private don't let me go // palefire

[skyclaw]

Skyclaw is stubborn - he always has been, in truth. He has his ways and he's firmly set in them. The mottled tom does not believe himself capable of change, in truth, for every chance he gets is squandered by outside forces. Fate or destiny, whichever mistress despises him more, want him to be stuck in his well of bitterness and frustration. And at the end of the day... that's alright. He believes himself honorable, as he stands by the survival of his Clan. He would lay down his life for many of the cats here, even those who condemn his actions.
Even...

"Palefire," he says her name when he sees her, readying to join the patrol he's set to lead. There's a few others to follow up, but for a moment he feels uncomfortable to be left in her presence. They hadn't really spoken since his brother's departure, when he had lashed out at everyone who cared. That was moons ago and he still feels like his eyes have yet to shed enough tears. Regardless, he looks upon the pale furred warrior and shifts his weight, trying to restabilize himself. He is stubborn, unyielding; he needs not to apologize for his behavior for he was grieving and she was simply in the line of fire. The mistake was hers. And yet...

"Hoping to catch anything in particular?" he asks, while they wait for a few more souls. "The rabbits of WindClan are still festering at our borderside, if you're hungry for something different." ​

 

[PALEFIRE]

She didn't blame Skyclaw for the way that he's lashed out at her. She knew that he was hurting more than he likely knew how to deal with. She understood why he was angry with her for her role in the wolves attacking camp, and for that, she took full responsibility. He has every right to hate her for that. And she knows, deep down, that Duskbird's death is not her fault. He died trying to save Howlingstar from the wolves while they were being lured out. There was nothing she could've done to prevent it.... even if she sometimes wondered if her actions on that fateful night might've somehow saved them all. Either way, she understood. She wanted to show her lifelong friend the grace and compassion that he had not shown her, knowing that he was suffering and he believed that she was the reason.

But he had cast her aside all the same, and it hurt all the same, and she had tried her best to keep out of his way since their heated discussion in the woods a few moons ago. The coldness in his eyes when he looked at her had broken her heart, and strong as Palefire was known to be, she didn't have the strength to face his hatred head-on. So instead she avoided him whenever possible. Today, it seemed, she would not get so lucky.

Palefire was hesitant to join the hunting patrol as soon as she realized that Skyclaw was leading it, but she was one of Thunderclan's more skilled hunters and they were low on prey. She couldn't afford to let her clanmates go hungry just because she was in a fight with her former friend. Awkwardness slowed her paws as she stalked over to him, casting her gaze anywhere but to him as she desperately prayed for anyone else to join them. She was, once again, unlucky. "Palefire." They hadn't spoken since Duskbird's death, and as his familiar voice suddenly washed over her, she felt her body tense with an uncomfortable sense of vulnerability. Cautiously, she leveled her icy blue gaze on him, trying to uncover any malice in his expression. But she found none.

"Skyclaw..." The young molly mused softly in reply, shuffling her paws. Was she hoping to catch anything in particular? It was painfully odd to be having such a casual and mundane conversation with someone she used to know so well, someone who had very recently made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her. Where was this going? She wanted to let her guard down, but he made her nervous in a way no one else could. "No, um, nothing in particular." A long beat of silence filled the space between them, before she forced a stiff smile. "A rabbit does sound nice though. The kittens have been stealing all the good prey for moons now."

---

‎‎ooc ♡ info

• 

• PALEFIRE ♡ she / her, warrior of thunderclan, 15 moons
  ⭃ lh lilac lynx point w/ low white and blue eyes. tall and slender, fast and agile.
  ⭃ currently emotionally withdrawn, all opinions are strictly ic and likely spur-of-the-moment.
  ⭃ single, open to relationships / / mentor to no one // formerly mentored by nightbird
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking.
  ⭃ penned by limerence ↛ @limericks. on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[skyclaw]

He notices. The way her fur ruffles, the way she stretches her neck with discomfort and adverts her eyes, only to join them with his own once more. This encounter is just as uncomfortable for him as it is becoming for her. She responds with simple kindness, the small talk stretching between them as simple warriors - not friends of moons, beginning from the days they could both wander and talk. It's almost as if the Clans had just formed, moments before, and they're meeting for the first time again. And some of him... hurts, at the distance.

Palefire mentions the kittens, and his hackles rise for a moment. Defensive he feels, a rush of frustration immediately slamming into him. They're his kin - the hungry kittens. His sister and brother are their parents, even the brats they've adopted, his bloodline! And who is she to complain? A sorrowful sow with not even a friend to grieve with? His mouth opens, and his flush of anger is hot on his breath - but then he notes her smile. Her shoulders were tense, still, but her tail rests coyly by her paws. She means nothing by it, Skyclaw, he tells himself, and his ear twitches.

"They'll be hunting for their own meal soon enough," he decides on saying, though he still simmers beneath his fur. He presses past it, forcing a slight smile of his own. "Do you remember when we were apprentices? We were already chasing mice and squirrels at their age..." the code that pushed off the apprentice age limit is one brought on by more of his kin, and yet the hot anger that swam through him moments ago does not return. His kittypet kin mean too-little to him.

"I'll catch you a rabbit," Skyclaw says, just as the remaining cats join them. He nods and sets out their hunting patrol, "You've been getting sluggish, anyhow. I doubt you'd be able to even catch a vole today," his forced smile becomes something of a smarmy smirk as he looks back at her.​