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Post by berryjuice on Feb 26, 2021 19:31:56 GMT -5
Brightfrost almost wished that Paleheart had come up to fight her. She would love to punish him for having caused more trouble when they already had plenty of trouble to deal with. Though, that would mean more wounds for Autumneyes to deal with, and Brightfrost didn’t want to bother her friend more. Still, she wished that there was something she could do to teach Paleheart and Applewing a lesson. But at the moment, she needed to focus on Jasmienfur.
She frowned as she listened to him. He...wasn’t wrong. She had spent much of her apprenticeship learning how to fight WindClan cats. Her Clanmates had gone on and on about how WindClan cats were tricky and vicious and you could never turn your back on them. And what Jasminefur was describing, this elaborate ruse...according to what she had been told, it really was not outside the realm of possibility. But she felt like there was something there, some sincerity to what this tom was saying. There was a brokenness to him that she didn’t think could be faked. Something about this cat made her want to trust him and look after him. Maybe it was just that he was most likely the son of the StarClan cat that appeared in her dreams- but she felt like there was more.
“But...you’re not lying to me, right? You’ve given me your word.” Brightfrost could almost hear her Clanmates yowling about how a WindClan cat’s word was meaningless. “If you’re telling the truth, then you do deserve kindness. And if you’re lying…” She almost didn’t want to think about that, but she knew she had to. “Then I’ll deal with that when- if I need to.”
She paused, sitting near Jasminefur. She was starting to calm from the altercation with Paleheart and Applewing. “StarClan tells us that the four Clans need each other. Even if it’s hard to understand while we’re alive...we have to follow their teachings. So...I guess that means that all cats deserve kindness- no matter what Clan they’re in. After all, we’ll both be in StarClan someday anyway.”
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Shadowstartheleader
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Feb 27, 2021 6:13:40 GMT -5
Autumneyes was watching as Paleheart turned away from Brightfrost, soothed by something that Applewing had said quietly to the other warrior. She wanted to go over and give the two of them a peace of her mind, but what good was it going to do? Paleheart was plenty arrogant and from how much Applewing was pampering him at the moment, she didn't imagine the tom-cat was going to listen much more.
It still took her a moment to process that Brightfrost had hauled Jasminefur up to the high point of the camp, and for a bewildered second she had to wonder why. It only took a glance around camp, at all the cats staring at the two of them, to figure out Brightfrost's reasoning for ascending a bith further away. Taking in a deep breath, casting another glance at Brightfrost who seemed focused on the WindClan cat now, she let it go.
She thought about padding towards the nursery, to make sure Fernkit was okay, but barely any time had passed and she didn't want to seem like a horribly overbearing mother.
Jasminefur didn't say anything at Brightfrost's question, his ears flicking as she pointed out what he had said to her the previous day. His gaze was fixed on her's until she indicated that he did deserve kindness in the case that he was telling the truth.
His gaze fell and he took in a deep breath and gave a heavy exhale. To a cat looking for something to be suspicious about, it might have seemed like an admission of guilt, but Jasminefur was turning circles in his head trying to figure out how to explain just how wrong she was. How could he explain what a sad excuse for a warrior he was? How could he explain that he was the worst WindClan could offer?
It was so strange how much she seemed to not want to commit to a course of action if he was lying. He could think of half a dozen of his clanmates right away who would have taken immense advantage of just what she was saying right now, and he knew the fact that he didn't want to was precisely why he was such a dishonored warrior in the eyes of his clanmates. "The only good ThunderClan cat is a dead one." Robinbite's words echoed through his head, moons and moons ago. She lamented frequently the lack of a spine Jasminefur had during their training.
He looked back up to her as she preached the necessity for the four different clans, words uttered very little in WindClan in his life. It was hard to remember that StarClan did say there always needed to be four clans, when WindClan and ThunderClan had been warring for generations. Still, Jasminefur wasn't feeling particularly graceful towards the word of StarClan right now. They had, after all, sat and watch as dogs were eviscerating his clan.
