[Deleted]

The smell of rain was thick in the air on that beautiful starry night. With the signals of the leaders to disperse and mingle, most cats seemed to take the hint and do as they were told. One apprentice in particular, seemed frozen in her spot however. The pretty gray and black stripped bengal known as Graypaw, was, while excited about having been invited to come to the Gathering. Because it was an honor to even be considered, Graypaw was completely overwhelmed by all the new faces hovering around her. Yet the excitement for wanting to go out and make another friend, like her friendship with the handsome and nice, Brightpaw, seemed to push her forward. She paused briefly in her stead, to cast a small glance towards her mentor, Pumafang. The large tom was busy with his own agenda and taking that as a hint, the apprentice took a breath and moved off to talk to other cats.

She wasn't concentrating on any group or any particular individual. She was just looking for a nice and unfamiliar face to talk to. Nothing wrong with that right? Without even trying to answer her own question, Graypaw shifted towards one cat nearby. The other feline's age was lost on the young apprentice, even with the moonlight bathing down upon them. Even still she care little about how old or young the other cat was too her, all that did matter was making friends with someone and then telling her parents about it later in her happiness. So with another breath she parted her maw and let the words flow, "Hello, my name is Graypaw, what's yours?" Her tone was happy and curious, all wrapped in one tight bundle. It was too much if an opportunity to not to engage with other cats from another clan. Maybe, they would be interested in getting to know her to as she was with wanting to know them. Perhaps it was another naive idea but she was still hopeful.

"Graypaw Talking"

WC: 343 | OOC: anyone/everyone welcome - <3333

[Katara]

[googlefont=Playfair Display] [googlefont=Roboto] [googlefont=Kumar One]

if i was born as a blackthorn tree
i'd wanna be held by you, felled by you
fuel the

PYRE OF YOUR
enemies

clover

clovermask.

NIGHTCLAN DEPUTY // 48 MOONS

I

f Clovermask were to pull this off, she would have to adopt her best mask yet. To seem open and friendly to a young apprentice would be a challenge, but she wanted to approach her before Darkstar made her announcement, and definitely before the night was over. She didn't want her to be intimidated by the news she was speaking to a Clan deputy. Instead, when she noticed she she-cat wandering, she wove swiftly through the crowd, planting herself in her line of sight. She made sure she was near enough to a pair of her Clanmates for her to be a part of their group, but out of their conversation well enough to make it clear she was open to be approached.

It was in that moment she caught the silver bengal's eye.

Seemingly without thinking about it, the young apprentice closed the gap between them, introducing herself in an eager flow, and by the time she looked up at Clovermask, the NightClan warrior had arranged her expression to be perfectly friendly. She was thinking about Berrycloud, and whatever it was he did with his face whenever literally anyone approached him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Graypaw," she said, injecting as much warmth into her tone as possible. "My name is Clovermask - I'm from NightClan." She inhaled, as if identifying her scent, though she knew very well what Clan Graypaw was from. For a moment, the familiarity to Shrikesong's scent made her dizzy with longing, but she quickly snapped back to focus. "And you must be from TreeClan, which makes us neighbors." She gave the young cat a wry smile.

She'd thought, from a distance, that Graypaw was identical to her mother, but she'd been wrong. There were differences, though they were marginal. Graypaw had hints of browns through her pelt, buried deep enough that it could easily be mistaken for silver from afar, and her eyes were a perfect shade between green and blue. Though she'd never imagined it before, it occurred to her now that if a cat could look like both Clovermask and Shrikesong, she would look like Graypaw. "Your Clan leader must be impressed with you if he chose you for the Gathering tonight - I think I must have been a few moons older than you when I went to my first Gathering. Are you enjoying your apprentice training?" She kept her eyes trained on Graypaw, more curious than she'd ever been in her life. They would have precious few minutes before the leaders would begin their announcements, and she wanted to make them count.

