A Time Away (OPEN)

[Lionstar]

Lionstar sat by the stream, his back to WindClan's territory. Where he was sitting, he was just on the edge, his luscious tail nearly brushing the trickling stream, gurgling and stumbling over stones as it was doing what water does in small doses. The long-furred tom narrowed his eyes, gazing at his territory, his Clan's territory. He wasn't a particularly ambitious cat, but he had risen to where he was, and so there he was. That was that. In reality, he was somewhat -- or very -- apathetic and had the potential to be a drifter, dangerous to and for his Clan. That is not what happened, however, and good for everyone involved, it seemed. Except for the cats he let die. But we don't speak of those.

Lionstar took a deep breath, and then released, noting the lack of breath cloud swirling from his nostrils. Why was this leaf-bare so warm? Something about it felt wrong, yet at the same time, it was so comfortable. That seemed to be how most cats reacted to morally gray instances: felt wrong, but too comfortable to bother. It was the majority of the reason that cats like Lionstar even existed at all, let alone ones such as the sneakily ambitious and deadly villains of legend.

It had been a particularly boring day for Lionstar. That was why he was out here -- it was so boring. And, well, it was not a regular time that ThunderClan sent out its patrols, at least to this area. It was between sunhigh and sunset, at an awkward almost-time, the sort that oft went unaccounted for in anyone's day. It was warm, it was not wet, and it was overwhelmingly boring in camp. Lionstar did not wish to lounge around even to hear the droning murmurs throughout the camp during sharing-tongues, nor the rasping and slapping of tongues grooming all around the camp, surrounding him with the sounds of cloying affection.

So, Lionstar had arisen from his den and gazed about the camp, let his presence be known, and then placed his deputy in charge of the camp briefly. It seemed that Lionstar more and more often was leaving mysteriously, but he liked that air of mystery. As a leader, his absence was noticed, unlike his time as a plain warrior, when he could do his duties for the Clan and still just lay about in the woods, or do some extra hunting, or explore, or whatever it was that he did to spend his time. He'd only been a leader for a couple of moons, but still, it was enough to develop this bad habit. It was something that he probably should not do so often, but, alas, there was no changing that while he was out.

At first, Lionstar had padded about lazily, with nowhere to go and nowhere to be, with nothing to do and no worries -- except for the odd weather and the effect that might have on prey for the coming seasons, as there might be more awake now, and thus eating the food that won't grow for them later in another season, as it will have grown early and already been eaten. Would there be a very hot greenleaf? A drought? Lionstar would have to deal with this when it came about, but it would be much easier to be able to have a plan for it early on. He might discuss it with the other leaders. Probably not; he was not one to share his plans too early, nor to share all of them. That would almost defeat the point of having his own little private conspiracy; truly, he was his own best friend -- or rather, his mind was his best friend. Who needed anything else?

When Lionstar finally found where his paws had been taking him, he almost had an emotional reaction: it was where his first fight, his first real fight, had been, the one in which he had played a pivotal role as a mere apprentice. It was against WindClan, he recalled, not some silly rogue, though that did come about later. It seemed that many of his memories of battle came from WindClan, but he would not hold it against them. There was little, if anything, that Lionstar held personally.

And now, he was seated, with his ears swiveled to the side, slightly back, so that he could hear a cat or patrol or other beast approach. The wind, a mild breeze, really, was blowing to his left, with slight direction coming from behind him, so he might be able to smell a little bit, should they approach from that direction, but at least it was not blowing against his face and behind him, toward WindClan. He was hiding in plain sight -- but not really because there was no hiding involved. So, he was just there, in plain sight, sitting. Lionstar really could do with some sort of stimulation; droughts and squirrels were not enough.

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TAG: open~
WORDS: 833 (lol rambling)
NOTES: lol Lionstar, lol first post, lol sorry this is kinda derpy |D'

[Deleted]

frostpaw
"Is this just an illusion
That I made inside my head to get me by?"

Why was there always so much to do for the Clan? Change that moss over there, take that rabbit to the elders' den. Do not forget to check for ticks while you are in there! Frostpaw had little interest in changing bedding for other cats or bringing water or food or even battle training with her mentor Tigerstar for that matter. It really was a honor to have a leader as her mentor but in all honesty she had very little interest at becoming a warrior. Her naive mind was far too focused on finding what had become of her father; she did not have time to think about training for battles or doing seemingly pointless apprentice activities. Of course she still cared for her Clan and knew her job as an apprentice was to do just that but it was hard for her to focus on such activities when no one in the Clan would open up and tell her what happened to Froststar. Not even Tigerstar would and he was her father's best friend. Frostpaw felt that if she just knew the truth, she would be able to move on and turn her focus to training to become a warrior.

