Reach Out and Touch Faith

Another cold morning: leafbare was really sinking its chilling claws deep into the territories. It was very early - the sun had yet to make its grand appearance, if it ever would - but one cat was awake. Falconfang was lying in his nest near the back of the warrior's den, staring past the sleeping forms of his clanmates and out into the barren clearing, the grass tipped with dew. The cold, dreary weather outside perfectly mirrored the young warrior's mood: he was quite miserable, and all self-inflicted. He had brazenly broken the rules by meeting with a Riverclan warrior, and his worst fears has been realized when he was caught by Raccoonheart and Minteyes. Now he lay sadly in the den, forbidden to leave camp unless under the deputy's supervision. Not like he could argue: the punishment was justly deserved.

His mind drifted to the conversation he had had with Raccoonheart before returning to camp. The lack of warriors in Windclan made banishing him not an option, but Falconfang knew how close he had come to becoming a filthy rogue, forced to live friendless and beyond the territories of the clans. To be honest, he never had thought of Starclan much, but that conversation forced it into his mind. Was Starclan angry at his actions? Would they have wanted him banished? Maybe they would tell Stormstar; that thought was particularly dreadful to him. Maybe he wasn't thinking enough about his starry ancestors... Had he lost faith? Maybe he needed to regain trust in his own belief as much as he needed to regain his clanmates' trust. That was definitely something to think on. Not like there was much else to do.

Raccoonheart walked in the camp with tired eyes, for age had just want on a dawn patrol. She finally looked up and noticed Falconfang coming out of the warriors' den. After she saw that she got a bit suspisous, nut decided to let it pass. She walked over to the tom, and mewed, "You look like you have something on your mind." She commented before sitting down and starting to lick her paw.

Falconfang started when Raccoonheart spoke: he had been so wrapped up in his own mind that he hadn't even noticed that he had decided to leave the warrior's den. "You could say that," he mewed softly, standing a bit awkwardly next to her: he could tell that his betrayal still stung deep with her.

Raccoonheart stopped licking her paw and looked at him with a questioning look, before sitting up straight. "Well what's bothering you then?" She asked trying to get him to feel better. The sooner he felt better the sooner he could focus on work.

Rolling from her back onto her paws the she-cat arched her back and moved out to the clearing. Seeing Falconfang and Raccoonheart already up it seemed as if they were talking about something. She didn't want to interupt but went over anyways, primarily to talk to the deputy. "Anything need done this morning Raccoonheart?" Her tone serious as it usually was this early in the morning.

"Not at the moment Minteyes, I just covered the dawn patrol, and we are good on prey for the moment. You can relax for now." Raccoonheart responded to the young warrior. "You can join our chat if you want too."

Falconfang was about to speak when Minteyes walked up. Quickly the young tom went mute and looked out beyond the camp awkwardly. He knew he would have to earn Minteyes' trust back the same way he would have to earn Raccoonheart's trust, but he feared to see the same look of mistrust in her eyes that he saw in Raccoonheart's. This whole act was ridiculous: he just looked like he wasn't even trying to regain their trust! Every second he sat there now just made him feel more miserable.

"I don't want to intrude." Minteyes shook her head. A glance, not a glare, was positioned towards Falconfang, she said nothing and went to the fresh-kill pile.

"Uhhh... Well okay then. Minteyes I will call you when I need you to do something." Raccoonheart called after the she-cat. The deputy turned her attention back to Falconfang, and asked, "What were you going to say?"

"I feel like I'm losing touch with the clan and with Starclan," Falconfang admitted, turning his gaze to the lithe deputy. "I don't think that I've been trying hard enough to connect with my clanmates or my ancestors, and now I feel that it may be too late." His voice echoed his body language: downcast, empty. He finally sat down next to Raccoonheart and began smoothing his matted fur.

"It's never too late, everyone has a chance, and for you this is your second one." Raccoonheart responded, "You just need to try now though or it will be to late." She lifted up her paws again and started licking it trying to get as clean as possible.

"But what do I do?" Never had Falconfang felt this helpless, but now he felt he really needed his clanmates, now more than ever. "Raccoonheart, I need your help. I don't think I can do this on my own."

"Yes I will help you but what you have to do is what you come up with." Racccoonheart had ideas herself but this was a lesson the Falconfang needed to learn on his own, without assistance. "Tell me what do you plan to do?"

"I... I plan on staying in camp unless you let me leave," he mewed, scuffling his paws on the ground. "And doing whatever I can to make Windclan strong again, like we talked about sunrises ago."

Raccoonheart looked at him with a 'are you kidding me look?' before responding, "Well yes that is true, but you can always ask me to leave camp, but I will have to come along. "This is the part where you have to gain my trust, it's up to you when we leave camp, and what we do. You do what you feel like you need to do to earn my trust back." She mewed to her before turning to lick her back which had a wound from the battle with Greyheart.