[Fae Magic]

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

Her breath came in front of her face in a cloud of white vapor. She felt the cold under her paws and sighed allowing yet another white cloud to cloud her vision. Her muscles were tired and they cramped from the cold. Frost hardened the ground and made it a crunching sound as the white and grey spotted figure moved across camp in the moonlight; she could hear the chattering of others around her. Not many of them were out right now though because it was cold during the nights. Leaf-Fall was something else. She had a restless sleep just staring into the darkness after her vigil was over with the night of her warrior name ceremony. She couldn't believe that she had made it this far even when the odds were against her. She had good friends to give her good support even when others ridiculed her for being weak. She smiled at the thought she had grown up so much. 

Without thought she'd made her way towards the entrance of camp and walked the familiar road up towards the Pineneedle Clearing. A familiar open space surrounded. It reminded her of her training days with Starlingcry. Mousepetal hadn't seen her mentor since she'd become a warrior and felt guilty about it. She should have gone to search for her but she didn't know what she would have said to her former mentor. Sitting there in the middle of the clearing she stared up at the darkness sparkling with stars and smiled letting the vapor of breath leave her mouth. This place held some memories for her.

Hearing the sound of crunching steps she lowered her head to look towards the sound. Whomever it was obviously wasn't trying to be sneaky at all so she had no need to be so tense; she blamed the habit of being scared of everything when she was younger to be her trained reaction. Or, she'd just blame it on the cold that shivered her bones at this point. When the figure finally emerged into the moonlight a small smile etched it's way on her face. 

"I came out here to remember the good old days of training. Although, I do miss a warm bed right about now. I'm not um...very good with the cold. I don't have the thick fur a lot of Nightclan has." she laughed at her joke but in all seriousness; the thought of a warm nest right about now would be a welcoming thing.

"Isn't weird to think that we apprentices had gotten so far? Feels like a life time ago." she curled herself up on the ground trying to keep some sense of warmth in her body.

"What are you doing out here on this lonely night hmm?" she asked peering over her tail that was covering her cold nose. She might have to go to Smokefur later for something to help boost her immune system so she wouldn't catch a cold. She didn't have the thick fur to be able to keep herself warm so she didn't plan on staying out long. 

523 word count Mention for Sterlingcry Hellion , open for whomever
Silverburr Russet-Tail Ivoryrose poppypaw Tigerpaw Smudgenose PRIMROSEPETAL mousepaw rock pendulum

template by punki of adoxography

[Jos]

It was another perfectly chilly night in Nightclan.

Stoatclaw padded into the center of camp and paused to stretch, arching her spine inwards, her tongue curling into a luxurious yawn. It was important to keep limber and warm on nights like these. It was a terrible feeling to wake up all stiff and cold and creaky. But at least it was not snowing, and there would still be some prey lurking about trying to find the last scraps of food for leaf-bare. Nightclan’s fresh kill pile would be full for little while yet.

The ginger she-cat gave her pelt a little shake to fluff up her fur against a stiff, cool wind that was beginning to pick up when she noticed one of the newer warriors, Mousepetal, making her way out of camp. Strange. Why would she be leaving camp on such a col night, wondered Stoatclaw. Most of the other Nightclan warriors and apprentices were snuggling down for the night in their moss nests, keeping warm and dry.


She had to find out what was going on.

Stoatclaw followed Mousepetal out of camp and down the road towards Pineneedle clearing. A strange place for a newly minted warrior to go, but perhaps Mousepetal’s destination was beyond the clearing? Perhaps Mousepetal had a secret lover outside of the clan, or perhaps she was sharing clan secrets, or even over-hunting and not bringing anything back to the clan.


No…none of those theories made sense. Not for Mousepetal, anyways. Stoatclaw watched for a moment or two before beginning to feel guilty. So she stepped forward from the darkness and into the clearing.



She sat next to Mousepetal and wrapped her tail around her paws for warmth as she listened to the younger she-cat reminisce. “I don’t remember my apprenticeship so fondly,” Stoatclaw huffed, “I remember it being frustrating and kind of stressful, especially the evaluations. I wasn’t fond of those. I understand why we do them, but that doesn’t mean I liked them.” she flicked her ears at Mousepetal, “I’m out here because I saw you leaving camp. Wanted to make sure you were alright and not…I don’t know, in trouble. Turns out you just like to sit in the Pineneedle Clearing and think about being an apprentice. Well I’ll tell you what, being an apprentice was just a small part of your life. Now you’ve got your whole warrior life in front of you. If you live with a paw in the past, you’ll never move forward again. Think about it.”

coded by benetnasch of THQ

         Stoatclaw

Tags:
Fae Magic


Words:
420

[Fae Magic]

"People may give up on you but you must never give up on yourself." ~Mousepetal

Golden eyes turned towards the other warrior in curiosity. So others within the clan had some decency. A small tug at the corner of her mouth was hid under her tail as she buried her nose into the softness of her tail fluff briefly to attempt to get it warmed up again. Mousepetal was learning more that the clan actually had decent cats within in. Tradition didn't always mean that the cats would be born to follow tradition; they will follow their own path and choose who they befriend and who to be nice to. Stoatclaw seemed an okay cat as the other had come out here to check up on her to make sure she was okay. The small warrior lifted her head to physically face the older warrior; cocking her head in the process as she listened to her reaction to the grey and white she-cat's reasoning for coming out here. 

