The Restless Ripe (open)

Laying in his nest, Tinylegs let out a long, drawn out sigh. No longer leader or even a warrior, the little legged tom found himself somewhat... restless to say the least. As an elder, and he had almost nothing to do except lay around, eat, and occasionally visit Sagelight for some herbs if the weather wasn't too cold. It also didn't make things any better that he was the only elder, for he found himself quite lonely, though he sometimes would try and make it over to the nursery to visit the queens, if they were in good enough spirits of course. When he'd thought about retiring from leadership those couple of moons ago, he'd thought it was a grand idea. He'd get some rest and relaxation, which he had gotten, but surprisingly enough, there was such thing as too much relaxation.

With the clan still recuperating from the recent battle against ShadowClan, the attention had been turned to the wounded, which he understood, but it'd been almost the entire day and his belly was about to implode with hunger. Rolling over and giving his stumpy legs a stretch, Tinylegs was about to get up to go grab his own food when the sound of some-cat entering the den caught his attention.

The shadow of war still hung over the SkyClan camp even half even days later. With most of the clan still riddled with battle wounds, Wolfcall had continued to throw himself into extra duties to allow them time to relax - and this morning, he found himself poking his head into the elders' den with a plump squirrel hanging from his jaws. "Tinylegs," he greeted the ex-leader, dropping the squirrel at his paws and taking a step back. "Sorry some cat didn't get to you sooner."

Watching as Wolfcall entered the den, the little legged elder let out a purr of greeting. Setting himself back down in his nest, he was personally glad that he didn't have to go out into the cold camp himself and would gladly except the prey that the young warrior brought him.

"It's quite alright," he mewed with a smile. Leaning down, he took a bite of the squirrel that laid at his paws. It was quite plump for a Leaffall squirrel, which meant SkyClan wouldn't be having any troubles with hunting this season, which was a blessing from StarClan no doubt.

"So," he mewed through a mouthful of prey and making sure to swallow before continuing. "How have your warrior duties been going? You didn't fight in the battle against ShadowClan but I bet Spottedstar and Foxfire have been keeping you busy, none the less," he chuckled to the warrior.

Wolfcall flicked his ears back at the mention of him not fighting against ShadowClan, but that was the only sign of his peturbation. Logically, he understood that staying back and guarding the camp was just as important as going out to fight, but he that didn't stop the voice in the back of his head from telling him he should have been there to protect his clanmates. The warrior exhaled, giving a tight smile to the pale elder. "I've been... busy," he admitted with a tilt of his head. "But I don't mind. Anything I can do to help the clan."

He stretched out his long forelegs and sank down, belly to the ground. "What of you? How have you been since stepping down?" Personally, the young warrior couldn't stand the idea of being an elder. He knew that the older cats held a valuable spot in the clan, but the stationary lifestyle was something that he just couldn't fathom.

"That's good," Tinylegs mewed before taking another bite at the prey, and then another, and before long, his meal was gone, with nothing left but a few bones at the edge of his nest. "It's been alright," he began, licking the blood from his maw and thinking about how to word his answer, but decided there wasn't much else to say besides what he'd been thinking. "While the weight of being leader was quite heavy, being an elder is... boring, to say the least," the stumpy legged leader chuckled. "I miss hunting, going to gathering, and just being a warrior. Although, my age probably enjoys the amount of rest I'm getting," he huffed, his long tail swishing back and forth before curling neatly around his paws.

"I'm sure it takes getting used to," Wolfcall purred, settling down in a similar position to the elder, his bulk blocking the majority of the den's entrance. It grew significantly warmer inside as the time passed, and Wolfcall waited until the ex-leader had finished eating before posing another query. "What do you think SkyClan needs the most? To prosper, I mean." It was sort of a loaded question, he knew that, but he was curious to know the elder's answer. After all, Tinylegs was the oldest cat in the clan, right? He'd been leader for much longer than Wolfcall had even been alive. So it stood to reason that the short, white tom would have seen SkyClan through countless hardships, and just as many good seasons. He'd know what would work best for them, and Wolfcall wanted to know.

With Wolfcall's question having stumped the little legged tom, Tinylegs took a few moments to think before replying, trying to remember how he'd thought about SkyClan's needs in his earlier days. Of course, he hadn't been the best leader out there, but he didn't let his clan starve or freeze to death, which was something at least.

"Well, other than the usual necessities that every clan needs, such as food and shelter..." he began, still pondering the thought. "I believe we need strong warriors. As cheesy as it may sound, we need warriors who are strong in strength, yes, but also in their ability to follow and live by the warrior code, no matter what challenges they face, whether that be in battle or simply between other clan cats," the old tom mewed with a nod, confident on his answer. Wolfcall was a loyal warrior, no doubt, but on could never be so sure what might change them in the future.