[Fawn]

It had been six sunrises since Blazestar's death had finally come out in the open; this also meant that it was six sunrises since Razorfang had first learned of her secret. Was it really still considered a secret? In the grief-stricken opinion of the rosy-hued RainClan she-cat, her secret had died with Blazestar, and no amount of hoping and praying would ever bring him back.

Grooming in a warm patch of winter sunlight, the she-cat rasped a bright pink tongue over subtle, creamy fur, trying to rid her legs of the light dirt splashes she had acquired when hunting near the NightClan border. It was obvious you were close to their marshy neighbors when the ground instantly grew soggier and rather peaty, even in the winter time. It was not because of Razorfang's words that Roselight had thrown herself into her warrior duties; it was the desire to keep her mind and her body occupied, the she-cat trying her damnedest to divorce her heart from her head, so long as the former was still causing her so much pain.

I'll never feel anything again, she had declared to herself just the other day. Though it was a fruitless attempt at shutting down her emotions, the simple act of trying seemed to lessen the heavy amounts of stress weighing on her like a boulder.

Stripping the grim from her foreleg with quick but purposeful swipes of her tongue, Roselight kept one eye wearily fixed on the other side of camp, as if expecting at any moment for Sandstar to stride from his den and announce her banishment to the Clan. Only Henfeather, her best friend, knew that Razorfang knew her secret, so only Henfeather was walking on eggshells along with her, Roselight having been too selfish to bear this burden alone. It had felt like she would explode if she didn't tell anyone; though Henfeather could not truly mourn Blazestar's passing, the fluffy she-cat could at least feel sad for her closest friend, and be there when her world started to crumble.

So far, there were cracks in the crust, but the earth had yet to split open and swallow her up. With only a grackle about to be caught this morning, Roselight already made plans to go out hunting again, having returned to camp only so that she might have a word with Russetpaw - who knew not of what plagued his cousin - get a drink of water, and do a bit of grooming.

One would think that, in her grief period, Roselight would have ceased all maintenance activities, but everyone grieved in a different way. Roselight grieved in complete and utter silence, forcibly sliding into an almost robotic method of dealing with the situation, preferring not to wail her suffering to the stars, but to act as though she knew not what suffering was.
Never let them see you bleed.
Such was the motto of her family. They were proud and had a long lineage within RainClan (and TreeClan, but her father would rather chew off his own foot than admit it), and not even the death of a loved one would make them fold before the eyes of the public.

---

Word Count: 551
Notes:

[Insidious]

The dimmest rays of sunlight were beginning to peak over the horizon, the smallest ounce of warmth offered to the heat-craving felines of the forest. Razorfang was located amongst the inside regions of the warrior den. He was not resting, for he wasn't as tired as he'd expected to be. Even if he was tired, he'd have no desire to go rest in the comfort of his bedding. For once, there was far too much thought plaguing his mind. An amount substantially high enough to distract him from warrior duties, conversations, even his mentor-apprentice training. It'd be a surprise to anyone other than himself that those thoughts included Roselight and the scenario that took place six sunrises earlier. Why did he even care? Why couldn't he simply stride his way toward the den that inhabited Sandstar and inform their clan leader of the betrayal that had taken place between Roselight and the deceased leader of LightningClan?

The tom-cat sighed, tail lashing frustratingly behind his muscled frame. There she was. He caught glimpse of the she-cat's familiar, creamy fur pigmentation amongst RainClan camp. It seemed as though she was in the midst of a grooming session, her eyes occasionally flickering around camp with, what was that? Perhaps worry? She had every reason to be, if that was in fact the emotion cloaking her expression.

Razorfang stood abruptly, his feline limbs nearly caving beneath his weight with the sudden, unexpected movement. It wasn't that he was nervous to approach the feline. If anything... he wasn't sure whether or not it was entirely a good idea for him to do so. He hadn't spoken with her at all since the incident had taken place, and to be entirely honest, he didn't really want to. Who knew what kind of fiery toward him was still locked inside that mind of Roselight's? Though, when had Razorfang ever been the type to care about those types of things? Certainly, never in his history that he could recall. He wasn't about to let that change, either.

Stretched strides began clearing the amount of terrain standing between Roselight and Razorfang. The deputy didn't allow his limbs to lock nor even show the slightest weakness within their prideful strides until the moment he stood directly before the she-cat knelt over due to her grooming session that he was likely interfering with. He coughed slightly, the lowly toned noise departing from his lethal jaw to capture the attention of Roselight.

How was he supposed to begin this conversation? “I haven't told Sandstar your secret.” Or, “I haven't told Sandstar, and I won't be telling him. You can stop worrying over banishment.” For a moment, he had to consider if those words were truthful. Yes, he hadn't yet told Sandstar what had occurred upon that outing. Was he for sure not planning on it, though? Gray-green irises averted downward, skimming over the base of the Rainclan she-cat's figure before landing themselves upon her facial features. He wasn't necessarily choking on his words. But, maybe it'd be in his best interest if he let her speak first?

