// beautiful lies. { tiger - holly - lion }

[Tigerstripe ◂]

There was one thing about border patrols that never really changed, and that knowledge was what comforted the tabby tom whenever he had to hear his name echoing around the camp as the deputy organized the day's patrols. Their goal was crystal clear, and there was little room for chit-chat or messing around. They were supposed to keep quiet, do their thing, check for trouble and head back home to report to their leader. Everything was supposed to be smooth and quick, and it gave Tigerstripe a satisfying sense of effectiveness. Except, being chosen for the dawn patrol, while also being accompanied by his brother and Hollybreeze, sort of suggested a ride that perhaps wouldn't flow as smoothly. Of course, that didn't necessarily mean it would be bad, but the tom could sense the tension between Lionwhisker and the she-cat as they padded through the trees in the direction of the border, and couldn't help but acknowledge the unmistakable urge to intercept their communication, which seemed to be done strictly through sighs. He was well aware of the fact that his brother wasn't always the best-behaved cat, though he also knew it was rather easy to earn his trust and respect. And yet, it seemed as if Hollybreeze hadn't quite gotten there yet, and Tigerstripe allowed his mind to wander as he processed all the possible scenarios that could lead to his brother being difficult. The most probable one was rather obvious, but the tabby shrank away from the idea that his brother was rejecting another cat's friendship solely because of the way in which they came to be a part of the clan. Something else he didn't know about was going on here, and if he had to question both of them to figure it out, he would. They were almost at the border, and the amber-eyed tom slowed down to a trot to fall in beside Lionwhisker. "Exactly what do you think you're doing?" he muttered, glancing sideways at Hollybreeze, briefly pausing to wonder whether she'd be eager to join in on the conversation. He wouldn't be able to get much out of me his brother then, but perhaps the she-cat could get Lionwhisker talking with other methods. With that thought he turned back to the orange tom walking next to him, his golden eyes wide with curiosity. "Apart from giving your clanmates the silent treatment, that is." this gon be one hell of a patrol lmao tags // → lionwhisker, Hollybreeze ☆

[→ lionwhisker]

lionwhisker

Patrols are easy, they said. You'll have fun, they said. I's for the good of the clan, they said. The ginger tom could spit on his own grave he was so angry. Well, perhaps angry wasn't quite the word. More like intensely irritated. He had no problem going on patrols- it was simple to get the job done and report back, and it gave him something to do to pass the days. But those patrols didn't involve either of the two cats this one seemed to. It's not that he minded their presence, but he could definitely do without it. His brother, Tigerstripe, would only slow them down with meaningless questions and heartfelt inquiries. And Hollybreeze- StarClan help that hopeless she-cat- seemed only to serve the purpose of annoying him. Both of them were fine warriors, but perhaps they could be fine warriors away from Lionwhisker. The tom wasn't always this gurmpy, but the night had brought him next to no solace in sleep, and the last thing he wanted to do was waste his time patrolling with these two idiots.


Huffing, the tom trekked through the territory, his pace slow and nonchalant, as he let his brother charge forward. He knew nothing would be waiting at the border- he was just there the other day, arguing with Hollybreeze. Lionwhisker flicked his tail in irritation at the thought. Sending a backward glance at the tortoiseshell she-cat, he picked up his pace, choosing to stray closer to his brother than her. He just didn't feel like dealing with them today. Why him, anyway? Was the deputy out of their mind? Giving a mournful sigh, the VertigoClan warrior kept his gaze on the ground, trusting that his idiot brother wouldn't lead them into a fox den. That was, until he noticed his brother beginning to lag, and he looked up, getting the feeling his brother wanted to do that thing again, that talking thing. "Exactly what do you think you're doing?" His brother muttered, glancing backward at the aforementioned she-cat. Lionwhisker tried to ignore it, looking straight ahead and increasing his trot. When his brother annoying persisted with his pace, he gave a gruff sigh and looked at him, his ice blue eyes sharp. "I'm walking. On a patrol, with my brother and my clanmate. Why, what are you doing?" He asked, his tone bored yet sharp at the same time. Why must his brother bother him today.

[Hollybreeze ☆]

The orange and black tortoiseshell she-cat took up the near of the patrol. Her eyes were full of sleep still and her limbs were sore still from battle training yesterday with Shadedpaw. The she-cat apprentice was surely a strong one. Her mind slowly drifted towards her task at paw. She grew irritated.  She had no issuse with Tigerstripe.  She ejoyed his company. When she was just becoming an apprentice he was in the middle of his while Lionwhisker was at the end of his. Did that tom think he was better then them cause of it? Yes, he annoyance was on the border again with Lionwhisker.  

