The Song of Angels Fallen

Soft purple evening light filtered through what was left of the trees, turning the sky faded as Swansong wandered through camp, her eyes finding soft bits of green, still there despite the frosts that delicately coated everything in the mornings, and the softly chill breeze winding between blackened trunks. Here, in this time of day, an odd beauty lay over the devastation, hints of new growth shining like beacons in the dark, crumbling ashes. Her own fur glowed oddly luminescent in the quiet dusk, softly white against the darker tones.

She glanced around, hoping to see a familiar pelt. A young apprentice with a mismatched gaze, something so sombre about him, yet a hope of life and a future - rather like the forest around them. She'd taken a liking to the young tom, especially in the absence of an apprentice of her own, and, well... He's Redfall's son. I can't ignore him like his father does. An odd sadness welled in her chest as she caught the scent of her former apprentice, and she  sent a brief, sad smile in his direction. Eventually, they would need to talk, but he didn't seem interested in it, and the right time had never seemed to crop up. Politeness on patrols wasn't enough, but hopefully, eventually, he would open up. Tonight wasn't to be it - he was off on a different patrol, his red tail disappearing through the camp's entrance.

Shaking herself slightly, she turned away, catching a flash of ginger, her blue eyes lighting up. "Tigerpaw! Would you like to go out for a wander?"

Swansong wasn't the only one who had watched Redfall leave camp. As he'd taken to doing, Tigerpaw was watching him, too, trying to figure out something, anything, that might capture his father's attention. Like always, he had remained unfazed by his children, even the fact that one was missing, and like always, Tigerpaw accepted this with a sense of bitter realization: he hadn't brought them back here because he cared. He'd brought them back because they were his ticket into SkyClan... a way to make up for his sins by providing what the clan needed most: warriors.

A solemn exhale followed Redfall's departure, but the mention of his name made the ginger apprentice turn, eyes softening on Swansong's form. He smiled softly at the offer, "okay, I can do that." He moved forward to touch his nose to the she-cat's shoulder, his tail raised good-naturedly.

"It's not something you need to do, like hunting," She purred, lightly bumping his head back, the lingering sadness of Redfall's exit fading as she padded through the camp's exit into the forest, the twilight of the forest fresh and clean, mostly free of the smell of ashes, and with a hint of green, growing things. New things. "More... something you want to. You get enough training from Bloodstrike for that, after all."

She leapt lightly onto an arching, gnarled pine root twisting down over a rocky outcropping, her tail drifting lightly up towards the sky. "Sometimes it's nice to simply wander," She murmured, casting a smile back at him. "I used to do it sometimes as an apprentice, where it's quiet, and you can hear the echoing calls of the birds, and the soft sighing of the pine trees.... It's... nice."

Tigerpaw nodded an affirmative. "Bloodstrike is a very thorough mentor." He'd had no problem with learning everything the now-deputy had to offer. Picking up the pace to keep up with Swansong's longer stride, he followed her out of camp. The chill that had surfaced at the end of Greenleaf seemed to have taken a break today, and the sun lighting up Tigerpaw's ginger pelt was almost too warm. But the young tom had no complaints - he enjoyed being out with Swansong... she didn't expect anything from him, and the non-clan part of his heritage seemed inconsequential to her... and he could almost forget the longing for his mother while they were out together.

As she leaped on to the pine root, Tigerpaw reared up against it, dragging his claws down the singed bark until flakes of charcoal drifted to the ground below. "I'm not supposed to leave camp by myself," he informed her, hopping up on to a rock and batting away some fallen leaves that had gathered there. "But the quiet is nice..." he lifted his nose to the wind, closing his eyes for a brief moment. It was this part of being a clan cat that Tigerpaw savored the most: the great, wild vastness of everything, the lack of barriers that held you back from freedom. The breeze subsided, and Tigerpaw opened his eyes, glancing sideways at Swansong with a conflicted expression. "Swansong..." he told her quietly, "Thank you for not... treating me any differently. Because of what my father did, I mean..." the ginger apprentice ducked his head in embarassment, tail flicking lightly. "It means a lot. You're so nice, I... I appreciate it."

She nodded at his quiet statement, her eyes drifting out over the forest floor, the sparkle of the creek rippling through the forest a ways away mixing with the trills of birds, gentle sounds - just those of the life in the forest, as it had always been. Despite the remains of the burnt surroundings around them, she noted, pawing slightly at the blackened wood beneath her, the soft breeze bringing the scent of water, pines, and distant forest over at the ThunderClan border.

Tigerpaw's voice continued, and she smiled slightly at him, her eyes meeting his sideways glance. Gently flicking her tail over his ear as he ducked his head in embarrassment, she felt her heart squeeze slightly, an odd mixture of amusement and sadness. Oh Redfall, if only you could look and see your kits. They need you more than you think.... "What your father did doesn't have anything to do with you, Tigerpaw. He made his mistakes, just as I have made mine, but they're not yours," She said softly, letting her smile grow as she tilted her head. "How could I treat you any differently? You're a wonderful young tom - and what you've just said... it means a lot to me, too." A quiet breath slipped past her maw, her gaze drifting out for a moment, at a bird darting through a glimmer of dying sunlight, the translucent orange flashing from blue and black feathers. "We've all come from places where appreciation could turn a life around; kindness could open a new path, a better one."

There I go again. She shook her head slightly and glanced sideways at him, a twinkle in her eyes. Purring quietly, she gently prodded him with a paw. "If you ask me, the Clans tend to look too much at heritage and too little at who you are."

OOC: JJ is going to be busy for a bit and told me to just go ahead and post with this fox boi for ya.

IC:

Darkness had spread out across the forest. Clouds crept across the darkened sky and choked out the light of the moon, making it even darker still. Chilling winds blew across the ashen landscape, leaving an eerie carpet of ash smoke to glide across the ground where the Skyclan cats currently resided. Their meowing... their language... their purring... all of it had been picked up by the hungry ear of a keen observer.

One-Ear.

The fox that had killed Sagelight prowled through Skyclan territory under the cover of the blackness. His russet form moved through the landscape with practiced ease and eerily silent pawsteps for such a heavy creature. The cats' voices continued to tease at his ear as he drew closer towards them. The fox dropped low, using the few bushes in the area to remain as hidden as possible as he crept forward. He'd kill at least one of these cats... if not both. Tonight. His eyes landed upon Swansong and Tigerpaw, though the larger cat seemed like it would be more of a threat if he didn't dispatch it swiftly. Without another moment of hesitation... One-Ear rushed from behind the nearest bush and closed the distance between himself and Swansong with a terrifying swiftness. Like a wraith, he'd made hardly a noise until he was already upon his prey.

Not a growl, snarl or even a breath erupted from the creature's maw before it had enclosed around Swansong's neck, molars crushing over both her windpipe as well as the back of her neck. Just as quickly as he had appeared, One-Ear was already dragging Swansong away, clenching her in a death-grip and retreating quickly back into the darkness. Another cat down. An entire clan to go.