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Post by Fawn on May 26, 2017 8:08:59 GMT -5
25 MOONS LIGHTNINGCLAN WARRIOR Harestrike nosed through the fresh kill pile; he got a few looks - especially from older warriors - as he pushed aside a few hares to reach the quail underneath. Don't look at me like that, he moodily pulled out the fattest bird he could find. It's her.
'Her' being his lovely new mate, Dovecloud. What had begun as a fun courtship at the beginning of the season - followed by his mother's approval and insistence that he take the next step, by mid-season they were a couple, and everyone knew it.
By the end of Newleaf, however...
"I asked for a thrush, Harestrike. It's your own brother's name, you'd think you'd remember it." Sniffed Dovecloud, not touching the quail he had just brought her.
Harestrike rolled his eyes, picking it up again. How about you get your own prey next time? His retort was clenched between his teeth, like the feathers of the quail.
Dovecloud, her golden eyes pinpointing his dissatisfaction, were at once fluttered, and she brushed against him apologetically. "I'm sorry I'm so difficult. Tell you what? Next time, I'll get the prey, and you can wait here."
She said it with such sweetness, a little purr in her words, that he almost believed her. "Fine," he replied through the feathers. That's what she'd said last time.
And the time after that.
She'd just come up with an excuse for why he should do it instead - or worse, make HIM seem like the jerk for not doing it.
Harestrike went back to the fresh kill pile. After a quick glance (it had thinned slightly since he'd first been here), he realized there weren't any thrushes. The sight of Gustclaw walking off with the last one confirmed it.
Harestrike quickly snagged a rabbit, and returned to her. "There's no thrushes left," he said, and bent his head to take the first bite.
Dovecloud cleared her throat. A polite little ahem. "Harestrike, sweetie, you know I don't like rabbits. Go get that quail then, that'll have to do."
What kind of LightningClan cat doesn't like rabbits? His tail flicked, gaze narrowing as if he wanted to turn that thought into a much-deserved criticism, but she wasn't even looking at him. She was grooming her pristine white pelt for the 800th time.
Pointless to argue, Harestrike returned the uneaten rabbit to the pile, and earned a cold stare from Galebird. He ignored her and grabbed the quail, turning to go back to his fussy, picky mate and --
Where was she?
He glanced around, wondering if she'd slipped away to go make dirt. Harestrike's claws unsheathed as he finally saw her. She was talking to Thrushwhisker. He could hear that pretty laugh of hers, and saw the way she fluttered her tail, smiling at Thrushwhisker as if he was something special.
Thrushwhisker then walked away.
Good. Thought Harestrike. He set down the quail, about to call her over. And then Thrushwhisker appeared.
Carrying a thrush.
Dovecloud purred and accepted it.
Harestrike spat into the grass and picked up his quail. Angrily leaving camp and his irritating mate behind, he went to the tunnels - where the food he brought would at least go appreciated.
"Kindleflare," he called into the entrance, voice sharper than he'd like. Maybe she could give him something for a headache? (And a sore throat, now that he thought about it) She's such a spoiled little... He couldn't think of a strong enough word. "I brought you some prey."
If the medicine cat didn't want quail, then that was just too bad. He'd had it up to here with picky she-cats.
Word Count: 559 WordsTags: BlooRey DVD @zen I CAN'T SLOW DOWN, I WON'T BE WAITING FOR YOU Notes: Harestrike has infected Dovecloud! Dovecloud - SICK - DEADLY (oops)
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on May 27, 2017 8:05:22 GMT -5
The face that appeared in the entrance of the tunnel was likely not the face Harestrike had been expecting. Sharp pale green eyes materialized from the darkness, quickly followed by the black and white form of Darkcloud. He examined Harestrike with narrowed eyes, likely wondering who in the name of StarClan dared use such a tone with his daughter. Despite looking as though he might give the younger warrior a warning, the tuxedo elder kept his mouth shut, stepping out of the entrance with a nod of acknowledgement. One of his dark ears flicked as the sound of pawsteps followed him out.
Kindleflare's head appeared in the entrance, dark amber eyes wide with question. There was a hint of exhaustion behind those gentle eyes, but there was no mistaking the way they lit up at the sight of the quail. "H-Harestrike!" She half-purred, not seeming to have registered the somewhat... Biting tone he'd used to call her name. "Th-Thank you! I am a l-little hungry..." She admitted, ears flattening in embarrassment as her stomach rumbled. She blinked a moment, eyes flicking to Darkcloud and back again. Smiling sheepishly at Harestrike, she signaled for him to wait a moment, padding over to her father's side.
