Sweet Disposition {Redrain]

[Avery]

 Tags: ℓυиαя
Music: Sweet Disposition : Temper Trap
Words: 1041 !!!
Muse: Sky rocketing
ooc: SUPRISE ! Told you I had it in me LOVE LOVE LOVE this post. Give you full permissions to do whatever with Littlebird !

----

Sweet disposition
Never too soon
                                      Oh, reckless abandon
Like no one's watching you


   A moon had passed since the Talonclan warrior had been taken into Whisperclan for treatment of her Whitecough. She had spent day after day residing in an abandoned badger set, with nothing to amuse her but herself and the few bugs that littered the walls. Snow had slowly melted to the rising grass, and signs of New-Leaf were present everywhere in the forest. It was rather breathtaking to the young feline since she was so used to the rather bleak and rainy existence of New-Leaf on the mountains. It pretty much remained the same as it did in Leaf-Bare but with a little bit less snow and more rain. New-leaf in Whisperclan was vibrant, and enticing with a variety of scents and colour's. It was overwhelming and exhilarating at the same time. 


A moment
A love
A dream aloud
A kiss
A cry
Our rights
                   Our wrongs

 
 
 Raindapple had grown tired of being teased by the sights outside her den and so she had done something Reddusk surely would be disapproving of... She had snuck away. It wasn't that she had meant to... She was just so bored and restless that she felt if she hadn't gone exploring she would've gone crazy. Plus, the walls of the den felt like they had been collapsing on her and with her fear of tight spaces she couldn't stay in order to avoid a full blown panic attack. With her breathing slightly laboured from a lack of fitness and the signs of whitecough still stubbornly clinging she made her way through the territory. Her ears swiveling rapidly in order to listen for signs of the red framed tom that had so kindly helped her recover. She had been, and was still touched, by the tom's quiet nature mixed with his kind heart. He had taken her in, found her a place to stay, fed her and treated her during her stay with Whisperclan even receiving punishment for doing so. 

A moment, a love
                   A dream aloud
                                   A moment, a love
                 A dream, aloud



 Raindapple couldn't help but admit that she was feeling very.. flattered. With each passing day, her strength returned and with it her wicked, cheeky ways were coming back in full force. She would constantly tease the stoic tom or play small pranks in order to entertain herself and keep him on his toes. but.. She never went to far like she did when she was at home. Her biggest worry was that she would push him away, and then where would she be? Kicked out and losing a friend? Her heart clench at the thought of him being just a friend, but she had to constantly remind herself that was the only thing he could be. Besides. who needed love? What was love even? Surely it wasn't this? She had heard some of the older Queens tell her that love was where you felt like you were dancing on clouds, twirling in tall grass and your mind going blank whenever your lover would appear. She certainly didn't feel like that when Reddusk was around. She did however feel incredibly elated whenever he would break up her days of boredom with his appearance, and she did find herself laughing at his jokes. And.. she did find herself thinking of him often.. but that wasn't love. Love was a gooey emotion that made the most respectable warrior turn to a thoughtless mess. Love made you do stupid things. 

So stay there

'Cause I'll be coming over

And while our blood's still young

It's so young, it runs

And won't stop til it's over

Won't stop to surrender

Songs of desperation

I played them for you

A moment, a love

A dream aloud

A kiss, a cry

Our rights

Our wrongs

 I just... like his friendship and the attention. Ya that's it. I don't like like Reddusk. I've never liked liked somebody before and I don't see why I would start now.

A moment,
                   a love
A
         dream aloud
A moment,
                              a love
A dream aloud



  She couldn't imagine the look of horror upon the Queen's faces when she told them that she possibly liked a tom outside the Clan. Many of them felt that her and Mudpaw would end up together. Guilt blazed through her belly like wild fire at the thought of her best friend Mudpaw. The tom and her had grown up together, often being called partners in crime. She hadn't even thought of him since she had arrived, since her thoughts were mostly focused on the red furred tom, but she didn't even wonder if he was missing her. I'm a terrible friend she thought in dismay. Could that be proof that her and Mudpaw would only remain friends? That she thought she was a terrible friend and not a terrible... lover? Reflecting inwardly she knew she have the same feelings towards Mudpaw that currently plagued her for Reddusk. 


