development OPEN ╱ OVERCAST ´ˎ˗

[SUNNVAR]

[ check ooc notes for tl;dr stuff ]

It is lonely, at times, to be upon the moors. With their worries a heavy beat throughout his veins, Sunstride cannot be anything but the beast that he is– one that brings little comfort to his clan or kin, though of that, at least, he has none. It would be for the best that he did not. It would hardly benefit to pass along his troubles when he has yet to make sense of them himself. Perhaps one day he would best this foe, and join the fathers of WindClan in their excitement for the next generation. But as he is now, fatherhood is a strange and unfamiliar concept. Nearly as unfamiliar as having a father was. (He knows this to be an unfair thought; his father did what he could, even if he will die a lonely coward.) Sunstride does not wish to follow in the other's footsteps, and so he had tread a different path. One filled with mystery and excitement. It had led him here, to this land of plenty.

In the midst of newleaf, WindClan's territory is rife with color. Unlike the near-dreary yet peaceful colors of his homeland, here there are frequent pops of color, so bright against his eyes, that he cannot help but understand how Sootstar came to love this place. The land was defensible, their camp sturdy, their bellies full. WindClan stood beneath the stars in a field of flowers, and their lives must be blessed beneath StarClan's presence. He had thought long and hard on such things. The beauty of WindClan, and what it must mean. He has chosen this place, but that does not mean he is not occasionally struck by an urge to return. When he is surrounded by sight and scents and faces that do not know his childhood, such thoughts become a heavy burden that he carries about with the guilt of a cat who has stolen something.

Here in camp, alone even as he is surrounded, there is a furrow to the warrior's brow. It is brought low to squinted blue eyes, and his shoulders lift high in a defensive hunch. It should not sting as it does, Tigerfrost's resounding words. He knows that the other warrior had meant nothing by it. And there was truth to what he'd said. They were harassed by rogues at every turn– clanless cats that chose cruelty above all else. He cannot say that he is not one of them. In battle, Sunstride is unkind. Perhaps even cruel. But to his clanmates...what could he be, but fond? That is the only reason that it wounds him so. Of the small circle that Sootstar has made for herself, of cats that have a place by her ears, it does not escape him that all but one of the others were more WindClan than he. What is the use here of one who cannot run as fast, or tunnel as far, or do much of anything but fight? There is use to that, he knows that well, yet in this moment of peace he can only feel othered.

Though he loves his clanmates — yes, loves — and his fellow lead warriors impossibly more than that, it would be a lie to say that the casual nature of speech had not pushed weakness to a sensitive spot. Like a growing matt, these worries have made a knot of his heart. Movement tears at it, reminds him of the pain. Each glance of his clanmate is another ache. He knows he would need to care for it. Better now than when it had become a true detriment, yet even knowing this Sunstride cannot find it in himself to tear at the root of his concerns.

He sighs, suddenly, the tension of his posture unfolding as one paw lifts to swipe over his face. Whiskers and ears both twitch at the intrusion, his eyes drifting shut. When they open again, it is with far less of a wrinkle to his brow. Instead, he seems...tired. It is still early enough morning that Sunstride has not yet been called to patrol, and his paws have not urged him to a hunt. The moment of peace will reign for now. He settles himself down into a puddle of dense orange fur, resting beneath the unfiltered sunlight so that it might soothe his body and mind both. It is clear that his mind still whirls beneath the shade of his eyelids, and his ears continue to flick. Though it does indeed soothe his muscles– well, Sunstride's mind is a far stronger beast.

﹥ˏˋ〘  OOC NOTES INFORMATION 〙ˊˎ﹤

• ooc: sunstride emo hours?? long story short, sunstride is Troubled™ and trying to sunbathe in camp, but still seems deeply troubled by something. please do NOT feel obligated to match this length.
• SUNSTRIDE. named for his coloration and his bold chasing of fate.
  —— cis male, he - him. thirty-eight moons old. lead warrior of windclan + former rogue.
  —— gay, but somewhat closeted. will not be open about his interests.  single, will be so.
  —— seems comparatively stranger than who he was some moons ago, serious and cool.
  
  sunstride is broad and bold– a creature standing above most of windclan, though not a beast beyond its borders, with fur that flames red at its base and deepens to a burnt amber with every whorl and stripe. his eyes, in comparison, are a pale summer's blue, still as bold as the rest of him.
• "speech"

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[Addervenom]

