FEEL GOOD DRAG — stormywing

[iciclefang]

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XXXXXA shape mottled like the shadows the tree cast on the forest floor moves with uncharacteristic clumsiness. Iciclefang is perfectly camouflaged in the thickets of undergrowth, but every movement is ungraceful. She swears as her sleek pelt catches yet another bramble patch, leaving the faintest trace of ginger and black. Blue eyes narrow into crystalline slits. “Fox dung,” she mutters. She’d intended on bringing prey back for the group in earnest, but her hubris has gotten the best of her yet again.

XXXXXThat hadn’t been the only reason she’d left the little gathering, though. The mocking purrs from the SkyClan cats rings in her ears, the panicked expression on Stormywing’s face. “Please stop talking,” she’d begged her friends, but it had been too late. Her best-kept secret had spilled like so much river water onto the banks. Iciclefang wondered if Stormywing had ever intended on sharing that little tidbit of her history, but she has to believe the tabby would have carried that to her grave if she’d been able to.

XXXXXKittypets. Twoleg toys, Twoleg pets. They killed Cicadastar. They stole Ashpaw. They made a fool out of me. She finds she hates the upright predators more than she does a fox, a badger, a hound. Their cruelty seemed pointed, specific, whereas a fox kills for survival, for territory. And there are cats who choose the company of barbarians, of creatures who exist to harm cats? Stormywing had chosen to leave that life, it seemed, but—but can she forget the taint that lingers on her fur?

XXXXXHer chest aches. She exhales, peering through the undergrowth. There’s another sound, lighter paws, more skillfully weaving through the forest floor. A glimpse of snow and stone, of a broad scarred chest she’d laid her face against, that she’d felt the beat of her heart through. She blinks, her hostility fading. “Stormywing?”

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@STORMYWING
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[STORMYWING]

☁︎

Stormywing hadn't had a destination in mind when she'd run off. She hadn't been thinking straight, her mind buzzing with too many thoughts, the sneering voices of her journeymates heavy in her ears. What had stuck out the most, though, had been Iciclefang's reaction. Her curled lips and shocked eyes are seared into the forefront of her mind. Would she even want to talk to her again? She had been quick to leave, so surely she must be disgusted that she'd ever fallen asleep in the embrace of a kittypet. Probably washing her pelt of any trace of collar-wearing fur right now.

Embarrassment keeps her cheeks warm as she eventually stops under a massive oak tree, its leaves painted orange and red. It takes her some time to stop crying, the sniffles slowly fading as her eyes dry. The logical part of her knows she must go back soon. She can't stay out here - they must hurry back to the forest to get the cure to the sick. But right now, the thought of returning to that clearing and looking any cat in the eye makes her want to vomit. She slumps down with her rump against the roots of the tree and hangs her head in deaf, cheeks still wet with tears.

Stormywing?

Her face jerks up with a start, wide yellow eyes finding the face that belonged to that smooth voice. Her stomach drops and her ears are set aflame. Iciclefang is the last cat she wants to see right now, like this. "Icy, I- uh," She quickly lifts a paw to rub at a damp cheek, praying it isn't noticeable that she'd been crying. "I didn't know you'd be here." It's the truth. She hadn't tried to follow her - in fact, with how humiliated she was, she'd been trying to get as far away from her as possible.

I WANNA TASTE LOVE AND PAIN ☁︎​

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[iciclefang]

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XXXXXStormywing had been crying—there’s a soft, puffy quality to her features, a glassiness to her golden eyes. Iciclefang feels faintly embarrassed that she’s caught the other warrior in such a vulnerable state. Part of her wants to pretend she hadn’t seen—it’s what she’d want another cat to do for her, after all. Another part wants to turn around and traipse back through the undergrowth, back toward the group the two of them had left behind. But she doesn’t—hesitantly, she steps closer, until she is only a foxlength away from the ThunderClan warrior. “I didn’t know you’d be here,” she says, and though there’s just a touch of rasp to her voice, she sounds stronger, more like herself.

XXXXX“Icy,” the tortoiseshell mimics softly, smiling her dry, tight little half-smile. “Who said you could call me that, hmm?” The kittypet had been crying, her brain tries to whisper, but the warrior is still there, still beneath like that heartbeat she’d been so close to. Iciclefang feels torn for a moment, again floundering between the right option and the option she’s drawn to.

XXXXXShe picks the latter. She takes another half-step forward, clumsy in the forest and clumsier when confronted with true feelings. “Are you going to be… okay?” She blinks, unsure if she should extend her muzzle in comfort, feeling strange, awkward. She’d not offered herself to Fernpaw this way, in his explosive anger, in his hurt, but there’s still the burn in her belly that being near Stormywing lights. A familiar cloud cloaks her judgment.

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[STORMYWING]

☁︎

Iciclefang pokes a joke, but her words are soft, softer than she's ever heard her speak. She sniffs again, eyes diverting to the ground. She forces a weak, single laugh out before rubbing more at her cheek, embarrassed when she feels just how wet the fur there is. "Sorry." For letting you see me like this. This isn't how the amazing Stormywing acts. She's supposed to be awesome and untouchable and inspiring, not a sniveling mess.

When she's sure the tortoiseshell would turn around and head back the way she came, too disgusted with her to even look at her, she instead steps closer. Are you going to be…okay? She blinks in surprise and looks up at her, ears pricking just a bit. Her face remains slightly scrunched up, though, eyes glittering with shame, her features appearing pained. She ponders the question as her eyes flick about the ground again before returning to meet Iciclefang's gaze. How does she tell her how scared she is to lose her respect? To lose everyone's respect.