Standing next to the entrance to the camp, she watched the cool breeze brush its fingers through the grass and thick bushes of the moorland. It whistled off the moss covered rocks guarding their camp entrance. Cats busied themselves around her: apprentices heading out with their mentors for a training session, warriors sharing tongues or an afternoon's freshkill. The group of senior warriors were conversing with Tigerstar near the Tallrock. Impatiently, Frostpaw kneaded at the grass beneath her paws and flicked her tail, waiting for the rest of the cats heading on the hunting patrol with her. Hunting was something Frostpaw actually enjoyed. A bit. She would much rather be playing with kits in the nursery mind you, but hunting was a close second best.

As soon as her fellow Clanmates joined her side, Frostpaw spun around, following them with a bounce in her step. "You're still an apprentice, Frostpaw. You've only had one hunting session with Tigerstar. Stick quietly with me and watch how it's done." One of the cats on the patrol meowed this to her as they left the camp. Did she really intend on sticking around next to another cat like a tick? Of course not. Did she really intend on hunting, for that matter? Maybe, maybe not, but certainly not with a warrior! Hanging back as the hunting patrol headed out, Frostpaw easily slipped away from the group and out of sight. It was difficult to hide on the moorland, and her white fur didn't really help with that either, but somehow she managed. Frostpaw almost wanted to laugh at how easy it had been to slip away. Instead she kept quiet and raced north, her tail a puff of long hair streaking behind her.

Once she felt like she was a safe distance anyway, she came to a stop and scented the air. The weather was unbelievably warm for leaf-bare, almost like spring. The cool breeze brought the scent of warm rabbit from the north with traces of mice and bird. Ears pricked and eyes wide to catch any sound or spot of prey, she made her way up the hills, following the scent. The way she was headed brought back memories of her trip to the Moonpool with Tigerstar to get his nine lives. She shivered at the thought but pushed it to the back of her mind. She would dwell on that at a later time.

Before she was fully aware of her surroundings, she halted, ears pinned back against her head. The strong smell of ThunderClan drifted toward her, burning her nose like fire. Had she really came all the way to the border? Scanning her surroundings, she spotted a large golden-brown tabby sitting next to the stream that separated their territories. Lowering herself to the ground, she started to retreat, backing up paw by paw, hoping the tom hadn't heard or scented her. However, the wind wasn't blowing in her favor; he could probably smell her WindClan scent from where she crouched. Was ThunderClan really all that bad? What if this cat was nice? Just because they were of different Clans didn't mean they had to spring at each other with unsheathed claws... right? She was still new to WindClan so had never been to a gathering yet to meet the other Clan cats. She had only heard tales of battles from her Clanmates. But she hadn't crossed the border, hadn't stolen any prey. Did that make a difference to a ThunderClan cat? Maybe they could be friends! Crouched on her haunches, Frostpaw found herself frozen in place, torn between fleeing or approaching the large tom.

WORDS: 808
OOC: Sorry this is boring and rather rushed! :( Hoping Snowinglight gets the chance to join us!

[Deleted]

SNOWINGLIGHT !

being the deputy wasn't as good as one described. getting respect everywhere you went, being awesome, getting to order someone around just because you hate them oh-so dearly. yeah. no. snowinglight got bored. the clan was almost isolated. the only felines she could recognize were tigerstar and frostpaw. the only ones she could talk to without being bashed for being a kittypet.

rolling around on the grass didn't help with her boredom either. she had to groom her fur of loose grass every five rolls. it stuck to her fur like moss on a tree. it was also a painful process, removing the blades of grass somehow woven into her fur.

seeing the patrol she had organized earlier leave, she wanted to join them, having nothing to do in camp; and knowing the warriors were perfectly capable of taking care of camp without her.

she exited the moor, hoping to find the patrol soon. and she did, except, she caught a glace of frostpaw walking off with a swagger she couldn't even describe. snowinglight bit the inside of her lip, and followed the apprentice, keeping low and her tail hardly brushing onto the frosted grass.

and a one step. and a two step. and trip. the white femme tripped horribly, and made a loud 'crunch' sound. she was sure that she had broken a rib. she got up, limping as she followed the bi-color-eyed female, looking at where she fell.

thank starclan, it was only the grass. she sighed happily, and continued her request to bust the apprentice. but she caught on a strong scent; undoubtedly thunderclan. too close to windclan. too close. pursing her lips and narrowing her blue eyes, snowinglight limped faster, while the limp eventually faded and she broke into a run.

