The cold never bothered me anyway [Batwing] | Closed

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The cold never bothered me anyway [Batwing] Mar 3, 2016 0:48:27 GMT

Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2016 0:48:27 GMT

Harebelly was not happy. He large brown tom was currently pacing back and forth across a small stretch of tall grass just before the pines.His short stubby tail thrashes as much as it could. The more he thought about what had happened the faster he paced. He did not know what to do with himself. He could track the tom, he knew he could. Harebelly had always been a great tracker and he had Batwing's scent still fresh in his mind. He simply needed to return to camp and follow the half masked trail that Harebelly had found and follow it. He had waited a very long time for Batwing to emerge from the warrior's den. He had even saved the scrawny tom a vole. Batwing seemed to have vanished into thin air, however. After searching the entire camp, twice, Harebelly finally let the reality sink in that Batwing had ran. He was not sure why the small tom had vanished, it seemed against his bold personality to run away like a mouse.

Decided he really did not care about his own pride, nor that Batwing probably had a reason for running away, he turned his nose back to the camp. Ignoring the enterance, he instead walked around it, searching for the scent that was only half familiar. Upon finding it he frowned at the small hole Batwing had managed to squeeze out of. He kept forgetting how small the tom really was.I would get stuck if I where to try to fit through there. He thought, starting to grin slightly for the first time in the last few hours. The sun had finally set behind the horizon, and the bright reds and oranges that dominated the sky where slowly fading to purple. Knowing that he would not be missed this late, Harebelly took his time as he tracked Batwing all the way back to the pines. He had not tried very hard to cover his scent. If a cat hadn't been paying attention they might have missed it, but if they had half the tracking skills of a mouse they would have smelt Bating's trail.

As he neared the pines, Harebelly slowed, and quieted his large paws. He did not want to have to chase after Batwing, the black tom would be much faster then Harebelly. He had far less weight to carry around. Doing his best to appear non-threatening, Harebelly followed the scent right up to a large pine tree. Great. That is just wonderful. Harebelly thought to himself, mentally cursing Batwing for climbing. At least this tree was too far from the others for Batwing to tree jump, that was a small relief to Harebelly as he circled the tree, trying to spot the black pelt of Batwing. Not seeing it, he sank down on his haunches and raises his voice so it would carry to the tree tops.

"I know you are up there. Come on down Batwing!' He called up, feeling like he was talking to a squirrel instead of the tom. He hoped his nose had no deceived him and led him to the wrong tree. He felt the first heat of embarrassment crawling up his neck, and quickly shook it away. No. The trail led here. He has to be up there. Unable to think of anything else to do, he gazed up at the tree, eyes scanning the branches, looking for any signs of life.

Notes: Batty finds his inner squirrel XD
Word count:575
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The cold never bothered me anyway [Batwing] Mar 3, 2016 1:51:30 GMT

Post by feeling kinda blue on Mar 3, 2016 1:51:30 GMT

Despite the flying rat connotations that went with his name, Batwing was not typically a tree climber. He left those things to the squirrelbrained SkyClan warriors. If they wanted to paralyze themselves jumping from tree to tree that was their business. That didn't mean Batwing was afraid of heights or a horrible climber, oh no. He was passible thanks to his lightweight build allowing him to climb high but generally Batwing didn't do it often. When he needed to escape his family with their bulky builds Batwing could be inclined to flee up a tree. Today however the skinny ShadowClanner was not in fact hiding from his blood relations. Nope. Today he was hiding from a stump-tailed tomcat that was...invasive to Batwing's traditional lifestyle in a way the small tom was not sure how to handle. So. Here he was, up a pine tree sprawled on a branch near the trunk so his imperfect black-brown pelt could help him blend in.

Harebelly presenting a....complication to Batwing's typical lifestyle. A loner by nature, Batwing didn't typically trust anyone at all. Physical contact was short lived or violent in nature, his moods shifted like the seasons and overall no one found his acidic tongue pleasant to deal with for longer than thirty seconds. Batwing didn't blame them, it was all a matter of design. When one lived in a harsh environment, one learned to adapt and become harsher. Harebelly...well the brown tabby hadn't gotten the memo apparently.

