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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2015 22:11:04 GMT -5
She found herself in the same territory again, though she wouldn't know it by sight. All see had ever seen of this place was fog, a thick, heavy fog that made it hard to see her own paws, much less the landscape around her. She stepped forward cautiously, knowing the ghost that awaited her at the end of the dream. Knowing it was only a dream didn't make it feel any less real. Her fur prickled with unease. As she walked through the mist, the scents around her changed, to blood and water and wind. She froze and squeezed her eyes shut, knowing the demon that was going to leap out at her. She trembled slightly, waiting, barely breathing. A breeze blew a scent terrifyingly familiar, and her eyes flew open with shock. She only had a moment to look into her attacker's eyes before he lunged and he world went dark, but those pale green eyes were unmistakable.
Cloudfall all but leapt out of her nest, flipping over onto her belly with her claws digging into the moss. Her heart was racing, her breathing was gaspy and erratic, and her eyes flew around the den. There was no danger, and she slowly began to settle, her breathing slowing. It didn't seem she had woken anyone, though the cat closest to her did stir.
Scared and confused, Cloudfall knew the best thing to do was to get air. It wasn't her first nightmare, and probably wasn't going to be her last; she knew how to cope with them, for the most part. She rose quietly, carefully picking her way around the nests and sleeping cats, to the den entrance. Wolfclaw lay practically in the entrance, presumably protecting the warriors from whatever dangers he may fear.
She eased herself around him, managing to slip out of the den without disturbing the deputy. Once outside, she took a deep breath. The cool night air was already working, calming her mind and her heart. As she relaxed, she stepped forward, moving from the shadow and into the moonlight.
A small snore caused her head to spin around, and brought back all the fears of her dream. She searched for the source of the sound with wide eyes, coming to rest on a lump of fur near the entrance to the warrior's den. She didn't know how she had missed the figure before, but she stepped closer in an attempt to identify the cat. Her eyes swept over the orange fur and black patterns, and she recoiled as a wave of recognition crashed over her. 'Crimsonshadow!'
Lost in trying to rid herself of the memory of her nightmare, she had forgotten the newcomer to the Clan. She remembered now, of course, how Hawkstar and Wolfclaw had returned from a patrol the the former TreeClan cat in the middle, and how they explained the meaning of his visit and the terms of his trial period. She had remained hidden after catching a glimpse of him, her own heart and mind battling each other and drowning in the possibilities, all the while not knowing what to do or what roads to take.
She was here now, and she still did not know what she wanted. She felt torn in a million different directions, and the entire situation had been and still was overwhelming. Deciding not to face him, and her storm of emotions, now, she backed away, intending to get out of camp and find a place to sit under the stars until the ground beneath her paws didn't feel quite so shaky.
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Post by Insidious on Jan 14, 2015 22:54:17 GMT -5
C R I M S O N S H A D O W - - - - - - His slumber was restless, but he had anticipated that. Every so often he would awaken with a start, unsure of the ground pressed against his body, and of the masked face of the StoneClan deputy asleep at his back - he worried, each time he stirred, that he’d turn to see those yellow-green eyes fixed upon him. There was no denying that he missed the fresh smell of the trees. It would take him a long time to get used to this new way of life, but he was determined to put in as much effort as it took. After all, there was nothing in the world that would prove too taxing to endure when it came down to sharing his life with Cloudfall. He hoped to reprieve from the frightened look in her eyes. When he had arrived in the camp, he didn’t know what he had been expecting, but it certainly hadn’t been to see the shape of her body attempting to maneuver through the crowd unnoticed, escaping him before he could even think to approach. She hadn’t known that he had seen her in the crowd before anyone else. She hadn’t known that his emerald eyes had been drawn to her, even when she was trying to make herself invisible. He had devoured the sight of her, feeling the weight of his deprivation of her company, and then he had relaxed gratefully against the reminder that she was alive and well despite the way his heart ached to see her leave, as though no part of her sought to see him, too.
