A New Kinda Team [Snowstar]

[Russetclaw]

Russetclaw

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We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning

Still in shock from the recent clan meeting the well muscled orange tabby tom flicked his tail and felt a hint of shame rise under his pelt. Had he known he would be named deputy he wouldn't have let his fighting itch seize him as he had before. Nor would he have let Larkpaw get into such a scuffle. He flicked his ears knowing he needed to tell Snowstar what had happened. He sighed and lifted his haunches from the sitting position. He stretched and dug his claws into the ground nodding to those who congratulated him as they passed headed off to already assigned patrols for the day. He smiled, forcing the excitement and gratitude into his gaze. He refused to let the feeling of shame show. He nodded to the last warrior and moved off toward Snowstar's den. He wasn't sure he had seen her slip inside but he was pretty sure he had. He padded toward the den his eyes scanning the clearing checking for others. no one. That's good. He didn't even see Larkpaw, that concerened him a little but he trusted her. He stopped outside the den and took a deep breath. Her scent was strong, but it hadn't yet covered Blackstar's scent. His still lingered clinging to the rock like claws to fur. He sighed and nosed the moss hanging from a space between the Tallrock and the rock beside it. "Snowstar" he caled softly flicking his ears forward and waiting for her response.

He wondered for a moment, with his head awkwardly stuck inside the den what she would think of her new deputy. He didn't know much about Snowfur-er Snowstar. He was younger than her by almost twenty moons, which means she had been a warrior moons before he was a kit. He had looked up to her as a kit, from a distance, and knew that he respected her and trusted her with his life. She was a good deputy and would make an honorable leader for Windclan. He pulled his head back and waited calmly shifting his weight back and forth on his front paws. Leaf-bare was coming he could feel it in the wind that blew down the moors. They carried a scent of snow, cold, and change. He wasn't a huge fan of snow since his orange pelt was better hidden in the dry grass of green leaf and leaf fall. But he didn't mind it. He enjoyed a tussel int he snow with the kits in the clan, and he looked forward to teaching Larkpaw to hunt in the snow, though with her cream colored pelt, it would be much easier for her in the snow. He smiled and flicked his ears. Windclan was a good clan. The best and he was glad to have been born into it. He hoped that someday he would be able to raise kits of his own in this clan. But right now he needed to focus on his duties, his new duties. And first of all he needed to tell his leader about his scuffle. He rolled his shoulders back letting the muscles relax and nosed aside the moss again. "It's Russetclaw, Can I speak with you?" He said realizing she may not know who was calling on her...but then perhaps she had and he'd just made a fool of himself. No surprise there. So he waited.

We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

(Lyrics Credit to "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel)

[Snowstar]

Snowstar
Baby, it's cold outside.

Snowstar didn’t want to admit it, even to herself, but she was absolutely exhausted from receiving her nine lives and subsequently running all the way back from the Moonpool to the camp. Her paws ached wearily, and after the ceremony, in which new apprentices had been made, including Littlepaw, and she’d taken a new apprentice herself --Spiderpaw, to be exact-- she’d quickly high-tailed it to her den for some rest. She hadn’t been looking forward to congratulations or any big dealings today; the ceremony had sapped the rest of her strength, and after nodding to Russetclaw to tend to his duties, she’d slipped off for a quick nap.

She hadn’t slept long; maybe half an hour, twenty minutes, perhaps, but it had been enough for her to recover at least a modicum of energy. She still felt groggy, and her body was still weary from the events of the night before, but she wasn’t as tired as she had been when she’d returned. Snowstar was currently curled up in her nest of moss and feathers, blinking owlishly at the entrance to her den which had been pushed aside to allow a shadow of a cat to block the piercing sunlight which would have otherwise blinded her. She didn’t outwardly recognize the cat because his face was covered in darkness, but when he spoke, and judging from his scent, it was her new deputy, Russetclaw.

Truth be told, she had agonized over her decision for deputy since she’d been told she would become the new leader of WindClan. There were many fine cats in her clan, many who could shoulder the burden and responsibility, but none would do it as well as Russetclaw. She had watched him grow into a warrior; she was much older than he was, and with age, came wisdom and experience. She’d seen his flaws, his good merits, his personality, his fighting style, and even his mentoring abilities in the many moons since he’d become an apprentice, and then a warrior, and she felt he was ready to shoulder the responsibility of becoming a deputy.

