private TEMPTATION STAIRWAY ✦ FOGBOUND

[RABBITCLAW]

It's good to be home despite the additional effort needed to clean up and get everything in order. She's certainly been busy with everything going on. Her brother Rattleheart had been sick and refused any sort of company, so now that there's lungwort for her brother he begrudgingly allows her to visit him. It's not that he refuses out of anger, more so his big heart. Ever since they were kits he had been that way. Every time he had gotten sick, he would stay away from her and the others so they wouldn't get sick as well. As for Scorchstreak? She had been on the journey there was not much talking (literally none) that could happen between the pair for two moons give or take. As for her other Lizardbounce... He's been keeping his distance or maybe he's busy. In short, she had been alone for these two moons. The circumstances preventing her from connecting with her kin. She is content now that everything more or less is back now. Her sister and her children have returned safe and sound while her brother Rattleheart was slowly getting better. Although, when he first laid eyes on her she had forgotten how much of a worrywart he was. When he laid eyes upon her new scars oh boy. He had talked her ear off and made her promise to him she would rest and try not to get into trouble soon. At least until he was able to be discharged from the medicine cat den.

Aside from good things there has been strange things too. The first she can think of and the most pressing would be Fogbound and their relationship. It unsettles her to leave things as is, but it is more terrifying to grab the issue by the horns and sort things out. Before things had changed, namely the rogue invasion that started it all, the pair had been going through the motions. Every day was some senseless bickering and they would move on with their days with little issue. She wouldn't have to see his mug often, considering he was a moor runner while she was a tunneler. During the invasion useless (pardon her french) almost got himself killed. There was a horrid moment in time where she actually thought the menace croaked. Thankfully he didn't croak right then and there, but she couldn't deny it anymore. Fogbound was someone important to her. She too was injured horribly and had new scars to boot. Then, they talked in Thunderclan. Well... It was more like he walked in on her freezing her ass off and they had a strange conversation. When she recalled that night, she was certain the conversation that transpired meant something. Yes, while they teased each other throughout it, it didn't feel the same. At the very least not to her. She didn't even want to think about how they held each other close and provided warmth for the other. And no she was not going to think about the fact they had this weird fake dating thing going on.

Fogbound cared a little for her is what she garnered from the tail end of their conversation. He had told her to see Wolfsong and she did. Wolfsong was most concerned about the wounds on her back that would turn into a scar. Two weeks have passed and she was given the clear to resume whatever it is she gets up without holding back anymore. What a relief it was to know that she no longer had to go through great lengths to stop herself from being reckless. Honestly she didn't want to go, but she'd rather not die from something stupid like infection. Speaking of stupid. Fogbound. Fogbound after having a near death experience proceeded to get hurt by a badger of all things. Oh, how she wanted to kill him. He was a magnet for trouble and at this point I swear he'll be dead before leaf-bare. While she is seething with jealousy that Sootstar had given him Finchpaw as an apprentice, she hopes that Finchpaw can reel him in. Troublesome Fogbound is, but she hopes he has some level of decency to not die when he has an apprentice. Getting hurt... Yeah, she can't even trust him not to get hurt. That was asking too much.

Perhaps it was odd for her to purposely look for him. Now that they were home and back to their usual routines sort of, she hoped he wasn't off with someone right now. I don't want to run into... A moment. Why was she looking for the oaf? It was to check in with him and how his eye was. After that night she didn't have any deep conversation with him, given how hectic things have been. Nothing more. Only gonna ask how his eye is and that's it. If he laughs I'm kicking his ass. The air is cool against her fur as she searches for him. Considering she's a tunneler it wasn't like she needed to be among the moors like the moor runners. Tunnelers did peek out into the surface but they didn't stray too far from the hole they popped out of. For tunnelers it was difficult to find moor runners without leaving the tunnels. So here she was on the surface following his scent. Any moor runner that acknowledges her as they continue their work, she flicks her tail in greeting. They leave her to it. It's not like they can boss me around. Just like I can't make them do things.

Fogbound is near. His scent has become stronger. To think the tom would be by the sun warmed pool. She supposed now was a good time as any to visit the place before leaf-bare comes and most of them would be in the badger set. Blue eyes stare at the rush she prays that she's not about to intrude on something. Alrighty, Riley, it's now or never. If he's in the middle of something just turn back and burn the image of what you saw. And so, she pushes past the rush and would lay her eyes on Fogbound's form.