"In all honesty, training wasn't something I was keen on either. There were times that I was afraid to take initiative, times that I was too scared to attack Starlingcry in battle training in case of retribution, and sometimes there were even times that I'd have enough spirit to work my tail off only to end up in Shadowchaser's den from lack of caring about my health. So yeah, it wasn't always fun but it's not the physical training that I waste time on thinking about. It's the psychological side...Wouldn't you say even in your case, if you looked back at your training days that you've grown a lot?" she questioned before looking towards the night sky and let out a long puff of white vapor and smiled fondly at the stars. 

"I know it's probably silly to want to sit out here to think about such things. I...don't talk to many other warriors since I became one myself, I guess I'm still a little uncertain when it comes to that aspect. I have friends who became warriors with me so I'm not alone but still..silly notion." she shook her head before looking back towards the brighter colored female and looked at her curiously.

"Not that I don't appreciate you coming out here to check up on me but...why would you want to? I mean, this is the first time we've talked...Not that I'm not happy for the company; I enjoy making friends and talking with others when they want to give me the time of day. It's just a strange thought for someone to want to come out here with me. Thought I'd get hurt or something hmm?" she wouldn't have doubted if she'd trip over her own paws and roll down the hill or something to injure herself; not on purpose of course but Mousepetal could be rather clumsy.

Word Count: #464 || Tag: Jos || Notes: sorry for the wait!

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[Jos]

Stoatclaw dipped her head thoughtfully, “Yes,” she replied after a moment, “I did grow. A lot. All apprentices do—but the growing doesn’t stop once you get your warrior name. When I got my warrior name I thought I knew all there was about being a warrior but there are some things that mentors simply can’t teach you, things you’ll need to learn on your own or from experience.”



The tabby she-cat sat down and curled her tail neatly around her paws. She was still a young warrior herself, but the reality of being a warrior and having to be the one to make decisions and not relying on a mentor to fall back on was difficult. As an apprentice, Stoatpaw always knew she could rely on her mentor to catch her if she fell. Now, as a warrior, Stoatclaw keenly felt the pressure of independence and responsibility.



“I came to check on you because…I don’t know. I just felt like you looked lonely. Or sad maybe. Wanted to be sure you weren’t off to do something mousebrained like fighting a den of badgers all on your own, or something.” Stoatclaw gave her chest a few licks to give her a reason not to meet Mousepetal’s gaze. It was difficult for her to be sensitive in a natural way—Stoatclaw wanted to be caring but it always came out wrong.

"I don't have a lot of friends either, believe it or not. I know--it's a shocker! But it's true," Stoatclaw added, "It can be hard to find your place when you become a warrior. As an apprentice you always had your mentor to talk to but now, as a warrior, it's all patrols all the time. I think everyone in the clan is a friend but I don't have anyone I am particularly close with, either, if you know what I'm trying to say." She loved her clan, and she knew the clan loved her back, but Stoatclaw did not have much of a collection of cats she was close to.

She set her green eyes on the gray and white she-cat, trying her best to look wise and assuring as she said,


“But if you’re worried about being a good warrior, don’t. You’re going to be fine. If nothing else, I can help. I could use with some company on hunting patrols, and we could volunteer for border patrols together. You know, watch each other’s tails, right?” she purred, “We can not have too many friends together. What do you say?”

coded by benetnasch of THQ

Stoatclaw

Tags:

Fae Magic

Words:

420

[Fae Magic]

"People may give up on you but you must never give up on yourself." ~Mousepetal

Something about the coldness of the night, the stars above her, and the fact it was only the two of them speaking in an open area that held memories that seemed intimate. Something sweet and memorable that gave Mousepetal a little kindle of fire within her chest that warmed her. She had been made fun of for so long and taught by her parents to believe that her emotions, her thoughts, and her opinions were not valid. That her heart was her weakness; so she didn't want to say what was on her mind in fear of retribution. But sitting here with Stoatclaw; a warrior not too far from her age that made this night a little better. Gave her some sense of hope. 

The other's' words hit a cord in her heart as Mousepetal thought over her time with Starlingcry. The large black warrior had been more of a mother to her than the spotted she-cat's own. She'd remembered how scared she was of ruining her mentor's reputation or disappointing her during training that she realized the key to the reason for training to be a warrior had been. Stoatclaw's words reminded her what a warrior being was all about. It wasn't the skills or the title that made one a warrior but what was in the heart. Her clan despite homing some rather dark creatures was still her home and she should be proud of them.

Turning her golden eyes back to the ginger molly she gave her a full blown genuine smile for the first time in moons. She would be excited to be this warrior's friend; although a part of Mousepetal wondered if Stoatclaw would find her a bit too sentimental. Her head was always in the clouds some would say. Too worried about things that shouldn't have made a difference. 


"Yeah, you're right Stoatclaw. I do understand what you are saying. I shouldn't be thinking too hard on what a warrior is because frankly thinking over doing something won't get that task done for one thing and it causes way too much stress on me in the process. Actions speak louder than words and in the end; being a warrior isn't about titles, it's about providing for your clan and enjoying life. The idea that I'm slowly starting to get an open mind to enjoy." the gray and white warrior smiled to herself. She would live her life, make friends, and provide the clan with whatever was needed of her. 

"And," she looked at the ginger warrior a little shyly but with a warm smile on her face as she spoke next. "I would love to be your friend. I don't have many friends either and I'd love to get to know you better and maybe learn a thing or two along the way with a new buddy." she hummed and looked back up at the star thoughtfully; a twinkle in her green eyes.  

Word Count: #489 || Tag: Jos || Notes: sorry for the long wait! Let me know if you'd like to continue or not. I'm all for continuing it if you are!

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