lead me to water (c)

So many things had happened during her lifetime that whenever RiverClan experienced a lull between disasters, some calm before a storm, it always felt too good to be true. It nearly put Perchstar on edge when newleaf passed with such warm breezes and bountiful prey. She would take it, of course, but she couldn't help the slight suspicion that caused her to be extra wary when going out on regular patrols. Today was no exception. She was on a regular patrol with Swanmist to mark the borders, and perhaps do some hunting if they found the extra time. As she'd gotten more used to her leader duties and the exceptional prowess of Poppyshine in taking on all the jobs of deputy, Perchstar had spent less time than she would have liked with her other Clanmates, especially many of the newer warriors. She had been far too lax in checking in with them all. Perhaps while she was here she ought to speak a little bit with Swanmist. The only question was... what about?

She'd never interacted with the she-cat much. Besides finding her as a shut-eyed kit in the forest, and the rote meetings with her and her mentor to discuss training, she couldn't recall any specific times that they had so much as a conversation. Perchstar glanced over at the she-cat. Dovetail and Pigeonpounce's sister; Drizzlepool's apprentice, and then Poppyshine's. She had been a strong and reliable warrior. What did they have to discuss? Could she think of any reason to start speaking--anything that did not involve remarking on the weather, or prey, or some other banal small-talk? Ah. Apprentices and recent happenings. There was something there to comment upon. Swandive's apprentice, Lightningpaw... Clovermottle's adopted kit who had vanished. So many cats simply disappeared into thin air that it was a wonder she still had many Clanmates at all. The RiverClan leader ignored her briefly cynical thought and cleared her throat instead. "How have you been doing recently?" Perchstar asked, her voice as flat and neutral as always. Perhaps a question like that ought to have carried more concern, but expressions of emotion had never been her strong suit. "I know the misfortune of losing an apprentice. We can hope that Lightningpaw returns, but... there is little to do aside from that, I fear."

Swandive trotted alongside her leader, always glad for the chance to stretch her legs on patrol. Perchstar was far from the chatty sort, far fromthe easy companionship Swandive shared with her siblings or even the relative comfort she found in patrolling with her mentor, but she was a cat that Swandive looked up to and respected. That alone made her glad to patrol with her leader, even in mostly silence as this outing had proven to be so far. The warrior had grown used to it and welcomed the change of pace, however strange it seemed at first.

When Perchstar spoke, her voice was as emotionless as ever, though her words conveyed the concern that her tone didn't.

"I'm alright, Perchstar." Swandive mewed. And then her missing apprentice was brought up. Swandive had expected someone to say something sooner or later, because why wouldn't they? Lightningpaw had been her apprentice, apprentices and mentors were supposed to be closer than she had been with hers. "Cats going missing without a trace... It's not a good sign, is it? I searched for her and found nothing. If she's..." Swandive gave her head a shake, "I hope she's safe, wherever she is." She had once thought that nowhere but Riverclan could ever possibly be safe. Part of her still felt that way. And yet lately it seemed that the thought wasn't entirely true. Or, not as true as she would have liked it to be.

"I don't know if I could survive away from Riverclan. This is home to me and always will be." She added. Rogue-born or not, secret Thunderclan heritage or not, she had been raised a Riverclanner and that was all Swandive would ever see herself as. Blue eyes drifted toward the borders in silent judgment. She was glad to not be one of the miserable rogues that wandered where they were not welcome just to cause trouble.

"Maybe we'll be lucky and it'll be quiet, today." She murmured, "Or if somebody does show up, it will be one of our missing clanmates." No scents were carried on the breeze for the moment, and Swandive's hopes were admittedly low for both of those wishes.