The Writing on the Wall [C]

Bloodstrike had been privately furious with himself for moons, ever since Tigersong's death. If only he'd been faster... if only he still had his tail and could change directions quickly like he used to. The deputy had gone out early to stalk a rabbit that he'd seen around the territory lately. It was an unusual rabbit, with white speckling on it's fur amid the normal brown/gray color that was typical of most rabbits. Dawnhawk had been fast enough to catch these on the regular even before he joined Windclan... and Bloodstrike was now trying his best to catch one. He'd caught one once with a great effort, but that had been the only time. Maybe he was slacking. How his son had caught a hare once even without Windclan teaching him how was beyond the large tom. He scented the ground where he picked up the trail of his odd speckled rabbit quarry.

Eventually, the scent lead to the great ridge. He spotted it nibbling casually at the grasses there and sank into a low crouch. It was only when he was stalking a rabbit that he realized how big he actually was. His limbs felt too thick to get under him properly, even though that was clearly not true as he'd caught several types of prey just fine. But he felt inadequate. His tail was gone, unable to provide him with the assistance it once had. Bloodstrike forced all doubt out of his mind before he sprang for the rabbit in the hopes of actually catching it today. His powerful striped body sailed through the air... and the rabbit darted off to the side at the last moment. The deputy's paws hit empty ground with an audible thump and he turned immediately to pursue the speckled rabbit. Catching up to the little bugger wasn't hard, but anytime the rabbit turned, Bloodstrike found himself sliding across the forest floor ungracefully to try to keep up.

The rabbit eventually found a hole in the ground and shot down into it's dark depths to escape the feral cat. This of course lead Bloodstrike to standing over the hole with a growl in his throat and murder flashing in his eyes. He leaned down to the burrow and stuck his face in it, defiantly ignoring any dirt that threatened to get in his eyes. "I hate you with every fiber of my being!" He yowled after it, pinning his ears back as he did. He pulled his nose out of the hole and sat down on the earth with a thud and a huff of frustration.

Ears perked, Briarthorn padded around the smaller rock formations and patches of trees, listening for Bloodstrike as she went along. The large she-cat had managed to track his scent to where she stood now, after leaving camp just a few minutes after he had. Their time together since her arrival in SkyClan had been scarce, as she was often tending to their kits, and he to the Clan. After a few moons, she'd managed to pick up hints and clues as to what exactly was on the tom's mind- Dawnhawk, or rather, his absence- being the primary distraction. While she still couldn't quite grasp the severity of what had happened, being absent in the moment, she was well aware of how each of the SkyClan cats reacted even to the tom's name. Part of her wondered if they might react similarly should they find out what she'd done, versions of this same thought plaguing her mind wherever it wandered. She hadn't brought harm directly to any SkyClanners through her actions against ThunderClan, but ultimately, she expected that should the event come to light, SkyClan might be in trouble.

Her thoughts were (thankfully) interrupted by the sound of a crash quite a distance from her, just within earshot. Frozen by the sudden sound, she turned her ears to the direction from which it came and looked around, features softening slightly when she heard Bloodstrike's yowling, which, to her, was rather alarming, not knowing that he'd been chasing prey and not battling with another cat or predator. A quick trot in the direction she'd heard his yowling quickly brought her to his side, where she stood confused for just a moment before sitting down slowly. Tilting her head, she mewed, "I've never been able to catch one, either." It was a shameful attempt at comforting the tom, as rabbits and hares didn't seem particularly fond of the marsh. "I don't go sticking my face down their burrows either, though." She remarked, a very light chuckle following afterward. A quick glance at the tom's face revealed dirt that still clung to his fur and around his eyes, indicating that he'd tried to catch the rabbit from inside it's hiding spot.

Bloodstrike jumped and pulled his face out of the rabbit hole, looking marvelously guilty as his eyes met Briarthorn's. He chuckled nervously before he shook the dirt off of his face. "I've caught one before... but only one. They're a fascinating challenge." He blinked as some dirt threatened his eye. He used his foreleg to brush the rest of it away from his eyes before he sat down sheepishly and gave Briarthorn a smirk.

"Of course... getting my tail removed has made catching rabbits even harder. One sudden dart to the side and well... I just slide. I'm trying to compensate for it." Being fast in only one direction could only help him so much. "Well, how are you, Briarthorn? Are you adjusting well? I'm sorry I haven't been around as much... I mean to." His eyes softened and his mouth was set in a hard frown. He felt truly guilty for not seeing her or speaking to her as much as he would have liked.

Being the deputy had it's perks, but it certainly had it's burdens too.

Briarthorn managed a small chuckle in response to Bloodstrike's remark, inching closer to the tom slowly and nervously. Using her tail, she brushed a stray piece of dirt from his shoulder as she listened to his explanation of not being able to catch rabbits. A simple nod acknowledged his sentiments, and she didn't dwell on the rabbits too much more, in an effort not to embarrass the tom. "Oh, I'm... I'm okay. It's fine," She mewed softly, looking up to meet Bloodstrike's gaze. Her jaw parted for a moment as she considered bring up those within the Clan that weren't too fond of her, but she thought better of it and quickly closed her mouth, tilting her head slightly as she tried to come up with something else to say. "The kits... They're growing quickly. Already apprentices, most of them." While the words she spoke were certainly true, the subject of their kits had been brought up as a swift redirection for the conversation. The truth was that she was not adjusting well at all, but she wasn't entirely fond of the idea that Bloodstrike might find out such a thing.

His eyes watched as her tail cleaned him off, and he smirked at it. He did notice that she redirected the conversation quickly, and it killed whatever fuzzy mood he might have been in. Bloodstrike asked her for a reason, and that reason wasn't because he didn't know. His clanmates were resentful. Fine. Let them be that way. He was the deputy, the future leader, and they would do well to remember that in time. It was in that moment that he remembered that that was exactly how Spottedstar was... and with guilt and grudge, he made a mental note to try to repair the damage with his clan when he could.

"They are," He agreed about their kits, also eager to push his own thoughts away. "You think they will want to be in Shadowclan? They grew up in Skyclan but I know my clan tends to be.... unwelcoming of outsiders. I intend to change that when I get my nine lives." He was silent for a moment and his eyes darkened. "A lot is going to change. I don't know if my clan is ready for it, but they're going to have to figure it out or leave."

Briarthorn's gaze quickly returned to his paws as she sheepishly leaned into Bloodstrike further, listening to him speak about their kits. She was almost shocked by the way he brought up their true origins, as most of the Clan tended to dance around the subject. Bloodstrike had never behaved in such a way around her, though, and she'd almost come to expect bold statements and observations. "I don't know. Perhaps... I hope they'll stay, but I understand if the harsh reality of their arrival pushes them away to more welcoming places. ShadowClan has always been that way- welcoming of outsiders. I'm sure my brother would accept them without any questions." Her curiosity was piqued when he mentioned the tides changing whenever he was to become leader. "How do you suppose you'll do that? I don't doubt you, but... It seems so many of your, er... our Clanmates are very set in their ways."