Thinking back to the past few hours, Batwing felt his stomach churn. Harebelly was persistent in his pursuit of Batwing's wellbeing despite not having been invited to such a task. The bigger tom had practically squashed Batwing in his attempt to groom the skinnier cat. Now, with some distance between them, it was easy for Batwing to summon up feelings of annoyance and snarky belittling toward the affectionate tom but...there was a little voice in Batwing's mind that wouldn't shut up. A little voice that reminded him it had felt nice, if strange, to have someone grooming his normally mucky fur. He had felt...safe? Pressed up against a bigger cat's side, someone that repeated time and again that they would harm those who laid claws to Batwing's fur. It was strange. Foreign. Safety wasn't part of Batwing's life, never had been. Stability, emotional or otherwise, was also not normal.

Harebelly...he represented these strange things. He was a well-liked warrior, emotionally stable from the passing gossip Batwing heard about him, a bit of a loner himself but affable to the company of others when it floated around. A queen or two had commented on his...physical assets if not his mental capacity. They liked his size and brawny build, the sheen in his fur when it was freshly groomed. Cooed about how cute kits with him would be, even with the stump tail. They bemoaned his simplicity but agreed he would be a doting mate. Just thinking about it made Batwing's jaw tense because he knew better. Harebelly wasn't stupid. He was quite smart. And stubborn. And...warm.

'I know you are up there. Come on down Batwing!'

Mousedung. He'd been found.

Yellow eyes opened, glowing from Batwing's dark triangular face. Of course Harebelly wouldn't be thrown off for long. Batwing hadn't obscured his trail well enough, not for a seasoned tracker like Harebelly. The thing was...Batwing hadn't really expected to be followed. He expected Harebelly to be hurt and ruffled by Batwing's abandonment, maybe take it as a sign that the black cat was not to be trusted. Maybe Harebelly had tracked him down to have a good yell and then would be on his way. Batwing didn't put much stock in the idea but still...Harebelly wasn't dumb. Not like those queens and most of ShadowClan thought. So Batwing stood and tiptoed to the edge of the branch until it dipped a bit under his weight, the pine branch nice and flexible. Sprawling along it where Harebelly could see him, Batwing peered down at the brown tom.

"You don't take a hint, do you?" Batwing asked, trying to make his voice sound sharp and cruel. It just came out vaguely tired, petering off to a soft sigh at the end. "What do you want now?"

Notes: FLOOD OF BATBELLY MUSE HELLO
Word count: 717
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The cold never bothered me anyway [Batwing] Mar 3, 2016 19:22:51 GMT

Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2016 19:22:51 GMT

Harebelly heard the rustling of fur and claws against bark that told him he had been right. An easy grin appeared as he watched Batwing move gracefully out onto the branch. Harebelly could no help but gawk at how the tom's small paws fell into perfect form to allow him to balance on the branch, that now was bowing under his weight. Guessing the branch would snap if he managed to ever get up there, Harebelly repressed a snort. He had never been a climber. Ever. He could, if needed, but would only go just high enough to reach safety. Under normal circumstances, he was unlikely to let his paws leave the ground. With have been born a bobbed tail, he could not balance, nor turn over in mid air, as easily as his long tailed counterparts, and therefore the fear of falling and breaking something was forever present when the subject of climbing came up.

~~"You don't take a hint, do you?"~~ Batwing asked, sounding rather tired. ~~"What do you want now?"~~ Harebelly thought of answering honestly for a long moment, but decided to try breaking the tension in the air, and no give himself away as easily as he had before. No, he was determined to get Batwing to like him, one way or another.

"Haven't you heard? I'm the kind brainless type that queens try to take advantage of." He could not stop the snort of amusement his time. "I couldn't take a hint if my life depended on it. Harebelly could feel the smile and gleam in his eyes as he watched Batwing figure out that no manner of 'hints' would ever work on him, no matter how bold.

