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Since returning to camp, things had been… awkward. Plenty of cats had something to say about what went down with Snake and Pepperpaw—but fuck them. Fleapaw couldn't care less what they thought. The list of cats whose opinions she gave a damn about was real short.
She kept to herself, spending as much time out of camp as she could. No one questioned it. Everyone knew about her situation with Cicadabuzz. And the state that outsider returned in seemed to earn her a little respect. They probably didn't think she had it in her, but now they knew.
She'd left camp planning to patrol alone when Tickpaw approached her. She mustered a smile, but her eyes avoided him as much as possible. She barely got a greeting as he rattled off a bunch of questions before she even had the chance to greet him.
Shit…
She wasn't dumb. Flea knew something was up the moment he opened his mouth. But instead of addressing it, she brushed past it. "Yeah, I'm fine!" She snorted, "You don't gotta worry anymore. I know I got weird, but I'm better now." The ruddy apprentice gave him a light bump before resuming her path, keeping her pace slow so he could follow.
Moving to the topic of her 'mentor', Fleapaw's expression soured. "And yeah he still sucks, but whatever. I don't need him anyway." Not anymore. Her tail curled over her back with a sharp, irritated flick.
"Possumgrin can choke on a frog."
A lot had happened since she'd ran off. More than anyone knew and even if she told Tick, he probably would have a hard time believing her. She still wasn't sure what to make of that… dream. Except it wasn't a dream. Froststorm was real. Ghosts were real or… at least hers was. He was everything that Possumgrin wasn't. In a pawful of nights he taught her more than Possumgrin had in moons. And he had taught her more in a pawful of nights than Possumgrin ever had in moons.
If it were up to her, she'd shove him off a cliff. But Froststorm said that he was a good cover for her training and that she needed to build trust with her clanmates. That meant keeping her temper on a leash. That was easier said than done so she stayed busy. Besides, if she had to see Pepperpaw's smug face again, she was going to lose it.
She could feel Tick watching her as they walked, could feel the words brewing behind his silence. And when he finally started to speak, dread churned in her belly. She already knew where this was going.
Flamerunner had told her that Tick wasn't mad at her for what happened. That he would forgive her. She always knew he would and it was exactly that which bothered her most. Especially now, with a permanent reminder of what she did engraved onto his face. She couldn't stand to look at him—not anymore. She tried to pretend things were the same, but it was hard. The scar she left stared back at her every time they talked. A permanent reminder of how much she'd failed as his sister.
It hurt. So she didn't. She just... didn't. No matter how much she worked herself or tried to act like everything was fine, one look at him was enough to take her back to that day at the border. To remind her of the scent of blood and sight of it trickling down his face. Fleapaw couldn't forget if she tried, and maybe she didn't want to. No punishment that Cicadabuzz stuck her with would feel like enough either. It was something that she would have to live with, like everything else.
When he spoke, a heavy sigh seeped through her nostrils. Slowly, she stopped and turned to face him—staring hard into the marsh. "Where did this even come from?" She asked flatly. She'd known this talk was coming. She just… hoped they could avoid it. Skip past and go about their lives even if their new normal was fake. The chances of her ever forgetting were zero, but she hoped with enough time it would get easier, and maybe one day she could make things even again.
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I don't wanna burn you, you should leave me.
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FLEAPAW
7 MOONS
SHE/HER
- Undersized cinnamon solid with folded ears. She's thin but stubby with very messy fur.
"SPEECH" - crimson | 'THOUGHTS/EMPHASIS' - crimson
Fleapaw values family the most with survival at a close second. In conversations, she is blunt, fun-loving, and clever. She is guided by her desires which often leads her astray. Despite her abrasive personality, she cares deeply for those she loves and will do anything to protect them. Due to her experiences, Fleapaw is corrupt and has minimalistic, if any, morals. She does not care for the warrior code and its restraints. Neither does she believe in StarClan. Growing up in a kitten mill, being separated from her mother, and ending up on the streets have deeply affected her view of the world.
I'm no good for you, so leave me now.
Hello and welcome to Purrgatory! We are an 18+ Warrior Cat Roleplay set in an AU where the clans were unable to leave the forest territories and perished!
It has been 100 or more years since then, the clans of the forest are but distant memories to any cats still alive, stories passed down to kits of strangely named wild warriors and leaders with nine lives but the time of the clans is upon us once more and the stars shine yet again.
