I Owe You This and Nothing More [Smallstar]

This was not a conversation that Brackenwing particularly looked forward to, if for very different reasons than her reluctance with her sons. She'd had her own problems with Smallstar in the past, and had always been honest with him. She didn't much like the tom still, but he was... Trying, with the mess he had inherited as Windclan's leader. Trying, but through her talks with Whisperear and observing the clan, Brackenwing had come to the realization that this simply wasn't the clan she knew any longer. Batsong too had left, and with her another tie severed. Forcing herself to her paws, Brackenwing sought out the new leader with a sigh, tail tip twitching behind her. Part of her wanted simply to leave... But she owed him this much of an explanation. As for how he would take it... Well. She was about to find out, she supposed. "Smallstar?" She called, approaching the small, fluffy tom. "May we talk?"

'Smallstar.'

The tom raised his ears, acknowledging that his name had been called but not yet turning around - he still wasn't quite used to the change. In the mere heartbeats it took for him to face who'd called for him, the voice registered in his head, further confirmed when his eyes rested upon the familiar figure of Brackenwing. Immediately, his brows furrowed, visible discomfort plaguing his features. A brief urge to recoil urged him keep his paws firm to the ground, waiting for her to approach rather than meeting her.

The formality in which she spoke unsettled him. Silently, he wondered if she saw him differently, just because his name had changed. A faint melancholic feeling rested upon him. "Yeah, we can." He said, simply, avoiding her gaze.

Brackenwing noted the leader's discomfort, and fought not to roll her eyes. Smallstar was self-aware enough to admit his flaws, but that was hardly enough to make a good leader. Better than the previous one's fragile ego... weak mind, weak spirit. But Smallstar too shared some of those traits. Albeit to what Brackenwing hoped would stay a less destructive extent. But she found herself tired of it. Tired of trying to push leadership beyond that, tired of the clan's acceptance of it. The more tired she grew, the less she cared to be around it. That she hardly recognized the clan she grew up in, had believed in... It made the decision that much more simple. Smallstar did not approach, and with her tail twitching, Brackenwing moved past him and turned. Sat. Unlike him, she had no problem meeting his gaze. It was a show of respect that not many in Windclan were deserving of, but for the moment he was still her leader and she would allow him that much respect.

"It's no secret I've been... disillusioned with Windclan's leadership for a long time." More and more by the day, even as that leadership changed. Tigerdance was the one bright spot, the one spark of hope that Windclan had. And yet, he and Sootstorm were not enough to keep her paws here. Not with Whisperear's intention of leaving. "The more things change, the more I realize that I don't recognize the clan I was born and raised in. The majority of my family is gone, my friends and those I care about, too. I hardly know the younger warriors these days, and... I won't lie. I don't care to. They mean little to me, and I am sure I mean even less to them. I don't... Care to rectify that, either. I have nothing to offer Windclan, and over the seasons Windclan has offered the same to me." Brackenwing paused for a moment, allowing her words to sink in.

"I am not Batsong, to make a display of leaving. I am not your predecessor, to try and destroy the clan as I destroy myself. Nor can I abandon the clan without a word - you deserve that much, rather than wondering where an elder has wandered off to." Windclan had more important things to focus on. Rebuilding, in more ways than one. Not something Brackenwing was able or willing to help anymore.

When Brackenwing spoke again, there was no plea or uncertainty to her words. Only the truth that she had come to realize. "I've given the decision some thought, and... Well. If I had to choose between remaining by Whisperear's side or the clan I feel next to no connection to anymore... It is no choice at all." She stated, green eyes fixed on the small tom in front of her. "Tigerdance and Sootstorm are good cats. They are more like my own kits to me than my own kit was. But I cannot stay and guide them forever, nor can I stay in a place that hasn't felt like home in a long time." She and Whisperear had wanted nothing more to return to Windclan when they were trapped in the barn... And now that they had been trapped in Windclan's madhouse, the urge to return to the barn's peace and quiet was overwhelming.