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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2017 14:34:32 GMT -5
Enemies surround me by the worst appear as friends.
Liars and pretenders only seek to reach their ends...
Waking in the mid morning, Rushwhisker raised his head and yawned. His shoulder hurt, but it was healing. It was the last wound Surgeclaw had given him that had yet to heal properly. The bite had been deep and savage. It had laid him up in the warriors' den for a few days, as he refused to sleep in the medicine den. As he was supposed to take it easy for a couple days, he had asked his sister to take Fernpaw out hunting while he recovered, teach her about catching birds, give her another skill to help them survive leaf-bare.
But last night he felt that he could return to instructing Fernpaw himself for the most part, so long as he took it easy for a few more days while his shoulder fully recovered. However, he had yet to teach Fernpaw anything about battle training, and with the reminder that Swanfeather's rogues were still lurking around, waiting to strike back at the Clan they had betrayed, it was an overdue lesson. Fernpaw needed to be able to defend herself from cats that might seek to harm her, or those around her.
So before he'd gone to sleep he'd asked Ashflight for her help again, this time in teaching Fernpaw some basic defense. Ashflight was a good fighter, better than he was, and she might have some advice for Fernpaw that Rushwhisker wouldn't think of. And this way he could instruct her and witness her progress without messing with his injury. Ashflight was on the dawn patrol, but she'd told him she'd meet them at the wooded cove after she was finished, so Rushwhisker figured he could at least give Fernpaw a little basic instruction before his sister arrived to test out just how well Fernpaw was learning.
Pushing to his paws, his winced, but the pain receded quickly. Carefully, he made his way from the warriors' den and toward the apprentices' den, spotting Fernpaw's familiar silver tabby pelt. He paused as he reached her, “Sorry I haven't been able to take you out training. I hope Ashflight has been a decent mentor for you the past few days.” He flicked his tail for her to follow him and turned, old habits from training Frozenpaw still stuck. He spoke again as he led the way out of camp and toward the wooded cove, “We'll be meeting her today for some defensive training. My shoulder still isn't quite well enough for the exertion, but since you haven't started battle training yet, I wanted to be there to get you started.”
Everything is breaking, right before my eyes.
Looking in the mirror I see someone that I don't recognize.... Taxx
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Post by Taxx on Nov 30, 2017 21:46:15 GMT -5
Fernpaw 7 Moons. She-Cat. RainClan.
Fernpaw had spent the morning doing chores, helping to clear out the elders’ den and the nursery, pulling ticks, and making sure every elder and queen had been fed. Then she had relaxed, taking a small fish from the fresh-kill pile and filling her own belly. Everything had calmed from the other day, when the rogues had attacked Rushwhisker, but whispers about it were still flying. She had kept an ear out on how her mentor was doing, quite grateful that he hadn’t left her with nothing to do while he healed.
His sister, Ashflight, had stepped in, and Fernpaw had continued learning under the she-cat. Ashflight was a different sort of teacher than Rushwhisker, challenging her more in physical aspects than mental ones. Learning how to catch birds was hard, but steady and patient, the warrior had pushed. And the day before, she’d just managed to catch one; a wild paw strike had pinned a flapping wing to the ground before the bird could escape, and a quick bite had ended the struggle.
She’d been all too pleased to add her catch to the fresh-kill pile, accepting the guidance that she could have made a neater catch- she’d leaped too soon and had been lucky to get it at all. Her reward, though, was managing to feed the Clan with her caught bird- fish were common prey, but birds were generally not RainClan fare.
She had expected Ashflight to mentor her again today, but it was Rushwhisker who called to her; Fernpaw sprang up happily and followed, tail high as she trotted in the tom’s paw steps. “That’s okay. She’s a good teacher. She doesn’t mentor like you do, but I like her.” A bit chattier than she usually was, a subtle hint to her pleased feeling that Rushwhisker seemed to be recovering nicely from the attack by the rogue.
A slow blink, that thought suddenly pricking at her, joining with the idea of today’s training. She knew battle training was something every apprentice learned, but the timing of it made her wonder. For a moment she was silent again, padding along behind the bigger cat, watching the slight hitch in his stride as he walked. She’d been in the camp when he had come in, Ashflight at his side, bleeding from several places. She’d been horrified when he had actually clawed Dewpaw, and confused at the same time when the name he had screeched had been Swanfeather’s.