I guess StarClan is even wrong some times. Or they...just don't care. The words flashed through his mind like the hot fangs of a dog, but he didn't dare speak them aloud. Still--Brightfrost was certainly right that they were all going to end up in the same place. Even if it was hard to believe StarClan cared about there being four compelte clans, it was a good reminder that perhaps the two of them didn't need to be at war with each other at the moment.
He tried tempering the way he was feeling about StarClan when he opened his mouth to speak. "It seems StarClan might not think too much of WindClan anymore. Maybe there will be a miracle at the Gathering, but...noone was there to help us with the dogs, and..." The words were right on the tip of his tongue, but he knew he shouldn't say another word; questioning StarClan, or the leader--WindClan had had no tolerance for it, and he couldn't shake the feeling that their starry ancestors were listening to his every word. They let it happen.
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Post by berryjuice on Feb 28, 2021 3:16:41 GMT -5
As Jasminefur seemed to think things over, Brightfrost listened to the sounds around them. She noted that she didn’t hear much else from the camp below. She supposed that Applewing had calmed Paleheart down, which she guessed she should be thankful for. She also didn’t hear Autumneyes. She hoped she wasn’t too upset.
She refocused her attention on Jasminefur. She hoped she could get through to him somehow- but supposed it was hard for two cats to become allies when they were so used to being enemies. She thought back on her past battles with WindClan- despite being relatively young, she had had to participate in plenty. Had Jasminefur ended up under her claws? Had his teeth clamped down on her neck? She wasn’t sure; it was too hard to remember and parse out the different bloodied, furious scraps of WindClan fur in each battle. But she did admit that it was quite likely that they had caused each other great pain in the past. She wanted to believe they could work together despite this history; after all, the rage of battle wasn’t present here.
Though...while not quite rage, she certainly felt a strong pang of anger as Jasminefur spoke. She stood up straighter. “StarClan would never simply abandon one of the Clans. They care about WindClan very much. You- we just can’t understand them because they’re not like us- they’re better. And they know what they’re doing and…” Brightfrost had to stop for a moment to catch her breath. It was obvious that she was even more passionate about StarClan than the average code-abiding cat. Even though most might understand why Jasminefur may have doubts about StarClan after what he had experienced, it wasn’t something that was easy to accept. Surely, all of StarClan’s actions must be for a reason. They just had to be. She spoke again, her voice without doubt, “I know that they’re watching over you. They do care.”
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Shadowstartheleader
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Feb 28, 2021 5:14:51 GMT -5
It was very clear she had faith that StarClan wasn't watching over them with disinterest, but her words rang hollow to Jasminefur as he thought of the dog closing its teeth around his mother's neck, the carnage raging around him with not a warning from StarClan. His eyes misted up a bit and for a moment, it was clear he wasn't there while she spoke.
His eyes narrowed in anger at her assertion about StarClan: They're better. What was better about letting his mother die in front of him? What was better about casting him out from his home? Letting Fernkit witness everything she had? He couldn't have disagreed more--but with frustration, he realized that this was the only warrior who had backed him up. Even if he really wasn't owed it, he needed her kindness to remain safe here, and so he felt it wasn't wise to argue with her.
It was likely for the better, as well; he could hear the certainty and conviction ringing throughout her voice, like there was nothing in her life she was more certain of. He could at least appreciate that there was space in her heart to try and reassure him about StarClan's benign watch, when many cats here would likely claim StarClan disapproved of every step a WindClan cat took.
He looked away from her, frowning and glancing back towards the edge tail-lengths from them, scanning in the distance as he tried to figure out what to say, or if he should say anything at all. His scanning stopped as he saw Autumneyes standing near her den, watching him and Brightfrost with an expression that was too far away to really read. StarClan wasn't there to help him when he needed it; Brightfrost and Autumneyes were, as well as Quickbird, and Stoneheart to a lesser extent. "I hope you'll forgive me if I'm more eager to appreciate you, the cats who are helping us now, than...StarClan's grand plan." It was as diplomatic as he could be while still speaking the truth. StarClan didn't feel like an ally to him, but Brightfrost and Autumneyes did.
