The Boys [Sun, Falcon, Storm]

The war had been a disaster and a half. What a foxdung mess that had turned into. Stormwatcher held his ears against his head as the hunting patrols were announced. It was him, Sun and Falcon.

He had not talked to his pals since the battle. He got his tail chewed out by sunfire and as much as he hated to admit it... Sunfire was kinda right, riverclan and thunderclan had not played fair and maybe Stormwatcher had been wrong to call him out on attacking a med cat... but at the same time this is how they ended up in this whole mess.

The last thing he wanted was to get sunfire landed in the same mess Beechface had been in. These were his group, his little gang! He would ride or die with these two.

Falcon... had been acting super weird before the battle and stromwatcher wondered if he thought about it as much as it was keeping him awake at night.

He for one wanted to tear up some pelts in revenge for birdstar... Falcon after the battle though had been more collected and yelled at that young punk of a warrior for threatening Wolf... he was not sure yet where his friends stood on what they ought to do next... but just sitting around waiting for another potential attack was not something stormwatcher wanted to do.


He gave a grunt, "come on lets get going" he meowed to the two and walked out of camp leading them all out to begin with.

He stayed quiet for a bit just letting the company be for awhile, but the silence was weird... risking sunfire going on another rant he began with:"so... that was a foxdung mess. Any ideas on how to resolve some of this?" he asked once they were out of camp and could talk to themselves.

Falconmoon's jaw tightened a little when he was assigned to patrol with Sunfire. Stormwatcher he never really minded. The tom was accidentally comical sometimes, which brought a much needed relief rom the daily life Falconmoon had, especially recently. Sunfire, however much he did still feel like he loved his brother despite everything, was now a source of stress. He followed Stormwatcher, allowing the silence to fill the air.

The white and gold tom darted forward suddenly, kicked off the trunk of a tree and nailed a blue bird right out of the air with a paw. A simply sideways yank of a claw, and the bird was dead. He pinned it until the death throes were done, then picked it up by a wing to stash it away for collection later. It was then, before he could really find a spot to stash it, that Stormwatcher began to speak.

Falconmoon's body tensed. His eyes flicked to Sunfire momentarily, but he used the excuse of burying the bird by an old pine tree to maintain his silence. Falconmon had his own ideas, but he doubted it was anything his current company wanted to hear. Of all of the things to talk about, why did Stormwatcher choose this subject? Was he trying to get a rise out of Sunfire?

It seemed like each day was another test to see how well Sunfire could maintain his composure. Long enough had passed that his wounds were mostly healed, but all that had done was give him the itch to rush over the border and sink his fangs into whatever Thunder-or-RiverClan cats crossed his path. He was angry. At Perchstar, at every cat who had participated in that battle on, at half of his own clanmates that had fought, too... including the two toms that were here with him now.

Stormwatcher and Falconmoon had both been on the other side of his angry rant following their return to camp, and he hadn't spoken, really, to either of them since then. The new kits had kept Sunfire busy enough that he hadn't had a whole lot of time to stew over it, though, so when Stormwatcher spoke, asking for solutions, of all things, he was met with only silence - both from him, and Falconmoon, who Sunfire noticed had stiffened at the question. He ignored the uneasy glance his brother had given him, what little remained of his tail lashing once in irritation.

After a moment of awkward silence, Sunfire cut his gaze sideways towards Stormwatcher, brow furrowed. "The two of you seemed pretty content to go belly up during the battle, why ask for suggestions now that it's over?"

It wasn't over, Sunfire knew that. The others probably did, too. But what sense did it make to discuss it here, anyway? His patrolmates - and most of their clanmates, for that matter - would never agree on what needed to happen. They were too soft.

Stormwatcher laid his ears back a bit annoyed at falcon's silence. Falcon not wanting to even talk about it was apprentish in his mind. Sunfire's snarky under pawed comment that followed got under his pelt more than it should have.

What he was most annoyed with was that their enemy had won their land. Riverclan really thought they could come into sky land and pull this?

