MISTERIOSO — darkwhisker

[iciclefang]

“The weather is nice.”

Iciclefang spares her brother a glance, looking up from the river to study him with matching blue eyes, though hers remain a touch frostier. Seeing familiarities in his face is strange, tugs at her heart in ways they never have before. Against her will, she catches glimpses of Steepsnout. They’re little glimpses, shades of darkness in his fur, the shape of his eyes, the tilt of his head when he asks her a question.

She’s forced to direct her attention back to the crystalline depths of the water, unwilling to find her dead sister in her living brother’s face. Irritably, she flicks an ear, her thoughts buzzing like flies. Before long, she will forget what Steepsnout looked like, will forget the richness the ebony of her fur had, the strength in her shoulders, the raucous quality of her laugh, and won’t that be a mercy?

Her mouth tightens. “I fear the river might freeze again this leafbare." Idle conversation. Meaningless. She does not know what the weather will do, nor does she, in this moment, care. But she doesn’t know how to talk to Darkwhisker right now. She doesn’t know how to talk to anybody.

Iciclefang skims the surface of the water. The section they’ve chosen to fish in is deep, and the water is glacial, piercing. “Were you injured at all? When the rogues came?" She remembers a battle they’d fought together—Darkwhisker had gone to SkyClan, and a WindClan apprentice had slashed him across the bridge of his nose and driven him to helpless tears. She can only hope he’s a little more competent now.


@DARKWHISKER

, ”​

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[DARKWHISKER]

ੈ♡˳ . ° ✦ Darkwhisker's ear flicks, acknowledging his sister's comment with a nod. "Yeah. It is." It seems strange to chat about nice weather when so much has happened. Everyone is stressed, grieving what they've lost, worrying over what's left to fix. The weather is inconsequential when their family, friends, and leader are dead, and their deputy seems to be a shell of his former self. But, for once, the change of pace is welcomed by Darkwhisker. A distraction from all of the sorrow is what he needs.

He tries to smile for Iciclefang when he returns her glance, but it's a hollow gesture. Sadness clings to his features, darkens his eyes and weighs down his shoulders. Not for the first time, Darkwhisker wishes they were still kits. He longs for the days when they were innocent and carefree. When Steepsnout was alive, and not buried in another clan's territory.

He thinks about all of the times Steepsnout tried to get him to play-fight with her, and he wonders why he didn't just give in. He'd give anything to play-fight with her now.

Iciclefang's voice snaps him out of his daze. Darkwhisker blinks, realizing he'd zoned out while watching for the movement of fish along the surface. "What?" He asks for clarification a moment before he processes what she's said. She's afraid the river will freeze over a second time. Darkwhisker frowns, a quiet 'oh' slipping from him. Iciclefang's always been the more realistic of the two. But to him, her realism just seems like unnecessary pessimism. And right now, the last thing either of them needs is any more negativity. "Don't say that. The river… It'll persist this leaf-bare." He doesn't sound sure of himself. Still, if he wants positivity in the world, he must make it. That's what he's grown to believe.

What starts as idle small talk quickly morphs into something more bitter, harder to swallow and even harder to stomach. Darkwhisker's tail tip twitches for a moment, before he wills it to be still. The rogues. There's a sudden crawling sensation underneath the poultice of herbs on his shoulder. "Not badly," he replies. Superficial cuts, bruises, and claw marks on his shoulder. It could've been worse. He could've been Cicadastar, bleeding and bleeding until he'd nothing left to bleed. Darkwhisker chokes down bile at the memory, and he shakes his head.

The subject is quick to be changed by him. "What about you? Your journey? Did it go well?" Aside from the ThunderClan apprentice getting injured, Dovethroat getting separated from the rest of them, and Iciclefang returning to find her leader, sister, and more of her clanmates dead… But Darkwhisker doesn't voice those parts out loud.

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ooc information

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  DARKWHISKER — HE/HIM ･ 17 MOONS ･ RIVERCLAN WARRIOR ･ PENNED BY NICO

  tall, lithe dusky brown tom with splashes of white. a cheerful tom who tries to put a smile on the face of everyone he talks to, darkwhisker's life is devoted to spreading positivity in a world full of negativity. though his words may be fanciful— and coated in the sugar of white lies, at times— he is a well-intentioned, albeit overly idealistic, young warrior.

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[iciclefang]

Darkwhisker all but sags with the weight of all that had happened to him while she was away. Iciclefang looks at him, a dark pit forming in her chest like the stone at the center of an unripe fruit. She’d not been here to protect him, because she’d insisted on tagging along with Fernpaw and ensuring Fernpaw didn’t have to fight his own battles. The weight of all that she’s elected to carry weighs on her, too, and she’s sure it shows just as blatantly. Her brother is battered from rogues, and he’s had to walk alone knowing their sister lie in cold, marshy ground, their father weak and withering away, soon to join her.