He hadn’t gotten the opportunity to track her down, though chances were low that he’d have any chances in the foreseeable future to catch her while she was alone - rather, while he was alone. Crimsonshadow was only isolated when asleep, and that wasn’t exactly the ideal time to tip-toe through the warriors’ den, prodding Cloudfall with weary paws. Surely he’d be exiled in a matter of seconds for frightening her so; they wouldn’t accept excuses from a cat with such treacherous memories haunting his every move. Maybe he was better, different than he once was, but that didn’t dismiss the simple fact that he once was a murderer. At least, he had wanted to be. He would have to be patient with earning StoneClan’s trust, with having a minute of Cloudfall’s company, but already he could feel his patience wearing thin.
Her alarm had very well been expressed more loudly than any words could have been, anxiety twisting around in the air uncomfortably as she moved away from him with timid strides. Red eyelids had fluttered open in the precise moment that she turned her back, watching her closely - almost protectively, despite not having the right to do so - until he could no longer make out the colour of her beautiful fur against the sharp contrast of inky darkness. Carefully, he unfolded his tired limbs and stood, glancing cautiously over his shoulder to ensure that Wolfclaw wasn’t waking up before he left. He knew that he would be in a lot of trouble if the deputy woke up and he wasn’t where he was supposed to be, but he was willing to take that risk. Fixing things with Cloudfall meant more to him than being trusted by his new Clanmates right now. If he knew that he had her at his side once again, no longer afraid to take comfort in the warmth of his body, then it would make the loneliness of his temporary arrangements more bearable. He would have something to look forward to once the Clan trusted him on his own.
He pursued the she-cat quickly, her scent painfully familiar, guiding him through the unfamiliar territory and toward her in a matter of moments. Once he caught sight of her, his confidence diminished drastically, lowering his head and examining her backside with thoughtfully narrowed eyes. She was turned away from him; it would take nothing more than a soft, whispered word to announce his presence.
And yet, he didn’t quite have anything to say just yet.
He chanced a few steps closer to her, closing the distance between them greedily. He missed the connection that they had shared; the times that he would have been able to minimize the space between them, pressing his shoulder against her own without worrying that she would shrink away from him in a mixture of fear and repulsion. Clearing his throat, abruptly aware of how dry it felt, Crimsonshadow addressed her gloomily. “Please don’t run.” He cursed himself for starting with something so awkward, so tense, bright eyes reflecting the sincerity behind his request as he waited to withstand the sharpness of her retort and the grief that would consume him once she turned and walked away. Realizing that he had a few more seconds before she would be able to fully react, he forced a few more rushed words out of his mouth in the hopes that it might sound even the least bit convincing. “It’s not enough to say that I’m sorry, but I am, and I hope you’ll give me the chance to explain that in the amount of detail that you deserve before you decide to block me out forever.” This was it: the moment of truth. If she gave him a chance, then he’d very well be the happiest tom to ever live - he could only hope that he could say the right thing, and tempt her to give him the opportunity to prove that she meant more than the world to him.
- - - - - - Tags: Amber .
Word Count: 931. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2015 23:52:03 GMT -5
Her pawsteps were quick and light, racing across the land in an attempt to put as much distance she could between herself and the camp. She ran until her emotions got the best of her, and she staggered to a halt, a strangled sound coming from her throat. She didn't know what she wanted. She didn't know how to react. Most of all, she didn't know why he had appeared in her nightmare. Even after he tried to kill her, his face had never shown up. So why now? Why, after all this time, had he been the subject of her nightmare? Was she afraid of him? She wasn't certain.
She was lost in her thoughts, trying to sort through her emotions and dreams and what it all meant, and as such, she missed his arrival. "Please don't run." The silver she-cat leapt to her paws, launching herself up and away from his voice. She landed a short distance away, facing him with her fur fluffed up and eyes wide. "It's not enough to say that I'm sorry, but I am, and I hope you'll give me the chance to explain that in the amount of detail that you deserve before you decide to block me out forever."
