The First Encounter

The Shadowclan warrior started his daily dusk hunting in a good mood. Everything was going okay in his life: he had an apprentice willing to learn everything he taught her,  he had a loving family and Buttercup was finally more relaxed after hearing the news of her daughter, Heatherpaw. Maybe that's why he got a bit distracted and let his paws guided him back to the Thunderpath without thinking. When he noticed he was back on the border, the stocky dappled tom watched the hard gray path remembering his last fight here. It was just a few days before but the remember of that scared sandy colored she-cat was still on his mind. Why would Thunderclan steal a kit from her mother? It was cruel and nonsense. Maybe... he should investigate more about that during the next Gathering, where he would surely find that apprentice and talk to her.

Lost in his thoughts, Firestone didn't pay much attention to the smell of a Thunderclan cat that was approaching the border as well as he did and he just kept searching for prey near following the scent of a frog not so far from him or the Thunderpath.

Specklefangs life meanwhile, was spiraling out of control, everything seems to weigh on her all at once, but her woes were nothing a-like her mothers. Specklefang shook her head, her paws stumbling as she did so, her heart dropping in her grief. Would she always stumble now? Sageleaf had told her that some kind of... therapy would be required to regain balance if her nerves did not heal correctly, or as they did, she could barely remember what the Thunderclan medicine cat said. Specklefang stopped in her paw steps, taking in a few deep breaths until she settled once more, her problems were nothing compared to her mother's problems after all, so what right did she have to complain?

But here she was, half-blind, crippled almost, useless. Before she knew it, she was at the thunderpath, looking across in search of Waspstep a father-like figure to her. But alas he was not to be found, instead, it was a different Shadowclan cat, one that she didn't know. Two green eyes squinted at the tom, her tail trying to lash but only twitching in her aggravation, Specklefang's teeth clicked shut a growl breaking from her throat as frustration tightened her muscles and her fur bristling. She wanted to curse and spit at the shadowclan cat across the thunderpath, she wanted to cry and scream, anything to release the feelings that kept building in her chest.

But she just breathed, tried to calm herself until the pressure quelled away for a moment like the fresh air was filling her soot-filled lungs back when she was an apprentice after the fire. Turning to the tom she meowed as calmly as she could, her voice shuddering. "How's Waspstep? I usually see the old coot patrolling this area frequently and make idle chatter but lately, he hasn't been around. If you don't mind my asking?" Specklefang's smile was strained, unused and awkward, clearly uncomfortable. But she needed an out.

Firestone's ears perked by the strange voice coming from the other side of the path. Turning his head alert, he looked at the large she-cat with widened up green murky eyes. He had never seen in his entire life but still, there she was... trying to do the best smiles she could no matter how awkward it was and start a conversation. Sitting down in front of her on his side, the tom flicked his tail with curiosity. She was a fighter, that was her scars and blinded eye told him without asking. But with that size, who wouldn't take advantage of getting into a fight? However, despite her intimidating look, there was something missing, something that was out of that image of power and strength. Maybe sadness? Frustration? Who knows.

Finally getting his thoughts organized, Firestone managed to give her back a friendly smile as he tilted his head a bit. "Hi,
there. I'm not too close to Waspstep, honestly, but I can say that he is perfect health. How do you know him? Is he your friend?" Now that they started interacting, the extroverted tom didn't want to miss the chance of talking with another cat. He made himself comfortable and kept that smile as he waited for her response.

OOC: Aww... Poor Specklefang, she's really having a bad time

Specklefang nodded absentmindedly, at least that was one worry put to rest. Specklefang turned her head away, rather unsure if she should admit to the fact that she was indeed friends with the tom, though a little more than that. "Yeah. I ran away from Thunderclan camp when I was a kit and I came skittering here, Waspstep took me back and we've been friends ever since." Specklefang told the tom, short and sweet as she watched his every move and expression.

"Well, maybe more than friends, I view him more as a father than my actual 'father'" Specklefang gave a pained sneer, her voice carrying but it didn't matter, her words lost to the roar of a passing monster. Specklefang sat down, her side pointed towards the tom as she looked down the path, lost in thought. Specklefang tried to sweep her tail towards her, the strict and excessive binding keeping the break away from sight and infection, but severely restricted her tails movements. Bending down she lightly grasped her tail in her jaws and pulled it towards her, grooming any part she could.

Firestone didn't know too much about Waspstep beside he was an honorable warrior and what Specklefang said of him was the proof of that. A warrior must always aid a kit in danger so it wasn't strange that the experienced warrior did that for the Thunderclan she-cat in the past. Even if he didn't like too much Thunderclan because of what he heard of that clan, he had no reasons for disliking Specklefang. She wasn't a trespasser and actually, she was kind of friendly toward him. "You must respect him a lot then. He is truly a good Shadowclan warrior indeed, even if I don't talk to him too much." He commented before the monster crossed the path. Every time a monster ran through there a shiver ran through his back even if he wasn't actually afraid. He just had a lot of respect for those incredibly deadly creatures and preferred to stay out of their way.

As the monster disappeared in the distance, the Shadowclan tom noticed something strange in the movement of her tail. She seemed to have difficulties moving and that made him wonder what could have happened to her. However, he wasn't so sure if he should ask because he could hurt her pride or something like that. The last thing he wanted was to lose this conversation they were having so he decided to leave, maybe, that topic for later. "Do you know any other Shadowclan cat, by chance? Maybe Flamestrike or Littlebrook? " He asked, wondering if Specklefang knew his father or mother. Maybe they were friends too! Or at least, they have met before. "I don't actually have so many friends in other clans and I just met a few of your clanmates that I saw during a hunting patrol. Actually, you're the third Thunderclan cat that I ever talk to!" He complained chuckling. Firestone really enjoyed making new bonds, even if they were from other clans.