A New Order [C]

After half a day of ducking in and out of her new den, lugging in new moss and her old nest and such, Perchstar thought that it was finally beginning to look a little better. The lingering smell of decay had mostly been cleaned out of the willow branches, though unfortunately the taste of bile was still in her mouth after holding the soaked moss in her jaws for so long. Most pieces of debris had been taken out of the den as well. It was no longer dusty, unlike her paw pads, which were coated in moons-old dirt. However, the nicest thing about the den was that now, it felt slightly less lonely. Ashflight's nest had been moved in a few hours ago. The sight of the tom's comfortable circle of moss so close to her own still sent a flush of heat to her cheeks. He loves me. It had been a good number of hours since their walk, but... she still wasn't used to the idea. At least she knew the name of that strange, fluttering feeling now. And though she didn't understand why a cat like Ashflight could ever care about her... it felt like she was floating through the clouds every time she remembered his words.

Lost in thought, the gray and white she-cat jumped when she heard a familiar voice from behind. "Oh! Poppyshine," she meowed hurriedly, turning around to see the calico she-cat she recognized. One of her best friends, she was now realizing... and now, her deputy. "Good to see you. Did you need anything?" Perchstar's voice was as friendly as her neutral tone could be, but there was still a hint of flustered confusion around her rushed words and fidgety movements. She glanced around, noticing the messy spots of the den that hadn't been dealt with yet. "Sorry, I haven't quite finished moving in. I still need to get those goose feathers you gave me." The only decoration to her sparse, utilitarian sleeping place in the warriors' den had been those soft white feathers that they collected on their first outing together. Poppyshine had grown so much since then.

"No need to catch me anything special; I rarely decorate my nest," Perchstar responded. "The goose feathers just remind me of a good memory, that's all." Many cats went about putting special colored leaves and feathers and such into their nests. She had never really understood the purpose of wanting one's nest to look good, or to be extra comfortable. Honestly, those things seemed unnecessary. What really mattered is that you were sleeping with your Clanmates in the warrior's den. However, she wouldn't be anymore. The leader's den, foreign as it seemed, would be her den for-- potentially-- moons. She was just glad that she wouldn't be sleeping here alone... A sidelong glance towards Ashflight's nest showed that Poppyshine had noticed it too. Yet, the deputy did not comment, for which she was grateful.

However, when the she-cat spoke again, Perchstar halted her thoughts for a moment. The words coming from her mouth, though spoken differently, were very familiar to her. They had been far less enthusiastic, with far less knowledge behind them. Words spoken to a cat she had believed might be her partner in leadership for however long would be necessary, sitting side by side on frost-coated rocks... "Why me?" she had asked Jaystar long ago. Her tone had been more neutral and matter-of-fact, but the same nervousness and self-doubt had wavered behind her eyes. A cat she had never met before, handing her such power without even a question as to whether she could do the job properly... it had been terrifying. His answer had not been satisfactory. It wasn't then, and it wasn't now. Slipping back into the past mindset of Perchfall for a moment seemed almost foreign. She had been so unhappy... so confused and so unready to be in that position. Perchstar hoped to the stars that she had properly prepared her friend.

After a moment of consideration, she raised a thoughtful light blue gaze and spoke up. "Poppyshine, I understand your feelings," she said. The careful neutrality was mostly gone from her voice, leaving it in a low, empathetic tone that was unusual for her. However, she meant every word that she said. "When I was chosen as deputy, I was even younger than you are now. I had never spoken to Jaystar before. I had little to no relations with my Clanmates, and I only accepted the position out of fear that the Clan might be even worse off otherwise. He appeared out of nowhere... I didn't know if we could trust him." Now I know we couldn't, she added silently to herself. But now was not the time to dishonor a cat long gone. The gray and white leader shook her head. "It is a position with a large amount of work. Ideally, there would have been trusted senior warriors to choose between. However, RiverClan's situation is not-- nor has it been for moons-- ideal. Many of our senior warriors have passed away. Of the few cats who I believe could stomach the position, some were missing and some were feeling very ill." Perchstar's eyes looked deeply into those of her friend. "With that said... I do not believe there could be a better cat for the position than you, Poppyshine. I have seen the way you treat your Clanmates. After the battle, you helped Cloverheart immediately, even though you yourself were injured. You are able to act quickly in a time of crisis, and understand things that need to be done urgently." Her ear flicked thoughtfully. "And of course, that is without even mentioning your relationships with your Clanmates. You have something I don't; the art of communication. All my life, I have struggled to properly relate to my Clanmates, and say what needs to be said. Emotions are often strange to me, and I have difficulty expressing them. You, however, speak your mind. You are bright and friendly and lovely, and you can make friends with almost any cat on a mere whim. Your Clanmates adore you, Poppyshine."

A brief smile touched Perchstar's face. "Though some may believe differently, I think that one of the most important things to consider in a deputy is not who would be the most well-rounded character, but who would complement the strengths of the other high ranks. To be honest, there are a few things that you need to work on before being ready to lead RiverClan at its head. However, there are some things that I need to learn, too. Our strengths and weaknesses balance each other out." She shook her head. "I would not have appointed you deputy if I had not had complete faith in you, Poppyshine. Experience is best gained from action. However, if you do not wish to hold the position, it is not too late to decline. I would never want you to feel trapped with duties you did not want." Like I was. No one deserved such a fate.

Seeing the reassurance that her words brought to Poppyshine made Perchstar feel more reassured as well. So she had done well, after all. Not that she'd ever doubted the young she-cat; she had just hoped to the stars that the calico wouldn't feel what she had felt when picked for the position. Thankfully, it seemed like that hadn't been the case. She had communicated her feelings properly. An inaudible sigh of relief left her, and her shoulders relaxed. "I'm glad I could help you understand," she responded with a gentle smile. "Thank you for accepting the position. I know it is a lot of work, but your help means a great deal to me." It would honestly be difficult to imagine any other cat as her deputy.

Again, the friendly shortening of her name caught Perchstar slightly off guard, but brought a welcome feeling of appreciation. Once again, her mind was drawn to the young, miserable Perchfall. If only I could have known how much better life would get. Leading my Clanmates in a time of peace, with a dear friend as my deputy, and... Her eyes glanced once more, involuntarily, to the soft nest across from hers. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one who had remembered the extra nest. After a few more kind compliments, Poppyshine's grin grew more mischievous. Of course she would ask. Oh, dear. The involuntary flush made her cheeks slightly pink. What was it about Ashflight that always made her feel like this? Love was not an objective fact. It was this weird fluttery warmth that made her heart pound. It was strange. She would have to get used to it... not that it would be a bad thing. That said-- how on earth was she supposed to respond? "...Yes," she said eventually, one paw awkwardly scuffing the ground. You are a grown she-cat. You are the leader of RiverClan. Can you talk about Ashflight without reverting to a love-struck apprentice?!