"I love you too, Fencestar," Dieselstar simply said, dropping her initial attempt to keep a straight face. She bent over to rub her head against her mate's neck. "I'm sorry for leaving you like I did."
"EarthClan... well, I'll be honest with you - in my time, EarthClan was a perfect storm. Risingstar was... an absolute mess. But he was a good cat. He held us together, he... he defined the EarthClan that I inherited. EarthClan was... it was a home. A chaotic, flawed, and perfect home."
Fencerunner shook her head as the two mates rounded a corner. She looked up at her mate, the glimmer in her eye unmistakable as infection. Fencerunner was glued to the muscles that rippled at Dieselstar's side, her smile unshaking.
"You know, I'm glad you kept your scars," she whispered, "They're the reason I fell in love with you. That one I gave you in Fence Club- always made me look for it. Ended with me staring at your chest a lot."
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of a question to ask. She was just happy to know her father- and pretty proud of herself for kinda making the assumption that it was an earthclanner. That's all she really needed. She glanced back over her shoulder at her parents, smiling. "We'll be fine, I love you both!" Mosspaw said, turning back to gaze at Glasswind.
"What was Earthclan like? I'm sure it was different from our home."
Fencerunner could feel Dieselstar's thoughts, her mood, and laughed. "Hey, at least it wasn't your brother!" she joked, sighing.
"You kids have fun- I think I'm going to go see if the camp needs any help. Dieselstar, would you like to join me . . ?" she asked, calling to her mate questioningly to see if she would take the escape that she'd orchestrated perfectly.
Dieselstar visibly bit back a comment and shifted uncomfortably on her paws-- she'd never had a proper conversation with the cat, but the longer he went on, the more she wondered if their fates had, in fact, been different, that he really was as responsible for his own death as the SunClanners said. StarClan, he's insufferable.
Glass turned his eyes upon Mosspaw, the star-filled orbs creasing at the edges as a smile danced across his features.
"No need for apologies - I'm not anything special, I'm well aware. I never needed to be - I'm an EarthClanner, and as one, I am no more than my clanmates, regardless of my title or suffix. Whatever your mother's told you about my 'perfect moral character', I assure you it's not the truth. I'm just as flawed as every other cat that walks this land - without those flaws, I'd have died long before I reached the clans. In the end, you may find that your flaws are no different from your greatest strengths."
"They all ended up looking like you- I had to give them Something. Why not a hopefully perfect moral character?" Fencerunner said with a laugh, Dieselstar's awkwardness putting her at ease. As Mosspaw approached, the she-cat took her tail and wrapped it around Oxalispaw's shoulder.
"Now's your chance to ask him as many questions as you'd like," she whispered encouragingly, looking up into her son's gaze with an unbeholdened emotion held there.
“I said that out loud.” She mewed, wide eyed and a little embarrassed about her lack of a filter. “I apologize.” She dipped her head to the tom, still amazed to finally meet her father.
Mosspaw approached, timidly- not very characteristic of her but what else do you do when you’re meeting the cat who helped in creating you for the first time. “I’m really happy to finally meet you.”
Oxalispaw whimpered and stumbled back at Glass-star's sudden appearance, startled by his presence, while Mulleinpaw went deathly still, staring at him in shock.
"Kits!" Dieselstar exclaimed, exasperated. "Glass-star. Hello. It's been. Um. A while. I'm glad you could join us."
Fencerunner's own celestial ear twitched as she felt Glass-star's energy form into tangible form. Something concrete told her the tom would show up. She greeted him civilly- he was not the one she loved. But he had given her a great gift, and for that she was thankful.
"Speak of the devil," she said, smiling lightly, looking to Mosspaw as she spoke.
"Yes, this is him-" she barked at her daughter, taking Mosspaw's attack on Glass-star as an attack on her own virtue, "Be polite."
Mosspaw was so close to going off on oxalispaw, which included teaching him a lesson through a little battle training. She loved her brother and would do anything to protect him, but sometimes he annoyed the Fox dung out of her. The bright light accompanied by the supernatural presence of a new cat stopped her in her tracks. The young calico almost retreated behind her parents, pale olive green eyes narrowing at the starclanner. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was the cat they were talking about. Minus the glowy silhouette, he didn’t seem like much. “Really mom? Him?” She questioned allowed, forgetting that the glowing cat could hear her.
The dead were a peculiar thing. Throughout Glasswind's life, he'd found StarClan to be such even moreso. However, peculiarity was reality nonetheless - whether that reality was a mere hallucination or something more, could be determined only by the eyes of the beholders.
With a shimmering, ethereal light, the air seemed to fall suffocatingly still for a moment, as a faint starry figure leapt out of the void, alighting on the ground, though he seemed to hover a few hairlengths above it, by some strange, otherworldly force. The apparition flickered, dwindled, then seemed to find stability at a point just between visibility and invisibility - turn one's head at the right angle, and the celestial-pelted tom appeared to vanish.
It was questionable whether the dead breathed, but in this instant, the dead tom that stood before the EclipseClanners took in a visible breath, his clouded, faintly green-hued eyes trailing over their figures. A tension seemed to riddle the stars that made up his apparition - and then, he let out that long breath, as though he hadn't breathed since the day his last breath had left his form.
"Sorry I'm late - I had some business to take care of."
The words were dry and unremarkable in content, but the breathy murmur they were spoken in, overwhelmed with an odd symphony of pride, grief, regret, and amazement, said so much more.
"I wouldn't have!" Oxalispaw protested. "I've never even said anything about it!"
"That's not true," Mulleinpaw laughed, shaking her head. "Mom's right, this really doesn't matter. I'm just glad to know, since, well, we did have to wonder, at least a little bit."
"Why don't we just go back to camp...?" Dieselstar suggested.
Fencerunner frowned, feeling like the entire argument was her fault. She shifted uncomfortably, ears back as the three apprentices argued. Her mouth opened to defend herself every couple lines, but she was unable to form the words.
"Speak honestly and answer fast: Would you have honestly rather have known your father was EarthClan growing up? Chicorypaw lacks sense and Oxalispaw would've asked the elders enough questions about Glass-star to prompt a proper investigation, leading to a myriad of problems. I grew up without a father and without a mother, mostly, and did just fine. So did your mother. You should all feel just as much as EclipseClan warriors as the kittypet who joined on a whim or the lucky few whose ancestry reaches back to Moonstar. Does this honestly change anything?" She looked from one kit to the next, olive eyes sad and hopeful. She didn't want to leave her kits fighting, and hoping for them to understand would take time- this was a middle ground.
Mosspaw shook her head at his words, turning her green eyes on her parents. "I appreciate both of you for telling us, but I have everything I need right here." She smiled.
"But then why tell us?" Oxalispaw asked, his little brow furrowing. "Couldn't we just forget about it?"
"I've always wondered," Mulleinpaw admitted, trying to play the comment off as casual and failing.
"You all just deserved to know the truth," Dieselstar answered. "If we could have waited until you were adults, we would have, but you seemed mature enough that I didn't want to waste the opportunity."
Mosspaw, having been forgotten by her parents and siblings some time ago, sat toward the side of the group. She listened intently to her mothers, grinning slightly to herself for having figured it out awhile ago. She hadn't known exactly who it was by she had known he'd been an outsider. Her pale green eyes flickered toward Oxalispaw, frowning at his words.
The young calico she-cat nudged her brother, rather harshly. "Don't be rude, we've got everything we need right here." She said, turning to smile at her parents.
"The only ones, as far as I know...?" Dieselstar sighed, glancing over at her mate. Mulleinpaw seemed hushed, thinking over the news, while Oxalispaw was as fit to burst with questions as he usually was.
"Why are you telling us now? Is he gonna come visit?" Oxalispaw asked.
"Well, we figure we probably won't have much of a chance for a while," Dieselstar replied. "And that is a threat, I better not see any of you for another few dozen seasons."
"But is he visiting?" Oxalispaw pressed.
"We don't know," Dieselstar admitted. "He's probably with EarthClan, helping them rebuild. He was killed by a SunClan patrol and may be trying to make peace with them, it seemed like a few cats were planning on things like that."
"But we're his kits."
"And he didn't have any paw in raising you."
"Why doesn't he want to see us?"
"We don't know that."
"But-"
"Look, kid, you have two parents who love you. That's more than most kits get-"
Fencerunner's cheeks filled out as she sustained her laughter at Oxalispaw's mistake. Imagining Kudzuthroat, whom she'd seen sneaking off to a few particular alleyways in the dark of night, choosing to lay with her . . . funny. And Blackrabbit had the sense not to come near Fencerunner. At least, that's what she told herself. She'd liked him as a 'paw.
"Not Kudzuthroat. Strike one," Fencerunner said, leaning down low as a draft fluffed her fur. She took a deep breath.
"You actually don't even know him. He died before you were born. But his name was Glass-star, and he was the leader of EarthClan. I was too old to be deciding to have kits, but the opportunity was there- I didn't think I'd get another chance. I'm so glad I took it, even if it caused so many problems. I love you four so dearly. Congratulations, you're actually the son and daughters of three leaders."
"Alright. Just throw the duckling into the middle of the pond. That'll work, I guess," Fencerunner rambled under her breath, bowing under support.
She straightened, "Or, more intimately, I've been meaning to talk to you about your father," Fencerunner said. She knew Dieselstar wanted to help, but in the end, it was Fencerunner who had made that choice.
