[PRP] At A Loss (Mosstail/Talonfang)

[belloblossom]

Mosstail was angry - no depressed - no furious! Her father was dead! Two of her siblings, one her direct littermate, Tigerstrike and the other an older sibling, Owlsbane had left the Clan! Poplarstem was depressed and her mentor - the leader's daughter, Birchleaf, had also left! In fact, tons of cats were leaving TreeClan! And here Mosstail was in the middle of it. She didn't feel like she could talk to her siblings that had stayed, or her mother - because they were all mourning. And she couldn't very well complain to leadership because their leadership seemed so flaky! Sunflight led them into a battle that should've never happened and was having emotional outbursts about the consequences of her actions! So where did that leave TreeClan, where were they supposed to go from here?

Well I'm not leaving. If the leadership here is failing, then I'll take over after it's collapsed and make TreeClan as good as it used to be. She thought bitterly. I'm not going to leave, because maybe it's doomed and I can make it better after. Or maybe it won't be doomed and Sunflight will grow back her spine and we can move on fromt his nonsense. She growled.

She was feeling emotional, sure, but she wanted to do something with her emotions. She remembered her father had a sparring buddy: Talonfang. Talonfang had been in the battle with her father, but he hadn't been able to save Branchtail from being killed. Apparently her father didn't spar as much as he should have. Mosstail wouldn't make the same mistake that her father had.

"Talonfang!" She shouted at him, finding him with ease, for he was as bright as a finch. "Fight me! My father died in the battle, but you're standing here, alive. Clearly you know something about survival that he did not. Spar with me and let me find out how to succeed where Branchtail did not." She demanded of the tomcat. @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

Talonfang was alone again. This wasn't abnormal, the bi-colored tom was more often by himself than not. But this time, he felt it.

Alone. Again.

The feeling had sunk its claws deep into him, hooked into his bones, tearing them to shreds as he did now with the bark beneath his paws.

No one was there to notice. The only cats who had bothered to care for him were gone. Dead. And he was alone. Again.

He glared down at the tattered bough beneath him, eyes bright with anger and unshed tears. Talon tore into it with fervor, sending bark to scatter on the ground below as he seethed, fangs bared, claw beds bleeding with the effort of it. But he didn't care. Why should he, no one else did. The only cat who cared had left him, died, playing hero. 'It shoulda've been me,' Talon thought. 'I'd've taken'em both. Died like a warrior. That was my time, stupid, stupid old man...'

He hissed viciously at his name being called, nearly panting from taking his fury out on the stupid tree branch. He locked on to Mosspaw's eyes. Branchtail's eyes. His paws went numb, seeing his own anger matched in them.

The tom jumped down from his branch, landing heavily across from his dead friend's daughter. He slipped easily into position, mentally remembering to sheath his claws as he eyed her with angry, painfilled eyes, for where she stood, he only saw Branchtail.

He didn't say anything. Didn't wait for her to be ready. He just lunged, throwing a paw heavy with grief and fury her way with a growl tearing from his chest.

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

(Rolling for Mosstail to hit, will edit this evening!)