We Have Some Catching Up To Do (CLOSED)

The camp had been fairly quiet since Breezewhisker had left. For a short while, Rippedsky thought things in his life would calm down. Life had been looking up for a brief point in time. Against all odds, the warrior had found a mate within the clan. Not only that, but they had two beautiful young kits. Nothing good ever stayed for too long, though. It had been a few sunrises since Cherrymist's disappearance. All the tom wanted to do was tear the forest apart looking for her, but his kits still needed their father around. It would do no good if he just left to find her. Cats had already searched the territory over and over. No other clan's scent had been found either. Maybe she left willingly, He considered briefly, But why?

Rippedsky shook his head to clear away all the thoughts and stood up from his place at the edge of the clearing. After much consideration, he decided to go to Crowstar. His former mentor had been away for a while. But recently, the Skyclan leader had resumed doing ceremonies. Still, the black and white warrior had not had anytime to talk with the older tom. It was something he missed quite a bit. Of any cat, Rippedsky admired the leader the most. Becoming a Skyclan warrior under him had been the greatest honor for him. Every time some cat called his name, the warrior was reminded of his ceremony, even moons later.

Within moments, he had padded over to the clan leader's den. Rippedsky called out a greeting meow before poking his head in. While Crowstar had not been at his best for a while, the tom respected him enough to not patronize him. His tone was as even and respectful as it would have been at any other time, "I'm sorry to bother you, Crowstar. But I was wondering if you would be up for a quick patrol."

Skyclan was flourishing, and now? Now they were losing warriors left and right.. And Crowstar couldn't do a thing about it except watch it happen. He had to raise the next generation into warriors only to see them probably go to the same fate... The leader didn't know what to do. He needed to keep Skyclan alive, it was his main goal... but why did Starclan like punishing him, and his clan? Was it because of his choice those many moons ago?

The leader was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of a voice calling his name. His ear twitched in recognition that it was his former apprentice. "You aren't a bother at all Rippedsky." He needed someone to take his mind off of those bad thoughts anyway. "I'm good with going on a patrol. It's been a while since I stretched my legs anyway."

Seeing the leader's willingness to go out cheered up the younger tom a bit. His ears pricked up with a mild excitement and he nodded to Crowstar. Rippedsky turned to head for the camp entrance. He walked next to Crowstar, relishing in the moment of being with his mentor again. It has been far too long, He thought to himself. Once they had exited the camp, a sense of freedom washed over the warrior. For a while now he had been trapped in his own head, struggling to perform every day tasks for his clan and kits. But now, being back out in the territory with his mentor made the burdens and worries melt away. A bit of youth returned to his spirit. Even though he was not that old, Rippedsky had always had a serious air about him and the events in his life had only made it worse.

"How are you doing?" He asked the leader after a while, breaking the silence. His voice asked for an honest answer. Rippedsky wanted more than a simple, straight-forward answer and he hoped that Crowstar trusted him enough to oblige. Besides, it had been so long since they had just had the opportunity to talk, and so much had happened in that time.

The leader followed his former apprentice out of his den and out of the camp. Similar to Rippedsky the leader felt a sense of freedom. Out here is was just mentor and former apprentice. He didn't need to be a leader for once. It was like he was back to being Crowflight before he became deputy then leader. He was just another warrior and that was a relief or him.

Crowstar looked up at his warrior when he spoke. Something in the warrior's voice told him not to lie. The warrior let out a sigh, turning his yellow eyes to the ground. "Honestly... I'm struggling." The leader replied. "Nothing seems to be going well.."

"These have been some hard times," Rippedsky agreed, understanding shining in his bright blue eyes. The whole clan had been through a lot. Most of the events had effected the two of them directly. It was a lot to deal with. Cherrymist was not just Rippedsky's mate, but also Crowstar's kin. Sometimes the tom felt like the clan would fall apart, yet it prevailed. His breathing was soft and relaxed at the continued on together. While times seemed dark, the promise of greenleaf warmed the warrior's pelt.

