BURNING PHOTOS [ leopard ]

batwing

batwing

6/9/23 - 3/16/24
Wolves [TC ’24] ThunderClan Former Lead Warrior Winter Prompts [TC ‘23] ThunderClan 10K Journey [Sitewide Event '23] Boar Migration [TC '23]
Jun 8, 2023
254
51
28
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Oh, big thoughts were being thought today. If anything, the squint of Batwing's eye gave it away. He was staring awkwardly across camp, which was quiet. Patrols were out, apprentices being trained. Sunhigh was hot, yeah, but things needed to get done. Batwing had completed a solo hunt and come back shortly, but he had sat himself down and started staring at the briar wall around camp. A cat here or there tried to pry information out of him, but he just gave them an awkward smile and shrugged it off.

What was he thinking about? Oh, probably his future- more like then that, his past. Bingo. The scars around his eyes, the very soul who told him his parents were dead. The person he had been denying paying attention to. His eyes shifted, searching- if she was in camp, he'd find her rosetted pelt easily. That's just how it was, really. Batwing would find her, they'd make eye contact, and he'd look away. Denying his history and the person that had split his world open. It hadn't been her fault- it hadn't ever been her fault, and yet, here he was, treating her like ass. A deep breath followed, slow inhale, fast exhale. He pushed to his paws.

Cats who had previously asked if he was okay looked over as he called her name. "Leopardtongue? Can we talk?" Batwing questioned her from across camp, gesturing his head towards the gorse tunnel. Privately was the word that was implied. ​
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"speech"​
 
Though it was not something that Leopardtongue thought about often, the thing that broke the friendship of the two was something that was thought about at times. She had been thinking about the past more often since she had found Batwing out in the trees in the middle of the night, and though it pained her to do so she couldn't help but think about how things had been before. She had thought that her being the one to tell Batwing would have been for the best, it would have been easier for him to digest thing and understand what had happened, but if this was him taking the news easier she would have hated to see what would have happened if someone else had gone to the broken warrior that day. She had still cared for the other despite the way he had treated her since then, but she had made it a point to care from afar as much as possible, that night in the trees being the first she had sought him out by himself in a very long time.

So surprised she was when she heard her name, called out from the other side of the camp. It took her a moment to register what had been asked, something she did not expect would ever happen again. Batwing wanted to talk to her, alone. Startled look melted away after but a moment, and the chocolate rosette found herself standing and padding after him, quickly exiting the camp in silence. She dared not speak for the moment, afraid of waking up if this was a dream, a potential look to see what things could have been had she not been the one to share the horrible news that night.
[ooc]
info appearance
  • "speaking" // thinking // action
    Leopardtongue - 32 moons - she/her - ThunderClan - warrior
    MEDIUM physically // MEDIUM mentally
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She hadn't denied. Batwing let her go out of camp first- following in her paw steps. A soft murmur started in camp as they slipped out of camp together. His ears twitched, ignoring the soft chattering behind them. He picked up the pace, moving past her, leading them deeper into the territory. It was clear something weighed upon him terribly, whatever they were going to talk about- his shoulders were sagged.

He had been blind. Blind, his eyes still healing, covered by poultices and cobwebs, sitting fixed in an unfamiliar medicine cat's den being treated by someone who just barely knew it. And that's when Leopard had told him the news. Some part of him deep down had known just how bad it was, but it was denial, right? He couldn't have just believed it just because they hadn't been around. But Leopard had confirmed his suspicions and it.. it wasn't like he wanted to hurt her. He just couldn't bring himself to being around her.

