Private Territory don't make eye contact // bluegale

[SABLESTAR]

White-tipped paws slowly sank into the soil in pause, parting jaws taking in the scents between the dense shrubs and pond pines. The night brough about a familiar with it that made Sablestar's claws itch. Memories teasing the edges of his focus, whistling through his thoughts like the scent of mouse behind his teeth. His tongue swiped across his lips in hungry anticipation, moving through the darkness with ease as it swallowed his pelt.

Sablestar emerged from the thicket to retreat with the mouse in his grasp. He dipped his head to acknowledge Bluegale, who he had decided to take with him in some much needed company this night. "It rained this morning." The tuxedo commented with a pleasant tune. The dry season was perhaps his least favorable time with their water supply so thin. Leaf-bare, while cold and murky, at least returned the pocosin to it's natural order of days-on-end rain. "How is your luck? If we keep up with one another, you can return to your nest early, if you'd like." The tom is not unaware of the others in the Clan who prefer to work in the sunlight. but he hadn't given much attention if Bluegale was among them, truly. He had a better understanding of his siblings, however, Hollowmist and Halfshade were not the kind that kept themselves so quiet.

"Do you have any sort of competition with your littermates?" Sablestar asked suddenly, pulling up the earth to place his mouse beneath. "It feels like even now, so far away from our kithood, Gray and I still have our own. It's a foolish game." He placed a paw over the deep scarring across his chest with a dry chuckle. "And very one-sided. I think that's the worst part."

this heart beats cold like the devil his own

• @bluegale
  "mew"
• 

  SABLESTAR— he/him ･sixty moons ･leader; shadowclan ･penned by gonkpilled

  a black and white tuxedo with dark amber eyes

 

[bluegale bluegale]

REPAY ME IN KIND

Bluegale huffs at Sablestar's cheery comment about the rain, already finding that his white-tipped paws are tinged with reminders of the pocosin. Unlike the leader, he prefers the drier times of year; although he is not so concerned with the welfare of ShadowClan as he is with making a simple catch. Or in this case, treading across the pocosin without getting his paws suckered by mud. He parts his jaws, sure that he can scent a squirrel nearby. "The thick air holds prey-scent better," he comments lightly, flicking his tail. It's still up in the air on whether or not his catch will be a success, no matter how good he is at trailing. "And I don't need to go to bed early," he scoffs, keeping his tone light despite feeling slightly pressed at the thought of the leader seriously thinking he might need an early bedtime.

Bluegale tries to focus on trailing, and the task doesn't take him long. He tracks the smell of squirrel through a thicket and toward the thick, trailing roots of a large maple tree. And only a few moments later he is upon it, quickly dispatching it and turning to brandish his prey toward Sablestar like a proud kit showing off to a parent. It is lost on him how fat the squirrel is, despite the sheer weight of it between his jaws. Even though the catch is dense, it isn't much of a show of his skills. "I guess my luck is good," he replies once he has come to stand with Sablestar once more, moving his paws to bury his prey so that they might find more when Sablestar suddenly asks about Bluegale and his siblings.

"I guess not," Bluegale answers before he can recover from the surprise of the question. It had not taken much thought to come up with an answer, though it isn't like Bluegale is much of a deep thinker anyway. He retroactively tips his head in thought. Halfshade is charismatic and a show-off- far more than even he is- Hollowmist is leering and diligent, and Bluegale is... Bluegale. Although he swears that Halfshade and him could be twins if he'd been born a tortoiseshell, he finds that he is more talk than he is action. He sets his jaw, finding his spine begin to prickle with self-consciousness. A rare feeling for the warrior. "Well, Halfshade wants nieces and nephews, so that's something, I guess," Bluegale tries to joke to shake off the tension of suddenness "But I've been too busy to give it much thought..."

— ⋆˙⟡

⊹ bluegale is a shadowclan warrior who is gregarious and loud.
⊹ 43 moons old, ages on the first day of each month.
⊹ currently has no apprentice, formerly mentored websight.
⊹ in battle, physically difficult and psychologically easy
⊹ his parents are swan x meister and he is siblings to halfshade and hollowmist.
⊹ penned by carat, see his tags here.

 

[SABLESTAR]

SABLESTAR
he/him
sixty-two moons
shadowclan leader

PENNED BY gonkpilled

Bluegale does not mince his words, so proper in his responses it is reminiscent to the first few days of Stoatpaw's training. Sablestar's lips curve in his own amusement. "I did not mean to usher you off like a kit. I just simply don't recommend my sleeping habits for everyone." The tuxedo's tail flicked over the ground in gentle sways of back and forth. He fell silent when it became clear the warrior found what he sought after. The waning ends of greenleaf has treated this bit of prey well, and though it is not the plentiful frog or toad, he knew many of their rank would enjoy some dry-ground prey for a change.

