[Doodle]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

It was worrying to him, Marblestrike's actions. How scared she seemed, that frightened him. What was she so afraid of? Had he tried to hurt her yet? No. But there was something in her that seemed to be telling her he was dangerous, that he was not to be trusted, and Palmettoleaf hated the way that made him feel. Like he really was dangerous. Like he really couldn't be trusted. His tail twitched back and forth, eyes looking down at the ground as he unwrapped it from around her. Well, he didn't want to scare her! That definitely wasn't his goal. Green eyes fixed themselves on his companion as he listened to her, toning in on every word. She didn't leave a detail out... at least, not as far as he knew. From what it sounded like, this was the most detailed description she could really give of her brother.

The most detailed he could ask for, anyways. Palmettoleaf felt bad. Honestly, if anything could be said about it, he felt awful for making her think of these memories again. True - he couldn't have known. But he could have guessed, and he didn't have to push it. Yet that was exactly what he had done and now she was sad and scared and frustrated and Palmettoleaf felt like he had just been named the world's most inconsiderate cat. He could help her! He really thought he could help her, but there was nothing that he could do at the moment. Right now he felt powerless until he could think of a way to help her. He knew he would be able to, Palmettoleaf really wanted to help Marblestrike, and if he set his mind to something like this, he would accomplish it. The way that she described her brother, made Palmettoleaf think about how close family bonds really could be. The story that had been told, about her father... no one would kill their own kits! It was your legacy. It was the way that you passed down your own genes, kits were the future of the Clan.

The future of the world that they knew, and Palmettoleaf wondered what the world would be like if everyone did that. Perhaps a few adult cats, but there definitely wouldn't be many. Maybe there wouldn't even be Clans. Just loners and rogues, struggling to survive, living in smaller groups, but never in a group like this. That would be horrible! He was glad that his own parents, and most of the parents around the Clans and hopefully areas beyond, weren't like Marblestrike's father. "He sounds incredible." It was such a shame that he would never get to meet this brother that she admired so deeply. It was an even bigger shame that he never wanted to meet her father. If he did, chances were, things were NOT going to end well. Despite having never met the tom, Palmettoleaf already hated him. In his mind, in this story, her father was the biggest bully of all time. It was worse then he would have imagined. His soft green eyes fixed themselves on Marblestrike. This day had grown surprisingly personal, and he was kind of worried as to what it could mean for their future. Their personal future, anyways, as friends. Getting too personal on a first meeting like this could be bad, because what was there to gain trust about later? She had already told him all of this. Maybe she really was beginning to trust him already.

Which made Palmettoleaf happy, but worried at the same time. If he were to betray her trust, accidentally of course, he could never forgive himself. Green eyes flashed worriedly as he recurled his tail around her and made sure he was sitting close enough to her to make her feel safe. To make her feel like she was closed in from the world, he would be a shield. "I've got you." The most comforting thing he could think of to say at the moment. There wasn't much that he could say about Slip. The tom sounded like he had been her previous shield, so if he could be one now, that would be great. Of course Palmettoleaf wasn't quite sure how it would turn out. Maybe, things would be fine. There was always that hope... that everything would turn out fine. I've got you. His own words sounded back in his head and he hoped that he was telling the truth. Did he truly have her? Would he make sure that he never let her fall? The answer was uncertain, just as their future was. But Palmettoleaf was pretty sure that he could begin a healing process, that he could help her forget - or maybe just take some of the pain away - so that she could trust again.

Her father had been a horrible cat. And he wasn't sure whether it was the death of her beloved brother, or knowing that her father was out there and thinking that there might be other cats out there, that had caused her to close off like this. Maybe a mixture of both. Palmettoleaf was nothing like her Dad, though. Nor would he ever be. He was going to be different... special. Not all cats were trustworthy, and not all were untrustworthy. It was just a matter of time before you could figure out which were which. Palmettoleaf knew that he was trustworthy, but the question was... did Marblestrike know that?


@Doodle

Marblestrike felt Palmettoleaf remove her tail, feeling a bit guilty- could he tell she was uneasy? She felt torn. It was a habit of hers not to trust any cat, but at the same time all this tom had done was be kind. Well, and a bit pushy, but she could tell it was all with good intentions. At least, she thought it was- and that was what scared her. What if she thought he was good, thought he was kind, and he turned out to be the opposite? The betrayal of her father cut deep, giving her trust issues with every cat she encountered.

Part of her wanted to yell out in frustration. Why couldn't she just be happy, live a normal life? But what was done was done, and there was no way she could change the past, no matter how much she wished she could. The molly risked a glance at the tom beside her, trying to decipher the look on his face. He too seemed to be having many emotions running through him, which would be expected. Her tail flickered a bit nervously as she tried to stop focusing on how he would fully react. He had been taking it in stride so far, surely that wouldn't change? Her gaze flitted his way once more, and that was when she picked up a trace of what she thought was guilt. What did he have to be guilty about? Marble frowned, realizing that he was likely blaming himself for the emotional wreck he was. No, that just wasn't right! Reaching out uncertainly, she placed a paw on his shoulder. "Don't blame yourself," she murmured. "You couldn't have known. Besides, I've always been a wreck. No one's noticed, that's all." She tried a small smile, and though she could feel how fake it was she hoped it gave him some reassurance. When she placed her paw back down it was delicately- as if she was fully aware of how fragile she was right now. But no, it was more so her sensing how fragile the air was around the two cats.

Her ear flicked at Palmettoleaf's words and she gave a small nod. "He was," she agreed, briefly meeting the tom's green eyes. "He... was a great brother, and a wonderful friend." No cat she knew could compare to her brother, and even Blazingcomet or Gingerwish weren't as close with her as she had been with Slip. She doubted any feline would be as near and dear to her heart as her brother had been. Not even just doubted the fact- she considered it impossible. When Palmettoleaf turned to her, Marble didn't remove her gaze. She allowed herself to maintain eye contact, despite the fact that it was something she was uncomfortable with. She felt that, perhaps, she could see into the tom better. His eyes didn't seem to be lying- they seemed sincere and kind- but a flash of green eyes, ones so similar to this tom's, had her turning away hurriedly.

Almost immediately after turning away she felt a tail wrap around her and she fought away her natural reaction to tense up, instead relaxing herself more. Palmettoleaf was trying to comfort her, that was all, she reminded herself. His words, intended to comfort, did exactly that and so the molly leaned herself onto the tom, quiet for a couple heartbeats. "Well, know you've gotten to know the 'Strange and Mysterious Marble', are you happy?" She joked in her sarcastic way. Yes, sarcasm was definitely a way for herself to hide how she was feeling- but it was definitely part of her true personality as well. Even back before the incident, back when her and Slip were still littermates, back when he was alive, she was sarcastic. Not with her parents- that would've earned her a scolding- but definitely with Slip.

So maybe sarcasm was her way of being close to others. At least, sometimes. Others her sarcasm was definitely meant to get those she disliked away. But while Palmettoleaf may have been one of those annoyances at first, he certainly wasn't now. Perhaps he was even becoming one of her friends? She wasn't sure. It wasn't like she made lots of friends. Perhaps after this they would go back to not speaking? Oddly enough she didn't like that idea, but the thought made her pull away. If they were to become distant then she didn't want to get close to the tom. That would result in pain for her, and she wanted to avoid hurt at all costs. The marbled feline glanced at the tom beside her before shoving herself to her paws, nodding in the direction of camp. "We should probably get going," she muttered, already pulling her boundaries up. She had been hurt before and she was determined not to let it happen again.