They finally reached a secluded part of the territory, covered by briar, but a clearing big enough for around four cats. Small, concealed, and out of earshot of camp. That was the most important part- he didn't want anyone else to hear this. Just her. A deep breath rolled through him again, and he turned, facing her. The sun began to dip down, past sunhigh. His words were soft, knowing being in such a close vicinity that he didn't need to shout or yell. No, this required a delicate pace. "I'm... mm. I'm sorry." He finally bit out, eyes on her paws. "I just.. I want to apologize for everything." That was weak, even for you, Batwing. His thoughts bit into him, and he looked up at her. ​
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"speech"​
 
Slowling down as Batwing walked in front of her for a moment, Leopardtongue's ears swiveled back to camp as she heard the soft murmurs of others speaking amongst themselves the second the two were gone. She paid them no mind and followed after the blue-gray furred warrior, eyes watching as shoulders sagged and he lead them further and further away from camp. She chewed on a bottom lip for a moment in worry - what did he have to talk about that required privacy and at such an odd time of the day - before they turned into a small clearing and he stopped. Words spilled from Bat's maw and she watched as he looked down at her paws before up at her, and ears pinned to the back of her head for just a moment.

"I-", it was a surprise, the way it had weighed on him all this time and how he had come to apologize now, and it caused her to be at a loss for words. How was she supposed to respond to that, to him being sorry for everything? Though the silence between the two lasted not longer than a second, to Leopardtongue it felt like an eternity before she softly shook her head. "No... you don't need to apologize Batwing, but thank you." The thank you was said softly before paws shuffled, "I'm glad we're able to talk again though, even if it was for an unneeded apology." A small chuckle, an attempt to lighten the mood. Of course she'd forgive Batwing, it was horrible circumstances.
[ooc]
info appearance
  • "speaking" // thinking // action
    Leopardtongue - 32 moons - she/her - ThunderClan - warrior
    MEDIUM physically // MEDIUM mentally
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invis.png
His words hadn't gone unheard- but she found them unnecessary. A blink left him, his mouth opening and closing like that of a fish in a Riverclanner's jaws. All of that nerve he had worked up over the last two hours had been.. for nothing. Which, hindsight is a bitch, he should have known. He slowly sank into a sitting position, carefully listening to her. It had been moons of him denying her company, but she didn't find it needed. Curious, he thought to himself.

Batwing was at a loss for words for a moment, a sight normally unseen, but he was speaking shortly after, quietly. There was no need to be loud here. "I.. well, I did anyways." Yeah, that was definitely a smart and mature thing to say. "We can talk about anything, really. I was just being stupid." He shuffled his paws gently, leaning his weight back onto his haunches as he sat. He was getting comfortable without even realizing it- perhaps a good sign. But, it was bothering him, so he asked- "Are you sure? That it's.. fine. Everything that happened." Batwing tried to explain and ask, but his words were stunted, sentences short. Disbelief was still holding his heart.​
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"speech"​
 
As Batwing looked like a fish, Leopardtongue found herself watching as he spoke, head nodding slightly in thought after he had spoken once more. She moved forward as he sat, finding herself sitting next to the other before sitting down and getting comfortable herself. He wanted to talk, so she was going to find a comfortable spot to do so with her friend. "Well... no, but also yes at the same time." She found herself answering truthfully, eyes focusing on her own paws as she tried to think of the proper wording before she found herself looking up at the leaves above them. "It feels like it was a lifetime ago, and I felt hurt and confused, but eventually I realized that I couldn't change what happened so I had to just... deal with it I guess?"

