SunClan
you know you're the stars in my eyes
Posts: 63
Pronouns: he/they
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Fawnheart on Jul 18, 2022 2:52:20 GMT -6
"Oh!" Realizing he'd been doing a whole lot of nosing for nothing, Fawnheart almost slipped back into their shell- maybe imitating someone wasn't always the smartest way to fit in, at least before you knew exactly what you were imitating. But... Rookbriar's personal account of her own fear of bees was reassuring to him. When he'd been just a kit, they could still remember being bullied a little by their brothers for being scared of things like big beetles or buzzing bees. When you're so small, it feels like anything can be out to get you, and he'd had a hard time parting from that anxiety even after growing into their now mature paws. Knowing that another warrior had shared his nerves and overcome them... was an uplifting thought to carry. Approaching the meadow, Fawnheart hoped that they could grow into the same bold, brave personality someday that Rookbriar now inhabited, completely mastering her fear of all things fuzzy and buzzy!
If anything, now was the opportunity. Looking around, Fawnheart couldn't go an eyeful without finding at least two to three flowers clustered together, taking up their every glance like a magic trick. Had it always been so decorated around here? Or did the forest itself bend to the whims of the seal point, seemingly unending in her surprises? Padding slower now, they looked around themselves slow and awed, taking in the environment's lively color. "I don't think I've been here except to pass through on patrols... Or, maybe I just haven't seen it like this? It's... It's very bright." That was the most literal adjective to use, although they hurried to clarify, wanting to express sincere appreciation for a spot so close to Rookbriar's nostalgia. "Beautiful! If.. flowers really are like clans, this must be the biggest Gathering ever..."
Remembering the tips he'd been given earlier as he noticed his clanmate begin to drift off, they went in a tangential direction, not wanting to lose sight of their only company but wanting to contribute in the breadth of their search. However, with the sheer quantity of flowers surrounding them, Fawnheart quickly became torn between deciding where to start. White, purple, yellow, blue... Oh, there's just so many... Flustering slightly, their head turned back and forth between a nearby yellow patch and a loose arrangement of white at equal distance. Back, forth, then back again... What would a bee do? It was hard to think like one before he'd had the chance to meet one yet...
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SunClan
I believe there must be wonders, too
Posts: 101
Pronouns: She/Her
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Rookbriar on Jul 18, 2022 4:12:58 GMT -6
✧ ♬♩♡ ♪♩ Rookbriar ♩♪ ♡♩♬ ✧ “I know how you feel! It’s amazing how much we seem to just miss and not notice until something little opens our eyes. Weird that we can be looking around the meadow for prey or intruders without ever actually seeing the meadow for what it is, huh? I bet even medicine cats forget to appreciate just how beautiful the herbs they gather can be.” She peered into the blue flowers. Nothing. She gave them a sniff. Lovely! Turning her attention back to Fawnheart, she noticed their hesitation - and the two patches. She bounded over easily, cheerfully. “Well, those blue flowers over there are empty! They smell beautiful, though, if you care to give them a sniff!,” she purred. “If it is like a Gathering, I hope the flowers can enjoy each other’s company - maybe that’s why there are so many here! Speaking of - why don’t I investigate WhiteClan -” she gestured at the white flowers that Fawnheart had been caught between, and then at the patch of yellow with a tilt of her head as she finally recalled she was tailless - “and you can investigate YellowClan! That way they can get checked at the same time, and I’ll let you know if I find anything!”As much as she’d love to simply bound off to enact the approximation of a plan that she had made, she waited patiently for Fawnheart’s own input, and would only move if he gave it the go ahead. She purred idly - she always seemed to be purring, especially these days. She just love the way it made her entire body rumble, like if thunder was lightning’s own contentment. |
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SunClan
you know you're the stars in my eyes
Posts: 63
Pronouns: he/they
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Fawnheart on Jul 18, 2022 23:26:06 GMT -6
In Fawnheart's confusion, they were found once again by Rookbriar's guiding light. Perking up at the recommendation, absolved from the troublesome burden of decision, he dipped his head dutifully and trekked off to Yellowclan with a single-minded focus; to conquer the mystery of the bees! Or, maybe something a little less confrontational. Keeping her earlier advice in mind, they kept their head low once they crept up to the blossoms, eyeing the furled petals warily. Much like with the twins from earlier, they took a moment to truly examine the shapes of the plants, wavering in his immediate task as he was struck by how differently one flower could look from another. And yet, we refer to them all by the one name, only distinguishing the ones of use to us...
