[Fae Magic]

Beauty is a joy that forever increases
It will never pass into nothingness

His eyes fluttered as the breeze bringing the crisp air of Leaf-Bare into his lungs. Green eyes peered around cautiously before flicking his tail in signal that the coast was clear and that they could relax. Owlmind thought it best to appoint pairs to go hunting in a hunting patrol and the lanky dappled silver warrior was paired up with the rusty brown spotted and striped tom that was not well liked by some of the Lightningclan due to his coming into the clan. Treeclan, if Silverburr was not mistaken that the younger tom came from. Same clan as his son. He didn't know Leaopardheart all that well; up until recently all he thought about was work. That all changed when he ran into Glacierpsring as an apprentice at the border that changed the silver tom's mind. Silverburr was rather curious to see what this Treeclanner was all about; no, not a Treeclanner anymore. The older warrior didn't see much point in hating someone who would leave their clan for their loved ones or have such an open mind to want to love someone from a clan they were not born in. And due to Leopardheart's heart, Lightningclan had new kits to raise as their own and to love. In the older warrior's mind there was no real fault. But, he could be biased thinking of course as he himself had an affair with a loner when he was younger and ended up with a son he didn't even know about until recently. He owed Treeclan a debt of gratitude for taking in his son; even if he himself hated the fact that he didn't have the chance to know him personally because of his lack of knowledge of his existence.

"We can stop here for a breather; if we find anything else around here we can catch it but I need a break. I swear I'm getting too old sometimes." he joked setting himself down on the grass and sighed softly. Of course, he was joking. He wasn't even near being a senior warrior and was actually in the middle of being in his prime age. He was just trying to make a joke to lighten the mood.

"We can pick up the rest of the prey later on our way back..." he shot a glance over at Leopardheart and gave him a small smile. They had been out for a good while hunting for the clan this morning and the silver dappled tom was pooped; plus his thoughts wouldn't allow him to rest so he figured he'd try and start a conversation with the other.

"By the way, congrats on the little ones. I'm sure you and Windspirit are proud. It's always great to be able to see the clan grow. I hope things go well for the both of you in raising them...I never really spoke with you previously to congratulate you on starting a family; how old are they now?" he said and looked around at the heather plants and bushes idly. He wasn't making a threat; more inwardly regretting not being there for his own kits. His son he didn't even know about he met a few moons before he turned into a warrior; that was still half his life he was missing out on before they had met.

556 word count Abyss
Silverburr Russet-Tail Ivoryrose poppypaw Tigerpaw Smudgenose PRIMROSEPETAL mousepaw rock pendulum

template by punki of adoxography

[Abyss]

I know the road is long,but where you are is home.
Wherever you stay, I'll find the way.

A sharp voice had called his name that morning. A voice that had called to him many times in the last few moons. Owlmind. The Lightningclan Deputy had kept him on his toes ever since he had come to the clan. Though, that was nearly two seasons ago by now. It was weird how fast time seemed to fly.

Not just with his transfer of clans, but also in his life in general. Where he once slept in the Nursery at his mate's side, he now slept in the Warriors den alongside the other Lightningclan Warriors. Actually, he was able to start sleeping by her side still even now, for she was no longer stuck in the Nursery. A surprise to them both, their litter of four, who not too long ago had been little playful balls of fur sleeping at her side, were now newly appointed Apprentices. It was hard to believe. His life had changed so much in the last few seasons. His kits had been born the day before he came to Lightningclan, and now he was here to watch them grow into Apprentices.

Even further than that, he himself had also been given an Apprentice of his own, which was a major shock to him and to his newer clanmates. He had been assigned to Valiantpaw, one of the many kits that had been born alongside his own. The fact that Owlmind had seen him fit enough to train a Lightningclan Apprentice was a surprise, but a welcomed one. Back in Treeclan, he had never had an Apprentice before. If he had stayed longer, maybe he could have trained….