You know, release her final frustrations so that by the time she was finished a verbal clawing against the hazelnut-masked tom, she'd perhaps feel bad about it afterward since he hadn't yet committed the duty he was expected to as deputy. That alone was another thought entirely. He had an oath as deputy: certain conditions that were expected of him. Was he truly going to keep this betrayal to himself? Go against everything expected of him as deputy, simply so Roselight wouldn't have to leave RainClan?

Maybe.

[Fawn]

Roselight had sensed his approach even before the hazel and black tom had come into her peripherals. Eyes closing, the she-cat allowed herself a few moments of silence, not answering his light cough nor trying to delay the inevitable, simply steel her insides for the punishing words she was certain would come. Quietly straightening her posture into a sitting position, Roselight drew in a deep breath, cerulean eyes lifting to meet the ever-cold gray-green stare of the RainClan deputy; she would not grovel or spew false apologies. What she had done was against the code, but there was nothing on this green earth that would ever make her say it was wrong. If Razorfang wants me to beg to stay, then he'd better not hold his breath.

She did not expect him to be that sadistic. He did not come off as the kind of tom that took pleasure in his elevated position over the rest of them, second only to the Clan leader. He was fair, from what she had seen - if not quick to judge. Who could blame him, though? Had their positions been reversed, she would have spewed the exact same poison-laced words at him as he had done to her. She would not have understood what he had lost, and how he was broken because of it. She would not have been forgiving or overly sympathetic.

Coming to realization that they were rather similar - being proud, cold, sophisticated cats each - Roselight did not feel quite so...shredded on the inside by this whole banishment thing. If she had to choose an executioner, then at least it was a feline who was worthy of her respect, and, once upon a time, she had been worthy of his. Fur groomed to it's usual pristine condition, the beautiful feline, though tall, was not as tall as the sturdy tom in front of her, and she was forced to look up at him numbly.
"Morning."

Let's just get this over with.
Before she left, however, she would have one last request to make of the cold, seemingly indifferent feline before her. Whatever happens, tell my parents I was eaten by demon. I will not drag my family through the mud because of my treachery. It would not be fair for her father and mother to bear the brunt of her behavior over a cat who was dead and a relationship that had died along with him. If she was to be banished, then at least spare her parents the death of their reputations.

Though she did not deserve that kind of mercy, she would ask for it anyway.

---

Word Count: 480
Notes: xD She's all dramatic, lol.

[/size]

[Insidious]

“Morning.”

The cream furred she-cat tilted her head upward to meet Razorfang's gaze, saying nothing passed the subtle greeting. It'd be false to say he wasn't shocked by this. Black tufted ears atop his head twitched, disclosing his minor confusion as he peered down upon the feline with a narrowing feature accustoming within his gray-green eyes. He wasn't about to complain about her not releasing ire in some shape or form upon him. In fact, a sensation of relief rippled down the tom's spine as he parted his powerful jaw. “Morning.”

For a moment, it seemed like there would be nothing else said between the two. But, the hollow silence could only be bared for so long a period of time before it grew exceedingly uncomfortable to handle. Releasing an audible sigh, the deputy's hackles folded into a seated stance directly in front of the she-cat. Remaining silent for a moment longer, his gaze fell upon her at last. “Look,” admittedly, it wasn't the best way to begin. Razorfang, however, had never been particularly great with dealing with these sort of situations. It was satisfactory, for him at least. “I could sit here all day and claim your actions to be treacherous.” The tone of his voice lowered, his eyes briefly averting from Roselight to assure no other cats were in close enough proximity to detect any part of their conversation. “But I won't.”

Returning his full attention to the feline before him, he allowed his gaze to wander passed her eyes in search of a more detailed expression in response to this. Surely, she couldn't have been expecting those words. “I haven't informed Sandstar about what happened that day.” It would seem as though Razorfang was giving his speech to her piece by piece. In actuality, that was precisely what he was doing. The entire situation in general was frustrating. Likely, more so for Roselight, but a portion of that frustration rubbed off on the hazelnut masked deputy too. “And, I'm not going to tell him.”

Razorfang – growing increasingly awkward with the situation – shifted his broad shoulders before allowing the tip of his black tail to twitch with amusement. “Consider yourself pardoned.” It was his, admittedly, somewhat inappropriate for the current situation stab at humour. He wasn't a tom-cat that settled comfortably into any kind of 'mushy' moment. If there was a way to, even if slightly, pull the conversation away from any thank you's on Roselight's part, he'd try his best to direct it there.

