INDEPENDENT MONGREL

          this male was jaw clenching, teeth gritting, eye twitching bothersome. if he hadn’t trained to keep his composure, he was sure he wouldn’t have held his tongue. “I suppose you wouldn’t remember,” Sailfire replied softly, “Those are just minor details anyhow.” then again, his tongue was loose enough to make cunning remarks when he spotted an opportunity. with his neck free and distance between them, he could keep a keener eye this obstacle. one gigantic boulder that just wouldn’t budge and no matter how he tried to get around him, he was rough on the edges. he wouldn’t let him get by unscathed if he wasn’t forward with what was happening. then again, if all was spilled to Galepaw, he could only imagine that the youth would further distance himself from Sailfire. it was a tricky situation but time was pressing, the sun kept churning, and if he didn’t do SOMETHING about it now, then night would dawn on them all.           “Chosen one,” he somewhat laughed, “I wouldn’t say that.” the idea sounded ridiculous and despite his fondness for the younger, there was in no way that he could possibly surpass Sailfire. the two might have fallen out but he was positive that he was still several strides ahead; that passion to keep ahead and shine the light on the younger’s path remained warm beneath his skin. “But yes, because you’re here, I know he has grown even thicker roots. Imagine constructing a building. You start with the land. You want it to be somewhere safe. That would be the animals and these meadows to Galepaw. Then, you want to build the frame and eventually a sturdy house. That, to Galepaw, is the elderly woman and his daily routines. Lastly, you want a place you can call home…” he squinted at Jude as he said this and crinkled his nose.           “I don’t see how he sees anything in you but I know Galepaw better than you do,” an underlying boast coated his tone as he focused on unwrapped the red cloth wrung around his upper arm. the feline had far too many encounters with devastating blows, the wound around his neck was pressing but it wasn’t anything he hadn’t dealt with before. holding his chin higher, he neatly wrapped the fabric around his nape and tightened it with a knot to the right. “If you don’t want to pull a disappearing act, then I have one other suggestion. Tell him yourself. He needs to go back to his real home. Not for them. Not for me. But for yourself and him. You want him alive? Then I suggest you start listening to what I have to say rather than throwing dirty territorial remarks at me like you own him.”           he bent one knee and perched his elbow upon it, settling his other palm into the grass and leaning onto the support. “Is that what he told you? That I fucked him up for other people? ‘Cause when he said other people those 'other people’ would be better known as HIMSELF… I saved him that day… even if he won’t admit it,” his chest tightened as he delve into the subject. vibrant green irises burned from the memory and his once so confident gaze faltered, drifting apart from Jude to see the night sky resting upon the fields. “And I wasn’t looking for an opening, I thought he was someplace else inside,” a sigh escaped him as the stubbornness continued to convey.           “Look, I get you won’t budge but then get Galepaw to. His clan will die out, Alleyclan will wreck havoc again, and he IS and always WILL be a part of the clans whether he likes to admit that or not. I don’t know what you belong to but as much as you want to be a part of Galepaw’s life, you can’t. I mean…” Sailfire paused, “… look at yourself. I’ve lingered around long enough to know you’re riddled with enough trouble. I know you don’t plan on dragging him into that with you. So give him a chance to revive where he belongs before you take off running and leaving him in the dirt.”

    Indignation, though this time it’s not on part of himself but on part of Gale. “You need him, he doesn’t need you. That makes him special, someone of definite worth and that sounds like some chosen one shit to me. You’re just the fucking middle man.” So devoutly driven to drive this intruder’s patience to the same edge that his has teetered at since encountering this older, more ANNOYING feline. Heart’s seized, still in his chest and painful at the notion that he’d be considered Gale’s home. He’s not, he doesn’t view himself as so goddamn important: Sailfire is telling him things he doesn’t know, and doesn’t for a second suspect. “Shit, you think he thinks that high of me? Then I must be doing something right.” 

    Ludicrous. Infuriating. He hopes those are some descriptors to come to the ginger bastard’s mind when he grins broad, eyes ablaze with renewed interest in the conversation, all because this third party is making it sound like he has a chance in wooing the younger, if he hasn’t already done so ( to meager extent, )  “I’ll talk to him, for him, but don’t get too upset when he chooses me over you, yeah? And he doesn’t talk about you, not in detail, it’s how... his whole demeanor changes that tells me you hurt him, and badly.” The open window is calling him, Jude’s body slowly angling toward the house. As much as he likes being caught in his cute sweaters and cuter underwear, this isn’t a sight he’s letting go unappreciated by Sailfire much longer. “Feel like you’re lying. I think you’d know I’d go and get him if you popped up and he was around.”