Life doesn't discriminate

Blazing eyes skimmed the vast area of camp, searching for the sunkissed pelt of his mentor. Adderpaw had risen extra early this morning, hoping to find the lead warrior before patrols have been assigned. Finally he spots him, lounging in a melted puddle as he approaches on bicolored paws. "Sunstride," He calls briskly, stepping over splayed limbs to draw closer. He wanted to get this done before the full heat of the sun rested upon his back. "You promised to teach me a new move today." The boy voices gruffly, unaware of the torment ravaging the lead's mind. Adderpaw's brows grow taunt the longer he watches though, fixating on flicking ears and a rather exhausted expression. "Should I summon Vulturemask? You look...unwell." He voices with a wrinkle of his nose. It was a descriptor he never thought he'd use to describe his mentor and quite frankly it bothered him. Adderpaw had never seen the warrior so glum. ​

Between the sinners and the saints​

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[Juniperpaw]

Being an adult must be so complicated. What is it about aging that turns simple truths into a complex web of emotions, expectations, and rules? For Juniperkit, there is no distinction between his clanmates beyond their rank and their names. There is no such thing as a cat who is "more Windclan" than another. There is only Windclan and everyone else. Whether they are kind or cruel or lazy or hardworking, they are his family. They are home. Simple as that. Juniperkit loves them, all of them, but maybe not as much he loves Spiderbloom. She's the best. At the moment, Juni is looking for his siblings when he notices Sunstride resting in the peaceful golden sunlight. Or maybe he is ruminating...contemplating? Pondering? Lots of big words, so little time. Adderpaw notices it too, and Juniperkit nods wisely as if everything finally makes sense. "Are you gassy?" Sunstride must have a stomach ache or a touch of indigestion. Maybe there is food stuck in his teeth? That always makes Juni stare silently into the middle distance.​

 

[WOLFSONG]

──⇌•〘 INFO 〙 He worries for his dearest friend, and for the distance that has slowly opened during their time in WindClan. It is his own fault— he may be level-headed and sharp-eyed most of the time, but he is not without passions that...get the better of him, as Sunstride has said. It still aches to remember each accusation of inconstancy, of being unreliable, but he has since forgiven Sunstride, even as Wolfsong doubts whether he is the one who needs to be forgiven.

He loves him, and has since they were children. Possibly from the moment he first cuffed Wolfsong's ear. He'd seemed an older, wiser being in those days of youthful reverence, when he was convinced Sunstride had an answer for everything. He knows better now what doubts plague his flame-kissed friend, and he does not sleep as well as he did when he was confident in his place beside Sunstride.

Wolfsong watches him for a long while without approaching. He sees Adderpaw join him, and cannot hear his precise commentary but recognizes the tone. In the apprentice's wake is Juniperkit, and he finally kicks himself into motion, catching the last of the kit's question. It makes his lips twitch despite himself.

He lies down slowly next to his darker-furred counterpart, staring at the lines of his back. "Perhaps you should climb on his stomach to be certain," he says to Juniper. "If the wind lifts higher, we'll have our answer."
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[VULTUREMASK]

" And make sure to jump on it too, i promise it will be very helpful ." he joined in with Wolfsong thinking he was hilarious funny right now for trying to trick the kit. Call him sinister he didn't really care. They really wanted to know what would happen. In truth they were not very concerned for Sunstrides well being. He looked fine to them and they honestly believed there was something else that was going on and not their health. Maybe Sunstride had fought with Wolfsong again?. The two seemed to have got into alot of fights lately with one another. Were this typical between mates?. Wait...they were mates right?. Vulturemask twitched their whiskers in thought. Oh well who cares. Not their problem...maybe they where a little bit curious though. It was not much for them to do lately beside thinking about others personal matters it seemed like. Eww. How disgusting.


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[Juniperpaw]

Juniperkit greets the arrival of Wolfsong with an affectionate purr. He listens to the warrior's suggestion to climb on Sunstride's stomach to test whether or not gassy-ness is the issue. "Oh," he says with a thoughtful frown. It sounds a little odd, but surely Wolfsong knows what he's talking about, right? What if his stomach explodes? Sometimes Juniperkit eats too much too fast and he feels like he's gonna burst! He doesn't wanna be the reason that Sunstride explodes like a squished bug. Just when it seems his fears will get the better of him, Vulturemask appears to reassure him that jumping on Sunstride is, in fact, the most helpful thing he can do. Juni loves being helpful! "Oh," he says again. "Okay!" With a surge of enthusiam, Juniperkit does his best impression of a hunting crouch and springs onto the warrior's stomach with a delighted giggle. He has to flex his claws a little to stay balanced. "Rahh!" he cheers. "Did that help?" He hops in place twice just to make sure.​