Although there was every reason to ensue Roselight's banishment, the deputy had no real drive to do so. She was a faithful RainClan cat, when you looked passed the cross-clan romance. It was a situation that wasn't to be taken lightly, nor looked over without careful thought toward punishment. But maybe, Razorfang could let it slide. Just this once.

[Fawn]

“Consider yourself pardoned.”

Anything but this. Roselight had expected anything but this. Her hopes had not formed, let alone lifted off the ground when he informed her that he had yet to tell Sandstar about the whole awful scenario. When he outright told her he wasn't going to, however, Roselight had stared at him, jaw parting in sheer surprise, any noise she could've made were struck dead by the impossible words he had just spoken.

"I am not going to tell him."

Blinking cerulean eyes rapidly, the she-cat mentally back pedaled, opening and closing her mouth several more times before the synapses in her brain could be shaken out of numbness enough that speech was once more a possibility.
"G-Good, good! That's just - great!" She stammered, utterly taken aback and - surprisingly - humbled by the actions this tom had taken, or rather, lack-thereof. "It is more than I deserve. Thank you, Razorfang. Thank you." There was no hiding the sincerity of her words, even one as cold and as closed as she could show gratitude when it was truly truly deserved. Mind reeling, Roselight drew in a few gulps of air, sitting down as standing no longer seemed like an option, Roselight stealing a few seconds to herself to steady herself.

She wasn't being vanished from the Clan. In fact, no one would ever know of her love for Blazestar and what she had lost when he had died. No one would ever know.
That's the way things should be.
Though it hurt every fiber of her being to think such thoughts, Roselight couldn't sit there and torture herself with thoughts of him, with wishes of what could have been, of what should have happened, of cursing StarClan above and the Devils below for taking him from her so early. In the loss of Blazestar, she had lost a piece of herself, but RainClan would remain unaffected. She had not, against all odds, brought her drama back home with her.

The Clan would be spared. Her parents would be spared. Russetpaw would be spared. Eyes watering, Roselight looked away from him, not able to lessen her pride enough to show him how deeply she was touched by his words - even that little spike of humor at the end was enough to thaw the cold conviction she had been holding in her heart, having expected Banishment no matter what. Drawing in a shaky inhale, the she-cat blinked again, eyes closing a moment as she swiped a paw away to get rid of any teary droplets. Once any outward signs of weepy relief and disbelief were gone, Roselight could face him again, bowing her head low in earnest deference to the RainClan deputy.

He had surprised her. He had shown her a better nature she had never imagined him to possess. Though this situation was infused with pain, unable to separate the loss she had suffered in the wake of Blazestar's death, Roselight would be able to look back on this moment, and with something almost like fondness.

The world was not so dark. Though the forest had been painted in grayscale ever since she had begun to mourn, the earthy tones were returning to the landscape in light of this almost charitable act from Razorfang. The world was not so dark, not when even the coldest amongst them could sometimes show a little unsuspecting warmth.

---

Word Count: 608
Notes: Should they go hunting after this? ^^ Maybe I can bring in Russetpaw and all three of them can go hunting?

[Insidious]

(OOC: Yeah, hunting is a good idea! If they're with Russetpaw, Roselight will see yet another side of Razorfang she's unfamiliar with. ^^. In my post, I'll have Razorfang notice him astray and gesture him over. It's just the kind of thing he'd do since he'll get awkward again under Roselight's thank you's. xD.)

Perhaps, Razorfang hadn't realized exactly how much this secret had meant to the cream furred feline. He didn't expect anything less than an outburst of sincere thank you's from Roselight due to him deciding to keep her cross-clan romance to himself, but, it didn't lessen the fact that he would have been just as content, if not more, had she refrained from acting with high levels of gratitude. Still, out of politeness toward the she-cat's words, he nodded solemnly in response. In all honesty, he didn't see any reason to be deserving of a thank you. It was his fault entirely that Roselight had gotten so terribly worried over news of her romance with Blazestar reaching the ears of Sandstar. He was a deputy, though. He couldn't allow himself to forget that; to forget the importance behind him taking care of his duties. What cat didn't, on occasion, see a reason to bend the code, though? Roselight may have acted in treason toward RainClan, her love for a feline of a separate clan presenting clear betrayal. Despite the truth behind this particular thought: how entirely grateful her words came across after Razorfang admitting he wasn't going to spread word to Sandstar, was indication enough that RainClan meant a lot to her. That, for Razorfang, was enough to be deserving of a second chance.

