scarlet skylight [c]

When he wasn’t hunting, he was typically brooding alone in camp. The same was true of today. Redfall sat in a tree bordering the camp, watching who departed and leave. One thing stayed constant: any group had an Asylum cat in it. The tom scowled. The best he could do to resist their occupation was hostility towards anyone who approached. It often carried through interactions, meaning he was unintentionally rude towards Clanmates. Well... ruder than usual, anyway. The ginger tabby was content staying on his perch, flicking snow from the tree onto anyone who passed under him, until someone approached. Someone he (unfortunately) knew and majorly disliked. Dawnhawk. Redfall turned his head in the direction of the tom, but didn’t move his body. “Yes?”

Dawnhawk hadn't intended to run into Redfall or speak with him today. He only managed to notice the red tom because he was dropping snow onto those below him like a kit might. Dawnhawk had to stifle a laugh when some of it landed on an Asylum cat and the gray tabby she-cat shot a look up to him, absolutely not amused. That was probably the most entertaining thing he'd seen Redfall do, aside from trip over his own words and fail at insulting Dawnhawk himself. His tail tip twitched as he thought about Honeycomb and their recent interactions. Part of Dawnhawk wanted to keep moving and ignore Redfall entirely but another part of him... was actually not thrilled with the way Redfall had more or less ignored his kits.

With a quiet sigh, Dawnhawk made his way to Redfall's tree and scaled it easily. His Skyclan blood and training was still strong within him. He made note of where he knew the branches to be the least stable from the fire, but he knew how to spot the ones that could still support his weight as well. Dawnhawk found one just a bit above and to the left of Redfall's branch, where he calmly lie down.

"You've been awfully illusive since the take-over," Dawnhawk spoke calmly and hid all thoughts of venom behind an indifferent expression. "Even your poor daughter, Honeycomb, didn't see you at her warrior ceremony. Aren't you her mentor as well, Redfall? You could have at least shown up for that." And from there, Dawnhawk would go silent and allow the red tom to speak. The cats that guarded Dawnhawk were at the base of the tree, waiting and willing to climb if the need arose.

It was hard for Redfall not to spit venom at Dawnhawk. It wouldn’t get him anywhere good, but the urge was there. He didn’t have the mental energy to go around in circles with words. As Dawnhawk spoke, Redfall let his head rest on his paws, not avoiding the tom’s form but not staring at him either. “I was hunting.” It seemed like the most kitlike excuse. “Do you think I’m lying? Your brutes force everyone in camp to show up for ceremonies.”

Dawnhawk had a fair point by calling him illusive. He was rarely in camp. One or two rogues would escort him at any time of the day, and he’d be out for hours, wishing he was alone. Probably the case for her ceremony. Redfall had found out about his daughter’s new status a few days later. The pair rarely talked - in fact since he trained her, they hadn’t had spoken besides a few words here and there. Redfall looked back at Dawnhawk. He would have had to talk to Honeycomb in order to know she hadn’t seen him. And there was something about the way he was talking that felt suspicious. Calling Honeycomb his poor daughter, for example.

“Stop trying to guilt-trap me and get to your point.”

Dawnhawk noted Redfall's dampened fighting spirit and insults. Seems like there actually was something between his ears besides hot air after all. Out hunting? Probably. He could always ask the asylum cats in charge of him if it was true later if he had any doubts. "Less and less as time goes on. The clan is mostly accepting the way things are now." He mentioned calmly. Stop trying to guilt trip him? Dawnhawk wasn't trying, which would explain why Redfall apparently felt no guilt. Dawnhawk's claws flexed under his paws and pierced the bark he was on.

"My point, Redfall, is that you weren't there for her. I hunted with her not long ago and her skills were... well in need of work. You've been so caught up in your own thoughts and feelings that you have forgotten about her." Dawnhawk stood on the branch and his ears swiveled backward, but weren't quite flat against his head yet. His tone dropped dangerously low and a growl rumbled in his throat.

"Be there for her, or I will be. Are you sure that you want that?" He gestured to the camp around them filled with asylum cats. He knew too much how it felt to be pushed aside and forgotten. Whether or not he had any real feelings towards Honeycomb, he definitely sympathized with her. Dawnhawk too had made excuses for his parents at one point. They were busy. His sisters needed more help than him. The list went on. But no more. Their negligence and his mother's outright abuse had caused this. He was only the monster that they had made him.

