Huffing, Talon raises his paw from Ashfur's chest, letting the tom get back up. The blue eyed warrior slowly does so, grunting and breathing heavily. He's got talent, unpolished as it is for now. With a bit of guidance, this forest warrior could become a fierce fighter. Ashfur certainly seems extraordinarily eager to learn, despite his obvious frustration each time he goes down. After shaking his pelt out, the Bloodclan leader takes a few steps back.

„I think this should do for tonight. If you practice a bit until our next meeting, we'll be good to proceed to a few other techniques. Find whomever you usually train with and keep at it"

Ashfur shakes his pelt out as well, a small cloud of dust coming from his fur after having hit the ground many times throughout their session. His heavy breath frosting over as Ashfur sits down and looks at Talon, slowly shaking his head

„I don't have any such cat. I used to mock fight with Brambleclaw regularly back when we were apprentices, but not since I became a warrior."

No training? It is surprising Ashfur managed to remain this strong without regular sparring. Or are battles between their clans frequent enough to keeps their skills from completely rusting? It does explain how except for a few individuals they were losing to Bloodclan despite having numerical superiority. Until of course… Talon hums quietly, his eyes clouding with the memory of finding Scourge's cold body amidst the bloodied grass. He banishes the memory from his mind and suppressing a growl after the fury inducing image popped back into his thoughts, he returns Ashfur's gaze as coldly and evenly as he manages.

„Then I suggest doing so again. If these lessons with me are all you do, growing stronger will take a very long time. You need more practice than I can give in just a few nights each moon."

Ashfur's ears lower a bit and he turns away. Emotion seems to stir in his blue eyes, but he clearly makes an effort to not let it show much. Talon's ears perking up at the warrior's reaction.

„I fear that's not a good idea. It is… complicated between Brambleclaw and I these days."

Talon tilts his head. Could this have to do with whatever has been plaguing Ashfur? He doesn't seem to have any downright distain for this Brambleclaw, not as far as Talon can tell at least. There is no anger in his voice, no bristling fur, but there clearly is something causing the tom discomfort only talking about that other tom.

„I see. Well, perhaps you would have some other cat that might train with you? Kin, friends, you have a clan full of options. Surely someone can be found"

After a few heartbeats of silence, Ashfur nods as he sits up straighter again.

„I think so. Maybe Dustpelt or Cloudtail would agree."

„Good. Then that's settled."

Talon pads over to the river, settling down at the water's edge. The mud is mostly frozen stiff, the cold against his body feeling soothing after the exhaustion of fighting. Leaning forth, he takes a refreshing drink from the cold flowing waters, flicking his ear as he hears the forest warrior approach. Though he expects no hostility from the blue eyed tom, his muscles tense up slightly in reflex. His back is turned, but he will not be taken by surprise. He slowly relaxes as Ashfur quietly settles down about a taillength beside him, tucking his paws in under his chest fur. Raising his head again, Talon looks over to the warrior, finding his blue eyes thoughtful. A familiar sight. Perhaps he should risk asking. Eager to train as he is, Ashfur's unlikely to let himself be deterred by Talon's curiosity as long as he does't pry too hard. Worst that might happen is that he'll refuse to answer.

„You're being very pensive again, Ashfur. The same look you usually have when you're here alone. Something distracting you?"

Ashfur's ears shoot up and he looks over to Talon, seeming rather surprised at the question. He takes a moment to ponder his response, uncertainty painting his face for a brief moment before the blue eyed warrior forces a neutral expression onto himself again.

„I am not sure how to answer that. I guess so, but I hope that will change, that I will be able to change it. That's why I come here to practice"

Talon observes the forest warrior, humming quietly at the answer he is given. Maybe he can prod a bit further if he is cautious. Despite knowing it foolish, Talon can't help but feel a bit of sympathy for the tom. He's seen Ashfur suffering on his own for so many moons now, he cannot muster the coldness or cruelty to remain indifferent to it.

