Lost Creek Hollow Dismayed I'm a later bloomer

It had taken him a while to do it, but Crowfeather had finally built a protected herbal cache for @Faun. It would not hold as many as her main stock, of course. He didn’t intend for it to. It was simply a cluster of important herbs and items that could be used closer to the border of the hollow. Riverclan might have visitors, he’d thought. There had been wolves who had tried to invade his home clan, as well. Best to be prepared for anything.

The coverage it had was ideal. Nothing would leak in and destroy the plants he’d gathered. They were tucked back in a small damp pocket where stone and moss had come together to make a stowaway hole. It would never be large enough for a wolf to hide, but it did a fine job with greener things.

Injuries are fine since she's trespassing!

Father Fire was weak in this land.
Back when she was Ophelia, the girl could not have imagined living without his wrathful gaze on her. Certainly not for lack of wishing, for she had secretly hated the Father ever since he stole her dear Rose. It simply seemed unthinkable. She could never have guessed, would never have thought that reality itself would be so different in other places.
And absolutely nothing could have prepared her for all of this freezing cold... white stuff. It cluttered the ground and clung to the plants and trees — so very many trees! Oh, it was all different here.
And the closer she got to the trees, the more wolves she smelled here. The hair along her back rose, unsettled by the clash between this information and her own instincts. She ought to leave; there were too many strange wolves here to be safe. Yet she couldn't help but wonder; what would make a wolf stay in one place for so long? Did it have something to do with Father Fire's absence?
Was this what wolves did when they didn't have to spend their whole lives running?
Oblivious to the danger she was in, the girl in the reverie wandered through the claimed territory like a child in a wonderland. She turned all around, trying to see the sky through the trees and knocking white stuff from the plants just to see what would happen.
She didn't expect to run into someone so soon. She definitely didn't expect to see him fussing over some mossy stone that smelled like herbs. It was all so strange, she didn't stop to think about it for a moment. But she never really did that anyway, did she?
Hello, She greeted the dark wolf as if their meeting were the most natural thing in the world. He smelled like the trees — or rather, they smelled like him. What did you do to this place? Why does it smell like you?

The dark wolf had not considered that he would be forced to defend his home from potential invaders and trespassers. The little fighting experience he had was all negative. It hung in his head like a doomsday cloud, thick and ominous. The only thing that fighting had done was take from him.

When an unfamiliar face appeared to him, Crowfeather froze. The gold of his eyes widened before sharpening on the blonde figure. She had come so far into the hollow without being caught, he thought to himself in fear. The words she spoke suggested that she understood the marking scents, the intent to claim the terrain as a clan. Either it did not deter her, or the woman was oblivious to its meaning.

Hackles prickled defensively.

Th-This is Riverclan territory. You are trespassing.

If his voice had not cracked, he might have stood a chance at sounding imposing. Instead, he sounded surprised. The three-legged shadow took a step toward the stranger. Warriors were meant to defend their land, he was forced to remind himself.

You must leave, his lip curled over his teeth.

perhaps her brief time as servant in akashingo had sharpened silvertongue. crowfeather warned. but she blindly appeared from the rear, materializing like a rogue in green shadow, and struck for the hinds of the interloper. no one could invade her beloved riverclan, nor threaten crowfeather. she did not strike to main, only to trip or topple. and she looked in horror and surprise at herself to him in the next moment!

Something she said, something she did, must have been wrong; he was angry with her, angry and shocked by whatever she had done. He said things that the girl did not immediately understand, but she could begin to figure it out. She was not meant to be here.
Trespassing...? She echoed, dismayed and confused by the implication. She took a step back. What...?
Then something hit her, a bolt of pain followed by the unnerving sensation of the earth rushing up to meet her. The girl hit the ground, dazed but just panicked enough to regain her footing almost immediately. She stepped back shakily, eyes darting between the two strangers. None of it made sense.
But this place was dangerous. The girl could not stay here. She continued to back away, watching them carefully. If they moved toward her, she would bolt; otherwise, she would put several yards between them before turning and running for safety. If she could only make it away from all the trees, maybe they would leave her alone.