"I just want to talk. Why don't you come down" He called again, kind of hoping the smaller tom would not make him climb. Harebelly would climb up the tree after Batwing if the black tom made him. Going up the tree would not be the problem. Coming down, however, might be fatal. Harebelly suddenly imagined himself at the very top of the pine, looking down at Batwing on the ground, who kept shouting for him to hurry up and come down. And the slipping of claws and the pain of hitting all those branches before very solid ground... Harebelly shook his head and tried to get the chills that ran up his spine to go away before Batwing noticed them. The last thing he wanted was to have to explain how he was the only cay alive afraid of climbing.

Notes: -cough cough ^{open invitation}cough-
Word count:429
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The cold never bothered me anyway [Batwing] Mar 3, 2016 20:17:15 GMT

Post by feeling kinda blue on Mar 3, 2016 20:17:15 GMT

'You little...' Batwing's inner voice growled in his ear as he looked down at Harebelly, the longhaired tom trying to coax him down to solid ground. Harebelly was no fool but thankfully neither was Batwing. A stump tail meant Harebelly was no tree-walking son of a SkyClanner. Harebelly wanted him to come down, probably so he could sit on Batwing or something. Smother him with all that fur. So, Batwing had some options because he knew Harebelly wasn't a fool and he assumed Harebelly had enough brains to know Batwing wasn't dumb either. He could stay up in the tree, safe on the branch too thin to hold the bigger warrior's bulk, out of reach if Harebelly tried to leap up and drag him down. On the other paw, Batwing could jump down and give in to Harebelly's requests. The problem with that was that talking was boring. Batwing could come down and take off running like his tail was on fire, find himself a new hiding place and wait until whatever infatuation Harebelly had with him wore off. And maybe wait until Batwing's own curiosity over the big tom wore off. Should only take a few days.

The deciding factor became....Harebelly's stubbornness. And a bit of Batwing's. Batwing had tried to glare and snarl and snap the tom off before and it hadn't worked. Harebelly had used his size and strength to hold Batwing down until the smaller darker cat had submitted to a thorough bath and wound-tending. He pretended it was humiliating but it had been nice for someone to care that Batwing's fur was always torn and ragged. Still...Batwing had experienced Harebelly's stubbornness. If Batwing stayed here, then Harebelly would come up, regardless of weight or lack of tail. Peering down at his clanmate in fact Batwing could see his honey gold eyes traveling up and down the tree, fine shivers making his long fur quake. Foxdung. Normally Batwing thrived on making his clanmates uncomfortable, even afraid sometimes...but he didn't like the shiver in Harebelly's fur. So, Batwing sighed softly and stood.

Letting his paws slide down the bowing branch, the small imperfectly colored warrior slid off the end of the pine branch. It was a short drop really, controlled and easy for a cat not from SkyClan. Batwing's small frame dropped easily into the pine-needle littered ground near Harebelly. Not within immediate grabbing distance but close enough. Looking away from Harebelly, Batwing grumbled "Quit shaking. Nobody's gonna make you climb a tree." Sitting back on his haunches, the smaller tom absently licked at the white patch of fur on his chest before recognizing his nervous habit. Straightening up, Batwing curled his tail over his paws and looked back to his clanmate. Only clanmate. Nothing interesting. Just another boring run of the mill ShadowClanner.

Notes: my muse died

he's in a weird headspace but hopefully hare can shake something out of him though he really doesn't like scared harebelly
Word count: 474
Tagged: @twotone

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The cold never bothered me anyway [Batwing] Mar 3, 2016 23:39:56 GMT

Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2016 23:39:56 GMT

Harebelly watched intently as Batwing finally stood and slid off the branch. He landed lightly near Harebelly on the soft bed of pine needles. Trying hard to suppress a sigh of relief and to stop his fur from standing up, he opened his mouth to say something when Batwing grumbled~~"Quit shaking. Nobody's gonna make you climb a tree."~~ Harebelly closed his mouth with a little snap and pretended to look very interested in one of his claws to hide his embarrassment. After a moment or two, once he had called his thudding heartbeat, Harebelly looked at the tom. Really looked. Took in everything there was to see, from his oddly colored fur to his yellow eyes. For the longest moment, he sat, narrow eyed, just watching Batwing. He wondered if he wasn't going crazy and the small tom that had made him feel so peculiar and that was now sitting in front of him did not actually exist. Maybe this entire day had been a figment of his imagination and Harebelly would wake up alone in his nest in just a few minutes. He had the sudden urge to throw a pine cone at the dark tom, just to make sure.

