[Fawn]

[smear:dbb623]EAGLETALON![/smear:cc380a]

62 Moons // Tom // Senior Warrior // StoneClan

Two days' worth of thunderstorms had left StoneClan territory unusually damp. Their world was a lot darker now that the rocks were wet and the earth was slow to begin drying, despite the sun rising high overhead. The sky springs had been turned into a giant wet amalgamation somewhere between marshland and a pond; the apprentices had taken advantage of the cool water (along with some of the younger warriors), and that's where Eagletalon found Vipertail.

He signaled for the young tom to come over.

Shaking off his dark pelt, Vipertail's inquisitive green eyes gleamed with interest.

"Come with me, Vipertail. We're going to teach Heronpaw some more battle training. Up for it?" Eagletalon felt it wise to enlist the help of Heronpaw's brother, who had just recently been made a fully fledged warrior. Eagletalon fully trusted in the skills of Vipertail's mentor, but it never hurt to keep one's muscle memory primed for the unexpected.

Besides, Eagletalon could remember his own training sessions with Fallingstar, back when they'd been apprentices—it had been fun to battle each other. A little sibling rivalry had never hurt. And he trusted Hawkstar's son not to get too carried away when fighting his sister, not that Vipertail struck him as an... exuberant warrior.

But he was young and energetic and that was just what they needed.

"Of course!"

Eagletalon flicked his tail for Vipertail to follow, and together they set off for the sandy plateau.

"Will this take long?" Mewed Vipertail, keeping step with the senior warrior.

"Nah," Eagletalon chuckled. "You'll be back to splashing around in the sky springs in no time. You'll like it even better after a good brawling session, trust me."

There was nothing like training hard, and then cooling off in the sky springs right after. Nothing at all. It was the perfect way to spend Greenleaf.

Having told Heronpaw to meet him at the sandy plateau, Eagletalon looked far ahead of them to the flattened area of rock that was StoneClan's designated training area. Normally, what with the very little amounts of shade their territory actually got, the sandy plateau would be too hot—and believe him when he said having long fur between your toes didn't stop the scorching sand from getting in—to train for more than a few painful seconds.

But the storms had left the sand damp and far more reasonable to stand on. Eagletalon knew better than to let this opportunity slip by.

---
Word Count: 403 Words
Tags: BlooRey DVD
Notes: Battle Training Thread! I hope you don't mind that I borrow Vipertail for a bit. =)

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:87CEFF]Heronpaw[/smear:FAF0E6] ~~~~~~~~~ The cream and white figure sat atop a rock a few tail lengths from the Sandy Plateau. With the sand soaked from the consecutive rainfalls they'd had in recent days, the she-cat had opted to sit elsewhere, lest the damp earth start seeping into her pale pelt as she waited for the arrival of her mentor. Eagletalon had instructed her to meet him here, and the older apprentice could only wonder what it was the the brown tom was up to. Thinking back to some of his previous lessons for her, she couldn't help the little smile that tickled her features. Sliding around on the frozen Sky Pools had to be her favourite training session. The smile fell from her features,and  blue eyes focused on her paws as her ears lay back against her head once more. It all seemed like so long ago, the world had seemed like a much kinder place, despite the harsh cold of Leafbare. In reality, it hadn't been that long ago; Heronpaw was still an apprentice after all. She wondered if that was only because of the injury she'd had to let heal a few moons back, or if it was partially due to her ineptitude. Of course, Eagletalon would never tell her that. But it was infuriating, disheartening even, to be stuck in the apprentice den while your brother got to move to the warrior's den. When they'd first begun training, Heronpaw had always shown the most enthusiasm, the most promise for warriorhood. Now? It would seem that things had changed. And to Heronpaw, it felt as though they had changed for the worst. A heavy sigh rushed out of the she-cat, her sides collapsing with the release of breath as her blue eyes squeezed shut. Perhaps this was all just the lack of sleep talking. Pessimism clung to her pelt with the ferocity of an adder these days, ever since their encounter with the LightningClan patrol a while back. She'd always known the Clans were not the best of friends. But the thought of another Clan doing something unprovoked like that? It had never crossed her mind. She'd been stupid and naive. There was nothing good outside the borders of StoneClan, this is what she'd come to learn. RainClan and LightningClan had once driven StoneClan from their home unprovoked. Now, LightningClan was once more pushing aggressively, without cause. It was despicable. She hated LightningClan. RainClan was barely better. And sure, TreeClan and NightClan hadn't done anything she was aware of yet, but as far as she was concerned? It was only a matter of time. A sound caught her attention, and the apprentice was made aware of a painful tingling in her paws. Her claws whined against the stone at her paws, leaving marks on the surface. Behind her, her tail lashed two and fro, and her jaw ached from the way she'd been clenching it. Roused from her fog of dark thoughts, Heronpaw's head snapped up just as two familiar scents drifted her way. Blue eyes landed on the figure of her mentor, Eagletalon, accompanied by the all too familiar black belt of her brother, Vipertail. Ignoring the claw-prick of jealousy she felt stir in her heart, the she-cat forced her ears to unglue themselves from her head, and rose to her paws. Dropping off her perch, she took a few mindless steps into the Sandy Plateau, and waited for the two toms to join her. Maybe sparring would help her shake some of the vile darkness hovering over her these last few days. One could only hope.

