eye for an eye [c]

Adjusting to RiverClan life had been somewhat hard, but Cere- er, Cloudpaw, was never the type to turn down a challenge. Whenever she was selected to join a patrol, the smallest part of her hoped that she would come across Shira while traversing the territory. She would always return with a mouthful of prey, but without her sister, she simply felt empty-pawed. There was still another setback that sat on the less-sentimental side of the spectrum. Cloudpaw had never learned how to swim while she was being raised by the Asylum, but the primary advantage that RiverClan cats had was that they were able to tread water with swiftness and efficiency. She would never be able to call herself an official RiverClanner if she couldn't even master their customs.

The first few tries had fallen on the embarrassing side of things, but that was only to be expected. Today was yet another day that she would be taking part in swimming lessons, and Cloudpaw had come to believe that she had improved greatly since her first time. The only aspect of the lesson that seemed to throw her off today was the fact that they were near SkyClan territory; 'they' being her and her mother, who fortunately also happened to be her mentor. She typically had no issues with swimming near ThunderClan's side of the river, but whenever she glanced over at the familiar tall trees and grass that lined SkyClan's territory, all the calico could remember was being stationed there as a Standard. It was a memory that she was fighting to forget... but seeing the place with her own eyes once again made it impossible.

She was unsure if she should let Ivystar in on the truth about how she was feeling. In fact, she found herself thinking so hard that she nearly forgot she was in the middle of a body of water.
"Sorry." Cloudpaw quickly apologized as she regained consciousness.
There was still that lingering feeling of sickness as she glanced over to SkyClan's side of the border.

"Uh... do SkyClan cats usually come near the river? I know we aren't trespassing or anything, but I don't really want to see any. I doubt any of them would wanna see me either." The apprentice asked, turning her gaze over to Ivystar.
It was rare for Cloudpaw to put her vulnerability on display, but she figured that setting aside her pride was necessary right now.

The hunting today had been great. Wolfstar and Lichenblaze together had a fair bit of stashed prey throughout the territory, and after one last border-check near the river, they'd be on their way home. "Keep an eye out for any loose moss," he told Lichenblaze gently, "we may as well take back some fresh water for the elders and queens, while we're out here." He slowed his pace to a more leisurely one - he was in no rush to return just yet - the weather was nice, and he was enjoying the one on one time with Lichenblaze.

"Sure thing, Wolfstar," Lichenblaze affirmed, raising his head from where he had been staring at the ground. Hunting had gone well today, something that raised his spirits a bit, yet he had still been lost in thought. Surely Wolfstar noticed how uncharacteristically quiet his grandkit was. Lichenblaze made no move to talk about it, however, so hopefully the SkyClan leader wouldn't push him.

Picking up the pace a bit, he kept an eye out for moss as he wound around tree roots. He moved playfully yet sure-footed, batting stray pinecones away as he came across them. Every now and then, he would find some loose moss and hooked it, holding it then between his teeth.

The sound of running water reached his ears: RiverClan. They were nearing the border with every pawstep. It wasn't like he was going to trespass, but he shot a look over his shoulder back towards his grandfather and smirked through the moss. "I wonder if we can catch us a RiverClanner. Think they'll hop the border? Prey's running good over here."

Ivystar sat on the shore of the River, watching closely at Cloudpaw's actions to ensure that she wouldn't be in any danger if she slipped or made a single wrong move. While her eyes were intently focused on her daughter and apprentice, her mind seemed to wander. With the arrival of her new kits, she'd found herself wanting to leave the nursery and get back to her proper duties far faster than usual... With the blindingly obvious reason being her now daughter-in-law, Kitefire, occupying the nursery as well, having just given birth to her grandkits. She was sure she'd adore the kits, but Kitefire was an entirely different story. Ivystar was quickly pulled back to reality when Cloudpaw spoke up, inquiring about SkyClan and their tendencies. Shaking her head slightly, she mewed, "They do, at times... Usually they aren't seeking any trouble, though. If it would make this process easier for you though, we can move upstream. The rapids are a bit bumpier there, but seeing as you've just come back, it would be alright with me. You'll have to learn to be comfortable around the borders eventually, though." She warned quickly, tilting her head as she awaited a response from the she-cat.

Before she had a chance to say anything, however, Ivystar heard the faint sounds of voices and pawsteps approaching. Ears pricked, she stood up to her full height and narrowed her eyes, beckoning Cloudpaw back to land with her tail.

