private sweetest of the sunflowers ☀️ stormywing

[ROEFLAME .]

-ˋˏ ༻ ☀ ༺ ˎˊ-

Conflict resolution had never been Roeflame's specialty, or even something the warrior was particularly good at. Is that what troubled her now? A conflict between her and Stormywing?

It would be a lie to say her friend's devotion to Thundergleam wasn't worrisome, given the recent light that had been shone down on the snowy warrior. Roeflame couldn't trust- wouldn't trust Thundergleam, not with someone as important to her as Stormywing. Yet, where did that leave them?

The sky is still dark and milky when the tabby steps out into the frosted clearing, pleased to find camp still in it's peaceful pre-dawn lull. There were few souls out this early, especially with the premature cold, so Stormywings ashen braids stuck out like a sore thumb.

Celadon locks into golden, and the same apprehension from the last several days fills the gap between them again. Stormywing felt it too, Roeflame knew. There was no hustle to keep them seperate now, the gravitational pull towards her friend is instinctive. "The nursery will be needing more supplies to keep warm and I need an extra set of paws…" The deputy begins after clearing her throat. "If you wouldn't mind." It was a lame start, but Roeflame had thrown all her mice into Stormywings paws, it was her move.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── I GOT A POCKET ⋅✴⋅ A POCKET FULL OF SUNSHINE ──┐‎

• @STORMYWING
  

• 

• 
  ROEFLAME ✩ she/her, Deputy of Thunderclan, twenty-seven moons.
  ⭃ petite cinnamon silver ticked tabby with murky green eyes & a small scar over her left eye.
  ⭃ mate to Burnstorm ☀ mentor to Dovepaw & Dwindlingpaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted ☀ underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Noor ↛ @toyangel on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[STORMYWING]

Stormywing's ears twitch as the deputy's voice cuts through the crisp morning silence. She'd been grooming her fur at the edge of camp, lost in thought as she gazed at the thin frost that blanketed the camp. The tension between the two of them has been tangible ever since their confrontation that left the tabby's temper frayed and Roeflame's trust shaken. She still remembers it like it was yesterday, with her body protectively standing over Thundergleam and blocking her from the cinnamon she-cat's angry view.

Turning to face her friend, she meets her steady gaze with her own golden eyes that now hold an edge of guardedness rather than their usual bright warmth. The frost under her paws seems to mirror the rift between them now - thin and fragile, but cold enough on her sensitive pads to remind her it was there.

"Of course," Stormywing responds in as neutral of a tone as she can manage, trying her best to push the apprehension down. It feels strange to stand here with Roeflame and not slip into their usual banter, jokes and all. She steps closer, a sharp puff of air escaping her nose as she tries to sound casual. "I was thinking about checking the SkyClan border for anything sturdy enough. Thought maybe their pine boughs could be nice if we find any laying on the ground." Her tail twitches with restlessness. "Unless…you've got a different plan?"

Stars, this is awkward. Stormywing's jaw tenses but she keeps her gaze locked with Roeflame's, waiting to see if this patrol would bring back their old rhythm or shatter it further.
​

 

[ROEFLAME .]

-ˋˏ ༻ ☀ ༺ ˎˊ-

Stormywing's acceptance earns a subtle exhale of quiet relief; a breath Roeflame didn't know she had been holding. Stars, she was being dramatic, but it was hard to feel secure when ivory paws walked on this unfamiliar ground.

When her friend suggests heading towards SkyClans border, Roeflame nods. It was a good suggestion, and the deputy admittedly didn't have another plan. "No, that sounds like a good idea." The cold was beginning to sting just standing there, the tabby's paws itched to get moving. "We should get going, then."

Once safely out of the ravine, falling into step with Stormywing was easy enough. Roeflame had done it countless times before, it was the words the cinnamon warrior was stuck on finding, though she had never been good with silence either, making her mind hasty to put something out there. "I don't trust her, not anymore. I can't." Stormywing hadn't yet joined ThunderClans ranks when Trufflepelt had attempted to murder Howlingstar, but Roeflame wouldn't dive any further unless prodded, it was a grisly tale that she could hardly bring herself to relive, even when the tom's body had been right in front of her.

"That's not a reflection on you, and you know that. You should." Roeflame rolls her shoulders, discomfort creeping up her throat. "I can't hold what you feel for her against you either, and I don't. I just…" Roeflame shakes her head, "I don't know, your turn." She was sure Stormywing had plenty to say- she almost hoped.

If Roeflame was relying on pine boughs for a nice distraction, the deputy would begin to feel sorely disappointed when the only pine needles that began to litter the ground were sparse and dead.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── I GOT A POCKET ⋅✴⋅ A POCKET FULL OF SUNSHINE ──┐‎

• 

• 
  ROEFLAME ✩ she/her, Deputy of Thunderclan, twenty-seven moons.
  ⭃ petite cinnamon silver ticked tabby with murky green eyes & a small scar over her left eye.
  ⭃ mate to Burnstorm ☀ mentor to Dovepaw & Dwindlingpaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted ☀ underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Noor ↛ @toyangel on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[STORMYWING]

The words hit Stormywing like an unexpected gust, ruffling the edges of her guarded composure. Her ears flick backward for a moment, catching the hesitance in Roeflame's voice as the two of them move through the brittle undergrowth. The dry crunch of leaves echoes in the frost-laden woods, where once, easy laughter had been. Things feel so different between them now…

Golden eyes shift to her friend, searching her expression. The deputy's distrust of Thundergleam isn't surprising - she made her feelings pretty damn clear in that clearing. But hearing it out loud wedges an ache in her heart and she finds herself frowning defensively.

