A Frosty Evening (Closed)

The sun had just fallen below the horizon, leaving the few wispy clouds bright with peachy-orange light, when Night of Stormy Gales entered the SkyClan camp, a fairly large squirrel hanging from his jaws.  Not an overly impressive catch compared to the skill of some of the other clan cats, but to the foreign tom who had not yet perfected the strange culture's techniques, it was something to be proud of.  Considering too the lack of prey as of late because of the fire, many of the territory's small creatures had fled either deep into their burrows, or into areas unknown.  They would return soon though, and with the warm new-leaf weather the damage that had been caused would grow back quickly, and even stronger than before.

Night was grateful though that SkyClan had been spared of more serious damage; unlike their neighbors.  Recently the whole clan had been helping out to catch prey and gather remaining herbs for the poor ThunderClan cats, driven from their camp and forced to live in another Clan's territory.  Night too had been helping to supply them with provisions, but even though it was nice to have more to do, it didn't stop the wave of overwhelming boredom and depression that seemed to endlessly nip at his heels.

Now that he wasn't fighting for his life in the mountains, defending his Tribemates on the journey, and fleeing from a ravenous fire, the effects of all of his pent-up grief no longer had a strong wall to hide behind.  Having never been a very openly emotional cat, Night had always forced himself to keep calm and stay strong, no matter what, for the good of the Tribe of Endless Skies.  Even through every death, every vigil held for each of his family members one by one, he had never shed a tear.  He had never wallowed in his grief like others might do; in fact in the face of adversity and pain the wise tom only seemed to grow stronger and more determined.  Not all is as it seems though.  Thinking of those many nights where he lay in his nest and contemplated if it was worth it to go on, if maybe the next day was the day it could all be over, pained his heart.

What future do I have now here in the forest?  My family is gone, all left behind in the mountains.....what do I have left now?  I feel no loyalty to SkyClan or their leaders, not even to my Tribe or Stoneteller.  What even is left of the true Tribe?  We have been more or less sucked into the clan, like a shell pulled into the waves.  To them, we are only the outsiders who claim heritage to them! They have no respect for our ancient customs and beliefs, and my Tribemates seem more than happy to just give them up!  Is this really what we fought through that hard leaf-bare for?  To loose everything we have ever stood for?

As these thoughts consumed him, anger began to flood over the pitch black tom, and he dug his claws hard into the sooty earth.  Teeth piercing the squirrel, Night was about to throw it onto the kill-pile and dash back out into the forest, away from the bad memories and thoughts the camp produced, when he noticed a familiar cream-and-dappled pelt laying nearby.  It was the to-be Frost that Blankets the Brook, who had made the journey with the Tribe.  Suddenly, an idea floated into his mind, and in an instant the usually quite introverted tom-cat grabbed up a robin that was on the top of the pile and trotted forward to greet her.  Even though the Clans don't always respect our old ways, that doesn't mean that I can't encourage them.  Dropping the squirrel and the robin at his feet, Night of Stormy Gales smiled at the younger she-cat and gently pushed the robin towards her, a friendly offering.  "Hello Frost, do you want to share?"

(ooc: sorry for the huge post, I have a ton of muse right now xD  Plus character development)

(Sorry this is late and nw. I wish i had that much muse tbh )

Frost had been lounging around camp after helping out in the nursery and she had just begun to doze off in a patch of sunlight when one of her tribemates made his way over to her. Lifting up her head, nose twitching at the scent of prey, she smiled at the black tom. "Of course! Thanks, Night." She meowed cheerfully, stifling a yawn as she sat up to take a bite. "So how have you been.. Ya know with all the.. 'Clan' stuff?" She asked curiously, sliding the robin back to him after taking a bite. She secretly hoped he was doing as great as she was, as in, not so great, so that maybe they could get used to it together? Or maybe so she'd have someone to rant to about it if she had a particularly bad day. Sure some of the clan cats were nice and everything, like Rippedsky, but she missed the mountains, and she missed her family. She had lost her whole entire family to the cold season up in the mountains and there were no words to describe her longing for them. Realizing she had been lost in thought, she shook her head slightly to clear the glum thoughts and tried to focus her attention on the kind tom next to her.

Purring delightedly, Night smiled and settled down onto his belly, enjoying the feeling of the warm earth against his fur. It had been quite a while since he had shared prey with someone; not just because of the clan's customs. The remaining members of his family had died quite early into the harsh leaf-bare, leaving the black tom-cat alone without many friends. His brother Thunder had been his closest - and frankly only - friend, so without the outgoing ginger tom around he had begun to be somewhat....ignored. After taking a hearty bite out of his squirrel, he gazed up and smiled at Frost before exchanging it for the robin. It's nice to have a companion sometimes.