"Though I wish you could be, I'm sure you've realized that two she-cats can't have kits. Dieselstar isn't related to you- by blood at least."
Dieselstar reflexively licked the top of Fencerunner's head and stepped into Origam's Palace, the location seeming to bear no particular ghosts for her, despite her history with it running nearly as deep as Fencerunner herself's. Oxalispaw followed after him.
"So, what are we doing here?" He asked, his nose wrinkling at the moldy smell.
"We've been meaning to talk to you about your father," Dieseltooth said, almost casually, as she sat down inside.
"Don't be bashful! Good job!" Fencerunner praised as she approached. The moment of jubulence faded quicker than she would've liked as the shaded alley of Origam's place seeped its way into Fencerunner's mood. She sighed, looked towards Dieselstar, and Oxalispaw as he finally peeked his head around to be marked as present in the scene.
She was unwilling to initiate the hard conversation and leaned on Dieselstar's stronger shoulder, waiting on the stronger cat to make the move to enter.
"Call me Baby! Love of your life! You've got an entire lifetime of cheesy romance to make up for!"
Fencerunner saw the blur past her right shoulder, chose to ignore it, and then stood dumbfounded when Mulleinpaw was regaining her composure just as the tabby skidded to a stop.
"H-how did you . . ." she said, mouth open, before her anger turned to happiness and she laughed like a bell.
Mulleinpaw laughed as she tore out across the territory. Her legs had grown gangly as she entered the full thrust of her apprenticehood and she easily outpaced Dieselstar and Oxalispaw, who shared that mother's sturdy build. As Fencerunner slowed down, Mulleinpaw continued charging ahead, sprinting right past her and closing the short distance to Origam's Palace. She stood in the entrance, panting, and practically glowing with pride.
Dieseltooth slowed as she neared Fencerunner, panting as well, though not as hard as her daughter. "What do you want me to call you?"
Fencerunner's legs were beating to a two-pump rhythm, her spirit quick and her heart light.
"That's not my name anymore and you know it!" she said, having left responsibility at her grave. She realized Dieselstar had fallen behind and slowed to a trot to let her family catch up- stars, she had a family. The fact left her live performing with smiles. Death was great! Why hadn't she tried it ages ago?
Dovepaw considered her sister's words, then frowned slightly the mention of their dead clanmates- ones she never really knew. She suddenly had a feeling like she'd said something wrong. She unlocked her gaze from Eaglepaw's eyes to look straight ahead; they were almost there, EclipseClan's camp. The place she knew as her only home. Not SunClan. “Things are too different now. There are only more cats to take care of and feed. And they seem to be causing more problems for us…” An old SunClan cat’s face was ingrained in her mind- even without knowing her name, Dovepaw would never forget the expression on the queen's face as she looked at her kits, nor the fear those kits expressed while talking of their mother. Perhaps not all SunClan cats were like that, but she was an example.
Eaglepaw took a moment to digest Dovepaw's statement.
"I understand your point of view," she stated after a pregnant silence. "We are both strong clans- but in different ways. SunClan has tempered how many fights we've gotten into- and we have both benefited from each-other's territories. If two things come together to make such a strong whole, I don't see why they need to be apart in the first place. Perhaps I'm only being naive, but . . . I hope this alliance lasts a long time." she pondered. "Otherwise, things will just go back to the way they were when we were kits- remember all the bodies they brought back? Every day, it seemed. I hated seeing those cats killed."
Dovepaw looked back at her sister, a bit puzzled at the question. She thought it was obvious. "We're supposed to be separate Clans. We value different things, and... We're stronger than SunClan." She believed this, and it stemmed from the ways she'd heard both SunClan cats and EclipseClan cats speak of each other. She was small, and unassuming. Others usually didn't pay her too much attention, and that was the way she liked it. Except, of course, when it came to Eaglepaw. Other than their mother, no one else's opinion mattered more to her.
Eaglepaw looked thoughtfully at Dovepaw, her yellow eyes fixed on her sister's mismatched ones. "Why do you think that, Dovepaw?" she asked. Eaglepaw had a way about her that made you feel listened to; when she spoke, her eyes were unwavering and compassionate yet stern. Her ears pricked forward with every word and her whiskers would lift and fall with the sentences of the passage. She paid even more attention to Dovepaw, who she cherished more than all in the clans.
Dovepaw grew quiet again, a thoughtful expression on her face. "We can't stay with SunClan forever, though." She didn't care much for politics. She only knew that staying with another Clan was uncomfortable, and, in her opinion, impractical.
Eaglepaw shook her head as they turned a corner, the twoleg camp coming into view. "The alliance is too beneficial to us. Haven't you noticed the difference? People aren't scared like they used to be," she said, admitting defeat slightly. Her paw kicked a rock; it flew against a well and richocheted against a trash can. Eaglepaw smiled.
(Did she come off as anxious to you? Or is that how Eaglepaw is interpreting her sister?)
"Sure, that sounds fine." Dovepaw meowed simply, though the subject piqued her interest. She looked at Eaglepaw, a question forming in her mind. "Do you think we'll be moving back soon?"
Eaglepaw's straight back and legs trodded heavily over the same ground Dovepaw floated over, the two cats an antithesis of sisters. Eaglepaw's head was high; not proud, but humble, and her yellow eyes were sharp as they scanned in her skull slowly. Still, though, her sister was being a distraction. Dovepaw was anxious; Eaglepaw could feel it, as if transmitted over the concrete sidewalk into her pawsteps from Dovepaw's, like electricity.
She didn't want to convene, to say something unwanted, but it was ultimately Eaglepaw who broke the heavy silence. "Do you want to go and see the old camp?" she said, "There might be some mice living there now that we've left for a while. We could make moving back easier on the clan." It was a thinly veiled attempt at conversation.
Dovepaw padded alongside Eaglepaw, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. These past few days - maybe, even, weeks - there was a fog over her. She hadn’t been able to spend much time with her sibling since they both became Apprentices, as well as the fact that EclipseClan had to share a camp with SunClan. It was all together overwhelming, to say the least. This was the lightest Dovepaw felt in a while. It seemed like forever to the young she-cat.
While they walked, she made sure her gentle pawsteps matched the rhythm of her sister’s steady stride. She glanced this way and that, searching for nothing in particular, only knowing one should seem like they are paying very close attention to their surroundings while out on patrols. She kept quiet, feeling content to just be present in the situation.
Spottedpaw followed after the older feline, a frown marring her features. She wasn't well-versed in the art of tracking, starclan, Eclipseclanner's didn't even need to hunt. She scented the air a few times, the faint smell of her clan-mates hanging in the air. "No, but I know they were here." The bengal she-cat said, narrowing her eyes in the direction of the Moonclan-Eclipseclan border. "They might have gone farther. We should keep going."
Nightwhisper was trotting out in the fields, his eyes trained across the grasses and various rocks and brush that scattered the area. He waited for Spottedpaw to catch up. ”Well? See anything?“
"We don't really need to hunt, seeing as we get most of our prey from the abandoned two-leg nest. It's always nice to know though." The large tabby said, stepping closer to Snowleopard. He had to admit she was the prettiest she-cat he'd ever seen. Her fierceness and determination to never give up is what drew him to her.
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Nov 11, 2018
Snowleopard smiled more, her purr deepening and a flush spreading over er face at his grin. She could tell she had some sort of affect on him, but she couldn't tell exactly what yet. "I'd like to think I'm a fair hunter." She replied, her tail flicking around to brush his, her eyes sparkling in the light.
Tigermask nodded in approval, glad she was getting the hang of it. From what he could tell, she didn't really need training. She got the gist of it and she probably wouldn't have to fight anyway. Her purring caught him off guard, but he recovered in time to send her a grin. "How's your hunting?"
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Nov 07, 2018
The spotted she-cat nodded, her eyes bright with happiness at his compliment, and at the pride she could see hidden in his eyes. It made her chest swell and butterflies erupt in her belly, and a soft purr emanated from her throat. "I know, letting your guard down could mean your defeat."
He was surprised by her strength. Of course he'd seen her fire during the loner gang incident, but he hadn't gotten the chance to actually see her in battle. Tigermask grinned up at the she-cat, rather proud of her. "Great," He paused, pushing upwards with his hind legs and then jerking around so he was standing, "But don't ever let your guard down."
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Nov 06, 2018
She quickly twisted out of his grasp, surging upward to throw him off as he came down on her. Her long claws dug into the frozen ground to help give her stability, but as soon as he was off of her and unbalanced, she was on him, pinning him to the ground fiercely. Snowleopard's ice blue eyes sparked in the light, and a smile slightly appeared on her muzzle, but determination also burned fiercely in her eyes. "How's that..~?"
She's fast. Tigermask barely had enough time to widen his stance, absorbing the energy from her attack. As soon as she stepped away from him, he was on her, large paws colliding with her shoulders in order to push her over.
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Nov 06, 2018
Snowleopard smirked slightly and dropped into a crouch. Since Tigermask was such a large cat, jumping on top on him wasn't going to work, but maybe she could unbalance him with some quick moves that were low to the ground. She was careful not to let her eyes betray her plans, and shot forward like a white flash, headbutting him in the side forcefully enough to knock him off balance, her muscles tensed in preperation for a counterattack from him.
The striped feline padded a few steps away from Snowleopard before he turned and squared his shoulders. "Show me what you got then?" She may have some experience with fighting, but he didn't really expect much of her.