He’d seemed surprised at her choice, and she didn’t blame him; being told you’d be leader or deputy could be a bit of a shock. “Russetclaw,” she called, stifling a jaw-cracking yawn as she sat up in her nest, long, snake-like tail wrapped around her dainty paws. She twitched her pink nose, whiskers quivering as she smiled, and her blue eyes warmed just slightly. “Of course you may speak with me. Is something wrong?” He seemed hesitant, and after moons of reading the looks and tones the younger warriors tended to use around her, she guessed he had something to tell her that she might either not want to hear, or disapprove of. “Did something happen?” She certainly hoped not; how would it look if she’d been leader for no more than a single day, and some crisis already had befallen her clan? StarClan forbid.

[Russetclaw]

Russetclaw

The secret side of me, I never let you see
I keep it caged but I can't control it

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He flicked his tail as she called to him and he took a deep breath. He didn't want to tell her that he'd gotten in a fight and dragged his apprentice into it, but he knew he had to. He would have told her if he wasn't deputy anyway, but now he just felt worse. He blinked his eyes forcing the anxiety from them. He pushed his way into the den and let his broad shoulders slide past the moss. He felt it slide over his pelt smoothing the ruffles from his orange pelt. His sore shoulder ached as it brushed against the rock as he passed into the den but he ignored it forcing himself to walk without a limp. He wasn't hurt that bad, just a over stretched muscle. nothing a few days working it wouldn't fix. As he same to a stop inside the den, he found his leader sitting in her nest tail wrapped elegantly around dainty paws, her white pelt glowing in the faint light of the few rays of sun that cut into the den from the entrance. The moss was still swinging slightly causing the sunlight to shift and dance over her pelt and his. Her's looked like moonlight shifting through the clouded sky, and his like fire through a crowded wood. He shook the image from his mind and sat wrapping his tail around his paws as the moss at the entrance stopped spinning and allowed the rays of light to settle finally.

His paws shifted back and forth as he tried to find to words to tell her. He looked around her den, remembering when he'd seen it as a young apprentice when it was still Blackstar's den. He looked back at her and dug his claws into the earth behind his tail, where she couldn't see. His nerves were getting to him and he didn't know why. He wasn't the type to be nervous in front of a pretty she-cat -er the leader. He flicked his ears and looked at his paws afraid she could hear his thoughts then scolded himself for being ignorant. Stop being a mouse-brain and tell her what you came to tell her! He looked like a kit that knew it was in trouble, about to confess he'd snuck into the medicine den. He forced the image from his mind and smirked a little. He forced the look from his face before lifting his head and looking into Snowstars blue gaze. Locked there for a moment he faltered and wondered what he'd come to tell her. Mouse-brain! the fight! HE scolded himself again and finally began speaking after the awkward pause.

"I wanted to-er- thank you for giving me this position adn I hope I can be used to honor Windclan." He flicked his ears and glanced away from her, pausing though he knew he must go on. He'd interrupted her sleep, he could see that much. She must be exhausted after her lonely trip to the moonpool, and she'd gotten back so fast she must have run most of the way. "I also wanted you to know that while I was out patrolling today I found two shadowclan toms on our territory." He turned back to her and finally felt his confidence rise. He hadn't started the fight. Tallthorn had. THen he'd run off like a scaredy-mouse. "Larkpaw and I confronted them, and it ended in a small skirmish, which we won. " He quickly mentioned the winning knowing that it may at least please her. "Tallthorn was there and I think the apprentice was Finchpaw. Tall thorn took off early, and Larkpaw Chased Finchpaw out of our territory." He quickly finished and realized he hadn't really had a reason to be nervous. He'd done his job. Protected his clan. "We asked them to leave first." He stated being sure to mention that made it seem as though he hadn't raced straight into a fight. Now just wait for her response. Don't mention your shoulder, and you're free to leave. He thought and retracted his claws which he realized were still in the earth beneath him. This allowed his shoulders to relax and he took a sharp breath as his shoulder let him know it's anger with him.

So stay away from me, the beast is ugly
I feel the rage and I just can't hold it

(Lyrics Credit to "Monster" by Skillet)

[Snowstar]

Snowstar
Baby, it's cold outside.