Cloudpaw nodded her head slightly. Ivystar certainly wasn't wrong. SkyClan was always going to exist whether she liked it or not, and she was going to have to get used to the fact that RiverClan shared a border with them. Just the mere mention of their name made the fur on the back of her neck stand up straight, but that was something that she was going to have to push past. The calico didn't hesitate to use her paws to paddle her back to shore so that the two of them could move a little further upstream. Cloudpaw absolutely hated cowards, but wasn't that the perfect way to describe how she was acting? Fleeing from the border when they hadn't even crossed paths with a SkyClan patrol yet?

After the apprentice managed to climb onto the shore, she parted her maw in order to conjure up a response to give Ivystar. The sudden change in atmosphere seemed to shut the she-cat up before a sound could escape. She swiftly turned around to face SkyClan's side of the river border and took only the smallest of steps forward. The scent and sounds of the rapids in the water made it difficult to discern what exactly was approaching on the other side, but judging by the voices, Cloudpaw could tell that they were cats. Out of all the twisted coincidences that could've happened to her that day, why did it end up being an impromptu meeting with SkyClan cats? Surely none of their numbers would end up recognizing her so easily.

Part of Wolfstar wanted to chastise Lichenblaze for being so willing to pick a fight, but the more he thought about it, as the pair of them grew closer and closer to the border, the leader realized that he, too would sink his claws in to just about anything that even looked at him the wrong way, lately. The whole situation with Dawnhawk, his own uncomfortable distance from Beechface and Bloodstrike, the fact that he knew the other clans - or at least some of them - were lying to his face... it just... had been grating him to the point where his own sensibilities were askew. Wolfstar had never been one to start a fight, and often he didn't even want to finish them, but it had already been proven that his reluctance to spill blood was detrimental to SkyClan's health.

How many lives could I have saved if I'd killed him when I had the chance? Even if it meant losing my own?

So in the end he didn't scold Lichenblaze. Because despite his own personality, Lichenblaze was exactly the kind of warrior that SkyClan needed, to prosper. "You remind me of your father, at that age," he mused, as they broke through the treeline near the border. "But RiverClan would be foolish to cross into our territory to hunt." As his eyes adjusted to the light difference between forest and riverbank, Wolfstar hesitated, his eyes drawn to two figures in the not-so-distance. One, Ivystar, RiverClan's leader. The other, smaller, calico, and... distinctly familiar.

A low growl rumbled in the leader's chest, and he lowered his head, voice raising to call over, "Ivystar! How kind of you to escort an Asylum prisoner to our border, so that she may pay for her crimes." His long tail lashed, and his claws sought purchase at the sand beneath his paws. His eyes cut to the side, at Lichenblaze, and he gave a subtle nod that spoke, be ready - this probably ends in bloodshed.

"You remind me of your father at that age."

The mottled warrior snorted a short laugh, peering over at his grandfather. "Is that a compliment or an insult?" Honestly, he couldn't quite tell. He didn't get a chance to say more, because the pair of SkyClanners exited the trees and, across the river, there stood a RiverClan patrol. He narrowed his eyes, sensing Wolfstar tense beside him. The gray molly was Ivystar, no doubt, but...the smaller calico looked somewhat familiar. Wolfstar's yowl confirmed his suspicions and he unsheathed his claws, burying them into the sand below his paws.

Part of him felt odd at having to attack the calico molly. Certainly she had been accepted into RiverClan, there was no way Ivystar would allow true Asylum members into her Clan. She was young, too, younger than him, and it felt kinda wrong to punish a kit, or at best an apprentice, for crimes she was probably forced into. He also wasn't around during most of Asylum, as he had...other plans. But he caught Wolfstar's look and obliged, fixing the two mollies across the border with an even stare.

Ivystar's face fixed into a smug expression as she saw Wolfstar approach on the opposite side of the river, some SkyClan warrior by his side. Head held high in confidence, Ivystar called out to the tom, "How absurdly idiotic of you to assume that I'd do anything of the sort for the likes of SkyClan." Tail lashing, Ivystar took a few steps forward and moved in front of Cloudpaw, her emerald gaze fixed on the leader across the river. "If you wish to lay a claw on her you'll have to cross the river, and I'd hand over Sunningrocks to see you attempt such a thing, what with the rapids. Most SkyClanners can hardly scale a tree without failing and becoming one with the forest floor." If Wolfstar wanted to play dirty, Ivystar could as well. There was no sense in spilling blood over such trivial issues, but she wasn't going to let the tom walk all over her- or her daughter.