[ti]Open[/ti]adult life is already so weird

[bits]

Swiftwing wasn't spending more time by the border. No.

It just so happened that she found her clan in a bit of a pickle. Between a miasma of poor leadership choices, deaths and disappearances galore, and a general attitude of discontent, there was less and less reason to spend time in camp. She didn't want to sit among her complaining clanmates, or exist in tense silence wondering what absolute bull-honky would descend upon them all. She didn't want that, and she couldn't handle it, and so she decided to do some more border patrols to make sure her clan was well-marked and there were warriors still looking out for the wellbeing of the clan.

Someone had to do it, after all.

So her increased time spent watching the borders and hunting along the outskirts had nothing to do with their missing deputy - her missing brother. Creeksong was overbearing, controlling, and played a significant role in the loss of her dear sister. She wasn't worried about his disappearance - good riddance, right? And if she spent more time looking beyond their borders than usual, that was just... vigilance. Right? Right.

Right.

"This is stupid."

She grumbled, kicking a pebble in front of her, still angled towards the outer border. 

[Deleted]

She hadn't meant to head towards the border. In fact, she was actually trying to relax her overworking brain and instead found herself heading towards the borders. Since the tribal group calling themselves Rootclan came into the lands things had been a bit tense so DoeEYes didn't seem too worried that her paws took her towards the border if not only to check to make sure it was alright and strong as always even if the clan itself was not strong in her opinion. She shook her head and blinked looking up towards the border and paused in her step to find a familiar looking pelt ahead of her. Just the warrior's luck that she found Swiftwing.

Coming up behind her she cleared her throat softly and sat down with her tail wrapped around her paws and gave the other she-cat a unreadable look as she studied her before her face relaxed and she gave a small smile.

"What is stupid Swiftwing?" she questioned in her soft and laid back tone she always carried.

"Watching the border like any good warrior should? I don't see anyone else here doing with the same. They could care less." she shrugged her elegant shoulders and gave a bit of a warmer smile towards the other she-cat trying to relax her.

She didn't seem to happy right now and DoeEyes didn't know what was going on in her head to make her so unhappy.

Tag: bits

[bits]

Swiftwing, for all her reputation of being a loyal and hard-working warrior, was just a bit off these days. A little more tired than usual, paws a little more cracked - signs of overworking (though that was saying something, given her usual propensities). She nearly jumped when Doeeye's spoke up, nevermind the soft tone the words were carried in. Conversation had never been her strong suit, and her ears pinned back briefly in discomfort. She knew that she had to respond, but as per usual, she was slow and deliberate in her wording. In general, Swiftwing tried to keep her words to a minimum, and didn't feel like waiting longer to reply was a fault in any way. That being said, she had to consider how best to respond.

These days, there was an unsettling chaos that had descended upon their clan. Five deputies and half a leader would do that to a clan, after all. But Swiftwing wasn't certain how open she wanted to be about her distrust in the current leadership, so she tilted her head thoughtfully, tail twitching behind her.

"I'm - keeping an eye out, in case Creeksong decides to come back to all this mess."

She said it nonchalantly, but there was a tension in her features that betrayed the fact that there was more behind her statement. It was no secret that their old deputy had gone missing, and it was no secret that Swiftwing and Creeksong had had a very contentious relationship, as far as brothers and sisters go. Although to be fair, that relationship was more like Swiftwing doing her best to avoid him at all costs and Creeksong doing his best to reconnect with her. So maybe it was odd that Swiftwing was keeping an eye out for him, but... was it really? As soon as the words left her mouth, she grimaced as though they'd turned sour on her tongues.

[Deleted]

The cream colored molly was not one who minded the silence around her. She preferred to speak little and listen more; which is why she was known for being someone who was trusting and who someone could come to for advice; because she spoke little, she measured her words carefully. That was one thing the two she-cats had in common in their clan. Soft blue eyes studied the darker female before she opened her jaws to speak.

"You hope for a brother's return. That is not stupid." she began slowly before turning to gaze towards the border lines and studied them.

"It's a shame that you would want his return now when you avoided him before though." she said; although there was no judgement in her tone or any harshness she was merely stating the facts.

"With the way our clan thrives, or more survives that is. It is up to us as a clan to fend for ourselves and hold strong to each other. Hope is the only thing to strengthen us as a group is it not?" she turned to look at the warrior beside her.

A small smile gracing her features. "It's never too late to start over with the people you love, have hope he returns and start from there. If we does not return Swiftwing, you must move on." she stated softly.

Tag: bits

[bits]

Swiftwing was entirely unused to being comforted - it was not something their parents had bothered with, and save for Foxpaw, no others cared to try it with the prickly molly. The unfamiliarity of it made her uneasy, knocking her off her guard. It wasn't a bad thing, but it was something that she'd have to get used to.

It is a shame that you would want his return now when you avoided him before though.

She didn't think about her words this time, instead saying the unfortunate phrase that rolled through her mind and straight onto her tongue.

"Yeah, well, trying to control my life and getting our sister killed put a bit of a damper on our relationship."