"Fantastic, maybe this will keep you all off ThunderClan's bit of the forest next season." He joked as he joined the other again to move onto the next tile within their territory. Greed echoed in the final throes of greenleaf and while there was still warmth in the air despite the rain, he would not see himself return to his nest any time soon.

"That sounds rather fair, I've heard it plenty from the friends we had in the Colony." We- he and Juniper. How often her siblings gushed of their kin growing up together and how they may look. It was never the right time, Sable enjoyed Juniper's partnership and hoarded for her attention selfishly. It couldn't have been something planned. The surprise of her pregnancy, though it's timing dreadful, had been pure fate. A sign that the string remained wrapped around their souls, and their children were already perfect illustrations of their united strength. He wondered what it might have been, had she chosen him.

"Kittens aren't all that's left in life once you've reached the age of an adult, though. I think many fail to understand their place in life, so they give up searching. They find purpose in something else, something of their own making." Sablestar paused a moment with another, single tail twitch. "Though your sister's clearly found both. It's a privilege, being as content as they are." He thought briefly of the time he knew Halfshade before Smogmaw came around. How conflicted he felt, trying to choose between her and Juniper. He could have been in Smogmaw's path, at least for a little while until her insistence of spawn scared him off. He is happier in their friendship, in the end.

"Do you need less work so you can flirt? I suppose that couldn't be difficult to arrange. Any particular taste you have? Eyes on anyone in particular?" Sablestar lifted his gaze to Bluegale's again with an even wider smile, his whiskers twitching.

​

OOC:

 

[bluegale bluegale]

REPAY ME IN KIND

Bluegale moves to bury his squirrel to return to later, stepping dutifully alongside Sablestar as they continue through ShadowClan's sodden territory. A small snort rises in the warrior's nose as Sablestar jokes about keeping off ThunderClan territory. Though he knows that it isn't much of a joke. "I don't need to be told that twice, either," he scoffs, but upon realizing just how defensive he might be sounding he rushes to add "There just isn't much about ThunderClan's territory that draws me. There is plenty of prey here, and all of my family is in ShadowClan." He shrugs. It's true that- unlike Sablestar and many of his clanmates- Bluegale's entire world exists within ShadowClan's borders. He had been close-kept to his own cliques in the colony, and Hollowmist and Halfshade had both loyally followed Sablestar from the beginning to join ShadowClan.

Bluegale nods as Sablestar returns kindredness with regards to peer pressure to settle down and have kits. Though Bluegale does not even have someone who comes to mind when he thinks of such things. Not for a lack of wanting, but rather for simple absentmindedness. Halfshade had found companionship with Smogmaw, and he was certain that Hollowmist would also be seeking the same at one point or another. He tips his head thoughtfully. Sablestar and he had always been so close in terms of proximity- and they had come a mouse's tail-length from being turned to kin if his sister had not had the pieces fall into place between herself and Smogmaw. It feels strange to realize the magnifying glass he feels trapped under. Like he is being observed and understood. Bluegale winces to think about all the things about him that have been seen that he had not even realized.

"I'm sure it is," Bluegale responds emptily after a long moment "She and Smogmaw have always seemed so happy. But Halfshade is just like that: devoted and loyal." He sings praises of his sister, hoping to wriggle out of the awkward feeling that is blossoming in his chest. But as quickly as he is trying to usher it out, Sablestar is trapping him under-paw. "No," he splutters "No, my workload is fine. I have plenty of time to... flirt," Bluegale's stupid reply is rushed from discomfort. He feels his paws prickling and his ears heating up. Had he really needed to bring up Halfshade insisting on having nieces and nephews? "But I guess... I haven't had eyes on anyone in particular." He nearly thinks to circle back to his original 'too busy' excuse, but that would just dig the hole deeper so in an attempt to entertain the leader he asks "Is there anyone you suggest?"

— ⋆˙⟡

⊹ bluegale is a shadowclan warrior who is gregarious and loud.
⊹ 43 moons old, ages on the first day of each month.
⊹ currently has no apprentice, formerly mentored websight.
⊹ in battle, physically difficult and psychologically easy
⊹ his parents are swan x meister and he is siblings to halfshade and hollowmist.
⊹ penned by carat, see his tags here.

