Quelling the Tempest [c]

Silverdusk knew their ability, or she thought they had. Had she been underestimating herself? Of course, they were capable. Quailprowler would not have trained them to be inadequate, but to be named for the war patrol as the youngest warrior in the clan? That was something else. For the first time since her apprentice ceremony Silverdusk felt anxious - not for the war, but the fact no one else close to their age had been named. It was a lot to live up to, and she would hate to not deliver, to be a liability to their clan once again. Their heckles rose at the thought, and a nervous shudder ran down their spine. Mottlestar had chosen her before so many cats, at first Silverdusk had been full of pride, and then... The anxiety had came, and as the sunrises past and the war further encroached upon their mind it seemed to build. If the young molly was to be of any use, like their clan believed her to be, then she would need the usual level head that they kept. Normally, they would have sort out Wiggleworm now he was better they spent most of their day with him, confiding in him, but not tonight. Silverdusk would not trouble him, he had more than enough to worry about, they knew he was already upset enough about them leaving so soon after Softpaw's death. It would not end that way for her though, they would make SkyClan pay and then return all in one piece, is what she would tell him, but if the summersalts of their stomach kept up who knew how they'd end up? They had to be stamped out.

The night air was cool, a definite chill to be found. Perhaps it would snow tomorrow. Silver paws crunched frost underfoot as the tall molly made their way across camp. While inside she was full of turmoil, Silverdusk had steeled themself into their usual stoic demeanour, the picture of cool and collected. Acornstem sat beneath the stars, the breeze ruffling her long russet pelt. "Acornstem," meowed Silverdusk in greeting, sitting down beside the deputy. Thinking back to the announcement of the war as focused as they had been on Mottlestar, the red warrior at the base of the rock had been hard to ignore. Acornstem had clearly been upset as composed as she had been, there was no denying it. Looking at her now, the she-cat still seemed upset, tired too. As much as Silverdusk wanted advice from the deputy it would not be fair to give her more trouble, same as Wiggleworm. Perhaps helping to alleviate Acornstem's worries would ease her own. "Would you like to talk? Tonight is too cold, and I cannot rest."

Acornstem was upset for much of the opposite reason than Silverdusk's - musing over the fact that she hadn't been chosen. It stung and she had wanted to argue against it, to be given the chance to fight for her Clan even if this whole situation - even if Mottlestar's recently choices - didn't sit well with her. But her voice had failed her, accepting it in bitter silence and instead had spent the time focusing on making sure her Clanmates were prepared and praying to the Stars that all would be well. The sun had long faded and her body urged her to sink Firefly's warmth but yet she found herself sitting in the shadow of the Highrock, gaze focused on the uncaring stars above as they glimmered in all of their silent splendor. Her ears twitched at the sound of crunching snow, but her attention didn't fall from the heavens until Silverdusk spoke up, settling beside her. The deputy turned to look at her with a flicker of surprise, her expression quickly softening.

"I won't mind the company, at least," she admitted with a sigh, unsure if she wanted to talk. The weight on her shoulders wasn't something to be shared with such a young warrior... A warrior who had been chosen for the battle. She knew Silverdusk was a talented fighter from when she had assessed her battle skills - Quailprowler had taught her well but it still felt... She didn't know why Mottlestar had picked her, instead of her own deputy. The bitterness that swelled caught her by surprise before she quickly pushed it down - no it wasn't fair. Silverdusk had no say in it and more than anything, she was just worried.

She...She didn't want the promising warrior anywhere near SkyClan's claws when they had proven so... She shook her head, another sigh escaping her. "I haven't gotten much sleep myself - my paws have been full trying to... There is so much to be done. To make sure our herb supplies are enough, that our camp's defenses are ready, that everybody is..." Her whiskers twitched as her muzzle curled, shaking her head. "We've barely returned to our territory, I just...Worry. But...Its nothing for you to fret over - its my duties, nothing more and things will return to..." 'Normal.' There doubted there would ever be a normal again - not with the promised bloodshed. "Things will be fine."

It was a small gesture, but none the less Silverdusk's large ears perked as Acornstem accepted their offer. Silently she listened, letting the deputy air out her worries, waiting for Acornstem to look better for it, but the russet she-cat didn't. Silverdusk frowned, unsure of how next to move... Most of Acornstem's fears had hardly occurred to them. The fact they needed herbs for things other than the still lingering illness had escaped them, they would have been a necessity for the war, or any battle. The difference between life and death in some instances... And she hadn't bothered to help restock their supplies since her apprenticehood. When war had been declared, it seemed that Silverdusk had cared only for the immediate, and not the long-term. They shook their head, there was far more to everything than what met the eye. As close as the looming battle was, there was still much to prepare, and much to double check. "I will help you with the defences." they stated rising to their paws. "I have not seen them yet and, two sets of paws are better than one."

Acornstem blinked as Silverdusk refused to accept the deputy's assurance that it wasn't for her to deal with and instead offered her aid. She opened her mouth but nothing came out, lost on what to even say in return before she paused, a soft sigh escaping her as she also pushed herself to her paws. "...Thank you," she finally meowed with a soft smile before she waved her tail in a motion for Silverdusk to follow. "This way," she meowed as she headed towards the entrance, only to come to a stop next to the where the small patch of gorse met the bramble that formed the walls.

She narrowed her eyes, peering at the brambles as she spoke and started to slowly pace alongside it. "Our main defense - outside of the steep walls of the ravine is the brambles that circle the camp," she explained. "While Stormsong and the others did well to protect our camp in our absence, there is no telling if any of the bramble has been worn away from the snow and needs to be reinforced. An unexpected gap - or one that can easily be made - is the last thing we need," she sighed with a shake of her head as she raised a paw, carefully prodding the bramble despite the soft prick of pain as a thorn got her as she made sure it was solid.

"I'm not expecting SkyClan to try anything against the camp but a predator getting in is..." She drifted off, recalling the dogs that had gotten into the camp when she had been near the tail-end of her apprenticeship. "Its best that the gorse entrance be the only means in-and-out for our safety, which means careful studying and fixing of our bramble defense. Its not a fun job - you are liable to get pricked by them but its needed."

Wordlessly, Silverdusk trailed after the deputy, bushy tail sweeping the ground. Green eyes followed where Acornstem indicated, drinking in the defences and the wisdom shared. "Is there somewhere we gather the bramble from?" they mewed. She could gather it for the deputy if need be, maybe a trip outside of camp what she needed... No, leaving alone was foolish. Who knew what SkyClan was up to, if they had already crept over their borders. Acornstem seemed doubtful of the idea, but Silverdusk's anxieties seemed to only be mounting, much to the warrior's frustration. A paw reached out to rub at their forehead, and they sighed ears falling backwards. "I am not feeling myself tonight." her voice was tired. The silver warrior hadn't wanted to admit it either, but indifference was not their ally.

The mention of predators, drew Silverdusk back to the lake. A shudder ran down their spine as the wolves were conjured back to life inside her mind, their howling a deafening cacophony once again. The bodies of ThunderClan cats strewn apart and mauled by the savage beasts, it was hard to imagine there could be carnage worse than what they had wreaked. Hopefully she was correct in their assumption, cats could never, would never, kill with the wild, unlawful nature that they had. Savagery, such as what the canids had possessed... Silverdusk hoped they were above it all. "Getting prickled is better than having a predator loose in camp." they offered feeling the silence between them had gone on too long.