OF CANDLES & CRUEL CONCEPT | deer

[ThistleBack]

The ravens caw in a foggy forest, leafless branches rattle like skeleton ribs in callous fits of humorless giggles. He’s dreaming, but it’s hardly sheep leaping over little wooden fences. It’s low swooping blackbird and frostbite on his paws. He traverses sluggishly, breathing in the air felt toxic- like mushroom spores and dust, he coughs and carries on. The woods around his tattered body growls with distrust, but Thistleback growls back. To wonder where he is, is to be dizzy- so he doesn’t think. Not until he hears a cry.

It cannot be mistaken, it’s Deersong- her anguish painted in the unforgiving air but veiled by the darkness of this eerie forest. Now, he’s tearing the ground with the force of his thrashing sprint, " Deer….DEER….DEERSONG…. " he snarls out, his screams are howls like a wolf with the guttural of it. He feels panic for the first time in his life- pure rage.

The forest is endless, but finally-

on a pile of bones, lays the body of his mate. An angle not intended for any living creature made up her twisted form, turquoise eyes wide and frozen in horror as they gaze lifelessly into the beyond. Thistleback’s wind is knocked from his body, he clatters up the hill of bones- he gathers her gently, purely taken over by a state of disbelief and shock.

" no.. no… no Deer… wakeup… no ….. NO … " " please, please… please… " his voice cracks and a sob rips from him.

Thistleback jolts awake, gasping for breaths and eyes wide and unfocused. " Deersong…." his paw reaches out for hers. " hellish… nightmare…" he’s catching his breath. " shit…. I’m sorry I woke you my love…" he covers his sweating brow with a paw.

​

OOC INFO REF

• —
  
  
• — Thistleback | thirty-two moons | cis-male
  — daylight warrior of Skyclan
  — bisexual | fallen for Deersong 9.29.22
  — mentoring Coyotepaw
  — very muscular piebald black and white tom with spiky fur and cold silver-grey eyes. Wears a purple collar with brass clasp.
  
• 
  
  

​

 

[~Deersong~]

( ♬ ) In truth, Deersong had already been awake, the molly had not slept properly since her apprentices' hurtful display and the guilt that clung to the she-cats aura was as thick as smoke.

When her mate jolted beside her and awoke fighting for breath, she was already curling around him and cooing softly to him in comfort, "There there now, Gem. I'm here, we're safe." Deer would press her frame against his own before she began to groom his head in a further attempt to bring him some peace.

Once his breathing had returned to a semi-regular rhythm; Deersong would pull back just enough to meet her aqua to his silver as she spoke, "Never worry about waking me, Gem. I'm your mate now, I'll always be right here when you have these nightmares." She would touch her muzzle to his for a heartbeat before meowing softly, "Do you wanna talk about it?" ​

( LET YOU BREAK; MY HEART AGAIN )

 

[ThistleBack]

The voice of a blossom coaxes him from the darkness as it had swallowed him in icy refrain, the chasm of foolish mourning driven into his chest laid to rest by her loving words. He relaxes, the tight coils in his shoulders yielding, and he tips the crown of his head to her comforting grooming. Here he rests, eye lids fallen over two grey orbs of distant obscurity. " my love… " he whispers toward her promises.

She pulls back, his eyes surface and once more and meet hers. He allows a fragile smile on his maw, rare and reserved only for her as he adores her features as though it gave him reprieve. An end to torture, was she. " They should never be your burden to bear, bird… but I know… I know you will" he responds softly, touching his nose to hers.

he shakes his head slowly, brows pinching as he looks out into the midnight blanketing camp. " I think we, should discuss our apprentices. " turning back to her he’d cross his paws. " what’s real… is more important " his words, soft chastising toward himself.

​

OOC INFO REF

• —
  
  
• — Thistleback | thirty-two moons | cis-male
  — daylight warrior of Skyclan
  — bisexual | fallen for Deersong 9.29.22
  — mentoring Coyotepaw
  — very muscular piebald black and white tom with spiky fur and cold silver-grey eyes. Wears a purple collar with brass clasp.
  