What had changed since the night of the takeover in the minds of the SkyClan cats? He wouldn’t say acceptance, as Dawnhawk had. If anything, it was the realization that they couldn’t change anything on their own. Bloodstrike had tried, he was gone. He was the only one brave enough to try. Well… stupid enough to try. It was a suicidal move, which the deputy had somehow failed to realize.

Redfall moved his gaze back to Dawnhawk as the tom continued speaking. “You say I’ve forgotten about my own daughter,” he said, little emotion in his voice. “You’re one to talk about caring for family. As for the implication that I’m a bad mentor, well, I taught her what I know. If you’re saying her skills are bad, it’s an insult to mine as well.”

“You’re trying to threaten me by asking if I want my daughter to have someone to care for her? Interesting. Sounds to me like you only would care about her to have… what, leverage over me?” He didn’t know if he was severely misinterpreting things. He was pretty sure “are you sure you want that” was a threat. It didn’t have good implications in any way. Redfall looked at the Asylum-filled camp and then back at Dawnhawk. “Honeycomb can take care of herself. I’ll have a talk with her later, to show you I do care about my children. Tigersong as well.”

He stood up on the branch, balancing easily, and shook out his coat. “I lost my parents, three of my kits, my mate, my mentor, and one of my apprentices. I will take care of the kin I have left.”

Redfall glanced at Dawnhawk a moment more and slipped down the tree until he was at a lower branch. “As for your doubt in my skills. I’d be more than happy to prove them to you, if you aren’t too scared for a spar.” He crouched for a moment and leapt to the ground, giving the Asylum guards a wide berth. He wasn’t scared of them so much as wary. The ginger warrior did not like Iniko, but he trusted the tom to hand out appropriate punishments if their agreement was violated.

Dawnhawk only stared, as unblinking as a snake, while Redfall threw empty, mindless words at him. He expected nothing less, as he had only ever seen Redfall do exactly what he was doing now. Spit and retreat. Dawnhawk didn't bother to follow him. He only cracked a smile towards the very end.

"Oh, Redfall... I could have you executed or imprisoned on a whim. I don't need anymore leverage over you than I already have. But yes... you do need to care for the kin you have left." At least now he was actually going to go do it. Dawnhawk could see the guilt written all over his stiff shoulders, every stomp of his paws and the agitation in his voice. Redfall knew he had been an absentee deadbeat father, but he wasn't about to admit it to Dawnhawk, and that was perfectly fine with the pale tom.

"I hope I did you a kindness, Honeycomb. I hope this turns out well for you." Dawnhawk muttered mostly to himself, as he watched Redfall leave.

“You talk about caring for kin as if you don’t do it worse than I do. Tearing off your father’s tail, as an example.” Dawnhawk was staying firmly on his tree perch, as if he hadn’t heard anything Redfall had said. Not that I expected to get through his thick skull anyway. I’d hoped. I don’t know why. “You also managed to avoid saying anything about a spar. It gives me the impression that you can’t fight without a few guards at your side.” The mentioned guards around him began to growl, and their faces darkened, but they didn’t attack.

“You’re right. You could have me imprisoned or executed. But you’d never be able to do it yourself.” He wanted to run his claws into Dawnhawk’s pelt more than anything at that moment. It was a matter of baiting the tom into it. Redfall was confident in his skills - maybe overconfident, maybe Dawnhawk would kick him into a pulp, but he doubted it. What he was saying wasn’t just for show, either. He really thought Dawnhawk was too much of a coward to fight, that his grunts did the work for him. Vain, too afraid of his pelt getting a scratch, the ginger tom thought bitterly. If Dawnhawk still refused the fight, for whatever reason, he’d attribute it to cowardice and vanity.

Dawnhawk rolled his eyes. So typical of Redfall to make things up in his head. "I didn't tear off anyone's tail. A nightstriker did that. Still unable to keep facts straight I see." Redfall wasn't about to bait Dawnhawk into anything. He wasn't smart enough. Dawnhawk was a tough one to manipulate. The only one smart enough to win a mind game against Dawnhawk was probably Wolfstar, or maybe Bloodstrike on a good day.

"I'm not sparring with you, you fool. Tensions around here are already too high and things could get out of paw quickly. Do you want to be responsible for spilling more of your clan's blood?" Skyclan was full of hot heads after all. One enthusiastic swipe with claws during a spar could trigger a full on battle. It wasn't what Dawnhawk or Wolfstar wanted.

"I don't have to "imprison or execute you myself" Sweetheart. That's what having status and not being a pawn looks like, though I understand you'll never know what that's like. Traitor." Dawnhawk smirked, knowing full well how Redfall was going to react.