[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:999999]Featherpaw[/smear:ffffff]

~~~~~~~~~~~

She had no idea where she was anymore. Two days ago, she'd run into a tom who she thought might be able to help her. And by run into, she meant almost fell off a cliff and was saved by. An aggravated snort escaped her as she pulled herself to her paws. Every muscle in her body was stiff, her paws were raw, and she was cold everywhere. She couldn't understand how the mountains could be so different at different times of the day. As the day wore on, the heat rose higher and higher, boiling you if you tried to walk outside. At night, the temperature dropped so low it became almost unbearable. She had spent two nights in the stupid mountains now, two nights in cold temperatures. Two night of getting little to no sleep. Her eyes burned as she stalked out from under a small overhang.

With a groan, the she-cat trudged outside. For two days now, she'd been searching for the tom she'd had an argument with. They had stalked off away from each other, both fuming. After a few hours of time alone, the silver she-cat begrudgingly realized she needed his help. She had to find a way to convince him to change his mind. It was for this reason that she had set out to find him. Now she was regretting her decision. She hadn't found him yet. There were plenty of scents of him. She had followed them to this point, but she would wear herself out before she could find him.

A sharp pang hit her. She missed TreeClan. She missed Lionstar and Silverpaw. Missed her friends, the familiar territory. Three days seemed closer to a lifetime to the she-cat. All she wanted was to return home. With a heavy sigh, she opened her jaws, drawing in the scents around her. She could pick up many things, from rabbits, to other cats. And of course, there was his scent. Part of her told her she should hunt, but she wasn't hungry. It was for this reason that she set off after his scent, nose low in case she might miss something.

She wasn't sure how long she had travelled. Her paws were sore, but they were sore all the time now. All she knew was that eventually, his scent pooled around her, from everywhere. Blue eyes widening suddenly, she hesitated. It took her a moment, but her resolve returned and she stood tall. Her paws were steady on a rock as she peered around. He was here somewhere. With the rising sun shining on her back, she called out, her voice strong and unwavering.

"Robinpaw. Or Blue. Or whatever. I know you're here. Care to face me, hm?"

[Fawn]

[Smear:4b77aa]IRONPAW[/smear:0c468a]
12 Moons. Ex-StoneClan Tom.

Getting a full night's rest has proved nearly impossible for the tom who'd had his world shaken up in one sunhigh, and the past two days had been spent with fitful naps and nightmares. As a result of getting so little sleep, Ironpaw had not bothered to hunt much, finding his movements clumsy or his attention span short due to a gradually building fatigue. It wasn't till this morning that some semblance of peace of mind began to trickle into the forefront of his thoughts. If Warhawk was in my position, what would he do? It hurt a little to assume he knew almost nothing of his brother's personality, Ironpaw's chest tightening with the realization that a great deal of his understanding towards the eldest sibling had come from hero worship and his mother's utter adoration of Warhawk. He didn't really know him at all then, did he? Warhawk could've been a more aggressive version of Raccoonmask for all he knew anymore. As if to answer the unease in Ironpaw's heart, the next time he drifted off into an exhausted nap, a vision of the handsome brown hero came before the cat formerly known as Robinpaw. "Ouch! What was that for?" his dream self had exclaimed, hissing out in frustration at a small throb of pain where Warhawk had swatted him, the targeted area being right between his ears. The aggressive older warrior's eyes glinted, and to Ironpaw he looked even stronger than he had during Ironpaw's kithood. "That's for being such a mousebrain, Robinpaw. It was an accident, but Raccoonmask told Smokeface otherwise - so how about you get your blue-furred behind back to the forest and sort this mess out?" Warhawk raised another paw as though to swat him again, and Ironpaw backed up wearily. "But you're dead, even if I solve this, it won't change the fact that we'll never see you again." Ironpaw's heart gave a painful squeeze to voice aloud such truths, burning eyes filling with emotion. It was wonderful to see his brother again, but there was a part of Ironpaw that was aware of the fact that this was all just one big desperate dream. Warhawk's eyes glittered. "After you've lived a long life, you'll see me again - but do this one thing for me, Ironpaw. My kits. Mother seems to be building them up like soldiers and filling their heads with hatred for TreeClan - I worry that even after Smokeface is made to see reason, my kits won't." Ironpaw's whiskers twitched in surprise. Kits? Ironpaw had become an uncle at some point? "But-" "But nothing, little brother. Stop this cycle of hate before it gets any worse. Do this for me, will ya? I don't want to see my kits in StarClan long before they were supposed to get here. So go back, make this right, and give Raccoonmask a pummeling he won't forget in a hurry, alright? I'm counting on you." Before the blue-furred tom could say accept or decline, the dream world was shattered, and the warm morning light flooded into the entrance of Ironpaw's den, a voice having shook him from his nap. Sitting up, semi-long strands of blue-gray fur stuck up in tufts all over his lean muscular body, but no attempt was made by it's owner to fix any of it. Rising to his paws with a sense of conviction and regret, Ironpaw stepped into the light, eyes narrowed into slits as the dawn-shine stung a little. Once his vision had adjusted, Ironpaw was able to refocus on the silver tabby she-cat from before. Should he...apologize for what he'd said back then? Ironpaw's jaw tightened, and he swallowed down that idea, instead giving her a curt nod. "I'm here, now what do you want?" It was a useless statement - they both knew what she wanted - but a shattered sleep schedule had left him both a little grouchy and nonsensical.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:999999]Featherpaw[/smear:ffffff]

