private ALL THE LITTLE PLEBIANS ] sootspot

[BLUEFROST]

Bluefrost had seen that venomous look in Sootspot's eyes, so like their mother's, and she knows it had not been him sick on that dawn patrol. Her sister's wide blue eyes, trembling like the surface of a rippling lake, flash in her mind as she approaches her older brother on confident paws. The two of them are due to join a tunneling patrol, but she casts him aside, separating him from the rest of the cats with her tail. "A word, please." She knows it's in his nature to refuse her, so she tests her authoritative voice out — her lead warrior voice, long-cultivated by Sootstar's careful guidance.

When she's assured no ears are twisted their direction, Bluefrost whirls on Sootspot. Her mouth is a tight, firm line. "What do you know?" She flicks her tattered ear, determination stiffening in her gut like undigested prey. "We both know you were not sick. What do you intend to do?"

There is no love lost between us, she realizes with a start. She shares blood — Sootstar's blood — with her eldest sibling, but he has always detested her, has always envied her place in the Clan, her place alongside their mother. Who knew what angers he harbored toward Cottonsprig, star-blessed, star-chosen? Her pelt prickles faintly, and though a wave of nausea washes sour onto her tongue like a low tide, she resists the urge to get sick herself.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: @SOOTSPOT
• 
• Bluekit . Bluepaw . Bluefrost, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 16 moons old, ages realistically on the 14th.
  — mentored by Sootstar ; mentoring Brackenpaw ; previously mentored n/a.
  — windclan warrior. sootstar x weaselclaw, gen 2.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  lh blue smoke she-cat with white and emerald eyes. aloof, dignified, poised, haughty, composed, distant.
  
  

​

 

[SOOTSPOT]

The Lead Warrior's voice caused Sootspot's ears to twitch, his gaze disinterested in the other and the one she tried to use with him. Compliance came out of curiosity, and on gliding pawsteps, he followed his sister. When he had planted snake eggs within Cottonsprig's nest last moon, it had meant to be a reminder of what she would never have, what she should have had to sacrifice to be Sootstar's golden kit. But, the fear in her eyes, when he'd stumbled upon her, was like nothing he had seen before, it was as if she was scared of him, scared of the power he held over her place in WindClan - and he could only hypothesise that there was one reason for it. Then, Bluefrost all but confirmed it for him - asking, no, demanding that he tell her what he believed, Sootspot couldn't help but tilt his head at such a blatant admittance.

Her rank made her one of Sunstar's confidants, but in Sootspot's eyes, it did not give her any power over the conversation. Here, it made her weaker than him, a pillar of the clan so fragile that one gust of wind could send it all tumbling down. He met her gaze easily, almost amused by the turn of events, the look marred only by the distaste in his smile towards his sister. 'She knows what Cotton has done'.

"I have not decided yet." he admitted the half-truth, running his tongue over his lips. "Sunstar would be very keen to know of a codebreak within the medicine den... and that one of his own council is complicit in." Accusation glinted in his sight, even if it were not true, he could make it so. He lets the thought sit dangerously - would their rogue leader be willing to entertain such rulebreaks from Sootstar's kin? Briefly, he knew it would implicate him too, but at that moment, his mother's madness shone through, telling him that it was worth the hardship if it meant getting back at his sisters. "But... . I find myself in need of some friends within the council. With some good friends, I suppose yours and Cottonsprig's transgressions may just slip my mind."




​

 

[BLUEFROST]

Bluefrost stills as he smiles in her direction. No, there is no love in his expression, no familial affection. It is cold and amused, tight. He did not know. He suspected, but he did not know. Her brother is more cunning than her, and she feels the earth shift under her paws as though it's made of unstable ground. I am sorry, Cottonsprig. She grits her teeth at the slow, meandering way he speaks, the way he runs his tongue over his lips as though Bluefrost has presented him with a prime piece of fresh-kill.

"I have not decided yet." She peels her lips away from her teeth, marring her beauty. "Tell Sunstar whatever you wish. He would never believe you." But it doesn't matter, does it, when Cottonsprig's belly has begun to swell, when her sickness has laid claim to her fragile belly? Bluefrost clamps her jaws together, irritation rippling through her pelt.