Fawn

[Fawn]

[smear:dbb623]EAGLETALON![/smear:cc380a]

62 Moons // Tom // Senior Warrior // StoneClan

There was something bothering Heronpaw. Even a one-eyed badger could've noticed this; rather than pull the she-cat aside to discuss what was clawing at her (and the reason for her clawing up the rocks), Eagletalon opted to go on ahead with the training session.

Based on prior experience, whenever he or a friend were in a foul mood or just feeling pessimistic, a good battle to get the heartrate up and the blood flowing was exactly what he'd needed to kick his pessimism right out of his head. Sometimes it wasn't so easy, but Eagletalon couldn't think of a single instant where fighting hadn't at least fixed his mood a little bit.

Of course, that was assuming something incredibly dire, incredibly tragic hadn't happened—like the death of someone he cared about, or the battle with StormClan, which were one-in-the-same... But it didn't do anycat any good to dwell on the negatives.

Negative thoughts were like ants; the more you thought about them, the more you saw. And suddenly you'd realized there were ants everywhere and how could get away from them all? If you squish them, they'll just come back. If you move your nest elsewhere, you'll eventually find an ant in your bedding.

A cat could go mad focusing on that kind of thing.

If you didn't dwell on those negative thoughts, they won't seem so overwhelming.

"Look lively Heronpaw," Eagletalon's tail was raised in triumph, his torso lowered, front limbs splayed in a playful gesture. "I'm gonna teach you a few battle moves me and your ol' Dad used to spar with." Eagletalon didn't know if Vipertail's knowledge included some of Hawkstar's signature moves (though if you were a tom that big on the battlefield, anything you did became a signature move), but it wouldn't surprise him if Hawkstar's son picked up on it well enough.

Eagletalon wasn't encouraging Heronpaw to copy her father, however. She was her own cat, and as such she would have to use the battle moves that worked best for her—but that didn't mean she couldn't surprise the old tom by outwitting him in a little one-on-one sparring session. Eagletalon's eyes glinted with mirth, picturing Hawkstar's surprise and pride at seeing his daughter prove her prowess in a way that would make him smile.

"Vipertail, show her a duck and twist." The sandy warrior gave the young tom the 'go ahead', then leaned over to whisper to Heronpaw. "Don't follow what your brother does, follow what I do."

