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Post by ✄ – – – VANYA! on Mar 13, 2011 13:00:36 GMT -8
OWLFLIGHT
ashclan warrior
It was quiet...too quiet. Not even the birds were singing.
Between the grass blades, a robin hopped. It tilted its head, beady eye to the sun, red breast puffed, and lowered its dark head to peck at the ground. Never once did it let down its guard, fluttering about through the grass, searching for insects in the loose earth. And with its senses heightened it looked up quickly at the slightest movement in its surroundings.
White flashed through the blades and the robin lifted off, chirping in alarm. With a great downstroke of its narrow wings it barely missed sharp claws snatching it from the air. Its life spared, it fluttered away.
Owlflight hissed a bit in anger, sitting in the grass. "Mouse dung," she muttered. "I was so close."
She turned her head, two-toned eyes gazing back towards the AshClan camp. She couldn't return without fresh-kill; the Clan was so small, they needed all the food the able warriors could catch. With silent paws she stood and slipped through the grass, dropping into a hunting crouch and laid her ears back, eyes following a mouse emerging, cautious, from its hole.
This time, I won't fail.
She sprung, with all her muscles springing tight like bands of steel. Her mark was true; with a whish of noise, she landed upon the mouse. She delivered the killing bite without falter.
"Excellent."
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Post by shocky ! on Mar 14, 2011 6:13:28 GMT -8
He noticed the silence as he padded through the blades of grass, still covered in downy layer of leafbare frost. Still, the tom liked it that way. Over his past moon as leader, the rabbit hill had become a place of reflection for him, though it wasn't uncommon to see other warriors hunting or training their apprentices in the area. Most, however, knew to leave him alone when he wasn't seeking out company. Breezestar was a quiet cat, and his Clan accepted that.
Today, though, he was in a more social mood. The air was warm, the sky clear, and it seemed like leafbare would finally come to an end. More and more prey seemed to be filling he camp, though there was still a shortage, still that incessant dislike of SoulClan, still the ominous dreams that haunted his nights... The black and white tom shook his head, trying to clear it. It would probably do him good just to have a conversation. He would put the dreams out of his head, if only for a little while.
He heard a noise from down below him and stopped, pricking his ears to listen. After a moment, it rang out again, and he recognized it as Owlflight. Twitching his whiskers in amusement, the compact tom padded towards her. He crested the hill and saw her just as she managed to catch a mouse. The anger he had felt sparking from her pelt receeded.
"Nice catch," he mewed quietly, moving closer to the warrior and then sitting down. The grass was slightly chilly against his fur, the ground clammy and stiff, but anything was better than snow.
Okay. He had complimented her catch. Now what? It was always harder to start a conversation than it was to avoid one.
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Post by ✄ – – – VANYA! on Mar 14, 2011 17:01:33 GMT -8
OWLFLIGHT
ashclan warrior
Owlflight was just setting her mouse aside when the grass rustled again and a splotched face peered through the plants, clever yellow eyes peering at her.
"Nice catch."
She couldn't help but be surprised to hear the voice of her quiet-spoken leader, Breezestar. His voice was strong, but slightly faded, as though damaged by lack of use.
She gathered her thoughts and shook herself a bit, remembering her manners. "Hello, Breezestar," she murmured. She was a bit startled to see him, for him to be...making conversation? They were both the quiet type, as far as she knew. He wasn't social, and barely spoke outside of Clan meetings and Gatherings. It was strange for him to be speaking to her of all the cats he could grace with his presence.
"What brings you to Rabbit Hill?" she mewed, tilting her head, odd eyes narrowed a bit with curiosity. She couldn't help but wonder what went on behind her leader's quiet facade. If he felt the same fear with expressing himself that she did. It was hard to believe that, considering that the majority of the Clan would follow his every word. He couldn't fear their disapproval when he was leader...could he? She studied him deeply, forgetting for once her modesty.
I wonder what goes on behind those eyes...
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Post by shocky ! on Mar 15, 2011 7:15:02 GMT -8
He noted her look of surprise, and had he been any other cat, it would have prompted him into an amused twitch of his whiskers. It was understandable, of course. When he spoke, he spoke with power, but there were few occasions where he had the inclination to speak. He trusted his Clan to follow the warrior code, and he trusted Easternsky to organize patrols and keep them in line when they didn't. Breezestar met her gaze slowly, his focus slowly sliding from green eye to blue.
"Owlflight," he greeted in return, dipping his head ever-so-slightly. Luckily, she started into the conversation, relieving him of the trouble of trying to find something to talk about. There was no difficulty in speaking when it came to his Clan, to the Gathering, to strategy – but mundane things had never been his concern. All throughout his life, small-talk had been beyond him. So why was he here? Because you were on the Rabbit Hill at the same time as her, that's all. Still, it would have been within his character just to turn and walk away.