"I suppose they wouldn't let us step out of camp for a walk," He murmured quietly, trying to change the subject away from ruminating on StarClan's benign nature. The ThunderClan cats weren't going to want him seeing the territory, unless it was straight for WindClan's to bear him farewell. After a lot of silence and avoiding her gaze, Jasminefur looked back up at the she-cat trying to assess if she was still miffed with his comments. "I don't think they've blinked since we emerged from the den," He swooshed his tail forward, generally indicating the remaining pelts in camp.
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Post by berryjuice on Feb 28, 2021 5:46:34 GMT -5
Brightfrost’s mind raced as she watched Jasminefur’s eyes narrow. She felt defensive at the thought that StarClan’s plans were less important than anything. What he said was fairly kind- she knew that plenty of cats seemed to care more about those living beside them than about their starry ancestors, but were still faithful enough. But she wasn’t sure she could trust the brown tom’s rather neutral statement. It was easy to guess that he could just be placating her. After all, she had seen him acting in a similarly submissive manner to several cats. He was likely aware that he needed whatever allies he could get.
“There’s nothing more important than the path StarClan has set out for us,” Brightfrost mumbled, reminding herself of her own path. She had to try to emphasize with Jasminefur. And, she supposed, he wasn’t in his right mind- maybe he hadn’t meant to disrespect StarClan at all. She tried to push down her anger. Her voice softened. “It was StarClan that let me find you- and it was StarClan that gives medicine cats the responsibility of helping hurt cats.”
She looked back down at the camp, calming more as they changed the subject- though she remained on edge. She sighed. “No, they probably won’t. Maybe I’ll be able to convince Specklestar after you’ve been here a little longer.” She hoped that this was true, but she wasn’t sure if Jasminefur’s continued stay would make ThunderClan start to trust him a little more or if it would just make her Clanmates angry that he was sticking around too long. “Or once you’re feeling better…” She spoke more quietly, “...we could just not ask for permission.”
She had sneaked out of camp here and there, to varying degrees of success (her lightly-colored, rather plush coat did not make stealth especially easy) and she felt like they could pull it off this time. But she did get the feeling that they would be in quite a lot of trouble if they were caught. Despite this, she felt like it could be necessary- it was so hard to talk knowing that every cat in ThunderClan was hanging on their every word.
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Shadowstartheleader
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Feb 28, 2021 6:21:52 GMT -5
He wasn't thrilled as she seemed set to continue lecturing him about StarClan, and he inhaled and prepared to bite his tongue; but it wasn't necessary. Brightfrost's voice softened, and her response was far more grounded than he expected. He let out a quiet exhale as she pointed out that Autumneyes healed him because it was the work she accepted as a medicine cat, in duty to StarClan. Of course, Autumneyes also healed him because it seemed she had wanted to, but he still accepted Brightfrost's point. And it wasn't hard to understand that Brightfrost was there in the same pursuit, to follow the Warrior Code.
He still needed an answer, why they had let dogs rampage across WindClan--and Brightfrost was making him wonder, as well, if things were how StarClan wanted them, why did he survive? He didn't have much of any remarkable skills, nothing that would set him aside as extra valuable to StarClan.
But he didn't argue that, in some indirect way, StarClan had put Brightfrost and the other cats there to fight off the dog and Autumneyes to heal them. He was going to say something to acknowledge what she said, something a little more genuine, but she moved on from the subject, and he let it go for the moment.
His eyebrows raised in surprise as she suggested that, in a couple days when his wounds were better, they could just...slip out. It was surprising to hear her so openly willing to be a delinquent, and for a brief moment he couldn't help but give a genuine chuckle. "I definitely didn't expect you to say that," He mrrowed, his tone a little more light-hearted than that of their previous topic.
"But I think it would not be wise to take a chance of testing your leader's patience with you--he may not have really said it, but I think that you are already on pretty thin ice just bringing me here." He cast a quick glance towards Paleheart and Applewing, the former of which was now glamorously stretched out in the sun as Applewing continued to groom him. Jasminefur indicated the two of them with his tail. "Just think of the pelt-shearing those two would love to give me." Her promise played back to him in a quick moment. "And I know what you're going to say, but i'd prefer you not have to fight anyone off on my behalf." He murmured, puzzling to himself after expressing that he just didn't want to put her in that position.