He threatens her. Blackmail. Bluefrost feels sick at being subjected to his mercy. Almost subconsciously, the tunneler puts a white paw to her equally swelling belly. "Just what is it you want?"

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: —
• 
• Bluekit . Bluepaw . Bluefrost, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 16 moons old, ages realistically on the 14th.
  — mentored by Sootstar ; mentoring Brackenpaw ; previously mentored n/a.
  — windclan warrior. sootstar x weaselclaw, gen 2.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  lh blue smoke she-cat with white and emerald eyes. aloof, dignified, poised, haughty, composed, distant.
  
  

​

 

[SOOTSPOT]

His eyes squinted at her defiance, his shallow heartbeat stilling even further. The arrogant calm upon the Tunneler's maw reached a point of being near-expressionless, absent of motivation. "Would you take that risk for your sister?" Staring her down, he decided what he would tell Cottonsprig, should she ever wish to seek him out. The gentle swaying of his tail settled to a halt, limbs tense, as if prepared to bolt towards the Leader's den at a moment's provocation. In the end, he didn't have to go anywhere. In a moment of vulnerability, Bluefrost covered her belly as if he had any interest in harming the beasts within. He relaxed, reclining upon his haunches with snakelike eyes once more animating. "Fear not, I would not ask the forest of you when you are incapable of claiming even a branch."

He was strong now, strong enough to let all those feelings simmer to the surface without fear of repercussion. Even the lightest insult would loosen his tongue to Sunstar, and though they were seldom kin anymore, he figured Bluefrost must have known his pride. Try as he might, it was not the best kept secret. "I always thought your promotion was... undeserving. I betrayed Sootstar by choice, but you? You were forced to and even now, I see more of her in you than ever. Yet... Sunstar must see you as a prize or a dog... because it was you who wormed a way into his council with empty promises of loyalty and devotion. Make it make sense, right?" He let out a little chuckle, hollow of any good humour.

He did not have enough toes to count the sacrifices he had made for WindClan, yet they admonished him for it, villainised him for it. But, deeper than self-righteousness, Sootspot felt envy - envy that such loathesome creatures could be approved by the Stars whilst he was left to squander. "Just... remind him who the better sibling is for me, would you?"
​

 

[BLUEFROST]

Sootspot's chartreuse gaze narrows. "Would you take that risk for your sister?" And despite her defiance, he must sense the hesitation that runs like an electric current beneath her steely facade. Her mouth tightens, the teeth clicking together, grinding uncomfortably. The paw at her belly lingers; she catches him looking there as though he's amused. "Fear not. I would not ask the forest of you when you are incapable of claiming even a branch."

Bluefrost's ears flatten. Her muzzle is pointed as a fox's, lips still curled with anger. "My promotion has nothing to do with this. Sunstar believed in me." He's pressed a bruise, though, and it shows in the way she lashes her tail, the tension in her shoulders. "I betrayed Sootstar by choice, but you? You were forced to and even now, I see more of her in you than ever."

"What do you mean by that?" What little composure she has left vanishes. She sinks her claws into the dusty floor of the clearing, her whiskers stiff and trembling with halted breath. "I have done nothing to betray my Clan since she died. I have done... I have done everything asked of me!"

Except for the kits in your belly, a voice chides her. Except for the golden tabby pelt you pushed your nose into, that you twined your tail with.

Sootspot's gaze simmers with envy, with barely-concealed disgust.

What remains of her love for him crumbles between them.

"You want me to lie to Sunstar, then? Is that it? Fine." She laughs, but it's falsely confident. He will be able to tell, she knows, but she does not know how else to conduct herself when she does not have the upper paw. "Just... leave Cottonsprig alone." She has enough problems without your meddling, she wants to spit, but she manages to refrain.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: —
• 
• Bluekit . Bluepaw . Bluefrost, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 16 moons old, ages realistically on the 14th.
  — mentored by Sootstar ; mentoring Brackenpaw ; previously mentored n/a.
  — windclan warrior. sootstar x weaselclaw, gen 2.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  lh blue smoke she-cat with white and emerald eyes. aloof, dignified, poised, haughty, composed, distant.
  