She tenses, then sighs. “We can’t control it either way, but you’re right. It does no good to dwell on what might or might not happen in the future.” She waves a white-toed paw absently, gaze still on the water. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt too badly. Sounds like you had to fight alongside other Clan cats, too.” Her shoulders flex, pondering. “The journey was a little like that, but every day. Every day, I woke next to a cat from another Clan. We shared prey, even…”

Iciclefang lifts her paw again, this time gingerly brushing the scar seared across her shoulder. “A ThunderClanner saved me from dying in a rockslide. I never would’ve imagined something like that could have happened before.” The flinty surface of her blue eyes softens. “It’s strange, not waking up beside—beside them all, anymore,” she says, smooth despite the misspeak.

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[DARKWHISKER]

ੈ♡˳ . ° ✦ Darkwhisker’s heavy heart is mirrored in his sister. Blatant enough for even him to notice, airheaded as he is. It doesn’t suit her, not in his eyes. She’s always been one of the strongest cats he knows… Seeing Iciclefang— who seems to always be perfect and poised, to Darkwhisker’s endless admiration— visibly worn down by all that’s happened reminds him of just how horrible everything is, despite his best efforts to forget.

She relents her pessimism with a sigh. Darkwhisker nods, artificially sage-like when his escapism is rooted in anything but wisdom. But he thinks this is the best option for both of them; ignoring the possible negative outcomes and hoping for the positive ones. “We might not be able to control it, but if we pray and keep our hopes up… We’ll be able to overcome anything.”

He listens to her, his dual-toned gaze now settled on Iciclefang’s tortoiseshell fur instead of the river while she talks about the journey. He follows her paw to the scar on her shoulder. A fresh one, Darkwhisker realizes with a jolt of surprise. Stars, he hadn’t even noticed she’d received a new scar until now… His head’s been stuck farther up in the clouds than it usually is, recently.

A ThunderClanner saved her from a rockslide, she explains. Darkwhisker doesn’t think much of the misspeak; he’s too enraptured by her tales of unlikely friendship, and caught up in gratitude for the ThunderClanner who saved his sister’s life. If they hadn’t… Darkwhisker doesn’t want to think about how he could’ve lost Iciclefang, too. “You’ve made friends outside of RiverClan… The journey did more good than just saving lives, it seems.” A small smile curves his lips, weary but genuine, this time. Iciclefang’s always disliked outsiders… While Darkwhisker could understand her hatred for WindClan, her overly negative opinions towards the rest of the clans exasperated him. To hear her speak fondly of an outsider is a refreshing change of pace.

“I’m so glad you and Fernpaw— and the others— returned safely. I’ll thank StarClan for the rest of my life for protecting you… And the ThunderClanner who saved you.” Darkwhisker tilts his head, realizing that Iciclefang never said the ThunderClanner’s name. He’d like to extend his gratitude to them when he gets the chance to. “Who was the ThunderClanner that saved you?”

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ooc information

• I’M SO SORRY FOR HOW LATE THIS IS!!!
• 

  DARKWHISKER — HE/HIM ･ 17 MOONS ･ RIVERCLAN WARRIOR ･ PENNED BY NICO

  tall, lithe dusky brown tom with splashes of white. a cheerful tom who tries to put a smile on the face of everyone he talks to, darkwhisker's life is devoted to spreading positivity in a world full of negativity. though his words may be fanciful— and coated in the sugar of white lies, at times— he is a well-intentioned, albeit overly idealistic, young warrior.

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[iciclefang]

Darkwhisker’s optimism is blinding, and sometimes listening to him speak is like staring directly into the open face of the sun. Iciclefang’s mouth twitches as he tells her that if they pray and keep their hopes up, they can overcome anything. “You still truly believe that, don’t you?” She eyes the scars seared through the dark fur on the bridge of his nose pointedly. “Prayer and hope are all well and good, but it’s our strength that keeps us going.”

His comment about her making friends earns a dry laugh, huffed under her breath. “I imagine you made friends with every Clan while you stayed in ShadowClan, didn’t you?” She shakes her head in mock despair. “Friends is a strong word. They were…” She frowns, searching for a comparable word. “Companions. I suppose. Allies.”

She sees him eye her scar, the pink flesh burned through tortoiseshell fur, and her smirk twitches. “You can thank her in person sometime. She’s named Stormywing.” Whatever emotion flashes through her eyes cannot be suppressed, but she moves on. “I wish StarClan had not sent us so many delays… perhaps if we hadn’t met so many mishaps, we could have been here before…”

Iciclefang trails off, her gaze taking on an underwater quality, far away.

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