No, it was no time for thoughts like those. He was a Lightningclan Warrior now. He had a mate, a family, and he now had an Apprentice. He was thankful for the life that Lightningclan had allowed him to have among them.

A voice broke him from his thoughts, yellow eyes turning to peer at the silver dappled tom at his side. Silverburr, a Warrior that he had not interacted with much since he joined. He had been on a patrol or two with him, but they never really spoke. It wasn't until they were paired together as a duo rather than a full patrol that they really interacted. As far as he could tell, the silver tabby seemed like a good Warrior, one that he could get along with.

"You don't seem all that old to me. Half the time I wonder if you are younger than me, " his words were said with a smile and with good intentions. But, technically, it wasn't a lie. He didn't actually know how old Silverburr was. He couldn't really tell just from appearance how old any of these cats were. They were all so active and quick, and most of them were smaller torso wise. Their appearance of health did nothing to suggest how old any of them were. Admittedly, when he first saw Silverburr, he had assumed that the silver tom was about his age. But perhaps he was older than he looked?

Taking a seat where he stood, the Bengal tom, took in a deep breath, letting it out slow. He had the instinct to go find a tree and take a break in the shade, but that wasn’t something he could do anymore. Lightningclan didn’t have the trees that their neighbors did. He was starting to get used to the shade that the long grasses of the meadows provided, but it wasn’t the same.

Once again, Silverburr’s voice drew him from his thoughts. He turned to the tom as he spoke, a smile forming on his face.

“Thank you, we are both very proud of them.” As the tom continued, Leopardheart couldn’t help but think back to his previous thoughts. How old were his kits?

“Too old, ” he chuckled, shaking his head, gaze turning to the ground, though a thoughtful expression remained on his face. “They just became Apprentices. It feels like just yesterday they were these tiny little things that slept half the day away.” He momentarily closed his eyes, hiding the slight tinge of pain that ran through him at the thought of his kits not being little anymore. “They are growing too fast for me.”

Shaking away his thoughts, he lifted his gaze and looked to his companion, slightly tilting his head. “What about you? Do you have children?”

Leopardheart

Warrior of LightningClan

736 Fae Magic Notes

[/div]

[Fae Magic]

Beauty is a joy that forever increases
It will never pass into nothingness

He was glad the other did not seem to mind his company. Silverburr knew that he hadn't been the best when it came to social interactions outside of warrior duties so he was glad to see that the former Treeclan warrior seemed friendly enough to want to interact with him; he didn't know his back story except for the fact he fell in love with Windspirit and abandoned his birth clan to come live with the one he loved and raise their family together. It was touching really; and honestly gave him hope that the clans could one day maybe unite or at least have peace with each other and be on friendlier terms. Blinking back the thought he silver dappled male turned his attention to the voice of the other as he spoke and gave a half smile in return as he listened. What was it like to have and raise kits of you're own? What was it like to have someone there to help be your strength and be your support when you needed it while carrying for something you both created? Leopardheart seemed proud of his family and although Silverburr was not familiar with Windspirit either; he could tell they made good parents already. 


"Time flies for sure. But, it's what makes it so precious really." he commented looking up at the sky thoughtfully. At the sudden question of kits of his own the other physically tensed and it was obvious that the next words out of his mouth was a lie; the question should have been seen to come but Silverburr hadn't even thought of the question being turned on himself. 

"No. I don't have kits of my own...nor a mate. I'm too much of a workaholic for anyone to want to get to know me personally enough to form a bond or relationship with. It's only recently that I've received one of our older apprentice Briarpaw as my own after her former mentor Lynxfire passed. But no, I'm uh...not the type of to raise kits. Like them and all just never seen myself having some of my own." that was a bold faced lie; would the other realize it and ask? No one knew of Glacierspring except Owlmind. 

It had only been a few moons since the silver warrior had come across the Treeclanner as an apprentice that arose questions. After digging things up he realized that Glacierspring was the production of a one night stand that he had had with a loner when he was a younger warrior; before he grew up realizing his mistake. Did Leopardheart know of the tom? If he did, did he suspect that oddity that a former clan mate like Glacierspring looked far too closely to the warrior standing beside him now?

