heavy heart // strawpaw

[icebreath]

TAGS — It recently occurred to Icepaw that the only context she's been seeing Strawpaw in lately is work. Granted, many of her tunneling friends are especially dedicated, same as herself; it's part of what draws her to them, knowing she can count on her comrades to help her do their job skillfully and efficiently (even if some of them, like Strawpaw, are a bit unorthodox in their attitudes and methods). And if there's one thing she knows about these duties, it's that they serve as an excellent form of escapism, far removed from the rest of the moors as they are. That's another thing she's always appreciated about the underground labyrinth. Rainpaw's clearly the same; it feels like their sister's been working herself half to death these days, which Icepaw knows started soon after the SkyClan raid and subsequent divisive exiles. Strawpaw's timing lines up just the same. As friendly as she is with the tortie, Icepaw admittedly doesn't know them nearly as well as their sister on a deeper level — so maybe she's only projecting, but she's a bit worried.

As such, it was a bit of a relief when they managed to catch their fellow tunneler in camp and invite them out for an evening walk. Good timing; they hate traversing the moors in broad daylight, when the blinding sun so easily irritates their eyes. As the pair wander alongside each other, their blue gaze drifts upward toward the stars for a few moments before dropping back down. "So..." they venture a bit awkwardly. "I've been wondering, uh, what exactly is the deal with the worms here? If you don't mind me asking." Clearly it's a subject that Strawpaw's passionate about; it's at least half of what they ever talk about. Though it's something Icepaw's genuinely been curious about for a good while, she's mainly hoping to convey that they have someone who cares about them. In some weird, roundabout way. Maybe it'd be better to just get right to it and ask if everything's okay, but that's not always easy to talk about, nor is it an easy discussion to open up. She's never been great at that kind of thing.

@strawpaw​

 

[strawmoon]

When Icepaw approaches to request a walk, Strawpaw is happy to oblige. They've missed their friends, and as open as they feel, they find it hard to get that reconnection back after the raid on Skyclan. It's nerves, Strawpaw tells themselves, its all just nerves and thats why Strawpaw doesn't feel normal. They still can't get the chocolate toms terrified face out of their head, though, and even though their own wounds were superficial, just scratches that hadn't gone too deep... The sting remains with them and sometimes they swear they can taste the same metallic tang that dripped down their face.

What did Skyclan ever do to you? He had cried. Nothing. Skyclan had done nothing, but everything at the same time. And we lost cats because of them.

Their musings are cut short as Icepaw speaks. "Huh...?" they look up from their paws and almost instantly are they blinded. The dying light bounces off Icepaw's coat and gives her a shine. Strawpaw can't help but smile. A savior, even if she hadn't grabbed enough doses for everyone. Icepaw did more than all of the warriors in the fight. Strawpaw is grateful to call them a friend. Oh, but Icepaw was speaking! "The worms...? Oh. The worms." they feel dumb but at the same time its the lightest they've felt in quite some time. They7're glad Icepaw chose them to walk with.

"So, I, Strawstar, have been keeping the worms under wraps... Lately, Wormpounce was squashed for crimes against Wormleaf and his family-" immediately they launch in to recent politics and happenings within their clan, before they change their mind to start at the beginning. "Okay, so... Wormclan was founded so I could protect everyone from these.... unholy... vile creatures." and when they had switched mentors, ironically they had gotten Wormtail. "If you touch one of them... You become one, but i'm immune. So I gotta rule them..." yes... Immunity was a rarity in this clan. They nearly screamed when one of their other friends touched a worm and then they had gone on a big lecture. "So in the beginning it was just me and Wormleaf, who I appointed the medicine man, and then there was a flood of joiners. I don't have a deputy right now... Who sounds better, Wormstream or Wormheart? Wormstream is less evil... They never touch me when I go to check on them... Oh, and- and they're everywhere also. Be careful when you're in the tunnels.." but also, Strawpaw had been thinking of promoting Wormtail himself to deputy. He seemed immune enough to succeed them....

But Strawpaw had been talking for too long. "Uhm... How have you been...?" it awkwardly tumbles from their mouth as they sit down, sweeping their tail over their paws. They shift uncomfortably, keeping their gaze on their paws once more. It's been far too long since Strawpaw had talked to another, far too long since they had an engaging conversation.​

"speech"​

 

[icebreath]

TAGS — Their initial reaction makes Icepaw worry that she somehow managed to pick the wrong thing to talk about, even though she's been so certain for, like, her entire life that Strawpaw's obsessed with worms. But then it turns out that they just needed a moment to process the question; relief pricks at her as recognition lights their expression and sends them into a surprisingly long and very unique explanation. She listens intently, nodding along and wondering if she's ever heard Strawpaw talk this much before. Unholy, vile creatures. The intensity is amusing coming from their friend, especially given the unassuming creatures being talked about, but she doesn't let herself smile lest they think she's not taking this seriously. Which, to be fair, it's kind of hard to — but she'll certainly put her best foot forth since it matters so much to them. It gets a bit harder as they go on. The politics, the names... Good StarClan, they're a weirdo! But in an endearing way. It must be nice to find so much complexity and entertainment in such simple things.

"That's cool that you're immune." She slips the comment in when Strawpaw trails off for a moment after the statement. She wants to ask how a cat could possibly transform into a worm, and what would happen if Icepaw touched one, but she doesn't want to start picking everything apart like that and take away from their fun. Even if the length they take it can be a bit of a pain sometimes; she thinks back to the time Strawpaw flung a worm behind them and then hissed at her for nearly touching it as if it wasn't Strawpaw's fault in the first place. It'd annoyed her in the moment, but it's kind of impossible to hold anything against such an innocent, caring cat. Especially if they actually believe this stuff, which they really seem to. Should she be a bit concerned...? No, it's not harming anyone.

She parts her jaws to answer the question regarding WormClan's next deputy, but words keep tumbling from Strawpaw's lips before she can get a word in. It's not long before they sputter out, though. "Yeah, I'll definitely be careful," she promises. "Thanks for the warning. Can I join WormClan if I do happen to get turned into a worm by accident?"

From there, Strawpaw changes topics. The question admittedly catches her off guard a little; she'd been so engrossed in the lecture. How has she been? She knows the answer right away and can't say she particularly wants to get into it. Even deflecting Snailpaw's questioning when he observed that she didn't seem happy had been enough to make her misty-eyed, embarrassingly enough. She doesn't want to seem weak again, nor does she want to make this about her when she knows something's up with Strawpaw. Icepaw follows their lead when the tortie takes a seat, moving slowly partially to stall. "I've been good, thanks," she says in a somewhat detached tone, wearing a faint smile. "But that's not important right now — I didn't get a chance to answer your question! I think, uh, Wormstream would probably make a better deputy? Or was it Wormheart...? Whichever one isn't the evil one." They pause for a moment, trying to think of something else to say to keep the conversation going. "Oh, also, what crimes did one of the worms get squashed for?"
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