private discover the entry to other planes - dawn

[Bounceheart]

✧ ✧ (=˃ᆺ˂=) A full day had passed since the meeting, and Lichentail's words still ricocheted the walls of her cranium. An uneasy feeling had crept over her, but not the kind you would expect after betrayal. Bounceheart had been obsessing over the root of this all; the maddening part being the mystery of it all.

The deputy had not exactly outlined the circumstances around Smokestar's life being lost. All that she knew was he was lifeless, haggard and carried back by not only Lichentail, but Dawnstorm too.
A blue gaze was ripped from the sky in search of the chimera. One day, she thinks she may entangle herself in some business and it will be her undoing. Some things are better left unknown, but she cannot fight the feeling.
She walks with purpose in each step, though nervously looking between faces. Something was decidedly wrong with the warrior, but she acted strangely enough that it may be seen as normal. They had done a lap around camp before heading out the entrance. No former colony cats in sight. A sigh escaped her, vaporizing in the evening air. 'Well, he can't have gone far.' Surely not with his tentative status as a warrior.
Warrior..
Hunting.
That is what she would be doing if she was not so caught up in this nonsense. Maybe that is what Dawnstorm is doing.
And she would find him, doing just what he should. Bounceheart stops to admire him for hunting, even after losing his family. At least, that's what it appeared he was doing.
"Hey - WHAT is going on?!" Any grace she may have reserved was gone.

@DAWNSTORM​

 

[DAWNSTORM]

die with memories , not dreams .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

He was hunting, staying far out of reach of the water, feeling his gut churn and thoughts whisper unsafe despite the hard crease of his brows. Why? He prompted, but his mind remained silent, leaving him with more questions and nowhere near the truth. His helm throbbed painfully, something that would have caused his steps to crumble, now remained perfectly still.

Bounceheart’s voice broke his concentration, stumbling with a tense rumble, body folding into itself unceremoniously, mismatched hues peering at his fleeing prey in an explosive bout of shrieking. “Oh.” He replied dumbly, gaze sluggish. “It got away.” He sighed heavily, heart settling down with several drawn-out breaths, helm tilting from where it lay, watching Bounceheart in obvious confusion. “I failed.” Wasn’t it obvious?

Dawnstorm frowned, rolling onto his paws with a quiet grunt, steadying himself with a slither of his plumed tail. “What is going on?” He repeated, brows low against his face. “What is going on?” He voiced louder, broken record sounding, because truly what was going on.

Did he do something wrong?

His gaze lowered subconsciously, mind tinged with guilt. He shouldn’t have left. Not since—Dawnstorm frowned. The order to kill Sasha and Deacon. His home.

He had wanted to get away. To do something productive, and prove that he could do things that would have taken three to accomplish. Overcompensating. Solo hunting when his gaze refused to meet his clan—RiverClanners. They were not his clanmates. He was an outsider. A failure waiting to happen. Breath was shaky, and the bi-colored tom peered through heavy lashes at the RiverClanner warrior, ears angled forward. “Are you okay?” He questioned, unhelpfully so. ​

​

thought speech​

 

[Bounceheart]

✧ ✧ (=˃ᆺ˂=) The rat with beady eyes flounders away. Its legs nearly give out like Dawnstorm's had, but it slips away into the snow-down bushes.
She stares down at the cream-and-black tom as he scrambles back to his paws. "Oops- I'm sorry-" An apology that seems half-hearted. Truly, she is sorry, but is very driven by her reason for interrupting him. Sorry for a lost catch, sorry for scaring him, but not sorry enough to go away.

It would seem her question threw him for a loop. He echoes her, and she watches his face twist with what she cannot decipher as confusion, distaste or upset. A white paw lifts to his shoulder in a strained attempt at comfort. She knows it must look as awkward as it feels, but she feels heartbroken for him.
This is when he asks if she is okay. Bounceheart is lost for words, she stares at him with an open maw.
Then it comes.
"I came here to ask you that same thing. Actually, I came to ask what happened? With Smokestar? You lot disappear for an hour and he is dead, Sasha and Deacon are dead cats walking." She sighs, but doesn't give him quite enough time to respond. "What happened? They killed him? Why would she do that? I just- she didn't- she said she was going to stick it out- I don't understand why.. it happened." Maybe she misread Cedarblaze. Did she really feel that strongly about Smokestar and Lichentail? The tabby lowered their head, gaze fixed on Dawnstorm's paws.
She couldn't blame Sasha for not telling her if she did hate them, it wasn't like they were best of friends.​

 

[DAWNSTORM]

die with memories , not dreams .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

He stared at the white paw resting against his shoulder, mismatched hues blinking owlishly, sandpaper tongue feeling dry. It was awkward, muscles bubbling in tension at the movement, not as familiar with touch that didn’t burn, not from a stranger, not like Sasha or Frondfeather who breathed comfort, safety, and home.

