Private Thread Plot Thread Red Honey

Honey makes the world go round
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Honeyglow gave a soft snort, the kind that ruffled his whiskers more than anything. "Retire early? Stars above, Redpaw. Don't wish your life away." He shifted slightly, careful of his hip, and watched the apprentice play at melting pawprints in the cold earth. A familiar ache. He’d seen too many young cats wear that look - Palestar included.

"The cats that race ahead don’t always know where they’re going. Confidence can be as hollow as a windblown stump." His green eyes found Redpaw’s. "But the ones who stay, who listen and feel things deeply... they’re the ones who end up shaping a Clan. Quiet paws leave deeper roots."

His mouth twitched, the beginnings of a smile. "You’ll catch up to Duskpaw and Dazzlepaw in your own way, and your own time. But even if you didn’t I’d still choose your company over theirs any day. Maybe that's something."

The breeze picked up, and Honeyglow turned his face toward it. Still no scent of trouble. Still quiet. For now.

The stars are but cold fire, unfeeling and distant
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The wind shifted subtle at first, like the flutter of a bird’s wing - carrying with it a scent that didn’t belong. Not earth or frost or clan cat fur. The trees at the edge of the hollow stirred, and from the underbrush erupted a blur of smoke and flame flecked fur.

She moved like a shadow splintering apart, her long tangled coat rippling with the force of her sudden lunge. Her golden eyes were wide, rimmed with a feral brilliance focused not on the apprentice, but on the elder reclined against the stone.

With a low snarl, Gemini threw herself forward and slammed into Honeyglow’s side, her weight behind her, claws unsheathed. The rock scraped loud beneath them as he was shoved off the ledge, taking a small tumble. The air split with the crunch of frost and a dull thud.

Gemini’s chest heaved, breath steaming. Her gaze darted toward Redpaw, but only briefly. Her focus remained fractured, flickering between reality and something else entirely. Her claws flexed, stained and uneven. She didn’t speak. Not at first. Then... "He looks like the others."

Whatever that meant.

She didn’t flee. Then, she streaked towards Honeyglow once more in a sudden lurch right as the elder stood shakily to his paws.

The stars are but cold fire, unfeeling and distant
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Gemini hadn’t even fully registered the apprentice...until the moment his weight struck her back. The blow staggered her. Her head snapped up, jaws parted in a silent snarl as her hind legs buckled slightly under the added force. Redpaw’s voice rang in her ears but it tangled with others, voices only she could hear.

She spun sharply, wild eyes widening as she twisted to throw the apprentice from her back. Her claws scraped the ground in a frenzied pivot, paws flinging dirt and slush in all directions. She lunged for Redpaw, only for her paw to slip in the icy mud. She faltered just long enough.

Below the hollow, Honeyglow was on his paws, limping, one foreleg tucked gingerly as he staggered through the underbrush with grim determination. His breath came in tight, shallow bursts, and pain flickered across his usually calm features. His paw was sprained and every step was a jolt of fire up his leg. But he didn’t stop.

"Palestar...I'll go, be safe!" He hissed under his breath, trotting painfully towards camp.

Gemini’s ears twitched sharply, her attention snapping toward the elder’s retreating form. Her jaw clenched, and something twisted in her eyes... She turned back to Redpaw, her breath hitching. Her voice dropped low, raw and bitter: "S-shouldn’t have touched me."

But she didn’t chase the elder. Not yet. Her claws dripped slowly into the frost-hardened soil, and her chest heaved...half battle lust, half confusion. Something in her twitched again and she reared, twisting her head around to try and bite down onto her attacker.