"I wanted to ask you why you ran." He left it at that. Harebelly did not add in that it went so far out of Batwing's personality to just run away like a frightened mouse, or that he had scared Harebelly badly and caused him great distress for the past few hours. And he certainly was not going to tell Batwing that, wehether he liked it or not, Harebelly would be staying very close to him from now on. He knew there was something there between them. He could feel it now, a kind of energy he had never felt before. He could not explain what it was, or why the scrawny tom made him feel so good, but he did. And Harebelly knew better then to let a good thing go so easily.

Harebelly gazed into Batwing's eyes, once more finding himself wishing he could know what the tom was thinking. He did not give hardly anything away, and it was driving Harebelly batty. He felt like he was going off pure instinct when he suddenly wanted to be as close to the dark tom as he had been earlier, to feel their pelts brush. Was it wrong of him to miss the close interaction already, to never want to go back to how his life was before he had found the bloody tom hiding in an old den? Harebelly hoped not, because he had reached the point that he did not care.

Notes: -Harebelly singing to be a man- Lets get down to business
Word count:447
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The cold never bothered me anyway [Batwing] Mar 4, 2016 1:31:17 GMT

Post by feeling kinda blue on Mar 4, 2016 1:31:17 GMT

Batwing did not do heart to heart conversations. Sappiness was not his style. In fact he was fairly certain he was allergic to even trace amounts of sap. Seeing as he had given in to his sappiness earlier that day, revisiting such things might just kill him. So when Harebelly said he wanted to ask why Batwing ran, the littler tom had to seriously restrain himself from gagging or getting up and walking away. It was instinct for him to flee from scenes like this where his motives and reasons were under scrutiny, especially since Harebelly was acting like a dog with a bone. He wouldn't let this go and would keep following Batwing. Under his thin fur Batwing's wiry muscles tensed and tightened along his shoulders, coiling like snakes on the defensive. It was his go-to. What else could he do? Harebelly hadn't responded when Batwing flashed fangs or spit curses at him, in fact he came back for more! The flipping around in his belly wasn't helping and the fact that Harebelly smelled nice and clean and safe and warm...Harebelly didn't smell like blood or dirt or grime or mud. Ugh this was frustrating! Batwing's tail thumped softly against the ground in irritation.

"I didn't run," Batwing meowed at last, glaring at Harebelly for even implying such cowardice. "It was...a tactical retreat. You think I'm cuddly because I'm small but I come with big problems. Crazy makes up half my gene pool and Dysfunctional's the other half of screwing its cousin, Jealousy. Trust me Softbelly, you'd be better off leaving this snake in the grass. Anyone sees you hanging around me is going to start throwing proverbial mud and maybe taking swipes. I'm not dragging other cats into that mess. Go find yourself a nice girl or whatever and make friends with normal cats."

Batwing didn't have a long history of friends or lovers or anything close to normal healthy relationships. He didn't have time to be that soft, couldn't afford the vulnerability. He'd screwed around with a cat or two, even a loner from time to time because they had low enough standards but in general Batwing didn't bother with relationships. Friends wanted to claw your eyes out when they thought you weren't paying attention and lovers would gut you in your sleep if you gave them half a chance. Earlier when he'd been tucked up next to Harebelly or even held down to be forcibly groomed the sensations had been foreign, entirely foreign. He wasn't used to someone giving a rat's tail that his fur was bloody or that he had a new scratch along his hip. That kind of affection had never been shown to him apart from Shadepool and Minnowheart on the rare occasion they noticed his new collection of hurts.