And then shock at the accusations, the absolute hatred in his voice as he’d yowled at the medicine cat, refusing to let her touch him even though he’d needed help. She hadn’t been born when the things he’d spoken of had happened, though she’d picked up bits and pieces from the elders and warriors- they all tended to switch topics when they saw her, and so she didn’t know everything. Just that there had been a time of turmoil and a great deal of distrust, and somehow Swanfeather and a group of rogues were mixed up in it. But now Swanfeather was back in the camp, and Dewpaw, her own sister, was training under the medicine cat, and Fernpaw was starting to worry that Dewpaw might be getting the wrong sort of instruction.
Blurting her mentor’s name, Fernpaw pushed herself to ask, hoping that the tom would clear up the issue. “Rushwhisker? Why do you hate Swanfeather? What did she do? Nobody's told me, but... what you said to her....” She trailed off, unsure how to put her thoughts into further words, but the memory of his rage was as clear as the day it had happened. @zen ooc: |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2017 0:26:11 GMT -5
Enemies surround me by the worst appear as friends.
Liars and pretenders only seek to reach their ends...
Rushwhisker noted with amused curiosity that Fernpaw was a bit more talkative than usual right off. He wasn't entirely sure why. The thought that she was happy to be back training with him didn't really cross his mind. It had been moons since he had really attempted to be any sort of decent company... though he supposed he did try to be a bit less bitter around Fernpaw. She was young and if RainClan was ever to recover from everything that happened to it, the young cats needed to remain untainted by the Clan's past.
He was glad to hear she had enjoyed her training with Ashflight. He hadn't sure how Ashflight would take to being a mentor. She didn't often display a lot of patience when it came to her fellow cat, not that Rushwhisker could blame her, and she never really softened her blows, physical or verbal. But Ashflight seemed to like Fernpaw, from what his sister had told him of their training sessions. It helped that Fernpaw was so well behaved. He didn't think it would have gone as well if Fernpaw was some sort of rebellious troublemaker. Ashflight definitely wouldn't have had any patience for that.
“I saw the bird you caught. Well done,” he offered the younger cat, “Ashflight might not have been very obvious about it, but she was rather proud of you. And pleased with herself,” a rare purr rumbled briefly in his throat as he talked about his sister. She had been pleased indeed to have gotten Fernpaw to a point where she was actually able to catch something in the short time they'd been training together. A companionable silence fell between them for a little while as they continued on toward the wooded cove, but when Fernpaw spoke next, her words hesitant and unsure, Rushwhisker paused.
His ears flattened against his head at Swanfeather's name, but he took a deep breath and forced his anger down. He wanted Fernpaw to remain untainted by the past... but simply forgetting it ever happened wasn't the way to go about it either. She needed to know what happened, her and all the other young cats who hadn't been there, so going forward they could prevent it from ever happening again. They needed to learn from the past. His tail lashed once at what he was about to say, anger seeping into his tone even though he tried to hold it back, “This is only one side of the story, Fernpaw.... Swanfeather's is another. I... I would not be a very good mentor if I simply told you how you should think and feel about things. I keep telling you that you should try to see things from the point of view of others... and I encourage you to talk to Swanfeather about this as well, if you want. I can't promise she'll want to talk about it, and that might be well enough of answer for you, but....”
He trailed off for a moment, figuring out just where to begin, “Have you heard the stories of StormClan? Of when RainClan and LightningClan united to chase StoneClan from their territory, and into the mountains?” He wasn't sure if she had heard about it or not, but the elders always liked telling stories about that to the older kits, so it was a good possibility she had, “I was just a kit at the time, so I wasn't there... but my mentor, Russethawk, was.... It was a massacre. So many StoneClan cats died that day.” His ears flicked back again, shame rising like bile for what his Clan had done. His tone turned hard and bitter, “That battle and the tragedy that StoneClan was forced to endure because of our Clan, was all based on a lie Swanfeather told. She used her position as a medicine cat to influence our leader at the time to ally with LightningClan to chase out StoneClan.”
