailstorm would say jokingly still keeping his eyes on the smaller warrior and began to let his thoughts wander, he started to imagine himself with a darker coat like Little Wolf's. How much easier it would be for him to hunt during the seasons that lacked snow but green-leaf being incredibly hot and him likely keeping his plush coat. Alright, maybe it wasn't ideal. "I'll trade you around leaf-bare or else I'll be Charredstorm. Deal?" A sheepish grin tugging at the sides of his mouth, it would've been rather nice to trade coats with someone else but it'd be a little weird too if he thought about it a little too long.

Hailstorm let's out a soft snort of amusement continuing to listen to her talking about having issues in green-leaf and leaf-bare, warm amber eyes wandering up to the sky briefly before focusing on Little Wolf once more "I can't imagine having a thick coat and a dark one like yours during green-leaf." He muses finding that he's enjoying Little Wolf's company during this hunt of theirs and hummed quietly to himself mentioning the snow. New-leaf being brought up and how she likes that season the most is what makes him nod his head in agreement, it was true that there was usually new life both in plants and within the clans around that time, they needn't worry about the heat that green-leaf brings either which was a plus. When she asked if he had a favorite, a thoughtful hum left him and he should've been paying attention cause he nearly stumbled on the roots of a tree before he straightened his posture with a soft laugh to cover up for his embarrassment.

"Whoops," Hailstorm grinned at her making sure that he didn't stumble on anything else while they walked adding in a more hushed voice in that joking tone of his, "I hope I didn't alert the entire forest with that." Now back to thinking about what his favorite seasons were but being more of an attentive Hailstorm, he didn't want to be seen as such a fool to Little Wolf even if he was admittedly a goofball. "I gotta say... New-leaf and, I know, predictable Hailstorm, but leaf-bare... Though mainly for the snow, I love how it feels under my paws and it helps having a rather long coat. And maybe the slight advantage to having a lighter coat when it comes to hunting," His ear flicks to the side, the other seasons were nice but those two were his most preferred "And minus the cold, runny noses during leaf-bare." He finished with a nod.

"And getting sick." He added in his mind and had a thoughtful expression for a moment before speaking once more, "What are some of your favorite activities to do during new-leaf?" A warm smile on his face as his eyes met once with hers once more then shifted his attention away so he didn't end up falling face first into some leaves and ears perking forward occassionally twitching to catch any sounds of potential prey around them.​

( O SOL PEDIU A ; LUA EM CASAMENTO )

 

[LITTLE WOLF]

Her whiskers twitch in amusement. "Charredstorm is an excellent name, in fact I think you should change it now" she says, her tone serious but the look on her face is playful. "If I wake up someday and I'm suddenly much bigger with a snow-colored coat you can call me hmmmm" she thinks for a moment, trying to think of what the opposite of the name Little Wolf would be "Big Bear" she decides out loud.

Hailstorm says that he can't imagine having a dark coat like hers and a plush coat like his and instantly her mind drifts to someone with that exact dilemma. "My son, Burnstorm, he has my fur color with a coat like.. yours. Green-leaf is not his favorite season either" she muses. He had made it clear the other night when they had shared tongues and he had expressed how he was jealous of Moonpaw's lightly colored pelt, or Skypaw's short fur. She had almost said his name but she held herself back. Speaking his name out loud would only bring in a flood of emotions that she didn't particularly wish to face right now. She is almost thankful when the cat next to her stumbles, it is a distraction from the thoughts of sky-blue eyes and golden colored fur that are already spinning in her head. She stops and looks, concerned and her eyes look down to the other warriors legs, assessing to make sure that nothing was twisted or broken. She breaths a sigh of relief when everything is fine and then she lifts her head to the sky, mouth parting to drink open the air, trying to scent if there was any prey nearby "The birds did not take flight so it should be okay. I'm just glad you weren't hurt" Her voice is softens at the last part.