He was about to take a bite when the she-cat spoke up, and her question brought back all of the previous thoughts and anger that had struck him just a minute ago. Casting his leaf-green eyes downward towards the robin, he contemplated whether or not to tell her about his troubles. He didn't like to burden other cats with his problems - he felt that it was unnecessary if you had the means to deal with the situation alone - but he didn't want to straight up lie to the kind young she-cat. Looking up with a faint smile, Night meowed; "Well....it's been hard trying to learn all the different customs and traditions. Plus their hunting techniques are so different from what we were taut.....I guess I'm getting the hang of it though." At the end he wanted to add 'Even if I don't like it' but he managed to hold back. No matter his disagreements, SkyClan had showed the Tribe immense kindness for which he was deeply grateful; he didn't want to disrespect that.

(omg i got a new job and I'm dying. So sorry for lateness and awfulness again ;-;)

Frost listened quietly as Night described his trouble with the clan life, but she smiled slightly as he seemed to be trying to be a bit optimistic or polite. "Yeah, me too. I could already be a Prey-Hunter if we were back in the mountains. I'm not getting any training here, and I feel so.. so useless!" She meowed, getting bit worked up, but she glanced sheepishly at Night before quickly going on. "But I don't mean to complain.. They were generous and kind to take us in. It's just.. so much. Ya know?" She meowed, a kind of sad/longing half smile making its way across her mouth. "Well, anyways.." She meowed, with a slight laugh, trying to change the subject to something a bit less.. whatever it was she was feeling. "Rippedsky told me we might have to change our names. I'm not sure how I feel about that." She said after taking another bite and sliding the prey back over. She wasn't quite sure why she felt the need to confide in him about all her doubts and inner-turmoil, but for some reason it kind of made her feel better. It felt like a weight off her chest after telling him her thoughts that had been bouncing around her head since the day they arrived. She felt so comfortable around her tribemate and she gazed at him gratefully with her golden flecked gaze.

(aaa sorry for my lateness, I've had no muse for like, half a week Dx  Also congrats on the job!)

Night nodded in understanding, staring down at the robin between his paws for a moment before gazing up with a much fainter smile, bright green eyes shining nostalgically.  "Yea, I fully understand.  I'm quite frustrated too; what I just said is only the very bare minimum of the problems I could complain about.  It's true though, SkyClan was very kind to take all of us in like this, and while in their camp I don't feel it proper to criticize their hospitality.  Clans and Tribes are very different from each other, and the least we could both do is show the other some respect."  His eyes hardening a bit as he let a veiled criticism escape his mouth, the jet-black tom quickly moved on from the difficult issue at hand, taking a quick bite of the robin and chewing, before passing it back.

His mouth curved at the ends in a sympathetic smile, Night's head tilted slightly as he purred out an offer to the younger she-cat; "If you want Frost, we could train together sometime.  I've picked up a few helpful clan techniques that might be useful to know as well."  Suddenly feeling a bit bashful, Night gave his chest a few self-conscious licks as he felt his face heat a bit.  What is this?  It's just training, why am I feeling embarrassed?  Quickly brushing aside the strange situation, Night listened with perked ears as Frost remarked about the possibility of changing their names.  He recalled a similar conversation he had in the past with Rosepaw about this, and remembered the names the young she-cat had suggested for him  "Yea....I guess I would become Nightgale or Nightstorm....."  Though he tried to remain calm, the thought of giving up the name his deceased father had given him made his blood boil.  I was named after my grandfather, a honorable prey-hunter of the Tribe!  To change my name would feel like turning my back on my ancestors.....on my family!  No, my name won't change for as long as I live.  I am Night of Stormy Gales, nothing else.

Frost nodded, agreeing a hundred percent. "I feel like if we all listened and worked with each other, we could actually learn to get along. And in the process, we could both swap stories and traditions." She mused, a slight grimace evident on her muzzle. "But I guess we shouldn't count on it." She meowed, sighing tiredly. The whole situation exhausted her mentally and especially with her whole 'I have to fix everything' mentality, it didn't make it any better. She'd always been a 'fixer' and it always ended up making her feel helpless. She felt like everything was spiraling out of control and there was nothing she could do about it. It made her want to scream.

Her ears perked up at Night's offer and she met his gaze with her surprised one. "R-really? You'd do that?" She stammered in surprise and sudden weird shyness. "You don't have to.. I mean I'm sure you've got better things to do than train an to-be that's not even yours." She said, though for some reason she secretly hoped he'd still want to help her. It was probably the kindest thing anyone had offered to do for her, and she couldn't help but be shocked. How could someone want to spend their free time training me? She thought quizzically, though her heart was beginning to race at the thought. She would finally get somewhere in her training! She'd finally be able to really contribute and help out other than in the nursery and elder's den. After letting a tiny purr escape her lips, she glanced away shyly and took another bite of their prey.

