wind rustled [closed for karuna]

The last thing the young warrior expected was to be aiding in the training and assimilation of a cat who was near his equal in age. Despite her strange upbringing, Tawnyflare had Windclan blood coursing through her veins and it was obvious in her frame. At first, the brown and white warrior hadn't known how to take this news, simply dipping his head to Lilacstar and promising to teach her the skills of a fine warrior. But the prospect of having an Asylum-trained cat was intriguing. He wanted to spar and test both her skills and resolve against his own.

As they padded across the moors underneath the early morning sun, Fawnstep's gaze grazed the horizon. He seldom glanced over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of his companion but was aware of the almost inaudible pawsteps and her presence not far off. After a long while of stretching silence and an easy pace, he spoke, "I assume you didn't hunt on the open moors much when you were with Asylum." Reserving his strength for when prey appeared would bring about a more impressive example for the she-cat, he was sure of it.

Up ahead he caught a glimpse of brown fur and smirked to himself. The opportunity had come. Without hesitation, the Windclan warrior surged forward and pounced as soon as he was in range. The rabbit hardly sensed him and did little more than kick its hindlegs before going limp. Obvious pride and confidence was in his step when he turned back to the she-cat, "Okay then, show me what you can do." It was more a command than a request but there was interest sparking in his dazzling gaze either way.

The member 'Ripped' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 2

The silence was....unsettling to say the least. Tawnystep had no idea if Fawnstep liked her, or if he wanted to be anywhere but here training her. And if she was being honest, she couldn't blame him. When she had first killed Shrikefrost, she had felt it was justified. Like he deserved it. Now, being a part of the Clans, knowing what they stood for, guilt crawled through every bone in her body. And the worst part was, she couldn't even talk to any cat about it. WindClan accepted her now, but if they knew what she had done? What if they put her in a prison like the Asylum had? Only this time, no cat would ever come for her. She would not even be missed. She didn't know if she could go through that again.

She jumped when Fawnstep finally spoke, not realizing how deep into her thoughts she had dove. "Er, no,uh.....Warrior? I am sorry, what do I address you as? Back at Asylum, it was the captains who trained us, and we addressed them as such, they call you "warriors" here, right? Is that how you wish to be addressed?"

By the time she had finished speaking, Fawnstep had returned with a rabbit in his jaws, and she did not even know if he had heard him. Perhaps it was better if he hadn't. Just as Fawnstep had asked, she went off to find a rabbit. Those were not as hard to hunt, she had done so with Nightwind. She knew to hunt a multitude of prey thanks to her training, so all she had to do was adapt to the open spaces. Easy enough, right?

She spotted a hare in the distance, and so quietly began to close the gap between predator and prey. And, thankfully, she had earned the same result as Fawnstep, trotting up to the tom and dropping it in front of his paws. Then she raised her eyes, gazing expectantly at the tom like a kit would it's mother. Was he pleased?

Tawnyflare attempted to catch a hare. Catch was successful! -3 SP
Tawnflare
45/45 HP
157/160 SP

The member 'Karuna' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 3

"Fawnstep is fine." He'd narrowed his eyes at her less than assured speech, catching the words as he darted away. There was a brief moment where he entertained the idea of making something up, but nothing seemed to fit. As long as she understood the dynamic of his mentorhood, that was what mattered. Planting he paws firmly into the ground, Fawnstep paused to watched her chase after the chosen target. His own catch was limp at his pads. Interest brimmed in his bright blue gaze. Easily, she dispatched the creature. Despite training under Asylum, their shared roots were obvious.

"Hm, good enough. Look more confident in yourself, though. It's not very becoming to look like you're trying to please others." Fawnstep flicked his tail as he regarded her silently for another moment. There were things he wanted to learn, and plenty more questions to be asked of this young she-cat whose upbringing deviated so much from his own. Finally, the warrior settled on something and allowed the question to drift easily in the air, as pleasant as asking how her day had been, "Have you ever killed anyone, Raisha?" Prying eyes sought to pick apart her pelt. There was something he was looking and he wondered if these words could provoke exactly that.

"Alright then, Fawnstep. If it is confidence, you want, then give me a challenge to be confident over. A dead rat is harder to hunt than these things. I was simply being respectful letting you think you were actually able to teach me something. So let's be real now. I don't need a mentor. You and I both know it. You're just here to guard me, right? Make sure I stay out of trouble? After all, none of you really trust me. I am not as stupid as you might think, Fawnstep. I can take a hint."

"Have you ever killed anyone, Raisha?"

Her eyes widened, pure horror and terror within her emerald orbs. Before she even had time to think, she was already rounding on the tom. "So what if I killed him?! What are you going to do? Tell Lilacstar? Get me exiled? Maybe throw me back into that thorny cage? I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you? Easy way to get rid of me, then you won't have anymore Asylum to worry about, right?! I'm just Raisha, the stupid Asylum standard. That is all you'll ever see me as, am I right?" She stood there for a good few seconds that seemed to last for hours, her gaze full of pure rage, and something else, fear, before she turned away.