As she padded on she picked up the scent of a rabbit. She perked up. She hadn't had the chance to eat before leaving. "Hold up," Hollybreeze mewed softly as she turned and went into the bushes. She followed the scent trail up to the rabbit. It was nothing big, but enough tobhold the three off til they got back. She slowly moved foward with soft quiet footsteps.  Her yellow flaze focused on the rabbit.  She crept forward til she was a fox length away and gave chase. The rabbit had no chance against Hollybreeze speed. She was not called Hollybreeze for nothing. She carried the rabbit back to the others and place it down. "We are no on a hunting patrol and none of us had breakfast.  I mean, thats is if you have no issuse sharing," her glaze rested on Lionwhisker for a moment before smiling at Tigerstripe. 

[Tigerstripe ◂]

A blind kit would be able to tell it wasn't a good day for his brother, as his tone revealed as much, but Tigerstripe didn't fail to notice that the orange warrior also avoided making the slightest of attempts to glance back at Hollybreeze. "I'm walking. On a patrol, with my brother and my clanmate. Why, what are you doing?" Typical. The tabby answered the question with a swift roll of his eyes, before a rustling sound from behind him captured his attention. "Hold up." No sooner were the words out of the she-cat's mouth than she vanished, and the tom stood watching her frame stalking delicately through the bushes. He paused, turning around to fix his brother in a stare. He let out a tiny hiss, just to make sure Lionwhisker would actually stop, then angled his ears towards the path Hollybreeze had taken as she disappeared. Parting his jaws, he momentarily felt overwhelmed by the unmistakable smell of rabbit flooding into his scent glands. Within several heartbeats, indications of a chase echoed through the trees, before the tortoiseshell warrior emerged once again, the rabbit dangling from her jaws. "We are not on a hunting patrol and none of us had breakfast. I mean, that is if you have no issue sharing." Not bothering to be discreet, Tigerstripe flashed his brother a challenging look, before turning back to Hollybreeze to return her smile. He was well aware that the she-cat was not doing this out of boredom or just for the sake of doing it. It almost felt as if she was trying to make up for something. All that was left was figuring out what. "Great catch," he complimented the she-cat, letting his amber eyes settle on it. There was no point suppressing his hunger now. "And no, me and my brother don't mind sharing with you." He shot a triumphant look at Lionwhisker, before stepping forward to crouch next to the rabbit. He still waved his tail invitingly in his brother's direction, aware that Lionwhisker would rather feed his pride than his stomach. "I'm sure a quick meal will lighten the mood. Seeing as sleep wasn't very kind to all of us last night." The words were chosen carefully, and he momentarily stared up at Hollybreeze, anticipating her reaction, before bowing his head to have the first mouthful of rabbit. laughs chokes dies tags // → lionwhisker, Hollybreeze ☆

[→ lionwhisker]

lionwhisker

He could be doing so many more productive things right now. He could be training his pain-in-the-ass apprentice, Redpaw. Or he could be out hunting, enjoying his favorite thing in the world- solitude. Or perhaps he could even be trolling around the border, hoping to catch a skirmish. But no, instead, here he was, padding along after two idiots. Oh. He thought. Looks like one of the idiots has stooped. He gave a backward glance at Hollybreeze as she darted away from the patrol, the scent of rabbit already teasing his nose. Of course, he had scented it several fox lengths back, but he didn't feel like chasing it. And as Hollybreeze had said it, they weren't on a hunting patrol. He heard his brother hiss at him from behind, and the ginger tom stopped slowly, giving great effort in keeping his fur flat. "We are not on a hunting patrol and none of us had breakfast. I mean, thats is if you have no issuse sharing," He heard the tortoiseshell she-cat mutter behind him, her voice muffled by the rabbit dangling from her jaws.


Lionwhisker glared at his brother as he crouched next to the kill. His eyes were icy daggers. "And no, me and my brother don't mind sharing with you." Lionwhisker sat down in his place, several lengths from the other two warriors. "Speak for yourself, Tigerstripe." He muttered. He could feel his stomach churning at the sight of the small albeit delicious looking fresh kill, but there was no way he was going to share it with them. He glanced at Hollybreeze, but only for a moment, before blinking slowly and licking some of his fur down. "I'm not hungry." He said, his poise and voice stoic and distant. "Besides," He said, pausing. "I obey the warrior code. Hunting patrol or not, no warrior should eat before the rest of the clan is fed." Idiots.

