The Night Flows [Closed]

It was strange, you know? It seemed only a few moons ago that Larksong and Smokestripe had become warriors together but now Smokestripe already had a family - which was a bit out of the blue. I mean, she had thought that Smokestripe and Ravenclaw would be adorable together and had been thinking through ways to set them up but...Was she jealous? Was that it? Larksong came to a stop from her pacing, right in front of the entrance of the camp as her gaze flickered up with uncertainty.

Perhaps she was. Her and Smokestripe had grown close to one another as apprentices and while she was certain she didn't feel any romantic feelings for him, it was hard seeing him already starting a family while she...Well, she supposed she felt like all of ShadowClan was her family but she still wanted to have kits one day but there just wasn't any toms she had met that had caught her fancy...

"Larksong? What are you doing?"

The tortoiseshell leaped as she spun, her amber eyes meeting the curious gaze of Smokestripe as the tom frowned lightly at her. She sighed in relief, her fur falling flat from her slight startle as she shook her head. "I'm waiting for you," she noted as she sat down, taking a brief moment to lick flat some of her chest fur in slight embarrassment of how startled she had been.

Waiting for him? Smokestripe titled his head, studying the she-cat as he spared a glance over his shoulder. "Well I was planning to take Yewpaw on a patrol right now but if you want we can go hunting later together an-"

"I'm aware!" Larksong's gaze snapped up as she stared at the tom, her tail swishing as she gave him a sheepish smile. "I know that you were planning on a patrol and...Well I was wondering if I could join. We haven't had time to talk and I would love to get to know Yewpaw as well so...What do you think?"

"Oh." The tom blinked at that as he allowed his gaze to shift back onto the black and orange warrior before dipping his head. "Well, sure. I'm certain Yewpaw won't mind and perhaps you can teach her a few tricks as well."

There was a sigh of relief from Larksong as she dipped her head in thanks, curling her tail around her paws as Smokestripe took a seat next to her. This was going to be fun! A simple patrol with Smokestripe and Yewpaw...It was something Larksong was sure she sorely needed.

Another patrol. She'd ran herself through the motions enough times that this routine had become familiar, but no matter how much she practiced, she didn't feel like she was at that next level. Her stances had gotten tighter, more controlled, she had a finer technique with her swipes and rolls and battle poses, she'd gotten her first snakes and frogs and rats and even a magpie, but frustratingly, maddeningly, she just wasn't good enough. Whenever she watched the best of the best, Leopardstar or Magpiewing or Littlebrook or Wildfang, that crushing weight filled her chest, that niggling voice that she'd never be their equal.

Yewpaw took her time watching some of the other mentors and apprentices run through their drills, watched a few hunting patrols and coupled pairs return with their fresh-kill, and sighed, stretching. She slipped out from the apprentice den and weaved across camp where she knew her mentor was waiting. "Fath—... Smokestripe," she mewed, turning to look toward the she-cat he'd been speaking with. Yewpaw gave a respectful nod. "Larksong."

Smokestripe felt a purr rise from his throat at he spotted his daughter step from apprentice den, straightening up as his eyes glimmered. Yewpaw was getting so far in her training - he was impressed and so joyous of her. There was no doubt in that he was proud of her, and caught himself almost chuckling under his breath as she once against almost tripped on her words and called him 'Father' before correcting herself. "I hope you don't mind but Larksong has asked to tag along for this patrol," he said as he drew himself to his paws, giving a faint stretch of his limbs despite the fact that he hadn't been sitting for very long.

Larksong raised an eyebrow as Yewpaw stumbled over her words, sparing a glance at Smokestripe as the tom stiffened his laugh. What was that about? She wasn't all that surprise, Smokestripe did always prefer cats to be ease around him but she found it amusement that Yewpaw seemed to have a little trouble calling Smokestripe by his name instead of 'Father.' It was rather cute to be honest but she didn't want to admit it in case Yewpaw reacted negativity.  And so she simply dipped her head to the young apprentice as she stood up after Smokestripe. "I do hope I am not imposing myself - Its just been so long since I've gotten to go out on a patrol with Smokestripe and I would love to get to know you as well Yewpaw."

