SO MUCH BORED.

Gingerheart sat in camp with a little bit of boredom... okay that was a lie. She was terribly bored since she couldn't do anything except try to teach Silverpaw, and she had pretty much taught her everything she could at the moment. Hunting was out of the question since even Gingerheart didn't know how to hunt fish, and border patrols weren't really an idea either since she wasn't too sure if Riverclan had trusted Shadowclan enough to go on border patrols. Heck, she didn't even know the borders of this territory. It was a nightmare being stuck in camp.

And the worst part was she had time to think. Most of her thoughts were focused on only one thing: Cedarfur. Ever since that night next to the river, she couldn't take her mind off of what he had said. It was aggravating. She couldn't tell how she felt, and she didn't want to let him down or give him the wrong idea. Oh Starclan, was every relationship like this? "Ugh..." She groaned before finally just plopping her head down on her paws. She really liked Cedarfur, but love was just a strong word and one that confused her greatly. She felt like she could say she loved the young tom, but she always felt so nervous when she even thought about telling him that. What was worse is that this wasn't even like her. Nervous? Shadowclan warriors didn't get nervous! It was unheard of, especially for her.

Reedheart let his eyes wander, scanning the clearing. The two Clans were lazy today. Day by day, the air seemed to be getting a bit warmer. It was relaxing, and the fresh scents carried on the occasional warm breeze was refreshing to say the least. It was a day meant for enjoyment.

Caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't realize that he had been staring at a ShadowClan warrior. Fur hot with embarrassment, he quickly looked down as his paws. Reedheart desperately hoped that no one saw that. It took only a moment later for him to realize it was Gingerheart. The she-cat was... prickly. Reedheart remember her prideful stubbornness when she first arrived. Injured and in need of help, yet still refusing Morningfur's herbs. Maybe it was an admirable trait in ShadowClan cats; the others didn't act too different. Still, to the RiverClan tom, it seemed so silly to act that way.

Looking up, he immediately noticed that she looked... troubled. Reedheart internally debated going up to her or not. The ShadowClan cat definitely looked like she could use someone to talk to, but he wondered if he'd just walk away with half his tail missing if he tried. However, the longer he looked, the more his softer side took over.

We share a den right now. We'll have to get along at some point... Reedheart stood to his paws, walking over to the she-cat trying to prepare something to say. Would he look dumb? Most definitely. Maybe I should just turn back now...

But it was too late, and Reedheart found himself standing in front of Gingerheart. Silently stumbling over his words for a few moments, he finally settled on what to say.

"Hello."

Lame.

He sat down, curling his tail around his paws. Maybe that wasn't the wisest approach, since now she could claw his ears off before he could react, but he forced those kinds of thoughts out of his head. Maybe his first impression was wrong, she might have just been irritated from ShadowClan losing on their own territory. He hoped that was the case, anyways.

Upon his approach, Gingerheart lifted her head to find Reedheart standing in front of her. Yep. There was the whole pride thing again. Instantly, she sat up and straightened herself out before trying to shift her attention elsewhere. This was the same cat from the other night. The one who seemed like he was really trying to get on her bad side when she had refused Morningfur's help. She didn't really want to do what she did, but she didn't want to see weak either, especially in front of this tom that seemed to find her stubbornness humorous from the way he had smiled at her when she was making the medicine cat rather aggravated. Great. What did he want now, to try to rub something in her face? Although, she had no idea what that something would be.

Yet, what he said had kind of taken her off guard. It was just a simple hello. It didn't even have much attitude behind it. Had she misjudged him? It was definitely possible considering how furious she was when they first entered camp that night of the battle. Maybe Reedheart wasn't so bad after all, but that still didn't clear up why he would want to talk to her.

"Hello," She replied simply, licking down the fur on her chest as she did so, trying to act casual and erase the troubling look on her face and in her features. Gingerheart wasn't going to try to worry this warrior with her problems. It was something she had to deal with, and she didn't really know how much she could trust him even if she was forced to do so with the situation they were in.

Now he was stumped. Reedheart shifted awkwardly. Maybe he should just be direct? No, he didn't want to seem nosy. He hardly knew Gingerheart. Besides, ShadowClan cats were known for their dark and mysterious nature... Though, after meeting Cedarfur and a little time spent with them, that perception certainly got shattered. They weren't all too different, besides ShadowClan being a bit more grumpy and their insistence on eating disgusting birds that patrols sometimes brought in.

Either way, small talk was probably the best approach.

"The weather's nice, isn't it?" he said, looking up at the sky. It was a faint blue, like color was starting to come back into the world and the remnants of Leafbare was slowly washing away. Wisps of cloud inched across the large expanse, looking stretched and thin. He wondered what they were, what they were made of, where they were going... It all looked so peaceful, up there. The low buzz of camp around them, it made everything seem like all was fine. It made one really forget about the horrors that lie just outside RiverClan's borders. However, those dark thoughts just hung at the back of his mind.