Was that really okay?
Frowning slightly, they leaned into the flower heads as they contemplated the limitations of language, now for the second time that day. With a careful eye, he peeked into the mouths formed by the petals' base, but found nothing except the same thin protrusions that held the pollen bees known to collect. He was careful not to sniff them, knowing better than to risk a big sneeze that might knock the whole patch over onto their stems! But try as they might, it didn't seem there was a bee to be found...
Somewhat regretful not to have gained any good news to share with Rookbriar, he took a visit to Whiteclan instead, padding softly as he picked his way between flowers to avoid stepping on any. "I found a few ants crawling around," Fawnheart announced, although for him it was really just lifting his voice to a moderate volume instead of his usual quiet default. "But I didn't notice any bees yet.. maybe the yellow is too close to their own, and they don't want to blend in so much they'd lose their swarmmates?"
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SunClan
I believe there must be wonders, too
Posts: 101
Pronouns: She/Her
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Rookbriar on Jul 19, 2022 1:21:09 GMT -6
✧ ♬♩♡ ♪♩ Rookbriar ♩♪ ♡♩♬ ✧ Rookbriar nodded with a faux wisdom. “Ah, ants... they're like bees, but for the ground.” She thought for a few extra moments. “I wonder if that's why bees have black stripes? It doesn't really help them disguise themselves, after all, it actually just sort of makes them more obvious. I mean, you don't often see black in flowers, but I often see yellow! Maybe it really is to keep from getting lost. It sounds way easier to get lost when you can fly and when you're that small, after all.”She returned to peeking inside of flowers, speaking quietly as to not scare any potential bees. “I haven't found anything yet, either, but I'm positive there'll be one in the meadow! There are so many flowers here, bees are bound to get tired,” she purred, before stiffening and going completely quiet. Tailless, she sufficed for gesturing rapidly at the flower to Fawnheart with her head, eyes and ears moving quickly to the flower. A bee! Completely still, save for the little movements of breath that would be hard to notice if one wasn't looking for it. One of its legs was full of bright yellow pollen, and she mused to herself that the bee itself had become a sort of flower all on its own. |
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SunClan
you know you're the stars in my eyes
Posts: 63
Pronouns: he/they
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Fawnheart on Jul 19, 2022 17:55:31 GMT -6
Bees for the ground? The meaning of stripes... More big questions that left Fawnheart standing there faltering, drifting off into a contemplation so deep, they didn't even notice when Rookbriar crept off to keep searching. Here amidst the flowers, bright and brimming with life gifted straight from the ground that birthed them and the sun which nourished them, it was as if he'd encountered a precipice. The sudden knowledge of a world outside his own, so many worlds overlapping to create the scenery before him. Secret worlds of flowers, bees, and now ants... How many more would open up in front of him? Did tabby stripes mean something, if bee stripes did? What about the six legs of an ant, or the mounds of dirt they came out of?
As they opened their mouth to wonder aloud, seeking Rookbriar's own imaginative interjections to help spur his train of thought, they realized she was no longer with him. Ears perking, they did a half-spin to relocate her by a new flower, looking extremely urgent! Hurriedly, Fawnheart picked their way over to her, whiskers trembling attentively as he recalled the reason they'd come here. Could it really be?
