You Can Count on Me... [c]

Coyotegrin had been analyzing things. Her relationship with Goldenstar was acceptable in her opinion, but she hadn't bonded much with Shrikestorm. They were friendly, she supposed, but she had neglected to go to him when she was younger. He probably would not have taken her seriously as an apprentice anyway. But now she was a warrior, with an apprentice. She hunted, she fought, she led to the best of her ability. The Dark Forest cats were imposing and suffocating, and the leadership in the clan was weakening. Not many oldened and hardened warriors remained in the clan- it was a clan of youth. It was her moment to break through and show her potential in this clan.

Her eyes searched the camp for her intended target. Soon enough, the tom in question came into sight. Standing up, the small she-cat weaved her way through obstacles with ease, a quick step, and purpose. Shrikestorm had turned to exit camp, but luckily she caught his back just in time. "Shrikestorm, can I speak to you for a second?" Her voice was firm but polite and respectful. When he turned around, she tilted her head and pointed with her tail to a quiet part of the camp. She smiled softly, indicating it wasn't a very serious matter.

Sometimes it was nice to get out of camp. Even with the dead shadowing his every pawstep, he would do his best to ignore their presence. However, he would never ignore the presence of one of his actual clanmates. When Coyotegrin came to him, he stopped before he could reach the edge of the camp. She wanted to speak to him in a quiet part of the camp, which seemed... Well, it seemed fine. It was hard to find any modicum of privacy thanks to their unwanted visitors, but there was no harm in trying. Technically. With a smile, he nodded and followed the small she-cat to the spot in question. "Is everything alright, Coyotegrin?"

Coyotegrin led the deputy to the quietest spot she could find, and sat down in the shadows. She nodded at the deputy's question, and tucked her tail over her paws. "Yes, nothing urgent. I just wanted to speak to you about my development as a warrior." She paused, unsure of how to word things exactly now that she was actually speaking to him. "I don't believe that training ends when you receive your warrior name. I was hoping to request for you to take me under your wing, so to speak. Your assistant, of sorts. Test me out, find my weaknesses... I've always admired your leadership style, and I believe I have a lot to learn from you." Flattery. An easy trick in the book, but she wanted this more than anything. She wanted him to rely on her, to be invaluable to him in the clan. Her heart raced as she awaited his response.

Shrikestorm took in what Coyotegrin was saying. So she wanted to be his assistant, huh? He smiled at that, appreciating that she would come to him with this. Of course, he wasn't the leader of the clan, but as the deputy he did hold some amount of power. If Coyotegrin wanted to learn from him, then he was more than happy to oblige. "I like that attitude. Of course I could help you." His voice dropped to a whisper, leaning in close to her. "There will be tests most of us haven't seen yet, with how our camp is at the moment. We must be prepared for it." He tried to keep it vague, but it was obvious how there camp was, with the Dark Forest having taken it over.

It was nearly impossible to hold back her extreme excitement when Shrikestorm agreed to take her on as her assistant, but she managed to maintain her cool. Leaning in as the deputy did so, Coyotegrin took in his comments with a nod. "Of course... These are trying times. Do you think they will be here forever?" Her head tilted to the side. Everyone was eager to get these things away from them. What was there purpose, even?

Shrikestorm shook his head. "No, I don't think so. It'll be WindClan again before long. Just remember to keep your faith, Coyotegrin." He didn't elaborate further, not wishing to have any plans for rising up get caught on the wind and be heard by the Dark Forest cats. They were just like the Asylum, and they had been chased off previously. These cats, some of whom actually had been in the Asylum, were back... but they would go. Shrikestorm would make sure of that.