Out Of My Comfort Zone [[Open]]

Frost had pretty much kept to herself ever since her and her tribemates had joined the 'SkyClan' cats. It was a little weird with all the new terms to learn, but she felt she was doing pretty good. She was sitting down eating a bird, which still felt weird not to be sharing, and she was getting a little restless not having much friends there. She had, though, kind of been looking up to this one clan cat who seemed to radiate kindness, which she felt was the complete opposite of what other 'clanmates' radiated. She could tell some of the clan cats hated them and some just didn't really care, but not many went out of their way to be kind to them. Well at least not to her. She was usually so outgoing and talkative, but she found herself sitting alone and barely even talking. Sighing softly to herself, she glanced up from her meal to see a cat approaching her. The cat the she admired. The cat she was pretty sure she loved, even though she knew he had a mate.

Rippedsky.

"H-Hello." She stuttered uncharacteristically.

(if you could wait for Ripped to post, that would be great, thanks c: )

"Frost, right?" The black and white tom meowed in a cheerful greeting. While he had been beyond stressed with the weight of everything that was going on lately, the day seemed like it was shaping up to be a good one. Out of exhaustion, Rippedsky had flopped into his nest and slept soundly until it was time to start his duties all over again. It was unusual that he had gotten such restful sleep. Now that the patrols were organized and his apprentices had been sent out on their duties for the day, the deputy had a few moments too himself. Once more he has able to do what he loved most and simply get to know the members of the clan. Lately, he had been trying to talk to the tribe cats much more. They had been together for a while now and yet the two groups still acted as separate entities. He desired nothing more than to unite them as one and make the tribe cats feel like a part of the clan.

"I don't believe we've ever formally talked before..." He mused, frowning slightly. The more he tried to speak with the tribe, the more he realized how awful he had been at getting to know them. His duties had prevented him from having much time to talk with any cat at all. However, Rippedsky, with the help of the senior warriors, had been able to keep things in the clan running smoothly despite the recent strange events. The deputy settled back on his haunches next to Frost and glanced at the bird. Having spent a lot of time around her tribemates, he was well aware of the custom of sharing prey. With a flick of his tail, he gestured towards the bird, "Do you mind?"

Frost That Blankets The Brook nodded, a little surprised that he knew her name. "Y-yeah. My full name is Frost That Blankets The Brook." She meowed, a smile flitting across her features. It felt good to talk to someone else, even if it was just small talk. Taking a small bite of her bird, she watched the deputy as he thought. He seemed happy, and she hoped one day she could be that happy with SkyClan. She knew he wasn't originally from SkyClan, but he still found a home and friends here and that gave her hope. "I don't think so either." She responded, tail flicking softly on the ground.

Frost's gaze followed Rippedsky's towards her bird, and she was about to offer to share when he beat her to it. Smiling happily, she nodded, "Of course not." She meowed brightly, sliding the bird towards him. She appreciated his attempts to make her more comfortable and the fact that he made an effort to learn their customs. She found herself relaxing a bit and her usual personality slowly making an appearance.

She was around the age of his oldest daugther and the tom couldn't help but smile. Even if she was from the tribe, he still felt like she was one of his. All of the apprentices felt like his. Since becoming deputy, the tom had made it his mission to care for the whole clan. They were all his family now. As the to-be passed him the bird, Rippedsky took a grateful bite of it. Per usual, he had forgotten to eat. His stomach growled, longing to scarf down the whole thing; he pushed it back towards the younger cat.

"How are you adjusting to clan life?" Rippedsky asked her. His head tilted curiously. So far, he had only spoken with the older cats of the tribe. Most had lived in the mountains for a while and found quite a change here. He was not sure how their newer generations were feeling about it.

Frost's smile stayed on her muzzle as she watched him take a bite and then slide the bird back to her. After taking a bite and chewing thoughtfully at his question, she slid it back. "Well, it is bit challenging." She meowed honestly, laughing shortly. "But," She continued, glancing up at him, "Some cats do make it easier than others." She smiled, hoping he caught her sort of thank you. "You guys have all these weird names for everything, and I think that's one of the hardest things for me. Not to mention our naming systems are totally different." She laughed, thinking about how short their names seemed to her. Then something occured to her and a slight frown made it's way onto her lips. "Do you think Crowstar would make us change our names?" She asked, not really sure she wanted an answer. "Not that there's anything wrong with y'alls names." She added quickly, hoping she didn't offend the kind tom. She hadn't meant for it to seem like she was dissing their names. She was just so used to her name being Frost That Blankets The Brook that she couldn't even imagine her name being anything else.

Rippedsky nodded along as the to-be spoke. Much like the rest of the tribe, she shared concerns about the difference. However, he couldn't help but chuckle at how concerned she seemed to be about the names. It was true the groups had vastly different ways of naming themselves. It was a good question too. The deputy contemplated this for a moment. They had never discussed the possibility of changing names. He was simply happy Stoneteller had agreed they needed to work more closely together. After a bit of internal debate, he finally spoke, "Well, if you are to become clan cats, it would only be fitting you have a clan name. Even if they aren't as exciting tribe names. I could see you as Frostpaw someday." He smiled down at her, the possibilities shining in his eyes.

He hoped it was a satisfactory answer. It may not have been exactly what she wanted to hear, but he wanted to be honest with the young cat. That seemed like the most logical step. Asking them to give up their tradition was a lot, but if they truly wanted to become a part of the clan, it would only make sense they live as one. His tail lashed as he looked down at her, trying to find some sign in the way she reacted. Would any of the tribe cats ever be grateful for becoming a part of the clan? Or was the loss of their ways too much to bear, even if clan was their true heritage?