lovers - brothers - killers ✘ snakeblink

[SMOKESTAR]

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The colony cats have been difficult in ways he didn't expect. It was not simply a lack of understanding any longer, but outright refusal to listen and blatant disrespect. He wonders faintly how Cicadastar would have handled it, despite his misgivings and unease with his mates passing and lack of StarClan presence he still finds comfort in lapsing back into thinking over what the slender tom might have considered the best way to handle an ongoing problem. More and more he finds himself apprehensive, wary, seeking back further and further into his memories at a time when the other was more comfortable in his existence, took solace in the companionship of his clan and didn't feel as if every shadow whispered threats from around him. He wishes the Cicadastar of his memories was back at his side, taking control so he could resume dutifully standing there in silent support - but those days were long gone, it was his task now. His burden to carry. Smokestar sometimes wishes he had gone first, but then what would have become of RiverClan when the throes of paranoia overtook the tom entirely? He wonders if he would have attacked their children if they had found him in the state the dark tom had before his death.
With a sigh he whisks his tail around himself in silence, the chill that permeates the mostly empty willow den leaving him feeling a little more hollow than he would like; it is only when a shadow falls neatly forward from the den mouth does he straighten his posture and raise his head back up, "Snakeblink."
It is a quiet, muted greeting to the brown tabby, he rises to stand with a stiffness that is partially due to the cold and also a weariness he could not quite place the source of. "Good, you're here. Sit."
His lone white paw taps the ground neatly as he also situates himself more comfortably upright, "...how are things with our newcomers? I've heard...rather poor gossip."

——✘ when does ripple become a tidal wave ———✘ when does a candle become a flame

• @Snakeblink
• 
  
  
  Smokestar
  —⊰⋅ Leader of RiverClan
  —⊰⋅ He/Him
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  —⊰⋅ Black tom w/vitiligo & one orange eye.
  

​

 

[Snakeblink]

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

Many cats, Snakeblink knows, still expect to find something of Cicadastar in their new leader, and walk on quiet paws around the void left by the formidable chimera’s end-of-life paranoia. They expect Smokestar to snap; remember the unpredictable moods of another black and white tom and expect them from him.

He is the opposite -- but the result is the same.

Snakeblink loved Cicadastar dearly; trusted him wholeheartedly; would have thrown himself down the gorge for the sake of him. He had ascended to lead warrior status on his word and confidence alone. The family he has now, the clan he serves, the friends he’s lucky to know, all of it is owed to Cicadastar, and that gratefulness worked in pair with Snakeblink’s natural discretion, granting him a… perhaps easier relationship to their lost leader than most. If this was Cicadastar, Snakeblink would know how to act.

But Smokestar… they weren’t close, before, and that distance has given him an impression of the dark tom more akin to a shadow cast over the water, and the same feeling of being loomed over that fish must feel beneath it. Snakeblink knows him to be a formidable warrior, entirely devoted to the clan, beloved of Cicadastar, protective of his kits, taciturn -- what else? Difficult to please, even harder to impress, a tom who demands no less from others than from himself: a high standard Snakeblink has struggled to meet, time and time again, blunder after blunder.

He is a poor fighter, a coward on the battlefield, sharp eyes and sharper ears that lose all usefulness as soon as he opens his soft, stupid mouth. Had Cicadastar not made him lead warrior before he was gone, Snakeblink knows -- thinks he knows, suspects rather -- that Smokestar would not have done the same.

Since his mother passed, nothing in his life has meant as much as this duty does. It’s his one chance to help, to support the clan as it supports him; Snakeblink cannot bear the thought of losing it.

So he must prove worthy of it, and Smokestar had the kindness to offer him the opportunity to do so. It ought to have been a done deal as long as he gave it his all, and he did.

If only the Ripple colony would cooperate!

He enters the willow den on Smokestar’s welcome with no small amount of dread. As always, concern sparks at the sight of him: the weariness weighing him down, a hard life, long-lived -- and now nine more to fight for and lose in service of the clan. It could not have gone to a worthier cat. But looking at Smokestar, Snakeblink wonders how much of this privilege is a burden in disguise; most of it, probably.

”Smokestar,” he replies in a low hiss, tilting his head respectfully. ”I trust you are well?” It’s cold within the empty den, and another wandering thought goes to linger on how lonely it must feel, when it once was full with a mate and three kits.

Slithering closer, he sits primly near Smokestar, but not so near it might be seen as presumptuous, and stares above the other’s ear as he asks after Snakeblink’s charge. He knew this would be the subject at paw, but it still elicits a slight wince that he hurries to cover with another nod.

”Their introduction to our ways has not been proceeding as smoothly as I had hoped,” he admits, eyes flicking down to Smokestar’s single one. ”Or rather, some of them have been reluctant to acclimate. Not all of them,” he hurries to add. ”Dawnstorm, for instance, has been adjusting quite well, and has no trouble following our ways.” That particular former colonist is a little strange, but in a way that Snakeblink finds generally harmless. And much easier to deal with. ”But others -- well, you have heard the gossip.”

Authority has been a constant point of contention. Unsurprising for cats from such a hierarchy-light group, but something Snakeblink has no idea how to deal with. If they cannot understand the need for the chain of power, he’s at a loss to explain to them the necessity of it otherwise. None has committed punishment-worthy acts yet, but even if they did, would they even submit to any punishment he would give them?

He sighs, shoulders dropping, and finally meets Smokestar’s stare head-on. ”I can teach what they do not know, explain what they do not understand -- but change their mind once it is set?” He trails off, grimacing. His ears flick with the urge to turn his head away. He only shakes it slightly, murmuring. ”I apologize.”
​

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

ooc. information.