He would show her a couple moves, and then let her test her mettle against Vipertail, or himself.
---
Word Count: 434 Words
Tags: BlooRey DVD
Notes:

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:87CEFF]Heronpaw[/smear:FAF0E6] ~~~~~~~~~ Blue eyes blinked slowly at her mentor as the tom raised his tail in what could only be described as a gesture of triumph. He'd dropped into a near-kit like stance, as though he might pounce on her at any given moment. She remained motionless for several heartbeats, not even the end of her tail twitching. Eventually she shifted, and though her movements were slow, almost as though she lacked the energy to move her body, the StoneClan apprentice could not deny the pinprick of curiosity that bloomed in her chest. Eagletalon was going to be showing her some of her father's signature moves? Slowly, her flank lifted as the she-cat walked herself out of her seated pose. Helping to close some of the distance between herself and the two toms, her blue eyed gaze drifted uncertainly between Eagletalon and Vipertail. Her sand-brown mentor looked away to given Vipertail a set of instruction, leaving Heronpaw to listen quietly. A duck and twist? Eagletalon has already shown me how to do that. Why is he having Vipertail demonstrate it again? Am I really that bad at it? She asked herself, a frown carving its way onto her features. Her tail waved slowly behind her, the slightest indication of her irritation. It stopped mid-swing the moment Eagletalon leaned closer and whispered to her. Intrigue lit a fire behind her blue eyes, the frown dissolving for the time being. Dragging her eyes away from her brother, Heronpaw felt into step with Eagletalon, positioned just slightly behind him so that she could properly observe his entire frame. Standing directly at his side was no good, as it not only limited what motion she could perform; it blocked his entire back-half from her line of sight. Sometimes, the paw-work that made all the difference in a battle technique lay in the hind paws. Her frame fell into a neutral, but attentive stance that was almost natural to the she-cat now. From here, she could easily drop into a more defensive pose, or transition into an offensive pose at the flick of an ear. Shooting her mentor a glance, she nodded her head slightly. "Right. I'm ready, Eagletalon." And it wasn't a lie. For the time being, the nagging thoughts pulling her down had been banished to the back of her mind. Not only did sparring require physical preparation of her, it required a great deal of mental preparation. It really was the perfect cure, even if it might only provide temporary relief of the underlying cause.

Fawn

[Fawn]

[smear:dbb623]EAGLETALON![/smear:cc380a]

62 Moons // Tom // Senior Warrior // StoneClan

Hawkstar's charging move. That'll be fun to watch. It was true, Eagletalon wasn't always focused on others during intense battles, especially with when facing an enemy cat he couldn't stand (just about any LightningClan or RainClan cat), but even he could catch a glimpse of his brother body-checking another cat so hard they almost ended up in the bushes. It was quite funny, and he knew Vipertail wouldn't be expecting that from him or from Heronpaw.

With a swift glance at his apprentice to make sure she was watching, Eagletalon gave the signal to begin, giving Vipertail a suitable warning by uttering a low yowl of challenge before charging. Vipertail's tail fluffed a little, but excitement shined in his eyes as the younger warrior ducked down onto his belly, rolled away and twisted himself back up into a standing position in a seemingly effortless way. Eagletalon had not barreled past him, however, but drew level with the young warrior—and then crashed his shoulder right into Vipertail's flank. Not enough to hurt him, of course, just enough to wind him and knock him completely off balance.

Eagletalon finished with a heavy swipe of Vipertail's back legs, and the dark tom dropped like a stone, kicking up sand and dust.

"Oof!"

With a gleaming light in his eyes, Eagletalon raised his chin in triumph. "See, Heronpaw? Something to remember for our next border patrol. Size doesn't matter so much as long as you get the timing right. Unless you're Hawkstar. In which case size is your biggest weapon. Do you think you can do what I just did?" He had faith that she could. There was no way in StarClan she'd be able to body-check Hawkstar, even a blind vulture could see that, but it was still a move that would come in useful later. Especially if she had the fortunate chance of surprising an enemy apprentice at the border.

"Don't be afraid to improvise." Eagletalon directed his gaze to Vipertail, who had collected himself well enough, though he had some sand on his chin that had escaped the young warrior's notice. "Ready? I want you to use a duck-and-twist, and then see if you can strike her before she knocks you off balance."