[attr="class","cltag"]tagged @jen

[attr="class","clnotes"]notes lmao I couldn't resist >D

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[Deleted]

Graypaw hadn't exactly been sure what she had been expecting when she had approached the other cat. With her new status when it came to dealing with other clans, she knew nothing of their termperment when it came to dealing with a cat of NightClan. Minus, her fated encounter with the handsome, Brightpaw, Grayapw was pretty much grasping at air when it came to approaching strangers and befriending them. Okay, while she was far from a shy cat, and enjoyed being around her clanmates and her family, it was pretty much the same thing when it came to being back at home. She was social, yes, and loved the idea of making friends, it was just, well she could be a little too eager when it came to wanting to approach others and talking their ears off. Perhaps, this was the reason of her few friends back home? Or maybe she just wasn't good at being social just yet. Despite this, when the other cat, began to talk, and her tone was sweet and very much welcoming, Graypaw, felt a weight that had been pressing down upon her, lift.

With her spirits higher than they had been before the apprentice, felt her entire face light up with happiness. This was her second time talking to another cat from another clan. There was no way she was going to blow it! Especially when the other seemed happy to be talking to her, so that must have meant something. "It's nice to meet you too, Clovermask," The young apprentice mewed happily with a twitch of her tail and a happy chirp of her voice. Clovermask? That was a very pretty and interesting name, which also meant that the cat she was talking too, was a warrior and oh! She was a NightClan cat? That was so awesome! Brightpaw, had been part of LightningClan so the chances of Clovermask knowing him was slim. Still. The apprentice pressed down the small edge of slight disappointment at realizing this and found herself grinning softly up at the older molly, before nodding her head at the question, she had asked about her being of TreeClan. "Yes, I am from TreeClan," She confirmed with a simple response. When she mentioned about being neighbors with their clans being close by, Graypaw could only nod, her tail twitching more with the eagerness of this conversation.

The truth of the matter was that she was aware of this, but knew little about the other clan, minus this fact. Her training with Pumafang had been more about learning about their own territory and fighting skills than about knowing information about the other clans. She could only assume that she would learn more about them, when the time came. For now, she was enjoying herself. When Clovermask mentioned her leader, a hot flash of heat came to the apprentice's cheeks and she bowed her head a little bit, in embrasshement, before letting out off a small laugh, "I guess, Lionstar was, I wasn't expecting to come, to be honest with you," She paused briefly to comprehend the second question asked of her before she responded, "My training...its going okay...I have no complaints at all"

Compared to her previous words, the soft tone clearly held a small note of uncertainly within its depths. Sea green orbs, that had been lingering on the ground, briefly, slowly pulled themselves upwards and towards the leaders and their deputies. They swayed from Lionstar and towards her mentor, Pumafang, locking onto his postion for moments before they locked back on Clovermask. Graypaw allowed herself to drink in the silence then, taking in the other female before her then. She was slender, much like Graypaw was herself and very very pretty. If someone would have put the two besides the other, they would have probably been mistaken the two for relatives. Cousins at best, probably. Clovermask, held shades of brown within her own pelt, much like Graypaw's but it was a more defined and precise brown. The black markings against her short cut pelt were similiar as they were different to Graypaw and those eyes....

The apprentice shook her head, and took a breath, forcing her eyes from drinking in any more details of the clearly prettier molly. Instead she pulled the conversation back to a point that had gotten her attention before, "So you're a warrior right? You are the first warrior that I've talked too here. What is like being one?" And just like that the excitement of her curiosity of knowing more about the other feline was back in her voice. The naive curiosity that Graypaw was known for.

"Graypaw Talking"



WC: 783| TAG: Katara OOC: welcome to the party! >3

[Katara]

[googlefont=Playfair Display] [googlefont=Roboto] [googlefont=Kumar One]

if i was born as a blackthorn tree
i'd wanna be held by you, felled by you
fuel the

PYRE OF YOUR
enemies

clover

clovermask.

