Bright Beginnings [Wildstar]

[Silver]

Silverblaze

Bright sunlight streamed down from the azure sky above, bathing Silverblaze’s fur in a bright light and making it almost glow with a silvery sheen. A few stray clouds drifted lazily across, but for the most part the morning was warm and clear with the beauty of newleaf. The deputy’s nimble paws fell on the lush ground that covered the land of RiverClan territory, and around him gently rustling in a cooling breeze were reeds and other surrounding vegetation. Several tail-lengths away the edge of the glittering lake gently lapped against the dirt and mud banks, its surface rippling softly with the newleaf breeze, shining and sparkling as if Silverpelt itself was housed within the clear blue depths of the water. Combined few could doubt that newleaf had come in full, the snow and cold of leaf-bare simply a distant memory as the hopeful splendors of the weather around them erased all hardships they faced several moons ago. Prey was again in plenty, the sun was high and already leafbare coats were being shed for thinner fur as the heat of the new season come onto them, and the air itself seemed to vibrate with an energy, making any cat want to purr with excitement, knowing that many moons of bounty were ahead of them.

But that did not mean that Silverblaze would simply dance about, newleaf meant plenty of prey and a warmness that was gratefully accepted, but it also brought its own measure of troubles. With the disappearing of the chilling leafbare air and the snow that had covered the land in its white embrace, it was now easier for cats to travel across their territory. And while this meant patrols and other missions were now easier, it also meant that the borders would have to be watched with an even greater care. And this was why the silver tabby was padding across RiverClan territory, not for leisure, not even to hunt, but to watch the borders of his clans home, to make sure that no other cats, whether rogue or another clan, crossed and threatened any cats of RiverClan. And he would not let any measure of warm weather and sun, though far better than having to jump through snow and skid over ice, distract him from the duties bestowed on him as deputy.

Silverblaze also had other reasons however for being as determined as he was, padding cautiously across the dew-moist ground, his head low to the ground and his ears erect for sound, as he kept his whole body pressed against the green land beneath him. He wasn’t alone on this patrol, and in fact the tom wasn’t accompanied by the usual group of warriors and apprentices, but by the clan leader of RiverClan herself. Silverblaze had been quite surprised when the small black she-cat had not only decided to patrol the borders herself, not that it wasn’t acceptable, but was even more surprised when she had requested that he accompany her. And so he had set out with Wildstar as they began the dawn patrol, making their way out of the RiverClan camp and towards the glittering lake, and then heading up its sides towards the border with ShadowClan. And that was where they were now, carefully making their way along the banks of the dark blue lake with soft pawsteps.

As they neared the border the scent of ShadowClan reached Silverblaze’s nose, the sickly smell carried down to the patrol as they sat downwind from the territory of ShadowClan. Though the tangle of reeds and tall grass immediately in front of the cats blocked his view, the silver tabby knew that they would soon be nearing the Greenleaf Twolegplace that pressed against the lake along the ShadowClan and RiverClan border, and that it marked the beginning of the area where the two clan’s territories met. Stopping, Silverblaze lifted his head into the air and opened his mouth, taking in the scents of the surrounding area. Aside from the faint traces of ShadowClan scent from their territory and the scent of some nearby prey, nothing was out of the ordinary. Lifting his body up slightly, the deputy turned around to face the clan leader behind him. ”Nothing seems wrong so far Wildstar,” the silver tabby meowed to the black she-cat, his pale, blue eyes coming to rest on her figure. Wildstar had been leader for only a short time, but she had always been a loyal cat of RiverClan, and because of this he respected her. Regardless of her young age the silver tabby had high hopes that she would make a great leader, and that RiverClan would prosper under her guidance. And so his tail swaying lightly behind him near to the ground, Silverblaze waited for his clan leader’s word with the same respective patience as if she was leader for many moons, waiting for the real part of the patrol to begin.

