[Gemini]

I  need your love like the flowers need the sun 470  words -- Fawn  with brackenstride

Deep amber visionaries scrutinized amidst himself, caught in an absentminded daze. The tomcat had been sitting near the center of camp, gazing around with intimidating, narrow visionaries. Flameriver pondered about the future, wondering how Pumastar's reign will pan out, considering he was only recently the leader of TreeClan. Flameriver exhaled softly, thinking back on Lionstar's death. The tomcat hadn't known how to feel, shaking his crania as everything felt unpredictable. Pumastar was making warriors a just nine moons; things were changing and things will slowly churn, if not, quickly.

The tomcat wondered how the family of Lionstar felt, knowing it can be challenging to mourn the loss of the loved. Lionstar was respected as well, feeling he was a rightful and strong leader during the sire's reign. Flameriver had suffered significant felines in his life, mourning their losses for moons. Still, he thought about them. He missed those he lost. Flameriver glimpsed upward toward the sky, watching as the sun began to set. It was sunset. A beautiful scenery was beginning to unfold before his umber gaze. The sunset is merely a prelude to the dawn, yet its majesty fills my mind with the most beautiful of dreams.

The large tom watched with an unwavering gaze, as a fiery red orb of light slowly sank beneath the horizon, and threads of light lingered in the sky, mingling with the rolling clouds, dyeing the heavens first orange, then red, then dark blue, until all that was left of the sunset was a chalky mauve, and then that melted away in turn as stygian darkness took over the sky. Sequin-silver stars like the glowing embers of a dying fire winked down at him, illuminating the atramentous curtain of sky, and then suddenly the clouds parted, and he found myself looking at a lustrous, argent disc casting brilliant rays of moonlight onto the dark grounds...With the setting sun came a sky of fire, the orange of every wintry hearth. It was the battle cry to the gathering night, that the only achievement of darkness is to show starlight all the more clearly. 

He gazed upon the stars, StarClan, I hope those who rest in your paws are taken care of well. Flameriver had neutral opinions about StarClan, not really being the ambitious type with beliefs. The ginger tabby glanced around, wondering what Pumastar had planned. Did he have bad intentions? The tom couldn't quite put it together, unable to depict it. Clan life is so strange. He scowled, bemused by his whirlpool of thoughts. Flameriver found himself bounding closer to the Warriors' den, noticing a Lionstar descendant, who was his son. Brackenstride. An interesting warrior for sure. He wasn't extremely familiar with the tomcat, but knew minimum. "Evening, Brackenstride," He uttered, feeling unsettled. 

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄ƷƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄ƷƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

[Fawn]

Brackenstride

if you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize

He didn't make himself out to be a snarling, inconsoleable beast. But his Clanmates still tried to give him a wide berth, something he didn't know if he liked or disliked. Briefly throughout the day he would brush pelts with Ivyclaw or Lilybreeze, and that restored a little of his equilibrium.

But coming back into camp, knowing that Lionstar was dead and someone else now lived in the Ancient Stump was like getting sharp rocks ground into his underbelly. It stung. It made him feel a little sick, his appetite diminished as he struggled to accept this harsh new truth.

Minktoes, for all her good intentions, tried to cheer him up. It wasn't an easy task and didn't really work. Some day, when he wasn't so blindsided by grief, he'd tell her that he appreciated her efforts.

"Good evening, Brackenstride."

A vaguely familiar voice earned a flick of the ear from Brackenstride, the sleek golden tom sitting up to look at the feline addressing him. It was Flameriver, a cat he didn't know well, but the tom was younger than him, and like most of the younger cats in the Clan they found themselves sleeping near the den entrance. The warmest, coziest spots in the back were reserved for those with more seniority. Brackenstride almost pounced on and killed Flameriver's friendly greeting with a sharp no, it isn't, but he could practically feel his mother's gaze upon him at such rudeness.

That bitter fist around his heart unclenched, and he forced a much more civil tone. "'Sup."

An awkward silence lapsed between them, before Brackenstride could not handle sitting in camp anymore. It was clear now where the tired look was coming from; restless and deeply unsettled, he turned towards the camp exit. "I'm going to the Sparkling Brook. Come if you want."

36 Moons TreeClan Tom

303 words Gemini quote by muhammad ali

[Gemini]

I  need your love like the flowers need the sun 480  words -- Fawn  with brackenstride

Flameriver observed the opposing tom momentarily, umber luminaries peering into Brackenstride's gaze from the corner of his own. The soft-bodied bachelor dipped his crania toward his clanmate, chuckling gently at the abnormal greeting. Sup wasn't typically a term he heard as a greeting, and till now, he hadn't really known of that as a greeting. He's grown used to hearing good evening, good morning, evening, and such as those for greetings toward clanmates. The large ginger tabby scrutinized amidst him for a moment, listening to nothing but the almost eerie and eldritch silence between them. 