"There are still a pawful of days before the Gathering. I'm sure I'll be better within a couple days, and perhaps...Well, I'm not going to be a very good hunter here, but I can start catching prey to pay back what I've eaten." It was an idea to get them out of camp, and it would also, hopefully, quiet the grumbling about him consuming ThunderClan food.
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Post by berryjuice on Mar 1, 2021 4:27:49 GMT -5
Brightfrost was glad for the brown tom’s little bit of amusement; it was rare for her to see his mood lighten. It was- cute? And what he said made sense, too. She thought about what might happen if they were caught. She thought that it was sort of surprising that Specklestar had allowed Jasminefur to stay and that she hadn’t really been punished for the act of bringing an enemy warrior right into camp. Well, except for being required to spend some days guarding him- but that wasn’t too bad. Though, at the moment she didn’t want to care much about her own status within the Clan, but if they caused too much trouble there was the more important risk of Specklestar sending Jasminefur away. “I guess you’re right. Things are tense already; I better not push it.”
Brightfrost considered Jasminefur’s suggestion. “You going hunting might be a good idea- you know, once you’re well enough and everything. My Clanmates will have less reason to complain if you’re catching your own food instead of taking from their prey pile. And don’t worry about not knowing how to hunt in our territory; I can teach you.” She did consider that some of her Clanmates may object to the idea of teaching their hunting techniques to an outsider. But she didn’t think those needed to be as secret as, say, fighting techniques. And she could tell herself that she was just practicing for the day when she might need to teach an apprentice how to hunt.
“I guess we should head back soon- before anyone starts to wonder what we’re doing up here.” Her whiskers twitched with amusement as she looked back towards the camp. She missed her apprentice days, when she could fight with them and call it combat training. “You know, if I did end up sparring with Paleheart and Applewing...it wouldn’t be just for your benefit. So don’t worry.”
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Shadowstartheleader
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Mar 1, 2021 7:39:28 GMT -5
Jasminefur nodded quickly, glad that Brightfrost agreed that it was a risk that they should not take. Him saying this came from genuine worry about what would happen--yes, he might be kicked out, but he could flee to another clan--beg them for help. They might be--at least, RiverClan might be--more willing to help than his rival clan. Brightfrost belonged here, and was responsible for what she did in a way he wasn't--and there was a part of him that naturally loathed anyone suffering because of him--and it was because of that he was loathing himself so much.
So it was all the better that the she-cat agreed, and avoided tempting getting into a lot of trouble.
He nodded along as Brightfrost echoed his own thoughts about the suggestion of hunting. He was about to add on to what she said, but she continued, and promised him another thing--teaching him how to hunt in ThunderClan. He closed his eyes, thinking about the two of them out in the territory, practicing ThunderClan prowling and a style of catching that wasn't based as much as blending in with the moors as staying unseen and downwind.
Was she going to keep treating him like he was already her clanmate? It was leaving him a bit lost for words, not knowing how to thank her for making him another kind promise. "T-that'd be g-great..." He stammered out while hoping that she didn't take it for hesitation as his gaze fell back to the ground. "They can't argue if I'm catching food for them, too." He was guessing he was going to have to stay out longer and work harder than them if he went hunting--it wasn't going to be enough in these ThunderClan cats' eyes for him to take their prey for himself--in fact, it would probably be complained about more than using their herbs, 'stealing' prey from their territory.
He took a deep breath as she suggested that they lower from their high point, and he heavily sighed that breath out, lamenting having to lower back into the better hearing of the cats around him. It was barely a moment they had just a bit of privacy from the snooping of her clanmates, and he failed to keep the disappointment out of his voice; but that was more genuine than acting like he was thrilled to go back down.
He lifted himself up onto his feet just as she started mentioning the two warriors below them. A single eyebrow raised on his face as he looked up from his paws and back at her, and though he didn't have the energy for a full-on laugh, there was that same (subdued, tired) humor in his voice as he started following her back down. "Weren't your best pals in your apprenticeship?"
