pretty scene girl [ downypaw ]

[HEATHERPAW]

the past few moons had been incredibly strange. he'd grown up in the midst of a war, trying to navigate a precarious political climate that left him confused on what to feel or believe. his parents had been staunch loyalists before their passing, while everyone around him now seemed to hold the belief that sootstar had been nothing but insane, an awful leader, when she was the whole reason that this place existed.. at least, he thought so. he never really paid attention to his mentor's lectures on history.

even still, he wasn't sure what to believe anymore, and it made going out in camp to listen to conversations hellish. he would rather sit on his own just outside of camp, tucked away into a hollow tree to hide away from others. he knew that he wasn't the only one that came to hide away here, it often smelled like his other clanmates — very strongly, for that matter. just as he set his head on his paws, he heard the crunch of leaves under paws, and opened back up a green eye to gaze upon who had come up..

it was downypaw, rattleheart's apprentice. he couldn't really stand rattleheart half the time, unfortunately, but downypaw wasn't that bad. he'd grown up with her in the nursery, he knew how to deal with her. "were you coming to escape, too?" he asked, tone bored and a little sleepy. he lifted up his head, tucking one paw under his chest. "there's enough room for two — or i can move. i don't mind."

———————---***LIKE A TRAIN ON A TRACK***———————---​

✧ STUCK STILL — NO TURNING BACK

•  
• — lilac / red tabby chimera with low white and green eyes
  — 6 moons old; ages the 15th every month
  — unknown orient. ; currently not looking
  — son of npc and npc
  — windclan ; loyal to windclan, doesn't understand why sootstar is gone
  — slightly difficult to befriend ; not quick to trust these days
  — "speech", thoughts, attacking
  — peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[downyfur]

Downypaw tilts their head, letting a faint look of surprise flit across their face at the sight of Heatherpaw. "Oh, hello, Heatherpaw." She smiles at him. For the most part, they are truly surprised at his presence, unbeknowst to them till now. The myriad of scents aboveground was overwhelming compared to the cool, dry earth they spent most of their time in now, especially with how the Newleaf pollen made their eyes water and nose twitch.

Rattleheart had let her be for the time being, so she'd set off on her own in search of something useful to do. Maybe not hunting, for they were barely competent belowground, but perhaps scouting. A tunneler who knew the territory above and below would be more useful than one who only knew the latter. She had approached the hollowed tree only out of curiosity, a scarce fixture among the blooming grasses, when she had been greeted by her former denmate.

To call the mottled tabby a former denmate was an apt summary of their relationship, Downypaw supposes. She'd been pulled out a moon or so before him, into the waiting claws of apprenticeship so soon after the rogues' invasion. "I guess you could call it that," they return, letting their smile slide into something more sheepish.

The invitation to join him is met with a brief pause. She could probably afford the loss of time; there was little to be gained from one cat's knowledge of the territory anyway, right? "Oh, ah, sure. I think we can fit; I am a tunneler apprentice after all," they meow, scrabbling at the worn bark with little paws as they pull themself in. Tucking their tail around themself, they betray none of the discomfort that arises from suddenly sharing a nest with someone they'd at best call an acquaintance. "What are we escaping from?" The apprentice smiles jokingly at their fellow with deep, clear eyes.​

 

[HEATHERPAW]

he scoots over, giving the she-cat plenty of her own room. he wasn’t kidding when he’d said there was plenty of room to fit two — they may even be able to fit a third apprentice in there, if they didn't mind being a bit squished. he didn’t want to crowd downypaw, either, so he had absolutely no problem pressing himself into the wood of the hollowed out tree stump. the cushion of leaves under them crinkled a little as the two of them settled in, and the brief silence didn’t last long.

he pushes himself up to sit up so that it’s less casual, briefly feeling bad that he’s starting to dwarf the poor girl. he always felt bad for tunnelers, given they were always so tiny — how were they supposed to defend themselves? he looked out at the flowers, swaying carefully in the light wind that blew. "just.. everyone." he sighed, shaking his head. "i figured once they killed sootstar, they’d let it rest, but somehow it always comes back to her. it feels disrespectful." he knew well enough that sootstar had supposedly been crazy, but he had a hard time believing that.

———————---***LIKE A TRAIN ON A TRACK***———————---​

✧ STUCK STILL — NO TURNING BACK

•  
• — lilac / red tabby chimera with low white and green eyes
  — 6 moons old; ages the 15th every month
  — unknown orient. ; currently not looking
  — son of npc and npc
  — windclan ; loyal to windclan, doesn't understand why sootstar is gone
  — slightly difficult to befriend ; not quick to trust these days
  — "speech", thoughts, attacking
  — peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[downyfur]

Downypaw lets her chin rest on her paws, feeling puffy tufts of cheek fur tickle the scars beneath her eye in the wind. Heatherpaw speaks so blithely about it all, or so it feels like. Killing Sootstar, letting it rest. Letting Sootstar rest. Marina-blue eyes close for a moment, savoring the sweet scent of the moors in bloom.

She had not liked Sootstar to begin with, but that impersonal dislike had grown into a deep, boiling, fearful loathing when she learned she'd murdered Larkfeather and left her and Lilacstem's bodies to mummify in the snow. At times it was an impersonal hate, as one hates the sky for storming or the dry grasses for catching flame. She had only known her for her entire life, but others had known her for their entire, longer lives as well. At other times, on rare occassions after her death, she wished to be the one that took her last life. If only she hadn't cowered when Periwinklebreeze led the charge against her.

They don't look at the chimeric tom when they meow, "Disrespectful to Sootstar?" The tunneler apprentice hides their disdain well, relegated only to the way the tuck their tail a little tighter around their body.​