private AND BE A SIMPLE KIND OF MAN ] howlingstar

[RACCOONSTRIPE]

Raccoonstripe wastes no time dawdling in camp after he and the other warriors return from escorting the exiled cats to the border. His pelt is ruffled, full of tiny twigs and and scraps of leaf litter, and his eyes shine with burning anger he can't let go of. His gait takes him straight to the mouth of his mother's den, and he does his best to slow his beating heart, to calm the flames smoldering in his belly. "They've gone," he reports. "If I see any signs of them on ThunderClan territory again, I'll claw their pelts off."

His expression is dark, his brown eyes almost coal-black as he broods. His mother is settled into her nest, looking older than he's ever seen her. Just moments before, Howlingstar had held the Clan in her grasp, imposing her will upon the exiled with bared teeth and a sharp, commanding voice, but he sees almost none of that here now.

"None of it is your fault," he says after a few heartbeats. "Those cats have been stirring trouble for at least a moon now. None of us could have known it would lead to them threatening their Clanmates..." His tail lashes, even as he thinks, Couldn't we have? Should I have seen this coming sooner?

Raccoonstripe goes to Howlingstar's nest and settles his striped bulk beside her. He has not been this close to her since his kithood — and he sinks into her side, laying his head on her shoulder, beginning to groom the fur there. For just a moment, she is not his leader, nor he her lead warrior; they are mother and son, sharing tongues for what seems like the first time since he'd grown.

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

• ooc: —
• 
• Raccoon . Raccoonstripe, he/him w/ masculine terms.
  — "speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 43 moons old, ages realistically on the 5th.
  — mentored by n/a ; mentoring Thistlepaw ; previously mentored Wildheart, Moonwhisper
  — thunderclan lead warrior. gray wolf x howlingstar, gen 2.
  — currently mated to Nightbird.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  lh black tabby with white and dark brown eyes. charismatic, charming, calculating, ambitious, shallow, manipulative.
  
  

​

 

[HOWLINGSTAR]

A pair of familiar, blazing amber eyes pierce the darkness of her den. She lifts her head from her nest, exhaustion weighing down her features. His roughened fur and burning, angry eyes cause her own stomach to twist - stars, how she hates to see her kit like this. "I know you will." She doesn't doubt him for a moment. Ever-loyal, ever-protective of his clan. She beckons him close, but her ears twitch as he listens to his words.

A gentle smile graces silvering lips, his presence a comfort in all of this. "I won't give them that power; I won't let them believe ThunderClan is at all weak. We know our worth more than that, don't we?" No, she knows very well this is not her fault. She is just glad they were caught in time before anyone was hurt. As her son settles beside her, she leans into him, closing her eyes. His grooming brings a soothed calm to her, even if only briefly. "Thank you, Raccoonstripe...for being here." She finally murmurs, her voice betraying the strain she feels. She lets herself feel her age for a moment and sinks into her nest, her head resting back on her paws. "I'm proud of you." The utter is soft, affectionate, as green eyes flutter up towards him. "How you've always remained strong and steadfast. Your father gave you that fierce heart, I just know it."​

 

[RACCOONSTRIPE]

"I know you will," she says, and it's the faith of a leader in her warrior, the faith of a mother in her son. Raccoonstripe's angry expression softens at her tone. She is tired, but she has not given up hope. The tabby feels her lean into him, and he sighs, remembering the days when he'd been a striped bundle at her side, when she'd been the bigger of the two.

"Thank you, Raccoonstripe, for being here." "I will always be here," he responds, automatic. His ears twitch, his long white muzzle reaching for hers. She rests her chin on her paws, her green gaze hanging onto his fur. "I'm proud of you." She speaks of his father, how he had inherited his ferocity from him, and Raccoonstripe swallows around a growing lump in his throat.

Do you feel that same pride when you look at me, Gray Wolf? Raccoonstripe blinks, long and slow, at his mother. "I'm glad I've become a cat you can be proud of, Howlingstar." He thinks of Nightbird, of their kits, of sturdy black-striped tabby bodies, of Stormkit, their shadow. Generations lay between Howlingstar and Raccoonstripe now, surround them on all sides. He thinks of Burnstorm, Moonwhisper, Howlfire, and the kits they'd borne. He thinks of the children his own will one day bring into ThunderClan, and something soft simmers in his dark eyes.

"I see a lot of my siblings in my kits," he murmurs. "I've been thinking about the past a lot, lately." Of Berryheart, Graystorm, and Jackdawflight, of Little Wolf and Hollow Tree... of all they'd lost and all they continue to lose.

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

• ooc: —
• 
• Raccoon . Raccoonstripe, he/him w/ masculine terms.
  — "speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 44 moons old, ages realistically on the 5th.
  — mentored by n/a ; mentoring Thistlepaw ; previously mentored Wildheart, Moonwhisper
  — thunderclan lead warrior. gray wolf x howlingstar, gen 2.
  — currently mated to Nightbird.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  lh black tabby with white and dark brown eyes. charismatic, charming, calculating, ambitious, shallow, manipulative.
  
  

​

 

[HOWLINGSTAR]

Her heart aches as Raccoonstripe mentions his siblings and she shuts her eyes briefly. Her fallen kin would have loved their new nieces and nephews...but she is positive they are watching from StarClan, smiling with all the love and joy they would have if they were here. Her muzzle nuzzles him gently as she presses closer to her son. "Your kits carry on their legacy. I see Berryheart's intelligence in Twilightkit and Stormkit. I see Graystorm's ferocity in Bayingkit. I see Little Wolf's sincerity in Lightningkit. I even see Jackdawflight's sensitivity in Tigerkit." Eyes fluttering open, she glances at his face again, her eyes holding something sentimental. "It brings me so much joy to see their legacy - our family's legacy - continue on in them," The tabby mews softly.

A flicker of pride enters her gaze before something akin to curiosity replaces it. "What else has been on your mind?" He says he's been thinking a lot about the past - what about it? ​