Stay there
'Cause I'll be coming over
                      And while our blood's still young
It's so young, it runs
            And won't stop til it's over
                           Won't stop to surrender

 Shaking her head she turned right, feeling like love was to confusing for her and she needed something fun to get her mind off of it. Coming across a large expansion of plains she couldn't help but marvel at the sight before her. Mixtures of vibrant pinks, powder blues, dazzling greens, subdued oranges, yellow and fire red's littered the tall grass. She scampered forwards into the field of wildflowers, her heart soaring through the sky with joy. This was what she was looking for. The warrior bounded across the field easily, her long legs covering grounds and leaping clear of the heads of the flowers. Her short chocolate marbled fur fluffed like a kit she sprinted this way and that, loving the feeling of soft grass underneath her pink paw pads for the first time in a month rather then hard pressed dirt. She had never seen anything like this before.

And won't stop til it's over

Won't stop til it's over

 The mountain was stunning with it's picturesque views of the forest and lake, but that's all it was. There was no running places, and there were no places to just let go and abandon caution to the wind. If she did that on the cliffs she would fall to her death for sure. The other Clans had no idea how lucky they were to have expanses of open territory rather then the confining mountains that seemed to press against you from every direction. butterflies lazily flew around, their soft wings whirring gently on the slight breeze, as if they were still waking up from Leaf-bare. Green-blue eyes were round with wonder at the sight of a large black and orange one that rested on a flower, it's wings flapping slowly. She followed it on it's flight from flower to flower before it stopped again on a large blue tulip. 

She was entranced.. 
    And unaware of her surroundings 

Won't stop til it's over

Won't stop to surrender

[ℓυиαя]

New leaf.

A time where wooden elders stood tall and were robed with green and adorned with pinks and reds.

Where prey flourished, when new life was brought unto the clans,

When every cat had a spring in their step and bright eyes.

For the muscled red tom, that was not so. With new leaf, came the knowledge that he would soon be hunting down his own flesh and blood, the snow no longer an obstacle for Reddusk. Nor for Masquerade. That fact was screamed silently through the puddles and new buds around him, through the glaring sun that warmed his fur. Soon, he told himself, soon he would find him.

Soon he would extract his revenge.

Eyes darkened at the thought as the tom crossed over to the entrance of the Whisperclan camp. He had been confined to camp for bringing in a sick Talonclanner but Reddusk had in fact been surprised that that was it, that was the only punishment handed out. No attacks, no starvation, no banishment.

Everyday, clan life continued to surprise him. Rogues were often cast out or killed for less.

The confinement had perhaps turned out to be a blessing. His days had been spent sitting in camp and taking things to Raindapple as she recovered not far from the camp. While he was with her, his mind quietened, his dark thoughts slept and he could almost pretend he was normal. If only for a little while. It had also given him something to do whilst he waited for the snow to melt, waited to confront his brother. Her humor and teasing nature had sparked back as her health improved each day and he found himself warming more to the small Talonclanner. Maybe that meant more than he was reading into, or perhaps it was because with her his world wasn't so dark. Coming back to camp was always the hardest part, though he didn't tell her that, nor anyone else.

Suffering in silence was something Reddusk excelled at. He had had plenty of practice.

Even now, without the distraction of helping someone, of having an everyday conversation, his mind was starting to blacken at the edges, creeping in closer like a thick stain. Soon, he would find the tom he had both dreaded and yearned to see, before he sunk his claws deep into his devilishly handsome face. Soon.

Right now, he needed to do his daily check up on Raindapple. Stalking out of camp, Reddusk stopped by and dug up a thrush he had hunted earlier (she seemed to like those), heading over to the abandoned badgers den where she had made her nest. Before he even reached it the memories seemed to fade from his mind.