NIGHTCLAN DEPUTY // 48 MOONS

T

he young cat's reaction to her was assuring to say the least; assuring because it told Clovermask that she was playing her part well. Though she hadn't hesitated to tell Graypaw her true name immediately, it had occurred to her before this to use a different name. She airily thought that Shrikesong might have mentioned her to her kits at some point, even if by mistake. They had been close friends for many moons, after all, and weren't you supposed to tell your loved ones about those you felt close to? She couldn't help but offhandedly mention she had someone important in her life to Berrycloud once or twice, but she didn't think he had the mental capacity to unravel a mystery she'd kept so closely under wraps for so long, so she'd thought it was just as safe as saying nothing at all. She was deeply curious to know whether Shrikesong had mentioned her to Graypaw, but Clovermasks's name didn't spur any recognition in the apprentice's eyes. She couldn't tell if she felt more relieved or disappointed. Not for the first time, she felt the crushing blow of the reality that she'd drastically misjudged her importance in Shrikesong's life.

Still. It would bring her the smallest bit of satisfaction to earn the trust of her gullible daughter, who seemed even more delighted than Clovermask to make her acquaintance. "I hope you won't buy too much into nursery tales of our cold hearts," she purred. "I certainly don't bite." Not you, anyway. Her gaze swept over Graypaw, and the sudden change within her as she faltered, unable to meet her eyes. Clovermask narrowed her eyes, struggling to interpret this change in behavior. She seemed a bit too humble for an apprentice at her first Gathering, that was certain, but there was something more. She wished she were better at reading others, but that would require her to care about their lives, and she didn't.

The flicker of Graypaw's eyes gave away her thoughts. Her gaze darted straight to the other side of the clearing, where TreeClan's leadership sat. She couldn't tell if she was looking at Lionstar or Pumafang, but it was one of them for sure, and she could only imagine a couple reasons for this. The first, was that Graypaw was unusually ambitious and felt she had something to prove to the leader and deputy even as an apprentice, but she didn't think that was very likely for what little she'd observed of her personality so far. The second possibility was that one of them was her mentor... which still meant she had something to prove, but in a different way. Maybe she thought she couldn't live up to their expectations? "You say you have no complaints," she observed, "but you obviously have something on your mind. I won't make you say it, though, if you don't want to. Just remember that you're young, and you have plenty of time. Just be yourself." It was advice she'd heard Berrycloud say to apprentices all the time, and it seemed to work when he said it, so she hoped it would have the same effect on Graypaw. Everyone seemed to like her former mentor quite a lot, so she also hoped that by impersonating his easy, open personality, she might win the young she-cat's trust.

Energy returned to her tone as she questioned Clovermask about her own life as a warrior, and the bengal twitched her whiskers in an amused reaction. "I am a warrior," she confirmed, keeping her voice light and casual. She tried to keep all her focus on Graypaw, but part of her was burning to see if Shrikesong had noticed her daughter's absence yet. She didn't want to seem like she had lost interest in Graypaw mid-conversation though. "What is it like to be a warrior? I don't think I've ever been asked that before," she said honestly. How would Berrycloud answer? She briefly considered how she'd felt when she'd earned her warrior name, but only remembered how quickly the novelty had faded. "It's different, in a good way. Everything that was holding you back before is what becomes open to you as soon as you have your warrior name. There's a freedom to being a warrior that's very satisfying." She doubted Graypaw had anything to relish when it came to freedom right now, but as she grew older she was certain that would change. There were, after all, tempting friendships beyond borders. After voicing her own thoughts on the matter, she switched back to repeating something Berrycloud would say: "And, of course, being a full member of your Clan changes things. Being trusted with important tasks or missions, or with the training of an apprentice is a great honor for any warrior. There's never a dull moment, that's for sure," she finished, trying to mimic Berrycloud's cheerful tone. "It's worth the moons of training. Though, I will say I do not miss checking the elders for ticks one bit."

