[ti]Private[/ti]BUZZCUT SEASON

[beatae]

It had been far too long since she allowed herself the moment to be on her own. Alone and away from camp. Away from tasking young warriors with their apprentices. Away from excited and rambunctious apprentices doing what they can to impress. Mewling kits and cooing queens. Things appeared so calm... So quiet outside. The heart of camp was truly overwhelming compared to the soft nature of her land. 

The ginger she-cat took in a long breath, exhaling slowly as she enjoyed her time alone. Her ear twitched as an oncoming pair approached for training in the area and she took that as the moment to move on, progressing closer to the MothClan border. Their scent sent her ears pricked and alert, tail high as her eyes scanned over the other side carefully. While the terrain was flatter and gave more room, Leafswirl wouldn't put it passed a MothClan cat to still sneak around. 

She found nothing, fortunately, and kept on going, keeping her nose high and alert. 


pants

[pants]

Grizzledwolf marked the tree, a few mouselengths from their original border. After the fact, his golden eyes gazed to see if anyone had saw. MothClan was going to need more territory, now that they were taking in the rouges in order to fight off RootClan. More mouths to feed? Well, someone was gonna have to pay for it. IvyClan had been seemingly able to miss most of the harsh reality that had been hitting the rest of the clans. They won't miss a few inches of border, right?

The massive smoke tom continued on the path along the MothClan and IvyClan border, chest puffed out, ears alert, brows furrowed, and tail subtly waving back and forth. He was on the prowl, searching for anyone who would dare challenge him. An elite warrior.

Grizzledwolf then spotted a familiar ginger pelt and stood still, standing tall. He looked a bit harder, trying to figure out who was so close to their border. Did he dare to speak? It would risk him getting caught by a patrol. But it was just IvyClan. Would could come of it?

"Who's there?" The tom called out in his gruff, rumbling voice, taking a few steps closer to the other cat. You realize this is the MothClan border, correct?"

[beatae]

A sharp inhale left her chest feeling cold. Of course she would recognize that voice. So... so much like his fathers. Leafswirl took only a few moments, feeling like dragging moons, as she prepared herself for something she only long dreamt of. Though those dreams always ended so harshly... Even in her imaginative state reality became all too real.

The ginger tabby exhaled just as sharply, turning on her heel to become now face-to-face with the tom. She lifted her chin high seeing her scarred son, her face unreadable as she looked him up and down. Her gaze, normally warm and loving, now blank.

"It's a shared border, my dear. I am on my side, you are on yours. Or did your father tell you different?" She spoke like a stern mother still, even after all these moons. Grizzledwolf, her lone son, yet her greatest disappointment. She should have tried harder to keep him from the clutches of a greedy father.

Leafswirl slowly turned to pad around to his side, assessing him, but mostly curious to see what he had grown up to be. So much evidence of battle... Where did her soft little kitten go?

"Good afternoon, Grizzledwolf." She officially greeted him with. So formal. The loss of a motherly touch. It stung to speak to him this way, it truly did, but as much as she detested it... Her son was an enemy at the end of the day. "How are things fairing for you in MothClan? Have you reached the ambitions Smokewhiskers placed upon you?"

[pants]

She made her face known.

The ginger pelt. The fact she was in IvyClan. It should have clicked for him, but it didn't until she had turned around, and spoke to him like he was still a kit. Grizzledwolf stared at his mother, his brows furrowed further, golden eyes burned as she told him off, as if he didn't know where the borders were.

"Oh. It's just you." Grizzledwolf scoffed with his usual gruff tone, a sneer accompanying his greeting. His tail's tip twitched in irritation. Of all the cats he had to run into, why Leafswirl? The large smoke tom continued to stand tall, determined to stand his ground. The mother and son had never really had much of a good relationship. Smokewhiskers always favored his only son, pushing him to be better. Better than his sisters, who were obviously inferior. Better than his clanmates, who were no match for the tom's strength and size. Leafswirl tried to pull him down from the greatness he was obviously destined to achieve. Why else would his father have pushed him so hard?

"You better mind your tongue," Grizzledwolf warned, "If Eveningstar knew you were backtalking one of his Elite warriors, he would have your pelt." The tom growled, stepping forward with a large paw. He might have been weak and soft in his apprenticeship, but the large warrior was determined to show Leafswirl that he was now a brave and respected warrior, recognized by his own leader. It wasn't quite the position he wanted, but any sort of power was better than no power in his mind. And if Grizzledwolf had to be more aggressive, more intimidating to show off that power, then so be it. He wasn't going to let anyone stop him.

[beatae]

Oh, it hurt hearing the way he spoke to her. There was absolutely nothing more painful to a Leafswirl than being hated by her own child, but it was a pain she had to endure. The bitterness that dripped with his words. It seemed like ages ago when she last heard the love in Grizzlewolf's voice. Only back when he was a kit, before Smokewhiskers had become something she was never aware of before.

While it was fruitless for wishing things had been different, in this moment she absolutely did. She wished they weren't facing each other on opposing sides, looking at the other as enemies. She could only hope one day her son would come to his senses. But alas, he was stuck idolizing the wrong cats. Cats on the wrong side of history.

Leafswirl couldn't help but roll her eyes at his warning, twitching her tail as she sat down. She did not feel terribly threatened by him. He had never done anything to harm her physically.

"Eveningstar has enough enemies and wars as it is. He doesn't have the warriors to spare to begin another." The ginger she-cat scowled. An elite warrior? What an accomplishment. "So you're his errand-boy? Hunting down innocent little RootClan cats trying to live like the rest of us? Oh how brave of you Grizzledwolf. Really, bravo. So brave taking on the weak and sick who can't even fight back." She absolutely detested the fact they wouldn't leave those cats alone. They had gone through enough as it was.

"Is your father at least proud? Did you finally get that little pat on the shoulder you've been begging for? That smidgen of approval that's taken... oh, how many moons?" Leafswirl couldn't help but scoff, thinking of how her former mate had dragged her kit so far down a rabbit hole. "Ridiculous. You shouldn't have to dedicate your efforts to that. I always was proud of you, but that never seemed to be enough..." Her voice quieted as she trailed off, her gaze becoming distant.

"You could have lived so much happier." She murmured, looking away from him with a sigh.