SkyClan Leader Games

The maze before him took up much of SkyClan's camp. The Asylum cats had spent some time building it, something that rankled him probably a little more than it should have. The idea was that these games would bring SkyClan and the Asylum closer together, and Wolfstar had to admit that there seemed to be an undercurrent of excitement rippling through the crowd. That's what he wanted, right? For SkyClan to accept the Asylum, so no one else would get hurt?

Right..?

The dark leader swallowed hard and turned away from the maze. He'd been instructed to find someone who he trusted to lead him through the maze. But who..? Normally his choice would be Blossomstep... after all, she was the love of his life, she knew him better than anyone else did, and following her instruction would be easy. But she was distant and unwelcoming, and he didn't have the energy to plead.

Then his gaze landed on a familiar pelt, and his eyes softened. That's it. Padding over, Wolfstar dipped his head, voice low, "Foxfire - would you mind being my partner through this thing?"

Blossomstep had joined the growing crowd, looking over the strange thing that the asylum cats had built in their camp. A maze, they called it, and it was going to be up to a team to navigate through the maze. Wolfstar was to choice from among the clan someone he could guide through the maze, against an Asylum pair. That was the main reason Blossomstep was here, was to be available in case Wolfstar called upon her. Though she had been avoiding him, there was a small flicker of hope that he would finally call upon her when he needed her, but that hope was very swiftly dashed out as the dark tom turned away and went to Foxfire. Shock and hurt spread on the she-cat's expression before shifting to anger for a brief moment, then sadness. Standing, she pushed through the crowd towards the entrance of camp. Through the crowd, her shoulder brushed Wolfstar's haunches, but she didn't stop. She just wanted to get out of camp and away from the crowd before the tears that threatened her eyes began to fall. Wolfstar had made it apparent that everything she had thought, had said, was true - and that he didn't truly care all that much about her, let alone rely on her. As she slipped out of the camp, she started running, at times practically blindly, until breathless and exhausted she climbed into the highest boughs of a tree and started to sob, perched high above the forest floor.

Foxfire sat crouched outside of the nursery, rather excited to watch all the games. He didn't have plans to partake...Not even in the warrior one. The warrior felt like he had seen and been in enough fighting for a lifetime - recalling the scars that lined his face, neck and shoulders. Even play fighting wasn't thrilling, but he knew the reason for the games. He still felt unsure on this entire situation but as long as his family was alright, he suppose...He suppose he was content enough. But for now, he was just eager to see how good Wolfstar was at leading.

That was until his name was called and he saw his old apprentice padding over. ...W-What? His ears slicked back, rather surprised that he was being called on. The two hadn't been the...Well, closest since...Everything. Foxfire had been focusing on his family, trying to ignore the...Rather thick drama that seemed to be rolling off of Wolfstar. He loved the leader, but Foxfire really didn't want to worry about things like that - not when he had kits to fret over. "Um..." He pushed himself to his paws, trying to figure out why Wolfstar would pick him of all cats. Why not his mate? Why not...Literally anybody else?

"I...Yeah, sure," he finally said, taking in a deep breath and giving him a smile. He jumped to his paws, giving each leg a little stretch as he glanced over at the maze that had been made in the center of the camp. "Time into the maze for m-" he had started to speak with a light chuckle, before...Something, a feeling, made him pause. He glanced over at the leader. "I-I'm going to be the one in the maze, right?" he asked, his voice a little hush as he spared a nervous glance over his shoulder - at the spiked fur that somehow counted as his 'tail' - or at least his lack of one. "I'm not sure how well I can give directions without a...B-But if that is where you want me..."

Dawnhawk arrived shortly after his defeat at the warrior games. That was fine, though it irked him that he knew Smokefeather would never have chided just Primroselight. She only said something to him because he spoke up to defend himself. Slowly but surely, he was getting used to Smokefeather's contempt for him. It was there far before he had taken over with the Asylum and possibly even played a role in him being where he was now. For the time being, he was just as content to avoid her as she was him. They'd have their heart to heart one day, but today would not be the day. He had one other game to focus on winning, and that was the leader games.

Dawnhawk passed by Wolfstar, noting Foxfire and Blossomstep... whom ran off... Dawnhawk tensed a bit, a wave of sympathy going through him for Wolfstar's unfortunate position. Still, he had done this to himself. Tempering his bad feelings for Wolfstar for now, Dawnhawk looked to his guards. He'd pick one of them for this game. After a moment, he picked the brown tabby over the patchy calico. Of the two of his guards, he seemed to understand when things needed to be done better, though he wouldn't complain if the calico was the only one around.

"You just nonverbally guide Foxfire through the maze, Wolfstar." Dawnhawk then nodded to a high point in the trees where he and Wolfstar would be sitting, though on opposite sides of the tree trunk so as not to distract each other. "I'll be your opponent." And with that, Dawnhawk nodded for the brown tabby to move to his own starting position. Foxfire's starting position should be different, but until Dawnhawk got to the top of the tree, he didn't know where Foxfire would start.

