#s://i~ibb~co/HdkBJdc/silver~png

Silverheart was exhausted.

It'd been a stupid idea, really, to come out this far alone. He had to set off early in the morning, before the sun properly rose, to make his way to RidgeClan's island. The first chunk of the journey hadn't been terrible, but the second part was draining, especially once he entered territory he hadn't walked through since before his accident. Each time Silverheart came out here to test his limits he went farther and father. Today, he was hoping to make it to the island.

Except his stamina left a lot to be desired once he reached the fallen trunk, so he plopped to the ground instead of crossing, unsure of how long it'd take to recover from his hike.

It wouldn't be a failure to turn around at this point. This was the farthest he'd walked since his injury and it was an accomplishment all on its own just to get here. Just... Silverheart had the thought that if he could make it to the island, then he would be strong enough to make it to the gathering place, and could join his clan at the next moon's gathering. Maybe he needed a little more patience. Maybe leaf-bare wasn't the right time for such things.

He sighed. Then, just before accepting it would be time to give up, a familiar scent caught his attention. He scrunched up his face, wondering what Juniperbelly was doing out here alone, before his stomach churned with the thought that she wouldn't want him fussing. Maybe Foxflight and Shadowgaze were making attempts to be friends again, but that didn't mean all his friends wanted that.

Still, she sounded upset. He couldn't make out her words from this distance, muffled by the river, but he could at least hear her tone. Swallowing back his nerves, Silverheart slowly crossed the bridge, relieved to find it steady under his feet. "Juniperbelly?" He called out once he saw her familiar pelt through the gaps in some bare underbrush. "Is everything alright?" This was a bad idea. She was going to snap at him.

At least he made it to the island.

#s://i~ibb~co/HdkBJdc/silver~png

"Oh! Hiya, Sliverheart!"

Huh - what?

Juniperbelly squealed. She squealed. It was a noise of delight and joy, like she truly felt both of those things at seeing him, despite the many moons it'd been since they last spoke. Silverheart couldn't process it, nor could he process the questions that followed her greeting. Instead, he stared dumbly at the she-cat, letting her ramble on about the squirrel. It was only after she announced her plan did he manage to remember how to speak.

"Juniperbelly-"

"Alright, Sliverheart, time for you to hide and watch me chase this squirrel!" Did she not realize he couldn't hunt? Since returning to the warriors' den, Silverheart still hadn't had any success with catching something. And in the midst of leaf-bare, he didn't think it was smart to waste potential prey by getting himself involved. That squirrel could feed at least two cats, should Juniperbelly be able to catch it.

Should, of course, being the operative word. The squirrel scampered off as Juniperbelly slid to the ground. Silverheart's paws ached in sympathetic pain to the bark that likely scraped Juniperbelly's skin, now stuck between her claws. "Are you alright?" He asked, disarmed enough by her friendliness to come closer. "We haven't hunted together in a while, but I never knew you to be bested by a squirrel."

A tease. He was teasing her. It was gentle, like when they were young. Would she grow cross? Forget the delight she had at seeing him moments ago? Become angry with him, suddenly remembering they weren't friends, and hadn't been for ages? Or maybe... Maybe she would smile and laugh like she used to.

Ancestors, he hoped she laughed.

#s://i~ibb~co/HdkBJdc/silver~png

The look on Juniperbelly's face made his blood run cold. He'd never seen her look that stoic, even during the tensest parts of the moons where their friendship fell out. And then, just as suddenly as the expression crossed her face, it dissipated. The air between them was filled with her joyous laughter, a sound so beautiful to him it brought pinpricks of tears to the corner of his eyes.

"I would think catching an ancestor is more impressive than a bird," he said, managing to squeeze the words out through his tight vocal chords. He cleared his throat after speaking, letting Juniperbelly go on her ramble about the squirrel, which quickly blended into seemingly endless questions about their old friends.

"I have here and there, but sometimes they just walk away from me when I approach."

His heart ached in solidarity. Had he not noticed how abandoned Juniperbelly felt, too? Once, they'd been on opposite sides of a pointless, terrible war. But now Silverheart was realizing they were more alike than he thought - swept up in their beliefs, only to be left behind by the cats they thought loved them most. "Sorrelstripe is as sharp as always." He smiled, his voice much looser than moments ago. "And I've talked to Foxflight and Shadowgaze," he said softly. "They seem well." Shadowgaze, unlike in their youth, was impossible for him to understand. But he was happy enough that they were speaking again.

"I was originally thinking of maybe grabbing that squirrel and taking it to him as a gift, but now that it's gone, I have no idea."

Resolution filled his chest. "It seems we'll have to find another squirrel," he said. "So you can bring it to him. I'm not much for hunting lately, but my senses are still sharp. I'll help you track something down." Except, after the noise Juniperbelly just made, it would be a few minutes before they could hunt again. The forest needed to settle first. "Have you been keeping yourself busy lately?"

#s://i~ibb~co/HdkBJdc/silver~png

An apprentice? After a brief consideration, Silverheart thought Juniperbelly would be just the sort of mentor a young cat would want. She was excitable and energetic - perfect for keeping up with young cats. And she always seemed to have a fresh idea of how to spend her day. No apprentice would get bored with a mentor like that. Maybe a very serious apprentice would struggle with Juniperbelly, but he'd been a serious apprentice, and even he thought he would warm up under her attention.

Still, he could see why Mushroomstar was hesitant. There weren't many apprentices right now - though there would be, when new-leaf and green-leaf came, he hoped - but there were plenty of experienced RidgeClan warriors who deserved an apprentice. Calmer ones, too. It was easy to see a leader being concerned about Juniperbelly's focus. "You're right, he's probably waiting for the right apprentice."

"There seems to be a lot going on around camp, especially after the Kingdom, so I'm trying to see if anyone needs help with anything!" Mention of the Kingdom seemed to come from nowhere. Silverheart blinked, then chuckled. Maybe he couldn't follow Juniperbelly's thought process, but he could at least appreciate that she was trying to be helpful. "Do you know of anything that someone might need help with?"

"That's a good question. I know Rainstorm always needs help with collecting herbs, especially in leaf-bare." He nodded, agreeing with himself. "She's only one cat. She can't check the whole forest for whatever herbs survive the snow." Sometimes he helped her, but lately he'd been focused on retraining himself. Walking long distances. Sparring a little. Tracking. No hunting, not yet.

The thought occurred to him practically as he spoke it. "I could use help, actually," he said. "I've been looking for sparring partners who'll take it easy on me while I learn how to spar with one less leg." Not that the leg was gone, it just felt like dead weight most of the time. "I'm not a proper apprentice, but you could think of it as practice for one?"