// @FOGBOUND there's a whole lot of not talking going on here, but the tldr is that she followed fogbound's scent to the sun warmed pool and is praying he's not busy with someone because that would be awkward. basically fog is just gonna see rabbit enter the sun warm pool and look at him​

 

[FOGBOUND]

your entire existence gives me a headache, go stand over there .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

It was only natural when life dwindled from the chaos that Fogbound found himself alone more than he cared to admit. Without the company of someone tucked against his side, the smokey warrior had more time to reflect, to think. It was a nasty thing. Letting him muse over past actions and memories he kept tucked close to his heart.

Oh, how close he’d been to meeting StarClan within the moon. It was a wonder he remained upright, standing with flowing confidence and honey-dipped words. Fogbound was a beast, but even he had his limits. What those are? He hummed. Well, he didn’t dare to reveal those.

His scars twitched, both new and old scattered across a well-groomed pelt, dusted with skin grasps and healing scabs, Fogbound looked like a monster right of out a children’s book. He supposed he was, in personality, of course, but a monster with manners. He grinned devilishly, tipping his head back to observe the sky with half-lidded hues, hiding the last bit of ruby gemstones that was his eye. His other was cloudy, covered in cobwebs, but no less disastrous. He sighed. A fool, Wolfsong had said when the moor runner laughed despite the blooming pain, grinning as he always did. A fool, he was indeed, but he wouldn’t dare say that out loud. He has a reputation to uphold, does he not?

A devilishly handsome tom with honey-dipped words. He liked to get around, attached to the hip of his next one-night stand to care about his fraying emotions. He despised attachments, as much as he disliked his emotions that still ran him into the ground.
He couldn’t help but think of Rabbitclaw, nose wrinkling with carefully crafted annoyance. Times have changed, haven’t they? He hummed, dark lips pursed in an elegant pucker.

He caught a whiff of Rabbitclaw’s smell, turning his helm to stare at the tunneler with a raised eyebrow. “Worried now?” He called out, shifting tired limbs beneath the warm water that seeped into aching joints and cleansed the filth that gathered on smokey tendrils. “I assumed you would have been busy with whatever tunnelers do.” He mused. “I would have asked you to join me.” He grinned mischievously despite the tiredness weighing heavily on his mind.

Fogbound leaned forward slightly, observing the tunneler with a narrowed ruby hue, blind in the other, the moor runner had a lot to make up for. He sighed through an opened maw, rolling his shoulders with a questioning rumble. “Come to see if I finally kicked the bucket?” ​

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thought speech​

 

[RABBITCLAW]

Rabbitclaw without a doubt is relieved she didn't run into a private moment between him and someone else. I'm starting to regret this though. Him and his stupid smug face and dumb words. It is better to ignore his goading for her sanity. Yes, she was worried but she would rather die than admit it openly. She would never hear the end of it from him. Then again... That would give her the opportunity of fighting him and slapping him across the face freely. That wouldn't be too bad. The way he regards the work of tunnelers irritates her. It reminds her of Pinkpaw's grating voice, always complaining about being forced to join their ranks. Her sister has it cut out for her without a doubt. It was hard enough to bring Pinkpaw inside the tunnels without dragging her and keeping her in there was even more difficult. Heck, she along with others at this point wanted to throw her out of the tunnels for her excessive complaining. To put it simply. Their patience was dwindling. Being a tunneler was an honor and not a position any cat can have. It was dangerous and many cats among their ranks have died. That's why training was longer than usual. Hearing other's think being underground was easy was frankly annoying.

She can't help herself from smirking "Curious?" Without missing a beat she adds, "So you do miss me. How cute. If you wanted you could call out for me at one of the tunnel entrances to ask for me. I wouldn't dare make my lord wait for so long." Moor runners probably wondered how they would navigate or seemingly pop up in seconds. The thing is. All of them were required to work in pairs or more so there was a good chance if you needed someone specific then they were either the second cat hiding inside or said cat would call for the cat in question. Considering most of them had apprentices now either four or three cats would be together. Besides, they were able to rush through the tunnels with ease. She would argue they were faster in terms of reflexes due to the lack of sight they were no better than mice at time. The slight change in the air was enough to make them scatter from unease.

He then leans forward and asks her whether or not she came to see if he perished.

