private TWO KIDS AND A GOLDEN RETRIEVER ❆ gravelsnap

[Periwinklebreeze.]

ATOMS AND LOW SELF-ESTEEM,
IS THAT ALL THAT I'M GONNA BE ? ​

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periwinklebreeze ❀ 29 moons ❀ demi-boy ❀ windclan lead warrior ​

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Family.

The word, for Periwinklebreeze, has always ben a curse. A thing that he had not been allowed to have - a thing taken from him near constantly. And yet, despite it all, the boy had never truly given up hope - not really. A family. That's what he'd always wanted, and slowly but surely, he'd gotten it - even if it had taken moons, lies and secrecy, and a painful amount of loss.

His siblings have all gone to starclan by now - Wisteriapaw, Cloudkit, Snowshadow, Nightingalecry. And yet, his sister had left him a bundle of nieces and nephews and niblings to adore. Even is sometimes there was something not quite right about the bunch - even if Deathpaw had joined her mother, and Whitepaw would not speak of what happened, and Frightpaws apathy scared him sometimes No, despite it all he adores them - that warm, fuzzy, fluttery feeling never ebbing each time he ks them about their days, or hears the cheery cry of 'Periperiperi' falling from Frightpaws lips.

And then theres his kits - his, for all that they don't share a single drop of blood. 'Perhaps,' he thinks, when there is no one around to see the guilt that crosses his face, ' it is better that they don't.' He thinks of visions, of bloodshed, of the wounds that wrap his pelt. Of a mother lost to time and another resting with the stars. And yes, he is glad that even if they have not fully escaped his curse, that they have less of it.

Dustpaw - his beloved child, named after a once lost friend. Bilberrypaw, his son, so bright and bold even if he struggles to match his childs enthusiasm as they live in two separate worlds. Vulturepaw - his apprentice, the only one of the bunch to follow in his pawsteps. Mourningpaw - a foundling, but theirs - his and Gravelsnaps both. And Weepingpaw - lost to time, but no less loved. He adores them, would kill for them. Bleed for them. Die for them. He'd never truly understood the ferocity of a parents love, not really, not until it'd been him standing over the bundle of kittens he'd claimed as his own, and he'd simply known.

He watches them learn, and grow, and he taes pride in what he sees. As they carve out their own paths in life, on the cusp of warriorhood - at least, some of them.

And yet above all, it is another who takes the place at his side. Who has his heart. Who his very being screams of home at the mere thought of. Gravelsnap - stars, Periwinklebreeze doesn't think he has ever loved anyone, anything, more then he loves his mate. A rocky start, a tattered friendship - and yet at the end of trial and tribulation they'd chosen eachother. It is a choice Periwinklebreeze will never change, will never question. Even when they fight, even when they hurt, he knows he would go to the ends off the earth for them.

With newfound freedom from the medicine den, Peri finds comfort in returning to his mates side - not that they hadn't visited, shared a nest even in the throws of his illness. But there is a difference, he thinks, in laying in the nest that is theirs. Today is no different - false pointed figure bathed in the suns dying rays, soft paws crunching quietly against the snow and frost laden ground as he returns home for the day. But today, jaws are not empty - nor filled with prey that he'd caught. Instead he offers a warm smile, a lash of half-tail as he places his prize down carefully. A gift.

" I s-saw it... and I th-thought of y-you, " he murmurs quietly, head tilting nervously as paw nudges the stone forwards. It's damp from the leafbare cold, but even that can't hide the bright shock of white - not as clear and clean as the snow, but near enough - that shimmers reflectively. An ore he doesn't know the name of, only knows he finds his eye drawn by it. And hopefully Gravelsnap will like it - will add it to his collection, if nothing else.

" I love you, "

━ actions & " speech, " & 'thoughts/quotes' ━

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W H A T -D O E S - M Y -L I F E -E V E N -M E A N ?

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[GRAVELSNAP]

➴➴ The concept of having a family had, admittedly, always been one with teeth. A mother who existed in bloodied memories and a father whose paws were anything but soft. Gravelsnap had not been raised to think of anything besides loyalty and power—coincidentally, it had been this manner of raising that had brought them to Periwinklebreeze's side. They had begun as enemies, their only conversations antagonistic at best; gradually they had come to an understanding, but arguments were still commonplace. Still, the love that had blossomed between them cannot be denied. Gravelsnap adores their mate more than anything, and they attempt to make their adoration known whenever they get the chance. It was penance, once, for the ways they had acted when they were younger. Now, it is simply… love.

They perk up when they spot their love padding into camp, silhouetted by the setting sun like some kind of StarClan-sent being. He is scarred, partially blinded, missing half his tail, but he is still perfect, in Gravlsnap's eyes. They make no effort to hide the smile that alights on their face as Peri approaches them, glad to see him up and moving after his most recent stint in the medicine cats' den. They are surprised, however, when the lead warrior deposits something at their paws and declares that it made him think of them. Gravelsnap reaches out with a pale paw and gently taps at it, rolling it beneath their paw. It moves easily, and their smile stretches wider and brighter. "For me? I… love it. I love you." They aim to press their head beneath the other's chin, a simple gesture made easier by the purr that rumbles its way through their chest. The stone that's been given to them looks different from any he's ever seen before, catching and reflecting the glimmer of light across the moorland. It will go nicely with the rest of their collection—their treasures. "I've missed you," they murmur, allowing their eyes to slip shut as they lean in closer to their mate. The weather may be cold, frosted, but they are so warm. They are content. Everything is perhaps even perfect, they would dare to say.

I DON'T NEED THE STARS ➼ I GLOW IN THE DARK

• ooc: —
• 
• GRAVELSNAP ❯❯ they/he, moor runner of windclan
  ⭃ average-sized black and white warrior who seems smaller than he is. speaks rarely and quietly.
  ⭃ mate to periwinklebreeze ; sibling to slateheart
  ⭃ mentoring sheeppaw & thistlepaw ; formerly mentored thriftfeather
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay is allowed, but they hate physical contact & will lash out if not close friends / family
  ⭃ penned by foxlore

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