private smoke and mirrors // gravelsnap

[Periwinklebreeze.]

LIKE A PICTURE IN A FRAME
WISH WE COULD'VE STAYED THE SAME ​

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periwinklebreeze ❀ 26 moons ❀ demi-boy ❀ windclan lead warrior ​

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' We need to talk. '

When his mate speaks, there s nothing he can do but agree. Eyes follow auburn figure as Sunstar pads away - thriftfeather hot on his heels - and then he, too, is moving. Its all but a habit now, to slip away from camp together when they must speak - not since the very first time has periwinklebreeze ever made the mistake of airing his grievances within the camps walls.

They've both changed so much since then - stars, no matter how brightly burning his feelings had been back then, never once would Periwinklepaw have thought he'd find himself here... with Gravelsnap at his side. " I'm sorry, " comes gentle voice, once he is certain they re free from prying ears. " I was... n-not aware of wh-whatever bluefrost and th-thriftfather have between th-them.... but I have known f-for a while now... th-that Vulturepaw didn't j-j-just wander away f-from dusk-clan, " he explains quietly.

" I- you said you d-didn't regret it. Ch-choosing me, l-leaving... leaving thriftfeather behind. But I realized, only after I h-held his neck in my t-teeth, when I n-nearly killed him, that I did " he admits, blinking slowly. Shoulders roll as though to ease the tension that spreads through his body, tightly-coiled as though a moment away from snapping. " But I sh-should've told you the t-truth - if n-not before, th-then at least once... once we became mates. I'm sorry, "

━ actions & " speech, " & 'thoughts/quotes' ━

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I ' V E - A L W A Y S - B E E N - R E A L - B A D - W I T H - C H A N G E

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// @GRAVELSNAP

 

[GRAVELSNAP]

➴➴ They need to talk, just the two of them. Seasons ago, Gravelsnap would have refused to do so, and would have likely sent the two of them into a fresh, new bout of hissed insults and forced distance. But now the icy cold tail-lengths between them feels like too much, and it takes all they have not to press up against Periwinklebreeze’s flank as he begins to explain, to apologize. Their mate’s voice trembles, that same old stutter making its return in the face of Gravelsnap’s irritation. Their expression softens, ears pricked forward, intent on hearing the other warrior out. Still, the stutter does not stop. "Peri, love," they say, voice dipping to a feather-soft tone in an attempt to assure their mate of their willingness to listen. They are trying to do better, to be better. They will not push him away again so quickly. This, lying to them, is a forgivable offense, no matter the weight of betrayal they feel at their mate hiding things from them.

You said you didn’t regret it, choosing me. They want to correct their mate, assure him that they don’t regret it. They haven’t. They never could. But Periwinklebreeze isn’t talking about Gravelsnap’s regrets, now—he’s speaking of his own. The lead warrior couldn’t bring themself to kill Thriftfeather when they had the chance… why? Had Peri’s mercy bought Vulturepaw’s survival and subsequent safe return? Had it been the push that set Thriftfeather on the path back into WindClan? They grit their teeth, carefully avoiding their mate’s gaze. "You should have told me," he confirms. It is a comfort to learn that the lead warrior indeed had no idea of Bluefrost’s betrayal, but still unsettling to know how easily Peri had hidden the truth of their connection to Thriftfeather.

How would they have reacted, had Peri actually killed the golden tabby tom? Gravelsnap thinks they know—it would have torn a hole right through them, worse than what Rumblerain left behind. It would have crushed them. Gravelsnap nods once, having made their decision. Dull hazel flits upward, seeking to meet crystalline blue. "I understand why you didn’t—all of it."

I DON'T NEED THE STARS ➼ I GLOW IN THE DARK

• ooc: —
• 
• GRAVELSNAP ❯❯ they/he, moor runner of windclan
  ⭃ average-sized black and white warrior who seems smaller than he is. speaks rarely and quietly.
  ⭃ mate to periwinklebreeze ; sibling to slateheart
  ⭃ mentoring sheeppaw ; formerly mentored thriftfeather
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay is allowed, but they hate physical contact & will lash out if not close friends / family
  ⭃ penned by foxlore

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[Periwinklebreeze.]