Before he even reached it, he knew he wouldn't find her there.

Eyes narrowed, darkened on the entrance to the den. He didn't need to enter, didn't need to see her gone. Her scent was already more stale than usual and as he turned his head and dropped the thrush, he caught on to a ribbon of a trail heading away from him. Towards the meadows. Eyes cast the landscape as he changed his direction, large shoulders pushing him forward in a powerful gait. What on earth was she doing leaving the den? Didn't she realize if she ran into a patrol there would be hell to pay? That Fangstar wouldn't be so forgiving this time? A snarl erupted from the tom and though it didn't carry much volume, it filled the air around him. Seeming to crack the air, seeming to silence the surroundings.

Heading towards her, following her sweet scent, Reddusk nosed his way out of the thicker underbrush and into the rolling meadows. Large paws soft on the ground despite his speed, body relaxed yet aware and ready, eyes missing nothing.

There. There she was.

Upwind from him and completely oblivious.

That fact only made him more annoyed. What if it wasn't him? What if it was someone else? Someone after her or just looking for trouble, especially in her recovering state. It wasn't like Talonclan in which there was generally always a rock wall against your back or close by. This was out in the open.

Unforgiving.

And she was a sitting duck. 

The nativity surrounding her astounded him. Creeping up closer, he remembered being taught life lessons as a younger tom, or well.. the teaching methods he actually agreed with.

The ones about learning from experience. 

Keeping his body low, Reddusk kept his prowl until he was close, so close, a ghost in her oblivion. His breathing was quiet, eyes trained on her back, stock still and he knew exactly what he was doing. Unlike others, his kithood hadn't been nestled in the nursery being told stories. No, he had been trained young until it was second nature and fighting blood flowed thick in his veins. As her eyes fixed on a butterfly before her, Reddusk bunched his hind legs and lunged, snapping through the air square to her back, powerful forelegs outstretched to hit her and roll. To lock her to his chest.

To scare the living foxdung out of her.

As his fur was whipped by the wind, Reddusk let out a low snarl, eyes narrowed as he felt the catch of her fur on his sheathed paws. Clearly she was well enough to be out here follicking, so she could deal with a attack from behind too. An attack from a much heavier, older and ex rogue tom. Maybe then next time, she would think about leaving without letting him know. Maybe then she wouldn't be so impulsive on a stanger clan's territory. Maybe she would think more about her actions and be careful.

Tsk tsk little bird.

Maybe she would do more to keep herself safe. Unlike clan mentality, the world was not all that it seemed. He knew that first hand. He had lived and breathed it, she had not. He had nothing to lose and she had everything.

[Avery]

Tags: ℓυиαя
Words: 439
Music: Metric - Help I'm Alive
Muse: High
Ooc: 
---------
I tremble, they're gonna eat me alive
If I stumble they're gonna eat me alive
Can you hear my heart beating like a hammer?
Beating like a hammer


Beautiful.

Her mind could only think of one word to describe the creature in front of her, and that was beautiful. It circled through her thoughts like a current, her eyes absorbing every detail of the butterfly. From it's black tipped wings that appeared to have been dipped in paint, with a fiery orange center and a spattering of white dots. Long black antennae wiggled at the front of it's head in a slow pattern, clearly enjoying whatever type of flower it was on. Two-toned whiskers twitched in delight and Raindapple lifted her head. Breathing the crisp New-leaf air, her eyes swept the field in a clock-wise formation. Everywhere different species of butterflies were flying between the tall and short stalks, their wings barely brushing each other as they slipped past one another. Their wings added different patterns to the vibrant hues of the wildflowers. It truly was a beautiful place.




