private its my business | snakeblink

[TIGERHEAT]

With a crescent moon hanging over his head the tom finds himself sitting in a quiet camp. Most cats are sleeping and sure this is an advantageous situation but he is only up because sleep evades him tonight. Even with his jaws parting wide from a yawn he doesn't feel that dragging tiredness that sleep provides. So instead he finally figures that he will go for a walk. Flicking his thick tail the large tom pushes himself to his paws and he leaves across the stepping stones of the river. By the thin moonlight he can see well enough and he picks himself a path along the reeds against the shore of water. A soft hum is in his chest as he moves, listening to the gentle sounds of the river, a sound he has known since his kithood. His eyes search, debating on a nightly swim to exert energy. For a moment he stands there and looks before he then starts to side his figure into the waters. They are super chilly at night but his thick pelt keeps it at bay as he swims like a slicing dart through its waves.

Soon he abandons that to be on land again, shaking out his flaming pelt and trekking out into the territory. It has been a while since he has been able to hunt any land prey so why not for the pile in the morning. It'll be a good use of his time.

@Snakeblink ​

 

[Snakeblink]

For once, it’s not insomnia keeping Snakeblink awake well past moonrise. The other warriors curled up in the den, alone or nestled together for warmth, breathe slowly in peaceful sleep while he stares through the darkness, lost in thoughts. Were his night vision better, he might be able to glimpse Tigerheat’s fiery pelt through the weaved foliage: the bigger cat was still up when he turned in for the night and didn't seem in any hurry to sleep.

This is, in part, what keeps Snakeblink up. He worries about that tom. There’s something in him — the careful performance of affability, the cold, calculating gaze — that he recognizes and which puts him on edge. He’s lying about something, but what? What is he hiding?

Of course, he already has an idea. Out of suspicion, Snakeblink has been keeping an eye on Tigerheat from afar… and he has gotten the idea that the other cat is not as loyal as he makes himself appear. It’s none of his business and he knows it, but surely a cat who cannot be loyal to his mate can hardly be trusted with loyalty for his clan.

He has no proof though, nothing to bring to the cat it concerns. It only gives him something else to worry about. A secret he keeps against his own wishes.

Ears twitching, he catches the soft padding of pawsteps passing by the warriors’ den on their way through the camp but neither stopping nor diverting near them. They’ve barely faded in the dark before Snakeblink, acting on impulse, weaves between the sleeping forms of his clanmates to follow after them. He comes out just as a bushy tail disappears into the reeds. This might be nothing more than a night walk… but if it’s anything else, Snakeblink wants to know.

He hurries after Tigerheat as silently as he physically can. The waxing moon gives him barely enough light to see the large cat by, and he relies more on his memories than his sight to navigate the slippery terrain. Knowing the other could see him much better than Snakeblink can see him, he keeps himself low to the ground, his white underside hidden in the tall grass. He stops a little distance away from Tigerheat as he dips into the water — is he only here for a swim? No, he’s moving again.

Where is the tom going? Snakeblink will follow him across the whole of riverclan territory if he must, but there’s only so long his luck can hold before he makes a noise of some kind on accident.​

ooc. information.

• ooc: baby should worry less about being heard and more about mistaken for a prey and tackled to the ground lmao
  
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 34 ☾, riverclan warrior
  — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
  — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo
  
  
  

​

 

[TIGERHEAT]

Eyes wander as he looks around his surroundings. It's a beautiful night to be sure and with the sounds of crickets he feels more relaxed then he has in days. There is always something going on at camp, always some sort of ridicule he has to deal with because others can't keep their noses out of a situation that doesn't concern them. His muzzle curls slightly at the thought, large incisors peeking out for just a moment before he forces himself to relax. No, it's fine. He has someone new and he actually does love him. Unlike with Cold who was a slowly dying flame. As he makes it to stiff and dormant trees he is about to enter when he hears something behind him. A snap of twigs and he tilts his head slightly. His nose twitches but it doesn't tell him much at the moment but the twig snapping like that means it's something heavier than normal prey.

With a slight thought he wonders if someone had the balls to follow him from camp. They couldn't have. The massive tom flicks his tail before he disappears within the brush, eyes half open as he slips around a few trees. It takes him a moment to do the round a bout but it helps to have some patience. His maw parts then and he can smell them, a riverclanner indeed and one familiar. As he slows his large frame he crouches in the darkness, waiting for the ambush. Waiting for him and if he does come close to his hiding place the flaming tom would burst from it with claws outstretched. Aiming to latch onto the other tom he will then attempt to dig his claws in and force him to the ground. Glittering sharp blues stare down at Snakeblink as he tilts his head, forcing fake surprise onto his face. "Well well well, isn't this a rather unpleasant surprise. What are you doing all the way out here Snakeblink?"

His deep voice which is normally falsely warm is now brittle and as cold as his gaze is. After all he knows what the other is up to. He knows and it bothers him. He could effectively kill the tom right here and be done with him. But then the situation will be too messy and he narrows his eyes. "I'm sure you arent out here trying to hunt so please enlighten me."​

 

[Snakeblink]

The moment Snakeblink feels that damn twig snapping under his paw, he thinks he’s done for. There’s no way Tigerheat hasn’t heard this. But the bigger tom barely seems to react, tilting his head no more than he would at the sound of prey scuttling around. He flicks his tail and moves on, swallowed by the shadows of trees. Snakeblink holds his breath a second more before following after him. The deeper in the bushes they go, the less he sees, the more on edge he is, having to track the other cat by scent when a cloud passing in front of the moon steals what scant light he sees by. A scent which is only getting stronger as he goes on, as if he’s gaining ground—

The massive tom bursts out of the bushes, a shadow darker than the night that slams into Snakeblink with all of his considerable mass. He staggers under the weight, biting empty space as claws dig into his shoulders, pulling him down to pin him in the dirt. He lies there, breath frozen in his throat as the moon's pale face returns just in time to illuminate icy eyes staring down at him. Tigerheat’s rumbling voice comes with a threatening edge, asking about the reason for Snakeblink’s presence. Feeling the sudden need to deescalate the situation before these claws open him from throat to tail, Snakeblink pushes his paw against the other's chest in a vain effort to push him back and replies with his most obsequious tone.

“Ah, Tigerheat! What a… pleasure. Wonderful night for a stroll, wouldn’t you say?” What follows slips through his teeth in a rush, unthinkingly, hastened by a spike of fear. “I saw you slipping out of camp, and I thought, well, since I’m up anyway, I might as well go and keep him company. We wouldn’t want you to feel lonely and seek companionship elsewhere, would we? You who abhor solitude so...”

He smiles thinly. Tigerheat may have the physical advantage — his body crushing Snakeblink is more than enough to remind him of that — but he isn’t entirely powerless here. “Of course, there’s nothing wrong with seeking the intimate company of the right cat… or should I say cats?”
​

ooc. information.

• 
  
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 34 ☾, riverclan warrior
  — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
  — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo
  
  
  

​