|
|
Post by Adaline on Mar 6, 2017 19:37:35 GMT -6
Willowspirit
Brightpaw was back to sleeping... Not so great. She'd been searching for voles on Dandelion Hill when she'd sort of... Laid down for a bit... And then fell asleep. She didn't think it was all that surprising, even if she hated sleeping. She hated sleeping because usually her sleep was... Disturbed.
Disturbed by nightmares of her imagination's making.
One of those very nightmares tore her from the not even close to restful sleep, waking up in a cold sweat as she was breathing sharp and fast. She'd shoved herself from a position laying down completely on her side, to propping up the front half of her body with her forelegs. She sighed and shook her head, getting up on her paws and shaking the rest of herself out. Feeling rather shaken, she looked around to see if anyone was around.
She forced her breathing to slow as she saw a familiar shape come closer, over the hill.
Willowpaw. At least she hadn't been closer...
She didn't need Willowpaw knowing about her nightmares.
|
|
|
|
Post by Willowspirit on Mar 6, 2017 20:01:52 GMT -6
Willowpaw was literally, for once in her entire life, not feeling completely awful. She'd met a cat, Stormsong, who didn't entirely hate her, and even managed to relate to her somehow. Then there was Swanpaw, who Willowpaw was unsure about, but they'd genuinely got along, with no strings attached, unlike any of her interactions with Brightpaw.
She was heading back to where she'd hunted with Swanpaw, as prey ran well there. Willowpaw's warrior assessment was coming soon, and although she was confident in her skills, it never hurt to practice. And Willowpaw needed to contribute to the clan, to make up for all the damage she'd caused by hurting Aloepaw, Mudpaw, and Almondfire.
It was then that Willowpaw noticed Brightpaw among the grass. Willowpaw immediately narrowed her eyes, feeling disgust bubble up inside of her, spoiling her mood.
Brightpaw didn't seem to be doing anything wrong, though- she wasn't disturbing the prey.
"Brightpaw." She said curtly, making her contempt clear.
|
|
|
|
Post by Adaline on Mar 7, 2017 5:48:45 GMT -6
Brightpaw could see Willowpaw immediately narrowed her eyes, as she came into view. Honestly... The silvery apprentice's dislike for her probably only stewed and got worse since they'd last talked. Maybe it was what Brightpaw deserved.
Maybe it was her fault that Willowpaw was this way.
Either way the contempt was clear in her sister's voice. Brightpaw cleared her throat roughly, then swiftly got up on her paws. "Willowpaw." She said in response, keeping her voice calm and level. She... Didn't really want to antagonize her further.
|
|
|
|
Post by Willowspirit on Mar 7, 2017 9:40:36 GMT -6
Willowpaw's tail flicked back and forth as she began to grow irritated with her sister. She was just standing around, being useless, not hunting or contributing to her clan. She was the burden, not Willowpaw, and any cat who didn't see that was surely just a fool.
"Can you go somewhere else." Willowpaw mewed flatly, stating it as more of a demand than a question. "I want to hunt, and you're obviously not doing anything important."
Willowpaw was tired. She felt so anxious and disgusted with herself that she hardly ate anymore, and was starting to lose weight. That was fine with her, because the less she ate, the more her clan-mates could.
|
|
|
|
Post by Adaline on Mar 7, 2017 15:12:03 GMT -6
Brightpaw's ears folded back. She swallowed. Willowpaw was talking to her... Like she wasn't... Of any use. Which, wasn't true. Maybe... Maybe she wasn't doing anything grand for the clan, but she was hunting her share of prey. It was the least she could do for this clan that at least kept her from having to live on her own.
She cleared her throat awkwardly. "I was hunting. I just... I needed a little rest. I have a vole buried around here..." She replied, her voice conveying none of the social awkwardness she felt nearly all the time. She was scarily skilled at hiding who she was. How she felt. What she really thought.
She... On some level feared Willowpaw. Unintentionally, the silver apprentice's words were jaws slowly sinking their fangs into her already guarded heart. Intentionally? She didn't want to risk it.
Brightpaw ate... Ate enough so she had enough energy to run around, even with her shoddy sleep schedule. Though, she did forget to eat sometimes...
|
|
|
|
Post by Willowspirit on Mar 7, 2017 23:18:26 GMT -6
"Fine." Willowpaw spoke shortly, her jaw clenched, negative emotions rushing through her head. She wanted an excuse to yell at Brightpaw, but she wasn't exactly doing anything wrong, and Willowpaw knew better than to lash out without good reason.