Whisperclan is so lucky to have this. I wish-




The sound of a snarl caused an ear to flick back, and the marbled feline just managed to take a glance over her shoulder of the red solid lion that was flying towards her. The warrior dug her claws into the dirt in an attempt to pull herself forwards, but was completely unsuccussful. She was still to weak to have much strength, and she hadn't really practised in quite some time. Ever since she had obtained her warrior name her training had been put on the back burner. In her apprentice days, when she still had Redear as her mentor, she had been quite the formidable opponent. Now? After a month of den rest and whitecough? She felt as a weak as a kitten.

Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer

Hard to be soft, tough to be tender

Come take my pulse, the pace is on a runaway train

 The tom connected into her for the briefest of moments, and her body tensed in response, completely caught unaware.  Mind racing to her training she remembered what Redear had taught her, but guilt flashed through her belly. She didn't want to but he had brought it upon himself. So she did what she had to. Ivory claws slid from their sheathes and rose upwards aiming to catch Reddusk in the face.

Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer

Beating like a hammer, beating like a hammer

Beating like a hammer

[ℓυиαя]

He felt the moment his strong body connected with her softer one and the moment he did so, he was already rolling them so that he took the brunt of the hard landing. So that he was only on her for a second. As he turned, with the growing grass of the meadow whipping at his fur, the tom grit his teeth as the ground rose to meet him. The only sound that he had landed was the thump of cat against dirt and the cut of his breath.

Better him than her.

"Get off!"

He braced his body to slow down their slide across the grass, his body turning into her until finally he moved from his side to a low crouch above her. His legs were bunched and his eyes cut across the short distance down to her, something different in those depths. He had shocked her, he could see that but she was OK. Nothing like a bit of adrenaline to kick start the system. Especially when she was out here alone, on clan territory. A vulnerable little thing.

A flash of ivory,

A sting of something familiar,

Something welcomed.

Pulling back on instinct by simply straightening his legs, Reddusk quickly assessed the threat. Raindapple, her sharp claws having been aimed at his face, managing to have nicked his cheek. A quirk of that eyebrow over dark eyes as he watched her for a moment longer before stepping up and away. A warning, You're very lucky it was only me.

In fact, she was very lucky it was only him now.

Had he still been a rogue, things might have been very different indeed.

Not letting his eyes leave the pretty she cat, he looked her up and down, a serious expression masking his handsome features. "Feeling better are we?"

[Avery]

She had been hit.

If she had been standing on the outside and watching this 'fight' happen rather being a part of it, she would have commented on how the tom had put himself first in order to take the brunt of the fall. If she had been watching she might have noticed that Reddusk had only meant to teach her a lesson. If she had been watching she might've told herself to not react the way she had done. Unfortunately, the Talonclan warrior had been so absorbed in her surroundings she hadn't really appreciated what was actually around her. She hadn't kept her defenses up, and she hadn't been ready for an attack. Perhaps that's why she had fallen prey to his 'lesson', but in reality, Raindapple hadn't been expected an attack period while she was on Whisperclan. The Clan knew she was a visitor (she refused to call herself a prisoner) and if one of them had caught her, they probably would've escorted her back rather then attack her.

She felt her body slide along the grass of the meadow, and the tall stalks smacked against her sides. The moment their bodies had slowed to a stop she had reacted instinctively, memories of her first mentor haunting her paws, forcing her to react without thinking. The tom didn't even flinch, and simply just raised himself off her, as if he was just contemplating the sunny day not that he had scared the whiskers off her. Green-blue eyes glared back at his handsome face, watching his expression for any change at all. Any recognition that she had swiped out at him. To her utter surprise the tom's eyes went dark, the signature eyebrow quirk was colder... more of a warning. He was warning her? Warning her that she was lucky? Slightly baffled, but not showing it, she stubbornly filtered ice into her own eyes. He stepped back, his orbs regarding her coolly.

"Feeling better are we?"

