Snowypaw
Twilightstar's quick reaction as she rushed towards Cowpaw's side to check the patched tom worked wonders on calming Snowypaw's tensed muscles, and the feathery tailed apprentice sighed in relief. It seemed that despite Laurelpaw's actions, she had not truly meant to hurt their medicine cat. Or at least, this was all Snowypaw could assume. He doubted the black and white molly would have not drawn blood if that was her intention. A concerned frown appeared on his face, replacing the blank look of moments before as he tilted his head in confusion. If she had not meant to truly, physically hurt the tom who was so clearly ecstatic at seeing her safe and sound, then why strike to no doubt emotionally torment the kind soul?
Perhaps he had been too quick and too harsh in his initial judgement of his denmate. This was exactly the reason why he should never pass judgement without having the whole story! Would he never learn? No matter. What was done was done. He would simply have to apologize properly later... with actions, as he was certain verbally apologizing for something Laurelpaw had no knowledge of would earn him an actually well earned blow. And that one would no doubt draw blood.
Having little to no time to dwell on these thoughts, Snowypaw had to fight his reflexes to keep his jaw from dropping open as Twilightstar... banished Laurelpaw from WindClan? Exiled? No... the wording was off. At no point did Twilightstar mention that if she was caught in WindClan territory she would be attacked or killed. The large apprentice did not fully comprehend what had happened, but he remained put, carefully taking into account every word uttered now, refusing to lose focus once more. That was not what Twilightstar had brought him here for!
So much yelling and hissing. Smiles that made his toes curl in discomfort. And words that seemed... empty. Snowypaw considered himself lucky on one aspect of life, and that was how kind the cats he interacted with on a daily basis were. After having been exposed to such genuine, caring cats in WindClan, cats that made him feel like he belonged with them, under their care, the kindness and genteel of these outsiders seemed... off. No one seemed to be referring to each other by name or affectionate nicknames, instead opting for familial status. Small one seemed to be the only truly kind and loving term used, but even that had felt forced. Wrong. Like it was trying to hard to be convincing. And then, the leader spoke, making something click.
Their words are nothing more than empty, dusty promises that hold as much meaning as a bug.
Bug?! Had this outsider truly referred to his family's words as meaningless vermin? No wonder the old one yelled, and the smiles felt out of place, and there was no affectionate terms thrown among them. How could there be, when their words were as meaningful to him as the bugs that scoured the earth. Was Snowypaw overthinking this? More than likely. But the patched tom couldn't shake the insulting, almost thoughtless way the stranger had referred to the others. Surely, even if one is attempting to seem harmless, speaking of those you hold dear with such callous words was unnecessary? Any doubts Snowypaw might have had on the validity of these cats' bonds were gone. The stranger spoke of Twilightstar's actions scattering them, but with the way they behaved, no matter how grouped up they might be, they might as well be broken up already, dispersed through the wind.
The old one yelled again, this time inspiring a small glint of sympathy in him. How could she be blamed for yelling when her words were not taken seriously to begin with? No doubt there was plenty of frustration accumulated in her already. Taking a few tentative steps towards her, Snowypaw gave Twilightstar a questioning look, looking for a sign that he was to stay put. The warriors seemed to be interacting with the rogues at this point, however, so surely it would be alright for him to do the same as long as he stuck close to the group. Staying a respectful distance away from the old molly, Snowypaw dipped his head respectfully before speaking to her. She might be an outsider, but she was his elder none the less. It would be nothing short of rude to not offer her the deference she deserved.
"Yelling too much might hurt you, though. A sore throat on top of the cold doesn't sound good," the large tom mewed softly.
"I'll listen, if you want? No need for injury then," Snowypaw added, his whiskers twitching mildly as he attempted to lighten her mood. They weren't here to fight. Perhaps politely listening to those who seemed to want to come to claws the most might help? After all, when it came down to it, listening was the one thing he was good at. It might be worth a try. And if not, Twilightstar would no doubt be having words with him later.
Gulp. Alright... maybe he shouldn't have been so bold just now.
-
@
Moonraven
// In case Twilightpaw would have shaken her head or told Snowy not to distance himself from the group. He would be staying closer to the WindClan warriors if so. \\
@
TheDragonGoddess