[Silver]

Warrior of StoneClan

Things had certainly changed in the moons she'd been here in the territory of StoneClan. From nearly starved Warrior-Queen trying desperately to keep her last surviving kit alive to a confident Warrior trying to prove her right to said title, Silverglade was proud of how far she'd come. There were those in the clan she knew she could trust; some more than others, and her life was looking up once more. Her beloved kit was now an Apprentice under the Medicine Cat Dawnblossom and she couldn't be more proud of Sandpaw for all he'd accomplished in such a short amount of time.

As for her...well she figured it was time to take this Warrior of the Clan thing into her own paws and do something unexpected. So for once she had been the one to go in search of Ospreywing and ask that he meet her somewhere to train a bit. She figured the Warrior was the best one to prove herself to; though why she felt that way she wasn't certain. Still, the area was clear and more of what she was used to from the group before than the dense rocks and trees in the clan's territory. 

And yet, somehow she was nervous about what was essentially a friendly sparring match. She couldn't quite put her paw on the exact reason, but that was definitely how she felt. She trusted Ospreywing, more than any other in the clan just now aside from Dawnblossom who had her son under her care, and yet here she was shifting her paws waiting for him like an overexcited youth. It was an odd sensation and one she wasn't certain she liked very much. It made her chest tight and her heart pound and really she didn't understand why. As she sat there looking out at her surroundings though, she slowly began to realize what the feeling was.

She...really enjoyed Ospreywing's company. The tom was different from the rest, and though he was cautious they had much in common. Silverglade felt that perhaps it was because they were so close that she was feeling such unease. Either way, she pushed the feelings as far away from herself as she could and took deep breaths to calm herself so she could do what she'd set out to do. Sparring with Ospreywing would be a fun challenge for both of them, and she was very much looking forward to it.

I'm coming straight on for you. I've made up my mind.
I'm feeling strong now. Now I'm coming through
Straight on for you.

Tags | Phoenix

[Phoenix]

Ospreywing had been distracted all day by the prospect of sparring with Silverglade, but now that the time had finally come, he was, naturally, going to be late. When she had asked him that morning to meet her later in the afternoon for a sparring session, he had been just about to leave for a border patrol with Hailstrike and Graniteclaw. Under the former’s impatient blue gaze, he had hastily agreed to a time and place before turning to leave, expecting everything to carry on like normal.

Everything did not carry on like normal.

No matter what he was doing, he found his mind inevitably wandering back to the slender she-cat, wondering how she felt about StoneClan or her son becoming Dawnblossom’s new apprentice (his heart had skipped a beat at that announcement, because surely that meant she was saying for good). He had taken it upon himself to be her unofficial mentor, but if Wolfclaw and Hawkstar had any concerns about him showing both her and Honeypaw – now Honeynose, he thought with some pride – around, they had not voiced them. There had undoubtedly been some relief when he had seen the ease with which those two she-cats had gotten along, though admittedly, he had also had to smother an ugly jolt of jealous fear at the sight of Silverglade laughing with someone else. She wasn’t the type of cat who would toss him away once she had met his better and brighter clan mates… right? No, it was good that she met and befriended other cats, he had to keep reminding himself, because the more friends she made, the more likely she was to stay and not leave StoneClan – not leave him. Because if she left, it would hurt him far more than he was ready to admit.

That realization had struck him when he had been trying to catch a mouse, and it had left him so stunned that the tiny rodent had slipped right through his claws. Even now, with those long hours of the morning to temper its blow, the revelation still caused him to falter in his stride. When had she become so important? When had she been subconsciously been added to the short list of “Must Not Lose”? When had he started thinking about her, spending so much time with her, that he hadn’t even had the presence of mind to warn Valiantstride that if he dared to do anything even remotely close to breaking his little sister’s heart he’d better flee to LightningClan and beg them for shelter before he placed a single hair back in StoneClan camp?

Somehow, his priorities had shifted slightly, and although he had never felt as content as he had for these past few moons, Ospreywing didn’t know how he felt about this change. Everything had been going too smoothly; it was like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and when that disaster happened, it would be large and painful and for better or for worse, it would turn the world back on its proper axis. He would meet it with a mixture of dread and expectation, take the hit as he always did, and carry on. He just wished it would come soon, before he became anymore familiar with this oddly pleasant state of limbo.

Ahead, he could see the back of the she-cat who had changed everything, and trying to clear his head, he slowed his pace. She wanted to spar, and if he was as distracted now as he had been earlier that day (he had returned to camp empty-pawed for the first time in a while), then he would be a poor partner indeed. Perhaps he ought to pretend she was Honeynose and that this was another training session between them. The thought took root.