"TOO CLOSE!" she yelled to the thunderclan leader, forgetting frostpaw in an instant. "you out of all cats should know you are too close to windclan territory!" like always, she started a conversation - well, a brawl. hey, it wasn't her fault if she was easily insulted!

she looked at lionstar with one wide eye, the other squinted. her claws were already unsheathed. her thoughts stretched so far, she was convinced he was planning to invade windclan. what if he was studying the territory to discover better battling areas?

what if he was waiting for an ambush to begin? what if he was looking at his spies work? what if he knew snowinglight would come and the clan was off-guard? she gasped.

the clan! what would happen to the clan? she bit her lip nervously, and broke her star at the leader, both eyes wide as she looked at the ground. they're dead. she thought, already grieving.

//only 483 words, but i'm tired (just came back from swimming practice) i promise a longer post next time ~

[Lionstar]

In the slight breeze, with its gentle caress along Lionstar's back and through his namesake mane, the ThunderClan leader had nearly emptied his mind of thoughts, almost all unwanted and trivial. He was allowing himself to sink into nature, to hear the trickle of the stream with the same intensity and volume as the rustle of the leaves and branches, as the silence of the void from the sleeping, skinny prey, the lack of birds singing and fluttering.

Any serenity Lionstar had been even close to attaining, however, was shattered by a scent drifting his way and forcing its way up his rosy pink nose. Lionstar curled his lip, his back still to the WindClan border, as he smelled at least two WindClan cats. Dropping the face, he turned his head to glimpse two white figures rushing toward him, and one yowling like a mad creature. Curious, and rather forced, the ThunderClan tomcat turned and sat exactly where he had before, facing the opposite direction. There were two unrelated white WindClan she-cats, one an apprentice and one the long-legged former-kittypet deputy. Lionstar liked to be kept informed about such matters, though he cared not a lick about the origins of cats, only how they are in the present.

But who was this apprentice? She looked strikingly familiar. Lionstar's blue-green gaze swept over the two, back and forth, acknowledging them. When Snowinglight was finished shrieking, Lionstar dipped his head to them, fervently rushing through the back of his mind as to who this young apprentice was who seemed so familiar.

"It is a pleasure to see you," he mewed, using his rich, smooth voice, putting actual effort into seeming more than an uncaring, efficient leader. "I am, or rather was, merely enjoying the beauty of occasional solitude in a relaxing place." Lionstar's gaze flitted from one to the other again, and he flicked his tail tip.

He knew he had seen that apprentice somewhere before, or maybe a relative. He had to have, for otherwise she would not appear so familiar to him. Tilting his head politely to the WindClan cats, Lionstar assumed the posture of a cat with the greatest respect for all other living things -- or something of the sort, he didn't really enjoy this sort of personality anyway, the ones who step lightly so that even the crinkled, wrinkled, withered fallen petal remains unharmed. So, as he was the opposite end of that spectrum, it meant that his efforts put him somewhere in the middle, in the realm of the normal with an average capacity for compassion. His face was relaxed and practically, almost friendly, for him, not completely hard and stiff.

After all, Snowinglight was a deputy now, and she was unlikely to have any friends, what with her personality only marginally less attractive than an eternal trek through ShadowClan's deepest, dankest marshes through an ever-dark leaf-bare. These were only words that Lionstar had overheard, naturally, though her greeting did nothing to disprove the rumors. The other one, though, the kit... who was she, now?

Lionstar opened his mouth to speak once more, a simple greeting to the younger she-cat, really, when he caught a glimpse directly at the apprentice's golden-orange eye. Froststar! Lionstar thought, startled for a moment. Recovering almost before anything could have been noticed, he twitched his whiskers and meowed, "I am Lionstar, young one." Turning to the deputy, he added, "Fear not, Snowinglight. I mean neither you nor your Clan any harm."