Vipertail nodded, his eyes full of determination. "Okay." He dropped into something like a play-bow, baring his teeth in a smile, but it was clear from the ripple of his muscles beneath his pelt that he was taking this seriously. "Come and get me, Heronkit!"
---
Word Count: 427 Words
Tags: BlooRey DVD
Notes: I'm having fun playing Vipertail. xD Help, I don't need more characters.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:87CEFF]Heronpaw[/smear:FAF0E6] ~~~~~~~~~ Heronpaw watched with a mixture of intrigue and amazement as her mentor squared off against Vipertail. Her head jerked up slightly in alarm at the caterwaul Eagletalon emitted, but the strange sound was soon forgotten as Heronpaw focused on the way he moved. Blue eyes flashed to Vipertail as Heronpaw noticed his shift in stance. Soon, her brother had dropped low to the ground, his body seeming to know exactly what he was doing every step of the way. She hated to admit it, but she was impressed with the seamless way with which he rolled out of Eagletalon's path and rose to his paws following a perfect twist. But Eagletalon had a different plan. Whereas Heronpaw had expected to see the senior warrior fly by Vipertail, the sand brown tom changed directions rapidly, throwing his weight sideways so that he crashed into Vipertail's shoulder, the larger tom easily knocking her brother off balance. Next, her mentor's paw lashed out, aiming straight for the black tom's hind leg. Before long, Heronpaw stood blinking at her brother's sprawled out form on the ground. Ears shot up in surprise at this new development, but she hauled her eyes away from Vipertail to focus on Eagletalon as he spoke to her once more. And then it was her turn. Giving Eagletalon a wordless nod, Heronpaw set herself up opposite from Vipertail. To begin, she was calm; this would go just fine, she told herself. Everything was fine. ...Up until Vipertail called her Heronkit. Bitterness flared in her eyes, ignited from deep within her belly where she'd repressed it earlier. Her mouth twisted into something like a snarl and she shot off toward her brother. But in her anger, her thought process and her movements were sloppy. When he executed his perfect duck and twist, she overshot him, leaving her to skid to a halt. This also left her open to Vipertail's well aimed blow. It struck her just below the shoulder, knocking her left forepaw out from underneath her and sending her crashing to the ground with a hiss of annoyance. Her tail lashed behind her, and her brother called out something about her being just like a clumsy kit. Hauling herself unceremoniously to her paws, she stalked past Vipertail, back toward Eagletalon without looking her mentor in the eye. How could she, after that performance? "Again." She said flatly. "I want to go again." Setting up back in front of Vipertail, she lowered herself into a ready position, letting her breath hiss out and stir the sand slightly. She could feel the heat of embarrassment flaring through her, just as she could feel her muscles trembling from the adrenaline coursing along her veins. But she would have another go. She was ready. Vipertail seemed confused, glancing toward the more senior warrior. When Eagletalon gestured for him to continue, he shrugged before meeting his sister's challenging stance once more. "Alright, Heronkit, show me what else you've got!" He called to her, wearing that same stupid self-satisfied grin. Oh, I gonna wipe the floor of the Sandy Plateau with that smile of h- Breathe, Heronpaw. What did your anger earn you last time? Nothing but embarrassment. She reminded herself. Steadying her breath, she let the power build up in her muscles as she readied herself. There was one thing she'd been practicing on her own. StoneClan had descended from SkyClan, once known for their incredible leaps. She'd spent some time testing her jumping ability; from flat ground, off nearby stones, from higher rock purchases. Maybe she could manage to surprise them both with the strength she'd developed in her hind legs... She released the pent up energy, feeling it explode like a flash of lightning. Just as before, Vipertail twisted clear of her charge; but this time, instead of blowing past him, she let her hindquarters drop, skidding to a rather rapid halt beside the black tom. From the corner of her eye, she saw him move to strike. That's my cue... She thought to herself. The tension she'd built during her sliding stop was released instantaneously, catapulting her up into the air, just above Vipertail's strike. Her forepaws were the first to land, and the moment they touched ground she was already considering her next move. Her hind paws were in contact with the ground for less than a heart beat before she kicked out backwards, aware of the fact she now had her back facing her brother. A startled hiss and the feeling of fur against her back paws told her she'd landed the kick. That should give me enough time to reorient myself... Spinning rapidly, she dropped into a ready position once more. A challenge flared in her eyes, one that Vipertail obviously could not turn down, for soon he was charging her. Wait.... Wait... NOW! At the last moment, she half side-stepped out of his way, only to rapidly throw her shoulder against his as he attempted to change course. The black tom staggered slightly, but managed to keep his balance, letting loose a heavy pawed blow for her. By some stroke of luck, she managed to push herself backward with a little hop, feeling the air whizz by her snout as Vipertail's strike just barely missed. But he wouldn't give up. He continued to press forward, striking well timed blows in her direction. The first landed heavily on her shoulder, and left her to stagger to the side, but she was soon able to pick up and match his rhythm, meeting Vipertail paw for paw. Altering the momentum slightly, Heronpaw lashed out at his left forepaw, forcing him to shift just out of her reach to avoid being tripped up again. This is where she readied her muscles to spring again, this time leaping more upwards than any particular horizontal direction. The leap was timed perfectly with Vipertail's lung for her, but she hadn't expected this to be so much harder from the ground than it was when using a stone. What she'd meant to do was leap clear of Vipertail, landing some pawsteps away. What she actually ended up doing was using Vipertail as her stone. First, her forepaws touched down on his opposite flank. Her hindpaws were quick to follow, the building energy in her muscles released once more as she used Vipertail as a springboard to get away. The end result was Heronpaw landing a little awkwardly, rolling onto her shoulder to avoid injuring her paws. The force of her jump sent Vipertail sprawling, and both siblings were forced to take a moment to blink in alarm before rolling to their paws to face one another once more. Heron paw's breath escaped her mouth in heavy, hot streams, and from the way his sides were heaving, she figured he was doing just as well.

