the realm of the gray tiger [c]

Leafbare was far more unkind than Tigersong ever could have imagined. Every day that passed was colder than the next. Sometimes, they'd have snow, sometimes rain. He wasn't sure which he preferred, though truth be told the fluffy ginger tom, though his coat protected him from the majority of the harsh weather, longed for greenleaf. He didn't like the way this bad weather sent cats to their dens whenever they weren't out hunting or patrolling. It made the camp look empty, even desolate sometimes. And with the Asylum cats lingering around under their weird pelts, it was an even more eerie sight when there were no SkyClanners about.

Today, when he awoke, Tigersong was in no mood to be alone. This was atypical of the tom, but he couldn't shake it, and after a while of just laying in the warriors' den, surrounded by his clanmates' snoring forms, he couldn't do it any longer. He didn't want to be alone, but he also didn't want to be here, stationary and bored. So he stretched out, getting to his feet and gingerly stepping around his clanmates. He misstepped once in the gloom, his paw landing on a smooth gray pelt beneath him, and Tigersong winced, glancing down to see that he'd accidentally trod on Graybird. His ears slanting back, he lifted his paw as she stirred, but then a thought came to him. He lowered his head, whispering so he wouldn't wake anyone else. "Hey, Graybird. Wanna go hunting with me?"

Despite the fact that Graybird could practically get lost in a dream whenever she went to sleep, it would be a lie to say that she wasn't a light sleeper. She saw it as a strength considering the fact that she wouldn't be able to sleep through any potential future night raids that had the possibility of following the style of the Asylum, but this also caused her to be on edge whenever a disruption dragged her out of the serene state of sleep. Feeling a paw on top of her flank was enough to jolt her awake, and while it may have been an overreaction, Graybird didn't see it as such. She wasn't about to take any chances, especially since that had been the exact way the Asylum had woken her up on the night she wanted to forget.
"Who-?" She murmured, her eyes fluttering open in a frenzy, only to be met with the familiar sight of Tigersong.

The warmth of relief surged through her veins as she realized there was nothing to fear. Surely it would've been a bit more convenient, though, if the tom above her would've taken a gentler approach to rouse her. She figured that there was no point in attempting to return back to her dream and it wasn't as if hunting would do anyone any harm. With a quiet sigh, she rose to her paws and gave her fellow warrior a curt yet sleepy smile.
"Sure, although I'm sure there are better ways you could've woken me up," She whispered back, giving the back of the den a quick glance to ensure that their voices weren't disturbing any other slumbering felines, "lead the way."

Bashfully, Tigersong ducked his head, feeling his face warm with embarrassment as he led her away from the rest of the sleeping warriors. "I didn't mean to," he said honestly. "But I figured if I'd woken you anyway, might as well make it worth your while." He smiled, and the pair of them padded quietly through the camp, slipping through the entrance and into the forest.

It had been a little while since the Asylum cats felt the need to tag along personally to each hunting patrol. Now, it seemed, they were content to remain at a distance, and there were so many of them about the territory that you could hardly take a step without one seeing you, anyway. Still, Tigersong was glad for the faux privacy, and as they walked, he glanced sideways at Graybird, his head tilting ever so slightly. "So... how have you been? With the whole Asylum thing, I mean... everyone's been..." the tom's ears flattened, and he twisted his face into a pained expression. "I don't know. Angry, I guess." Tigersong didn't blame them, of course, things were stressful and scary. But it seemed they couldn't go a whole day now without some thing or another causing a massive blowout.

Graybird felt any trace of sleepiness that had haunted her prior to leaving camp disappear after a couple quick blinks to chase away the grogginess. Despite the fact that Asylum cats still lingered around the territory, she didn't feel as trapped as she did when they had first arrived. They weren't nearly as clingy as they initially had been, and that wasn't much to celebrate, but the she-cat still found it to be something positive. However, that also meant that the Asylum was starting to get more comfortable with living within SkyClan, so was this all really something to be optimistic about? The warrior decided to shrug it off for now. There would be plenty of time for her to think about that when she was all on her own.

Talking about the Asylum was inevitable, though. This wasn't a minor inconvenience, this was something that plagued their everyday lives, so when Tigersong brought them up, all the she-cat could do was nod. It wouldn't exactly be fitting to discuss a topic as trivial and lighthearted as the weather during all of this. It was understandable that cats were angry. In fact, she felt the same way sometimes, but for the most part she just felt bothered, like there was an itch that just wouldn't go away no matter where she went.
"You're right. I mean, how else are cats supposed to feel, y'know? I think most of that anger comes from fear. It's hard to not be scared of them... especially after thinking about how they maimed Bloodstrike."
She had never truly been able to have a conversation about the Asylum like this with another cat, so Graybird felt grateful that she had this opportunity. Talking about things helped sometimes.

"Do you think this is all going to end? Be honest."  The warrior carefully asked.
Truthfully, she had no idea how she would answer that question on her own, so she silently hoped that Tigersong wouldn't ask her the same thing.

To his relief, Graybird didn't seem upset or offended by the question, and he felt himself relax a bit. He listened to her reasoning, nodding silently to himself. He understood that. If the clans weren't afraid of the Asylum, they'd have chased them out by now... even SkyClan's leader seemed to have just, given up the idea of rebellion, going as far as to turn a traitor into deputy. Tigersong hated Dawnhawk. Every time he looked at the smarmy tom, he wanted to claw the smug look right off his face. But it wasn't his place. And violence wasn't his forte, either.

Exhaling a low breath, Tigersong shrugged halfheartedly. "I... don't know," he admitted. "I'm not scared of them," he added quickly. "But still... if everyone else has given up, what could I possibly do? They don't belong here... they're strangers, and they want to destroy SkyClan. To turn us all into pelt-wearing freaks. I just..." he trailed off, shaking his head.