[cass]

Dreams

-- She had had one last night, cats dreamed, they all did, but for some reason when Wildstar did they were not the ordinary ones. Her dreams were never kind and sweet, or had that look where you knew they were fake, where you knew the badger that was chasing you was not real, or when the fox had killed your best friend you knew that when you woke up they would still be alive and breathing. Her dreams were real, she could feel each scratch in her fur, or even a slight smell in the wind. None of it was fake.

Last night Wildstar woke up thrashing and crying out loud. It was the same dream that always taunted her. Always the same. Never anything different. But no matter how many times she saw each cat in her clan die before her, no matter how many times she saw her home, her clan drown in the see of blood she would always feel the fur along her stand, she would always cry and yell for it to stop, but she could never do anything. All she could do was watched wide eyes as everything she loved was torn from her.

And all of it felt so real.

Was it a Starclan sign? She didn’t believe it. No Starclan cat would wish that amount of terror upon her. Wildstar shakes her head roughly, shaking the memory from her mind. She closes her eyes for a breath second making sure she pushed it out of the way. She didn’t need her night mares to follow her through the day. She had a clan to lead. She couldn’t show weakness. The young leader walked out a few rabbit lengths behind her deputy, he was a small cat, a lot like herself in structure, he had the narrower shoulders like herself, he was agile and like her very fast. They both lacked the usually structure of the cats in their clan, but they both made up for it with their speed and agility.

The sky was very clear today, a blue light was all you could see, a few wisps of cloud danced across the sky, she opened her jaw a touch as she breathed in deeply through mouth and nose. The scents of the trees, lake and Riverclan ran through her mouth, it filled her with s sweet pleasure as she picked up her pace to match her Deputies. This was her home and her clan. Her eyes flitter across the land, looking, searching for any sign of anything that wasn’t normal, but she found none. Has she turned her face once more to Silverblaze she realised just how much she missed the freedom of just going for a walk, strolling in her home, and doing patrols.

She didn’t envy the deputy, she loved what she was, but sometimes she wished she had more of a chance to roam and be free, instead of being tuck and trapped in leading her clan. Sometimes less responsibility was good.

Wildstar had been the one to ask Silverblaze if he would like to join her on a patrol, Wildstar wondered if he thought she was weird, just having the two of them on a patrol. She didn’t expect to encounter any trouble, so it didn’t bother her. Her paws slide silently over the earth below her; she let Silverblaze lead the way to the Shadowclan border. Her ground was soft, and spongy each step sunk down into the ground, and as she stepped out the soft soil sprung back into place. It amused her and she stared momentarily down at her feet watching each step, and admiring the place she lived in.

The scent of Shadowclan wafted over the land, and as a breeze sprung up and raced over to them lik a hare the strong and bitter smell of Shadowclan reached her, she curled her lip in distaste. To her only the scent of Riverclan smelled welcoming the rest of them were forbidding. Her ears prick forward as her bosy becomes more alert, more wary as she moves closer to the border of her territory. The young cat begins to creep forward, becoming more aware of the places each of her feet land. She would not make a sound.

”Nothing seems wrong so far Wildstar,” She nods her head, her tail flicking as he turns his pale eyes onto hers. She meets them. A blue and green eye clashing with his pale blue. She respected this cat. After all she had chosen him to take her place when she passed, she knew there was a long time before that would happen. She still had nine lives. She was young, fit and healthy. Her ears swivel trying to pick up any odd sounds, her nose picked up nothing odd. She turns her head to the border. ”Yes, it is very quiet.” She says softly the words falling from her lips entering the spoken realm. She crouches down low to the ground, eyeing the land.

Wildstar was looking for some action.

[Silver]

Silverblaze

Silverblaze shifted his paws, the moist mud beneath him clinging to the clumped fur on his paws as he moved, his gaze remaining on Wildstar. A heartbeat later the black she-cat had stopped behind him only a few pawsteps away, tilting her green and blue gaze into his as she nodded her head to his words. The RiverClan deputy flicked his tail behind him, listening as the clan leader that stood in front of him stated that it was quiet. Indeed as the silver tabby swiveled his ears the only sound he could hear piercing the air was the shallow whistling of an occasional breeze whipping off the lake, the gentle waves beating against the muddy shore that stood just a tail-length away from where they stood, and the occasional burst of song from a nearby bird, its chorus of warmth spreading like the newleaf sun that shone above them. As far as Silverblaze could tell they were alone, and no threats were present of any kind. Mirroring Wildstar’s actions, the tom lowered his body once more against the ground, the soft, moist grass brushing against his underbelly as he turned around, though even as he did this he cast one final glance back at the black she-cat behind him.