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Nov 02, 2018
The pretty white she-cat paused beside Tigermask, her big eyes glancing up at him. She recognized the look of longing that was in his eyes, realizing this path was the one they'd padded down from their previous camp. She didn't really know why it was necessary to move all cats to another camp in the first place, but she hadn't argued about it. At least it had let her see a bit more of the territory than she'd seen before. At his question, she tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hm... I'm not sure. I'm pretty alright at hunting, and when I first got to the loner camp, I didn't go without a fight. I wouldn't say I was a master at fighting, but I'd say I'm at least well-versed in the art of it." She responded, her claws kneading the dirt beneath her paws.
----
Moonsplash nuzzled into his side more, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a long sigh. "No, nothing's wrong, but..." She paused, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she couldn't keep this from him any longer, soon, she wouldn't be able to hide it herself anyway. "I do have something I need to tell you, I'm just not sure exactly what your reaction will be. Just.. promise me you won't be upset?" Her large, icy-blue looked up at him, a little pleadingly.
Tigermask stopped in the middle of a smallish clearing, gaze lingering on the path that would leader them to Eclipseclan's camp. Deep down- like way deep down- he missed the twoleg nest they called home. He grew up there, it was everything he ever knew. And now, being forced to live with the likes of Sunclan. He was far more agitated about this than his clan-mates seemed to feel. All the Sunclanners were so scrawny and weak, what good would they do in a fight?
He shifted his gaze to look at Snowleopard who seemed to be just as carefree as she'd been when she first joined the clan. He liked her fierceness and her caring nature. One of those traits would do her better within Eclipseclan's ranks than the other, unless she'd dedicate her purpose to the clan as a queen. "Which one do you think you'll excel at, hunting or fighting?" He question, clearing a spot of snow. I hate cold weather.
----
"Hey love, you seemed a bit off today. Is something wrong?" Winterjay question his mate, smiling slightly when she snuggled into his side. He was glad he'd decided to the join the clan, if he hadn't, he probably would have never met Moonsplash.
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Oct 30, 2018
Snowleopard followed Tigermask out into the territory, her heart pounding a little faster with the excitement of being sort of alone with him, but also of getting to learn more hunting and fighting techniques from the large warrior.
----
Moonsplash stayed closer to Winterjay, nuzzling him gently. Her head was spinning with trying to figure out how to word the news she had to tell him, planning on telling him when they got further out into the territory.
"Careful," Dieseltooth snapped, glancing back at the apprentice. She shook her head and continued on, finally turning a corner and hearing the scuffle.
"Go back to the camp and grab more warriors," She ordered Flickpaw and rushed forward, not certain how many gang cat there were but not willing to hold back until she could be certain she wasn't also running to her own death.
Missy lay dead on the concrete, while Blackrabbit had finally pinned down Dapple and sunk his teeth into her throat. Kudzuthroat had Max on his back and tried to buck off the kittypet, struggling under his greater weight.
Flickpaw followed Dieseltooth without a word, his small skinny figure seeming as weak as prey. He tripped over a stone and hit his chin, briskly pulling himself up. When he found his chin to be bleeding, he groaned at mostly himself for being stupid.
Missy screamed as Waterfang's claws dug unto her, ripping through her shoulders as she was knocked back onto the concrete sidewalk below. Her breath escaped her as she slammed down, left gaping for air and unable to defend herself.
Dapple's kicks landed on Blackrabbit, but through moons of training he hardly seemed to notice them as he sunk his neck down into her shoulder then again, closer to her neck, aiming to quickly kill.
Missy, a while and grey she-cat with matting fur, hissed toward the trio of clan toms and bared her teeth. She was young, barely older than a kitten, and untrained-- her heart felt so light it seemed like it was beating all the way up in her neck, but she was determined not to let her nerves show.
"Kill them." Kudzuthroat simply ordered and Blackrabbit dashed forward up the fence, aiming to grab Dapple and tear her down after him.
Kudzuthroat gave Waterfang a warning look: don't hurt her, we need her for now.
Blackrabbit took up the tail of the small patrol, looking over his shoulder as he opened his mouth to scent the air and ensure that there weren't any other rogues hiding and waiting to strike when the she-cat lured them into the right place.
"Your cat attacked first, we don't just kill kittypets. It isn't worth the time," Kudzuthroat narrowed his eyes, his tail lashing again, this time in aggression. "Now, show us to your house-- and you'll be smart, now, and stay inside. The food you take from those boxes isn't yours and if you encounter another of our clan, you might not get so lucky again."
"Why are you here? Did your twolegs throw you out, or were you sent by other cats?" Kudzuthroat pressed, advancing toward her with his claws unsheathed.
"Why were you in our territory?" Kudzuthroat growled, lashing his tail as a signal for the other two to fan out and corner her. Blackrabbit prowled behind him, a wordless growl rising in his throat as he blocked the molly's path to her left.
"Don't kill her on sight, we need to find out who she's working with," Kudzuthroat answered. "It'll be best if we can bring her back to camp."
"But don't put yourself in danger for it," Blackrabbit replied, his tone impassive but his words subverting his brother's authority. "If they're sending her here with only one other cat, she isn't important."
Kudzuthroat nodded, not rising to the bait. He prowled forward, following the scent to the dumpster that Dapple hid behind. "Who are you?" He demanded.
Kudzuthroat silently nodded in agreement as Blackrabbit walked in a few tight circles, catching the scent and starting off down the alley way, the damp roof above dripping water down on them as Kudzuthroat followed after, just barely catching the scent that his brother was able to follow. Finally, it grew stronger and even he could follow it.
"Blood," He commented, noticing a fleck of the stuff against the dumpster.
"It's the same she-cat as before," Blackrabbit confirmed and picked up his pace, following the trail.
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Sep 19, 2018
Moonsplash nodded and smiled more, nuzzling him back. "Of course, my darling~" She turned, brushing against him lovingly as she heading back towards the camp. "Come on then~"
"We'll be back by morning, there's no need to rush and get careless," Kudzuthroat answered and followed after Waterfang for several blocks, Blackrabbit falling in behind him.
"Guys..." Blackrabbit meowed, just barely able to pick out an unfamiliar cat scent over the conflicting smells of the city.
Kudzuthroat gave his brother a sharp look, surprised, before Blackrabbit replied, "We need to let them know that we'll take a hard stance on this, before they continue."
"You're right, but don't attack on sight. We need to know how many cats are there before we become committed to fighting-- there's no sense in getting ourselves killed."
Blackrabbit felt a gnawing sense of worry deep in his stomach and whispered to his brother, "Let's take it slow, for now. They could have set up a trap."
"If they had, they would have made the she-cat's scent stronger," Kudzuthroat replied, annoyed at how cowardly his patrol had suddenly become.
Kudzuthroat walked in a few tight circles, the losing the scent trail. "If we know where she went, we'll have a better idea of which gang she might have been a part of... we haven't had issues with these borders in moons."
"And we've had a lot of trouble these past few weeks," Blackrabbit finished for him, raising his head as he gave up on the scent. "Waterfang's probably right, though, we've lost it."
"We'll need to double patrols to this border," Kudzuthroat meowed.
Blackrabbit started back out into the territory, followed by the small patrol of fresh cats. He broke into a run to return to the site of the skirmish, Kudzuthroat right on his heels with his mouth open to scent the air as they arrived.
"No one else is here," Kudzuthroat meowed and stepped up to the body, smelling it then starting on the scent trail the she-cat had left.
Silhouettechase gave Blackrabbit a worried look, not enjoying the fact which he stated, but she too began to pad back to the camp. Her pace was slightly slower than the black tom, but the molly tried her best to keep up. (Ecc camp)
"Probably more than we'd like, if these two felt bold enough to go this far into the territory and then attack us," Blackrabbit grumbled, giving the corpse a frustrated look. He turned sharply and started back toward the clan at a quick trot. [EcC Camp]
Silhouettechase nodded to Blackrabbit, her copper gaze casting over the lifeless cat one last time before returning to him. The tom didn't make her seem like a monster, so at least she felt silently comforted by that and in way safe. However, the smokey-black molly really didn't want to go the long way around to the camp, she wouldn't oppose. "Alright, I-I can't imagine how many more of them are out here..." Silhouttechase stifled a soft, rather gentle meow, and it was easy to tell that she was a genuine feline. The molly walked the rest of the way to reach Blackrabbit, a ridged limp with each step that she took.
"I'll manage," Blackrabbit called back and started back over the street toward her, grimacing toward the body. "Leave that, we'll double back to the camp and get a full patrol before tracking down where those ____s came from."
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Sep 14, 2018
She smiled more, eyeing Tigermask as he passed them, relieved when he didn't stop to make a comment. Moonsplash didn't think that he would, knowing that he wasn't really one to start a conversation and usually liked to keep to himself anyway, but looked back at her mate when he spoke. She nuzzled his face, purring softly. "That makes me so happy~"
Silhouettechase's ears only perk up slightly at the sound of her clanmate's voice, the car had not disturbed her as much as it probably should've. Her copper gaze studied the lifeless cat before she turned away and walked to Blackrabbit. Her stride was certainly not as graceful as before, it was rather obvious to see that she leaned against her right shoulder more. Her muzzle held drips of blood, but still, the Turkish Angora's face was mesmerising. She was surprised that Blackrabbit had even decided to ask such a question, as though she'd answer to anything else other than 'I'm fine.' Her gaze quickly faltered to the ground with a pain glowing in her gaze. Was it from her shoulder or killing the scrawny cat? Perhaps, both. "Y-yes...-" Silhouettechase mewed, her wispy voice shaking before she echoed. "Are you?"