~~~~~~~~~

The silver tabby considered moving on to a different location. There had been no sign of the larger blue-gray tom since she'd called him. Her black striped tail flicked back and forth rather impatiently as she awaited any sort of indication that something was alive out here. And then she saw him.

Blue-Robinpaw dragged himself out of some sort of cave, and into the light of day. The surrounding light was bright even to her tired eyes, and the sun was behind her. She couldn't imagine what it was like for the blue tom, having to look into it. Dawn light was bizarre. A fiery red that seemed dull and blinding all in the same instant. And to tired eyes, it was possibly one of the worst kinds of light.

With a dismissive flick of her ear, Featherpaw disregarded the tom's tone of voice. With a snort, the she-cat rolled her eyes. "Oh come now, don't play stupid. You know very well why I'm here." She lowered her hind quarters so that she was sitting on her stone now, watching him with her sharp blue eyes. She met his gaze easily, not at all afraid or embarrassed by his presence. If you asked her, he started it the other day, therefore he had acted childishly first. There was no mark upon her dignity because of that encounter, and that was that.

With a noticeable narrowing of her eyes, she spoke up once more, her voice literally oozing with sarcasm. "Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way? Because I can do both. But I'm not going to leave until you either give me a good reason for refusing, or agree to help. All you have to do is talk to her. Then you can come back to your precious mountain and continue your solitary life as a mysterious and powerful Mountain Cat." Her voice quieted lightly as she muttered to herself. "Don't see why you would want to live here."

[Fawn]

[Smear:4b77aa]IRONPAW[/smear:0c468a]
12 Moons. Ex-StoneClan Tom.