Green eyes glanced over towards the brown tom and squinted a moment before looking away. He could use an ally and if anyone would understand Silverburr without judgement it was the very tom that abandoned his birth clan to follow his heart and raise a family with his mate. His ears fell slightly back as he clearly his throat roughtly.

"Okay, part of that was a lie...Not the workaholic part the uh..kits part. I do have kits. Well, one that I'm aware of right now at least...He's from Treeclan. A former clan mate of yours..I don't know if you'd have been aware of him or not but I only just found out about him myself the last few moons past." he confessed glancing awkwardly towards the other.

"He was a bit of a surprise...one night stand when I was younger apparently resulted in a tom now known as Glacierspring...I found him when my border patrol ran into a Treeclan border patrol that he was among. His mother is not in the picture anymore and I'm not aware of any other kits that may be alive that are mine from his litter. He doesn't know either." he sighed lowering his head and looked towards the other.

"Owlmind is the only one who is aware so don't go telling others...I'm not having a war break out or something over this." he muttered with a bit of a grumpy tone as if it pained him to admit it.

747 word count Abyss
Silverburr Russet-Tail Ivoryrose poppypaw Tigerpaw Smudgenose PRIMROSEPETAL  mousepaw rock pendulum

template by punki of adoxography

[Abyss]

I know the road is long,but where you are is home.
Wherever you stay, I'll find the way.

A smile crossed the Bengal’s face at the other tom’s first answer. Even though he, as the father of the kits in question, believed that his time with his kits while they were kits had been too short, he couldn’t help but agree. He had arrived to the clan the day after they were born, and seeing their tiny forms at Windspirit’s belly had been one of the most beautiful and precious moments of his life. They had been so adorable and so small, but before long those little and innocent faces grew. They began to run around, to tackle each other, to grow curious, to grow playful. He had watched all of this, and while it had only lasted a few moons, he couldn’t deny that those few moons had been joyful.

Granted, he had served as a teeth-and-claw-cushion throughout those moons, not only for his kits but the rest of the kits in the Nursery as well. His days were a big mixture between getting put to work, being tested by the likes of Owlmind, who was now Owlstar, and watching over the kits. Every chance he got he found himself either being like a kit-covered log or a storyteller, which he enjoyed both of. But now those days had come to an end. He would always miss the early days of watching his kits grow. But now it was time to be a supportive and loving father, as well as a mentor, as his kits and the others of the Nursery grew into Apprentices. He couldn’t deny that he would probably still go to the Nursery and assist the Queens, considering both Cloudyfeather and Rosefire were in there continuing to watch over the gentle Dandelionkit, who he considered a daughter already. But even further than that, if any other kits were to be born, he would gladly offer his services to whatever Queen was willing to accept them. Who knows. Maybe one day the Queen he would be at the service of would be his own mate again…

The skin beneath his pelt along his cheeks burned slightly, and he had to push away the butterflies that shot through his stomach as the silver tabby began to speak again. As he listened to what he had to say on his own family dynamic, it did make sense. There were many cats who felt this way. He could think of a few off the top of his head in Treeclan. But he wasn’t going to mention any names; that wasn’t his life now.

Something sort of twinged in Leopardheart’s mind though, something he took notice of and wondered about. Towards the end, there was the slightest bit of hesitation. And the tone in his voice...what was it that he was sensing? He wasn’t sure. There was just something off about the way Silverburr said what he did. Perhaps it was his inner fatherly side trying to come through and poke into all of the older tom’s words as if he were a kit with a secret. Or maybe he was just reading too much into it.

“I can understand that. Not everybody wants to have kits. Doesn’t mean they aren’t fun to watch grow, though.” He offered the other a smile, though he couldn’t help but still get that slight feeling in the back of his mind.

But just as he finished with his own thought, he saw a mixture of emotions cross Silverburr’s face, and he couldn’t quite tell what they were. He had averted his eyes already, preventing the Bengal from really being able to tell. But he cleared his throat, beginning to speak up on these thoughts without any push to do so.