"Just looking to hunt," [/b] he replied slowly. "Same as you. Besides, I figured while the weather was warming up, I might as well take a walk."[/color] It was the truth, though he carefully neglected mentioning that the reason he needed to take a walk was because his dreams were full of strange sendings, messages from StarClan that he couldn't quite interpret. It seemed as though Hiddenstar had left him with quite a legacy. He noticed that she was studying him and subtly adjusted his posture. Unaccounted to any attention that wasn't related to his position as Clan leader, Breezestar slid his gaze down to the mouse by her paws. [/blockquote] |
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Post by ✄ – – – VANYA! on Mar 16, 2011 10:07:35 GMT -8
OWLFLIGHT
ashclan warrior
It couldn't help but feel awkward. Owlflight could feel his discomfort with making small talk almost radiating off his contrasting fur. She couldn't blame him; she'd never found much use in small talk either, truthfully. But sometimes, she wondered. Wondered what he was thinking when he stood before his Clan, speaking with grand authority. And even now, as they sat in the grass and spoke, just two cats with no one else around, his voice held a power that, honestly, was a bit intimidating.
"Just looking to hunt, same as you. Besides, I figured while the weather was warming up, I might as well take a walk," Breezestar said, and she nodded agreeably. She opened her mouth to say something else, but something twitched just barely in the grass beyond him and her attention was caught. She stilled, eyes narrowing, nostrils flaring to catch any scent.
The breeze abruptly changed then, blowing a scent of squirrel in their direction. It wasn't common to find a squirrel so far towards the center of Rabbit Hill: it was too far away from the trees that gave them shelter and safety. Owlflight forgot, then, that she was speaking to another cat, and moved around him, sinking into a crouch.
The squirrel was, bizarrely, only a few foxlengths away from where they were standing. Such daring from a prey animal...or perhaps only stupidity. A swift leap, a snap of her jaws, and a barely-heard squeak later, the squirrel was dead, clamped firmly between her teeth.
Owlflight walked back over to Breezestar and set the squirrel beside her mouse. "I'm sorry," she said, awkwardly, realizing she'd walked off mid-conversation. It was awfully rude of her. Mousebrain. That was foolish! Walking off when your leader is speaking to you.
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Post by shocky ! on Mar 18, 2011 5:45:46 GMT -8
It was slightly awkward, just sitting here with her staring at him and nodding vaguely to his words. Owlflight wasn't a dumb cat, he knew that, but he couldn't find something else to talk about. Probably one of his few shortcomings, now that he thought about it, or at least out of those that he would admit. It had been a long time since he had felt like part of the Clan, like a friend to anyone except Hiddenstar or Cinderheart, the past leader's mate. Usually he was complimenting apprentices or reprimanding immature warriors. Never making smalltalk, especially not with a warrior that he barely knew.
The wind changed. He immediately scented squirrel, but before he could leap to find it, Owlfight was already up. She returned quickly, still clutching the squirrel, and apologized. He blinked rather dumbly. Who did that? Really? One moment you're talking to your leader, and the next you've vanished to go hunt. At least it showed where her priorities lay. Breezestar blinked again. He couldn't fault her. The Clan needed warriors who behaved like she did. "I bet some queen would appreciate that squirrel," he said slowly, and then realized that was the sort of thing you would say to an apprentice. "Don't apologize. You're a good hunter."
Not that that was much better. But the splotched tom was being sincere.
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Post by ✄ – – – VANYA! on Mar 18, 2011 14:35:55 GMT -8
OWLFLIGHT
ashclan warrior
Owlflight was immediately embarrassed. She could almost feel the judgement in his gaze burning her fur. She lowered her ears and sat, feeling much like a young apprentice being reprimanded.
But then, he was complimenting her. She blinked in confusion. The contrasting messages were a bit disorienting, but she gathered herself and dipped her head gratefully. It wouldn't do, floundering like a kit in front of the leader. For the first time in a while, she felt her youth, in the face of this wise, quiet tom.
"Thank you," she murmured, looking up to meet his gaze again. This was possibly the most awkward situation she'd ever been in; who would have thought she would have such difficulty speaking to the cat whose wise decisions and authority she admired? Sometimes before she would daydream, when she was a kit, and an apprentice, and even as a freshly-fledged warrior, of her exceeding expectations and earning the praise of the higher-ranked cats of her Clan. It was foolish, selfish thinking, and she had soon grown out of it, but still she tried her hardest to meet the expectations of her fellow cats. She wanted to make her parents proud. She wanted to be the greatest warrior she could be. But now, in front of Breezestar, all of her accomplishments seemed to fade. She felt as though she had accomplished nothing. She might as well have been a skinny, patchy-furred loner. Owlflight had always been self-deprecating, but never so much as now.
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Post by shocky ! on Mar 18, 2011 18:36:33 GMT -8
She thanked him and met his gaze again. Breezestar dipped his head. This was good. This was all good. They were having a civilized conversation, though he was still leader and she was still a warrior. As an apprentice, he had never placed much stock in friendship or in emotions. He had always been guided by common sense. Even as a warrior, things like family and love had never crossed his mind. As deputy, the respect of his Clanmates had been enough to keep him going. But as leader, as leader, the stress was a bit too much even for him to handle alone. He needed support, a bit of casual chat to take the edge of.
A few moons ago, he never would have thought that he would be here right now.