Ironpaw released a derisive snort. "Like I owe you an explanation. Do you know why I'm here in the first place, Silver? My older siblings, Quailflight and Raccoonmask chased me into the mountains because they thought Demon would kill me. They wanted to get rid of me. If that doesn't say 'we don't want you to come home' then I don't know what does." Voice full of bitterness, Ironpaw was dangerously close to ignoring the request of his eldest brother, of 'doing the right thing' and helping this annoying she-cat with her annoying problem that he so badly wanted to believe had nothing to do with him. "There's nothing for me to go back to." Eyes finally adjusting, Ironpaw's yellow-orange gaze settled properly on the dagger-sharp one Featherpaw was giving him, her resolve staring back at him for all the world to see. With a begrudging growl, Ironpaw's tail thumped against the earth once, twice, three times before he wrapped it neatly around his paws. "I don't know what you're expecting me to do, but I'll go sort this mess out. Even if I don't want to, she's still my mother. Tell me something though...Why haven't you asked any of my other siblings? Or all they all a treacherous bunch like the other two?" Bringing up a fair point, the blue feline had gleaned enough of Featherpaw's personality that assuming she would have tried every other avenue before this shot in the dark - so it was a reasonable question. Though... "Well, I guess strolling into StoneClan demanding an audience with my mother or my siblings would've been suicidal." Mused the former Robinpaw after some contemplation. Do I really want to do this? It was a massive step - something he never thought he would do, return back to the Clans, not until most of his siblings and his parents had moved on to StarClan... In the early moons of his banishment, before his name change, the blue kitten had entertained notions of being rediscovered by a family member - someone who would not believe Raccoonmask and Quailflight, someone who would not accept his senseless death and try to find him. Someone. Anyone. But that day never came...and Ironpaw had been forced to move on. It was one of the reasons why he'd changed his name in the first place, to show that he had shed his old bonds and was committed to starting this new life.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:999999]Featherpaw[/smear:ffffff]

~~~~~~~~~~

Featherpaw's tail began a more harsh movement as the tom's words became harsher. But by some miracle, and through clenching her teeth, the silver she-cat managed to hold her tongue, gazing at him evenly. Slowly, the silver she-cat rose to her paws, stepping off of her rock, and onto another one, slightly closer. She kept a distance between them still, as the hardly knew each other. Her blue eyes had something hidden behind them, almost as though there were a hidden sadness there.

"But Demon didn't kill you. You're here, standing right in front of me. You aren't the same cat they chased out, Blue. They spoke of a pudgy kit. You. You are not a kit anymore, and you are anything but pudgy now. Why not go back and show them they couldn't beat you. You're better than them. You can't just give up because something bad happens. I lost my sister when we were kits. My mom never recovered from losing one of her kits. I might as well be dead too. She doesn't pay attention to me anymore. It was like I lost both my mother and sister those eight or so moons ago. But I didn't give up. I've been fighting, training as hard as I can to become a warrior, to make those who do care about me proud. All the ones who don't care about me? Fine, that's their problem, not mine. You can beat your brothers, Blue."

She fell silent for a moment, before giving a slight dip of her head. "That's all that I can ask, to give it a try. And you pretty much have the reasoning behind why I didn't go after one of your siblings down. It's hard to just barge into StoneClan territory and expect everything to work out fine, no matter how patient the new StoneClan leader is."

Featherpaw suddenly felt a warmth of pride flood through her. Had she actually done it? Managed to convince this tom to come back to the Clans, to hopefully settle this blood feud once and for all? There was only one way to truly find out. "So.. You'll really come back with me? And if so... When can you be ready to leave?"

[Fawn]

[Smear:4b77aa]IRONPAW[/smear:0c468a]
12 Moons. Ex-StoneClan Tom.

Ironpaw had never exactly viewed his refusal to return to the Clans as giving up before, and the seemingly bland words of the silvery TreeClanner in front of him started to take effect, turning the cold, painful yellow-green eyes of the once-apprentice into a disgruntled look of astonishment. Having unknowingly needed her unique point of view on the situation, Featheraw's words cemented into place his commitment to the task - in his heart was still a certain amount of hesitation that came from fear and a lack of being immersed in society, but he came from strong stock. He would get through this. He'd survived being chased into the mountains with no actual hunting or fighting abilities - he could survive a couple of large groups of cats, right? A twinge of sad understanding had arisen once Featherpaw had decided to share some of her own unfortunate past moments, and he could hardly imagine what it felt like to be ignored or forgotten by a parent when you were right there in front of them. To have been lost and told to be dead was one thing, to be living and walking and talking and needing a parent right in front of your mother or father, and they still regarded you as though you were only a stone or a piece of bark on a tree... That was harsh. He didn't care to admit it out loud, but Ironpaw was starting to get the feeling that perhaps she had been a little worse off, when it comes to crappy family members. Well, her mother didn't try to kill her - but this was still damaging. Becoming reserved with his words, following the shift of solemnity into pride on the other she-cat's face, Ironpaw became aware of just how...worn out he felt from his fitful night's sleeping. We can leave tomorrow, if I rest most of today...but there's no guarantee I can even still sleep properly. "We can leave as soon as we've hunted. It's a long trip isn't it? So let's catch something before we go running off into the sunset." Already he began to stretch, muscular limbs growing taut as he paid attention to both the back and the front, rolling his shoulders and smoothing down an unruly tuft of fur on his broad chest and shoulder. Before he set off in search of a few succulent rabbits, Ironpaw was of the opinion that he needed to correct a little something first. "You can call me Ironpaw, by the way. I stopped calling myself Robinpaw almost 8 moons ago." With finally telling this persistent, admittedly trying she-cat his new name, it felt to the blue-furred mountain cat that they were finally turning over a new leaf. Or that perhaps, this was going to be the start of something exciting. Dangerous and difficult - but exciting.

OOC: Hey Bloo, I figured we could skip the actual hunting, and start with them making their way towards TreeClan - they can play twenty questions while they travel.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:999999]Featherpaw[/smear:ffffff]

