Walk With Me [Stormwatcher]

The sun was obnoxiously bright, even in the early dawn as Wolfstar led Stormwatcher through the trees. This was a border patrol, though the borders were far from the only reason that Wolfstar cheerfully dragged her brother out of his nest so early. Not that she had much to be cheerful over these days, but she'd keep up the act for her clanmates that were less enthusiastic about mornings than she usually was. The sooner they got this patrol done, the sooner she could go back to hiding from the vengeful ball of brightness rising through the trees.

"So, how's training been going, Storm? Two apprentices is a pawful, I have to admit."

Stormwatcher was catching some nice sleep for once, somehow he managed to sleep in for once without Hickorypaw poking him awake so rudely.

But it was just too good to be true wasn't it?! Along came his sister this time and had woken him up... for some morning patrol. He wanted to melt into the ground at the thought of having to leave his nest... but he had been a better warrior and didnt necessarily want to fall into old habbits yet again. So with great effort and a sigh he pushed himself out of bed and caught up to her.

She seemed to be all smiles, a very much contrast to his half awake stare that was grumpy as ever.

She was chipper and asking him all sorts of questions already. He drug a front paw over his face dreading this patrol so much.

He glanced over to her, "oh training? Ospreypaw is doing amazing I love having her she is very driven and a great appretnice. I don't think I can speak highly enough of her hard work and efforts to become a warrior. There will soon be nothing left I can teach to her at all" he meowed after he had woken up a bit.

and then there was the other apprentice.

He was pretty sure Wolf already knew his thoughts on Hickorypaw and he didnt want to test his luck this early in the patrol with complaints about him.

"Hickory is... Hickory, he still needs to learn a bit" he grumbled salty.

He was grumpy and salty ever since Hickorypaw had landed that lucky belly rake on him. Still, even mr. Grumphead had to admit it was a decent shot by Hickorypaw.

"How's the leader stuff going?" he meowed with a big yawn. He was still so sleepy, he did want to hear how his sister was doing but you would not catch him dead asking her how she was doing directly, it would always be a little bit hidden in how he asked.

Was he still grounded? He had gotten so used to having to be out with another clanmate he didnt even remember anymore not that it really mattered, his personal vendetta against the fishbreath clan was settled for the most part in his mind.

He paused on their patrol to itch with a hind leg at a bug that was biting at him, he truely was a mess and a half to behold. Big skyclanner blood with messy hair and pelt sitting there scratching at his ear with a hind paw, a complete barbarian if anyone were to see him.

"bugs from dark forest" he complained to himself muttering.

"hmm you get any of those crazy ghost clan star dreams or whatever the heck they are?" he asked

the words 'starclan' escaped him. He was never very religious or even traditional. Him knowing about a big rock somewhere and that leaders sometimes had weird dreams was doing well by his standards of clan knowledge.

"I am glad to hear Ospreypaw is doing well. She's been through so much... Too many of our apprentices have, honestly." She mewed, "Sounds like she'll be ready for her moonstone sooner rather than later. And Hickorypaw will get there too, in time. He's keeping you on your toes, from what I've heard. He needs guidance and understanding, Stormwatcher." She turned, glancing at the warrior. Her brother was certainly a mess... Perhaps more than some cats. And yet, he'd turned into a reliable warrior just as Lighttail was.

Wolfstar continued, "If some of our current apprentices don't become warriors soon more of us are going to have to start doubling up... Maybe triple up..." She added, whiskers twitching. Yes, she was poking the bear just a little.

At his question, she let out a snort. "Starclan, you mean? Oh, my mother lectured me... I'm sure she's waiting for the chance to do so again under the guise of wanting to impart motherly advice. Cantankerous old furball. But the living cats are the ones who are most important to me." She shrugged.

Stormwatcher nodded a little, yes his poor apprentice Ospreypaw had indeed been through a lot, he always liked her, when she was a kit she had visited him when he was ill with the sickness that had plagued the clans. He was certain that she would indeed make a good warrior.

His eyes rolled slightly however at Hickorypaw keeping him on his toebeans, he scoffed a bit. His sister really knew how to push all his buttons.

Triple up!?? He nearly let out a half groan half scream at that and visibly twitched all over. She was having way too much fun out her torturing him.

He huffed pawing a pebble ahead of them in his grumpy self attitude.

His ears perked a bit at the starclan news, not that he was interested at all in starclan, but at least it was a topic other than giving him grief to no end.