She sneered slightly. "Well, you aren't doing anything now. If you were tired, you should've gone to your den, or wherever it is that you sleep now. I bet your scent scared off all the prey here." Willowpaw's eyes were hollow and dull, but still cut through Brightpaw like razors. Although she was losing weight, she was still incredibly toned, held together only by muscle.
Willowpaw had seen true kindness from Stormsong, and she had seen forgiveness from Swanpaw. Now she knew for sure that Brightpaw had never given her any of those things, causing bitter insecurity to bite at Willowpaw. She believed that Brightpaw never cared about her, and she never would, as there was nothing about Willowpaw worth loving.
|
|
|
|
Post by Adaline on Mar 8, 2017 5:54:40 GMT -6
Brightpaw sometimes hated how she always picked out those little details that spoke louder than words. Willowpaw almost certainly wanted to start raising her voice to yell at the sandy tabby, but... She was restraining herself for some reason. She'd guess it was because her sister couldn't find a reason to yell.
She tilted her head, hating the dead look in Willowpaw's eyes. Her own eyes had long lost lost the innocent spark she used to have as a kitten. Her eyes weren't completely dead inside like Willowpaw's, but it was pretty close. Brightpaw had lost much of her fire and passion, that she found it hard to rouse it on command, as opposed to when that storm of lightning and fire would immediately start swirling when she called to it.
"Why are you still here other than to insult me? If I've scared off all the prey, as you claim... Then shouldn't you find somewhere else to hunt?" She questioned. She... Didn't really feel like... Feeling at all right now. Maybe if she just.... Kept emotion out of the equation Willowpaw wouldn't be so... Hateful.
|
|
|
|
Post by Willowspirit on Mar 8, 2017 9:43:57 GMT -6
"You're acting like a kit, you can't just do whatever you please and inconvenience others." Willowpaw said condescendingly, as if she were a mentor scolding and their apprentice. She didn't care about how Brightpaw felt, nor did she want to. In Willowpaw's eyes, Brightpaw had rejected her far too many times, and Willowpaw refused to show weakness in front of her sister ever again.
Willowpaw was angry, but she changed her manner of showing it. Instead of being fiery and passionate like she used to be, the young she-cat was cold and devoid of any emotion but icy hatred. If Brightpaw had just given her a chance instead of being so selfish, then perhaps Willowpaw would have been happier. There had been nothing wrong with Willowpaw as a kit, it was entirely her siblings fault that she was the way she was; an ugly, cruel, and nasty cat, who was undeserving of love.
She sneered. "I'm actually a decent hunter, and if there is any prey left, then I'm more likely to catch it than you."
|
|
|
|
Post by Adaline on Mar 8, 2017 12:15:51 GMT -6
Brightpaw's expression was indiscernible, completely masking the subdued regret that was sinking its claws into her from the inside. Though, she didn't appreciate the feeling she got that Willowpaw thought she was more mature, somehow. They were both just a bunch of messed up kids, really. She wasn't really... Angry at her sister, though. She... Guessed she was just feeling a bit... Exasperated and tired of everything.
She could see the wall of ice behind the silvery apprentice's eyes, likely masking that fire of anger and hatred. That hatred that was reserved for Almondfire, Aloepaw... And Brightpaw as well, it seems. Cloudclan, she'd really messed it all up, hadn't she? She didn't bother trying to reason with Willowpaw. It wasn't like she'd listen. She'd long since given up trying to change her family's minds.
If she held onto even a shred of hope, she was sure she'd go insane.
Brightpaw flattened her ears and gave a stern look. "Since when was hunting a competition?" She asked. Though... Factually... She doubted it. She hadn't watched her sister hunt before, but Brightpaw seemed to be exceptionally good at anything that didn't involve talking to people. Usually, when prey escaped her claws... It meant she really needed sleep.
|
|
|
|
Post by Willowspirit on Mar 8, 2017 13:04:28 GMT -6
"I didn't say that it was, don't put words in my mouth." Willowpaw was disgusted that Brightpaw would dare try to assume anything about her, even if it was reasonable.
Willowpaw saw none of the regret behind Brightpaw's facade of calmness, and she didn't bother looking for it. She was already convinced that Brightpaw hated her, because her actions had never suggested otherwise. All her sister did was whine about how much she cared, but she never, ever did anything to prove that. Brightpaw was just saying that because she liked the idea of being a nice cat, there was no other possible reason.
"I just think that you should be taking hunting seriously." Willowpaw avoided saying 'we', not wanting to associate herself with her sister. "Leafbare is only just ending, and in case you haven't noticed, prey is still scarce."
