private STEREO HEARTS ╱ WOLFWIND

[freckleflame]

the sun lowers behind the jutting edges of carrionplace, the ever - present smell of distant rot and wet soil growing more tolerable where they nestle at the burnt sycamore, the hours passing sluggishly overhead. the sky is a murky pink above her, splintered by the backdrop of burnt trees, spidering like smoldering veins against its ruddy backdrop. make do with nests, the shadowclanner had said, and freckleflame was good at nothing if not making do. the she-cat moves through this terrain as if a carefully - placed paw could save it from the inevitable squelch and sink of marshland, dark limbs are crusted brown where fur should splay thick and feathery, claws compacted. she’d complain, if she’d been with anyone but her former mentor — she’d half a mind to anyway, but it had been some time since she’d been at the lead warrior’s side ; seaglass eyes flit towards her as if to ensure she was still truly there, and not — she didn’t know, really. not leaping to howlingstar’s call, not taking it upon herself to venture towards where sootstar had called them condemned. carrionplace is a constant, looming presence, but who else better to lead the way? not freckleflame. freckleflame wanted desperately to curl up against the cooling winds, tuck her nose into her tail and rot away until came time for the rogues to encroach on them here : where the plains are barren and reeking, and the prey was scarce season - round.

she wanted to forget the sight of her father toppling beneath enemy claws, of her brother clambering past her without a word to get to him. her wounds are superficial and still they sting as much as her embarrassment. she wanted to relinquish her duties to sturdier paws, to not have to make the decision to leave her home without making sure each member of her family was safely out. for moons, she’d clambered to be a warrior ; it seems she’d fooled herself into believing she could bestand on her own. could she? could she, really? so yes, she’d convinced herself its a good thing that her brother had been apprenticed under wolfwind — she had gotten him out, at the very least. and through the rogues, the blood and loss, freckleflame supposed she had bigger things to worry about than hoarding aging memories to herself. and the fact that after the chaos she’d dropped by the molly with a quick, too - casual offer for her to accompany the younger warrior on a venture to the less - burnt trees around the charred sycamore was her moving on from the issue. obviously. the fact that her heart ticked wildly, nervously, at the thought of being met with a firm no and dragging herself off like a wounded deer to curl her shame away in an orange - black ball aside. the silent mantra of let me have this, let me have this, aside. the older molly let her have it anyway.

so they head out, on some excuse like finding moss or something, at least, to keep their fur from matting with muck in their sleep. there is a quiet that has fallen with the waning sun, a ghost of laughter and catching up lulling into comfortable crickets, toads singing in the distance. it lasts only a moment longer, before the tortoiseshell is dramatically rolling her shoulders back on every other wide - stepping stride, “ i’m sore as an elder, after.. you know. “ it starts slow, a brief glance from the corner of green - blue eyes and back upwards, far upwards, minding her own business hard enough to very pointedly not be minding her own business. a sigh, “ i cant imaaaagine how you must feel. i mean, you should start teachin’ emberpaw to pick ticks early.. “ they are gathering moss from the bark of a tree long dyed black with soot, rain and rain again never enough to whisk its darkness away. there a timbre of lilting somberness to her voice, a tsk of her tongue, mischief given away by the curl of a small - toothed smile she dips her muzzle to hide. her chin still stings where fur and skin splayed to rogue claws, the pull enough to force her into concealing a wince — the cat that had done this was probably laying fat and cozy in her nest right now, she knows. they were eating on prey for their kits and queens, and their herbs.. her throat bobs on a swallow, a blatant waver to her grinning muzzle.

freckleflame leans close to collide with a friendly bump to the shoulder, a tensing of her arm for the retaliation the expects to come from her poking, “ i reckon we’ll be callin’ you wolfwrinkle before long. “