He listened silently as the silver tabby began, a tiny bit of surprise poking at him as he mentioned that he did in fact have a single kit that he knew of. Leopardheart wasn’t quite sure how someone could not know how many kits they had, but the next phrase that fell from Silver’s mouth answered his question. Silver had a kit in Treeclan? Who? Leopard tried to recall cats from his previous clan as the other continued to speak. Apparently it had been the result of a one-night stand, something that Leopard wasn’t overly familiar with. He himself didn’t entirely see how cats could do this sort of thing, but he wouldn’t judge anyone for it. He just was a devoted and loyal tom who loved his mate.

He continued to think back to Treeclan, but he only found one name in mind that made sense, when he thought about it. Now that it truly dawned on him, he had never thought about how much these two cats did look alike.

“Glacierspring.”

“Glacierpaw?”

Leopardheart had spoken the name, or at least one version of the name, at the same time as Silverburr, the slightest ping of guilt for interrupting becoming apparent, but he pushed it aside. He did blink a few times at the difference in the way they addressed the young tom in question though. Glacierspring? He must have become a Warrior. This thought brought a small smile, a sight pang of sadness shooting through him at the same time and becoming visible in his eyes. But he let the other finish speaking.

“I wouldn’t tell. As someone who at one point briefly had kits in another clan that wasn’t my own, I sort of know the feeling. Not as much as you, but...it’s still there.”

With this, he turned his gaze away, thinking back to his time in his birthclan.

“Glacierspring, huh?” He let out a sharp breath of air, almost a chuckle, with a light shake of the head. “I knew him, at least a little bit. He became an Apprentice a couple moons after I became a Warrior, so I never knew him too well. I did know that he was the Apprentice of Pumafang, which I’m sure was an honor for him. With everything that had been going on with Nightclan, I never really got to know him too well. He was still an Apprentice when I came to Lightningclan, so he must have been promoted not too long after.”

The Bengal’s eyes lowered to the ground, his smile slowly fading. He was quiet for a few moments, and when he did begin to speak again, it was clear he had a lot on his mind.

“Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I would have stayed...” He lifted his gaze quickly to lock with the other’s for a moment. “Not that I regret coming to Lightningclan! I don’t! It...it has been hard to adjust, but I do like it here. I have Windspirit, I have my kits, I have friends in Owlstar and Braverush and Rabbitleap, and you.” He offered the other a thoughtful smile before he turned his gaze away again.

“But...there were things that I thought I would be there for that I wasn’t. Like Glacier and the others becoming Warriors, or the kits in the Nursery becoming Apprentices. I thought...that I would become a mentor. But...all of these things happened so quickly. As soon as I found out Wind had given birth I was so confused and lost in my own world that I forgot...life keeps going in Treeclan, even if I’m not there for it.” He somewhat shook his head, looking to the sky now rather than the ground. “Even though I do miss Treeclan and my family, I don’t regret my choice to come here. It was really hard to make the decision at the time, but...I think I picked the right path. If I had stayed in Treeclan, and hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have gotten to watch my kits grow. I wouldn’t have seen them become Apprentices. And...I wouldn’t have been there to help care for Wind when she was sick at the beginning.”

He finally looked back to Silverburr, attempting to push the sadness he felt aside. “It’s ok, you know. To have a son in another clan. Especially if you didn’t know about him. You never could have known that it would happen, and that isn’t your fault.” He stood from where he sat and took a few steps closer to the silver tabby, lightly tapping the other on the flank with his tail. “Even if you weren’t there with him in the beginning, you can be there now. It isn’t forbidden to have bonds with cats in other clans. Even though he is in Treeclan and you are in Lightningclan, you can still try to form a bond with him. Whether he ever finds out or not is up to you. But, regardless of that choice, and regardless of what he would think if he knew, you are always allowed to watch after your child.”

