Of Ashes and Echoes [Tagged]

[Heron]

It was quieter than usual. The sun was set high and the winds were blowing furiously; a clear signal that it was just after mid-day. Prey on the low side of the hill were waiting; eating, unsuspecting. They were not aware -- even after all this time -- that this was a graveyard for them, and that bigger things lurked where they could not see. A predator with incredible patience mounted herself on the top of the hill, watching the meadow which the hill overlooked. Without a care, a silver-furred rabbit raced into the meadow, its nose pressed firmly against the lush grass it grazed. Every now and then it would stop to give the area a scan, and then busy itself with only twitching ears. For the predator, it was time. The long-legged cat broke into a hurried trot, melting into a race as it leaped down into the meadow, claws ready to strike the rabbit. The rabbit, now clearly in danger, bolted for the safety of the trees. The pursuer, however, was a WhisperClan cat; one particularly great at catching rabbits. It was her favorite thing to do, for rabbits were just like she; relying on vibration rather than sound. Instead of the typical noise, this cat heard the annoying hmmm hmm ef ef hm ef in her left ear as she raced after her prey.


WhisperClan could not be outran, and with a wicked leap she bounded and outstretched her body, claws unsheathed for the death blow. However, it was mid leaf-bare, and surely all the prey were smart enough to realize that they were in wicked danger. The rabbit dashed for the hills at the final minute, and the young she-cat gave her best chase. Her chest heaved up and down, blood pounding her ears. No! she scolded herself, slowing down to a stop. It was hard enough to run through the deep snow, but to come to a halt in it was almost impossible. She'd just given up an opportunity to feed her clan in the sickness. Had she done something wrong? Did the rabbit hear something she had not? Her green eyes scanned the area around her; something she'd been internally bred to do, seeing as her bad ear had made her a perfect target for an unsuspecting attack. It was best to look around and rely on eyesight rather than hearing.

Echopaw sat back on her haunches, the cold immediately taking over her body despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Tears stung in her eyes but she controlled herself, trying to make peace with what had happened and how she could not change it now. If only she'd been quicker, stronger...She hadn't been feeling particularly ill, thank Starclan for that. Green cough was nasty and dangerous, and too many lives were lost already. She'd been wanting to get a good catch to bring back to the prey pile.

but that was only part of it. Today, Echopaw knew that Thrushstar had to choose a new mentor for her. Her last one of only two moons had fallen ill and fled, the lack of a medicine cat too scary of a reality. She never had much time to truly bond with him; he'd seemed nice, but with Fangstar's withdrawal and other casualties Whisperclan was hit with it was a wonder if any of the mentors got to spend time with their apprentices at all.

This was bad news for Echopaw. She was already behind on her training at 9 moons and she knew it. Her initial approach to being a warrior was a slow one, and her old mentor had worked with her painfully slowly. Her friends were more advanced than her, and she felt with her rapid hearing loss that she'd somehow never make it to a warrior ceremony.

Empty pawed, Echopaw turned back and headed to camp. Once she was inside, she quickly ducked out of the accusing gaze of the others that liked to wait and see what kind of prey were brought home. Don't be ashamed, everyone knows prey is hard to find. but hunting rabbits were her thing! And she failed! The young cat sat outside the apprentice den and curled her tail around herself, deliberately giving herself a good view of the camp in front of her in case she were approached. Too often cats tried speaking to her from the side, and her horror would melt through her body at the look on their faces when she didn't respond. That wouldn't happen now. Nervously, she tried to watch cats and imagine them as her new mentor. Who could it be?

(Rogue)

[Rogue]

The frigid wind tugged at Ashfrost's long grey fur, only serving to make him more annoyed as he stalked into camp. He had gone out to hunt for the Clan, just as aware as all the other healthy cats that they were short on helping paws. The greencough had swept in like a furious storm, snatching up many of his Clanmates. Many lives had been lost already, leaving the young warrior determined not to lose anymore. It seemed his life was continually full of loss, and it had left him a cold shell of a cat, or so some liked to think.

