closer [inky]

[Duskfire]

I WANT SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS​

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It had taken Duskfire a few days to truly come to terms with everything that had happened at the meeting. The jealous looks didn't come as often now nor did they hit as hard, and while he was still confused as to why Sootstar had chosen him, he had made peace with the fact that this would be how things were now. He'd organize patrols for her, help her pick up slack where it was needed, and figure it out as he went, trying not to think about the fact that he'd technically be leader if anything ever happened to the blue shecat.

But that wasn't all he'd been thinking about since the meeting. No, a certain tomcat had been running around his mind ever since then as well. Perhaps even more exciting than his promotion had been the sudden appearance of Inky at his side, brushing against his shoulder and muttering a soft congratulations meant just for him. It made him wonder if he wasn't doing too bad at this whole socializing thing after all. Maybe he should try talking to some of the other cats? He didn't know if he needed them brushing up on him all the time like Inky did, but it would be nice to talk to get to know them better.

Today wasn't about the other Winclan cats though. No, as Dusk made his way through camp he went straight for the lean, shadowy tomcat sitting near the freshkill pile, letting out a soft trill of greeting to announce himself as he neared. "Hey Inky! I was thinking -if you want- we could totally go out and I could help you with your hunting and fighting skills." the copper-gold tom suggested, tail swishing behidn him. "I, uh, remembered you said you get bored sitting around here all the time, so I thought it might be a fun way to kill some time. I've got some ideas we can try, if your interested. If not that's totally fine, I get it-"

He was rambling, but really, what did he expect? He still wasn't great at this sort of thing and the last thing he wanted to do was offend Inky by insinuating they needed help, but he'd seen how sad they'd been and.. he just wanted to help, ​

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windclan warrior - male - 17 months - homosexual - polyamorous - single - tall, strong bengal tomcat

 

[Blacklotus]

Inkylotus

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The last few days the only thing they could feel was sorrow, self pity if on willed, and the sightless cat had been sitting on his own for the better part of twenty four hours. Black fur felt sticky to him as he had stopped grooming himself and food seemed less and less appealing as time ticked onwards. Why should he eat when he couldn't do hunt for himself? Why waste precious time and energy with his clanmates? Inkylotus had his head on his paws and tail curled around his body, quietly in his own spiral of thoughts and self hatred. That was until a trill came from not too far from him that he lifted his head up, no doubt a tired expression across his sightless face. Inkylotus felt tired, like no matter how much he slept he would always be exhausted. The scent that hit his nose made him give a weak purr in response to the trill, it was Duskfire.

The deputy then started to speak, or well more so ramble, and it made him chuckle a little bit at the notion. Help him with fighting and hunting? "That is awfully nice of you, Duskfire, are you sure about it? I don't want to waste your time or anything," Inkylotus responded rather softly and looked from his paws back to Duskfire. He would hate to waste the deputys time trying to teach him stuff he couldn't learn very well on his own.

Inkylotus didn't think he'd be able to learn any sort of fighting or hunting moves. He couldn't see at all to even know where a rival cat was, and he could chase down a rabbit- but that was as far as it got, "Cause I can get by- somewhat," The uncertainty in his voice was immense as he wanted to accept to spend time with Duskfire and at least become some what useful to the clan.
"SPEECH
​

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a long hair black ghost tabby with anophthalmia || Windclan Warrior || tags​

 

[Duskfire]

I WANT SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS​

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Call him crazy, but was Inky looking a little.. off? The tom looked dishoveled and lethargic, and Dusk couldn't help but frown, wondering if they were sick or something. He'd have to keep a close eye on them and talk to Honeytwist if they semed like they weren't doing the greatest.

"Don't be mouse-brained, of course i'm sure!" the tom would say chuckle, circling around the tomcat to give them a playful nudge to their feet. "I've been thinking about it a lot, and I think there's lots of ways you can help contribute during hunts and patrols and stuff. We've just got to pratice them so you can get good." he explained, sounding perfectly confident.