"Y-You should return to camp, Daddy. M-Mom will be h-happy to see you're healthy again." She purred warmly. Darkcloud touched his nose to the top of her head, and she leaned into the affection with a content mrrow. "I will, thank you Kindleflare. And I will assure her you are well too." Kindleflare nodded gratefully, waving her tail in farewell as her father took his leave. She watched him leave, feeling just that little bit more alone now. But he was okay, and that was important. Following Wrencry's death the previous day... She needed a bit of good news.
Sighing and shrugging off the darker clinging thoughts, she padded back to Harestrike, hungry amber eyes dropping to the quail. Except... There was something off about the young warrior. Her ears pricked forward, jaws parting first to scent the air, next to speak. "H-Harestrike..? Is.. E-Everything alright? Are you f-feeling o-okay..?" She could detect the faintest trace of sickness, and hoped it was residual from the den behind her. |
Fawn Note: 43 moons old
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Post by Fawn on May 29, 2017 19:22:22 GMT -5
25 MOONS LIGHTNINGCLAN WARRIOR Harestrike's grouchiness was briefly quelled by the tall, intimidating tom that approached him from Kindleflare's makeshift den. He stared up moodily at Darkcloud, and ended up in an unexpected staring contest with the elder. The elder that was also Kindleflare's father. Not mature enough to apologize or even mutter some sort of greeting, Harestrike simply moved out of the way - breaking eye contact first, tail switching left to right and right to left in irritated little jerks.
Fortunately, Darkcloud left without saying anything to him.
About to turn around and grouchily go for a hunt or something, (StarClan, he wanted to hit someone. Why couldn't StoneClan pick a fight now?) Kindleflare's question snagged right into him, keeping his paws rooted to the spot. "It's Dovecloud!" He spat, angrily pacing the already-trampled grasses, a ripple of dislike passing through the length of his lanky, tiger-striped and white body. "I know she's your sister, but she's such a pain in the tail! She's like a tick stuck behind my ear, I can ignore her for a little while until she does something irritating."
It was perhaps a favor from StarClan that Darkcloud was conveniently out of range to hear Harestrike's irritable tirade about Darkcloud's youngest daughter. Harestrike huffed, half exasperated, half exhausted. "It's like she only agreed to be my mate so she could have someone to order around." Ears pinned back, and there was evidence of hurt in his tone. "I'm not her apprentice." Harestrike stole a quick glance at the ginger she-cat. It was rude, but he couldn't stop himself from commenting dryly, "You're lucky. You don't have to deal with this foxdung."
That was probably what Kindleflare would consider a downside to her job, but Harestrike wasn't thinking about things from her perspective. He was thinking about how bad it felt to see her smile at Thrushwhisker instead of him. To treat him like he was only as good as his successes. I should've just gone out and caught her a stupid thrush. Harestrike's front claws scoured the ground, and he didn't look at Kindleflare anymore.
Embarrassed of his outburst. Ticked off at his failures.
Word Count: 359 WordsTags: BlooRey DVD I CAN'T SLOW DOWN, I WON'T BE WAITING FOR YOU Notes:
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Jun 5, 2017 18:44:30 GMT -5
The last thing she'd expected was for Harestrike to begin ranting at her. Amber eyes widened and her rump plopped to the ground beneath her as she just... Listened. Though her ears were angled backwards, it wasn't out of any for of malice or offense; she knew her youngest sister was... Well, a little on the higher maintenance side. Kindleflare just hadn't expected such an outburst from Harestrike. Forcing her white paws not to knead the ground nervously, the ginger and white medicine cat listened to the tom, simultaneously reading into the words and zeroing in on the sub-tones in his voice.
It sounded a little rougher, thicker than normal. And it wasn't just the weight of his upset either. Figuring that asking him to stay here with her until his greencough cleared up was best left until after he'd calmed down some, the LightningClan medicine cat continued to listen silently, muzzle dipping here and there to acknowledge him. She looked pleasant enough, sympathy for the tom tied to her sister shining behind her dark eyes. That is, until his final jab about not having to deal with similar situations. It scored her like Demon's claw, the ginger tabby flinching beneath its weight.
Doing her best to mask the wince by ducking and pushing to a stand, Kindleflare looked away from the tom to spare him the hurt in her gaze. A tabby-striped tail tapped him on the shoulder as she pretended to be looking for something, in the distance. "I.. H-Have to collect some h-herbs, to supplement my c-current stores... Why don't you c-come with me, Hares-strike?" She spared a glance his way, hoping she'd managed to dispel enough of her pain to pass as normal. He seemed hesitant a moment, but grudgingly agreed earning a soft purr from Kindleflare.