[Hollybreeze ☆]

Hollybreeze smiled as Tigerstr said they'd love too. She leaned down and took a bite of the rabbit as she was chewing Lionwhisker spoke, negatively. Her fur began to spike up with rage. She stood and looked at Lionwhisker. "Why do you have to be such a proudful snob!" She hissed. "I did us all a favor. I was. Being friendly even after what happened last time me meet at the border! " She snarled.

"The warrior code day the clan must be fed first, yes, but that is if you are on a hunting party. Clanmates may share prey that has been caught on a patrol, as long as it is nothing extremely large or large amounts!" Hollybreeze growled. "You know I pity you. I would hate to be you!"

[Tigerstripe ◂]

Distracted by the sweet scent of freshly-caught prey, and Hollybreeze's pleasant presence beside him, Tigerstripe had nearly allowed himself to be flooded with a new, unexpected wave of positive thoughts. This morning wasn't so bad after all. With some luck, Lionwhisker would cheer up too. Perhaps he would see that grumpily stomping around the woods, refusing to exchange a single word with either of them, would get him nowhere. Perhaps he would confide to him what his issue was with the tortoiseshell she-cat. "Speak for yourself, Tigerstripe." But, of course, there was also another, much different, and yet also much more plausible scenario. Lionwhisker would sit on his haunches several fox-lengths away from them, pretending to be content in his own little world, rejecting a gift because of nothing but pride and arrogance. Which was exactly what he did. If Tigerstripe hadn't grown up with this cat, his fur would be rising along his hackles, and his tail would be lashing in irritation. But instead, he merely twitched his ears in acknowledgement, shrugging before he bowed his head to grab another mouthful. He hadn't missed the air reeking of anxiety around Hollybreeze, but the tom had went with the assumption that most of the clan had learnt to deal with Lionwhisker's moods the same way he did; just let him cool down by himself. And so it was too late to stop Hollybreeze's sudden outburst, as it seemed to strike out of nowhere. "Why do you have to be such a proudful snob! I did us all a favor. I was being friendly even after what happened last time me meet at the border!" Pausing mid-mouthful, the pale tabby sat up to glance at the she-cat and at his brother in turn. His amber eyes were wide with curiosity, but he held his tongue as the outraged female resumed her rant, her tone unwaveringly accusing. She was being defensive in a way that only confirmed Tigerstripe's previous suspicions. It appeared as if his brother and Hollybreeze shared a rather complicated relationship, one he probably shouldn't try to begin to understand. Instead, he sat back on his haunches, involuntarily mimicking Lionwhisker's posture as he waited out the she-cat's lecture. "I would say we have an issue here," he observed once his clanmate was done hissing at Lionwhisker through gritted teeth, her eyes glowing with defiance. As he sat next to her, Tigerstripe reluctantly let the tip of his tail touch her flank, glancing sideways at her through eyes round with concern. "You will have to excuse my brother. He can be quite.. intense, on a bad day. Don't pay too much attention to everything he says." The pale tabby warrior shifted his body to stare questioningly at his brother. He wasn't expecting him to confirm what he had just claimed, though he was expecting him to continue doing what he appeared to do best; ignore the she-cat. At this point, it was seemingly the easier solution to their problem, that was, until the patrol returned back to camp. laughs chokes dies tags // → lionwhisker, Hollybreeze ☆

[→ lionwhisker]

lionwhisker

Lionwhisker flicked his tail impatiently, indifferent about the situation. Hollybreeze's fur was on end, clearly ruffled by his careless comments. It's not as though he were the one committing the infraction though. Hunting patrol or not, the tom was sure there was at least one hungry mouth to feed back at camp. Perhaps Lilythorn and Splashmist were hungry. Raising kits... Lionwhisker shuttered at the thought. Realizing his thoughts had distracted him, the ginger tom brought his attention back to the quarrel that he was in the midst of, eyeing his brother. He seemed a bit spacey, and Lionwhisker sighed with contempt. He was doing it again. That thing. That thinking thing where he thinks too much. Suddenly, the VertigoClan warrior was aware of his clanmate on her paws, screeching at him. "Why do you have to be such a proudful snob!" Lionwhisker shrugged, staring her down without flinching. "Call me a snob because I follow the code? Of course a rogue wouldn't understand." He said, painfully aware of what a sharp, low blow it was, but not caring. He wasn't the one who had snapped.


