private HERE'S TO ANOTHER LAST GOODBYE ✧ stormywing

[iciclefang]

Her pelt beads with droplets of river water as she pushes herself onto a shallow bank. The Twoleg Bridge is within sight—she can see it through the dangling boughs of willow that slap against her sides. The trip has exhausted her; her blue eyes are glazed with effort, and every step feels like she’s pulled a muscle somewhere. Her middle is not as pendulous as it will be, as Hazecloud’s had been before she’d kitted, but it’s ungainly and takes up so much room where once her limbs had fit perfectly into their sockets. She has made this trip out of necessity, of course—and somewhere beside her, Ferngill lurks, his pelt bright as flame through the reeds and bracken.

“Do you see her?” Her voice is weary and heavy. She is tired not only in her paws, but in her soul. She does not want to do this again. She does not want to hear Stormywing cry her name into the night, but… she spots movement across the bridge. A memory rocks her to her core—chasing a vole over the cobbled stones, gray-and-white paws flashing down on top of it, Iciclefang’s bitter taunts from over the river.

She clenches her jaw against the wave of sadness that threatens to submerge her. “There,” she whispers. “Stormywing.” Her paws move over the smooth stones as she comes to meet in the middle. “What is so important that I had to come all the way out here?” She puts a sharp note in her voice, like a bit of glass buried in cotton, and she forces her eyes to narrow coldly.

It hurts to do. But she must. She must make Stormywing understand.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: @STORMYWING and optional: @FERNGILL
• 
• Iciclekit . Iciclepaw . Iciclefang, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 21 moons old, ages realistically on the 17th.
  — mentored by Smokestar ; mentoring Cicadapaw ; previously mentored n/a
  — riverclan lead warrior. mudpelt x icesparkle, gen 2.
  — former mate to Stormywing ; current mate to no one.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh tortoiseshell and white she-cat with ice-blue eyes. confident, capable, proud, dry, conceited, condescending, distrustful.
  
  

​

 

[FERNGILL]

It was an awful idea. He'd told his sister that, and he'd hoped Stormywing would've got that message from their conversation at the Gathering. But- well, Iciclefang had gotten unlucky with the cat who'd found out her secret. Even if she had said she was glad it was him... would a better, stronger cat have been able to say no to the gray tabby's pleading yellow eyes? But- but she'd been so upset, and it had been awful, and now they were both upset... and it'd get even awful-er, and now he was here!

There, whispered Iciclefang- Ferngill dipped his head, a silent invitation for Iciclefang to move forward... as if she needed it, really. "Good luck," he murmured, weakly. What did that even mean?

The blazing tom crouched into the reeds, trying to give them as much privacy as was possible. A green eye flickered here and there, trying to find something to settle on. Ears swivelled to try to locate the slightest whisper of a sound that he could focus on. A grimace crumpled marred features... oh, it was pointless. There was nothing but silence and a painful conversation, here.​

✦ penned by pin ✦​

 

[STORMYWING]

☁︎

Stormywing waits in the moon's shadow by the bridge, round eyes searching the opposite shoreline for any sort of movement. What if she doesn't come? What then? Her mind keeps repeating. Maybe I should just go home. Maybe Ferngill didn't even tell her. Maybe-

There's rustling, and she perks up in its direction. Her teary, reddened eyes spot a tricolor leg step from the reeds and she lets in a sharp inhale at the realization. "Iciclefang," She mews quickly, and her emotions catch up with her. She lets a tear roll from her eye as she scurries across the bridge and slides to a stop in front of the tortoiseshell. She gazes at her, drinking her in as if it's been moons since she last laid eyes on her. She yearns to lean into her, perhaps half-expecting the same reunion they'd had after saying goodbye after the journey. Her attempt is likely seen as she tries to take a step forward, but the tone of her love's voice halts her in her steps.

She blinks in surprise at the cold tone, slowly placing her paw back on the ground. Her breath hitches in her throat for a brief moment. Panic. This isn't off to the start she'd wanted it to. "Icy, I just- I had to see you again. I-" Her gaze falls slightly, catching the round stomach of the tortoiseshell. More tears gather. "Oh...wow...they'll, uh, be here soon?" Her voice tremors, something it has never, ever done before, but she can't speak normal to the she-cat right now.

I WANNA TASTE LOVE AND PAIN ☁︎​

​

​

​

​

 

[iciclefang]

Iciclefang’s ear flicks out toward her brother as he murmurs a good luck in her fleeing direction. She just wants this conversation to be over with. She doesn’t want to be face-to-face with Stormywing, doesn’t want to see the warmth in her golden eyes, hear the tremble in her voice. She’d clearly not been prepared for the RiverClan warrior’s cold approach; Stormywing flinches from the biting tone she’d used, and Iciclefang wants to take the hurt away from her then. She wants to reach out, nuzzle at the soft fur below the gray tabby’s chin, bury her nose in florid ThunderClan musk…

She doesn’t do any of that. She sits, her middle swinging pendulously with every movement. Her blue gaze is sharp as her claws, as her tongue. “You went to Ferngill at a Gathering,” she accuses. “StarClan, Stormywing, you can’t do this. We can’t do this anymore.” She gestures toward her former mate with a brusque white-tipped paw, her jaw tightening. Stormywing’s yellow gaze flashes toward Iciclefang’s belly, commenting on their kits—and the shake in her voice is enough to gloss Iciclefang’s eyes with tears she refuses to shed.

