We Ride at Dawn (closed)

Minkstar existed in camp. Most of his days he did so, anyway, on the rare occasion he wasn't somewhere else. Today, he had a specific purpose in mind.

He'd forgotten what it was.

It did involve Stoatfur, though. And as it so happened, the brown and white pelt caught his eye as he padded into the centre of camp, his paws adjusting their path to intersect the younger tom. Perhaps it had been a hunting patrol, or maybe he'd just planned on hanging out with him to see how his grandson was doing, because not everything had to be about duties and work - something he'd possibly slowly been forgetting. Or else he'd just forgotten that he had been living according to that philosophy already. Or maybe he was just a little distracted and trying not to think about other things.

He decided to give it up, twitching his whiskers in greeting and sending the younger tom a smile as he padded up to him. "Stoatfur - doing anything interesting?"

It was on this particular day that Stoatfur was feeling overly exhausted. His limbs didn't ache, nor was there any soreness about his limbs, but the warrior longed for nothing more than to rest. Half-lidded eyes noted the approached of the leader. His claws unsheathed, kneading lazily at the ground as he let out a slothful yawn. After, the warrior stretched as far as his slender frame would let him. Another cat might have leaped to his paws but not only was Minkstar kin, Stoatfur had slowly come to terms with the complicated feelings that had developed for the leader.

As a new warrior, Minkstar had forced him to confront his own insecurity. Not that he had done anything about his lack of trust but he'd developed a steadfast respect for Thunderclan's leader. Flickering his tail, his turned his head to look up at the tom with a mildly quizzical look. Obscure interest from the ginger tom was unusual. The pair had seldom entertained each other's company. At first, he entertained the idea of making something up, perhaps something a leader might expect from one of his warrior, instead a wry smile flickered at the edges of his maw, "Just thinking about how much territory we'll have under our paws if Windclan and Skyclan really do take each other out before leaf bare."

The little brown and white tom looked lax but his ears were pricked. Admittedly, there was a small part of him that was prepared to be chastised for such words. But he'd tested this small bit of honesty, and wondered where it would take him.

A wry smile flickered across his face at that statement, and he sat, letting the end of his tail flick with the same emotion. "Ha, SkyClan's, maybe. We'd be lucky to get to WindClan first, though." A part of him idly wondered if Nettlestar or Oakstar would have chastised the other for that statement, but it wasn't like the scenario would actually come to pass. "Besides, too many pine trees in SkyClan, and too much open space in Windy."

The fact the leader had chosen to indulge him was amusing. Stoatfur pondered the proposed scenario for a moment. There was a thoughtful expression across his features before he nodded slightly, satisfied, "Bring a few acorns over to Windclan, in a few lifetimes from now, we will have another forest just for Thunderclan. Can't say it would be as easy in Skyclan. Dens under the roots maybe?" Humming softly to himself, his expression betrayed the many things that ran through his mind at any given time. After a brief pause, he cocked his head, "Did you need something, Minkstar? Or just feeling like discussing a forest takeover on this fine evening?"

"Not a bad plan. I don't know if they'd take root, though. It seems like there should have already been a forest there if there was ever going to be," He mused, settling down and tucking his forepaws comfortable under his chest. Stoat didn't seem up for a hunt, anyway, and if he was honest, Minkstar didn't particularly feel like doing so, either. His gaze briefly lingered in the medicine den. Maybe I'm starting to be a little obsessive, but....

His ear twitched at the curious tone in Stoatfur's voice, and he shrugged absently. "Need something? No. Suppose I'm just bored." A lopsided smile twitched at his lip, a hint of a grimace souring it slightly. "And the Clan always needs to be alert for territory-taking opportunities, since that's what we do when we're not facing something that threatens the lot of us."

"Too many Windclan paws disturbing the earth, I imagine." Stoatfur mused but the leader was probably right. Flicking his tail to and fro, the warrior studied the elder tom's expression. There were so many prying questions that he wanted to ask about the life that Minkstar had lived before Thunderclan. It was what little restraint he had that kept these questions at bay, for now. But that did not stop him from noting the way that his kin's gaze lingered when looking at the medicine cat's den. Another note to be tucked away for later.

Minkstar mentioned territory taking and he flicked an ear. A question bubbled up on his tongue, and this one he did not seek to restrain, "Have you ever thought about taking Sunningrocks? It's on our side of the river after all. Besides prey likes to sun there when its nice too. Come leafbare we would have less to worry about." Or have your Riverclan roots prevented you from such a dispute? There was a silent inquisition but Stoatfur would never say it aloud. What Minkstar chose to share, he would, regardless of the prying of a young warrior.

He glanced back at the younger tom, meeting his eyes, brow raised slightly. Sunningrocks? For a moment he wondered if the other was thinking the same thing he was, or somehow knew his question would spark the hesitance that suddenly bloomed inside him. Generations of blood had been spilled over those stars-cursed rocks... His kin's blood, and his Clan's blood. "Not really," He said, choosing to be honest. "Too many battles have been fought over those rocks, on our side or not - it never ends well. Honestly, if I could get away with it, I'd avoid any kind of battle or war. Everyone says winning more territory will mean more prey, but because of the battles we end up with less warriors to hunt and - if you pick the wrong time - more sickness to treat from all the injuries."

