this could never start { ghost }

[wildstar.]

Wildstar couldn't even begin to imagine what pain Ghostcry was going through. Her heart had to be racing, her fur had to be bristling, her mind had to be going crazy. But on the outside she looked rigidly calm, refusing to let any of the jibes and insults get under her pelt. He already admired her for being like that - he had to admit that his fur had puffed up from time to time already. Her fiery-red eyes blazed with what seemed like confidence, and he was reassured that she belonged here. It seemed like she was born a Clan cat and that this had been her warrior ceremony. Ghostcry had been Ghostkit in ThunderClan, Thornstar had named her a 'paw not too long ago, and now he was finally making her a warrior after such a long time waiting. But that wasn't what had happened - Ghostcry had been a rogue and was a deputy, not a warrior. She would be leading ThunderClan after his death and would take the name as Ghoststar. But it seemed already that she'd make a very good leader - and deputy. Even if the other cats didn't think so, he thought she had proved herself worthy.

The leader padded away toward his den with his deputy, ignoring all of the disgusted stares. It seemed like they were not only angry with Ghostcry but him. He didn't like being hated - he was already disliked when he'd first became leader, but it seemed like they'd already gotten over that. He'd been disliked when he was named deputy when he was a very young warrior, then when he never appointed a deputy. And now, when he did, he was hated again because of his choice. Will I never be liked? He paused and looked around, spotting someone who always would like him. Ghostcry. A purr welled up in his throat as he bonded into his den to be with her. A soft feather-filled nest greeted him, but he really didn't want to fall asleep right now. Ghostcry turned and looked out the den entrance and meowed a few words to him. "I'm sure they will trust you soon," he murmured quietly but encouragingly. "Just give them time and they'll come around. They'll like you just like they like any senior warrior come newleaf. Just you wait." Maybe then they'll trust me again, too. They probably think I'll bring in every stray I see wondering around, but that isn't true. Ghost is something special. "I trust you," he meowed affectionately.

[ghostcry]

What he said comforted her, and she gradually began to warm. When he told her that he trusted her, she turned at him, giving him an affectionate glance. "Thank you, Wildstar. I can only hope your Clan won't hold this against you for too long." She murmured, feeling suddenly drowsy again. Fatigue pulled at her paws as she stood up, stretching her front paws out in front of her in a long stretch, her jaws parting in a heavy yawn.

She glanced over her shoulder at the entrance to the den once more, the voices of the clan dulled now, but still present. It caused her to feel a bit of grief, but she pushed it away with a sigh. She couldn't let her emotions dictate how she acted now, when she never had in the past. She'd need to be unbiased, even if they would treat her cruelly, fair, and calm at all times- calm and passive, even if another cat like Otterstrike decided to come after her tooth and claw.

She moved silently over to the nest to lay next to Wildstar, deciding not to focus on her thoughts, only to let sleep- and good things, claim her. Despite the reaction of the Clan, she could focus on no longer being alone. She would at least have one cat she could call a friend now, and even if they didn't like her, she was surrounded by other cats for the first time since she was a small kit. That was something, if anything, for her to feel happiness about. Now, she would just have to work through it, as hard as it seemed. She dwelt on more happy thoughts as she laid down in the plush nest with her warm bodied friend, closing her eyes and drifting off.

[wildstar.]

Wildstar was growing even more tired the more he thought about Ghostcry and how hard her new life would start out. As the ThunderClan leader looked over what had happened overnight, he realized that he actually had someone to talk to now. It had suddenly dawned on him, shocking him to the very core. Ghostcry was his deputy, a ThunderClan cat, a friend, an adviser... and she knew about decoys. He looked over toward his new friend, worry glittering in his soft yellow eyes. All of the sudden he wanted to take the pain that she was probably feeling, just rip it from her chest and take it on his shoulders. He felt like it should be his responsibility, since he'd gotten her into this mess by going back and trying to find her. She had agreed on this deal, but he still felt like he was the one to blame for her being troubled and hurt feeling. At least she still has me. We're lucky that Otterstrike didn't decide to actually attack her, otherwise we could have been in a huge mess. The other warriors would start to choose either my side, the mad side, or the reasonable side, Otterstrike's side. He shook himself quickly. It didn't really matter as long as they had each other.

He nodded toward Ghostcry, silently agreeing with her words. But how many moons, he wondered, before they finally forgave him? How many before they accepted Ghostcry? All of this thinking made him wish he was sleeping. With a loud yawn, Wildstar laid his head on his paws. It seemed like his deputy was exhausted, too, because she'd began to drift into her slumber after a few moments of looking out the den entrance. Wildstar stayed up for a bit longer after Ghostcry, thinking before his honey-gold eyes closed. Decoys... who exactly are they? I mean, what? And are there any in ThunderClan...? He could have asked himself a million questions about decoys, but he felt himself slipping away from the world. As he curled up next to the black dappled she-cat, for some reason, even though they were both surrounded by cats that hated him, he was at peace. That was in his head in his dream, where he and his friend were carelessly chasing butterflies in a sunlit meadow.