[Insidious]

B L U E P A W

Today’s question: Who did that tom think he was talking to her little sister?! On the day of Grayowl’s banishment from the clan, she had witnessed the pair’s closeness for the second time. Where she should have entirely been focused on the fact that one of their own senior warriors had nearly murdered one of their own, it came second to her need to stand next to Pinkpaw and make sure that she was handling it okay. She had been moments away from doing just that, when a particular tom-cat that she couldn’t help but recognize as Gorsetail had beat her to the punchline. Immediately, her mind took to big sisterly action and mentally questioned his intentions. Was he trying to weasel his way between Pinkpaw and Bluepaw? Did he have feelings for her? Was he only pretending to have feelings for her and later planning to break her heart? Did he think she was freaky because of her appearance? fartClan forbid that Bluepaw got her claws on the cat that made Pinkpaw feel any less normal because of her looks. The last thing she needed was a duplicate of her mother following her into her apprenticeship.

It was with thoughts such as these in mind that she sat along the outskirts of the apprentices’ den, searching with eyes that burned of unspoken passion for the form of Gorsetail. She wanted to catch him when he was alone, and as far away from Pinkpaw as possible. The last thing she needed was her sister showing up, wondering why Bluepaw was narrowing her eyes at him like he was the next Grayowl in the making. Of course, being the kind of cat that she was, she could do nothing but assume the best of him. She truly wanted to believe that he was speaking to Pinkpaw, and making her feel comfortable and cared about, out of the kindness of his heart. It was simply . . . unusual. Unnatural, even. She had grown so used to it being the two of them against the world. She hadn’t been prepared for a tom to come along and sweep Pinkpaw off of her paws, taking her away from Bluepaw forever. She never wanted to have to say goodbye to her little sister. Pinkpaw meant everything to her, and she wanted nothing more than to keep her close and make sure that she never ceased to be a huge part of Bluepaw’s life.

Just when she was beginning to have second thoughts about interrogating the young warrior, she saw him . . . alone. Forgetting whatever had been on the road to convincing her that this was potentially a bad idea, the newly named apprentice set off in his direction with purposeful, confident strides. She gave no warning of her sudden appearance at his flank, walking along the side of his body until she was standing directly in front of him, face-to-face. Her pale blue eyes were thoughtful, searching his expression, curious of whether or not he recognized her as not Bluepaw the new apprentice, but Bluepaw, Pinkpaw’s protective sister. When it was beginning to seem like she had no intention of speaking at all, she finally cleared her throat. “My name is Bluepaw. I’m Pinkpaw’s older sister, if you didn’t know.” She paused for dramatic effect, looking for any strange alterations in expression. “I’ve seen you two talking sometimes. I’m really happy that she’s making friends. You two are friends, right?” She hadn’t meant for her words to come across as harshly as they had. She certainly wasn’t looking to make an enemy out of Gorsetail, and she inferred as much through the slight softening of her tight lip. She just wanted to make it clear to him that she wouldn’t tolerate anyone mistreating her sibling. It was unfamiliar territory having to share Pinkpaw’s attention with somebody else, and if she didn’t suspect that he was worth her time, she’d be sure to make her opinion known.

[Phoenix]

I WISH EVERYONE WAS LOVED TONIGHT

When he had lowered his gaze to take a bite out of the plump rabbit by his paws, he had not expected to be accosted by a gray apprentice when he looked up. Pausing mid-chew as his brain caught up to what his eyes saw, he st.ared blankly at the she-cat. Recognition dawned after a moment of consideration, and as he swallowed the bite in his mouth, he wondered why Bluepaw, with whom he had rarely talked, would suddenly feel the need to change matters – not that he minded, for he was not the type to begrudge her a conversation. He waited patiently, assuming that she would clear up the confusion once he made it clear that she had his attention. But it seemed as though she had no plans to do so. The silence that had fallen across the pair of statue-like felines stretched on to the point of awkwardness, and the stillness was broken as the warrior shifted slightly, growing uncomfortable under the steady gaze. Figuring that she would have acted on any intention to speak, he parted his jaws to instigate the conversation, but the motion seemed to spur her into action.

Bluepaw introduced herself bluntly, clearly assuming that he would not recognize the sister of his apprentice, and he found himself slightly worried; it was true that they had never held a particularly long conversation before, but surely cats at least knew of the others in their clan. Even if Bluepaw and Pinkpaw had not been related, the warrior hardly thought that hypothetical distance was grounds enough to not at least recognize a clan mate. Were there really cats in TreeClan who could not identify those with whom they shared a den and prey? The concept was entirely foreign to him. Somewhat disconcerted, he tried to push the matter from his mind as the apprentice kept talking, the words pouring from her mouth in a steady stream of sound.