Cloudfall stared at him blankly, her mind too swirled with emotion to function. After a few rapid heartbeats, narrowed slightly, so that they weren't as wide as a pair of full moons. She wanted to speak, to say something, but words failed her, and her mouth opened and closed a few times in her confusion.
"Why are you here?" She spoke softly, barely above a whisper. She regretted the way her voice sounded; it was empty, and though she knew it was because of the storm of confusing emotion inside, she also knew there was a chance he would see it as cold and heartless. She didn't want that. She didn't know exactly what she wanted, but she knew she didn't want him to think of her as heartless.
She had a heart. She hoped he knew that. He had had her heart once. Did it still belong to him? She didn't know. There was just too much going on inside for her to sort out just yet. Hell, she was still trying to figure things out from the last time she had seen him. Did she want to give him a second chance?
Though the vast majority of her didn't know what she wanted, she could almost hear a small part of her wanting to give him a second chance, to let him back in. But could she?
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Post by Insidious on Jan 16, 2015 0:11:05 GMT -5
C R I M S O N S H A D O W - - - - - - She looked scared. She looked like whatever monstrosity stood mere mouselengths away was potentially harmful to her. He couldn’t imagine a time that he would have ever wanted to wound her, though it wasn’t too long ago that he had been planning to do just that. It was her eyes that betrayed her concern, wide and fearful, as though she couldn’t decide whether it was worse to look at him or to look away. The question that reached his ears - it was better than not being spoken to at all - caused his ears to flatten uncertainly, for they were whispered in a way that seemed entirely displeased to be in his presence. He had thought, somewhere deep down inside of him, that he could repair the damage that he had caused between them, but now it seemed like she was farther from him than ever before. Maybe she had already moved on and put him in the past where he undoubtedly belonged. Maybe he had wasted not only his own time, but hers as well, by coming all of this way and switching allegiance to be with her again. Despite the fracture he felt within his chest, he knew that he’d do everything all over again if he had to. Coming to StoneClan had been an easy decision for him to make. He would go anywhere for her, as long as she still wished to be able to look over her shoulders to see him following.
“I’m here for - uh - for you.” He put emphasis on the last word, habitually taking a step closer to her. The young warrior’s eyes were filled with regret, and he could only hope that she saw that. Understanding that she would need more than his stutters and his ambiguity, Crimsonshadow attempted to find the words that he wanted to say. “I left TreeClan because I knew that it was my only hope of ever seeing you again, Cloudfall. I needed to see you - it meant more to me than my Clan. I made a mistake. I made more than just a mistake. I screwed everything up and I want nothing more than to take it all back, but I can’t do that . . . all I can do is try to fix it.”
Breathing heavily, he could feel his heart thudding loudly to a rhythm that threatened to burst out of his chest. It was similar to the kind of adrenaline he had always felt when Grayowl took him out to go hunting. It was exactly what he had felt the day he had traveled up the mountainside, eager to kill someone that had nothing but blind faith in him. He hadn’t known then how much he cared about her. If he had taken a moment to think about it, to realize it, then everything could have fallen into place the way that it was supposed to. But it seemed that nothing in this cruel world was permitted to work out so perfectly. He had turned the one thing left that mattered to him into something catastrophic, and there was no saying whether or not she’d ever be able to trust and forgive him for it. Even if she chanced curling against his side, there would likely always be a warning bell going off in the back of her head, a startled brain screaming for an affectionate heart to pull away from the source of lethality.
The emptiness of her voice, even now, still made him anxious. The silence that followed his words was unbearable; he had no way of knowing what was going through her mind. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” he mewed honestly, “because even if a small part of you wants to believe me when I say that I’m in love with you, Cloudfall, it would be selfish of me to let the rest of you still be afraid when I’m near.” Something inside of him was cracking. He knew that he couldn’t pursue her for the rest of his life if she didn’t want him anymore. Perhaps it was too late for his apologies; he was already nothing more to her than a murderer. “I can try to leave you alone, if that’s what you want me to do. It’ll be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’ll do it if it’ll make you happy - because your happiness means more to me than my own.”