"Newleaf is coming soon." It was strange to think that he hadn't ever experienced Newleaf before. Reedheart felt so grown up. Maybe his warrior name gave him that perception. "The dens float here when the water rises, because of all the rain and thawing ice. That's what my mother used to say, anyways..." he trailed off on a wistful note at that, but looked up at Gingerheart cheerily.

As Reedheart mentioned the weather, she found it a little odd. She hadn't really noticed the weather much, but as she looked up for a slight moment, she realized just how blue the sky was... and how much she didn't really like it. It was too light blue. It wasn't anything like the midnight blue of the night sky with Silverpelt shining brightly over the territory. During the day, she couldn't help but feel somewhat detached from her warrior ancestors, but she figured that since the other clans lived this way and still were able to keep in touch with Starclan, she would be able to as well. But she did enjoy the feeling of the warming air in her fur. She was tired of shivering from the cold and trying to keep warm when she slept. She could finally just relax.

On that good note, she looked back down until she was staring back at Reedheart with a curious look. Wait, the dens float? What did that mean? Was there a chance she was going to drown at night or would she float with the den? Ugh, Riverclan was so confusing, but she couldn't resist returning the happiness that the Riverclan warrior had showed her when he was done speaking. It was pretty obvious now he was trying to just talk to her with at least some sincerity in his voice. She might as well try to continue the conversation.

"In all honesty, I hope we are back in our own territory by the time that happens," She responded with a small chuckle. "I can tolerate water but not that much! Thankfully we don't have that problem in Shadowclan. Instead, we just get a little bit more muddy." Well, at least, that made sense in her head, but she wasn't going to show her uncertainty.

Reedheart chuckled lightly at Gingerheart's comment. "Water feels nice. Refreshing. Swimming is fun too, relaxing even." Silently he wondered how strange RiverClan must seem, practically living in the water at all times. It was obvious the other Clans thought that they were crazy because of it.

Though, the other Clans also liked to eat birds and thought fish were gross, so Reedheart felt a bit more justified.

"What is ShadowClan territory like?" he asked, veering away from the talk of water. "I've only heard about it before. Mostly kit tales." Reedheart shut his mouth at that point. Gingerheart didn't need to hear what queens and elders had to say about ShadowClan.

Oh, finally! A topic she could really talk about! Not that talking about Riverclan wasn't interesting, but she didn't know a whole lot and it was just weird to talk about eating fish and such. She suddenly puffed up and a look of confidence showed on her face. She immediately looked ten times happier than she was a moment ago as she forgot about her troubles just long enough to gloat about her home.

"Well, first of all, nothing is better than feeling the soft ground underneath your paws under the light of the Silverpelt. Having to rely on Starclan to guide you around your territory is like a trust exercise," Gingerheart began on her rambling with slight cockiness to her speech. "Of course, I know the territory by heart now, but it's still a wonderful sight. And the tall grass of the marshy land is used to hide us when we're hunting for frogs and lizards, which taste a lot better than it sounds. Although, they are a little small. Nothing is better than a freshly caught frog! But hey, don't say it's gross until you've tried it." She paused for a moment to see if Reedheart was even listening by that point. There was still so much to tell him, but she didn't want to continue talking if he wasn't interested or he had walked away.

Reedheart nodded, listening closely. To live in the night and sleep in the day... it sounded mad. Yes, he trusted in StarClan as much as any cat, but to rely on starlight? Still, he said nothing. If anything, it sounded interesting. But he was perfectly fine in RiverClan territory, where he had confidence where his paws lay. No night adventures for him.

"Frogs..." Reedheart said, almost mumbling. "I've never had one before. I sometimes see them in small ponds, but they're always very small." Maybe ShadowClan had bigger frogs. Maybe they lived on scraps. To be honest, frogs and lizards didn't sound appealing. Silently, Reedheart wondered if any of the ShadowClan cats would pack the fresh-kill pile with them if they were to hunt. He almost gagged.

Gingerheart nodded in agreement, although she wasn't too phased by the size of frogs. Prey was prey, and there was a rather large variety of frogs in Shadowclan. There were some that were small while others were huge. She always thought that toads were better though because their size was a little more consistent and they weren't so slimy. Now, after having eaten fish and things that Riverclan had caught, she wasn't too fond of frogs. Their sliminess kept reminding her of the terrible taste of fish. She couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at the thought of it. "But anyway, what is Riverclan usually like? You know, without all of Shadowclan taking up space..." Her voice trailed off at the thought of it, but she was truly curious about how things were run here. It had to be different than how Shadowclan was run, especially since Riverclan did their business during the day. How could they stand that?

