Blood Ties [Astershine]

Wolfblossom stretched, making her way to the camp entrance. She had scheduled the rest of the day's patrols and it was time to get going. The morning air was warm, and the deputy shook out her pelt. It wasn't quite greenleaf yet, but the recent warm weather had Wolfblossom thinking about switching up patrols a little. More in the morning and evening rather than during the warmest parts of the day.

"Astershine," Wolfblossom greeted the warrior who padded up with a friendly wave of her tail, "let's head out." And with that, she ducked through the camp entrance.

Astershine appreciated the warmth of the day, especially with how easily he felt the breeze through his pelt. Leaf-bare might give him a hunting advantage, but he couldn't resist the warmth of Newleaf - it truly was his favorite time of year.

Today he was meant to go on a morning patrol, which he didn't mind. It wasn't awfully early, and he would be patrolling with Wolfblossom. The deputy was a cat that he'd seen from afar, but never really interacted with outside of surface level conversation about patrols and whatnot. It'd be just the two of them, if he remembered correctly, so maybe he would get to learn more about her.

Approaching the she-cat, he nodded along with her words. "Yeah, right." Following behind, he ducked through the camp entrance, joining her side once they'd emerged outside camp. Birdsong filled the air, and Astershine couldn't help but gaze skyward to appreciate the beauty of the day. "Isn't it lovely?" He asked, casting a glance towards Wolfblossom. "I love Newleaf, far better than Greenleaf, I think." Although his attention was directed at their surroundings, he stayed aware of the signs of nearby prey.

"How are you, Wolfblossom?" The tom asked as they walked, facing away but tilting his ears in her direction. "You're probably really busy, yeah? I bet its tiring." The sound of shuffling in a nearby bush caught his attention, interrupting him, briefly. "I find that appreciating the little things help lighten everyday burdens, although I'm sure yours are far heaver than mine." Astershine simply assumed this based on the fact that Wolfblossom was deputy; he actually had no idea about her past. It would be a lie to say he'd led an easy life, despite it being a happy one. Maybe Wolfblossom had faced things similar to him, or maybe she was haunted by things she'd done many moons ago. He always felt things like that from the adults in his life; his mother, his father. Tilting his head, slightly, he slid his gaze over to the deputy.

"Mhmm. It's not too hot yet, and all the flowers are in bloom." Wolfblossom hummed in agreement, "I hope I won't have to restructure patrols to avoid sending cats out around sunhigh for a while... Too many of us aren't cut out for greenleaf." She had been born at the end of newleaf, and remembered well the oppressive, miserable heat that seemed to take over the forest not long after she became a warrior. Maybe it would be different for a cat with shorter, less dense fur, but Wolfblossom certainly hadn't enjoyed it.

"I wasn't expecting to be picked for deputy, it's left me a lot busier than I was as a warrior, that's true. I enjoy most of it... Patrols aren't so terrible to handle. And it's not our clanmates causing drama at gatherings, which I am so grateful for. Being deputy forced me to worry about more than just immediate family and my own troubles, I was in my own head a lot as a younger warrior. My parents..." She shook her head. Between Beechfang's exile and Dovefrost's untimely death, and Shadowclan's unwanted presence in camp for much of that greenleaf, Wolfblossom would not have considered herself deputy material. Certainly not something the clan would want to rely on. The circumstances had forced her to truly look at herself and what she was doing, even before becoming deputy. Becoming deputy had solidified things for her. "Now it's the whole clan I have to look after and consider when I make decisions. At the start it was a shock, especially with all that trouble with the twolegs and staying at fourtrees." It was like being dunked into the river... In the middle of leafbare.

"That aside though... I think I'm more excited than some kits are when they become apprentices, sometimes." She added, with a small smile. Ceremonies were by far her favorite thing about being deputy. They were something positive, that was almost unanimously looked forward to.

"I suppose some might say you're 'only' a warrior, but we all have our own struggles, even if you're not in charge of the entire clan." She glanced at the pale tom, "How have you been finding things?"

"Yeah... I guess I'm lucky, sorta." He offered a small laugh. "Even though I'm able to tolerate greenleaf, leaf-bare is that much worse. Although, I'd rather be too cold than too warm. Not that I find it pleasant." Newleaf was refreshing, greenleaf was tolerable, leafbare was... rough. The thinness of his pelt helped him endure the heat, but it provided no protection from leafbare's sharp winds.

Astershine nodded along to Wolfblossom's words. "I guess being deputy is a good way to make connections. Now you have more of a reason to talk to our clanmates, yeah? I try to do it anyways. I see a lot of cats that I don't really know well, even thought I live with them. It's so strange how a cat you've all your life can be a complete stranger." As much as being deputy sounded glamorous, Astershine felt like he'd grow tired of the constant routine. Having time to relax was important to him, he couldn't imagine having to be on his paws all day. Although, he was sure it wasn't always that busy. After all, he saw that Wolfblossom had time to share tongues at the end of each day.

