pafp Step up | fishing & feelings

[Snakeblink]

MAYBE I'D BE A SAINT IF I WEREN'T ————————————​

Their food stores are… very empty. Seeing how the rogues left their prey lying half-eaten across the territory before chasing the Riverclan cats from it, it should come as no surprise that they did not bother to fill the freshkill pile while squatting their camp.

Thankfully the river still flows warm and strong, the truly lean moons of frozen Leaf-bare still some time away, and it will be no great trouble feeding the clan once more. Not like it will be for Shadowclan, their territory even more depleted from housing four other clans upon it; Snakeblink has a single sympathetic thought for them before bringing his mind back to the current situation. Their hunger somewhat sated by other, more urgent hunting patrols, fishing seems like a leisurely but necessary activity.

An ideal excuse to take Beepaw out of camp.

Snakeblink takes it as his duty to worry about his clanmates, and none have earned that worry so much in the past moon as Smokethroat’s brood. The final death of their leader shook the clan; he cannot imagine how it felt to lose their father. (He could imagine; reflect on his own loss; but he would prefer not to.) And the battle to retake their camp… They saved him a nasty wound, and guilt over needing to be rescued by two fresh-behind-the-ears apprentices war in his mind against concern over the way both have seemed shaken by their first kill. To satisfy both feelings, he has decided to check in on all three near-orphans; starting, today, with Beepaw (and any other he can get his paw on).

Overly conscious of their father’s… ambivalent feelings towards himself, Snakeblink did not overtly grab the bicolored apprentice for some one-on-one time. He took a hunting patrol out, as he does everyday, and made sure to include Beepaw in it; and now he sits next to her under the pretense of offering fishing advice and, clearing his throat, asks:

”Forgive me for asking, Beepaw, but are you… how are you feeling, with everything that has happened?” He does not look at her as he speaks, staring intently at the water -- both to avoid further awkwardness and because he does mean this to be a hunting patrol, as well.​

——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely ​

ooc. information.

• @BEEPAW.
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 46 ☾, riverclan warrior
  — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
  — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo
  
  
  

​

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[BEEFANG]

FIGHT SO DIRTY BUT YOU LOVE SO SWEET — Her mind was practically flooded with several thoughts and she nearly jumped at the mention of a hunting patrol, maybe if she put herself to work then she wouldn't be dwelling on memories that stung yet were still very fresh. A lot had happened in one moon and it was incredibly overwhelming for a newly made apprentice with her father and leader dying, the rogues and getting kicked from their home, and fighting back for their home... Killing a rogue in cold blood alongside her brother, she's not completely certain if she's proud for taking someone's life after they had taken Cicadastar's lives or if she feels disgust remembering how the blood had spurt on her after she had drawn it out with an angry slash of claws and how it felt sticky, hot, and unpleasant on her legs. She follows the rest of the patrol with her bottlebrush tail sweeping behind her as she tries to keep herself focused and settles herself by the water making sure that her shadow isn't looming over it.

When Snakeblink speaks up, the bicolored molly casts him a quick glance and processes the question in her mind trying to figure out how to answer it. How was she feeling after everything that happened? A frown pulls at the sides of her mouth, eyes focused on her paws as if remembering the blood on her paws, and shakes her head as briefly mimics a fish out of water with the way her mouth opens and shuts. "I... I guess a bit overwhelmed." She says quietly after being able to will the words out of her jaws, lifting her gaze up to fix her eyes back onto the river "It's a lot... At once."

Large ears pressed flat against her head of curls as she tries to force down the grief and sadness that threatened to drown her once more and pull her down into its depths again. "The rogues... C-Cicadastar... And getting chased out several times..." And taking the life of another. Beepaw refuses to say the last part and a shaky breath leaves her, a part of her silently wondering if Cicadapaw was nearby so she could seek him out, keep her calm, and anchored but she does not look for him. There are unspoken words on the tip of her tongue knowing that she would sound selfish or cowardly but she wishes that she could be a clueless kitten again in the embrace and tangle of long limbs, curly fur, and the comforting presence of Smokethroat in the leaders den.

"It's not fair..." She mumbles instead with a shake of her curly head and brings her tail close to her so that it would wrap around her paws. And in her mind, it isn't.

𓆟. ° .• . TALK SO PRETTY BUT YOUR HEART GOT TEETH

• 
  ❥ 4 moons old
  ❥ riverclan apprentice
  ❥ sexuality unknown; single
  ❥ daughter of cicadastar and smokethroat
  ❥ sister of cicadapaw & starlightpaw
  ❥ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ❥ easy; still learning how to fight
  ❥ peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[lichenstar]

⋆ ✧　 　 · 　 ✧ ⋆ ✧　 　 · 　 ✧ ⋆ ✧　 　 · 　 ✧ ⋆

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Snakeblink is jumpy... but that shouldn't be a surprise anymore. He hated combat more than most medicine cats did somehow and had very few talents related to it. It was a miracle he had been made a warrior at all, she thinks sometimes in his most pathetic moments... but his efforts are sincere always and that grants him some amount of grace. The proposition to send out another hunting patrol is never spurned and she is among the many work-driven RiverClanners that takes it as a call to action, eagerly stepping up to join him as he scours for more.. intentional picks.

He moves off somewhere further down the stream with Smokethroat's duplicate and for a small second, she hesitates to follow but. She is briefly reminded of him floundering to stand his own ground not but a few short days ago and shudders to think of relying on him to protect Beepaw for more than half a second. She sneaks after them carefully, not really wanting to pry into their conversation but fearful of a repeat of the other lead's abysmal fighting skills should trouble rear its head.

Lingering amongst the cattails and reeds like a fox prowling after a prize, the conversation that she catches in fragments tells a much somber and more intimate moment. For all his failures, he is truly trying to care for her the same way he does the rest of the apprentices, like an anxious, emotionally-twisted uncle or something. It's endearing, if not embarrassing that his only friends are his youngers.

Beepaw complains of fairness and her indignation is justified... if not kit-ish in its naivety. The world was hardly fair. And StarClan was a cold comfort at best.

Against what Hazecloud would call 'better judgement', she shakes out her fur and stands to casually wander towards them, trying her best to appear as if she hadn't been snooping despite the fact her tongue would admit it, "I don't mean to interrupt," it is a lie. "I couldn't help but overhear..."

Stopping a small distance away from them, her eyes move between Snakeblink and back to the grief-riddled girl beside him. "I just wanted to say it in case Snakeblink doesn't- You aren't alone." Maybe that was lame... maybe it sounded like her troubles meant less because they were shared, Lichentail was never good at articulating her sincerity. "There are cats who've seen three times as many seasons as you that would be crippled under that weight... And I am sorry StarClan chose that for you."​