'Did I make things worse?'
In the corner of the camp, the tom was lost in his own little world, full of branching pathways where there was no obvious conclusion. Each question and justification brought about a new length of pine tree to navigate until eventually, he was in the clouds of consciousness, undecided on whether it'd have been better to shut up and keep Candorpaw safe from harm. Everytime he was reminded of his frustration towards the Lead Warrior, he found himself wanting to return to the scene of the crime and finish what he started - and thus, the cycle of philosophy began anew, the battle between thought and feeling unwavering in its prominence.
He spotted the flash of blue in his eyes before he registered the she-cat's words. Suddenly, he was brought back down to reality, where he was reminded that regardless of anything, he would have to wait until he'd gotten the all-clear on his leg. His attention shifted between Doeblaze and the bird, a resigned "Thank you," escaping his maw as he recalled Johnnyflame's lessons on accepting help. His ears swiveled back expectantly, only relaxing once it was clear that Doeblaze was not passing a message of contempt along from Orangestar. She was... agreeing with him still, as she'd done when he'd first returned. Intrigued, he took a bite out of the bluebird, chewing quietly.
"He very much started it." It wasn't something he needed to justify to Doeblaze but it didn't stop him from saying it. "Going on about how we were friends with RiverClan, how he'd struggle to tell us apart in the end. For someone that hates kittypets, he yearns for our approval way too much." Lies and bait, ones that Silversmoke had taken in defense of SkyClan, but more than just wanting a fight for fighting's sake, Raccoonstripe seemed as if he wanted to kill him. The bite to his leg could've easily been one to his throat, even now, the soft skin concealing it felt more exposed than ever. He let out a small huff, picturing what else he could've done to protect himself.
The fur upon his spine stood up once more - he wished he had the stamina of the strands, they were standing so much recently whereas he had to sit and rest his limb. "You know when SkyClan was dealing with Twolegs capturing us left and right, he laughed about it, mocked a poor warrior who was trying to keep up appearances that we were doing well. And that patrol he led... the things they said about SkyClan and kittypets..." He'd heard it secondhand but it was enough to convince him that he should've been there fighting the good fight. "If it hadn't been Howlingstar in charge, he'd have sided with Skyclaw, I don't doubt it." He'd also let Raccoonstripe know that was how he felt... perhaps he should've anticipated a border-crossing with such strong words.
