private cowards, the two of us // sootspot

[cottonsprig]

It's odd, sometimes, to think of the chimera as her brother. They share a mother, surely, and if anyone had the bright idea to tell her young that they shared a father, too, she would easily believe it. But in recent days she cannot see the similarities between them. Their fur shares similar ashen tones, their ears tall and tufted and their eyes thinner and sharp - but beyond that... nothing. Perhaps she wants to differentiate herself from Sootspot - after all, the tom let his apprentice wallow unhappily in their mother's version of WindClan. Not to mention... they were never close.

Parts of her wonders if Sootspot even cared for her like a sibling, or even a Clanmate for that matter.

Ears folding back on her head with her trembling thoughts, Cottonfang spies Sootspot from not too far away. The tom is looking about, with the same easygoing gaze he always wears, the same smug grin that fits perfectly on his face - their mother's face. Whether it's curiosity or stupidity, Cottonfang doesn't know, but she strides towards him with a slight determination in her gaze.

"Talk with me a moment?" It's a demand more than a request. Regardless, she pulls him away from the crowd, and as soon as they're situated she speaks - "Why hadn't you done it? Gotten Downypaw out of here sooner, if you knew all was going downhill."​

 

[SOOTSPOT]

It wasn't that the chimera had been avoiding his siblings these past few days, it was just that he found himself with little he wanted to talk about. The outside world had fractured their bonds beyond recognition: there was the one who ran first, the one who betrayed him, the one who died for a dream and the one who by all accounts should be dead. Fury pierced his thoughts whenever he thought about them; Sootstar had given them so much attention, yet they had proven themselves fickle in the face of real challenge. When he thought about how much he had done to keep his family on top of the pile... it stung to know that they would willingly topple the supports themselves if it meant appeasing the morality StarClan forced upon them. It was no wonder he had acted in his own interests in the end, blood did not mean what it had done six moons ago.

The mask had always been easy to wear, the only advantage he had left was being able to hide. It did not stop Cottonfang from seeing him. Confidence flooded her vision as she halted before him, the long-fur of the tom bristling in anticipation of accusation. About what, he could not determine, so many had questions for him that he figured anything could come out of Cottonfang's mouth. He followed with strong steps, a tufted ear flicking as the bumbling of the crowd fell to obscurity. There, the medicine cat apprentice asked her question and Sootspot immediately burst into laughter. The corners of his maw twisted, as if trying to keep it in, but a glance towards blue eyes set the chimera off again, unable to get a word out. 'I didn't even know it was going downhill until our last Medicine Cat turned tail!' They'd had hope until then, but her actions had made Sootstar act recklessly; he hadn't been about to die for that, or of an infection after the fact. Through the tears, he noticed the frown etched upon Cottonfang's maw, the stance that suggested she had half the mind to betray him to Sunstride.

He sobered up immediately. "You are serious?". She was, she was completely serious, and Sootspot's tail began to lash. He shook his head like a disappointed father (no doubt Weaselclaw would've been one had StarClan not smited him first). A rasp returned to his voice, as if remembering he was supposed to be tired. "Forgive me, I thought I was talking to my sister, not a harebrain." Not that the two were mutually exclusive, mind. She had been an irritating little creature, even before she toyed with allegations. Poison lined his smile, as frustrated as it was. "It is very difficult to run away with a 'sprained foot', that is what you called her ailment, wasn't it? Perhaps I would have tried sooner, had I known that you left your integrity in the Nursery."

​