"L-Let me just p-put the quail you brought i-inside." Stooping to pick up the bird (and determinedly ignoring the hunger roiling in her belly), Kindleflare slipped back into the abandoned rabbit tunnel, tucking the quail away for safe keeping. Rapidly rejoining her sister's mate, Kindleflare motioned silently for him to follow her. Setting course for the Flooded Grasses in hopes of finding chickweed or catmint, Kindleflare cleared her throat softly before mewing. "I-I'll be the first to a-admit that Dovecloud can be a little... D-Demanding." She began. Relative or not, there was no denying Dovecloud's... Personality.
"Sh-She also has a kn-knack for making you f-feel like you're s-second place, doesn't she?" A hint of a purring laugh escaped her then, tail waving slowly behind her as her paws carried with with surprising confidence along the familiar path. "A-And while I d-don't doubt she's... Unceremoniously re-requesting things of you, I d-don't think she's t-treating you like she w-would an apprentice." She frowned a moment, pondering the other she-cat's behavior. "I l-love Dovecloud like any s-sister would but... If you a-ask me, Dovecloud d-does not have the personality f-for an apprentice, at least not now. She'd be m-much too focused on herself t-to even r-remember she had one."
It was her turn to look apologetic, casting the tom an almost sheepish smile. Older sisters were probably not supposed to make negative remarks concerning them to their mate. "Th-The fact she's asking a-anything of you at all t-tells me... You are f-far more to her th-than an apprentice. I know that's... P-Probably not all that reassuring b-but... It's the t-truth as I see it." She hesitated a moment, mind flicking back to the quail he'd brought her. "W-Wait, let me g-guess." Her pawsteps slowed, an uncharacteristic determination flickering over her features as she took a steadying breath and, with surprising vocal accuracy...
"H-Harestrike, darling, I w-wanted a thrush, not a quail." |
Fawn Note: 43 moons old
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Post by Fawn on Jun 10, 2017 19:57:48 GMT -5
25 MOONS LIGHTNINGCLAN WARRIOR You know what? Kindleflare's alright. Robinflame too. Every she-cat in that family was kind, especially Firebird - so what had gone wrong with Dovecloud? Harestrike snorted a winced laugh at Kindleflare's spot-on impersonation of his mate. His throat was dry from talking so much, but he couldn't help replying. "She calls me sweetie, instead of darling. But yeah, that's Dovecloud."
She almost didn't even stutter.
It would be a while before Harestrike could crush down those feelings of inadequacy, but this conversation was helping. Kindleflare was good at listening. He hadn't expected her to bad-mouth her sister so readily, but he appreciated it. Dovecloud with an apprentice. StarClan. Now that was a nightmare - for the apprentice. If she didn't forget she had one, exactly as her older sister predicted, she'd probably ask him to pick up the training slack.
As if I don't have enough to do! He clenched the ground with his claws, praying to the stars above that Firestar wouldn't suddenly get a great idea to make Dovecloud responsible for another warrior. What would happen if they eventually had kits?
Harestrike almost bolted for the hills.
One Dovecloud was enough of a headache. Could he handle two or three more little whiners, demanding this instead of that? Batting their eyes at him as if he were supposed to answer their every beck and call? Harestrike visibly shuddered. Gotta talk to Morningfrost. Tell her me and Dovecloud don't really go together. If it was any consolation, their kits would be beautiful and strong.
It wasn't.
"She's gonna get worse, isn't she?" Harestrike forced a humorous tone, but it really did sound as forced as it was. His tail swept across the grass as he sat down, shoulders hunched, expression more of a scowl of self-pity than irritation directed at his mate. "What should I do, Kindleflare?" Usually, he figured things out himself. His apprenticeship under Sunblaze had been the same way. Sink your claws into whatever obstacle showed up in front of him, work hard to overcome it.
Simple as that.
But she-cats, obviously, were different.
"Help me fake my own death. Then Dovecloud'll get off my back." Harestrike blurted, and watched the way the medicine cat's eyes widened. It was almost too easy. A smirk and a low, raspy purr accompanied this. "I'm kidding." There had been enough death going around in LightningClan as it was, his didn't need to be added to the list of lives loved - even as a joke.
Not really expecting great advice, simply because the problem wasn't exactly ordinary or easy to deal with, but he kept his attentions on Kindleflare. Just in case she had something in mind that he wouldn't have even considered.
Word Count: 450 WordsTags: BlooRey DVD I CAN'T SLOW DOWN, I WON'T BE WAITING FOR YOU Notes:
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Jun 17, 2017 9:15:06 GMT -5
She laughed softly as Harestrike corrected her impersonation mildly, flicking her tail to the right. "S-Sweetie, of course. I-It was going to b-be one or the o-other." She commented, paws continuing their trajectory with Harestrike in tow. She paused by a spattering of bushes, deep amber eyes quickly glossing over the throng of shrubbery to land on a herb tipped with the smallest of white flowers. Ch-Chickweed! Purring softly to herself, she carefully bit off a section of the stem, not taking enough to damage the still growing plant. Wrapping it up in the safety of a large leaf, Kindleflare hesitated as she stooped to pick it up, Harestrike's request causing her eyes to widen.