Snowstar waited patiently, something she wouldn’t have done when she’d been just a warrior. She found that her patience seemed never-ending now, and nothing truly bothered her. When she was a warrior, she’d snapped often and been less willing to wait for an explanation, as she was now. She narrowed her gaze just briefly at Russetclaw, watching him very closely for some sign of what he was going to tell her. The sunlight danced across her eyes, across his pelt and hers, lighting up the darkened den with splashes of silver-white and fiery-orange. She could tell he was nervous, even as he sat down and curled his tail around his paws.

She could hear the scrape of earth beneath his claws, and she knew that whatever had happened was weighting heavily on his mind and conscious. Certainly the clan hadn’t gotten themselves into any trouble in the past half hour since the ceremony, right? “Come now, Russetclaw,” she chided, her whiskers twitching faintly. “It can’t be that bad. Out with it.” His gratitude towards being given his position came as a slight surprise, and Snowstar smiled, dipping her head to the fiery orange tom with wry amusement. “Of course, Russetclaw. But you must know that I chose you because you were the best cat for the position. There would be no other who could shoulder the burdens and responsibilities that come with the position. And should the time come, I know you will make a wonderful leader. You are loyal, and kind, and you understand that the clan’s needs come before our own. You made my choice very easy simply by being you.”

Her smile broadened slightly, but quickly faded as the news he’d come to give her left his mouth in a rush and jumble of words. As he spoke, her face darkened, and her mind churned with anger; it wasn’t anger at her own warriors, but at ShadowClan. Who did they think they were trespassing on WindClan’s territory? Did they think that just because Blackstar was gone and a new leader had been appointed that they could walk all over her and her clan? She rose to her paws, her fur standing on end. This could not be tolerated. If she’d still been a warrior, she would’ve marched right down to the border and showed those ShadowClan cat’s who the better Clan was. But, she reminded herself, forcing her fur to lie flat, she was not a warrior. She was the leader of WindClan, and such antics were unbecoming of a leader.

“Thank you for your honesty, Russetclaw,” she mewed, her eyes still brimming with indignant anger. “And for telling me. This can’t be tolerated. I’ll be quite certain to make sure Hawkstar knows to keep his warriors on their side of the border at the next Gathering. The next time you organize patrols, make sure the border markers are strengthened near the ShadowClan border, and that they keep and eye out for ShadowClan cats crossing over. If they see any, or catch any scent, then I won’t hesitate to put Hawkstar in his place. We have to nip this in the bud before it comes to that, however. I don‘t want any unnecessary skirmishes or bloodshed with ShadowClan. We won’t tolerate them sneaking onto our territory simply because we have a new leader and deputy. We have to make sure they know we are as strong as ever.”

Her tail lashed behind her at the thought, and she found that all traces of exhaustion had suddenly vanished. She was angry, and her anger burned up her desire to sleep and sent warm blood pumping through her veins. Snorting to herself, she stepped gingerly from her nest, and passed by Russetclaw on her way out of the den, pelt just shy of brushing his. “Come with me, Russetclaw. Show me where the battle happened. I couldn’t possibly sleep now anyway.” She shot him a faintly amused glance over her shoulder, flicking her ears in his direction. “Coming?” she called, turning in a wide circle as she stretched her long legs slowly.

[Russetclaw]

Russetclaw

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Baby I'll be your Huckleberry, you don't have to double dare me
If the storm gets wild and scary count on me to be right there

His eyes shifted over hers as he finished his tale. He watched them grow filled with anger and for a moment his heart lurched. But as he watched her something told him he wasn't angry with her. He let his body relax further and he realized that she had complimented him before he'd started his report. He'd been so nervous about telling her that he hadn't even acknowledged it. He dipped his head in gratitude for her kind words and waited for her response. As she spoke he nodded his agreement. Shadowclan cannot believe that this will not be brought back on them. He flicked the tip of his tail and found that she was standing before him. He looked her over quickly and realized that she was tall, and very beautiful. her pelt shimmered in the sunlight, and her blue eyes danced with amusement as she spoke to him, for a moment he felt his ears grow flushed and he flicked them back as if listening behind him.

