Private Backwritten Camp TC And they saw trouble in my eyes, they were quick to recognise the devil in me // Rattle

[Snapdragontooth Snapdragontooth]

————————————— Everything must come to an end ✦

They'd been searching for some days now, but as the winds grew more bitter and snow blanketed the territory, any tracks of Leafpaw were cut off at the Twoleg place. Snapdragon deflated a little, she wasn't close to the family, never really talked to Serpentberry outside of checking on Cardinalpaw when they were getting treatment. Never really interacted with the siblings while they were all apprentices- Well, she had talked with Rattlepaw. Just after the death of Serpent, it wasn't like they had a deep conversation about life and death, she wasn't any use for that, but still some small condolences for a cat who had lost his only other parent.

This time, Snapdragontooth knew the sort of agony. She never let it show, never as evident as the panic across Thistlepaw's face when Cardinal vanished. She'd searched relentlessly, but just like Leafpaw, he'd vanished into the night. This time, she sought the other, with a peculiar sort of kinship. A loss without a body, the unknown ending of someone held so close.

"Rattlepaw?" She called out, finding him in his nest, alone and sullen, face knit with an expression somewhere between pain and fury. Snapdragon looked around, before drawing a breath. "I'm sorry about Leafpaw. But I know sayin' sorry won't bring your brother back, but." They paused, struggling with the words. They weren't the type to give reassurances, nonetheless with the whole empathising thing. "I get it. Y'know, how it feels to wake up and someone's just... Gone. It's awful, like it's some big shitty prank and they'll be there when you wake up."

She stopped again, groaning as she sat at the side of the apprentice, sick of trying to find kinder words. "Look, I'm shit at this reassuring stuff, but I get it. I wanted to say... I don't know, if you ever wanna be mad about all this we can be pissed off together. Or if you wanna go searching again I'll vouch for you. I know its not much, but I wish someone had my back like that when Cardinal disappeared, so I thought I'd offer." Snapdragon chuffed, she was trying her best to be useful, they weren't even friends but it was an olive branch. It wasn't often she saw a cat in her similar position, with the same flicker of anger at the world. She'd never expected it to see it in the eyes of the deceased medicine cat's kid's eyes, but then again, a lot could change when you lose so much.

————— You've already died twice,

you can still be replaced. —————

• Backwritten to soon after Leafpaw going missing and just before @Rattleheart 𓆙 being made a warrior
• 
  Snapdragontooth
  ✦—Thunderclan Forager | 15 moons
  ✦—She/It/They
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A long-haired tortoiseshell with orange eyes.
  #9B2F2F