A large and broad-shouldered tom-cat made his way through the territory, eyes set on the direction of the loner border. He had been asked by Fencestar to go on a recruiting mission. While he was still very skeptical about her methods, he could not refuse. He passed by Winterjay and Moonsplash, ignoring their presence and continuing on past the border.
----
The snow white tom-cat watched with narrowed eyes as Tigermask passed by. He'd disliked the tom-cat from the start, always so rude to everyone. Even his poor apprentice was terrified of him. Winterjay forced himself to turn to Moonsplash, a soft smile spreading across his face at her words.
Blackrabbit hardly noticed Silhouettechase and the lanky tom-cat fighting near him as he struggled to keep the large she-cat off of himself. Her attacks were fierce and unrelenting, but she was clumsy and not nearly so quick as him- finally he managed to pin her down for a moment and see a flash of silver along her muzzle- before she writhed away and landed a blow against his cheek that sent his ears ringing and a thin trickle of blood to drip onto the floor under him as he oriented himself and attacked her again, this time driving her forward into the street. A two-leg car passed and Blackrabbit felt the wind of its passing as he landed a final blow onto the she-cat's hind leg before she broke off at a run away from them. He pursued her a few steps, then slowed to look back at Silhouettechase.
"Are you alright?" He shouted over.
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Sep 13, 2018
Moonsplash rubbed against Winterjay's soft pelt gently, purring softly at his words. "I'm glad you're happy with me. My beloved~" Hearing him say that made her heart fill with happiness, sending warmth through her body and she smiled more.
She pressed closer to him, making sure to stay alert in case they came across any loners, but having this time alone with him was amazing, especially since getting her apprentice hadn't left them much time alone to be together. "I don't know what I would do without you, my love."
(Ok!) Silhouettechase had gotten slammed into the shoulder by the tom roughly and it stung into her skin. She almost coward, wanting nothing more than to curl up into a ball, but the Turkish Angora knew that was not an option.
She stood still for a moment, allowing the tom to struck her repeatedly in the shoulder as her copper eyes were wide with fear. She wouldn't give up, Silhouettechase refused to do so. With an abrupt hiss, she rolled over her injured shoulder to stand quickly and with quick movements, the molly sank her teeth into the gang cat's throat.
The tom let out blood rushing yowl as pain and drips of red sunk into his ginger pelt. Silhouettechase refused to let go until the breathing of the tom came to nothing more than a gasp for air. She was terrified of being killed, but warmth and a salty taste erupted into her maw, then she dropped the gang cat. He was lifeless.
"I...K-killed him." Silhouettechase mewed very so quietly, her copper gaze staring down at the tom. The pretty she-cat felt herself gag at the blood in her mouth, but she tried her best to ignore the sickness she felt. This was normal, right? Her ears flattened as her shoulder was now caressed in pain, but it was nothing compared to what she had done to the limp cat.
The tomcat was quick and slipped to the left and tried to slam his shoulder into Silhouettechase. It was an unusual move for a gang cat, one that would stun but wouldn't actually hurt them.
The large she-cat hissed out in pain and anger as Blackrabbit tried to pin her and bit into her shoulder, praying to StarClan that someone from camp would hear them though he knew that they were far enough away it was unlikely, unless another patrol happened to come their way.
(I don't have anything in particular planned here, feel free to have Silhouette kill one or to take control of a gang member :) )
Silhouettechase's fur ruffled nervously at the sight of Blackrabbit being bit straight at the throat. 'Blackrabbit...He's strong...' She reminded herself and turned to face the skinny tom, her copper gaze widening at the fact that now there were two. 'How many more are on our territory? And why so close to camp?' The molly thought, drawing her teeth into a chilly snarl as she dodged the tom's attack and aimed to pin him down beneath her pointed claws and long legs.
The cat was a The cat was a massive molly with a ragged black pelt and chewed, ragged ears that matched a missing left eye and snaggly, yellowed teeth. She bit down onto Blackrabbit's neck, but he went limp and sent the two of them crashing down, causing her to hit her head against one of the dumpsters as her companion, a scrawny ginger tom-cat, emerged to pounce on Silhouettechase.
Silhouettechase looked over her shoulder and came to halt just in time to see the strange cat pin down her clanmate. The smokey black molly's ears flattened fearfully at the sudden scent of a gang. She hadn't been around very many, that was for sure. "H-hang on!" The Turkish Angora spoke with a soft cry, then with outstretched claws, bounded straight into the side of the gang cat, a surge of speed running through her legs as she hoped to get the cat off of Blackrabbit.
Blackrabbit scowled and broke into a run to follow Silhouettechase. In contrast to her gentle, quiet pace, he was lumbering and awkward, not bothering with stealth as he followed along. A shadow rose above him and his nostrils filled with an unfamiliar scent as a gang cat pinned him down, hissing.
Somehow he doubted her words. Eclipseclan was not like a giant family. They were all about power and growing their ranks, exiling cats who couldn't provide for the clan and ultimately coming out on top. He disliked how similar this clan was compared to his previous gang life. The only difference being that they didn't kill the useless members. He sighed, shifting his gaze to look at the she-cat. Her parents might have been kind to her, but the rest of the clan seems to be strict in their ways of raising kits.
Winterjay thought back to when Moonsplash had first told him she was pregnant. He'd been ecstatic, wanting nothing more to protect and love his children. He wanted to raise them to be strong, good cats worthy of a place in Eclipseclan. The night after Moonsplash gave birth to his son, Winterjay had a night terror. He woke up believing the gang cats had found him and murdered his family. The panicked tom-cat knew the only way to protect his kit would be to give him up. He was heart broken, but convinced himself it was for the best.
"I've never known my family. Taken from them when I was barely able to walk. It doesn't matter because I found my place with here in the clans with you. My family." He purred, brushing her side and nuzzeling her cheek with his nose. He die protecting her.
Silhouettechase kept her ears perked at they walked silently along the cold sidewalk. It was enough to send chills running along her spine, but then again, the silence was deterred by the wind that shuddered the glass and doors of the buildings around them. The Turkish Angora scented the air as they came to a halt, taking in the smells of gasoline and must, but focused on prey. Her copper gaze trailed to couple of trash bins farther down on the right, a wire fence on the other side of them, and she quickly brushed pass Blackrabbit, her long legs made for an undeniably quiet run. If he didn't know why she was in the clan, perhaps it would now be easy to see.
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Sep 12, 2018
She followed him to the boundary, helping him to re-scent it as well as he spoke, tilting her head slightly as she thought of how to word her answer. "It was like growing up with the biggest family. Everyone always takes care of each other."
The silver tabby looked up at him, icy eyes glowing with affection. "I love you so much~" She purred softly, smiling.
Blackrabbit started northward toward the scavenging place, feeling no need to make conversation to fill the gaps made by the hollow thud of their paws against the gritty concrete. He turned the corner and stopped, opening his mouth to scent the air with his tail straight out and flicking, cautious.
Winterjay nodded his approval, turning his focus on the loner-border to re-scent the boundary. He brushed past the she-cat, smiling as he walked. He was uneasy being near this side of the territory. He lived in fear that the gang he'd left would return and kill his family.
"What was it like growing up in the clans?" His voice was soft, pale golden eyes surveying the area.
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Sep 11, 2018
She flushed more at the sound of his chuckle, but smiled happily, pressing closer. She loved how she could help him relax they way she could, take his mind off of the things that plagued him, especially when it seemed something was really bothering him.
Moonsplash giggled softly at his words, nodding slightly at the offer. "I would like that, love. And I'm sure my apprentice would appreciate the help~"
A deep chuckle erupted from his chest, golden eyes gleaming. He was content. He couldn't quite say he was happy, there were still so many things on his mind, but being out in the territory with Moonsplash made most of his problems disappear.
"How's training?" They hadn't had much time to themselves since Fencestar gave his mate an apprentice. "If you ever need help, I can assist with training. Be the enemy cat the little furball has to fight."
Mosspaw, alongside her three siblings, got to know her father in the short time they had together. She couldn't have asked for a better ending.
"Now we'll be together forever," Fencerunner said, moving in on her mate's ear, "And ever. And ever. And ever. And ever. And did I mention forever?"
"OH! And ever."
The end.
"I love you too, Fencestar," Dieselstar simply said, dropping her initial attempt to keep a straight face. She bent over to rub her head against her mate's neck. "I'm sorry for leaving you like I did."
"EarthClan... well, I'll be honest with you - in my time, EarthClan was a perfect storm. Risingstar was... an absolute mess. But he was a good cat. He held us together, he... he defined the EarthClan that I inherited. EarthClan was... it was a home. A chaotic, flawed, and perfect home."
Fencerunner shook her head as the two mates rounded a corner. She looked up at her mate, the glimmer in her eye unmistakable as infection. Fencerunner was glued to the muscles that rippled at Dieselstar's side, her smile unshaking.
"You know, I'm glad you kept your scars," she whispered, "They're the reason I fell in love with you. That one I gave you in Fence Club- always made me look for it. Ended with me staring at your chest a lot."