Roselight turned away, her paws lightly swiping across her face. A small smirk tugged at the corners of Razorfang's jaw, clear amusement lacing across his expression at the warrior’s attempt to hide the emotions she currently felt. Still, he didn't speak upon it. Instead, at last acknowledging the thank you she had spoken moment's earlier. “You don't have to thank me, Roselight.” There was nothing passed that the deputy could say. To any clear-headed mind, it was apparent that he in fact was deserving of her thanks. These words were spoken, simply because the large, black furred tom-cat had never been the type to appreciate thank you's. Of course, he recognized the importance behind them; being able to express your gratitude toward another cat's actions when called absolutely necessary. It wasn't like he was doing Roselight any favours, though. He expected nothing in return for keeping her secret to himself. He had made a decision based on his own careful interpretation of the situation. Once any cat could get passed the fact betrayal had been dabbled in, they would be able to take recognition of the same faithful behavior that Razorfang had took notice of in Roselight. This was the only time he could recall the RainClan warrior, Roselight, doing anything remotely against the well-being of RainClan. She had made a mistake, this merely being the name Razorfang gave it. He didn't expect that Roselight considered her romance with Blazestar to be a mistake, as well.

A silence began to grow increasingly thicker, the deputy averting his gaze to assure no unwanted awkwardness began to sprout. It was when he averted his gaze, however: a glimpse of familiar, reddish brown fur was detected lingering in the camp. “Russetpaw!” His cold, lowly toned voice rose above that of the whispering level he had used when addressing Roselight. Instead, being replaced with a loud, clear summoning for Russetpaw's ears to detect. Once the soon-to-be-warrior pivoted, Razorfang would signal his approach with the twitch of his black tufted tail and the gesture of his head.

After the tension that had cloaked both Roselight and Razorfang over the past few days... he figured the two of them could use some time to be-rid of those awful thoughts, being replaced with newer ones that inhabited far less darker realms. Of course, the company of Russetpaw tagging along couldn't hurt, either. He figured that Roselight would be interested to witness Russetpaw's progress first-paw.

[Fawn]

Still stuck in the realm of disbelief regarding this unusual situation, Roselight's richly green-blue eyes flickered from the hazel-jawed tom to the ruddy, muscular apprentice he had just summoned before them, Roselight almost unaware that a near-awkward silence had passed just moments before. Working to hastily shove aside her distress - the last thing she wanted was for her overly perceptive cousin to pick up on her grief, not to mention she did not want Russetpaw to have to choose a side between her and his mentor, that just wouldn't be fair to him - Roselight called out a quiet greeting.
"Is that the same tom I used to tell stories to when he was back in the nursery?" She couldn't prevent a purr of fondness from rising to her throat, the normally melodious sound coming out raspy and raw from the emotional white-water-rapids she'd been on for the past six days.

Russetpaw grinned, leaning forward to nuzzle into Roselight's shoulder in a display of kinship, the ruddy tom shifting in his stance so that he was then facing Razorfang, ears fully forward to catch any more words that came tumbling past those lethal pointed teeth of his.
"Hard to believe, huh? I think Mom's even more excited than I am to get my warrior name." The young tom shared a look with his cousin, a chuckle rising from his throat at the absurdity of his statement. Brookrun had to truly be excited to top Russetpaw's usual levels of excitement, and when it came to his ceremony, he was off the proverbial excitement scale.

For some reason, the idea of Razorfang being excited over his own ceremony seemed like both a foreign and familiar notion all at the same time. Maybe I'll ask his mentor about it sometime? Russetpaw still had plans to go find the older tom Razorfang respected so much, and amass as much 'dirt' as he could on that black and brown occasional shadow that seemed to dog at his heels like a carrion bird after a legion of soldiers.
"What's up?" He mewed with innocent casualness, looking up at Razorfang expectantly - he never called him over just to chat, that wasn't the sort of relationship they had. There were very few casual conversations that occurred just for the sake of a casual conversation. No, Razorfang had a purpose for everything he did.

What was puzzling though, for the younger tom, was to see Roselight and Razorfang actually talking to one another. It was funny how two different parts of his world were suddenly colliding, and he hadn't really considered such a thing ever happening before. Are they friends now or something? For the faintest of seconds, the son of Brookrun and Snoweye entertained the notion that they were more than friends, and he nearly sank his teeth into his own tail to stifle the howl of laughter.

HA! What a riot! Those two? He didn't know whether to laugh and declare it a match made in heaven or run away, proclaiming it a match made in hell.

---

Word Count: 505
Notes: xD lol he finds the idea of them being a couple totally hilarious. Until it actually happens. And then he'll ship them until the cows come home.

[Insidious]

The deputy, not wanting to disturb the brief moment shared between Roselight and Russetpaw, remained silent and thoughtful. A tiny curve upward forced a grin across the tom-cat's jaw, amusement toward Roselight's comment flashing in his cold-as-stone eyes. What she was implying by it was true, after all. Since the time they began training six moons ago, Russetpaw had improved greatly. And with the ruddy furred apprentice's training almost at its ending point, Razorfang found himself contemplating what kind of warrior name Russetpaw would fit into. Russetclaw. Russetfur. Although both of them were fine names, he doesn't consider them unique enough to suitably fit the cheerful tom. When the time came, he supposed, Sandstar would make a choice worthy of being Russetpaw's newly found warrior name.

