Deliver us (Closed)

Crocuspaw was pacing in circles, treading paths into the compact dirt of Thunderclan camp. Stories of far-off lands danced behind her eyes as the famine got worse and her clanmate's hunger soared. The young she-cat worried that with all the predator attacks and the lack of food, any kits born would starve before they reached apprenticehood. Something had to be done, and her father's stories only provided hope to her, that somewhere there was a territory that was plentiful and warm. Working up the nerve, Crocuspaw parted the lichen at Mottlestars den. "Mottlestar? I'd like to discuss something with you." She mewed, soft and uncertain as she hung still at the entrance nervously.

It was impossible to keep the anxiety of recent times from seeping beyond her own mind, her own den. The scarcity of prey had hit harder than any cat could have possibly anticipated, and the fact that she had already given mild concerns about how prey would fare with her larger clan only made reality that much harder. Bellies needed to be filled, and the blissful plenty that Greenleaf had offered was long gone. She worried about her deputy, who seemed as if she was well but the leader knew she was skipping meals. She worried for her kits, who fought to bring back only morsels of food with each hunting party. Not to mention how she worried for their allies who seemed plagued by other malignant forest entities, all sinking their claws in one way or another into the forest. So there was no surprise when the fear of recent times crept beyond that of her mind. Into the minds of her clanmates. Part of her felt she had failed, making them worry. But life wouldn't stay beautiful forever.

Much as she wished it did.

Her attention was pulled by the gentle sound that came from the plants being disrupted from their otherwise still existence. It took all of a heartbeat for her to recognize the powerful Molly that came in. Her own apprentice, who now easily dwarfed her in size. Pride flickered momentarily at seeing how she'd blossomed... followed by a gnawing guilt as she saw the look of hunger that hid deep beneath. Or had she imagined it? It didn't matter. "Crocuspaw, of course. Come, join me." The much smaller tortoiseshell gestured towards the empty nest she kept in her den. The one for long conversations with visitors that she hoped would make them more comfortable to share what thoughts ran through their minds. "I hope you're doing okay," The mother in her never stopped fretting, even over her own apprentice. Her ears flicked back in brief embarrassment at the words that tumbled forth, but they were quickly replaced by that leaders guise. The one that summoned strength when her clanmates needed it most.

At the greeting and invitation, Crocuspaw strode forth regarding the nest quietly for a heartbeat before stepping in and nestling into it, her paws tucking in under her. "I am yeah, as well as I can be, erm." She paused, uncertain as to how her mentor may react to her suggestion. "Uhm, a little bit ago, Dad was telling us about The Sun, The Moon, and the Now, my family's religion, and he uh mentioned that there's a lot of land beyond our territories, and some of it really... good. And I was thinking that maybe- Maybe we should consider leaving? Not permanantly! But we're in a famine right, and what prey we hunt is only going to endanger us further because they might be starving too and thats why we can't get as much as we need... So maybe we should leave for a bit until the prey can heal?" Crocuspaw tried her best to be confident and make eye contact and say 'uhm' and 'and' as little as she could, but by the end of her sputtery explanation, suggestion, whatever it was, she was picking at the nest around her anxiously.

Mottlestar listened closely. Her ears had perked directly towards the apprentice, her head tilted to the side in the subconscious trait that indicated nothing else in the forest held her attention. It was much more difficult for the tortoiseshell to keep herself in place, to refrain from stepping forward and offering several gestures of comfort towards Crocuspaw in an attempt to soothe the nerves that came from talking to her. She had always felt a deep slice of failure if she made her clanmates nervous to talk to, but long ago the tortoiseshell had accepted that there would always be a small prick of anxiety that came from talking to her. Even when she spoke to Minnowfin when he'd been Minnowstar, she had felt it too. The fear that came from talking to a leader, to a cat blessed by the Stars.

So she listened. Gave her all to show that she valued what her clanmates had to say, and as Crocuspaw concluded, Mottlestar couldn't help but hum in thought. "Travel beyond the forest to let the prey heal... That's truly a good idea, Crocuspaw." She nodded in affirmation. Her mind churned with the logistics-whether or not it could be safe or if it was just a kits-tale. Still, Hank, Aurelia, and Sleet had come from a place she did not know. It made sense for him to have gifted his kits with knowledge of its existence. "If you don't mind me asking, what all did he share of the place beyond the forest? If it is family secret, I understand. But... truly, it... it could just work. Give the forest a break just long enough to make sure we'd have enough prey for Leaf-bare..." A twinkle had risen in the tortoiseshell's gaze. One that promised ideas... a look of hope. "You know, you think like a leader, Crocuspaw. Thank you for coming to share this with me."

Crocuspaw's confidence grew at Mottlestar's praise. She thought that she may call it ridiculous, that the forest was their home and there they would stay and endure, but the mottled she-cat didn't say that at all! The large she-cat perked up, her fur growing hot at the compliments. "And thank you, Mottlestar. I'll share because I trust you, but also because where Hank hails from might not be achievable, he hadn't been able to return. My Dad said that he grew up in a forest with trees doubly twice the size of our own, there was uh, he said white sands and an ocean. But it wasn't safe, despite having lots and lots of food, because what lived there with him were much more dangerous than the badgers and foxes we have. Our blood was made for this place, not just our size but our strength will be equal to what is there..." Crocuspaw prattled, "But just because we can't reach this place, it just means there must be other places... right?" Once more she sought out her mentors praise and comfort, but the praise given to her still hadn't worn off completely.