He met Fernpaw's gaze seriously, “We only found this out after Stormstar became leader... StarClan revealed all of Swanfeather's lies to him, because that was not the only one.” His gaze fell to his paws as he remembered the horrors of the civil war, “The leader before Stormstar.... Her name was Timberstar. She was a NightClan cat that left her Clan to join us, for one reason or another. When Razorstar died and Timberstar was to become leader, Swanfeather stood up and denounced her, telling the Clan that a NightClan cat would never lead us. Many others stood with her, believing StarClan to be on her side... after all, she was a medicine cat.” He spat the words, for Swanfeather would never be worthy of that rank ever again, and likely never was to begin with.
“The Clan split. Families and friends were broken apart. Swanfeather and her supporters left and made a new camp in... in the wooded cove,” where they were heading now, “They called themselves Purists. They started persecuting any cat that didn't have pure RainClan blood. Cats like Bitternwing and Gullswoop... and many others. The rest of us, those of us that supported Timberstar and remained in camp... we were Loyalists. We knew that blood didn't make us a Clan, didn't make us better or worse than any other cat... only our loyalty to our Clan and each other.” His voice grew hard again, bitterness seeping in without him noticing. In the end he no longer even believed that, but he had at the time. He shook his head, “Timberstar had been a loyal RainClan cat for the majority of her life... she had been Razorstar's chosen deputy. The fact that she'd been born a NightClan cat meant nothing to us.”
He looked back up at Fernpaw, “It got so bad that we could not even leave camp alone in our own territory... not even in pairs. Swanfeather's Purists started attacking us...,” his voice grew softer, for the seriousness of what he was about to say next, “They started murdering any cat that wasn't pure RainClan. Their own Clanmates....” He remembered the bodies their patrols had found. He had been on one of them himself. He closed his eyes against the memories. Liars, traitors, murderers... that was the company Swanfeather kept. And she was one of them. She may not have murdered any cat with her own claws, but she had set the events in motion, she had spread hatred through the Clan, planted it like so many seeds and they had sprouted into coldblooded murderers.
“My father was a Purist,” he admitted in a low growl, and then spat, “And my uncle too.” His claws flexed into the earth beneath him, “Surgeclaw... he was one of the murderers, one of Swanfeather's strongest supporters. He was the one that attacked me, tried to kill me.” His own kin. “In the end, Timberstar was already an old cat... she died. Stormstar was named leader in her stead, and he brought the long war within our Clan to an end. He told the Purists what StarClan had shared with him about Swanfeather's lies and most of them chose to rejoin the Clan. Some had already rejoined us before that, disgusted and horrified by the murders. Those that didn't were chased out as rogues... my uncle Surgeclaw and Swanfeather among them.” He gritted his teeth, “It's my opinion that Swanfeather should have stayed exiled for all the things she's done. But Ottersplash got sick and we needed a medicine cat, so Stormstar sent cats looking for her to bring her back. And here we are.”
He met Fernpaw's gaze again, then let out a long breath, turning away after a long moment, “Living through everything she's put RainClan through... I can't ever bring myself to forgive her, Fernpaw, and I certainly can never trust her again. I don't know Swanfeather's reasons for doing all she did, and frankly I don't care. I can't bring myself to care, after all the pain it's caused. But what you take away from this is up to you. I hope... you'll remember this story, and you'll remember what hate does.” He looked over at her, half ashamed, “The hate she spread through RainClan has even managed to infect me. Hate is... a powerful thing. It can drive cats to do things they would never do otherwise.... I'm sorry I hurt your sister. I didn't mean to. I promise, I would never hurt you. I don't... I hope you're not afraid of me, and that you can forgive me.” But he would understand if she couldn't.
Everything is breaking, right before my eyes.
Looking in the mirror I see someone that I don't recognize.... Taxx
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Post by Taxx on Feb 3, 2018 11:58:48 GMT -5
Fernpaw 7 Moons. She-Cat. RainClan.
