time to work, time to play [open!]

Nightpaw's apprenticeship was dragging on, to the point where even her sister- the medicine cat's apprentice- had already earned her full name. She didn't really mind it that much- she liked learning, liked studying battle moves and hunting techniques- but dealing with mouse bile for the elders and their ticks had more than gotten old. With that task done for the day, she had taken a mouse from the fresh-kill pile and was taking a moment to simply exist.

Of course, even this moment of peace was marked by some disturbance- namely, the presence of what seemed like half of SkyClan in ThunderClan's camp. Here after some disaster or another to recover, and allowed to stay. She couldn't help but be suspicious of them, even if there were kits and queens and elders among them- they could easily be a distraction, after all. It would be a stupid and cruel tactic, but she had no way of knowing whether or not they were above that sort of thing- and due to that same uncertainty, she certainly couldn't just ask.

Roseburn had gotten used to eyes being on her, of course. A ShadowClan cat in another Clan's camp was certainly something that attracted attention. But one cat's stares seemed to bore into her soul, and Roseburn was growing increasingly uncomfortable. Did she do something to this cat that she didn't realize?

Well, there was only one way to find out.

Forcing herself to her paws, Roseburn made her way over to Nightpaw. "Hello, is there something you needed? Not to be rude, but I noticed you staring and thought I'd ask."

Nightpaw blinked. One of the ShadowClan cats had actually approached her? She couldn't question the warrior's motivations (or her leader's, for that matter) without raising suspicion, so instead she hummed noncommittally. "Nothing in particular, no. It simply isn't every day that another Clan takes shelter here, you understand. It's rather intriguing, to have strangers in your home. I wouldn't begrudge your stares were I in your Clan's camp."

Well. Not particularly, anyway.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to make an effort to be polite at the very least. "That said, while you're here... I don't suppose there's anything I could do for you?"

Even while offering to help, there was an air of superiority to her tone- one of self-importance.

"Oh, I know stares are natural. Every cat has been staring. It just seemed like something was bothering you. Speaking of bothering, my leg is giving me issues, mind if I sit down with you?" Not that she was going to wait for an answer. Flopping down, Roseburn made a show of making herself comfortable, casually licking her front paw and drawing it over her ear. There was something about this cat that was bothering her, and Roseburn was going to make sure that she got to the bottom of it.

"There isn't anything in particular I need. But since we're both here, why not have a little chat? I'm Roseburn, Nightstalker's sister. And you are?"

Nightpaw was not masking her arrogance very well. So Roseburn was making sure to show just how important she was, and just how not important Nightpaw was at the same time. She spent much of her life hyping herself up, she had no problem doing it now. This was a game two could play.

"Nightpaw," she greeted, keeping a level tone as the ShadowClan cat sat beside her. "If we're introducing ourselves by our relatives, my sister is Eggdrop. You've probably seen her, she looks just like me- well, except for the part where she's Fawnshine's apprentice. Not that I mind, mind you- she's certainly good at what she does, but I'd much rather be hunting than trying to identify herbs."

Despite her obvious air of superiority, the familial pride that swelled in her voice as she spoke of her sister's accomplishments was genuine. And all the same, her statements were true: she had little to no desire to spend all her days studying herbs, though she enjoyed picking up small tidbits over time.

"That's cool. You're sister already has her full name? I thought warriors were able to earn their names sooner than medicine cats. Or are you from a younger litter? I know Nightstalker is a lot older than me. He actually got to meet our mother. she passed during my birth. You may have heard of her, she was leader before Froststar. Murkystar was her name. Probably one of the best leaders there ever was. And I get to call myself her daughter."

There was not that much emotion speaking of her mother, though. And she was quick to move on from the subject. "Oh! And my sister was a medicine cat too! Basilbloom. She actually led a whole patrol to find the coneflower, from what I heard. StarClan spoke just to her. She's pretty great."

"I've simply been taking my time- to grieve for my kin, as well as to learn." Nightpaw did not elaborate on the grief that had given her pause; the loss of three of her littermates would still sting more than a little if she lingered on the thought too long. "I want to be a well-rounded warrior, not a rushed one," she spoke evenly. This was true: as far as she was concerned, the only hindrance to earning her name was that she took until she felt she had perfected each technique to consider herself done. "And while I may not have a brother who happens to be deputy or a mother who was once leader, so far in this conversation I've heard plenty about your kin and precious little about you. Surely you do have your own skills to speak of?"

"You want to learn what I can do? Well, I only just became a warrior not too long ago, so there is not much to tell. And yet I already have an apprentice. My sister's kit, Ashenpaw. They are doing remarkably with my guidance, as expected. Even with my leg still healing, it turns out that I can complete my duties just as well, if not even better than some others who is yet to even leave camp. Did you know that during the entirety of the flood I remained awake? Most of the others had gone unconscious, letting the currents sweep them away. But I never stopped fighting. Even after I hurt my leg. I couldn't afford to let myself die, I had precious cargo. A little kit that had been swept up. Sadly, though, the poor scrap did not make it."

Roseburn let her head hang for a moment. She genuinely did grieve for that kit. It had so much it could have lived for. But she hadn't gotten to it in time. Still, she refused to show weakness, not in front of Nightpaw, not in their battle for pride.

"So, what is it you have accomplished? You want to be a well rounded warrior, how's that going for you?"