Yes, if she was his apprentice, then how would he approach this situation? He knew that the most useful training sessions were those that closely mimicked realistic situations. Well, she already expected him to fight her, so she wouldn’t be truly surprised if he went up to her, greeted her, and then they started practicing. It would be best, then, if he skipped that step entirely and just leapt straight into the fight… The tuxedo tom had crouched down among the stones, amber eyes focused on the she-cat before him. His apprentice had hated it when, toward the end of her training, he had started their practice fights this way, but they had always been the most beneficial spars. A moment to catch his breath – and then he pounced.

Silver Fawn (Honeynose, Skunkspots mention) Hellion (Valiantstride mention)

[Silver]

Warrior of StoneClan

Out of everything she'd been expecting as far as this sparring match went, the sudden appearance of Ospreywing as he pounced on her hadn't been it. At first she thought she was really under attack and kicked out with her back feet as hard as she could to dislodge her much heavier built opponent. Once she was able to push him off her she rolled back onto her feet; body low to the ground and tail bushed out as far as it would go as her fur stood up on end and she let out a growling his of rage.

Every line in her body was set in a defensive posture and she angled herself in such a way that left her defenses solid. She wasn't a big cat, so a heavier weight would win every time if she wasn't careful. She was cunning though and what she lacked in size she made up for in speed and tactics. She hadn't survived as long as she had without those things. Now though, she couldn't make out her opponent clearly but it didn't matter. StoneClan territory was her home now and the cats inside it were her's to protect.

Using her opponent's weight against him she charged forward and tackled him; throwing her entire weight against his until she knocked her opponent down and pinned him to the ground; fangs inches from from his neck. Then a familiar scent hit her nose and she paused before she could bite down and end this fight. She recognized this scent It meant safety and home and warm nights spent talking. It was starlight and calm waters and warmth and awkward affection. And suddenly she leaned back to look down at the one that had attacked her, shock written across her pale blue eyes. "Ospreywing?! What were you thinking? I could have..." 

She couldn't move as the thought hit her. What if she'd really hurt him. She'd been out in the wilds for her entire life, she wouldn't have hesitated if she hadn't recognized his familiar scent. This was not what she'd had in mind when she's asked him to spar with her.

You're my favorite part of me. With you standing next to me. I've got nothing to fear.

Tags | Phoenix

[Phoenix]

OspreyWinG

When he had decided to launch himself at Silverglade without warning, Ospreywing had overlooked six key facts, and only when he received a hard kick to his ribs, knocking his breath away, did he realize that he might have just made a very large mistake. Rolling away to the side, he climbed to his paws as he gasped for air, yellow eyes locked on his opponent as he began to count them. Number one - Silverglade was a former loner, not an innocent apprentice. Without the protection of a clan, the ability to respond to a surprise attack meant life or death in the mountains, and experience had likely taught her to go from sitting to fighting full force in an instant, even when caught off guard. There would be none of the usual tempering of blows that accompanied a sparring match. The dull pain in his side confirmed that theory. Number two - Silverglade was not a small apprentice whom he could easily overpower. While he still had some advantage over her in power, she had developed a fighting style that took an opponent's physical advantages into consideration, and her stance, solid and without any obvious weaknesses, suggested as much. Number three - Silverglade had the reflexes and skills of an experienced fighter. The first time he had jumped out at Honeynose, she had jumped nearly a tail in the air before freezing up like a deer who had just spotted a wolf. His current sparring partner, on the other hand, had behaved in a manner similar to the way he hoped his former apprentice would now react: defend first, talk later.

Under usual circumstances, anyone who had that mantra reversed would have been shreds by the time they figured out what words to say, but as he lay pinned to the ground with sharp fangs pressing into his throat, Ospreywing realized that talking now might be more useful than talking later. The small part of his mind that wasn't consumed with panic appreciated the irony. "S-Silverglade," He forced out, heart thumping in his chest and unable to stop the fine tremor than ran through his limbs. Although he felt fairly confident that she would never intentionally hurt him, the aches across his body and the press of teeth against his neck had summoned a powerful instinct to survive, to win this fight and get back to StoneClan so that he could keep his loved ones safe, and it took all of his concentration to not retaliate with unsheathed claws. After all, he could hardly protect Silverglade from danger if he was the one who tore her to shreds in the first place.

