private We could be the greatest / Snowpaw

[ROEFLAME .]

ROEFLAME — break the air to feel the fall.
Her paws don’t guide them far- at least not suspiciously, just on the outskirts enough for them to properly talk without too many prying eyes.
Roeflame stops, turning around to finally face the tom before her. Nearly two moons ago, they had met at their shared border, their secret meeting protected by the night sky. She had a bittersweet realization that night, a confession- that being friends with him would never be enough for her, that the damn fool had gotten her feelings spun into an impossibly complicated tangle.
Yet, she cannot find the words to say such a thing now as she looks at him, there was misery in his eyes, a heaviness in his tone.
"W.. what happened? I was so-" she pauses, but only for a heartbeat. "I was worried about you…" for now, even that small sentiment is enough of a confession for the cinnamon tabby as she drops her gaze, suddenly all too aware that she still wore his gift tucked carefully behind her ear.

@Snowpaw
"speech"

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[Snowpath]

"...my mother died." It's blunt, dropped without much build up or suspense because he tired of carrying it. He missed her so much, he felt even the simple task of sharing the news was a burden too heavy for him and he didn't wish for it to weight him down longer than necessary.
"Two-legs...took us, took several of us to a den and locked us in cages. They took....Daisyflight to a room...the shelter cats said it was where cats went and never returned. A patrol saved us all...too late." He did not hold a grudge for it, his clanmates had tried-they had tried so hard, they had fought to free them all and the shelter cats and he was grateful but he would never not feel as though he didn't deserve to walk out when his mother hadn't. How many times would Snowpaw walk away and other cats faded at his heels; the survivor's guilt was gnawing and unrepenant.
His golden gaze goes unfocused briefly, he wonders how he'll manage without her and it reminds him of how much he enjoys Roeflame's presence despite how much he shouldn't. "...it's a good name...for you. I didn't get to tell you before."
The warmth to his chill, he wanted to be a cat with a name just as noble; but he was still an apprentice until he actually got his assessment. Still an apprentice until the next moon perhaps even longer, time was fickle and uncertain now.
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[ROEFLAME .]

ROEFLAME — break the air to feel the fall.
My mother died…
The news is a gut-punch, the once puzzled expression furrowing at her brow now widening into a strange mix of sympathy and grief.
"Oh, Snow…" The condolences don’t leave her mind, the only thing spoken a breath of remorse. It’s not the flinching memory of Lichenpaw’s scalding anger that keeps her- it’s the fact that she has never been good at spoken comfort, her love language being one of actions.
He compliments her name, a sentence softly spoken but with enough power to have it glued on her mind for weeks to follow, but her mind doesn’t have enough time to switch gears. She only spares a cautionary glance to the cats around them, but no one is paying attention, and Roeflame takes a step forward, closing the distance between her and the Skyclan apprentice.
The embrace has to be quick, painfully quick. Standing on tip-toes to lean her head into the crook of his shoulder, wisp-like tail sweeping forwards to touch against his forepaw in a fleeting but meaningful act of comfort.
She steps back, eyes resisting the urge to drift to the ground once more, she holds a steady gaze. "What.. what happened?" She asks once more, though her tone this time is noticeably lighter, more delicate.
"speech"

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[Snowpath]

The gesture is not lost to him, it is warm and comforting like her very name and he closes his eyes to briefly remember the last time he'd ever been held and it was by his mother as a kitten still; the memory of it enough to almost make him tear up but he holds it back. When Roeflame withdraws he almost wishes to tell her not to, but they are in a gathering and just the one gesture was already too much. What if a cat saw and asked questions? He didn't want her in trouble and he was also afraid of the day Blazestar would find out he was making a mockery of his own misery by skirting the rules with such lack of remorse. Not that he didn't care, he did, but...it was complicated. The question gave him pause as much as he wished to not answer at all, but the basics of it was just..."...they took her to a room...the shelter cats...they said...two-legs killed cats in there...I don't know why I just..." He stops himself, not wanting to explain any further.
"My siblings all got named while we were gone, I'm sad...my mother missed it. But at least in StarClan she'll see mine."
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[ROEFLAME .]

ROEFLAME — break the air to feel the fall.
It’s difficult to suppress the urge to lean in again as he continues on, the want to comfort him nagging away at her rational thinking.
It’s a selfish want, however, she knows as much.
"I’m so sorry, Snowpaw." She breathes, "She’s so proud of you, I’m sure you know that." She pauses, anxiety sparking in her chest. "I’m proud of you too.. for getting out of there and coming home. I know words don’t mean much, but you’re strong, and you’ll get through it. If you ever need anything, I hope you know that I’m here. " She doesn’t know where, but somewhere along her string of words, the purpose of them became soft rambling, words spilling out of her brain that she didn’t even realize she could speak. "I just- I just want you to know you always got me." She’d finally conclude, putting a meaningful end to the mess of words she got herself tangled up in.

"speech"

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[Snowpath]

He smiled softly in reply, it had been Roeflame who helped him keep pushing forward after what had happened with Morningpaw and he wished more than anything their clans didn't seperate them. Once again the gnawing feeling of guilt struck his gut but he pushed it away; he was going to let himself be selfish at least this once. "...thank you. You've got me too. Next time you see me, I'll be a warrior as well."
Whatever name Blazestar gave him, he didn't care, he didn't even want to think about it so long as he got it; his previous worries over getting a name that would only emphasize his blood-soaked legacy were just distance memories, things that once used to scare him. Now what scared him was never getting it at all.
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[ROEFLAME .]

ROEFLAME — break the air to feel the fall.
Finally, a smile cracks at downcast features.
Next time you see me, I’ll be a warrior as well.
She knows she shouldn’t, but just for a heartbeat she lets her mind dream on the idea of the two of them as warriors, running along the border together without the watchful eyes of a border patrol. Silly, she knows- sweetly selfish.
"Snowpaw, I-"
She begins, a weighted sentence on the tip of her tongue. She cannot get the words out quick enough, her name ringing out softly from somewhere in the crowd. The meeting was bound to begin soon, and once again they were out of time.
Her last gesture is smoothly discreet as she flicks a feathered tail against the soil, hiding their forepaws as she slides hers to softly touch against his.
"I’ll see you later, okay? I’m excited for you.. and I think there’s something I need to tell you so- so I promise I’ll see you soon."
Rushed and flustered she brings her forepaw back to her own self and turns to make her leave before her name could be called again, glancing over her shoulder one last time before she’d force herself to walk away from him.
Soon… I’ll see you soon, frosty.
"speech"

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