YOURE ON YOUR OWN IN THE REAL WORLD ╱ ABOUT ☀︎

• i. @WOLFWIND PUNCHES THE GROUND
  
• 𖦹 . LESBIAN. SINGLE, CRUSHES EASILY. SMELLS LIKE SUN - WARMED OAK. FOURTEEN MOONS. NAMED A WARRIOR 8 / 3 / 2023. MENTORED UNDER WOLFWIND, PENNED BY ANTLERS !!
  f. she / her, daughter of sunfreckle and rabbitnose. large cream - ribboned tortoiseshell with seaglass eyes. fire - forged, smoldering ; shades of vibrant russet, dousing swathes of shadow and interwoven with ribbons pale cream come to drape like licks of flame over a well - toned form.
  
  in warriorhood she has grown to full, hulking height ; unspecified maine coon heritage born of sunfreckle's kittypet background shows itself in large, round paws and tufted, long - furred toes set upon thick, tabby - splotched limbs. freckleflame is broad shouldered and square - jawed, wild cheek fur like the blazing edges of a red sun — a hulking, thick - furred thunderclan warrior, forever blaze - kissed. a characteristic lack of personal space leads her to a slouching, touchy posture, often inclined to lean or bump against her peers, all while bearing a lazy, bright - eyed grin.
  
  ——— ˙⋆ — prone to bouts of explosive emotion. all opinions are solely in - character and during these times, often untrue or said only in anger.
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
  

​

 

[WOLFWIND]

Freckleflame's inner turmoil is not something she is privy to. At least—not past the inevitable; the typicality that was the invasion of rogues; or the sickness of their clanmates, or this horrible, murky place that made her paws long to be on solid ground and dry grass once again. Mud dirties her paws, and she shouldn't care. She's done it all before, she really shouldn't care.

Doom is never the right answer. She should not let herself think for a second that they will never make it out of here, or that they will never recover enough strength to push back against the strangers now sitting cozy within each of their dens. When so many of their cats were surely thinking this already— it would do no good at all for her mind to be the same. Contrarians were sometimes necessary. For the sake of helping those she loves, Wolfwind was more than willing to be one, every now and then.

A walk between a former mentor an apprentice— No, between friends, that is what this was. It only makes her want to keep smiling. She doesn't see any pressure; any need to hold one's breath. The answer would've always been yes, of course.

The search isn't for prey, and she isn't sure that it's for moss, either— but she's more than fine to oblige. It was better than standing idly, and the medicine cats, surely, would appreciate it at least a little bit. It's easy to be around Freckleflame. When the chatter lulls into quiet, is when Wolfwind begins to wonder if there was more of reason for this; if Freckleflame felt any sort of way. Not that she'd blame her— It's the right way to feel.

I’m sore as an elder, after.. you know. She does. Wolfwind's eyes flicker upward with a tick of concern. She's about to recommend that she take it easy, and then she is gawking at the sheer audacity. " Ex-cuse me? " Wolfwind matches her grin, or maybe more than, considering the way she wavers. Wolfwind can't tell how worried she should be.

She would try to return the bump to her shoulder with added strength. Maybe part of her wanted to knock whatever was wrong outta her. " Please, I'm spry as a mouse! " Since when has she used the word spry? Clearly, Freckleflame is tryna' convince her she's somethin' she's not. " If I'm old, what's that make Raccoonstripe? Or poor Howlingstar? Your brother's probably the one that did it, anyways. "

Wolfwind wonders how far she should go. Maybe she was just imagining things. Maybe she wasn't, and Freckleflame would rather be alone with her thoughts. White paws scrap idly over moss. " That what ya brought me out here for? To tell me my days are numbered? "

OOC ✨ 10.25.2023 BET MY MONEY ON A STUPID HORSE, I LOST THAT

•  

• 

• [ SO I RAN OUT TO THE TRACK TO GET MY CASH BACK ] WOLFWIND THUNDERCLAN LEAD WARRIOR! MENTOR 2 EMBERPAW; KIN 2 MANY.
  —— SHE / HER, CONFUSED BY BUT NOT OPPOSED TO THE USE OF OTHERS
  —— CURRENTLY 23 MOONS OLD. AGES EVERY 1ST.
  
