Blossoming Bromance..? [Sunny]

It was the middle of the night when Thrushstar decided to exit his den, if only just for a moment. He was feeling cramped inside and needed to stretch out. The hustle and bustle around camp was always amusing to watch, somewhat keeping his nerves calm as he watched his warriors diligently working and enjoying their jobs. With a small sigh, he walked to the edge of the camp and sat down, just watching the activities.

Leopardfang was busy about the camp. He had just finished setting up a midnight patrol before sending a few apprentices off to collect moss for nests. Afterward, he stuck his head in the elders' den for a few heartbeats and then left to bring a pair of frogs to the queens in the nursery. Keeping busy kept him warm in the dropping temperatures of early leafbare, but keeping too busy left him somewhat drained. Still, it was pleasing that ShadowClan been left in peace for the last few moons. Leopardfang exhaled, feeling the cold air in his lungs, before glancing around for something else that might need to be done. His eye caught Thrushstar on the far edge of camp, and the deputy's mood shifted. He made his way over, stopping momentarily to grab a squirrel from the fresh-kill pile. Must have strayed across the Thunderpath. He thought absentmindedly. Dropping the prey at his paws, Leopardfang slightly cocked his head to the side and meowed, "A pleasure to see you out and about, Thrushstar. May I join you?"

A little surprised by Leopardfang's approach, Thrushstar paused for a moment as his gaze locked onto his deputy. They didn't really talk much considering their positions, but with the lack of anything political going on with Shadowclan, there wasn't much need. Thrushstar could trust the tom to do his duties, even if it did take some time for the leader to stop checking behind him to make sure things got done correctly, so usually their paths never really crossed. Only gatherings brought them together. "I don't get out much, do I?" The leader asked as the realization hit him. He never noticed just how much time he spent in his den all alone nowadays. His mind was always busy trying to sort through his memories that could never be put to sleep, swarming and almost suffocating him. "Of course!" he mewed with contentment before his eyes quickly shifted back to the scene of the busy camp, watching cats move about, dropping off fresh-kill and fixing up dens. Once again, this thoughts began to wander. "How are things running? Everything is going smoothly, I hope?" He asked, not taking his eyes off of what was in front of him.

"Smoothly, yes. Quietly and peacefully. Many promising apprentices as well. Hints of rogue now and then, but it is not often and I have already alerted patrols to send them off on their way should they meet one. No border disputes, even though WindClan now holds two separate borders with us." Leopardfang meowed in response, settling down at a respectful distance. He was silent for a heartbeat, wondering if he should share his growing suspicions. Thrushstar always had much on his mind, and Brokenflame's betrayal was very difficult for the leader. Perhaps there were others besides Brokenflame, from times before. He could tell by the way the old tom would sometimes look at his clanmates. However, Leopardfang decided against holding back his opinions. "The peace is much appreciated, and I couldn't ask for a more serene atmosphere, but I feel apprehensive. I feel like there's a danger sitting just beyond our sight. What if we are being lulled into a false sense of security?" The spotted tom said, the quiet distress that had built up inside slowly leaking out.

Thrushstar knew that feeling all too well. He didn't bother to answer Leopardfang's question as he seemed to zone out for a moment with his face mirroring the worry that had built up inside of him. It was funny, actually. The way that Leopardfang felt now was how Thrushstar had been feeling for most of his leadership and the longer he was leader, the worse it got. It was as if there was some kind of separation between him and his clan no matter what he tried to do to help. He trained several apprentices and tried forming relationships, but most of them failed. Was that a trait he got from Gingerheart? She certainly wasn't the most loving mother, but he had learned to love. Maybe it was from the countless deaths he'd experienced during his time. The leader thought he'd come to terms with how scared he felt to lose his clan--his family-- but maybe that was impossible.

"We won't be safe so long as Windclan shares two borders with us. Even with our one border with Thunderclan... the two being in an alliance is certainly something to be concerned about." Thrushstar's thoughts moved on to the battle so long ago. Over time, he'd come to the conclusion that it doesn't take much for the other clans to quickly turn on each other. Simply adding one small bad spark could light the whole alliance up like a forest fire and burn it to the ground. However, the Shadowclan leader couldn't help but be fixated on the recent events with his own kin. He quickly fell back to silence, pondering his thoughts.

"Do you trust them?" The words suddenly spilled out of the leader's mouth, catching himself off guard. How could he ask such a question? Was he so lost in his own mind he didn't realize what he was saying? Shifting his weight as if to try to play off the surprise that shook his body, he simply tried to roll with the question, now curious to know what the deputy's answer would be. It was a vague question but it was meant to be, even if him eyeing each warrior as they walked by might have been a dead giveaway.

OOC: I'm so sorry I've been dead for like a month ;-;

"Them?" He asked hesitantly. The question was rather ambiguous and could have referred to any number of things. It obviously carried a lot of weight with it as well. Leopardfang was silent a small while before finally responding in the best way he saw fit, a wide answer that covered as many possible subjects as it could reach. "There are few cats I trust above all others, with my life and well-being. That would be you, my mate, and Magpiewing. I would turn my back and drop my guard to any of you without a single thought. The very idea of any of you being traitors is... unfathomable." The last word was emphasized greatly. No other cats ever earned his unfailing faith, clanmates or not. It wasn't like he could trust too many of his clanmates with the way things had developed.

"I do, however, owe a certain sense of trust to the whole of ShadowClan. None of them are intentionally weakening or attacking their clan, I think. What they do, no matter how despicable, seems to come from a twisted sense of right and wrong. And it's not even most of them, it's just a few who've slipped through the cracks." Or so he hoped. But there seemed to be at least one bad egg up and coming in every litter. He only hoped he wouldn't ever be faced with his own kin making the wrong decision. "As for the other clans... I don't trust any of them for a heartbeat. They've done nothing but destroyed themselves and blame the others. They're violent and stupid. Combined, they're enough to drag this whole forest to destruction." He shook his head in dismay, wondering how it was that cats became so filled with hate. Perhaps when he would become leader he could work something out with those who would be new leaders with him. Perhaps he out to start working on fixing relations with the other deputies now, before it was too late...

"And lastly... I have no faith or trust in StarClan. Not anymore. I thought they cared about us, but they would not have left us to such ruin if they did. In perfect honesty, I'm not certain they're even real." Leopardfang cast a glance up at the shimmering Silverpelt, green eyes intense and thoughtful. He'd only heard stories, never witnessed anything that seemed supernatural. Why would they allow such bloodshed and anger in the forests if they truly cared? Maybe Thrushstar disagreed. Leopardfang was a little reluctant to share such thoughts, and he'd never spoken a word of his disbelief to anyone else. All he could do was hope that his leader understood his position. "I mean, where are they? What have we done to make them resent us?"