They continue walking, their destination the Great Sycamore, a large tree that stands above all the others. The prey was good there and it was still far enough away that none of the prey there should have heard her patrol-mates cry. He continues their conversation from earlier, saying that his favorite season was new-leaf too, that and leaf-bare. "There are some things I enjoy about leaf-bare" she admits. "It can be peaceful and the way the snow looks in the morning, undisturbed, it's really pretty" as much as she enjoyed the little things like the way the forest slept, there was also just too many things not to enjoy about leaf-bare. She thinks of her mothers eyes, desperate and hungry as she tells her warriors they would take Sunning rocks. She thinks of her kits, her siblings, skinny and desperate to bring anything back. Leaf-bare would always be the hunger moons to her and that would marr her opinion greatly. She keeps this to herself, though, not wanting to ruin the light-hearted beat with pessimism.

His question prompts her to think, and for a second she is silent, mulling over the answer. "I like to walk around the forest" she finally says after a moment of quiet "I like to walk around and see what is different, what is coming back and what isn't, I like to watch how things change it makes me feel like like I dunno like if change is a part of nature perhaps it isn't so scary" oh how she wishes things wouldn't change sometimes. But even the plants are not invincible against the passage of time and that brought a small comfort to her.

Finally, the pair are at their destination. Little Wolf pauses in the clearing and looks around, eyes instinctively drawing first to the massive tree that had been a landmark in the forest for as long as she could remember. "I think I hear mice over there, a burrow. Perhaps I could chase them out and if you hide I could drive them right into your paws" she suggests, eyes shining as she thinks about how much prey they could possibly be taking home with them today.
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[GENTLESTORM]

( ❄ ) What she says next about changing his name to Charredstorm now made a laugh slip out of his jaws despite her serious tone, his ears would slip back brushing briefly against his head and listens to her come up with a name for herself. "Big Bear, huh? I like that sound of that actually." Hailstorm would find a small rock to stand upon that was a little ways from them, he looked down at Little Wolf with a serious face though he was struggling to hold onto it and it showed with the way the corner of his mouth would twitch. "From this day forward and to the end of time, you shall be Big Bear. And I shall be Charredstorm," His chest puffed out with mock pride before chanting both of the names quietly "Big Bear! Charredstorm! Big Bear!"

That grin still present even after the brief chanting and slipped off the rock to rejoin Little Wolf in making their way to Great Sycamore, his whiskers twitching and nodded in agreement "Yeah... I feel bad for the kid especially in this weather." He mumbles quietly, Hailstorm was grateful in that aspect that his coat wasn't dark or it would've been a beacon for the sunlight and he definitely would've been Charredstorm. Or Burntpelt. Both of those names making his eyes light up with amusement though once he regained his composure and Little Wolf checked him over, the snowy furred warrior chuckled softly "That's good and I don't have to worry too much, I have the mighty Big Bear with me." He says warmly continuing to walk alongside her making sure he didn't stumble once more or else, he would end up startling some prey away with how clumsy and inattentive he was being currently.

Little Wolf was distracting him but in a positive way and not that he'd admit that not wanting to sound dumb, it would be better to keep that to himself. They were more focused on more important things and he didn't want to interrupt that with one of his silly little thoughts. Hailstorm's ears perked forward continuing to listen to her soft words before speaking "Yeah, the snow is very lovely. Although, the other things about leaf-bare are rather... Crummy." He admits with a shake of his head briefly dipping into similar thoughts with the smaller warrior, the snow was nice especially fresh new snow but the rest of that cold season was definitely not the finest conditions to be living in, they struggled. Everyone did. He pushed away these thoughts, tune them out, and focus on what the ebony feline said.

After her answer, there is a soft, warm smile on his maw and honestly, that was sounded... Wonderful? Wonderful. "I'd love to join you at some point for those walks, if you'll have me, of course. And when it isn't as hot." The last part of what he said, he brought back that soft joking tone once more. And he truly meant it. Even now with the two of them, it was relaxing, the both of them could breathe and forget their worries even if briefly. Plus, they were being rather productive by hunting and benefiting the clan. That's a win-win type of deal in Hailstorm's mind and he's sure that his friend would agree as well.

His ears rotated forward and eyes lit up seeing that they finally arrived at their destination after some walking and talking, he nodded to her saying in a quieter voice "Perfect. I'll go hide," And with that, Hailstorm carefully slipped away to find a little spot with several little plants that he could hide within and crouches waiting for Little Wolf.​

( O SOL PEDIU A ; LUA EM CASAMENTO )