don't bullshit me [rune]

[Duskfire]

I WANT SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS​

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Feeling pride for another cat was still something new to Duskfire. He'd felt it only a pawful of times; when teaching Inky to hunt, while training Rosepaw, and now, while listening to another cat praise his nephew. He and Dust had good relationship, but that didn't mean that Dusk wasn't stumbling blindly every step of the way. He knew absolutely nothing about raising kids and he was glad that the younger tom didn't seem to resent him for his inexperience.

"Yeah, he's gonna do great." the tom agreed with a smile, knowing in his heart that it was true. Very few cats his nephews age had the drive and ambition that Dust did.

"I'm sure you'll find someone, who doesn't like a big, strong tomcat at their side?,

"Well, let's hope your right, otherwise I'm screwed." Because at this point, all Dusk had going for him was the fact that he was peak physical condition. Training and working was all he did these days, and it certainly showed.

He nodded as Rune went on to explain that he didn't really fine any of the cats all that interesting, which Dusk figured was fair enough. The other tom wasn't wrong in thinking most of them were paired off or pinng for someone already anyways, and it was probably a contributing factor as to why Dusk was still on his own.

"Give it time. And hey- if we're both still single by the time we're 60 moons, we can always just pair off with each other." he chuckled, the words little more than an attempt to lighten the mood. At least they wouldn't have to worry about dying alone.

But Runes next words were far from what he expected.

"Tell me about Inkylotus,"

He wasn't sure why it caught him so off guard, or why a name he hadn't heard in months made his chest tighten so badly. He'd been doing a good job not thinking about the other cat, had pushed him right out of his mind so that he didn't have to think about the fact that he'd lost the one cat he could call himself close to. He opened his mouth to ask how Rune even knew the cats name when they quickly chimed in with something about gossip.

He took a moment to consider his words, unsure of exactly what he should say. Nobody had ever asked him about Inky before. Had they been special to Dusk? He wasn't sure how to answer that.

"Um, yeah. Sure." he agreed, because what reason did he have to not talk about them? Inky was my friend back when I first joined Windclan, before I became Deputy." he began, "Back then half the clan was pissed because Sootstar promoted me over one of her more loyal followers, so Inky and I were pretty close."

That old animosity had died down in the months that followed, but not even Hyacinth would speak to him back then, furious that her queen had chosen to make an untrained, newly joined outsider as her second in command. His days wandering the moors with Inky, training with them or just lounging together in a nest had been the closest thing to 'happy' and 'accepted' that Dusk had ever felt.

"You would have liked Inkylotus if they'd ended up staying." But they hadn't. Dusk didn't even know if they were alive out there, especially after the hawks moved in.
​

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windclan deputy - male - 22 months - single - tall, strong bengal tomcat

 

[Snowshadow]

( ⓛ ﻌ ⓛ *)∫ — A light chuckle left his lips at the comment about being 60 moons old and pairing off together, "I might take you up on that offer," He mused back to the bengal tomcat and gently nudge his shoulder with his muzzle. Then moved to sit up more as Duskfire answered his question about Inkylotus and a solemn look crossed his gaze for a moment. Seems like they had been rather close and obviously this cat meant a lot to the deputy, but him leaving would be hard to deal with. There was a lot of unanswered questions and Snowshaodw found he couldn't keep the words to himself any longer.

"Okay, so I may have lied," He admitted softly, "In the upwalkers place- er twolegs- I came across a cat in a yard on my travels. They lived with the upwalkers in the nest and offered me a place to stay after I had grown ill," Snowshadow gave a meek smile and a swish of his feathery tail, "They went by Indigo at the time, but they told me about Windclan and the forest and what not while I was under their care," So it hadn't been gossip, but more so Snowshadow running into the blind cat before coming to the clans.

"It was the black cough, you call it grene cough I believe, and they were very helpful," It was further into the upwalkers place that he lived, closer to the mountains and farms, but none the less he wanted to assure Duskfire that Inkylotus was okay. That he was alive and well with a family to take care of him. — tags​

 

[Duskfire]

I WANT SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS​

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So, he wasn't dead after all. A part of Dusk was tempted to go find them, to pay the blind cat just one last visit for old times sake, but he knew that wasn't possible. He had work to do here, cats that relied on him, and taking a vacation wasn't anywhere on his schedule anytime soon. "I hope they're happy, wherever they ended up." he said after a moment, an almost sad smile finding its way to his lips.

He knew it was selfish to wish that Inky had stayed, because if there had been that many things piled up in the 'reasons to leave' category, asking them to stay just for him wouldn't have made the other cat happy. Still, he missed having someone to be close to like that.

"They always had someone tagging along with them- first Ferret, then me." he mused fondly. "I wouldn't be surprised if they found themselves another stray to take care of. Stars know the worlds full of them." And maybe that was wishful thinking too, but he hoped for it all the same, that Inky had managed to find someone out there that kept them company and made them smile, accepted them for exactly who they were. They'd be a lucky cat if Inkylotus was the one looking after them.

Clearing his throat and snapping out of his memories, he glanced down and gestured to Runes leg. "Feeling any better?"
​

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windclan deputy - male - 22 months - single - tall, strong bengal tomcat

 

[Snowshadow]

( ⓛ ﻌ ⓛ *)∫ — The way Duskfire spoke about that blind cat made a slight sliver of jealousy bubble in his chest, but there was no reason for it. Suppose it was the fact that the deputy had someone so close to him while Rune was on his own for the most part. Not like he had friends in the clan or anything like that, but something about the way he talked made him feel uneasy. Like why wasn't he the one being talked about like that? It was a stupid lil blip of emotion that was quickly pushed away shortly thereafter.