  FRIEND TO MANY! UPBEAT AND UPFRONT. MOVES THROUGH LIFE WITH AN UPBEAT EXTERIOR AND BRIGHT EYES. MAKE NO MISTAKE! TAKES HER JOB VERY SERIOUSLY. THERE'S IMPORTANCE IN SAFETY, RECKLESSNESS ONLY GETS YOU SO FAR. ONCE A FOOL, BUT NO LONGER

​

 

[freckleflame]

it’s easy. it’s familiar, if in a different way now — her paws fall in line with the molly’s, even if they do dance to the side upon collision. she stumbles with perhaps a dramaticized sway to the side ( not by much — despite her size, wolfwind had always had to ability to put her on her flank ), a giggle interrupted only by a snort that tucks her muzzle into her chest. it was different. it was nice. what’s that make raccoonstripe? her ears lift, sea green eyes flicking back towards the shadowed undergrowth as if the darkness would contort into tabby stripes and disapproving eyes, “ lower your voice, you’ll summon him. “ she tucks her muzzle, that thoughtful frown twisted into something amused, something bearing short, front - sitting canines. your brothers probably the one that did it, anyway.. she hummed, lulling her head to the side ; if she had a mouse for each time she’d heard that, maybe they’d have enough to keep them all fed in the coming days.

thats what ya brought me out here for? To tell me my days are numbered?

she settles after a brief glance her way, paws suddenly lifting to start the process of rolling moss with perhaps more attention than was absolutely necessary. a beat passes.

“ i tripped. “ it’s a clunky start, but she pushes through it anyway. the words wouldn’t come out at all if she thought it over too much. she speaks and what comes out has rarely been entirely her decision ; forever a series of word vomit she strings desperately into something she can tack on ‘ you know what i mean? ‘ to the end of. “ trying to — they were attacking sunfreckle. he ‘n tansyshine were trying to get the kits out and they attacked him, so i tried to help. and i tripped. “ she speaks as if talking about the weather. as if talking about the burning red sky, riverclan’s particular reek, the mass of what she assumed were some kind of reptile egg shadowclan dropped in their makeshift fresh kill pile and expected them to actually eat. her lip twitches, ” sparky did fine, though “ better than fine, really. sparkwing had done exceptionally, she’d hardly believe it if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes. a familiar feeling clogs her chest, burns at her ears.

and if she rips the patch of moss beneath her paws down with a little more force than necessary, she wouldn’t be the one to mention it. freckleflame instead peels said paws from strong - smelling tree bark, grimacing at the bits and pieces of green lodged between dark toes and the crevice of her claws. she flicks a wrist before planting them back in the mud ( she couldn’t win ) to lean towards wolfwind for emphasis, “ so i reckon all those grey hairs are worth it. “ a grin sits smug upon her mottled face despite her obvious attempt at subversion. it was worth it — he took to it. didn’t think before acting ( didn’t think much at all, lovingly ), took to warriorhood without a lilt to his confidence. she was trained well, she knows what to do — why did it feel as if she’d been freefalling?

her shoulders slump, fractionally, “ when does everything start feeling.. “ blurted. a pause. her paws flex vaguely, as if trying to explain along with the grimace crossing her face, “ like i know what i’m doing? “ always waiting on instruction, waiting to be told what to do, double thinking each step. would there be a day when she didn’t think twice?

𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙼𝙰𝙺𝙴 𝙼𝙴 𝚂𝙼𝙸𝙻𝙴 -`☀︎´- 𝘗𝘓𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘌 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘠 𝘍𝘖𝘙 𝘈 𝘞𝘏𝘐𝘓𝘌 𝘕𝘖𝘞

• i.
  
