Open to Join Together Elders

Every scar, every flaw, and every loss still belongs to the light that makes us whole.

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Eaglecry's bones had been getting rather achy as of recent days. She supposed the weight of balance being pushed on her paws has been doing such a thing. And she wasn't exactly a light footed cat either... many contributors, but it was an ache she had become used to over the few moons she had been resting comfortable in the elders' den.

She had originally come out to grab a frog for herself, but a fading russet coat caught her vision. The faded strands ached at her heart a little. When she was in her youth, that coat had been such a bright shade of orange that she had almost thought of it as the sun some days. Honeyglow was almost like that sun to her. And now the light was fading. It saddened her.

But she chose to keep those thoughts hidden, for the purpose of keeping a happy face. She didn't need to worry her brother with such menial things as this when he was relaxing in the daylight. And so, she met his side by the briar wall and sat beside her older brother, what was left behind where a tail should have been, wrapping around herself and a fuzzy chin resting calmly against her paws. At least as calmly as she could make it look.

"It's certainly the day to relax, isn't it?" She purred out a greeting. Soft and sweetened like fresh honey, as usual.

Honey makes the world go round
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Honeyglow's ears perked at the familiar voice and his old muzzle pulled into a smile as he turned his head toward his sister. For a moment he simply blinked affectionate at her. "Certainly is." Came his purr, his flat feet offering a manner to rest his loafing self in the moment at her company.

His gaze shifted around camp again, something a bit wistful in his green eyes now. "Funny...I remember when this place seemed so much bigger. The dens felt enormous, the camp felt endless...and perhaps I was much smaller." From his chest a low, soft bit of chuckling came out. "And now I have those apprentices and Glowkit to watch about... Where have all those moons went?"

He glanced toward Eaglecry, smile returning. "Yes...today is a day to relax. We've earned it."

Every scar, every flaw, and every loss still belongs to the light that makes us whole.

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"I remember when you seemed a lot bigger." Eaglecry hummed, giving her brother a soft but playful nudge. Her 'rough-housing' with Honeyglow had seemed to get a little less rough as time went on. But it was more of an instinctual gentleness rather than a conscious decision made to make sure he wasn't getting hurt. They were both old now, after all. 

When he mentioned Glowkit a gentle smile appeared, she had been watching the kit from the sidelines and gave a smile in response. "I've been watching Glowkit, they're a slight bit unusual, but it's got charm to it." She answered with a soft flick of her tail and a few gentle licks over her paws. "Wolfpaw and Swamppaw seem to be progressing well. Part of me thought I'd never hear Wolfpaw's voice. Even if it is still a little rare." 

"I think..." Eaglecry paused for a moment, looking at her paws, slowly greying away with age, just like her brother. "I think StarClan makes the moons so quick so we appreciate the time while we have it. No use in wasting our time while we're here. It can disappear so quickly if we let it." her voice didn't seem as frightened and desperate as when she first entered the elders' den. When she first joined her brother, she wanted the two to stay together forever. But StarClan has their reasons for taking specific cats from them. Even if Eaglecry didn't know it.

"But yes, we've earned it."

Honey makes the world go round
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Honeyglow let out a soft, rumbling laugh at Eaglecry's nudge. "Did I?" He gave her a playful bump in return, though just as gentle as hers had been. There was no need for the rough games of their younger moons anymore. They both knew their old bones preferred gentler sorts of affection now.

His gaze followed hers toward Glowkit and nodded. "Yes...A little different, perhaps, but I think that's what makes watching them so interesting. We all find our place eventually." With a swipe of his tongue he began to groom the tops of his front foot. "I remember when Wolfpaw didn't have much to say at all...I'm glad he's seemed to find his voice."

His eyes dropped again briefly to his own paws, old and worn. When he looked back at his sister there was no sadness in his smile. "You're probably right. We've spent plenty of them together, haven't we?" Honeyglow's cheeks wrinkled. "And we've still got a few more to enjoy."

Honeyglow had nowhere else to be but extended the wordless invitation out anyway. He wanted to go out into the territory, but he figured their joints would just appreciate a lazy day.

Every scar, every flaw, and every loss still belongs to the light that makes us whole.

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Eaglecry's softened gaze flicked over to Honeyglow and a smile took hold, greeting his in tandem. "I don't have any regrets about what I've spent my moons doing really. Especially the ones spent with you." She began, as if she had reflected on this in silence for a while. "I might've in the past. Things I could have done differently. Things I wish I did. But if I had, I might not have been the same cat  I am today." She could have had kits in her prime, she could have done a lot of things, but the time never felt right for any of it. Maybe StarClan wanted her to share her love for her clan in other ways. After all... Mousewillow contributed with Quailfeather. He is a good cat.

"I quite like this actually. The elders' life." She added, glancing off across the camp to see Nightwhisper and Quailfeather chatting and sharing prey near the warriors' den, though... Nightwhisper might have been doing most of the talking. "We get to watch our actions flare out into something bigger after we've served out time as warriors. There's a certain... tranquility to it?" She framed it as a question almost, moving her eyes toward the leaders' den, where Palestar, the former apprentice of Honeyglow, slept. She could only imagine the pride.

When she finished, a thought flickered in her mind and a soft smile curled her expression like something one would see in a museum, if one knew of one. "Do you think he's still scared of bees? Quailfeather I mean. I remember he was petrified of them when he found a nest in the apprentice den. I wonder if it's lingered"

Honey makes the world go round
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"I suppose that's one of the strange things about growing old." Honeyglow meowed. he murmured. "Every choice...even the ones you questioned bring you to the kind of cat you are now." Every cat was just a measure of their choices and he couldn't complain, not when his own apprentice led ShadowClan.