He noticed how his brothers reaction to his own attitude differed from the she-cats, and he felt a vague prick of surprise. Of course he and Tigerstripe had always been closer than most cats of their stature, but they were siblings. He supposed his brother had simply gotten used to his attitude, which was more than he could say for Hollybreeze. The ginger warrior stared at his brother for a moment, before diverting his attention when the tortoiseshell made another scathing remark. "You know I pity you. I would hate to be you!" Lionwhisker shrugged. "I really don't give a rats ass what you think about me." He said plainly, bitterness on his tongue. "I'm here to do my job and protect the clan. You can do whatever it is you want to do." With that, he turned on his heels, prepared to pad away and continue the patrol- alone if he must.


Unfortunately, the sound of his brothers mew made him stop, and roll his eyes. "I would say we have an issue here," Lionwhisker turned around lazily, impatient at the quarrel that had no need to continue. Why must his brother play the good guy every time? "We don't have an issue. She does." He said, jerking his head toward Hollybreeze. "You will have to excuse my brother. He can be quite.. intense, on a bad day. Don't pay too much attention to everything he says." Lionwhisker let a forceful hiss escape as his brother said this, the warrior digging his claws into the ground. "Shut up, Tigerstripe. This is between her and I. Stay out of it." He said. StarClan help me. He prayed. Maybe they would send a tree to fall down on him. Or a random fox attack. Anything to get him out of this situation.

[Hollybreeze ☆]

Hollybreeze eyes turned from hostile to saddness. She turned her head away from Lionwhisker. She felt her eyes get moist as she looked at Tigerstripe. She rested her cheek against his shoulder for a second before padding on. "I lost my appetite. You finish it up, I am gonna scout ahead, catch up when you are done," she spoked gently.


"Lionwhisker,  just leave me alone, I have no issuse anymore cause I wipe my paws of you. Therefore there is nothing between us," she spoke as she continued on, not bothering to look at the tom. She moved through the bushes. Her eyes let out a few tears as she was out of veiw of the toms. Would she always be seen as a rgoue. What was the point? He'd never see her anymore then a rogue.

[Tigerstripe ◂]

The first thing he felt absolutely obliged to do was interrupt the two cats' argument right there and then, which had only taken a sudden turn to the worst, if only to congratulate Hollybreeze for not flinching away from his brother's reckless reply. Except, the scene unfolding in front of him didn't seem to allow him to get a word in. While Tigerstripe himself had been aware of the she-cat's true origins, he always let that detail slip his mind. It didn't take much to convince him of another cat's loyalty, and Hollybreeze appeared to him as caring and loyal as any cat born within the clan. And yet, Lionwhisker seemed to be fiercely supportive of a different opinion, one he voiced with more passion than Tigerstripe had seen in his brother lately. Still, all the tom could do was let his tail-tip continue to idly rest against Hollybreeze's flank as Lionwhisker backpedaled once again, even more viciously than before. But Tigerstripe still had to fight to suppress a slight smirk that threatened to show on his face. It appeared to him that the explanation for this argument was much simpler than these two cats made it seem, and that was mainly due to the fact that the she-cat was an open book. "I lost my appetite. You finish it up, I am gonna scout ahead, catch up when you are done." The tom let his tail trail along her spine as she began to walk ahead, her steps uneven. He frowned. Perhaps she'd been naive by displaying this strong an interest on a cat like Lionwhisker, who expressed his distaste for it in an unnecessarily intense way. For his thoughts could be put into words much more simply. Why don't you just tell her you don't like her? Except, pronouncing this question out loud would only serve in angering the orange warrior even further, which rendered Tigerstripe powerless as he merely continued to stare at his brother. "Shut up, Tigerstripe. This is between her and I. Stay out of it." "I most certainly will." As he took the last bite from the rabbit, his tail lashed once before he rose to this paws and padded forward, his face out of Hollybreeze's view. His lips curved into a tiny, amused smile. How could I deprive myself if the joy of watching you torture yourself? He still felt a pang of sympathy for the she-cat, but felt positive that she would get over it. If Lionwhisker wouldn't simply tell her the actual reason behind his repetitive verbal attacks, Tigerstripe would do it for him. Once the tortoiseshell was swallowed by the line of bushes ahead and out of earshot, he closed the distance between himself and his brother, flicking his tail over his ear as he nudged him forward. "Quite the situation you've gotten yourself tangled in. I understand everything." His smile was almost approving, until he glanced sideways at him, and attempted to force a sincere frown to darken his features. "Except for the rogue remark. I am positive you won't get any ladies with that one." laughs chokes dies tags // → lionwhisker, Hollybreeze ☆