„I assume it has to do with your reason for coming to this spot in the first place"

Ashfur nods, his eyes fixed on his reflection in the water. Emotion grow stronger in the warrior's eyes, the same Talon has seen so many times before. Desperation, doubt, worry. Perhaps he's pried enough. Merely bringing up whatever is going on clearly upsets the tom next to him, although Ashfur seems determined to not permit an outburst like on their first real encounter. He remains still, calmly resting by the river, only his eyes betraying the chaos within.

„I won't force you to speak of it, but I've seen that look on you before. Quite often in fact, as you know now. I admit, I'm somewhat curious."

Ashfur raises his gaze, slowly turning it towards the red eyed tom. It isn't difficult to guess that Ashfur is heavily debating internally what he should say or reveal. Finally shaking his head with a defeated sigh, he turns his head up, looking at the stars.

„You gain little by knowing. Nothing about it would benefit you. There is a she-cat in my clan, it's an entire story. If Thunderclan doesn't deem it worth caring about, neither will you "

Talon scoffs softly, his tail flicking behind him.

„Pretentious of you to assume to know what I care about. We have time and nothing better to do. I'm willing to listen if you're willing to tell."

Ashfur nods slowly, taking a deep, surprisingly shaky breath before beginning. Talon listens attentively as the tom slowly, piece by piece lays bare his situation the way he experienced it. His voice remains calm and collected as the full tale is recounted, although the more he focuses on banishing all emotion from his voice the more his muscles tense up. He speaks of his initial affections for Squirrelflight, slowly getting to the impossible situation he now sees himself faced with. Seemingly subconsciously, Ashfur begins clutching his chest midway through, still too focused on allowing no feelings to enter his voice to notice his own gestures. Talon observes with a mixture of interest and worry as slowly the fur around Ashfur's paw grows damp and red. He doesn't even seem to notice that his claws have unsheathed, pressing into his chest. The first droplets of blood soon fall down onto the frozen clay, from where they run down into the river's current. It takes the heartbroken warrior a while to tell the full story, as detailed as he tells it. Ashfur pauses from time to time in a bid to prevent emotion from overcoming him. While his bloodied chest easily betrays him, Talon is impressed at how calm Ashfur's face and voice remain all throughout. If he manages to suppress that clutching around his clan, it is no surprise that few seem to know of his plight, his mask is nigh impeccable. Finally, Ashfur's tale arrives at the day he and Talon finally openly met, what his reflection was for trying to confront the Bloodclan cat in the first place and why he asked for training in the end. Talon is left in a state of surprise, though much like Ashfur shows little of what goes on within. It doesn't seem like the story Ashfur told is the entire reason for his misery now, but it probably was the final nail in a larger coffin. The last loss in a longer row of losses that has driven Ashfur into the state he now finds himself in. The warrior already said more than Talon had hoped, it'd be both imprudent and insensitive to keep prying for today. What Talon learned today gives him enough to think about already. Never would he have expected that Ashfur's attempt to ambush him had something to do with trying to impress a special someone in such a way. Learning that Firestar, Scourge's killer, remains leader of Ashfur's clan certainly roused his interest as well. The fact that this is about the flame coloured tom's daughter of all cats was however not something Talon had seen coming. As for Ashfur's general idea, while desperate, it holds some logic. Knowing nothing about courtship among the forest clans, trying to become more desirable by being the most formidable among his clanmates seems fairly pragmatic to Talon. Thinking about what he's now been let to know, he notices Ashfur's sideway glance at him. The tom reasonably expects a response or reaction after his lengthy tale. Is Talon's opinion merely something that intrigues the Thunderclan warrior, or does hearing an honest opinion matter to him regardless whom it's from? It does not sound like he receives much sympathy from his clanmates, perhaps he seeks it here then. Finally humming and looking into the flowing river, Talon answers as he slowly plunges one of his claws into the water, the current slightly rippling downstream behind it.

