Closed Thread Ray of Amber

Courage is doing what is right, even when nobody is watching.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 💧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

It wasn't a great day for hunting, but Goosesong went anyway RiverClan needed all they prey they could get before the river froze over, so he had volunteered himself for many patrols and that alike. But he had returned now, and with two fish hanging in his jaws by their tails. Fish of which he swiftly took to the fresh kill pile and placed them in, ignoring whatever hunger might have been ebbing away at him.

The camp, while rather empty, has a familiar scent within its walls. Goosesong turned and faced the direction of the scent and flicked an ear. He had done his hunting for today, perhaps it was just about time to relax and socialize the best he could with his clanmates, Ambersmudge could be one of the first today. Goosesong stretched out his front paws and the semi-cobby silver tabby made his way towards the ginger coated she-cat, he didn't have a high hope for the progression of this conversation, but there was no harm in trying.

"Ambersmudge" Goosesong greeted with a nod of his head, sitting beside his clanmate and rolling his tail over his paws. "Rested well?"

Ambersmudge's ears flick as she seemed to hear someone approaching her, she turned her head to see Goosesong as he sat with her. The warrior's eyes observed his silver mackerel-coat in awe, how muscular the tom is, before shaking off the focus as soon as she saw his eyes. "Ah greetings, Goose song!" she responded, with a friendly grin and nodding to him.

"I uhh. Hadn't gotten a good rest from the time it was nightfall. Made me feel like I'll freeze up in my own bedding hahah.." as she laughs a bit on that last part. Although she turns to face him with her head tilted with a question, she is curious about his experience with the cold air circulating during night time. "Have it been cold for you that night as well, Goosesong? cause it felt so and I thought it might last much longer as I've slept in."

She began to stretch her front paws all while in her sitting position. Ambersmudge is pretty content to have a clan mate sit with her here, her tail slowly sways happily, and her round eyes glance at Goosesong in the moment as she awaits his answers.

Courage is doing what is right, even when nobody is watching.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 💧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

"Being long haired and with dense muscles has it's perks" Goosesong responded, giving the tip of his tail a flick before giving it a few brisk licks. It was true that aside from the lack of prey, leaf-bare had never given Goosesong extreme trouble, at least, not that he has noticed and needed to resolve. Despite the fact that leaf-bare is a breeding ground for sickness, especially in the young and old. "The cold had not affected me a much, but it is slowly getting colder I've noticed" the large tom added, his aquamarine eyes glancing over to his cinnamon coated clanmate.

His words weren't the most enthusiastic of words, but with Goosesong, it wasn't uncommon for him to lack enthusiasm, of course that didn't mean that the clanmate conversations didn't mean anything to him, it was important to bond with your clanmates, but Reedpaw's death and Stoneclaw's teachings were not taken in vain in the towering silver coated warrior. "I could see why you would get a chill however, StarClan is not so generous to those of us with shorter fur" he added, there were a few cats he could think of that had short fur, and Ambersmudge was certainly one of them.

Goosesong felt no need to brainstorm solutions for this with Ambersmudge, nor did he really want to in this circumstance. While he wasn't really a visionary cat, he did care for his clanmates to a certain extent, and while it may not be a permanent solution, it would be a piece of advice. "Try curling tighter and pushing yourself closer to other warriors for warmth, there is warmth in numbers" Goosesong was not able to pinpoint when exactly he had learned this but he remembered it as something Willowfall had told him when he was young, how young? he had no recollection.

"Anyway" he deterred, looking down at his paws for a moment. "Otterwhisker's kits will be graduating from the nursery any day now, that's good news isn't it?"

She patiently listened to Goosesong, as he shared his thoughts about the cold, and she was pretty intrigued he could get over the coldness because of his long haired fur. Ambersmudge suddenly glances with her copper eyes at the sky, as she watches leaves flutter from the strong wind. But she eventually fixed herself from that, facing away from looking at the sky, and eventually faced back to Goosesong.

"Ohh I suppose that could work well for me! I'm down to sleep closely with anyone, if they don't mind, so thank you Goosesong!" as the ginger warrior said, with a gleeful grin. Now if she were to sleep more closely though, hmmm, it would be someone that's nice enough to let her sleep next to around nightfall. Ambersmudge couldn't help but had something tickle her nose, smells like a strong fish scent coming from him, so she guessed in her mind that Goosesong could have possibly gone hunting before. Right? 

Her copper-eyes gleam with the mention of 'Otterwhiskers kits', graduating sooner any day now as he said. Which makes Ambersmudge happily smile with her tail thrashing excitedly. "Wow really? Oh my, it does sound like good newss, I am very glad to hear her kits will be graduating in any day!" as she spoke with a soft purr. "I sure do wish those kits some luck and learn from the best from anyone that will mentor them." Although she had not interacted as much with Otterwhisker or her kits, Ambersmudge had always found it joyous to hear anything positive within her clan.

