Whispering Wetlands

[Spiderfrost]

Originally Posted by Arie

Nodding in confirmation Breezefeather kept his green gaze focused on the grave for now. "It was Shadowclan. A raid when I was just an apprentice. I can't exactly remember when during my apprenticehood, but it was only the first of many struggles I would come to face in life." Yet... his mother's death still burned, clear in his mind. The blood soaked cream fur that he had discovered as he ran down the hills of the moor, still struggling with his too long legs... It had been bloody. And he had fallen apart at that. Being able to stand here, to gaze at it while still managing to not break down was a massive step for the silver tom. Practice? Time... Time healed all wounds and the wounds he was currently suffering from would be healed too... with time. Watching Lilypaw head over to the grave he bowed his head and turned it away. What she was saying was not for his ears to know, it was for the one in the stars, the one whom he missed so very much and the one who was taking care of his own children who rested among it. When he heard her voice die out he did indeed turn around and walked up to her, just standing next to her and gazing at the grave once again. "This place, despite it just being a mound of dirt, makes me feel this much closer to her. I know she's watching from the stars, but it makes me feel like she's around me, like everything is okay despite her not being here. It brings comfort, solace, a reality to it all... but it also allows me to grieve."

Lilypaw gazed down at the spot on the ground until the silver tom joined her. A certain yearning was sunk deep into her gut. She turned to gaze into the forest beyond Windclan.

Redsky and Treeshade were buried outside Shadowclan borders. Her father had been a rogue after all, and their mother had never been able to make that leap to just leaving like she wanted to. It was the least her daughters could do was help her take that step after her death. She couldn't remember a time she or Rose had visited her parents after they had picked themselves back up after their mourning.

Now here, with Breezefeather and his mothers grave struck something in her that she hadn't thought to do in moons. And it was only right that he meet her parents too, right?

Lilypaw turned back to her companion in respectful silence.

"Thank you..." she finally murmured, pressing her head against the top of his.

"For bringing me here, introducing me. It couldn't have been easy to let me into this space."

[Arie]

Originally Posted by Spiderfrost

Lilypaw gazed down at the spot on the ground until the silver tom joined her. A certain yearning was sunk deep into her gut. She turned to gaze into the forest beyond Windclan.

Redsky and Treeshade were buried outside Shadowclan borders. Her father had been a rogue after all, and their mother had never been able to make that leap to just leaving like she wanted to. It was the least her daughters could do was help her take that step after her death. She couldn't remember a time she or Rose had visited her parents after they had picked themselves back up after their mourning.

Now here, with Breezefeather and his mothers grave struck something in her that she hadn't thought to do in moons. And it was only right that he meet her parents too, right?

Liliypaw turned back to her companion in respectful silence.

"Thank you..." she finally murmured, pressing her head against the top of his.

"For bringing me here, introducing me. It couldn't have been easy to let me into this space."

When Lilypaw rested her head on his, he lingered in the warmth but for a moment. It was a strange concept still, the apprentice technically being bigger than him, which with a normal Windclan apprentice usually wouldn't have been the case. At the thank you and the appreciation he just twitched his tail before shaking his head. "Well... I felt it was the right thing to do. The cost... of being a warrior, of living in the clans is massive. It costs lives, and... the ones we care about." Breezefeather could not help himself from slipping into the teaching role he'd so often adapted when he was around this border. He often took apprentices to the grave to give them a lesson... on loss. On how taking a life was a necessity but also something that did no good and hurt both sides. "This shows... the cost of our differences." It was simple. And yet it broke so very much within both of them. Yet maybe... they should make use of this trip? Use it to get her training session in at least. "Let's go further along... I think? We might run into something more positive." With that he bowed his head to the grave one last time before he moved along and back to where the clear scent markers were. "Should probably get used to be on this side of the border?" he meowed jokingly.

[Spiderfrost]

Originally Posted by Arie

When Lilypaw rested her head on his, he lingered in the warmth but for a moment. It was a strange concept still, the apprentice technically being bigger than him, which with a normal Windclan apprentice usually wouldn't have been the case. At the thank you and the appreciation he just twitched his tail before shaking his head. "Well... I felt it was the right thing to do. The cost... of being a warrior, of living in the clans is massive. It costs lives, and... the ones we care about." Breezefeather could not help himself from slipping into the teaching role he'd so often adapted when he was around this border. He often took apprentices to the grave to give them a lesson... on loss. On how taking a life was a necessity but also something that did no good and hurt both sides. "This shows... the cost of our differences." It was simple. And yet it broke so very much within both of them. Yet maybe... they should make use of this trip? Use it to get her training session in at least. "Let's go further along... I think? We might run into something more positive." With that he bowed his head to the grave one last time before he moved along and back to where the clear scent markers were. "Should probably get used to be on this side of the border?" he meowed jokingly.

Lilypaw turned her head away from the grave as Breezefeather started to move on.