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of a question to ask. She was just happy to know her father- and pretty proud of herself for kinda making the assumption that it was an earthclanner. That's all she really needed. She glanced back over her shoulder at her parents, smiling. "We'll be fine, I love you both!" Mosspaw said, turning back to gaze at Glasswind.
"What was Earthclan like? I'm sure it was different from our home."
Dieselstar gave Fencestar a droll look, but gave a nod as Fencestar gave her a convenient out.
"Behave yourselves," She warned the kits as she started out toward the street.
Fencerunner could feel Dieselstar's thoughts, her mood, and laughed. "Hey, at least it wasn't your brother!" she joked, sighing.
"You kids have fun- I think I'm going to go see if the camp needs any help. Dieselstar, would you like to join me . . ?" she asked, calling to her mate questioningly to see if she would take the escape that she'd orchestrated perfectly.
Dieselstar visibly bit back a comment and shifted uncomfortably on her paws-- she'd never had a proper conversation with the cat, but the longer he went on, the more she wondered if their fates had, in fact, been different, that he really was as responsible for his own death as the SunClanners said. StarClan, he's insufferable.
Glass turned his eyes upon Mosspaw, the star-filled orbs creasing at the edges as a smile danced across his features.
"No need for apologies - I'm not anything special, I'm well aware. I never needed to be - I'm an EarthClanner, and as one, I am no more than my clanmates, regardless of my title or suffix. Whatever your mother's told you about my 'perfect moral character', I assure you it's not the truth. I'm just as flawed as every other cat that walks this land - without those flaws, I'd have died long before I reached the clans. In the end, you may find that your flaws are no different from your greatest strengths."
"They all ended up looking like you- I had to give them Something. Why not a hopefully perfect moral character?" Fencerunner said with a laugh, Dieselstar's awkwardness putting her at ease. As Mosspaw approached, the she-cat took her tail and wrapped it around Oxalispaw's shoulder.
"Now's your chance to ask him as many questions as you'd like," she whispered encouragingly, looking up into her son's gaze with an unbeholdened emotion held there.
“I said that out loud.” She mewed, wide eyed and a little embarrassed about her lack of a filter. “I apologize.” She dipped her head to the tom, still amazed to finally meet her father.
Mosspaw approached, timidly- not very characteristic of her but what else do you do when you’re meeting the cat who helped in creating you for the first time. “I’m really happy to finally meet you.”
"Ah, the devil, am I?" Glass quipped, shooting Fencestar a light-hearted smile before his gaze turned upon Dieselstar and the apprentices.
"You raised them well, Fence." His gaze flickered back to the she-cat. "Thank you."
Oxalispaw whimpered and stumbled back at Glass-star's sudden appearance, startled by his presence, while Mulleinpaw went deathly still, staring at him in shock.
"Kits!" Dieselstar exclaimed, exasperated. "Glass-star. Hello. It's been. Um. A while. I'm glad you could join us."
"****"
Fencerunner's own celestial ear twitched as she felt Glass-star's energy form into tangible form. Something concrete told her the tom would show up. She greeted him civilly- he was not the one she loved. But he had given her a great gift, and for that she was thankful.
"Speak of the devil," she said, smiling lightly, looking to Mosspaw as she spoke.
"Yes, this is him-" she barked at her daughter, taking Mosspaw's attack on Glass-star as an attack on her own virtue, "Be polite."
She took a deep breath.
Mosspaw was so close to going off on oxalispaw, which included teaching him a lesson through a little battle training. She loved her brother and would do anything to protect him, but sometimes he annoyed the Fox dung out of her. The bright light accompanied by the supernatural presence of a new cat stopped her in her tracks. The young calico almost retreated behind her parents, pale olive green eyes narrowing at the starclanner. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was the cat they were talking about. Minus the glowy silhouette, he didn’t seem like much. “Really mom? Him?” She questioned allowed, forgetting that the glowing cat could hear her.
The dead were a peculiar thing. Throughout Glasswind's life, he'd found StarClan to be such even moreso. However, peculiarity was reality nonetheless - whether that reality was a mere hallucination or something more, could be determined only by the eyes of the beholders.
With a shimmering, ethereal light, the air seemed to fall suffocatingly still for a moment, as a faint starry figure leapt out of the void, alighting on the ground, though he seemed to hover a few hairlengths above it, by some strange, otherworldly force. The apparition flickered, dwindled, then seemed to find stability at a point just between visibility and invisibility - turn one's head at the right angle, and the celestial-pelted tom appeared to vanish.
It was questionable whether the dead breathed, but in this instant, the dead tom that stood before the EclipseClanners took in a visible breath, his clouded, faintly green-hued eyes trailing over their figures. A tension seemed to riddle the stars that made up his apparition - and then, he let out that long breath, as though he hadn't breathed since the day his last breath had left his form.
"Sorry I'm late - I had some business to take care of."
The words were dry and unremarkable in content, but the breathy murmur they were spoken in, overwhelmed with an odd symphony of pride, grief, regret, and amazement, said so much more.
"I wouldn't have!" Oxalispaw protested. "I've never even said anything about it!"
"That's not true," Mulleinpaw laughed, shaking her head. "Mom's right, this really doesn't matter. I'm just glad to know, since, well, we did have to wonder, at least a little bit."
"Why don't we just go back to camp...?" Dieselstar suggested.
Fencerunner frowned, feeling like the entire argument was her fault. She shifted uncomfortably, ears back as the three apprentices argued. Her mouth opened to defend herself every couple lines, but she was unable to form the words.
"Speak honestly and answer fast: Would you have honestly rather have known your father was EarthClan growing up? Chicorypaw lacks sense and Oxalispaw would've asked the elders enough questions about Glass-star to prompt a proper investigation, leading to a myriad of problems. I grew up without a father and without a mother, mostly, and did just fine. So did your mother. You should all feel just as much as EclipseClan warriors as the kittypet who joined on a whim or the lucky few whose ancestry reaches back to Moonstar. Does this honestly change anything?" She looked from one kit to the next, olive eyes sad and hopeful. She didn't want to leave her kits fighting, and hoping for them to understand would take time- this was a middle ground.
Oxalispaw gave an audible sigh at Mosspaw's picture-perfect answer, thinking that she surely didn't actually believe that.
Mosspaw shook her head at his words, turning her green eyes on her parents. "I appreciate both of you for telling us, but I have everything I need right here." She smiled.
"But then why tell us?" Oxalispaw asked, his little brow furrowing. "Couldn't we just forget about it?"
"I've always wondered," Mulleinpaw admitted, trying to play the comment off as casual and failing.
"You all just deserved to know the truth," Dieselstar answered. "If we could have waited until you were adults, we would have, but you seemed mature enough that I didn't want to waste the opportunity."
Mosspaw, having been forgotten by her parents and siblings some time ago, sat toward the side of the group. She listened intently to her mothers, grinning slightly to herself for having figured it out awhile ago. She hadn't known exactly who it was by she had known he'd been an outsider. Her pale green eyes flickered toward Oxalispaw, frowning at his words.
The young calico she-cat nudged her brother, rather harshly. "Don't be rude, we've got everything we need right here." She said, turning to smile at her parents.
"The only ones, as far as I know...?" Dieselstar sighed, glancing over at her mate. Mulleinpaw seemed hushed, thinking over the news, while Oxalispaw was as fit to burst with questions as he usually was.
"Why are you telling us now? Is he gonna come visit?" Oxalispaw asked.
"Well, we figure we probably won't have much of a chance for a while," Dieselstar replied. "And that is a threat, I better not see any of you for another few dozen seasons."
"But is he visiting?" Oxalispaw pressed.
"We don't know," Dieselstar admitted. "He's probably with EarthClan, helping them rebuild. He was killed by a SunClan patrol and may be trying to make peace with them, it seemed like a few cats were planning on things like that."
"But we're his kits."
"And he didn't have any paw in raising you."
"Why doesn't he want to see us?"
"We don't know that."
"But-"
"Look, kid, you have two parents who love you. That's more than most kits get-"
"-but most kits don't have three dead parents!"
"Oxalispaw, that isn't fair and you know it."
Fencerunner's cheeks filled out as she sustained her laughter at Oxalispaw's mistake. Imagining Kudzuthroat, whom she'd seen sneaking off to a few particular alleyways in the dark of night, choosing to lay with her . . . funny. And Blackrabbit had the sense not to come near Fencerunner. At least, that's what she told herself. She'd liked him as a 'paw.
"Not Kudzuthroat. Strike one," Fencerunner said, leaning down low as a draft fluffed her fur. She took a deep breath.
"You actually don't even know him. He died before you were born. But his name was Glass-star, and he was the leader of EarthClan. I was too old to be deciding to have kits, but the opportunity was there- I didn't think I'd get another chance. I'm so glad I took it, even if it caused so many problems. I love you four so dearly. Congratulations, you're actually the son and daughters of three leaders."
"Isn't he just, like, a loner?" Mulleinpaw prompted, exchanging glances with Oxalispaw.
"I thought it was Kudzuthroat," He admitted. Dieselstar openly laughed at that, "No, he's not much for she-cats either, for that matter."
"But wouldn't that not really matter if...?"
"Wow, okay, this conversation took a turn," Dieselstar uncomfortably chuckled, glancing toward Fencerunner to get them back on track.
"Alright. Just throw the duckling into the middle of the pond. That'll work, I guess," Fencerunner rambled under her breath, bowing under support.