She merely rolled her eyes and took advantage of his movement and brought a paw under his chin and drew him closer while leaning forward herself to get a better look at his now blind eye. "I came to see if you didn't somehow lose another eye with your stupidity. So yes, the last thing I want to drag your big behind back to camp." Without a doubt one of his eyes were cloudy. He nearly lost his life twice during the raid and then he ends up losing an eye to a badger in Thunderclan. Troublesome he is and she swears if she chained him to a badger sett, he would somehow get hurt. Who knows he might actually die to boredom. Even though he now is blind in one eye, that doesn't mean he's helpless. Unfortunately, she doesn't know how this would affect his responsibilities as a moor runner. Tunnelers were practically blind. Not seeing wasn't terrifying to her. I don't even think I want to see what I touch or smell.

Personal space is thrown out the window as she tilts his head with her forepaw while staring too intently at his face. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't be so stupid. You have someone waiting for you to come back, so do her a favor and don't fucking die." The she in question is none other than Fogbound's apprentice Finchpaw. A she-cat she wished had joined the tunnelers instead of Pinkpaw. As much as she has some issues with Fogbound, he would never forgive him for dying a fools death and leaving Finchpaw with someone else. Things were getting weird and there more of those weirdos around. Cats who practically had no brains and treat Sootstar as if she were Starclan herself. Given that Rabbitclaw hasn't specified that she meant Finchpaw, it can easily be misunderstood that she talking about herself. How she's waiting for him and worries to death about him.

 

[FOGBOUND]

your entire existence gives me a headache, go stand over there .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

To be sought after, even when Fogbound had slipped out of camp undetected to bask in the warm pools brought a shiver down his spine, dark lips curled in a mischievous smirk that crinkled the healing flesh of his eye. A hindrance for a moor runner like himself, blurry as it was, Fogbound only saw a sliver of a figure shrouded in a dark haze. An annoyance, but he wasn’t one to cry over split milk, not if he wanted to survive—questionable as it was, Fogbound had quite the relationship with death, didn’t he? He snorted, shaking his helm at the morbid display, ruby hue crinkling. “Oh, how you flatter me with your words, my dear.” He purred, rumbling beneath a thick mesh of smokey albino fur. “I couldn’t possibly take you away from your sworn duty, now could I?”

His ruby gaze widened, surprise pooling into his veins at the contact, paw slipping beneath an angular chin to pull him closer. The motion brought him closer, too close for his liking, skin prickling with unease, but he did well to mask it with a surprise blink of ruby hues. “Unsightly, no?” He grinned, uncaring. “If I hadn’t, then who knows what would have happened!” He would never admit his sudden surge of fondness toward a clan he wanted nothing to do with, nothing more than a place to monitor his family, keeping them safe was his only goal and he would do anything to achieve that.

He laughed, the sound thunderous, yet twisting sweetly in the air, Fogbound couldn’t imagine the other dragging him. “It seems you have quite the fascination with my big behind, my dear.” He grinned in mirth, ignoring the possibility of losing his remaining eye. He would be useless, wouldn’t he? Perhaps he would be driven out of camp, starvation taking hold, eaten like prey to carnivorous beasts, corpse picked clean of flimsy muscle until bone remained. “Then I shall soothe your worries, my dear. I do not plan on losing.” He finally added after a terrible pause, expression unclear despite the curl of his lips in a subtle grin. “It would be a shame to never see those pretty eyes of yours again, no?” He spurred on, bringing back that careless charm he wore so well, a second skin that stuck to his build like tree sap.

Oh, my darling. Dying matters little to me. Words that Fogbound dared not speak for becoming too emotional, and that was something the smokey tom refused to bear. Uncharted territory. Something Fogbound refused to dwell on. Being so close, Rabbitclaw would have noticed ruby hues dulling, grin weaker than earlier, but gone as it came, “Oh, you truly know how to make me swoon, don’t you, my dear?” He grinned mischievously, not even serious. “I wouldn’t dare leave you. Who would annoy you after I’m gone?” He tutted, pulling away from her touch with an amused rumble.

“After all—” He grinned, resting his chin against the top of his paw, grinning devilishly. “Who would look after my little apprentice, mhm?” To think someone would destroy that childish wonder. He thought, gaze darkening. A shame, don’t you agree? He may be a heartless bastard, but even Fogbound wished for things, as foolish as it was, the little worm reminded him of his younger sister and he wouldn’t dare destroy that, no matter how cruel he became. “I couldn’t possibly be that cruel. I am but a gentleman, are I not?” He added, his helm tilted slightly, watching Rabbitclaw with a curious twinkle of a ruby hue. ​

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thought speech​