Flameriver could detect slight bitterness from the tom's struggle to create a more civilized vocalization. The way Brackenstride voiced his words, Flameriver noticed how wretched and despondent the opposing feline had became after the death of Lionstar. Flameriver had known about the animosity Brackenstride held for the new leader, Pumastar. For some could have called this belligerant, insensitive sire a King. However, Flameriver disagreed, not quite fond of their new leader as well. That was something Brackenstride and Flameriver could agree on.

The silence between them was uneasy to bare. The temporary silence made his blood as bitter as the autumnal air that crept through. Bereft of any wind the leaves outside hung limp until they fell of their own accord, there was no whispering noise or rustling. It was as if nature conspired to keep him in the dark, not daring to whisper the reassurance he would occasionally crave. Normally, the silence would soothe his muscles, setting him in a loose, joyous position that brought a gentle smile to his countenance. Flameriver exhaled sheepishly, finally hearing the silence snap. The tightness within his decolletage settled, allowing air to flow freely to his lungs.

"Sure, I'll come, I could use a little getaway as well," He uttered, feeling as though Brackenstride needed a break from a lot, knowing the tom was going through a challenging time. The loss of his father, whom was also the leader for so many moons was a hard loss. Not just for Brackenstride, but probably a lot of the clan as well. He couldn't imagine how the tom felt currently, feeling empathetic for him. Flameriver was aware that a few felines had attempted to cheer him up often, one being Minktoes. Someone needs to bring a smile to his face... He thought, scoffing silently to himself.

Flameriver sauntered next to Brackenstride's left flank, gazing forward as the two trekked onward. "How're you doing, Brackenstride?" He inquired quietly, feeling it was the worst inquiry to toss his way, "How you feel is awfully important, so please speak out if you need to. That's what clanmates can be for. You need the support right now, even if you don't believe so." Flameriver explained, closing his eyes in a quick blink. 

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄ƷƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄ƷƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

[Fawn]

Brackenstride

if you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize

"Like Foxdung, that's how I feel." Brackenstride grumbled to his temporary companion, the faint gurgle of the sparkling brook filling his ears as they drew closer. "Like I woke up this morning and everything is different." Pumastar, Mossheart leading the Clan... My father is gone. Just a pawful of stardust and memories now. Every time he got up, he had to swallow that truth all over again - and it choked him, lodged in his throat with the bitter grief of a son who missed his parents.

He felt like he didn't recognize the faces in charge of TreeClan anymore. Mossheart was a nobody. Quiet, kind, but a nobody. And as for Pumastar - the incumbent leader put a bad taste in Brackenstride's mouth the likes of which not even the clearest, freshest water could dissolve. "Everything is going to keep changing, too." Golden eyes lifted from the muddy forest floor to settle on Flameriver's face, the light inside of them hard. "With that... foxheart in charge, nothing is going to be normal again."

Brackenstride had always felt adament that Gorsetail was Lionstar's rightful deputy. It was Brackenstride's own stupid mouth that had cost Gorsetail everything - he felt like he was just now starting to recover from Gorsetail's tragic injury when this happened. Suddenly, everything was permanent. Gorsetail really had lost his chance to be deputy. Lionstar's chosen was wasting away in the elder's den, unable to speak and move as beautifully as he once could.

Instead, Lionstar's second choice was sitting on the Ancient Stump. Brackenstride's tail flicked, and he lowered his muzzle to the stream, extending his front limbs so that he could reach the water. The chilly liquid soothed him, a temporary balm on this ever-simmering irritation in his heart, as constant and unpleasant as indigestion. "Sorry," said Brackenstride - and it was clear in his unsympathetic tone that he wasn't sorry at all - turning towards his denmate. "You didn't ask for my opinion on our new leader."

It was obvious that he could go on, but Brackenstride chose to push the building words aside, not wanting to turn into an angry, ravving mad-cat on the banks of the sparkling brook, hissing Pumastar's flaws for anyone who will listen. I can't change the past. I can't fix what's been broken. But I can protect Lionstar's legacy. If Pumastar and Mossheart thought they could simply change things on a whim, then they had another thing coming.

He had been born with a voice. Lionstar's death had cut his heart, not his vocal cords.

36 Moons TreeClan Tom

417 words Gemini quote by muhammad ali