He flicked his ears forward in time to catch her next words and he focused his attention off of her beauty enough notice she was leaving the den. She passed so close to him her scent wreathed around him, bathing him in her confident, simple grace. Her pelt was a whiskerbredth from his and the nearness of it gave him such a jolt he sidestepped and turned. He moved so quickly he almost hit his head on a wall of the den. "Coming?" She asked, her voice like music in his ears. Where are we going? Stop being mouse-brained and LISTEN when she speaks! He scolded himself. He nodded and slipped from the den. Oh the fight she wants to see where... He nodded to himself and flicked his tail as he emerged from the den. He turned and waited for her to stretch her long gorgeous legs before her flicked his ears and forced his eyes away from her again. "This way then." He said and padded off toward where the small skirmish had ensued. As he moved he felt his shoulder muscle stretching out and the tightness from it lessening. But he knew that had a bit of a ways to travel, it was almost to the lake after all where Shadowclan had emerged, so he tried to strike up some small talk. "I trust your trip to the moonpool went well?" He asked gently his deep voice even, and calm, compared with how his insides were churning.

You're so extra ordinary, sweet like maraschino cherry
We'll grow up and we'll get married
I'm gonna be your Huckleberry

(Lyrics Credit to "

[Snowstar]

Snowstar
Baby, it's cold outside.

Snowstar seemed blissfully unaware of Russetclaw’s thoughts or his admiring. She glanced over the camp, her eyes straying along the few cats who remained after patrols had been sent out. This business with ShadowClan was worrying and exhilarating at the same time. While it meant a possible skirmish with their neighboring clan, it also meant a chance to prove that she was a strong leader who would not back down. And still, a third thing came to mind when she thought of the skirmish near the border. What if those cats had been…decoys? What exactly were decoys?

The vision she’d received from StarClan was frightening, but vague, and she couldn’t be sure when and where the decoys would appear. Could they truly be cats in the clans? She glanced around the Clan again, feeling the fur along her neck prickle with unease. What if there were decoys in her own clan? What exactly were they after? It was troubling, to say the very least. Have the other leaders had such a vision? she wondered to herself, her eyes flickering to her paws thoughtfully. Do they know of the decoys? Do they know who they are and where they are from? Should I…mention it to them? Should I ask them?

She quickly shook her head in denial. She couldn’t afford to rbing this to light with the other leaders. It would make her seem weaker than they were. If they do know, she decided. -then it would be best not to allow them to discover that I am less informed than they are. It could bode ill for my clan. Decision made, Snowstar turned to wait for Russetclaw to exit her den. What was taking him so long? She curled her tail slightly, turning in another circle before he finally appeared. He padded past her, calling to her to follow, and Snowstar did so obediently, quickly falling into step easily. She was taller than most cats, including Russetclaw, though not by much.

Her long legs gave her an advantage on the moors, and running was her forte. “You said Tallthorn and Finchpaw were the ones who crossed the border?” she began, her mind churning. “Yet Tallthorn retreated before Finchpaw? I find it curious that a warrior would leave an apprentice behind. Was Tallthorn acting oddly? Or Finchpaw? Was there anything unusual about either or them?”

If there was, then it might give her a clue as to their motive…or if they were, perhaps, involved with the decoys. When she turned to glance at him sideways, she saw his shoulder stiffen slightly, and her eyes narrowed shrewdly. “And were you injured, Russetclaw? You or Larkpaw?” Her tone brooked no arguments or lies, and the look in her blue eyes was stern, like that of a leader demanding an answer, rather than a fellow warrior asking a question.

[Russetclaw]

Russetclaw

If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea
I'll sail the world to find you

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As they padded along step for step, matching almost perfectly. Her legs were slightly longer than his but he compensated by taking longer strides, which helped him stretch out his sore shoulder. He glanced at her ask she spoke, her blue eyes questioning, and something in them concerned him. He wondered what made her ask such questions. Does she mean like a sickness? he asked himself turning his gaze back to the path before him. He'd heard of sickness that swept through cats, turing their minds crazed, and their bodies against them, but Tallthorn nor Finchpaw had acted like that. Though she had a point. it certainly was odd that the warrior had fled before the apprentice. He spoke delicately, his voice calm but curious wonerding at her reasoning behind her questions "I didn't notice anything odd about them, except that Tallthorn seemed to be itching for a fight, until he turned tail suddenly and fled." He flicked his ears and shrugged the curiosity from his mind. If she feels I need to know whatever it is she'll tell me. I'm not here to press her for information. Only to serve her and our clan. This thoguht comforted him. And he continued in silence for a moment.

