preserving history [c]

In the wake of ShadowClan's new rites and the accompanying wearing of predator pelts, Thalia had found herself busier than ever. If she wasn't tending the pelts themselves (or attempting to teach her Clanmates to care for them properly), she was helping to gather herbs for the medicine den, and if she wasn't doing either of those things she was reinforcing one of the dens. It had been a few days since she set paw outside of ShadowClan's camp, but there was always something new that needed done every time she thought about it.

Now, left to her own devices, she was- once again- cleaning predator pelts. It was nice to feel useful, if nothing else: this was something she knew, as she'd watched every sort of thing that needed doing back in her anxious Asylum days; the Pelt Wards hadn't been respected (which was a strange feeling, that the same tasks they had done earned her respect now), but they had been skilled. And they had been part of the Nightstrikers, in some small way, so- it made sense, that she would learn from them eventually.

Getting the mud off her own pelt was especially difficult, given that she had started wearing it more now that she wasn't alone in doing so. It was no longer something that made her stand out among ShadowClan. The heavier wear meant it needed more regular cleaning.

It was probably time she thought about getting something else to sleep on, if she thought about it. Maybe a nest of bird feathers would be nice, or a soft raccoon pelt?

He had been given a fitting warrior name, something strong, something to be proud of. Sablestrike had earned his name, but there was something else he would need to earn soon, his pelt. Mothcatcher had succeeded in taking down her predator soon after she had been given her name, but Sablestrike wasn't ready for his hunt just yet. This was something that he would have to care for for the foreseeable future, and he wanted to know how to properly maintain it. This was an essential skill to learn, and one not many seemed to be getting from the source. Thalia might have flower crowns stuck in her mind, but she was clearly very practiced when it came to pelts. Now seemed like as good a time as any to wander over and ask her for some information, so he did. Lifting his tail in greeting, the young warrior decided getting to the point immediately would be the best course of action. "Hey Thalia, mind teaching me a little bit about pelts?"

Thalia blinked, surprised to see Sablestrike approach her- less so when he spoke. It made sense that he'd be interested; he usually seemed eager to fight when she noticed him. At least, more than any of the things she was really known for- herb gathering and flower crowns hadn't seemed to interest him as much. "Hi, Sablestrike! I'd be happy to. What do you want to know?"

There was a lot she could go over, depending on what he was most interested in. The origins of the tradition, keeping them clean, the process they'd established for ShadowClan, the inherent risks... Of those, she imagined Sablestrike was most likely to ask about the maintenance of it- or maybe she just had cleaning on the mind, given that it was what she was doing? It was hard to say. "I know it's still pretty new as a ShadowClan tradition, so any questions you have I'll do my best to answer!"

A smirk crept onto the young warrior's face as Thalia obliged, unaware of what she was really agreeing to. Sablestrike sat down, curling his tail over his paws as he stared back at her. "Any of my questions? You're too kind Thalia, there's no taking those words back." He wholeheartedly expected this to be a lengthy discussion. "Well for starters, what's the best way to take down a predator while keeping the pelt intact? Are there any areas that I should avoid attacking when I start my rite, or can any damaged areas get repaired? What's the best way to take care of a pelt? Should I-" Perhaps he should let her respond before continuing. Sablestrike had too many questions that he wanted answered, and if he was being honest there wasn't any particular skill he wanted to learn. He wanted to learn it all, even if it took moons to learn.

It was safe to say Thalia hadn't known the implications of her words or the barrage of questions that would follow her statement, more used to polite interest or a smaller amount of curiosity. It was a bit jarring, but she kept a smile on her face anyway: curiosity wasn't a bad thing. She'd been just as eager to learn, once upon a time.

"Hm... It's usually salvageable, with some exceptions. It depends on what you're hunting," she answered his first question. "It won't usually be noticeable if bits are damaged, especially if you secure it with mud- I don't do that," she added. "You might have seen my pelt is a little loose. That's why- I like being able to shrug it off at a moment's notice, even if I don't need to. It's how I've always worn it. But if you were attacking, say, an owl- you'd want to avoid damaging the wings, or the leg joints on a fox. Those are harder to hide and more noticeable- but that's only really a concern if you're using them as a disguise, isn't it? I don't think Nightstar has said anything about that, at least not to me. But if it matters that much to you, it's important to be careful- you can't really repair them, at least not easily. It's far easier to just hide the damages where possible."