„Perhaps it paints me as weak for saying such a thing, but I'm sorry for what happened to you. I fear I have little advice of any worth to offer, these are not matters I know much of. But I said I would train you and I always make good on my word "

Ashfur's ears rise up, his eyes as hard to read as his expression. His clutching stopped towards the end of his story already, his slightly bloody paw tucked back in under his fur, a tiny little trail of crimson leading from him to the river. Ashfur listens intently to each word, seeming to mull over every one of them with great care, before letting off a scoff and shaking his head. A small smile forms on the tom as he looks up at the stars once more

„Starclan is silent to my prayers. Most of my clanmates prefer gossiping over asking me. And so here I am, being consoled by the Bloodclan cat that almost killed me. Clearly I've gone wrong somewhere in my life"

As Ashfur chuckles at this, Talon joins in. He can't disagree that there is some amount of absurdity to it all. After the long story, the initially soothing cold of the firm clay underneath has begun to be seep deep enough into Talon to cause him discomfort. In an attempt to keep his joints from aching the red eyed leader sits up.

„Perhaps. But who hasn't. Among the cats of twoleg-place, not a single one's life went flawlessly. There are always obstacles and difficulties. But the strong always overcome and unity makes strong. You too will overcome what ails you in time."

Ashfur groans as he rises up as well, the chill having clearly begun to bother him as well. After taking a deep breath, the blue eyed warrios looks over at Talon.

„Thank you. For listening, for your words and lessons. For not killing me to start with, I guess. I don't know what I expected coming here tonight, but it wasn't this. Yet I hope this is finally a step in the right direction."

After rising to his paws, Talon pads over to the pile of dogteeth and slowly begins picking them up and putting them back on his paws. He notices from the corner of his eye Ashfur watching the process with great interest. Talon speaks after he finishes his first paw, moving his digits and observing the reattached dogteeth, once again where they belong

„You did come to do training and talking and received both, no? Careful, or you may just end up thinking us Bloodclan cats to be more than just bloodthirsty rogues."

He looks over his shoulder with a small grin, earning a small scoff and eyeroll from Ashfur before he proceeds to reattach the rest of his dogteeth, carefully sliding the back ends in over his actual claws

„Is all of Bloodclan like you? When you're not fighting at least."

Inspecting his reattached claws to ensure they sit both stably and comfortably for a moment before turning towards Ashfur, Talon considers his answer with a small hum

„No. The best way to describe Bloodclan would be to say that it's made up of individuals. There are the kind and the less kind, the vicious and the less vicious. Loyalty to the clan and the promise to protect each other used to be the one thing we all equally had in common. What set us apart from the rogues that surrounded us. Now with the clan fractured, it's at times hard to say. Each faction is a bit of a reflection of who leads it. But perhaps that was already true when we were still united. We lost more than a leader when Scourge died."

Talon sighs and looks up at the sky, the stars shining, yet his eyes are drawn to the eery darkness between them. Memories of his nightmares that turned out to be none such return to him. That horrid, wretched abyss that waits for all who are not fortunate enough to be led somewhere better, anywhere at all. How long was Scourge wandering that empty hellscape before he found the Dark Forest? How long did the others languish in the Void before Scourge guided them to safety? The sound of Ashfur's voice breaks Talon out of his thoughts.

„Scourge must have meant a lot to Bloodclan…"

Talon nods, looking over to the warrior, unable to entirely banish the hint of hurt from his voice at first at the mention of Scourge

„Our first leader and founder. Before him, there was only chaos in twoleg-place. Maybe I'll tell you more about him next time. Speaking of, when should that be?"

Ashfur's ear flicks as he hums in thought. He halfway suppresses a sigh, as if remembering something

„In a few days I will be busy at night. Perhaps the night after that. In four days?"

Talon stretches, muscles rippling under his dark pelt

„Works for me. Same time and place."

Ashfur gives a short nod, looking over the river to the other side. Seeing this, Talon tilts his head before remembering Ashfur's words from their last meeting. Someone had seen Talon and told the blue eyed warrior. Talon looks over to the other side, carefully scanning the riverbank, but sees nothing that would hint at someone else's presence. Only reeds slowly swaying in the late, frosty breeze.

„I'll be going then. Better not to let our clans miss us."

„Right, of course"

Ashfur shakes his head to free it of thoughts that occupied it for a moment, returning his gaze onto the dark pelted Bloodclan leader

„In four days then. Starclan light your path, Talon"

„Scourge guide your claws, Ashfur. Until then."