private THE WORST IN ME — snakehiss

[BLUEFROST]

As of late, the moorland has been blanketed in thin layers of snow. Bluefrost had murmured something about night hunting to the camp’s guard and had slipped her way through the gorse. Her paws carry her over fields of frost, to the steaming waters of the Sunwarmed Pool. She is surprised to see another figure sitting by the water’s edge—his fur is ruffled by the cruel leafbare winds, dark as the starless sky that sprawls above them. “Deputy,” she greets him flatly. Part of her is disappointed; she feels aimless, like she needs to be alone, and she hadn’t anticipated running into Snakehiss here so late.

Still, it would be rude to leave now, unless her directs her to go. Bluefrost sits a respectful distance away from the young deputy, rich green gaze drifting over the clouds of warmth exhaled by the pool. She watches them rise, rise to the cloud-cloaked sky, watches them dissipate in the ferocity of the moorland winds. “You seem to have taken to your new duties well.” She avoids Snakehiss’s eyes, continuing to stare into the frigid night. “I am sure Cottonpaw is proud of you… is she not?”

Her lip twitches wryly. The deputy and her sister’s affections for one another are hardly a secret, though Bluefrost does not pretend to understand the draw. She knows friendship—she knows the urge she has to brush against Gravelsnap’s black-and-white pelt in greeting, to support him in all he does, to listen to Thriftfeather’s secrets with a half-cocked ear. She does not know the magnetic pull that must exist between Snakehiss and Cottonpaw, for them to want to share a nest, a life.

[ @SNAKEHISS ]

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[SNAKEHISS]

Snakehiss prefers to be alone these days. Some cats could assume that he was simply an enjoyer of the territory, a tom who preferred the wide open spaces of the moors as opposed to the busyness and bustling of camp. Others may assume that he had many things running amok in the depths of his mind, the disappearance of his father being one of them. He had committed to being Sootstar's new second-in-command despite the sudden treachery of his kin, but could one blame him for trying to process everything? Snakehiss was sure he would have to move on soon enough and pretend like he didn't care, pretend like his former clanmates never existed. Sunstride, Wolfsong, Bluepool, Scorchstreak... He may have not necessarily liked all of them, but they had all played a crucial role in WindClan since his youth.

Not everyone had been lost to the abrupt upheaval and chaos, however. All but one of Sootstar's children had, unsurprisingly, remained behind to support their mother's regime. One of the princesses greets him now as he contemplates on the edge of the Sunwarmed Pool. His green gaze lifts, expecting to meet a pair of cool azure hues, though she only stares off into the distance. "Ah, Bluefrost." He murmurs in greeting, also disappointed by an interruption in his space. Oh well, he supposed he'd try to maintain a normal conversation with her. Normalcy was key, wasn't it?

Bluefrost had inherited her mother's beauty, just as Cottonpaw had, but possessed an icy demeanor that the medicine cat apprentice could perhaps never muster. She was not a very approachable warrior, just like Addervenom; Snakehiss cannot recall if they've ever truly talked. He used to give Sootstar's children the cold shoulder out of sheer childish jealousy, but now... there was no real reason to do so. He had secured his place, just another stepping stone toward his ultimate dream.

He absorbed her compliment quietly, debating on how to respond, knowing that his mind was still plagued with doubts. Snakehiss decides to answer, "You learn a thing or two from shadowing a deputy." He does not elaborate further, knowing it was practically taboo to bring up the traitorous former deputy. Still, Snakehiss would be lying if he claimed he hadn't taken on any knowledge of a deputy's responsibilities from his days as Badgermoon's trainee.

Pricking his ears in response to the inquiry regarding Cottonpaw, Snakehiss proceeds to nod and meow, "She is very supportive, yes." In truth, they had not talked much since the battle — she had her paws full with injuries, after all. "I'm assuming you've heard the rumors...?" The deputy cocks his head slightly, gauging Bluefrost's features out of sheer curiosity. What did Cottonpaw's family think of their relationship, especially now that it had been taken to a whole other level?

₊ ⋆ * ⊹ ₊ ☾ —— 𝙞 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚

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  ✰ SNAKEHISS
  —— he/him; deputy of windclan
  —— bisexual; single; not looking
  —— long-limbed black tom with green eyes, a small white chest patch, and a notable bite mark on his right foreleg
  —— "speech", thoughts, attack
  —— link to full tags; @ on discord for plots.
  —— penned by beatles

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[BLUEFROST]

If Snakehiss is disappointed to see her at the Sunwarmed Pool, he hides it well; the young deputy lowers his head in a greeting, his voice quiet across the water. Bluefrost’s ear flicks to the left at his assertion that shadowing a deputy had taught him all he knows. “Hopefully he did not teach you too much.” It’s said in placid tones. She does not need to remind him, surely, that Badgermoon had betrayed her mother, but she cannot help but point it out.

Besides, it’s his question about Cottonpaw that draws her attention. Bluefrost’s whiskers quiver as she peers into the night-dark water. Starlight illuminates her soft gray figure, gathers in her narrow green eyes. She swishes the reflection with a dampening paw. “The rumors that you’ve been padding after my sister? Yes.” She lifts her gaze from the pool to where Snakehiss sits, cloaked in shadows. She stares at him without relenting. “I do not see the appeal, personally, but I suppose I am… happy for you both.” Her lip twitches without growing into a smile. Whether she's referring to her littermate's appeal or to her deputy's, she leaves up in the air.

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