Fawn (.... May have gotten carried away...)

[Fawn]

[smear:dbb623]EAGLETALON![/smear:cc380a]

62 Moons // Tom // Senior Warrior // StoneClan

To the inexperienced mentor, the ferocity with which Heronpaw attacked her brother might have raised a few alarm bells. But Eagletalon knew all of that anger and calculation wasn't directed at Vipertail. He'd seen the siblings interact; there was a bit of friendly rivalry, a bit of sibling teasing (much like himself and Fallingstar back in the day), but no malice. No, his apprentice's anger was reserved for LightningClan.

The border confrontation. It clicked in the sandy warrior's mind at last, and he watched her carefully, wondering what was going through the pale she-cat's head as she springboarded off her brother's flank with more skill than he'd seen from her in a few moons. He'd known she was talented (no one could claim Hawkstar's kits weren't skilled, no one), he hadn't realized she was lacking the proper motivation to really give it her all.

The border confrontation had done that. However, Eagletalon wanted to make sure there would be no negative repercussions following this. Rage was appropriate in some situations; humiliation and emotional upset were powerful motivators when it came to training, but she had to make sure that sort of thing didn't consume her.

"Well done you two. That was excellent, Heronpaw. Have you been practicing by yourself? Or did you improvise?" Despite his concerns, Eagletalon's golden gaze glowed with pride, the senior warrior stepping between them to signal that the fight was temporarily halted. Each cat needed to get their breath back. "Perfect that landing, Heronpaw, and you'll be a real force to be reckoned with."

Vipertail huffed, struggling to his paws. The young warrior was sure to have a few bruises; Heronpaw had given him a good pummeling, though he'd tried to give as good as he'd gotten.
"Good job, Heronpaw," he mewed between huffs. "Wait until you show Hawkstar."