Whether or not Snowinglight believed him was completely up to her, though he was telling the truth -- he cared not for any conflict with WindClan at the moment. There was nothing to be gained for it; what would forest cats do with the sloping, open hills of those wiry runners?

No, rather than caring about any sort of attack on WindClan, Lionstar was fascinated by the young apprentice. Froststar, did he have a kit? Lionstar never heard of it, and often the leaders spoke of their kits and family around the others. True, Lionstar had not been leader long enough to become close to Froststar before his death -- however that happened (Lionstar was determined to find out; he suspected foul play and yearned to know the culprit) -- but the others had been willing enough to speak with him candidly enough.

Well, he'd find out answers to all his questions soon enough -- and if not all, certainly some, such as whether or not Snowinglight was going to screech again.

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TAG: Frostpaw, Snowinglight, open~
WORDS: 744
NOTES: I pretty much just love Lionstar always now xD <3 (also, I wasn't entirely certain on the timeline of things and what was public knowledge and what wasn't with Frostpaw/Froststar/Tigerjaw/Charredpelt, so I erred on the side of caution & ignorance there)

[Deleted]

unlike lionstar, snowinglight had no idea of the leader, froststar, therefore not worrying of her appearance all the time. sure, she should have known of the clan's history, but honestly, the white she-cat didn't care. past was in the past, this was the present and happening now.

but she didn't like the leader's attitude. heck, she didn't like anyone's attitude. it made her feel uneasy. if they were mean, she felt as if she wanted to be mean back. if they were kind, she had to be mean to them. they were going soft on her. even if she knew they had no idea of her kittypet roots.

but she had to prove herself worthy and loyal, even if it meant not being a leader's favorite. but that was thunderclan. she could care less about being the leader's favorite deputy. if she was going to be a deputy, she was going to defend her clan even if it meant she was going to die from it. she had promised that as soon as she became a warrior.

snowinglight frowned at the leader, and inched forward, the feeling of grief fading away. if the leader was telling the truth, there was still hope left in her. she narrowed her eyes so that there was only two slits of blue color left on her face.

but she was having the same thoughts as lionstar. windclan had nothing the others wanted. no rivers for riverclan, and no forests for shadowclan or thunderclan. the prey was too quick for them, so why want it? sense overwhelmed her, but her face never changed.

she felt the need to say something, but she had nothing to say. if anything, her 'bark was worse than her bite', but right now, she couldn't think of anything that didn't sound like a kit trying to talk back to a warrior.

she pursed her lips, and sheathed her claws. she still felt that lionstar was far too close, even if he was just across the river. he was too close. too. close. her lips twitched, she fought back the urge to say something. but then her eyes started twitching.

it was safe to say she looked like a complete maniac. she opened her mouth, but shut it again, feeling defeated. he was technically on thunderclan territory, she couldn't make him get off of his own territory.

she groaned loudly, and sat down. "you may not know me," she said, feeling sure he knew who she was. "i'm snowinglight. deputy of windclan." it felt cool being able to call herself a deputy. she felt mature.

[Deleted]

The harsh call of a furious she-cat broke Frostpaw's thoughts and she stood up in alert, fur puffed with a mixture of worry and fear. Had the patrol spotted her running off? Oh no... she was sure to get punished for this! She was supposed to be hunting! However, the she-cat that burst out of the heather was not one whom had been on the patrol with her. This did nothing to reassure her though, as the cat was none other than the deputy of her Clan. Snowinglight's white fur glowed against the color of the grass, her deep blue eyes sparkling with malice. She was more slender and shorter furred than Frostpaw was. Her long legs make her look like a spider to Frostpaw and she towered over many of her Clanmates. To be completely honest with herself, Frostpaw did not particularly like the she-cat. Sure, she was loyal to the Clan and did her job as deputy very well (Frostpaw was not surprised when Tigerstar appointed her). This did not change the fact that her attitude was like a ShadowClan cat whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way too many times. I think I'd rather be dealing with someone from the patrol... Frostpaw thought with a flick of her tail. Bristling and pinning her ears back, Frostpaw prepared herself for a scolding for the deputy.

