[Fae Magic]

Silverburr was restless, he could not help it any longer. The warm air of New-Leaf was almost stifling within the darkness of the warrior's den. Normally the dappled silver tabby tom wouldn't mind the beautiful change of weather after having such a cold one around the last corner but something in the air was bothering him. He didn't know why. His thoughts wouldn't allow him any rest and he was feeling itchy and hot in his own nest to the point that he had to force himself not to jump out of the nest like it had ants in them or something and dash outside. Instead, he carefully retracted himself from the bundle he lay on and stretched his lanky frame out. He was far too big and lanky for the nest he slept in and it cramped up his long spindly legs; he reminded himself to see if one of the apprentices would like to go out with him later today maybe and gather some moss to help make him a bigger nest. Shaking his head the towering warrior weaved around the other dark shapes around him; careful not to step on anyone's tail as he exited the warrior's den. The air outside seemed no different then inside the den if not a bit less claustrophobic in the more open air. His green eyes peered around at the camp and noticed the warriors on guard and sighed. He hated having to go all commander on them but he really needed out of this camp to gather a peace of mind somewhere else. The night sky was filled with the gentle twinkling white lights of the stars above and the moon giving enough light for the lanky tom to pad his way across camp towards the guards. His face was neutral as he approached; never wanting to give away any unease the LightningClan warrior felt. 

"I will be out for a moment, I'm going to make dirt." he lied giving them a nod and slipped through the opening to where they often did to go 'make dirt' as he put it. 

He made his way quickly and pushed his way through into the denser parts of the woods before he found the familiar path outside of camp and smirked. He hated lying to his clan but tonight was not a night he wished to be stopped just because he couldn't sleep. He did not need to make an excuse for himself or explain himself to his clan mates. Every cat within his clan needed sometime to themselves and he didn't feel like sharing his troubles right now. So, he had lied and snuck out like a professional. His paws were in charge now though as his mind was in the brink of exploding from the varies of thoughts in his head that he could not focus on where he had been walking to; his paws though seemed to understand and led him to a field with open plains and tall grasses. And the sparkling among the dark green stalks gave him pause. An almost boyish smile graced his features; one he had rare ever used as his green eyes flashed every once in awhile with the twinkling on and off flash of lightning bugs all around him. They were just as pretty as the stars in the sky. 

Apparently, his paws wanted to lead him here for some reason. Not the Crystal Creek like he had thought would be his destination as he had loved going there for peace and quiet when he was a young apprentice. No, instead his paws led him here for some reason. He tilted his head watching the bright flashes in the dark every few seconds wondering if this would be a regular routine spot for him at night now. Maybe he'd take a midnight stroll more often to clear his head before bed. He mentally shrugged to himself and took a breath of the fresh air around him. Spotting a rock not too far away he made his way over and jumped up onto the cool hard surface and settled down. His ears picked up the sound of flapping wings and looked up to find dark shapes in the sky. Bats were about hunting the bugs no doubt for a midnight snack. He closed his eyes and listened with his other senses. His large bat like ears picking up the gentle swoosh swish of the grass, the gentle flapping of the bat wings above him, a hooting of an owl somewhere...and paws. Pawsteps? They were to heavy for a prey and he briefly wondered if he would encounter a predator until he scented the air and paused. No predator....a clan mate but the scent was too mixed in with the rest of the earth around him he couldn't pin point who it was quiet yet until he saw the shape stalking through the darkness of the forest and into the light of the moon. 

"Owlmind?" he frowned sitting up confused. "What brings you out here?" he asked wondering why she was out here by herself. 

Ghost the Undead Goddess

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Owlmind

LightningClan || 75 Moons || Deputy

Newleaf had brought with it the warming of weathers and the awakening of prey as the snow melted away from the grounds. Though still cool once the sun retreated, the air no longer held the sting of ice as it raced through the rolling moorlands of Lightningclan. The gripping claws of Leafbare finally releasing it's grip upon the valley. 

