turn to the sky [open]

[tails//]

W O L F S T R I K E

Bright yellow eyes stared out at the pretty baby blue skyline with quiet reserve. Though the ThunderClan leader did not see anything beyond the sparsely scattered off-white clouds, Wolfstrike stared intently. He watched the sky as if his bright yellow gaze could see beyond, to the StarClanners who had fallen silent for as long as his mind could stretch. Wolfstrike wondered, as he watched the motionless blue sky, what he would say to StarClan if he could speak to them once more. Would I reach out to those deceased, or be angry with them that they have not shone us the path for so long? The large tom could only speculate; knowing that in the moment, Wolfstrike would do whatever his feelings moved him towards, rather than focusing on a particular action. Now is not a time for focusing on what-ifs, anyways, Wolfstrike had to remind himself with a fall of his previously straight-lined features.

The large ThunderClanner sunk a free paw in the dirt and pressed down until it left a mark. The leader thought that the state of the clans was in such bad shape that he wondered if the clan cats would even last more than another six moons. Will war and disease tear us apart? The gray tabby could only wonder and fervently hope that they would find a way.

[Deleted]

Frozenfang

Frozenfang slowly padded into the camp opening, the tom not wanting to even attempt to stretch inside the Warriors Den. While it seemed as empty with the dropped numbers of cats in the clan, it still held cats who needed as much rest as possible to build their strength. He didn't bother trying to wake his fellow warriors; any cat could take on a duty once they woke and for now it seemed like he'd woken before their leader would have expected.

The lynx tabby couldn't help but frown at the scene he'd caught sight of. Wolfstrike, the tom the clan turned to in it's troubling crossroads stood alone. It was hard to read the leaders expression from his spot, but the vibe he got didn't exactly read that today was going to be a wonderful day. Shaking his head, Frozenfang tried not to get too distracted by his thoughts of doom that lingered in the back of any smart warriors mind. Instead he pushed forward that newleaf was on it's way, that they were still alive, and that there was still hope.

 "Wolfstrike." Frozenfang padded forward to the leaders spot, cerulean ice eyes closed halfway as he bowed his head in greeting. He refused to point out that he looked troubled and frowned. "You send any morning patrols out yet? I'm sure some prey's up and ready to taunt any hunters." He had to admit, he'd love to be the first one out and catching the prey the clan needed. If he could find any.

[tails//]

W O L F S T R I K E

The sturdy gray tabby tom heard the approach of another cat long before he spoke up. Gray tipped ears perked slightly forward heard even the slightest change in the surrounding area and the otherwise silent early morning pronounced the younger tom's pawsteps pressing against the grainy earth. As ThunderClan's rightfully appointed protector, it was his job to hear everything in the forest -- from the sounds of a mouse sniffing tasteless seeds on the grassy ground to the sounds of rabid animals creating a hubbub. Wolfstrike's gaze remained on the sky and his back turned when Frozenfang spoke at first.
'Wolfstrike,'

The approaching tom -- Frozenfang, he identified easily -- greeted him with cautious tones. Though Wolfstrike remained faced away, the slight twitch of his right ear was an indication that he had heard the tom's voice and accepted his presence. 
'You send any morning patrols out yet? I'm sure some prey's up and ready to taunt any hunters,'

The tom, barely a warrior, spoke with a forced cheerfulness that Wolfstrike easily identified. Despite the worry scratching at his back, the ThunderClan leader looked over his left shoulder at the blue pointed tomcat, yellow-green eyes biting with characteristic honesty. "Everytime I send cats out on a patrol or see a ThunderClanner leave camp, I worry. It's my job to worry, especially ..." Wolfstrke meowed somberly before pausing only to twist his body back to look at the spiky evergreens like grass in the distance. "With the clans being as on edge as we have been. I wouldn't put it past ShadowClan or RiverClan to attack us," Wolfstrike meowed reflectively, gaze skimming across the ThunderClan territory he could see as if he could pinpoint trouble afoot. 

[Deleted]

Frozenfang

The young warrior frowned at his leaders thoughts. He'd never put it past one of the other clans for dirty tricks, but he'd never had guessed their leader always thought of such a thing. He couldn't imagine that kind of pressure, and honestly he was just glad he didn't have to.

"I guess I can understand that, but warriors will have to leave camp. We do need prey, and someone to watch the boarders." Frozenfang stated simply, tail curling a bit in the slight worry he wouldn't be allowed to leave yet. He wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer for another warrior to go with him; or in other words go rushing into the Warriors Den to wake another... "It's not like we aren't prepared to fight..."

[tails//]

W O L F S T R I K E

Luminous yellow eyes stared out at his gray-green domain as he listened to the breath of the younger warrior just behind him. After speaking, Wolfstrike had simply assumed that all conversations would stop: why question the authority of the clan's leader, anyways? The grayish tabby tom wondered if his authority had been properly expressed when his long, tipped ears caught the drawling on sounds of Frozenfang. A slight irritation began to bubble inside of him. 
'I guess I can understand that, but warriors will have to leave camp. We do need prey, and someone to watch the borders,'

Wolfstrike's yellowish gaze followed the rest of his body as he spun around to face the silver tabby ThunderClanner. The tomcat parted his ivory laced jaws slightly, ready to speak back to the warrior -- to question what authority the warrior had over the leader and why he had chosen to question the tomcat's decision so readily. But the tom stopped and took in a pointed breath inwards, instead. Looking into the steely blue gaze of the young warrior, he saw Frozenfang's courage for speaking up plainly. Rather than simply questioning Wolfstrikes knowledge and right to rule, he saw a loyal and concerned young warrior who wanted to do what he could for his struggling clan. What made me nearly lose my cool like that?  Wolfstrike wondered, hating himself for a moment for letting his emotions run high so fast. Stress? My own nature? Can I ... even rule this clan? Wolfstrike's mind was running with a million different ideas -- all of which were halted by the pondering tone of the younger warrior.
'It's not like we aren't prepared to fight...'

