Moonlight Between us

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
──●◎●──

Leopardrose padded beside Greypebbles, her steps steady but her eyes unfocused, gaze trailing along the shadowed path without really seeing it. At his gentle flick, she blinked, glancing over at him as if only just remembering he was there. A faint hum escaped her throat.

"Yeah... It is nice." Her voice was quieter than usual, not tense, but far off in a way that hinted her mind wasn’t entirely walking beside him. She lifted her gaze to the moon overhead, watching its pale light bathe the clearing. "Clear skies. You'd think everything was... fine."

She let the silence stretch a few heartbeats before finally admitting. "Coyotepaw’s getting her name next moon." The words came out flat. Not without pride, but weighed down. "She’s ready, I think. At least... I’ve done everything I could. But I keep wondering if I taught her enough, or too little. If she's strong because of what I did... or in spite of it."

The moonlight dappled her face, softening the sharp angles usually drawn so tightly. For once, she looked less like a warrior and more like someone just trying to hold the pieces together.

Even the smallest pebble can make ripples that change the course of the stream.

⋘ ──── ∙∙•🪨•∙∙ ──── ⋙

Greypebbles didn't inturrupt, didn't talk while she was talking, even when the gap of silence came between her words, he walked beside Leopardrose, his ears perked and his eyes keen and interested. At the mention of Coyotepaw, one of his ears twitched.

"Cut yourself some slack" He spoke, only after Leopardrose had finished speaking, allowing a silence to sit comfortably to make sure she had finished talking. His eyes held the sympathy and emotion that they always had, some times more than others. "You are a fantastic mentor, especially since this is your first apprentice. You've never trained a cat before, but you certainly could have fooled me"

His words were a lot of things, soft, a little meek, possibly close to a whisper, but thing thing that they were not was a lie. Greypebbles had watched the training sessions between Leopardrose and Coyotepaw every so often, sometimes even helping so he out of every cat knew the skills that Leopardrose didn't see for herself.

"If Coyotepaw out of all cats had any spite in her, I'd stumble backwards in shock. She is strong because you helped her be strong. She is strong because you're strong" he added, his voice a little more firm but it was still Greypebbles, still naturally soft but not whispery. He was not even thinking about what Leopardrose wanted to hear, he simply spoke what he thought was true and he hoped his friend knew that.

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
──●◎●──

Her ears twitched as his words washed over her. Her gaze remained on the moon, but her shoulders had lowered slightly, no longer bunched with that same restless tension she’d carried since sunfall. "You always say the right things..." She muttered after a long beat, voice quiet and dry, though not unkind. The edge of a smirk tugged at one corner of her mouth, tired but real.

Still, the weight hadn’t fully left her. Her claws flexed against the soft earth once, kneading it as if grounding herself. "We'll see what kind of warrior she becomes." Leopardrose's tail flicked, frustration bleeding into her tone - not at Greypebbles, but herself. The wind stirred the grass around them. She took a breath...

Their walk was...just a walk, but she couldn't help but wonder if they, both capable warriors, should be doing something more. She ended up taking the lead, nostrils catching the scents nearby. "We could do some hunting if you'd like. Wouldn't hurt to take advantage of whatever might be about."

Even the smallest pebble can make ripples that change the course of the stream.

⋘ ──── ∙∙•🪨•∙∙ ──── ⋙

Leopardrose, aside from everything, still seemed distant; contemplating, or perhaps still hung up on it all, after all... who wouldn't be?

Regardless, Greypebbles kept to her side his tail flanking her every now and again to remind her that he was still there, that he was still present and still prepared to be there when she needed him. He wasn't going to leave her, not unless he was taken from her by whatever paw ended up grabbing him.

"I'm sure she'll be a fine warrior if any" Greypebbles reassured her, his expression softened as Leopardrose opened up to the ide of hunting for some of the night.

His ear twitched at the offer, a lot of the good prey had skittered back into the safety of their nests for the night, the only creatures that were out an about were Leopardrose, Greypebbles and whatever creature wasn't asleep at this time.

With a soft shrug, still not completely sold on hunting for something that they might not even find, he answered her, his tail giving a thoughtful flick. "That is if you'd like to" he began walking a few paces in front of Leopardrose before pausing to turn his gaze back to the dappled warrior. "What would you wager we'll catch this late?"

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
──●◎●── 

Leopardrose padded forward a few paces, her eyes scanning the undergrowth as if a squirrel might materialize out of sheer spite. At his question, she gave a faint, tired huff of amusement through her nose. Almost a laugh.

"Mm...Half a beetle and the tail of a mouse some other cat already ate." She replied dryly, the corner of her mouth twitching with that familiar sardonic humor. "Maybe a bat, if StarClan’s feeling generous."

