sparks fly [c]

Patrolling alone wasn't unusual for Nightdancer, who had started to seek refuge from her clanmates when she could. It felt like they didn't understand her, and she certainly didn't understand them- any break was a welcome one, these days. Some days she went to river, others to the Fallen Oak. Today she edged closer to the Thunderpath, though she couldn't say why. It certainly wasn't the oh-so-pleasant scent, and she didn't have any real nostalgia for the place.

Maybe it was just that she expected few cats would bother coming this way unless they absolutely had to. That sort of solitude was precious in its own way, despite the necessary sacrifices it entailed.

On the other side of the thunderpath, Roseburn was stalking a squirrel that had strayed too far from it's tree. She was desperate for any excuse to get away from the patrols she was sent on, and chasing prey was the perfect one. (And perhaps she did start to really enjoy squirrels after her time in ThunderClan.)

She hated being on patrols now-a-days. It seemed like every cat was out to get her. Was she really so horrible a cat that her Clan hated her so much? Swiftheart had her own family, her friends sort of separated, all doing their own thing, her littermates always seemed to avoid her. And then there was Nightstalker. He was supposed to be her big brother, and he all but said he wanted nothing to do with her. Stars be cursed if she ever let any of them see her cry over this, she wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of seeing how hurt she was, but maybe now that she was alone...

The squirrel was long gone by this point, not that Roseburn knew when it left. But she could see a figure just across the path from her, and raised her head.

"N-Nightpaw?"

Nightdancer tilted her head at the call of her apprentice name, spirits raised just slightly when she realized who had said it- distance and the passage of time, however short, meant it took a moment for her to recognize the cat who had spoken. "It's Nightdancer now, actually." A hint of pride crept into her voice, having finally achieved the goal she'd set so long ago. "But it's good to see you all the same, Roseburn."

She hoped her voice didn't betray just how good it felt to see someone familiar, who actually understood at least some of her struggles. She knew the warrior code as well as any cat, but she wasn't in any hurry to defend the sacred territory of the Thunderpath of all things. Good conversation, if nothing else, had become rather difficult for her to find. "I hope you've been well since returning home?"