"Don't thank me," he said gruffly. "It wasn't a compliment. It was just true." [/color] He blinked warmly and relaxed his posture slightly, warming up to her precense. It took him a few moments to notice that she appeared to be shrinking away from him. Wait, was she feeling awkward or something? He was leader, after all, but that was no reason for her to feel inferior. Not every cat could be leader. Breezestar looked at her, blinking dumbly. He didn't have feelings of inferiority. He didn't know how to deal with her, or how to deal with she-cats. Well, she-cat warriors, yes, but not she-cats in particular. Not like some toms did. Not that he cared. "Do you ever dream?" he asked bluntly, and the immediately regretted it. He wanted to know what the omnious dreams were. He wanted to think that they weren't signs from StarClan, that they were just normal dreams, yet they were far too vivid and far too scary. Owlflight wasn't exactly the best cat to ask, but Hiddenstar was gone and Cinderheart was distracted by the loss of her mate. [/blockquote] |
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Post by ✄ – – – VANYA! on Mar 27, 2011 10:53:48 GMT -8
OWLFLIGHT
ashclan warrior
Owlflight was, admittedly, a bit startled by his question. Dreams...she couldn't help but think of her nighttime meetings with Swiftclaw, her run-in with Flamepaw...yes, she dreamt...but what did it mean?
She took a deep breath and began, carefully. "Are you finding...trouble, in the dream world, Breezestar?" she nearly whispered. Somehow, she hoped that he was, for she was finding difficulty in her dreams too. She could feel his confusion, his pain; even though the dream world had almost no bearing, it was impossible to escape from one's dreams just as it was impossible to escape from one's life.
She wondered what her own dreams meant. Her father wanted her to train in a place with no moon, a place where StarClan didn't dare set paw...but Swiftclaw was never an evil cat...he was a good, strong warrior. Wherever he was couldn't be bad...could it?
And then there was Flamepaw, the mysterious apprentice with ambition tenfold. A cat that despite him being in another Clan...she was beginning to fall for. She worried. Her father encouraged her cultivate the relationship, but wasn't it against the Warrior Code that they both held so dear? She had so many questions and not enough answers...
Breezestar, perhaps we can help each other...
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Post by shocky ! on Apr 2, 2011 11:58:19 GMT -8
 And as quickly as he was there, he was gone.
Something felt wrong about exposing himself like this to Owlflight, just a warrior, not a confidante, not someone he trusted. He was supposed to be her leader. When she looked at him, she was supposed to feel inspired. If she knew about the ominous dreams, how could she be expected to think of him the same way after? No, he couldn't tell, couldn't mention anything. Normally, he would feel no guilt at closing up like this. Yet there was something about her that made him feel as though she had almost been relieved to speak of his dreams.
The dream world.
He almost took a step back.
Almost.
But that would have been so unlike him, so strange for Breezestar, that he didn't. Instead he flipped his guard on, carefully veiling his eyes. "Dreams don't mean anything," he said slowly, callously. "Sometimes we place too much stock in them when what we really need to do is concentrate on our lives." Those were words to live by, except he was aiming them at himself instead of her.
The black and white tom was surprised by the twinge of guilt that pricked him as he finished speaking. Guilt was never high on his list of emotions. |
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Post by ✄ – – – VANYA! on Apr 2, 2011 12:14:02 GMT -8
OWLFLIGHT
ashclan warrior
Breezestar's statement made Owlflight falter. She could feel the...embarrassment? she wasn't sure...burning her fur, stiffening her limbs. Did he really think her dreams to be that foolish?
That belief was mousebrained, really. He didn't even know she dreamt at all, let alone what plagued her. But still, she felt the prickling of hot irritation in her pelt. Perhaps he was merely trying to reassure himself...But he had to know. He had to know that he was wrong, that he...he should...
He should what?
She inwardly scolded herself. She barely knew what to do herself. But she looked at him, thinking deeply for a moment, and chose her words carefully. She had to do this right. There was no place for floundering, for speechlessness. Now, their separate ranks seemed to dissolve. They were only two cats, two cats who needed guidance and reassurance. They needed to know what was plaguing them. They could help each other.
She picked her words with caution. "Breezestar...dreams...are sometimes not just dreams." It took a deep courage for her to say these things. She wanted nothing more than to dismiss her worries as merely dreams. But though Owlflight was a great many things, she wasn't a fool. "Sometimes, dreams are a way of telling us what we should do. Sometimes, the meanings are hard to understand...but dreams are important, Breezestar. Dreams help you find who you are."
It pained her to think of this. If her destiny was in the Dark Forest...what did that make her? Was she an evil cat? There seemed to be no reassurance for her, but she wasn't going to give up. She would learn...she would understand what her purpose was. If her destiny led her to follow her father...or defy him.
She didn't know where she was going. She had only her father's words to guide her. But she was her own cat. She wasn't just Swiftclaw's daughter...she was Owlflight, a loyal AshClan warrior. She would live as that, and die as that. The Warrior Code was her reassurance, her leader her guiding path. She would not let herself stray from that truth. She could not...or else she would cease to be herself.
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