Just say the word. He was tempted to persuade her, because despite how much he wanted to call her his own, he didn’t deserve that kind of happy ending. She was the light amongst all of the darkness that lived inside of him, and here he was, pleading for that light to be restored, because he craved it. He had already given her his proposition; she could now make a choice however she saw it fit to be made. All he could do now was hope. It was his turn to cling to that blind faith, as if maybe, just maybe, she could find it within herself to let him be selfish and keep her, never daring to let go again.
- - - - - - Tags: Amber .
Word Count: 856. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2015 15:52:00 GMT -5
"I'm here for - uh - for you." For her? Had he come here to finish the job he'd started in the mountains? No, his eyes told a different story. The regret there was clear, and her fears began to dissipate slightly. 'But what if it's an act,' the small voice in the back of her mind asked. He had been an actor before, was he still one now?
"I left TreeClan because I knew that it was my only hope of ever seeing you again, Cloudfall. I needed to see you - it meant more to me than my Clan. I made a mistake. I made more than just a mistake. I screwed everything up and I want nothing more than to take it all back, but I can’t do that . . . all I can do is try to fix it."
His breathing was heavy, and the air about him was different. It wasn't the cool confidence he had always given off in the mountains, and it wasn't the angry passion he'd fired off when they last met. It was different, unsure, and there was something in his eyes she had never seen before. She felt the same pull to him that she had felt before all of this, any of this, happened. When all she knew was that she loved him and he loved her, before he had shattered everything. That part of her was still there, and growing stronger.
"I don't know what I'm doing, because even if a small part of you wants to believe me when I say that I'm in love with you, Cloudfall, it would be selfish of me to let the rest of you still be afraid when I'm near." He loved her? No, he was in love with her? He was finally admitting it, and finally, she could see the real him, the one she had caught a glimpse of only once. "I can try to leave you alone, if that's what you want me to do. It'll be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I'll do it if it'll make you happy - because your happiness means more to me than my own."
He fell silent, and Cloudfall's war within herself continued. He'd admitted everything, was facing his guilt and shame, laying everything on the line, leaving his heart in her paws. She wanted to believe him, and the part of her that just wanted to melt against his side was growing stronger. But there was still that small part of her that couldn't let go of what he'd done. Not yet, anyway.
"Don't go," she whispered. Her voice failed her, and that was the best she could manage. She swallowed hard, lifting her gaze to his. She was uncertain, but she knew now that she wanted to move past this. She wanted to get back to the way they were, but without the lies and the ulterior motives.
"Stay... please?" Her voice shook, and she took a deep breath. "I can't... completely trust you, probably not for a while. But.. I want to." She was trembling slightly, scared and nervous, but she was growing more certain of what she wanted. She was just so vulnerable, and knowing that he would always have the upper hand, either through strength or size terrified her, that small part that still expected him to turn on her.
"I love you.." And it was true. No matter what her doubts said, at her core, she still loved him. Truly, deeply, and forever, he had her heart.
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Post by Insidious on Jan 29, 2015 13:41:58 GMT -5
C R I M S O N S H A D O W - - - - - - Everything that had needed to be said had been said. There was nothing else that he could do except stand there, such a painful distance away from the she-cat he had just admitted himself to love, waiting to see whether or not she would decide it had been enough, or that nothing would ever be enough for her again. Thinking about it (despite how much he hated to remind himself that he had once been capable of such an awful, dreadful thing) it seemed like it had just been a bad dream, and that he could blink his emerald eyes a few times to find that he would wake up with Cloudfall sleeping at his side, having switched his allegiance from TreeClan to StoneClan because he had simply wanted it for them, and not because he needed to see with his own two eyes that a piece of her still wanted to fix what between them was so terribly, terribly broken.