Eagletalon signaled for the siblings to join him, tail flicking.
"Follow me, you two. Water break, then we can continue."

It was a shorter walk to the stone stream than to the sky springs, so that's where he took them; besides, they were likely to get distracted at the sky springs by their Clanmates, the water looking a little too inviting to outright ignore.

Approaching the quiet stream, Eagletalon took a few drinks, wiping the droplets from his muzzle before standing back to give Vipertail and Heronpaw all the room they needed. Each cat's paws were covered in a layer of grit and sand—tokens of training hard. He could see Vipertail's eyes shining, though the young warrior kept glancing in the direction of the Sky Springs, likely eager to get back to his friends after the mock battle.

"Appreciate the help, Vipertail. Thanks. You can go back now." I want to talk to Heronpaw alone.

Vipertail nodded. "I had fun. See you later, Heronpaw. I'll tell Honeypaw you're still busy." With that, the dark-pelted tom began to walk away from the mentor and apprentice pair.

Eagletalon licked Heronpaw's ear. "That was some fight, eh?"


---
Word Count: 505 Words
Tags: BlooRey DVD
Notes: I hope you don't mind the Honeypaw reference. I'll probably be making her.

[BlooRey DVD]

HERONPAW

Despite the exhaustion she felt in her muscles, there was a part of Heronpaw that was still buzzing with life, not wanting this sparring session to end. She could hear her mentor speaking, but it wasn't until the sand coloured tom stepped between the two siblings that Heronpaw was able to haul her blue-eyed gaze from where it had been pinned on her brother's black coat. Her ears slowly pivoted forward, registering what Eagletalon was saying as she slowly lowered herself into a temporary seated position. At Eagletalon's question, she found herself clearing her throat slightly, flexing her claws to dislodge small pieces of the dirt clinging to her paws.

"Uh..." She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Little bit of both, I guess. Been practicing the leaping, but... I improvised its use in a battle scenario..." She let her voice trail off, keeping her blue eyes on her mentor as he nodded slightly and continued on. When he mentioned the landing, she returned the nod, ears flicking back for a moment. "Of course, Eagletalon." She'd not been expecting the terrain to have such a considerable effect on her accuracy. She knew she had to work on the kinks, and push herself to be the best she could possibly be.

This time, her brother's voice cut through her thoughts. Peering over her mentor's form, she dipped her head to the black tom. "You too, Vipertail. Your speed is something to look out for." She returned his compliment, before rising to her paws at Eagletalon's call. The walk to the stream was a quiet one, but considering she was still struggling to catch her breath? The cream and white she-cat didn't exactly mind. It also allowed her some time to think over the spar with her brother, and consider what she'd done well, and what she could do better.

I underestimated him. That was one thought that reigned at the forefront of her mind. How many cats fell victim to that in situations were it mattered, and paid the price for it? The thought was a little chilling, leaving the she-cat to promise herself not to underestimate her opponents again, whether they be sparring partners, or true battle opponents. Upon arrival to the stream, Heronpaw held back until the two tom's had had their fair share of water. Lowering her muzzle to the stream, she quickly lapped up some of the cool water, feeling it slip down her throat.

As Eagletalon dismissed her brother, the she-cat lifted her head. Her whiskers twitched slightly, small droplets of water shaken from their lengths as her blue eyes watched the black tom take his leave. "Yeah, thanks... Tell her I'll come find her later." She replied, her mind momentarily flicking to the younger tabby-and-white apprentice. Since Viperpaw had become Vipertail, Heronpaw had tried to make an effort to interact with other apprentices. That was how she'd met Honeypaw; the other she-cat was six moons younger than she was, born just as Heronpaw and her brother were named apprentices, so the she-cats never got to interact as kits.

