[Taxx]

Leafbare Day Twenty-five: Mostly sunny but still hard to traverse without getting your breath taken away by the wind

Adderpaw

"I see things no one else sees."

Adderpaw padded along at the rear of the group, side by side with Hemlockpaw. She would have preferred staying home, but she hadn’t been asked- and part of her had been curious anyway. She’d had little to do with any of the other Clans; her fur prickled again at the memory of that white NightClan cat she’d come face to face with, awed more than terrified at the level of aggression in the other cat’s eyes, before Finchcloud had ordered her away.

She lifted her head then and looked around, but she couldn’t spot that cat in the crowd. What a shame. Maybe next time. Settling near the edge, Hemlockpaw at her side, her dark fur brushing against his gray shoulder, she cast a glance up at the rock at the other four leaders. She knew their names, but not what each one looked like, though she would find out soon enough when they spoke.

Not that it mattered.

Her gaze flicked to a cat coming toward them, eyes bright and tail waving a greeting. “Hi!” the other cat chirped. “I’m Palepaw, from StoneClan. What are your names?” She leaned forward a bit, catching the scents on Adderpaw and Hemlockpaw’s fur to tell what Clan they were from, and then shifted back again, glancing between them, waiting for a reply.

“Adderpaw,” the tortoiseshell answered, and flicked her tail at her brother. “Hemlockpaw.”

For a moment Palepaw remained quiet, as if expecting her to say something else, but Adderpaw just stared back. “Um,” the ginger and white she-cat continued, grasping for something to say. “Is… have you been to a Gathering before?”

“No.” More silence, a continued fixed stare, and it was honestly amusing to see Palepaw’s fur prickle- had she been expecting excitement?

The StoneClan apprentice turned her attention to Hemlockpaw then, as if hoping for a more enthused reply from him. “How’s your training going? Mine’s going great- Wolfjaw is my mentor, he’s not here tonight, but I get a lot of help from my aunt, Smokestorm, the Clan’s deputy.”

@zen || Notes

[Deleted]

Normally Hemlockpaw might have laughed at his sister's antics. Most cats found her weird at best and creepy otherwise, but cats said similar things about him. Tonight, however, with his older sister dead and father exiled so recently, he didn't feel like laughing. He didn't even feel like being here. He really wasn't sure why Lionstar had picked him to go. Maybe he thought it would be good to get out of camp and socialize or something but all Hemlockpaw wanted to do was curl up in his nest, preferably with Adderpaw or his mother or both.

He also would have been excited to meet this StoneClan she-cat. He would have assured her that his sister was always like this and taken up the conversation in her stead. But tonight he initially did little more than share up at the StoneClan apprentice much like his sister was doing. Until she tried to engage him more directly, put off by Adderpaw's lack of desire to socialize.

He dropped his gaze to his paws, feeling bad for her. She seemed so excited to be here, clearly wanting to make some friends, and he just wasn't in the mood for it at all. But he tried. “Nice to meet you, Palepaw…. Um….” He shifted slightly, leaning into Adderpaw a bit more, “Your… your aunt is the deputy… that must be….” He trailed off, finding it difficult to keep up the conversation. “I'm… I'm sorry, Palepaw…. Our… our sister just…,” he squeezed his eyes shut, ears flattening against his head as he willed the she-cat to understand so he wouldn't have to say it.

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Taxx

[Taxx]

Adderpaw

"I see things no one else sees."

The hope in Palepaw's eyes dwindled away slowly at the lack of enthusiasm from both apprentices, her ears twitching in uncertainty as she started to try to think of a way to leave them be without seeming too rude. She hesitated, though, when Hemlockpaw dropped his gaze, an apology and a ragged, halted attempt at an explanation, and she felt her heart squeeze when he mentioned his sister- his depressed demeanor suddenly made so much sense.

"Oh," she breathed, eyes closing as she ducked her head. "I understand. I'm so sorry. I- I know how it feels, to lose a littermate. I hope she finds peace in StarClan."