Raindapple rested for a few brief moments, trying to control her heaving sides. A cough escaped her lips before she finally stood up and shook her coat free from clinging seed pods. Spinning on her paws, she pulled her whiskers back in a look of pure irritation and anger. "I was until some buffoon decided to hurtle himself at me." She growled. His dark look still clung to her, and she tried to shove it away. Was that a piece of his past? Had she actually been lucky that he had decided to not attack her? Annoyance flashed through her, and her tail lashed behind her. Whether it was due to her being snuck up and made a fool, or because she was actually made at him, she would never tell the cat that was chilling in front of her. "Was that really necessary?" 

[ℓυиαя]

"I was until some buffoon decided to hurtle himself at me."

The anger behind her words and the ice in her eyes didn't change the cool look he regarded her with, but deep down he was glad she was showing some passion, some fire.

It was often not getting over the sickness that took the most time, but getting back to your true self and she was getting there. but they would have to work on her self defense. He wasn't sure if it was because she had been sick, because she hadn't trained recently, because Talonclanner's were mediocre fighters or because he had such a battle ridden upbringing, but they had some work to do.

She wasn't going to be so easy to tackle again, not on his watch.

"Was that really necessary?"

Just like that his gaze turned from cool to something more serious. Out of the two brothers, Reddusk had always been the more reserved, the more clear headed, the more laid back and so he met her hot anger with a casual shrug. "You tell me, Raindapple. Did you feel in control or did you feel helpless?" Green gaze imploring, Reddusk stalked around her in a wide circle, watching how she reacted, how she held herself. "A she-cat like yourself cannot afford to be so easily surprised, you may be fast but that's only before someone is upon you." The honest truth. "I want you to be able to defend yourself," against someone like me.

Take control of that anger, little bird and use it to protect your innocence.

[Avery]

Tags: ℓυиαя
Words:629
Music: King & the Lionheart: Monsters & Men
Muse: Very good
Ooc:

---

in the winter night sky ships are sailing,
Looking down on these bright blue city lights.
And they won't wait, and they won't wait, and they won't wait.
We're here to stay, we're here to stay, we're here to stay



"You tell me, Raindapple. Did you feel in control or did you feel helpless?"

Defiant eyes locked onto the tom, her chin stubbornly set, making her face appear to be made of stone. This brought her back to her days of being an apprentice with Smoketail, her mentor before Redear. The tom had been harsh, and constantly put her on the spot in an attempt to make her instincts faster. After her brother had chased him off for his abusive ways, Redear had slowly and painfully extracted the harsh tutoring's of the vile grey tom. However, Raindapple didn't think Reddusk was trying to be like her first mentor, he was just trying to teach her a lesson about awareness. Not that it made her feel better since she was technically his equal in the Clan world, but he had far more 'life' experience then she did. A flick of a white capped tail displayed that she was still irritated but she meowed,

Howling ghosts they reappear

In mountains that are stacked with fear

but you're a king and I'm a lionheart.
A lionheart.

"No. I didn't feel entirely in control."

She hated to say it, but she knew it would be to futile for her to lie to him. It was evident that she hadn't been with her reaction, considering the tom had taken a majority of the fall. If they had been on the mountain.... it would be a different story. On the mountain you had to be in control of your surroundings, and aware that any step to far the right or left would mean certain death. Out here, she had let her guard down, and Reddusk was just trying to remind her that it still dangerous. Beautiful, but dangerous.

His crown lit up the way as we moved slowly
Pass the wondering eyes of the ones that were left behind.
Though far away, though far away, though far away
We're still the same, we're still the same, we're still the same.

"A she-cat like yourself cannot afford to be so easily surprised, you may be fast but that's only before someone is upon you."

A she-cat like yourself.

Howling ghosts they reappear
In mountains that are stacked with fear

but you're a king and I'm a lionheart.