There was a faint nostalgia that grew within the lanky feline at the turn of the season, the memories of being swollen with kits resurfacing within her mind. It had been moons ago it seemed, and yet not that long at all since the aging deputy had given birth to her three growing daughters. Though they still bore the title 'paw, it would not be much longer until they earned their warrior status. 

The three of them had grow up so differently, but it had always been within them to be different from each other. Goldenpaw, Goosepaw and Greenpaw had easily defined themselves outside of their deputy mother's shadow and the older she-cat could not have been prouder. Though she didn't show it, as she preferred to remain non-biases, she couldn't help the feeling when it rose within her chest. 

She was still their mother. 

Though as Deputy for the clan, she also had to keep an eye on their progress when it came to their warrior training. Especially with how she and her brother were working to re-shape the clan into a powerhouse, a force to be reckoned with should their neighbors decide to try anything deemed unacceptable. 

There had been a lot of tension within the valley within the last, long moons. Treeclan and Nightclan had waged a rather savage war, and thought the clan living among the pines had shown up at the most recent Gathering, those that shared the border with Lightningclan did not appear.

Owlmind constantly kept tabs on the clans within the valley, if those they didn't share boundaries with. Though she preferred if her clan and the cats within it stayed out of the claws of war, she made sure Lightningclan was completely prepared in case that event came raining down on them. War and tension put every cat on alert, unsease noticeable with stances and wide eyed gazes. 

Things became unsteady during times such as this. 

The aging Oriental was a strategist, she worked like a general within her clan under the leadership of her like-minded brother. Since her rise to the higher rank, Owlmind had been working hard to shape and mold her clan with her gifted brilliance. She had always been one to map out every scenario, to see two steps head when it came to solving problems or maneuvering plans. 

With the aid of a pawful of older, more experienced warriors, the Lightningclan molly have her clan increase hunting and battle training to improve maneuvers and multi-cat operations. She also increased the use of the tunnels branching out beneath the moorlands, training cats to remember routes. Owlmind would make sure her clanmates were safe and well protected.

It was her duty as Deputy. 

As such, the gray she-cat padded near silently through the growing grasses of the wide moorlands. She had recently surfaced up through the mouth of an underground tunnel, the fresh air greeting her along with the every present wind sweeping past. It wasn't as cold as it had been, but the slight chill of night still caused an ache within her shoulder. That old injury still haunting her even into Newleaf. 

Owlmind occasionally roamed the borders at night, enjoying not only the silence but the cover of darkness to check how things were going. Most of the time it was to check on those few cats perched at each border that kept an eye for anything suspicious. Brightpool was the only warrior out tonight, posted at Stoneclan since Treeclan currently poised less of a threat for the time being. 

Wide amber pools upon the long narrow face of the deputy reflected the faint light from the sky. Large ears twitched from the sound of movement as a familiar scent touched her nose. One of her own was out within the Star Field, though it wasn't like it was uncommon for cats to get restless and wander at night. 

After all, she was doing it herself. 

Flickering that long tail of hers, the aging molly paused to focus on the pale silhouette of the silver tabby known as Silverburr. He was somewhat of a loner when it came to the clan of cats among the moors. Though he kept mostly to himself, Owlmind was usually pleased with his dedication to the clan and his loyalty was often well noted. 

"Silverburr." Owlmind greeted the younger tom with a slight dip of her head, amber pools unreadable as she padded closer. Faint amusement flitted through the liquid pools of the deputy at his following question, though as quickly as the emotion appeared it was gone again. "I could be asking you the same question." Her tone was even, that ever present rasp of hers sharp as always. 

It was actually a pleasant sight to the aging feline, pleased that her cats could feel safe enough to wander the moorlands as they pleased. It was their territory, their home, they should be allowed to explore the grassy plains.  

Glancing over a narrow shoulder at the sound of wings, Owlmind lifted her head to find the wide figure of an round headed raptor soaring off into the distance near the mountains. "It seems i'm not the only owl awake at the moment." Whiskers wriggled upon the narrow muzzle of the gray freline for a moment before returning her attention to one of her young warriors.

