Beyond The Valley || RP

Daffodilpaw ||

The roar of the river was calming. at the very least.  Sense when had her sister become so cruel? was raindance like this, she wondered?  Why did her siblings hate her friends so much! from the moment she had interacted with Sourpaw, her sibling CarnationPaw had disliked him. and now Lilypaw was teaming up with- with- with that cruel hearted little menace to bully her friend poppypaw! 

it hurt, to know her family hated her friends. it hurt even more to find out that Cranepaw believed that Raindance was a horrible mother to them. was it true? was raindance really that bad? She wished she had grabbed Beetlekit on her way out.. he always made her feel better.  fat tears rolled down her face, little paws attempting to wipe them away. And now she was crying.. for what? she bitterly thought. it wasnt her name being smeared.  but oh.. it hurt so badly anyway. to know Lilypaw was cruel and Raindance being disrespected in the process.

Sourpaw ||

Goodness sake, he swore he had an eye on her a minute ago...

Red paws thud against the ground as Sourpaw's silver eyes scanned the area. His small, round ears would twitch in the breeze at the familiar and oddly comforting sound of rushing water. Would Daffodilpaw have even ran here? He knew her fur would weigh her down... And with that recent announcement of whatever-his-name-was being found dead at the bottom of the waterfall, the pessimist could only get lost in the ways of his negative mindset.

The what-ifs were soon washed away as he spotted that familiar pelt of hers. "Hey uh- Daff?"

He didn't think this far, to be honest. He expected someone else to run out but when only a kit stumbled up to the edge of camp, the Apprentice darted out after his friend. He was sure her mentor had tried to follow too, but likely went another way...

Comfort wasn't his forte. That was well known by now, but being here was the least he could do even if he didn't exactly understand the full situation.

"You almost scared me to death, you all good?" His words rushed out in panicked pants but he smiled weakly as he stared into Daffodilpaw's eyes. "Big fight back there... Thought it'd all have stopped by now but they just keep on coming, heh... Urhm..." Maybe speaking of it like that wasn't wasn't best. How could he know what to say? He adored his friend but she was so quiet and he frankly had a hard time figuring this one out. He sat beside her, but gave her a little space.

Daffodilpaw ||

Her ear twitched, hearing another cat approach.  Instead of her siblings however, she was mildly surprised to find sourpaw instead.  oh she hopes she wasnt too much of a bother to him, quickly, she swiped her paws over her face, trying to dry her tears in the presence of the tom.  She listened to him, and smiled, soft and gentle, understanding that the tom wasnt the best at conversation, but then neither is daffodil.  Dragging her gaze away, back to the rushing river, she sniffled. 

Then spoke, soft, almost nothing amidst the crashing waters and running winds going by them. "....didnt expect Lilypaw to want to be friends with that... little menace." she whispered. not meeting sourpaws gaze, she kept it fixed on the river infront of them. acting as if her talking was nothing to note. as if shes always done it.  She wiped her tears again. "Didnt know that Crane could be so mean... we're all in the same clan... so why are some cats so.. cruel.."Her voice was quiet and raspy, crackling from misuse.

Sourpaw ||

He had noticed her tears trailing down her face, but didn't dare question them further. Small ears shifted back as his silver gaze turned to the rushing waters. Allowing the sound to fill his ears, Sourpaw pursed his lips, unsure of what to say following his little slip up of a statement. If she found it to be an insult, wasn't that her own fault...? No, part of him certainly would feel guilty if she took offence. He knew he cared for her, just as he cared for Sweetpaw - why did everyone have so much drama going on? Life seemed to be a confusing mess - perhaps he was right to put up his defences as a kitten, but then again, he wouldn't be doing as well as he seemed to be doing now, then, would he?

The fact Daffodilpaw was even speaking didn't even process for a moment, the tom thoroughly fixated on the water as his mind wandered elsewhere, though his eyes finally shifted up, to view her, slowly. He sighed, "yeah, I-" then it hit him.

A small ear flicked, brows raised. He knew she likely could speak, but opted not to - he couldn't blame her, even if he failed to fully understand why she chose such a way of living and communicating. The shock panged within him, but he couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself - of her, even... She was speaking to him? And as if it was normal... As if it happened every day before now, save for the obvious damage to her tone.

Sourpaw couldn't help but feel guilty. He called so many of them his acquaintances at least, having moved on from kithood quarrels... Hell, he felt like they were all kits again, scrapping about and playing the blame game. It felt awful, he felt frustrated, tired. He was stressed. He wanted to try his best to lift the spirits of those he held close, however, and Daffodilpaw would be no exception... Trying not to throw off her words for he wanted them to keep being spoken, the chestnut tom scooched a little closer to his friend. "Yeah - didn't expect that from Crane either, not gonna lie..." He liked Crane, really, but his first ever friend had been the cause of a few mishaps due to his habit of calling things out - not the things that others wanted spoken to the higher-ups, either. Goodness sake, look at Carnationpaw - ranking up late. Must have been humiliating.

"Guess we all have our own shit going on - us, the older ones, even the kits, I guess." He found himself beside her, a pitiful expression in his face. "We ain't gonna progress if we keep hurling insults at each other, though. Their personal issues don't give them an excuse, so they better start digging for one. But hey, if anyone ever needs a talking to, I can give it to them - I'm not scared to." The apprentice let out a hefty huff, "I wish it were calmer too," he thought of Sweetpaw and her little made-up curse story that he wished she'd forget already - she forgot everything else. He shrugged, "never understood the cats around here, but they like to rile things up from time to time. Littlepaw knows it gets to us. I don't know Lily well but maybe you should talk to her - or show her a sign? Let her know it hurts you? I don't know how much she cares, but I know that Sweet would listen to me if we were dealing with this... Can always offer some words to them all myself if you need?"

