things that stay the same [o]

Though the tension of the broken alliance meant that WindClan's borders were, perhaps, not the safest of places to spend time the Hidden Outcropping had easily become one of Leopardsun's favorite places. The fieldgrass wasn't nearly as muddy as the marsh (unless it had rained particularly recently), and the ring of stones that marked it was visually striking. It was an easily recognizable resting place, and an especially comfortable one at that- except for the fact that she ran across unwanted intruders in the form of foxes and such more often than she would have liked.

Well, that was exhilirating in its own way; but days like this, where she hadn't caught wind of any threats, were just as welcome now. It seemed that there was some new problem every time she so much as blinked, a trend that had given her a new perspective on and appreciation for quiet days and the moments where there wasn't anything to chase down.

That said, she still couldn't help the way her paws itched with nothing to do. Especially now, with the shadow of vanishing cats and twolegs looming over the forest; but there was nothing she could do beyond searching for traps and reporting back when she was done, and encouraging her clanmates to be cautious.

Swiftheart liked nothing more than to get to hang out with clanmates. She was very sociable and talkative so when she saw her deputy she wanted to join her.

She smiled happily in greeting to her. "I wanted to thank you for letting me be the mentor for Cinderpaw. That means alot to me. I wanna do the best I can to train her super well" she promised.

Redice's red form stood out against the snow and bits of grass managing to poke through. In his mouth were three rats dangling by their tails. They bounced up and down as Redice trotted with a peculiar pep in his step across the Hidden Outcropping. He was humming to himself with his tail and head high... but for no real apparent reason. Perhaps he was just in a great mood.

His yellow-orange eyes landed on Leopardsun and Swiftheart as he closed the distance between them. Normally, he would pass everyone by and continue to do his own thing... but today he stopped within a fox length of them both. He stared for a moment, looking at one and then the other, before he spat the rats out onto the grass and plopped his red rump down.

Then he continued to stare. He was seemingly unaware of the awkwardness of his actions before he started speaking.

"Cicadapaw has done well too. I'd say she is long overdue for a warrior's ceremony. Not that it's your responsibility Leopardsun." He had to make sure that she didn't think he expected her to do that. He'd been doing some thinking lately, and some of that had been realizing... somewhat... just how out of place he was. While he never cared much before, he was beginning to realize why that may be a problem in the future.

So here he was, a complete alien doing his best to blend in to cat society. He was confident that he would do well. He was also confident that everyone would realize his greatness soon enough...

Was no place around here truly sacred? Batpaw had taken to the Hidden Outcrop since it was the neatest and least messy of ShadowClan territory, but it seems like others had the same idea. He sighed, getting to his feet after lounging most the night away. Wouldn't be a good look if one of the deputys sons didn't greet his superiors or even his own mother.

"Greetings Leopardsun, Swiftheart...." He turned his head away from the she-cats for a brief moment to hide the look of disgust on his face at seeing Redice, possibly the most messy and unruly cat he'd ever seen. His beautiful face that rivaled the stars in the sky, returned neutral as he nodded to the red tom. Though not really looking at him. He didnt belong here, it was obvious. But neither did Batpaw when he really thought about it. "...Redice."

"I'm glad to hear the apprentices are doing well. And that you're doing alright with Cinderpaw, Swiftheart."

Leopardsun wasn't entirely sure what to make of Redice's words, though she tried not to let her confusion be too obvious. Was he trying to insult her, or something else? The other cats were ones she understood at least a little better: Swiftheart was a friend, and despite how he was a mystery in his own way Batpaw was her son.

"I'm glad to see all of you resting. This is a nice place to spend time, isn't it?" she asked, gesturing to the space around them with her tail. "You should be careful, though. I'm mostly out here for scouting patrols- there are a lot of foxes, among other things- so it's best to be prepared for anything."

Including WindClan cats, I suppose, but they're the least of my own concerns.

Her own theory as to why foxes and badgers were so common in the outcropping was that each Clan repeatedly drove the predators out of their own territory, leaving them to settle in the less-frequented space between; but she wasn't sure and was more concerned with putting an end to the threat they posed than anything.