He used to meet on the Eastside (Heron)

[Ciri]

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fiery

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There was a slight chill in the air as her paws moved quickly over the terrain. She melted in and out of the shadows underneath the rising moon as she ran, her athletic figure easily covering leaps and bounds.Her pace began to slow as she entered the four trees, her breath appearing and disappearing in the air before her as a small cloud. The she-cat's paws lightly crunched the foliage underneath her paws as she strolled by one of the four trees, looking up as she saw its branches rising up into the starry night sky. For a moment, she just stared at the sky and the stars, glittering faintly in the dark blue sky that they called home. Part of Ivystar wondered if all the stars were part of the Silverpelt, or if it was just a single location like the clan's territories.[break][break]

She shook the thought from her head and looked back towards the ground and in her adventuring direction. Recently, Ivystar had crept out of ShadowClan at night to clear her mind from everything she had to do and decide. It was an awful lot for her, not to mention not having much time learn how to lead due to her predecessor's untimely wounding and blinding. It had barely been a moon ago that she went from Ivycloud to Ivystar, though it seemed as though the clan was happy with her leading them. The only problem was the lack of prey, which seemed to be the norm for ShadowClan life. But, they were making the best of things with what they had. Her mind began to wander further as she thought about different topics: the past, present, future, and in between. By the time Ivystar had regained her focus, she was almost out of the meeting place of the four clans.[break][break]

Her yellow eyes danced around the area, noticing no cats around. It was a comforting feeling, having peace in the dark night. She lightly walked around the area, having only been here a few times before becoming leader and would soon get to deliver news about her clan to the others. A short smile formed at the thought as she walked away from the direct meeting place and over to one of the four trees, entering and melting into the shadow of the tree. As her body began to dissolve, Ivystar sat down onto her hind and looked out at the starry night, wrapping her tail around her paws.

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[fiery]

his gate was slow and soft as he stalked along his border, his mind whirling and his chest felt tight with stress, but the chilly night air cooled his blazing heart and lungs.

without much to do at night, yet still plenty of energy to spare, the blue leader had left his warm nest in favor of obsessively stalking the borders and making sure they were secure.

every few steps, the tom cat would brush his pelt up against a rock or scrape his claws across the roots of a bush, occasionally spraying on a cluster of heather.

everything seemed in order so far, until he drifted to the clan's closest thing to a border with the oakland clan.

fourtrees stood proud and tall in the distance, wavering and swaying in the cool night wind. even from here, heronstar could taste a shadowclanner on the wind. beyond it was thunderclan, so why had a shadowclanner drifted all the way over here?

he grumbled, popping his back, and bounded forward; down the hill to fourtrees. the great rock stood, towering jaggedly in the center. his mind was littered of memories of scaling the rock, dealing with the other leaders bullshit, and then hesitantly informing his neighbors of how his clan was managing. he hated gatherings, often because he had to share information that he really didn't want to share with his enemies. but he had to admit, the full moons could be exciting from time to time. he always felt glorious, bringing extra cats and standing proud atop the great rock.

as he neared and the scent became more potent, he pinpointed where the female was and slipped into the undergrowth. she was alone, a female in her prime, and reeked of pride and potential success.

after a moment of watching her with half slitted eyes, heronstar determined she may not be a threat. the black leader seemed only to be enjoying her night, not waiting for someone to show up or plotting some evil plan.

emerging smoothly from the bushes, heronstar ruffled his pelt, standing tall and flattening his fur. his tail hovered, inline with his spine, and his eyes were easy and pupils wide in the dark.

"what have we here?" he mused, his voice ringing throughout the hollow. "ivystar, the great new leader of shadowclan. how goes it, my little blossom? harder than you expected?"

he'd heard of the queen's performance through some of his night patrols who'd taken word from some noisy shadowclanners on the border. from what he knew, yarrowclaw was her deputy, and she hadn't been doing half bad so far.

he was curious. would she fudge it up? or would she be a well leader? she seemed quiet from what little he knew about her, maybe levelheaded. she always had some friendly comment to chirp in at his boisterous apprentices during gatherings, and he was excited to see their previously leader go, and for ivystar to advance.

an alliance wouldn't be a bad idea, this female was smart, gentle, and beautiful (he sensed), and he was curious to know more about her.

"i bet your warriors must be quite proud."

with a stupid smirk on his face and an inflated ego, he slipped to ivystar's side, drifting around her in circles.

she was older than him, but he'd been leader longer. maybe a friendly face could help sway this new leader.