As the grey-spotted tom headed across the clearing, the thin frost that covered the ground crunching beneath his paws, he thought about the conversation he had had with Thrushstar earlier that day. He had been informed by the new leader of WhisperClan that there was an apprentice by the name of Echopaw who had been left without a mentor, and that since he was one of the few cats left in the Clan without an apprentice, he had decided to pair the two of them up. Ashfrost had greeted this news with silence, staring at his leader with haunting emerald eyes. Thrushstar had taken that as an agreement and sent him on his way.

Casting his eyes around the camp, Ashfrost searched for the young cat he was suddenly responsible for. The thought made him very uneasy. Here was a fragile life that he was supposed to help shape, and he didn't have a very good track record with life in general.

Spotting a young she-cat sitting a few tail-lengths away, he watched her out of the corner of his eye, not moving a muscle. She seemed to be searching for someone as well. Ashfrost veered over toward her, dipping his head a little to meet her gaze as he approached her. "Echopaw?" he asked in his naturally quiet voice, halting in front of her and trying to ignore the sick feeling that had settled in his stomach.

Heron

[Heron]

Echopaw had watched intensely, and her heart began to pound when she was being approached. Echopaw?, the approached asked, and she found herself staring into the eyes of one of Whisperclan's warriors.

It was Ashfrost. She didn't know him very well, but knew who he was and that he, indeed, did not have an apprentice. Was she his apprentice now? She tried not to look nervous or unsettled, so she sat up to meet his eye level squarely and nodded her head respectfully.

Echopaw wasn't a big talker. Her voice was rather pretty and soft, even and cool on a hot day. In leaf bare one might describe it as warm. Her deafness did not leave her with the muffled, too loud voice most deaf cats had; she was partially deaf, and made it her mission from a young age to speak clearly and well. Now, she decided it was well worth it to use words. "Hello," she greeted with a nod, eyeing him closely.

He was rather good looking, with long fur set with hues of gray. It was why he was named Ash, most likely. Her own pelt was rather short, quite the nuisance in the cold weather. She wondered if he was toasty warm.

"Are you my new mentor?" She asked passively, a soft tone in her voice but also a cautiousness that gave away the indication that she was a bit nervous and unsure.

[Rogue]

Echopaw looked up at the sound of his voice, and the expression on her face morphed into one of nervousness. Ashfrost couldn't help but notice how pretty the she-cat was, with her soft-looking white pelt that was covered in blue-grey stripes and her slender frame. The long-furred warrior was suddenly at a loss for what to say. He usually tried to avoid conversation as much as possible, often eating and hunting alone. He silently cursed Thrushstar for thrusting him into this position.

The young apprentice spoke, and Ashfrost was pleasantly surprised at how soft her voice was. He knew about Echopaw's hearing problems, just like most of the Clan did, but she didn't have the stumbling speech of deaf cats. Instead she was very clear-spoken, carefully enunciating each word as if she had practiced. Ashfrost shuffled his paws a little at her hesitant question.

"Yes, I am," he responded, his eyes briefly meeting hers before he averted his gaze. "Not that I had much of a choice in the matter." He felt the need to let Echopaw know that he hadn't chosen this. He hadn't asked for this responsibility. He looked at the young apprentice in front of him and yanked up the walls around his heart, knowing all too well what happened to those he got too close to.

"We're going hunting," he said coolly, turning briskly around. "The Clan needs prey." He stalked off toward the camp entrance without waiting for Echopaw, his feathery tail lashing.

Heron

[Heron]

Echopaw felt both relief and uncertainty at this new information. He was her mentor now? Relief because, finally, she would resume training slowly yet surely. Uncertainty, well, because Ashfrost was already proving to be rather cold shouldered.