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Post by berryjuice on Mar 2, 2021 3:21:51 GMT -5
“Yeah, good idea- we can have you hunt for the elders and everything. Surely my Clanmates can’t complain as much as if you’re actively helping us,” said Brightfrost, though she thought it likely that her Clanmates would complain anyway. For many of them, their hatred of WindClan knew no bounds. And even that aside, it seemed like elders always found something to complain about. Still, she hoped to prove everyone’s suspicions to be incorrect. She did worry about what would happen once leaf-bare arrived and hoped it would be a mild one; tensions were always high during that time of year, and she was sure that a WindClan cat taking from the limited amount of prey available. Maybe it wouldn’t matter- maybe Jasminefur’s stay wouldn’t have to be that long. Really, only StarClan knew what the future held for the two of them.
Brightfrost began leading him back into the main part of camp. She was much more deliberate and careful this time. This was partially because she was more aware about the possibility of Jasminefur falling and hurting himself, and partially because she wasn’t very eager to return to the middle of her Clanmates’ hateful stares.
She chuckled softly at Jasminefur’s statement about Paleheart and Applewing. “You could say that. I think it’s jealousy; they never could compare to me.” Her voice had a slight purr as she pridefully relished the memory of every time she was able to do better than them in training; she tried to forget the less pleasant memories of her apprenticeship. The talk did make her wonder about what Jasminefur was like as an apprentice and how he got on with his Clanmates. She wanted to ask, but there was something so nice about seeing the tom in a more upbeat mood, however slight the difference. She would hate to ruin it by bringing up those he had lost. “There are always cats who need to be the best at everything, you know? But you don’t strike me as the competitive type- were you when you were younger?”
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Shadowstartheleader
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~The world may be dark, we may be lost forever, but we stand a chance as long as we're together~
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Mar 2, 2021 5:44:27 GMT -5
Brightfrost was voicing the most optimistic version of events, and though he had his doubts whether things would really play out that way, he had to hope it would have some noticeable impact on him staying here...if he was there that much longer.
It was still bugging him that they hadn't checked the camp for any survivors yet; the fact no one had come to speak with Specklestar probably was not good news. He desperately wanted to get back, to see what remained, but Specklestar wasn't sending anyone with him, that much he already knew. He could go on his own, but...if there was a stray dog, he was absolutely done for. What could he...?
His gaze fell on her just as she was speaking about Paleheart and Applewing, just picking up that they were jealous of her for her superior warrior skills. He raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear her speak so boldly and highly of herself without a filter--such high levels of self-confidence was seen as arrogant in WindClan, but he had to remind himself that she was not from WindClan. And yet still, his mind flashed back to the dog that almost ate him alive, the selfless bravery with which she threw herself at the dog and the natural fluidity she attacked the dog with. Maybe she deserves to call herself the best. He silently wondered.
He blinked and lowered his eyebrow as she asked him how he was as an apprentice. A part of him thought that, if she really was the best apprentice of her group, it would be pretty easy to talk down about cats who wanted to be the best. Jasminefur understood living in other cats shadows; never exceeding their skills, and he had to take a deep breath and ponder how to carefully word what he was going to say.
After breathing quietly for a bit as they continued ascending and neared the camp floor once more, he lowered his voice to a quieter conversational tone to speak. "Well...there were a lot of apprentices training with me...Aspenwind was faster than a rabbit, Littlewhisker was such a good fighter he tore part of some ThunderClan cat's ear off when he was an apprentice," His voice was almost a whisper as he said that, looking around to see if that cat happened to be around.
"They were all great at something, and, well..." The tone of his voice darkened. "If you ever need a tick picked, that's how I could help." His humor was gone, as he dropped his guard for a moment and lamented his inability to overcome any of his clanmates--and hinting at how often he was relegated to the most menial apprentice duties.
He didn't know how much more he should really say to this warrior from another clan. Did it matter? It wasn't like any cat from ThunderClan was going to hesitate because he was a weak warrior, so it probably didn't matter to divulge how poor a warrior he was. "So no, I wasn't a competitive cat, really. I wasn't...I'm not anything like those two," He signaled Applewind and Paleheart before continued. "I was....glad the other apprentices could contribute something to the clan." He murmured quietly.