~~~~~~~~~~~

The silver she-cat straightened slightly as the tom spoke of hunting before they left. This meant that she had won, and that they really were going to return to the Clans and perhaps end this feud for good. A smile cracked the she-cat's lips, replacing the hard stare that had been in place the moment she'd met this tom. It lit up her face, momentarily banishing the coldness that always seemed present in her eyes. It seemed impossible, due to their chilling blue color, but for a moment, they glowed with warmth. Featherpaw forced herself to hold back a purr, however, instead giving him a sharp nod of agreement.

"Hunting is a good idea. Admittedly i haven't eaten for a while now. It would do us both good to get some food before the journey back. It is a fairly long one." She paused for a moment, before continuing. "You'll have to get us off the mountains though... All I did was follow your scent to find you. I have no clue where we are. From there, I can lead us back, I know it."

Her blue eyes flashed with interest as the tom spoke up once more, telling her his name. Ironpaw... She thought to herself, unfamiliar with the prefix, but fully aware that he had kept the apprentice suffix, almost as though he were still part of a Clan. She would perhaps ask him of the origin of his new name some other time. For now, they had a task ahead of them. And she had a little something to tell him. With a flick of her tail she flashed him a slight grin. "Among the Clans, I'm known as Featherpaw." She offered, before tossing her head in some direction. "Shall we?"

----

The silver she-cat could still feel the warmth of the rabbits they had managed to catch. It filled her with a strength for which she was grateful. She couldn't imagine trying to make the journey on an empty stomach. She bounded from rock to rock, her paws growing more raw with every step, it seemed. The sun was hot on her back. Her coat was lighter than Ironpaw's, both in color and density. She couldn't imagine how he survived underneath that fur. She thought about asking him, but they'd been mostly silent since catching the rabbits earlier.

Silver and black tail whisking back and forth to hold her balance, the silvery she-cat cast a glance beside her, towards the tom she now found herself travelling with. FInally, the silence became too much for her, and Featherpaw opened her mouth to speak. "Why did you decide to change your name? And... Why Ironpaw? What is... 'Iron'?" Her blue eyes shone with genuine interest as she kept her gaze fixed on the tom. She made certain that she was still very aware of her surrounding, not wanting to suddenly trip on something. How embarrassing would that be?

Not nearly as embarrassing as almost falling off a cliff.

[Fawn]

[Smear:4b77aa]IRONPAW[/smear:0c468a]
12 Moons. Ex-StoneClan Tom.

Featherpaw huh? Does that even fit? Such a soft name for a she-cat who was hardly soft at all - not of words and not of gesture, that was for sure. He couldn't really argue about it, however. When Featherpaw had been Featherkit, how was her mother supposed to know she'd turn out like this? Kit names were usually based on appearances or assumptions, and sometimes...those assumptions were wrong. His own original name had been accurate at the time, he supposed, but it hardly represented the cat he had become; already musing over the significance of names when Featherpaw finally spoke up, his expression did not hold much surprise at the topic. Ironpaw's muzzle lifted as he let out a snort, as if his name was not at all unusual and she was just ignorant, the amber-orange glitter of his gaze revealing he meant no animosity towards her for the question. "Iron is kind of like a really hard, dark stone. Apparently you can find it in these mountains, and Crow, the cat who taught me everything I know, suggested I use it instead." The blue-furred tom's gait increased slightly until he took a running jump over a large boulder, wind pressing the copious dark hair against a well-muscled but scarred body. "As for why," rearing up on his hind legs, the tom waved his forepaws as though to mimic flapping. "Do I really look like a robin to you? It just didn't fit anymore. Robinpaw was some pudgy, spoiled kitten with a perfect family - Ironpaw is someone else entirely." Even if no one understood it, the former StoneClan tom was very proud of his name, he was proud of the cat he had become. Well, mostly. The sudden shaking of his foundation by the arrival of Featherpaw was leaving him a little out of sorts and feeling a tad guilty, but hopefully that would all pass once this mess was properly cleaned up. If it could be cleaned up. "So what makes this Lionstar so special to you?" Mewed Ironpaw, directing a question towards her that he was honestly curious about. Going off into the mountains on a whim to save a cat with nine lives was a pretty crazy story...