Night nodded firmly as the young she-cat verbally agreed with his vague protest, glad that she could see the intelligence in his simple desire.  Truly, he was glad to see that at least one of his Tribemates had kept their sense of self and confidence, not being content to sink into the rushing waters of change without a fight.  He had also noticed that Storm had not taken to the clan ways either; maybe there was hope yet for the true Tribe.

After taking a bite of the squirrel that had been passed to him, Night licked his mouth clean before replying to her shy - but eager- question.  "It's really no problem Frost, you know me; if I didn't mean it I wouldn't have offered."  With a well meaning smile complimented with a wink, the jet black tom swept on.  "It's not fair that, just because of our uprooting, you should go without proper training.  I would be happy to finish it up; from what I could see back home and on the journey you would've only been a few training sessions away from becoming a prey-hunter.  It's only right you complete what you started."  Though his voice was casual and a little aloof, deep down Night was excited to spend more time with this inquisitive to-be.  Beyond their mutual views and wants, he felt as if something about her almost stabilized him; he felt peace when talking to her, his heart calm and light as air.  Is this what it's like....to have a true friend?

Frost that Blankets the Brook purred gratefully when Night still insisted on helping her. "I- Thank you, Night." She meowed, her hazel gaze alight with excitement. Her heart raced with rekindled determination to become the best she could be. She would make her parents proud, from whatever skies they walked. Since their arrival to the clans, she had basically given up on becoming a prey-hunter, or what the clan cats called, "warrior." It had been totally out of character for her, but she was starting to feel like her old self once more. The outgoing, down-to-earth she-cat that she had been back in the mountains and their journey. Part of that, she now realized, had to do with Night because of his kindness and real friendship.

The prey-hunter sized to-be looked up slyly at Night, "So. When can we start?" She said, taking another bite and sliding the prey back to the tom sitting next to her. "I mean, no rush." She said, her bright laugh filling the air. "I'm just ready when you are." She explained, a slight eagerness to her laughter filled voice. Night was an extraordinary friend. Her tribemate made it so easy to talk to him, and he actually listened to her. They shared many of the same opinions and he was generous. She wasn't really sure she'd ever had a friend quite like how he was turning out to be, and all in all, it made her feel she wasn't quite alone anymore.

Night chuckled a bit, charmed by Frost's bright enthusiasm. "We can start anytime you like, either now or later." With a kind smile, the older tom couldn't help but feel a bit excited for their training session as well; he really wanted to talk to Frost some more, and get to know her better. Something about the she-cat intrigued him, weather it be her cheerful light-hearted personality or their similar views on the current issues at hand he didn't know, but he just knew he wanted to spend more time with her. This time reminded him of the good old days, when he would talk to his sister Adder and brother Thunder while sharing prey in the cave, surrounded by the bustling actions of Tribe life. Those days though, were only memories now. His brother was taken by starvation, and his sister left the Tribe not long after, feeling as though the only way to escape her grief was to run from it. With a sigh, Night began to take larger bites of the prey that was being passed around. In case Frost wanted to train sooner than later, he wanted to finish the good food first.

Frost smiled nodded eagerly. "Uh, the sooner the better." She responded, attempting to keep her voice calm and clear as to not sound like a newborn kit that was seeing camp for the first time. She noticed that he had begun to take bigger bites of their shared prey, so she began to follow suit. The quicker they finished, the quicker they could get started. It also meant the quicker she'd become a prey-hunter, and the more she'd get to know Night. The tom's calm demeanor was a nice balance to her eager, excitable one. She didn't feel annoying around him like she did around others when she talked too much, and even if she did annoy the tom, he didn't let her catch on. Everything about her tribemate piqued her interest and made her want to explore his personality more and more. Night was kind and honest and thoughtful, and she was sure he was so many more things that the hoped to get to know about him. What else could she ask for in a.. friend? She nodded slightly to herself before glancing at Night as he finished the last piece of prey, a funny looking smile on her face.

Yeah. They were friends.

