Cool, damp soil passed beneath Hazelblossom's paws as she trotted through the trees, pale gaze sweeping the forest from end to end and back again. Aspens, birches, moss, stringy ribbons of lichen, ferns, clusters of wildflowers... nothing new, though she found it all beautiful nonetheless. She was glad she'd gone for a stroll; Aspenclan camp had been getting a little stuffy as cats woke and went about their business, so she'd slipped quietly away and taken to the woods surrounding it. The fresh air was a relief.

I'll have to go hunting in a bit, she mused to herself, spotting a plump squirrel perched on one of the branches above her head. It chattered angrily at her as she passed below it. And take something to the prey --

Something large and solid appeared in her peripheral vision. Hazelblossom gasped, spinning on her paws, and found herself face-to-face with a bristling red-furred tom; his ears were twisted flat to his skull, and even as she watched he hissed at her. For a moment she was offended - well excuse me, sir, you frightened me as well - but her wide, startled eyes found the swollen wound on his shoulder and any flustered remarks she could have made died on her tongue. "I -- Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" She studied him, really studied him, and realized that she recognized him from somewhere... She'd seen him around camp before, and --

Stars above! He'd been attacked by a Fox. Raggedstar had lost a life to protect him.

Guilt speared her heart. She felt her ears flatten in embarrassment, a wash of concern causing her eyes to glitter. "Should you really be out here? That looks like it hurts quite a bit."

Hazelblossom offered the tom - Redflame, she remembered suddenly - a shy smile, her wispy tri-colored tail sweeping the forest floor and picking up several leaves. "It's okay, really! I understand." She couldn't imagine what it had been like, the terror he had felt; he could have lost his life to that fox. He almost had. Raggedstar had died to save him, and she couldn't imagine what that had been like, either.

Redflame looked unhappy. She didn't want that; though she had never really spoken to him beyond the typical formalities when they trained together, he had always been kind to her. Her smile softened, took on an edge of gentleness. "I was just getting some fresh air," she told him, eyeing the gash on his shoulder and realizing that he had begun to favor his leg. "Would you like to walk with me for a little while?" She wasn't certain he'd be up to hunting, and she didn't want to mention it for fear of making him feel guilty about his inability to do so. "I'd love to catch up."

Of every conversational topic, from the recent events that had shaken their Clan to the simple goings of day-to-day life, kits had been the farthest from Hazelblossom's mind -- but even so she couldn't help the rueful grin that found her face when Redflame mentioned their disappointing lack of them. She stepped over a twig, glancing sidelong at him. A grin had found his face, too.

Some of her earlier tension melted away. Good. Grinning was good.

"I know," she sighed. "I only just became a Warrior, though, so I guess the wait's not too horrible in my case. I should get some real-world experience before I try passing my wisdom on to someone else." At this point she didn't have much wisdom to pass on... and there was a part of her, looming darkly at the forefront of her mind, that said she would never be strong, fast, or smart enough to teach a young cat. They would fail because of her. "I do miss all the chaos that comes with having so many fuzzballs loose in camp. How..." Hazelblossom paused, weaving her way around a tall, dewy fern. It brushed against her pelt as she passed by. "How have you been? I mean, in general. I always intend to ask when I see you around camp, but things have been so busy lately."