And in the sea that's painted black,
Creatures lurk below the deck

Her short marbled fur bristled at his words. "A she-cat like myself?" Her words snapped like a whip, harsh against their gentle surroundings. "What's that supposed to mean?" The slow tail twitch turned into a full hurricane, her tail slashing the air behind her. "Listen Reddusk, I know you snuck up on my just now, but I want you to know that I'm not just some pampered mountain cat. I have trained, I have bled, I have sweated, so if you think that I am just some helpless little mouse you can shove it because I'm not." Her eyes flashed again, her whiskers pulled back in anger. She may not be as experienced as Reddusk, but she had certainly dealt with her own trials and harsh training. "I have my warrior name in case you hadn't noticed. I am not an apprentice. Yes, I'm fast, and I may not have strength due to build, but I'm still strong in other areas." The old Raindapple was back.

but you're a king and I'm a lionheart.
A lionheart

[ℓυиαя]

"No. I didn't feel entirely in control." 

She spoke the truth, though he didn't need to hear her say it. They both knew. So the tom, finishing his circle to stand before her merely inclined his head in acknowledgement, eyes never leaving her. He saw the moment her pelt bristled, saw the light in her eyes before she even spoke. He saw the storm before it hit him and he stood before her, paws solid to the ground, straight on - waiting for the rain.

Inviting it to wash over him.

"A she-cat like myself? What's that supposed to mean?" Anger, unrestrained and full of emotion. Of something else.

"Listen Reddusk, I know you snuck up on me just now, but I want you to know that I'm not just some pampered mountain cat. I have trained, I have bled, I have sweated, so if you think that I am just some helpless little mouse you can shove it because I'm not."

Well done little bird, unleash it on me.

"I have my warrior name in case you hadn't noticed. I am not an apprentice. Yes, I'm fast, and I may not have strength due to build, but I'm still strong in other areas."

The thunder stopped but the rain continued to pour, the anger crackling in the distance between them. He met it coolly, a peculiar spark in those dark green depths as that solo ear flicked sharply. He spoke in a low voice, low enough that she might not be able to hear at first. "Oh, I didn't mean it as a insult." Masculine, confident, of a tom that knew exactly what he had meant. A flick of that tail began his pacing once more, accented voice louder this time as he continued. "I do not doubt your abilities Raindapple, not for one moment." His gaze was ahead of him and he seemed to be sifting through thoughts, his mood sinking, morphing into something dark and hungry. "but it is a much different world where, I am from. Clan cats are at least merciful, or at least in comparison. This is more for myself than for you," The next words dropped into a growl as he turned back to face her. "I don't want to worry about you through what happens next."

Green eyes almost black as the tom struggled to still his shaking body, his claws unsheathing in the dirt beneath his paws. Realizing his loss of control, however brief, Reddusk turned his back on her, lowering his head slightly. "I'm not going to fail this time." A cursed whisper through the rain that poured behind him. 

Somehow calming in its torrential state.

[Avery]

Tags: ℓυиαя
Words: 632
Music: Waves - Mr.Probz (only that part though)
Muse: Very good
-----

"Oh, I didn't mean it as a insult. I do not doubt your abilities Raindapple, not for one moment."

The she-cat's fur laid flat at his words, but she was still buzzing with an irritated aura. She felt like she could trust this tom, but then again she'd only known him for about two moons, if that. Eyes narrowed she waited for him to shift through his thoughts, his own stance changing with each heartbeat. It was as if he was going through all of his memories prior to joining Whisperclan. Reddusk looked away, his voice growing deeper, his unusual accent clearly coming through.

"but it is a much different world where, I am from. Clan cats are at least merciful, or at least in comparison. This is more for myself than for you,"

Raindapple couldn't help but feel slightly confused. She knew the Clan cat's were different from Loner's and Rogue's, but why was he telling her that this was more for him then for her? It didn't make sense. Then again, Raindapple didn't really have the experience with Rogue's as Reddusk did. Talonclan was lucky in the sense that they rarely, if ever, bumped into rogue's. They were to far up the mountain, and a majority of cat's didn't wish to make the climb for a few measly pieces of mice. So all of the she-cat's battles had been with other Clans or wildlife like a mountain lion.