Adderpaw leaned in a bit closer to Hemlockpaw, pressing her nose to one ear, reminding him that she was there, but her next words were for Palepaw. "You lost someone?" She knew about the greenleaf fox attack- who didn't, really- but StoneClan's losses had been an old warrior and their medicine cat- she hadn't heard anything about a cat Palepaw's age dying.

"My brother," the ginger-and-white she-cat replied, a rush of grief crossing her expression. "Those foxes killed him."

Adderpaw wanted to ask more, like when and how, but she held back. Not because she cared for Palepaw's feelings, but because the she-cat was connecting with Hemlockpaw's own pain, something Adderpaw couldn't do. She understood why her brother was upset, but she couldn't empathize with that sorrow; it was done, there was no bringing Ravenstorm back, so what was the point in mourning? Shuffling her paws against the cold, Adderpaw glanced about, watching the other cats weave around the three of them for a moment before glancing back at Hemlockpaw and Palepaw.

@zen || Notes

[Deleted]

Looking back up to Palepaw, Hemlockpaw’s ears flicked back as she admitted to losing a sibling as well. StarClan…. He turned his gaze upwards, to silverpelt above. He had never thought much about StarClan. Supposed spirits didn’t hold much interest for him. There was some curiosity, sure, but he much preferred the living, or at least the physical. Tangible things he could make sense of, rather than mystical beings beyond his reach or understanding. He supposed, if what they said was true, Ravenstorm would be in StarClan. Whether she found peace after being poisoned by her own family, however….

The fur along his spine rippled with unease. StarClan cats could affect things in the physical world, supposedly. Would she want revenge for her death? Adderpaw was prompting the StoneClan apprentice and drew him from his chilling thoughts. Foxes had killed her brother. Hemlockpaw dipped his head slightly, “I’m sorry….” It wasn’t exactly the same. It wasn’t like it was her fault her brother had died, but still he sought some comfort from the she-cat’s shared experience.

“Does… does it get easier? She… I feel like I should have done something....,” he trailed off as his mother’s warning not to say anything rang in his mind again, wondering if he might have already said too much. He didn’t think this guilt would ever subside.

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Taxx

[Taxx]

Adderpaw

"I see things no one else sees."

Adderpaw was watching Palepaw in a rather fixed manner- she could see by the flashing glances that despite the conversation with Hemlockpaw, Palepaw was all too aware of her unblinking gaze and the twitch of her tail showed her feelings on that. Adderpaw turned away, settling her gaze on the leaders on the rock, watching as a small, silver-striped tabby stepped forward to speak. She heard him mention RainClan, but the rest of his speech meant nothing to her. TreeClan and RainClan did not share borders and so there was little interest in what affairs went on within their markers.

"Kind of," she heard Palepaw say. "It still hurts to think about him, and I still wish he were here with me, but... time goes on. You'll probably never forget your sister, and there's nothing wrong with that." She hesitated a moment before reaching forward to press her nose to his ear, a quick touch before she pulled back again, her ears suddenly folding back, eyes squeezing shut for a heartbeat. "How- if you don't mind saying...?"

"She ate something bad for her," Adderpaw replied, speaking up to keep Hemlockpaw from having to give the explanation, and giving a short, to-the-point reply. There was no reason to say more than that; let the StoneClan apprentice think what she would.

Palepaw's gaze held the slightest trace of confusion now, and the rapid flick between Adderpaw and Hemlockpaw was enough to give the tortoiseshell a hint as to why; her brother was clearly upset, grieving, while Adderpaw... honestly couldn't have acted sad if she tried. Oh, sure, she could go through the motions well enough, but they'd just be an act. Not for a second had she felt sorrow for Ravenstorm's passing.

"We weren't close," she continued. "She was older, from our parents' first litter." Didn't matter- she wasn't any closer to Yewfang, who had been in the same litter, but it seemed to answer Palepaw's unspoken question and the white-and-ginger apprentice glanced back at Hemlockpaw.

@zen || Notes