He had been on the verge of turning away from her, taking her silence as a sign that she had nothing to say to him, that it would be better if he just left so he would not have to endure the nasty words on the tip of her tongue, until a soft, barely audible whisper was heard from her, his ears pricking so that he might better understand what she was trying to say.
You want me to stay? He did not say the words aloud, but the tiny smile on the corner of his mouth communicated it for him, taking a few steps closer to her, ensuring that he move slowly as to not frighten her despite every part of him wanting nothing more than to run to her side. She said that she still could not trust him which, of course, he understood, but nonetheless the words had stung, and once again the pain of what he had tried to do to her reverberated through his muscular body, making him feel weak, feel vulnerable, like the monster was still somewhere inside of him and refusing to let go. Sometmies it felt like his puppeteer still had him on strings, even if the grip was loosening, even if such a wide expanse of distance kept them separate, like he was waiting to strike again and return him to his old ways. He knew it was not possible, that he would not let Grayowl control him again. Even if he wanted that for himself again, it would likely be nothing more than a malevolent trick, in which he lures the cat behind his exile away from his shelter and slits his throat. He shuddered, trying his best to keep that smile on his face, but it only worked once he was hardly a mouselength away from the pretty warrior that he wanted to waste away the rest of his days with.
“I don’t expect you to trust me right away, but I will work hard to earn it back. It means more to me than you could possibly know that you want to try.” He would hardly have to lean forward in order to press his nose into the side of her neck, but he did not move, standing in front of Cloudfall, still as a statute, allowing her to decide whether or not she wanted him closer. Wolfclaw would probably be waking up soon, but he did not care about that right now. No punishment would be too severe to make this moment not worth it. The fact that she had said that she loved him, despite what he had done, despite every bad decision, every bad thought that had contaminated his head, made it worth it. He had been a monster, but he was her monster and she had the power to turn his life around, and with that power, she had made a difference.
- - - - - - Tags: Amber .
Word Count: 649. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2015 14:26:55 GMT -5
He stepped toward her, and she let him. His caution was evident, and she appreciated it, though it hurt her that they had to be so careful around each other. Despite what they may want to admit, they were both fragile, in their own way. He shivered, and she wondered just what was going on in his mind, but the small smile remained, and she hoped his thoughts were good.
"I don't expect you to trust me right away, but I will work hard to earn it back. It means more to me than you could possibly know that you want to try." He was so close. She tipped her head up and looked into his eyes, seeing nothing malevolent there.
"We can't go back. We can only.. go forward." With that, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them, pressing her face into his throat and his chest, breathing in that oh-so-familiar scent. She hadn't realised until now just how much she had missed him, and though her doubts and fears still hung in the back of her mind, for now, he was hers, and she his. God it's so short I'm sorry. D: |
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Post by Insidious on Jan 29, 2015 23:54:49 GMT -5
C R I M S O N S H A D O W - - - - - - The purr had built in the back of his throat, slowly growing stronger the closer she came to him, until finally she was nuzzling the side of his neck, and he could not stop himself from drowning in the intoxicating feeling of how much he had missed her presence when she had not been at his side. He made a promise to himself, then, that he would never let her escape from him again - he would never give her another reason to want to. Until a few moons ago, there had been nothing for him except for the violence, the predatory instinct that Grayowl had instilled inside of him, but she had changed that. There had never been someone that he yearned to protect, to hold close to his chest, content in the comforting knowledge that someone was a partner, a lover, that could share his life with him. She had ripped the desire to harm right out of his body, and he had never been more thankful to be free of the burden. Now, he could cherish the one thing left in his world that was right, the one thing he had not been able to destroy along the way, and simply find his happiness. That had been all he was ever trying to do, anyway. It’s just that someone else, someone conniving and manipulative, had figured that out before he did and used it against him.
If he had met her first, then maybe things would have been different from the start.
