i had it all wrong | coyotepaw

[Dandelionwish]

It was hard not to notice Coyotepaw storming out of Sootstar's den, young face furious and twisted. Dandelionwish furrowed his brow and tried not to look too blatantly in that direction but eventually his unease and curiousity gave out and he was turning to pad along to the edge of the camp the apprentice had vanished into; the tall grass swallowing him whole. If Coyotepaw actually wanted to be here he would have been a great WindClanner, blending into the environment with ease when it was not so cloaked in snow; the golden fields befit his sand-colored pelt.
The medicine cat had not been aware of Leopardcloud's flight and subsequent death in SkyClan, had not known what truly drove her away but given how familiar he was with Juniperfrost's presence in the clan now he could not say he'd be surprised to find out the tom had driven her to such means. He felt the for stolen SkyClanner, truly, when he'd heard the patrol preparing to go out and return those kits he'd had to bite his tongue to not cause a scene before his clanmates. That they actually managed to bring one back...

It was surely against his will, no nerves or awkwardness could hide the fact this was a child taken from his home-so strange to think of him as such when the sepia point himself was only ten moons as well but his duties had aged him in ways he was not aware a cat could be. Battered down like the sides of the gorge and rubbed raw.
Spotting the scruffy cat ahead he stumbled his way through slush covered ground to approach with a light smile and hopefully cheerful tone, "Coyotepaw! Ye done took off like a hare being hounded-are ye alright?" What had Sootstar said to him?

@Coyotepaw
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[Coyotecrest]

I won't apologize for being who I am

His hackles stood on end, barbed and wild as he stomped out from the coverage of Sootstar's den. It was disrespectful he knew, and there was a hint of fearful worry buried beneath the agitation that his insolence will cost him. What would Juniperfrost say if they found out? He knew his father would heavily disapprove especially if the tom knew the reason. However, in the moment he could hardly care less. Not after being stripped from the very thing he'd been eagerly awaiting all month. How could she deny him of such a right? "I should've know better..." His teeth grit as the though crossed his mind, tail lashing to and fro. He was foolish to believe that working harder during training or doubling up on patrols would earn him even a glimpse of someone from skyclan.

As flaxen grass swallows him whole he hears his name being called with a certain southern twang. Heavy puffs of breath leave his parted maw in clouds as he dares to look over his shoulder. Surprisingly he finds Dandelionwish standing there with a warm smile and even warmer tone. What was a cat like him doing trapped in a place like this? Cream paws slow to a stop, attention falling to them briefly as he considered the medicine cat's words. In the heat of the moment and with the added flare anger he'd completely forgotten to leave discreetly to avoid any prying eyes. But it was too late for that now and the tom appeared genuinely concerned. A moment of hesitation presents itself before words stammer forth, laced with ire that is not meant to be directed at the sepia tom. "N-no! I can't...she won't let me go to the gathering!" He voices with ears flat.​

Tryna throw shade on me say a lot 'bout you​

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[Dandelionwish]

Emeralad and topaz harden, sharp gems encrusted onto his face that do not reveal his true feelings as he listenes to the outburst and almost panic rising in the apprentice's voice; of course she wouldn't. Why would a cat let a mouse loose from their paws after catching it, certainly not before batting it around a touch more. They should have let those apprentices go, they should have not bothered because they had already been raised in SkyClan and become comfortable with their life there. To be fully ripped away and ostrasized from their clanmates like this, it was cruel. It was WindClan. Dandelionwish glanced back behind him warily, seeing no cat present he shook his head and faced back forward once more and when he spoke it lacked his accent or usual cheer.
"I'm sorry." Had no one apologized to Coyotepaw for what they did? WindClan saw him as only property to be owned and it was heartbreaking, had he known they were planning to do it he'd have protested to no avail. StarClan protected him the way others were not but he feared the day their shine was not enough to spare him Sootstar if he continued to impede her path. Which he did. With great scrutiny.
"I'm sorry you were brought here." A pawn in a war he had no say in, "....I wish I could help you....but right now my paws are also tied but I promise you this. Should the chance arise....I'll get you out of here." The consequences of his actions be damned, but he spoke sincerely and with a tone that was heavy with the regret of so many cats he'd failed because he had to act a way his heart did not enjoy being conformed to. If he'd moved faster Kestreltalon would have two eyes still, if he acted sooner Emberfang would have not reached her breaking point, if he fought immediately he could have put a stop to Honeytwist's exile, if he had reached out perhaps Pollenfur would still be here...
So many cats' lives ruined, so many things left unsaid and undone. When would it be enough for the tyrant of the moors?