"Is everything okay with you?" She wasn't one to pry, and she wouldn't push if Silverburr didn't wish to speak about any possible problems. However, she wasn't about to refuse a lending ear either, Starclan knew hers were large enough to offer aid. 

Wisdom. Courage. Strategy.

Fae Magic Abyss Ginger @jet Hellion (Goosepaw, Goldenpaw, Greenpaw, Brightpool) || 1014 Words

[Fae Magic]

The lanky tom gazed over towards the figure stepping towards him and couldn't help but think that if the Stars hadn't aligned the way they had the younger warrior probably wouldn't have minded being part of the deputy's family. As they did look rather similar that they could have been mistaken as some sort of family ties. Unfortunately, SilverBurr was not that lucky. He respected the older warrior for being a loyal clan mate and a strong mother; not to mention her position as deputy did not go unnoticed by many. It took a certain type of cat to be able to obtain such a status and keep it as long as she had with the situations that came with it. The younger warrior gave her a small smile that didn't quite reach his pale green eyes but he honestly knew deep down that he didn't need to hide his true feelings when it came to OwlMind. She had gone through much worse then him no doubt and dealt with much more then he had. As he had no family to guide him and no kits to raise he did not know half the hardships that she did and still does of course. She was not that old but she was not as young as SilverBurr's 30 moons and experience aged a cat quiet a lot. He did not fear judgement from the other as they were much alike in the mind as well as looked alike. The dappled tom sighed and slumped slightly from where he sat and looked across the field once more at the dancing lights among the tall grass. A frown on his face as he tried to think of how to put his jumbled thoughts into words. Should he tell her about his encounter with TreeClan and the look alike apprentice? Should he tell her about what happened long ago that haunted him now that he chanced upon someone so young that looked far too uncanny to be less then what his mouth dare not utter? It couldn't be true or it could. He didn't know and since the one cat that could give him the answer wasn't around anymore he wasn't sure how he would go about finding out the truth. Clearing his throat the tom shifted uncomfortably much like an apprentice too shy or afraid to say what was on his mind in fear of getting scolded. 

"OwlMind...I want so badly to tell you what's on my mind but I'm afraid of where to start...of what you would say....I'm afraid you'd look at me lesser after I tell you what's been going on and what happened many moons ago. I found something out recently that has been on my mind and making me restless and unable to sleep...." he began and glanced up at the sky not daring to look at his deputy.

If he told her what plagued him would she go and turn to tell their leader? Would he get punished for something that happened so long ago? He had been young and foolish...and it may or may not have ended up with a life long consequence. But, he knew if he did not tell someone then he would never find out the truth in his own mind or get a peace of mind back if he let it eat him up from the inside so he took a deep breath and pushed forward. 

"Long ago...when I was a younger warrior...I uh...met this loner and long story short I made a mistake...." he dug his claws into the rock he lay on not caring that they hurt from the unyielding stone beneath them. 

"Now I don't know if it's true or not with what I'm thinking happened...I never saw her again after that night...it was a one time thing and well since I don't know what came of her I don't know if it's true and I don't have a way to find out because the apprentice doesn't know what's going on; he's just as confused as me and I don't know who to go to to see if they would know about his history and..." he trailed off rambling quickly.

He paused to take a breath and looked over at the deputy. He looked so lost and so unlike the SilverBurr that everyone knew to be distant and noble like. He looked like a scared and uncertain apprentice right now as he stared at her. He didn't say anything for a second as he tried to gather his thoughts. He knew he had rambled on and on about what was on his mind and she had no clue whatsoever on what the heck he was talking about so he began at the beginning in a much slow manner as he grew a little more confident to tell her.

"Owlmind, when I was young a met this she-cat in the woods; I never saw her again after that one night and never thought to find her. I made a mistake. A little while ago I had been on a border patrol on TreeClan's border to remark and we ran into a TreeClan's border patrol remarking their own territory...among them was this apprentice who looked exactly like me...I'm not exaggerating that OwlMind...You knew me when I was a young apprentice...That's the tom I saw on the other side of the borders...he was a spitting image of me... He looked just enough like her....to have me wondering if maybe...just maybe that one night..." he trailed off uncertainly before snapping his head down and swallowing hard.