[attr="class","cltag"]tagged @jen

[attr="class","clnotes"]notes <3

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[Deleted]

Graypaw's first impression of Clovermask, without knowing her at all? Most cats, regardless whether they were apprentices or warriors from another clan, would have been cautious of their interactions. Perhaps it was because of possible unrest between whatever clan was having a dispute with another, or maybe it was for an entirely different reason altogether. Regardless most cats at a Gathering were civil to each other. Graypaw, due to her possible naive and curious personality and knowing nothing about this cat's history, let alone about her clan, just wanted to have a conversation with another cat outside her clan. Clovermask was so open and friendly to her, so it was no surprise that the young apprentice received the warm welcome and sole interest in her, than being nothing but a neighboring cat, well being nice to her. To, Graypaw that's all that mattered.

So when Clovermask spoke about her hopefully not believing rumors about her clan and the fact that she didn't bite, the apprentice could only twitch her whiskers in amusement before letting out a small chuckle. For the record, Graypaw was the type to observe and take notice about another cat's behavior instead of listening to whispers of what others believed another clan was like. Of course, Graypaw seemed almost oblivious to whatever was being said about NightClan. "I don't believe any of the nursery rumors that were spread when I was kit," She gave an amused purr and another twitch of her whiskers before she continued, "Besides even if you did bite, I taste terrible, I swear,"These words were filled with light humor and the gleaming of her sea green eyes, certainly told the gray apprentice was certainly having fun. When it came to being Graypaw it was easy for her to switch between emotions quickly, simply because of her young age and not being able to keep most of her emotional state in check. So when the conversation shifted to talking about a last favorable topic, Graypaw could only blink at Clovermask in response and nod her head.

Apparently she wasn't the only one who observed others clearly. It was obvious the prettier molly had been able to take notice of her oddness from before. The shifting of her attention towards to where the leaders stood, and where her eyes had landed on Pumafang, well it certainly had told her something. "Thank you for that...I can be a little hard on myself sometimes, to the point that I never seem to believe that I'm good enough to be his apprentice" It made little difference to mention who the "he" she was talking about in this situation especially since it didn't really matter. Whether her mentor was Lionstar or Pumafang (though it was the latter of course) she knew she would have probably felt the same way either way. Not good enough and unworthy of either tom as her mentor. But surprisingly enough Clovermask, did make her feel better about it. Being young and to just be herself. It was great advice and Graypaw really like the tone of it. Just be yourself and everything would be okay. She had more to say about the comforting advice but choose to leave it be when Clovermask moved on to talking about her life as a warrior. Almost instantly the apprentice was more abuzz with energy and eagerness about the topic at mentioned. Her eyes glowed with interest and widened in amazement as Clovermask talked so casually about what it was like.

It was different and being able to live the life quite far away from being an apprentice. With a lot more freedom and of course responsibilities. Missions, other important tasks and even training her own apprentice! It was certainly better hearing it from a warrior's mouth than hearing excited whispers from a bunch of overexcited kits. To think, it was only a matter of moons, when she, would become one herself. "It almost sounds too good to be true to be honest," She would mew after a moment, a soft smile lingering on her maw, "Like a dream that lies so far into the future that its hard to imagine. Or maybe I'm just being silly and looking too much into it?" She gave off another chuckle before lowering her eyes back to the ground monumentally before casting her sea green eyes would look back up to Clovermask. "I'm going to try to be the best warrior I can be, when the time comes and I'll make sure to remember everything you've said to me, Clovermask" Her words were light but filled to the brim with warmth for the kind and warm stranger in front of her. Once again this was due to the naive ramblings of a young apprentice who didn't know any better.

"Graypaw Talking"

WC: 811 | TAG: Katara OOC: Sorry for the wait on this! >3

[Katara]

[googlefont=Playfair Display] [googlefont=Roboto] [googlefont=Kumar One]

if i was born as a blackthorn tree
i'd wanna be held by you, felled by you
fuel the

PYRE OF YOUR
enemies

clover

clovermask.