Approaching the flower in question, they slowly dropped into a crouch, ears flattening to peer at the petals without risking bumping them accidentally. There, centered within the blossom like a developing fruit, was the plump little body of a bee! The same apprehension that usually accompanied Fawnheart's interactions with bees swelled in their chest, but couldn't overpower the stronger wave of fascination that came with being able to examine such a small animal so closely. Eyes wide with the astonishment of it all, he returned Rookbriar's rapid, excited glances, unable to say a word!
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SunClan
I believe there must be wonders, too
Posts: 101
Pronouns: She/Her
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Rookbriar on Jul 20, 2022 2:39:37 GMT -6
✧ ♬♩♡ ♪♩ Rookbriar ♩♪ ♡♩♬ ✧ Her body wiggled with an enthusiasm hardly contained, overjoyed that they’d not only found a bee, but that Fawnheart was able to share the joy of it. She purred her contentment, prancing off to flowers that had already been checked for bees so that she could roll in their beauty and purr without fear of waking up the hard working little insect. “I just love greenlelaf! The flowers, the birds, seeing the bees hard at work making their honey and helping their hive survive - isn’t it all just so beautiful? The season where caterpillars turn into butterflies, and all the gifts that started springing up in newleaf really come into fruition! So many more fruits on bushes and seeds dropping from trees - it’s all just beautiful!” Her face rubbed against the flowers, like they were lifelong friends of hers. She got up, shaking pollen from her coat and smiling again over in Fawnheart’s direction. The day was so much better than she had planned - that was saying a lot. Rookbriar was a notorious optimist who got carried away by dreaming easily. What could be the harm in dreaming, after all, when reality was so much better than a dream? |
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SunClan
you know you're the stars in my eyes
Posts: 63
Pronouns: he/they
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Fawnheart on Jul 21, 2022 4:24:24 GMT -6
The way Rookbriar rolled about and praised the world with an uninhibited joy quickly became infectious. Smiling back at her, Fawnheart forgot their own reservations so easily. Forgot what made bees so scary sometimes, or what made the heat so unbearable when it beat down unguarded. When Rookbriar spoke so affectionately about anything and everything, those little imperfections became just that- little, minuscule issues that had no bearing on the bright side of the same subjects. Where there were stingers, there was also honey to be found, and secret moments like this where bees could nap just like kittens in the safety of a pretty flower. Did cats not have claws? Maybe, on the other end of every threat, there was still potential for beauty and kindness.
Feeling enlightened, he peeked once more into the flower, watching the tiny twitch of the bee's segmented leg which yielded so much pollen. They wondered if bees even knew how much they meant to Rookbriar, or if they just went about their business taking honey and flowers and flight for granted, the same way Fawnheart took walking and talking and the whole forest for granted sometimes. Could a bee come to the same realization as he had? They tilted their head in thought, gaze tracing the structure of tiny, membraned wings folded like a blanket for sleep. Despite their initial fear, it seemed that he'd been lost entirely to the view of the insect, motionless before the blossom which cradled it, holding bated breath so that it might continue to sleep within. Rolling in the flowers looked like it may be fun... but who knew how long he'd have to appreciate this discovery? Not wanting to miss a moment, they stood with the stance of a fledgling warrior on silent vigil, as if protecting a clanmate curled within a nest.