He didn't know if she was seeking advice, or just a shoulder to cry on... He assumed it best to offer both.

"You don't have to take any of that, just thought I'd spit it all out, I guess," Sourpaw murmured, flicking one of the flowers from his tail to her with a paw.

Daffodilpaw ||

She appreciated the other not seeming to awknowledge her sudden speaking. She didnt want to really think about it too much, how she isnt able to really offer her voice to many cats. "I just dont understand why we cant all be on the same team." she said softly.  She scooted closer, resting her cheek on his shoulder with a soft appology. 

"Thank you for coming to check on me." she murmered softly. "I didnt mean to cause a scene..." she sighed. "I just, had to get out of there, you know?" she glanced back up at sourpaw, hoping he would understand. the clan was simply too big, and sometimes too loud for her. especially when the cats she thought of as close suddenly turn on each other.

Sourpaw ||

Truth be told, Sourpaw had little clue how to react to his friend speaking. He was used to her silence, but the pride bubbled within him as he found himself perhaps even one of the first to hear Daffodilpaw's voice. 

He shrugged with a chuckle, "it'd be easier, wouldn't it?" Sure, he enjoyed the gossip and the drama but sometimes a bit of peace and quiet was nice. When it came to that same drama hurting his friends, well, the peace was definitely preferable - he couldn't help but be at least a little protective over them. It was just in his nature.

"Of course I'd check on y-" the tom went to respond, but as he realised Daffodilpaw's cheek resting on his shoulder, he must have been a brighter red than the colour of his fur. He mumbled, stuttered and stumbled over his words as his paws shuffled beneath him onto the dirt. "on you..." Sourpaw finished when an awkward, shaky smile appeared on his face, but he found his head about to rest upon her own... Until she moved to look up at him instead.

His mind screamed at him; "damn it! You should have been quicker! What if she thinks you didn't like that? Dumbass!"

"Nah, nah, I get you! It happens, we all need some chilled out time, y'know?" He smiled at his companion. Frankly, he enjoyed her company at any moment of the day, and hearing her speak now was something he almost feared would only live in memory. He believed that it would never happen again... Or maybe she'd find another to place her trust in? That kit back at the clan entrance seemed to be sticking around her a lot lately. He'd hate to lose that place beside her; that wasn't too selfish of him, now, was it?

Was it?

"Wasn't fond of the place when Sweet and I showed up, really. It was like - big and it freaked me out. Gotten a bit more used to it now, but I don't think it'll ever fully feel like home, y'know? Maybe... I dunno," he shrugged as the breeze shifted the fur on his back, making him shiver. "Couldn't just leave her here, though. Never would've met you and Poppypaw if I didn't stay though, right? But yeah - it can be overwhelming. But you know that if you ever need to be alone or need someone to be alone with, I'm here for you." He shuffled a little closer to the molly, though hesitantly.

Daffodilpaw ||

She listened to him, closing her eyes.  She felt him come closer, and effortlessly, she returned the action, pressing her side to his and resting her head on his shoulder.  Physical touch was something she was an expert in, if she could brag just a bit. Many days she had no words, so she was left with only actions to express herself. She can read a cats behavior easy, and respond in kind. 

"Do you remember what its like out there?" she asked softly, hardly heard over the river, though she was pressed so close maybe sourpaw heard her anyway. She wanted to hear him talk more, to take her mind off of the clan just for a bit. to hear his nervous warble through his chest as she rested her head against him.

She also maybe, or maybe not, has considered what its like to live out there? She could not deny it enticed her sometimes, no one to rely on but yourself. no one to judge you, no eyes to stare at you. no one to make yourself a burden for.

Sourpaw ||

"Yeah." He put it simply, looking down at his paws which churned any dirt they came in contact with. He didn't know if he wanted to speak about it all - the barn, his mother, the little expedition the kits went on. "Left home with my sis when we were young - wasn't really home. We didn't like it much; too many mice," Sourpaw chuckled. He had to listen in real hard to hear her voice, but he didn't mind. He rested his cheek on her head, lightly.

"Feels nice - the wind in your fur and the thrill of it all. That's until Sweet got us into some trouble - the leg coming off was just the last thing, really," his soft tone turned into a croak. His throat felt almost dry. "Dunno, maybe some of them hype it up, the others may not. I dunno where I wanna be, but there's not much of a life anywhere from what I've seen." He tittered in some kind of air of awkwardness. The clan had provided a home for him, a better one than that rat-infested barn... Maybe he'd never truly feel like he was settled?

"Considered living a life out there on my own before," he ouffed out his chest with a proud and confident smile. "Sis needs me though, and I think she likes it here a little too much. I'd probably go if I wasn't alone - don't need anyone, I swear! Just y'know... Two pairs of eyes are better than one and all." Perhaps he was rambling, but he returned to the matter soon enough. "But yea. Putting it short, I do remember it. Didn't know much as a kit though, I'd do heaps better off out there now!"

He looked at Daffodilpaw and remembered the reason he hadn't fled. He'd made a fair few connections he truly did fear losing... Would they miss him? He wasn't sure. Maybe Sweetpaw would forget him? She was always so forgetful. Did he matter at the end of the day? Some days he thought about leaving just to see, but he'd never find the answer if he were to disappear in the night, would he?