Ciri

heronstar

[Ciri]

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She sat quietly in the calm night as she looked out of the scenery. She didn't feel the need to stay completely on guard due to the fact that most of the cats were probably asleep and cozy within their dens and moss beds. Though the cold didn't really bother Ivystar, she actually enjoyed the sensation of the wind nipping at her skin beneath her short black hair. The four trees were quiet, with nothing but the sound of a cricket nearby. She sat there for a few moments before looking around her to check the surroundings and making sure there were no cats around her. And to her satisfaction, she was alone.[break][break]

Or, at least that is what Ivystar originally thought. There was only a few more moments of silence before a voice broke into the air. Her head whipped around to the voice and her immediately rose to her paws to look at the cat. After a moment of analyzing, her realized it was Heronstar, the leader of WindClan. She had heard stories of him and his flirtatious nature to those outside his clan, as well as his rocky past. He didn't seem at all aggressive, though Ivystar still kept herself on her feet as he inched closer. Her eyes narrowed as he addressed her... his little blossom? She was not his blossom, she was a leader.[break][break]

She huffed at his comments. What kind of cat did he think she was? It was silly, really. "Heronstar,"she nodded to him, her tone more cautious than anything. "I am not your 'little blossom,' I am a leader of ShadowClan. And everything is going just fine, you'll have to wait until the next gathering to hear it all." As she spoke Ivystar raised her brows, wondering just what the tom's intentions were to conversing with her here tonight and with such a tone and posture.[break][break]

She wondered exactly how his clan was going, she hadn't heard much from her patrols about it. But, from what she had heard everything seemed to be going fine since he had been leading for a few moons. If not for her predecessor's injury, Ivystar would not be the current leader of ShadowClan just yet. She knew some of the other leaders were skeptical over her skills since she had so little time to learn as a deputy before becoming the leader. However, she was determined to be a great leader for ShadowClan. She just had to make the right decisions... though that would be easier said than done.[break][break]

Her short train of thought was broken when Heronstar advanced closer towards her and mentioned her warriors. She gave another short huff, "I would like to think they are." Her yellow eyes carefully watched him as he began to circle her. What exactly was he thinking? She watched him for a few moments in silence, waiting to see if he was going to do something. It seemed as though he had a motive behind all this. "Heronstar, to what exactly do I owe the pleasure to for your late night visit to the four trees and myself?" she asked him rather bluntly and eyed him down before speaking once again. "It would seem you have an alternate motive for all his right now, and I would like to assure you, you will get nowhere being almost coy."[break][break]

What exactly was he doing here? Why was he circling her? She had many questions, though she kept them contained as she continued to watch the tom. She felt ready to move if needed, as if something was telling her to go back to ShadowClan and its welcoming darkness before Heronstar tried anything...

[attr="class","pwfCredit"]SELKIE

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[fiery]

heronstar stopped his circling of her, taking a seat off to her side. while he sensed he might be far too close for comfort, he had no mind of changing where he was.

he drew in the females scent through his nose, resisting the urge to sneeze or sneer. he always thought the swamps and pines were beautiful in the spring and summer, but god the smell of wet and dewy shadowclan that was flowing off this girl was something that made him miss the rolling moors of windclan.

still, he kept what little wits he had and held onto his loose manners.

ignoring her blunt dismissal of his actions, he showed his teeth in a wide, stupid grin.

the leader swished his tail, ever relaxed and at ease. he eyed the queen curiously.

"so professional already." he mused, referring to her comment about the gathering. "i can see a fine leader in you yet."

his toothy grin fell. to what did she owe this meeting to? he tried not to think about the fact that his frantic mind wouldn't let him sleep, that he was too stressed and paranoid to relax anymore.

he gave a smile, almost earnest. kind even. he understood the struggles of taking on leader ship, and could sense a tiny flow of doubt and uncertainty coming from the black queen.
"my prickly little flower, i assure you i'm anything but coy. i have the best intentions, for you and your clan." he rumbled. "i'm here only of my curiosity; a meeting between two leaders could be quite beneficial to both of us."

though he found the queen beautiful, he only came off strong as a natural reaction. his own intentions were often unclear, but heronstar didn't plan on making any moves just yet. he truly believed in what he said, well at least the 'beneficial' part. he was curious, and knew some swapping of information could come in handy for his clan.

he flipped in words in a moment, looking the leader in the eye.