Because Dusk had been thinking a lot about what he could do to help the other feel like they were more a part of the team, and he thought he may have come up with some things. "See, the problem is we've been trying to use you like we use cats with normal sight, and that's stupid because you can't see." the tom explained. "So all we have to do is have you contribute in ways that make sense for you- and I think I've got some ideas that can help." ​

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windclan warrior - male - 17 months - homosexual - polyamorous - single - tall, strong bengal tomcat

 

[Blacklotus]

Inkylotus

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The deputy seemed rather confident in these 'ideas' he had, and they felt the tom circle him to nudge them to their feet- to which they did. Suppose they could give it a chance? Suppose he could show Duskfire that he was in fact useless and he doubted that the others' ideas would work. Yes they treated him like a sighted cat, but how else where they to treat him? Like the useless blind cat he was? Inkylotus gave a small sigh and shook his head, "Alright, I'll give it a try," He agreed softly. You'll see that I'm nothing sort of useless He thought afterwards but kept the words to himself. Duskfire seemed to optimistic for him to ruin it and they didn't have the heart to be honest like that in that moment.
"SPEECH
​

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a long hair black ghost tabby with anophthalmia || Windclan Warrior || tags​

 

[Duskfire]

I WANT SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS​

---

With Inkylotus willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, Dusk happily led them out of camp. He knew the blck tom was feeling down right now, but he was determined to prove to them that they could still play an active role in the clan day to day activities. Maybe he wouldn't be able to do them exactly like the other cats did, but that didn't mean he wasn't making thins easier and helping.

"Okay, so we're gonna start with some hunting stuff, and your not allowed to quit after the first try." the tom informed them, tone firm despite the lightness to it. "Basically, I want to try and teach you to ambush hunt with a partner." he explained, brushing against the others side as they walked as his excitement got the better of him. "If it works out, catching prey will be way easier for both of us and we'll waste less time and energy doing it."

He led them out into the hills so no place in particular, this first step just to help him get an idea of where Inky was senses-wise. Eventually he brought them to a stop though, seemingly satisfied with wherever they were. "Okay, so it's gonna sound dumb, but I want you to bare with me. This is a training excersize, so your gonna have to practice a lot to get good at it, just like any warrior." he explained, and that last part was important because he knew how hard it could be to fail over and over again at something- but that didn't mean you couldn't get good at it, and he wanted Inky to know that failing at something wasn't just something he was cursed to do because he was blind- every cat failed, continuously and epicly for long periods of time. It was only by doing that that they could get good, and if Inky really wanted to develop these skills then he'd have to put in the hours.

"Basically, I want you to crouch there in the grass and focus on your sense of hearing. I'm gonna take some stones and start rolling them by you, and I want you to practice pouncing at them when you think they're close enough. Learn to gauge how close something is by sound, and then work out the distance you need to snatch it."

It woul be a trial and error thing for sure, but after a lifetime of having to gauge where things were through sound alone, Dusk had confidence the other could get a grasp on it- the only difference was that they were speeding the movement up a bit, and instead of Inky having to guess how far away the cat talking to them was, they'd have to follow the sound to guess where they were going.

"Okay, get ready."/b] he said, and began to methodically bat the roundest stones he could find across the ground, sending them rolling by Inky one at a time. ​

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windclan warrior - male - 17 months - homosexual - polyamorous - single - tall, strong bengal tomcat

 

[Blacklotus]

Everything Stays​

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The amount of unsure-ness and hesitation that lingered in them was immense. Was this going to work? Could they actually do something useful? Though it was like Dukfire read his mind in stating he wasn't allowed to give up upon the first fail. That he had to actually try and a soft sigh escaped from Inkylotus; suppose the other was right. They had to try and work at it to get good enough, and he thought his skills where rather mediore. He could hunt but only to a certain point and fighting consisted of wild slashing at whatever he could hear in that moment aside from his own heartbeat. Still, Inkylotus followed along beside Duskfire, brushing against him as they walk, and gave a little smile at how excited the deputy sounded.

Upon reaching their desitnation, some where in the hills of the moorlands,and listened as Duskfire explained his little idea. Hunting based on sound? Well that was something he already did- it was just catching the prey that he couldn't do. How was he suppose to hunt in pairs if no one came along with him? Would Duskfire always be at his side to go hunting with him or would he have to rely on others now too? That seemed like the opposite of a good idea really- but Inkylotus kept his questions to himself and gave a small nod in understanding.

The black cat crouched low to the ground as instructed and listened as Duskfires' pawsteps got quieter as he moved away from him. His voice was distant too now as he told them to get ready, and Inkylotus felt himself stiffen a bit with anxiety. The feeling making his throat hurt as it closed up and he felt like he was going to sweat through his coat, but he had to make an effort. Do something to make it work for himself instead of wallowing in his self hatred like he had been. So, Inkylotus listened.

