Afterlife [p]

[Adaline]

Willowspirit

Brightpaw was walking around the territory. She wasn't doing any hunting right now, she was taking a leisurely walk. She hummed to herself as she trudged through the snow.

The left side of her face and her right ear burned, bleeding somewhat from the damage Almondpaw had inflicted upon them. There was some blood around her mouth as well. She hadn't the opportunity to wash her fur out yet. She was actually heading in the general direction of a stream.

Then she stopped and blinked. 

"Oh. Willowpaw. Hi." 

This time... She wouldn't greet possibly the only cat she could call family with hostility.

[Willowspirit]

Willowpaw had been out hunting for a bit, though she hadn't found anything due to the low amount of prey available in leaf-bare. She was concentrating on scenting prey, and therefore, didn't notice the scent of her sister, only seeing her when she heard Brightpaw's voice.

Turning to look at her, Willowpaw immediately tensed up, letting out a gasp. Seeing Brightpaw in such a state was horrifying, even if the injuries didn't look that bad, the blood was still extremely unsettling. "Brightpaw!" Willowpaw stared at Brightpaw, who didn't seem phased by all of the red matting her fur.

"What happened to you?" Willowpaw already has her suspicions, but she wanted confirmation first.

[Adaline]

((BTW... Would Willowpaw's injuries from tussling with Mudpaw be visible here?

Brightpaw saw Willowpaw immediately tense up, gasping. She blinked. Hadn't her sister seen blood before? It shouldn't be that shocking, really. She didn't really understand why her sister was making such a big deal over it. You'd think she was dying or something, by the way Willowpaw was reacting, jeez.

She tilted her head. "Almondpaw, of course. I was hanging around and she popped up. I dealt with it fine." She shrugged. "I don't know if it's because I'm so quick, but she really only hurt me because I let her." She paused. "Well, actually I'm not perfect so I accidentally let her get my ear. But it's fine. Wasn't like I accidentally let her get me throat." She chuckled lightly.

[Willowspirit]

((hmm.. well, this thread was made after their fight, so i think they'd have to be.))

"..Okay." Willowpaw nodded, adjusting to Brightpaw's appearance. The brown tabby didn't seem bothered by the fact she'd been hurt, and it looked like none of the scratches were deep. Internally, she thought it could be a good thing that Brightpaw got hurt. It would serve as a distraction, and perhaps Brightpaw wouldn't notice Willowpaw's own wounds.

"How was it, though? Did you get her riled up? Is our strategy actually working?" Willowpaw asked, genuinely curious. She'd managed to annoy Almondpaw, but it didn't look like she'd actually gotten anywhere with doing so.

[Adaline]

Brightpaw was glad that Willowpaw seemed to calm down. It really wasn't that big of a deal. It'd heal eventually... She wasn't sure if it would scar. Her ear might be stuck like that. She wasn't sure ears healed like the rest of you. 

She tilted her head. "Well... Almondpaw eventually just started getting regular mad at me, and took breaks here and there from attacking me. She tried to taunt me several times. Didn't work aside from a bite I took out of her paw." She grinned. "It was the same thing she did to my tail when we were kits, except with her paw."

Then she narrowed her eyes. She took a deep breath. "I didn't want to mention it at first... But... Why are you injured? Was it Almondpaw?" She asked. She would've expected Willowpaw to be more forthcoming...

She wondered if her sister had hoped that Brightpaw wouldn't notice. Though, that wasn't going to happen. The sandy tabby was perceptive, and things almost never got by her.

[Willowspirit]

Willowpaw nodded, listening to what Brightpaw had to say. Imagining Almondpaw's face, especially when Brightpaw bit her paw, made her smile slightly, though she did wish that her sister had been able to get away unscathed, and thinking about how Almondpaw attacked her made Willowpaw feel more justified in her quest for vengeance against her sister.

Hearing Brightpaw question her wounds, Willowpaw hesitated, looking at the ground and not meeting her eyes. Her injuries were still stinging, even if they weren't nearly as deep or as bad as what she did to Mudpaw. Willowpaw shuddered to think of how much pain he must be in.

"..Oh, yeah." Willowpaw shrugged, as if she'd forgotten about it. "I got in a fight. I won, though." She didn't give any more details, dreading having to tell Brightpaw what happened."

[Adaline]

Brightpaw noticed the small smile Willowpaw formed. She wasn't sure if she was imagining it... But she swore she could see the determination in her sister's eyes intensify. Already, the silvery apprentice was dead seat on 'justice', which honestly... Seemed a bit more like revenge to her. Honestly, Brightpaw still... Wasn't sure about actively pursuing them. She'd thought about it and... She didn't want to lose herself in the anger that Almondpaw and Aloepaw so easily incited. 

She didn't want to pursue revenge. She'd defend herself and those she cared about in a heartbeat, however.

She ever so slightly narrowed her eyes, it was a barely visible motion. You had to be looking for it to see the change. Willowpaw was hesitating before answering. Plus, she seemed far too alert for her sister's feelings to match her nonchalant words.