Fernpaw glowed, silently pleased by the praise given out by her mentor. Earning it wasn't really that hard but it was always nice to hear him tell her that he had noticed her efforts. And it was equally pleasing to hear that Ashflight, too, was proud of her. It had been a bit difficult adjusting to the different methods of teaching between the two cats, but she'd always been flexible, and she'd caught on quickly- she thought.
Hearing the confirmation that she had done as well as she'd hoped pleased the young she-cat, and her step grew a bit sprightly as she continued after her mentor.
Her question, however, changed the mood; Fernpaw tensed at Rushwhisker's ears flattened, but a deep breath followed and he seemed to be making himself relax. The reaction to Swanfeather's name was almost instinctive- the second she had said it, he had reacted. What had the medicine cat done to him? Part of her had expected him to tell her to never mind it, to direct her back to their upcoming training session. Obviously this deeply affected him, and since Swanfeather had been part of RainClan since she could remember, it had to go back quite a bit.
Settling herself as the tom began to speak, telling her a tale she had only heard pieces of- yes, she had heard of RainClan's alliance with LightningClan, joining forces to chase out StoneClan, but whenever she'd asked 'why?' the answers had changed and seemed vague. It had been Swanfeather's doing? A chill crept along Fernpaw's spine at the thought of the two Clans attacking the third, her mind weaving a scene of a camp filled with screeches and yowls, claws flashing and blood running freely. She couldn't picture the cats who Rushwhisker had said had died- her frame shuddered with the horror of the realization of what her Clan had done. All on the word of a cat they had trusted.
That would have been bad enough. How could she have done that? What did she gain from tricking her Clan into battle?
Lies. More than one, and as Rushwhisker went on, disbelief at the medicine cat's daring left Fernpaw speechless. Her silver-and-black fur prickled at the mention of a former NightClan cat among RainClan- she would have been leader? So she must have been deputy. Razorstar must have trusted her, to make her deputy. Enough to give her a rank that would have promoted her to leader of the whole of RainClan, if Swanfeather hadn’t stuck her nose in.
It was getting difficult to keep an open mind about the she-cat as Rushwhisker continued, describing a scene where the Clan tore itself apart on her word, families divided as opinions differed on whether Timberstar should be leader or not. Where the Clan, now separated into two factions, fought like enemy Clans for what they believed in. Where cats continued to die, all because of a cat who should have only concerned herself with keeping the Clan strong. If Timberstar had had the former leader’s support, why would Swanfeather resist? What did she gain from the fighting and bloodshed that must have followed?
It was awful to think about. Too much for her to comprehend, since she’d barely started her apprenticeship and the Clan hadn’t yet been drawn into a battle with another- not that she would have been chosen either way, considering she had no battle training. But she could understand, if minimally, the effect that time must have had on the Clan.
A father, an uncle, both using Swanfeather’s ideals to take revenge on any cat they deemed unpure. Surgeclaw… she’d never heard that name before. Until he had shown up to try to kill Rushwhisker, at least. For a moment it made Fernpaw wonder about her own blood- her parents were both pure RainClan, she was sure, but what about their parents? Was there some other Clan’s blood mixed in somewhere? Was she a target? Or- a thought that made Fernpaw’s fur prickle- was Dewpaw? She spent far more time with the medicine cat, after all. Surely she wouldn’t put Silverstar’s daughter at risk? Maybe she ought to talk to Swanfeather after all.
“Afraid of you?” That surprised her. Why would he think that? “I- I was confused, and worried for Dewpaw, but I wasn’t afraid of you. You were hurt, you didn’t know her. And you apologized. She forgave you, so there’s no reason for me to… to hold it against you.” What was she supposed to say about Swanfeather, though? She hadn’t lived through any of it, and she’d never had reason for her her view of the medicine cat to change. Even now, without first-hand experience, her horror and disbelief were all as a result of the words he was telling her. His side of it. Would another cat tell a different story? What about Swanfeather? If she asked the medicine cat, would she lie to defend herself, or tell the same story with added explanations as to why she had set her Clanmates against each other?
“I don’t understand why she would do that. Has anyone asked her to explain herself?” Would she continue to be allowed to stay, even when Dewpaw gained her name? Or was Silverstar just keeping her around until his daughter was fully trained? @zen ooc: |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2018 22:37:28 GMT -5
Enemies surround me by the worst appear as friends.