She spoke again, seeming to have noticed his stiff shoulder. He sighed and shook his head sliwly stretching his shoulder into his next step to emphasize his point. "Nothing time won't heal." he said speaking of his injury. "And no Larkpaw came out unscathed I believe. She's quite the little fighter." He said his voice filling with a hint of pride for his apprentice. He let the silence fall between them again as he stepped aside to allow her pass before him into the camp entrance if she so chose. He paused taking a breath and letting his heart beat slow down once again. He had an urge to race through the forest with this she-cat. No worries, no stress, only the enjoyment of each other's company. Perhaps if things had been different He thought and forced it from his head sliding through the entrance. His fur brushed against the tall grass which lined the narrow entrance and his paws slid into the well worn path of many seasons of paw steps that had smoothed the rock into a small groove. There wasn't a cat alive who knew a cat whom had been offspring of those whom had made the great journey. He smiled knowing that Starclan had brought the clans here seasons ago and they would remain for seasons to come. This comforted him, knowing that the clans were permenant, unwavering, and would remain long after he was gone, made him feel like a part of of a legacy, a legend.

His eyes traveled again over to his traveling companion as he emerged into the moors. His head dipped in a show of respect as he turned toward the Shadowclan conflict. He let his paws guide him, for they knew the path well enough. He flicked one ear toward Snowstar, and the other swiveled back and forth taking in the sounds around them, listening for danger. As the pair walked, still perfectly in step he flet his stomach rumble, and realized he hadn't eaten all day. He shook the feeling from himself and hoped Snowstar hadn't heard. What a mousebrain. Should have eaten before I went to see her. He scolded himself. The thought crossed his mind that they might be able to hunt after assessing the situation from where the skirmish had happened. He hoped so, though if not he could take Larkpaw out and work on her stalking skills. His green eyes flashed with pride again at the thought of his apprentice. She was smart and quickwitted, even if her mouth sometimes got her into trouble. He smirked thinking of her scolding him at the skirmish, about battles not ending in bloodshed.

If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see
I'll be the light to guide you

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(Lyrics Credit to "Count On Me" by Bruno Mars)

[Snowstar]

Snowstar
Baby, it's cold outside.

Why would Tallthorn be so desperate for a fight and then run before any real damage could be done? That didn’t make sense to Snowstar. What could have prompted the border crossing? If it had been only prey, then Tallthorn would have been ‘itching for a fight,’ as Russetclaw had said. It obviously wasn’t a grab for territory, and she knew Hawkstar probably had no knowledge of it (and still didn’t, but she’d rectify the situation soon enough), so what then, could have prompted all this?

It was all highly suspicious, and with the warning about the decoys still fresh on her mind, Snowstar couldn’t help but wonder if this was some sort of early warning. Some sort of sign. StarClan, why do you have to be so vague? Couldn’t you just tell me ‘yes, Tallthorn is a decoy,’ or something along those lines? Why do you have to make this so hard? Sighing mentally, Snowstar wondered if something like this truly did warrant a discussion between the leaders. Had they all received the same dream when they’d become leader?

They were all new, untried and untested, and there was no telling how far something as simple as a border crossing could spiral out of control. There was no telling how Hawkstar would react. There was no sure way to gauge how they’d react to the news of the decoys, or if they even knew. No, Snowstar thought, shaking her head. It’s too risky to reveal what I know. If they make any mention of it, then I’ll know that I should be worried. But until then, I’m going to keep this to myself. “That’s just…strange,” she said at last.

“And disquieting. Perhaps if you see Tallthorn at the next gathering, you can speak with him about this. I want to know as much about why he ran as possible. And if you happen to see Finchpaw, speak with him as well.” Her troubled blue gaze watched the ground, her paws sliding past her view every couple of steps. She glanced up at Russetclaw, a look of rare, warm concern in her eyes. “As long as it’s nothing permanent. But still…you should pay Sparrowpaw a visit. He’s getting along quite well as the medicine cat apprentice. He’ll help you with it.” She thought of the thorn he helped pull from her paw and smiled; Sparrowpaw was indeed on his way to become a wonderful medicine cat.

