blindsided ;; dandelionwish

[Fireflyglow]

@Dandelionwish

When he wants to go outside, he does- but the eyes on him seems to be intolerable now. Resting in the shade of a pine tree, Fireflypaw takes the time to groom his paws free of debris. If he did it right, he'd be able to feel the ground beneath his paws a bit easier without all of the debris there. Tufted toes split as he nibbles at a thorn, tail thumping in irritation behind him. His mind wanders to what transpired at the Gathering this past moon, when he'd met his two new siblings- birthed from his mother with a different sire. His ears flatten against his head, a low growl leaving his lips before he finally throws his paws down to the ground in frustration.

"Ugh! Stupid, stupid- Stars!" He snaps, laying his head down on his paws. Would he never be good enough? Would his mother move on from him, taking her little replacements with? No, he wasn't easy to replace- he was a medicine cat apprentice, after all. He had worth, and so did Howlpaw. She couldn't be dead, she couldn't! He refused to give up on her, to believe that she'd just gotten killed by a Rogue. It didn't make any sense.

Footsteps cause his head to lift up, cobwebs obscuring his fresh wounds but he knows who it is the moment he catches his scent on the wind. Dandelionwish. "Hey." He greets the tom with a gruff grumble, turning his head away.​

 

[Dandelionwish]

He hears the sound of childish heartbreak inside the den before he even dibs his head under the bush to stride inside, mouse hanging by the tail from his teeth so he touched it less; both Dawnglare and this little furball were too particular sometimes. Or maybe it was just to him and his 'wind stench'. But he certainly hadn't smelled like the moors in some time.
"Howdy, ye looked like ye might want a bite to eat so I brought ye along somethin'!" The prey was tossed lightly forward to touch the other's paw, letting him be aware it was there but Dandelionwish kept a careful distance from the morose ragdoll. A lot of things had happened so suddenly but he only knew of Howlpaw's murder, the rogues that attacked him..
It was a lot for one apprentice. The tom flicks an ear and remembers the day he was left alone in WindClan, mentor exiled and entire weight of the burden she could not carry placed upon his back. At least he had his father, even if Dawnglare had made a fool of himself with his affair.
Dandelionwish drew in a breath, examining the winding of cobwebs over ruined eyes and found himself drifting back to desperately trying to stop Sootstar and Kestreltalon from fighting, how the leader had maimed her own warrior for disrespect and backsass. He remembers barely holding it together, pushing sticky webs to her mutilated face; she'd never see again.
"...yer a tough kid."
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[Fireflyglow]

With time, the wind stench had given way to a pine smell that made it hard for him to tell if Dandelionwish was truly present or not. He was getting used to the tom's new scent, his direction- prey tossed to his paws to signify he was standing not too far from him. "..Thanks." He mumbles, though it's not with an attitude like usual, kicked down into the dirt and reminded of his place by the forces of nature themselves. That Rogue had done him in all in one swipe of his claws, reminding him of his place in the pecking order. Useless, in those moments he was. "How do you do it?" He asks softly, barely audible above the crunching of teeth against bones as he takes a bite into the freshkill given to him. His favorite food was mouse, and it seems his new wind-freed clanmates were figuring that out fast enough. "..How did you deal with all of the stress of being medicine cat when you're so young? You're not much older than me." He huffs, eyebrows scrunching together and eyelids aching from the movement. A hiss of pain, though it's quick to be shoved down in favor of listening for an answer. Wound Dandelionwish answer him, even? Or would he turn him away, or tease him for wondering? "..Sometimes I wonder if I'm being useful enough to the high priest. If Mallowlark is all he needs."​

 

[Dandelionwish]

How did you deal with-"Ah didn't. Not really."
He felt his ears ringing immediately. Part of him expected to be asked this at some point, Fireflypaw's distrust of him had kept the questions away before but the apprentice was either seeking whatever comfort he could get or was growing used enough to the ex-WindClanner his aversion had faded somewhat. Either way, Dandelionwish inhaled slowly and shook his head.
"Was never easy..." The chocolate limbed tom sat down slowly, tucking his paws under himself to get comfortable since it seemed the ragdoll wanted to chat a moment and he wasn't needed anywhere right now; wouldn't hurt. Fireflypaw can't see him but he still finds it hard to avert his eyes from the others maimed face, knows he can look away if he wants and the other would be none the wiser but instead he kept faced forward, not batting an eye at the wounds there. "But ye got support. Clan has yer back, yer father's a good cat. Yer mentor..." Didn't abandon, "...is a real pinecone brained fool sometimes, but he ain't gonna forsake ye." Not like his had. WindClan had been a struggle. Honeytwist abandoned him untrained, his leader was cruel and demanding, his few clanmates who wanted to help simply couldn't at times; the weight was suffocating, he was surprised he lasted as long as he did. If he had not spoken against Sootstar would he have remained or would he have crumpled at some point.
A brown paw raised to scratch at his cheek. "Mallowlark...ain't a replacement fer ya, kid. He helped me a few times back'n WindClan when ah got stressed but..he ain't got an interest in it. 'Sides, Dawnglare picked ye. If'n he wanted Mallowlark he'd have not picked anyone an waited-bet ye he knew he'd join at some point." The black-footed tom coming here seemed like it was just bound to happen, his family had dissolved; Pollenfur was gone, Emberfang exiled...not much else a reason to stay there.
Dandelionwish was probably the surprise in this instance. A thought he'd find funny if he didn't think it so miserable...

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