Much to her surprise, Snowinglight hardly paid her any mind. The white deputy's attention was purely focused on the large tom across the river. Snowinglight seemed to know this cat... though he was unknown to Frostpaw. Eying him through narrowed eyes, Frostpaw studied his expression and pelt as he turned around to face her and Snowinglight. He was a richly colored golden-brown tabby with thick dark stripes. His fur was much thicker than hers, making him look even larger. White paws supported strong legs and his feathery tail flowed behind him, darkening to black at the tip. Unique blue-green almond shaped eyes gazed at her deputy as he spoke. They were clear of any malice or deception, at least as far as Frostpaw could tell. Frostpaw could almost feel the tension and hatred burning off Snowinglight, almost like her fur had been caught by flames. Why did Snowinglight already hate this cat? He was only ThunderClan... and he wasn't even over in WindClan territory. Did they have a past that Frostpaw was unaware of? Or did Snowinglight just hate him because he was ThunderClan? Or rather, did she hate him just because, for no reason at all? Frostpaw thought the latter, given Snowinglight's personality.

Frostpaw was quite shocked when the tabby tom turned his attention to her and spoke. "I am Lionstar, young one." Lion... star? Great StarClan, he was the leader of ThunderClan! Though his words to both her and Snowinglight was kind and considerate, Frostpaw could not help but take a step backward at the news of this. And there she was before, thinking she could be friends with this cat, when he was the leader of another Clan! Still... Frostpaw could not shake the feeling of safety and warmth out of her fur. Lionstar gave off such a demeanor that made her feel this way, and his sweet words were no exception to that. The only other cats that had made her feel this similar of a way had been her father, Froststar, and her mentor and Clan leader, Tigerstar. Frostpaw was not the type of cat to judge others before getting to know them, whether it be based on their past, rank, or Clan. And she was not about to judge Lionstar because he was leader of ThunderClan.

With a purr and sparkling eyes as she watched Lionstar converse with Snowinglight, Frostpaw let her fur lay flat once more and perked her ears. If Lionstar was a leader... surely he knew what had happened to her father... right? Surely that other leaders had told him, specifically Tigerstar. At the very least, maybe he would know something that would help Frostpaw dig up information and solve this crime. Once her deputy had finished speaking, introducing herself to the leader, Frostpaw bounded forward, closer to Lionstar - but also careful to mind her leading as she had no intention of crossing the border. "Hello," she mewed, unable to contain her excitement in her voice. Lionstar might just be the cat she needed to figure out this mystery. "I am Frostpaw. I'm an apprentice of WindClan and daughter of Froststar, the former leader." She paused to take a quick peek over her shoulder at Snowinglight, hoping it was alright to introduce herself as well. She did not want to get into anymore trouble, but she had not been able to stop herself from doing so. Turning back to face Lionstar, she asked, tilting her head to the side, "Did you know him, Lionstar?"


WORDS: 811
OOC: Sorry for the wait on my post. Be sure to stick to the order of posting Snowinglight: Lionstar, me, and then you. Sorry for the trouble! I'm super excited for this plot with Lionstar and Frostpaw. She's such an accepting cat; I can easily see her trusting Lionstar and his words - even as to help him sneak into WindClan to look for information about her father's death. At this point, she is unaware that he is dead, though she does have a suspicion that this is what happened to him.

[Lionstar]

Snowinglight, the aggressive WindClan deputy, was going to be of no help to Lionstar, he knew, unless he wanted some kind of war with WindClan -- but no, not yet, that was not something he wanted. It could be, potentially, in the future, for whatever reason (perhaps for the prey, but it was harder to hunt on WindClan's territory than it would be on, say, ShadowClan's, although there was that one quasi-contested strip, much like Sunningrocks in the Forest Territories -- but nay, nay, Lionstar did not want conflict yet). There were more important things, such as Froststar's mysterious disappearance and Tigerstar's promotion to leader. Lionstar was certain that Snowinglight had nothing to do with Froststar: there was too much at risk for her if she ever did, being a clearly insecure former kittypet, and, more importantly, she was too dull to come up with such a vanishing act (even if it were murder). Then again, Lionstar had some experience with leaders disappearing and needing to be found again; after all, he wouldn't have his nine eight lives without having done that digging himself.

