mixed emotions [c]

Beetleshade sat under the shade of the owl tree, her fur fluffed out against the harsh wind whipping through the forest around her. It seemed like leaf-bare had well and truly arrived, and it couldn't have chosen a worse time. It would be Beetleshade's first time experiencing the harsh season, a fact that filled her with a mix of dread and disgust.

"Seriously, is it too much to ask to not freeze my fur off every time I leave camp?" She grumbled, her nose wrinkling with distaste as she thought of the makeshift camp the Thunderclan cats had created in the Sandy Hollow. It didn't do nearly as good a job keeping cats warm as their original camp, which was yet another thing she blamed wholeheartedly on the current leadership. Thankfully, Thistlemask's disappearance and Mottlestar's subsequent journey to find her had allowed Beetleshade to slip away to meet with Trufflesnap, who she hadn't seen since the clans were all inhabiting fourtrees. She hadn't caught sight of the Skyclan calico in all the chaos, so she could only hope that she hadn't been captured and had received the message to meet tonight. Hopefully she'd show up...

Trufflesnap sauntered from the bushes a cheeky expression to her face. "Need someone to warm you up?" The wind buffeted her fur but she only felt a slight chill. Her long and thick fur was coming in handy this season. Thank you, Dove, for that. As useless as he regularly was. She cleared the distance and greeted Beetleshade with a flick of her tail on her chest before settling in next to her- closely. "How has your stupid leader been faring? My stupid sister has been leading the clan, and StarClan is she pathetic. All stressed out like it's hard and pretending she doesn't enjoy the power." She huffed, her breath billowing in the air in front of them.

"Ugh, don't even get me started on stupid leaders." Beetleshade rolled her eyes, though the warmth of Trufflesnap's fur brushing hers was a welcome relief from the weather.

"Honestly, Mottlestar used to be a good deputy, but ever since she became leader and started letting that rogue get into her head, the entire clan has gone downhill! I'm telling you, Thunderclan would be so much more powerful if our leadership could at least pretend to be competent." She grumbled, unsheathing her claws and digging them into the ground beneath her in frustration. It wasn't fair that she was the only cat in the clan who saw her own potential. If they would stop spending all their time kissing up to Mottlestar they might be able to see there were others who could do a much better job of leading.

"Anyways, my offer still stands. I'd be happy to help you take care of your little... problem." It wasn't like she could solve her issue with Mottlestar and Thistlemask at the moment, so maybe helping Trufflesnap would help her relieve some of the tension that had been building up inside her since the earthquake.