Snowstar didn’t miss the loud rumble of Russetclaw’s stomach. “After this, we’ll hunt. I haven‘t eaten in some time either,” she told him patiently, eyes determinedly ahead of her. As they reached the spot the conflict had occurred, Snowstar opened her jaws and scented the air. The stench of ShadowClan was faint and stale, but it was very much there. Her eyes narrowed, whiskers twitching in annoyance, before she pawed restlessly at the grass beneath her claws.

“Is this it?” she asked, turning to glance at Russetclaw. “We’ll need to make sure to strengthen the border markers here.” She gazed off into ShadowClan territory, her eyes distant and thoughtful. “What could have prompted this?” she mused aloud, unaware that she was speaking to herself. “It doesn’t make sense.”

[Russetclaw]

Russetclaw

You can count on me like one, two, three
I'll be there and I know when I need it

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He dipped his head at her suggestion to speak with Tallthorn and Finchpaw. He would do so though he wasn't sure it would matter too much. The two had crossed the border deliberatly looking for a fight, and then had fled. That was strange. He turned his green eyes to Snowstar as she mentioned Sparrowpaw. He caught the warm concern that hinted in her eyes and he smiled "If it will alleviate your worries, I'll see him when we return." He said and glanced back at the path they were treading. They were close to the fight and he glanced around half decided that Shadowclan was still around preparing an ambush. He shook the thought from his head and took in the scents around him. Nothing fresh, all stale Shadowclan and Thunderclan scent. hints of blood but nothing worse. He nodded to Snowstar and spoke softly as if trying to figure it out for himself. "It's not as if they would want this piece of land..." he said glancing around and letting his voice trail off pensively. It was too close to the lake to be of any use to anyone but Riverclan, and there were no trees for a shadowclanner or Thunderclanner to hunt in. It was an open field more suited for Windclan.

He shook his head and dug his claws into the ground. "It doesn't make sense at all." He looked to the border and padded forward it was a good three foxlengths from where the conflict happened to where the border lay. He rescented where he could and flicked his ears. "I'll make sure there is a patrol sent this way every day for the next few sunrises." He said and shook his head slowly. He couldn't make sense of the fight, he hadn't been able to make sense of it then, and he still couldn't now. What made the least amount of sense was why Tallthorn had run away. It's not like he was out matched. Russetclaw would have put up a good fight, but he wouldn't have beat him quickly. He wasn't naive enough to think that he could win against every warrior he came up against. He glanced at Snowstar and twitched his whiskers questioningly. "They didn't look like Shadowclan was hurting for prey. Nor have I heard much about their clan growing out of their territory." He said looking back toward the border and imagining cats falling past it in waves, the ground between here and their camp overflowing with cats. He smirked at the thought before forcing it from his mind. This was no time for jokes.

He lifted his head and scented the air. He could smell rabbit just up the hill, and that would be a blessing for the pair for he had a feeling this leaf-bare would not be kind to Windclan. Prey had been scarce in Leaf-fall and now with leaf-bare upon them, it would be no surprise to see the prey disappear all together. He flicked his ears toward the Rabbit scent and smiled ruefully "Shall we?" he asked calmly hoping her questions had been answered enough for them to hunt. He felt his stomach churning in anticipation and he flexed his claws and shoulders testing his injured one. Satisfied that he wouldn't do it more damage by hunting this rabbit he looked back at Snowstar waiting for her okay before he would drop into a crouch and stalk up the hill as close to the rabbit as he could before chasing it into her waiting paws. Even the thought of working as a team seemed to make his heart flutter and he forced the thought from his mind, dismissing it with "You're just excited to be serving your clan as deputy...this had nothing to do with her. Stop acting like a love-struck apprentice! he scolded himself.

I can count on you like four, three, two
And you'll be there 'cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah

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[Snowstar]

Snowstar
Baby, it's cold outside.

“No, indeed,” Snowstar murmured thoughtfully. Perhaps she was reading too much into this. It paid to be wary, but it didn’t pay to be paranoid. She couldn’t spend her first moon as a leader suspecting every cat of treachery. Maybe she’d give them the benefit of the doubt; it was probably a misunderstand. But she’d wait until Russetclaw spoke with the ShadowClan warrior and apprentice. Regardless of whether it was a misunderstanding or not, crossing the border to start a fight would not be tolerated.

