Reach Out and Touch Faith

As she turned away, Falconfang just stared at her. Maybe he was just dumb, but he didn't understand fully what he had to do... at least not yet. Repressing a sigh, he wondered if he was even up for the uphill battle that was ahead of him. "I think I need to go talk to Minteyes," he mewed quietly.

"That would be a smart choice. If you gain her trust you will be half-way to gaining mine." Raccoonheart commented. "Now go talk to her I am sure she would like to hear what you have to say." She mewed, with a slight yawn.

Slowly Falconfang moved away from Raccoonheart and towards Minteyes, who was sitting at the fresh-kill pile. Feeling tongue-tied suddenly, he could only stammer out "M-Minteyes?" before whipping his tail back and forth awkwardly.

Before setting eyes on a small squirrel that out of stupidity wandered over from ThunderClan. Turning at the sound of her name the she-cat faced Falconfang. With her choice of morning meal in her mouth she said nothing, but looked at him waiting to talk.

For a few awkward moments, the conversation was nothing more than silence as Falconfang gathered up the courage to speak. After all that big talk, he now felt once more like the shy apprentice that couldn't approach any other cat for a conversation. "M-Minteyes, I'm sorry," he finally mewed, shuffling his paws somberly. He wanted to look away, to be anywhere but here, having to feel the disappointment from a cat he so desperately wished to call a friend, but he forced himself to look at her, the guilt of what he had done swimming in his deep blue eyes.

Laying the squirrel at her paws Minteyes sat. Her green eyes boring into the tom. Nodding the she-cat was still quiet. She was a strong believer in the Warrior Code and still couldn't believe that he had done such a thing. It would take time for her to cope with the whole idea.

A small grumble started as Stormstar padded from his den. His long fur was a mess, and it had started to grow out even more as Leaf-bare stared up. Trotting into the clearing, he noticed his mate, Raccoonheart, and the two warriors sitting not far from each other. Something was wrong, he could almost feel how upset Minteyes was, or it was the fact that he could clearly see it on her face. He padded over, his yellow eyes soft yet almost icy, something was going on in his Clan and he didn't know what, and he had to know. "What is going on?"

Falconfang started at the sound of Stormstar's voice: it had been a few sunrises since he had seen his leader. Of course, he didn't know of the young warrior's indiscretions... yet. Honestly, he did not want to be the one to tell him, so he gave Stormstar a nervous greeting and then just sat there, pawing at the ground. He wasn't hungry and he couldn't really continue talking to Minteyes about this with the leader standing right there... not like he felt that the she-cat would want to hear him anyway.

Dipping her head to Stormstar Minteyes looked at the other warrior. "Stormstar could you wait for just one moment, Falconfang may I speak to you over there." It was the first time the she-cat had spoken to the tom and the first time she had seen their leader in a while. The she-cat walked over to the edge of camp. "You must tell him." She lowered her voice. "Or I will."

Stormstar raised an eyebrow at the request, but just nodded. He sat down as he watched Minteyes bring Falconfang off to a corner of the camp. His tail flickered over his paws. What could Minteyes be telling the tom that involved the leader?

Falconfang felt his heart begin to beat rapidly in nervousness as he followed Minteyes to the edge of camp. When she told him that either he could tell Stormstar about what he had done or she would, his eyes became wide with fear. "I-I can't!" he whispered unhappily. "Wh-what if he banishes me? I-I can't live out there on my own." But wouldn't he deserve it? He had broken the rules, yet he was putting up the most feeble of excuses... waves of fear-scent were rolling off of him and the sheer unhappiness of it all was visible on his face: he looked like he may just break down completely at any moment. "I was stupid," he murmured to Minteyes, looking down at the grounds.

Shaking her head at his excuse and again at what he said about Stormstar. When the tom brought up living on his own a rude comment was on the verge of slippin out but the she-cat held it back. "I won't let him." Altbough she heard the last part her speech came to an end once again and turned away padding back towards the leader.

Stormstar raised an eyebrow when Minteyes came padding back. He wasn't able to hear what was spoken, but he could see it. Whatever this was, it made Falconfang very upset, and that just made the tom want to know even more what was going on."I suppose you are finished talking in private then? I repeat my question: what is going on? I don't like being kept in the dark about things going on in my own Clan."

Falconfang slunk back over to Stormstar, following Minteyes with his head down and his tail dropping on the ground. "Stormstar," he mewed, looking over at Minteyes for anything: reassurance, pity, whatever, but he saw nothing in her expression, which just made this all the more worse for him. "Stormstar, I..." For a moment, he was silent, as if he wouldn't continue. "I was seeing a Riverclan she-cat at Fourtrees while the clan slept," he finally admitted, looking up at his leader. He knew what would happen: Stormstar would be furious, and he had every right to be. Fear and guilt were as visible in his gaze as they ever had been, and his voice was shaking as he spoke. "R-Raccoonheart caught me, a-and I feel terrible... I knowingly broke the warrior code, and there's no excuse for me actions... Please forgive me. I was stupid and did something without thinking of my clan or my ancestors. I..." he gulped. What if Stormstar banished him? Would he deserve it? Now his knees were shaking worse than his voice. "I accept any punishment you give to me." He looked down, unable to look at either his leader or his friend - former friend? Shutting his eyes, he waited for what Stormstar would say, feeling like a small piece of prey before the big leader.

There was silent from the tom other then for a flicker of a ear. He was shocked...Falconfang, one of his greatest warriors...breaking the Warrior Code? Half of him wanted him to deliver a hash punishment, giving the tom go grace of breaking the Code, but his other half, the kind and fair half, didn't. He paused for a moment, his face showing no emotion other then for his hard stare on the tom. "Falconfang..." he whispered, half growled. "Breaking the Warrior Code is a very serious crime. Most leaders would exile cats for breaking such a rule." He paused for a second, his voice becoming much softer. "But I...I am not most leaders. I understand the pain of breaking codes, it took the love of my life, before I fell in love with Racoonheart of course, away from me... And I wasn't the one that broke the code. You have suffered the lost of losing a love one, something that will never go away. When you see her, or even a cat that might look like her, you will feel the pain. That...That is punishment enough, but I fear that no cats would learn from your mistake if that was it." He paused for a second, gazing at Minteyes. His heart felt soft, he knew how much the young she-cat cared for the warrior, and she would suffer no ill treatment of the tom. "You shall be forced to be an apprentice until I say so. You will kept your warrior name, but you must take care of the elders, and not leave the camp without another warrior by your side. If you do...I shall think of a even more hasher punishment. I fear however for your former RiverClan mate...While Froststar is a great and noble leader, I'm afraid that she might not be as...fair...as I am. I doubt that your former mate is still in RiverClan, and I highly recommend making peace that you will never see her again until you are in StarClan." He glanced at Minteyes, before leaning forward to Falconfang and narrowing his eyes sharply. "I do not want to see you break the Warrior Code again, Falconfang, or I will not be so kind," he snarled, before his yellow eyes just sightly shifted to Minteyes. "I think that perhaps you should try to find a mate in this Clan...We all know how Minteyes is fond of you, and I know that she wouldn't take it if I had exiled you. She would of done all in her power to make you stay. She might be upset with you right now, but I believe that you should try to repair your friendship, and see where it goes." Flickering his tail, Stormstar stood up and turned, heading toward the fresh-kill pile. He would let the two warriors speak to each other in private, also, he was staving.