Ask to Join Overhanging Quiet

Bloodlines of strength ignite fierce souls
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Wildcry emerged from the medicine den with a visible stiffness to her jaw. The dull ache of a cracked tooth had been bothering her for a few days now and honestly she wouldn't have bothered going to the medicine cat about it but she'd loathe for it to get any worse.

The bitter taste of poppy seed clung to her tongue as she chewed, her amber eye narrowed in mild irritation. Maybe she'd do better with chewing some burdock seed instead...

She paused just outside, letting the morning air hit her face before her gaze lifted, catching sight of the familiar shape perched above the camp. "Gingerthrash." She didn't bother with pleasantries as she padded closer beneath the overhang, craning her neck slightly to look at him. "That woodchuck looks heavy."

It didn't take an empathetic cat to read the weight sitting on his shoulders. She'd seen it before. Felt it too in quieter moments she rarely admitted to.

Bloodlines of strength ignite fierce souls
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At the flick of his tail, Wildcry didn't hesitate. With most of the ease of a warrior and not elder, she crouched and sprang, landing cleanly on the thick branch beside him. She cast a brief glance at the woodchuck. She knew better than to help herself to his meal, and even then she wanted to pause on chewing over tough prey.

"Cracked tooth." She licked her lips, tracing where the fang was marred. "Nothing terrible yet. Tigerrush gave me a poppy seed but sometimes I'd rather the mossy edge of pain than poppy." It was a bit uncomfortable, but it was a dull ache not too dissimilar from a body ache of sorts.

Her gaze drifted out over the camp below. For his age it was a wonder he got up here in the first place, stubborn as he always was. "You're picking at that like it offended you."

Wildcry didn't look at him when she said it, but her tone carried that familiar blunt certainty as he rasped a tongue along her front leg. Wildcry rarely shared tongues with anyone anymore, there was no telling how long it had been for Gingerthrash. Dutifully, and without pity, she started to aim her tongue over towards him hoping to catch his shoulder and chest. "You better make it to Rimepaw's ceremony."

I’m surrounded by idiots...

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Gingerthrash, as much as he detested the affection usually, allowed Wildcry to land a few tongues on his shoulder before turning to her with a sharp, almost defencive look, however it softened slightly at the mention of Rimepaw. Against his better judgment, Gingerthrash was rather fond of the apprentice, sometimes more than his own descendants. "I've still got moons in me, Wildcry." he grumbled before taking another bite of the prey gingerly before chewing slowly, as if Wildcry's cracked tooth came as a warning for him to be careful.

However, Gingerthrash nodded at her apprehension of the poppy. "Pain is a sign we're alive. I'd rather have it than feel nothing." He replied, his amber eyes meeting Wildcry, only now did he notice how alike the two looked. Both the two had the same pelt, same eyes... well eye for Wildcry. He imagined that the only way cats could tell them apart was that the two had their subtle differences. Regardless, he snapped his gaze away.

"Oh, is everyone else eating their prey quickly now? I'd rather eat slowly than have a sore belly and regret later." There was a defensive bite behind his words, as if he was hiding the true reason behind the slow eating and as if he were commanding Wildcry not to pry. The two were similar enough, but Gingerthrash had always had more fire. He wondered if he still would when the time came however...

Bloodlines of strength ignite fierce souls
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Wildcry's tongue stilled as Gingerthrash turned on her but she didn't flinch. She knew never to flinch. At his words about pain she managed a smirk. "Careful. You keep talking like that and I'll start thinking you're volunteering for it."

She let a brief silence settle, watching him take that careful bite. Then came his defensive edge and there it was. Wildcry huffed low and unimpressed.

"Eat it however you want. I don't care." Her tone was honestly blunt like usual. "But don't pretend it's about your stomach." She finally turned her head to look at him fully, eye narrowing just slightly.

"You said it yourself. Pain means you're alive." There was something sharp in her eye, a glint of invitation. A diversion was just what the old tom needed. Without waiting she rose to her paws, claws flexing lightly against the bark.

"Come down and spar with me."

I’m surrounded by idiots...

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Gingerthrash's eyes flared for a moment, about to growl out a snappy reply to Wildcry, but then she stood, then, an almost worn out smirk turned the corners of his muzzle as he followed suit and felt the wood beneath his paws, the cracking sound of the bark felt brittle beneath his paws, scruffy and well-worn from his service. 

The lilac caramel tom, less than gracefully, climbed down from the tree, dragging the half eaten woodchuck with him, the last thing the clan needed was eagles and hawks flying around after some more prey that he could had foolishly left behind. He dropped the prey and guarded it with his tail, the tip flicking over the morsel as if to beg for a challenge for it. But his words spoke nothing of it. "Spar, where?" he asked with his usual curled lip before glancing to the main clearing, eyeing Robinpaw moving her paw through a pile of herbs and picking some leaves from the pile.

His amber eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to make sure that she was doing it right, even though he had no experience in medicine apart from field medicine that his mentor had bore onto him on a young age. "Wasted potential." The pale tom grumbled with an unamused huff before turning to Wildcry, his amber eyes still fiery but less so. "A good spirit wasted on medicine. She would have made a fine warrior."

However, remembering the spar, Gingerthrash perked his ears, rolling his shoulders comfortably before getting ready to spar. "I won't go easy on you just because you're kin." He added with a vigorous flicking of his tail.

Bloodlines of strength ignite fierce souls
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Wildcry dropped from the branch with far more grace than she had any right to at her age. Her eye flicked briefly to the woodchuck as Gingerthrash dragged it down, then away again just as quickly.

