private DECLASSIFIED [slateheart]

[GRAVELSNAP]

➴➴ They have mulled it over for weeks now. They know what they think, and understand how they feel, but they simply don’t have the words to describe it all. It feels as though everything has passed by so quickly since they confessed their love for Periwinklebreeze. First the black-pointed tom left on a months-long journey, then Sootstar dived headfirst into the gorge of insanity and drove half the clan out of their territory, and then… kits. Bitterness coats their tongue, and Gravelsnap’s jaw clenches so hard they fear they could bite their own tongue off. They need to move on from this, and yet they cannot bring themself to. Their head says that turning their back on the lead warrior is the best way to defend themself, but their heart… their heart is stupid, but they want to listen to it anyway.

Gravelsnap catches their brother returning from a patrol, and cannot help but to approach him. "Slateheart. I need your advice, if you’re free at the moment." They greet their brother with a voice show and grating, uncertainty coating their tone. The two have worked on mending the gap between them, but still there is ground to make up. They cannot trust one another fully, cannot act with the familiarity of littermates. But Gravelsnap has no one else to ask.

The black-patched tom settles onto his haunches, hazel eyes narrowed. He gives Slateheart a moment to respond, before continuing on with his questioning. "Have you ever… had feelings for anyone before?" They should know their own littermate’s answer, but Gravelsnap is regretful over their separation as apprentices and young warriors. Slateheart could have had a mate, for all they had cared about him during that time. They feel guilty for their ignorance, but they have no time to dwell on it now.

➼ maybe i’ve done enough

• ooc: @slateheart
• 
  GRAVELSNAP ❯❯ they/he, moor runner of windclan
  ⭃ average-sized black and white warrior who seems smaller than he is. speaks rarely and quietly.
  ⭃ sibling to slateheart
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted
  ⭃ penned by foxlore

​

​

 

[slateheart]

Gravelsnap's outburst towards Periwinklebreeze and his kits have not gone unnoticed. When the black-and-white warrior wasn't looking, Slateheart kept his eyes on him, calculating and searching - and when his sibling fueled an argument with one of the kits, he found himself immensely disappointed. Concerned as he was, however, Slateheart knew better than to question Gravelsnap's motives; the feline's recent temper intimidated him, and he wouldn't see himself on the receiving end of it.

No sooner did he expect Gravelsnap to approach him, either. Though littermates, they lacked the close and knowing bond that most siblings did. Try as they may to rekindle the youthful friendship they had as kits, before Lynxtooth, Slateheart always felt stiff and artificial when speaking to Gravelsnap. It never felt natural to share tongues, to gossip, to joke.. not so soon after he had shunned the golden child for most of his apprenticehood and warriorhood, intimidated by and jealous of their father's favoritism. Well, at least they didn't hate each other, right?

Slateheart was just returning from a border patrol when Gravelsnap caught his attention, asking for advice. Slateheart could almost laugh at the concept - advice? From him? He'd always thought his sibling to be the more experienced and intelligent of the two, with their experience in mentorship and friends and perhaps, love. All the things Slateheart had not. It had to be important if Gravelsnap was seeking counsel with him, and for that he could not deny them. "Alright," he agreed, and took a seat.

Gravelsnap's question is not one he could expect, and again, he finds himself holding back a disbelieving chuckle. Instead, a small, nervous smile forms on Slateheart's maw. "Feelings?" he echoes. The confusion shows in his eyes, but then he takes a moment to think. "Like - romantic feelings?" He thinks of the cats he has befriended in recent times. Sunstar and Rattleheart were like father-figures to him, with their guiding words and wisdom. Dimmingsun was a friend, and the lengths he went to to save Slateheart during the fires were admirable, but it didn't feel accurate to describe his feelings for the golden tom as romantic. Troutsnout, well.. stars, why does his mind go to Troutsnout? Slateheart wouldn't dare forsake the code.

"No, I don't think so," Slateheart finally replies with a shake of his head. Love wasn't something he'd ever considered in his lifetime - he was too focused on his duties, and struggled to make friends let alone lovers. It was likely he wouldn't know his own feelings for someone if it had sat up and whacked him on the head.

It seems to click a little why Gravelsnap would ask such a question. It's something he'd (jokingly) asked his sibling about before, their relationship with Periwinklebreeze. At the time, it seemed obvious to everyone but the two involved that they were padding after each other like lost kittens. Considering that, perhaps it correlates with Gravelsnap's reaction to their companions' kittens. "Is that would you need my advice for? Feelings?" the warrior asks - leaving Periwinklebreeze's name out of it, of course, considering the other's reaction to such an idea last time.
​

CHARACTER INFORMATION — ♡ ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ ♡ — OUT OF CHARACTER

• 

  slate slatepaw slatetooth SLATEHEART
  ━━ MOOR-RUNNER WARRIOR of WINDCLAN
  ━━ 23 MOONS,, ages every 6th
  ━━ LYNXTOOTH xx ADELAIDE xx SILVERFOOT
  ━━ SIBLING to GRAVELSNAP and ASHPAW
  ━━ MATE to none | PARENT to none
  ━━ MENTOR to none | MENTORED by LYNXTOOTH​
  ━━ HEALTH ♥︎♥︎♥︎♡♡ | recovering from burn wounds and suffering frequent breathing issues due to smoke inhalation.
  