“What?” The word escaped his mouth before he considered how rude it might sound. “Sorry.” He blinked, completely taken aback, as he tried to collect his thoughts and figure out what was going on. Why did were her words so accusatory? Did this normally happen with siblings and his – nothing against them, of course – were just deficient in this area? “Well, I mean, I would hope so,” The warrior finally started, tail flicking lightly, trying to settle down but still slightly on edge. Bluepaw had never struck him as a particularly hostile cat, and he hardly expected her to attack him now; however, her sudden appearance and the almost-accusation had caught him off guard. “I wouldn’t mind being friends, but you’d have to ask her. I’d like to think we could be friends someday, though.” Pausing, he blinked again as he thought over his words. Eyes widened. “Not friends like that. I don’t like her that way, you know? I – I’m her mentor, so…” The words rushed out before he could clamp his jaws shut in an attempt to not dig himself any deeper into the proverbial hole.

Gorsetail | TreeClan | Warrior | Better Days - Goo Goo Dolls

A CHANCE THAT MAYBE WE'LL FIND BETTER DAYS

[Insidious]

B L U E P A W

His momentary confusion left the small she-cat slightly baffled, wondering what part he had possibly found difficult to understand. She had been tempted to repeat herself, not willing to let her hostile facade slip anymore than it likely already had, driven onward in her quest to ensure that every last one of this tom’s - Pinkpaw’s mentor’s - intentions were good-hearted. As of right now, she found it difficult to believe that he was capable of anything other than good. The way that he s.tared at her so blankly, like it was the craziest thing in the world that someone new had approached him, was uncomfortable to consider. Of course, she wasn’t picky when it came to who she spent her time with. Bluepaw, perhaps more than anyone, was known to be friendly towards anything that crossed her path. She didn’t feel very great about the way that she was currently treating Gorsetail, but she had no idea how else to approach the situation. For once, the bluish-gray apprentice was hesitant about what she wanted to say. It would be terribly rude to put him on the spot about whether or not there was feelings involved in his relationship to Pinkpaw - and he just didn’t seem to get it. He was skipping right around the point of her question, and she had no idea how to get back on track. Thankfully, the tomcat eventually managed to catch one. His eyes widened, and his explanation left Bluepaw visibly more relaxed.

“Exactly. You are her mentor, so it was probably silly of me to even think like that. I’m sorry, too. I just had to make sure . . . I hope you can understand that?” She knew her sister well enough to know she had never spent so much time with a tom, even if he was just her mentor. Gorsetail had to make sure that he was careful; Pinkpaw could end up getting the wrong idea, and even though that’d be a mess that Bluepaw would gladly clean up, she didn’t ever wish that kind of pain upon her sister. Bluepaw was generally used to being the one with all of the experience, but that was a category where they both failed miserably. From the looks of things, and the surprise that had registered upon Gorsetail’s face, she assumed he was equally inexperienced. “I don’t want you to think that I’m normally like that - I’m not! I shouldn’t have been so accusing. I just plan to be involved in my sister’s life for a long time, and that includes interrogating the few other cats that come along and get between us.” She paused, realizing that she had inferred that Gorsetail was doing just that. Could she possibly make matters any worse? “Not that you’re getting between us. I’ve just never had to share her attention before, is all. I know her better than anybody else.”

Was it just her, or was this getting awkward? First, she had accused Gorsetail of harbouring feelings for her albino sister beyond that of mentor-apprentice standards.Then, she apologized profusely and assured him that such was not fitted to her common behavior. Shortly afterwards, she was accusing him all over again of an entirely new thing - getting between their sisterly relationship and taking Pinkpaw all for himself - just to say the exact opposite of that a second later. She wasn’t used to interrogating toms when her sister was involved, but now that they were apprentices, a lot was about to change. She had just never considered how much, exactly. “Now that we’re out of the nursery, I guess I can’t keep my eye on her as much as I used to be able to. Just be careful with her, okay? She can be sensitive sometimes. I don’t want to see her getting upset about . . . anything.” Because S.tarClan knew, as well as every cat in TreeClan, that Bluepaw would be the one to fix it.

[Phoenix]

I WISH EVERYONE WAS LOVED TONIGHT

Still more than a little taken aback by exactly what Bluepaw had been inquiring about - were there really mentor and apprentice pairs who did that? - he nodded his understanding as she explained herself, somewhat relieved to be back on familiar ground. She had nothing but good intentions behind her inquisition, and he knew all too well the desire to ensure a loved one's safety. While he had never interrogated either of them, the warrior had watched Emberstorm and Adderstrike close enough to reassure himself that they would bring no harm to Wave__ and Wildsky during their six moon tenure as his brothers' mentors. “I have no intention of hurting Pinkpaw in any way.” Speaking the words he would have loved to hear Emberstorm and Adderstrike say to him, the warrior surprised himself with the quiet protectiveness and determination that backed the sentence. He already knew that he would gladly do anything in his power to protect his apprentice, but bringing those words to life had cemented it as fact; there was someone who would hold in accountable in the same way he would hold himself to blame if anything would happen - not just that he had failed in his duty as a mentor to his apprentice. He would blame himself because, in part of his mind, he already considered Pinkpaw a friend. She would blame him because he would have failed her sister.