What Harebelly represented and presented...it was frightening because Batwing was not entirely socially backward. He knew an invitation when he saw one and smelled one. But Batwing couldn't give Harebelly that kind of baggage. There was too much scarring under Batwing's scraggly fur, a blackened reputation he would never shake off smothering him in camp. He would never be a respected warrior, never hold his head high. Harebelly on the other hand was genuine and had eyes like honey, a firm but friendly tone and a nearly spotless reputation. Batwing could be a greedy, selfish little carrion-eater but he did have morals. He brought trouble upon himself and a select few others. Harebelly would not inherit his trouble. Batwing could spell it out for him and they could walk away now. No more attempted cuddling or forced grooming. Just get it over with.

Notes: the self-hate is strong with this one
Word count: 617
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The cold never bothered me anyway [Batwing] Mar 4, 2016 5:59:27 GMT

Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2016 5:59:27 GMT

As he watched the black tom, Harebelly couldn't help but snort at the words 'tactical retreat', but quickly returned to his almost solemn look as he listened to Batwing go on about how bad he was, and how Harebelly should go find a nice shecat (another snort, even louder interrupted Batwing here). Harebelly did not answer at first. Just looked at Batwing and slowly shook his head. Rising to his large fluffy paws, he started to pace in a slow, steady circle. The rhythm helped him think, something he seemed to be doing less and less of when the smaller tom was near. How could Batwing say that. How could he think that Harebelly was shallow enough to care about his weird family, or his social status, or anything like that. Why could he not see that Harebelly truly cared for the scrawny tom and wanted to be with him always?

"There is so much wrong with what you just said. You are so wrong!" Shaking his head again he started to paced just a fraction faster, his voice becoming rougher, almost to the point of anger. Do you think I care what issues your family might have? Do you think I bother worrying about what the clan thinks of me? You are not draping me anywhere because I am leaping in on my own free will. If the stares and whispers that will surely come bother you then we can leave. With how poorly you are treated, I'm surprised you've stayed this long." His pacing suddenly stopped completely and he turned and walked briskly to Batwing until he was nose-to-nose with the tom.

"That's another thing. 'Go find myself a girl'. Honestly? I can not believe you told me that. I have never, ever, bee interest in any queen or tom in nearly thirty-two moons. What in the name of Starclan made you think i could 'Go find myself a girl'?" In spite of himself, Harebelly felt the ball of anger in his stomach fade to noting, his voice and his gaze softened. "I want to be with you. Haven't i made that obvious to you yet? Nothing you can say will change that. I do not care about anything else"

Notes: Sorry got a little mushy and junk
^{P.s. All i could think was "And so the Lion fell in love with the Lamb" and idk who is the lion or the lamb XD}
Word count:381
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The cold never bothered me anyway [Batwing] Mar 7, 2016 2:01:17 GMT

Post by feeling kinda blue on Mar 7, 2016 2:01:17 GMT

Batwing wasn't good at emotions. The oldest, deafest, blindest, most dementia riddled elder in ShadowClan could tell you that. His emotions changed in the blink of an eye and he never reacted the way others thought he would. When he was worried or sad or hurt, he raised his voice. When he was angry or feeling betrayed he capsized, becoming small and silent. Tactile affection was foreign but intimate violence was commonplace. His life was topsy turvy and no one had ever bothered to set it straight, not even his mother. She sat back and watched him spin, bouncing off of his crazy sibling and cousins like stars colliding in jarring blasts of fire and heat. So...Harebelly threw Batwing for a curve. A jarring, bone-rattling curve...and he hadn't even made Batwing bleed.

Staring at Harebelly, the brown tabby nearly nose to nose with Batwing, the black warrior didn't know what to do. His heart was beating fast against his thin ribs, echoing obnoxiously in his ears. Adrenaline coursed in his blood but it had nowhere to go. There was no one to fight, no one to rip his claws into or rend with his fangs. There...was no enemy here. Harebelly had never laid a claw on Batwing's pelt, never used his size to pummel Batwing into the dirt. But he had laid Batwing flat with words alone and unspoken promises that flickered in eyes of honey gold. If Batwing took the leap now...dared to trust Harebelly to keep his word...it was a huge risk. He was not vulnerable, not where anyone could see because that meant baring his throat, showing his belly. If he did that someone would tear into him, leave him bleeding and broken beyond repair. He could get up from a physical blow, shake off a bone-rattling whack or clot the blood from skin ripped by claws but if...if he risked this...Harebelly could rip his guts out without ever making him bleed.