Lionstar flicked his fluffy dark tail tip and was mentally preparing his response to Snowinglight's aggressive announcement when the young apprentice stepped in enthusiastically. He turned his blue-green gaze to her and twitched his whiskers, mostly with fascination, but it certainly could look like a friendly gesture. Briefly, to Snowinglight, Lionstar spoke. "Congratulations, Snowinglight. I had heard, but, you're right, I hadn't had a chance to speak to you in person, to personally offer my congratulations. I look forward to working with you and Tigerstar and always improving ThunderClan-WindClan relations, to make the best situations for both of our Clans." A political answer, polite, courteous, friendly enough to pass as overly friendly for Lionstar but not so friendly that he was making deception obvious. Mostly, he was attracted to the mystery around this apprentice, and he was intrigued -- so she was Froststar's daughter, something Lionstar didn't even know the previous WindClan leader had, and was named after him and had no knowledge of where he was now. Alright. He could work with that.

Lionstar dipped his head very slightly to the two WindClan cats. "A pleasure to meet you, Frostpaw. I did know your father; he was a very noble cat, and wise. He always strove to achieve the best for his Clan and all the Clans." Lionstar purposefully omitted the parts of history during which ThunderClan and WindClan had serious tensions that could have blown up into full-out war, enough of which had occurred under Froststar's leadership. When Lionstar became leader, he worked with Froststar to try to dismantle the tensions. "You should be very proud of your namesake, young Frostpaw." Turning to Snowinglight, Lionstar perked his ears and inquired pleasantly, "Snowinglight, you are deputy. Perhaps Tigerstar has informed you of Froststar? Was it illness? I wish to tell my Clan so we might prepare for the next Gathering; I plan to mourn for him." Lionstar did not expect the suspicious white she-cat to give him any information, but it seemed an apt way to let them know that he did not have the knowledge he wished to have, that he was being friendly, good, all those things. Mostly, he wanted to gain Frostpaw's trust so that he could use her to find out Froststar's whereabouts. If he died of age -- unlikely, as he was not that old -- or illness or accident, then that was one story, but if he was run off or murdered, then that was another story, and that could pose a threat to Lionstar or ThunderClan, or both.

Of course, Lionstar did not expect Snowinglight to think it prudent to tell an "enemy" Clan leader of the ending of her own Clan's leader, or to show that she knew nothing -- if she did know nothing -- because of exposing her Clan's weaknesses and so forth. Fortunately, her answer would tell him a lot more than she would probably mean it to, no matter what she said. (Was Lionstar proud in matters of conversation and information-gathering? Oh, yes. Yes, indeed.) So, in the end, whatever happened next would almost certainly exceed his expectations, at least from Snowinglight. Lionstar had few expectations from the young apprentice except that she seemed energetic and eager for any knowledge of her father. She didn't know what happened, Snowinglight was a mystery... Truthfully, the most reliable source of information would probably be Tigerstar; after all, their close friendship was no secret, and now that ginger tabby tom was the leader, replacing his friend. Was he doing him a favor, helping him flee for whatever reason? It could not be matters of family or the heart because here was his daughter, so full of love for him, and Froststar did not seem like the sort of cat to bring a secret kit into his Clan and then abandon her. Was it from fear? Did he have a prophecy? A quest? New territories? A new Clan, another BloodClan? Twoleg invasion? Or was he dead? Lionstar's mind was racing, though his face was nearly frozen in its mask of kindness and pleasant interest.

WORDS: 866 | NOTES: <3 My muse was a little blehhh for this post, I'm sorry | TAG: Frostpaw, Snowinglight, OPEN

[Deleted]

SNOWINGLIGHT !?
^{you can call me queen bee !}

^{female || white w/ blue eyes || hard || attack in italic
words; 374}
I"M TIRED DON'T BASH ME ;u;

 a little confused, the windclan deputy had yet to try and solve the  leader's reason for being so... calm. she cleared her throat, and  stared at the leader, biting her bottom lip. honestly, she didn't know  how to explain froststar's  disappearance. she shrugged lightly, and  looked at the thunderclan leader, waving her tail in dismissal. "i    don't know." snowinglight said honestly. "it might have been    greencough. or assassination." she suggested. but why would  she tell a thunderclanner about facts on her clan? she immediately called herself stupid, and frowned at lionstar, flicking a pointed ear. she decided to be civilized, and shook her fur. his suspicions were correct.