• 
  
  
• 𖦹 . LESBIAN. SINGLE, CRUSHES EASILY. SMELLS LIKE SUN - WARMED OAK. FOURTEEN MOONS. NAMED A WARRIOR 8 / 3 / 2023. MENTORED UNDER WOLFWIND, PENNED BY ANTLERS !!!
  f. she / her, daughter of sunfreckle and rabbitnose. large cream - ribboned tortoiseshell with seaglass eyes. fire - forged, smoldering ; shades of vibrant russet, dousing swathes of shadow and interwoven with ribbons pale cream come to drape like licks of flame over a well - toned form.
  
  in warriorhood she has grown to full, hulking height ; unspecified maine coon heritage born of sunfreckle's kittypet background shows itself in large, round paws and tufted, long - furred toes set upon thick, tabby - splotched limbs. freckleflame is broad shouldered and square - jawed, wild cheek fur like the blazing edges of a red sun — a hulking, thick - furred thunderclan warrior, forever blaze - kissed. a characteristic lack of personal space leads her to a slouching, touchy posture, often inclined to lean or bump against her peers, all while bearing a wide, bright - eyed grin.
  
  ——— ˙⋆ — prone to bouts of explosive emotion. all opinions are solely in - character and during these times, often untrue or said only in anger.
  
  

​

 

[WOLFWIND]

Wolfwind gives a snort at that. Yeah, like he'd come runnin' at the first accusation Wolfwind makes at him. If that were true, she'd never get away with all she says about him as much as she has. Freckleflame almost looks serious for a moment— before she's tucking a grin within herself. " I'm sure he doesn't hear a peep from little ol' me over all the swooning she - cat's he's got to worry about. " As if. It's a thing so outlandish, he likely wouldn't stand by it himself. Not to say he would argue, were someone else to claim it for him.

But she knows— or at least, she thinks she does. What credibility did she have, when she could hardly tell bad - nights' - sleep from deep - seeded sadness? Maybe it's just because everyone's been so down lately, that she thinks there may be something else. It's why she leans just a bit closer. It's why her brows furrow in concern, when sudden silence presses it's way between them. She doesn't think it's the awkward sort. She just hopes Freckleflame will tell her more than It's nothin'. That'd be a lie, she thinks.

I tripped, she suddenly tells her. Wolfwind isn't sure her to take that. The warrior blinks, confused, but urging the other onward.

And then she understands. Guilt, like she should've done something, anything else. As if anyone else but her would certainly do better. Like because of you, something horrible could've happened— or something horrible did happen. Sparky did fine, though, and Wolfwind is trying to cobble up some reply, some profound way to say you did nothing wrong. But really, she's not good at that. She'd like to be, but she isn't.

Freckleflame is leanin' toward her, then. Wolfwind wouldn't move away, no matter what. " Freckle... " her voice is soft, and she thinks they're givin' each other the same sad smile. Wolfwind wonders if she'd taught her that.

when does everything start feeling... The moss is long - abandoned. Green flecks itself along white - mitted paws. She gives all of her attention to her. like i know what i’m doing?

" I mean... never? " Meant to be a joke, but it sure doesn't sound like it. Reassuring isn't what it was either. Wolfwind rushes to laugh at her own words. It's too loud. Backtracking quickly, " Not— not never never... But I guess... I guess it depends. " A soft smile, pressing at the corners of her eyes. " I still don't feel like I know what I'm doin'. " And she'd glance away, showing teeth. " Uh... grey hairs n' all. "

" I talked to Raccoonstripe once, about how good he is at... " A weird gesture; paws kneading at moss. " ...this. Loves bossin', told me he wants to be leader, even, " She'd never shared how strange she had found that. She thinks a childish part of her still thought Howlingstar ought to be leader forever. How many times would she have to see her die before it gets through her thick skull that it just wasn't true? A breath in. " And I said— I told him I couldn't do all that. Said I just wanted to be helpful. He thought I was weird for that. " Her gaze tilts to the sky, as if she'd glimpse StarClan betwixt the treetops. But the stars show their faces just yet. What she sees is bark, and purple winks of twilight. " I'm prolly not doin' what I'm sposed to do, but I guess I like what I am doin'," she tells her, and she wonders if that made any sense at all.

OOC ✨ 10.25.2023 BET MY MONEY ON A STUPID HORSE, I LOST THAT

•  

• 

• [ SO I RAN OUT TO THE TRACK TO GET MY CASH BACK ] WOLFWIND THUNDERCLAN LEAD WARRIOR! MENTOR 2 EMBERPAW; KIN 2 MANY.
  —— SHE / HER, CONFUSED BY BUT NOT OPPOSED TO THE USE OF OTHERS
  —— CURRENTLY 23 MOONS OLD. AGES EVERY 1ST.
  