The tom noticed when the deputy trailed off. "Everything okay?" He leaned forward to meet Wolfblossom's gaze, keeping pace with her stride. "Don't let it weigh on you too heavily. Deputy is important n' all, but make sure you remember that you don't have to carry the whole clan on your shoulders alone. Take time to yourself every now and then. Admire the little things." He repeated the mantra again, straightening his posture and returning his senses to his surroundings, once again aware of the scene.

When inquired about himself, he answered light-heartedly. "Oh, I've been... Alright." He thought, at least. Most of the time he had a hard time describing his own emotions. "Nothing's been bothering me, really. Not recently." Lately, he'd been doing okay. The disappearance of his father, and coming to terms with the fact that he probably wasn't coming home, was... difficult. It was something he'd gotten over, leaving him in a comfortable emotional state.

"Better than wanting to rip your pelt off because it's too warm. And the cold alone won't cause a trip to the medicine den quite as easily." She agreed with a half-smile.

"I realized that when I became deputy, yeah. I've been trying to get to know my own clanmates better, I suppose that'll always be a work in progress." It could be challenging too, at times, but it was something Wolfblossom found she enjoyed. "This clan is filled with introverts and grumps... But they're not all bad."

The concern when she had trailed off had the deputy shaking her head. "It's in the past, let it stay there." Only to continue, almost without thought, "I was barely a warrior when mom brought dad back to camp. It's been almost a year now, and it seems like we're no closer to finding out why he was murdered. Or who did it." One day, she told herself, they would have justice for Dovefrost. It wasn't the only thing she fretted over, but it was one of the few things she had no solid answers for, something that couldn't be resolved so easily as talking things out with another clanmate or by switching up patrols.

"It's part of my job to worry, now. But no, I think I'll be alright. I think I've bullied my sisters into taking care of themselves enough to recognize when I need to do the same." She laughed. Her sisters were good about doing the same to her, if she didn't take time to rest anyways.

"It's always the question of the past hanging over us, isn't it?" Wolfblossom glanced at Astershine, "May not as an immediate problem, but the 'what if's are always there." The clanmates who had disappeared during leafbare's chaos weren't forgotten either. "All we can do is move forward, but if you ever want to talk..." An ear to listen was the least Wolfblossom could do for any of her clanmates.

"Oh, I'm... sorry." He could sympathize. But not entirely. "My father died too, although under far less confusing circumstances. It was uh, during the earthquake, when the Twolegs came and captured us the first time. At first, I thought he got captured, but after a few days, we found him in an old fox burrow." The tom was much more comfortable talking about it now, but that didn't mean that a fresh wave of pain didn't rise up and wash over him upon recounting it. He sighed, looking back to their surroundings. "I hope that you're able to get some answers soon, though. The fact that you know so little about it is awful. I don't think I'd be able to rest."

Wolfblossom's words pulled his attention back in. "Well, it's good that you're able to recognize it." He hummed "I know that some cats let the past hang over them their entire life and aren't even able to notice it. I'm glad you're able to persevere. Shows good reliability." He offered a small smile. "Move forward, but don't forget." He muttered. Astershine didn't expect to enjoy the deputy's company this much. He regretted not having interacted with her much before now. "I agree. Life moves on, and we have no choice but to go along with it. Although, I like to think that I'm pretty good at leaving the bad things behind me. The same goes for you, by the way. If you ever need to talk, I have two ears, and we have an entire forest to walk."

In the short period of silence that followed, Astershine noticed a flicker of movement far ahead. A bird, a small one, had landed in their path, far enough to have apparently not noticed them. "Hold on." He whispered to the deputy, slowly creeping forward. When the bird hopped behind a tree trunk, the warrior quickened his pace, all the while keeping his steps light. After rounding the tree, he leaped onto the bird, pinning it down with both of his front paws. His fangs met it's neck, and it was dead before it could let out an alarm.

Returning to Wolfblossom, he tucked it beneath a bush. "We can get it on the way back." He muttered, not really expecting a response. Turning back to her with wide eyes, he raised his ears. "Where were we?"


Astershine has attempted to catch bird, costing 3 SP. Attempt was successful!

Astershine:
137/140 SP [-03]

The member 'cotton' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

"I remember." She acknowledged softly, "Everything was so chaotic, both when we fled camp and when we fled fourtrees." She had feared Crimsonflame captured, but a body being found was a crushingly final end to that hope that he could return as most of the captured had. "Losing a parent will always stay with you, no matter how much time has passed. All we can do is learn to cope with it. To live on." They seemed to be of a similar mindset, and she offered the tom a small smile before his attention was caught by a small bird. The deputy immediately fell silent, watching as he stalked after it.

"Good catch!" Their clan was filled with excellent hunters, and with how their numbers had swelled recently, it was good to see that they would continue to be fed. Newleaf had been good to them, with prey so abundant... Wolfblossom hoped it would last. She feared it wouldn't.

"Moving on, I believe... And you aren't wrong about some of our clanmates. The older ones need to be pulled out of their thoughts on occasion." For their own good. Wolfblossom knew what it was like to be wrapped in her own thoughts, and she suspected nobody enjoyed it.