Liars and pretenders only seek to reach their ends...
Throughout the long tale of Swanfeather's treachery, Fernpaw had listened quietly, intently, taking it all in. It was a lot, Rushwhisker knew. Perhaps he should have offered to explain it all later so thinking about it all didn't distract her from her battle training. Well, he couldn't unsay the words now. If she ended up being too distracted, he could always ask his sister to continue the training another day. She might be just fine. Fernpaw was priving to be rather resilient, offering up proof even now as she didn't seem overly fazed by the fact that he had attacked her sister.
He relaxed a great deal at that. He hadn't wanted that incident to sour their budding relationship. Fernpaw was a breath of fresh air in the toxic cesspool RainClan had become. He... he enjoyed their training sessions. She was so smart, so open. She was hope, a lonely little star shining in a sea of darkness. Maybe not so alone... she did have a sister, after all... so long as Swanfeather didn't poison the young she-cat's mind as she had poisoned so many others. Fernpaw asked another question and he shook his head, “I don't know. If anyone has asked, I've never heard the answer. As I said, I don't care. There is no justification for everything she's done.” And he added hastily, “In my opinion.” Fernpaw was free to draw her own conclusions.
Stepping forward, he gave her a swift lick between the ears in a rare show of affection, “Thank you for being so understanding, Fernpaw. I hope you pursue answers to your questions from others when I'm not able to give them to you. And that you never stop questioning. Blind faith is dangerous, after all that is what Swanfeather took advantage of.” He turned, tapping her lightly with his tail, “Come on. Ashflight will be waiting for us by now, we shouldn't keep her.”
Arriving at the Wooded Cove, he spotted his sister's familiar tabby and white pelt and the warrioress rose to greet them. “What took you so long, I figured you'd beat me here,” her tone was playful, however, if a bit concerned as she eyed his injury, “Is your shoulder slowing you down?”
He shook his head, “Fernpaw and I were just having a discussion. Sorry we're late.”
Ashflight looked as though she didn't quite believe him, but she let it go as Rushwhisker settled into a sitting position and looked over at Fernpaw with a grin, teasing, “Ready to earn a few bruises?” She'd grown somewhat fond of the younger she-cat in the days she had been helping Rushwhisker with her training while he recovered.
Rushwhisker snorted, “I'm already battered enough for both of us. Don't break my apprentice too.”
Ashflight purred in amusement, “No promises.” She winked at Fernpaw to show she was certainly kidding, but she got a bit more serious after a moment, “Normally I would be against holding back. No enemy is going to hold back on you, but I suppose that IS what training is for.”
Rushwhisker wrapped his tail neatly over his paws, glancing at Fernpaw to offer a brief explanation, “Ashflight never had the luxury of easing into battle training. She grew up in the mountains and had to fend for herself. It tends to color her view of things.” If Fernpaw wanted to ask more about Ashflight's past, however, it would have to wait until after training. He continued before she could ask any questions on the matter, “You're small and inexperienced. This makes you an easy target. So we're going to focus on defense first. If you ever find yourself attacked any time soon, I want you to focus on getting away and getting help rather than trying to face something too dangerous for you alone.”
He nodded to Ashflight and she took a few paces away before turning to face Fernpaw Rushwhisker continued then, “Keep your claws sheathed for training. Ashflight is going to attack and try to corner or pin you. Your job is to dodge her blows and get away. If you ever find yourself pinned, a good trick is to go limp. Your attacker will think you've surrendered and loosen their grip, let down their guard, and it will give you an opening to escape.”
From her place, Ashflight raised her voice at that advice, “That trick only really works on other Clan cats. Rogues'll just as soon kill you than accept your surrender. And a fox or badger obviously won't care.”
Rushwhisker's ears twitched at the bluntness of the statement, but there was no use sheltering Fernpaw from the truth. He nodded again, “Always keep in mind who your opponent is. Most Clan cats fight within the Warrior Code, but others do not, and those outside the Code might not care about killing to win a fight.” He flicked Fernpaw with his tail again and ushered her forward, “Look at Ashflight's stance and try to mimic her. Notice how her paws are wider apart than usual, her legs bent, bringing her lower to the ground. This makes her harder to unbalance, which will be the first thing most enemies will try to do to you. Try it for yourself.”