"Well..." Reedheart started, not sure where to begin. Slowly, he began to piece together all the things about home that he remembered. It was strange how you could love something without really noticing it. "Most of our hunting and border patrols go out by the river, so there's a lot of time to relax and socialize." he mewed.

It was true; it wasn't like WindClan could really jump over the Gorge to cross into RiverClan territory. And while Reedheart wasn't a stranger to the occasional mouse, the prey was just easier caught by the river.

"When it's warm enough, we rest on..." Reedheart paused, the words catching in his throat. He hoped he didn't seem strange. "...Sunningrocks." he finally choked out. "I've only been there... once, though."

"Sunningrocks? That sounds funny." With the sound of her voice, Gingerheart had started to lose interest in what Reedheart was saying because the longer he talked, the more she realized she had no idea what he was talking about. The name of Sunningrocks sounded familiar, mainly from stories she had heard, but she couldn't remember why it was so important.

When it began to grow quiet again, her mind began to wander. Once again, she started thinking about Sunningrocks, trying to think of what she had heard about it, but then her thoughts switched back to Cedarfur... again. Great. Couldn't she get a break? It was getting aggravating and it was showing on her face before she snapped back to reality and realized that Reedheart was still standing there. As soon as she finally saw the Riverclan camp again, she suddenly remembered what she wanted to know about Sunningrocks. "Oh! You fight over those, right? The rocks, I mean. At least... That's what I've heard. It's rather silly, actually." she chuckled.

Reedheart forced a smile. Gingerheart didn't exactly have tact; many noble RiverClan and ThunderClan warriors died fighting for that territory. Still, he couldn't help but silently agreeing. The rocks were a source of prey, sure, but they were buried deep inside the crags and even still it wasn't exactly bountiful.

"I think it's a matter of pride, really." Reedheart mewed in reply. "Though I've heard they're lovely to lay on when the sun's out. I try not to go near, though."

The RiverClan warrior studied Gingerheart's expression. It was clear something was on her mind. "Is something bothering you?" he blurted out, almost flinching when he realized what he'd asked. Talk about tactless.

She could finally understand why Riverclan wanted to keep fighting over Sunningrocks. At least, she knew how they felt. The whole pride thing played a big role in Shadowclan too, which was why no one wanted Morningfur to help them when they had to retreat. It was bad enough their pride was destroyed for losing the battle, but having to be at the mercy of another clan was at first too much to bear. Because of that, Gingerheart couldn't help but think that Morningfur still didn't really like her, but she didn't particularly care either. As long as Softwhisper and Mallowpaw were still around, Shadowclan was set.

Then Reedheart had mentioned her expressions about something bothering her and she tensed up. She wasn't just going to tell this Riverclan warrior what was going on in her personal life for multiple reasons: He was Riverclan, she didn't really know him, and she didn't think that it was really that important, especially when her first priority is the clan and not who she loved. If anything, she simply loved the clan as a whole rather than as individuals, she still didn't feel like she needed to share her issues. Not only that, but it was pretty obvious Reedheart had caught her off-guard. "Er... No. What makes you say that? Do you always want to get into other cats' business?" She asked defensively, standing up again a little uncomfortably.

Reedheart frowned, stiffening at her defensiveness. He hadn't even meant to ask, it just kinda... came out. "I don't mean to be nosy." he mewed, tail lashing. "You just seem bothered and distracted at a time when our Clans need you at full attention." Reedheart continued, staring up at her. "Or keep your problems to yourself."

That was only partially true. Yes, the social aspect of a Clan was practically half of the Warriors lifestyle and it was part of each member's jobs to solve such conflicts to keep everything running smoothly, but in reality Reedheart mostly just naturally felt concerned. Sometimes he wondered if he was too soft to be a warrior.

No matter.

Gingerheart fell silent for a moment as she glared at Reedheart. He was becoming a big pain, but at the same time, she didn't want to start any trouble. Besides, he did seem genuinely concerned rather than just a cat that was trying to be annoying or didn't really care and was only asking to be 'nice.' Besides, the longer she sat there and thought about it, the more it seemed to eat her alive. It was as if bees had decided to make their nest in her head and was keeping her from thinking straight, which was really annoying to say the least. Why did Cedarfur have to say something like that at such a time as this? Reedheart was right! The clan needed her and she was too focused on just one warrior.

Letting out a heavy sigh after what seemed like forever of just sitting there in complete silence, she finally succumbed to the Riverclan warrior's concern, although she still didn't really know if she could trust him. Small talk was one thing, but something personal was completely different.

"I-It's nothing really. I've just recently had... an experience with another warrior from Shadowclan is all." She said, trying to think of a way to generally express what was going on, even though the wording she had used for that sentence was completely off. "We were talking and... what he said has just kept me distracted. It's nothing major. Nothing to be too concerned about." She finished, feeling slightly jittery. What was going on with her? This wasn't normal. In some ways, she was becoming very worried about herself.