The Other Side (OPEN)

[sephri]

Eveningcloud

Eveningcloud burrowed under a fallen pine, shaking the snow free from her pelt. It was invigorating, the cool press of ice into her skin, yet, the melting and dampness she could do without. The dark tabby yawned and kneaded her paws on the ground. It was a long night, an evening patrol and a dawn patrol had drained her. She was determined, however, to keep her clan fed in these times of darkness.
She stretched her limbs and scrambled out into the field of white once more. She froze as the flapping of wings alerted her. Not the fast and worried beating of an alarmed bird, but the calm and cautious ones of prey.
Eveningcloud's eyes narrowed to slits and her claws slid out ever so quietly. She could spot her prey, three foxlengths away, chipping away at an iced over patch of snow. A sparrow, it seemed. Her paws slid forward, barely leaving the snow. Suddenly, ever-so-steathy, Evengcloud leapt, stretching out her claws to snag the feathers of the fleeing prey. The razor-sharp claws pinned the creature and she quickly ended its life. We thank StarClan for this life, she prayed. Her teeth sunk into the bird's flesh and she padded swiftly back toward camp, stopping to uncover two scrawny mice. Quite a catch for leafbare, but she had been out since dawn.
With the three bodies snagged in her teeth, she trotted quickly back towards the warmth of her Clan. Her large ears swiveled around and she froze as an unusual noise reached her ear fur. She set down her prey softly and glared into the trees.
"Who's there?" she barked, her tail lashing nervously.

[Magicheart]

Stardust padded swiftly through the pine forest, her paws gliding almost silently over the dead pine needles and melting snow. She nearly jumped out of her fur as she heard the voice of an angry clanmate interrupting her thoughts. "It's just me, Stardust." she mewed in her delicate voice. She had gone out to get a clearer view of the night sky, where she could watch her warrior ancestors.

[sephri]

Eveningcloud's ears perked and her lips formed a small 'o' of surprise. She fixed her signature sneer on her face and growled. "Stardust what are you doing out here?"
The irritated she-cat shook out her fur, forcing it to lie flat again. Her claws withdrew and her fluffy tail smoothed into its mottled color again. She stretched her jaws to encompass all her prey and straightened to face her clanmate.

[Magicheart]

Stardust blinked, unfazed by Eveningcloud's prickly nature. "I came out to get a better view of the stars." She mewed, rising her pale blue eyes to the sky. "I usually come out to watch them at night. That's how I earned my name!" she smiled.

[sephri]

Eveningcloud grunted in acknowledgement, rolling her eyes behind Stardust's back. She tried to adjust her grip on the prey, dropping most of it. She growled in her chest. "Why do you want to look at the stars? StarClan only talks to medicine cats and leaders, not warriors."
She gave up on her prey and pulled one to her. The mouse that she caught earlier was getting cold and she couldn't give it to anyone else. She bit into it and savored the taste.
Stardust caught her eye. "Want some?" she murmured, pushing the other mouse towards the she-cat.

[Magicheart]

"Sometimes, I feel that I can see our warrior ancestors running amongst the stars." she mewed softly. "It makes me feel close to them somehow. It makes me feel peaceful."

She gazed at Eveningcloud in surprise as she took a bite of prey, then relaxed. "I guess everyone else has probably eaten." she concluded, hoping she hadn't offended the more experienced warrior.

[sephri]

Her tail twitched and Eveningcloud grunted noncommitally. She took another bite of her dinner and chewed slowly. "These are too cold now anyways. No one'll eat them, so why let them go to waste?" she reasoned. She swallowed and pulled another slice of her mouse off the bone. She kept her opinions on StarClan to herself, letting Stardust continue her talking. Eveningcloud found peace in the calm thrill of a hunt and the silent stalking of prey.

[Magicheart]

Stardust bent over to share the prey with Eveningcloud, the first time she had shared prey with another of her clanmates as a warrior. She had always expected that she would probably share her first prey with her mentor, Shadowmask, but this was a nice surprise. She finally felt like she was beginning to integrate into her clan.

"Do you prefer hunting at night? Do you find it easier?" Stardust asked curiously.

[sephri]

Eveningcloud shrugged and pulled another bite off her prey. "Maybe, subconciously," she admitted. "I don't think its easier so much as I like the quiet of the forest at night." She looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. "I like how all of the forest has gone to sleep and no birds sing... only the wind moves." She blinked, looking self-conciously at Stardust out of the corner of her eye. "It's peaceful." Eveningcloud cleared her throat and looked up at the sky again.
She felt uncomfortable. it was time to change the subject. "How is being a warrior now, Stardust? Are you enjoying it?"

[Magicheart]

Stardust glanced at Eveningcloud, her eyes thoughtful. She found it interesting that the night time seemed to soften the rough exterior she often displayed to her clanmates, but she was honored by the honesty she was displaying.

"I think I am starting to finally earn the respect of my clanmates...but I still am not as sure of myself as I need to be. I am trying to learn what my strengths are to best serve our clan. It seems like none of the other warriors paid much heed to me until now. I guess I am not sure what to do with the attention. I feel like I have to impress them..." Stardust blinked her pale blue eyes at Eveningcloud, struggling to imagine her ever being unsure of herself, even as a young warrior.

[sephri]

"Good. That is how it should be." Eveningcloud licked one paw and drew it over her whiskers. "No one really knows what their doing at first." She stretched forward, her muscles flexing under her shoulders. "Apprentices are not on the same level as warriors. Now you are an equal. It serves that you would be more noticed." She paused and fixed a yellow eye on the she-cat. "Just ignore it and focus on the clan. That's all warriors can do."
She pulled herself to her feet and picked up the last soggy thrush. A grunt of dissatisfaction escaped her lips. "Come on," she mumbled through the feathers. "It's getting late."

[Magicheart]

Stardust angled her head, surprised by Eveningcloud's advice, though she saw a lot of merit in it. "I guess you're right." Stardust meowed thoughtfully, rising to her paws as well. "Back to camp then?" she inquired.

[sephri]

Eveningloud nodded, the bird in her mouth shaking with her head. A few feathers dropped from the prey, damp from the snow. Eveningcloud's brow knitted nervously. Picking up the pace, she trotted through the snowy trees towards home. The ice bit at her paws though Eveningcloud knew her pads could stand it. She couldn't wait to get back in her nest. The soft moss and warmth of her clanmates was all she could hope for at this point. Maybe her sister would let her sleep next to her and her mate. It was nice to have a sibling in times like this.

[Magicheart]

Stardust padded swiftly and quietly behind Eveningcloud, not noticing how cold it was until she saw her breath coming out in little white clouds from her mouth. She twitched her ears as they approached the warrior's den and waited for her clanmate to enter first. Her den hadn't officially been made yet- she had only been a warrior for two days and had ended up borrowing a clanmate's nest that was out on patrol both times. She felt slightly awkward gazing into the full den, wondering where she should lie down.