She takes a sharp, frosty breath and lets it out slow. "You think I didn't worry too?" Her voice carries a hint of bitterness she can't quite rein in. "That I haven't questioned everything I know about her? I know what Trufflepelt did just as well as you. But I've talked with her, and she swears she had no idea who he truly was and I…I believe her, Roeflame. She'd never harm ThunderClan." She'd never harm me.

The path ahead narrows, forcing them closer, and she sidesteps a gnarled root with a practiced ease. "I know you're trying to be fair. StarClan knows it's more than most would bother with. But you're my friend, Roeflame." Her tail lashes once before settling as she tries hard to keep her voice from growing too sharp. "And that means enough to me that I want to believe we can sort through this without it pulling us apart." Her gaze swings around to Roeflame but it drops to the thin layer of pine needles, dark against the frost. She swipes a paw over them, the sparse collection nothing like the warm, sturdy boughs she'd pictured. She sighs and kicks them away - nothing worth bringing back to camp. "Maybe this is just the start of things being...different. But I'm not going to let this go without a fight. I don't want to have to pick between you and her, so don't make me…because I'll pick her." It comes out wobbly, but stars, she's in love with that she-cat. She can't let this go on between two of the most important cats in her life. She glances up, eyes locking with Roeflame's again, the spark of defiance there tempered by something softer. "Your turn."
​

 

[ROEFLAME .]

-ˋˏ ༻ ☀ ༺ ˎˊ-

Stormywing's reply is not entirely unexpected, Roeflame had walked out of camp knowing exactly how her friend felt and where she stood. It's the bitterness edging the others tone that makes the warriors ears tilt with subtle surprise, hurt.

As Stormywing continues, Roeflame has to pry her eyes away from the others face in order to look ahead, her brows creasing together with a dying spark of frustration. "I'm not-" Roeflame begins an attempt to counter with some defense, but what leaves her companions tongue next makes the deputy pause entirely. I don't want to have to pick between you and her, so don't make me… because i'll pick her.

Their eyes lock, and Roeflame's pupils flicker to and fro between her friends' golden hues. Is that what Stormywing was bracing herself for, an ultimatum? "I wouldn't ask that of you. I would never..." Is all she can manage at first, a frown threatening to tug the corners of her mouth low. She casts her eyes down to Stormywings paws in a hasty attempt to shield the other from seeing the flicker of hurt that passes through Roeflame's expression.

When the tabby brings her gaze upwards again, all the fight has left her expression; there was nothing to fight over, in a world where Roeflame could cling to resentment for a fathers sins or love for her friends, the warrior knew what her choice would be everytime. Even if the choice made her belly twist up a little. "Thundergleam will have to earn the Clans trust, you know that as much as I." With Roeflame's own not being exempt, "…but I believe you, Stormywing. I trust you." she feels her tail twitch, though her voice softens just a touch, "who you love could never change that." You're my friend.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── I GOT A POCKET ⋅✴⋅ A POCKET FULL OF SUNSHINE ──┐‎

• 

• 
  ROEFLAME ✩ she/her, Deputy of Thunderclan, twenty-seven moons.
  ⭃ petite cinnamon silver ticked tabby with murky green eyes & a small scar over her left eye.
  ⭃ mate to Burnstorm ☀ mentor to Dovepaw & Dwindlingpaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted ☀ underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Noor ↛ @toyangel on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[STORMYWING]

Stormywing exhales softly, a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Warm relief floods through her, like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. She hadn't even realized how much she needed to hear that Roeflame still trusted her and believed in her after that day. Her golden eyes soften as they rest on her friend.

"Thanks, Roeflame," She murmurs, her voice quieter now, the bitterness from before melting away. "I...I know she's got a long road ahead with the clan. StarClan knows it won't be easy." Her tail flicks, brushing against the brittle needles at her paws. "But she'll get there. I know she will."

Who you love could never change that.

She hesitates, her widening gaze snapping back to the deputy's face as she stops in her tracks. "I didn't-" Stars, had she actually said it aloud? She hasn't even be able to do that for herself yet. Heart pounding, she swallows hard. There's no use denying it - she guesses she must've made it pretty obvious how she felt about the other warrior. Face heating, she looks back at the ground, a nervous half-smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, well…"

She steps closer suddenly, brushing her shoulder lightly against Roeflame's. "I'm glad we talked. I missed you." There's no one else she'd rather talk to about whatever love life she has. Her gaze flicks toward the sparse pines ahead then, tail twitching. "Now come on," She mews, her voice lighter as she smiles more. "Let's find something worth dragging back to camp, or we'll both freeze our tails off for nothing."
​