He then leaned over slightly, giving a gentle nudge to the other’s shoulder. “No matter what you choose to do, I’ll give you my support. From one father to another.” He offered a kind smile, hoping that he had helped the situation.

Leopardheart

Warrior of LightningClan

1524 Fae Magic Notes

[/div]

[Fae Magic]

Beauty is a joy that forever increases
It will never pass into nothingness

Silverburr was not sure what he was expecting to come from the other's mouth after he heard the silver dappled tom's story. But he knew that if anyone would have understood Silverburr it would Leopardheart; the very tom who left his clan to be with his family after falling in love with a clan cat that was not of his own. Silverburr admired the other's courage and love for another to leave everything he knew behind to be able to create a new life for himself and the one he loved. Unfortunately, Silverburr did not have someone that he loved like that to do. He'd been single ever since he had that one night stand with the loner that ended up screwing him over in the end. He wasn't ashamed of Glacierspring he was more ashamed of himself for not realizing sooner that he had kits somewhere. If he had known about the kits and Glacierspring he would have taken the kits in and raised them with or without the she-cat. But Silverburr hadn't been a pair of Glacierspring's life until now and it was too late to do anything about it because he knew deep down that neither warrior father nor son would never leave their clan to be with the other.

Looking up at Leopardheart the silver dapple tom gave him a small smile of gratitude as he tried to make him feel better. It was true that it wasn't against the code to have bonds and even friendships with other clans but in the end, your loyalty must stay with your clan. Silverburr knew this from the heart even as a young warrior before he had that one nightstand. But he'd broken that rule once and feared to break it again by wanting to do something with his son.

"I'm afraid Glacierspring although may accept me as his birth father I fear he may not want much to do with me because of the fact we are from separate clans. Neither of us will want to leave our clans to join the other's to form some sort of bond. I feel maybe he doesn't care to start something with me and that kind of hurts. But it's what I deserve after what I've done." he commented and shrugged lightly as he looked out at the scenery in front of them.

"I don't know how to go about it Leopardheart...how to be a father when I'm from a different clan. Even from my talk with him, I could tell they raised him...wrong. Well, wrong in my eyes at least. He doesn't know the simplest of emotions like having friends or feelings of love...they raised him like some sort of a machine. Wouldn't be surprised though since he's Pumafang's old apprentice. The deputy is a rather....interesting character, to say the least." he shook his head and looked at the Bengal with a softer look on his face.

"I want to be something special to him I do. But I'm afraid I won't ever be from my position on the other side of the border. I don't know if I'll ever find love and have my kits of my own either but...I can still help others around my clan and still be on friendly terms with my son even if we aren't in the same clan. You are right about that at least." he agreed.

"Thank you for listening and giving me advice, friend." he gave a playful smile towards the other. He felt a little better at their talk even if the problem itself was not fully fixed.

"Now, I do believe we have a job to do." he grinned. "While we do that...tell me, since you're fitting into the clan pretty well so far. I heard that you have an apprentice. How's that going for you? Are you enjoying mentorship?" he asked raising to his paws so that they could continue on their patrol.

674 word count Abyss
Silverburr Russet-Tail Ivoryrose poppypaw Tigerpaw Smudgenose PRIMROSEPETAL mousepaw rock pendulum

template by punki of adoxography

[Abyss]

I know the road is long,but where you are is home.
Wherever you stay, I'll find the way.

Listening as Silverburr talked about Glacierspring, it was difficult. In the relatively short amount of time that Leopardheart had been friends with the silver tom before him, he wasn’t one to get super sentimental like he was. It was this fact that proved his sincerity about the situation. He had a son that he never knew about in a different clan, a son who likely wanted nothing to do with him, at that. He knew it had to be hard facing this and accepting it. He couldn’t even imagine what he would have done if he would have stayed in Treeclan and his kits grew to see him as a stranger. Granted, he knew Windspirit wouldn’t let that be the outcome regardless of what had happened. But it still would have been torture.