Brightpaw flattened her eyes. "Willowpaw. Don't lie to me. Don't try it. Who did you fight that you don't want to tell me about...?" She asked, her words carrying a dangerous edge.

[Willowspirit]

"..I won't lie. But give me a moment to explain myself first, and please, try to understand." If Willowpaw just straight-up told Brightpaw that it was Mudpaw, then her sister would shut down completely, and there would be no reasoning with her. But perhaps Brightpaw would understand more if she was eased into it, certainly she wouldn't be mad if it were any other cat.

"I was going to go hunting, and I ran into someone. They called me Willow-whine, the nickname Aloepaw gave me. You know, Aloepaw, the one that's been making our lives terrible, part of the reason you won't even go into camp." Willowpaw breathed, clearly nervous. "So, I was mad. Of course I was mad, this cat, who was going to go loaf around in the apprentice's den instead of contributing to the clan, had the audacity to call me whiny." 

Willowpaw paused, waiting for Brightpaw's reaction. That wasn't the whole story, but she wanted to know if her sister sympathized with her or not.

[Adaline]

((Errrr... This won't go well. Bright does NOT take well to cats who try to smooth things over or make excuses. She personally believes if you screwed up, you should own up to it. In full.))

Brightpaw flattened her ears. "... Fine. I'll listen. It better not be excuses." She was pretty sure it was Mudpaw that Willowpaw fought with. She wasn't stupid, and her friend was the only cat that her sister could possibly feel nervous about telling her that the silvery apprentice had attacked them.

But... She wanted to see how long Willowpaw would go on before finally confessing.

She listened. She did. She understood the reason behind Willowpaw's anger. Her fur wasn't bristling, but the cold, predatory look in Brightpaw's eyes certainly conveyed her feelings well enough.

"I know you attacked Mudpaw. My friend." She snapped, her voice as cold as ice. "I know you're trying to ease me into it, but it's not that hard to figure out. Why couldn't you just tell me up front?!" She shook her head.

"Alright. I get why you got mad. You didn't have to get into a fight with him! We're supposed to be better than them, aren't we?"

[Willowspirit]

"I am telling you straight-up, but I wanted you to know what happened first because I knew that as soon as you knew it was Mudpaw, odd are you wouldn't care why I did it, or even what happened exactly." Willowpaw snapped back. She refused to let Brightpaw push her around, and twist the situation without even being there, or hearing all of what Willowpaw had to say.

"If you would let me finish." Willowpaw was on the defense now. "He asked for a fight. He taunted me, acted like it was my fault that Almondpaw and Aloepaw treat me the way they do, and then he said he could beat me in a fight. So, I attacked him, and I won." Willowpaw's gaze darkened.

"I had to prove myself, Brightpaw. He wasn't going to ever take me seriously if I didn't, and I can't keep living like this." She gave Brightpaw a wide-eyed look, praying she'd understand, even if she was upset. 

"He even said that he deserved for me to attack him, for how awful he'd been.." Willowpaw was still annoyed that Brightpaw had cut her off, instead of listening to the full story first. "And if you'd bothered to listen before deciding to judge me, I know fighting him was wrong. I never said it was right, but this isn't a black and white situation either."


((this is all going so downhill ohno D:))

[Adaline]

Brightpaw snarled softly, listening to Willowpaw speak first. She huffed. Apparently, Mudpaw the sole reason the silvery apprentice didn't lead with the fact that she'd fought with him. Of course she'd defend her friend! What kind of lousy person would she have to be to turn her back on him like that?!

Still... She did let Willowpaw continue speaking. Admittedly, Mudpaw could be a jerk at times. She saw the similarities in personality between her siblings and Mudpaw, but... She'd always separated them in her mind because Mudpaw had done the thing that her siblings had neglected to do: Show her kindness. Her tail lashed behind her, when she heard that Willowpaw fell for the taunt.

She growled softly, as Willowpaw started revealing her insecurities to her sister. She sighed, roughly. She... Honestly didn't get why Willowpaw felt the way she did. She personally didn't really care what other's thought of her. Not really. She knew they were wrong, but it seemed like her sister cared a lot more.

Then her fur actually started bristling. What?! Willowpaw got him to start spouting nonsense about how he deserved to be hurt?! Then she started going on about how it wasn't black and white.

"There." She spat. "I listened to the story. And... What am I supposed to think?! Mudpaw is my friend. The only cat I trust. You... Our relationship is held together by metaphorical hopes and toothpicks more or less." She groaned, annoyed. "I get that you know you weren't right to fight him back... But it doesn't change the fact that you've hurt him." She shook her head. 

"Maybe it isn't black and white. Maybe there were screw-ups on both sides. I just hope you understand, really understand what your screw-ups are." She groaned.

"Is he okay?"

[Willowspirit]

Willowpaw's tail sunk to the ground, and she looked at Brightpaw despairingly. She didn't understand, she couldn't possibly know what it was like. Although she was starting to care for her sibling, it seemed that they were only allies, working together against Almondpaw and Aloepaw, and not actually friends.

