IN THE DAYLIGHT ◜♡◞ BLACKWATER, GIFTING

[BLACKPAW]

A few days passed by since Diable reached full recovery for her to have the permission of leaving the medicine den at last. Still then, has she been trying to find what can be vulnerable to give to Blackwater as a great gratitude in regards to him saving her own sheer delicate life— what more can she return the favours when she senses verbally thanking him isn't good enough. Even as a young soul, Diable knows she is capable of using her strength and resilience to assist for anything despite hardships; she can help Blackwater and RiverClan. Here, however, she is only a stranger without any recognition in the star blessed ranks. A guest who may not be able to stay longer if there is no use of her through the narrowed eyes and steel hearts of judgment.

Diable is well famillar with the Clans through the various tales from the loners and kittypets who visited her past home, comical and tragic with touches about brutality in the ugly name of survival. She knows her adoptive father was once a leader of his own cruel crew that would raid to steal— harm and kill when their lives were threatened or if they were being merely glanced upon, even. She can imagine a life in the Clans could be as strict and harsh to bear, less forlorn than a loner's and softer than a kittypet's. She isn't a true Clanner, so she holds a belief she have no place to do anything honourable for RiverClan, let alone Blackwater as a form of gratitude who she may never see again if she was to be kicked out soon. But she wants to do more in the end—

She have to—

She finds what may be worth something good enough.

"Blackwater."

A meek greeting leaves Diable who stops before Blackwater when she saw he had arrived to the camp. She has hoped their presences won't gather attention from the others, wanting to have a private moment with him for an important kind return to his brave benevolence. Diable awkwardly shuffles her forepaws. Despite the lack of attention on herself but Blackwater's, embarrassment sinks deep into her prinkling furred skin. Even when she practiced her lines several times to her river reflection earlier, already, has she forgotten about what she should say beyond thanking Blackwater. In defeat, Diable sighs and slowly passes over two kit's paw sized rocks that share the white colouring, their rough surfaces gleaming from the sweet sunlight above.

"These rocks here might not mean much to you, but," Diable tries to start, the words feeling statics in her mouth. She hopes this doesn't cause Blackwater's focus to falter. "I found them together by the river near the nursery earlier today and..." The two forms seem meaningless, though, when she lightly nudges them closer, the minerals right next to each other presents them a particular shape of a heart. 'The half of this whole heart is me and the rest is you.' Silence lingers deeply, then it all breaks in still softness, "I know I already thanked you for saving me, but I still wanted to further express my grattiude, so..." she ends gesturing to the gift and offers a feeble smile, her lips eventually quivering with new tears present in the eyes.

Diable hopes this is more than good enough.

| @Blackwater
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[Blackwater]

Today had been a laborious one for Blackwater, having awoken that morning with a looming sense of dread as the painstakingly familiar pain had already begun to coil around his innards in the night, planting their plagued seed in preparation for him to sow as the sun climbed steadily higher into the strikingly clear blue sky. Every pull of his tendon, every flex of his muscles, every intake of shallow breath would only awaken the beast within him that was once dormant, though it never was for long. Coming and going, manageable to unbearable, this was the burden he would be forced to bear until his day of judgement. Now, he had done all he could and his body was spent, the pain that ravaged his abdomen and spread throughout his chest a cacophony of sore aches and searing fire like serrated claws raking across flesh with a surge of bloodlust, at times with such unexpected intensity it would cause his lungs and heartbeat to stall. He would hide his illness well, an expression fixed vacantly ahead of him as he walked with only the most minimal of gaits, for one being to show weakness in a clan was one too many, a vulnerable black spot to be preyed upon by those who sought to wreak havoc among the more capable. Something he could not afford nor even entertain the idea of. He would remain strong outwardly, as a warrior was expected to be.

Despite all that he did today, he felt undeserving of the rest that he would soon allow himself to melt into. No matter what he accomplished, it would never truly be enough, for one could and should always strive for more than they are presently. To tell yourself that you are "good enough" as you are is a detriment to yourself, for it stops you from pursuing and shaping an even stronger self, to be content is to fail yourself. Words that were never his own, and yet they echoed throughout his mind as though he accumulated them on his own, their reverberation only serving to worsen the headache that pressed against his cranium.