Nonetheless, she tried not to take offense and keep an open mind about things. It was in her nature to remain collected, her kit like stubbornness only coming to play in extreme situations.

She followed Ashfrost as he stalked out of camp, not wanting to tell him she'd just been out hunting and felt rather tired. Her own stomach was growling furiously, and she dared not admit she had failed by herself to catch a rabbit.

She breezed up to his right flank, knowing that her left ear would be too dangerous to keep open on the left. It was better if Ashfrost was on her left, scouting for danger and she was clearly able to hear on the right. His large tail seemed to thrash back and forth, and she began to wonder if she said something wrong or if he didn't like her. Maybe he was mad he had an apprentice now; that seemed the likely case. Surely he'd warm up... eventually, right? Her whiskers twitched, and she kept her senses alert while she followed him obediently.


(No need to tag me in each post! I have the thread book marked heh. )

[Rogue]

The soft thudding of paws reached Ashfrost's ears as he padded out of camp, and he glanced over to his right just as Echopaw caught up to him. She had the typical long legs of a WhisperClan cat, so she was easily able to match his wide strides. He continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye as they loped through the wide expanse of meadow that stretched out before them, noting how she kept turning her head to the right, as if she was hearing things on that side only. Curiosity jabbed at his heart like a thorn, and he found himself wondering just how well she was able to hear on her left side.

Ashfrost slowed his fast pace when they neared a certain area of the meadow that was notorious for having plenty of prey. In greenleaf, this part of the meadow overflowed with flowers of all different colors and sizes, making it the perfect place for hungry mice to search for seeds. Since it was the beginning of leafbare now, however, the flowers were long gone, the slender stems of long grass dead and covered with a thin layer of frost. A frigid wind whistled across the flat land around the two cats, and Ashfrost shook out his thick grey-spotted fur, suddenly grateful for the warmth it provided.

"We'll start our search here," he told Echopaw flatly, refusing to look at her and instead lifting his head to taste the air. After a moment of nothing, he caught the faintest whiff of a mouse and unsheathed his claws instinctively, digging them into the frozen ground. "You know how to hunt, I assume," he asked the striped apprentice, although it was more of a statement than a question. Without waiting for her answer, he dropped into a hunting crouch and stalked toward the mouse whose scent he had caught, intently focused.

(Oops, okay, sorry. XD)

[Heron]

Echopaw was silent on her walk with Ashfrost, deciding best to give him his distance and instead focus on the territory around them as they passed. When they entered the field, The young apprentice gave a quick look over. The ground was nearly frozen, and she highly doubted there would be much prey.

However, Ashfrost quickly seemed to sense something. He rather boldly assumed she knew how to hunt- and, yes, she did. Rabbits were her favorite but a leaf bare specialty, and the chances of finding another one was scarce. Instead, she turned from her mentor and set on her own path.

Her coolness seemed to short wire, and she wondered why he was being so frigid to her so quickly. Was he always that way, or was he hard to get along with for the first time? The white, blue striped she-cat followed her own scents trail, jaw open as she tasted the air. A lot of stale prey scents, and she knew it was because the prey were always more alert in desperate times for the clans.

WHen she picked up a hint of vole she turned to look at her new mentor, who was still hot on a trail of his own. She realized that he was on her left still, so if he were to call out she was afraid she wouldn't hear him. He probably just wants to be left alone. She thought to herself. She turned back and followed the vole hint, creeping along the frosted meadow slowly but surely. Her lean, long legs started to ache with her concentration. However, after moments of stalking, she could tell that the vole had passed too quickly and she likely wouldn't be able to follow it further without losing sight of Ashfrost..... but he did ask her to hunt, right?-- Something strong and powerful hit her nose.

She turned and noticed where the strong stench was wafting from; there, to her right, was a small black creature. Curious, she stepped closer.