She straightened, "Or, more intimately, I've been meaning to talk to you about your father," Fencerunner said. She knew Dieselstar wanted to help, but in the end, it was Fencerunner who had made that choice.
"Though I wish you could be, I'm sure you've realized that two she-cats can't have kits. Dieselstar isn't related to you- by blood at least."
Dieselstar reflexively licked the top of Fencerunner's head and stepped into Origam's Palace, the location seeming to bear no particular ghosts for her, despite her history with it running nearly as deep as Fencerunner herself's. Oxalispaw followed after him.
"So, what are we doing here?" He asked, his nose wrinkling at the moldy smell.
"We've been meaning to talk to you about your father," Dieseltooth said, almost casually, as she sat down inside.
"Don't be bashful! Good job!" Fencerunner praised as she approached. The moment of jubulence faded quicker than she would've liked as the shaded alley of Origam's place seeped its way into Fencerunner's mood. She sighed, looked towards Dieselstar, and Oxalispaw as he finally peeked his head around to be marked as present in the scene.
She was unwilling to initiate the hard conversation and leaned on Dieselstar's stronger shoulder, waiting on the stronger cat to make the move to enter.
Dieseltooth burst out laughing, "StarClan, it looks like you might finally be beat."
Mulleinpaw blushed, giving her mother a little dip of her head, though a sliver of a lopsided smile still showed to her face.
"Call me Baby! Love of your life! You've got an entire lifetime of cheesy romance to make up for!"
Fencerunner saw the blur past her right shoulder, chose to ignore it, and then stood dumbfounded when Mulleinpaw was regaining her composure just as the tabby skidded to a stop.
"H-how did you . . ." she said, mouth open, before her anger turned to happiness and she laughed like a bell.
Mulleinpaw laughed as she tore out across the territory. Her legs had grown gangly as she entered the full thrust of her apprenticehood and she easily outpaced Dieselstar and Oxalispaw, who shared that mother's sturdy build. As Fencerunner slowed down, Mulleinpaw continued charging ahead, sprinting right past her and closing the short distance to Origam's Palace. She stood in the entrance, panting, and practically glowing with pride.
Dieseltooth slowed as she neared Fencerunner, panting as well, though not as hard as her daughter. "What do you want me to call you?"
Fencerunner's legs were beating to a two-pump rhythm, her spirit quick and her heart light.
"That's not my name anymore and you know it!" she said, having left responsibility at her grave. She realized Dieselstar had fallen behind and slowed to a trot to let her family catch up- stars, she had a family. The fact left her live performing with smiles. Death was great! Why hadn't she tried it ages ago?
Gullypaw followed Swivelstrike out into the territory and gathered her courage up to ask, "What will we be learning?"
Dovepaw considered her sister's words, then frowned slightly the mention of their dead clanmates- ones she never really knew. She suddenly had a feeling like she'd said something wrong. She unlocked her gaze from Eaglepaw's eyes to look straight ahead; they were almost there, EclipseClan's camp. The place she knew as her only home. Not SunClan. “Things are too different now. There are only more cats to take care of and feed. And they seem to be causing more problems for us…” An old SunClan cat’s face was ingrained in her mind- even without knowing her name, Dovepaw would never forget the expression on the queen's face as she looked at her kits, nor the fear those kits expressed while talking of their mother. Perhaps not all SunClan cats were like that, but she was an example.
Eaglepaw took a moment to digest Dovepaw's statement.
"I understand your point of view," she stated after a pregnant silence. "We are both strong clans- but in different ways. SunClan has tempered how many fights we've gotten into- and we have both benefited from each-other's territories. If two things come together to make such a strong whole, I don't see why they need to be apart in the first place. Perhaps I'm only being naive, but . . . I hope this alliance lasts a long time." she pondered. "Otherwise, things will just go back to the way they were when we were kits- remember all the bodies they brought back? Every day, it seemed. I hated seeing those cats killed."
Dovepaw looked back at her sister, a bit puzzled at the question. She thought it was obvious. "We're supposed to be separate Clans. We value different things, and... We're stronger than SunClan." She believed this, and it stemmed from the ways she'd heard both SunClan cats and EclipseClan cats speak of each other. She was small, and unassuming. Others usually didn't pay her too much attention, and that was the way she liked it. Except, of course, when it came to Eaglepaw. Other than their mother, no one else's opinion mattered more to her.
Eaglepaw looked thoughtfully at Dovepaw, her yellow eyes fixed on her sister's mismatched ones. "Why do you think that, Dovepaw?" she asked. Eaglepaw had a way about her that made you feel listened to; when she spoke, her eyes were unwavering and compassionate yet stern. Her ears pricked forward with every word and her whiskers would lift and fall with the sentences of the passage. She paid even more attention to Dovepaw, who she cherished more than all in the clans.
Dovepaw grew quiet again, a thoughtful expression on her face. "We can't stay with SunClan forever, though." She didn't care much for politics. She only knew that staying with another Clan was uncomfortable, and, in her opinion, impractical.
(Just Eaglepaw.)
Eaglepaw shook her head as they turned a corner, the twoleg camp coming into view. "The alliance is too beneficial to us. Haven't you noticed the difference? People aren't scared like they used to be," she said, admitting defeat slightly. Her paw kicked a rock; it flew against a well and richocheted against a trash can. Eaglepaw smiled.
(Did she come off as anxious to you? Or is that how Eaglepaw is interpreting her sister?)
"Sure, that sounds fine." Dovepaw meowed simply, though the subject piqued her interest. She looked at Eaglepaw, a question forming in her mind. "Do you think we'll be moving back soon?"
Eaglepaw's straight back and legs trodded heavily over the same ground Dovepaw floated over, the two cats an antithesis of sisters. Eaglepaw's head was high; not proud, but humble, and her yellow eyes were sharp as they scanned in her skull slowly. Still, though, her sister was being a distraction. Dovepaw was anxious; Eaglepaw could feel it, as if transmitted over the concrete sidewalk into her pawsteps from Dovepaw's, like electricity.
She didn't want to convene, to say something unwanted, but it was ultimately Eaglepaw who broke the heavy silence. "Do you want to go and see the old camp?" she said, "There might be some mice living there now that we've left for a while. We could make moving back easier on the clan." It was a thinly veiled attempt at conversation.
Dovepaw padded alongside Eaglepaw, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. These past few days - maybe, even, weeks - there was a fog over her. She hadn’t been able to spend much time with her sibling since they both became Apprentices, as well as the fact that EclipseClan had to share a camp with SunClan. It was all together overwhelming, to say the least. This was the lightest Dovepaw felt in a while. It seemed like forever to the young she-cat.
While they walked, she made sure her gentle pawsteps matched the rhythm of her sister’s steady stride. She glanced this way and that, searching for nothing in particular, only knowing one should seem like they are paying very close attention to their surroundings while out on patrols. She kept quiet, feeling content to just be present in the situation.
After a momentary consideration, Cheshire nodded, and they moved onwards towards Eclipse-Moon border.
Spottedpaw followed after the older feline, a frown marring her features. She wasn't well-versed in the art of tracking, starclan, Eclipseclanner's didn't even need to hunt. She scented the air a few times, the faint smell of her clan-mates hanging in the air. "No, but I know they were here." The bengal she-cat said, narrowing her eyes in the direction of the Moonclan-Eclipseclan border. "They might have gone farther. We should keep going."
Nightwhisper was trotting out in the fields, his eyes trained across the grasses and various rocks and brush that scattered the area. He waited for Spottedpaw to catch up. ”Well? See anything?“
"We don't really need to hunt, seeing as we get most of our prey from the abandoned two-leg nest. It's always nice to know though." The large tabby said, stepping closer to Snowleopard. He had to admit she was the prettiest she-cat he'd ever seen. Her fierceness and determination to never give up is what drew him to her.
Snowleopard smiled more, her purr deepening and a flush spreading over er face at his grin. She could tell she had some sort of affect on him, but she couldn't tell exactly what yet. "I'd like to think I'm a fair hunter." She replied, her tail flicking around to brush his, her eyes sparkling in the light.
Tigermask nodded in approval, glad she was getting the hang of it. From what he could tell, she didn't really need training. She got the gist of it and she probably wouldn't have to fight anyway. Her purring caught him off guard, but he recovered in time to send her a grin. "How's your hunting?"
The spotted she-cat nodded, her eyes bright with happiness at his compliment, and at the pride she could see hidden in his eyes. It made her chest swell and butterflies erupt in her belly, and a soft purr emanated from her throat. "I know, letting your guard down could mean your defeat."
He was surprised by her strength. Of course he'd seen her fire during the loner gang incident, but he hadn't gotten the chance to actually see her in battle. Tigermask grinned up at the she-cat, rather proud of her. "Great," He paused, pushing upwards with his hind legs and then jerking around so he was standing, "But don't ever let your guard down."
She quickly twisted out of his grasp, surging upward to throw him off as he came down on her. Her long claws dug into the frozen ground to help give her stability, but as soon as he was off of her and unbalanced, she was on him, pinning him to the ground fiercely. Snowleopard's ice blue eyes sparked in the light, and a smile slightly appeared on her muzzle, but determination also burned fiercely in her eyes. "How's that..~?"
She's fast. Tigermask barely had enough time to widen his stance, absorbing the energy from her attack. As soon as she stepped away from him, he was on her, large paws colliding with her shoulders in order to push her over.