But...

How nice would it be to have someone on his side? Not even in a physical sense, because Batwing would never let Harebelly fight for him, but just to have a safe haven where he could sleep deeper than a doze? Someone that was watching to see that he ate or cared when he came back to camp with bruises under his fur or blood clotting his fur? It was foreign and strange to think about since Shadepool had long given up keeping track of Batwing's hurts. She called him reckless but forgot that she raised him to be that way. And here was Harebelly offering safety and saying he didn't care that Batwing's family was half insane and fed on violence like freshkill. Spouting that he didn't care that Batwing came with baggage, saying he wanted to try anyway.

Very slowly Batwing moved, his brain not really registering any conscious command for such movement. He felt detached, like his body was moving without the consent of his brain. Still, Batwing moved, very slowly toward Harebelly. The bigger tabby was standing so close that Batwing hardly had to rock forward a half step before his nose was full of Harebelly's scent. He could smell the cedars and pines that crowded ShadowClan's territory, the musky earth of the marshes where they hunted frogs and the dust of a long day running through the territory. Closing his eyes slowly, Batwing let his sharp muzzle press against Harebelly's shoulder blade, distantly registering the strong muscle corded under the dense fur. The pelt itself, the undercoat soft and plush but the longer overcoat coarse, brushed against Batwing's face and tickled his dark nose. A soft nearly silent sigh escaped Batwing's lungs, brushing the hairs close to his nose. Tension bled out of Batwing's thin shoulders and all the little nooks and crannies where it hid along his knobbed spine and reed-thin body. Batwing was tired, tired of all the thinking of reasons why not.

It was a silent surrender.

Notes: -waves white flag-
Word count: 660
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The cold never bothered me anyway [Batwing] Mar 9, 2016 0:55:59 GMT

Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2016 0:55:59 GMT

Harebelly was breathing heavily, trying to calm himself after his rant. He usually did not lose his temper like he had. Batwing had actually made him lose his temper, and they had only been around one another for a few hours. He just could not understand what about this scrawny dark tom that got under his skin so badly. Looking back to earlier in the day, he wondered if he would be happier in the long run if he had just walked away once he saw who was hiding in the hole. If he had never fallen for Batwing. The thought made his stomach clench uncomfortably. Despite the small tom's odd behavior and confusing emotional rage, Harebelly cared for him, more then he thought he would. No one else had ever made him lose his temper and shout like that.He was always the rock amidst the rolling ocean, the calm of the storm. Every cat had his day though, and that had been Harebelly's moment to shine. So now he sat, completely frozen as he watched Batwing, who also seemed frozen, and tried to breath only through his nose. It was not helping much, but at least he could hear himself think instead of only hearing his deep pants. Batwing moved then, and brought him back into focus. The dark tom slowly leaned forward. At first Harebelly thought he was leaning in for dramatic effect before unleashing the monster he kept within, but no. Batwing simply leaned farther and farther. Soon what little space that had been in between the two toms vanished. Batwing was leaning into Harebelly's broad brown shoulder, and seemed to almost melt against him, as though the small tom had given up.

Still frozen, Harebelly was not sure what to do. What if he moved and the tom jerked back into his old attitude and climbed right back up the tree? Or suddenly realized just how close he put himself to Harebelly and freak out? Gradually he unfrozen. His anger at the other tom for being to stupid about their relationship thawed and vanished as well. He bent his head down and rested it on Batwing's scrawny shoulder. A silent comfort in the darkening forest around them, and there the two toms sat.