Echopaw had never seen maggots before. She didn't know what to make of the sight before her: a large black bird, like a crow, curled up. It had been ripped open by something, and Echopaw could see its chest and bones beneath its shiny black feathers. It was also half-frozen, though the maggots that lay in the middle were not bothered. They squirmed like little white worms.

Echopaw's ears lay flat against her head, the rotting smell clogging up her senses. How could anyone ever get a scent so strong out of their nose?

[Rogue]

The mouse was a scrawny thing with tiny ribs that showed through its stringy brown fur, but it was prey that could feed the queens and kits of the Clan, and so Ashfrost was very careful to place his paws silently upon the frozen ground. The mouse's delicious taste filled his jaws, and the long-furred grey tom forced himself to wait for the right moment to strike. The mouse scuttled across the dead grass just a few tail-lengths away, and when it paused to sniff at a small piece of seed, Ashfrost seized the opportunity. He exploded forward, his paws closing around the mouse and pinning it down. A swift nip to the back of the mouse's neck ended the hunt, and the grey warrior sat up with it dangling from his jaws, allowing a rare feeling of pride to spread through his heart. It was just a mouse, but it would help feed some hungry cat.

Ashfrost's moment of triumph was suddenly cut short when he realized that he could no longer see Echopaw. A small spark of worry ignited within him, and he quickly buried the mouse as best he could in the cold soil before setting out to search for her. He halted atop a small rise and glanced around the flat meadow, his fur beginning to bristle when he still couldn't spot his new apprentice. "Echopaw?" he called out, but his voice was ripped away by the wind.

Where is she? Ashfrost parted his jaws, and was slightly relieved when he caught Echopaw's sweet scent. He sprang off the small hill and set off across the frozen meadow, trying to resist the urge to run. He rounded a dead tree, one of the few that dotted the meadow, and pricked his ears when he spotted the blue-striped apprentice standing a few tail-lengths away, leaning over something.

"Echopaw!" he shouted, increasing his pace until he drew up beside her. "What in StarClan's name are you doing? I couldn't find you, and I thought-" The grey warrior stopped talking abruptly when he noticed what the she-cat was staring at. "Mousedung," he cursed, curling his lip in disgust.

[Heron]

Echopaw had been, unfortunately, a victim to what most deaf and partially deaf people are victim to; when her name was being called, she couldn't answer because she had no idea. After several long moments of studying the crow, a buzzing in her left ear made her turn her head sharply...just in time to see Ashfrost running up on her. For half a second, she almost jumped in surprise. Rats! She hated the idea of someone sneaking up on her, and usually went to lengths to avoid it. Even a trusted clanmate couldn't be turned back on without a watchful eye.

"....are you doing? I couldn't find you, and I thought-" came into earshot and she stepped back from the crow without a word, looking down on it with sad and disgusted eyes. What was Ashfrost going to say? Thought what had happened? Instead of speaking, she let the crow-food (well, sort of) speak for itself. It wasn't exactly common to find these sorts of things unless a rogue was hunting on clan territory -- her old mentor had told her that once, when she had been newly apprenticed. but she and Ashfrost were so far from the border, surely there'd be no cat trespassing this deeply.

She turned to look at Ashfrost, her voice soft. "I lost scent of a vole, and found this. Could there be enemies around?" The well-mannered cat asked him bluntly, her green gaze boring into him worriedly. Between the small distance she had put between her and the crow, she could smell fresh kill on her mentor's muzzle; unfortunately, her concern for their safety outshined the fact that he had made a kill for the clan.

What other sorts of enemies could have done this? A fox, a badger, a dog, another crow? The possibilities were endless, but there was one that Echopaw was afraid to propose. The idea of one of their own hunting and eating for themselves and leaving the carcass in the meadow. Whisperclan were not that desperate, and warriors knew better than to eat when there were sick queens and kits to feed first. A misinformed apprentice, then? Her mind buzzed, but she was still searching Ashfrost's face for any giveaway answers.