The golden-orange bengal allowed his friend to continue, only speaking up once more towards the end of his statements. “We never know what is going to happen until it does. Maybe you will find someone to love and to love you back. If Glacier was any indication, I’m sure you would have some very handsome little kits.” He offered another smile, lightly shrugging his shoulders. “Maybe it will happen, maybe it won’t. All you can do is wait and see.”

As Silver seemingly ended that portion of the conversation, he nodded as they both stood and began to continue. As a side-note, he found it kind of amusing how talking with a friend could distract one so easily. He supposed that meant he saw Silverburr as a close pal, which brought a natural smile to his maw.

His paws took him forward while one ear rotated to keep listening. He considered the question presented to him, the image of his student coming to mind.

“I was surprised, actually. I knew that Owlmi-star...had accepted me as a Lightningclan cat, and I was hopeful that one day I would get the honor to be a mentor, but I didn’t think it would come so soon. I know there are some cats who were rather upset about the fact that I got picked...” He went silent for a moment, thinking back to the glares that he received the day his name was called. But he returned rather quickly to his regular voice, pushing past that negativity. “But it has been going well. I’ve been trying to take Valiantpaw out as much as I can. I just hope I’m doing ok.”

He looked forward through the tall grasses that Lightningclan called home, remembering the days when he would see the bases of large trees rather than grass. When the greenery of the forest was the focus of his sight-seeing on a daily basis, and his pelt wasn’t constantly basking within the light of the sun.

“Sometimes it’s hard to remember that climbing trees isn’t a skill that you guys teach often. I remember back when me and Wind met and I had to help her climb a tree.” Though he spoke of it as if it were a casual situation, the mention of that day caused the slightest tinge of pain to poke through his hind leg where three very prominent scars were on display. “But speed is something I did back when, too. I remember one of my training sessions, it was me trying to chase my prey rather than ambush it that got me in trouble.” He lightly chuckled at this thought, remembering the disapproval on Timberfrost’s face when he carried the rabbit back to her. Timberfrost...how had she been recently? He remembered her very cold outlook on cats and their actions. What did she think of him now…?

No, now was not the time for that. He glanced over to Silverburr, curious as to what he may have to say.

Leopardheart

Warrior of LightningClan

634 Fae Magic Notes

[/div]

[Fae Magic]

"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending" ~Silverburr

His gloom left him as he sat there listening to the other talk about his life within the clan that raised him and gave him a small smile. He'd wondered what it would be like if he'd changed clans. Not that he'd seriously leave without good cause but listening to the spotted male he wondered if it would go well if by any chance he'd decide to go to Treeclan to be with Glacierspring; not that the younger version of him would want him there anyway.

"Well, at least you're doing good I'm glad to hear that at least! The more you talk about your adventures in Treeclan makes me wonder how the other clans are doing. I never stopped to think about the lifestyle of other clans. Maybe if we were on better terms with the other clans we could teach each other better techniques to survive. At the end of the day that's all there is too it. Survival of the world...not from each other and the forest is big enough for all." he smiled slightly at the thought of how the other clans lived like.

He trotted along the path thoughtfully in silence as he made sure all was well along the borders. "Do you think Treeclan and Lightningclan will ever have a truce? A truce like a friendship?" he asked out of the blue.

It was a question purely selfish but a question he truly wanted to know. He wanted peace among the clans of course but if the clans were all allies and in a truce with each other what would their friendships be like? "It's a silly question nevermind." he said abruptly as he told himself it was stupid to even think such a thing. World peace would never be achieved because not everyone had the right mindset to allow it.

Sighing it looked over at the other and gave a tired smile. "Shall we go home now? I do believe our border patrol is almost finished." he suggested. Maybe they'd hunt on the way back. It was a good thing that Silverburr came out here with Leopardheart because frankly, he needed a friend like the younger tom but also he needed to hear the words that he'd been thinking about in his head and too afraid to come out and say it.

Word Count: #393 || Tag: Abyss || Notes: #Sorry I lost muse for a better reply! 

~☣~~☣~