Both of them had been deputy and clan leader respectively for a very short time, Wildstar becoming the leader of RiverClan only several sunrises ago, and Silverblaze being chosen only a short time afterward to replace her once held position of deputy. The knowledge that he would be second-in-command of an entire clan had come as a shock to the silver tabby, occurring just barely a moon after his brother was killed, and the fact in itself was surprising to the tom. He had never dreamed he would become deputy, and while he held doubts, it gave him pride knowing he held such a position within RiverClan. But as much as it was a change in Silverblaze’s life, the deputy could only begin to imagine what it was like for Wildstar. Silverblaze had been a warrior before becoming deputy for some time, but WildStar was young, a full nineteen moons younger than the silver tabby. Not only had she been an early deputy, but now she was one of if not the youngest leader of all the clans around the lake. But it was because of this fact that Silverblaze held so much respect and admiration for the black she-cat. Even though it was merely a matter of sunrises of her leadership, and perhaps time would change this opinion, so far all the RiverClan deputy saw in his leader was a determination and loyalty to her clan mates, and as of yet the black she-cat had been able to lead her clan as good as any aging elder could have. And Silverblaze knew that it was because of this respect, the good view in which he cast on the new leader, that he would aid Wildstar in any way he could.

Blinking away his thoughts and gaze, the silver tabby finally turned his glance away from Wildstar, at the same time setting his paws forward slowly as he edged towards a nearby clump of tall grass and reeds, their stalks swaying gently and shining in the bright sun. As he entered the vegetation he kept his ears erect for any sounds, but he was still met only by the familiar sounds of their territory, and of the welcoming silence otherwise that accompanied the patrol. Keeping his body pressed against the ground, Silverblaze was swallowed up by the dancing grass, the lake and Wildstar disappearing from view behind him, though the deputy hoped the black she-cat would follow him, or at least wait for him to return. Pressed on all sides by the reeds of the lake side, the breeze was muffled from entering, and a stillness seemed to hang over the silver tabby as he moved forward, his paws crunching against the floor of stem and twig that lay among the plants. It wasn’t long though before Silverblaze reached the other side, the grass thinning in front of him and stretching farther out. Slowing his pace, the tom padded forward the final pawsteps until he was at the edge of the grass, and then thrust his head gently through an opening in the stalks, his pale, blue eyes coming to immediately gaze at what was in front of him.

The tall and silent Greenleaf Twolegplace reared its body upward in front of the tom, and for a moment the cat pressed his body backwards, his claws retracting from his paws as they clung to the ground beneath him. But soon Silverblaze realized that there was no movement from the place, and as he moved his gaze over its area and the half-bridge that ran into the water he saw with approval that there were no twolegs around. With luck they would not come until the full of Greenleaf was on them, and the time when the loud and threatening twolegs and their kits were gone was always a good one for RiverClan. Casting his eyes one final time across the land in front him, Silverblaze was finally satisfied that there was neither twoleg nor cat around them, and briefly scenting the air to verify this, he moved back into the grass momentarily, motioning with his tail towards Wildstar, before padding out of the grass and reed and onto the hard ground that surrounded the Greenleaf Twolegplace.

