The Breeze's Hero [Closed]

Breezefeather's mouth kept open as she scented prey from the moors, the sound of the gorge close by echoing into her ears and distracting her. The scent of Riverclan was thick, and it made her a little nauseated. But then again, it was only because she was so used to the tangy scent of the moors. What could she say, it was her home. Natural instincts basically had it that she found comfort in the scent of WindClan, and a bit of disgust in that of a rival.

Her nose found the scent of a mouse, something that would easily be a quick meal. She was famished from constantly running around in pursuit of rabbits, and honestly didn't find the harm in eating one little mouse. Dropping to the infamous hunters crouch, the she-cat pounced after the tiny vermin. It started scurrying, running towards the border. Breezefeather's instincts ignored the fact that she was crossing over the border. The warrior code was being threatened, and boy would StarClan set her straight.

Determination and adrenaline coursed through her veins as she continued to go after the stupid mouse, her paws slipping against the moist rocks on the edge of the gorge. That was when.. Oh no.

Her reaction was to try and grab the rocks, but the only thing that happened was a claw being torn, right from being stuck in a rock. The she-cat yowled in pain as she plummeted down into the rushing waters, her body hitting it with a rather rough force. Her instant reaction was to try and swim, but it was hard to get her head above the current other than for a brief enough moment to catch air. Finally, her body hit the side of a large rock. It didn't feel nice, and she could feel the water stinging the wounds she got, but the rock was tall enough for her to finally crawl on top of. Coughing, she could feel herself vomiting up water as she sat there, trying to catch her breath to try and swim to the other side of the gorge and make it at least to a shore. But that wouldn't happen anytime soon.

Aspenberry grunted as he trudged down the border, pausing to mark RiverClan's territory every so often. As punishment for his "rude behavior", his mother made it his job to perform as many duties as possible to give her and the other so-called "hardworking" warriors a break. The tom kicked up dirt in frustration, cursing himself. He was just trying to get through life without distraction, yet his mind was intent on pulling even the smallest of mistakes or details back onto the surface. Apparently mulling over his life resulted in penance. So here was the small warrior, making his way along the entire border with a cold glare and a strong look of distaste.

His concentration was broken at the large splashing sound somewhere in the gorge. The gray tom's ears pricked up and he slowly padded towards the sound, his eyes scanning the rushing current. It didn't take long for him to spot the figure that was attaching herself to a large rock. He could see the immediate fear in her dilute green eyes and the fresh blood staining her silver and white fur. The new warrior froze, his blue-green eyes wide in surprise. He knew this she-cat needed help, but how would he be of any service? Almost taking a step backwards, he paused as he saw her grip begin to loosen. Aspenberry hissed to himself and shot forward, diving into the freezing waters.

It was brisk, to say the least. The RiverClan warrior breached momentarily, gasping for air as he attempted to swim upstream. It was tough, but his strong legs kicked through the river enough to get him to the rock. Without a word he climbed up and grasped Breezefeather's scruff in his mouth before charging back into the black water. This time he let the current guide them down, making sure to bring him and the she-cat towards the shore. The tabby threw her onto land and pulled himself up shortly after. Huffing loudly, his cold gaze caught hers.

"What were you doing in there?! You could have gotten yourself killed!" he hissed, his soaked fur bristling with anger. "If I hadn't been here.." Aspenberry trailed off, licking his fur down before staring at her wounds. They were rather large, oozing more and more blood by the minute. He took a tentative step forward, before catching himself. He didn't even know this cat. She obviously wasn't RiverClan, thus, she was an enemy. The river had washed away almost any trace of her scent. "Who are you?" he asked rather aggressively.

