*+:。.。 Wrath-howl wasn't surprised.
He knew the second those copper eyes dimmed for the last time, that they were the villains in this story. How strange it was to be on the side he rooted against when he listened to those kitten tales. He was the nameless invading rogues, the calamity of a wolf pack, an evil that tore the clan apart only to fall when they inevitably came together, stronger than ever. The part of him that refuses to stop clinging to the nursery, to the love and respect he'd long since lost, swells when he hears Flamewhisker's roar.
The part of him that will always root for the heroes is relieved that his fate is finally sealed.
All at once, perhaps because of these conflicting sides of him, he feels shoved out of his own body. From the skies, he watches the seemingly peaceful Thunderclan camp explode like a rustled hornet's nest. Everyone's fur is bristling, hackles rise, and some cats look confused while others are narrowed with readiness to join in this storm's break and reign fury upon the evil that had encroached.
When did they have time to prepare? he wonders distantly, unable to deny the admiration in his chest.
Before lightning strikes, he listens to the electricity hum and sweeps his gaze once more. He spots Wildheart in the crowd and doesn't waste his time worrying about the man. He's strong. One of the strongest men Wrath-howl had ever had the pleasure to train under. He wishes he'd taken the time to talk to him more, if not to listen to his advice and follow
him instead of Skyclaw, then to at least apologize for failing him. Wildheart will receive a new apprentice after Wrath-howl, he's certain of it. He is, and will always be, a great mentor.
The camp entrance rustles, snapping his dazed attention to it in time to see...Wrath-howl's eyes widen as, at the helm of returning kitty-pets, is none other than
Fallowbite. In an instant, he's dragged back to the water bank, staring in terror at the soaked paw prints leading away into the bushes, at the cat hovering above them, one second too late to stop Howlingstar from escaping...right on time to help rescue her. If his body weren't so far away, Wrath-howl would've let out a laugh. Of all the cats
it was the one to betray Skyclaw?
Of all the options Wrath-howl had, that had always been one?
Screams erupt from Skyclaw, and yes, even now, Wrath-howl is inclined to hear them. He'd hung on the man's every confident word, did all that he'd asked of him...and yet, watching him now, Wrath-howl simply wonders who
is he?. Who is this man who holds none of Wrath-howl's blood, who has done nothing to train Wrath-howl, who has spent not a single integral moment with the tabby wolf...who
is he to deserve Wrath-howl's undivided loyalty? "
-no different than a dog following the best-smelling ass it can find." he winces at the insult, feeling it best directed at him than it could've ever been against Fallowbite.
A dog, a
wolf a beast -
that's who Wrath-howl is. He may not know who Skyclaw is, but Wrath-howl's reflection is clear as day. There is no changing it.
And yet, there
is another option.
Lifting his head towards the sky, he feels each cooling drop of rain.
Plip, plip, plip Each gentle poke brings him back to his own body. While the screams and the pounding of paws upon the earth remain distant, he enjoys the rain. He thinks about the plants that will grow from this day, the
life that will finally prosper and bloom. He has no place in that tomorrow, he knows it, and still...and yet even still....
He can't wait to see the heroes win.
[**]
The rain suddenly becomes a tsunami, slamming into Wrath-howl with so much force the breath is forcibly ripped from his lungs. The killer wheezes as he feels every ache in his body all at once - the exhaustion in his eyes, the strain in his starving stomach, the headache that now digs elongated talons into his skull as his roll ends with a cranial pound upon the thundering floor.
Dizzily,
Wrath-howl aims to claw and strike at his opponent instinct overcoming everything as the basic living need to
get them off of him takes over.
"
Was it worth it?" An all-too-familiar voice breaks through the fog. Blinking hard against the shock and the rain, he looks up to meet Roaringpaw's blazing eyes. Coppery-gold, like a swallowtail butterfly taking flight, like a sun that burns away the shadows and warms plants after a merciful rain; jasper, all his own, that glitters and shines like a hero's.
The stuff of legends.
Coughing, he heaves in a breath as soon as he finds it.
"
No," he responds, a smile filling his maw, hysterical and manic, "
of course not. Look at this" he sheathes his claws and gestures to the clan erupting in chaos, "
this isn't what I wanted, this isn't what I was promised, " he doubts Roaringpaw wanted a monologue, but the pressure within him has been building for a long time now and Wrath-howl finds he cannot bring himself to stop.
"
But look at me! Beneath the claws of a clan-mate, a kitty pet even! We could've been friends! I could've been on the hero's side! Now look at me! " he breaks, laughing suddenly as he remembers begging the same of Gentlestorm, "
I'm a dog! A wolf! Roaringpaw, can you believe it? He gave me a warrior's name while you were gone - I'm Wrath-howl now, isn't it just so fitting?" he feels as though he should be sobbing, and maybe he is, he doesn't know if the rain is stinging his tears or he's blubbering like a baby.
Without further warning, Wrath-howl aims to kick Roaringpaw as hard as he can in the stomach, hoping to pummel him off of pinning Wrath-howl "
I don't know what to do any more " he admits to the older boy, wanting to beg and plead the hero for any ideas, "
I thought, just because you and the rest weren't born Thunderclan, that you were dangerous to us. I thought I was doing the right thing, I swear, I swear I did...but you're not the one with blood on your paws, are you?" he rubs a paw down his face, hiccuping, "
Starclan, you're a hero...I wanted so badly to be that, and you're doing it so effortlessly"
"
Roaringpaw...I'm sorry. For how I treated you, how I looked at you...I'm so sorry"
-
@roaringpaw this was a whole ass doozy um skip to the [**] for everything relevant to their fight <3
Also feel free to have Roar do whatever he wants, Wrat will do his best to parry and hit back defensively with sheathed claws, but in the next post he'll run and save Orange <3
-
GENERAL:
♡ Wrath-howl
♡ DMAB— He/Him
♡ 10 moons — Ages 1 moon every month real-time
♡ Brother to Lovelight, Joywing, Laughblossom || Pridepaw, Merrypaw
♡ Thunderclan — apprentice
♡ Mentored by Wildheart
COMBAT:
♡Physically mediocre | mentally very easy
♡ Attack in bold #4a59ff
injuries: None currently , mentally unwell
"SPEECH"