• 
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 47 ☾, riverclan warrior
  — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
  — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo
  
  
  

​

​

 

[SMOKESTAR]

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"...Dawnstorm's father has been the more difficult one from what I have heard." He'd not seen an incident himself, but word of mouth carries around the clan quickly, "...I'd like you to assign a cat to him to ward off that behavior, someone who will make clear our feelings on such things and be able to report back should things go ary." It might help Dawnstorm as well to just have another cat nearby at all times, if he had to rip that older tom's throat out to make a point that their clan was not to be trifled with nor treated poorly then he absolutely woudn't hesitate to do so. There was strictness, cold mentoring as he himself presented often and then there was flagrant abuse of ones power and authority - a parent had much of both, to wield it with cruelty would not pass in RiverClan.

Snakeblink's frustration is evident in his face, he is worried at failing this task assigned him and for good reason - his thoughts were not wholey incorrect. Smokestar would have never promoted such a cat, never hung a badge upon the chest of a tom who couldn't handle basic combat and whose primary hobbies included accidentally backhanded compliments and whispering gossip among other things. But there was no ignoring the sharpness in the tabby's gaze when pressed with an actual question or concern, a thoughtful and tactical mind whirring to life to process complexities and problems with a swiftness to deliver the best results. What he lacked in basic social ettiquette and warmongering, he somehow filled the space with a cunning and ambassadorial demeanor that suited more delicate politics. Hilarious in a way, a cat who could not speak to a clanmate without tripping over his own damned tongue was capable of soothing over an explosive issue with ease and patience.
He can't help himself, he doesn't mean it poorly but he cracks an involuntary smile and snort of amusement that he muffles with a cough.
"Welcome to having children, Snakeblink. Don't you just want several of your own now?"

Shaking his head he pushes himself back into professionalism, "Don't apologize, you've done what was asked of you. You can tell a cat how to fish one way and insist it right but if they are stubborn they'll adamantly refuse to learn anything new. It's a sign of poor intelligence in most, perhaps a longing for old ways as well, maybe even a pride that refuses to allow their hearts to join the clan their body's already did. Nonetheless we can only teach, if they continue to fight back and disrespect you or the other leads and Lichentail then let me know. I would prefer not to step in immediately as I'm sure the leader barring his teeth at you is not exactly a welcoming gesture, but I might grab them for a walk later myself and ask some questions..."
His head tilts in a faint, curious manner, "...aside from that...how are you?"

——✘ when does ripple become a tidal wave ———✘ when does a candle become a flame

• OOC can go here.
• 
  
  
  Smokestar
  —⊰⋅ Leader of RiverClan
  —⊰⋅ He/Him
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  —⊰⋅ Black tom w/vitiligo & one orange eye.
  

​

 

[Snakeblink]

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

A low groan works itself out of Snakeblink’s throat as he rubs his face with one slim paw, squeezing his eyes shut. ”Dawnstorm’s father… That one is not a problem of acclimation, frankly.” He looks at Smokestar from the corner of his eye, mulling over his words carefully before he continues, ”He reminds me of Spiderfall, in some ways.” The cruelty. The calculated coldness. The older cat makes his skin crawl. The dead rogue’s shadow hangs long and dark over Snakeblink’s memory, a very personal failure in his self-assigned mission of surveillance, and he cannot bear the thought of history repeating in such a blatant way.

”You are right. Maybe Salmonshade, or Aspenhaze. Both are unlikely to make Dawnstorm ill at ease… and equally unlikely to let his father get away with much in their presence.”

Smokestar’s snort startles him, eyes widening as his whole body freezes in surprise. He stares at his leader, unwilling to dismiss it as a fluke: the dark tom may try to cover it with a cough, but Snakeblink knows what he heard. He doesn’t think anyone would believe him. Still, it gets a small, rueful smile out of him as some of the tension bleeds out of his shoulders.

”I thought I did,” he replies lightly, ”But they seem much easier to deal with when they are still small and you can scare them into behaving by saying Smokestar eats naughty kits.”

The reassurance is unexpected but welcome. Privately, he thinks pride is the biggest obstacle there: the ripple cats are not, as a whole, uniquely stupid, but their strong sense of communal identity means they hold on to their old ways fiercely — anything that diverges from what they know becomes an enemy of their traditions, an attempt at breaking down what they consider theirs. And, in fairness, it often is: there can be no Ripple Colony in Riverclan. But they could make Riverclan better if only they did not balk at every change. Cicadastar had put forward the rule that kits and queens should eat first in part because of the Colony’s own customs, and all five clans were better off for it. What else could change if only they allowed themselves to become clan cats?

”I will keep that in mind, and report on any further infractions. I might borrow some of your teaching strategies as well; their elders did not give me the impression that might makes right within their group, but a firmer paw may succeed where patient explanations failed…”

Concern, unfamiliar from such a source, takes him off guard, and he flounders silently for an instant before hazarding, ”I am… well?” A shake of his head. Smokestar seems genuine, and it would be callous to answer that sincerity with his habitual deflection. ”Tired, as always, and heartsick — but you would know that one better than me.” The grief sits heavy in his throat, a constant reminder that he’s long learned to swallow past. ”It feels like we have not had a moment to breathe in a long time.”

A keen focus falls on Smokestar as he peers into the leader’s one blazing eye. He’s settling into his role with grace, shouldering the responsibility in a way that makes Snakeblink think he will be one of the forest’s great leaders before long — but it’s easy to see that ease and forget the weight falling upon the other’s broad back. ”And how are you, if I may ask the same? The past moons have not given you much peace, either.”
​

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

ooc. information.

• 
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 48 ☾, 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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