The she-cat had instantly froze when she heard another soft splash in the water. Even with the liquid racing rapidly, she could still hear the world around her. Even with her heart already racing at an incredible rate, it managed to go even quicker. Her fur rose to how it could, trying to fluff herself up in defense. She was already wounded, and if another cat would attack her, or anything for that matter, she'd be dead. Breezefeather didn't even question it at this point, she would surely be dead. There'd be nothing left of her existence, and heck, if the clan even cared, it'd be a surprise. She sent a prayer to Starclan, hoping to her dear ancestors that she wouldn't be killed. She wanted to offer to her clan so much more, she wanted to have a mate and bear kits at some point in her life. She hoped her fate wouldn't determine that otherwise.

Fear once more hit her even harder when she saw the fur of another cat approaching towards her. Whatever claws she had left unsheathed to grip the rock, but it didn't help. A strong force of current came her way, swooping water over her somewhat small body and causing her grip to falter. She was going to die... She was going to die... These were her final days... All because she tried to catch some stupid mouse. Sending a prayer to Starclan, she hoped that they'd spare her life with this cat.

When she felt his teeth latch onto her scruff and take her from her little shelter, instinctively she thrashed for a bit. But, her energy had been drained, so eventually she just gave up. With what she had in her though, she had her paws churn, to help keep both of them afloat. Coughing as water surged into her mouth while they guided down the rapids, to say that she was exhausted would be an understatement. At this point, death didn't even seem that bad. Her sides and legs stung with both pain and exhaustion, and her mind was foggy.

Surprise filled the young tabby as she had been tossed ashore, her paws scrabbling to push her farther along before she pretty much collapsed onto one side. Her chest rose and fell quickly, and she could feel her heartbeat in her chest. Breezefeather tried to look at her sides and see all of the cuts she had, but it was hard to. Keeping herself on her side, her eyes looked up at her savior. Why had he even saved her in the first place? It was obvious he was a Riverclan cat.

Listening to his bitter words, she realized how much he sounded like a queen scolding their kit for doing something dangerous. Shaking the lighthearted thought from her mind, wariness still shook her body as she kept her gaze on him. "I... I know I'm stupid..." She rasped, and she couldn't help but take a slight fancying to his appearance. "I'm just... a... stupid Windclan warrior.... Who fell off the side of the gorge... Why did you... Why did you save me anyways?" She huffed between most of her words, trying to sit up but flinching at the pain from her wounds. "A handsome tom... like yourself doesn't need to be... worrying about a stupid she-cat... like me anyways." Did that really just come out of her mouth? Either way, she was too tired and her mind was too foggy to think. She'd apologize later. For now, she just needed to rest.

Stupid indeed. Aspenberry scowled at the word "WindClan". RiverClan and WindClan weren't on bad terms, but their choice of allies automatically made the two Clans enemies. He stood silently, struggling to not shiver in the cool air. He shook his fur lightly, shaking away any excess water that stuck to his striped fur. So she fell off the side of the gorge? Makes sense. he thought. WindClan cats fell off the side of the gorge more often than not. They too pride in their speed, but with that came ignorance. If they were too focused on something, they wouldn't notice the sound of rushing water and slip on the moist rocks above.

A flash of concerned waved through his eyes as she flinched. He could see how tired and in pain she was. As much as he wanted to help, he kept his wits about him. He wouldn't let her die, but he wouldn't let her get the better of him. He couldn't help but wonder though. Why did he save her? It was obvious he didn't know her. He could care less if WindClan lost another warrior, it would be better for his clan if they did. He had no interest in becoming a hero, so why did he dive into that water? His mind boggled, he shook his head and approached her, taking a seat beside her to keep her warm. He quickly began licking her wounds clean, coughing at the taste of blood. He paused mid-lick as she uttered more words. Handsome?! His blue-green eyes widened in shock. Was it the water in his ears or did this she-cat just call him... handsome. Looking away, he attempted to hide his pleased expression and rising heartbeat. Coughing awkwardly, he turned back to her with his signature neutral face and continued licking the blood from her silver fur.