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SunClan
I believe there must be wonders, too
Posts: 101
Pronouns: She/Her
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Rookbriar on Jul 21, 2022 22:00:51 GMT -6
✧ ♬♩♡ ♪♩ Rookbriar ♩♪ ♡♩♬ ✧ Seeing the way that Fawnheart was so entranced by the bee, Rookbriar couldn’t help but purr to herself. She made a mental note to herself: getting to adore bees was beautiful, but seeing a friend learn to have that sort of admiration for the little things? She could soak in the feeling forever. Unfortunately, she wasn’t particularly good at just sitting still, despite her love for watching beauty. She wouldn’t disturb Fawnheart, of course - no she just wanted to join them. Carefully, she approached her friend and their mutual, sleeping companion. She slid her body gently next to his, nudging his shoulder with affection before keeping a loving gaze on the little bee. Like watching a sleeping kit. She’d join Fawnheart’s vigil, keeping the little bee safe as it slept, and appreciating it in equal measure. She hummed gently, letting the sound reverberate through her chest. It was a new habit she’d picked up from the many nights spent trying to keep her kits calm enough to sleep. In some instinctive feeling, she thought maybe, just maybe, the bee would like it, too. That the bee would see that it had friend though it could not understand them. |
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SunClan
you know you're the stars in my eyes
Posts: 63
Pronouns: he/they
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Fawnheart on Jul 22, 2022 4:18:32 GMT -6
Upon Rookbriar's arrival, silent and sweet with another bump that Fawnheart was still getting used to receiving, the two both seemed content to watch that little bee forever. As the trees above swayed, the light coming through danced with it, moving in waves over the meadow so that even within the flower, the bee seemed to slowly pulse with a warm glow. But then, as if warmed to new awareness... the wings began to twitch! Immediately, Fawnheart leaned back as the bee began its familiar drone, buzzing soft and steady as it awoke from the flower and crawled out before their very noses! It was a tense instance- a showdown between cat and bug as the bee's antennae twitched unreadably. But it was just an instant. Before he knew to speak to his fellow guard, the bee had drifted up into the air, away from them both and off to the next flower for harvest.
Awed at the close encounter, the patched warrior finally remembered to exhale, heart throbbing with a buzz of its own as they watched the bee until he lost sight of it once more within the cover of a new, blue flower. Just as Rookbriar had described!
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SunClan
I believe there must be wonders, too
Posts: 101
Pronouns: She/Her
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Rookbriar on Jul 22, 2022 23:01:18 GMT -6
✧ ♬♩♡ ♪♩ Rookbriar ♩♪ ♡♩♬ ✧ She’d watched this before, but things like this never stopped being amazing for her. Rookbriar watched the bee with great fondness, only turning to Fawnheart once they saw the bee’s disappearance. A quiet hum of contentment, Rookbriar tilted her head slightly at Fawnheart. “Bees aren’t always scary, huh?” She asked the question gently, warmly, with a fondness that came from an unconditional friendship and the memory of having been like Fawnheart at one point in her life. It was transformative to witness something like what they’d just seen. Especially with a friend. “Things become… a lot less scary when you really sit with them, you know? Even foxes. In newleaf, you can sometimes see foxes sitting and playing with or grooming their kits - it’s so much like us, how could I think they’re scary in that moment? Other cats could be scary, but… in ways, they’re like us, too. Not that I’m never scared. I’m scared when there’s a battle and I was scared when foxes invaded the camp - but if I see a MoonClan cat on their patrol I wave. Sometimes they wave back! Foxes are only scary when they’re hungry or their kits are nearby - same as us, right?” She hummed, letting the warm breeze of greenleaf ruffle her short fur. “I guess what I’m getting at is… lots of things have a scary side, but they can have nice sides, too. Sides that are beautiful, if you just take the moment to appreciate them.”She leaned against them. “There’s always so much to appreciate. It helped me a lot to look at the little things and learn to love them. I was always a pretty upbeat kit, but ideas would get too big in my head, I’d just start crying. My dad taught me to count the blades of grass beneath my paws when that happened.I did, and it helped, and then I started noticing all the little things that happened underfoot that I’d never even thought about. I don’t think he meant to do that, but it’s made it so much easier to not let thinking get me down now.” Rookbriar’s dark paws kneaded at the grass beneath them, fond of the memory. Then a thought. “He also told me to do it when I was getting really hyper, now that I think about it. He must’ve needed a nap.” |
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SunClan
you know you're the stars in my eyes
Posts: 63
Pronouns: he/they
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Fawnheart on Jul 23, 2022 3:59:00 GMT -6
Softly, subtly, Fawnheart began to mimic Rookbriar's kneading as she regaled him with the stories of her kithood. Somehow, a hush had fallen over the meadow, as if the forest itself had paused to herald in such a private moment. They were just as quiet, sensing the intimacy that came with being told such a distant memory... a memory that had impacted her to this very day, shaped her into the cat she was. Those kind of stories were important, meaningful things. They could never be taken for granted, because you had to live with the echoes of them for moons to come. Maybe even generations, if Rookbriar told her kits the same story, if they watched her count the grass and learned to do it, too. In a few generations, there could be all of Sunclan following Rookbriar's methods, all traced back to that one moment with her father. The impact wasn't lost on Fawnheart- He'd already been touched by the first ripple, forever altered in the way they looked down at the grass disappearing rhythmically beneath the ebb and flow of his white paws.