“What's up?” Returning to the present, where it appeared the green eyed stare of Russetpaw was peering up toward his mentor; the hazelnut-masked deputy quickly allowed his gaze to befall the slender frame of Roselight, coming to a conclusion she wouldn't mind an outing with Russetpaw and himself. Maybe in a congratulatory sense. He had to hold his tongue between those creepy teeth of his to assure no unwanted laughter arose and brought Russetpaw's attention toward what was so funny. “Do you have any interest in joining Roselight and I for hunting, Russetpaw? A good opportunity to show her how improved you've become with the passing moons.” Razorfang's black ears pinned forward, smirking down at his apprentice with the smallest trait of pride.

The RainClan deputy was confident in Russetpaw's abilities. When the time finally arrived for him to receive his warrior name, Razorfang figured he'd fit into the role suitably. It was a shame: their training with one another would soon enough be no longer existent. Razorfang, however, didn't doubt that the duo would still likely have a close bond. If that's what you would call it.

[Fawn]

Roselight wouldn't lie. This was a welcomed change of mood and purpose for staying in Razorfang's presence. Now with new-found curiosity as to the bond between her cousin and the RainClan deputy of whom she'd thought had a heart clad in ice, Roselight felt her heart lift with intrigue as Russetpaw responded with a highly pleased expression.
"How many times is this ever going to happen? I get to go hunting with my cousin and my mentor, you'd bet I'll join."

Typical Russetpaw. The whole world was a stage, for a tom like him who had a spirit that was impossible to break and enough compassion to hold all the stars in silverpelt, if given half the chance. For a while, Roselight had once been envious of the warmth and earnest goodness he had radiated like a solar flare, projecting his charismatic, if not mischievous personality out there for the whole world to look at without any concern for the consequences. He's brave, she had realized, far braver than anyone else I know.

There had been, once upon a time, a moment when Salmonfur, her bull-headed, aristocratic father with an inflated sense of his own importance had been the bravest cat she had known. He must be right about everything. Though Roselight was ashamed to say she had shared his opinion on most things, until she had met Henfeather, and left behind her father's elitist ideals, forging her own path and shaping her own thoughts free of his influence.

Even still. Rebelling against her father felt like nothing compared to Russetpaw's behavior on a day-to-day basis. He was taking the world by storm, but he was neither arrogant nor cruel in his methods. Quite the opposite, really. He was taking the world with a grin and a nudge of encouragement for anycat who was trying to climb up behind him.

Is that what eventually got through to Razorfang?

Obviously the tom with the creepily pointed teeth was not as cold-souled as she had previously assumed him to be, but even still, it didn't seem possible, but these two actually seemed to get along and respect one another. Cerulean eyes filled with wonder, Roselight allowed her gaze to shift from her ruddy kinbeast on over to Razorfang, a dip of her head signaling that he should indeed lead the way. She was content with giving her theories a bit more attention, though not without asking a question or two first.

"Are you a strict mentor?" Roselight mewed, figuring she might as well be open about her curiosities, a spark of humor trapped in those blue-green irises as she momentarily snagged the deputy's attention. "Or are you two secretly having too much fun to let anyone else in on it?" Though the latter seemed highly unlikely, it was a statement meant to draw a smile out of her younger cousin, and that was exactly what happened.

A bright laugh from behind her signaled Russetpaw's input. "A little bit of both - can't have fun without the occasional lecture."

"Lectures?" Roselight wasn't surprised, her tone still that of a she-cat being entertained, her words amiable now that she was in the presence of a favorite family member and a cat who had surprised her in every way possible.

Russetpaw had to work hard to keep a straight face.
"Of course the lectures! You have no idea how many times I have to tell Razorfang not to go wandering off or sticking his nose in someplace it doesn't belong. He's got no concept of the buddy-system, either." Merrow-ow-ow-owing at his own ridiculous statement, Russetpaw turned glittering emerald eyes on the hazel and black tom that had a tendency to loom (okay it was more of a hobby, really) over him at every opportunity. The message in his eyes was clear.

We've had our fun times and our not-so-fun times. But I don't regret a second of it.

---

Word Count: 742
Notes: xD Wow, longer than I expected for 6 AM. But here ya go, it's probably God-awful considering how late/early it is, but hey, I tried~

[Insidious]

“Are you a strict mentor?” It was this question that, at last, caused the spine-tingling gaze of the RainClan deputy to be averted from his apprentice and instead, fixated within the depths of Roselight's blue-green eyes. He recognized the humorous glint held within her gaze, though, he still took the question as seriously as it wasn't intended to be taken. Parting his hazelnut jaw, likely in preparation to spill out an hour-long session of his complicated, yet perfected teaching methods – the tom-cat found himself abruptly caught off by an answer on Russetpaw's part. “Lectures?” Roselight questioned again.