 

[SABLESTAR]

SABLESTAR
he/him
sixty-two moons
shadowclan leader

PENNED BY gonkpilled

There is a bit of immature laughter that cracks through the tuxedo's smile. It was hard not to act on the impulse to ask, Bluegale had become sort of brotherly over the many moons that they lived in proximity to one another. How many evenings with Halfshade were also spent in the company of her littermates? More than he had claws and whisker to count on. The moment fell back into those days like a gentle push, the pile of leafy memories warming his paws.

"Ah, good to hear, then! I know Wolfpack hates when I meddle with his patrols." Sablestar casually drew his paw over his cheek. "If you're asking on behalf of good taste... I suppose it could depend what you need. Juniper and I found companionship because we enjoyed each other's company. Conversation never grew boring, and when work needed to be done we did not fumble over one another. We were capable of putting our relationship aside to still support one another." Disagreements were not lorded over, at least not back then. Their lives were also simpler, too.

"If you want someone kind, I suppose cats like Grayflight may work. Or Flamerunner, if you crave good humor. But I don't think limiting yourself to ShadowClan is necessary. It makes the world so much smaller if you do." Sablestar tapped his paw against the ground in thought, for a moment taking it all perhaps a bit too seriously. He wasn't often placed in a position like this, however, even if he had done it to himself. Playing matchmaker was a skill he never stepped foot in before. His advice was genuine even with his lack of experience. Maybe it was obvious coming from him, too, with his family crossing borders regularly.

"Well, that was fun to entertain. But, Bluegale, this life of Clanhood is meant for you to explore! You're not just a warrior. You hunt and fight as a part of the Clans survival, but that's really just the start of the beginning. You have camaraderie, diplomacy. How do you envision yourself in something like medicine, or alongside the guards?" If Bluegale held more ideas in his head than air he very well could have been one of the first beneath him out of proximity. He just needed the right spark to ignite something, though, the leader is sure.

​

OOC:

 

[bluegale bluegale]

REPAY ME IN KIND

Bluegale returns a bit of Sablestar's humor. Though it is technically at the warrior's own expense, he does not feel any sort of malice coming from the leader. For a moment, he thinks about how truly close he and Sablestar had always been without him ever truly realizing it. Even before they had been ShadowClan, Sablestar had been a constant in his life just as much as Halfshade and Hollowmist had been. In many ways, he felt like he'd been part of their family unit. Although as he had mused about earlier, they had not ever truly been kin. They'd drifted apart after the formation of the clans. Sablestar had been drawn away to the helm of ShadowClan, nocturnal and focused on holding together the more rambunctious of his group... Or otherwise ignoring them for more pressing matterns.

Bluegale is snapped from thinking about 'what ifs' as Sablestar unabashedly offers him romantic advice. The warrior lets out another small laugh, mostly out of surprise than actually finding it funny. But he settles and takes it seriously. After all, despite the battle that had caused a rift between Sablestar and Juniperstar, they had been otherwise a fairly successful couple. Respectable, at the very least. Bluegale feels all the warmth of shame come flooding back into his ears as Sablestar begins to make actual suggestions on who to pair off with. Grayflight is a fine suggestion, he thinks, but at the mention of Flamerunner he crinkles his nose. "Maybe if I wanted to laugh between jabs and unsolicited advice," he scoffs.

He still remembers the way Flamerunner had offered faux sympathy as he was forced to go on a patrol with Jadethorn and her kits. He'd grumbled something to Hollowmist and Mirepurr from where he sat with them among the crowd. Now Mirepurr... That was a cat he liked.

But he isn't able to dwell on them for very long. Sablestar moves on to asking Bluegale about his future like a concerned father, naming traits about him that he's almost certain Sablestar has pulled out of his ass just to make him feel better about himself for not having much going on. "I doubt I would be very good at medicine," he states flatly, deciding to tiptoe around saying something negative about Cicadabuzz. It isn't exactly lost on him how close the leader is with the eerie medicine cat. Close enough to put his son with bug in training. "And although I think I would be... An alright guard... I don't think I fit in with them. I mean seriously Sablestar, you know me. I am nothing like Jadethorn or Coalstrike." He thinks briefly of Mothbite, but then shoves that away. How many cats like that would Sablestar really want on his council?

— ⋆˙⟡

⊹ bluegale is a shadowclan warrior who is gregarious and loud.
⊹ 43 moons old, ages on the first day of each month.
⊹ currently has no apprentice, formerly mentored websight.
⊹ in battle, physically difficult and psychologically easy
⊹ his parents are swan x meister and he is siblings to halfshade and hollowmist.
⊹ penned by carat, see his tags here.