At first, Heronpaw had spent quite a bit of time with younger Honeypaw, especially at the beginning of the younger she-cat's apprenticeship. In light of recent events with LightningClan, however... Admittedly, Heronpaw had probably not been acting as the best possible friend. I'll go see her once I'm done here. She promised herself. As Vipertail exited earshot, Eagletalon approached, pulling the she-cat from her reverie. Letting her uncle lick her ear, she turned her attention to him. "Yeah, it was good to stretch in a spar like that." She replied, mentally wincing at the lack of, well... Anything in her voice. Clearing her throat slightly, she did her best to pull some form of emotion into it, even managing a (somewhat pitiful) half smile. "I guess sometimes you just have to beat up your brother."

She didn't like how thoughtful Eagletalon looked. And why had he sent Vipertail away? What was he planning? ...What had she done wrong this time?

apprentice of stoneclan

Fawn | background image | table by phoenix

[Fawn]

62 Moons // Tom // Senior Warrior // StoneClan

There she goes again, talking as if she's got no more fire left in her... But he'd just seen the fire in her, and it was burning like a wildfire. Eagletalon patted the grassy patch beside him, the tip of his tail sweeping across the dry blades nosily. "Have a seat, kitten." Eagletalon grinned, letting her know she wasn't in trouble. "I think we should talk about what's got you so upset lately, Heronpaw. And don't tell me you're fine, I'm a senior warrior but I'm not a senior warrior. You know what I mean?"

If she thought she could mislead him or brush off his concerns, the she-cat had another thing coming. Eagletalon had hoped a good sparring session would knock that anxiety and fear and unhappiness right out of her system, but he would be the first to admit that every cat was different. What worked for him wouldn't necessarily work for her. She was part Hawkstar, after all. Hawkstar could fight as well as the wind cloud blow, but he was still a 'talk about your problems' kind of tom.

Good thing, too. This 'silent brooding' business didn't suit Heronpaw at all. Heronpaw may've been resolute, in that moment, not to smile or express any kind of happiness, but Eagletalon wasn't ready to let go of that sweet little kitten who'd bounced her way through her first territory exploration. She was still in there, just taken a couple hard strikes. Still in there, just needed to recover her breath. Her spirit.

Eagletalon turned his proud golden eyes on her, and tried again.
"You can talk to me. Warrior to warrior."

Eagletalon wasn't the kind of tom who was blithely optimistic; he didn't know if this was an issue he could fix with one conversation, but what Eagletalon was, was risky and a little bit stubborn. If there was at all a possibility that what he had to say could help her, then he was damn well gonna try. What else was good ol' Uncle Eagletalon supposed to do, eh? His best, that's what.
---
Word Count: 348 Words
Tags: BlooRey DVD
Notes:

[BlooRey DVD]

HERONPAW

Despite him calling her 'kitten', Heronpaw let herself sink into a seated position. Coming from anyone else, she might have been annoyed at the somewhat belittling name. She didn't want to just be a kitten anymore! Would anyone call Vipertail a kitten now that he was a warrior? Or was that just reserved for poor little 'paws? It wasn't fair; she was the same age as Vipertail, and she knew she could be just as good as him. But here they were, him with his warrior name, and her still stuck with the stupid old -paw suffix, as though labelling her inferior.

But this was Eagletalon, a tom she viewed almost as a second father. For that reason, she forced herself to shrug off the pinpricks of irritation that had started fizzling in the pit of her stomach. Yet, even being so close to Eagletalon didn't make her feel any less comfortable with what he said next. She wasn't sure she wanted to admit there was anything wrong. Evidently, she'd done a terrible job at showing differently, though. The sand brown tom had noticed a change in her, and she could only wonder who else had too. Heronpaw just wanted it all to go away.

A naive part of her had clung to the hope the horrible, constricting feeling in her chest would dissipate once she finally received her warrior name. She'd desperately hoped that this was all just stemming from a childish jealousy that had festered in her for too long. But her jealous rage toward Vipertail... That had grown from something else, something different. Something that still woke her up in the middle of the night as her mind replayed the events over and over again. Her apparent sorrow was not Vipertail's fault. No, it was LightningClan's fault.

