private too protective with my friends } scorchstreak

[RATTLEHEART]

Though Sunstride had commanded them all to rest while they had the chance, Rattleheart found it difficult to do anything of the sort. Relaxing enough for anything even akin to sleep at the moment felt impossible, a cruel mixture of both anxiety and excitement settling low in his gut. Anxiety over the battle that they would have to endure, and the familiar faces that they would be forced to fight, and excitement over the prospect of returning to their home. The camp that they had been away from for far too long, and the moorlands and tunnels that he yearned to have beneath his paws once again. The barn had kept them safe and secure for a time, and the tunneler no longer found himself looking down on any of the cats that made it their home, but it wasn't his. It wasn't Windclan's. That was why he had grown more and more restless with every day that had passed, eager for them to finally take Sootstar down head-on even when he knew there had to be preparations made first.

That same restlessness was what drove him through the barn now, paws carrying him aimlessly until he spotted the familiar form of his sister nearby. It was a relief to see her around and upright after the battle that they had already been through, and it wasn't long before he was lightly pressing his shoulder against hers in greeting. "Scorchstreak. Are you alright...?" He scanned over her briefly, looking for any sign of injuries that weren't just surface level, or blood that was her own instead of that of their enemies. Thankfully though, it seemed as though she was in a state very similar to his own. "Are you... do you feel ready for the coming battle? Hopefully more so than I do." The last part was said with a bit of a chuckle, though it was dry and a little shaky, as though the very thought of the battle terrified him - though not for the reasons most might have assumed.

// @SCORCHSTREAK
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[ PENNED BY EO ]​

 

[SCORCHSTREAK]

༄༄ As Rattleheart approaches, the calico’s eyes sweep up and then back down over his pelt. Once she’s satisfied that there are no gaping cuts, no life-threatening wounds, she finally turns her gaze to the taller tunneler’s. She lets out an appreciative sigh, leaning into her brother’s shoulder for a moment before backing away to sit up straight. "I’m fine. Only a few scratches, nothing major. I assume it’s the same for you? Sootstar’s warriors certainly weren’t at their best this time around." They must have been tired from trekking across the moorland to reach the horseplace. They must have underestimated the pushback from the rebels, and must not have expected the exiles and barn cats to join in on the side of Sunstride.

She grits her teeth at the question her brother poses, tail lashing with agitation. "No," she admits, voice low. This conversation must be kept between herself and Rattleheart; she may no longer be a lead warrior, but she is all too aware of how eyes track her in moments like these. Others still look to her for guidance. She cannot appear to be anything but prepared for the battle ahead. She shifts to rest her forehead against Rattleheart’s shoulder, and though her body rings out with the exhaustion of a just-finished fight, she wants to tear into something else. Throw another of Sootstar’s warriors at me, and I’ll rip them to shreds. All except…

"I’m worried. They may all be on Sootstar’s side, but they were all clanmates, before. And Rumblepaw… they’ve chosen her, after everything. And I… I don’t want any of you to get hurt." Even she herself isn’t certain what she means by that. Rattleheart, Scorchpaw, Luckypaw… of course she doesn’t want to see them hurt. Pinkpaw, too, and Bluepool. But what about her clanmates, these fellow rebels who have given up everything to follow Sunstride? She cannot lose anyone else.​

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[RATTLEHEART]

In the past, Rattleheart may have been terrified by the very thought of Scorchstreak showing weakness. After all, even though they were littermates, he had always looked to her as something akin to an older sister figure. A guiding force in his life that he could use to find the way forward and not be so petrified of what lurked beyond the horizon. He still looked at her like that, in a way, but things weren't quite as lopsided as they had been when they were both younger and less experienced with the rougher sides of the world around them.

He'd gained more of a solid footing in the world - at least he hoped he had - and while his anxiety had made it clear that it would never truly fade, it felt less like an all-consuming emotion these days. So much so that he could even bring himself to laugh at his sister's first statement, head bumping lightly against her own. "Yeah, nothing more than a few scratches. Certainly not anything like what Harbingermoon left me with the last time. You can tell they're being worn down. Left without so many warriors and a medicine cat in the middle of leafbare... they have to be struggling." The last battle was proof enough of that, a clear victory that at least gave him hope for what they would need to face in the near future.

Her admission was like a sudden strike to the heart, but not wholly unexpected. Could any of them truly feel fully prepared for what was coming? For what they would have to face? As much as he spat and hissed over those that had chosen to stay by Sootstar's side, they had still once been the very same warriors he had fought and hunted alongside. They both would've had to be totally heartless not to care about that, and a sympathetic purr rumbled from his throat as his long tail curled around her. "I'm worried too. Scared for everyone on her side, not to mention everyone that we'll have fighting with us. The thought of any more loss... it's terrifying. But I just keep telling myself that it'll be okay. That after this we'll at least have our home back, and the losses can finally stop." There was a sad smile curled on his muzzle, hopeful but pained all at the same time. "And... I know it's silly. But I keep hoping that maybe Rumblepaw will come to their senses. That maybe we'll get there for the final battle and they'll see us and just... stop." He knew his hopes were unrealistic. Foolhardy and unlikely, and yet he still clung to them. Though a part of him was afraid of that possibility as well - afraid of what any of the loyalists would do to Rumblepaw if they saw them stop fighting.
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[ PENNED BY EO ]​

 

[SCORCHSTREAK]

༄༄ Her brother’s reassurance that he’s uninjured besides a few minor wounds settles her a bit; still something in her gut feels twisted, but at the very least, Rattleheart remains unharmed. He agrees that their enemies seemed more worn down more this time around, and the calico nods stiffly. Something has to give. Sooner or later, either Sunstride or Sootstar will fall, and then WindClan will pick up the pieces, whichever side prevails in the end. Perhaps Scorchstreak won’t even be around to see it all fall apart, or knit itself back together once more. "It feels like the end is coming. We've been at odds for so long now, something's got to give eventually. I only hope that they’ll be the ones to crumble." The scabbed-over wounds across her shoulders tug as she shifts, a harsh reminder of when she had crumbled. She wants to see the expression on Hollowcreek's treacherous face when he realizes that he's made a mistake siding with Sootstar. She wants to see WindClan as it is now torn apart, wants to see the moors run red with the blood of those who stood by and allowed their queen to pluck two defenseless kits from the safety of their clan―a clan that had sheltered WindClan while their camp was overrun by rogues. Now, WindClan is nothing but rogues.

She shakes her head to clear such thoughts. Her kit is there, with them, with Sootstar, their thoughts poisoned by the moorland queen's actions. Rumblepaw is not a rogue, not a villain, not like the rest of them. They may not be the tunneler that Scorchstreak dreamed they would be, but they are still her kit, and she cannot lump them in with the rest of Sootstar's loyalists. "I'm tired of seeing cats die. I had hoped there would be a way to fix this without violence, but... we can only hope that we'll all see the sunrise." Does she deserve to see a new day, after this attack, though? The calico's thoughts wander. She'd once thought herself among Sootstar's friends, her most trusted and loyal warriors. She'd done terrible things, had her son's body thrown into the gorge―only for Dappledsun to have been right all along.

She flicks her tail against Rattleheart's, a sigh leaving her scarred maw. "It isn't silly, because I've been thinking the same thing. I think... I'm going to try and talk to Rumblepaw, when we go." If she can convince them to see the truth, to do the right thing... then they won't have to die. They only have to listen to her.​

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