His lip twitched a little bit, and then his gaze fell to his paws. He reminded himself of so many of his failed catches, being walked over like a dead mouse in battle training...the mother he watched die. "I just wish, for once in my life, I could too."
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Post by berryjuice on Mar 2, 2021 20:18:59 GMT -5
Brightfrost listened to Jasminefur describe his Clanmates; she tried to remember which ones she had seen at Gatherings or encountered in battle. She wasn’t especially encouraged to get to know these enemies, so she wasn’t sure she could recognize them. She wondered about Littlewhisker’s victim as well. Maybe that was how Goldenspots had lost his ear? He had always claimed that it was a big, horrible fox that had taken it- but maybe that was only a story to cover up the fact that it had actually been lost to a mere apprentice. Perhaps this was information she could use to embarrass him if he caused too much trouble for her and the WindClan refugees. She glanced around camp for him and saw that he was talking with Specklestar- probably complaining about Jasminefur, she guessed.
She looked to Jasminefur softly as he discussed his shortcomings- and being relegated to lower apprentice duties. She wondered if he really was a weak Clanmate or if he was just being humble. He was able to outrun a dog for enough time to reach ThunderClan, so she thought he might be better than he thought. Wherever Fernkit’s parents were, Brightfrost was sure that they were grateful for Jasminefur. “Maybe you brought more to the Clan than you realized. And...well, someone needs to take care of ticks. Especially for the elders- looking after them is an important part of the code.”
She paused, unsure of how to comfort him. It seemed like his problems ran deeper and started earlier than the incident with the dogs. And talking to him was much different than talking to her Clanmates; they didn’t have the moons of personal history, and she really only had his word to go on in terms of understanding what his life had been like previously. She spoke gently, “I’m sure you’re a hero to Fernkit.”
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Shadowstartheleader
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~The world may be dark, we may be lost forever, but we stand a chance as long as we're together~
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Mar 3, 2021 3:33:41 GMT -5
Jasminefur found it very strange to hear her trying to reassure him of his role in the clan being useful. First...she was from ThunderClan. He didn't need to voclaize what made that strange. Sure, caring for the elders was important, part of the Code, but did he need to be the one doing it almost everytime?
He was ready to complain when the thought of the elders sleeping in their den, interrupted by the barking of dogs, flashed through his mind. It was amazing that a day ago he was lamenting catching prey for no one more than the elders, and now he would give anything to be back there providing for the elders. He imagined Brightfrost reminding him it was importnt to give them a comfortbale retirement, and he sighed quietly with a slight nod.
"I'm no hero," he meowed flatly without a moment's delay when Brightfrost siad what had to be the truth about Fernkit. It was such a strong thing to hear, that conflicted so heavily with how Jasminefur was feeling about himself right now, that it made his hackles rise a little as he started thinking of every reason why Fernkit shouldn't think of him as a hero. "I'm just good at running. And I was about to die, not even sure if she would make it away. If anything, Quickbird should be her hero."
It was like he didn't want to hear or acknowledge any good action on his part-Jasminefur didn't think it mattered, after fleeing his clan to leave them to the dogs. But, with a frustrated prickling of his fur, he was stuck on Brightfrost's words, that he was Fernkit's hero, knowing what would have happened to her if he hadn't fled carrying her.
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Post by berryjuice on Mar 3, 2021 5:07:55 GMT -5
Brightfrost frowned softly at his response. She supposed that it made sense that he would be so bitter in this regard after what happened with the dogs. But the more she talked to him, the more she felt like there was something that he wasn’t telling her. There was a pit in her stomach as she wondered if the secret was that he really was hiding sinister motives- that her decision to ally himself was wrong and that she was putting her Clanmates in danger, just as everyone seemed to fear.
She was again confronted with the fact that she wasn’t completely certain that she could trust him. But she also told herself that there could be something else at play here. Jasminefur seemed to have a complicated relationship with his Clanmates and an assortment of self-esteem issues. And who knows what he had seen during the dog attack? She would never really know what he was going through. She wondered if he was feeling angry at himself because he hadn’t gone back to camp yet. She couldn’t imagine how hard it must be to stroll around an enemy camp while not knowing if any of your Clanmates are alive and if there’s anything you could be doing to help them.