Even as he entered its bounds the stench of the twolegs and their monsters hit his nose, the tom hissing quietly at the putrid mix of acrid and poisonous smell. Even the wind of leaf-fall and the snow of leaf-bare couldn’t get the scent out as it still lingered on this part of the lake shore, but Silverblaze quickly brushed it aside, though he looked forward to leaving as soon as they could. Turning around, the RiverClan cat waited for his clan leader to join him, his tail coming to rest lightly against the ground as his body relaxed slightly in the face of no threats, though his ears remained up, and his guard was not fully dropped. They were close to ShadowClan territory, the clan’s stench mixed in with the faint traces of the twoleg’s scent, and they would do well to remain wary in case they ran into the ShadowClan’s dawn patrol. While Silverblaze would not run from a fight, there was only two RiverClan cats in the patrol including the tom, and it would not do well to get outnumbered, especially if the other cat was the clans’ leader herself. Waiting for Wildstar to join him, Silverblaze turned his head and kept his gaze on the flat ground that stretched out from his paws, as well as the horizon of dark pines that marked the beginning of ShadowClan territory. So far he saw no movement or heard any disturbance in the air, but the experienced warrior knew that could change at any moment. And he would be ready for anything.

[cass]

- - - - - - - - - - -

The mud found its way into her fur, and the coldness of it seeped deep into her belly, and slowly spread through her body, until she was at the point of almost shaking, but she ignored the feeling. The day was pleasant and as the sun shone past a cloud that had dared to drift in its way she could feel its light shine brightly on her. And suddenly the warmth was fighting its way back into her limbs. The young she-cat resisted the urge to stand and stretch her muscles, and her whole body was eager to move and explore. Her ears were pricked forward on her head,listening for any noise.

Her whole body was alert, there was no sign of drowsiness or even a relaxed muscle. She listened for a moment her head sorting through each sound she heard. To her left was the lake, a swift expanse of water. Her mind slowly blocked out the slapping of the smile tides against the mud at the bank, and then she slowly ignored the sound of the whistling as the air raced over the shiny expanse. She was trying to pick out the right sounds and ignore the ones that didn’t matter, they would become part of the background in her mind, and then even the slightest sound that was odd would stand out straight away and she would know if she was in danger.

Her body tensed, the muscles underneath her black coat rippled, as she prepared to jump forward. Than a second before she had made the move, Silverblaze moved forward, the older cat was as quiet as herself, his steps smooth over the ground. He inched himself towards a tall clump of reeds. She watched as he slide through them, his tail flicked showing the only sign that she should follow. She shrugs and makes her way forward. She was smaller than her deputy so her steps fell short of his imprints. It was strange the things you noticed. Her slender body brushes aside the reeds as Silverblaze’s had. Wildstar steps delicately amongst the clump, as if not to disturb the way in which each strand fell.

Her fur brushed against the elegant straws, as she pushed her way forward. Her steps where as quiet as the other cats as she came to stand beside him. At first she was slightly confused by his choice of hiding. The reeds were a good place, no one could see you amongst the dancing strands. But that fact also worked both ways. No one could see you, and you couldn’t see anyone else. Wildstar sighed, she was over-thinking at like she always did. Right now tactics didn’t matter, they were just heading closer to the tow-leg place, it was not a big deal. She shakes her head and turns her eyes back to the silver tabby.

She stood back, letting the older cat take the lead, his head jutted out through the steams and her eyes twinkled with the thought of a cat that would have been on the other side, they would have gotten quiet a shock, seeing a head just pop out. But there was no cat. After his first hesitant look Silverblaze pushed the rest of the way through, Wildstar followed quickly behind. But unlike the tom instead of hesitating she strode straight out from the grass. Her eyes instantly scanned the area alert for any danger before her. Her ears were pricked and she stood tall and rigid for a moment, assessing the place. There was nothing.

She opened her jaw a touch to aid her nose in smelling the air. The scents of twolegs, monsters, forest and Shadowclan ran through her. The scent of twolegs was the strongest here, but the unique smell of Shadowclan mingled with it. She knew that form here on in each step she took would have to be extra careful. Not only was this twoleg territory, but Shadowclan was bound to be somewhere hiding, waiting. Wildstar was confident that there would be no twolegs, afterall it was not yet Green-leaf. But she still took the time to eye every nook and crainy, not wanting to be surprised. She eventually found herself looking at the water, and she narrows her eyes at the glare the water gave her.