Brightpaw had Mudpaw. At the end of the day, no matter what Aloepaw and Almondpaw did, Brightpaw knew that she had Mudpaw. The two of them seemed very close, Willowpaw was fairly sure they were best friends. Brightpaw didn't hesitate to take Mudpaw's side of the situation, and they had each-other, they could look out for one another, tell each-other everything, and be one another's shoulders to cry on.

Willowpaw, however, was alone. There was not a single cat that walked the Earth that would call her a friend, and let alone a best friend. No one prioritized her, Brightpaw only took her side when it was convenient, and the silver she-cat had to internalize all of her fears and insecurities and watch her own back because no one would comfort her, and no one would look out for her. Brightpaw could not be that cat, because she had Mudpaw, and she was willing to turn on Willowpaw on a moment's notice.

"Yeah, he's fine." Willowpaw stated. She didn't wish to express her feelings, seeing Brightpaw's reaction had done enough. Her life felt miserable, she wondered why she was even alive at all, when no cat needed her.

Her sole purpose was hurting Almondpaw and Aloepaw.

((willow no ;A;))

[Adaline]

Brightpaw's icy gaze didn't falter under Willowpaw's pitiful display, despair dancing in those heterochromatic eyes. The sandy tabby had long since learned how to close her heart off, to push down her natural empathy that existed in abundance, had since she had first come into existence.

She had no idea if Willowpaw had anyone to depend on. She didn't exactly see Willowpaw often at all, so she had no idea who the silvery apprentice talked to on a regular basis. Well, aside from the obvious ones who tended to be less than pleasant. 

Brightpaw had learned at a young age that family? It didn't mean jack squat. Family was just something you called someone who happened to be connected to your existence in some superficial manner. She'd craved from the beginning a real, meaningful connection with another person. She'd only been able to find that in Mudpaw. Her friend was the sole exception to the ice in her heart that was directed at everyone around her. 

She could hear the monotone response from her sister, but she couldn't bring herself to care all that much. She could tell Willowpaw wasn't enjoying Brightpaw's reactions.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "... Thank, Cloudclan." Then she glared at Willowpaw. "If you hurt him again..." She let the threat hang in the air.


Willowpaw was family.

Family never meant anything.

Willowpaw didn't mean nothing to Brightpaw.

It just wasn't substantial.

[Willowspirit]

"Why would I fight him again?" Willowpaw asked dryly. She felt utterly helpless and completely unloved, and she was. Maybe her parents cared about her, but they weren't around, and she was starting to understand why Brightpaw had held a distaste for them. They weren't stopping all of these awful things that were happening, and that surely didn't feel like she was being cared about.

Willowpaw tilted her head. She hadn't implied that she still had any problem with Mudpaw, and she knew that Brightpaw would defend her friend. It just felt like Brightpaw was flaunting the fact that she had someone she cared about, and someone who genuinely loved her. "We already worked things out, I thought.." She thought it was implied, she thought Brightpaw understood, she thought that perhaps, since Brightpaw knew what she'd been through, and had been through the same, she would care more about Willowpaw, just because they'd suffered together.

She could feel her eyes getting misty, and bile rose in her throat. Willowpaw said nothing more to stop herself from bursting into tears. Maybe Brightpaw could put up a wall because she had someone who she could speak to about her feelings, but Willowpaw didn't have that someone, and no one could blame her for being emotional when there seemed to be no hope for her life.

Willowpaw swallowed hard, forcing the vomit back down.

[Adaline]

Brightpaw inclined her head slightly. "Who knows?" She asked quietly. "Looking into the future isn't something I can do." She could theorize several situations why they might fight again, though she had no idea if any of these would come to pass. If they did, which one. She didn't want her friend getting hurt again, though. Next time... She wanted to be there. She wanted to fight alongside her friend.

Brightpaw's jaw tightened. "We managed to clear up the hostility than formed on sight between us. It's going to take time before I know I can trust you for sure. So far? I think you set yourself back a moon or two." She told Willowpaw. The very fact that was irreversible was that her sister had attacked her dearest friend. The silvery apprentice would need to show sincerely that she could be trustworthy. So far... Brightpaw couldn't see it. Her sister was rather... Aggressive and the slightest prod against her insecurities sparked a fight. She realized this was likely due to the damage from Almondpaw and Aloepaw, but...

Brightpaw wasn't the one starting fights with cats.

Her ears hardened at seeing Willowpaw's eyes begin to well up. Her sister wasn't crying, but she looked like she wanted to throw up and start crying. Brightpaw clearly was better at shoving all her emotions in a bottle and pretending she felt a completely different way. Her empathy could all too easily be taken advantage of. That was the lesson she learned, so she closed her heart off. She sighed and turned around.

"Bye, Willowpaw." She said monotonously, as she walked off, towards camp. She wanted to see Mudpaw.

((Short and depressing thread, huh?))