((sorry for the short posts, i'm on mobile.))
|
|
|
|
Post by Adaline on Mar 8, 2017 17:31:22 GMT -6
Brightpaw narrowed her eyes. "Really? I could've sworn I heard you almost blatantly say you're the better hunter out of the two of us. Sounds a lot like you're trying to show me you're better than me." It kind of hurt that she was getting the same treatment as Aloepaw and Almondfire, almost.
She wondered what she did wrong. From the beginning... She'd been rather... Socially obtuse. Maybe she still was, but she'd been especially bad back then. But she thought they'd cleared that up. No, wait... Willowpaw told her what she did wrong. Brightpaw never did enough. She was all talk and no action, turning on people when they disagreed with her. That was her sister's perspective on her. It likely had more than a little basis in fact. Who would know better than the one she'd hurt exactly what was wrong with her...?
She clenched her jaw. "I do take hunting seriously, but sleep is a thing cats need to survive, if you may recall."
((It's cool. Honestly, they're not that short. They're a normal length to me tbh))
|
|
|
|
Post by Willowspirit on Mar 8, 2017 22:28:18 GMT -6
"I don't want to show you anything, I want you to leave so that I can hunt in peace." Willowpaw responded evenly, becoming increasingly frustrated with all of Brightpaw's banter. She showed no anger, though, looking at her sister as if she were just an acquaintance that happened to be particularly annoying.
Willowpaw wasn't obsessed with this spot, if Brightpaw wanted to spend all of her time napping in random areas and then arguing over semantics, then Willowpaw would just find somewhere else. Oceanstar would never make such a lazy cat into a warrior, and that meant Willowpaw would see her sister much less.
She spoke gauntly, sounding extremely dull. "Like I said before, if you're tired, then sleep in your nest. Not only are you scaring away prey, but you're making yourself into an easy target for predators. Don't you think Honeyfur and Grayshade have better things to do than to treat injured, stupid apprentices who should've known better?" Every Fireclan cat knew that a hawk could easily carry away a fully grown warrior.
|
|
|
|
Post by Adaline on Mar 9, 2017 8:48:03 GMT -6
Brightpaw wasn't sure why she was still here. Clearly, her presence wasn't wanted. She could practically feel the heavy contempt and hatred, boring down on her back, put there by her sister. Despite Willowpaw's apparent improved emotional control, she knew that it was there. She wished she didn't. She wish she could be as obtuse to other people's feelings as she used to be as a kit. Maybe it would hurt less.
Maybe it was because, against all odds... She had some shred of hope that she didn't know she still had that... Things could get better. She didn't believe it in her head, but maybe she did in her heart.
.... Or maybe she was just being stupid. She probably was. She wasn't a wimp like Aloepaw and Almondfire claimed. She just seemed to poison the things around her.
She narrowed her eyes. "You think I don't know that?" She eyed Willowpaw's scars. She could make a jab... But she wouldn't. Her sister didn't really deserve more of that. She wouldn't listen anyways. "There's prey in more areas than just this one. If I've scared all the prey away, then why are you still here? Oh, wait. I remember. You danced around answering my question." She pointed out, this exchange having happened only a few moments earlier.
|
|
|
|
Post by Willowspirit on Mar 9, 2017 10:12:27 GMT -6
"I'm still here because I'm still talking to you. In case you didn't know, it's rude to walk away in the middle of a conversation." Willowpaw remembered their first interaction, when she asked Brightpaw to share prey with her, and her sister had obtusely ignored her, having no concept of social graces. Obviously Brightpaw had improved, but Willowpaw hated her too much to care.
Her eyes travelled over the scene, and she scented the air, searching for fresh prey scent. "And like I said before, if there is any prey left around, then I want to catch it. But if you're that obsessed with hanging around here and napping all day, then go ahead and be my guest, I'll leave."
|
|
|
|
Post by Adaline on Mar 9, 2017 15:11:07 GMT -6
Brightpaw bit her lip. "You must really hate me if you're willing to hold the mistakes of a socially awkward kitten against me." She observed. Whatever hope she wasn't sure she still had was squashed. She looked away. She was wasting her time here. There was nothing to be said that hadn't been said already.
She grit her teeth. "I'm fine. I don't need anymore sleep for a while yet." She had no desires to be caught in the throes of another nightmare any time soon. She lifted her nose to the air, then lowered it again and gave Willowpaw a somewhat exasperated look. "I believe you'll be glad to know there's still some prey mucking about."
|
|