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:999999]Featherpaw[/smear:ffffff]

~~~~~~~~~~~

As the TreeClan apprentice bounded from rock to rock, traversing the mountainous territory she hated so much, she listened intently to the explanation Ironpaw gave her surrounding his name. Interest sparked in her gaze, ears pivoted to listen to his every word. It was interesting to hear about this iron... It must be quite strong, if it is a really hard stone... She thought to herself, ice blue eyes blinking. Then it came time for the blue-gray tom to answer the why part of her question.

To begin, confusion reigned on the she-cat's features as the tom reared up onto his powerful hind legs, maneuvering his front legs in a manner she didn't often see from a cat. And then, he spoke, understanding hitting her and causing the silver she-cat to laugh. It was a sound that was difficult to describe. Her voice was feminine, borderline elegant even, but it was sharp due to her attitude. Her laugh, however... it was beautiful, a soft ring, like that of the first timid bird call in the earliest hours of the morning. A true natured laugh such as this one from the silver she-cat seemed to caress with the softness of a down feather.

She had heard him ask his question to her, about Lionstar, but her reaction to his earlier statement had been delayed. She laughed for a moment longer, before managing to calm herself enough to speak, though her laughter was still ever so slightly present in the jovial way in which she spoke. "Sorry! I just caught what you meant with the whole Robinpaw thing. That's funny. As for what makes Lionstar special to me..." She averted her gaze, pretending as though she were stepping over a particularly tricky stone. Really she was hoping her wouldn't notice the embarrassment that had flooded her gaze.

"He's just... Been a great leader, a great mentor and..." She hesitated for a moment, before adding. "An amazing brother-figure." Hoping to change the subject as quickly as possible, the silver she-cat launched another question his way. "Did you honestly never once think of returning?"

[Fawn]

[Smear:4b77aa]IRONPAW[/smear:0c468a]
12 Moons. Ex-StoneClan Tom.

Oh. Now he understood how her prefix could possibly hold any relation to the silvery she-cat walking by; her laugh was beautiful, almost like the melodious trill of some exotic bird or something. Distracted by the sound, Ironpaw gradually got his head out of the clouds when Featherpaw began to explain her whole reason behind all of this. Why's she acting so awkward about it then? Had it been a stupid question? Aware of her slightly avoiding his gaze, Ironpaw smirked - it was almost cute, even if he didn't know why. "Did you honestly never once think of returning?" Thrown for a loop, Ironpaw scowled by default, looking past Featherpaw to the wilderness beyond as they walked, thinking best how to phrase his answer. "Of course I did," he finally mewed after a short span of silence between the two travelers, "but the more I thought about it, the less it seemed like a good idea. After all, Raccoonmask and Quailflight could always try to kill me again - heck, for all I knew maybe my other siblings were in on it as well? Not to mention I didn't really grow up in StoneClan. I grew up in the nursery." Memories of that den full of the warm scent of milk and drowsy kittens floated to the forefront of Ironpaw's mind like a hazy cloud, a little hard to make out details, but it was all still there. "I was chased out the morning after my apprentice ceremony - so I have no idea what StoneClan territory actually looks like. They promised to take me out hunting first so I could impress my mentor..." He trailed off, voice black, before the tom coughed as though to dislodge any bitter feelings currently stuck in his throat. "Well I'm sure you can guess the rest." It was obvious to him now that he had spoken about the incident, having not had to share that black day with anyone for the past 4 or 5 moons, that Ironpaw was in a weird state of limbo. He was neither a Clan cat nor a complete loner, dwelling somewhere in the land of indecision and displacement, not knowing where he belonged, only where he didn't.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:999999]Featherpaw[/smear:ffffff]