Large ears perked forward as the sound of shifting dirt could be heard then soft groaning as rocks where rolled down the hill. Those ears swiveled and moved, before a black paw tentatively stuck out and completely missed the first rock. It rolled much further away from him than expected and he gave a small curse under his breath, before shaking himself and crouched. Do it again. Inkylotus moved his ears forward and grew quiet, picking out the sounds outside his own inner monologue and heartbeat. Into that of the rolling sound of rock against heather and wiggled his butt a little before pouncing once more, this time much closer. Inkylotus was able to go in the right direction of the rock but missed it by a couple of pawsteps.

Okay, okay, getting closer- getting closer. Inkylotus gave himself a firm nod and moved back to where he was crouched, taking a few slow breaths to focus better on what was in front of him. Though instead of leaping after the rocks he listened for Duskfire. Listening for his breath, the wave of his tail against the heather and his paws moving the rocks towards him. Inkyltous gave a little michievious grin before creeipng forward slowly. Stepping on a stone as he moved, catching it with a front paw before moving it to the side then bounded forward. Aiming to pounce onto Duskfire with a triumphant noise as paws knocked the deputy over and front paws stood on his chest, "Caught ya!" He would muse. ​

 

[Duskfire]

I WANT SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS​

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It was safe to say that Dusk was taking this all pretty serious. One by one he collected the stones and lined them up, diligently rolling them toward the other tomcat and gauging their reaction. He was silently thrilled to see that the dark tabby was slowly getting closer and closer to landing the hit with each passing stone, and it gave him confidence that his plan could actually work. Not that he'd doubted it before or anything, he was just extra certain now was all.

And maybe he was a little too caught up in that thought as he went for the next rock, because he failed to notice that his friend was no longer laying in wait for it to roll by. Instead, he looked up just in time to see a dark blur come flying at him. His fur bristled in surprise as Inky tackled him, momentarily caught off guard, but a grin was quick to tug at his lips when he realized the other was just messing around. Playing, his mind supplied helpfully.

"I can't believe you'd sneak up on an innocent bystander like that, Inky. You wound me." he teased, the smile audible throughout his complaints as he allowed the other tomcat to stand atop him.

In all honesty, he was impressed with Inky. It was clear that when the cat was in a familiar setting he could map things out using sound and scent as a reference point, and maybe it wasn't entirely as efficient as being able to see what was around him, but it definitely made him a usable asset. Dusk would have him pouncing on his own prey by the end of the year, of that he was certain.


​

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windclan warrior - male - 17 months - homosexual - polyamorous - single - tall, strong bengal tomcat

 

[Blacklotus]

Everything Stays​

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The black cat lifted their head in triumph, grinning warmly, "Wounded the deputy why Sootstar might have my head," He purred back in amusement before getting off of Duskfires' chest. This was exciting! He was able to do the task at hand! He managed to catch a few rocks but ultimately snuck up on the deputy without issue! Maybe there was hope for him still? Maybe it wasn't too late in the game to learn to fight or hunt, and Duskfire made a good teacher. Rosepaw was certainly lucky to have him as a mentor. The young cat gave a small bounce on his paws as he couldn't qualm his excitement, "But did you see that? I caught some of those rock! And you, but I don't think you where the goal," A paw went to their maw as they stifled a little chuckle in amusement. ​

 

[Duskfire]

I WANT SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS​

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"I guess if your extra nice to me I don't have to tell her." he teased, grinning as Inky let him get to his feet. The black tom was practically vibrating with excitement as they happily went on about the rocks they caught, and Dusk couldn't help but share in their joy. He was glad that they were feeling more confident in themselves. Even if Inky couldn't do things exactly like the rest of them didn't mean he couldn't do it at all.

"I did! That's gonna be your homework for the next week- I want you to find a partner and have them roll stones for you whenever you've got time to work on it. I want those ears and reflexes as sharp as you can get them, got that warrior?" he asked, pulling a playful tone of rank with them. "Soon you'll be jumping on rabbits like a pro. Every hare on the more will live in fear of being ambushed by you." he added, these words more genuine in their praise. ​

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windclan warrior - male - 17 months - homosexual - polyamorous - single - tall, strong bengal tomcat