Blackwater.

An unexpected but familiar visitor halted him in his tracks, intercepting his less than leisurely route to the warrior's den, the nest within beckoning him to return to it's warm embrace where rest would be graciously given. He almost stepped over her entirely, only stopping with a great level of self control upon hearing her voice which carried an uncharacteristically hesitant tone. With flexing claws, he offered what little he could to her- his ears, his glassy and hollowed eyes, his time. Time that seemed to inch on at a miserably drawn out pace, as was customary when he was at his worst...a form of cruelty in of itself.

These rocks here might not mean much to you, but, I found them together by the river near the nursery earlier today and...

Diable spoke with a slight tremor, her tiny paws shifting beneath an unseen weight that pressed itself down upon her shoulders. It intrigued Blackwater, his attention suddenly sharpening in the form of a piercing briny-colored gaze. This was no ordinary scenario, not from her...not a question borne from curiosity or a taste for a newfound means of living, but rather a gesture or desire she wished to express to him that carried profound meaning. He would not dismiss her nor would he request that she save it for the foreseeable future, regardless of how much his body screamed from within to do so in its dire need for salvation in the form of repose, similar to the travail forced upon it by its bearer even at its worst, it could still withstand just a little bit more for a little bit longer.

I know I already thanked you for saving me, but I still wanted to further express my grattiude, so...

His optics flickered downwards in tune to the kit's movements, a pair of unassuming stones having been laid before him in her wake. Only once she retreated to allow the sun's warm rays to wash over the open space between them did they reveal their hidden beauty- shimmering in tune to the radiant beams above that pulsated with mixed intensity with the thin sheet of clouds that traversed gently in front of it. They would try to stifle it's smoldering flare to fruitless avail, for its faculty would forever display a power beyond the likes of anything around it had ever seen, much like Diable herself. He assumed this would be all, to which he would have surely appreciated on its own, however this would not be the conclusion of her efforts- unpredictable, as was customary for someone like herself. The two halves were pressed together to become one, their shape mimicking that of a more juvenile interpretation of what a heart may look like, a traditional symbol of love and care.

It disarmed him for a moment, his taught frame visibly relaxing with twitching outer flesh, the only sign of discomfort that he would allow to present itself. He had not been given such a display of kindness nor gratitude in quite some time, not by others and most certainly not from himself. It was not uncommon for him to push these types of gestures away when they were offered, if not avoid the situations entirely before they had the opportunity to unfold. He did not hold any resentment towards such things, quite the opposite in fact- but he did not feel deserving of them. He had not done nearly enough in his limited time on this earth to warrant it. All of this would go unsaid in the face of Diable, and of course he would accept her magnanimity with grace.

"Diable." He began, his demeanor as unreadable as it ever was, though the hoarseness that so often sat heavy laden in his tone may have been a bit rougher now. "Your...gift. It is a sight for sore eyes. Thank you." There was a pause as he ran his paw tenderly against it, but only for a moment, pulling away almost immediately after his pads made contact with the rough sediment, as if it had struck him like the jaws of a snapper. "I will cherish it always. Though you need not trouble yourself with such displays of gratitude. I merely did what was right, and for that I deserve little regard."

✧　°　.　☠︎︎　.　°　✧​

ooc Information

• ooc: so sorry for the delay, flare ups ate me alive </3
• 

  BLACKWATER — HE/HIM ･ 25 MOONS ･ RIVERCLAN WARRIOR ･ PENNED BY SLOANE

  SH blue tabby/blue chimera with low white. born to riverclan and eternally devoted to their ranks, he often prioritizes the wellbeing of others over himself and is prone to doing much more than he is physically capable of as a means to prove not only to others that he is deserving of his position, but also to himself. although not something he displays externally, he is imbittered and melancholic regarding his physical ailments and incapability. despite this repressed mental unrest, he is quite laid-back and gentle towards those around him, often content to converse and connect to any who may desire it- although admittedly, he is not the most observant or quick-witted when it comes to recognizing social cues.

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