She blinks and looks away, she hated it when the sun would reflect light so easily into her eyes. Although it was beautiful it hurt to look at. Silverblaze lets out a low hiss, and Wildstar looks around wide eyed, wondering what was wrong, but she snorts as she realises it was just the stench, she could see the way his lip curled with distaste.

Her deputy strides forward a few more paces before settling down on the ground, his eyes turn to her, waiting for her to come. Wildstar looks away from him, she wasn’t sure what they were going to do here, but she wanted to do something. Wildstar was a person who loved action, fun and joy. She didn’t want to slink around here. But she also knew she was the leader of her clan, a very strong and clan at that. So she knew she couldn’t break the rules, but that didn’t means she couldn’t have fun, did it?

A smile plays at the corner of her muzzle, she wanted to do something different, she was a young cat, and right now she was expected to be acting so much older than she was. Wildstar wanted to do something to be reckless, and not so responsible. She wanted to have fun. Her eyes light up as she spots a big shiny thing, it had no roof. And was stuck on a metal run thing with wheels. The twolegs called it a 'boat' they often used it to paddle out into the lake and disturb the fish. It was a nuisance. Her feet were light and gentle against the wooden boards. She turns to the deputy knowing that she would have to have him on her side to do this. Otherwise he would go back to the clan thinking less of her, and she knew she couldn’t do that.

She pauses in mid step and turns herself back around to face him. ”Want to have some fun?” Her eyes were sparkling, as she grinned cheekily at the tom.

- - - - - - - - - - -

[Silver]

Silverblaze

Pulling his gaze away from the dark forest that stretched on where the Greenleaf Twolegplace ended, Silverblaze tilted his pale blue eyes past the towering pines and glanced towards the clump of gently swaying reeds he had emerged just several heartbeats earlier. With only the faintest of rustles and the twitch of grass betraying her, the RiverClan deputy watched as the small and sleek body of his clan leader emerged from the gathering of vegetation, her paws stepping lightly across the dry dirt that touched the moist grass that surrounded most of the lake. Briefly glancing away, the silver tabby once more checked their surroundings, lifting up his muzzle and scrunching up his nose as he scented the air one final time. Finally convinced that no hidden threat lurked among the mix of distasteful smells, Silverblaze turned back towards Wildstar, and lifting up to his paws he began to pad over towards the she-cat. As he moved he realized that the clan leader had turned her gaze away, seemingly in thought, at least as far as the tom could see, and that her gaze was not towards him, but facing towards the distance.

Coming to a stop several pawsteps away from Wildstar, Silverblaze waited patiently for his clan leader, though he cast a curious gaze in her direction, his tail swaying idly behind him as he lifted up a paw and gave it a quick lick with his tongue. They were in the middle of a patrol, and though the silver tabby knew that the she-cat in front of him was quite a young leader, it still would not do well if she lost focus this early, after having only just arrived at the border. It wasn’t just in the interest of her own abilities as leader, but if they were attacked, a threat that would loom over them as long as they remained so close to a rival clan, a distracted mind and a heartbeat of hesitation could mean the difference between victory and having to run with their tails between their legs, a thought that even imaginatively caused Silverblaze to flinch slightly. Lowering his paw, the RiverClan deputy was about to voice his opinion that they should continue moving forward, and begin their patrol in full, when the black she-cat altered the direction of her gaze, moving her head away from where she had watched before, though she still did not say anything.

Following the direction her green eyes gazed, Silverblaze saw that she was looking at the halfbridge that ran off of the lake shore and the Greenleaf Twolegplace. Staring intently with his own eyes, the RiverClan deputy wondered briefly if Wildstar had spotted a threat, or at least something unusual, but even as he swept his blue eyes over the halfbridge all he could see was the glare of the bright sun above on the glittering lake and the gentle lapping of the water, nothing out of the ordinary. Coming to face his clan leader again, Silverblaze opened his mouth to ask what had captured the she-cats attention, when Wildstar lifted up her paws and began to move once more, heading noticeably towards the halfbridge. Padding after her, the silver tabby remained a tail-length behind his clan leader, his head swiveling from side to side, watching for anything that would strike him as out of place, though every few moments he would cast a single pale eye towards Wildstar, still wondering where she was going. But as long as they were moving, Silverblaze figured they could at least patrol the border, as they had come to do, and so far they were doing a fine enough job, though the actions of the black she-cat in front of him were somewhat odd, though not alarming.