Nightpaw half-listened to Roseburn's tirade about her own accomplishments, absently licking her paw. Once the warrior turned the focus back to her, she spoke. "I've been learning battle moves and hunting techniques, perfecting each and every one. Watching closely at Gatherings. Learning a handful of herbs by spending time with my sister. Listening to the elders tell stories of our history, and teaching kits about ThunderClan and the Code. Interesting that ShadowClan gives apprentices to new warriors, though- I don't know if I should be surprised or not," she mused. "It certainly seems like an irresponsible practice from my perspective. All that said, it sounds to me as though you wasted your energy by fighting the current, given that you still wound up here while the rest of your clan's kits are alive and well."

"And I've been learning how to manage my clan-mates and difficult disputes. Knowing where to put my energy, what battle needs to be fought, and what battle really needs winning. These are just a few of the qualities I have learned so far in my time as deputy." Nightstalker mewed, having snuck up on the two feuding she-cats. His voice was almost venomous as he glowered down at Nightpaw, not fond of the remark he had overheard. But it was not just Nightpaw he had an issue with, though she has certainly come out swinging. "I do not like that you are invalidating the struggles of your clan-mates to sound cool. Roseburn. You're disrespecting them." He turned back to Nightpaw.

"And you, I will not have you insult the trials that my clan has gone through. I certainly hope that you do not suffer the same fate my clan has been going through. I will also not have you disrespect the lives that were lost. To use another to insult someone, is unjust." Nightstalker snarled, his hackles bristling a bit as he made full use of his tall, lean body and menacing amber eyes.

"Or maybe it is simply because I am a capable warrior. And my Clan knows it. And what of you? It seems like you are wasting your time. After all, your leader and mentor is the ones to decide when you are ready to be a warrior. It sounds to me like you are making an excuse for your own lack of capability."

That last statement had her pelt bristling, though. "What are you saying, exactly? That I killed that kit? You think it would have had a better chance if I didn't come to it's aid? At least I did something. I did everything I could. What would you have done? Let the current pull you under? If you haven't noticed, not every cat is alive and well. That flood killed cats. One of our queens is dead. My father is dead. And yet I am alive. I have earned my place as a warrior of our Clan. And yet you remain a paw. I think that in itself says it all."

She jumped when Nightstalker had approached. Although her pelt still burned with anger, giving one last glare to Nightpaw, she dipped her head. "My apologies, Nightstalker. Nightpaw asked of my accomplishments, so I had shared. I was not thinking. It will not happen again."

The apprentice shrunk back at the ShadowClan deputy's words, lowering her heard. He was one of the few cats outside ThunderClan that she had much respect for, after all. "My sincere apologies, Nightstalker. That was... Unnecessarily and unusually cruel on my part," she spoke slowly, considering each word and grimacing at the judgment. "I shouldn't have said something like that. I allowed myself to be provoked into thoughtless anger when I shouldn't have. It won't happen again, I can assure you."

She sighed. "You and your Clan suffered a great deal, and I certainly shouldn't make light of such a tragedy. Disparaging the lives that were lost over petty disputes... I'm ashamed of myself. All I can do is apologize."

Most of her defensive facade having faded, she rested her head on her paws again and turned her attention back to Roseburn. "...I took a break from training because three of my littermates died, one after the other. I used to have a second identical sister, I used to have brothers who would actually speak to me. Is that what you wanted to hear? That I was overcome with grief for well over a moon, and that's why I haven't earned my name?"

"Thank you for your apologies, Roseburn, Nightpaw." Nightstalker mewed, allowing his fur to lie flat, but his gaze softened as Nightpaw continued. "You do not have to explain why you have not gotten your name to us. You do not have to excuse yourself to Roseburn, as it is your privacy and we do not have any business in it. I do not say this out of rudeness, but with respect to your privacy and reasoning. You do not owe Roseburn that information about yourself if you do not wish to give it. And I apologize on her and my own behalf if you were made to feel that way. Nightstalker mewed, his eyes narrowing at Roseburn with a 'We'll be having a conversation about this later' look.

"I can't help but notice that you are both apologizing to me, but not each other." Nightstalker mewed sternly, raising a brow as he looked expectantly at both she-cats.

Roseburn was shocked at Nightpaw's confession, and dipped her head in acknowledgment. "Grief is a hard thing to overcome. I was a kit by the time my littermates were already warriors. I only became an apprentice because they couldn't hold me back any longer. And then my mentor wouldn't even train me, instead he just up and left the Clan. It took the death of my first father to finally get me in shape to be a warrior. It's hard to lose someone you care about."

She looked to Nightstalker, then inhaled. "I told you I had an apprentice now, right? Well it has nothing to do with my capabilities as a warrior. Nightstalker is going to tell me that isn't the case now, but the only reason I have an apprentice is because he knows I would never leave my den otherwise. I would just sit there feeling sorry for myself."

She dipped her head, letting out a sigh as Nightstalker prompted an apology. She was getting there, dang it!

"I'm sorry I pushed things too far. I should not have assumed that you were a rat with a stick up your butt like I did. And I should not have tried to seem better than you, as if you weren't your own cat. I'm sorry."

"It haunts you," Nightpaw agreed. "I still think I can see them, sometimes. When I open my eyes, or when I turn around..."

And yet, it's always an empty space. Or Eggdrop, or Hornetpaw. Never Milkpaw or Shadepaw or Whitepaw, as much as she wishes it.

As Roseburn actually apologized, she nodded. "Thank you. And... I shouldn't have treated you with such hostility for simply existing. What happened to you and your Clan isn't your fault, and to insinuate that it in any way was- even in my anger... I shouldn't have, and I certainly shouldn't have allowed myself to escalate things as far as they did. That was cruel and unfair to you. I truly am sorry for how I acted toward you, Roseburn. It was uncalled for."