“Who knows what goes on in the heads of those ShadowClan cats? Any cat who eats frogs can’t be normal.”She smiled ruefully, amusement and concern shining in her eyes as she glanced his way. “But perhaps it is a matter best left for the Gathering.” When she could broach the topic with Hawkstar. She almost relished the idea of seeing the look on his face when she called out one of his warriors. Chuckling to herself, she turned in time to catch Russetclaw’s question, and nodded curtly. “Yes, lets,“ she agreed, before angling her body out of sight.

She waited until Russetclaw had rushed up to the prey, scaring it up and out into the open. Her body trembled with anticipating, claws kneading the earth as she watched the rabbit zig-zag frantically away from the orange tom. As it moved closer, Snowstar bunched her muscles and in one powerful, well-practiced leap, she’d pinned the rabbit down and killed it with a quick bite to the neck. Stepping back, she ran her tongue over her muzzle, smiling over at the tom. “We work well together,” she said thoughtfully.

“I hope this is a sign of things to come and that we’ll work equally well together as leader and deputy.” She sat down beside the rabbit, and lifted one paw to groom her face. “Go ahead,” she said with a faint smile. “I certainly think you’ve earned it, and your stomach sounded awfully hungry earlier.” The silence stretched one between them before Snowstar broke it with a question. “I’m curious as to who the other leaders chose for their new deputies…especially Wildstar.” She shot him an amused glance, her blue eyes glowing. “I think you’ll put the other deputies to shame, though.”

[Russetclaw]

Russetclaw

If you toss and you turn and you just can't fall asleep
I'll sing a song beside you

He raced behind the rabbit, it's scent wafted over them. it tried to dart away but he cut off it's path herding it toward Snowstar. He kept his distance, allowing the rabbit to think it was getting away, but he stayed close enough to keep it's focus on him. The plan worked perfectly. He slowed to a trot as he saw Snowstar leap from her hiding place and make the killing bite on the rabbit. He padded forward and dipped his head at her praise and smiled lightly, "I hope so too, and starclan willing it is." He said and paused across from her. He crouched down tucking his paws neatly under his chest and glanced up at her. He watched her paw rise from the ground and brush elegantly over her white face. Her tongue slipped out and washed her lips and he flicked his tail effectively drawing himself back to reality. Her words about his stomach brought a smile to his face and he purred in amusement. "Wouldn't want my stomach to give us away to any passing patrols." his eyes twinlked with humor before he ducked his head and took a bite of the rabbit.

He sat in silence for a while listening to her comment about the other leaders and deputies. He'd juststarted to chew and swalllow another bite as she gave him very high praise. He coughed and forced the piece down his throat and coughed again. He looked away from her his ears burning pink with embarrassment and surprise. I think you’ll put the other deputies to shame, though. Her words filled him with a warmth he'd never felt, a heat that spread from his ears down his body al the way to his toes and tail tip. He flicked his ears and turned his attention back to Snowstar, to catch her glowing eyes. He smiled up at her and dipped his head. "Thank you Snowstar, but I'm not more than a loyal warrior, whose privileged to work closely with the most honorable leader since Onestar." He said flicking his tail lightly and looking at Snowstar. He flashed her a look of humor and spoke "I can see it now. All the kits will hear story's of the great Snowstar and her loyal deputy Russetclaw. They stood against all tyranny and upheld the warrior code, making Windclan as great and Legendary as the Thudnerclan of Firestar's days." He said and sat up trying to look as regal as possible before flicking his tail over his paws.

Again he was over come with a feeling of attraction. He smiled at her and felt the unmistakable urge to brush his pelt against hers, the touch her muzzle with his. He forced the thoughts from his head and took a deep breath trying to quell the feelings rising in his chest and almost suffocating him. He glanced away from her looking up at the sky watching the clouds pass by. He twitched his whiskers and for a moment felt the desire for snow, like an apprentice. He wanted nothing more than to play in the snow, innocent, and untroubled as youth was. He flicked his ears and looked back at Snowstar, his eyes shimmering with nostalgia, and a hint of desire, hidden behind them. "I wish it would snow" He said mildly, smiling at his companion.

And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me
Everyday I will remind you

(Lyrics Credit to "Count On Me" by Bruno Mars)