It didn’t take long before ‘What are you doing’ made sense, said so brashly that Dawnstorm had thought of the worst probable outcome, losing that diminishing optimism, now swimming in a tar-filled lake threatening to drag him down. His tail curled inward subconsciously, ears dipping forward to press against his helm, mismatched hues downcast. Oh. His heart felt heavy in his chest, maw tasting like ichor, and a tongue that felt heavy in his mouth—suffocating.

“No.” He mumbled dejectedly. “Sasha screamed. She … didn’t want to kill.” He breathed shakily, pulling away from Bounceheart with dull-tinted hues. “Deacon killed. He killed. He killed Smokestar. Sasha didn’t want that.” He mumbled, pleading almost. It should have been him. It should have been his blood coating the powdered white.

“She wanted to stay.” He whispered brokenly. He was selfish. So, so selfish. She would have stayed for him. “They wanted her to leave. They couldn’t see reason.” His helm pounded, teeth grinding into supple lips, tearing at the flesh when small drops of ichor lined the surface. “None of them did.”

Things happened too fast. His reaction was slow. He failed. He failed. His father’s voice was like sandpaper, grating on his ears like sirens, sneering at his pitiful form, whispering harsh words of promising punishment.​

​

thought speech​

 

[Bounceheart]

✧ ✧ (=˃ᆺ˂=) 'No.'
There is something about his body language that is confusing to her, she tries to comfort him but he pulls away. Sadness might have been more fitting, but it registers as irritation to her.
Bounceheart takes a step back, gives him a look up and down and settles. They sit, but their tail still flicks idly next to their paws. Apparently, they realized they had come into the conversation a bit overzealous; risen neck fur now laid flat and eyes were not wide pools of sapphire any longer. Now, they are more relaxed and examining Dawnstorm as he recounts the patrol.

She doesn't recall misbehavior from Deacon. A few offhand remarks and plenty of antisocial behavior, but was there a semblance of aggression there?
Of course there was, he killed Smokestar. Now she sees why he had grown so sullen, there was hardly time to be happy when one was casting one-eyed glances over their shoulder. Danger lurking in your own home.
Dawnstorm holds a similar sentiment - Deacon was the aggressor.

'She.. didn't want to kill.'
Her mouth opens again, but no words come out this time. Struggling to recall Lichentail's words, she looks above his head as if they would appear there.
'She wanted to stay.'

The part about her screaming seemed like a strange detail to add. If only she had been there to hear the gut-wrenching screech Sasha had given. Given Bounceheart's history, she would have been impressed by her lungs and projection. To the deputy and leader, it was childish and unnecessary.
Screaming was a stress-reliever for the tabby warrior. It got rid of more tension than words could express.
It was not for everyone. But she understood.

He finishes, and she blinks at him a few times in silence. When the moment passes and she's sure he is done, she stands up once more. A step towards him, as she tries to make sense of it all.

"Deacon killed Smokestar. So they exiled her for screaming.. She didn't attack anyone.. just.. screamed." There has to be something to this she is missing. "That can't be all, right? What else happened? She screamed, Deacon killed Smokestar, and Lichentail just.. exiled them both. Was Cedar- Was Sasha distracting them? I scream all the time, but not at the leader." Expectantly, she meets his gaze. Tell me more, the thought is painted across her face. Brows are furrowed not with anger, but confusion.
There was more to this than she had been lead to believe. ​

 

[DAWNSTORM]

die with memories , not dreams .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

He felt frustration crawl up his throat, nearly suffocating if he hadn’t swallowed, ears swerving against his helm, lying flat against his skull. Why had things gone the way they did? He knew. He wasn’t stupid. He didn’t hope, didn’t dare think of a possible future where Sasha and Deacon remained because it was futile, impossible. They wouldn’t have been happy. Something worse could have happened if this thing were prolonged. If Lichentail died, if RiverClan was without a deputy, if Hazecloud lost her mate, if Lichentail had to watch her kits grow elsewhere unable to touch, if Hazecloud had to name them on her own, if Smokestar died.

There was no place for hope, for childish wonders that made his stomach flutter in some odd, unexplainable emotion. His paw raised, almost as if he wanted to press it against his helm, but thought better of it, watching Bounceheart step closer, Dawnstorm nearly took a step back, refraining with a languid blink of bi-colored hues. What else? What else was there to say?

“She retaliated.” He mumbled. “Lichentail attacked—defended.” He spoke, correcting his mistake, oddly enough, he should be thankful the RiverClan deputy hadn’t chased them all out, hadn’t executed them on the spot, had spared them, but now … now he wasn’t sure what he wanted. He didn’t dare be selfish. “Protecting Smokestar, Sasha retaliated, wanting to help Deacon. She had nothing else to lose.” He breathed out, chest rising and falling in shuddered pauses.

“I didn’t want them hurt. I told them to go. I am no better than them. I am … sorry.” He mumbled, dipping his helm before the warrior, bi-colored hues downcast, uncertain why he was apologizing, but there had been a desperate need to say it, to apologize to Smokestar and Lichentail. ​

​

thought speech​