"I don't want to worry about you through what happens next."

Reddusk was shaking. The she-cat was truly baffled now. She had never seen the tom show even a glimpse of emotion before so this raw display was incredibly new to her. The marbled she cat felt rather awkward, and wasn't quite sure what to do. Whenever someone in her own Clan would confide in her with something, she would merely give them a pat on the head with her tail or meow a quick (but awkward) "everything will work itself out" sort of advice. With Reddusk though... She felt like she had to give him something more. He was opening up by showing this side of him, and she couldn't just stand their like a silly kitten. The tom turned away from her completely, as if he was realizing that he had lost control of himself. Raindapple had to strain to hear his next words,

"I'm not going to fail this time."

Fail? This time?


but still I reach, to find a way
I'm stuck here in between
I'm looking for the right words to say (to say)



Raindapple blinked before she took a few hesitating steps forwards until she was right next to his shoulder. "Hey," She meowed softly, her earlier anger disappearing. Blue-green eyes were round and looked like calm lakes in a New-leaf day. "I'll be fine with whatever is tossed my way." She wasn't quite sure what the marbled feline had meant by "whatever happens next," but she felt like she was on the right track for comforting him. "Everything will be fine, and you will get through this." Darn... She had done a generic response again. Her tail draped along his back, her fur mingling with his, and she gave him a gentle nudge with her nose. Her heart beat increased the moment his scent engulfed her nose but she kept her emotions at bay. She definitely didn't need to think about that right now. "I'll be by your side as much as I possibly can. I can listen, or support, or fight or whatever it is that you need. I may be from a different Clan, but like I said before, I'm a friend for life. So if you need someone, I'm here." She just hoped she had said the right thing.

[ℓυиαя]

He felt as the rain was brought to a soft shower behind him yet inside his own personal storm raged. Masquerade had always been the more outwardly emotional tom. Reddusk only became like this right before something terrible.

When he could no longer hold in the pain, keep it locked tight close to his chest.

"Hey," 

He felt her at his shoulder yet even when he felt her eyes on him, he didn't turn his head to meet it, instead watching the bouncing flowers in the meadow ahead. She brought a calmness with her that rivaled the emotional storm he had ridden before. The only movement the large tom showed was the movement of his solitary ear in her direction and a slash of that thin tail against the still air.

"I'll be fine with whatever is tossed my way. Everything will be fine, and you will get through this."

A generic thing to say he knew yet Reddusk rarely, if ever, got words of reassurance. He had certainly not been a recipient of it as a young tom and now he was looked at by many as someone who didn't need it. He was always in control, always clear headed and always with a plan in place. The brush of her tail as it moved to his back had his head turning slightly to her, though it remained down.

"I'll be by your side as much as I possibly can. I can listen, or support, or fight or whatever it is that you need. I may be from a different Clan, but like I said before, I'm a friend for life. So if you need someone, I'm here."

Reddusk knew what she meant and he appreciated her kind words but there was no way that was going to happen. Her fight Masquerade or even be within a 2 mile radius of what was going to go down? He was in this and in this alone, he was not about to drag some innocent clanner into it with him. Or at least, that's what he told himself.

Maybe as well as not wanting her hurt, he didn't want her to see the monster he would undoubtedly become.

A sharp shake of his head as finally he brought his head up and locked his eyes on hers as they danced with darkness. The shield returned, the fighter returned, his anger held at bay behind green doors. "I appreciate it, sweet." Accent strong, Reddusks gaze never faltered from hers. "but it's not something you can help me with." The only way you can help is to be very far away.

I need you safe more than I need you there for me.

[Avery]

Tags: ℓυиαя
Words:453
Music: Sweet Nothing
Muse: Good
Ooc: Violet.. might've been typed once or twice.
----

"I appreciate it, sweet.
but it's not something you can help me with."

How noble.