Night purred contentedly as he finished off the rest of the last piece of prey, and looked up to find himself looking into Frost's bright hazel eyes, a funny smile on her face that was just downright cute. Grinning back at her, the tall jet-black tom rose to his paws, giving the white locket of fur on his chest a few licks to clean the dust off. After a quick stretch, the prey-hunter waved his tail and beckoned the energetic she-cat to get up and follow him, noticing how the fading green-leaf sunlight dappled her pelt, making the light tan, brown, and white patches stand out even more. Flicking his ears, Night smiled and turned to pad towards the entrance; he knew it was starting to get dark but...he didn't want to wait until tomorrow to spend time with his new friend and trainee. Her energy and passion told him that she would be a great hunter for the Tribe of- for SkyClan, and he wanted to make sure all her talent didn't end up wasting away to nothing. She might not be able to be named a true prey-hunter....but I will make sure that in the eyes of the Tribe, she will be remembered as one.

Frost watched intently as he finished his last bits of prey, eagerly waiting. As soon as he began rising to his paws, she was already there and following him towards the entrance. She returned the kind tom's smile as they padded out and into SkyClan's territory. She was more than thrilled to learn to hunt so she could contribute to the tri- to the clan, and who she got to train with only heightened that excitement. The setting sun was resting its final rays on them, warming her mottled fur and brightening Night's already vivid green eyes. She glanced away quickly, heat rising to her cheeks. Her ears burned and she continued padding beside him in silence.

Finally after a few moments of comfortable silence, she glanced back at him. "So, what am I gonna get to learn first?" She questioned, an enthusiastic light in her golden flecked eyes. Will I get to learn to climb? Or catch mice, or those little birds, or.. or maybe even a squirrel!? Her mind raced with all the things she could learn. There were so many things to learn, and not enough time in the day to learn them all. It would take time, she knew that, but how she wished she could learn it all in one day, or train nonstop until or paws felt like they would fall off. She was eager to have that feeling once more, and she wasn't even sure why she had even complained back in the mountains about it. She would relish having that feeling again. It would signal her progress and dedication. I'll become the best prey-hunter that the tribe and clans have ever seen. She vowed silently.

Night walked along beside Frost as they steadily made their way into SkyClan territory, occasionally snatching brief glimpses down at her to made sure that she was keeping up. His legs were a bit longer than hers, and he usually walked alone; he wasn't used to having to adjust his pace for someone else. In a way though, it felt nice. For once he had company besides the clan cats while he hunted, and it was great to not hear suspicious whispers behind his back. As the dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves above, Night turned to look at his friend when she spoke up, her enthusiasm warming his heart. "Hmm....I don't know, pick something. I've picked up pretty much all of the clan hunting techniques, even though I'm not an expert at all of them yet. Just don't ask me to show you fighting moves!" With a chuckle, Night sat down in the middle of an empty clearing, a good spot for training. In his free time he often practiced here, trying to replicate from memory the impressive techniques he had watched the SkyClan cats perform while on patrol.

Frost's eyes sparked with joy. She could choose what she wanted to learn first!? This was truly a dream come true for her. "Hmm.. I think it's amazing how the SkyClan cats can chase a squirrel up a tree and stay balanced enough to kill it." She meowed, a bit in awe as she remembered one of the warriors streaming up a tree in pursuit of a plump brown squirrel. "I.. I think I wanna learn that first." She meowed, nodding as she finally made up her mind. "If that's okay with you, of course." She added a bit shyly. "I've never tried before and it looks like so much fun." She meowed softly as she imagined herself flying up a tree trunk after a squirrel with Night's kind gaze watching after her with pride. It made her heart swell at the thought, but she shook the feeling away, a bit confused by it.

Night smiled broadly at Frost's request; he too loved watching the SkyClan cats bound and leap through the branches high above, chasing after their quarry with such grace and incredible balance.  Truthfully, even though the ebony tom had learned how to climb and scurry along branches fairly well, he still had not jumped from tree to tree, or caught a squirrel up there no less.  His face dimmed a bit as he realised that he might disappoint his hopeful friend, and his tail lowered as he tried his best to keep his voice optimistic.  "Yes, it is very cool.  That kind of skill though takes a lot of practice, and I admit that I haven't yet mastered all of their techniques..."  Realizing his voice was beginning to sound doubtful, Night immediately tried to make up for the situation, scrambling to find something to say that sounded upbeat, his voice cracking nervously.  "BUT, I can teach you how to climb!  I am pretty close to figuring out how they keep their balance up there while they run, I can teach you that!  We..we could learn together!"  Unaware of what he was doing, Night had rested his tail-tip on Frost's shoulder in an almost comforting sort of way.  His eyes widening, he quickly retracted his tail with an awkward cough, averted his gaze down to the ground as he felt heat rush to his face.  Not understanding why he felt so strange, the tall tom-cat trotted over to the nearest tree and lifted up onto his hind paws, sinking his front claws into the bark.  "A..are you f..fine with that...Frost?"