Everything is breaking, right before my eyes.
Looking in the mirror I see someone that I don't recognize.... Taxx
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Post by Taxx on Apr 10, 2018 23:14:33 GMT -5
Fernpaw Apprentice of RainClan
It was a lot think about- so much confusion and horror and uncertainty over the reasons behind the medicine cat's motives for tearing RainClan apart. She almost wished she hadn't bothered to ask, but she had, and Rushwhisker had answered truthfully, painting the picture she couldn't shake from her head of her Clan's past troubles. They all seemed so normal- it was hard to imagine a time when stepping out of their camp was dangerous- because of their own former Clanmates.
Closing her eyes, Fernpaw purred as Rushwhisker gave a friendly lick between the ears. No, she didn't blame him. It hadn't been Dewpaw's name he'd yowled as he struck out, and Dewpaw hadn't been badly hurt. There was no reason to hold an empty grudge against him. But Swanfeather- maybe she should talk to her. Did Dewpaw know of the things her mentor had done? Had anyone told her- or should Fernpaw do that?
A tap of his tail against her shoulder pulled Fernpaw from her thoughts, and she watched the tom stride away before rising to her paws and following. A shake of her head, knowing that she had to focus on the task ahead even as her thoughts continued to spiral on the revelations she'd been told.
It got a bit easier as they emerged into the clearing where Ashflight was waiting; the two siblings spoke between themselves for a bit before the she-cat turned her gaze on Fernpaw and the young apprentice flashed an amused glance at her. She liked Ashflight and she'd learned a lot from her- and knew well enough that she wouldn't hurt Fernpaw unnecessarily.
Listening carefully to the instructions given- a mild prod of curiosity for Ashflight's younger moons quickly buried as Rushwhisker went on. Nodding as she filed the tips away for future use, and then focusing on the she-cat as Rushwhisker pointed out her stance. Blue eyes scanned Ashflight carefully, and her lean body shifted into the half-crouch to mirror Ashflight's. "Like this?" she asked, flashing a glance at Rushwhisker but not taking her eyes off the she-cat for more than a heartbeat.
@zen ooc: |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2018 1:19:47 GMT -5
Enemies surround me by the worst appear as friends.
Liars and pretenders only seek to reach their ends...
Rushwhisker observed Fernpaw's attempt at the stance for a moment. Overall it was pretty good. “It wouldn't hurt to spread your paws a little farther apart, but not a bad first try. Pay attention to how you're distributing your weight as well. Since we're practicing dodging right now, you can shift yours to your hind legs and keep your forepaws light so you can more easily pivot or leap back out of the way of Ashflight's strikes.”
Allowing Fernpaw another moment to adjust, he looked to Ashflight and gave her a nod to start. The she-cat stalked forward, tail lashing behind her as she gauged just where to test a strike first. Reminding herself to take it easy, she aimed a swipe for the younger she-cat's shoulder, rather than her face which was her first instinct. She would focus on simple strikes to start with, before moving on to trying to pin the apprentice so she could learn how to escape from a more difficult situation.
A few strikes in, she offered Fernpaw a bit more advice, because she had done just as she'd planned to do and backed the younger she-cat against a bramble bush where she could not continue to keep moving away. “If you ever find yourself cornered unable to avoid attacks, aim for your enemy's eyes and ears. Ears bleed a lot, they make the wound seem worse, and it usually spooks a cat and makes them back off, or at least hesitate long enough for you make another move, or get away.”
Rushwhisker's whiskers twitched from his spot across the clearing and he called over, “Don't forget to pay attention to your surroundings as well as your enemy to avoid getting cornered to begin with. It can be difficult at first, but it'll get easier with time and practice. You're doing well on your dodging, though!” Ashflight stepped aside to let Fernpaw move away from the brambles before resuming her assault of strikes, faster now, giving her less time between each one to prepare for the next.
Everything is breaking, right before my eyes.
Looking in the mirror I see someone that I don't recognize.... Taxx
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