Snowleopard smirked slightly and dropped into a crouch. Since Tigermask was such a large cat, jumping on top on him wasn't going to work, but maybe she could unbalance him with some quick moves that were low to the ground. She was careful not to let her eyes betray her plans, and shot forward like a white flash, headbutting him in the side forcefully enough to knock him off balance, her muscles tensed in preperation for a counterattack from him.
The striped feline padded a few steps away from Snowleopard before he turned and squared his shoulders. "Show me what you got then?" She may have some experience with fighting, but he didn't really expect much of her.
The pretty white she-cat paused beside Tigermask, her big eyes glancing up at him. She recognized the look of longing that was in his eyes, realizing this path was the one they'd padded down from their previous camp. She didn't really know why it was necessary to move all cats to another camp in the first place, but she hadn't argued about it. At least it had let her see a bit more of the territory than she'd seen before. At his question, she tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hm... I'm not sure. I'm pretty alright at hunting, and when I first got to the loner camp, I didn't go without a fight. I wouldn't say I was a master at fighting, but I'd say I'm at least well-versed in the art of it." She responded, her claws kneading the dirt beneath her paws.
----
Moonsplash nuzzled into his side more, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a long sigh. "No, nothing's wrong, but..." She paused, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she couldn't keep this from him any longer, soon, she wouldn't be able to hide it herself anyway. "I do have something I need to tell you, I'm just not sure exactly what your reaction will be. Just.. promise me you won't be upset?" Her large, icy-blue looked up at him, a little pleadingly.
Tigermask stopped in the middle of a smallish clearing, gaze lingering on the path that would leader them to Eclipseclan's camp. Deep down- like way deep down- he missed the twoleg nest they called home. He grew up there, it was everything he ever knew. And now, being forced to live with the likes of Sunclan. He was far more agitated about this than his clan-mates seemed to feel. All the Sunclanners were so scrawny and weak, what good would they do in a fight?
He shifted his gaze to look at Snowleopard who seemed to be just as carefree as she'd been when she first joined the clan. He liked her fierceness and her caring nature. One of those traits would do her better within Eclipseclan's ranks than the other, unless she'd dedicate her purpose to the clan as a queen. "Which one do you think you'll excel at, hunting or fighting?" He question, clearing a spot of snow. I hate cold weather.
----
"Hey love, you seemed a bit off today. Is something wrong?" Winterjay question his mate, smiling slightly when she snuggled into his side. He was glad he'd decided to the join the clan, if he hadn't, he probably would have never met Moonsplash.
Snowleopard followed Tigermask out into the territory, her heart pounding a little faster with the excitement of being sort of alone with him, but also of getting to learn more hunting and fighting techniques from the large warrior.
----
Moonsplash stayed closer to Winterjay, nuzzling him gently. Her head was spinning with trying to figure out how to word the news she had to tell him, planning on telling him when they got further out into the territory.
"Careful," Dieseltooth snapped, glancing back at the apprentice. She shook her head and continued on, finally turning a corner and hearing the scuffle.
"Go back to the camp and grab more warriors," She ordered Flickpaw and rushed forward, not certain how many gang cat there were but not willing to hold back until she could be certain she wasn't also running to her own death.
Missy lay dead on the concrete, while Blackrabbit had finally pinned down Dapple and sunk his teeth into her throat. Kudzuthroat had Max on his back and tried to buck off the kittypet, struggling under his greater weight.
Flickpaw followed Dieseltooth without a word, his small skinny figure seeming as weak as prey. He tripped over a stone and hit his chin, briskly pulling himself up. When he found his chin to be bleeding, he groaned at mostly himself for being stupid.
(over 10... by a lot)
Dieseltooth followed her brothers' scent, her ears turning back with worry as she came across the first smattering of unfamiliar blood.
"If I give the signal, run back to the camp." She ordered the apprentice as she picked up the pace to follow further into the city.
Missy screamed as Waterfang's claws dug unto her, ripping through her shoulders as she was knocked back onto the concrete sidewalk below. Her breath escaped her as she slammed down, left gaping for air and unable to defend herself.
Dapple's kicks landed on Blackrabbit, but through moons of training he hardly seemed to notice them as he sunk his neck down into her shoulder then again, closer to her neck, aiming to quickly kill.
Missy, a while and grey she-cat with matting fur, hissed toward the trio of clan toms and bared her teeth. She was young, barely older than a kitten, and untrained-- her heart felt so light it seemed like it was beating all the way up in her neck, but she was determined not to let her nerves show.
"Kill them." Kudzuthroat simply ordered and Blackrabbit dashed forward up the fence, aiming to grab Dapple and tear her down after him.
Kudzuthroat gave Waterfang a warning look: don't hurt her, we need her for now.
Blackrabbit took up the tail of the small patrol, looking over his shoulder as he opened his mouth to scent the air and ensure that there weren't any other rogues hiding and waiting to strike when the she-cat lured them into the right place.
"Your cat attacked first, we don't just kill kittypets. It isn't worth the time," Kudzuthroat narrowed his eyes, his tail lashing again, this time in aggression. "Now, show us to your house-- and you'll be smart, now, and stay inside. The food you take from those boxes isn't yours and if you encounter another of our clan, you might not get so lucky again."
"Why are you here? Did your twolegs throw you out, or were you sent by other cats?" Kudzuthroat pressed, advancing toward her with his claws unsheathed.
"Why were you in our territory?" Kudzuthroat growled, lashing his tail as a signal for the other two to fan out and corner her. Blackrabbit prowled behind him, a wordless growl rising in his throat as he blocked the molly's path to her left.
"Don't kill her on sight, we need to find out who she's working with," Kudzuthroat answered. "It'll be best if we can bring her back to camp."
"But don't put yourself in danger for it," Blackrabbit replied, his tone impassive but his words subverting his brother's authority. "If they're sending her here with only one other cat, she isn't important."
Kudzuthroat nodded, not rising to the bait. He prowled forward, following the scent to the dumpster that Dapple hid behind. "Who are you?" He demanded.
Kudzuthroat silently nodded in agreement as Blackrabbit walked in a few tight circles, catching the scent and starting off down the alley way, the damp roof above dripping water down on them as Kudzuthroat followed after, just barely catching the scent that his brother was able to follow. Finally, it grew stronger and even he could follow it.
"Blood," He commented, noticing a fleck of the stuff against the dumpster.
"It's the same she-cat as before," Blackrabbit confirmed and picked up his pace, following the trail.
Moonsplash nodded and smiled more, nuzzling him back. "Of course, my darling~" She turned, brushing against him lovingly as she heading back towards the camp. "Come on then~"
"We'll be back by morning, there's no need to rush and get careless," Kudzuthroat answered and followed after Waterfang for several blocks, Blackrabbit falling in behind him.
"Guys..." Blackrabbit meowed, just barely able to pick out an unfamiliar cat scent over the conflicting smells of the city.
[You're welcome to play a rogue :) ]
"Yes, we should." Blackrabbit answered.
Kudzuthroat gave his brother a sharp look, surprised, before Blackrabbit replied, "We need to let them know that we'll take a hard stance on this, before they continue."
"You're right, but don't attack on sight. We need to know how many cats are there before we become committed to fighting-- there's no sense in getting ourselves killed."
Blackrabbit felt a gnawing sense of worry deep in his stomach and whispered to his brother, "Let's take it slow, for now. They could have set up a trap."
"If they had, they would have made the she-cat's scent stronger," Kudzuthroat replied, annoyed at how cowardly his patrol had suddenly become.
"I think we've completed our task." He mewed, nuzzling her. "Let's head back to camp."
Blackrabbit and Kudzuthroat stepped forward to sniff the bit of concrete.
"It is a cat," Blackrabbit confirmed answered.
"Kittypet, probably," Kudzuthroat nodded. "Let's just continue on to the border."
"Yes, let's go around the loner borders and see if we can pick up the scent there." Kudzuthroat decided, taking it upon himself to lead the patrol.
"We won't make it before nightfall," Blackrabbit pointed out.
"So be it, we'll stay alert."
Kudzuthroat walked in a few tight circles, the losing the scent trail. "If we know where she went, we'll have a better idea of which gang she might have been a part of... we haven't had issues with these borders in moons."
"And we've had a lot of trouble these past few weeks," Blackrabbit finished for him, raising his head as he gave up on the scent. "Waterfang's probably right, though, we've lost it."
"We'll need to double patrols to this border," Kudzuthroat meowed.
"That's Fencestar's call to make."
Blackrabbit started back out into the territory, followed by the small patrol of fresh cats. He broke into a run to return to the site of the skirmish, Kudzuthroat right on his heels with his mouth open to scent the air as they arrived.
"No one else is here," Kudzuthroat meowed and stepped up to the body, smelling it then starting on the scent trail the she-cat had left.
Silhouettechase gave Blackrabbit a worried look, not enjoying the fact which he stated, but she too began to pad back to the camp. Her pace was slightly slower than the black tom, but the molly tried her best to keep up. (Ecc camp)
"Probably more than we'd like, if these two felt bold enough to go this far into the territory and then attack us," Blackrabbit grumbled, giving the corpse a frustrated look. He turned sharply and started back toward the clan at a quick trot. [EcC Camp]
Silhouettechase nodded to Blackrabbit, her copper gaze casting over the lifeless cat one last time before returning to him. The tom didn't make her seem like a monster, so at least she felt silently comforted by that and in way safe. However, the smokey-black molly really didn't want to go the long way around to the camp, she wouldn't oppose. "Alright, I-I can't imagine how many more of them are out here..." Silhouttechase stifled a soft, rather gentle meow, and it was easy to tell that she was a genuine feline. The molly walked the rest of the way to reach Blackrabbit, a ridged limp with each step that she took.
