[Silver]

Warrior of StoneClan

While the sun warmed the ground and many of the clan were out hunting or enjoying the day, one pair of cats was having some much needed downtime as well as enjoying getting to spend time together. With Sandpaw so busy training and his mother Silverglade always out trying to help where she could, the duo hadn't had much time to really just be together like they had when Sandpaw was still a kit. 

At the moment the both of them were acting like a pair of kits; tumbling and darting around each other as they played and rolled and generally enjoyed themselves. Silverglade hadn't played in such a way since before she'd lost so much those moons ago and the sound of her elated laughter rang clear in the air as she danced and darted around her still-growing son.

Sandpaw was larger now; nearly the same height as his mother and soon she knew he'd outstrip her by at least a head. His father had been a larger tom and she could see the same in Sandpaw's lanky frame. Times like this it didn't hurt to think about Dappleback and the kits she had lost. She was happy and content and her son was thriving in this territory they had chosen to make their home. Her lean body was humming with energy and her play with her son showed just how close the pair of them still were.

Sandpaw's soft barks of laughter made Silverglade's heart sing as she knew he was happy which was all she wanted. Eventually she thumped him on the head with her tail which led to his loud, happy purring followed by a swift headbutt as he rubbed his head against her own. Silverglade smiled to herself as she finally parted ways with Sandpaw. "Go on then, I'm sure Dawnblossom is looking for you. I'll see you later, I promise." She watched him flick his fluffy tail at her in response before he turned to head back towards camp. His warm reply of, 'Goodbye Mother.' had her smiling again until he was out of her sight and then the smile turned sad.

Her kit was so grown up now and he didn't need her anymore. Times like this; Silverglade was at a loss as to what she should do with herself. She had no kits to care for any longer, and there was only so much she could do for the clan as a Warrior. It made her feel...a tad out of place. Before coming to StoneClan, this would be her cue to go wandering far from everything familiar; something those in her group had been encouraged to do whenever the urge struck them. Now though...now she had a place she belonged and cats that would miss her if she left. Still...what did that leave for her?

Her heart clenched as her mind flashed to a certain tom that had so recently become very important to her. Would he miss her if she were to go wandering? Or, StarClan forbid, would he come after her to bring her home? Home...that word sounded so foreign to her now even after so long spend in one place. Home had always been Dappleback before, but now...Now Silverglade had to wonder just what - or more accurately who - was her home now? She wasn't sure she had the answer to that question, but she did need to find it and soon so she could make a decision that was very important to her future here in StoneClan.

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Tags | Phoenix

[Phoenix]

OspreyWinG

About to head home from a successful hunting patrol, Ospreywing had just been passing by the Sandy Plateau when the sight of Silverglade playing with Sandpaw had him stopping in his tracks. Yellow eyes watched, unable to turn away, as the mother and son tumbled around in what must have been the most carefree display he had ever seen from the other she-cat. Their laughter rang through the otherwise fairly quiet clearing, and he found with some pleasant surprise that he did not mind the sound at all. The ghost of a smile touched his lips as he felt a sudden flare of warmth in his chest. Silverglade looked truly happy. Light on her feet as she danced around Sandpaw, she practically glowed in the sunlight, and how anyone could even hope to ignore the way the sun shone off her white fur, he had no idea.

White fur… A sudden thought intruded upon his pleasant musings, tearing his gaze away from the she-cat and her child to remind him just where he had intended to be. Long strides carried him the short distance back to camp and placed him in front of the fresh kill pile, where he deposited his own scrawny catch and scanned the stack for a more acceptable piece of prey. Heavy with kits, Skunkspots had taken up residence in the nursery, and even though they tiptoed around each other, he was determined to make sure that his sister would want for nothing. Valiantstride seemed like an altogether decent tom, but still… LightningClan and RainClan had seemed like decent neighbors, and they all knew how that turned out. After nosing around for an acceptably plump mouse, he cast one last glance toward the Sandy Plateau, as if he could see the pair playing in the distance, and if he listened hard enough, he could have sworn he heard echoes of their laughter on the wind. Ears straining to catch every last sound, he dutifully directed his steps toward the nursery..

It smelled of kits within, but thankfully Eagletalon must have taken his offspring elsewhere; the den was empty but for his sister, who lay curled up in her nest in the furthest corner. She was asleep. No matter - it was not as if they did much talking anyway. As long as he knew that she was safe, they did not need to talk. On silent paws, he placed the mouse carefully beside her before backing away, hoping that she would stay asleep and not wake up and call out to him just as he was leaving. That was most certainly not a conversation he wanted to have.

