Shipyard Drifting Waters // Pine

[Brook]

⋆˚✿˖° I was dancing in the rain, I felt alive and I can't explain

Brook watched the scouting party disappear into the distance, a frown tugging at her face. She understood the necessity of their mission, yet the dangers lurking beyond the shipyard weighed heavily on her mind. A shiver ran through her before she turned to Lilac, gently nudging her kit and rasping a soothing tongue over her ear.

" Stay with Wave for a little while, alright, little bird? " she murmured, her voice soft with quiet reassurance. Brook lingered for a moment, watching until she was certain Lilac was safe. Only then did she finally step away from her resting place, picking up the fish she had caught earlier.

Her paws carried her to Pine, her heart heavy with concern. He had been through too much, more than he ever should have, and worse, he had been hurt because of her. He hadn't even been inside the shed when it started collapsing, yet he had suffered for trying to help her.

She owed him more than she could ever say.

" Pine. " she spoke his name softly, her turquoise eyes scanning over him, her frown deepening at the sight of his healing wounds. They were closing, but still raw, still marring the sleek fur that had once been untouched by such injuries.

Carefully, she set the fish down before him, her expression gentle. " How are you feeling, my friend? " she asked, settling beside him. Her gaze flickered over the treated wounds, inspecting them with quiet scrutiny. " Do you need anything...? I brought you something to eat. "

✿────────────── ──────── Brook ──────── ─────────────✿

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[pineheart]

Pine watches as Torrent runs off after another young cat, feeling settled that he was safe and wouldn't run off after the scouting party. His paws itched to join them too, but his shoulder still ached dully. Hearing his name spoken, Pine looks up and sees Brook approaching him. She places a fish at his feet, her soft voice wrapping around him, soothing that very ache. The guilt in her eyes did not go unnoticed.

"I'm alright," Pine replies. "These wounds will heal. But if you had lost Lilac… if I had lost…" he shakes his head. "I did what I did because I wanted to. You should feed yourself, your kit… you'll need the strength for the journey ahead," he pauses, studying her for a moment. "You don't owe me anything, Brook. Not now, not ever."

 

[Brook]

⋆˚✿˖° I was dancing in the rain, I felt alive and I can't explain

Brook admired Pine for his patience. Watching him with Torrent and young Squid warmed something deep in her chest. As scrappy as the little she-cat looked, Brook was certain that, with enough love and care, she would bloom. Her gaze lingered on the two young cats who had rushed off before shifting back to Pine. He wasn't blind to her emotions, it seemed. His words, direct yet steady, caught her off guard, but not unkindly.

She dipped her head, her voice soft. " It was... scary. "

Closing her eyes, she could still hear it, the creaking timbers, the violent freezing water dousing them all, the screams of terror. The panic. The chaos. They had been lucky to lose only one. It could have been more. It could have been-- Her eyes flickered back to him, and for a fleeting moment, a faint smile curved her maw. " ...I fed Lilac, don't worry. " A quiet laugh left her, though the weight of what had happened still clung to her like damp fur. " You need to get your strength back too, if we're to keep going. " Her voice was firm, determined, though a frown knit her brow.

She settled beside him, her tail curling close as her gaze dropped. " ...If you hadn't come when you did... " The words barely left her in a whisper. She hesitated, throat tightening. " If I had been left with Lilac, Crescent, and Rushing on my own, I... " She swallowed. The truth felt heavy, too heavy. It was something she dared not say aloud. She would have chosen her own. Would have left another behind. Had the loss of Rain made her so fearful of her last kit's life that she would have sacrificed them over her own?

' Does that make me cruel? '

Her ears flicked, and she exhaled shakily. " I may not owe you anything in your eyes, but… I am grateful you were there. To help. " Her voice steadied. " It was much needed… and much appreciated. "

✿────────────── ──────── Brook ──────── ─────────────✿

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[pineheart]

He listens to her words with such focus that the noise of the ocean almost seems to drown away. It grows faint as she settles beside him, reassuring him in turn. She speaks of her fear, show me yours and I'll show you mine– he understands. She doesn't need to say it. Lilac wasn't even his kit, but he'd seen nothing but her and Brook in the shed as it collapsed, caring for nothing but their safety. If it had been Torrent or Squid in there… He did not have it in him to feel guilty about it. He had lost enough. There was already so much guilt weighing on his shoulders that if he were to add anymore, he would collapse.

"Let us share, then," Pine says once Brook has finished.

He takes a bite of the fish, savouring it before swallowing and pushing it back towards Brook. He watches her again, studying the tallness of her; her slightly hunched shoulders, her lowered gaze. Some part of him wants to reach out somehow, steady her with a shoulder, but it seems to him there is a sort of wall between them.