Razorfang simply allowed his jaw to click shut, obviously not currently having an open spot to give his own input quite yet. However, once Russetpaw took the initiative to speak further on the concept of lectures, and to even worse, imply he was the one that did the lecturing... Razorfang snorted.

The large, black furred deputy rose to his paws, offering Russetpaw a not-so-gentle nudge in the shoulder, but, his intentions remained generally kind. “You lecture me? Not in this life time.”

[/i][/b] Brushing passed the reddish brown tom, Razorfang put into action the nod he had noticed from Roselight moment's earlier that indicated he take the lead. Briefly, he spared a glance over broad shoulders toward the pair of RainClan felines. A smirk lightly tugged at the corner of his jaw, a cold chuckle rising from his chest in a lowly toned vocal. “You'd best keep up, Russetpaw. You might get lost out there.” His black ears pulled forward, his smirk ever-growing upon his sarcastic comment. “Same goes for you, Roselight.”

And with the flick of his thinly furred tail, the entirety of his muscled frame was swallowed whole by the surrounding greenery; his place slowing a notch as if he was actually seriously concerned about the duo being unable to keep up with him. However, that was far from the case – he simply desired to take his sarcasm upon the topic one step farther.[/blockquote][/size]

[Fawn]

The ruddy tom couldn't hold back a grin and a humorous purr, his body sent lurching thanks to the friendly roughhousing from Razorfang, the almost brotherly response to his silliness something that warmed Russetpaw to the core. He'd never had a brother. Never in a million years would he ever imagine Razorfang to be like a brother to him, but here they were - the Deputy, his cousin, and himself, having a bit of fun and doing their warrior duties.

As if subconsciously aware of the foreboding storm that hung over the whole forest, Russetpaw was suddenly hit with a wave of sentimentality. I hope things can stay like this. Though change was inevitable, the green-eyed tom couldn't help but still hold on to the idea that there would be many more days in which the three of them just enjoyed each other's company. Though a part of him realized it could never last, that would never stop Russetpaw from keeping a tight grip on a glimmer of hope.

~*~

“You'd best keep up, Russetpaw. You might get lost out there.” His black ears pulled forward, his smirk ever-growing upon his sarcastic comment. “Same goes for you, Roselight.”

The corners of her rosy muzzle lifted into a smirk, broadening into a wane grin as Razorfang even slowed down as though serious, like a mother duckling making sure all of her fuzzy little offspring were in their single-file line. "Oh I think we'll be alright - we've got the deputy with us, after all. I'm sure he'd herd us back if we ever got lost." She replied coolly, slipping through the snow-covered undergrowth after their dark-furred second-in-command. The she-cat's left ear swiveled in Russetpaw's direction as the ruddy tom sought to pass her by, intending to catch up with his mentor, no doubt, and Roselight nipped him as he went by.

Russetpaw chuckled. "Last one's a slow-slug!"

[/color] he murmured, and flicked the tip of Roselight's petal-pink nose with the end of his plumed tail, snickering as her cerulean eyes seemed to spark with blue-green fire.

Oh he did NOT!

Silently plotting revenge, Roselight took a good-natured swipe at one of Russetpaw's back legs, the tom springing in bunny-like fashion to avoid her well-aimed strikes. He grinned when her light attack proved unsuccessful, emerald eyes smug. "You really are a slow-slug! Who taught you how to fight again?"

The she-cat snorted dryly, eyes narrowing into dangerous - but still playful - slits. "Well that's it then, Russetpaw! As soon as we're done hunting, you'll be eating snow. You, me, the Sand Bar after this." To be clear, Roselight has always intended to do a bit of battle training with her headstrong, charismatic cousin. It wasn't that she doubted his mentor's abilities, it was more along the lines of her wanting to see his improvement for herself.

It was better to watch him fight in a controlled environment, against HER even, than to give him the benefit of the doubt only to watch him fall in times of war. Conscious once more of Razorfang's bond with Russetpaw, Roselight extended the invitation of a match to the RainClan deputy;
"You're welcome to watch or participate, if you'd like." Mewed the warrior with kind formality. Under normal circumstances, she'd suppose he would have better things to do or even some other cats to spend his time with, but it involved his apprentice.

His status as a mentor was on the line, you could say. Roselight doubted he'd ever miss such an opportunity to see Russetpaw putting all of his teachings to good use.