  FRIEND TO MANY! UPBEAT AND UPFRONT. MOVES THROUGH LIFE WITH AN UPBEAT EXTERIOR AND BRIGHT EYES. MAKE NO MISTAKE! TAKES HER JOB VERY SERIOUSLY. THERE'S IMPORTANCE IN SAFETY, RECKLESSNESS ONLY GETS YOU SO FAR. ONCE A FOOL, BUT NO LONGER

​

 

[freckleflame]

freckle.. there is a softness to her voice that stalls her gaze, has her hesitating a beat, two before she thinks to blink away. wolfwind knows — or, at least, she thinks she does. for a moment she feels flayed open, despite its relative simplicity. she’d tripped, but it was more than that. it was a what if, what if, what if that plagues her every step, second - guesses that left her family at risk. long gone we’re the days of her apprenticeship, hard - headed and instilled with the born idea of immortality. a naive nothing bad could happen to me, surely not me, that seemed to keep her from worrying too much over the fates of her family and friends because — what was the worst that could happen? but the worst that could happened seemed to worsen further each day and she knows this is it : there were no second chances for folks like her. it gets easier, it does, she implored and wolfwind’s eyes ease her down as gentle as dying sunset eyes could.

but still that laughter eases the tension in her shoulders, sharp as it was in the cricket song night. she still feels peeled, like that strange red fruit sunfreckle had brought for the kits moons ago — an apple, stripped to reveal her mushy white insides. she supposed she would rather be plucked bare here, beneath warm eyes and a clumsy tongue than anywhere else. after all, pity crawls beneath her skin, leaves her crawling on her belly to avoid that close - browed frown of a too - compassionate stare. sunfreckle would forgive her in an instant, if he. knew the trouble stirring in her skull, but he’d been long since carted off to shadowclan camp with the youngest of her siblings and besides — she doubted she would breathe a word, anyway. never she says, and freckleflame knew, really. there was no secret, no one fix to quell the voice of hesitation that echoed at her skull. perhaps she hadn’t been looking for answers at all, even when wolfwind stammers a quick not never, never.

talking was.. difficult, sometimes. to some, hearing her of all cats say such a thing would drop jaws, but talking, real talking.. it was different than the familiar, boisterous tone she adopted. she rattled on at her clanmates. deflection was a skill she’d learned well along the way, but she’d pulled wolfwind from that muddy clearing for a reason, and the steadily lifting tension in her chest seemed to ease when she continues, finds her words. she still doesn’t know what she’s doing and freckleflame — well, she finds it hard to believe. it lifts her eyes to her again, unaware of when they had moved back towards the moss at her paws, a long - whiskered brow lifting. uh.. grey hairs and all. she glances away and that earns the silvery molly a bump to the shoulder with her muzzle, the normalcy of it settling that edge of self - consciousness eating at her thoughts, “ don’t go listening to me too close, now. “ she murmurs low and light, that sad smile warning beneath the oddly purple glow of marshland nightfall. it turns slightly devilish, “ besides.. somethin’ tells me you might have a couple good moons left in you yet. “

a muted giggle, then — soft still, as if her words need be spoken in the same fragility she feels. she’d blame it on the silent night, a low voice of respect that keeps the reptiles from skittering from their stone hidey holes. told me he wants to be leader, even, and freckleflame thinks of a day she’d see the tom atop highrock and for all her talk, he is not out of place. perhaps it’s the familiarity of dark tabby striping against the sky, haloed by sunlight flowing from canopies above ; howlingstar’s shadow. a sure, precise pawstep. he’s good at this, she says, and the tortoiseshell is inclined to agree. she hums, lets her gaze fall from bloodlet eyes to ivory paws now tinged a pale green, watching how they knead absently at the moss. they had bundles enough to carry but she says not a word yet, unmoving from where they settled underneath the stripped nettle bark. a high and mighty position, but he supposed that suited raccoonstripe just fine — but the thought of so many lives in her paws is like lightning in her veins, blood jumping beneath her fur in objection.