[Rogue]

The overwhelming scent of the rotting bird caused Ashfrost to recoil, his green eyes filling with disgust. Anytime crow-food was found wasn't pleasant, but the maggots that were writhing around in the bird's insides somehow made the entire thing even worse. Ashfrost slowly padded closer to the carcass and bent his head toward it, wanting to get a closer look. He made sure to hold his breath, not wanting a repeat of what had happened moments before. His emerald gaze traveled over the ripped flesh and shattered bones, his thick fur beginning to bristle. He had seen these teeth and claw marks before. He parted his jaws and took a deep breath, trying his best not to gag when the rotting scent filled his jaws once again. Sure enough, he detected a faint remnant of a scent that caused a chill to run through his bones.

Snapping his head up, Ashfrost quickly scanned the surrounding area, unsheathing his claws and digging them into the frozen ground. Every rise in the terrain, every hidden place, now seemed like a threat as large as a twoleg monster. "Badger," he spat, lashing his tail in anxiety and slight fear. He quickly moved so that he was right next to Echopaw, his long fur brushing against her short striped pelt. Flashbacks of encountering a badger when he was an apprentice began to pop up in his head, and he tried his hardest to push them away. A good cat had been lost that day, and he was determined not to allow a badger to take another.

"We have to get back to camp," he told Echopaw, every nerve of his body firing with adrenaline. "We have no idea where it could be, but it's obviously close by. Stay close to me, and don't wander off again."

He had just taken a few pawsteps forward when the wind shifted, and an extremely strong, very familiar scent struck him right in the face. Every instinct that he had was screeching for him to run, to get out of there, but he knew that he couldn't. He whipped around, green eyes widening in horror at the sight of a huge badger lumbering from behind the same dead tree that he had rounded only a few minutes earlier. It was stalking us.

"Echopaw!" he yowled, springing between the young she-cat and the badger, which had already locked its beady black eyes on the two cats. "Run!"

[Heron]

Ashfrost's behavior changed rather quickly, and when he bristled Echopaw found herself suddenly fearful. Were there real dangers out in the field? She'd been alone just earlier before with no issues- surely there'd be nothing to worry about now? but to her dismay, her newly appointed mentor quickly came to her side, pressing his body against hers. Her heart pounded, and she could feel the blood drain from her face down to her stomach. She tried her best not to cower, but she felt incredibly small against the older warrior. "Badger."

Badgers were nasty creatures, and kits knew this from the time they were born. Echopaw knew it, too, though she'd never seen one in the flesh before or encountered their vicious attacks. Don't wander off..again? She felt her whiskers twitch in annoyance, despite the danger that a badge could pose them. She'd been hunting, not stalking off; yet she obeyed, slinking close to him and listening intently.

They'd barely began padding forward when Ashfrost went very still. As the wind passed over him and filled her nostrils, she'd known why. A very horrible-smelling scent wavered over her and she turned just as a badger rounded from behind them. She'd never known how large a badger truly was, but it had an advantage over an average sized clan cat. "Run!" she heard, loud and clear, as her own mentor staggered forward to throw himself on top of the badger as it lunged.

She turned and started to run, but found herself holding back. There was no way she'd make it back to camp, and if she did, all she'd find were sick cats. There was no medicine cat, no medicine cat apprentice, and their new leader Thrushstar had yet to appoint them a deputy. They were vulnerable, and Ashfrost would die by himself. 9 moons had toughened her and built her up, the apprentice looking less like a kitten and more like a warrior; somewhere caught in between. She had size to offer, and she knew it. She had claws to offer. She had teeth to offer.

She'd put just little distance between the quarreling Ashfrost, the badger, and she when she halted and turned back around. Her legs carried her more quickly than she could imagine and did something she never thought would happen so soon-- she pounced on top on the fumbling mess of flying fur and ear-deafening hisses. The stench of badger and blood was in her nose, but she found it within her to bite down hard on the black and white creature that was already fighting her mentor. Together the three of them were in battle, and Echopaw heard a soft voice inside her head saying You mouse-brain, you should've ran!