A soft hum came from Leopardtongue's throat as she thought, head turning down now to look at the other before she looked down once more, "I'm glad you wanted to talk though, to apologize. It's appreciated, and I feel like I should have done something different, tried more, I don't know." Could she have in all reality done anything different, changed anything by bothering the other more in the hopes that they would have been fine sooner than they were now? It was unlikely that it would have fixed anything, and if anything would have simply made things worse. They had both been through so much, and she could only be grateful that it wasn't on either of their deathbeds that they were able to talk like this once more, side by side without worrying about another getting in on their conversation. It felt safe, it felt like things were going back to normal, to how they had been before the great battle had torn more than just families apart.
[ooc]
info appearance
  • "speaking" // thinking // action
    Leopardtongue - 32 moons - she/her - ThunderClan - warrior
    MEDIUM physically // MEDIUM mentally
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Closer. She had actually gotten closer. His eyes blinked for a moment in disbelief, relaxing his shoulders. She wasn't running off, no, in fact she was just leaning in closer. A soft breath left him, one filled with a bit of relief. They were just talking. That was totally fine. A tiny nod left him as she answered truthfully- it stung, but it was the truth. Batwing knew damn well that he was guilty of ignoring his closest friend. He watched, quiet, as she spoke- telling him how she felt. "I understand. I'm sorry." He murmured again.

After all, he had caused it. Some of the pain that had proceeded after the Battle itself wasn't just his, after all. Selfish. His thoughts tore into him for a brief moment, and a tiny smile found his maw. It was still pained, old memories becoming fresh all over again. He pushed them away for now. "I'm honestly just glad you came out here with me." He responded. "I.. half expected you to say no. But- um, no, you.." Batwing tilted his gaze up to the trees for a brief second to catch his thoughts. "You don't need to feel like that. I was going to be an ass either way, I think." Batwing responded.

It was safe, indeed. Batwing's heart lurched with the realization that he was opening up to someone again. It was slightly terrifying, but it felt right, to be able to confide in someone again like he had to her before the Battle. Close as they were, and he had destroyed it all just like that, in self-pity and wallowing. He was over that, though, he believed so. "I really am happy you came out here, Leopard." His tail twitched, that smile gently spreading on his face- not entirely, but enough that he was coming across all kinds of warm. ​
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"speech"​
 
Comfortable is how it felt to be out here with Batwing, hope that the past was now the past and that things would be different, it felt like home again. Even more of a reason for Leopardtongue to love being in ThunderClan, her broken little family was becoming whole again, and Batwing was an important part of that - more important than she had thought until now. She ignored the little pings in her heart, the worry that this would change once more, and lived in the moment. It was best to live in the moment.

When Batwing looked up towards the leaves to catch his thoughts, that's when Leopardtongue aimed to leaned her head over onto Bat's shoulder. Content is the only word to describe how she felt in this moment, and all she wanted to do in this moment was to let Batwing know that things were fine, they were better, they had to be.
[ooc]
info appearance
  • "speaking" // thinking // action
    Leopardtongue - 33 moons - she/her - ThunderClan - warrior
    MEDIUM physically // MEDIUM mentally
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Living in the moment is all that Batwing normally did- but still the echoes of the past chased his heart. Would this be okay? Could they manage this? Friendship, again, after near thirteen moons of nothing? He huffed softly as he felt her contact. He leaned in against her, head pressing against hers. His eyes squeezed shut, taking in her scent, her comfort. Then he was pulling away moments later, eyes finding Leopard's. A tiny smile again, this time a bit more hopeful. After all, it wasn't everyday that Batwing got to be comforted.

He cleared his throat finally. "Let's go back to camp, yeah?" He pushed to his paws if she agreed, padding back towards camp and out of the clearing. ​
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"speech"​
 
This was the start of something new, Leopardtongue knew it. Despite it being so similar to how the past had been, it was new all the same, with the hurt of the past fueling their want to be friends once more, better than before. They sat in silence for but a few moments, but they were the perfect signal in a turning point in their lives for the better. When Batwing cleared his throat, Leopardtongue found herself looking towards the other quickly, ears pricked as she listened to him speak before nodding her head, getting up at the same time as the other.

"Maybe we'll find some prey to bring back on the way?" She wouldn't be looking too hard for anything, contempt with just walking back side by side with Batwing.
[ooc]
info appearance
  • "speaking" // thinking // action
    Leopardtongue - 33 moons - she/her - ThunderClan - warrior
    MEDIUM physically // MEDIUM mentally
    ​

  • ​
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