Shrugging nonchalantly, he took a moment to answer her questions. "I thought you were my mother," he lied casually. It wasn't a lie that she resembled the deputy. She had the same silver tabby fur, with more white and fluff. Her eyes were more dilute than Mistfeather's, but green nonetheless. Aspenberry sat silently, making sure to clean her cuts to perfection. From her attempt to sit up he could tell the warrior wouldn't be able to make it far by herself. He detested the thought of travelling through enemy territory. At least it would get him out of his chores. He pulled himself to his paws and prodded Breezefeather up with his shoulder. "You can't stay here. Lean on me until we get to your camp," he ordered, trying to keep his voice calm but strict.

"I'm Aspenberry. RiverClan warrior," the light gray tom stated blankly, waiting until he knew she could stand against him without falling.

The wounded she-cat had seen his look of disapproval and scowl when he had heard her mention the name of her Clan. Defense immediately began to perk up in the small body of hers, and she'd still defend her Clan even if she was wounded. It was her duty- her job. She had vowed from the end of her apprenticeship to do so- Wait, no. Not even then. She had vowed at the end of her kithood. So had he. It was painfully obvious he wasn't a medicine cat, his fur would have had the scent of herbs on it, water or not. That was the thing about Riverclan, it was still easy to detect their scent, even in water. Yet, the high water had easily washed away a good portion of it. Sadly, she lacked the natural semi-waterproofing of a Riverclan cat, so all of her scent had been swept away.

Having gladly wanting to be able to move and get back to camp, her muscles tensed rapidly at the feeling of the tom beside her. That in itself caused her to let out a mewl of sheer pain, as the wounds scattered through her body only got more of the salty water that covered her pelt inflicted into doing so. Also a cause for her wanting to jump up and yowl, as the sting wasn't the best feeling the world could ever give. Flattening her ears and flashing an apologetic look for the torture she probably did to the toms' ears, she lowered her head and relaxed. It was all she could do, but she'd have to repay him at some point... Wouldn't she? She was in debt, her life had been saved. He had given her another chance at life, and she wouldn't forget that. It'd be something that would stick with her for the rest of her days, until the memory eventually died off. Although, with how much blood stained her pelt, there would be scars to inflict the memory.

After some time and slowly warming up as he licked her wounds, a soft purr rose from her throat. Having tried time and time again to get up, the soarness and weariness of what had happened was still there. It'd take some time until she was at least recovered enough to move around and perform duties, but while she was at camp, she could at least try to keep the kits out of the other warriors' fur. That, and maybe even keep Falconstar company. Thoughts about how she'd have to spend the next possible moon drifted through her mind, until she finally had nothing else to think about. That was about the time that Aspenberry had finished cleansing her wounds.

Flicking an ear at the answer to his question, she wondered who exactly his mother was. It was true that he did resemble the deputy, and now that she thought about it, that had to be the only plausible answer. There was no other cats she knew of in Riverclan that would look like such, or at least resemble such a cat. There was a flaw to his answer though, and she caught it. "Yes, but I do doubt your mother wouldn't be able to swim at least somewhat, even in that current." Surely, if he had been able to swim at least somewhat through it, his mother could as well? Even if she was an aged cat, to her, Riverclan never lost their ability to swim. They were practically born with it.

Snapping to the reality of his order, she had looked at him again when he told her to lean on him. Obviously, she was wary at first. He still was a supposed enemy, and at any time he could just kill her. Especially in this state. Doing her best to shrug away the morbid thoughts, Breezefeather had been able to rise enough to where she could lean on the tom. Purring her gratefulness, the she-cat took things at a slow pace once they began. She wanted to just collapse and sleep, but it would be best to wait until she was at least in the moors. The grass to her was softer, at least.

Listening to when he stated his name, it confirmed both her worst fears and her theories.

"I thank you sincerely for saving my flank. Aspenberry, I won't forget the debt I owe you." As tired as her voice sounded, it was the truth.