Clearing her throat and reassuring herself that he was just kidding, she offered him a smile. "I-I'm.. All out of d-deathberries unfortunately." She told him with a swish of her tail, skirting the beginnings of a herb bundle to sit down beside him. Poking his shoulder with her nose reassuringly, she turned her dark gaze on their surroundings, admiring the valley as it healed from Leafbare. "You.. H-Have to th-think of yourself s-sometimes, Harestrike. I know that... It's o-often said to think of o-others before yourself, but if you s-spend too much time th-thinking about others and... N-Never doing something f-for yourself? Th-Then you aren't happy, and you c-can't make other h-happy if you aren't happy."
She glanced toward him a moment. "S-Staying with someone j-just because someone e-else thinks you should, or... Lamenting s-something, s-someone you can't h-have..." Her mind drifted momentarily to the pale furred she-cat that was her brother's mate, her heart stirring almost painfully in her chest. "It's n-not good f-for you. A w-wound constantly exposed will n-never heal. L-Look around you; the v-valley only begins to h-heal once Leafbare ends."
Her paw gently pulled the chickweed bundle closer to her, a softness to her eyes as she looked upon the healing herbs. "B-Becoming a medicine cat... That h-helped me h-heal. You n-need to decide what you need to do t-to make you h-happy, first and foremost. Even if n-not everyone will b-be... H-Happy with what you choose." She paused, offering him a gentle smile once more. "And... Wh-Whatever that may b-be? I will s-support you, Harestrike." |
Fawn Note: 43 moons old
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Post by Fawn on Jun 19, 2017 6:05:08 GMT -5
25 MOONS LIGHTNINGCLAN WARRIOR Though she was nearly 20 moons his senior, Harestrike hadn't really expected her to show such strong reasoning and - even more surprisingly - support of his decisions. He'd made the mistake of judging her solely on her appearance and her stutter. She was in Nightstep's shadow, the tuxedo tom's battle prowess and natural talents a warrior sprang to the forefront of Harestrike's mind every time someone mentioned 'Firebird's kits'.
Then came Robinflame, and then came Dovecloud. Brightpool, and last - but obviously not least - was Kindleflare.
Harestrike, his grass-green eyes still glowing with amazement, blinked gratefully at the healer. "Thanks. I, uh... I appreciate it." He didn't know how to respond to her sincerity, so his movements became awkward - eye contact no longer possible as the younger warrior struggled with emotional vulnerability.
He had warmed to Kindleflare significantly in a brief span of time. He'd teased her a bit here and there, and for the first time Harestrike actually regretted it. She stuttered, but she also had more sense than half of LightningClan put together. I need to figure out what's gonna make me happy, huh?
Winning every battle. That would make him happy. Having his mother look at him with pride and satisfaction, acknowledging him as the best of all her kits - her first born - that would make him happy. Giving LightningClan a warrior to be proud of; earning Dovecloud's adoration, surpassing Sunblaze's reputation as a skilled fighter.
These things. All of these things.
The lanky tom was distracted, lost in the surging currents of his own thoughts. Kindleflare's stammer broke through his musings once, twice, and finally a third time - before she smiled, declaring that she could finish up by herself. Harestrike dipped his head respectfully to the medicine cat. "I'll come back and help you again soon. I gotta talk to someone first."
He wanted Dovecloud's adoration. He wanted her to like him more than she liked his brother. But would that really make him happy? Harestrike's mind filled with the sweet scent of ginger fur, a vision of Robinflame's bright eyes burned into him. Robinflame made him feel... happy, with a kind of ease that Dovecloud didn't have. Yet Dovecloud was beautiful, and had already agreed to be his mate. If Robinflame had wanted him, she would have said so.
Not wished them a congratulations on becoming a couple.
Harestrike broke into a run, as if the act of physically pushing himself towards his physical goal - LightningClan's camp - would help him reach a decision that much faster. The tom, though he'd gone to great lengths to build muscle for battle, was no slouch when it came to sprinting. He was as fast as his namesake - if not slightly faster, and he reached LightningClan's camp in no time at all.
The confusion in his head and heart hadn't lifted, but he felt better. And that was a start.
Word Count: 482 WordsTags: BlooRey DVD I CAN'T SLOW DOWN, I WON'T BE WAITING FOR YOU Notes: Finished!
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