So instead, he says, "I will always come, as long as I am able. To be there, to help… maybe that's my curse, hm?" he chuckles softly, remembering their conversation on the rock, just after Rain had passed. "I could not help them– my own family… but I can help everyone else. I can save everyone but them." He blinks, looking up at the sky, looking for nothing in particular. "Save who you can save, that's what she always told me. I suppose I've always had a tendency to run head first into danger," he looks over at Brook again.

He didn't speak of his family often, hating to be on the receiving end of pity. But there was a sort of morbid mutual understanding between him and Brook now. There was no pity between them; only knowing and acceptance. Even of the uglier things.

 

[Brook]

⋆˚✿˖° I was dancing in the rain, I felt alive and I can't explain

Brook let out a somewhat comical huff as Pine insisted on sharing the fish instead. A smirk played at her lips, her eyes glimmering with amusement before she finally dipped her head in mock defeat. " Fine. " she relented, shaking her head in a warm-hearted way. " Fine, okay. We can share the fish, if that means you'll eat too. " She watched as he took a determined bite before shoving the fish back toward her. So stubborn. So defiant. Even after she had told him the fish was meant for him, he was insistent. But who was she to deny a shared meal? She would just have to take smaller bites.

At his words, she paused, her expression thoughtful as she mulled over what he had said. A curse…? " I don't know if I'd call it that. " she murmured, taking a polite bite of the fish before continuing. Her frown deepened slightly as she weighed the idea. Was it truly a curse? After a moment, she swallowed and nudged the fish back toward him, lifting her gaze with quiet certainty. " It was bravery. " she said simply.

When Pine spoke of his family, Brook fell silent, dipping her head in quiet respect. She understood that kind of pain... The ache of failing the ones who had looked to you for safety, for comfort, for protection. The weight of it was unbearable. She wondered if Rain was up there somewhere, watching over them. Or had his spirit lingered in the sea that had so cruelly stolen him away?

Pine's next words pulled her from her thoughts, and a small smile touched her lips. " That's beautiful. " she whispered, nodding gently. " Save who you can. I like that. " Her gaze softened as she looked at him. " She sounds like she was a smart and kind-hearted lady. "

A quiet hum escaped her as she closed her eyes for a moment, allowing herself to imagine Rain being embraced by Pine's family, the family they both couldn't save. Perhaps they had found each other in the afterlife…

✿────────────── ──────── Brook ──────── ─────────────✿

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[pineheart]

✦ Pine chuckles– bravery, maybe. Stupidity also. Impulse. Fear. But he had done it, and now he must live with the scars. He would bear them proudly, whatever the cause. He'd saved Lilac, he'd helped Brook… It was worth it.

Brook speaks about his mate, and he nods, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Far smarter than me, and kinder too," his eyes glint in the moonlight as he looks at her. "She would've liked you, I think. And…" he hesitates for a moment. "And my kits… all three of them, they… they would've been good friends with yours, I'm sure."

He looks back up at the sky, feeling strangely embarrassed. He was not very good at this sentimental sort of talk, and he hadn't attempted it in a long time. But he supposes a near death experience softens the heart a little.

haven't had a dream in a long time

see, the life i've had could make a good man go bad

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  PINE, - 48 moons / riverclan + warrior
  large brown tabby town
  adopted guardian of Torrentpaw and Squidpaw / future mentor to Torrentpaw
  healing and peaceful powerplay allowed

 

[Brook]

⋆˚✿˖° I was dancing in the rain, I felt alive and I can't explain

Brook watched him quietly, warmth and understanding reflected in her gaze. This pain… it would never truly leave. She understood that. It would linger, weaving itself into the fabric of their hearts. Perhaps, with time, they would learn to carry it differently, give it a place where it no longer consumed them, but it would always be there. As he spoke of her mate, she dipped her head slightly, her thoughts drifting to her own. He was no longer around. That had been his choice, and she had accepted it. He had been kind, but a traveler, a wanderer, never meant to stay.

" I think… I think they would... " she murmured at last, voice soft. " All of them would have been playing together, rolling over one another. " A small, wistful laugh escaped her. " Tumbling in the sand and... " The words caught in her throat. The thought of water, the water she had once loved, the water that had taken her son.... It had stilled her. Familiar and yet… now, an enemy. She exhaled slowly before finally whispering softly. " In another life, perhaps. "

Her gaze lingered on her daughter, taking comfort in the quiet moment they shared.

✿────────────── ──────── Brook ──────── ─────────────✿

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