He shrugged sighing, "I'm glad you see it that way too, life is short enough to worry about what the dead ghosts want"

For once however his expression softened and he glanced at her with a kinder expression. "I'm sorry about Beech" he muttered, "I wish we coulda saved her, we fought as well as anyone could have asked" He very briefly rested his tail on her shoulder feeling bad that stars wouldnt leave his sister alone, hadnt she been through enough?

Just as quickly as his soft side had peeked out for a second it was gone just as fast as he smirked a bit.

"yeah... I imagine she lectured you a lot... I can almost hear it now" he meowed pretending to cover his ears with his front paws in an attempt to bring some lighter humor to this.

"I think you are smart to focus on the living" he gestured a paw to himself, "not that i'm bias at all" he tried to say without cracking a little bit of a grin.

"I'd say I miss her but... Things are calmer. And I don't have to hear her lectures during the day." Wolfstar managed a weak smile. She had gone down fighting, as she'd wished. It didn't hurt as much as Birdstar's death, or any of the numerous others that had followed it. Perhaps if they had refused to take Beechfang back things might have wound up different... Or she simply would have died alone in twolegplace instead of the way things had gone.

"They provide cryptic warnings that may or may not be useful. Some of them are judgy foxhearts from what I've heard. But I think most of them want us to live for the clan, not them. Least the ones I've met. And that is what I will do." Even if it killed her.

She did manage a laugh at his reaction to her teasing about tripling up on apprentices, though. "I wish I were joking... But our warriors are about to be outnumbered by apprentices. And I need you on more patrols instead of being stuck in camp. You haven't gotten into any more trouble..." Unless he decided to tell her about something else right now, that was.

Stormwatcher's heart squeezed a bit in pain at his sisters weak smile... to him it was looking like she was forcing that. It was clear even to his emotionally blind tail that she still missed Beech even if she wouldn't say it directly.

He stood there dumbfounded for a solid second, probably because it was one of the rare times he actually understood emotion from someone else.
His nose twitched itching all over, as if the understanding of it was giving him an allergic reaction that he wasn't sure how to process.

"huh oh right" he finally zoned back in at the part about starclan being foxhearts - that was about what he had heard from the ghost clan as well. They were supposedly on the clans side but their agenda seemed cloudy and shady at best.

He was glad his sister didn't take what dead cats said too seriously, after all there was a reason they were dead? Their decision making hadn't exactly led to success in their own lifetimes so why on earth should we listen to them was his reasoning.

"hmm I'd trade all the dead cats advise for an extra squirrel come leafbear" his eyes narrowed a bit glancing at her, thinking about leafbear in general made him all the more irritable and grumpy.

"so yes, as much as it physically pains me I suppose you are right, we need those apprentices moved along preferably before the cooler moons start rolling around" he huffed.

Then she meowed something he had not expected, "I have not... as much as it also physically has pained me to do so I have been a good warrior" he grumbled punting a little pinecone flying ahead of them as they walked along, truly a younger sibling.

His ears twitched a bit and he couldnt help but being eager for this... but her words cut off at the peak of where this was going. He grumbled annoyed... she was gonna make him ask wasnt she??

Good skies above he swore sometimes his sister drove him mad.

"SOOOO that means maybe I can be done with this punishment extra companion out of camp deal thingy right? he asked even with a bit of a happy flick of his tail.

"I will speak the truth, I no longer hold any responsibility to make riverclan pay anymore like I used to." he had gotten enough of that. He still would see them all drown if it meant getting Birdstar back but that wasn't possible so he was content where thing lay for now. He wouldn't be the one to restart anything if that is what she was wondering.

"having to drag you or stoneheart along for training is getting annoying yet alone embarrasing" he complained back to his more usual self.

"Leafbare... Aren't bears supposed to hibernate and come out during newleaf, according to the stories? Lucky them, to be able to sleep that season away..." Wolfstar mused absently, glancing at Stormwatcher.

A soft snort escaped her at his mention of having to drag Stoneheart or other warriors around outside of camp, "I think she enjoys it... And I do believe my grandson nearly lost it when you called me sister. You gotta find the humor in it, Stormwatcher. Look on the bright side!" She teased, "But yes. I think I've made you deal with that punishment long enough, so consider it lifted. Don't go running off on me just yet though, we can still hang out without me having to force it." She was still teasing... But at least she was serious about the punishment being lifted. "Riverclan is not worth our energy. Not unless they start something first." She added.