pafp puppet loosely strung | suspicions

[Snakeblink]

The whole business with Spiderfall was… upsetting, to say the least. Snakeblink berates himself for missing the signs. Noticing what others might not, seeing underneath the underneath — it’s what he’s meant to do, and he’s not been doing it well enough. And it’s not as if Spiderfall had been discrete about it: the tom could barely hide his contempt for other cats and kept to himself most of the time, so any contact he had with the apprentices should have immediately raised alarms in Snakeblink’s mind. He vows to never let it happen again. If he must be suspicious of everyone in this clan then so be it, if it keeps them safe.

(The irony of this mindset coming from a cat so few in the clan truly trust is lost on him.)

This new resolution of his starts with Frostpaw. It’s only a hunch, born from bias towards her traitor of a brother more than true mistrust, and the knowledge of it makes him uncomfortable, though not so much that he intends to change his mind. Yes, she has been hurt by Spiderfall as badly as the rest of them, manipulated and threatened in turns, and she did the right thing when it mattered the most. But she hid her brother’s true motives once, didn’t she? And she’s been keeping herself apart, lately… A cruel little part of Snakeblink can’t help but think, what if she does it again? What if he’s still around? And there are no misgivings strong enough to smother that spark of fear.

How many apprentices nearly died because of his willingness to dismiss suspicions?

(How many did not have the luck to escape with their lives?)

He sets out to find Frostpaw under the guise of hunting; a mole bursting out of the ground and nearly right into his open maw gives credence to his lie. The apprentice is alone when he finds her, as anticipated, and no scent of another cat lingers around her, nothing to confirm the faint, baseless suspicions that haunt him. Maybe he’ll be lucky, just this once, and the stars will prove him wrong: he’d much rather be here to keep company to a lonely apprentice than the grim alternative.

Snakeblink gently puts the mole down in front of him and clears his throat. “Hello, Frostpaw.” He murmurs. “May I join you? I come bearing gifts. Well… Gift, singular. I hope you are not waiting for anyone to join us: I’ve only brought so much prey.” Saying this, he gestures loosely at the mole and smiles a little, awkwardly.
​

ooc. information.

• ooc: please wait for @Frostpaw. !
  
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 34 ☾, riverclan warrior
  — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
  — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo
  
  
  

​

 

[Frostdrop.]

GOT A HEAD FULL OF SPIDERS​

---

Frostpaw did not blame others to be suspicious of her, she had indeed worked alongside her brother even if she had chosen her loyalty to the clan, even if she had openingly admitted to her own crimes, even if it had meant bringing her brother down. She sees it in some of the cat's eyes, distrust. She didn't blame it, after all that had happened? She didn't even trust herself, sometimes waking from nightmares of leading the same path of her own brother, paws stained in the color red, somethinf that haunted her everytime she closed her eyes. Frostpaw eventually began to shut others out, distant herself from others, even those she was closest to, feeling that perhaps it was for the better.

She had slipped out of the camp to be alone, something she had grown to welcome, the cold air biting through her fur while her eyes looked tired and empty from being lost in the trance of her own thoughts as she wondered to the edge of the river, her gaze looking at the river. Leaf-bare... it seemed so much closer now, bht yet also so much further away. Letting a soft frosted breath of a sigh out, she watched as the lazy fat fish began to swim towards the south, escaping the cold weather before it comes and she wondered... wpuld they be okay?

The sound of footsteps made her flinch inwardly, a small thought going back to when her brother was still here and her eyes were quick to fleet over to see who it was and blinked a bit into relaxation at the sight of Snakeblink, though perhaps he had only come here out of suspicion...forcing a warm smile she adjuted herself to allow him to sit near by her before looking back at the river "perhaps...the queens would enjoy it more, especially the ones with kits along the way, but thank you for the offer Snakeblink. May I ask why the sudden company?" she asked in a gentle tone as she glanced over at the warrior curiously.​

"speak""Thoughts"​

 

[Snakeblink]

"The queens will have to make do without this one mole," Snakeblink notes drily, thinking of the fresh kill pile still well stocked with prey. All of the forest is fattening itself up in preparation for leaf-bare: there are still a few sunrises between them and the need to pace their meals to make food stores last. He wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t the case. Feeding the clan takes precedence over every other mission he might assign to himself. "Besides, apprentices must eat too — you especially. Have you been unwell? You look thin."

What she looks like is worn. The past two moons have taken their toll on her, and it shows. There’s a weariness in her eyes as she glances his way, a tension that sits uneasily in her limbs. It's near impossible to see a master manipulator in this melancholic molly, and the thought of her brother hanging around like a shadow sounds more far-fetched by each passing second. He nudges the mole a little closer to her. and turns his gaze to the rippling water of the river, considering her question. It’s not as if he can say he’s just seeking companionship. He’s hardly known for being extroverted, even less so for knowing and seeking the company of apprentices. And he doesn't dare to say the truth: it would accomplish nothing except hurt her.

"I like to know where everyone is and what they are doing at all times," he says slyly, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "You’ve made yourself scarce as of late, and it had me curious. Is there something on your mind?"

His voice, in an attempt to sound sincere rather than self-interested, comes out as indifferent. He hopes the implication is clear enough anyway: If there's anything you want to say, I'm listening.

​

ooc. information.

• 
  
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 34 ☾, riverclan warrior
  — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
  — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo
  
  
  

​

 

[HOUNDSTRIDE.]

❝  He'd wonder, at times, what else they were meant to feel. Come all that may from that situation, love and trust were not among the spoils. All that'd been brought up was a measure of heartbreak and a heaping of loss. Nothing good, or sweet, or kind. Nobody'd expect it returned, he would think, when all that was wrought was pain. Few had fully recovered from all that went on– he'd certainly not, though his presence in the troubles was minimal at best. Those around him had suffered. That was more than enough to make him suffer just the same. And perhaps, as recompense, he wanted another to suffer as he did. Frostpaw was not that. Much as he'd never be able to see her quite the same, too many were wounded in that moment to blame this tired soul. He's not out here to bother her, or keep an eye on her. Nothing like that, really. He's just here to fish. Maybe fill that empty hole near his ribs that bleeds on up with every moment of lazing unproductively.

His paws splash into the water. A chilly wave comes up, droplets sprayed to thick chocolate fur, and a small fish is tossed to the bank. A little too far, in truth. Houndsnarl grumbles under his breath and turns to retrieve it. Then, and only then, does he hear the voices. "You've made yourself scarce as of late." He blinks, and sour apple eyes narrow with cautious curiosity of their own. With the fish still held between his teeth, the warrior pushes himself through the reeds and finds...almost exactly what he had suspected. A warrior and apprentice, both tired and shunned, sitting in quiet conversation. Without malice or ulterior motives. Why so far out here? Perhaps Snakeblink was right to concern himself with this.

Though hesitation clears a path across the other tom's face, he sits down in slow motions. His tail flicks its apology, mouth still full of twitching scales. "I am here," he seems to offer, ever unhelpful.

†  ooc notes information †

• 
  ooc: —
• ──── houndsnarl. trans male, he/him pronouns.
  ──── approximately 30 moons old, or 2.5 years.
  ──── bisexual with firm male preference; single.
  
  ──── a chocolate tabby with ( stylized ) low white and intense lime eyes. lean and lanky,  with whiplike musculature and a long, quick stride. hound's notable features include his impressive height, the long scar across the left side of his face from nose to jaw, his very deep, dense fur, and the confident manner with which he conducts himself.
• "speech"

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