private crimson and clover ; dogbite

[DOEBLAZE]

Dogbite has been avoiding her. She has noticed that much, at least, through the darkness. The cinnamon-and-white warrior had once been a relative staple in her life—always up for a late-night patrol or a shared bird. They had been friends, close friends, one of her first since Yukio. Of course, besides—

Dogbite has been avoiding her. Most of the other medicine den residents sleep at night. She does not. She knows she should. Cats tell her she should. She blames it on the pain. Really, it's that when she closes her eye she sees red painted on the back of her eyelid, and not just blood, no, that red, the red that had ended in Harrierstripe spilled all over the forest floor, the red that had—

Dogbite has been avoiding her. When they step into the den with a piece of prey tonight, they likely expect to leave the piece of fresh-kill by someone's nest and creep back out. Someone said Orangeblossom is getting her nine lives, off on a trip to Highstones. Bobbie doesn't know yet whether she's returned. Time becomes smeared in the dark silence of the medicine den, lost in poppy-seed and pitch. A green eye, hollow and lost in the mess of her bandaged face, glimmers up from Bobbie's nest.

"Dogbite," she mews, low and rasping. "Haven't seen you in a bit."

// @Dogbite !!

"speech"

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[DOGBITE]

✦ Quietly, he traversed the clearing, a dwindling procession of cats heading off to their nests. Clasped in his jaws were a bird and a mouse. Trying to function and stay stable for his clan was a harrowing task; the heaviness had hardly let up. Having his siblings near helped, but he couldn't muster the courage to speak about it. Every night, he laid solemnly in his nest, staring at nothing and thinking of Bobbie's numb expression as blood poured from her face. It was a haunting image that never seemed to leave him, reflecting his own searing injury of hot fire and pitiable tears as he looked upon his reflection in a silver pool behind the back of a two-leg den. There, he had seen what two-legs were really capable of even as kits.

Swallowing back the emotions, the tabby crept into the burrow, minding his paw steps to not disturb Dawnglare or the other residents. Just as he went to disperse the scrawny prey, his body froze at Bobbie's greeting. A phantom ache crossed his cheek, and the warrior could only grimace, his face out of view. Move, you coward. The thought was a growl of sanity, a moment in the turbulent waters of his mind. Gritting his will, he turned to see their friend, and for the first time in days, he dared glance upon her, taking in the added injuries now littering the moggy's already battered pelt. Slowly, he looked up into her face, a sore mirror of his own battle-worn body, and it only made his heart break further. For just a split second, this grief was reflected in the depths of his eye—a watery flicker of pain and guilt before it was masked by a small smile.

Willing back the need to spill his guts painted by colorful apologies, the tabby instead nodded stiffly. His voice came in a low and controlled volume "No. You haven't, it's been pretty busy since-" The attack. A strained silence fell between them, and he felt powerless to it. Searching for words, at last, the dam began to crack. "H-how's the healing going along? What has Dawnglare had to say?" Internally cringing at the point-blank question, unsure of how his friend would react, he noticed the injuries were still awfully fresh, and even while wrapped and salved in herbs, he could smell the lingering tang of blood. There was so much more he wanted to say, and even more he wished he could change, but his tongue felt like a bed of rocks, anchored to the floor of his mouth as he struggled mentally for air.

✦ OOC ✦ INFO ✦

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  ✧ LH cinnamon tabby w/high white one blue eye
  ✧ child of npc x npc ; sibling to crescent and bear
  ✧ skyclan warrior ; ex-loner ; mentor to littlepaw
  ✧ 32 moons old ; birthday 07/01 ; ages realistically
  ✧ AFAB ; nonbinary ; he/they
  ✧ pansexual ; polyromantic ; single
  ✧ "speech", thought, attack, powerplay
  ✧ peaceful powerplay allowed
  ✧ penned by tasmagoric
  

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