cool (p)

[Deleted]

|| Foxstrike ||

Forestkit was sitting outside the nursery, giving his small paw a few lengthy licks. It was a hot day today, and he couldn't stand being in the stuffy nursery with all of those bubbly kits.

He placed his paw down and gazed over the clan. He watched warriors pad past in awe. They were huge. 'I can't imagine ever being that big.' He thought, eyes landing on a warrior not too far away. He seemed familiar in a way, yet Forestkit was certain that he'd never met the tom. 'Maybe I've just seen him around a lot.' He lifted a paw and began grooming it again, dismissing his thoughts. It couldn't have been anybody important.

[Foxstrike]

Foxstrike had been returning for a hunt and heading towards the warrior's den when something stopped him. He thought he could feel eyes land on him, however briefly, and when he stopped and surveyed the camp, he found that not far away, a young cat's head had turned towards him, just for moment. Normally he might have brushed something like that away- momentary glances in his direction weren't uncommon, and usually meant nothing. But it was the scent that he picked out from the clearing that caught him off guard; it was the way it was familiar.

The age was right, based on the kit's size. It wasn't Birchkit, but the kit was likely one of his. Foxstrike blinked at the revelation. He glanced over, as though he could see the kit, but it was more to focus in on the spot. It was high time to introduce himself, especially since the kit was already the size of a young apprentice. "Hello," he greeted somewhat awkwardly, once he had made up his mind and approached the young tom. "We haven't met, but I'm Foxstrike. What's your name?"

[Deleted]

Forestpaw took a glance up at the sound of approaching pawsteps. It was the same warrior. He placed his paw
down and tipped his head to the side, eyes scanning over the warrior briefly. He blinked in surprise when the tom introduced himself. Foxstrike was his father's name, right? 'No... Maybe I've got it wrong.' He kept quiet, not wanting to ask and possibly make things awkward.

"Forestpaw." He said simply, lifting his paw and beginning to groom it again.

[Foxstrike]

Foxstrike blinked and tipped his head slightly at the simplicity of the apprentice's (not a kit, though Forestpaw was still young for an apprentice) response. Perhaps he had been mistaken? Forestpaw made no indication of recognizing Foxstrike as his father, by appearance or name. The warrior checked again, and the hint of Hornetstripe's scent on his fur was unmistakable. If he searched, he could find his own scent, too, but he was so used to tuning that out that it was somewhat difficult to detect at first.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, wondering if Forestpaw even knew, or if he simply didn't care. Foxstrike didn't know whether it'd be a good idea to bring it up or not. "You're...one of my kits, correct?" he meowed once he made up his mind, trying to seem unfazed by the thought to keep some sort of sense of dignity. "One of Hornetstripe's kits-" he added, for clarification. "I'm sorry I didn't come to meet you sooner."

"How have you been?"

[Deleted]

Forestpaw held his paw still, listening as the warrior spoke again. 'I knew it.' He put his paw back down and nodded, meeting the tom's gaze. 'But where have you been?' Both of his parents were absent during kithood, or so he thought. 'Did they do that on purpose? To toughen us up, or something?'

"I'm sorry I didn't come to meet you sooner." Forestpaw shrugged in reply. "Nothing you can do about it." He said a bit bitterly, shrugging again at the next question. "Fine, I guess. You?"

[Foxstrike]

Every few seconds, Foxstrike would tap the ground with his paw, making a light thump sound, so he could see what Forestpaw was doing. Listening to how to sound bounced off of him was the only way he could do that when they were both mostly still. He found that the apprentice had stilled as he spoke, nodding silently to his words. He could feel his son's eyes on him, burning through his own, even though he couldn't see them.

He wondered what color Forestpaw's eyes were. Even if he asked, he wouldn't be able to determine which color was which, since he'd never seen any colors, but despite that, he wondered. Were they like Hornetstripe's- or, at least, the way he imagined Hornetstripe's? Were they warm? Were they cautious? Or were they like his?

Foxstrike flinched at the hint of bitterness in Forestpaw's tone when he began to speak. As little as it had been, he had heard it clearly, and just with that, he was once again overcome with guilt. "Fine-" he meowed simply in response, still reeling. "...well enough, I suppose." Slowly, he sighed, dropping his shoulders and lowering his blank gaze to the floor.

"I know I already said it, but I am truly sorry," he said after a while. "I didn't come to see you, and that wasn't fair. And if you...resent me for that- that's okay. I understand. I felt that way about my father, too." It was hard for him to be so open and exposed like this, but he had to be. Forestpaw deserved no less. "I didn't meet him until sometime after I became a warrior," he added, for an explanation.

"I don't have...any excuse for not being there. I won't bother with one," he continued, sighing again. If Forestpaw was anything like him, or Hornetstripe, for that matter, he'd see right through it anyway. The simple truth was that he hadn't been prepared to be a father so soon. Once it happened, he'd been so afraid of messing up that he made the worst mistake a father could- and that was not being there at all. "But I will promise to be there from now on. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, let me know. If you need anything, you can talk to me. And if you don't want to, that's okay, too."

[[ oh goodness I'm sorry it's so long O. o ]]

[Deleted]

|| you're good! ||

Forestpaw had immediately noticed how often Foxstrike tapped his paw to the ground. 'What's the point?' He started copying him, thumping his paw against the floor every now and then. He tried to do it at the same time as Foxstrike to make it into a little game.

He listened quietly to his father's words, gaze trailing up to his face. That's when he noticed the fogginess of his eyes. 'Kinda like Birchkit's. He must be blind.' Slight anger began to fill him. 'Is that why Birchkit can't see? Because she's related to this tom?' He narrowed his eyes. 'Why'd you have to be blind?'

Forestpaw shook his head, even though he now knew that Foxstrike couldn't see him. "I don't resent you." He said quietly, shrugging once more. "It's fine. I just wanted to meet you, and that's good enough. I don't care if you disappear again. I won't need you for anything." His voice remained dry, and he watched the tabby(?) carefully for his reaction.