private ICARIAN [ snake ]

[coyotecreek]

( ★ ) the sun has begun its descent, the marsh taking on an eerie glow, bathed in the warm hues of the fading day. sparse pine trees stasnd sentinel, their silhouettes casting elongated sahadws across the muddy waters. the last rays of sunlight paint the sky in a symphony of oranges and purples, while the marsh below mirrors the canvas of sky. a chorus of frogs serenade the approaching night, their song harmonizing with the whispers of a gentle breeze. in the crowded clearing, voices overlap, masking some of the peace that comes with night. the flame pelted tom finds himself seeking solitude as another evening in the marsh comes to a close.

seated quietly at the edges of the commotion, coyotecreek's thoughts turn to the past day's hunting patrol- the death of sootstar, the terrifying wave of rats. his paw still stings although he has been assured it is not infected. his muzzle is littered with shallow scratches, none still oozing, all still fresh. he is lost in thought, trying to argue with himself over his choice. save sootstar, support her criminal actions. leave her for dead and be greeted with horror. it had been a difficult choice, and even now he doubts he made the correct one.

// sorry for the short intro @Snakeblink ​

 

[Snakeblink]

MAYBE I'D BE A SAINT IF I WEREN'T ————————————​

”It is a shame she could not be left to the rats.”

Snakeblink slithers out of the shadows and comes to a rest next to Coyotecreek, nodding in greeting. His meaning is clear: news of Sootstar’s death by rats has been thrumming through all four assembled clans, spreading in hushed whispers. Another leader’s death… Ah, the stars must truly be distracted with the clans thus divided across the world: first Cicadastar, now this…

His voice light in dark humor, he adds: ”They are similar enough I am sure they would have learned to accept her, in time. She would have returned with an army of rats at her beck and call and we would only have had to unleash her on the rogues and sit back to watch the carnage.” He shakes his head ruefully. ”Ah well, there is no helping it. We will have to do without the rats.”

A flick of his tail gestures to Coyotecreek’s injuries. ”But you did not escape unscathed, either. How do they feel? Have you been seen to by one of the medicine cats yet?”​

——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely ​

ooc. information.

• 
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 46 ☾, riverclan warrior
  — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
  — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo
  
  
  

​

​

 

[coyotecreek]

( ★ ) there is a brief blink of surprise as the tabby lead approaches. coyotecreek glances up, one eyebrow raised with a dry sort of humor as he snorts lightly. "perhaps," he'll mutter, wrapping his tail around himself. there is a chill in the air, one that permeates even this crowded camp. his paw aches, his muzzle stings, but mostly all he feels is confusion. snakeblink's appearance is a comforting one, although odd- the man very rarely intentionally seeks the ginger tom out. the lead warrior continues, humor in his tone as he comes to rest beside coyotecreek, and the other tomcat can't help the twitch of his whiskers. "aye, would've been useful." he notes. usually he would've continued the joke, laughter sparkling in his eyes. tonight, he looks solemn.

the other speaks of his own wounds and the tom purses his lips, gnawing anxiously on them for a moment. "i've been seen to. the bite's not infected, hopefully won't be. i'll heal in time." he will reassure snakeblink. there is a pause, a beat of thought before he continues. "i-" a heavy swallow, ears flattening in discomfort. "i feel i didn' do the right thing that day," he will admit. as much as he appreciates the jokes some of his clanmates have reassured him with, he still thinks about the moment. "i mean, life is sacred. the stars must'a given her lives for ah reason, but i cannot for the life o' me figure it out." he clicks his teeth together, odd eyed gaze drifting up to the other tomcat's face.

"i thought she had it handled, like she would'a yelled at me for interferin' or something. i didn' know she were gonna die 'til it were too late." claws knead into the ground as the warrior admits his guilt. snakeblink is possibly the only cat he could've talked to about this. the man is smart, if also strange, and coyotecreek has begun to realize that he himself doesn't have many other friends. snake might be the closest he has right now, oddly enough. it's something he should think about later.

"yuh know, after she died, i did come get the rats off o' her. i brought up the rear, yuh know, lettin' everyone get away and all that... but is it bad that i didn' want to? i would've fought for raccoonstripe, or drizzlepelt, but them windclanners? i dunno, it feels... odd." he knows his words mean blasphemy- the stars clearly want the clans to work together. coyotecreek will work with his clan to aid the others, but he is not thrilled about aiding windclan (their leader and council, at least.) "i think that makes me a bad warrior." he admits. ​

 

[Snakeblink]

MAYBE I'D BE A SAINT IF I WEREN'T ————————————​

Sensing the usually easy-going tom’s somber mood, Snakeblink schools his face into a more neutral expression and sits next to Coyotecreek, head tilted in attentive listening. He hums at the news that Coyotecreek’s injuries are light but doesn’t speak further, letting the other speak his thoughts unimpeded.

It doesn’t take long. Keen eyes track the small signs of anxiety on the warrior’s face as he slowly voices his doubts.

Is life sacred? Snakeblink considers it for a moment. They kill to eat; to protect themselves; mistakingly, selfishly, foolishly, in small skirmishes and larger battles. Should they apologize to Starclan for each cat life they take, as they thank them for each prey they catch? Perhaps... Or is it veneration to send strong warriors to Starclan to bolster their heavenly ranks? Is there a need for warriors in Starclan, do they need to fish for food in the night sky? Fortunately, he’s distracted before his thoughts can stray anywhere blasphemous by the truly idiotic thing that comes out of Coyotecreek’s mouth next.

”Coyotecreek, I opened this discussion wishing death on both Sootstar and the rogues occupying our camp,” he notes, bemused. ”If being careless of your enemies’ lives made you a bad warrior, this entire clan would be demoted back to apprentices.”

Shifting, he twists his neck, snake-like, to look at Coyotecreek head-on without turning his body. ”You cooperated with your patrol, made sure they could retreat from danger, and even helped a leader against the rats who stole one of her lives. It is not up to me to say whether what you did was right or wrong -- you are the only arbiter of your morals -- but as far as I hear it, you acted exactly as a warrior should.” He shrugs. ”You could hardly have seen it coming.”

”Not that I think you are stupid,” he corrects hurriedly, catching his own unfortunate emphasis. ”Only that fights against overwhelming numbers tend to be unpredictable.” As the rogues reminded them. ”You thought she could handle herself, and either she could not or the rats proved more dangerous than anyone outside of Shadowclan could have anticipated. Such is life.” He could hardly have guessed the future and convinced Sootstar to act differently: both would be asking for the impossible.​

——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely ​

ooc. information.

• snake putting himself in problem-solving mode: sounds like a her problem to me
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 46 ☾, riverclan warrior
  — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
  — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo
  
  
  

​

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