The warrior paused what she had been doing, the pelts she was tending clean enough and ready to dry in the sun. That freed her to sit instead of stand, inviting Sablestrike to study the pelts if he so chose. "The best way to take care of it is regular cleaning- especially in our territory, mud and muck gets everywhere if you're not careful. It's important to be vigilant!"

The calico who was so known for avoiding combat and weaving flowers spoke so animatedly about this, and was eager to share her knowledge with anyone who wanted to learn. "It's not that difficult, once you know how- just tedious. There's a lot of scrubbing and scraping. I have to clean mine more often because I wear it most of the time, especially now that I'm not the only one. ...It's something I'm glad I have the chance to share."

Thalia had chosen to remain in the forest to reclaim the legacy of Asylum for her own, to be what she felt they should have been. This- this felt like a tangible step toward that goal, her first in a long time.

Sablestrike's pelt had to be well thought out, it would send a message not just to enemy clans, but to his own clanmates, he would make sure of that. Keeping the pelt of his prey as pristine as possible was a must. He still had no clue what kind of predator he would go after, maybe something fierce like a badger? That would definitely be a step in the right direction, but he didn't want the same pelt as Nightstar, he wanted something to distinguish himself. Something strong, something that would strike fear into his enemies hearts, but also serve as a beacon of strength for his clanmates. Maybe a fox then? "I won't need to secure anything with mud, my pelt is going to be flawless after all.  I'm not going to hide behind a pelt either, even if Nightstar wants us to use them as disguises, so damaging the joints won't matter, right? Still, if you think that I should avoid damaging those as much as possible I'll do my best." Ideally he would have some freedom in his attacks, but if that freedom came at the cost of the pelt's perfection then he would put himself at a disadvantage to keep it as immaculate as possible. Sablestrike's eyes moved towards the pelt that Thalia had been cleaning moments before as the cat continued to speak. "Could you teach me how to clean one then? If it's a bit too tedious for you, I could help out a bit. When I have the free time, that is." Another thought popped into his head, and he could hardly contain hints of excitement that started to show in his voice. "Actually, why don't we go find a predator right now? We could take it down together, and you could show me how to properly skin one!"

"...That seems-"

Thalia thought for a moment, trying find the right word. Dangerous was on the tip of her tongue, but surely he knew that much; he was a warrior, not a kit.

"Ill-advised, I think? It's not that I don't think you're capable, but-" She frowned. "I don't really care for violence. I handle the pelts, but I'm not Leopardsun, I'm not like the warriors with their rites, I don't hunt them down on purpose- not anymore, anyway. I defend when I'm attacked, but I don't... I don't go looking for it."

Oh, she had once, but the title of warrior hadn't suited her since well before she was considered one. She was a soldier, and she was lost, and then she was- whatever she was now. A historian, a scholar, someone who spent her time learning and teaching; who slept restlessly and saw the bloodied ground of her youth whenever she closed her eyes for too long.

Even her second fox pelt she hadn't sought out. She'd been attacked trying to find her way home, and had made use of it after losing the one she had fought with Katana- a lifetime ago, that had been; what remained of it after the flood still lined her nest.

But even to her, the words just sounded like excuses. It wasn't that it was in her blood, but it was in her mind; her history and her spirit and the hunting, all of it tied together, and she tried to avoid it all for fear that she would find the same joy in it she once did.

The calico sighed, realizing that this had been a losing battle to start with. "You're... Going to insist on it, aren't you? If you really want to learn..."

"Ill-advised huh? If a warrior and an apprentice can take on a fox, or a porcupine and come out on top then I think two warriors could handle themselves just fine. Besides, it'll be me hunting them down, you can just help me 'defend' against its attacks. That works for you, right?" Honestly he felt a little bad for Thalia. She had no clue but ever since their conversation had started it had all been leading in this direction, and now that they were this far there would be no pulling out for her. Sablestrike would get her to assist him in a live skinning whether he had to kill a predator on his own of with her help. Flicking his tail a bit impatiently, the black warrior stared intently at Thalia waiting for her answer. "Oh, absolutely. This isn't much of a request, more of an 'I'll pester you until you say yes' kind of thing." It felt childish coming out of his mouth, but Sablestrike was determined to make this happen even if he had to lower himself to begging for the demonstration.