But things were different now, and he realized that nothing else mattered anymore. StoneClan had seemed wrong at the start, but that was because he did not have Cloudfall at his side to share in the transition with him, to help him feel like he was at home - because home was wherever she was. He could see that clearly now, feeling like he did not need the trees of his former Clan when he had the face of the she-cat he loved. He had not drawn away from her when she had rested against him, and even now, as silence spread out between them, as she did not pull away, he was completely relaxed. If he had truly wanted to, he could have ended her life in this moment, the she-cat’s head buried in his chest, neck vulnerable . . . he knew all of this because Grayowl had taught it to him. He had taught him to recognize when someone was vulnerable so that he could take advantage of the weakness. But no part of him wanted that anymore, he knew that without doubt, and even though Cloudfall was still slightly reluctant, nervous about what he could do, he knew that, in time, she would see that for herself.
“I’ll never let you go again.” His voice was soft, warm and pleasant, but his words would turn out to be quite ironic considering the sharp yellow eyes that witnessed this little reunion from the sideline, not understanding their happiness and, therefore, certainly not sharing it.
He had earned Cloudfall’s trust, or rather, a small piece of it, but she did not speak for the rest of StoneClan.
- - - - - - Tags: Amber .
Word Count: 529. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2015 0:15:58 GMT -5
Green-gold eyes blinked open slowly. Something was wrong. He couldn't quite comprehend what, but something was off. The deputy lifted his head, eyes scanning the still dark den. Nothing seemed out of place. Quietly, he rose from his nest and ducked out of the den. Once again he cast his gaze around, still noticing nothing out of the ordinary. He cocked his head to the side ever so slightly, blinked twice, then turned around to return to his nest. It was then that he saw it. The empty patch of moss set up just outside the den, sheltered by a small overhang. Crimsonshadow.
The TreeClanner--no, former TreeClanner was gone. Wolfclaw's eyes narrowed to slits and he raked his gaze across the camp. He ducked his head back into the warriors' den, seeking out his scent. Then to the apprentices' den. Then the nursery. And the elders' den. Finally, Hawkstar's den. There wasn't a trace of him anywhere, and Wolfclaw was careful not to disturb anyone, especially not Hawkstar. The sandy tom had enough on his mind as it was.
Search fruitless, Wolfclaw exited the camp and sniffed around, catching a faint whiff of Crimsonshadow's scent. He followed it, senses alert. He tracked him through the territory, moving faster as the scent grew stronger. He finally came within sight of the red and black tom, and before he could call him out, his eyes focused on another cat nearby.
They were close, too close. From his angle, he could see Crimsonshadow's back, and only parts of the other cat, but it wasn't an angle he was comfortable with. He didn't know what was happening, but from his perspective, it didn't look like anything good.
"Crimsonshadow!" He let his voice boom out strongly as he strode forward, broad shoulders tensed and ready. Typically a gentle and caring cat, Wolfclaw could still exude power when he needed to, and he needed to now. He glared at Crimsonshadow, eyes narrowed and hackles raising, as the cat next to him leapt away. Whether she leapt in shock or in fear he knew not, but he still stepped between them nonetheless. He barely glanced at the she-cat before fixing the full force of his power on the tom.
He lashed his tail, eyes flaring angrily. Every muscle in his body was tense, prepared to fight should Crimsonshadow make one wrong move. There was so much he could say, so much he should say. They had accepted his plea for entry, had opened up their camp for him, had given him the benefit of the doubt. They had also given him rules. Rules which, to any other cat, would seem simple. And yet, somehow, he had found a reason to break them.
The she-cat stood a few tail-lengths behind Wolfclaw, terrified. She had never seen their deputy like this, at least, not up close. Sure, he had been angry in the battle that earned StoneClan their home back, but she had never seen his wrath up close. It took her half a heartbeat to decide that she never wanted to bring that wrath down upon herself. Seeing Crimsonshadow faced with it now was enough to set her trembling. She crept around quietly, pressed close to the ground, trying to edge around Wolfclaw in a large semi-circle. A flick of the deputy's ear and a lash of his tail froze her in place, as his head turned slightly toward her, though his eyes remained on Crimsonshadow.