His tail flicked as the young she-cat before him continued, simultaneously offering a veiled apology for her previous actions before proceeding to repeat what she had just apologized for. He couldn't help the small grin that turned the corners of his lips upward in amusement. It was obvious that Bluepaw cared for her sister's wellbeing, and proof of it, even if the demonstration was in the form of demanding questions, was nice to see. So often he had seen cats telling each other those three little words that he almost feared they had become more obligation than truth. If he ever loved anyone - platonically or otherwise - he never wanted the emotion and interactions with the felines attached to it to become more of a duty than a genuine source of enjoyment. “Don't worry, I know you never meant to offend me,” He sought to reassure her, tail flicking. That silly grin still hadn't left his lips, and his eyes were bright with warm amusement as he watched the apprentice grow more flustered as she sought to explain herself. “And it has certainly never been my intention to come between you and your sister.

“I will look after her, though, to the best of my ability. I can promise that much. I don't want to see her hurt anymore than you do.” He paused a moment, thinking over his words carefully. Like the apprentice before him, he had no desire to offend with any misspoken phrases. Green eyes met the she-cat's, earnest. “But that doesn't mean that it will never happen, that Pinkpaw will never be hurt.” He hesitated again, hoping his warning wouldn't carve some irreparable gulf between them. “I don't want to discourage you or anything, but I want to make it clear that things will happen that neither your nor I can control. Pinkpaw is her own cat, and she might make her own decisions that end up causing her pain.” He paused again, feeling as though he was doing a poor job explaining herself. “I just want to say that we can both do our best to warn her against taking that option, but in the end it's her choice. That choice is part of life, I've learned.”

His shoulders rose and fell in a shrug as he glanced to the side, hoping that he hadn't made a mistake with his most recent decision to offer a poorly phrased lesson. But then, perhaps it was unnecessary, perhaps Bluepaw had already considered the crux of what he was trying to explain. The warrior took a deep breath and finished quietly, “I guess what I'm trying to say is that, while I'm all for ensuring that no harm comes to Pinkpaw, I also don't want our efforts to go too far. I don't want to smother her and prevent her from experiencing life - both the good or the bad.”

Gorsetail | TreeClan | Warrior | Better Days - Goo Goo Dolls

A CHANCE THAT MAYBE WE'LL FIND BETTER DAYS

[Insidious]

B L U E P A W

She was glad that Gorsetail wasn't quick to become offended, otherwise she was certain that any chance of them getting along in the future would have already been ruined. Her muscles relaxed, finding herself drawn to duplicate his silly facial expression with one of her own; this entire conversation had been rather amusing, after all. Now that the hard part was over with, they could laugh about it instead.

Bluepaw had been prepared to move on from the topic, and perhaps find something else to discuss with him to make up for her rather abrupt and hostile approach. She had been mulling over possibilities in her head until Gorsetail brought up Pinkpaw again, the blue apprentice's eyes fixating upon the tomcat, practically watching the words form on his tongue.

It probably hadn't been the smartest thing to say to someone like Bluepaw. She was quiet for a long time, her mind suddenly overcome with images of an injured sister - an injured sister that she hadn't been there to help. She believed Gorsetail when he said that he'd do everything in his power to take care of Pinkpaw, and she was glad, relieved even, to receive confirmation that Pinkpaw would be taken care of when Bluepaw was unable to be there. But she didn't like to consider the possibility that harm could come her sister's way. She knew all too well how sensitive Pinkpaw could be, and how at times she didn't stand up for herself - especially against the likes of Mistfur. Harm, in fact, undoubtedly would come Pinkpaw's way if Gorsetail wasn't extremely careful. Bluepaw wanted nothing more than to be the one watching out for her sister, but it couldn't be done with the time it took to train with Lionstar.

"I'm not oblivious to the possibility," she assured after the silence had become too prolonged, still one to try her best and appreciate the words and the advice of those around her, even when she wasn't particularly fond of what they were trying to say. "But Pinkpaw isn't the type to... take care of herself in certain situations. She needs somebody to be there for her, even if it is to the point of smothering." Bluepaw wasn't too eager to fill Gorsetail in on how things had worked for them in the nursery. That was a private part of her life, and it wasn't her place to tell Gorsetail about Pinkpaw's relationship with their mother without her permission. She could only hope he wouldn't pry for details about the kinds of situations she had been inferring to. "If I can help it, Pinkpaw will be kept away from the bad side of the spectrum for as long as possible. I know that experience is a good thing to get, but there's no way to tell how someone like her would be able to handle it."

She was surprised by the level of maturity with which she approached this conversation. Gorsetail had brought something up that she was quick to become defensive about, yet she had remained calm and collected in her answer. She didn't expect very many cats to understand the extent of Bluepaw and Pinkpaw's relationship. Gorsetail, so far, was the only one that had thought to mention anything to Bluepaw about it. And, as of now, she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about her motives being questioned as they were. Despite her inward conflict, she continued to smile, confident in her words and what they meant to her. Surely Gorsetail hadn't meant to make her unhappy, and though, as always, she appreciated his input, she desperately refrained from taking it to heart.

The protection of those who could not protect themselves was a huge part of who she was. Nobody would ever be able to convince her that her efforts were becoming too much.