---

Word Count: 661
Notes: None~
[/size][/blockquote]

[Insidious]

Since the tom-cat had been in the lead, he hadn't had the initiative to turn his head over muscled shoulder blades and receive a bird's eye view of the play-session seeming to occur between Roselight and Russetpaw. However, his black ears managed to successfully swivel backward, desiring to detect their words with a more clear alertness. “You really are a slow-slug! Who taught you how to fight again?” From what Razorfang could pick up without the usage of his sight: Roselight had attempted a swipe at the tom for... whatever it was he did. And, Russetpaw had been able to avoid it. The tom-cat allowed a half-grin to form across his hazelnut jaw, thoroughly pleased that the tom-cat's reaction time had quickened to a point where not even a warrior such as Roselight was able to get away with a swipe at him.

“Is Russetpaw being a bother, Roselight?” The deputy asked, a clear sarcasm lingering in his tone as the deputy's pace slowed to be even with Russetpaw's own. For a moment, gray-green fixated within the depths of Russetpaw's brighter green, narrowing his stone-cold eyes as if he was disappointed, though that was far from the case. “Respect your warriors, Russetpaw.” It was difficult to hold back the deputy's need for a cold eruption of laughter, but he managed suitably by clamping his tongue firmly between those lethal teeth of his.

"Well that's it then, Russetpaw! As soon as we're done hunting, you'll be eating snow. You, me, the Sand Bar after this." The deputy's tail flicked in amusement: the thought of the pair of cousins partaking in a real spar against one another pricking an interest in Razorfang's mind. "You're welcome to watch or participate, if you'd like." Taking recognition of the fact it was now he that Roselight was addressing, the hazelnut jawed tom-cat allowed his head to twist over broad shoulders to establish eye contact with the rosy furred she-cat. “It'd be my pleasure. I haven't gotten the chance to witness Russetpaw in spar against any feline other than myself.” Fixating his attention upon Russetpaw again, he gestured the reddish brown tom's attention toward Roselight. “Think you're up for the challenge?”

[Fawn]

“It'd be my pleasure. I haven't gotten the chance to witness Russetpaw in spar against any feline other than myself.”[...]“Think you're up for the challenge?”

"Chh - of course! It's Roselight, and I've haven't exactly been lazing around since I first became your apprentice. I think I can handle it!"

[/color] Came Russetpaw's goodnatured boasting, a grin stretching across his muzzle.

"You should be careful not to underestimate your opponents, Russetpaw." She responded with a lady's composure, provoking a chuckle out of Russetpaw, cerulean orbs latching onto the hazel and black tom who had been training her cousin for the past six moons, a note of quiet pride hiding within the confident words she followed up with. "With all due respect, Razorfang, you have not seen me spar with anyone either. I don't want to say you'll be pleasantly surprised, but I have no plans to disappoint."

She wasn't saying that just to put on a good show for the feline in front of her, Roselight was never the one to bend over backwards for the sake of attention or praise. She was saying it more out of a genuine sense of pride in her abilities and the confidence that her skills had not dulled, despite her time spent out of the apprentices' den staying further in the past with each passing day.

Though she was by no means a battle-hungry cat, Roselight had a dignified preparedness about her that was a mistake to underestimate, and it might prove to be Russetpaw's biggest regret in their upcoming spar; viewing her as the older-sister type and not the genuine RainClan warrior she was. Roselight could be as fierce as a rushing river, as cold as the stones that dwelt beneath it's surface, as unwavering as a waterfall. Leaving Russetpaw to roll his eyes teasingly and knock her shoulder with his own, Roselight looked once more to Razorfang, cream-furred jaw opening as though she might speak again, but thought better of it.

She had been about to ask him if he wouldn't mind participating in the sparring match - having an actual battle with her, but Roselight had momentarily come back to her senses. Did she really want to invoke the deputy's ire? Though she was certain he knew the difference between a mock battle and a real one, Roselight couldn't help but be exceptionally weary and none-too-keen on the idea of going against him.

Those TEETH...

---

Word Count: 444
Notes: xD lol Sharkboy over there has some seriously scary chompers.
[/size][/blockquote]

[Insidious]

Razorfang kept a keen ear tuned into the exchanges between the duo of RainClan cousins, a smirk decorating his hazelnut jaw at their mockery of one another's battle technique. "With all due respect, Razorfang, you have not seen me spar with anyone either. I don't want to say you'll be pleasantly surprised, but I have no plans to disappoint." This caught his attention. As the combat-oriented deputy he very much so was, it was always an intriguing day when a fellow feline brought up the words 'him' and 'pleasantly surprised' in a conversation of spar.
He chuckled, though not out of doubt in Roselight's words. Twisting his head over muscled shoulder blades, he fixated his gray-green stare upon the she-cat. “I'll be the judge of that.” Flashing Roselight a half-grin, he returned his attention frontwards.