LIKE A PICTURE IN A FRAME
WISH WE COULD'VE STAYED THE SAME ​

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

periwinklebreeze ❀ 26 moons ❀ demi-boy ❀ windclan lead warrior ​

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The relief is clear to read upon his face - not that the tom even tries to hide it, figure slouching with a shuddering breath. Ears twitch - love his mate says, and something about the word is soothing, despite the embarrassing wave of heat that colors his face at the endearment. Gravelsnap - gravelsnap understands, and really that's all that matters. He's not sure he's even seeking approval, seeking forgiveness - only understanding. He'd needed them to understand that he'd felt... indebted. Lost. As though he'd owed... something, anything, to right his wrongs.

He's a soft-heated fool - always has been. It's not the first time he's thought such a thing, nor even been told so to his face. And yet his mate is understanding, patient in the face of his mistake, and he feels only affection and relief. Head butts against his mates chest with a quiet thump, only the seriousness of the situation keeping him from purring. " I'm sorry, " he echoes, again, as though he's not sure either of them really understands. " And I w-wont do it again... I wont k-keep secrets - I d-don't want to keep anything f-from you anymore, s-so I wont, I swear." he adds softly.

Its as much a promise to himself as to his mate - he wants to be better. For his love, for his kits, for his family. For windclan. For himself.

━ actions & " speech, " & 'thoughts/quotes' ━

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I ' V E - A L W A Y S - B E E N - R E A L - B A D - W I T H - C H A N G E

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[GRAVELSNAP]

➴➴ Peri apologizes again, and it is unnecessary, but Gravelsnap does not interrupt them. They hear out the lead warrior's promises with uncharacteristically soft eyes, vastly different from the icy tone they had taken when the truth of Vulturepaw's return had been revealed. The hurt of being misled will fade with time—has already faded—but they will not give up on this so easily. "You are sorry," they echo in return, continuing the back-and-forth. Anger, apologies, forgiveness—it is a known cycle with them, isn’t it? Gravelsnap may not be able to stop their mate from apologizing again, but they can put an end to the anger. They can put an end to the distrust. "And you’re forgiven. I trust you with my life, and my heart," a purr rises in their chest, a feeble attempt to soothe the lead warrior as he continues to stutter through his promises. No more secrets shall lie between them. The hazel-eyed warrior has never been particularly verbose, but now it feels as though they have too much to say, and not enough time. Not enough words. "I’ll keep nothing from you, either."

Still pressed as close as Peri will allow, Gravelsnap lifts their head. They lean back to attempt to look the other in the eye. "What do you think will happen to Thriftfeather, now that he's here? Surely he won't be allowed to stay..." No matter how they miss the presence of their former apprentice, the clan could never forgive Thriftfeather's betrayal, could they? There will be a trial soon enough, and the golden tabby will be thrown into exile—or worse. There is no option where he is allowed to stay, is there?

I DON'T NEED THE STARS ➼ I GLOW IN THE DARK

• ooc: —
• 
• GRAVELSNAP ❯❯ they/he, moor runner of windclan
  ⭃ average-sized black and white warrior who seems smaller than he is. speaks rarely and quietly.
  ⭃ mate to periwinklebreeze ; sibling to slateheart
  ⭃ mentoring sheeppaw ; formerly mentored thriftfeather
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay is allowed, but they hate physical contact & will lash out if not close friends / family
  ⭃ penned by foxlore

​

​

 

[Periwinklebreeze.]

LIKE A PICTURE IN A FRAME
WISH WE COULD'VE STAYED THE SAME ​

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

periwinklebreeze ❀ 27 moons ❀ demi-boy ❀ windclan lead warrior ​

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Head sinks deeper into monochrome fur for a second - the tom taking a moment to just breathe. It's a shaky thing, and he hates himself for it - hates the way his next words tremble, not with his stutter but with emotion and fear. " I d-dont- I d-don't know, " he says tiredly.

He is worried - for his former friend, his former clanmate, his mates former apprentice. For all that Windclan has tried so hard to cut ties with their bloodied past, his attachments cling like a stubborn burr or a thorn in his paw pad now that he is faced with thriftfeather once more. " S-sunstar... sunstar will listen, I s-suppose... b-but I d-don't see how he could stay. He... he made his ch-choice, even if he r-regrets it, " he says, pulling away,just enough so that he can settle himself somewhat.

" B-but... bluefrost- she... the kits, " his words come out disjointed, worry etched across his face. They'd not been close, not in the least to be honest, but he knows she and Gravelsnap had once been. And mind can't help but to drift to the helpless kits she'd carried in their jaws. What would become of them, for the sins their parents had committed?

━ actions & " speech, " & 'thoughts/quotes' ━

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I ' V E - A L W A Y S - B E E N - R E A L - B A D - W I T H - C H A N G E

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