"I'll manage," Blackrabbit called back and started back over the street toward her, grimacing toward the body. "Leave that, we'll double back to the camp and get a full patrol before tracking down where those ____s came from."
She smiled more, eyeing Tigermask as he passed them, relieved when he didn't stop to make a comment. Moonsplash didn't think that he would, knowing that he wasn't really one to start a conversation and usually liked to keep to himself anyway, but looked back at her mate when he spoke. She nuzzled his face, purring softly. "That makes me so happy~"
Silhouettechase's ears only perk up slightly at the sound of her clanmate's voice, the car had not disturbed her as much as it probably should've. Her copper gaze studied the lifeless cat before she turned away and walked to Blackrabbit. Her stride was certainly not as graceful as before, it was rather obvious to see that she leaned against her right shoulder more. Her muzzle held drips of blood, but still, the Turkish Angora's face was mesmerising. She was surprised that Blackrabbit had even decided to ask such a question, as though she'd answer to anything else other than 'I'm fine.' Her gaze quickly faltered to the ground with a pain glowing in her gaze. Was it from her shoulder or killing the scrawny cat? Perhaps, both. "Y-yes...-" Silhouettechase mewed, her wispy voice shaking before she echoed. "Are you?"
A large and broad-shouldered tom-cat made his way through the territory, eyes set on the direction of the loner border. He had been asked by Fencestar to go on a recruiting mission. While he was still very skeptical about her methods, he could not refuse. He passed by Winterjay and Moonsplash, ignoring their presence and continuing on past the border.
----
The snow white tom-cat watched with narrowed eyes as Tigermask passed by. He'd disliked the tom-cat from the start, always so rude to everyone. Even his poor apprentice was terrified of him. Winterjay forced himself to turn to Moonsplash, a soft smile spreading across his face at her words.
"I love you as well." He purred.
Blackrabbit hardly noticed Silhouettechase and the lanky tom-cat fighting near him as he struggled to keep the large she-cat off of himself. Her attacks were fierce and unrelenting, but she was clumsy and not nearly so quick as him- finally he managed to pin her down for a moment and see a flash of silver along her muzzle- before she writhed away and landed a blow against his cheek that sent his ears ringing and a thin trickle of blood to drip onto the floor under him as he oriented himself and attacked her again, this time driving her forward into the street. A two-leg car passed and Blackrabbit felt the wind of its passing as he landed a final blow onto the she-cat's hind leg before she broke off at a run away from them. He pursued her a few steps, then slowed to look back at Silhouettechase.
"Are you alright?" He shouted over.
Moonsplash rubbed against Winterjay's soft pelt gently, purring softly at his words. "I'm glad you're happy with me. My beloved~" Hearing him say that made her heart fill with happiness, sending warmth through her body and she smiled more.
She pressed closer to him, making sure to stay alert in case they came across any loners, but having this time alone with him was amazing, especially since getting her apprentice hadn't left them much time alone to be together. "I don't know what I would do without you, my love."
(Ok!) Silhouettechase had gotten slammed into the shoulder by the tom roughly and it stung into her skin. She almost coward, wanting nothing more than to curl up into a ball, but the Turkish Angora knew that was not an option.
She stood still for a moment, allowing the tom to struck her repeatedly in the shoulder as her copper eyes were wide with fear. She wouldn't give up, Silhouettechase refused to do so. With an abrupt hiss, she rolled over her injured shoulder to stand quickly and with quick movements, the molly sank her teeth into the gang cat's throat.
The tom let out blood rushing yowl as pain and drips of red sunk into his ginger pelt. Silhouettechase refused to let go until the breathing of the tom came to nothing more than a gasp for air. She was terrified of being killed, but warmth and a salty taste erupted into her maw, then she dropped the gang cat. He was lifeless.
"I...K-killed him." Silhouettechase mewed very so quietly, her copper gaze staring down at the tom. The pretty she-cat felt herself gag at the blood in her mouth, but she tried her best to ignore the sickness she felt. This was normal, right? Her ears flattened as her shoulder was now caressed in pain, but it was nothing compared to what she had done to the limp cat.
The tomcat was quick and slipped to the left and tried to slam his shoulder into Silhouettechase. It was an unusual move for a gang cat, one that would stun but wouldn't actually hurt them.
The large she-cat hissed out in pain and anger as Blackrabbit tried to pin her and bit into her shoulder, praying to StarClan that someone from camp would hear them though he knew that they were far enough away it was unlikely, unless another patrol happened to come their way.
(I don't have anything in particular planned here, feel free to have Silhouette kill one or to take control of a gang member :) )
Silhouettechase's fur ruffled nervously at the sight of Blackrabbit being bit straight at the throat. 'Blackrabbit...He's strong...' She reminded herself and turned to face the skinny tom, her copper gaze widening at the fact that now there were two. 'How many more are on our territory? And why so close to camp?' The molly thought, drawing her teeth into a chilly snarl as she dodged the tom's attack and aimed to pin him down beneath her pointed claws and long legs.
The cat was a The cat was a massive molly with a ragged black pelt and chewed, ragged ears that matched a missing left eye and snaggly, yellowed teeth. She bit down onto Blackrabbit's neck, but he went limp and sent the two of them crashing down, causing her to hit her head against one of the dumpsters as her companion, a scrawny ginger tom-cat, emerged to pounce on Silhouettechase.
Silhouettechase looked over her shoulder and came to halt just in time to see the strange cat pin down her clanmate. The smokey black molly's ears flattened fearfully at the sudden scent of a gang. She hadn't been around very many, that was for sure. "H-hang on!" The Turkish Angora spoke with a soft cry, then with outstretched claws, bounded straight into the side of the gang cat, a surge of speed running through her legs as she hoped to get the cat off of Blackrabbit.
Blackrabbit scowled and broke into a run to follow Silhouettechase. In contrast to her gentle, quiet pace, he was lumbering and awkward, not bothering with stealth as he followed along. A shadow rose above him and his nostrils filled with an unfamiliar scent as a gang cat pinned him down, hissing.
Somehow he doubted her words. Eclipseclan was not like a giant family. They were all about power and growing their ranks, exiling cats who couldn't provide for the clan and ultimately coming out on top. He disliked how similar this clan was compared to his previous gang life. The only difference being that they didn't kill the useless members. He sighed, shifting his gaze to look at the she-cat. Her parents might have been kind to her, but the rest of the clan seems to be strict in their ways of raising kits.
Winterjay thought back to when Moonsplash had first told him she was pregnant. He'd been ecstatic, wanting nothing more to protect and love his children. He wanted to raise them to be strong, good cats worthy of a place in Eclipseclan. The night after Moonsplash gave birth to his son, Winterjay had a night terror. He woke up believing the gang cats had found him and murdered his family. The panicked tom-cat knew the only way to protect his kit would be to give him up. He was heart broken, but convinced himself it was for the best.
"I've never known my family. Taken from them when I was barely able to walk. It doesn't matter because I found my place with here in the clans with you. My family." He purred, brushing her side and nuzzeling her cheek with his nose. He die protecting her.
Silhouettechase kept her ears perked at they walked silently along the cold sidewalk. It was enough to send chills running along her spine, but then again, the silence was deterred by the wind that shuddered the glass and doors of the buildings around them. The Turkish Angora scented the air as they came to a halt, taking in the smells of gasoline and must, but focused on prey. Her copper gaze trailed to couple of trash bins farther down on the right, a wire fence on the other side of them, and she quickly brushed pass Blackrabbit, her long legs made for an undeniably quiet run. If he didn't know why she was in the clan, perhaps it would now be easy to see.
She followed him to the boundary, helping him to re-scent it as well as he spoke, tilting her head slightly as she thought of how to word her answer. "It was like growing up with the biggest family. Everyone always takes care of each other."
The silver tabby looked up at him, icy eyes glowing with affection. "I love you so much~" She purred softly, smiling.
Blackrabbit started northward toward the scavenging place, feeling no need to make conversation to fill the gaps made by the hollow thud of their paws against the gritty concrete. He turned the corner and stopped, opening his mouth to scent the air with his tail straight out and flicking, cautious.
Winterjay nodded his approval, turning his focus on the loner-border to re-scent the boundary. He brushed past the she-cat, smiling as he walked. He was uneasy being near this side of the territory. He lived in fear that the gang he'd left would return and kill his family.
"What was it like growing up in the clans?" His voice was soft, pale golden eyes surveying the area.
She flushed more at the sound of his chuckle, but smiled happily, pressing closer. She loved how she could help him relax they way she could, take his mind off of the things that plagued him, especially when it seemed something was really bothering him.
Moonsplash giggled softly at his words, nodding slightly at the offer. "I would like that, love. And I'm sure my apprentice would appreciate the help~"
A deep chuckle erupted from his chest, golden eyes gleaming. He was content. He couldn't quite say he was happy, there were still so many things on his mind, but being out in the territory with Moonsplash made most of his problems disappear.
"How's training?" They hadn't had much time to themselves since Fencestar gave his mate an apprentice. "If you ever need help, I can assist with training. Be the enemy cat the little furball has to fight."