• 
  
  

​

 

[~Deersong~]

( ♬ ) Deer would smile warmly, the troubles of the last few days melting away as Thistleback whispers and she purrs as she snuggles against his side. She finds her own sense of comfort in his reassurances that he does know of her support and she moves to settle her head atop the black and white tom's shoulders when he speaks again.

I think we, should discuss our apprentices.

The molly immediately tenses, as if she was preparing for the tom to scold her for allowing her apprentice to mock his own. Her throat tightened as she moved and tucked her paws beneath her, an outward sign that she was trying to hold herself together. "Alright...if that's what your vibin to talk about..." She was never an expert at hiding her emotions, especially the ones like sadness or guilt. So when her mate turned back her, she would appear like a cat about to be scolded and accept her fate.

She had failed Snowpaw, she knew this. Deersong had thought they were close, that he trusted her to take care of things should days get rough or sad, but clearly, she had been wrong and the realization haunted her very existence, "I'm sorry for what Snowpaw did to Coyotepaw. I-" Her voice waivered as her eyes sparkled with fresh tears that threatened to spill, "I don't know what got into him....he was always such a sweet tom..." ​

( LET YOU BREAK; MY HEART AGAIN )

 

[ThistleBack]

The shift of Deersong’s demeanor, goes from soft like moss tendrils to the surface of her beloved stones. He pulls a knuckled paw quickly to retrieve one of the paws she tucks under herself. Her face looks ready to flinch, ears readied for words meant to hurt. Thistleback can’t blame her, seeing as she only lets barbed edges close to her heart. Vermillonsun the coward, Crimsonbite the resentful, and Thistleback- well, perhaps the cold. He’d aim to pull her paw to his chest plate where his heart thuds. " vibin " he mimics in his english accent so strangely, a small smile erupts from his frown with adoration practically dancing in his stare. " I adore the way you talk " it’s a distraction meant for her building walls.

A serious discussion lay before them, sure- but Deersong needed to know that she would never earn his scorn. Her eyes break at the seams with tears, " the prejudice in that boy’s words- … come not from you " he pauses, " the hatred for Windclan- will now burn strong in many generations to come for what Sootstar has done. " he speaks factually, things she already perhaps knew but needed to hear.

" Just as I didn’t teach Coyotepaw to react to words with violence. " he accentuates with a wave of his paw before holding idly to his temple.

" we can move forward from this. more discipline. hm? " he studies her maw with a tilt of his head, reaching out to dry her tears with a gentle swipe.

​

OOC INFO REF

• —
  
  
• — Thistleback | thirty-two moons | cis-male
  — daylight warrior of Skyclan | leaves rarely
  — bisexual | fallen for Deersong 9.29.22
  — mentoring Coyotepaw
  — very muscular piebald black and white tom with spiky fur and cold silver-grey eyes. Wears a purple collar with brass clasp.
  
• 
  
  

​

 

[~Deersong~]

( ♬ ) As his paw takes her own and presses it to his chest, her eyes close gently, focusing on the rhythm of his beating heart and allowing it to soothe her as he spoke.

A blush would touch her cheeks as he complimented her dialect and she slowly opened her eyes and sheepishly return his smile of adoration. As the discussion returned to their apprentices, the molly was less tense, listening to the toms' words with a thoughtful expression on her face before she lets out a sigh of her own and nodded gently, "I know, Gem. It just hurts me to see our own apprentices tussling and being such jive turkeys..."

Her head would tilt at his suggestion and she would continue, "Hmmm depends on what kind, but we could think of something. Maybe we could get those youngbloods to train together, get them to bond through safe sparring?"

She knew that the young needed to learn how to fight, the world was dangerous she knew that better than most, but a shudder would pass through her again at the thought of claws and fangs flashing toward the throats of those she loved. Deersong would look up to her mate and meow softly, "How did you do it? How did you manage the streets growing up?" ​

( LET YOU BREAK; MY HEART AGAIN )