Yewpaw nodded vigorously. "No, not at all," she managed, her tail twitching. Another warrior along with them? Beneath the bob of excitement in her chest, there was an undercurrent of new fear and worry. What if she messed up in front of her...?! There was so much more pressure than if it was just Smokestripe by himself. She steeled herself, gathering up all her resolve. Stay determined. She could prove herself. "It'd be an honor," she mewed, trying to hide the trace of trepidation in her voice.

Smokestripe felt a faint wave of relief as Yewpaw was welcoming of Larksong's presence. It would be nice to get to hang out with Larksong again like he used to but things had just grown so busy fretting over Yewpaw's training among other things - being able to do both at the same time was a welcoming thought as he turned with a flicker of his tail and headed into the territory. Once they were in the territory proper, he made small changes to his direction until he was leading them toward the ThunderClan border - planning to check on that before swinging down to the SkyClan's border. He wasn't worry about WindClan, they had enough trouble with RiverClan that he was sure they were wise enough to not cause trouble but ThunderClan was still always an issue and SkyClan...Well, he wasn't certain what he thought about those new Tribe cats. Would they learn to respect the borders now that they were SkyClan members?


Larksong echoed Smokestripe's feeling of relief as she beamed down at the young apprentice before her. She truly didn't want to impose on the patrol but she was eager to get to know Yewpaw. She dipped her head in thanks as she turned, following after Smokestripe as the younger tom led them out into the territory and toward the ThunderClan border. The tortoiseshell allowed herself to hang back, keeping pace with Yewpaw as she turned her attention to the black apprentice. It was amazing how much Yewpaw looked like Ravenclaw - just missing the white ears and the marking on her nose. Even their eyes were the same hue of green. It was a shame that neither Yewpaw nor Pinepaw got any of Smokestripe's looks but there was nothing to do about that. Larksong shook her head, pushing away those thoughts as she focused on the apprentice. "How is your training going?" she asked in a soft voice, her head tilting with the slightest curiosity.

Yewpaw let the two older warriors take the lead and followed after them, keeping right after their heels as they struck out from camp and deeper into the marsh. Toward the border, no doubt, ThunderClan or SkyClan. She almost shuddered at the thought of another confrontation after the last few they'd had... She was lost in her own head, thoughts circling about one worse hypothetical after another, when Larksong's gentle inquest broke her out of her train of thought. The apprentice almost froze up, stumbling over her own paws. "Good!" she piped up after a moment. "I'm... good. It's been going good." Her mouth was dry. She swallowed, this time puffing out her chest in pride. "I'm lucky to have a warrior like Smokestripe as my mentor."

Larksong blinked when her simple question took Yewpaw off guard and almost caused the apprentice to stumble but quickly hide her surprise when she turned to look at her. "That's good to hear," she purred lightly as she glanced toward Smokestripe, who was leading the group toward the border. "Your father is a great warrior," she noted, pausing to glance at her side where three scars ran down it - a token of her battle that had almost cost her life when she was protecting Ravenclaw. "I'm sure you will follow in his pawsteps and be great in your own right, Yewpaw," she purred happily.

Smokestripe's ears perked with keen interest as he heard Larksong and Yewpaw exchange words, doing his best to pick up what he could as he kept an eye on where they were going. He almost wanted to scoff at the idea of himself being a great warrior...He wasn't anything special. He was a coward if anything, only taking on fights when he knew he had the safety of his Clanmates at his back. But he wanted to be more. He wanted to be brave for Yewpaw, to be somebody that she looked up to. He...He wasn't her real father but he wanted to be everything she thought he was. He sighed softly, his fur prickling slightly as he scanned the marsh around them. They were getting close to the ThunderClan border. He was going to be sure not to get to close to it after what had happened last time...He wasn't eager for another fight.