NIGHTCLAN DEPUTY // 48 MOONS

G

raypaw's eyes held amusement as she confirmed she didn't believe the nursery tales of unkind NightClan cats. It only made Clovermask all the more curious what she had heard about NightClan cats. She knew for certain that Shrikesong hadn't mentioned her name specifically, but perhaps she'd warned her kits in a more vague, roundabout way. The idea of Shrikesong insisting that NightClan warriors ate TreeClan kits for breakfast as a way to steer them away from her was entertaining, but didn't quite seem realistic to her. No, if she'd known the TreeClan warrior at all, it was that Shrikesong would be hesitant to cast any Clan in such a harsh light. Even if she hadn't mentioned Clovermask specifically, she might have warned them against strange cats anyway, perhaps even cats that seemed to already know them.

Clovermask merely wished Shrikesong had accounted for the fact she wasn't an absolute mouse-brain. Of course she was going to act as if she had no idea who Graypaw was, and it was close enough to the truth. She knew she was Shrikesong's daughter, but that was it. Whatever that idiot Darkstone had contributed to this litter would probably be revealed soon enough, though the NightClan deputy had an idea of what he may have passed on to his kit. Graypaw's complete trust in a stranger was as convenient to Clovermask as it was stupid for the TreeClan apprentice.

"I believe you," she chuckled lightly, showing no sign of the skeptical thoughts flickering through her head. "In NightClan, we try to avoid eating TreeClan cats especially. Very unappetizing. RainClan cats, on the other paw..." She raised her voice, as a RainClan apprentice wandered near them, looking as if he wanted to join their conversation. "We enjoy eating RainClan cats very much. Something to do with the fish they stuff themselves with, I'm sure... it makes their flesh taste so full of flavor," she said, her voice theatrically filled with longing. The RainClan apprentice's eyes widened with alarm, and he seemed to catch the hint and made himself scarce. Clovermask purred with genuine amusement; sometimes it was fun to toy with others. To Graypaw, she added, "Only joking, of course."

The tone of the conversation changed, as the young cat admitted her insecurities in being worthy to be 'his' apprentice. Clovermask had no idea whether Lionstar or Pumafang was her mentor, but she was quite certain now it was one of the two. Who else would she feel such pressure under? Once again, she attempted to figure out what Bluecloud might say to her, but everything he would say was far too warm and reassuring, and she barely knew Graypaw. He managed to be so friendly and open with others whether he knew them or not, so he could get away with it, but Clovermask couldn't. Or, she couldn't pull it off as well as he could. She'd have to subject herself to another evening with him on patrol or something, she obviously needed even more exposure to understand how to mimic him better. "It's not a matter of being good enough," she said instead. "Do you think Lionstar or Pumafang looks at a kit and thinks, 'Oh, that one looks worthy of greatness. I'll mentor that one.'" She snorted. "Unless StarClan chose mentors themselves, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. You're as worthy as any other cat, Graypaw." She flicked her tail decisively, as if that settled the matter.

Graypaw's eyes widened with awe as Clovermask described the honor of the life of a warrior, though she didn't think she'd described it that well. The young bengal was obviously easily impressed. "Perhaps looking into it just a bit too much," she teased, keeping her tone light and free of the mocking edge that she so badly wanted to inject in her words. "You will be a warrior for a long time, longer than you were ever a kit or an apprentice. You'll soon forget what it was like to be an apprentice after you've been a warrior for a season or two." She certainly had, and had no problem ignoring the apprentices when they were clearing out the elders' bedding, or fetching mouse bile to rid them of ticks. Reveling in her new freedom had been everything to her.

"I'm going to try to be the best warrior I can be, when the time comes and I'll make sure to remember everything you've said to me, Clovermask."