All this talk of battle; Razorfang had nearly forgotten they were, at the moment, supposed to be embarking on a hunt. They could easily ditch the task and instead, change their routes to the Sand Bar. As deputy, however, the black furred warrior was determined to supply a meal to their prey pile before allowing the trio to partake in a friendly spar.

Halting and protruding his neck, the tom-cat analyzed the air with the usage of sharpened senses deep within his nasal cavities. A faint scent of mouse could be caught mingling with the usual fragrance of NightClan territory, tempting his direction in a curved, left angle.
Razorfang flicked Russetpaw in the side with his obsidian tail, “More talk of the Sand Bar can be saved for after the hunt. Let us put your tracking abilities to the test.”

Allowing himself to fall behind the reddish brown apprentice, he flanked himself beside the creamy furred she-cat, instead. “Watch and learn.” his tone was accompanied with a tinge of confidence in Russetpaw's abilities, lightly nudging Roselight in the shoulder before befalling the figure of Russetpaw with his piercing gaze.

A claw in the face, it'd be, if Russetpaw happened to fail in this particular occasion. Especially, since he had just been bordering a session of bragging with the cousin of his apprentice.

[Fawn]

Even before Razorfang had started speaking to him, Russetpaw had scented the mouse. It was unusual for a RainClan cat to get so excited over warm-blooded prey, but Russetpaw wasn't your typical apprentice - having been trained to hunt land animals as well as hone his skills on the riverbanks. The much higher degree of difficulty land-hunting had possessed for the young tom had been more than enough to make him rise to the challenge, and after many many sunrises and sunsets of practice, Russetpaw had grown confident in his stalking, tracking and catching abilities that even being made to perform in front of another cat besides his mentor couldn't deter him.

Slipping into a much more careful, quiet-footed stance, the muscular russet tom slid forward, suddenly ignorant to the rosy-hued she-cat and the dark-furred deputy he was leaving behind. Utterly focused upon his catch, Russetpaw stopped and tasted the air twice before he was able to pinpoint the mouse's location exactly, finding the creature usually sighted only in fair weather to be poking around a fallen branch from one of RainClan's few sturdy trees.
He could hear it's bloodbeat in his ears, and he made certain of his position, careful to not let the thick plume stock still behind him brush against anything that might alert the mouse to his presence.
Mice are likely to hear and feel you through the ground before they can see you, he recalled one such lecture, and it was with a lot more poise, grace and instinct than he'd shown all those moons back when trying to cross the river.

Rather than slip and fall and bash his jaw in, Russetpaw lunged with practiced accuracy, swooping down upon the mouse like a red-feathered hawk, a swift bite to the back of the mouse's tiny neck enough to stop it from moving ever again. Satisfied with both his catch and the thrill that shot through him, Russetpaw picked it up by it's tail and sauntered back over, fixing Roselight with a challenging stare as though to say hah! Beat that!

~*~

Wanting to give Russetpaw some space, Roselight's quiet steps had slowed to an eventual stop, the she-cat keeping her ruddy-furred cousin in her sights as Razorfang's words came spiraling back to her.

“Watch and learn.”

So she did. Though hunting was not her favorite activity, that wasn't to say she couldn't recognize talent when it was staring her right in the face, and Roselight watched, with attentive cerulean orbs fixed upon Russetpaw's lean, healthy form. Despite how much they had...not quite seen eye-to-eye at the start of their training, Roselight was quickly beginning to see how well-suited they had been as mentor and apprentice all along. Russetpaw was hunting alright, and he was actually quite good, not sloppy or lead-footed like some RainClan cats could be when trying to hunt out of their element, so many having grown lazy with using only their eyes and their sharp reflexes to snatch fish from the river.
Russetpaw showed no signs of that, however, and hunted like a true TreeClan cat! Well, that was the best comparison she could make. Perhaps that had a little something to do with his lineage?

Though her parents were loath to talk about it, and had only mentioned it once, apparently they descended from an ancient and noble leader of TreeClan who had once gone by the name of Sunstar, which also meant that they were directly linked with TreeClan's current leader, Lionstar, Sunstar's well-known descendant. Perhaps it was a little TreeClan blood, that contributed to Russetpaw's hunting talents?

Well, perhaps that would be undermining Razorfang's teaching abilities. When Russetpaw caught the mouse and came sauntering back, a smile flickered across Roselight's pale muzzle, and she gave him a fond lick of the ear when he was close enough.
"Well done, I think we can keep you." Teased the feline, tail swaying gently behind her. "Have either of you done any hunting in the mist?" This question was for both toms, the inquiry having occurred to her as she thought of how often, in the early early mornings, a blanket of mist would sometimes hover over the river and would obscure their view of the fish. Obviously the same could be said of mist in the forest?