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment when he turned back to look at her. The way his tail had brushed her flank earlier hadn’t gone unnoticed, nor had the quiet way he kept to her side. Not pushing. Just… there. Like he always was. She appreciated that.

"Come on." She murmured, flicking her tail and brushing past him just enough to nudge his shoulder. "Worst case, we come back with cold paws and a story about how we tracked a vole in the dark."

She didn’t look back right away - too afraid he’d see the soft edge in her eyes she hadn’t quite managed to sharpen again.

Even the smallest pebble can make ripples that change the course of the stream.

⋘ ──── ∙∙•🪨•∙∙ ──── ⋙

Greypebbles let out a soft snort at her reply, his whiskers twitching with the effort to suppress a smile. “Half a beetle, huh? Sounds like a feast.” His tone was low and laced with fondness, the kind of quiet humor he only ever used around cats like Leopardrose, those who wouldn’t laugh at him for speaking softly. He stepped after her, paws brushing lightly against the mossy ground, matching her pace without thinking.

“You know,” he murmured after a few more steps, eyes flicking up to scan the shadows, “I’d still share that beetle with you. You can have the crunchy half.” It was a gentle jab, the kind that passed between them with ease, softened by the warmth that always lingered beneath their banter. He didn’t need her to look at him to feel the shift in her mood, he could sense it in her voice, the slight press of her shoulder, the way she didn’t pull away.

Trailing beside her, his tail flicked once, lightly brushing her flank again, not by accident. “Cold paws and a vole that got away still beats pacing the warriors’ den all night,” he added, more sincere now, glancing her way through the low moonlight. “I’m glad you came with me.” His voice wasn’t bold, wasn’t loud, but it carried weight nonetheless.

He didn’t press her to talk, didn’t ask what she was thinking. He never needed to. Just walking in step beside her, watching the stars thread through the canopy, felt enough. If they went home empty-pawed, he wouldn’t mind. She’d still been there.

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
──●◎●──

Leopardrose let the quiet between them settle like fog. The corners of her mouth twitched again, though she kept her eyes fixed on the path ahead, where moonlight painted pale lines across the ground. ""The crunchy half?" She laughed, her voice low but edged with amusement.

She didn’t say thank you, not in words. That wasn’t how she worked. At his last words, something in her posture eased again. Her shoulders dropped half a whisker’s width, and her ears turned toward him even though her eyes stayed on the brush ahead.

"I’m glad you asked." It came quieter than she expected. She flicked her tail again, her thoughts traveling to the ground for potential prey. Her ears were perked, eyes sharp beneath the moonlight - whatever could be hiding wouldn't be for long. A few more steps and she heard something shuffling and immediate dropped into an instinctive crouch. Seemed bigger than a beetle at least.

Even the smallest pebble can make ripples that change the course of the stream.

⋘ ──── ∙∙•🪨•∙∙ ──── ⋙

Greypebbles walked forward, about to answer but then noticed Leopardrose's swift descent and followed in her pawsteps, quiet and light-pawed as always, he did not intend to take the prey away from her, so he made sure he was following in a way that wasn't going to make any noise, whatever prey Leopardrose was after would be worth it especially this late.

As they crept, Greypebbles found himself admiring Leopardrose's skill, she was swift and articulated, the way her muscles softly twitched beneath her pelt, making the rosettes ripple with each movement. He began to wish he was able to stand out as much as she did, but another part of him rebuked the attention, he wanted to be known, but not popular, and even he wasn't sure it made sense in his own mind.

The two crept closer, close enough to the smell of the prey made his mouth water, he knew what the creature was now, small brown body and a hairless tail with near hairless legs and small, rounded ears that was a mouse if he had ever seen and scented one. "Mouse" He informed quietly, twitching his bobbed tail "You've got this one"

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
──●◎●──

Leopardrose’s ear twitched at his whisper, but she didn’t glance back. Her eyes were locked on the mouse now, its little body shuffling under a patch of fern, unaware of its fate. Her muscles tightened, a smooth coil of motion under dappled fur. She exhaled slowly through her nose, just once, before pushing forward.

One sharp pounce, the snap of her paws, and it was over. The mouse didn’t squeak, didn’t have time. Leopardrose straightened with the limp body dangling from her jaws, eyes gleaming faintly with satisfaction under the moonlight. "It's not a beetle, sorry if you're disappointed." She meowed as she dropped the animal.

There was no grand pride in her posture, no dramatic preening just a flicker of confidence restored in her eyes. The tension that had been weighing on her earlier had slipped away, if only slightly. Her gaze lifted to meet his for a brief heartbeat, steady and still faintly amused. "Not bad for a midnight stroll."