sensitive topics fires fuelled on endless lies ⟿ PITCH

[smogstar]

[cw: dead body]

The slightest nudge makes the limp form of Flickerfire topple over, rolling like a moss-ball in the muck and exposing more of the gashes bestrewn across its skin. When the body comes to a standstill, Smogmaw plants a paw on its outermost flank and takes stock of the terminal injuries. While he skims over the tortie's remains, he masks his fascination with a contrived expression of neutrality. It would be a lie to say that her flimsiness in this state did not entertain him, and Flicker's uncharacteristic silence is pleasing on the ears.

He has no qualms with finding amusement in this circumstance, as grim as it is—she had been very aware of the illegality of her actions in life, and treasonous bastards like her warranted zero respect in death.

"Fox," he remarks, stepping back and rising to all fours. The ashen fur around his maw is tarnished by crimson, residual blood from his efforts to drag the lead warrior. He looks upon his leader with acute eyes, brows above them knitted tight. "Or dog. I can't really tell, but whatever it was, it got Emberstar as well... for good." This presumption comes from the severity of Flickerfire's wounds, along with the delusions she had uttered while in the jaws of death. Smogmaw squints, trying to make of Pitchstar's reaction to this news. He hasn't even heard the worst of it yet.

He sighs irritably, and he turns towards his leader. His expression is intense, complete with pointed ears and a tightened jaw, and the thrashing of his tail denotes impatience. "Pitchstar," he says, "I found her by the Thunderpath. She'd crawled over from the forest side, and in her last moments, she thought I was ThunderClan's leader." Recounting the memory disgusts him, and he wears it on his face. "She loved Emberstar, Pitch. She loved her. And she died trying to save her."

The irritation in his features shifts to hatred. Ears flattening, the corners of his mouth coiling down. He has another revelation to make, but he needs to gauge Pitchstar's reaction beforehand.​

 

[PITCHSTAR]

pitchstar stares down at the body of his lead warrior, shifting beneath smogmaw's paw with uncharacteristic silence. buzzing of flies echo in his ears, the vermin swarming the crimson upon flickerfire's tortoiseshell corpse. "how...?" pitchstar croaks out, his wide eyes never leaving the limp form. this wasn't fair. how could flickerfire leave him already? she'd never been a particularly responsible warrior, but she'd been loyal. she'd stayed in this wretched swamp when others hadn't; when his own family hadn't. she'd had his back during the confrontation with thunderclan. she was devoted.

or so pitchstar thought.

smogmaw remarks that it was a fox, or maybe even a dog. pitchstar's lip curls, and he wants to send a war patrol after the mangy creature who did this to his lead warrior. he wants it to bleed, he wants to watch the light drain from its eyes, just as it had done to flickerfire. but smogmaw's next revelation causes the man to falter in his revenge fantasies, his fur prickling.

whatever it was, it got emberstar as well... for good.

emberstar? "how do you...?" the leader trails off, tearing his gaze away from flickerfire to stare at the silver tabby. all that pitchstar could smell was blood, crawling down his throat and nesting in his lungs. he couldn't detect any hint of emberstar upon her fur, nor the surrounding area; the thunderclan leader shouldn't even be anywhere near here, in his marsh. (hypocrite, sending warriors to scavenge thunderclan's food. but shadowclan has good reason to.) how would smogmaw know if emberstar's truly dead or not?

smogmaw sighs, and the tabby turns to face his leader. the look in his eyes unnerves pitchstar, like a nasty storm brewing overhead. and his voice is the thunderclap that signals the beginning of it- he speaks of flickerfire crawling from the oak forest, with emberstar's name on her lips. a confession of love as she lay dying. and the world shatters around him, his claws tearing through snow as he tries to keep his grip. the grief written across his expression washes away, and replacing it is fury. flickerfire, his lead warrior, one of his most trusted clanmates... had loved the thunderclan leader. she loved the leader of the clan who shunned shadowclan.

she'd never been a trusted warrior. she was a traitor. how many secrets did she spill to emberstar?! had his plan to steal from thunderclan been revealed by his own council member?!

"fucking bastards!" pitchstar screeches at the corpse, his claws begging to rip her apart, limb from limb. but there's no use in it, now. she's already gone cold. instead, he paces around smogmaw and the body, his tail stirring up flurries of falling snow as it lashes. "how long... how long has she been stabbing us in the back without us even knowing?! how long has my lead warrior been a lyin' fuckin' snake?!" foolish he was, for thinking he could ever trust anyone. not his warriors, not his council, not even his own family. they'll all betray him in the end.​