always kind of sunny (c)

Stormdance

Stormdance was content as he followed Perchstar across the river. Their patrol had gone well so far, no predators or other interruptions, and while his thick fur didn’t appreciate the overbearing heat of the sun, he was grateful that it wasn’t storming or raining. He’d had quite enough of both. Besides, the mostly quiet patrol had been comfortable thanks to his company as well. He looked up to Perchstar a lot, respected and trusted her. She had led their clan for almost as long as Stormdance could really remember, as most of his memories before were a blur at best, and as far as Stormdance was concerned, done a wonderful job the whole time. Though he didn’t know her personally like he did Poppyshine, he felt a similar sense of comfort in her presence. (and a bit of anxiety like he did with Poppyshine, as he worried about messing up in front of his leader.) He couldn’t imagine a Riverclan without Perchstar.

The cool river washed away the worst of the heat that had sunk into his pelt, and he sighed happily as he came up on the other side. He followed Perchstar’s lead in shaking the water off the pelt, giving himself a few quick licks. He glanced at Perchstar and it was with relief that he saw her settling down for a moment. His leg, while healed, got sore easily still, especially with swimming and all the walking they had been doing, so he was more than happy to settle down nearby and take a rest. He curled his tail over his paws, closing his eyes for the moment and tilting his head up towards the sun and enjoying its rays on his face.

His ears flicked with surprise at Perchstar’s voice, and he opened his eyes and turned to look at her. A good mentor? Perchstar thought he was a good mentor? Even after everything that happened, even after Perchstar herself had to be the one to rescue his first apprentice?  Stormdance’s fur grew hot at the praise, and he couldn’t help the tiny smile that appeared on his face. Though, with it came a spark of guilt. He hadn’t told Perchstar, or indeed anyone, the circumstances that led to his and Rowanpaw’s encounter with the fox. It had been more of an impulse decision, one made when he and Rowanpaw were still injured and Rowanpaw hadn’t even woken up yet. He figured that his point about the dangers of sneaking out had been made, and he had spoken to Rowanpaw about it again at length to make sure of that. It was now, when he was fully recovered, that Stormdance realized that he had unintentionally kept secrets from his leader, and regret flooded him.

He cleared his throat a bit, trying to chase away his swirling thoughts. “I… thank you,” He said softly. “I appreciate the trust you and Poppyshine have put in me.” He dipped his head a bit, the words causing a little bit more guilt to settle on his tongue. “Rowanpaw’s training has been… going better,” He gave a wry smile. “He’s young. He’s learning. Beneath all that posturing, he really does have a good heart, just like his mom.” He chuckled a bit, his smile widening with genuine affection. Rowanpaw still drove him crazy sometimes, but things had been better. He was starting to understand the young tom. A balance had been struck between them, one Stormdance was determined to maintain.

Stormdance

Stormdance watched Perchstar’s successful catch with a smile, giving a small purr of congratulations. He got to his feet again just to take the few steps forward to the river’s shore properly, settling down again so he could join Perchstar in the hunt. His eyes focused on the water, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, and as he did so he responded to her words softly.

“Yes, I think so.” He said thoughtfully. “He’d never admit it, but I think the experience with the fox rattled him.” He gave a humorless chuckle. “It rattled me too, so I don’t exactly blame him for that.” Stormdance never wanted to feel that helpless again. He still felt guilt over not being able to protect Rowanpaw as much as he wanted to, but he was trying to take Brookstone’s advice on that matter to heart. He couldn’t control everything, and Rowanpaw had made it out alright. That’s what mattered.

“But he’s been more dedicated lately.” He doesn’t even complain when Stormdance takes him hunting, which is truly a surprise. Not that there aren’t still plenty of things Rowanpaw complains about, like his elder duties, but he tends to at least still do them more often than not. “He has a natural talent for fighting. He’s been doing really well in our sparring.” Not that Stormdance would say that to him in so many words. He’s not light with praise by any means, but telling the already cocky apprentice he had a ‘natural talent’ in anything would make his head get far too big. Stormdance bit down a chuckle at the thought, another rush of affection hitting him. “I’m proud of him. He still has a ways to go but… I think someday soon he’ll make a fine warrior.”

After Stormdance trailed off, his sharp blue eyes caught sight of a fish darting through the water up stream, heading right underneath his waiting form. He fell silent for a moment as he waited for the moment to reach in and strike. His claws caught slippery scales and he dug in, pulling the flopping fish out of the water and finishing it off quickly. He set it down near Perchstar's catch and sent her a brief, warm smile.

Stormdance attempted to catch a fish, and succeeded! It cost him -3 SP.

"I've found I...rather enjoy being a mentor. As stressful as it can be sometimes." He admitted with another soft chuckle. "Do you enjoy it? Mentoring I mean?" He settled back into his hunting stance as he spoke, though he glanced at Perchstar curiously. "You mentored Poppyshine when she was an apprentice, right?" He can only imagine what Poppyshine was like when she was an apprentice.

Stormdance

Stormdance felt a sympathetic pang as Perchstar spoke of her first apprentice. He'd felt the panic at nearly losing his apprentices several times now, with Woolywing's unfortunate encounters with multiple predators and Rowanpaw's encounter with the fox. He could only imagine Perchstar's pain at having to experience fully losing an apprentice, especially if they were close like how Stormdance was with his. Still, he couldn't help but smile a little as well as Perchstar talked about Poppyshine. It was a rare sight to see Perchstar smile even a bit, at least as far as Stormdance knew, and it was nice to see the normally neutral leader express some joy. Then again, Poppyshine tended to have that effect on other cats.

"She is," Stormdance agreed with a small nod. "You two make a very good team. As leader and deputy, I mean. I'm grateful that for most of my life, I've been able to see Riverclan under your guidance." He cleared his throat after the compliment, worried he had overstepped. He carried on quickly rather than let the moment linger. "Poppyshine was one of the first friends I made." He commented almost absently. "I didn't really know how to... talk to other cats for a while." He gave a soft laugh. "She does have a way of making you feel more confident, doesn't she?" He smiled.