Courage is doing what is right, even when nobody is watching.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 💧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

Goosesong flicked his ear in acknowledgement of Ambersmudge's addition to his advice, craning his neck to clean the white fur that frayed out on his chest before turning to match her gaze. "I'll always be a longer furred cat you could use for warmth if you truly need such a thing" he offered, looking towards the camp floor for a moment, the idea of the apprenticeship of Boldstar and Otterwhisker's kits made him think about mentors of said kits. Surely not Ambersmudge, yes she was a warrior, but she was still rather young for the responsibility, so his best guesses would be Coldgaze or Boldstar himself.

but perhaps even Bloomfire had the experience for an apprentice, despite the difference in views between Goosesong and Bloomfire. Gooseong decided not to dwell on that however, he would much rather hear who Ambersmudge would guess who would mentor the kits, or at least gain an apprentice from the meeting. "New apprentices, does mean more mouths to feed, and even with them learning their hunting skills, there will be a struggle with teaching them how to do so, training our young takes time and patience, sometimes Leaf-Bare does not agree with that process" Goosesong meowed quietly, taking a sideward glance over to the nursery, he imagined how restless the kits would be in the nursery and let a rare smile cross his lips.

"Who do you think will be good mentor to any of the kits Ambersmudge? Are you looking for an apprentice one day?" Goosesong asked, his striped tail flicking back and forth in curiosity. Goosesong had added the last question as he wasn't even sure if gaining an apprentice was on Ambersmudge's list for the future, so it was best to ask, because any cat could participate in helping the clan in a multitude of ways, whether it be baring a little, mentoring the youth of the clan or simply doing casual warrior duties, every action had an effect on the clan, and Goosesong hoped that those would make a positive impact... some day

Ambersmudge held her maw as soon as she heard Goosesong's next question, a little puzzled in the moment as her whiskers twitched. She took a long pause, processing what she could guess in her head, and then turned her head to face the silver clanmate with an answer. "Oh! now I know this could be obvious but, I know one of them will get to be mentored by Boldstar. Yeah?" she squeakily meowed it out. Yet it made Ambersmudge's eyes look away awkwardly, realizing how little she doesn't know any other warrior's names. except Boldstar, Otterwhisker, Coldgaze, and even him! "I uhh, also believe you and Coldgaze would do well in mentoring the kits too" as Ambersmudge ended. Took a few glances at the silver tom before looking down at her paws.

   "Hm? well I would mind taking in an apprentice one day. Yet there is perhaps a need to really understand uh. To really lecture them with all you have and what experience they will need to hold onto" she shares her thoughts on Goosesong's second question, "B-but you see that's all I know! this is...not what a mentor should think and say so simply. Anyway haha-I ain't got much experience that's all." Of course Ambersmudge did it, and ended up talking more than what she was supposed to think, that'll "totally" make you look mature. 

She dipped her head lowly, looking down at her paws again with disappointment. It doesn't help when it's been awhile since she hadn't thought about eating anything yet from the pile. For now, Ambersmudge awaits what Goosesong has a say with her opinion and how she's spoken. 

Courage is doing what is right, even when nobody is watching.

~･ﾟ: *~･ﾟ:* 💧 *:･ﾟ~*:･ﾟ~

Goosesong listened intently as Ambersmudge spoke, his expression impassive. His dull aqua eyes flicked over her nervously shifting paws and the uncertainty clouding her gaze. He was silent for a few moments after she finished, his tail curling neatly around his paws.

"Boldstar taking on an apprentice isn’t exactly surprising" he mused, his tone measured but not unkind. "But don’t sell yourself short, Ambersmudge. You’ve got more to offer than you think. Age often brings experience, you will get an apprentice one day I'm sure." He let the words hang in the air for a heartbeat, his gaze steady and assessing.

"But being a mentor isn’t just about experience or lecturing kits" he continued, his voice taking on a firmer edge. "It’s about guiding them, showing them what it means to be a warrior through your actions, not just your words. And that’s something you can do." He glanced briefly towards the camp entrance, where kits played and warriors milled about. "There are a lot of warriors who think they know what’s best for the younger generation, but not everyone has the patience or the heart for it. You do."

He watched her closely, noticing the way she seemed to shrink under his gaze. His expression softened, just a fraction, and he gave a small nod. "I’d be honored to mentor a young cat, of course. But being a mentor isn’t a competition, and it’s not about being perfect. It’s about learning alongside your apprentice, growing together." His tone was still firm, but there was a hint of something warmer there, a quiet encouragement that he seldom showed.

Goosesong’s ear twitched as he noticed Ambersmudge’s lingering gaze on the fresh-kill pile. "You look like you haven’t eaten since you woke" he observed, his voice softening further. "Take care of yourself, Ambersmudge. You can’t help anyone else if you don’t start with yourself." With that, he dipped his head slightly, a subtle gesture of acknowledgment and respect. "You’re more than capable, even if you don’t see it yet."