Luck was on his side, and he escaped unscathed. Yellow eyes narrowed against the bright sunlight as, in an action that had become habitual, he glanced around camp again for the other she-cat who had come to occupy so many of this thoughts. With a sudden jolt, he realized that the happy laughter no longer echoed throughout the camp - they must have finished - and not a moment later, he saw Sandpaw walking alongside Dawnblossom. Where was Silverglade? Another quick survey of camp confirmed that she had yet to return, and before he knew it, he was off, trotting along the familiar path to the plateau.

There she was. Ospreywing slowed to a walk as he recognized her lithe figure sitting in the middle of the clearing. With her shoulders hunched and ears back, she looked so lost, and it tore at his heartstrings in an entirely unfamiliar way. What had happened to the happy she-cat he had seen only moments ago? Careful to make enough noise so that she could hear him coming - he had learned, after all, not to surprise her, and the experience still weighed heavily on his mind when he let it - the tuxedo tom approached the other warrior. ”Hey,” He called out as he drew near. Suddenly, he wanted to make her smile again, and he knew that bringing up her son usually did the trick. ”How’s Sandpaw doing? It looked like you two were having fun.”

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 of StoneClan

Dark colored ears tilted at the sound of another cat approaching and the familiar scent hit Silverglade even as the tom in question made his presence known to her. She turned her pale-eyed gaze towards Ospreywing and offered him a slow smile at the mention of her son. As it always had, the mention of Sandpaw lit her eyes with contented happiness as she spoke of him. "He's doing well, and I've never seen him so happy. Being here...it's good for him. He found his path and I've never been more proud of him." She paused and regarded him for a moment before letting out a snort of amusement. "We were...playing; we were playing. It was fun to just let loose for a little while and just be a family again. He's always so busy so that time is precious. I understand, really, just..."

The warmth in her blue eyes faded again and that lost sort of sadness returned to her expression. What did she say to him? Would he even understand just how...difficult things were for her right now? She looked up into yellow eyes and realized she didn't want to worry him. So instead she rose back to her feet and after a quiet moment of holding his gaze she leaned forward and pressed her head against his in a gesture she'd made only once before when he'd scared her to death.

Pale blue eyes fell shut and she let herself lean against the larger frame of the tom before her; gathering stretch from his solid presence. When had Ospreywing become so important in her life? When had it become that he was someone she could go to when she needed someone to draw strength from? Finally she pulled away from her companion and seemed to steady herself. She took a deep breath and looked out at the world around her with a quiet sort of sadness that said louder than words something important was on her mind. The words that finally came from her were distant with memory and quiet as if she didn't quite realize what she was saying. "He's grown so much, my little one. He'll stand as tall as his father one day soon I'm sure. Some days I barely recognize him and then he'll say or do something that reminds me that he's still my same little kit that talked constantly and tried to help everyone. Sandpaw doesn't know it, but he's...he saved me. I wouldn't have made it alone after the fire without him to take care of. I think I'd probably have just let myself disappear. He needed me though, and I remember being so afraid to lose him in those early days."

The words were those of a queen that had been through too much and lost something so important it had broken her heart in a way that time couldn't ever completely heal. She loved Sandpaw, desperately so, and he would always be her baby but...maybe it was time for her to let him go be his own cat. "StarClan has such plans for him, I've always known that. And now that he's nearly grown I just...I can't help but wonder what happens to me now? I'm no queen with kits that need me, just another Warrior trying to find her place. I hunt for the clan and I defend it. This place is our home, but still...Still..." Her ears flattened against her head as sorrow hit her suddenly. She'd thought she was passed this already.

Tears swam in her crystalline eyes, but she paid them no mind. She just...she wanted to believe he'd understand but...maybe he wouldn't. She wanted so desperately to ask if he'd miss her if she went away, but she was terrified of the answer. Ospreywing was...he was important to her; to Sandpaw. She just...what could she do?