The NightClan she-cat's eyes gleamed, feeling strangely satisfied with Graypaw's response. She really did hope it was her words that came back to Graypaw again and again; she'd be very pleased if the young apprentice singled her out as someone she could trust. She purred at her. "Good," she said warmly, "I have no doubt you'll make a fine warrior one day, Graypaw."

[attr="class","cltag"]tagged @jen

[attr="class","clnotes"]notes this is sooo late omg sorry

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[Phoenix]

[googlefont=Playfair Display] [googlefont=Roboto] [googlefont=Kumar One]

remember me, love, when i'm

REBORN AS THE
shrike

to your sharp
and glorious thorn

shrike

shrikesong.

TREECLAN WARRIOR // 40 MOONS

E

ver since Graypaw and Moonpaw had moved out of the nursery, Shrikesong had dreaded the day that Lionstar would call one or both of her kits to attend the Gathering, and though she had been able to accompany her daughter this night, she could not deny the way her heart raced in her chest as she and Darkstone exchanged worried glances when they left camp. A habitual, cursory glance over the NightClan party had her heart stuttering to a stop as dread coiled in her gut: Clovermask was, unfortunately, also in attendance. Silently willing the other she-cat to uphold their silent agreement to continue pretending that the other never existed, the TreeClan warrior spent the first part of the night glued to Graypaw’s side, encouraging her to build friendships with trustworthy felines and avoid the one she-cat whose betrayal had left such a deep wound on the warrior’s heart.

But as the night carried on with no sign of impending disaster, Shrikesong had slowly allowed herself to relax. Reassuring herself with the knowledge that Lionstar and Pumafang were also there and that they wouldn’t let anything happen to Graypaw, she managed to (still somewhat reluctantly) peel herself away from her daughter to visit with some old friends from StoneClan. She couldn’t stop herself from glancing around to follow her daughter’s path through StarClan’s Claws from afar (or Clovermask’s for that matter), but it seemed like they might actually survive the night without incident.

And then she looked up to see a scene straight out of one of her nightmares.

Somehow, at some point, Graypaw’s and Clovermask’s paths had stopped safely orbiting each other and intersected. Shrikesong’s blood froze in her veins, turning an icy cold with a paralyzing fear for all of a few heartbeats before it was utterly consumed by the racing fire of her ferocious ire. The StoneClan warrior’s words fell on deaf ears as she extracted herself from the conversation with a blunt “I--I-- Sorry, I have to go. Someone is-- I have to go.” Elegant paws were carrying her toward the horrible scene before she had consciously decided to intervene, but even from afar, she could see from Graypaw’s stance that she was entirely comfortable talking to the worst feline that the valley had to offer.

Get away from her, you monster! Unsheathed claws dug into the soggy soil beneath her paws – a poor substitute for the spotted pelt the TreeClan warrior wished was there instead – and her tail lashed through the air behind her before she remembered that they were at a Gathering. It was a time of peace, a truce that was one of the few agreements upheld by every clan; she couldn’t violently tear her precious daughter away from the metaphorical and literal claws of a creature none of them were equipped to handle. Piercing blue eyes fixed on the pair of she-cats, she forced herself to take deep breaths as she pushed her way none too gently through the throng of cats separating her from Graypaw. But she had always been the furious, righteous flame to Darkstone’s more rational, though no less powerful, brand of anger, and despite all the moons they had spent together, she had never been able to successfully mimic the reservation that came so easily to him.

Where was that wonderful tom when she needed him? Back at home with Moonpaw, where she and Graypaw should also be. She cursed Lionstar for inviting them along tonight, but she cursed herself even more for daring to relax when she should have known better.

Clovermask was like a snake. Show any weakness or glance away for a moment, and she would strike mercilessly and without hesitation. And StarClan knew, Shrikesong had never been good at hiding anything, let alone from the keen eyes of a predator lying in wait.

“Good. I have no doubt you’ll make a fine warrior one day, Graypaw.”

