Rugged Range

[pidgeon]

@xeno @Starfall

"Well, if you say so..." Eagleflight shrugged, still holding concern in his gaze but forcing his worries aside. If Sunblaze said he felt fine, then he probably was fine. "But you need to take it easy tomorrow. I don't want that opening up any further. It already looks pretty nasty." The tom just had to go easy on that wound until they could make it home.

It was then, looking closer at Sunblaze's pelt, that Eagleflight realized just how similar the two cats looked. As he tucked in and began munching on what was left of the crow, he pondered about his family. He didn't know his father all that well, but he hadn't grown up with any siblings. His mother wouldn't talk much about his WindClan father, and he hadn't pressed her too much. He knew it was against the code, and that she'd be sensitive about it.

"Hey, look, our pelts are the same color," He piped up idly, trying to diverge the subject to a more positive matter. He knew that Sunblaze was also not full RiverClan blood, and figured it was a topic they could relate on. "Your dad didn't happen to be a WindClanner, huh?" He added a laugh at the end, joking around.

[Jesse]

Sunblaze quirked a half-smile at Eagleflight’s almost maternal concern. It was flattering, but really there was no need to fuss. No mere bush would squander him. “Alright, alright.” He sighed playfully, waving him away. Relieved that the deputy had finally decided to focus on himself, he settled himself into a comfy patch of grass and began to hunker down for the night. That was, until Eagleflight piped up again, mentioning their appearance. Oh, yes. He supposed they were pretty similar looking. Funny. Eagleflight’s following question, however, stunned him a bit. For a moment, he said nothing, trying to come up with a response that wasn’t overly curt.

“Windclanner? I don’t know.. My dad.. Well, he wasn’t much of a dad..” The normally high-spirited warrior mumbled, averting his gaze. It wasn’t exactly something he enjoyed talking about, but he didn’t want to sound rude by dismissing him. He paused for another few seconds, wondering if it was too late to just end the conversation and go to sleep. “He was one of those.. disappearing types.. But, yeah.. I guess it’d be possible..” Realizing he’d probably just made things awkward, Sunblaze scratched his head and shrugged. “Uh.. What was your dad’s name?”

@Casper @Starfall

[Starfall]

The warrior padded around the newfound territory, lost in his own thoughts as he continued to mark without paying much attention. The flare of anger that came from him earlier puzzled the tom. He hated the way Eagleflight phrased his wording...hard work. It set him off, but to be frank he still had no idea why it ticked him off so much. It boiled in his gut and he couldn't hold it back, snapping at the tom, than getting angry at himself for not understanding why afterwards. He thought he remembered, thought he remembered why he disliked the tom. But it turns out he was just thinking of Frostfall...Eagleflight didn't betray the clan and leave them, that was the other deputy.

After a few moments he realized he had been spacing out, and swiveled around, heading back to the pair of felines. Maybe he would apologize? No that would be awkward. The grass crunched beneath him, large rocks rolling every which way as he rolled them about. For a second he thought they just kinda...left him. Started going back to the camp, but, after catching a wiff of their scent he finally managed to spot them. "Aha! This is where you're hiding. What are we gossiping about?" he hummed, hopping on top of the boulder and looking down with a grin. However at the tangy scent of blood he hopped down and sniffed around. "How in the name of Starclan did you manage that?" he asked, leaning forwards a little bit.

@xeno @Casper

[pidgeon]

@xeno @Starfall

Eagleflight wasn't great at reading emotions or expressions, but even someone as dim-witted as this russet deputy could tell that his question had made Sunblaze uncomfortable. He sometimes forgot that not everyone was as comfortable with their half-clan heritage as he was. He was quick to carry on talking about his own kin, so that Sunblaze wouldn't have to.

"Flashburn is my father's name," He continued with a slight grin. "I don't know him very well...He also wasn't around much. But from what I do know, and from what my mother told me, he's a strong and brave WindClan warrior. I only wish I had the opportunity to speak with him more often." He shrugged lightly, lost in thought for a moment. He had such a proud image for his father in his mind--if only he knew what the guy was really like.