The life of a warrior, when she was still an apprentice, she had use to think it was the natural course of things. The idea of fighting and hunting and duty to Shadowclan felt as obvious as breathing. A never ending pattern in clan life. It wasn't until her mothers mental state started to deteriorate even more that she saw the downside. Redsky had been driven to prove she was leadership material by her father that it ruined Shadowclan in her eyes. She held little loyalty for the clan even as she died in its borders.

Her father held his loyalty to his family more so than the collective that took him in. He was an oddball in the eyes of some as most cats born outside clan life. He enjoyed the fighting, he embraced the training. But his service was for Redsky and his children. Perhaps that was what twisted Lilypaw and Rose's own views on service to Shadowclan.

Death had been an inevitable. But they had been told to lock away such fear. If the possibility of death distracted her then she could make mistakes. And that was unacceptable.

Lilypaw followed closely behind the silver tom. Lilypaw felt as if it wasn't clan loyalty that drove her, not like what it was that drove Breezefeather's mother to her death. But loyalty to they cats she has become attached to. The calico pondered this. If she was going to die in the service of a clan--whether that be soon, or moons in the future--she'd want it to happen for the cats she through her personal loyalty to. Whether that be her sister, Irisflame, Weaselskip...or Breezefeather.

The silver toms voice broke her out of her thoughts and she looked up as he talked.

"I'm up for anything." she assured.

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

@WarriorsAndHorses

Twistedpaw padded over to the ShadowClan border, her matted black pelt prickling with apprehension. She wasn't supposed to be here and she'd be in so much trouble if anybody found out about her breaking the rules. Glancing around, twisting her head as much as she could to see out of her only seeing eye, she could not see anybody in sight. Bending down, she sniffed the ground, her body suddenly growing tense. Blackpaw's scent mingled with Rosepaw's here. Warily, she unsheathed her claws. The tom had been so nice to her, but most likely, he had attacked Rosepaw. But why? Was it because Rosepaw was so rude? Or was it because of me? A cold chill ran down her spine. In case somebody does find me, I should probably catch a piece of prey so I have an excuse. Her stomach rolled over. Couldn't she just say that she had been curious about Rosepaw's injuries? But then she'd be featherbrained for going to the place where she had been attacked. Twistedpaw stared across the invisible border, not knowing what to do.

[Reptilian Cabinets]

SunPelt was walking on the moorland when he saw TwistedPaw sniffing at the border, "TwistedPaw, what are you doing?" he asked when he had reached the deformed she-cat. @TheNyanCatMinecart

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

@WarriorsAndHorses

Twistedpaw jumped and spun around, noticing the blue-eyed tom. "U-uh..." she began, her mouth hanging open a bit in a disturbing way as she searched for words. Speak, Twistedpaw, speak!
"I - uh - was wondering if, maybe, hunting," she meowed quickly. Pausing, she added, "And, uh, I was wondering about Rosepaw." This was Rosepaw's mother's mate, right? And why did she sound so... fake about it? What if Rosepaw twists this or something?
Her body tense, she waited for the tom's response.

[Reptilian Cabinets]

Originally Posted by TheNyanCatMinecart

@WarriorsAndHorses

Twistedpaw jumped and spun around, noticing the blue-eyed tom. "U-uh..." she began, her mouth hanging open a bit in a disturbing way as she searched for words. Speak, Twistedpaw, speak!
"I - uh - was wondering if, maybe, hunting," she meowed quickly. Pausing, she added, "And, uh, I was wondering about Rosepaw." This was Rosepaw's mother's mate, right? And why did she sound so... fake about it? What if Rosepaw twists this or something?
Her body tense, she waited for the tom's response.

"What about RosePaw?" The tom mewed, not giving away anything in his voice or eyes. "And why are you sniffing the border if you are wanting to hunt?" SunPelt felt like he was interrogating the deformed apprentice.

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

@WarriorsAndHorses

"W-well, I was curious if she was, er, if somebody I might... have seen at th-the Gathering had, well, you know," she stammered. "A-and, w-well, the hunting... I was, earlier, th-then I got distracted." She was trembling all over now. She could still faintly smell the scents of Blackpaw and Rosepaw at the border.

[Reptilian Cabinets]

Originally Posted by TheNyanCatMinecart

@WarriorsAndHorses

"W-well, I was curious if she was, er, if somebody I might... have seen at th-the Gathering had, well, you know," she stammered. "A-and, w-well, the hunting... I was, earlier, th-then I got distracted." She was trembling all over now. She could still faintly smell the scents of Blackpaw and Rosepaw at the border.

SunPelt snorted, "Then where's the prey you caught?" He asked, sniffing the air for any trace of fresh kill. Instead, he only smelled the musky scent of the ShadowClan border.

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

@WarriorsAndHorses

Twistedpaw, despite shaking, was all tense. "I d-didn't catch any," she told him quickly. "I-I was hunting, b-but I got distracted... b-because I wanted to see if, maybe, somebody I might've... seen had hurt her." Was that good enough? What if Sunpelt got suspicious from her stuttering? Or from the cat that she wasn't just telling him that she was curious about Blackpaw? But then he'd just get suspicious more! Twistedpaw kept her mouth shut.