He shrugged slightly, watching as one of the apprentices came up to another at the prey pile with a teasing nudge, purred words soft at this range. "Maybe it's just an excuse not to fight against a Clan I used to live in, but my gut says there are more downsides than up." He gave him a sideways glance. "And most problems can be solved with negotiations. Unless the other cat's a bloodthirsty warlord like, oh, I don't know -" A hint of a smirk crossed his face "-Bloodstrike? He's got the name going, anyway."

Stoatfur looked at the leader with rounded eyes, digesting what he had to say. There was a soft hum and a nod as he listened. Minkstar had significantly more experience in life, the points he raised were not thoughtless. He wanted to protest, to chime in about how this life of theirs was cursed to always be soaked in blood. At least that was what the tales of the elders made it sound like. Regardless of what the truth was, the warrior tamed his tongue just enough to prevent what might have come across as a disatisfied retort. Instead he simply shrugged.

"I've never been in battle but I guess that isn't a bad thing." The tom meowed. He ducked his head slightly, sheepishly, as the ginger warrior nudged him teasingly. Stoatfur was not accustomed to being in such close proximity to another cat, nor engaging in such chummy behavior. It was unusual and uncomfortable. Struggling to keep a neutral expression, Stoatfur straightened up. Kin or not, their shared blood changed little - a lesson he'd learned from his father. In an effort to dispel the strange feelings, he stook his coat slightly and sucked in a breath.

"From what I've seen, Flintstar seems to be the most reasonable leader, maybe Lilacstar once. I can't imagine cats like Bloodstrike or Ivystar being reasonable. But I guess you know her better than what we see at gathering." Another shrug and his tail tip begun to flicker, "It makes me wonder how some cats can be chosen as deputy, though. Think Skyclan really has bees in their brains?" Stoatfur's gaze had a glimmer as he found his own humor. His whiskers twitched. Talking with Minkstar wasn't so bad, so long as he didn't press about matters of trust.

A tinge of melancholy touched his smile. "No, it's not a bad thing. I know you'd still want to prove yourself in one, though. Everybody does." A couple of exceptions popped into his head, and he corrected himself, "Well, most warriors do."

He shrugged lightly at the implication that he knew Ivystar. "She's my only living sister - technically cousin or aunt or something. We're related and we grew up together, anyway. It wouldn't save us from a battle, but it would make it easier to talk." He laughed at Stoatfur's question, shaking his head wryly. "A whole nest and then some. Maybe he was a nicer guy before half his pelt got ripped off, or maybe Wolfstar was planning to take over the forest and burn it to the ground when he became leader." He snorted. "Maybe not that last - he's not a bad cat, even if he seems a bit cranky sometimes. Personally, I bet Bloodstrike just bumped everyone else out of the line with his stare."

"If duty ever calls for a battle, you know I'll be there with the rest of the clan." He sought to reassure Minkstar of his own dedication to the clan, something that felt necessary to do. Stoatfur frowned slightly at the idea - he'd never really done anything to try to pander to another cat's desires before, or to try his paw at reassuring any creature. Thrushnose was the only one he'd even considered it for prior. His tail began to flicker with a tad more urgency. His own words rang in his head and the warrior's throat grew dry as he realized he wasn't convinced by them. Underneath this self-assured pelt was something he tried to avoid - a scared, shivering kit.

But the leader was talking of his kin, the leader of Riverclan. Stoatfur couldn't dwell on such buried thoughts, it wasn't worth anything. He nodded before twitching his whiskers slightly, "Talking with Ivystar? Well, I can see why you were made leader, sounds like a bold feat to me either way." He simply managed a soft laughter at the mention of Skyclan. The whole neighboring clan seemed as hard and unyielding as the rocky terrain their trees sprouted from. Perhaps it wasn't just a coincidence. He paused as a question came to him, glancing up at Minkstar with curiosity in his gaze, he meowed, "What made you pick Thrushnose?"

Minkstar twitched his whiskers wryly. "Believe me, it's possible to have a conversation with any cat if you know them."

He flexed his shoulders lightly in the brief silence that followed, the warmth of the dimming sun still warm on his fur as he half-closed his eyes. They flicked fully open again at Stoatfur's question, his ear twitching in vaguely surprised curiosity as he studied the other tom's face. "Thrushnose? There are a lot of reasons, but if I pinned it down...." He mulled over the thought for a moment, reaching back as best he could to the past and when he'd picked her and articulated the why with his mate and Dovefrost. Not that he really needed to - her personality and capabilities spoke for themselves. "She's got a good head. I know Murr - she's smart, she's cool under pressure, and when you give her a chance, she'll prove to you that she can get the job done. She might not believe it, but she's more mature than most experienced warriors - " He gave a lopsided smile "-including me. I think the only reason she agreed to it was because it's a temporary thing, though...."

His gaze wandered back to the medicine den, a heavy feeling dragging at his chest as the thought he'd been trying to avoid for so long came back again. "'Temporary' is looking more long-term, now," He finished quietly.