Shrikesong’s blood burned at the warmth in Clovermask’s tone, recognizing it from their days as friends and knowing intimately exactly how disingenuous it truly was. “Yes, she certainly will,” The TreeClan warrior promised as she swooped into the conversation, weaving her way to stand between the two she-cats as much as she could without being horribly obvious about it. Not that you will have anything to do with it. A glance over Graypaw confirmed that her daughter was still in one piece. “Come, Graypaw. Have you met any cats your age yet? There’s a group of apprentices over there I think you’ll get along with.” Blue eyes pinned her former friend with a dangerous look, clearly conveying that her company was not welcome and silently daring her to linger any longer around mother and daughter.

[attr="class","shtag"]tagged Katara @jen

[attr="class","shnotes"]notes Shrike is #Unhappy

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[Deleted]

At each passing moment in the older molly's presence, Graypaw was finding herself liking her more and more. She was funny, nice and the best part, she seemed to like her, as much as the apprentice liked her. Graypaw let out a small purr of happiness at the idea of becoming friends with such a powerful and clearly intelligent molly. What she wanted have given to have Clovermask in TreeClan. It was kind of a weird thing to even think about considering Graypaw was far from a shy cat and could easily make friends with other apprentices of her own clan. It was certainly not from the lack of trying and she had managed to become friends with Sagepaw. The friendly medicine cat apprentice, was a newly added cat to Graypaw's growing friend list and she was quite happy with having someone to lean on when she was lost in her own thoughts. Yet, there was something more alluring of having a friend in another clan. It was Brightpaw in Lightingclan and now she could possibly add Clovermask to the list. Or maybe she was jumping the tree stump too fast, because it wasn't like the older molly had agreed to being her friend. Still, the apprentice was hopeful.  Even as the two continued to talk among themselves, Graypaw's affection growing as the conversation moved to different topics, the apprentice was truly unaware of what she was actually getting herself in. 

Clovermask's history was unknown to her, let alone what her past had to do with a member of Graypaw's own family. Yet while most would have senses something just a little bit off by the molly, everything seemed to fly over Graypaw's head. She hadn't batted an eye when Clovermask had mentioned NightClan finding RainClan cats more delectable to eat than TreeClan cats, in fact all she did was let out another course of clearly amused laughs in response. She hadn't caught the other cat that had moved away from them, just as fast as his paws could take him. The only thing she did notice was the soft joking tone of Clovermask and the seemingly dancing mischief in her glowing eyes. When the other molly began to speak up again, this time about what the young apprentice had spoken about before. She listened carefully to what Clovermask spoke about, nodding in through to what was being said. She hadn't really thought about it that way, the way the molly explained. The truth of the matter, was that, she was right. She was sure that Pumafang was just doing what came natural to a mentor and that was to train the apprentice. Tutor and teach them until one day they would become warriors and would repeat the cycle. The small realization seemed to ease some tension in the gray apprentice's entire body and she let out a small sigh of relief before nodding her head and smiling.  "You're right...thank-" The young apprentice had every intention of continuing with her words, basking in the warmth of comfort Clovermask was offering her. Yet a voice interrupted her. A very familiar one at that. 

The apprentice turned her head, her ears angling forward as her nostrils flared. She knew the scent as well. She had known it as long as she could remember. The smile that Clovermask had placed against her maw, was quick to widen even more as she took in the familiar shade of her mother. So familiar too her in both pelt color and scent that anyone would have easily knew that the two were related. The apprentice twitched her tail, in greeting to her mother, before taking a step towards her. Only to pause, look back to Clovermask, only to return her eyes back to her Shrikesong. Her mother's words rang in her ears like a soft chiming bell and the apprentice could only blink and tilt her head in confusion. There was an edge of something in her mother's tone that had immediately caught the apprentice's attention. Yet she couldn't quite put her paw on it at the moment. She had been making friends...even if Clovermask wasn't exactly her age, but still..