“Being good at running isn’t nothing,” said Brightfrost, wondering if that was an especially highly-regarded skill among WindClan cats. “If a slower cat was responsible for Fernkit, who knows what would have happened? She might not have made it far enough to be spotted by our patrol if it wasn’t for you.”
She paused, considering her next words carefully. “You’re right that I don’t exactly know what sort of cat you are. But...I know that Fernkit must hold you in high regard. And I know that you got both yourself and a kit out of a situation that others...might not have. What you did was important to her, even if you don’t realize it.”
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Shadowstartheleader
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~The world may be dark, we may be lost forever, but we stand a chance as long as we're together~
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Mar 3, 2021 7:15:45 GMT -5
Jasminefur started growing increasingly frustrated as Brightfrost echoed what was already on his mind--the consequences if he wasn't there. Surely his mind would have made it? But, he was a good runner, it was true. So, what would have happened? He was struggling as he didn't want to acknowledge that it was him that had saved Fernkit--that other cats in WindClan might have suffered a worse fate, them and Fernkit. But all the guilt, plain as the sunny day around them on his features, from fleeing his battling clan didn't want him to accept that some cat could look up to him.
This torment was clear in his eyes as he glanced around, looking at anything but Brightfrost's eyes while she was speaking to him. It seemed incredibly evasive and could have fed either narrative--either he was untrustworthy, or he was incredibly bitter because of something else.
But Brightfrost was forcing it right into his face, that he did something really good. On his own, he could submerge it in all the various ways he had failed them, but saving a life was saving a life--and with a heavy sigh, he looked up at the sky above them.
I let you die. He thought silently as he addressed his mother. Should have just jumped in between you two, stopped it... His lip quivered a little for a second time, and it took him several pawfuls of seconds to hold back the wetness approaching his eyes. Are you angry at me? He looked back down at the ground, still not able to make eye contact with the warrior.
Moments after he looked down, a sudden gust of wind, unusually strong for the sunny day around them kicked up, pushing aside some of the cover over the camp, sending patches of sun ebbing and flowing all around the camp. However, unusually warm rays shone down around Jasminefur, lighting his dark brown fur with a light golden glow, and just reaching Brightfrost's neck--giving her just a bit of that surprisingly strong sun's warmth, which until that moment had been pretty mild. The rays sent an unusual amount of warmth flowing through Jasminefur, feeling like pulsing waves spreading through him which completely combated the traces of wind that were managing to get through the cover of the ThunderClan camp.
His gaze lifted back up to the sky, but his mouth was parted in awe and his eyes were wide. It was clear that, for some reason, Jasminefur seemed to be experiencing more than just a ray of sun striking him. To the warrior near him, more familiar with StarClan than almost any warrior and having seen Autumneyes interpret signs, it certainly didn't seem like a mundane experience. The fact that it came just after Brightfrost telling him he was Fernkit's hero didn't seem insignificant either.
"M...Maybe..." He managed to stammer as he stared up, still wide-eyed, at the sky.
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Post by berryjuice on Mar 3, 2021 23:24:57 GMT -5
Brightfrost’s eyes widened with excitement as she watched him. She was quickly able to recognize that he was looking to StarClan for guidance. Despite what he had said, maybe he did have a strong faith and she had just misunderstood him. She watched as his fur glowed in the sun; she was sure that this was a clear sign from StarClan. They must be telling her that she should trust him after all. She needed to push down all her worries and her reservations about WindClan; StarClan knew what they were doing, and she had to listen to what they wanted. It was a relief to know that she was on the right path. She let the warm sun dance on her pelt; this must be what StarClan’s embrace felt like. It was so different from the cold that they had brought her in her dreams.
She stayed silent for a few moments, observing him. She could tell that he was experiencing something important that she didn’t want to interrupt. After allowing him to focus on the sign for a while, she stepped closer to him, needing to know if he was like her- if he too had been sent strange dreams since he was young. She was more sure than ever that the two had been brought together for a reason. Jasminefur must be the key to unlocking her destiny. “Did StarClan choose you?”
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