"but i'll ask the same of you. why in starclan are you out at a cold night like this, in fourtrees of all places?" his eyes were quizzical, and his brow peaked over his forehead.  "you're not nervous are you?"

he raised his brows teasingly, trying to work past her naturally dismissive attitude towards him.

Ciri

heronstar

[Ciri]

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She quietly watched Heronstar as he made his spot next to her, he seemed rather comfortable with his position to her. Though Ivystar wasn't completely comfortable, she decided it would make more problems trying to awkwardly make distance between the two leaders. As he sat next to her, Ivystar caught the scent of the large tom. It smelled like the grassy plains of WindClan, nothing like the marshes and dewy environment of ShadowClan.[break][break]

For a moment, she thought about her life if it had been in a different clan. Would she still be the cat she was today, a leader? Or would she be a completely different cat that would be unrecognizable? Despite the desire to always live somewhere in the sun, Ivystar was thankful for her shadowy life. In fact, if she hadn't been in ShadowClan, she would have never met cats like Yarrowclaw, or never have found Aspencall. The poor little kit she found weak on day in the territory who was now a full-fledged warrior with a slight tendency to wander off. At the thought of this, her lips formed the slightest smile and she quickly turned her head away to avoid any comments from Heronstar.[break][break]

Her ears moved back to the voice of Heronstar and her head quickly followed to look directly at him. He could see a fine leader already? Would she truly become a great leader? At least Ivystar hoped she would, and she was rather determined to do so as well. She just had to keep going and do her best, her clan above all. That's what she had to do. "Well, thank you for that comment, Heronstar. I can only hope for the same in the coming moons."[break][break]

She raised her brows once again at the leader next to her, eyeing him as he called her his prickly little flower. A little bit unprofessional from him, though she didn't exactly had an objection to this. It was better than a little blossom. At least she could cause damage if she was a prickly flower. Her head rotated slightly as he mentioned their meeting being beneficial for both clans, "How so? Do you mean a formal alliance or something else? Or do you mean on a personal level? You should be more clear in your conversations, it could end you in trouble." she gave a short laugh to him, he seemed to be talking vaguely about nearly everything. To be honest, it was extremely confusing to Ivystar who was usually one of the most blunt cats you would meet.Nonetheless, Ivystar kept her gaze on the leader.[break][break]

She was curious about him. Yes, he was handsome but he was from a different clan. Not to mention they were both leaders, they'd taken oaths to be loyal to their clans. Anything between them would be bound to fail and it could risk their relationships with the other clans. She could never put her clan through that. Her face showed a bit of surprise when she realized what she was thinking about, it was nonsense. She would never, she couldn't.[break][break]

Ivystar gave Heronstar a flirtatious smirk as he asked her what she was doing here. "Oh me? Why I'm just waiting for a brave tom to come rescue me from my melancholy...not." Ivystar joking jabbed into the night sky. Truthfully, she just wanted to get out of the territory. "I decided to go on a midnight stroll, I let my mind wander and when I refocused I was here by the four trees. It's a long stroll I suppose?" Ivystar stood up from her place next to Heronstar and walked forward to get a better view of the terrain, her black pelt glistening in the faint moonlight from above. "I'm never nervous Heronstar, I can't afford to be anything but confident." She let the comment hang in the air as there was a moment of silence before she looked back at him, "I suppose that's the curse of being a leader though, isn't it?"

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[fiery]

heronstar wasn't used to such a proud, feminine resistance. while being proud wasn't naturally in ivystar's character, at least from what he'd seen, she was coming off that way compared to his past solo experiences with queens or toms he found on the border.

usually, cats were slightly submissive, considering he was in fact leader of windclan. but she was not. she was blunt, and direct. it only made him ever more curious of her.

when she brought up the topic of alliance, which was exactly where he was trying to coax her, he grinned.

"perhaps both?" he mused, remaining slightly vague in the hopes of keeping his hide if things were to turn sour. "but i've no mind to trouble; it's where i meddle most."

he watched her eyes flicker between various emotions as she explained what exactly she was doing out here. he let his facade falter for a moment, nodding in silent relation to what she had said. he wasn't exactly sure where he had been going either, but it had ended him up here. a lucky chance it was, he decided, hoping he wouldn't screw it up.

his green curious eyes were intense on her, watching her dark features. not being able afford to be anything but blatantly confident was something he'd experienced for years, ever since he was made an apprentice. he could never let his confidence falter, never show cats the inner terrified him. if he was right, the sensitive inner side of heronstar had died a long time ago. but he knew he was wrong. he just couldn't show it. he could never be wrong.

a silence stretched out for a moment, where heronstar only breathed and watched ivystar's stoic figure from behind.

the curse of being leader. that was the title of a story no one would ever know besides them, he was sure.