Rune gave him a puzzled look before looking down at his leg before nodding, "Oh yeah, I think I'll be alright," He answered back with a small smile across his lips, "We should probably keep going otherwise they'll think we ran off together," Then gave a playful look at the spotted tomcat, "We aren't sixty moons yet, so that won't be happening," — tags​

 

[Duskfire]

I WANT SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS​

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"Aw, what's wrong, Rune? Don't want to be lumped into any scandelous rumors with the Deputy?" he teased with a grin, getting to his paws.

Dusk was used to cats talking about him. Rumors had accompanied his name since the day he'd joined and they were nothing new to the tomcat now.Of course, in this instance he was only joking, and didn't really expect to hear any rumors surfacing about him and Run in the days to follow. After all, there wasn't anything that strange about a Deputy showing the new guy around, right?

"Come on. I've got a place to show you." he said after a moment, waiting for the other to get up and follow him.

They didn't race this time as Duskfire led the other tom out farther into the territory, heading toward the north east. If they'd kep on in that direction they would have eventually hit Fourtrees, but luckily they're destination only lay only about midway, and still well within Windclan territory.

"We're here!" he announced after a minute, grinning to Run as he gestured to the towering boulder before them. "This is Outlook Rock. You can see the entire Windclan territory from on top, and even the borders of the other clan territories."

Giving them a flick with his tail, Dusk would then bound up to the top of the boulder to stare down at the other expectanty.
​

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windclan deputy - male - 22 months - single - tall, strong bengal tomcat

 

[Snowshadow]

( ⓛ ﻌ ⓛ *)∫ — A laugh left a bi-colored muzzle and a feathery tail swayed behind him, "Rumors are hardly any skin off my nose," He mused back with a nudge at Duskfires' shoulder with a front paw, "I just don't want to make any she-cat jealous to have the deputies attention," Snowshadow smiled a bit before a curious look crossed over those dual colored eyes- go some where? Where did he have in mind? Though there was no time to ask such a question before the benagl tomcat got up to start walking off.

A body made of snow and shadow quickly rolled onto their paws and got up, following after Duskfire at a trot pace before slowing down beside him. They headed in the direction of Fourtrees, a place he had only been too a couple of times, and they approached this boulder. This is what he wanted to show him? A boulder? Then the tom went on to explain that this was Outlook Rock, a place were one could see all of the territory and beyond that.

Snowshadow tilted his head to the side for a moment as Duskfire leapt up onto the large rock, then looked down at him expectantly. The bi-colored tomcat paused for a moment as he studied the boulder before him. Climbing rocks was his specialty as his mountain home required such a skill from its soliders. Snowshadow crouched low to the ground for a brief moment before propelling himself upwards and lached his claws into the rock, scrambling up the rest of the way.

Once up on the boulder, the black and white tomcat joined beside Duskfire and had to brush against the other to keep his footing on the rock. It wasn't as large up here as he orginally thought it'd be, but he didn't mind invading the deputys' personal space. Oddly enough as it sounded. The sight before him was otherwise breathtaking in a way, while everything was browned with autumn air it was still amazing to see. The mountains not too far off in the distance, the borders with Riverclan and Thunderclan, and the little indent of camp for the Windclanners.

"Wow, you can see everything from here," He breathed softly and looked to Duskfire, not that he didn't believe the other but it was much more than expected, "Do you come up here often?" — tags​

 

[Duskfire]

I WANT SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS​

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It was nice to be able to share a part of his home like this with another cat. The last feline he'd shown around the territory like this had been his apprentice, Rosepaw, and that hadn't ended well. Duskfire immediately pushed those thoughts from his mind, not wanting to sour the mood with Rune. Funny, when he'd started all this with the intention of interrogating Rune and now they were just hanging out, Duskfire trying to salvage 'the mood', whatever that was.

"Sometimes."he replied after a moments consideration. "Its a good place to keep an eye on things. Sometimes when I send patrols out I'll come here if mine gets back early, make sure nothings going south with the others. It's nice on summer nights too, when the skys clear. I'll show you sometime."

Because as nice as it was now, he didn't think it held a candle to the moors in spring or summer, when the sky was an open expans of blue and the grass an emerald see speckled with flowers that stretched off into the distance. Dawn and dusk on the moors, especially in the warmer weather, was really something you had to see to fully appreciate.

Another unusual thought, because outside of occasionally Hyacinth, Dusk didn't often find himself compelled to share things with other cats. A part of that was most certainly born from a lack of closeness with them rather than a lack of willingness, but he also felt like Rune would actually appreciate it.
​

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windclan deputy - male - 22 months - single - tall, strong bengal tomcat

 

[Snowshadow]

[ ☾ ] Pointed ears flicked in acknowledgement of the deputys words, feathery tail curling around small, multi-colored paws, "It is a good place to think. Reminds me of the look out at the castle, did a lot of thinking up there," he commented. Snowshadow was always one to share bits and pieces of his history with others. He like to think of it as keeping his home culture alive and well.

"When I was a knight we would all go up to the tallest watch towers and watch the sun rise from there," Snowshadow went on to say almost wistfully, like it was a memory almost, "One of the knights, his name was Urban, was always the first one there and the last one back," This light smile crossed his lips as he recalled the firey tomcat; bold and naive all in one fluffy package. He wondered often how he was, what he was doing, but then things got dark. Snowshadow pushed the thought of the red cat away with a shake of his head. No can't remember that he thought to himself.

The bi-colored tomcat gave a light chuckle, "Anyway," He quickly changed the subject with a hard swallow, "This reminds me of it. Could see the whole kingdom and part of the mountain range," Snowshadow gestured with a front, white paw as a show of the mouintain range.

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