he thought i was weird for that, “ well i don’t think you’re weird for that. “ she says, perhaps a hair too quick, too earnest if she’d ever been anything but. too quick, she backpedals — humor. catches her words faster than she can think of it, before she can catch it leaving the barbs of her tongue, “ i meeean, i think you’re weird for plenty of reasons.. “ teasing deflection was a well practiced tactic but this time, her words continue to spill. they spin in the air, a faint dusting of leaffall chill from her maw, “ but that — i guess i didn’t know that was, like.. an option. i thought there was a plan set out for me, y’know? i way i thought i’d act when i got.. here. “ here, well into adulthood. wolfwind looks upwards and for a moment, she does not follow. freckleflame watches the lead’s profile for a moment, the contemplative slopes of alabaster against blue - silver, “ i always figured that, this feeling would go away, when was old enough. m this fumbling feeling. i thought i’d shed like adderskin, because surely that’s what all th’ rest did. now i am old enough, and i.. “ and, what? she trails for a moment, a beat of insects crying in the distance.

a single ear lowers, contemplative, a twist to her features that alights the red - black of her face when she looks up towards the star - dappled sky where wolfwind’s gaze wanders. she fights to find the words, but the blue molly says i spose i like what i’m doing, and she can only exhale against the leaffall night, “ yeah.. yeah. “ she says slow, agreeing, in her own way. helping, was what she did. freckleflame had seen her in action, knows her passion like the back of her paws ; helpful. she thinks it’s more than that, but it seems less daunting, now. a shared fear, normalcy. never had she seen wolfwind in the shadow of another, not even raccoonstripe, with his precise steps and his bossy eyes, ” i think that’s.. really nice. for what it’s worth, i think one a’ howlingstar’s best decisions was trustin’ in you. whatever you wanna call it, “ a part of her council, and freckleflame was just as proud of her as the day she was assigned. she drops her gaze from the sky, glimpses at the molly before her own eyes can fall. words tremble at her throat, but she struggles to string them together — landing on a semi - clunky, ” i see you, yknow? much as it helps known’ i’m not just feeling sorry for myself, “ a smile. genuine, a softening of pale green eyes that advert back towards the moss at their paws. heavy.

” uh, we should head back, y’ think? before th’ mud wipes our scent ‘n we get lost in this — “ a near insult. she remembers her manners. they were guests, after all, ” .. lovely place. “

𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙼𝙰𝙺𝙴 𝙼𝙴 𝚂𝙼𝙸𝙻𝙴 -`☀︎´- 𝘗𝘓𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘌 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘠 𝘍𝘖𝘙 𝘈 𝘞𝘏𝘐𝘓𝘌 𝘕𝘖𝘞

• i.
  
• 
  
  
• 𖦹 . LESBIAN. SINGLE, CRUSHES EASILY. SMELLS LIKE SUN - WARMED OAK. SIXTEEN MOONS. NAMED A WARRIOR 8 / 3 / 2023. MENTORED UNDER WOLFWIND, PENNED BY ANTLERS !!!
  f. she / her, daughter of sunfreckle and rabbitnose. large cream - ribboned tortoiseshell with seaglass eyes. larger than life! shades of vibrant russet, dousing swathes of shadow and interwoven with ribbons pale cream come to drape like licks of flame over a thick, broad - shouldered figure.
  
  unspecified maine coon heritage born of sunfreckle's kittypet background shows itself in large, round paws and tufted, long - furred toes set upon thick, tabby - splotched limbs. a characteristic lack of personal space leads her to a slouching, touchy posture, often inclined to lean or bump against her peers, all while bearing a wide, bright - eyed grin. she seems to sing confidence from every laugh, every word.. that can't all be for show, can it?
  
  ——— ˙⋆ — prone to bouts of explosive emotion. all opinions are solely in - character and during these times, often untrue or said only in anger.
  
  

​