"I thought if you knew where I came from...I don't know, I thought you wouldn't think I was cool anymore. I thought..." You wouldn't feel the same way about me as I feel about you. "I thought no one would," She says instead, and really she isn't lying. She didn't want any of those cats to know.

I WANNA TASTE LOVE AND PAIN ☁︎​

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[iciclefang]

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XXXXX“Sorry,” Stormywing says, and Iciclefang smiles, shaking her head. “Don’t be.” She hesitates, forcing herself to close the gap between them. She lifts a paw and presses it to the tabby’s damp cheek. “I’m not good with… with this, but…” Her expression relaxes, turns serious. Stormywing’s explanation resonates with the truth—with how Iciclefang had initially reacted, surely. She blinks, studying the ThunderClanner’s broad, honest face, the shape of her glossy gold eyes, the strength in her jaw.

XXXXX“You’re no kittypet. You know you aren’t.” She brings her dampened paw to rest on Stormywing’s chest, where the scar splits the soft white fur. Her action brings color to her own cheeks, heat to her face, but she maintains eye contact. It’s important for her to say, to do, she feels that. “And even if you used to be, well… look at all the cats here who used to be kittypets! They saved us when we had to climb the cliffs.” Her mouth quirks upward, ever so slightly. “And you—you saved my life, you know that. The rockslide would’ve killed me, and if it hadn’t, limping through those caves alone in the dark would have finished me off for sure.”

XXXXXShe exhales, closing her eyes for a moment to gather her courage, her feelings. She’s startled at how they surge around her, reminding her of the river water at home, pressing against her on all sides, dragging her under with a current she doesn’t want to fight.

XXXXX“I think you’re amazing.” She opens her eyes, piercing blue finding fiery gold again. “And I—I want you to know that.” Her heart spins at this confession. She wants to rest her cheek against Stormywing’s chest again, but she’s stuck in place, frozen by the power in the other girl’s eyes.

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[STORMYWING]

☁︎

To her surprise, Iciclefang comes even closer and presses a paw against her cheek. Without thinking, she finds herself leaning into the touch, eyes squeezing shut. You're no kittypet. You know you aren't. Her eyes flutter open, round as the moon as they gaze back at the tortoiseshell. Her white paw shifts to rest on her marred chest now, where she is sure to feel a heartbeat skip. But she does not break eye contact, allowing herself to be swallowed by the icy pools that stare back at her.

She listens intently as she talks about the SkyClan cats, many who were former kittypets yet had helped them on the journey. And she goes on to tell her she saved her life, something that manages to bring a smile to her face. At the time, it had been payback. Making things even after the tortoiseshell had dragged her drowning form out of the river. Now...she can't imagine what this journey would have been if Iciclefang hadn't been here with her. A sunset that Iciclefang isn't looking at, too, is a sunset that's not worth the glance.

Her breath catches in her throat at the girl's next words, her own cheeks growing hot. Her fears seem so silly now. Iciclefang isn't disgusted by her - no, she thinks she's amazing, and the realization almost makes her eyes water again when she's already in such a vulnerable state. Her companion need not move, for Stormywing is already slipping forward to touch her nose against Icy's, a purr now rumbling in her throat. "Thank you," She breathes, eyes falling shut with the intense relief she feels. She had nothing to worry about, did she? No, there is nothing to worry about when she's here with her. "I, um...I think you're pretty amazing, too, but I'm pretty sure you already what I think," She trills softly, recalling the night on the mountain. She peels her eyes open, a smile within them, muzzle still brushing against hers.

I WANNA TASTE LOVE AND PAIN ☁︎​

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[iciclefang]

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XXXXX“Of course I do,” Iciclefang trills in response to the gray tabby’s admiration. “You think I’m a fishbreathed RiverClanner.” She withdraws her paw, her smile slowly fading, blue eyes uncharacteristically soft. She’d never imagined she could be so close to another cat, much less a ThunderClan warrior with kittypet blood, and now their proximity to one another feels dangerous. Not for the first time, the tortoiseshell begins to wonder what the future holds for the two of them, when their paws touch Clan territory again, when they must split and go their separate ways.

XXXXXRiverClan is your home, she thinks to herself. It’s RiverClan she owes her loyalty to—but the thought of parting from Stormywing is almost more than she can bear.

XXXXXShe shakes her head, clearing it deftly, and mews, “Enough of this. Maybe we can actually get some hunting done. Show me how a ThunderClanner hunts.” She draws away from her companion, ignoring the thud of her heart. “Hopefully I’m better at it than you were fishing.”

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[STORMYWING]

☁︎

A girlish giggle escapes her at the joke, and for a moment she's embarrassed by how it sounds. Another blush touches her cheeks but she does not break eye contact, instead continuing to stare boldly into the other's eyes. She does not think as realistically as she does. She does not think of the future. All she can think about is how happy she is that she'd run into Iciclefang out here. Her shame is forgotten; instead, she feels weightless with bliss.

The invitation draws her head sideways in a tilt, smirk replacing her bashful grin. "Hey, I almost had that fish," She challenges with a playful wrinkle to her snout. Her paws are always moving after her, shoulders straightening as her chin lifts high. "Come on, fish-breath. Let's find some birds."

// super quick finish so i can rush to our new one teehee

I WANNA TASTE LOVE AND PAIN ☁︎​

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