listen out loud [closed for sun]

The day was sunny and pleasant, warming the warrior's gray and white coat. Each passing sunset allowed the labored breathing to become easier. Graybird's appearance never faded from his memory and he swore he could catch a glimpse of her in his other kits but... it was more bearable. Ever the optimist, Wrenspring had never faltered in his duties and did what he could for both his kin and clan. Juniperlight's return had provided a reprieve from the condemning state that Wrenspring had been in for some time as well. It seemed that things could still look up, in spite of it all.

"Up for a hunt, Juniper? It could be like old times. Just the two of us, huh?" Wrenspring approached the tom with whiskers twitching and his crooked tail waving back and forth with ease. He headbutted the other tom's shoulder affectionately. Such a joy had never pounded in his ears as when the lost warrior had returned to their clan, proving that grief did not always speak of hopelessness.

Leaving little room for argument, Wrenspring turned to head towards the entrance to camp, "I'll race you to halfstone!" For a moment, he felt like an apprentice again, bursting through the barrier and into the forest before shooting up the nearest tree. And then he was soaring. It was exhilarating. And better yet, just at his heels was Juniperlight. Once again, he began to feel something burning away at the numbness that had crept into his chest over these recent moons. It appeared there was still light in this forest after all.

The black cat purred with delight as Wrenspring proposed a hunt - like the old times, when they were youths with nothing but time and energy. ”I would be honored,” he meowed smoothly, pushing aside the bones of the meal he’d just finished up. Juniperlight took a pause for a deep stretch, leaning forward with his chest against the ground as his haunches rose high. The fellow warrior took advantage of the moment and sped off with a challenge carelessly thrown behind his shoulder. Juniperlight huffed in pretend astonishment, then raced after his dearest friend.

His steps were a little hesitant. He hadn’t bolted through his home forest in… well, a long time. When he had two eyes, at least, and had a much wider field of vision. Wrenspring leapt through the trees like an oversized squirrel, graceful and unhindered. Juniperlight didn’t have the guts to follow him up there. His depth perception was not so great. He’d already missed a few pieces of prey earlier that day; no doubt his judgement concerning branch distance couldn’t be trusted either. Instead, he jogged along the forest floor. He was content to let Wrenspring win. He loved to see him smile and laugh like a rambunctious apprentice again. StarClan knew they could both use it. Juniperlight let out a few short and encouraging laughs of his own as he ran, ignoring the lancing pain of thin, whip-like fern fronds scraping against his face on his blind side.

Somehow, it had managed to escape him that Juniperlight's hindered vision might also cause issues with soaring the trees. Regardless, it seemed his old friend's sense of joy had not been impeded in anyway. Just like Juniperlight, always persistent. Wrenspring's crooked tail flickered slightly as he bounded forward. A broad smile crossed his maw. Admittedly, though he missed racing side by side, this brought back memories and a peace that he hadn't known for quite some time.

Once they were closer to their destination, Wrenspring climbed down and found his companion's side, butting his head affectionately into the other warrior. He took a few moments to catch his breath before letting out a low sigh, "I... missed this. I'm so happy to have you back." Pausing to drink in the moment, Wrenspring contentedly closed his eyes and simply relished in the warmth of his longtime friend. It was surreal to have some cat come back from the dead for once.

Finally, there came a low meow, a hopeful one, "I could work on climbing with you, if you wanted. Help you learn to be in the trees once more. I just... I remember what it was like to relearn after that monster bit my tail. I missed it."