"indeed it is, my little thistle." for a somber moment, heronstar glanced at the stars. again, his mind was filled with memories of heatherstar, wondering where she was and what she was doing. was she proud of him? disappointed? he felt a strong pulse of guilt for a moment, but decided to speak before it could get to him. "enough feeling sorry for ourselves;"

he stood erect, his ears tall and his tail swaying gently behind him as he marched in ivystar's direction. he came up beside her, then turned and faced her dead on.

"you and me are two very powerful cats, yes?" he remarked, his eyes sly. "why not take advantage of that? i can only imagine the profit our clans could have."

he tilted his head, brushing ivystar's cheek fluff with the tip of his bushy tail. he smiled mischievously.

"and for each other. so what do you say? a meeting here, each quartermoon. enough for you and i to get to know each other, and we can begin our alliance."

he didn't think that there had ever been a time in history where windclan and shadowclan had joined forces. it had always been windclan and thunderclan against the world, but since heronstar's leadership his clan had grown more hesitant to ally with thunderclan.

no, he spotted more opportunity in this anyway. shadowclan was secretive, quiet, and incredibly adept at stealth. windclan warriors were thin, quick, and struck without warning. in his mind, the two made fine matches.

"just imagine, our sleek, quick warriors working together whenever thunderclan decides to stick their noses where they don't belong, or whenever windclan gets greedy for more than their fat stomachs can handle."

he observed her expression curiously, knowing this was a risky shot he was taking. if he missed, he'd ruin any future relations they could have together. but if he succeeded, it'd mean an alliance between two powerful clans. it'd also mean that he could see this beautiful leader each quarter moon.

Ciri

heronstar

[Ciri]

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fiery

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sorry for this being late.

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Her yellow eyes danced to the blue leader as he spoke rather vaguely about a possible alliance between the two. What exactly did Heronstar mean by this? Despite not exactly understanding what the tom meant, Ivystar decided it was best to ignore his small comments and the two allowed her previous words about an alliance and the pressure of being a leader in one of the four clans.[break][break]

There was a silence between them as the two leaders had reached a somber point in their conversation. The two allowed the silence to slither between them as they both began to think about the pressure of being a leader. It was as if all the leaders knew about this secret pressure that came with becoming a leader. As if they had the world on their shoulders. However, they couldn't afford to crack under that pressure for both their pride and the life of their beloved clan.[break][break]

She thought about the past leaders of ShadowClan, would they approve of her? Do they support her actions as leader of the clan? Or had she yet to prove herself? Either way, she would do her best to make ShadowClan proud and bring glory and honor to her clan's name. Even at the sake of her own sanity. Hopefully it wouldn't have to come to that though.[break][break]

To her surprise, Heronstar began to move to her side. He was being awfully direct,and rather bold. Though, Ivystar wasn't put off by it. In fact, she kind of liked how her was being more straight forward as he began to speak again. She turned her head to meet his look straight on as well, both of their eyes seeming slightly too intense for the type of moment they were having.[break][break]

A secret alliance? Between WindClan and ShadowClan? How interesting... the two clans didn't usually ally with each other due to WindClan'shistory with ThunderClan. However, this could change the tides of power in favor of these two clans who were often seemingly left out of the spotlight for the four clans. Especially Ivystar's clan.[break][break]

"Heronstar, do you speak of a secret alliance? We both know how well those tend to work out during times of conflict, usually not too well." She spoke in a rather hushed voice, this was a much more serious topic that Heronstar had just suggested. Ivystar wasn't exactly ready to take and drastic changes just yet. "What does this exactly entail, Heronstar? Specifically,what can each of our clans gain from something like this that is worth the risk of angering the other two clans?"[break][break]

Her eyes began to widen as his tail brushed her cheek and he suggested something else other than something formal. Were her ears betraying her or had she truly heard correctly? "What exactly are you implying with that comment, Heronstar? It seems like you're allowing your flirtatious personality get the best of this conversation..." She didn't exactly know what to say. Ivystar had only spoken to this tom maybe once or twice before this fateful meeting. What he was possibly suggesting was against the code they swore to stand by.[break][break]