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[Coyotecrest]

I won't apologize for being who I am

There are tears he wishes he could shed, if the cream spotted tom had any left. The majority of them spent during his solitary walks far from camp when not pressed under the careful watch of Sootstar or Juniperfrost. The sting is there, just beneath his lids as a wintery gale rustles his fur. But the tears themselves do not, cannot, form. Translucent claws prick the frosted earth below, the repeated motion keeping him grounded until he hears an apology fall from the sepia tom's lips. His gaze had fallen away after blurting out his reason behind storming off, quietly chastising himself for revealing the thoughts rattling about in his mind. Since he'd arrived he kept everything bottled up, afraid of what might happen if anyone knew anything. But the apology instantly gripped Coyotepaw's attention, his expression speechless.

His mouth hangs partially ajar before slowly closing into a frown. No one had ever apologized to him on behalf of his situation before and it almost sounded wrong coming from Dandelion. "It's not your fault..." Coyote murmurs. It was his own doing, he'd been the one to volunteer himself to prevent a fight from occurring. Thinking back on it now he wonders if it'd be selfish to say he'd rather it happened over this. He takes a second to glance past the medic's shoulder and once he saw no one Coyote continued in a whisper. His previous induced rage simmering down to manageable levels though his tone still held some fire to it. "You're a good cat Dandelionwish. You don't deserve to be stuck here" As the older tom mentions the possibility of escape his heart quickens a beat faster.

For the first time in over a month there is a glimmer of hope that sparks his chest. The inward spark shines outwardly in the form of a small lopsided smile. "I'd appreciate that, nine lives over. But what of you? How could I ever repay you?" He would be forever grateful, but Dandelionwish would be risking quite a lot to help him escape one day. ​

Tryna throw shade on me say a lot 'bout you​

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[Dandelionwish]

Don't deserve to be stuck here. Was he stuck? He liked to imagine he had the choice to leave but knowing the weight of such a decision would leave countless dead often felt like the bars of a cage on its own. How much more of himself could he give before he joined the bodies? Dandelionwish flicked his tail in thought, his wheat stem bitten clean through in his idleness but he did not spit the pieces out and held tight to it. Maybe he was stupid to think he could do much more than pack cobweb over the wound that was WindClan to keep the cats spilling out into the stars, maybe it wasn't what StarClan destined when they named him. Rosepaw once told him whenever he feels lost to look to the stars, but if even their shine did not guide him he had the cats around him. A flicker of rebellion entered his eyes as he glanced back down to the apprentice and he offered a light smile.

He almost wanted to laugh really, the concern for his well-being. He wasn't used to it except from a select few cats he could truly trust and day by day that number dropped as they were sent away and vanished into the night; he couldn't blame them.
"Sootstar won't do nothin' to me. I'm her only medicine cat and ah don't intend to train another anytime soon." It was his immunity from her wrath, it was how he had managed to face her head-on time and again and not pay for it as his clanmates had. The point tom would abuse it to his dying breath.
"So don't ye worry yer lil'head 'bout me." He said, despite Coyotepaw being pretty big and honestly not that smaller than him; he had the height but the ex-SkyClanner had the weight. Rising to stand he glanced back at the camp before moving to it, "Patience, keep yer head down and temper cool as best ye can. We'll figure it out."
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