His ears perked up when Gentlethunder approached the duo.
"Ah, there you are! I was wondering where you'd gone off to," He jested, then pushing the last of the crow in the warrior's direction. "Here, there's still some left. I made sure to save you a meal's worth."

[Jesse]

Flashburn.. Flashburn.. Where had he heard that name before? It was like being slapped in the face with deja vu. Sunblaze was knocked into a trance, aggressively trying to grasp the fragments of his past. The more he tried to remember the more hazy the memory became, slowly slipping back into the depths of his subconscious. Flashburn.. Come on, come on.. He couldn’t let it fade; it was important, somehow. His mother.. His mother had mentioned it a few times, right? But how would she- a kittypet- know the name of a Windclan cat? No.. No way.. It was just a coincidence, right? I mean, it had to be. Yeah.. a funny little coincidence. His father was definitely not role-model material..

But what if it wasn’t?

Sunblaze swallowed hard. “Hey.. You.. you don’t think.. we might’ve shared a father?” He immediately cringed at his question. Great Starclan he looked like an idiot. The ginger toms ears flattened against his skull and he awkwardly tried to mend the situation by dismissing it. “F-forget it, that was a really weird question. I’m.. just going to go to sleep now..”

@Starfall @Casper

[pidgeon]

@Starfall @xeno

Eagleflight watched Sunblaze's expression change as he sat in contemplation, for a moment longer than the deputy had thought he would. He had only been making a passing joke about the similarity of their pelts, but the furrowed expression of his patrol member made him think harder, too.

"No, no, it's not a weird question. I mean...it is possible, I suppose. You aren't RiverClan-born, are you?" He knew the answer, but wanted to delve into this conversation further. The more he paid attention, the more physical similarities he could see between himself and the other russet tom. Similarities that matched the mental image he carried of his father. "Do you...even know who your father was?" It wasn't supposed to sound rude, as it was an honest question, but Eagleflight had a way of sometimes sounding insensitive, due to his inability to portray his emotions properly.

[Starfall]

The tom wiggled his nose and looked at the deputy for a few seconds longer before shrugging "You and me both. New place very very easy to get lost." he gruffed before leaning down to take a bite, letting out a muffled 'thank you' as he dug in. The warrior absentmindedly listened as the pair squaked and gawked at each other. Wouldn't it be weird if they were related? Without realizing it after all this time too. "If you two are half brothers or something wouldn't that be pretty neat?" he said, looking between the two. Forget him trying to remember his problem, this was beginning to seem more interesting.

@Casper @xeno

[Jesse]

“No..” Sunblaze shook his head, though he realized Eagleflight had probably already figured the answer out for himself and was just making an observation. It was pretty obvious that he wasn’t clan born; he stuck out like a sore thumb. His mannerisms.. His general cluelessness. His dreams were still haunted by the time he assumed “sharing tongues” was literal.

“Know would be a.. stretch. I’ve met him, if that’s what you meant. Our interactions were pretty limited; a lot of yelling.” Replied the warrior, who wrinkled his nose in disgust as repressed memories came flooding back to him all at once. He thought he’d escaped all of that when he came to find a new life here. It seemed it would continue to pursue him. He shuddered.

“I was unfortunate enough to be the one to inherit his looks. If you ask me, I'd rather be hairless..”

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Gentlethunder’s interjection came as a relief. But it also brought about more questions. Half-brothers? Sunblaze hated to admit that it wasn’t as farfetched a possibility as it seemed.

@Starfall @Casper

[pidgeon]

@xeno @Starfall

"Half-brothers, eh?" Eagleflight commented with interest. "That sure would be something, wouldn't it!" He could tell, though, as daft as the deputy was, that Sunblaze was uncomfortable. He decided to drop it for now. Maybe he'd bring it up after this whole patrol thing was over.

"Well, I guess we ought to get some shut-eye," He changed the subject."We'll finish the markers in the morning and head back to camp."

[Jesse]

Half-brothers.. Yeah.. It would. Sunblaze, who had gone silent, flicked and ear and lowered his chin onto his paws. He was relieved to have an excuse to finally sleep. He was exhausted and this was all too.. Confusing.. Maybe it would make more sense in the morning. In almost an instant he had already drifted off.

@Starfall @Casper