At his comment, her gaze followed his toward the clearing, settling on Robinpaw for only a heartbeat. Her expression didn't change much; she had long dismissed the medicine cat's apprentice. "A Clan needs more than claws and teeth. Would you honestly want her breeding anyway?" Her tone was flat and clinical.

"Rimepaw will certainly won't disappoint and Finchpaw has potential. Our bloodline runs thick in this Clan; I am still alive and Kestralswipe will one day become leader of ThunderClan.

Wildcry stepped forward, putting a few tail lengths of space between them. Her stance shifted weight balanced evenly despite the subtle favoring of her jaw and her tail stilled. "I'd be disappointed if you did."

I’m surrounded by idiots...

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"Well we aren't getting any younger" Gingerthrash replied to Wildcry's comment about Robinpaw, and, as if the apprentice was able to hear she was being talked about slipped out of sight. "But, no. If her kits would have been anything like her, she'd have each of them wailing when they get told what's what." The lilac caramel ticked tom stated, flat but honest as he recalled when she was barely able to walk around camp and got frightened by a stern talking to. "Sunstrike coddled her too much for getting sick as a kit. I had expectations for that litter that weren't met. Not yet." his thoughts flickered to Finchpaw, he was yet to prove himself.

Gingerthrash flicked his tail tip when his niece took to mentioning herself and one of her sons. "Alive, yes, you've done you part and done it well. Kestrelswipe has potential yet. I'd understand pride." he replied before flexing his claws into the ground and sheathing them again, even in his arrogance, he wasn't going to break the carnal rule of sparring, at least the one he remembered, soft paws.

With unsuspected speed for his age, he lashed out a forward paw at Wildcry's shoulder, hoping to unbalance her or at least get a step closer to it. Perhaps the element of surprise could have been used, but Wildcry would have expected the unexpected. "But Robinpaw did stand up for herself before wailing to the dark corners when she was small, that's the spirit she should have honed in on." he added with a vigorous flicking of his tail.

Bloodlines of strength ignite fierce souls
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Wildcry more or less shifted her weight at his initial strike. The moment Gingerthrash's paw lashed forward, her weight dippedjust enough for the strike to barely clip her shoulder but this was purposeful. Grant an enemy a hit only if they would be worse off next move.

Instead of retreating like some might have, Wildcry pressed forward to close the distance he tried to steal. Her body angled sharply, shoulder diving forward to try to meet his chest to crowd him with her sudden fury and speed. At the same time her paw swept low and quick toward his foreleg, aiming to knock it out from under him.

His age had slowed him, Wildcry's thoughts were like obsidian. But that didn't mean he was any less worthy of respect...even if he was holding back. "You can thank Rimepaw for that. She did Robinpaw a favor even if it wasn't appreciated in the moment."

I’m surrounded by idiots...

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Gingerthrash's eyes clipped to Wildcry's shoulders as she moved forward, on of them tense for a strike at his paws while she attempted to ram into his chest. A purr rumbled from his belly as he reared his front legs up to avoid the strike to his forepaws, her strike would fall empty as she charged at him and would have been met with air as he took a couple of paces back.

"Rimepaw has tried," Gingerthrash corrected as the tension in the spar grew thicker, he relished in the battle and let another purr free. "However, I doubt it did anything to shake off that cowardice." he added, his paws landing with a small thud that didn't deter him. In fact, the landing pushed a soft half-growl from him as he fell into place in the fake battle.

When the two met face to face again, Gingerthrash wasted no time before lurching his muzzle forward, aiming to clasp his teeth around her shoulder or scruff, if it had been something real, he would have used all his force, but here, it was simply a wrestle with kin, nothing beyond what he had done with Rimepaw. He noticed the similarities as well, Wrentalon would be giving the other mentors a run for their prey.

"Robinpaw is still as soft as she's ever been."

Bloodlines of strength ignite fierce souls
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Wildcry saw the way his muzzle came forward instead of his paws. His teeth brushed fur instead of finding purchase as she dipped her other shoulder and drove forward under his reach. Her flank pivoted, hind legs braced, aiming to shove him off-line again as she measured when she could strike properly.

Her paw flashed out to try and hook his back leg. "StarClan has their work cut out for them - Kestralswipe as leader, Robinpaw as Medicine Cat...We are turning the Clan around." She agreed with a growl. She broke away just as quickly as she'd closed in. Her paws hit the ground in a tight arc as she circled, trying to keep him turning and make him work for every angle.

Her eye flashed, sharp and alive. "You're thinking too much."

I’m surrounded by idiots...

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When Gingerthrash spotted Wildcry slipping under him he lifted up with his hind legs, jumping over the other scarred elder. He met her gaze as she circled him. He hadn't intended to land so hard after his leap, his but the landing made a heavy thud and seemed to make his paws ache, making his his muzzle wrinkle. Seems he wasn't as swift as he was a few moons ago...

"Maybe." Gingerthrash continued to watch Wildcry as she circled, intent to make her work for a blind spot to advance to, he wouldn't give her something like that so easy. "We've got more kin in the ranks than other clans, I'll tell you that." he added, his tail curled to keep the balance as he followed the she-cat's movements, paws throbbing from the force of his leap. How could he let himself get so decrepit?

Gingerthrash, when trying to advance another move to Wildcry, hissed as his paws aimed a haphazard swipe at her, the pain in his paws certainly didn't do his balance any favors... that was for sure. "I think enough to keep me alive. Unless you don't want me to make it to Rimepaw's ceremony." he grumbled, though it seemed more teasing than an actual jab at the other... younger elder.