[Deleted]

Worn and broken, reassembled,
Forgive our thoughts when they're shameful

TreeClan - 23 Moons - She-Cat

Nightfurys' life as a warrior could easily be described as typical, which was an incredible change of pace for the she-cat as no other part of her life could remotely be described in that way. Experiencing her first loss as a young apprentice Nightfurys' life didn't get much better, and for many moons she let her emotions rule her. Upon rejoining Treeclan Nightfury knew she had to find a way to tone down the fire deep inside her that burned singularly for Lionstar, however the flame seemed to extinguish itself upon spending more time with her leader. In its place was the desolate coldness that could be expected to remain after such a flame was snuffed. The numbness hadn't subsided at all, so much so that stoic almost seemed too gentle a word to describe Nightfury whilst burying her clan mates, not even her own brother could illicit a reaction. This had clearly been a cause for concern for her former mentor and now it seemed Lionstar was involved and after having made her way up to his den she politely requested permission to enter.

Fawn || 185

[Fawn]

LionstAr

blinded by the light of a new sun
take it to the world, gonna sing it like an anthem

He had to learn to stop being shocked by Nightfury's behavior. Again, she was not the apprentice he had last seen the day that Puddlepaw's life had unfairly ended. Yet... wasn't her behavior odd? Lionstar was not close with his half-siblings, but he would still mourn their loses as deeply as he would any other family member. As he would any other TreeClan cat. Nightfury, it seemed, had locked her emotions away, keeping them beneath a layer of cold, hard earth that not even the strongest claws could scratch through.

That was fine. Each cat grieved in their own way. Lionstar himself, who had been nothing short of devastated by Bluejay's untimely death, had chosen to grieve by confiding in Honeysong - and speaking of her memory with Bluejay. Part of him wanted to stay in the ancient stump and shut out the whole world, give himself time to process, to grieve fully, but Lionstar did not have the luxury.

"Come in," he spoke to the entrance, able to scent Nightfury's arrival. When the she-cat appeared before him, Lionstar briefly searched her gaze for anything resembling sorrow. Upon finding none, he smiled a little - a greeting - and gestured with a point of his golden jaw for her to sit. "I wanted to see how you were doing. So many of us have lost loved ones this newleaf. Are you handling Stormfeather's death?" She seemed to be handling it too well.

leader of TreeClan

224 Words | @poptart | notes

so alive | background image | table by phoenix

[Deleted]

Worn and broken, reassembled,
Forgive our thoughts when they're shameful

TreeClan - 23 Moons - She-Cat

Nightfury entered gracefully upon receiving permission to do so and Lionstar wasted no time getting to the crux of the matter. "Am I handling it?" The she-cat asked slightly confused, did she give off the impression that she was unable to cope with her brothers death? Doing her best to quickly dispel any such myth Nightfury launched into a quick and dirty explanation of her current state. "I am doing just fine Lionstar. Obviously I was determined to reintegrate myself into Treeclan, and I was working on rebuilding my life here one piece at a time. I knew completing my apprenticeship was instrumental in doing so and it belayed my reconnecting with Stormfeather." Nightfury took a pause to study Lionstars' face to see if she was on track to satisfactorily answer his question before continuing. "His untimely death has clearly made that impossible, but I know life is full of missed opportunities like that."

Fawn || 152

[Fawn]

LionstAr

blinded by the light of a new sun
take it to the world, gonna sing it like an anthem

"His untimely death has clearly made that impossible, but I know life is full of missed opportunities like that."

"I see," Lionstar replied, doing moderately well at keeping the sadness out of his voice. He couldn't project his own unhappiness at her response onto Nightfury, that would solve nothing and likely confuse her. Yet he could not let it go... "You are allowed to grieve, Nightfury. You were unable to reconnect with him, but lost kin is still kin. It's difficult to lose loved ones. If you have the need or desire to talk... I am here." The greencough days were a mixture of painfully crisp memory and blurry fragments of comings and goings as the Clan struggled to endure despite the dwindling numbers.

Yet Lionstar recalled, with a low pang of dismay, that Nightfury had been one of the cats burying the greencough victims - a duty she had undoubtedly repeated more than any cat should have. There had been only a pawful of healthy warriors, and so few elders to do the job for them. A dark time, whose shadow was still spilling over into greenleaf - unless he did something to stop it.

"This isn't the only reason why I wanted to speak with you, Nightfury." Golden eyes found hers, pretending the coldness he saw there didn't worry him. "Berrypaw's mentor succumbed to greencough. He will be behind in his training, after everything he's been through. I believe you are ready for your own apprentice. If you have no objections, I would like for you to take over Berrypaw's training." Ironic how, even now, Nightfury couldn't fully escape the clinging spider webs of Grayowl's legacy. Yet Lionstar stood by his decision. Nightfury was a valuable warrior of TreeClan, and if she could come back from the brink of emotional and moral ruin, she could do anything.

Including train one of Grayowl's grandkits.

leader of TreeClan

315 Words | @poptart Hellion (Berrypaw mention) | notes

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[Deleted]

Worn and broken, reassembled,
Forgive our thoughts when they're shameful

TreeClan - 23 Moons - She-Cat

Nightfury listened to Lionstars' advice and did her best to internalize it, it was true she had lost something she could never recover, however it didn't seem that her feelings about the situation were destined to change. The young she-cat wasn't even sure she wanted them to after having spent most of her life trying to manage her volitile emotions. That didn't mean however she was opposed to change in other ways, and Lionstar informing her of Berrypaws' situtation and offering her the chance to be his new mentor was something Nightfury would classify as 'good change'. After feeling like she was being surpassed by her younger peers because of circumstances far out of her control Nightfury was honored to be gaining ground on a brighter future built on willpower alone. "Of course I will see to finishing Berrypaws' training Lionstar, I am ever grateful for the opportunity." If there were any doubts about training the grandkit of her former kitnapper they didn't show.

Fawn || 164

[Fawn]

LionstAr

blinded by the light of a new sun
take it to the world, gonna sing it like an anthem

Even though her words did not match her expression, Lionstar chose to accept it as enthusiasm - or at least appreciation for this new and hopefully pleasant change. He nodded with finality. "I am confident you will get Berrypaw to his warrior ceremony in due time." The golden tom gazed at Nightfury, but, unable to find what he was looking for, resolved to carry on as usual. "Speak to Falconstorm about Berrypaw's health. If the brook isn't too cold, you may be able to get his training started in the water." That would make it easier on the younger tom's joints.

"That was all," he mewed, their conversation winding down. "Is there anything you would like to discuss?" Though this meeting was drawing to an obvious close, Lionstar kept space between them for her to bring up any subjects that might've been bothering her. Would she tell me, if there was? Likely not out of any reluctance to be frank with him. Instead, Lionstar was under the impression that there were very few things in Nightfury's life that she felt was worth bringing up in private - and it likely related to the Clan, not her own personal feelings.

Nightfury's new reticence was here to stay, and he would respect it.

leader of TreeClan

209 Words | @poptart | notes

so alive | background image | table by phoenix