• 
  
  
• speech is #bbbb88​

 

[GRAVELSNAP]

➴➴ Truthfully, they would not blame their brother for refusing. Slateheart owes them nothing—less than nothing—and certainly doesn’t owe them his involvement in their failure of a love life. And what a terrible failure it is, they think, their tail lashing once with frustration. Kits. Kits! They can hardly believe it. The one thing, the one circumstance, that could push them and Peri farther apart, and it’s come to fruition at last. It had been pointless, really, to hope that it would never happen. Peri was always meant to be a father; Gravelsnap had only wished, somewhat selfishly, that somehow, it wouldn’t come to that. And if it did, then they held onto a sliver of hope that they might one day look down upon little black-pointed bundles of fur and call them theirs as well.

They taste blood as a tooth catches on the inside of their cheek, sinking into soft flesh. They are not meant to be a parent, and never will be, but they had never expected Periwinklebreeze, the cat they have confessed their love for, to reject them in such an outright manner. But at least Slateheart agrees to offer his advice, and Gravelsnap flickers a dark ear in response. He smiles, and Geavelsnap scowls, as they attempt to feign disinterest when their brother clarifies, romantic feelings? They roll their eyes. "Yes," they grumble, "romantic feelings. That’s what I need your advice for."

This has been a terrible idea, they decide. "Actually, this is stupid, never m-" Their jaw clicks as it shuts quickly, and their brows furrow for a moment with thought. Finally, they turn to face Slateheart, muttering, "How would you feel if the cat you… loved, had kits with someone else?" They want to scoff at their own words, so unsure, so vulnerable. They are unsuited for it, and surely there are better clanmates to ask than Slateheart. But the familiarity of a sibling, no matter how estranged, cannot be provided by anyone else.

➼ maybe i’ve done enough

• ooc: —
• 
  GRAVELSNAP ❯❯ they/he, moor runner of windclan
  ⭃ average-sized black and white warrior who seems smaller than he is. speaks rarely and quietly.
  ⭃ sibling to slateheart
  ⭃ mentoring sheeppaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted
  ⭃ penned by foxlore

​

​

 

[slateheart]

Slateheart keeps his gaze soft as Gravelsnap battles through some indecision. Though he hasn't experienced.. 'romantic feelings' as they put it, he can certainly understand the inner conflict that comes with uncertain relationships. "I'll do my best," he answers evenly, ignoring the blatant disinterest and strain his sibling displayed in response to Slateheart's inquiry. It must be hard to confide in someone else after moons of remaining steadfast and strong. Slateheart knows this feeling all too well.

Slateheart would wave away Gravelsnap's dismissal, and insist they keep talking, if they didn't come to that conclusion themselves. Which is good, admittedly, as he didn't feel like pushing his siblings' boundaries today - it'd lead to an unnecessary argument. How would you feel if the cat you loved had kits with someone else? Gravelsnap asks, and Slateheart frowns in response. His brows furrow, and he gives it some thought - he tries to picture himself in love, watching his mate return with kits in tow.. but the imagery goes nowhere. He can't quite put himself in those paws.

"I.. don't know," Slateheart finally admits, defeated. "Betrayed, at first, I think. Confused.. hurt." As much as he wants to spin a story for Gravelsnap in which he would be this empathetic and understanding cat in their situation, to inspire them to be optimistic, he can't imagine feeling anything else in his sibling's paws. But.. perhaps he could still be of use. "But.. if I love them truly, I'm optimistic that I could support them still. I think.. I would talk to them, eventually."

Slateheart looks back up towards Gravelsnap, after having ducked his head to gather some thoughts. "Have you spoken to this.. hypothetical cat?" he asks gently. "About what happened.. where the kits came from. Your feelings, maybe. I.. don't think it's good to hold onto by yourself forever." Now that, Slateheart has his fair share of. Bottling his feelings, his anger, his hurt until he could just about explode. He'd done it up until the battles. Still.. he braces himself for the conversation to come to an abrupt end, for his advice to be futile after all. Stars, save me. This is hard.
​

CHARACTER INFORMATION — ♡ ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ ♡ — OUT OF CHARACTER

• 

  slate slatepaw slatetooth SLATEHEART
  ━━ MOOR-RUNNER WARRIOR of WINDCLAN
  ━━ 23 MOONS,, ages every 6th
  ━━ LYNXTOOTH xx ADELAIDE xx SILVERFOOT
  ━━ SIBLING to GRAVELSNAP and ASHPAW
  ━━ MATE to none | PARENT to none
  ━━ MENTOR to BEEPAW | MENTORED by LYNXTOOTH​
  ━━ HEALTH ♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♡ | generally healthy, but experiencing shortness of breath.
  
• 
  
  
• speech is #bbbb88​