sibling bond (closed)

He needed to do something, didn't he?

His Moonstone journey felt like moons ago (maybe it was, he really didn't remember). Despite that, he wasn't a warrior. Many of his siblings made it to warriorhood, yet he was still stuck here. They all had something that he didn't, somehow. And the more time that passed, the less likely Poppypaw felt like he would ever be a warrior.

It's alright. He was getting really good at apprentice stuff anyways.

Noticing his brother, Sunflare, the young tom quietly padded towards him. Perhaps he could learn stuff from shadowing his brother. Though, maybe he would be less than happy if Poppypaw followed him around without warning. "U-umm... Sunflare...?" he started. "Can we... hang out?"

Sunflare was undoubtedly the most successful of Marshmallow’s kits, at least in his own mind. He was the first to be made a warrior, first to get an apprentice, and first to have kits. In fact, he was very aware lately that his own apprentice had a nest near his littermate brother, still in the apprentices’ den. Poor unfortunate Poppypaw, still a bit behind even after all these moons.

Sometimes Sunflare would watch his brother and wonder if his own daughters would share a den with Poppypaw. His stepdaughter already had.

Speaking of, the black-and-white tom was padding towards him this very moment. Sunflare stretched, not in the way meant to intimidate where he showed off his height, but in a lazy sort of way. “Greetings, Poppypaw,” he purred. “I was just about to patrol the border, your timing is excellent.” Getting up, he began to approach the camp entrance. “So, brother,” he mewed, “how have you been?”

Poppypaw smiled nervously, before following his brother. "Yeah," the young tom replied. "I'm doing good, I think." He definitely wasn't, but he was hiding that. His brother knew his state anyways, so he could guess what was going on if he wanted.

Following his brother to the edge of camp, Poppypaw gazed around. He should have some small talk, right? "So... how's being a father?" he asked. "Is it difficult, raising... three kits?" Being a father to kits was just as important of a job as being a queen, or at least that's what he remembered Rookfire told him before. Hopefully, his brother would be as good of a father as his dad was.

Sunflare ducked his head as he slipped out of camp. “It’s good to hear you’re well,” he mewed. “As for the kits, they were a bit of a surprise. After all, it’s not every day three identical she-kits are born. They’re not quite big enough to get into trouble yet, but I can only imagine what they’ll be doing soon. Who knows, maybe you’ll be a warrior by the time they reach six moons and get to mentor one of them.”

Poppypaw smiled warmly at his brother, following him out of camp. Three identical she-kits... It must have been so hard to deal with it. "Yeah," he said. Somehow, he didn't think he was going to be a warrior any time soon.

As the two toms padded through the marshes, Poppypaw smiled at his brother. Honestly, he enjoyed spending time with him. It made him feel warm and fuzzy inside, like snuggling in the warmth of his nest. "How... how do you like being a warrior, Sunflare? Is it... better than being an apprentice?"