"If there is any cat to lead us through this, it's you, Crowstar. Skyclan will make it through this," He offered up, finding strength in his own words. The young tom's faith in his adoptive clan had always pushed him to be a better warrior and to keep looking forwards. He hoped that the leader felt the same, and even if he didn't Rippedsky would be there to back him up.

After a brief pause, Rippedsky added quietly, "I'm sorry about Breezewhisker." The two of them had never spoken about the confrontation between the former Windclan tom and the leader's son. It still troubled him to think about the way things had happened.

Crowstar liked that Rippedsky believed in him, but he wasn't too sure if he believed in himself. He already faltered a few times. He couldn't keep on the same path, at least it seemed. He stayed silent for a moment then his former apprentice brought up his son..

Crowstar shook his head. "It's not your fault.." The leader said. "Breezewhisker was a fool.." He was angry at his son, but his anger was covering up the hurt that sat inside his chest. What did he do wrong? Why did two of his family members leave him hating him? He always tried his best but it wasn't ever good enough. His clan and his family were just going to keep slowly slipping away from him weren't they?

"He was a good warrior. And I understand his frustration... I understand their frustration," Rippedsky jumped into defend his former clanmate. If they had met on other terms, the white and black warrior would have probably befriend Crowstar's son. It was all simply because they did not share the same blood. The tom let out a sigh and looked down at his paws. Some of the Skyclan cats made sure he remembered his past. Before Rippedsky could stop himself, he looked back up to meet Crowstar's eyes, "Do you ever regret taking me in?"

Crowstar paused at Rippedsky's question. It was a very brief pause before the leader answered. "No." The leader put simply at first. "Not even for a second." The leader said. He didn't understand why, at first when Rippedsky first showed up Crowstar saw a tactical advantage, but as the Warrior grew in Skyclan that changed. He was still an advantage but there was more to it than that, he just couldn't explain it, even if some of his own warriors protested against the new addition. It was still all worth while in the leader's opinion.

Relief flooded through the warrior. He had waited with baited breath, somewhat expecting Crowstar to have experienced a couple moments of doubt. With everything Rippedsky's acceptance into the clan had brought, it was a miracle the clan leader didn't hate him. A warm gratitude filled him as he glanced at the older tom. Crowstar's acceptance and guidance meant more than he could ever possibly explain. Even though the leader was technically no longer his mentor, they still shared an amazing bond. Even though a lot had happened, this was all Rippedsky could ask for.

"Thank you," Rippedsky meowed seriously, before adding with a soft chuckle, "I have certainly doubted enough for both of us... But now I've been a part of Skyclan for almost as long as I was a Windclan cat. Nothing has ever felt ore right than being in the clan. I feel like Starclan has brought me here for a reason. Even if I don't yet know what it is..." While the consistent struggles made it hard to believe, there was a lot of good happening within the clan. Rippedsky recognized it every now and then. But it was still so easy to believe some mistake had been made somewhere along the way. He understood Crowstar's struggles and doubts. He shared some of them. The black and white warrior's blue eyes glazed over as he lost himself to his thoughts for a few moments.

"We never know for sure what Starclan has planned for us, or their reasoning behind it." He still don't know why they decided to throw so many trees at him those moons ago. The fluffy leader continued walking along side his former apprentice. "How are things going on your end?" The leader asked. Mostly wondering about patrols with others and training apprentices.

"With leafbare coming to an end, it's been nice. More prey coming in and everyone's apprentice training seems to be coming along well," Rippedsky started, trying to focus on the positives. He left out his own apprentice's passing. Crowstar knew already. Despite all of the negative things effecting the clan and their families, the weather was nice. Kits were being born. Hopefully, newleaf would bring a time of growth for Skyclan, "Things are looking up. Once Pansyface and Cherrymist are back safely, I hope we can just have a time of peace." The idea of a clam season seemed so far out of reach, but only Starclan could possibly know what greenleaf would bring for the clan.