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Tags | Phoenix

[Phoenix]

OspreyWinG

Much to his frustration, the melancholy that lingered in the air refused to be chased away for long, so when she leaned forward and pressed her head to his, he found himself drawing just a little closer to her, as if his presence alone would deter their intangible companion. When he had approached, the tuxedo tom had not been sure what had made her seem so lost, but now that she had spoken, he thought he understood: Silverglade missed spending time with her son. It made sense; Sandpaw was busy training to become StoneClan’s next medicine cat, and she was busy hunting and providing for the clan. In a way, Ospreywing found he could empathize. He detested having to spend extended periods of time away from Skunkspots without ensuring her safety first, but where he felt mostly concern, the she-cat pressed against him seemed far sadder. Of course, he sometimes missed spending time with his only remaining family member, yet experience had taught him that she seemed far more comfortable in the company of Valiantstride or Fallenleaf rather than himself. A little more relieved than he would ever admit, he had adapted, and now…

The sound of Silverglade’s voice broke through the musings about his less-than-ideal relationship with his sister, and he clung to the distraction like a drowning cat to a log. Listening to the other warrior, Ospreywing realized that he had had it wrong - her hurt was far deeper than he realized, and he was entirely out of his depth. She had moved away slightly, but as much as he wanted to press against her again (it was strange how natural that particular motion had become), he refrained and gave her some space, instead trying to content himself with willing her to understand the emotion in his silence. He hated hearing her sound so broken when he knew just how strong she could be, how strong she still was. The tuxedo tom had never had to watch a beloved kit grow up - he had never had any intentions of subjecting another innocent kit to the cruelties of the world - but he knew all too well the pain of losing a mother.

And the uncertainty in her voice when she asked him what she could do now made his heart clench with an emotion that he had thought he’d lost.

It took him a moment to find his voice and swallow around the knot in his throat. ”He may not always need his mother to keep him safe,” He spoke slowly, picking his words with care. ”But she will never just be another warrior to him.” He thought back to those predawn hours so many moons ago. After they had fled to the mountains, the clan had been in complete chaos. The shattered cries of the desperate had filled the air - Where was this family member? Would that family member be okay? - but even though he had been a kit, he had never needed to ask such questions. Never would he forget the sight of his parents crashing to the ground in a spray of blood, the life in their wide, unseeing eyes cruelly extinguished by a demon in white. His voice stayed quiet. ”A part of him will always want her to be there.” To watch him grow up and earn the love and respect of his clan mates as he healed their wounds. To see him counsel their leader as he navigated a world only a handful of cats could ever hope to experience while still alive. To hold him when he inevitably fell down, and to help him climb back to his paws when moving on seemed impossible.

Until he began spending time with Silverglade, he had forgotten just what had been stolen from him and his sister at such a young age. Yellow eyes glanced at her before looking away again, staring at the horizon because the vulnerability of this moment had him wanting to leave like he left Skunkspots when their conversations trailed off. But instinct told him that if he fled, something would change between them, and utterly uncomfortable but unwilling to sacrifice the easy affection he felt for Silverglade, Ospreywing was left in limbo.

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 of StoneClan

She picked up on the unease of her companion as they sat there and fell into silence as she joined him in looking out at the horizon. She shifted until her side touched his and took comfort in simply being near him. Silverglade considered the conversation for a long moment and she knew something about it had upset Ospreywing, which wasn't something she'd wanted.

Not wanting to linger on the subject though, and having her head full of more than just her growing son, she tried to move the conversation along in her quiet way. "You're right, of course. He may be nearly grown, but he'll always be my baby. I'll be here when he needs me; always." She was tempted to lick her companion's head like she often did to her son, but withheld the urge as it embarrassed her to even think about it. This was Ospreywing, and her feelings for him were much different.

Instead she settled on something her son was known for that she herself didn't often do anymore. She started purring lowly at the tom by her side; knowing he'd feel it from where their sides touched and hoping to offer him comfort in her quiet way. Things were changing, and she knew she needed to change with them. It wasn't just about Sandpaw though; and she didn't have the heart to say that to Ospreywing.

She felt her heart may break if she were to ask him the questions going through her mind and he refused her. The thought gave her pause and then she slightly started as she realized something she hadn't known. This tom, she really adored him, didn't she? She wasn't sure when that had happened but it made her smile faintly and caused her expression to go warm and tender as she cast her pale blue gaze at him.

She knew that she needed to speak with Hawkstar about the thing that was really bothering her right now. StoneClan was her home now and she didn't want that to change, but she still had to be true to herself and that meant something else. She hoped he would understand when she spoke to him about it. If it went well....she would have to tell Ospreywing goodbye for a short while so she could sort herself out.

It made her heart ache to think about it, but it wasn't like she could ask him to come with her. Would he miss her if she went, she wondered; though she didn't have the courage to ask him such. She was afraid of the answer. All she knew was that  her life was about to change in a big way and she was going to need to change with it if she was ever to move forward.

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Tags | Phoenix -- Notes | Call it done with your next post?