Wolfclaw could see now that whatever had been going on, though not violent as he originally thought, was more than just Crimsonshadow's doing. If the she-cat -- an inhale told him was Cloudfall -- if Cloudfall had taken him out here, then it was as much her fault as his. She, as everyone else did, was there when Crimsonshadow arrived. She, as everyone else did, knew the rules Crimsonshadow had to follow. If she had taken him out here, if she had broken the rules...
Head still tilted toward Cloudfall, pinning her down with the sheer force of his acknowledgement of her presence, he fixed Crimsonshadow with a dark glare. When he spoke, his voice was lower, quieter, yet somehow more dangerous than when he'd yelled out at him.
"Explain yourself."
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Post by Insidious on Feb 8, 2015 15:13:22 GMT -5
C R I M S O N S H A D O W - - - - - - There was no mistaking the outrage in the deputy’s tone, the newly named StoneClan cat - though he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be allowed to call himself that - shuddering uncomfortably, shoulders hunched, as he waited for the inevitable hostility of Wolfclaw’s eyes to be fixated upon him, full of accusations for crimes he hadn’t committed. He had broken the rules that had been put into place for him by following Cloudfall, he knew that, but he had done it anyway because it hadn’t seemed, at the time, like anyone would actually find out about. His reunion with the love of his life, and her forgiveness, had been more perfect than he could’ve ever imagined, and it had been more than enough to let Crimsonshadow convince himself that nobody would be able to disturb their time together. He’d be mouse-brained to pretend that Wolfclaw wasn’t very much real, and very much so standing in front of him angrily, blocking Cloudfall from him, sheltering her, perhaps, like he had been trying to do something he’d regret later. He was already filled to the brim with regret, and he certainly didn’t need a reminder that, at one point in time, she had needed the kind of shelter that her deputy was giving her now.
Crimsonshadow caught the briefest glimpse of fear in Cloudfall’s eyes as he tilted his head upwards, having planned to finally look at the StoneClan deputy and accept whatever punishment awaited him. Seeing that in Cloudfall’s eyes, however, caused an unexpected surge of . . . something to rocket up his spinal cord, and he found that, by the time he actually established eye-contact with Wolfclaw, he was no longer afraid, but instead determined. He had hurt her once, and now he wanted nothing more than to protect her. Right now, it seemed like he could do that best by making this problem go away. “I followed her out of camp because I needed to apologize to her for a . . . misunderstanding we had a while ago. She didn’t do anything wrong.” His red lips were tight, hoping that enough had been said in regards to the pretty warrior as to spare her any of the deputy’s hostility. “I know that I broke the rules by doing that, and I’m sorry, but it was worth my while to take that risk so that I could earn her forgiveness. Her forgiveness is everything to me. It’s why I’m here.” The ex-TreeClanner bunched his tense shoulders awkwardly, knowing that nothing would excuse his behaviour, but feeling driven to try and make him understand anyways.
What he was about to say was out of line, and though his bottom lip trembled in slight protest because he was in no position to be telling Wolfclaw what to do, it came tumbling out of his mouth regardless. “If you’ve ever cared about someone the way that I care about Cloudfall, then I really hope you won’t tear out my throat for saying this but . . . you’re scaring her, and I don’t like seeing her afraid.” Crimsonshadow moved at an incredibly slow pace, hoping Wolfclaw would allow him to approach Cloudfall’s side to offer comfort, but walking towards her in such a way that the deputy could easily intercept him if he wished to. “I understand that I’ll probably need to be punished.” And Crimsonshadow decided to leave it at that, believing everything that needed to be said had been said. Now it was up to Wolfclaw to decide his fate.
- - - - - - Tags: Amber
Word Count: 581. |
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