At least not until he noticed Wildstar swiftly and calmly travelling across the halfbridge, which caused the tom to immediately pick up his pace and bound across the final expanse of dirt that lay between the two cats of the patrol, the RiverClan deputy stopping where the halfbridge began. Placing a single paw forward, the silver tabby began to cautiously follow his clan leader, his head lowered as he glanced at the backside of Wildstar. What was she doing? He could understand if the clan leader was excited with the prospect of doing her first patrol as clan leader, and it wouldn’t be completely odd if she was bounding with excitement, but why had she come onto the halfbridge? A mixture of curiosity and intent to protect the she-cat in his mind, Silverblaze quickly followed the RiverClan leader, his paws hitting softly against the wood beneath him.

And it was then that something glinted at the corner of Silverblaze’s vision, and tilting his head the tom glanced to see what the rising sun had found. Immediately stopping, one paw still raised in a half-step, the fur along the deputy’s shoulders bristled as he spotted a water-monster sitting just several fox-lengths away within the lake. Its surface shined in the sunlight, forcing Silverblaze to squint his eyes as he stared at it, his tail becoming erect as he flexed his claws. Immediately his eyes shot towards Wildstar, and his first thoughts were to run after the she-cat and pull her back, figuring she hadn’t noticed the water-monster that she was slowly approaching. But even as his first few hurried pawsteps thumped against the wood of the halfbridge, Silverblaze realized that the water-monster did not move, and it made no sound, despite the close proximity of the RiverClan patrol. Gazing once more at the creature, the deputy noticed that it remained completely motionless within the water, the glittering surface of the lake washing gently across its flanks, a dull noise escaping as the waves hit the water-monsters sides.

His body relaxing and his silver fur settling back against his back, Silverblaze rotated his gaze between his clan leader and the water-monster as he once more padded forward. He wanted to close the gap between Wildstar and himself, the silence and lack of movement from the water-monster suggesting perhaps that it was asleep or at least not inclined to act, given the lack of any twoleg presence, but it was still not enough that the deputy would simply disregard its glinting presence, and he wanted to make sure his clan leader would be safe. But he was also motivated by a slight curiosity. He had never been this close to one of the roaring and foul smelling things before, and even though his position as deputy should have made it so his first concerns were getting as far away from the possibly dangerous water-monster as possible to ensure their safety, he couldn’t help but move one white furred paw in front of the other, a familiar warriors curiosity guiding his actions.

Silverblaze noticed that Wildstar had stopped moving, and he quickly closed the tail-lengths between them, until he was standing close to the black she-cat. He watched as the RiverClan leader turned to face in his direction, the tom listening as the she-cat asked whether he wanted to have some fun. The question threw him off somewhat. They were on a patrol after all, and it wasn’t really the time and place to be playing games. They could be attacked by a ShadowClan patrol, ambushed by rouges, chased by arriving twolegs, or threatened by the water-monster that sat so very near, too near in Silverblaze’s opinion. But in light of the bright look she gave her, and realizing that they did have a great deal of the morning still to go for the patrol, he swallowed the comments that had risen from his throat and flicked his tail behind him. ”Okay,” he mewed uncertainly, glancing warily at the water-monster briefly, ”but be careful Wildstar, I don’t want to have to drag our clan leader back to the medicine cat so soon after she received her nine lives.” His words may have seemed a little harsh, or on the other hand an attempt at jest, but in reality Silverblaze was sincere. He saw it as his duty to protect Wildstar that morning, and if she was hurt before sunhigh while under his watch, he would see it as not only something terrible for RiverClan, but a personal failure. But regardless of his doubts, the silver tabby waited to see what the black she-cat had in mind, equally curious and worried as he occasional cast a glance towards the sparkling lake beside them, and the menacingly silent water-monster nearby.