an offer

[occultation]

( @taillow )

Fadingsun sat quietly atop the Floodstone. It was late, well into the night by this point. The camp was quiet, most cats likely in their nests or out in the territory. It was a good time to sit and think.

He'd made this decision some time ago, but he had yet to find a time that felt right to ask. Him and his sister still hadn't hashed out their differences. Things were better between them than they had been when he'd first been announced as deputy, but they still felt... odd and strained.

He hated it. He wanted it to go away; he wanted their bond to go back to what it used to be. At this point, he wasn't certain if it ever would or could. That was a big part of what had been holding him back from asking the question burning his mind. What if they never went back to their close sibling bond? Would all of this still work out?

But, the needs of the Clan had to come first, and this was something that had to be done for their sake. Sitting up there, looking down on the camp that he now ruled, he felt the usual fear that had been poking at the back of his mind flare up again. He shoved it down, knowing full well that if he allowed it to take proper root it would turn him away from doing what he was about to do.

Taking a deep breath, he sprang off of the Floodstone and landed neatly on the ground below. He wasn't even entirely sure if she was in camp, but hopefully she'd be easy enough to find if she wasn't.

"Dusklion!" he called, trying to be loud enough to be heard but not so loud as to alert everyone. "I need to speak with you. Please." He tried so hard to keep the worry, the desperation, the regret out of his voice, but it wormed its way through anyways. Damn these feelings.

[taillow]

DUSKLION
she/her | riverclan's head lionheart | 28 moons

When she wasn't out at Lionsbeach or at the newly founded Roaring Cliffs, Dusklion took up a spot just outside of the camp entrance. Sleep was futile at this point, even as her jaws parted in a yawn and her mind screamed at her for rest. The head Lionheart sat still as her gaze swept over the territory, alert as they could be for any signs of threats to the Clan. Another massive yawn left her.

"Dusklion!"

The call of her name jolted her out of her daze, ears perked as the dark tabby got to her paws. Who had called her name? She took a step forward before the voice called again, requesting to speak with her. It sounded familiar... and it was coming from behind her? Huh, Dusk could've sworn it was from the territory. Shaking her head and silently muttering a curse under her breath the dark tabby slipped back into camp, still concealed by the shadows of the entrance. Her blue eyes found the source - her brother. Fades was calling for her, and he sounded... worried? Desperate?

"What is it?" She felt disgust for how fast her paws moved, how quickly she forgot their last interaction in his den and how... professional he had been. The concern that had pooled in her eyes at his initial call was snuffed out as she straightened herself up, face contorting in a brief flash of frustration before it settled into something more.. guarded. "...What do you need?" Her voice was strained as she readied herself for what was needed - a patrol to somewhere? A threat to the Clan?

Whatever it was, Dusklion knew she'd have to put her complicated feelings towards her brother aside to help him deal with whatever it was. Part of her wished he would've called for Breezy, or even Owls... what was it that he wanted that neither of them could help with?

[ Fadingsun - @occultation ]

[occultation]

( @taillow )

His sister's presence made his mind start a retreat. It had his paws silently pulling him back towards his own den, where he could be at peace and not have to deal with the glaring tidal wave that was the problems they had between them. But he had to do this. Just take her a little ways out of camp, and make it quick. Get it over with.

The leader turned towards the camp exit, beckoning with his tail for Dusklion to follow. As they walked out, his logic clashed with his anxiety. What if she said no? She was an ambitious cat, so surely she'd accept. But... What if she said she'd rather die than do this? Could he... could he live with that?

Probably not.

The thought had his heart racing, his legs beginning to shake just a bit. Even though he knew he ought to put on a brave face, something about being alone with Dusklion for the first time since before he became deputy had his guard falling. He didn't even consciously realize it, until they were a fair bit from camp and it all came spilling out.

"I feel lost," he blurted out. "I feel like I've been walking a path of shadows ever since I stepped up to take over Birdsnow's position. I don't regret it. Definitely not. But I always feel like I'm walking on the precipice of some devastating decision, one mistake that will be the final blow this Clan can take before it crumples to the ground. I don't... I don't know if I can continue doing this alone. I know I have Mistyshard, but... it isn't the same."

His eyes met hers. "It isn't the same as if I... as if I had you. I mean, I know I do... I just mean, had you like before. It was never just Fadingsun or just Dusklion, it was always Fades and Duskers. Fadingsun and Dusklion. What the hell happened?" His voice became strained, a mixture of anger and confusion and disdain filling his tone. "We always were close, we always held each other up through thick and thin.

"But then... when I became deputy, it all just fell apart. Do you really... resent me for it all?" It was a damn hard question to ask, but it had been pressing at his mind for a long time. "I know I've been distant, I know I've been treating you less like a sister and more like just a Clanmate. But I don't know how you feel about me anymore; I guess, after what happened at that meeting and everything that's happened since... do you still see me as your brother? Or am I just a cat who disappointed you, who stole your dreams? I always want you to succeed, Dusklion. But lately I've been feeling like you don't feel the same way about me."

He looked away from her then, studying a fascinating blade of grass for a good couple of moments before looking back at her. "I want us to go back to being Duskers and Fades. I'm sick of the tension, I'm sick of pretending like we're just littermates and not brother and sister. Out of all the cats in the Clan, you're the one that I want to be by my side through all... all of this. You're reckless, you're confusing, you're more fiery than you should be sometimes... but you're also the most dedicated, hardworking, driven cat I know."