[Rogue]

Ashfrost didn't even hesitate to hurl himself at the badger. It was a threat, and it had to be eliminated before it hurt Echopaw or any of the cats back at the camp. He dodged the large snapping jaws and managed to sink his teeth into the badger's shoulder, the sharp taste of coppery blood filling his mouth. He scrabbled for purchase with his paws, managing to dig his claws into the thick black and white fur. The badger's horrible scent filled his nostrils, and his heart was pounding with fear despite the killing rage that had filled the grey warrior's head.

The badger lurched backward suddenly, causing Ashfrost's claws to rip free. Before he could grab hold again, the badger threw itself to the right, dislodging his teeth from its shoulder. Ashfrost hit the hard ground on his side, but quickly got up again, just as the badger swung at him with a huge paw. For a moment he froze, remembering a time when this exact thing had happened, long ago. but there was no mentor to save him, and he wasn't so small and helpless anymore. He darted right under the badger's paw, but his hesitation cost him. One of the badger's razor-sharp claws caught him right under his right eye, just barely missing the emerald orb. Crimson blood poured down into Ashfrost's eye, momentarily blinding him, but he managed to crack the badger in the face with a clawed paw, leaving deep gouges in its muzzle. It recoiled in pain, and he took the opportunity to attack once again, digging his teeth into the badger's shoulder again and tearing at it with his claws.

The grey warrior wasn't stupid. He knew that taking on the badger alone meant certain death. Already he was beginning to tire, the adrenaline pumping through his veins the only thing that was keeping him going. The slash by his eye stung horribly, and blood was still dripping down the side of his face. At least Echopaw got away. The young apprentice would have a chance at life, at becoming a warrior. He hadn't had a chance to tell her, perhaps because he had been so busy trying to distance himself from her, but he admired her dedication and refusal to give up.

The badger suddenly lurched forward, nearly throwing Ashfrost off again, and he was confused when it let out a roar of pain. That's when he saw the flash of white and blue-striped fur that had sprang onto the badger's back and was now ripping at it with her teeth and claws. Echopaw!

[Heron]

Admittedly, the energy that Echopaw was using came from nowhere. She had been starving, frightened, and caught off guard; so what kind of power had awakened inside of her to get the strength to be on top of a badger, fighting tooth and nail? She couldn't hear a thing except for the hissing of the badger in her ears - both of them! - and struggled to get a tight grip on the badger to allow Ashfrost to deal another blow. She had covered almost no fighting techniques with her previous mentor-- she was fighting purely by instinct. Her teeth sank into the flesh of the badger's shoulder, and the young apprentice tugged as hard as she could. Blood pooled in her mouth and she spit it furiously.

Her mind was nearly blind, working so quickly she wondered how this would end. With both she and Ashfrost dead? Only one of them? No. They could do this. They would, for Whisperclan. They had to kill this badger. She reached for the badger's face and was horribly aware that her claws were now sinking into the corners of its eyes. Naturally, the creature hissed with menace and spat out of a bunch of badger-like words that Echopaw couldn't understand.

She could only hope now that Ashfrost wasn't too seriously injured and could strike the badger again. How long did they fight for; until they died? Until enough was enough? She desperately wished they could drive it back off the land, running for wherever it came from and beyond. She pounced off of the back of the badger and was sent tumbling against the frozen floor. She scrambled to get her footing and looked for Ashfrost, noting he still was closer to the badger than she was.