Notes: Muse is low >.<
Word count:382
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The cold never bothered me anyway [Batwing] Mar 14, 2016 21:14:54 GMT

Post by feeling kinda blue on Mar 14, 2016 21:14:54 GMT

If anyone ever asked, feelings gave Batwing hives. If it wasn't rage, frustration or annoyance he simply couldn't handle it. That included this sappy leaning on each other nonsense even though a little voice in the black tom's head said Harebelly was warm and stable and safe. Batwing ignored that little voice because someday it would get him killed. No one was safe, even though Harebelly's maw was close to his neck and Batwing didn't feel the immediate need to jerk away. It was a low key sensation this time but the scrawny warrior wasn't going to be acknowledging that any time soon thank you very much. So Harebelly had weathered one storm, who knew how many he would last? The doubt gnawed at the back of Batwing's mind like a chipmunk chattering away in the trees but for now he shoved it aside. A proper relationship had never really crossed Batwing's mind though he decided a long time ago he didn't care about the gender of his passing lovers. She-cats or toms they all were more or less the same in Batwing's world so it wasn't even necessarily a problem that Harebelly was male. The problem was Batwing was allergic to feelings and apparently in relationships those were important. Sooner or later Harebelly would get sick of the prickliness and move on but for now Batwing tried to uncoil and be content. There was a warm pelt pressed against his, a comforting scent in his nose and a calm heartbeat in his ear.

Ugh he was going soft. If Newtclaw caught wind of this Batwing would never hear the end of it. Strangely though...Batwing didn't care at this particular moment. After several minutes of the toms sitting still and leaning against each other, Batwing finally moved. He moved slowly though, so as to not jar Harebelly though he pretended it was because he was a bit stiff. He was not going soft! It was impossible to turn into an utter sap in one day!

Sass and snark were so much easier to deal with than these softer feelings, Batwing knew that for sure. He kept his gaze away from Harebelly if only because he felt small and vulnerable. His feet itched to carry him away to a secluded place to sleep it off, or wake up from this weird dream, but the weight of Harebelly's amber gaze kept Batwing where he was. They were still close, the other tom's longer fur occasionally ghosting over Batwing's shorter, coarser pelt. He felt dwarfed by Harebelly's warm presence but insisted on keeping his head above water rather than drowning in the offered affection. He nearly sank his fangs into his own paw to zap some sense back into himself but Harebelly would probably throw a fit or something so Batwing refrained.

"Ugh I need to kill something. Today's been too weird," Batwing grumbled, giving his head a shake and standing. Even standing he felt tiny. His fur felt clean despite the late hour in the day thanks to Harebelly's earlier forced bath and even the sting from Newtclaw's injuries had faded. There wasn't any blood or mud under his claws, no dire need to avoid camp because he'd put leeches in someone's nest again. This day couldn't get much stranger. "Come on Harebelly, time for you to go back to camp...it's getting late. Rosestar's had me watching the border the last few nights, apparently there's a fox somewhere nearby that's thinking of digging a den so I have border sentry duty to get to."

It felt better, slipping into that normal role of the nighttime sentry. It was Batwing's preferred role in camp, stationed at the borders or sometimes in camp to sit through the night and keep an eye out for what went bump in the night. Rosestar saw it as a win-win situation because it kept him out of camp (and out of trouble) during the night and had him slumbering late into the day while most other warriors were up and about. Batwing hadn't had the assignment last night which had led to his escapades during the day, both the run in with Newtclaw and the one with Harebelly. Now though it was inching toward evening, the sun dipping low and shadow's growing long. It was Batwing's preferred hunting hour, though most warriors would be heading back to camp by now.

Casting a glance at Harebelly, Batwing flicked his tail. "I'll come back to camp this time. In the morning. Promise."

The words felt weird in his mouth because normally no one cared if he came back or not. Rosestar occasionally wanted a report or Onyxfeather would get his tail in a twist demanding updates but normally no one bothered with if Batwing was coming or going. Now though Batwing had a suspicion he would have someone waiting. It felt foreign but not necessarily bad. Just strange.

Notes: this is a really long post about nothing but me trying to find a point xD i'm so sorry
Word count: 824
Tagged: @twotone