"..It sounds like he really loved you." When they did speak, it was with a gentle wonder, as if experiencing the realization firsthand. "Those are such smart ideas... and he gifted them to you to carry for the rest of time. I guess... the one thing all animals do is love each other. Like, uh- The foxes you mentioned. Playing and grooming.. they love their kits, and your father loved you, and birds love their hatchlings..." Fawnheart nodded, gaze drifting to the clouds. To a memory of his own, somewhere that not even bees could fly. "I think... love is really important. I'm happy you could have a memory like that. You were loved so much, you can see love all around you, now. That's... a happy life." It was a sappy sentiment, the kind of thing he could imagine Turtlefang cuffing him over the ear for, but said with full conviction. At the basis of this whole walk, of Rookbriar as they knew her, was nothing but an endless shine that came from a full and wise heart. The kind that had been passed on and nourished until it inhabited her tan pelt like a miniature sun, radiating warmth and life wherever she went. With a sidelong glance, he couldn't help but duck his head a little as if submitting respect to a mentor- in a way, maybe they were. He'd learned an awful lot today, hadn't he? "..Thank you for sharing that with me."
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SunClan
I believe there must be wonders, too
Posts: 101
Pronouns: She/Her
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Rookbriar on Jul 23, 2022 5:30:58 GMT -6
✧ ♬♩♡ ♪♩ Rookbriar ♩♪ ♡♩♬ ✧ “He does,” she purred with gentle certainty. Rookbriar closed her mismatched eyes, letting the sun warm her face evenly as the breeze swirled past her and she imagined fondly what it might be like to be the wind. “I’m very happy. More than anything, Fawnheart, I’m happy I can share it with you. You deserve to feel the love in every ray of sunlight, in every breath you take, and even in the moments where life is so hard you don’t want to get out of your nest. Even in those moments, you’ve got a Clan and friends and family who love you - I know they love you - and that gets us through those moments. When I was exhausted even the morning after kitting and couldn’t dream of getting up, other cats loved me and the kits they didn’t know yet enough to bring us food to eat. The world loves you enough to give you time to work through the hard moments.”She opened her eyes again, following Fawnheart’s gaze up to the clouds. “There are sad moments and scary moments, and even still there are sometimes thoughts so big that no amount of grass can seem to keep the tears away - but I’ve learned that it’s okay. As impossible as those moments feel, you just have to pay attention to what’s in you, too. Your little details are just as worth loving as seeing the gentle way bees breathe with the breeze in their flower dens - the world is beautiful in that way.”Playfully then, she dropped herself into the flowers again, this time to gaze up at the clouds more easily. “Sorry for going on like that I just - I see you sometimes in camp, looking lost or worried. I wanted you to know that that’s okay. I also want to thank you for letting me show you things like this. Some cats consider themselves too busy to take a moment and think about the way the clouds make shapes, like the clouds themselves are in awe of the world around them. I’m glad to have another cat who understands.” Rookbriar stretched. “That, and I don’t think I’ve talked to a cat without worrying about kits overhearing in a thousand moons. I think these concepts are a little big for them right now.” |
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SunClan
you know you're the stars in my eyes
Posts: 63
Pronouns: he/they
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Fawnheart on Jul 24, 2022 0:32:04 GMT -6
For just a moment, a coldness slipped over Fawnheart's pelt, quick and flickering like a minnow through a current. As kind as Rookbriar was, as loving and open and warm, there was... a shadow to that light. And it was within him, cast directly from her glow, that such a shadow seemed to pass. A doubt. It was hard to believe that there were many cats at all who cared about a warrior like themselves, who drifted away from the traditions he was supposed to follow on careful, perfect paws. As much as their brothers accommodated them, Fawnheart could sense it- A constant hesitance, just waiting to be breathed into existence. Their clanmates were much the same way. There just weren't many cats in the world like the one he was with now. But... at the very least, it was true enough for her that she could wish it upon them. Maybe that much was enough to believe in.