~~~~~~~~~

With a somber nod, the silver tabby's gaze turned to her paws as she scrabbled over a rather large rock. She couldn't help but think about how horrible it must have been. To be chased out by his own siblings... She'd lost her sister at a young age, but she could imagine that it would be one of the ultimate betrayals. Probably pretty high up there, along with ignored by your own mother...

Shifting her thoughts away from depressing pasts, Featherpaw wondered if they were approaching the forest at all. She was excited for the feel of the soft earth beneath her paws, rather than this horrible stone ground. She wondered how cats like Ironpaw, or any StoneClan cats, for that matter, could possibly stand to live on terrain like this one. She felt as though her paws were going to rip open at any moment, and she'd only been walking on it for three or so days.

As the pair continued trekking across the mountainous terrain, Featherpaw contented herself with answering his questions. It became pretty apparent that he hadn't had many others to speak to in recent moons, for his curiosity seemed to hold no bounds. In truth, however, the silver TreeClanner didn't really mind the questions. They were interesting for her, and aided to pass the time, because she needed to think of the answer for each one.

When the sun began to sink below the horizon, the pair decided to hunt and settle down for the night. Licking her lips to get the remaining scraps of rabbit, Featherpaw stretched her tired limbs, glad to finally be off of her paws. They throbbed slightly, but the ache was pleasant when she gave them a good stretch. As she settled down to sleep, tucking her paws beneath her, and wrapping her tail tightly around herself (remembering how cold the temperatures got at night), Featherpaw's voice spoke up in a tone that was uncharacteristically soft for her. She wasn't sure if Ironpaw was still awake, but she figured she would say it anyway.

"Good night, Ironpaw. And... Thanks for not letting me fall the other day..."

~.~.~

Featherpaw was roused the next morning by her large blue-gray travelling companion. After a quick meal (which, to her slight dismay, he'd already caught for them), the silvery she-cat found herself trekking across the terrain once again. The pair walked for a good amount of time, a few words exchanged between them now and again. Featherpaw, however, was not exactly a morning cat, so it took her about an hour to finally wake herself up enough to carry out a decent conversation.

She had long since lost track of how much time had gone by, when the forest came into view. With an excited half-squeal, Featherpaw's pace quickened as she half-sprnted, half-bounded towards the TreeClan border, calling over her shoulder. "Come on Ironpaw! That's TreeClan's border! We're almost there!"

The she-cat was nothing more than a streak of silver fur as she darted towards the border. I'm home! I'm finally home again!

[Fawn]

"Hey wait!"

A serious sense of caution that came with living by himself for so long left Ironpaw to gawk after Silverpaw with a sense of alarm, watching her dash for the border that smelled more strongly of the forest then anything he'd come across thus far, as well as an underlying scent of some large, aggressive tom that had passed through recently. Could that have been the Lionstar Featherpaw revered and respected so much? Padding after her with an apprehensive hunter's crouch, the lack of rock beneath his paws left him feeling a little out of his element, the dark blue tom allowing the strength to pool into his limbs so that he could pursue his pretty silvery companion with ease.

This place smells weird...

Ironpaw had not been prepared for the overwhelming aroma of so many cats seeming to have congregated in one place, the loner able to latch onto the stench of this morning's patrol, last night's and the evening before that one, each one sending a message that a different TreeClan cat had been here. What was even more startling for the blue-gray ex-Clanner, however, was nearly getting trampled as something small and silvery shot past him with all the squeally speed of a squirrel on some sort of sugar high - pouncing on Featherpaw with what he was sure was a move meant to cave in her shoulders. Snarling, his blood lit itself on fire and he darted for the small silver she-cat, intending to pounce and pin her down - until he realized that Featherpaw was fine. She wasn't under attack, she was being greeted by some sort of hyperactive cat he probably didn't want to get to know. Not to mention she'd crushed his paws practically bowling him over to reach the apprentice he'd been traveling with.