The young warrior was quiet for a moment, just enjoying the companionship as they walked, doing more talking than actual hunting. He stepped close, his long pelt brushing hers, relishing the warmth that bounced between them. "I just want things to be back to normal," he said finally. "How are we supposed to live our lives when nothing we do is private, anymore?"

As they stepped into a patch of tall grasses, a mouse startled, dashing across the path, and Tigersong sprang at it, but the thing slipped through his claws and beneath the roots of a scorched tree. He huffed, turning to give Graybird a quick, quiet laugh and a half-smirk. "I could have caught that if you weren't distracting me," he said, mock accusation in his tone. He returned to her side, flicking his tail against her haunch playfully.

The member 'JJ' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

As Graybird fell silent to listen to Tigersong's response, she could slowly feel her facial expressions begin to soften. She wasn't known for being particularly cold, but her resting face wasn't exactly the friendliest most times. In fact, it almost seemed as if she was rude or bored most of the time despite the fact that this simply wasn't the case. Softer expressions were something that she reserved for her father, her grandmother, and Primroselight, but in this moment, the she-cat felt glad that she was finally able to somewhat let her guard down again and breathe. She had never truly asked herself is she was afraid of the Asylum. Was she afraid of them hurting her, or was she afraid of them hurting the cats that she loved? It was probably the latter. She longed to fight the Asylum and avenge not only SkyClan's pride, but the order of the entire forest. What she truly feared was the repercussions that would come from battling the Asylum. Their numbers would result in multiple SkyClan injuries and possibly even deaths, and Graybird wouldn't be able to live if a Clanmate died because she decided to lash out at an Asylum cat.

"I understand. I can't even fall asleep sometimes because it's horrifying to think that they could go rogue and attack again while we're sleeping. It's not exactly like they haven't used that tactic before." The warrior rolled her eyes following her last comment.
The mouse that suddenly darted in front of them caused Graybird's attention to fall upon it instantly. Perhaps it was simply instinct. She wasn't quick enough to make the first move, however, because Tigersong instantly made an attempt to snatch it up.

She blinked in shock as the tom returned to her side empty-pawed, but it didn't take very long for a smile to break out on her muzzle.
"It's not my fault that your form sucks," Graybird made sure that her tone was playful and returned the flick of his tail with one of her own, "Let me show you how a real hunter does it."

Rabbits weren't common in SkyClan's territory, and the warrior knew that they were prone to lay around WindClan's moorland. Due to the scarcity of prey that naturally came with the coming of Leaf-bare, the rabbit's rib cage was visible against its fur, but Graybird decided to make a leap for it anyways. When her front paws came in contact with the creature, she made sure to hold it down and nip its neck to prevent an escape. Satisfaction flooded her pelt as she turned to face Tigersong with the rabbit hanging limp and lifeless from her jaws.
"See? That's how a real hunter does it." Her voice was slightly muffled by the bundle of fur between her teeth.

The member 'verychuu' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

It was impossible for Tigersong to hide the surprise as Graybird almost effortlessly captured a rabbit, trotting back to his side with the thing hanging from her jaws. Yes, it was scrawny, but it was still much bigger than anything he'd ever caught, and in fact, he didn't remember the last time he saw a SkyClanner catch a rabbit. "I... you... that was incredible!" he agreed, hopping around her excitedly.

Grinning, Tigersong butted Graybird's flank with his head, "You should teach me that move sometime," he suggested laughingly. "Together we could feed the whole clan by ourselves if we get a few more of those!"

He laughed again, tail twitching, and then a bit of movement caught his eye. A fox-pelted Asylum cat moved across the path up ahead, paying them no mind. Tigersong's ears flattened, and he growled low, the mood killed instantly. Graybird's previous comment, once forgotten in the high of the good catch, resurfaced at the top of his brain. "I wouldn't let them hurt you," he said lowly, his eyes still staring down the path. But then he hesitated, and glanced away, back to Graybird. "Or... or anyone else, I mean. Anyone in SkyClan. Not just uh. Not just you. Because, um... why would I? Choose... just you... to... protect, you know..?" He trailed off, clearing his throat awkwardly and feeling his ears grow hot with embarrassment.

The laughter that bubbled in Graybird's belly made her feel more carefree than she had felt in days. After spending days alongside the Asylum and sleepless nights due to fearful thinking, it felt refreshing to live in the moment. She had a habit of constantly looking ahead to the future and wondering what would happen based on the events of the past, but she realized that it was essential to not let the present slip away. Her smile only grew bigger as Tigersong proceeded to bounce around her, and she quietly placed the rabbit on the ground between her paws.
"Relax, relax, it wasn't that great." She chuckled despite the fact that she was still immensely proud of herself.

"I think it was just luck, it'd be a miracle if we ever saw one again." Graybird shrugged as she kicked a bit of dirt over her catch.
She opened her jaw to say something else but instantly shut it once the slinking, fox-like form of a pelt-covered Asylum cat made their way deeper in the territory, probably on the hunt for prey of their own. The cheerful light in her eyes slipped away until a scowl crossed her features. It was almost as if the Asylum knew when the exact time to kill the mood whenever SkyClanners had finally found a way to relax. It served as a blunt reminder that things still weren't back to normal.

She gave Tigersong a wide-eyed glance, meeting his eyes as he looked back towards her.
"You're cute when you're nervous." She muttered, bluntly, not even thinking about what she was saying.
A couple of quick heartbeats passed before her eyes widened once again, "No, that's not what I meant. Sorry. I meant- what I meant to say is... nevermind, forget it."
Stumbling over her words was something that Graybird had never done before, and she could feel her face growing warm as her eyes quickly lowered to stare at the forest floor and her own share of embarrassment began to take over her.