The pale tom scaled the tree, going higher up than he normally did until he pulled himself up onto a sturdy branch. The maze was laid out before him, with various obstacles like thick brush and logs that the cats were not supposed to move through. He watched as his brown tabby guard took his position at the start and watched Dawnhawk for instructions. The pale tom studied the maze for a few moments, seeing the end and following the path towards his companion. Working the maze backward was much easier than trying to find a way through it forward. Once he had a clear path figured out, Dawnhawk jut his chin up and to the left, hoping his guard would understand.

Unfortunately... the brown tabby seemed to be confused about exactly where to go. He moved in the direction that Dawnhawk wanted him to go but moved too far and hit a dead end. The brown tabby looked back up at Dawnhawk, confused.


Dawnhawk's Successful Directions: 0

Wolfstar's Successful Directions: 0

The member 'Tara' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 3

Foxfire seemed hesitant, and that made Wolfstar's ears slide back, a feeling of doubt settling deep in his gut. Was his former mentor one of those who believed he was a bad leader? Was Foxfire regretting stepping aside and watching Wolfstar be named deputy in his stead? He almost backed away, changing his mind and refusing to play this ridiculous game, but as he took one small step back, something brushed his haunch, and he turned to see Blossomstep storming out of the camp with an expression that could shame the fur off a fox.

His tail dropped, the tip brushing the ground as he stared at the place where Blossomstep had vanished, eyes burning. The ringing in his ears was broken by Dawnhawk's voice, eventually, and Wolfstar turned to look at him, nodding an agreement. "Yeah Foxfire, you're uh... you're in the maze," he said quietly, and then turned away and scaled the tree opposite his deputy. He watched Dawhawk try and fail to get a direction through to one of the Asylum cats, and though it should have, the leader felt no joy at the prospect of winning this contest. Regardless, he lifted a paw, pointing for Foxfire to go straight ahead, and then left.

Dawnhawk's Successful Directions: 0

Wolfstar's Successful Directions: 1

The member 'JJ' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 6

A pain of regret flashed through Foxfire as he saw the doubt spread across Wolfstar's face - he hadn't meant for his hesitation to come off as an insult, he was just...Surprised. The two hadn't interacted much since Spottedstar.... He had been focused on his family, on Flowerthorn. He hadn't wanted to bother his old apprentice with the sudden burden on the new leader's shoulder, but he knew how much a gap like that could hurt a relationship. It was why he was so surprised that Wolfstar apparently trusted him enough for this. His ears perked up as Dawnhawk spoke up, clarifying who was going where. Oh, good! The maze...Foxfire could do that. "Alright," he breathed as Wolfstar moved away. "Let's...Let's show them what a pair like us can do, huh?" he called after him, hoping to try to show Wolfstar that he still...He still cared for him - loved him like family.

He just hoped Wolfstar felt the same way.

He sighed as he turned and trotted into the camp, glancing up as Wolfstar raised a paw. Oh, pointing - that seemed simple enough. Honestly, he was a bit relieved. Truth be told, Foxfire had trouble reading tail signals sometimes - it was something he didn't have - never had - so he actually didn't know how a tail...Moved, acted. What certain things meant. And honestly, he had tried not to learn because it made him a bit sad about not having a tail when it was so important it seemed. B-But anyways, he had a maze to get through. He padded forward, ignoring a turn before he turned left at the next one - before waiting for the new signal from his leader.

Foxfire understood Wolfstar's pointing. 1/3 successful rolls.

Dawnhawk kept a cool head for now as he watched the brown tabby get confused. He watched Foxfire take the correct path and wonder how to convey the dirctions better to his own cat. He tried looking and pointing with his tail as well, a small motion added to see if the brown tabby guard would understand it better. He would correct his mistake hopefully and start going the right way. It worked. The brown tabby tom nodded, obviously realizing his mistake, and tortted down the correct pathway without going too far. He halted and looked back up at Dawnhawk, awaiting further instruction.

Dawnhawk's Successful Directions: 1
Wolfstar's Successful Directions: 1

The member 'Tara' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 6

When Foxfire went the correct way, Wolfstar breathed a sigh of relief... thankfully, while this was doomed to be awkward, it didn't have to be difficult as well. The SkyClan leader watched Dawnhawk repeat his former instruction, noting that the Asylum tom finally realized what he was trying to convey.

"Okay," he breathed lowly to himself, one ear flicking back. Wolfstar inclined his head south, indicating for Foxfire to go down, and then to the right.

Dawnhawk's Successful Directions: 1
Wolfstar's Successful Directions: 1

The member 'JJ' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 3

Dawnhawk remained focused on his own underling, though it looked like Foxfire might be having trouble. Dawnhawk refrained from nodding, in case it confused his own Asylum cat further. This time he lashed his tail one way, then another. Hopefully it would make sense for his own pawn piece, so to speak. The asylum cat understood. He moved in the directions he was supposed to, quickly eating up the distance between himself and the end of the maze. Good, good... Dawnhawk then paused and thought about how best to navigate him further. He didn't have far to go, but there were a ton of objects and dead ends towards the very end of the maze. Very very precise direction was needed now...

Wolfstar's successful directions: 1
Dawnhawk's successful directions: 2

The member 'Tara' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 5