“Yes,” she says. Despite the limpid glow in her eyes, her voice is still biting. “They’ll be here soon, and I can’t be traipsing across the territory to meet a warrior from a rival Clan. They’ll be… they’ll be RiverClan kits.” Pain cracks in her mew, but she pushes forward. “And this has to be the last time we see each other like this, because I can’t… I can’t raise them to be RiverClan if you’re in their life.”

There. She’s said it with all the finality she can muster. Iciclefang forces her chin high, forces the gleam to return to ice-cold eyes. “It’s late. You should go back to your nest. Even a ThunderClan warrior must have duties they need to perform at dawn.”

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: —
• 
• Iciclekit . Iciclepaw . Iciclefang, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 21 moons old, ages realistically on the 17th.
  — mentored by Smokestar ; mentoring Cicadapaw ; previously mentored n/a
  — riverclan lead warrior & queen. mudpelt x icesparkle, gen 2.
  — former mate to Stormywing ; current mate to no one.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh tortoiseshell and white she-cat with ice-blue eyes. confident, capable, proud, dry, conceited, condescending, distrustful.
  
  

​

 

[STORMYWING]

☁︎

Stormywing stares back at her with rounding eyes. It's clear as day this isn't how she'd expected the exchange to go. She hadn't expected accusations and icy words; suddenly, it feels just like that first day they'd met here on the bridge as complete strangers, hissing and growling at one another. Strangers are exactly what they are now. "Don't be mad!" She begs when she brings up the Gathering. "I had to go to him! How else could I get a message to you? How else could I hear about you?" Her ears lay flat to her head as she defends her actions, but her expression is not one of anger. It's desperate, it's pleading, it's miserable.

They'll be here soon, and I can't be traipsing across the territory to meet a warrior from a rival Clan.

"I know! I know - I don't want you to. I want you to be safe, I just-" I just what? She hesitates, like her tongue had been moving faster than her brain, and now she needs to catch up. But oh, her love continues. They are RiverClan kits, she makes it quite clear. And Stormywing will not be in their life. She won't be in Iciclefang's life. Her jaw parts, but her tongue is dry. What can she say? She knows she's right - she has to be. Half-clan kits reap trouble, her own clan has taught this to her well enough. Little Wolf's kits have always faced judgment, have always had to prove themselves. She doesn't want that for the kits the tortoiseshell now carries.

Her maw closes. Her head and tail droop in defeat, while Iciclefang's lift high. For the first time in a long time, the mighty and fiery Stormywing of ThunderClan feels small. She sniffs something ugly as tears roll down her face (when did she start crying?). "Icy...please...don't go." A final attempt, one last try. One more time, a paw steps forward. Begging, pleading for a touch, for her to remember what it had been like for them to be together, to adore each other. "I love you," She croaks, her ivory paw placed tentatively between them on the stone where they'd first met.

I WANNA TASTE LOVE AND PAIN ☁︎​

​

​

​

​

 

[iciclefang]

Stormywing’s hurt surprise tears into Iciclefang like an enemy warrior’s claws, like brambles scraping across her pelt. She has to close her own eyes against it, shielding herself from her former mate’s pain. “I’m not mad,” she concedes, her tone quiet as the hush of the river slapping against its banks. “But that was a reckless thing to do, and you cannot do it again.” Her eyelids part, revealing snowmelt-blue irises that catch the starlight. “You will not be hearing about me anymore. If you’re lucky, you’ll hear about the kits… but it will be from Smokestar’s mouth, not mine, and not Ferngill’s.”

She flicks her ears, beginning to feel a burning beneath her fur as Stormywing begs again. Please. I love you. Iciclefang’s jaw tightens against a wave of agony that bubbles up inside her like acid. “I love you, too. But we have to let it die.” She pushes herself to her paws, swaying unsteadily along with her ponderous belly. “And if we keep seeing each other, it never will. This is the last time.”

Iciclefang turns her face away from Stormywing’s tear-stained tabby face. She turns away, when what she wants to do is kiss away the tears, press her muzzle against the ThunderClan warrior’s throat, listen to her purr until the sun begins to gleam ruby against the horizon and they have to slip back into camp.

But she said it herself—their love must be left to die on the vine. Worse, it must be plucked mercilessly from the earth and left to shrivel.

“Goodbye, Stormywing. Be careful getting back to camp.” She doesn’t turn around. She flicks her tail against Ferngill’s flank and pulls away from the cries that will haunt her for moons to come.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: —
• 
• Iciclekit . Iciclepaw . Iciclefang, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 21 moons old, ages realistically on the 17th.
  — mentored by Smokestar ; mentoring Cicadapaw ; previously mentored n/a
  — riverclan lead warrior & queen. mudpelt x icesparkle, gen 2.
  — former mate to Stormywing ; current mate to no one.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh tortoiseshell and white she-cat with ice-blue eyes. confident, capable, proud, dry, conceited, condescending, distrustful.
  
  

​