The words sounded harsh even to Swiftwing, and her frown spoke to that. The shake of her head didn't serve to fix the words as they'd dripped from her, dry and bitter. But at least she had the decency to look conflicted, her gaze sweeping out to the side in a silent apology to a tom that wasn't around to hear the insult. Doeeyes wasn't wrong though - the time to smooth things over was past, and that was a whole other tangle of thorns that had found its way into her already constricted chest. Swiftwing mulled over the next words, words of hope and strength. They seemed... incredibly optimistic, if not naïve. She refrained from saying that though - the clan would never get by if everyone was as cynical as she was. Doeeyes just seemed to have a more positive outlook on the whole situation.

By the time she looked back to her clanmate, there was a small smile on her face. The words had good intentions - hope for the best and prepare for the worst, essentially. Swiftwing had the second part down, it was the first that tended to give her trouble. She refrained from mentioning the complete lack of family she had - Creeksong was her last living family, and she'd never been good at making friends. Maybe that was something that she should change, but the notion of it was enough to make her insides twist under the lack of familiarity.

"I appreciate that - even if I think it's easier said than done. I can't say I'll stop looking, but my paws would thank me if I was in camp more often."

Humour? In my Swiftwing? It's more likely than you'd think.

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The molly didn't miss the flash of unease and hurt in the other molly's gaze but she didn't let the harsh reply coming back at her offend the warrior. Instead, DoeEyes merely tipped her head in reply to said words. Being a older warrior meant not only did she have more experience but she had learned long ago that life was not fair but you make what you will of what you are given. She had chosen to make life a little easier for others even if she herself could not physically make things better for others; she made sure her presence was comfort enough.

The jest of humor for the other cat seemed out of place but the fact that warrior could even get that out of her gave her a small feeling of satisfaction. Her smile widened as she replied back with.

"I'm sure they will and so will your mind." she added before looking up at the sky in thought.

"I want you to seek me out whenever you find yourself going into a darker hole. I can't do much but I know how to distract people. I feel like if you had something else to preoccopy your mind you will be just fine. Your brother is gone honey. Whether he returns is up to him and you have no control over that, but keep that chin up and face each day as if it brings new challenges instead of pining over the past you can't change." she looked at the she-cat.

She knew the other probably wouldn't go for her offer but she had to put it out there anyways. She'd be keeping an eye out on Swiftwing for certain.

Tag: bits

[bits]

Doeeyes had been doing fairly well in terms of speaking to Swiftwing. She didn't tend to spend much time giving heed to others, especially those she didn't see as having more experience. Oh sure, Swiftwing liked to give others the benefit of the doubt - she didn't know everything, after all, and it seemed unlikely that her skills could somehow diminish after taking others into consideration. There was something about the way Doeeyes called her honey and seemed so certain about her brother's absence... there was something about the other's speech that rubbed her the wrong way, and her tentative expression shifted into one of a more sour demeanour.

"I genuinely hope your optimism works out for you. Don't forget that I was a warrior before you were ever born - it doesn't mean I know more, but it does mean I know myself and I know my brother."

It was odd to think that the younger cats of the clan wouldn't know about Foxpaw, about the severity of Creeksong's behaviour. Forty moons, Doeeyes was - born when Swiftwing would have been twenty moons. By then, her isolation had long since solidified. It was a commendable effort Doeeyes made, but speaking with Swiftwing was like trying to dash across a tall-grassed field full of gopher holes. One misstep and you were rolling head-over-heels, if not breaking a bone. The prickliness of the molly faded a little by the time she realized there was more bite to her words than she had intended. Another sigh, this time far more tired than she meant to reveal.

"Look, I appreciate it. But I'd rather be alone right now."

And with that being the clearest dismissal she could let on to, the warrior turned to go back to her careful investigation of the border.

[Deleted]

DoeEyes quickly realized she may have offended or stepped out of line with the older she-cat but she wasn't going to apologize for her behavior. She wasn't going to take back her words as she leveled the other with a steady gaze.

"That may be so Swiftwing but you aren't acting like it." she tilted her head. "Or you are acting too much like it. Things happen Swiftwing, it's time you faced it and come to terms with it. You're acting like a high strung apprentice in your angst with what you can't change." her gaze turned stern and unapologetic.

She wasn't going to feel bad for her words. Her clan needed the older warrior and if she decided she spend all her days wallowing in her own self pity about something she couldn't change what was going to become of the clan and those who cared about the warrior? Sometimes it take a hard shove and a few harsh words to make people understand.

The older warrior didn't seem to get it though or she did and refused to do anything about it making the younger warrior frustated as she was pretty much dismissed. But if DoeEyes was anything she was a determined little snot and refused to back down as she continued sitting were she was at and stared her senior warrior down. She didn't care with the rats tail if Swiftwing wanted her there or not; her presence was sticking around.

Because in the end if she was left alone Swiftwing would never realize just how important she was to the clan and that pining over something that couldn't be changed didn't help anyone least of all her.

Tag: bits