The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
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Subject: kings with no crown[c] Tue 22 Oct 2024 - 16:47
Father was gone. Mother was in grief. His sisters were gone, likely forever. It felt like just yesterday that he had been carried out of the nursery, perched on Tigerstar's shoulders whilst his siblings fought to be on their father's head, to be as high up as they could and be the best that they should be. It was just a memory now... few remained of the family he had known in his kithood. Leopardwind couldn't help but wonder if he had played a part in it's falling apart. If he had been a better brother, would that have convinced any of his sisters to stay? No, that was insinuating that they left by choice. And why would they ever choose to leave him?
Leopardwind shook his head softly, as if to clear the thoughts. He had brought his brother with him for today's hunt-- once, he would've gone alone, but... but he missed his family, and he had been away for far too long. He wanted as much time as he could catch to be spent with them before... before they too would leave him. It was like a river, rushing past him, and no matter how hard he tried to grasp the running water it would still trickle past.
"How have you been?" He asked, trying his best to keep his voice soft, gentle, as close to a caring brother as he could. He wanted Falconpaw to feel safe around him... to want to spend time by his side. Maybe it would convince Falconpaw not to leave like everyone else had. Leopardwind had so little siblings left, he had to make sure the rest didn't stray away.
Subject: Re: kings with no crown[c] Sun 27 Oct 2024 - 9:20
FALCONPAW
Gonna make a heartthrob out of me...
Falconpaw was distracted as he walked with his brother. His eyes kept searching the horizon, hungrily raking back and forth across every detail of the softly rolling hills. Were his sisters out there? Was his father? The losses of the former group, Falconpaw had tried to ignore. It was easier to pretend it did not affect him than to acknowledge it or let it show. But then Leopardwind had gone in search of him, and camp felt even hollower with another sibling gone; and then Tigerstar disappeared with the vanishing sun, and--and it was too much. Falconpaw had felt frustrated and sullen, distant from his Clanmates, in the days following. He hadn’t been himself. And then there was the stress of the wolves as well, wondering if his family wasn’t just missing but mauled as Ryepaw had been; devoured.
He should have just been grateful for Leopardwind’s return. He knew that; and he was. Really, he was. But it did not stop the agitation that mounted in his head and under his pelt, the restless grief. He should have been centered in the moment that they walked together now, instead of desperately searching the distance for signs of life. But he couldn’t help himself. Searching was all he knew how to do these days.
Falconpaw’s ears tilted back at the sound of his brothers voice. He hummed, ”Hm?” and angled his head around to look at him. He blinked slowly, considering the question, before turning away again. ”Oh, you know,” he threw his head back as if taking in the wind, ”I’m great. Same old, same old.” His voice was dry and the smile he tried to present barely even formed. The attempted expression quickly turned into a grimace. Falconpaw didn’t believe himself; how could he expect Leopardwind to? It wasn’t long before he sighed and shook his head as it dropped back to level.
”I’m tired,” he murmured after a few moments. ”But I’m okay.” Because he had to be. Because he didn’t know what would happen if he acknowledged that he wasn’t. Falconpaw’s eyes flicked once more across the horizon before he sighed defeatedly and turned his full attention to Leopardwind. ”I missed you, while you were gone. I’m glad you’re back.” He considered leaning over to press his head against Leopardwind’s shoulder, but he refrained. ”How are you?”
Subject: Re: kings with no crown[c] Sun 27 Oct 2024 - 22:48
His brother looked so weary, so broken, that Leopardwind could only imagine how miserable Falconpaw must have been these past few moons. Not to mention the mangled Ryepaw that Leopardwind only just learned of, injured from the wolves and still struggling to recover. To have both his parents missing, half his littermates gone and his friend so gravely injured must have haunted his brother horribly. Leopardwind wanted to tell him that he wasn't alone, that Leopardwind had also been struggling, that there was no need to try so hard to force a smile and try to make everything seem alright. Falconpaw had always been good at smiling, at brushing things off, so seeing his brother fail at that made his heart ache. "Falconpaw..." He began, but even his voice lacked the usual stern tone. It just sounded soft, more like a plead than anything.
Thankfully, Falconpaw had the sense to drop the ruse, or at least half of it. "I'm glad," Leopardwind murmured, even if he knew that Falconpaw was lying about being fine. Because there was no way he could be fine. None of them could be, after everything. One does not lose half their family and still be alright. "I missed you too. I'm sorry for leaving." It seemed routine by now to just apologize to everyone he was catching up with. Even now, he wasn't sure if he had really been in the wrong to leave and try to search for his siblings. But... but he had made them upset, so it was worth apologizing for that, right?
Leopardwind could taste the tension between them. It was barely there, but there enough to keep them apart. To the Dark Forest with it, he thought bitterly, and he closed the distance to press his nose to the back of his brother's neck and inhale the familiar scent that he had missed so much and he didn't let go because great StarClan he needed this and he almost didn't catch the sob that almost slipped out of his throat but he did and he swallowed it, the thing tasting like bile down his throat and sharp as thorns. "I'm glad to be home." And, since he didn't have the words to explain it, he repeated softly, "I missed you." He was taller than his brother, he realized, and his pelt was littered with far more scars. Were they still littermates? Time had treated them so differently.
