Post by xvinn on Sept 16, 2022 13:18:06 GMT -5
wingfeather (zie/zir) | gorgeclan
There was a time when Wingfeather would never dare go close to the border that marked the territory between GaleClan and GorgeClan. Seasons ago, the world had shook the very core of the valley and taken the lives of so many, including zir own father, Boarstep, as well as the near death of the cat who had forever carried zir heart, Ivorysight. The pair had been practically inseperable as apprentices and young warriors in the former LightningClan. So when Ivorysight decided that he would be joining GorgeClan, Wingfeather eventually followed. But such a decision was not as easily forseen as the love that bonded the pair. Leaving their families and their friends to follow Ivorysight's newfound loyalty to the cat who had saved his life was not something that many could have predicted, but it was what would follow and shape their lives.
Since those days, zie had been ... afraid, for lack of a better word, to be found patrolling the GaleClan border. Zie was scared that if any of zir new Clanmates found zir, they might believe that zie was not loyal, that zie was meeting with old acquaintances or diverging in Clan secrets, yet not sharing what zie had learned of the newly founded GaleClan. Zie worried that they would look at zir with ill-intent, knowing that if a battle were to strike between the Clans, zie might fall back, scared to hurt those who zie had grown up alongside.
Perhaps they weren't wrong in such beliefs, though. Not in the idea that Wingfeather would ever give away secrets, or treat GorgeClan as anything other than zir true home, but that if war were to break out, zie wouldn't know what to do. What if zie crossed paths with zir best friend and brother, Nightfur? What of zir former mentor, of the cats who helped raise zir? How would zie ever be able to raise a claw against those zie once called family, whether by blood or by bond?
But such a choice to avoid rumours came at its own cost. Ivorysight had thankfully not taken as fearful of a path, carving his own way through GorgeClan and showing that he could patrol near the border, continue to carry relationships with the cats once meaningful to him, yet never sway in his loyalty and pride in being a GorgeClan cat. So it was the tom, both light in fur and light in heart, who would often meet with Nightfur and share tongues in the darkness about their families, promising that all was good before parting ways once more. Yet, the darkness followed Ivorysight one night when he returned to give Wingfeather the news that zir mother, Comfreynose, had passed. Zie had not seen her since zie left LightningClan behind, and would never see her again until zie joined her in StarClan. While zie was not an overly religious cat by any means, zie would still often pray for forgiveness from her. There was the occassional night that zie thought zie could smell her wrapped around zir, wrapping her tongue across zir head and lulling her child to sleep. Zie would often try and dismiss it as a hazy status feeling, but it was comforting nonetheless to think that just maybe she could find forgiveness for zir after all.
Now, zie held no fear of the GaleClan border. Wingfeather had seen the way that the other GorgeClan cats held no hostility towards Ivorysight, knowing full well that he would not turn his back on them in their time of need, and would not put the values of GaleClan higher than those of GorgeClan. As such, Wingfeather hoped to follow in zir counterpart's steps, and prove that zie felt very much the same of the newfound family zie had made.
In fact, zie now often looked forward to passing along the GaleClan border, hoping every now and so that a familiar face might pop up. Or perhaps even better to see new faces - the young faces of apprentices who had been born since the tragedy, who knew nothing of what had passed. Zie enjoyed watching GaleClan grow as much as zie loved watching GorgeClan thrive, finding zir own footing in the new environment, and proving that perhaps zie could hold places in zir heart for both lands, while never wavering on the loyalty zie showed. And it was always nice to walk the dried creek, feeling the lingering winds pass through zir fur, thinking of the long-gone innocent days that zie could run through open lands alongside both Ivorysight and Nightfur, tumbling and laughing. There was a comfort in the scents that passed northward, almost eerily similar to those scents zie would feel in zir hardest nights, praying to zir mother.
Perhaps, zie did miss zir homeland after all. But that did not matter anymore, zie had a new home, and all Wingfeather could do was think of days past and days yet to come, where zie could watch over both territories from the stars above. While zie held no death wish, it was a comfort to think about the days when zir loyalty would never be questioned anymore, and zie could ignore the borders between zir families, providing love and comfort to the kin of all the valley.
Since those days, zie had been ... afraid, for lack of a better word, to be found patrolling the GaleClan border. Zie was scared that if any of zir new Clanmates found zir, they might believe that zie was not loyal, that zie was meeting with old acquaintances or diverging in Clan secrets, yet not sharing what zie had learned of the newly founded GaleClan. Zie worried that they would look at zir with ill-intent, knowing that if a battle were to strike between the Clans, zie might fall back, scared to hurt those who zie had grown up alongside.
Perhaps they weren't wrong in such beliefs, though. Not in the idea that Wingfeather would ever give away secrets, or treat GorgeClan as anything other than zir true home, but that if war were to break out, zie wouldn't know what to do. What if zie crossed paths with zir best friend and brother, Nightfur? What of zir former mentor, of the cats who helped raise zir? How would zie ever be able to raise a claw against those zie once called family, whether by blood or by bond?
But such a choice to avoid rumours came at its own cost. Ivorysight had thankfully not taken as fearful of a path, carving his own way through GorgeClan and showing that he could patrol near the border, continue to carry relationships with the cats once meaningful to him, yet never sway in his loyalty and pride in being a GorgeClan cat. So it was the tom, both light in fur and light in heart, who would often meet with Nightfur and share tongues in the darkness about their families, promising that all was good before parting ways once more. Yet, the darkness followed Ivorysight one night when he returned to give Wingfeather the news that zir mother, Comfreynose, had passed. Zie had not seen her since zie left LightningClan behind, and would never see her again until zie joined her in StarClan. While zie was not an overly religious cat by any means, zie would still often pray for forgiveness from her. There was the occassional night that zie thought zie could smell her wrapped around zir, wrapping her tongue across zir head and lulling her child to sleep. Zie would often try and dismiss it as a hazy status feeling, but it was comforting nonetheless to think that just maybe she could find forgiveness for zir after all.
Now, zie held no fear of the GaleClan border. Wingfeather had seen the way that the other GorgeClan cats held no hostility towards Ivorysight, knowing full well that he would not turn his back on them in their time of need, and would not put the values of GaleClan higher than those of GorgeClan. As such, Wingfeather hoped to follow in zir counterpart's steps, and prove that zie felt very much the same of the newfound family zie had made.
In fact, zie now often looked forward to passing along the GaleClan border, hoping every now and so that a familiar face might pop up. Or perhaps even better to see new faces - the young faces of apprentices who had been born since the tragedy, who knew nothing of what had passed. Zie enjoyed watching GaleClan grow as much as zie loved watching GorgeClan thrive, finding zir own footing in the new environment, and proving that perhaps zie could hold places in zir heart for both lands, while never wavering on the loyalty zie showed. And it was always nice to walk the dried creek, feeling the lingering winds pass through zir fur, thinking of the long-gone innocent days that zie could run through open lands alongside both Ivorysight and Nightfur, tumbling and laughing. There was a comfort in the scents that passed northward, almost eerily similar to those scents zie would feel in zir hardest nights, praying to zir mother.
Perhaps, zie did miss zir homeland after all. But that did not matter anymore, zie had a new home, and all Wingfeather could do was think of days past and days yet to come, where zie could watch over both territories from the stars above. While zie held no death wish, it was a comfort to think about the days when zir loyalty would never be questioned anymore, and zie could ignore the borders between zir families, providing love and comfort to the kin of all the valley.
Abyss / tigerstride ● 881 words