Just when he thought that she would finish him, she took a breath and recognition shone in her deep blue eyes. Infinitesimally, he relaxed - and then she sat up, an ugly expression of shock and horror breaking across familiar features, and his hearth clenched. Accompanied by his own guilt, her words hurt more than claws, and when he opened his mouth and struggled to find a way to explain a decision that in hindsight was so obviously stupid and dangerous, he could think of nothing to say except: "I'm sorry." It was his fault that she had been put in a position where she might have unintentionally hurt him. He wasn't even the one who had put teeth to the neck of his friend, and the extent to which a friendly spar had gone so wrong had him feeling sick to the stomach. If their positions had been switched, if he had prepared to kill an enemy only to realize that it was this fierce warrior-queen, then he would have recoiled with a mixture of horror and anger. Suddenly those two words seemed so inadequate. "I wasn't thinking-- I--" A pause. And then in a small voice, "Are you okay?"

I'm an angel with a shotgun fighting 'til the war's won
I don't care if heaven won't take me back

angel with a shotgun | background image | Silver

[Silver]

Warrior-Queen of StoneClan

The entirety of Silverglade's lean frame shuddered in abject terror over what she'd almost done. She'd gone after Ospreywing with her full force. She had almost....she couldn't even finish the thought. Her heart pounded and she shifted away from the larger tom to look him over. And he seemed worried about her, but how could he when she had attacked him?! She realized in quiet shock just how important the tom before her had become to her in her time within StoneClan lands. It startled her with how intense the emotion was, but she accepted the feeling because it was her way. She wasn't sure what it meant for her, but the feelings told her that Ospreywing was very important to her.

In a gesture that was actually one that Sandpaw used to make a lot as a kit - he'd picked it up from her - Silverglade didn't hesitate as she leaned forward and gently bumped her head against Ospreywing's; anxious to know he was alright. "I...of course I'm fine, but I'm not the one that was just attacked full force. I'm sorry about that, are you alright? I didn't expect you to jump out like that." She moved away and went around to the tom's other side before she started nudging him in hopes of getting back onto his feet where he didn't look so vulnerable. It bothered her badly, to see such a strong tom looking so vulnerable because of her. 

She thumped him hard with her tail in reprimand for this entire incident before regaining her  composure even as her voice wavered still as she spoke. "I was born a loner, Ospreywing, you know this. It means I'm more likely to retaliate first and ask questions later. That aside, do we need to go see the Medicine Cat?" Though the thought made her heart clench in her chest at the knowledge that doing so would mean that Sandpaw would know about this incident.

You're my favorite part of me. With you standing next to me. I've got nothing to fear.

Tags | Phoenix

[Phoenix]

OspreyWinG

Her forehead pressed against his, and caught up in the sudden wave of regret and relief, he could not stop himself from closing his eyes and breathing in her familiar - when had it gotten to be so familiar? - scent. He found himself leaning ever so slightly into her solid presence, returning the gesture as if mere touch could ever hope to translate the jumble of emotions tumbling through him. When she moved away, yellow eyes blinked open and watched her pace around him. The concern that lay clear in her voice made his heart clench and put a foul taste in his mouth. ”I’m fine,” He hastened to reassure her, climbing back to his paws in response to the gentle nudge to his side.

Stupid, stupid. A spark of irritation flared up inside him, directed, for once, not externally but rather inward. Ospreywing knew that she was loner-born; it was the reason he had sought her out in the first place. In the mountains, those who asked questions first and retaliated later never lasted long. Had he learned nothing from his time with MountainClan? Those cats had been even jumpier than the ones in his own clan, and they hadn’t just been chased from their home. Just because he had become accustomed to fighting naive apprentices who had yet to get their first taste of battle… A hard thump on his shoulder shook the tuxedo tom from his thoughts, though Silverglade’s explanation was all but a continuation of them.

A distraction: he hated the way her voice wavered when she spoke. He never wanted to hear her sound like that again.

”I know,” The warrior replied apologetically, shaking his head at himself as he stared at his paws. ”I’m sorry. This is my fault; I should have taken that into account.” A pause as the implications of the second part of her words sank in and then a sinking feeling as he realized that going to see Dawnblossom would mean going to see Sandpaw. While that was normally never an issue, it meant that the younger tom would learn what had happened, and with a sudden urgency, Ospreywing knew that he could not let that happen. The ground upon which they stood felt too fragile, as if inviting another cat to stand with them might cause it to crack open. Shaking his head again, the warrior looked up and murmured a negative before following it up with a suggestion, ”Maybe we should postpone this for another day, though?” He was in no mood to spar now.

As he turned to head back to camp with the pretty she-cat by his side, a thought struck him. He hesitated for a moment before offering, ”You’re sure you’re okay?” Ospreywing couldn’t quite shake the horror he felt at the thought of what might have happened if their positions had been reversed; he never would have forgiven himself. ”I don’t want you to feel bad.”

I'm an angel with a shotgun fighting 'til the war's won
I don't care if heaven won't take me back

angel with a shotgun | background image | Silver