"thank you," she said, dipping her head at the tabby tom, her whiskers twitching. "for being kind to me even if i was a kittypet." and perfectly capable of working without him. seriously, was he going soft on her because she was a kittypet, or was he always so... soft. ew. she shuddered, but made it distant, as if she had never shuddered. she bit the inside of her cheek softly.

and did he really expect tigerstar to inform her of the illness? snowinglight would have given anything to know, but she doubted tigerstar knew. he just left. gonzo. never to be seen again. it made her fur stand up and her skin tingle, but she tried to be brave about it.

sure, the leader that accepted her in the first place was gone, but they had to move on. talking about events over and over made her feel nostalgic. it made her feel depressed. and you know what her motto was? move on. she thought to herself, shaking her head mentally.

she didn't like the way lionstar talked to frostpaw, either, like he expected her to say something political. it seemed like it, to her. she grunted a protective grunt, and furrowed her non-existent eyebrows, flicking her tail from left to right.

i don't like him. she decided, staring into one of the leader's eyes. i'll keep watch on him. of course, he probably had no plans set up for windclan or any other clans, but she was going to keep watch. she had been hurt too many times to let her clan be hurt.

^{[c]gryphon/snowinglight}

[Deleted]

A wise and noble cat, hm? Yes that definitely sounded like her father. Frostpaw felt her fur puff with pride as Lionstar spoke of him. It was good to know that he had served his Clan - and her Clan now - well during his leadership. Her mind flashed back to all the times he would visit her and her mother, Snow. All the stories of WindClan and Clan life in general had fascinated her. Froststar's life seemed like an adventure that changed every single day, whereas Frostpaw's had been dreary and routine - living in the Twoleg house with her mother. It was no surprise to her to hear that her father had been a noble cat. That would be just like him, and she would never believe otherwise. Whether or not Lionstar's words about him were true, Frostpaw would still maintain her own opinion about her father's personality, no matter what was said. Still, it was nice to hear that another cat mirrored her thoughts about him. However if she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that she was a little disappointed to hear that Lionstar knew next to nothing about Froststar's whereabouts or what had become of him.

He was a leader, after all. Surely he knew at least something! His words seemed sincere though, which surprised Frostpaw to say the least. As he questioned Snowinglight for information about whether or not it had been an illness that had taken Froststar, Frostpaw pushed the idea of pestering him with questions out of her mind. He could, however, potentially help her to dig up information. As she pondered this idea, her eyes sparkled with mischief. She sat in front of Lionstar, just across the river, curling her tail around her neat little paws and tilted her head. Perhaps her father had died to greencough as Snowinglight had mentioned. This seemed highly unlikely to Frostpaw though and she opened her jaws to voice her thoughts. "Froststar has been dead for less than a half-moon." She hated to say the word "dead" when she wasn't exactly certain of this. It made it seem all too real to her. Although it did seem like the most logical explanation, it was just something that she did not want to believe. Believing her father was dead... Frostpaw did not even want to think about right now.

With a slight shake of her head, she continued, "If it had been greencough or another sickness, I think the Clan would have noticed him getting sick before the actual death. Greencough is highly contagious, right? If Froststar had greencough, it more than likely would have affected other cats in the Clan too. Sickness just does not seem very likely to me." She hoped that they would take her words into account, even though she was just an apprentice. She was not mouse-brained after all! Her words were mostly common knowledge anyway. So Lionstar did not know anything about what had happened to Froststar... and Snowinglight did not seem to know anything either. With a grumble, she mewed, "Tigerstar refuses to talk about it. Trust me, I have tried." She lashed her tail at the thought of the countless times she had asked her mentor for information but received nothing but a subject change. It was beyond frustrating. "Either he does not know himself or he knows but refuses to talk. Froststar's my father; I have a right to know what happened to him!"

Suddenly, like a flash of lightning, a thought struck her. Oh StarClan what a glorious idea. Turning to Snowinglight, she bounded to her paws, unable to contain her excitement. "But what if you talked to him, Snowinglight? You are the deputy afterall. Surely he would tell you!" Frostpaw bounded over to the white she-cat, and watched her with wide eyes, paws kneading the ground. Snowinglight was literally a mirror of her mother, eyes, body shape, fur and all. This made it hard for Frostpaw to truly dislike the she-cat, although she wasn't very likeable. One thing her and Snowinglight had in common thought was their heritage. Much like Snowinglight, Frostpaw had been a former kittypet as well. Because she was deputy, Snowinglight could be the key to getting information out of Tigerstar. The tom was like a locked chest: he shared absolutely nothing with any cat.



WORDS: 723
OOC: My apologies for this post. Its seems my muse has been shot haha.