She looked aside, her thoughts almost unable to form in her mind. What did she think of this? What even was this situation? Her ears forced her head to look back at Heronstar as he talked about what their alliance could mean for the two clans. Extra information about anything sneakily happening within the other clans, especially ThunderClan who never really got along with ShadowClan. And extra food? It hit a cord in Ivystar's heart. It was no rumor that ShadowClan often had troubles with gathering enough food for the clan to thrive. The often had to venture to a two-leg dump for scraps sometimes. She could help her clan live a better life. No one would go to bed hungry... she stayed silent as she thought about the proposition.[break][break]

It could be their rise to power over the other two clan... but it could also ruin them and their favor with StarClan. "This would change things Heronstar. It could go one of two ways, beneficial or disastrous. Did you even weigh the two to decide this or was this something impromptu? I couldn't possibly accept or deny without speaking to Yarrowclaw. He's wise and knows what the warriors need most... it could change all the clans."

[attr="class","pwfCredit"]SELKIE

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[fiery]

heronstar listened intently to her, his blue eyes wide and watching intensely. he took each one of her words into consideration. she was afraid of messing up, of this going badly, but curious of the implications if it were to go right.

the blue leader ran over a million things in his head, his mind working quickly.

her face changed suddenly. the mention of riverclan? did she have something against them? no, he realized quickly. food. her thin flanks didn't exactly slip past him, but he hadn't anticipated food to be enough to rock her expression. his mind buzzed.

the mention of yarrowclaw threw him off a bit. wasn't she the leader of shadowclan? should he be relying on sittingowl like she relied on her own deputy?

he chuckled, his ton as sly and charismatic as ever. "dear ivystar, don't tell me you're handing things off to yarrowclaw already. you are the leader of shadowclan, right? you can make this decision on your own, you know."

"i've been thinking this over for a few days, i was lucky to catch you tonight. this doesn't have to be a secret for long, after we talk it over we will ease our clans into it, and then drop down on the others with iron claws. we can show them which clans are really the most powerful in these lands. it's all up to you."

the leader drifted away before she could respond immediately, bounding atop the great rock. he looked down onto the sleek, black leader, his maw widening into a grin.

"what i propose is mutual understanding, respect, and assistance. when the days grow dark for shadowclan, windclan will be there. when the prey becomes fleeting from the pines and swamps, our moors will be open to you and your warriors; and when the others encroach on your land, windclan will lend it best sets of claws and fangs to defend your territory. all i ask is this; when the others advance on us, put us down, or disrespect us- you too will be there to help us in our times of need. you will provide a stronger front for us, show the other clans that we wont be pushed around so easily."

he stood tall, for a moment, then settled down on his haunches, hanging his gaze over the edge of the great rock.

"it all rest on you, my beautiful little lily." he smiled, but raised a single brow.

would she take him up on his offer? did she need time to think, or consult yarrowclaw like she had said? or would she refuse? 

while in his mind, he saw great opportunity here, it also struck him that this may be his solution to the fox problem. he wondered if her son had gotten word to her about it yet. but she hadn't brought it up. maybe he would be okay for now, he could get her in this alliance and then explain to her what happened. if she was lucky, she'd understand.

heronstar

[Ciri]

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fiery

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There seemed to be a silence drifting between the two leaders. It seemed as though Heronstar had realized he hit something within Ivystar. And, he would be correct. She could easily do this. However, what would the clan think if they were to find out? This could be something great for the two clans, and it could allow the two clans to rise higher than their current situation. And for once, ShadowClan could stand strong with another clan. It was a rather good idea...[break][break]

Her ears flicked back to Heronstar as he began to chuckle. Why was he chuckling? Her head soon followed her ears as she looked at him in the eye as he slyly asked about her wanting to speak to Yarrowclaw. Was it wrong to rely on her deputy for a matter such as this? "I've known Yarrowclaw since I was just a young kit. He's wise... and he might know what the warriors want more than I do..." she paused for a moment after her words floated in the air, "you should know as well as I do that there are some things a leader isn't part of. Some cats don't want to say certain things while in the presence in the kind of power we are gifted with." She paused once again before speaking, "or is this the type of alliance only we know about?"[break][break]

She looked back at him as he said this thought had been floating in his mind for quite a few days. However, was this alliance just for her? Or was she just the first lucky leader to cross him? "And was this alliance you propose meant for me? Or were you looking for any leader?" As she spoke, Ivystar walked slightly away from her current location and allowed her paws to relax into the earth underneath them. However, when she looked back to him, he was atop the great rock and towering over her. His shadow fell over her for some time before she slowly emerged out of it, watching him as the moonlight glistened on his pelt.[break][break]

She broke eye contact with him to think about what he said. About the extra support for both clans. She had to hand it to him, it sounded like a good idea. The two clans could be protected from the other clans and the two clans could lean on each other in times of need. She questioned herself for a small amount of time, was it a good idea or would she be making a mistake?[break][break]

She gave a huff as she dissolved her thoughts that were running through her mind. She turned around and looked at Heronstar, clenching her jaw slightly. "I want a show of loyalty to this alliance. Something to show for it." She gave a sly smile to the tom before approaching him on the great rock. "This situation requires loyalty, Heronstar."