"Hello, Shrikesong"," She greeted her mother with a soft purr,, her tone warm and clearly excited that her mother had found her. "I was making a friend, this is Clovermask. She's really nice!"She introduced the other molly with a twitch of her tail.  She paused at the question, about  if she had made a friend her own age, and the apprentice sighed before shaking her head, "Well...no I mean, I saw Clovermask....and I was drawn to her so I came over to talk to her"She let out a silly chuckle at her own silly words, clearly amused that she was very much telling the truth. Something had drawn her to Clovermask and like a moth to the sun, the apprentice had allowed herself to be drawn. Not understanding or even realizing if it was a good idea or not. All that mattered was that she was enjoying herself and that is all that should have mattered. Right? Right.

"Graypaw talking"

WC: 875| TAG: Katara and Phoenix | OOC: poor adorable and naïve Graypaw LOL

[Katara]

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if i was born as a blackthorn tree
i'd wanna be held by you, felled by you
fuel the

PYRE OF YOUR
enemies

clover

clovermask.

NIGHTCLAN DEPUTY // 48 MOONS

T

here had never been any doubt in Clovermask's mind that Shrikesong would eventually catch wind of the exchange between herself and her daughter, and with the Gathering due to begin soon, she was a little surprised she'd managed to get away with chatting with Graypaw this long. She was just beginning to think her TreeClan friend might have lost her touch. Graypaw was just opening her mouth to respond, when a familiar scent swept over Clovermask, and she felt her gaze drawn magnetically to meet Shrikesong's.

The weight of the moment their eyes met hit her immediately, an immense wave of satisfaction and excitement sweeping through her all at once. How long had it been since she'd last looked into those blue eyes? Clovermask lifted her chin slightly, triumph flashing in her eyes, enjoying the promise of a threat in Shrikesong's own. You didn't really think I'd stay away from her, did you? The moment was fleeting, but so long-awaited, she knew she'd be fantasizing about it later, playing it over and over again in her head, her grand entrance back into Shrikesong's life. Oh, she couldn't wait to savor the look on her face when it was announced she was NightClan's new deputy.

Shrikesong settled tensely next to Graypaw, half-shielding her from Clovermask, obviously trying not to be too conspicuous about her purpose to the other cats surrounding them. Now in sight of the young cat once again, the triumphant light was wiped from her expression instantly, smoothly replaced by the warm, polite open-ness Graypaw would expect from her upon meeting her mother. Or, should she spill the secret to her?

Hello, Shrikesong! I was making a friend, this is Clovermask. She's really nice!

Clovermask decided in an instant. She wanted Graypaw's trust; there was something tantalizing about the idea of being the one to offer the first glimpse of the truth - and the lie that Shrikesong had built. Or, rather, the absence of the truth. Clovermask would be more than happy to provide the first crack in their relationship, if she could manage it. Her expression shifted then, casting off one mask for another, allowing recognition and friendliness to color her tone. "Shrikesong, it's a pleasure to see you again, old friend," she purred. "I should have realized Graypaw was yours - she's the spitting image of you." She got to her paws, sensing things were coming to an end whether she liked it or not.

She returned her attention to Graypaw, feeling as though she was resurfacing from something - being in Shrikesong's orbit, she guessed. "Your mother's right, Graypaw, you'll enjoy making friends with those your age as well. I'm sure we'll have a chance to speak again at the next Gathering. It was great meeting you - and good luck with your apprentice training!" She began to move past them, flicking her tail-tip against Graypaw's flank in a friendly way as she passed. She couldn't resist pausing to glance over her shoulder at the TreeClan warrior as she passed her. "Oh, and Shrikesong? Say hi to Darkstone for me," she said lightly, before finally turning away and slipping back into the crowd of cats, thrumming with more energy than she'd felt in a long time.

[attr="class","cltag"]tagged @jen & Phoenix

[attr="class","clnotes"]notes <3

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