"I'm not proud of what I did that day. Things were said, and then we were fighting. And then he stopped. He was on the ground, and I was advancing on his sister. Then I got hauled off. So now you know, do what you will. Kill me for all I care. I probably deserve it anyway."

Fawnstep scoffed instinctively, "Matters of trust are for those who are weak enough to entertain such things. Turning my back on you is less concerning than doing so with a timid rabbit." The fire, the bite behind her tongue... as much as he longed to be indignant about the change of tone, it was enthralling. Tawnyflare's state of being so overtly concerned with the opinions of his clanmates was something that not even he shared. He saw a lost, sorry creature before him, and yet, there was a blaze simmering just beneath the surface. It was this very thing that he had wanted to draw forth, bring it to light before them both... and as she rounded, it appeared that he had accomplished just that.

So what if I killed him!?

There it was. Fawnstep hadn't ever looked for the markings of another cat who'd killed before, it wasn't something he cared much about. But there was something about her gait that reminded him of his own. However, it reminded him of Hayglow, marred by her own guilt. Frustration wanted to make him surge forward and stamp it out. She turned away but he wanted to feel that scathing rage raking his pelt once more, to push her to her limits and make her stronger. Whether it was the drive of a mentor or a selfish addiction to some idolization of strength, it didn't matter. Fawnstep shot forward, paws outstretched as he bowled her over and pinned her to the ground, "Fight me. Show me the true strength of a cat whose killed another."

Fawnstep used jumping strike, dealing 12 damage and using 20 stamina.
Fawnstep used swift strike, dealing 5 damage and using 10 stamina.

Fawnstep
HP: 60/60
SP: 170/200

Tawnyflare
HP: 43/60
SP: 200/200

It did not come as a shock when she felt Fawnstep's weight on her, in her mind cats would always turn on her anyway. She had thought differently, until Fawnstep had forced the truth out of her. What she did not expect, though, was what the tom had said to her. It was like he envied her. He wanted to see that killer in her, even as she tried to bury it away. Had he lost his mind?!

"You're crazy! You act like what I did was a good thing! Have you killed before? Because, unless you are Theron, that is not a good thing. Cats don't exactly enjoy getting blood on their paws, unless they are insane like you!"

She returned Fawnstep's attacks with a flurry of claws, as her vision went red. It was true what they said, how you saw red in moments like these. Tawnyflare certainly did. She had to pull herself back before she did some real damage, her fur bristling and her tail lashing. "So, have you gotten your fix, or do you truly have a death wish? I have no grudge against you, Fawnstep, but if you really want to do this, I could use a new pelt. I kind of lost my old one."

Tawnyflare used Sanctum Strike, dealing 15 damage and costing 20 stamina. Fawnstep is stunned for one turn.
Tawnyflare
43/60 HP
180/200 SP

Fawnstep
45/60 HP
170/200 SP

Equal measure of feral instinct and selfish drive compelled him forward. The tom's heart race, pounding relentlessly at the events unfolding. Surely this was an unconventional way to train, one that would be frowned upon by his clanmates; however, Fawnstep was not about to deny himself the thrill of sparring with the former Asylum cat, especially as her true nature was dredged up from within. A grin broke out across his maw and he did not bother hiding it in the slightest. If Tawnyflare was further egged on by the sight, then so be it.

"If I am crazy than you're a rabbitbrained fool, Raisha! Stuffing your past away does nothing but stifle your own abilities and cloud your sense of being. Embrace who you are, or I'll do it for you." Fawnstep's words started as an impassioned snarl but slowly twisted into an ominous hiss. His sides heaved but the grin didn't leave the edges of his maw. As she lashed out with her own attack, he found himself spurred on by the sting of the blows. Flecks of scarlet dotted the handsome brown and white coat. How quickly she had turned the tides of combat, throwing him back into the earth and stunning him for a moment. He drank in the sight of the she-cat, whose blood he shared... she was his clanmate, and an Asylum cat all wrapped into one being. Gone was the reserved creature of moments ago before their hunt.

Blue eyes shone with a wild fire. The bristling of her coat and lashing of her tail only made him want more but between her strength and his own still weakened frame, the tom had to take a breath. And with that breath, Fawnstep snapped back, "I've killed an Asylum cat before and I won't hesitate to do it again. Prove to me you're something more than that, then!"

Fawnstep is no longer stunned.

"If you insist so badly on calling me Raisha, I guess I should call you Fawnkit. So, what's your breaking point, huh? Is it that sister of yours? You know, after I killed Shrikefrost, I would have killed Flashlight. I don't think Eosphoros could stop me this time if I chose to do the same. I will even wear your coat, so you will be the last think your sister sees before I rip her throat out."

Why was she saying this? She didn't want to kill. That wasn't who she wanted to be anymore. With her claws scraping the grass, she once again turned away. "So have you gotten what you wanted out of me, Fawnstep? I am a monster. Now you know it, and soon every cat in the Clan will. I hope you are pleased with yourself. I bet you think you are defending your Clan this way. And maybe you're not wrong."