  

​

 

[SOOTSPOT]

He swiveled his head slowly towards her, eyeing her as if she had just said something blasphemous. In some ways, she had. It was easy for Sootspot to see himself as the better choice for Lead Warrior. When he had served Sootstar's council and come out unscathed, when he had learned information that could've saved the clan if they'd listened to them, when he had given his all on every Tunneling patrol - to him, it was as if the only reason Sunstar did not give him Bluefrost's spot was that he was too much of a threat. His whiskers twitched in dry amusement. "Is that what you think?"

His ears flattened as his accusations riled her. Sensing a weakspot, he pushed further, chest puffed out like a too-proud rooster. "You are just like her, no, worse, the way you beckoned me over as if I owe you something. You lie for your sister instead of doing your duty to your clan and being truthful. You are a Lead Warrior, expected to be at Sunstar's beck-and-call, instead, you flee to the Nursery for seven moons, as if two Nursery-bound Council were not enough. No... you are no more loyal than a leech that has had its fill. It is just a shame there are cats desperate enough to let you attach to them." Which begged the question... just who had been sycophantic enough to become her mate?

It wasn't something he got the chance to vex her with, for words escaped her muzzle that was a greater insult than anything he could say to her. Anger shot across his expression like a bolt of lightning, teeth bared in a half-smile, half-grimace. She was false, gravely so, but an ego that demanded perfection could not help but heed the lie. He wasn't lying to Sunstar at all! He was just... using Bluefrost to persuade him. "Careful." Claws unsheathed as he spoke. "Make no mistake this is a mercy I am offering you and Cottonsprig. Say that again and I will not be so kind as to keep her secret." Sootspot stared, unblinking, unmoving, waiting for Bluefrost to be the first one to look away before he even dared to animate his face with anything that wasn't disapproval.

When she relented, his posture straightened, an all-too-pleasant smile forming upon his maw as if he had not just been ready to reveal the truth. It was a look he had given to clanmates plenty of times before, rehearsed in the face of frustration to the point of sincerity. Yet, he wouldn't be surprised if Bluefrost had learned within the last few minutes just how toxic his happiness was. Still, he was confident she could do nothing about it. He held her future in his charred paws and would sever the limbs itself if it meant taking that away. "Do as you are told and you will have no issues from me. Now... we have a patrol to attend, do we not?"
​

 

[BLUEFROST]

Sootspot's ears flatten, and he pushes forward with teeth bared and venomous spittle bubbling at he corners of his mouth. "You are just like her," he bites, and Bluefrost visibly flinches away from the accusation. No. But every word he spits is like claws drawn over her ears. Yes — she had demanded Sootspot join her, had commanded his presence the way her mother might have, but — but that is her right! Yes — she had protected Cottonsprig over revealing her sister's secret to Sunstar, but — but that's her kin! And then his final blow, the kits in her belly — she backs away from him, her green eyes cold as frost.

"I may be a leech, but I am still your superior, Sootspot." She bares her teeth again, but the fight has gone out of her. She knows her brother has won this spat — has won, really, in general. She cannot speak against him for fear of his revealing Cottonsprig's secret.

Bluefrost stares at him, bile burning her throat. You are the one who is most like her. Not me. It's defensive. It's desperate. She does not know if it's true or not.

"Yes. We do. Let us go." She swallows her anger and whirls on her paws, her tufted tail upright and bristling behind her. She has lost, and — stars, she feels every bruise from the battle sunken against her flesh.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: —
• 
• Bluekit . Bluepaw . Bluefrost, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 17 moons old, ages realistically on the 14th.
  — mentored by Sootstar ; mentoring Brackenpaw ; previously mentored n/a.
  — windclan lead warrior and queen. sootstar x weaselclaw, gen 2.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  lh blue smoke she-cat with white and emerald eyes. aloof, dignified, poised, haughty, composed, distant.
  
  

​