[Lionstar]

Lionstar was nearly to the point of admitting he was shocked when Snowinglight disclosed that she did not know what happened: he had expected her to grow more furious, to lash out, to deny, to lie, to do anything but what she did, which was admit the truth. Sometimes, he underestimated the nobility of cats, or the desire to be honest or kind. It is not a flaw that he enjoys acknowledging as truth. The ThunderClan leader, however, tried to keep his face steady and stoic, and he nodded to her. "It might have been greencough. Or assassination," she had told him. Assassination. That was a word that actually struck a chord in his heart. But the deputy wasn't finish, Lionstar found, to his ever growing internal astonishment. He let her speak and thank him for his... kindness? Well, Lionstar has been called many things, and he would not think to name "kind" among those. What Snowinglight mistook for softness in Lionstar was slickness, however, and so he recovered before anything had even appeared on his face and replied very politely, very politically.

"Mayhaps Froststar watches from Silverpelt; I have never known of any of StarClan to be dreadfully unhappy, at least," he meowed, reacting to Snowinglight's mention of Froststar and his probable death. Continuing, to address her second point, he went on, "Please, though, Snowinglight, make no mention of my behavior toward you. You are a warrior, nay, a deputy, and you deserve respect." And then Frostpaw spoke, and the majority of Lionstar's focus shifted to her, with her youthful energy.

The young apprentice spoke of her father, spoke truths only a clever cat could see. Lionstar made a note that she had potential, more potential, perhaps, than some of his own Clan's apprentices. This was not something he would admit out loud, but it was something he marked down in his mind, reminding himself to make a friend of this two-color-eyed she-cat. She was right, of course -- if it had been an illness, cats would have noticed. He would have disappeared for a while, he could have made appearances, the medicine cat would have gone to him, Tigerstar as deputy would have spoken or announced it, alerted the Clan. It would have been known. Froststar's fate, however, is not known, except perhaps to one cat, and his jaws were clenched tightly shut.

But... the young apprentice knew more than the deputy. Now, how was that to work? Was WindClan perhaps... not on its best legs at the moment? And with leafbare being what it was, with the prey scrawny and scarce... No, though. ThunderClan would not attack WindClan. They could leave them be. This young Frostpaw, though, could be either a threat or an asset, worth more to the Clans than her father ever could have been; for all his supposed nobility and honor, Lionstar had found him a boring tom with the same sort of stifling morals and contradicting devotion to his Clan, allowing him to break from his morals when he found convenient. Just like everyone else. This little she-cat, though, she was clever, and that was more valuable and dangerous than anything else Lionstar had encountered. He replied to her speech with a rumble in his chest that could certainly be interpreted as a purr. "Young Frostpaw, you are clever beyond your moons," he meowed, for once voicing his thoughts exactly. "You are right on both accounts, young one; certainly, greencough would have attracted some attention, and you do have a right to know. Knowledge of the father withheld from the kit, and she so loving and so young? It is a travesty."

And on went the young she-cat, moving to address her deputy. Fascinating -- Tigerstar was withholding from everyone. Lionstar might try to meet with him, to speak with him, and if he couldn't, well... there was a Gathering coming up. Tigerstar was a shy, quiet cat, and a public humiliation could perhaps be nearly intolerable enough to divulge something, some scrap of information to which Lionstar could cling and which he could pursue until he reached the truth of the matter.

For now, though, Lionstar would do what he could with what he had, and do his best to gain these two she-cats' trust. He doubted he would succeed with the aggressive Snowinglight, but he might be able to with Frostpaw. With a flick of his feathery tail tip, he nodded with Frostpaw's energetic words. "Indeed -- Snowinglight, you are his deputy, after all. You could reach the truth; I have always heard that you are a perceptive she-cat, able to see past deceptions. I know that Tigerstar must respect you and your virtues enough to tell you if you asked." Lionstar tried to avoid sickening, cloying, oozing compliments, but he thought some brief flattery might help in this instance; however, considering Snowinglight was such a suspicious she-cat, Lionstar could see it going any number of ways. Snowinglight's trust wasn't most important to him, though, but Frostpaw's was. The young she-cat was intrepid and clever, and she would do everything in her power to cut through this hazy fog of mystery around her father. Dead for a half-moon already. This next Gathering would certainly be interesting.

WORDS: 875 | NOTES: I'm sorry it's so late! (And also my muse was blarg again ._.) | TAG: Frostpaw, Snowinglight, OPEN