Fadingsun sank his claws into the ground. It was time, like it or not.

"I want you to be at my side as more than just a sister. I want you to be with me at the head of this Clan, bringing us up from the terrible grave we've dug for ourselves. So... will you be my deputy?"

[taillow]

DUSKLION
she/her | riverclan's head lionheart | 28 moons

Oh, back outside of camp again. Dusklion was unable to hide the expression her face had, and Fades was already heading for the exit so he wouldn't see the way she rolled her eyes. Regardless her paws turned to follow him out, ducking back out through the entrance. Concealed in the dark for a brief moment she felt the ground sway a bit beneath her and stopped just for a second. Her head spun just a bit and she had to fight back another yawn. But the odd sensation was over before it began so the head Lionheart simply dismissed it and trotted to catch up with her brother.

"Listen, whatever you brought me out here for, I just want to say-" she began, but then her brother was speaking and - he felt lost? Utter surprised crossed her features as Dusklion stared at him with her mouth half-way open. Her brother was many things but being lost was never something the dark tabby had associated him with. Slowly her mouth closed as she stared at him, ears angled forward.

Surely he wasn't stepping down already?? All this talk about not being able to do it anymore... well, it had her heart breaking. This was her fault. She hadn't been there to support him, and even worse she had let her own ambitions and goals be placed above him. Fades. Her brother, the one cat she felt the closest to. Or, had. Her jaw hardened as he continued.

His inquiry felt like an accusation, cutting through her like sharp claws that caused her to wince slightly. She drew her ears back and averted her gaze, and for once the normally sharp-tongued head Lionheart had nothing to say.

"I never meant..." she started once there was a lull, a pause. Dusklion found that it was difficult to meet his gaze. Even more so as he continued on about how their relationship had started to crumble. How he questioned if she even saw him as a brother anymore. A low growl rumbled in her throat and that was enough to lift her head. "Of course I do. Fades, I..." Oh, damn the stars above. She felt the sting behind her eyes and there wasn't much she could do as the first tear slipped past. She had always been the one who'd had a hard time concealing her emotions, of keeping a neutral expression like Fades had always been good at. "I'm not goin' to apologize for wantin' what I wanted, 'n for goin' after it. But if I could go back to that meetin' 'n shut my big mouth 'fore I ever said a word, I would."

...Not the best way to start an apology. By now another tear had fallen and Dusk knew soon they would be dampening her cheeks. But her eyes narrowed and shone with a mixture of defiance, stubbornness - and most of all, regret. "I didn't know you wanted it, too. When we first joined, it had always been me sayin' how one day I was gonna change this Clan. Lead it from atop the stone. Drive us back into greatness, like how Lions once did. 'N you... you had always seemed to support that! I never thought that... if you were offered the position... you'd take it."

This was... not how she wanted the apology to go. Before she could continue though Fades started speaking again. And what he said next nearly sent her off her paws. He wanted... her to be his deputy? Dusklion had all but been sure that this was him finally kicking her out of the Clan. Now that he had the power to do so, the head Lionheart figured he would exile her, send her away for how she'd acted. This offer was nowhere near what she had expected.

"I...I.." It was a strange thing, to have her dream placed before her. All she had to do was say yes. All she had to do was reply with one little word and what she had worked towards for so long would finally be hers. The dark tabby felt her haunches fall backwards, the shock still written across her face. "...You want me around?" Perhaps it was stupid, and perhaps Fades didn't know just how much she shared his feelings despite her actions stating otherwise. The reassurance that he still wanted her in the Clan - still wanted her as a sister. Suddenly she felt like nothing more than the young eight moon old cat who Fades had saved from the storm all those seasons ago.

Her throat clenched up towards the end. There was more she wanted to say, but she needed a moment to gather herself. Sniffling and doing her best to stop the starsdammed tears that continued to spill down her face, Dusk tried to steel her composure. It was still there in her eyes - the confusion. Just like that day he had been announced as the Clan deputy, her heart was in pieces. "Why did you never tell me?" Her voice is quiet and soft, breaking in ways that to anyone blind would not point to Dusklion being the one speaking. "You always supported my goals, my ambitions... did you not trust that I would support yours, too?" It was silly to bring up now considering how she'd acted at that meeting he'd been appointed, and the realization of this had her ducking her gaze. "...I would've followed you to the ends of the earth, Fades, if you had told me. I would... still do that. It just..." Hurt. It was a pain unlike anything, like claws ripping out her throat over and over again.

Finally she lifted her gaze back up as her whiskers quivered. Underneath it all - underneath the jealousy, and the anger, and the guilt and the Rage, she just... missed her brother. "...I'm sorry." She hated this. Being vulnerable. She hated how easy it was for her to cry - whether she was angry or sad or even extremely happy. Dusklion hated how intensely her emotions showed on her face. A half-hearted chuckle left her as she shook her head, glancing briefly up at the stares, then back down towards Fades. "I want that too." It was a murmur, and she cleared her throat. "Us, how we used to be. Takin' the world on together, side by side... I do want you as my brother, I always have. I do want to serve by your side as this Clans deputy... I..." Words failed her again and she just sat there, still a bit dumbfounded, and unsure of what to really do next.

[ Fadingsun - @occultation ]