just the two of us? [closed]

Harefoot nudged Beartooth, a gentle touch that was more of a caress. He'd caught the deputy in a moment of silence in the bustling camp. The midday sun did little to warm the thin-pelted warrior's body and he would have to rely on constant movement or companionship to keep from freezing solid. The warrior opted for both - if he could pull Beartooth away from his duties. Of course, the recent tradgedy had shaken ThunderClan and the stoic tom especially. Ferretnose, too, was suffering, but Harefoot could only manage to round up one at a time lately. Besides, he wanted to spend time with his oldest friend. Even if it was dead silent, even if Beartooth didn't even want to look at Harefoot, he still wanted to just be with him and remind him that he was always there.

"Beartooth... please come with me? I've been cleared to leave camp. I just want to go on a little patrol. With you. You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to..."

The chilling numbness was an old friend to the scarred warrior. Loss and pain happened to be an unwelcome companion. Some of the bonds he'd created over the moons had staved off such unpleasantness. But with the death of Pricklebush, the sensation was back and raged as strongly as if it had never left. At the touch of Harefoot, the bulky deputy's gaze flickered up slowly. Meeting the gaze of his beloved friend, he moved as if made of stone in an accepting nod. Beartooth stood to his paws, waiting for Harefoot to lead the way today, a task that just seemed like far to much for him to consider. He trusted the tom to lead their little patrol wherever it may go. After a moment of silence, he spoke, the words foreign and soft, "I don't mind talking to you, Harefoot."

Heart fluttering in his chest as Beartooth rose to his paws, Harefoot stepped back a step and smiled gently at his friend's soft meow. He took the lead, wandering out of camp in a random direction rather than with a specific goal in mind. He was just pleased to have gotten Beartooth to go with him wherever they ended up; the deputy's time was a rare gift these days, although Harefoot regretted that they could only take time after such painful events as Pricklebush's death at the jaws of predators. Surely there were more positive things to think about? He strolled along a beaten path that was slightly obscured by leaves, thinking of things he could say. There were a lot of ridiculos stuff he could say - 'I care about you, I've missed you, you're my best friend, I want to be near you,' - but none of them were situationally appropriate and they were kind of clingy, too.

"Houndheart did great in his training, y'know. Snappy... but a good tom deep down. Very deep down. It's in there." What else could Beartooth love more than his own son? Even if they never spoke at all... surely the reserved tom wanted to know a little bit about Harefoot's perspective on the rowdy warrior, even though Harefoot was entirely ingorant on what had transpired between the pair of them.

There was a comfortable silence between them as they padded along. Beartooth found he relished in the moment. It was good to be alongside Harefoot. He had enjoyed the other tom's presence for so long, and without realizing it, had gotten to a place where living without his companion was a thought he could not even consider. In the midst of tragedy, in losing Pricklebush and just as efficiently losing his only son, there was a spark of goodness. He sucked in a low breath of air through his teeth and tired to still his tired heart. Such looming thoughts did nothing but fuel the creeping numbness that had begun to thaw.

As Harefoot spoke, he glanced up. There was a pang like an icicle as his son was mentioned. And he nodded as his jaw tightened and dug into his lower jaw. It hadn't been a mistake assigning Harefoot to be his mentor. There was some sort of bond that had formed between the unlikely pairing. Hopefully it helped to make up for the failure of a father. Although he would have been contented to say nothing, the warrior deserved an answer, "He has grow up... well. It's not his fault. He deserved better." Beartooth muttered, keeping his gaze ahead, fixed on the frosted forest.

Harefoot glanced sideways at his patrol partner, sensing some of the tension that typically came with the subject of his son. The kit had grown up alright. Things had been complicated for the harsh tom since his birth, but Harefoot figured Houndheart ought to be grateful for what he had, or at least thought that he might be once he grew up even more. "I don't know if we could have given him much better, Beartooth. You're here, aren't you? My parents... weren't. But Houndheart has you and Oakstar and even me if he wants me. Okay, he doesn't like to be parented right now. But maybe he'll mature a bit more down the road and then he'll see that having you alive and around is better than not at all. And until then, we can be there for him whenever he's ready for us." He paused. Was he even saying the right thing? Harefoot had trained Houndheart every day for moons, and he was fond of his former apprentice for reasons he didn't understand. He respected the snarky tom's desire for space, but the moment he asked for help or comfort, Harefoot would be ready to provide it. If that moment ever came, of course. He supposed he saw Houndheart and Beartooth in a very similar light... although with a few notable differences. The frost beneath them crunched softly with each pawstep, audible in the momentary silence.

"Like you and me." He finally concluded, flicking his tail against Beartooth's flank and taking a random turn onto a different patrol route. The chilly air fogged up Harefoot's steady breathing. "And Ferretnose!" He added quickly, trying to keep his heart hidden for at least a little longer. The cold air betrayed his quickening breaths. "Like how we're happy to help you... or give you space. If you want it." A slight smile appeared on his muzzle as he thought of their sleeping arrangement, the three warriors tangled in their nests, and was pleased to think that Beartooth hadn't yet requested space. Hopefuly that wouldn't change anytime soon, although the looming threat of Ferretnose and Beartooth being together and cutting him out had crossed his mind more and more as time went on.