Raindapple's face fell slightly, clearly showing she wasn't buying his 'gentlemanly' ways. Reddusk was nervous about something, enough for his usual shield to crack slightly. Enough that the marbled feline had seen that he was truly worried over his and her safety. Quite frankly it touched her. She was so used to having everyone just letting her run wild with hardly any consequences and no one seemed to care whether she got hurt or worse. A majority of her Clanmates just let her be invisible to them, a ghost passing through and that was all. Her blue-green eyes never left his and she stared at him with a look of doubt before she shook herself.

"Well alright Reddusk, if you say so, just know that my offer will always stand." She said gently, knowing that he would probably refuse to take it, but he didn't really have a choice in the matter. Raindapple always found a way around rules, why would his decline be any different? A slight cough escaped her lips, dry but not nearly as bad as before. Orbs sweeping over the flat meadow before them she padded away, her white capped tail swaying lightly behind her, paws barely leaving a track in the soft mud. "This is really quite beautiful out here." She meowed looking over her shoulder towards the massive red tom. "You guys' seriously have no idea how lucky you are." The tall multi-coloured stalks of flowers brushed her pelt as she walked wile heads of flowers bumping against her sides with a soft sleepy pace leaving traces of vibrant powdered spots on her strands of fur. "I mean we have lovely views up on the mountain, but nothing can compare to this." At one point the stalks rose higher than her head, dwarfing her and when she looked up all she could see was soft blue sky with fluffy white clouds dotting it.

She knew that Reddusk would probably send her straight back to the burrow, but why not push her luck a little? She was feeling better then she had in days and plus Reddusk was here, so there was no worries of any 'surprises' whether they be from Whisperclan or outsiders. He couldn't really say no either since Raindapple would be adamant on staying. How much harm could a little time outside cause? Ears swiveling she continued onwards, the stalks swaying movements the only tale-tell signs of where she went.

She felt like a jungle cat
A sleek black beast that prowled the jungle.

[ℓυиαя]

Tags: Avery - LETS BRING THIS BACK. Didn't realise how much I had missed it until I reread it again. To the original Redrain <33

"Well alright Reddusk, if you say so, just know that my offer will always stand." 

She truly was unshakable in her support which was admired but irrelevant. He wouldn't, couldn't, take her up on that offer, especially when she didn't really know what she was offering. As another cough wracked her small frame, the toms solid green eyes flashed to her, noting how while it was lighter than it had been the past few days, it was still something to look out for.

A barb in her paw.

A weakness that perhaps she wouldn't see but he had been trained to note and attack on.

"This is really quite beautiful out here. You guys' seriously have no idea how lucky you are. I mean we have lovely views up on the mountain, but nothing can compare to this."

The change in subject caused his ears to swivel in her direction, watching as she padded off further into the dancing stalks of Whisperclan's meadows. Turning his large body around in her direction, something lit up those forested eyes as the last of the storm began to fade. She really was clever; offering her support, stepping away and sneaking off, hoping he wouldn't drag her rear back to the badger's den where she would be safe, where she would be warm.

Where she would undoubtedly be bored as she hadn't failed to tell him on numerous occasions.

Weaving his way through the long grasses behind her, he took in the territory he now defended, thriving in the heart of New Leaf. It was certainly more beautiful than any other place he had called home however Reddusk was certainly not one to choose based off aesthetics. For him, it was the cats, the personalities and the loyalties found in such places. Here, in Whisperclan, he had found a group to accept him regardless of what he had been, what he had done. "Considering on making the move then?" He asked her from behind, his deep accented voice somewhat light with the change in mood. He didn't doubt that Talonclan wasn't beautiful but the ex-rogue much preferred the solid earth underneath his feet, stalking his prey amongst the tall grass, tracking his brother on the hard land.

The last was both a craving and a nightmare.

And something he certainly shouldn't be thinking about right now.

Deciding to change his thoughts to finding more about the she cat in front of him, the large tom caught up as she prowled through the long grass and shot her a side glance. "I'm sure Talonclan is not as bad as you make it out to be."