A Comforting Talk[C]

Sootpaw found his paws taking him towards the elder's den. Since the gathering and the mess of a clan meeting afterwards, the apprentice was often down and confused. Where had it all gone wrong? Why had Batsong and Shrikestar done things the way they did, and leave Windclan in such an awful position. All hopes of peace among the clans had plummeted in the depths, never to be seen again. The brown-and-white tom signed as he recalled the the day he had that conversation with Brakenwing. It was there that he had begun to realize his dreams, and it was there that he went to now, searching for even a shred of comfort.

A small poppy was clamped tightly in his jaws. For old tradition's sake, Sootpaw thought as he laid the flower before the elder and looked at her with hopeful eyes, as if he was a kit again begging for a story.

Brackenwing lifted her head with a smile as Sootpaw entered the den, this time a poppy flower in his jaws. "Hey, Sootpaw," She greeted the apprentice, uncurling from her spot and sitting up. "How's training going? They can't be working you too hard if you've found time to stop by, right?" It seemed that the recent gathering was on everyone's mind, and for good reason. Brackenwing hoped that it wasn't weighing on the apprentice's mind too much, though she had her doubts. She hoped that asking about training might be a decent distraction, if not... There were always stories to tell.

"It's been good. Tigerdance said that I'll be a warrior soon," Sootpaw answered. The tom shifted his paws, suddenly at a loss for words. He let the silence settle between them, his green eyes downcast as he blinked back tears.

OOC: keeping this short so that he can have a proper cry next post

"I think Tigerdance is right." She ought to be proud... But that possibility made her gut twist, now. After learning what happened at the gathering, the oath that was sworn at warrior ceremonies hit a little too close to home, knowing the precipice the clan now stood on.

Silence stretched between the two, Sootpaw's gaze downcast. Brackenwing could tell something was bothering him. "Sootpaw?" She prompted gently, a worried frown finding its' way onto her face.

Brakenwing's gentle voice was all it took for the tears to come. Sootpaw tried his best to keep them in, but the moss below his paws still became soaked. It wasn't a loud cry, but more of a silent one. One that unless someone was looking at him, no one would notice. The tom raised his head to search Brakenwing's eyes. He had always trusted her, and now he would have to rely on that trust.

"Why, of all the clans, was I born in Windclan?" His broken mew echoed around the den. "Why, of all the things to happen to us, was it to be hated on by the other clans? Are my dreams of peace really that unrealistic? Is what I've always called 'sense' just the dream of some kit who hasn't yet learnt the way of the world around us?" His eyes were fixed on the poppy; its petals were stained with his tears.

The tears came, then, and Brackenwing gently beckoned the apprentice to her side when he looked up at her. "We can't choose the clan we are born to. We can't choose the actions of other, no matter how much we might like to." She sighed, striped tail twitching.

"No, it's not." Brackenwing began, "You have more sense than some cats I know. I'm sorry that those older than either of us who should be leading the clan don't act like it."

Sootpaw let the elder comfort him as he cried softly. The weight of the past few days was finally lifted from his shoulders as he let out everything. His life hadn't gone as he had planned, but it had only just started didn't it? He would have all the time in the world to change...

"Why did Starclan approve of cats not fitting to lead a clan?" He asked dully in response to Brakenwing's answer, "Isn't Starclan always right?"

"I don't know, Sootpaw." Why Starclan did a lot of things was a perpetual mystery to Brackenwing. "They're not always right, and they aren't all powerful. At the end of the day they're just cats like anyone else... Well, dead cats, but still." Growing up under the dark forest's rule had taught her they certainly weren't all-powerful. Otherwise they wouldn't have needed sacrifices including her own sister. Sagepaw hadn't crossed her mind in moons, and the thought made Brackenwing feel a little guilty. "I don't know if they approved of it as Shrikestar said or if he's just trying to use any excuse he can to not look weak." He had failed at that, at least for Brackenwing.

Sootpaw signed as Brakenwing's words sank in. So the mighty Starclan he believed in since he was a kit wasn't actually as powerful as he had thought... what was the point in all this? Why believe in Starclan cats when they aren't any better than live ones? Why follow the Warrior Code when the ones that should be implementing it breaks it so easily? The apprentice got to his paws and dipped his head to Brakenwing. "Thank you, I'll... I'll be going now," He mewed dully, his eyes fixed on his paws.

OOC: don't worry, he gets his spirit back after his Warrior Ceremony :)

Eventually Sootpaw got to his paws, mewing his goodbyes. "Things will work out." Brackenwing attempted to be comforting, but her words rang hollow to her own ears. Things would work out, yes, but she was sure there would be a peaceful resolution to this. There rarely were, in her experience.