Some help they were, Falcon just wanted to be a sulk head and sunfire was on his high road about how much better he was since he attacked anything that moved including a med cat which is what started this whole mess anyhow.

"Oh well sorry Mr. Sun my royalty. Mr. Perfect walk on water. You dumb foxhead if it wasn't for you we wouldn't had to deal with thunderclan at all." he spat back countering giving a dagger glare at his friend.

Why ask for suggestions now that it's over?? Was sunfire serious, who was giving up now?
Stormwatcher narrowed his eyes, "oh this foxdung is far from over. The way I see it, they still owe us 8 lives for birdstar

"you two foxhearts let me know when you done sulking and done on your high roading us"

This wasn't so far out of line for the three, they bantered often enough to know whose side everyone was on, but he was fed up with hearing how righteous sunfire was for going so hard in the battle, like they all hadn't tried to defend their land.

His claws sunk into the ground below him thinking of how riverclan was now probably licking their wounds and laughing at the now passed birdstar and beechface. He'd like to wipe any smirks off riverclan's maws but for now it would seem they couldnt even go a patrol without being at each other.


The big tom was losing it, he hated this, everything. Thinking clearly had gone out the window after the battle of sleepless nights.
"You so tough sun?? Come on swing then, lets go right now then. See you belly up if you keep talking all that smack"

He flicked his tail towards himself egging his friend on.

Yes, he still used the word friend for sunfire, falcon too. They might have a much different friendship than most but it still was a tight group.

Falconmoon gave Sunfire an unamused look, but didn't feel the need to say anything. It wouldn't do the situation any good to rile anybody up. Quite frankly, he didn't care what Sunfire thought of his decisions in the battle. He knew that he did all that he could, including sparing Stormwatcher and Sunfire from nasty blows from their opponents. Falconmoon had already made his point at the post-battle meeting with Wolfblossom and he felt no need to remind Sunfire a second time. If it made his brother feel better to forget that part, by all means he could. Falconmoon didn't need the pat on the back that every other young tom did. He knew what he was capable of, he knew what he'd accomplished, and more importantly, he was aware of his short comings. These other two though...

Stormwatcher began to run his mouth like a tom half his age. He even went so far as to call Falconmoon a foxheart, lumping him in with Sunfire. Whose idea was it to send the three of them together on a patrol? ... Right... Honeydew. He sighed quietly, forgiving her for her inexperience. He'd deal with this.

"Stormwatcher," Falconmoon began calmly, letting his insult from earlier roll off of his shoulder like water on a duck's back. "How is fighting a clanmate and getting demoted back to the apprentice den going to help win future battles against Riverclan? Sunfire is the leader's son, like it or not, and she doesn't take kindly to anyone threatening her kits. Fighting with Sunfire isn't going to do you any favors. If you need to take out your frustration on something, wait for a predator, or even a Thunderclan or Riverclan cat overstepping their borders. You'll be well within your rights then." He really hoped Sunfire would hear what he was saying and see reason as well. It was a very small hope but it was there. He turned his focus to Sunfire afterward.

"I may have made my share of mistakes in that battle, but I did a lot of good too. Discredit me if you want, especially if it makes you feel better, because at the end of the day I don't care if you do." Falconmoon's voice was still calm and his eyes held no animosity toward ether of them. The wounds were tender still, not just the physical ones. He was hurting just as much, but had the foresight to know the irreparable damage that displaced anger could do. He was not interested in having another Featherkit mistake.

"I'm going back to hunting. I'd be grateful if you guys didn't scare the prey off." It was the last thing he thought he could do to try to ease the tension. If they started fighting, he wouldn't get involved. They could dig their own holes and face demotion afterward on their own.

Of course Stormwatcher had to start whining. Sunfire huffed and rolled his eyes, but his head snapped towards his clanmate at the accusation that the war with ThunderClan was his fault. Partly, that was true... he had led a patrol into a contested territory, and there had been an altercation there, but Mottlestar had attacked him, and border disputes happened all the time. If she had been willing to end her alliance with SkyClan over such a small thing, it hadn't been an alliance worth keeping at all.