[attr="class","pwfCredit"]SELKIE

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[fiery]

heronstar shook his head.

"our clans must know they have someone to lean on in times of need, that windclan and shadowclan warriors can trust each other." he meowed, a smirk gracing his maw after a moment. "though, i'd not be apposed to some private time only you and i know about. and only for you, my dear. this was no improvised affair, i only had you and shadowclan in mind for this."

as ivystar crept closer, he perked his ears eagerly.

he was surprised, to say the least. he scolded himself for not thinking of this first. a show of loyalty, a dance of trust. it was an excellent idea, and it was definitely a good way to get anyone hooked, but it could be a challenge for him. all he really knew that shadowclanners valued was strength, and he wasn't sure he felt like tussling with ivystar.

he rose from his sitting position, stretching and popping the ligaments in his tail. he let out a laugh at her cunning smile, amused. with twitching whiskers, he wandered even closer to ivystar.

"hmmm..." he hummed for a moment.

what could he do to show his loyalty? her smirk definitely gave him some ideas, most of which was incredibly inappropriate for the code they were sworn by, but he wanted to be more subtle than that.

as if answering his train of thought, a sparrow drifted by in the cool night air, soaring only a foot or two above him. food. she liked food. right? yea, she was a shadowclanner, that's what had got her talking earlier after all; the promise of food.

he leapt high up without warning, striking the sparrow out of the air. when he thumped back down onto the solid rock, landing on his feet after a twist of his tail, the sparrow smacked the hard stone and flapped about with a few squawks.. he grabbed it by its throat quickly, squeezing hard until it stopped thrashing beneath him.

it wing was broken and jabbed out oddly, but not a drop of blood fell from it. if he was honest, he felt some pride in such a clean catch. it was how windclanners hunted anyway, breaking bones with sheer weight before suffocating their prey to death.

with a bounce in his step, heronstar lifted the bird by its tail feathers, and approached ivystar. he improvised as its soft feathers tickled his nose, an idea popping into his head.

dropping the bird at the leader's paws, he plucked the longest feather he could find from its wings, and pinned it to ivystar's neck fluff. she was short furred, which would pose some troubles, but her neck fur seemed long enough to hold the feather.

"hold still." he muttered.

after a few moments, the feather was braided into the black leader's short fur, and he smiled.

plucking another feather, the blue tom cat braided it into his considerably longer tail fur in a moment, using his fangs and claws in an awkward fashion to cement it into his pelt.

"a windclan custom." he spoke. "the elders used to teach it long ago, when i was a child. it symbolizes an affection between two cats."

by now, he'd been smiling an awful lot, but he managed a grin once more.

"how do you think about the sparrow as a symbol of our friendship? it will be the binding of two clans, a promise to protect each other. you bring that home to your clan, and maybe they will see this as something to value."

he hoped shadowclan valued tradition in loyalty, like windclan did. maybe they would just think of it as a meaningless feather. the notion hurt him, as one of his only role models growing up, larkwing, had taught him this custom and, if he was honest, he always kept it dear to his heart.

very deep in his tail fur, covered by hair, was another feather. a swan feather, one he shared with his mate and son. the two of them wore their feathers proud of their ears or chest, but he kept his hidden. he always wanted someone he could have a real bond with, not something materialistic like he had with acornleaf. he cared about both of them, but he wasn't sure if he loved either of them enough to warrant the swan feather.

he nudged the dead sparrow with a paw. "the bird is yours to feed on or return to shadowclan."

he wondered if she would take this offer seriously, or if she needed something more convincing

"is there anything else, my lovely marshland-mallow?" the blue tom titled his head slightly, giving ivystar's neck a light flick with his long tail, drifting closer to the dark leader every second. his eyes were hazy with attraction, and he resisted the urge to be silly and wiggle his brows.

he was close enough to feel her breath on his face, and it made his stomach bubble. his instinct told him to get closer, but his head told him to let her come to him instead.

heronstar

EASTSIDE Ciri