[Potahtto]

Originally Posted by Delta

Hickoryfang nodded sadly. He hadn't planned on opening up to this cat he had just met, but now that he had started, he couldn't stop. He need someone to tell this story to--someone other than the voice inside his head. He pondered for a moment how to word it, then began again, "For the longest time, it was just him and me. We were best friends. He was the only family I had after we were separated from our mother, so we were really close from a young age. I remember talking about the rogue gangs that patrolled the Two-Leg Place near where we lived. We had witnessed horrible things happen to cats who got involved with this group, so we promised each other to stay far away from them." He huffed and turned his green eyes to the main area of the clearing, where cats were chatting and hanging out. "He fell in love with a she-cat in that group, and he began to disappear every night. I remember he began to become angry, violent, and rude. I tried to make him realize how he was acting, but he wouldn't listen to me. He stormed off, saying he was never going to come back." He dug his claws into the ground, the anger from so many moons ago making his heart knot up. "I couldn't bring myself to leave our former home immediately. So I stayed that night, and I woke up to him standing over me with two other rogues standing above me." Rather than anger, his eyes were full of hurt and longing. He turned his head to the side to show two long, thin scars on his neck. He sighed, "Ittara gave me this and left me to die. But I didn't. I almost died making my way here." There, it was out. Hickoryfang took a deep breath and looked around. He couldn't believe he'd finally gotten that off his chest. It was like something as heavy as a badger had been on his back, and now it was gone. He looked at Mistheart expectantly.

(Sorry, I've been a bit busy <3 )
Mistheart sat patiently, listening intently to Hickoryfang's story. It was devastating, and all they wanted to do was comfort him. Scooting closer to him, they patted him on the paw with their own, showing their sympathy in a similar way as he had while they were crying. While listening to the rest of the tale, they wanted to interject at certain points to add their own thoughts but felt that it might not be appreciated, so they restrained themselves. They couldn't imagine the pain of having a friend and a sibling betray them like that, as the bonds they made were ones that they valued, though they had so many it was hard to keep track of them. It was hard for them to hear such a sad story, and they weren't just sensitive to their own experiences, but others' as well. One reason they stopped going to the elders' stories as a kit is because even in the exciting and heroic tales they would burst into tears, much to the annoyance of the other kits. They were bullied a lot becuase of their frequent tears, especially back when they still identified as a tom. Many told them that toms don't cry or that they acted more like a molly than a tom. Some even told them to just transition to a molly because they 'acted like one anyway'. Though they were thinking about the past, they were still listening to the story. Tears burned in their eyes. Resisting the urge to begin crying, they nodded sympathetically and meowed, "I'm happy you made it to ShadowClan. You're a good cat." Mistheart gave Hickoryfang a small smile and wiped at their eyes, taking in a shuddering breath. Sad stories like that made them hurt emotionally and physically, their heart literally ached and it was stronger than any amount of external pain.