She took a deep, trembling breath before straightening up, once again facing Fawnstep. "Very well then. I doubt I will be welcome as a Clanmate any longer, not after this. I assume you will want to be rid of me now, right? That's what all of this is for? After all, like you said, I can never bury Raisha. And she is not a cat you will want around."

Tawnyflare used Disengage, costing the rest of her stamina.

He'd be lying if he said that his pelt didn't itch at the way she mentioned Snowbriar. Should such threats become anything more than ill-inspired chatter, Fawnstep wouldn't hesitate in the use of his claws. However, he found himself unphased by the mention of Riverclan cats being stripped of their breath; they had likely deserved whatever had prompted the she-cat to lash out. In spite of the events unfolding, the warrior didn't see her as an irrational or unreasonable cat. This whole ordeal had not only sparked self-indulgent amusement but it had brought about measures of respect for the she-cat.

She turned away as he gathered his paws underneath him once more and stood facing her. Fawnstep shook the dirt from his coat, expelling sparse bits of foliage with it. This time his eyes were prying, curious, as he traced the patterns of her coat long her back. There was a brief pause, more so due to his distraction rather than a desire to let the heavy words settled into the air as they seemed to do. He didn't move closer to her but was rooted to the place that he stood, still letting his gaze burn into his coat, "You're wrong."

The tom had huffed finally. He continued on, not caring whether or not she would turn back or take her leave, even if he willed her to stay for a moment more, "I have no intention to speak to any cat about the blood on your claws. What happened here is for you. No cat should have to push away parts of themselves for the sake of others, it's condemning. I want to see you be all that you can become, Tawnyflare, I want to see your strength made wholly your own and not tamed for the sake of another cat." Was it truly for her or was it for his own entertainment? Likely a bit of both but he hardly dwelled on this.

"Do you think that I'm a monster?"

"Do you think that I'm a monster?"

For some reason, Tawnyflare didn't know how to respond to that question. Just a few moments ago, the tom was trying to force a killer out of her. What was she supposed to think of that? "Whether you are a monster or not isn't really up to me, is it? Ask any cat in RiverClan, and they would say I am. And yet, for whatever reason, you seem to think differently, Fawnstep. And maybe you're right. I am a killer. And in the end, if it suits me, I would kill again in a heartbeat. Don't worry, I won't harm your sister, or any cat here. I am not that cruel."

Looking to her paws, she watched as her claws flexed in and out. These claws had taken the life of Shrikefrost, and could have easily done the same with Fawnstep. These claws could strike so many cats down, why hold them back? She already wasn't a good cat, Fawnstep had proven that.

"So, what of you?" It was a few heartbeats before she spoke these words. "You seem to speak from experience. So what are you holding back? What inner fire have I yet to see? Or are you really as boring as you seem?"

"The words of Riverclanners are worth about as much as a meatless hare." Fawnstep snorted, not specifically trying to make her feel better in any way. His ears perked at her words, relishing in the way she so freely admitted to her true nature. It stirred his own claws to think about the chaotic indulgence that had come with sinking his teeth into Alois' throat. Perhaps that thought alone was an answer to the rhetorical question that saturated the air. The icy stare seemed to glow with renewed intent, "Maybe we're not so different then. I don't see living out your own desires as a weakness though, especially when such things belong to your most authentic self." The way she flexed her claws made him look at his own.

Underneath the daylight, the deadly thorns looked hauntingly beautiful. He briefly wondered if Tawnyflare still saw crimson stains on her own; he never had. Fawnstep glanced across the horizon at her question, remembering the moment clearly as if it had just happened. And yet, there was no recollection of hesitant thoughts in his mind or regret. Pools of blood saturated the earth, as if bleeding from the skies. The warrior grinned ever so slightly, swiping away the indignation at being called boring, "Two of the Nightstrikers attacked one of our hunting patrols. I took one down swiftly, tearing into his throat. Sometimes things must be done, and I'm not here to stop them."

Now, he turned to her, taking a few steps closer, "The one thing you should know about me is that I pride myself in strength above all things. There is something so drawing about raw power. What I strive to see in myself, Tawnyflare, is what I want to see in you. All this training, learning to be the perfect warrior means nothing to me. I want to see how far I cant push myself... how far I can push you." Another flash lit his blue gaze, followed by a satisfied grin.

"We could sharpen our claws together and make these memories resilience instead of a detriment... what do you say?"

"Maybe we really aren't different. We're both victims of circumstance, doing what we have to in the moment. Thank you Fawnstep, for making me realize how wrong I was to bury myself in a false identity." Despite herself, she actually smiled, relieved. She always thought she would have to change if she ever wanted to be accepted. Now she knew how much that was only tearing her apart. Pretty pathetic Fawnstep had to practically shove that fact in her face for her to realize it.

Then Fawnstep began to talk of strength, of power, and Tawnyflare found herself nodding along in agreement. These were all things she had felt, things she had thrived in. The rush of the heat of battle, the feeling when you overwhelm your opponent. When they are at the mercy of your claws. It was thrilling. And easily addicting, although Tawnyflare found that she didn't mind. There was a grin as she looked at Fawnstep now.

"Alright then. Together."