"We should be grateful that ThunderClan showed their true colors before RiverClan declared war," he snapped in return. "At least we were expecting them to double team us rather than it being a surprise." Stormwatcher's next line made him pause, though... surprise flickering across his face for a split second before he banished it and turned away, staring off into the trees. Stormwatcher was still yapping behind him, but Sunfire paid him no mind.

Was there more of the clan that felt the same way as Stormwatcher? More cats willing to do what needed to be done, even if it was an ugly thing? Even if it was a cruel thing? He didn't know if the thought gave him relief, or filled him with dread. He didn't need anyone else meddling around and interfering with his plans, but... he also needed allies within the clan, and Stormwatcher was a good warrior. If he could convince the other tom to go along with him...

At his name, he looked back at the other two, finally tuning back into the conversation. The bark of laughter that followed Stormwatcher's challenge startled even himself, and Sunfire flicked an ear dismissively at his companion, opening his mouth to give a retort-

But Falconmoon beat him to it, spouting off some nonsense, and Sunfire's expression darkened. "He should be wary of picking a fight because I'll put him in the dirt, not because I'm the leader's son," he spat. Yellow eyes flicked up and down his brother, muzzle curling to bare fangs in a silent hiss. He took a step towards his brother. "Is it exhausting, Falconmoon? Wearing that mask, all the time?" He pressed closer, until he was almost nose-to-nose with the other tom. "Parading around with your self-righteous, do-no-wrong persona that we both know is a lie?" Sunfire's eyes narrowed, and he lowered his voice, though Stormwatcher could probably hear if he just leaned in. "There's as much fire in you as there is in me. I've seen it, I know it's there."

Why didn't you use it to protect us? He left that question unspoken. Then, without tearing his gaze away from his brother, he said, "Stormwatcher, if you want to fight, I'll happily oblige. But this is a hunting patrol, and the clan needs food." He'd happily knock heads with the tabby tom later, but their duties to the clan came before anything else.

Stormwatcher fumed a couple seconds longer.  What a rotten day.  Both his friends were scolding him for his shortsighted words and they were probably right, but still it was not fun being shoved in your face how wrong you were for everything you said and did.

Wolf would indeed have his pelt if he went starting things and sun was right ... they could probably both hurt each other and for what exactly? He had no idea how Falcon kept such a cool head all the time.  Right before the battle Falcon was not calm he remembered that part clearly enough.

Still, he was glad falcon was there to keep them from doing anything too stupid.  He clawed at the ground frustrated as ever

we cant even protect our leader on our own land and now we are at each others throats... this is what riverclan wants, those slimy fish kissers.  He was about to take the L and just suck it up and apologize to sun. He knew what he he had done was out of line even if it was partly true about sunfire causing the wrath of thunderclan come down on them.

However then something happened that he did not expect.
Sunfire turned to Falconmoon and claimed he wore a mask: hid his real feelings.  Stormwatcher found himself flicking his ears thinking back to prior to the battle Falcon nearly foaming at the mouth before charging into battle... but that was just battle adrenaline surely.  Sunfire must be referencing something else? He narrowed his eyes slightly unsure exactly of what was being referenced between the two brothers.

The whole interaction felt off and heavier than it should have all at once as the banter had turned to something... way more

He blinked realizing sunfire was talking to him again ... huh?? oh fighting?
he gave a sigh, sunfire was right, this was a hunting patrol
"yeah hunting for now... and next we hunt riverclan we can practice for that later he wouldn't mind a spar later, they could blow off some steam and prep for any future riverclanners at the same time.

Still, Sunfire's words to Falconmoon rattled around in his head.  Any other time he would have written it off as more Sunfire big talk just to get under someone's pelt... but the odd thing was, Sunfire just didn't do that to Falconmoon, not till now.