Silvertongue’s appearance was like a flash of lightning. She rushed forward, confident in her approach-

She was going so fast, he thought with a sickening in his stomach. The three-legged wolf recoiled when the girl found her mark. The stranger had been knocked to the ground, roughly. It must have been with enough momentum that she was able to rise. Crowfeather’s mouth felt like it had been filled with dandelion flowers. He couldn’t swallow. He couldn’t speak. The dark wolf just wanted this girl to leave.

It seemed that her intentions were good enough – she hurried a few paces from them. The fearful look in her eyes had made Crowfeather sick. He didn’t think that he could do this. As a boy, he had only ever wanted to be a warrior. Standing there, watching Silvertongue respond so quickly, he did not think that he had ever been intended to fight or defend.

A shaky breath was exhaled from his nose. He would make sure that the stranger left. Crowfeather did not want a fight on their lands, not before they had even settled it. The tripod lowered his head and darted toward the trespasser. His teeth snapped with no intention of finding flesh, but the hopes that he might frighten her into racing away.

"oh!" but wasn't he upset? she ran, not clicking teeth, until the adrenaline of the moment left her and she shook and slowed. what had she done? there had been no true harm! but what if the stranger had meant to fight? she was no fighter. silvertongue took off again until she had caught up with crowfeather. "she won't be back." she tried to urge them both to a stop.

This will be my last post!

They started toward her again, and she was running before she could think about it. She didn't know what she'd done wrong. Or, maybe she did, but she didn't understand it. Wolves didn't own trees in The Gilded Sea. They didn't chase each other off like this. It was wrong.
But this wasn't The Gilded Sea at all. Maybe she was wrong. She couldn't get the image of their shock out of her mind. It was all she could think about as she ran, putting as much distance between them as her smarting hind legs could bear.

Thank you for writing with us! <3

Just as quickly as she had appeared, the trespasser was gone. Her legs had carried her away from Riverclan, hurrying the ground in her escape.

When she had vanished from his sight and Crowfeather realized that Silvertongue was there, speaking to him, he slowed to a panting stop. His honey warm gaze turned to her. Surprise still lingered on his features. It had not settled, yet. The young shadow still felt the bursting adrenaline in his veins. He had done nothing to aid Silvertongue and yet his nerves were heightened, keenly aware of everything around them.

You knocked her down, he said softly, voice light with uncertainty. The tripod must have looked foolish or weak, to stand there attempting to chat with a trespasser. He felt himself grow warm with shame. What if Silvertongue had not appeared? Would he have left an impression that their land was open to trespassers?

I- I was stupid.

<3!

"no! no! i was too fast , i — maybe cost us someone. or it could have been worse." her heart was racing. tears sprang to her eyes and silvertongue sat down hard, limbs shaking all over. "i thought — actually i did not think at all. just acted." despite her wet cheeks she smiled. "i am protective of you, mariposa."

The welling of tears in her gaze had shattered his heart.

Crowfeather did not want her to cry. He didn’t want to make her feel that she had caused them trouble. Silvertongue had been the smarter of the two – she had jumped to action, to protect what they cared about. The hollow was their home and he had stood idly by, attempting conversation with a stranger who had entered their land.

What’s that one mean? he asked her quietly. Crowfeather was certain he had not heard the word mariposa yet. She shared a good deal of her language with him, though.

"butterfly." silvertongue came closer then; she ducked under his chin and sniffled a little there until she felt better. "i watched the guards in akashingo spar. maybe they rubbed off on me." her lips trembled but she smiled all the same. "i will not act so swiftly again," she said with the air of a promise.

No, no, he said gently to her. You did exactly what I should have done.

Silvertongue had kept their home safe. Crowfeather nudged her with his nose, a cold press to her shoulder. He did not want her to feel bad for springing into action. It was the shadow who should have felt remorseful. He had not done what was best for the others. It would not happen again, if he could help it.

Motioning with his snout, the dark shadow led the two of them to a peaceful portion of Riverclan. They would eat and talk. He would compliment her bravery. The shadow would never understand why she remained there, with him. He knew that he was grateful.