Honeyglow shifted his paws beneath himself, settling more comfortably against the earth as he half dozed. "Peaceful, yes. Now our only duties are watching...Watching and guiding those younger than us. Storytelling every once and awhile and burying those who left for StarClan."

There was something almost sacred in the simplicity of it. Cats that had once been kits eventually becoming warriors, parents, teachers and leaders... Quailfeather's name made the rusty tom's eye peek out towards her from behind his eyelids.

"I'm scared of bees...mostly because I can't get away as fast anymore." He purred, not bringing up the fact that his muscles and joints ached even more since being ran off by teh Mad Rogue. Back with Redthicket, as an apprentice, bought him time to return to camp for reeinforcements.

"He's got a good set of legs..." He paused, glancing toward Quailfeather as a playfulness entered his gaze. "Perhaps we shouldn't tell him we're wondering."

Every scar, every flaw, and every loss still belongs to the light that makes us whole.

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Eaglecry couldn't stop the old and worn purr of laughter even if she wanted to. She rested her broad face against her ginger tabby brother and gave a purr. "It'll be between us." She hummed, her hearty laugh simmering into a soft purr as Quailfeather greeted the pair with a flick of his tail before returning his attention to Nightwhisper. 

"Even if it seemed like yesterday Quailfeather seemed like an apprentice on his first day out, I'd say he's got a good thing going. Swamppaw likes him and is warming up to others a little more." Her purr deepened to a bit of a rumble before she took a few tongue-swipes overtop of her paws. "Truth be told, I couldn't be more proud, and I see more of Mousewillow in him everyday."

At her own mention of her littermate, Eaglecry softened her eyes, not in sadness, but enjoying the memories shared between herself and Mousewillow, and their secrets that she took to the grave with her. Eaglecry promised to do the same. A sister's promise, and all. 

"I remember when I saved her from that Osprey that one time when we were apprentices. You remember? I came in holding it like a prize and Mousewillow screamed my praises. What a night that was." Eaglecry glanced at her paws, remembering how the feathers looked underneath her claws and let out a breathy huff. "If I remember correctly, Dunestar gave me a full name that night. Not sure if it was that impressive." And even if it were, Eaglecry would still feel like it might not have been. But she saved her sister that day, and in tern, got a nephew out of it. Things seemed to work out pretty well in the end.

Honey makes the world go round
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Honeyglow found himself sinking further into comfort as Eaglecry rested her face against him. His eyes slipped closed again, the old tom's purr rumbling steadily beneath his chest. He could have napped then and there, and maybe he did for a moment or two... Her voice was a familiar sound, much more pleasant than an eagle's cry, that was for sure. Quailfeather would survive the jest, he was certain, but rousing himself to care was another thing. Honeyglow opened one green eye again at the mention of Swamppaw, thinking to spot her nearby. "Palestar doesn't make her mentor choices lightly." Hearing that Swamppaw was warming to others was no small thing. A young cat could find it difficult to find their footing.

Maybe she was right to suspect he was growing to be more like Mousewillow...His gaze dropped toward his paws as he unfurled his toes in a sliding stretch, shifting his weight to more easily accomodate a cuddle. "Dunestar didn't either, when it came down to it." The tom had a michevious streak, but was serious when it counted.

"Eaglercry's got a good weight to it. Honeyglow seems a bit lacking in the bravery department..." He purred with half a laugh, not quite believing what he had said but wanted his sister to reassure him.

Every scar, every flaw, and every loss still belongs to the light that makes us whole.

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At Honeyglow's offer to cuddle, Eaglecry didn't waste time, shuffling closer to her brother and snuggling into the spot made, letting a low purr hum deep withing her throat, almost being able to feel it all over her body. She liked spending time with her kin, even if it was fleeting, there was something about it that made her feel so... happy. With a lack of better words. 

"I think Honeyglow is better. Names don't need to be brave. It just needs to be perfect for you. And I can't see you as anything other than Honeyglow." Eaglecry admitted softly, vibrated by her purr that slowly began to comfortably rattle her body. She rested comfortably... almost too comfortably as her eyes began to close, but quickly fluttered back open as she kept herself awake.

When Eaglecry opened her eyes, she saw the cat in camp, doing their chores, chatting and sharing tongues and smiled softly at the menial hum drum of the camp activities and deepening her almost ever-present purr. "We did good, Honeyglow." She let out a soft sigh and rested her head atop of his own, her eyes shifting over to the clearing as the sounds faded into background noise.

Honey makes the world go round
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Honeyglow's purr deepened as Eaglecry settled against him. "We did." There was no reason for him to disagree and have made peace with the choices he had made. He should really invite Palestar to have a meal sometime with him again soon...

Somewhere nearby came the faint rustle of prey being shifted around the fresh-kill pile which roused a stilled appetite. Still, he gave a contented sigh and his chin dipped towards her. "I'd say we've earned the right to enjoy the results.

"You know..." He began, his voice carrying the lazy warmth of a cat who had just remembered he could eat. "Catching a whiff of the pile made me realize something...I'm hungry."His whiskers twitched in a kitty grin.

Honeyglow slowly stretched his forelegs, claws flexing into the earth before he gathered himself enough to stand. He gave a small shake of his russet pelt, an affectionate crinkle in his rounded tom cheeks. "Come on. Let's share a meal."