Until the words run dry ✶ Lupinesong

[Owlheart]

Lupinesong is a mystery to Owlheart. Lupinepaw was too, maybe she only really knew Lupinekit? She had only spent time around her when she was a kit, back when she was a shy and timid child. Back before they had both learnt more about themselves and who they were. Once she had shed her timid nature and became more sociable Owlheart at the time felt unable to keep up with her anymore. Being social was never her strong suit and she only really had found solace in other unsociable cats at that time.

Yet, fate has a funny way of making one reminisce. She was padding after Crowsight now, while she was aware that the relationship was tense between Lupinesong and him, her own biases towards family influenced her. The tabby felt the desire to at least re-understand Lupinesong. Or was it an obligation? A duty that she held herself to, the desire to be seen as an appropriate partner for those she was padding after. She really did see a future with Crowsight and Oddpaw, so she wanted to at least be in the good graces of their surrounding families. Even if things were not great between him and his sister, Owlheart had something to prove to herself, a part of her did miss those times when they spoke moons ago as well.

By fate's design the two of them had found each other on the same patrol. It was a routine hunting one, nothing out of the ordinary. This was the first time that Owlheart had spent near Lupinesong in countless moons though. Their shared dens didn't count in her mind, to her they weren't really the most prime areas for a social interaction. When the patrol split to follow their respective scents she had found herself lingering by the Warrior. Now or never I suppose. What does someone even say to another that they've lost touch with? They didn’t talk enough even when they did speak for them to have possibly parted on bitter terms and yet she was nervous all the same. “Lupinesong- I… Your name suits you, congratulations on earning it.” She stammers at first, mouth moving before she could decide on what to say.

She looks up at the pine trees, squinting as the midday sun glares between the foliage. Formalities were all that she could really cling to when trying to conjure small talk. Though, even she could register that it sounded stilted, she sighed. In an attempt to salvage the less than stellar opener she tacks on “I hope that well… Everything? Has been alright. We haven’t, well I haven’t, kept in touch for a while. ” Almost an entire apprentice lifespan, she doesn't add the last part but it makes her realise the rift just a little bit more.

@LUPINESONG ​

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[LUPINESONG]

❀‿ It was interesting how time stretched out when one wasn't looking. Lupinesong was embarrassed to admit how little she knew of her den-mate now, despite the daily proximity clan life provided them. Lupinepaw's forceful blossoming into an asset of Skyclan's social web meant that some of her friends fell off into the shadows of her periphery.

Could she call Owlheart a friend? All things considered ... probably not. The last time she could say she knew the other with any intimacy was when they were shy kittens in the nursery, and much had changed since then. The matter of her and Oddgleam's padding after her brother did not escape her wide-hearing radar, and while she hoped they were happy and that Crowsight treated his partners well, she couldn't help but feel squirmy with the unknowing of just how much they were privvy to in regards to his ... tenseness with her.

The weather is fair and the forest is filled with cheerful birdsong when they split off from the rest of the patrol, and Lupinesong can almost hear the other molly think before she finally speaks, "Ah, thank you. The same goes to you, Owlheart is such a lovely name, I could totally tell that Orangestar put a lot of thought into it." She purrs, happy to engage in any tidbit of spirited small talk, despite her awkward air around the ginger tabby.

They're quiet again, and Lupinesong wonders if it's her turn to find something to talk about, but then Owlheart sighs and speaks up again. Familiar anxiety flutters in her chest at the ... probably innocent inquiry into "hoping everything is alright". She says probably, but truly, Lupinesong doesn't know Owlheart well enough to be entirely sure it wasn't a dig at her.

Her relationship with Falcongaze had been—as far as padding-after-ships go—rather public knowledge. In turn, so had their break up. The past few days had been riddled with awkward glances and murmurings, and she should have expected as much given how quickly the entire clan seemed to know about Figfeather and Fantastream ending their matehood through the ever-reliable Skyclan whisper-network. As something of a gossip connoisseur herself, Lupinesong knew that probably everyone would know some version of the events by now, but she didn't expect it to bother her so much.

"I'm doing just fine, thank you," she says breezily, perhaps a tad bit colder than usual. She clears her throat, feeling immediately embarrassed by her revealing a shade of her bothered-ness, "...and don't, like, worry about it. Clan life is busy enough... It's, uhm, nice to talk whenever we can."

She just didn't like the thought of everyone seeing her as some sort of inconsolable molly that couldn't handle a break-up... She hoped Owlheart didn't think such of her.

"How is it having an apprentice, by the way? Do you find it difficult?" She asks suddenly, looking for something to take the spotlight off of her.

LOVE ME MORE, ⊹₊°❀‿ LOVE ENOUGH TO DROWN ME OUT.

• OOC:.
• 
• 
  — lupinekit . lupinepaw . lupinesong
  — trans she/her. 15mo warrior of skyclan. formerly mentored by dandelionwish, single
  — bobbie x duke. littermate to crowsight & drowsynose. older half-sister of hollykit, lionkit, and candorkit
  — a tall, pretty, long-haired black smoke with low white and green eyes
  — smells like sweet lupine flowers and young pine needles
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — fullbody by pikaihao and funnyguy by pin
  — penned by eezy

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[Owlheart]

There was strangely enough a feeling of relief when Lupinesong chimed into the attempt of a conversation. It took two to converse and without judgement in this statement she considered Lupinesong to be rather chatty. All this being said, it boiled down to she could now not stress as much about things being awkward since the she-cat beside her was talking.

Her demeanour brightened considerably, there was still her usual subdued and overthinking self amongst these layers of joy and that much was noticeable. “Thank you! Were there any names that you were surprised to hear?” Owlheart personally tried to not carry any expectations into warrior ceremonies regarding naming but maybe Lupinesong did? She didn’t think it was a bad thing to carry those expectations at all, just more so a further attempt to get to know an old friend better.

Truthfully, when she mentioned well wishes of hoping everything was alright she hadn’t considered how things were with Falcongaze. That was the pitfall of Owlheart, not noticing things until much later than her more insightful clanmates. She had her moments, sure, she wasn’t totally clueless but she preferred to tread around things like that than just trample through them. She had enough insight to know that she had stepped too close to a nerve but she wasn’t entirely sure what nerve that could be.

“I’m happy to hear that!” She replies after some thought to her reply, it was genuine at least as outwardly genuine as Owlheart could try to make it. Wherever Lupinesong saw it the same way was another thing entirely. “Yeah, it’s nice to talk! Strange to think that we’re warriors now, I still remember when we were learning to run around and talk” she chuckles at the thought of it. It’s almost bittersweet if she let herself dwell too much on the subject.

“It’s not necessarily difficult, Cloudpaw is really easy to get along with.” Her apprentice and her hadn’t had too many outings together but the few they’ve experienced has been enjoyable. “It’s more of a learning curve just trying to learn what works for her and well.. For me too. I’ve been trying to pick what she would like to focus on for now. I didn’t realise how much there actually is to teach until now” she shrugs her shoulders as her wide eyes look up to the higher tree branches. Hoping to catch sight of a stray squirrel or bird of some kind scampering along, just something to keep a restless body occupied with attention. “Do you think you’d like to take on an apprentice? I think you’d do a wonderful job” She seemed pretty engaged with the kits of camp, surely that would carry on with the apprentices as well.
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