Calm Before The Storm[C]

Sootstorm knew that they would have to have this talk eventually. He had remained somewhat close with his former mentor even after his apprenticeship, but he often found himself unsure of what the tom really was thinking. With Smallstar, Jayfrost and Finchspeckle's disappearance, as well as so many of their clanmates dead due to the illness, they had been stretched trying to complete all the patrols on time, and thus never found the time to have a proper chat until now. Of course, they didn't have the time to only chat for a whole morning; no, patrols had to be done, and they were now on a hunting patrol. Sootstorm flicked his tail uncomfortably, wondering how to start a conversation with the leader.

Something on his mind? Sootstorm resisted the urge to laugh. When did he not have "something on his mind"? Ever since the war with ShadowClan, followed by the famine and sickness that rid them of countless lifes, and now the journey, he had never had a moment of peace. The constant nagging and worry at the back of his mind would not relent no matter what he was doing. The journey had revealed to their neighbours just how pitifully small they were. Only an apprentice for a medicine cat, less warriors than every other Clan... if the other Clans wanted more land, they'd need only to crush them like they might crush a beetle. It wasn't the lack of kits, but rather the lack of kits that managed to reach their apprentice ceremony. Their entire journey here was marked with burials for sickly mothers and their kits. It was as if StarClan was determined to destroy WindClan.

And they did not even have a proper leader and deputy. Tigerdance had yet to receive his nine lives, and Sootstorm was, well, pathetic. What could he even do to ail his dying Clan? He had failed at keeping Ferntwist and their kits alive, he had failed at keeping his apprentices alive... how had Tigerdance came to the conclusion that he would be a good deputy? "Why did you choose me to be deputy?" Sootstorm answered at last with a question of his own. His voice was soft, as if he was still lost in thought.

Sootstorm ducked his head, listening to Tigerdance's words in silence. There was nothing about the leader's reasoning that he could find fault with. He laughed silently under his breath when he realized he was looking for reasons to convince to his leader he wasn't the right choice. What was he thinking? He recalled the moment his name had been called in the ceremony, and the burst of satisfaction he had felt. This was StarClan's gift to him, to tell him to raise his head higher and keep on trying for the peace he had wished for all those moons ago. He let himself relax, an easy smile sliding over his features. "Of course, I shouldn't have questioned your reasoning," He purred.

Sootstorm flicked an ear as the conversation continued, this time with Tigerdance voicing his insecurities. Sootstorm had thought about it before, when he was a warrior, but he had not been in a place to go forward with such ideas before. He glanced at his leader, unsure if he really should voice out his idea. At last, he decided he might as well.

"We're the smallest Clan at the moment. If the other Clans wanted to cause trouble, we'd be..." he didn't have to finish the sentence. Sootstorm mustered up his courage and finally said, "I think we should form an alliance. That way, other Clans will have second thoughts about attacking us, and we can get back onto our paws in peace. Shrikestar burned all good relations we had with the other Clans, and Smallstar didn't do anything to improve the status. If you don't want to repeat the same mistakes they did, then you should talk to the other leaders." He stopped when he realized he may have come across as bossing Tigerdance around, and quickly backtracked. "I mean, it's just what I think, since, you know, you asked me, but uh, there's no need to follow the suggestion," He stammered out a few words, then finally gave up and just hung his head in defeat. This is why he shouldn't open his mouth.

Sootstorm was relief that Tigerdance seemed to understand where he wa coming from. "We have to make good use of the upcoming Gathering to make a good impression," He added, thinking back on his past encounters with the ShadowClan and SkyClan deputies, as well as the ThunderClan leader. Thankfully, all of them had gone well, with peaceful and friendly words being passed from both sides. Did this mean a brighter future for WindClan? His paws pricked with excitement as he thought of the Gathering that was just a few sunrises away.

And there was the other problem: Tigerdance's nine lifes, or lack of. Sootstorm couldn't imagine the other Clans letting it go without at least a few comments, but at this rate, their leader's lack of nine lifes were hardly the biggest target when it came to commenting on WindClan. Their lack of a proper medicine cat, their pitiful numbers... the list went on and on. Well, they'd just have to shorten that list, little by little. They were going to make WindClan great again.

"Whatever happens at this Gathering, we'll pull through," Sootstorm replied, his words meant to quell his leader's worries as well as comfort himself. They could do this, together.