[Rogue]

Knowing that Echopaw hadn't gotten away and had instead leapt into the fray gave Ashfrost a rush of newfound strength. She was in danger again, and it was his job-no, his responsibility-to keep her safe. He dug his teeth deeper into the thick, muscular flesh of the badger's shoulder, determined not to let any harm come to the young apprentice. The badger let out a howl of agony, and drops of hot blood splattered onto the top of Ashfrost's head. For a moment he panicked, thinking in horror that it might be Echopaw's, but then he saw that blood that was streaming from the badger's eyes. Echopaw had gotten a good blow in. The badger was nearly blinded from the blood in its eyes, causing it to flail more desperately. Out of the corner of his eye, Ashfrost saw Echopaw go tumbling to the ground. Worry sparked in his heart, but was soothed when he saw her immediately get up.

Now was his chance. The badger was blinded and Echopaw was out of harm's way for the moment. He had to end this before she entered the fight again and got hurt. Ignoring the stinging pain in the slash by his eye, Ashfrost released the badger's shoulder. The badger reared back on its hind legs and swung a heavy paw at the grey warrior again, but he had anticipated this, and he darted to the side out of the way, swinging in an arcing pattern. Seeing his opportunity, Ashfrost threw himself at the badger's chest, barreling into it at the same time that his teeth closed in the badger's vulnerable throat. Cat and badger went crashing to the ground, and Ashfrost dug his claws into the soft belly of the badger, managing to stay on top of it. The badger's shrieks of pain soon turned into gurgles as blood filled its throat, and after a few dying thrashes it finally stopped moving.

Never one to be reckless, Ashfrost stayed on top of the badger for a good minute after it stopped moving, his teeth still gripping its throat. Finally convinced that it was over, the grey warrior sprang off of the black and white body, stumbling a little once he hit the frozen ground. He was exhausted, though he tried his best not to show it as he limped over to Echopaw, the fur on the right side of his face matted down with his own drying blood. "Are you hurt?" he rasped, his muzzle and paws caked with the badger's blood.  He gave her short white pelt a careful sniff and was relieved when he didn't smell the sharp scent of blood on her fur.

[Heron]

Despite her little to no training and absolute zero combat experience, for some reason Echopaw could tell when a fight needed to be intervened and when it didn't. She watched her mentor finish off the badger with a sense of horror and unease, knowing full well that any moment could be one of Ashfrost's lasts. Her heart pounded and she could not, for the life of her, remove the image of the blood splattered gray and black/white mess that was the Whisperclan warrior and the enemy badger. She stepped forward cautiously, failing to realize she had even helped a bit at all in the fight.

When it was over, Echopaw felt her heart steady. Her mentor - her own mentor! - stood on top of his new kill; the dead badger laying sprawled across the meadow. She glanced around and saw that the once frozen ground was splattered with hot blood, and she could see bits of fluff that was Ashfrost's grey fur. When he approached her after several moments of making sure it was dead, Echopaw felt herself curl inside of her own heart. She wasn't expecting praise. She wasn't expecting anything, really. What happened now that they both walked away; her unscathed but him wounded?

She tried not to flinch as he got near her. She couldn't hear very well, her always-accurate concentration muddled by the roaring of adrenaline, fear, and blood rush. His voice sounded like a low murmur, but after staring at him for a few moments she realized that he probably, logically, asked if she was injured. She didn't reply, only studied his face closely and how he bled. Until now, she hadn't realized the true sacrifice it meant to be a warrior. Ashfrost had picked up the badger's scent immediately, and with his perfect hearing had heard it charging right for them. I'll never be able to do that. It would have killed me, it was moving so quickly...and I couldn't hear a thing...

To his question, she shook her head slightly, eyeing the badger body nervously. She simply ducked her head and closed her eyes, taking a few moments to allow her hearing to come to par once more. When it did, she looked back at her bloody mentor. "We should get you something for your wounds." She suggested honestly, out of nowhere. Her tone was mild and collected, with a sad hint to it that Ashfrost may or may have not been able to detect. She stepped back from him and his gaze, and instead looked out over the meadow where the trees began, where she knew they might find cobwebs or some sort of berry to help his bleeding and open cuts.