"What I did was stupid and I kept it a secret for so long but....Now I can't keep it a secret any longer because if that is...if he is...I don't know what to do..." he trailed off falling silent. 

He knew his confession was not something he was proud of. And it was obvious he was confused and terrified which was nothing like the SilverBurr people saw within camp. But he needed to tell someone even if it meant him getting scolded. He just hoped it didn't ruin him in the end or have OwlMind hate him or think him untrustworthy...or disloyal to his clan because of it. 

Ghost the Undead Goddess

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Owlmind

LightningClan || 75 Moons || Deputy

She was quiet for a long while. Silently studying and observing the tom in from of her that normally had an air of nobility and control about him. Though, within those moments under the moon as the silver tom poured his troubled soul out, it couldn't help but remind the deputy of all the other times she had been the rock for her cats when they needed an ear to listen or a shoulder to lean against.

She was the deputy after all, it was only natural for them to come to her just as they would the leader or the medicine cat. She was there for them as much as she was there for the future of Lightningclan as a whole. 

A long tail flickered behind the lanky gray molly, like a pale snake illuminated by the silver of the moon within the darkness of the moorlands at night. Her mind wrapped around everything that spilled from her warrior's maw like word vomit as his nerves rose, the wind bringing his scent crashing into her white speckled maw. It was beyond obvious that this one scenario, this ordeal that transpired many moons ago was suddenly weighing Silverburr down like a heavy stone upon his chest.

As much as she could hardly care about outer-clan relationships, she couldn't deny that had Silverburr sired a kit with some loner outside the warrior code of the clans then she would have prefered for said kit to have grown up loyal to those who raced along the moors like rabbits in the wind. However, the stars were aligned as how they were and the past could not be changed. 

Silverburr had done what had been done. 

"Even if this apprentice is your blood you must leave that dream behind." Owlmind finally spoke within that sharp, rasped ton of hers as those wide, amber eyes watched the tom before her very carefully for his reaction to her words. As always, her own expression was vague, blank of anything legible and practically void of emotion. It was a skill she had mastered long ago within her younger moons.

"What happened happened and obviously you stayed true to Lightningclan despite the desires of courtship. Should this Treeclanner be your kit then I suggest you leave it up to your imagination where it should stay." Was it cruel sounding? Perhaps, but Owlmind would rather her warrior focus on his duties as a loyal cat to Lightningclan rather than worry about some tomcat growing up within a different clan, under a different leadership, raised with a different loyalty. 

Going and searching for hope and answers would only make thing difficult and Owlmind had no intention of letting Treeclan distract her cats. Not when the coming moons would prove to be a challenge should she and Redstar decide to turn their attention towards Stoneclan to gain more territory in the future.

"I would forget about him Silverburr, your loyalty is to Lightningclan, not a young kit from Treeclan." Owlmind finished her thought before standing to her nimble paws. She could feel the strain of tired muscles within her shoulder, the old wound always making sure she remembered it was there. It seemed that even the warmth of Newleaf and the coming of Greenleaf didn't prevent those pains from returning. 

It was another sign that her age was starting to catch up to the wise old feline.

"I would suggest you stay away from Treeclan for a while, keep your head clear." The old molly said after a moment, those wide ears twitching to catch the sounds of another bird flapping its wings somewhere within the darkness of the night sky around them. Her amber pools shifted for a moment, looking around the open area in which the two cats stood as the wind brushed against their flanks like an old friend.

"And Silverburr..." Liquid amber turned to pin her younger warrior in place with a fierce gaze of authority. "Should I find out you are spending to much time along that border in search of your apprentice then you will have to deal with consequences. Do you understand me?" She was not a cruel cat, by any means, nor a vicitous deputy, but she did what she did for the betterment of her clan and the best for her warriors. Lightningclan didn't need a warrior not dedicated to the workings of his clan, nor did Treeclan need a foreign cat snooping around unnecessarily. 

Wisdom. Courage. Strategy.

Fae Magic KARAZHAL (Glacier) || 756 Words