Ironpaw hung back, awkward and uncertain of what the proper behavior was, his chin held high, chest out, expression serious.

~*~

"Featherpaw! Featherpaw you're HOME!"

Silverpaw had practically flown down from the last branch of a neighboring tree and all but mauled Featherpaw (in an affectionate way, mind you), her teeth showing as she grinned in delight, rubbing the top of her head and the length of her body against her best friend's shoulder and flank, feeling as though she might literally burst from a mixture of relief and happiness. These past few days had been what Silverpaw could only describe as torture, the fact that she hadn't known what Featherpaw was up to, if she was safe or not, if she'd even survived more than a day had been wreaking hell upon the younger she-cat's mind so deeply she had been doing rather poorly in her lessons and was sleeping less.

In a desperate attempt to find out the truth, Silverpaw had tried to deviate from one of her usual dreams with Goldenwing, but the further she got from Goldenwing, the more she found herself sent back to her original starting position, apparently not allowed to wander beyond whatever limited space her similarly named ancestor chose to visit during that particular dream. Lionstar too had been moody and grouchy, as if he'd gotten a thorn stuck somewhere no one could reach and it had gradually been getting more painful. Silverpaw couldn't help but grin, leaf-green eyes filled to the brim with a happiness that was hard to describe, even if she'd had all the vocabulary of StarClan cats and a hundred moons to do so.

"Oh you just wait until Lionstar sees you! He's going to be so happy - well, so mad but mostly happy! I'm just so glad you're finally back! Are you okay? Did you eat anything? Did you run into Demon?" Not a stammer could be heard in the elated vocalizations of the leader's younger half-sister, having no reason to be awkward or cautious with the she-cat she practically told everything to. Sure, there was some bluish gray shape she'd passed by in her efforts to reach Featherpaw - but she could get to him later, whoever he was.