Following her lead, they dipped down into the flowers until their own colored patches seemed to blend in among the scattered bunches, like a garden of his own where he stretched alongside his friend. Quietly, thoughtfully, they considered all the things she'd voiced. So far as to even mention concern for them, of all things. Here in the flowers, it didn't seem like the version of him who worried and fussed back at home really mattered at all. It was a separate skin to slip into once the fantasy broke. Once Rookbriar was back in the nursery, with kits who listened in and clanmates who loved her. Would days like these come again as easily?
They decided to focus on the present.
"Don't worry about talking," Fawnheart blinked hazily at the clouds, noticing them more prominently now where he lay beside her. "I'm not sure I know enough to say as many good things as you... but listening makes me happy. So, I'm grateful you're here, too. Even if things are big, I feel brave enough to look at them with your help."
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SunClan
I believe there must be wonders, too
Posts: 101
Pronouns: She/Her
Played By: VioCrow
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Post by Rookbriar on Jul 24, 2022 1:18:41 GMT -6
✧ ♬♩♡ ♪♩ Rookbriar ♩♪ ♡♩♬ ✧ Even for her, the sort of warmth Fawnheart's simple words brought her was almost overwhelming. Rookbriar smiled with her full heart though she knew they wouldn't see it. “Well, practice makes perfect,” she joked warmly. “I'm glad to hear that, though. We're not very big cats, but together I know we can handle all the big things that come our way. That's what friends are for, right?”She wondered idly if there were other paths she could've walked so that Fawnheart would have this moment sooner. Still, the past is the past, and she worked hard not to put all of her energy into it. Darting up in an awkward way due to the position she was in, Rookbriar gasped with excitement. An epiphany. “Oh! Tomorrow, or some time in general, you should spend the day with me and the kits! I think you'd do great with them, and we could tell them all sorts of Swarm stories!” Who better to get her kits truly accustomed to other Clanmates than Fawnheart? The idea made her purr, and she returned to the much more comfortable position of laying down among the flowers. “If you want to, of course, I would never force you into anything.” |
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SunClan
you know you're the stars in my eyes
Posts: 63
Pronouns: he/they
Played By: rubykh
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Post by Fawnheart on Jul 26, 2022 1:12:11 GMT -6
With the next round of the seal point's erratic movements, Fawnheart found, for the first time, that they weren't all too perturbed. As sudden as she would jolt about, it was quickly becoming familiar to him- the sort of unpredictability that eventually became predictable. Accepting the unexpected, maybe. Either way, their eyes drifted idly to Rookbriar's figure as she spoke her next suggestions, cast in the soft shade of her reclaimed height over him. No, rather than the gust of motion surprising him, it was the offer that came as a shock instead.
As she plopped back down beside him, he couldn't help the surprised prick of his ears as they tracked the motion. The reassurance was, of course, quite welcome, but was not necessarily the point of contention. It was moreso... "Me?" Fawnheart, the infamously shy and silent warrior, helping to weave fantastical nursery tales? Somehow, it felt like too much of a dream. After all, their thoughts of Sunswarm stemmed from speculation, not true imagination, and the thought of overwhelming the kittens on accident... "I've never told stories like that before... do you really think..?" A little dimmer now, the perk of their ears dissipated into an anxious droop. "..If it's for your kits, Rookbriar, I wouldn't want to mess up... I might need.. help."
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