It shook up entirely of what Stormwatcher had thought the structure was between the three of them. He had always thought of Falcon as their unofficial leader.  But now? It was a trio of chaos with no official lead and all of them pulling separate directions. If that was really the case... how long until sun did something off the handle again? Something he or Falcon couldn't get him out of this time. OR worse... if what sun said was true it could be himself or falcon that flew off the handle next.

what a foxdung mess he thought rolling his eyes.

For the sake of them all he hoped Sunfire was wrong and that Falcon could maintain whatever he had going on, and: if it was a mask he hoped it was welded onto Falcons face and then secured with extra gorilla glue.

"whatever... Come on lets go hunt.


OOC: I really hope I roll a ten just cause that would be so funny

darn... I mean yay I caught something

Stormwatcher pounced on a nearby squirrel, an easy enough catch. Depite all their banter and tom one-uperry the squirrel had been too occupied digging at an acorn.

He was half tempted to toss it to sunfire as a way to make some what ammends but figured that could just as easily backlash with sunfire yelling at him that he didnt need help.

It was difficult being friends with someone who said you were always wrong for seemingly everything. He ended up burring it for later when they came back to it

The member 'speedy' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Falconmoon held back a sigh and an eyeroll at Sunfire's claim to put Stormwatcher in the dirt. Maybe he could do it, but that wasn't the point. Why is it always the cats with the smallest tails that want to get into a tail measuring contest? His mind flashed back briefly to Bloodstrike, but he didn't have time to linger on it before Sunfire was in his face. Falconmoon stared back, deadpan. Who did these toms think they were scaring? There was that one fool that smelled... absolutely horrid at the battle with Ruverclan and Thunderclan that got in his face like he was the most intimidating thing in this forest. Neither of these toms knew that Falconmoon had seen things that would curl their teeth in their skulls.

"Is it exhausting, Falconmoon?" That sentence hardly got a reaction out of him. He held it back, but his immediate retort would have been Listening to you birch all of the time? Yes it is. What followed after however, actually did get a flicker of emotion out of Falconmoon. Confusion danced in his blue depths at first, but as Sunfire kept speaking...

"Parading around with your self-righteous, do-no-wrong persona that we both know is a lie?" Falconmoon's eyes sharpened and focused, searching for something deep inside Sunfire's as his heart picked up a few extra beats. His claws extended quietly and pierced the dirt beneath as something inside of him stirred. Something dark. It was as if acknowledging it's presence gave it strength and life.

"There's as much fire in you as there is in me. I've seen it, I know it's there."

Kill him.

A voice flashed through Falconmoon's head, but he ignored it and made no move to bring his claws up to Sunfire's throat. He wasn't sure how Sunfire found out, or even if he really had. He spared a quick glance at Stormwatcher, but noted that Sunfire wasn't looking away from him at all. What was he waiting for? As the older tom stalked off after a squirrel, Falconmoon had a surge of reckless energy come forth, refusing to yield and refusing to be ignored. If the two brothers weren't already so close that their noses were nearly touching, Falconmoon would have leaned in.

"My fire, brother," Falconmoon's voice had darkened considerably as he spoke his words lowly and carefully, intending for only Sunfire to hear. "... would turn this entire forest to ash and the clans with it if I ever let it get out of control again. If you think letting your temper run amok is a sign of strength, you know even less than I thought you did." He should have stopped there. He should have, but the temptation to finally have more cats know about him, to know his history and his current level of restraint was too much. He knew even as he spoke that he should have bit his tongue to keep it from wagging.

"Have you touched the Night Fangs? Have you been to the Dark Forest? Have you ever had the power to kill with only a word or a look? No Sunfire, you haven't. So until then, keep your preaching about how exhausting it is to wear a mask to yourself."

Idiot. He thought immediately once the words left his mouth in a hiss. He'd gone too far... but on the other paw... what if Sunfire already knew anyway? He held his brother's yellow gaze, unflinchingly, and waited to see what else he might say. If Sunfire knew, truly knew, he'd reveal it now. If he did know...

Well, there would be a lot more for them to talk about away from the other clanmates. Hopefully it would only be a conversation and not a blood bath.