Because as of right now, Silverpaw could hardly be concerned with anycat that wasn't her best friend in the whole forest.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:999999]Featherpaw[/smear:ffffff]

~~~~~~~~~

Needless to say, the silver she-cat had been completely unprepared for the sudden weight that crashed into her side, causing her legs to buckle beneath her, and sending her crashing into the ground. For a moment, there was nothing but a bundle of silver fur as Featherpaw rolled, muscles tensed in alarm. It was then, however, that a familiar scent came rushing in, much like the owner of the scent had but moments before.

"Silverpaw!" The taller of the two similarly colored she-cats squealed, her voice quickly turning into a rumbling purr as she returned the affectionate gestures being offered. The feel of Silverpaw's fur sent a spark of recognition through her that felt right, a concrete reminder letting her know that she was home again, and that everything was going to be fine. She knew that Lionstar would have many stern words to offer her, disappearing like that without a trace, but the silver she-cat didn't seem to care at all. She was home again. Her best friend was here again. And she would get to see her mentor again.

"Silverpaw! I'm fine, really!" The she-cat purred, her voice reaching a note of pure joy and excitement that rendered her usually slightly harsh tone into one that closely resembled the softness of the elements she was named after. "I've eaten quite well! The prey is different up there, though, probably something like what StoneClan eats. The mice taste different! More... More rocky, almost! That sounds weird, but whatever! I didn't meet Demon, thank StarClan! But I did meet someone else! I almost fell of a cliff at some point. It gets seriously hot up there during the day! And ridiculously cold at night! I can't wait to curl up in my own nest tonight, beside yours! I didn't enjoy the cold one bit! Almost as bad as Leafbare! I can't imagine what it's like up there in Leafbare!"

The silver apprentice had begun to ramble, but she didn't seem to particularly care. She bent slightly, pressing the top of her head to her friend's shoulder and rubbing softly, all the while purring, her elated state clear as day and night. After the two had spent quite a few moments completely caught up in seeing each other again, Featherpaw stepped back slightly (although not too far, as though she never wanted to leave her friend's side ever again), her head swinging in the direction of the large blueish tom who stood awkwardly not far away.

"Silverpaw, this is Robinpaw. Now, however, he goes by the name Ironpaw. He did a lot of the hunting for the both of us when he was around, and.... He sorta... Sorta saved me from falling off that cliff, so really... You can probably thank him for the fact I'm still here." She said, rather sheepishly, giving the tom a slight smile, which turned into that elated grin once she glanced at her best friend.

[Fawn]

Completely forgotten in light of this unexpected reunion between - friends? Sisters? He had no idea - Ironpaw remained on guard, though felt a tiny bit more at ease now that the apparent danger had passed. So this is TreeClan. Well...the name was a bit...

...blunt?

It was a little too blunt for his tastes, and a dozen different versions of the same name filled his head, Ironpaw's dark orange gaze sweeping upward and into the treetops, head tilted, chin pointing skyward. ForestClan would've sounded a bit more impressive, wouldn't it? TreeClan made it sound like they all lived inside one giant tree.

...They didn't, right?

It was this lack of information about the Clans that made it seem as though his giant tree theory wasn't quite as far fetched as he thought it was; when Featherpaw finally turned the topic of conversation (which was one big rambling mess, from the snippets he'd caught) over to him, Ironpaw instinctively straightened, tufted ears swiveling to catch her exact words. To be honest, he was a little surprised that Featherpaw had so readily owned up to how much he'd done for her on this little voyage of theirs, finding her to be somewhat contradictory of personality. When they'd first met, he was certain Featherpaw would've preferred to swallow sharp rocks than admit he'd helped her with anything, and here she was outlining every moment he'd come to her aid or looked out for her in some way.

She must've trusted this Silverpaw more than most, if she was so willing to share this kind of information. With that in mind, Ironpaw turned a scrutinizing gaze upon Silverpaw, meeting the same kind of stare from her pretty leaf-green eyes, his pelt prickling with some discomfort.
"Hello." Mewing awkwardly, he returned the dip of her head in greeting.

~*~

"Thank you for saving my best friend, Ironpaw. I don't know what I'd do without her - now let's get back to camp, okay? Lionstar will want to see you both!"

Flicking her feathery silver tail, the apprentice's warm, purring vocals were interrupted briefly as something flashed across Silverpaw's face, meeting Featherpaw's eye. The silver kitten pressed closer to her friend, murmuring so that the blue tom walking behind them would not hear. "Brace yourself, Featherpaw. It's great that you brought back Ironpaw, but... Well... I'll let Lionstar explain." Even though she was bursting with excitement and practically drowning in relief at having Featherpaw at her side once more (it was like she'd been walking around with three legs, for how off balance and strange she'd felt), Silverpaw couldn't help but be apprehensive for what she knew was coming.

A storm had arrived while Featherpaw had been away, and it had all but destroyed the Clan that had seemingly been made of stone.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:999999]Featherpaw[/smear:ffffff]

~~~~~~~~~

The excitement welling up within the taller of the silver felines was temporarily squashed by the tone of voice used by her younger friend. Her blue eyes filled with questions, but she kept her mouth shut. She glanced over her shoulder, towards the big blue tom who she'd found and brought back. Her sharp blue eyes locked onto his orange eyes, and for a moment, she was quiet, unsure of what she should say. Slowly, however, she allowed a smile to stretch over her silver features. She gave a dip of her head and a wave of her tail before speaking to him.

"Welcome to TreeClan territory, Ironpaw. We're almost at camp. It won't be much further now. Then, hopefully we'll be able to rest a little bit soon. We've had a long journey." Signalling for the larger tom to follow, Featherpaw turned her attention back towards her best friend. She let a silence drift over them, relishing in the soft touch of Silverpaw's fur against hers. She was leaning slightly into her friend, a content sound purring from her throat for a brief moment. Her tail swished gently behind her as the pair padded forward. Her ears were pricked for the sound of Ironpaw following. She knew the trip would be a rather short one back to camp. Then she would be forced to endure whatever wrath Lionstar was to throw her way. She'd gone out to fetch Ironpaw, and there was no way she could take that back now.

The silver feline had to stand by her decision to leave. Her posture shifted slightly, straightening to a height that was closer to her full one. With another glance in her friend's direction, Featherpaw prepared herself for the inevitable encounter with the golden lion of TreeClan.