the approaching night — twitchbolt

[DUSKPOOL]

anger makes you stupid . stupid gets you killed .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

His gait remained steady, paw pads crunching upturned foliage, breath ghosting over a cold muzzle when molten hues landed on Twitchbolt’s form. His tail curled absently against the ground, catching minuscule things to pluck out of his fur during the night, tucked away from camp and in a familiar decaying nest. Duskpool offered Twitchbolt a quiet rumble in greetings as he settled down a distance away from the other, wooly tail curling around enormous paws.

Usually, Duskpool would seek others from a great distance, merely observing their character until another patrol grabbed his attention. It wasn’t out of character for the older warrior to seek how others were doing and it wasn’t strange that Duskpool wanted to seek the lead warrior since the disappearance of Doompaw. It had been unfortunate, and no less grief-stricken for the warrior, losing another that he felt responsible for. The smokey warrior knew that feeling all too well, although he’d never truly understand as he hadn’t been in Twitchbolt’s position. Grief. Now that he was all too familiar with, deadly so.

“How are ya holdin’ up, kid?” He rumbled, glancing over at the other with a raised brow. “Figured I’d catch ya before ya left camp and see how ya were doin’.” He finished with a swish of his tail that unfurled from its position to laze in a loose curl around his bulky frame.

/ @TWITCHBOLT ​

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thought speech​

 

[TWITCHBOLT]

Duskpool was a respectable cat, but Stars knew how much Twitchbolt worried for him. Countless times he'd watched the tom throw himself in front of the jaws of beasts for others, caring not, apparently, about self-preservation. It was noble to some extent, but... stupid, to another extent. To care for yourself so, so little- wasn't that almost the opposite of selfless? Because- those who had grown to care about you would watch you hurt yourself, again and again and again...

He startled a little at the other's approach, standardly- and grimaced as he uttered kid. Even though Duskpool called everyone that, it made Twitchbolt in particular feel very small and pathetic, and hardly worthy of the respect Blazestar had somehow decided he deserved. Three blinks cleared his face of the tumult, though, and he smiled a little when the warmth of Duskpool's reasoning settled on his spine. He would not come over just to patronise, Twitchbolt reminded himself.

"Um, you know..." Well, he didn't know, did he? Else he wouldn't have asked... "I'm- uh, sad, honestly. It's..."

He swallowed past the lump in his throat, the taste of it tacky. Even though Duskpool had asked, it still- deep down- felt as if he shouldn't be telling anyone how he felt in fear of it making him look pathetic. Like the pushover he used to be. "It's hard to- to have faith Doompaw'll be alright, when... I've seen what happens in the Twolegplace. To grown cats, not just apprentices."​

penned by pin ✧​

 

[DUSKPOOL]

anger makes you stupid . stupid gets you killed .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

Dark lips curled, nothing more than a subtle grimace, molten hues blinking languidly while staring across camp. He wasn’t all that surprised, similar grief, but not quite. Never the same, but star awfully familiar, nearly rigid and painful like a gaping wound that refused to heal, ichor dripping down slowly like pools of water collected from the rain. He hummed, nearly rumbling.

Like a parent worried for their children, Duskpool felt similar emotions for Drizzlepelt, nearly so when the other became like a son, blood-related or not. “The worryin’ won’t go away, wonderin’ what they’re gettin’ up to.” He began slowly, tipping his helm to peer toward the camp’s wall as he spoke. “Yer like a parent, worryin’ about yer kid. It ain’t easy, teachin’ the next batch of warriors, watchin’ ‘em grow.” He grinned, bittersweet.

“You’ll only worry a hole in yer stomach, but it ain’t much, and I ain’t gonna tell ya want ya can’t and can feel, but the kid’s a hothead, but he’s a stubborn one, I’ll give him that.” He grunted, glancing at the other. Who knew what would happen, losing an apprentice like that wasn’t easy. It was a bitter pill to swallow, less bitter than seein’ their crumbled bodies, bloodied and lifeless, but still harrowing.

Letting out a quiet breath, Duskpool angled his ears forward, indifferent. “I ain’t one to put much thought into faith. The upwalkers can be … troublesome, but I have a feelin’ the kid will be alright.” He rumbled.

“Ignorin’ what I said, what does yer gut say?” He spoke, deadpan, molten hues glancing at the other, brow raised. ​

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thought speech​

 

[TWITCHBOLT]

Like a parent. Twitchbolt laughed mirthlessly in response. "Like a good parent, you mean," he murmured softly, a hollow joke- it flooded out before he could stop it. Twitchbolt's own parents probably wouldn't have cared very much if he'd disappeared into Twolegplace, screaming about how nobody wanted him. And, and- how he hated that he still thought of it! That all of that still struck him now and then, even though his mother and father hadn't lived to see him become a warrior.

And Doompaw would not be a warrior, too. Whirling, twisting anger- how he wanted to bash the incessant thoughts out of his head, banish them to a land unseen! To where everyone else's bad thoughts went, that they could just... just shrug off and live with...

It was difficult to ignore what Duskpool said, even though the older tom had told him to. He had a feeling Doompaw would be alright. It took every ounce of Twitchbolt's self control not to shake him, and try and rattle that feeling out of him so that he could begin to understand it. "My gut never says anything good," he admitted with a sigh. "I always assume the worst. I know I do it, but- but it's hard not to, sometimes."

"I want him to be alright. But, but- but I'll never know, I'll just have to... to hope I trained him well enough." Twitchbolt sighed roughly, annoyed at himself. "I've gotten a little better at hoping, at least."​

penned by pin ✧​

 

[DUSKPOOL]

anger makes you stupid . stupid gets you killed .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

Marred features curled, burning hues distant at the comment, reasonably so, his own hadn’t been pleasant to deal with, hurdling insults and ignoring them. He’d taken the brunt of his parents' scorn, biting back unfavorable words in favor of checking in on his littermates and younger siblings, guiding them with a paw that had yet to be calloused, soft, and brotherly, untouched. His muzzle wrinkled in the beginning of a grimace, smoothed out with an agreeable huff, humor-less, but familiar. “Some of these here parents sure as hell don’t deserve ‘em.” He agreed, wooly tail twitching. “Up to us whether we give ‘em someone to look up to. Givin’ ‘em something to rely on, somethin’ we didn’t have.” He’d never gotten the chance, Duskpool wasn’t gonna let it happen to someone else ( maybe that was why he’d always been willin’ to bring others into his war-torn family, adopting ‘em ).

“That so?” He hummed, glancing at the other, burning molten watching the other through his peripheral. “Ain’t always bad, assumin’ the worst lessens the hurt, but it sure ain’t gotten stop it from hurtin’.” He commented, mangled ear curling sideways. Living out here wasn’t pretty ( in other words ), it wasn’t a tranquil life.

He remained silent, humming quietly at Twitchbolt’s words, cracking a smile at the other’s last comment, drawing a quiet snort. “Better than nothin’ kid.” He rumbled, knowing it’d be a long road to recovery, if there was one, being completely fine wasn’t something he wanted, but finally lettin’ go of things seemed like the next best option. “You’ll be okay, kiddo. Just gotta live long enough to see the bugger's face and give him a good smack on the head.” He rumbled, tone lifting in reverberating amusement, burning molten crinkling.

“Feelin’ any better?” He inquired after a heartbeat, timbre languid, albeit indifferent despite the shift of his hues, lingering on the other’s paws, helm tilted. He wasn’t one to judge, showin’ weakness to anyone was draining, terrifying even, knowin’ another cat had seen ya at yer weakest wasn’t all what it cracked up to be. ​

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thought speech​