try something new [c]

Sparrowthorn did her duties, as she usually did. Alone mostly, unless she was on patrol, in which she almost never talked, as usual. She never had been a particularly talkative or social cat. She had given that all up to her brothers... well, except for Jayfrost, who seemed to have taken most of the nasty attitude from her litter for himself. The point of her musing, was that she was bored. Sparrowthorn plopped down in a slightly shady spot, placed her head on her paws, and slowly watched the clan meander across the clearing before her. She was sure before long one of her brothers would appear to talk to her, but for now, she was alone, bored to the bone.

Head on her paws, Sparrowthorn glanced upward as a cat sat next to her, asking if it was alright to join. She replied with a huff, a yes in her quiet language. Another escaped her as Rosepaw asked if she was, in fact, Sparrowthorn. Thankfully, she knew she was Sparrowthorn, unless she had received quite the head injury. The new cat began going on about her family, and the warrior began to sit up, getting to her haunches and actively looking at the new arrival.

Sparrowthorn always had a soft spot for her family, even just mentions of them. "...Right, three. Kestrelchirp has always sort of led us, I just try to keep them in line. Although it doesn't always work..." A memory of Jayfrost's eventful gathering slipped into her mind, and she hurriedly pushed it away. "Be glad your brother was older, then you didn't have to take care of him. My brothers are always a pawful, and my parents aren't exactly the most idle cats in the clan. Not that I blame them, they do good work- for the most part." Her gaze slipped downward to the dirt her paws kicked up as she inserted her claws into it.

Rosepaw was a mystery to Sparrowthorn. She had never liked mysteries, mostly because she couldn't unravel them at first glance. She would have to talk to it, figure it out. Not the most appealing option for her. The apprentice who had disappeared, become a kittypet, then come back. She was scarred and well-spoken, hardly seemed like a kittypet to her. Maybe because she wasn't, but then again, could anyone who was clan born really be satisfied in a life like that.

"Once or twice, but I don't remember those as well as the ones that haven't been peaceful. Between my brother picking fights and Batsong revealing the worst secret to reveal at a gathering, no one has been happy at one of them in a while." Maybe she just didn't care about the peaceful ones. She was sure she had seen one... right? Maybe not, maybe she had never seen the clans at peace, they weren't meant to be at peace.

Sparrowthorn's gaze slid upward again at Rosepaw's mention of being medicine cat. "Me? Starclan wouldn't choose me unless everyone else in the clan was dead or dying." Her low voice stopped, gaze steady on Rosepaw. "If I was, I'd protect my family, the clan, best I could I guess. I'm more of a fighter than anything else though, I've never been afraid to get hurt and I won't start now."

Growing silent once more, Sparrowthorn's gaze turned to the sky as it turned a deep shade of orange. "Why did you return? Were you lost, or did you choose another life and then decided it wasn't for you? Did you return out of necessity, or out of longing for the clan? ...I'm not judging, just thought I'd ask a question or two." The warrior decided it was time to return the questioning. If Rosepaw was so insistent on getting to know her, it would have to be mutual.

Rosepaw seemed to have accidentally landed on something which the quiet she-cat, who was indeed Sparrowthorn, liked. It brightened her mood immediately.

She smiled with amusement, "Sounds like a pawful," she agreed. Rosepaw didn't dare comment on the leadership, though. She noticed Sparrowthorn's claws come out and she couldn't help her own paws twitching sympathetically.

Maybe the clans would never be at peace? "My first gathering I was chased away into the gorge," she winced, "and my second time, well..."

Sparrowthorn met Rosepaw's gaze at the mention of being medicine-cat and her heart did a little flip-flop. A completely unwilling medicine-cat would be even worse for WindClan. Though, Sparrowthorn did not seem completely unwilling as she continued in her quiet low voice. "The Clan needs protection," she agreed... and cats who weren't afraid to get hurt, she thought silently. Rosepaw did not know how to fight and protect beyond instinct.

"I'd never want to leave WindClan!" said Rosepaw in alarm, her fur fluffing up a little. The thought was too painful. She blinked at Sparrowthorn, "I'm not mad at the question," she clarified. She explained, "I was lost." There was much more she could say, but she didn't want to overwhelm her reserved companion. She would let Sparrowthorn ask the questions. "WindClan is my family, too," that they had in common, Rosepaw thought happily.

Letting out a satisfied grunt, Sparrowthorn sat in silence for a moment. "I'm glad you found your way back. Family is important, I know how devastated I'd be to lose mine. I'm glad you didn't lose yours, at least not forever." Flicking her tail, the small molly cocked her head slightly, looking back at Rosepaw. "When you become a warrior, what do you want your name to be? Must be long overdue by now." Rose was a lovely name, though not one Sparrowthorn could ever have imagined herself with, it was one of the better ones. "I don't envy my father, having to choose names for the new warriors. Though, he usually does a good job. I wouldn't be worried if you were."

Rosepaw beamed. "You understand exactly," she stated, a purr in her voice.

Her smile grew brighter, "Oh, I'm not worried!" She considered the question, half closing her single golden eye in thought as she met Sparrowthorn's inquiring look. "Mm, I wouldn't mind a simple name like Rosefur." There was something nice about that. And besides, Rosepaw did not believe she had any outstanding qualities. She licked the curled wisps of fur on her chest self-consciously. "Though, it might more likely be Rosetuft." Actually, that was quite adorable...

No, she wasn't worried. "He does a good job," she agreed. "If he had named Whisperear and Brackenwing as Whispervoice and Brokenwing, I'd worry for my name being Rose...scar," she joked. The young elders, not even close to the oldest cats in WindClan, were the cats she would have earned her name with. The missing winky eye and scar down her face were very noticeable...

With the way Rosepaw's training was going, she worried she had two paws in the elder's den already, and she hadn't yet been able to serve her Clan as her friends had done so well. Instead of voicing her anxiety she considered the cat, the new friend, in front of her. "Bird names suit WindClan very well," she mused. The small brown tabby even resembled her name, Sparrow. "I love that all your littermates match," she purred, delighted by the idea. She gestured to the gorse that gave the two the shade for a small respite. "These walls of thorn protect us, so your warrior name makes me think of protection. I like it and I think it suits you." It gave something strong and proud and fierce to the little plain bird. It was a poetic contrast.

"It must be a difficult task, choosing names for kits or for warriors," Rosepaw acknowledged. "But I can't imagine many more as rewarding as that one." It gave her a soft comfortable feeling, the thought of seeing loved ones grow. She loved the idea of giving a name to that, one just for each beloved cat.

With a grunt of acknowledgment, Sparrowthorn listened to Rosepaw's musings with interest. It wasn't every day that she found someone who was not a complete idiot, and that she enjoyed listening to. She had to turn away slightly, though, fur burning with a mixture of embarrassment and pride that Rosepaw thought her own name suited her. She supposed her father had done a good job naming her, and so had her mother.

"You're right, watching some kit grow into their name, or in spite of it, must be something." Her eyes flicked back to Rosepaw, a sigh coming from her lips. "I suppose it's time for me to get back to work, if you don't have any more questions for me, that is."

Rosepaw found the quiet she-cat easy to talk to. Sparrowthorn didn't seem to mind listening to her, either. Even when Rosepaw embarrassed her, it was full of pride.

"I suppose I should, too," Rosepaw sighed. They had rested enough and were refreshed enough to resume duties. "Thank you for the conversation," she said with a smile as the pair got up to go. "See you later, Sparrowthorn!"