The bulky tom gave a slight upturn of his jaws into a crooked half smile. "I suppose you're right. T-those ShadowClanners wouldn't be able to lay a claw on us, would they?" Wolfstrike asked, giving a lower-chested chuckle despite his voice being rocky with uncertainty. Wolfstrike had only been the leader of the clan for a short few moons, and though Wolfstrike had attempted to go over his authority to his clanmates over and over again., the emotions like a torrent shown through in his deep voice. "Everything's so stressful. I just want ThunderClan to be okay," the ThunderClan tomcat admitted to his fears.

The broad head of the ThunderClan tom turned downwards from the young warrior.

[Deleted]

Frozenfang

The white tabby warrior couldn't help but puff his chest a little proudly when his leader acknowledge their own power. As if Shadow Clan would manage to get a scratch on them, and how dare they think they could! Thunder Clan was full of loyal cats who were ready to fight fang and claw for those who lived in the forest; from prey to the elders!

However, a dark ear flickered when the cerulean eyes caught sight of his leader as he seemed to fall to his earlier doubt. The clear pools closed for a moment as he shook his head. Young as he was, he still knew when a cat looked sure and when he didn't.

"... No means to be out of line here, Wolfstrike, but don't say something if you don't have any belief in it; it's not cool. I know my leader's a good tom who's worried for the lives of his warriors, but it's not like we're no okay. We're still standing, you know." The young tom couldn't help but wince, a little prepared for 'going out of line' and talking back to his leader. He knew if he'd woken one of his friends and they'd been here with him, he'd gotten a cuffed ear for lingering long enough.

[tails//]

W O L F S T R I K E

_{happiness is a warm gun}

The unfocused yellow gaze of the ThunderClan leader was not at all prepared for the honesty with which Frozenfang spoke. Moments ago, the gray-tan tom had barely been able to get ahold of his feelings. After the tom spoke, Wolfstrike completely lost control.

'... No means to be out of line here, Wolfstrike, but don't say something if you don't have any belief in it; it's not cool. I know my leader's a good tom who's worried for the lives of his warriors, but it's not like we're not okay. We're still standing, you know.'

Wolfstrike's brilliant yellow gaze studied the tom sternly, attemptiwng to keep his mouth shut and his blood from boiling. "You ... are out of line. And you can't take it back now," Wolfstrike meowed in a deep, rigid tone. He looked at Frozenfang carefully for a few moments before turning around and watching the baby blue sky. He said nothing for a moment, choosing each word carefully in his head before speaking. The gray and tan wanted so much to rake his off white claws across Frozenfang's pretty little face. He wanted to teach him not to question the authority of the leader, and found his claws to be much more successful at proving a point than his words. Every decision I make is for ThunderClan's safety. I have no life of my own ... my life was taken from me when I accepted the role of deputy, Wolfstrike thought, his gaze distant as he thought of that day. Back then, the gray and tan tom had been so naive. 

Through fogged yellow eyes, he could remember the perfectly genuine smile planted on his face, the cheers of his fellow clan mates grating his ears in a multitude of cacophonous noise, and the approving look Riptalon wore on his face. Despite the death of the previous deputy, Wolfstrike had been happy. Reflecting upon the previous situation with only ten more moons aged, he could see just how inappropriate his joy had been. He had been claiming a position only made available to him through unwanted death. And moreover, he had been accepting a position wrought with stressors and uncomfortable choices that he did not know how to make. If only I had known just how wrong I was for the job, I never would have taken it, the leader thought to himself and could only hope that this was the case. 

Instead of respectfully declining the responsibility, he had let his world be ripped apart, bit by bit.

ONE: He had let the love of his life, an innocent and captivating young she-cat who smelt of grass sap and blooming daisies, slip through his claws. He had spent his days buried in work he could've put off for another day while his childhood love was left unattended, busy in her own world. Maybe if I hadn't been so busy with my work, she wouldn't have felt the need to leave the camp alone ... It would've been better me than her on That Day ... 

That fateful day, he had let her leave camp without another W I P

"You know nothing of love and loss. If you did, you wouldn't be questioning my choices," 

_{I need a fix 'cause I'm going d
                                                 o
 w
n}

[Deleted]

Frozenfang

Dark tipped ears flattened, the tom staring down at his paws with his leaders words. He knew he had been going out of line, and he still hadn't stopped himself from speaking. 'Mousebrain,' he hissed inwardly, ice blue eyes looking off towards the Warriors Den.

He should leave, keep himself from saying anything else. The last place he wanted to be was brushing Wolfstrikes fur the wrong way. The clan was already falling apart, and there was little need to disturb the leader of a clan in such a way. Even worse, he was right, he couldn't take it back. He wondered if he would if he could... With an inward frown at himself he realized he wouldn't. It wasn't how Frozenfang worked; he was foolish enough to speak his mind and a feeling of mind isn't something that just changes.

He was young yet, and one day he may learn of what the experienced tom before him knew about love and loss, about leading those you care about. After all, there would always be a time that someone would have to take charge of something; whether that be a patrol or training an apprentice, it came to everyone in time.

"... You're right. I don't know anything." He shut his trap, not daring to say the rest. 'That doesn't stop me from believing in us.' Wolfstrike didn't doubt his warriors, a part of him knew that... but he needed to show his faith in them. "I can't take it back, but I had no intentions to upset you."