Slowly, her blue eyes lifted from where they'd been staring at her paws, shoulders straightening slightly from their hunched-over position. She watched Eagletalon for a moment, considering him, considering her words, as though he might know what it was she was trying to say. And then her eyes snapped shut, her claws curling viciously into the ground underpaw. "It's just not fair." She exclaimed suddenly, her voice pitching higher on the word fair. "Why do LightningClan and RainClan always seem to think our territory should be theirs? They chased us out before, like we were nothing!"

Her body shivered slightly just then, but she wasn't finished yet. "Don't they realize we have mouths to feed, kits to feed too? How could they push us out like that? Leave us to die? Why do they constantly target us? Now LightningClan has our Sun Stones, which they took from us on the night of the Gathering. LightningClan sat there politely, smiling as though everything were peachy keen-" The words were spat from Heronpaw's lips, as though she'd bitten into something disgusting. "While they knew their Clanmates were remarking our territory. While they knew they were planning an assault to claim it as their own. Who does that?"

Whatever anger had flared to life seemed to sputter out just then, Heronpaw's body drooping once more, her head hanging low. "How could StarClan let them do that?" She whispered.

apprentice of stoneclan

Fawn  | background image | table by phoenix

[Fawn]

62 Moons // Tom // Senior Warrior // StoneClan

And so they reached the heart of the matter. Eagletalon had to force down his own anger over what Heronpaw described—he had not been at the Gathering, but had faced LightningClan himself. That battle was freshest in his mind, and though he could claim no sense of betrayal over Firestar's actions (he never truly trusted LightningClan to begin with), the presence of Whiteshade had almost been enough to give him a flashback of the StormClan massacre even as he fought. Swallowing the acidic build-up of hatred roiling in his gut, Eagletalon took a deep breath of his own, collecting his thoughts, collecting himself so he wouldn't just spill his heart's grievances right here at the sandy plateau. Heronpaw needed answers, she needed reassurances, not another angry voice to add to her own chorus of misery.

"Don't think for one moment, Heronpaw, that the Sun Stones will stay LightningClan's." His eyes were a bold flash of gold in the sunlight. "Stealing territory, all this Cross-Clan fighting—it's just what Clans do, Heronpaw. I know that's hard to understand, but from Firestar's perspective, nothing else matters except the well-being of her own Clan; some day, Hawkstar might make a decision that might not sit well with every warrior in StoneClan, but if its best for the Clan then he's not in the wrong."

Eagletalon licked the top of his apprentice's head, smoothing down the pale ginger-tipped fur. "Oh I'm sure StarClan's got plenty to say to Dawnblossom or Rookfrost about this—but we can't expect StarClan to fight our battles for us. We will overcome this, Heronpaw. We are stronger than we've ever been, with every cat—apprentice, warrior, queen, deputy, medicine cat, every cat—we will never be chased out of our territory again. I promise you that."

She's so young to be so worried about all this. If Eagletalon could ease her worries, he would've in a heartbeat. All he could do was offer reassurances and shed light on the ways Clan's operated. He hadn't understood it well as an apprentice himself (mostly he'd been eager for every opportunity of a border fight), but now he knew better. With a low, derisive snort, Eagletalon let slip some of his own displeasure. "You're right, what LightningClan did was almost a NightClan tactic. Smiling at the Gathering while digging their claws into our backs all the while. You can bet your pretty little whiskers that your father's going to make it known that Firestar cannot be trusted." Mark my words, Kitten. Firestar will get what's coming to her. All of LightningClan will. The day StoneClan was truly gone would be the day they would be defeated; that day was nowhere in sight.

Eagletalon would see to it that StoneClan got the respect it deserved, even if he had to march into LightningClan's camp to attack Firestar or Redscar directly.
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Word Count: 488 Words
Tags: BlooRey DVD
Notes: Thread can be almost over, unless Heronpaw has more questions for him.