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Post by Fawn on Jan 22, 2013 2:00:57 GMT -5
Daringheart took him by surprise just then, her tone very much not like her usual, the she-cat acting almost like an apprentice that was reluctant to go back to camp quite yet. Why the sudden mood change? Fixing her with a momentarily bemused expression, the lion-like tom's head tilted just slightly, amber eyes searching hers for an answer to the unexpected behavior, and upon finding none, he chuckled. "There's someplace else, yes," mewed the golden warrior, flicking snowflakes off of his whiskers. "It's not quite as nice as that hollow, but I've always thought it looked beautiful, even in leafbare."
[/color] Signaling for one of his oldest friends to follow, Lionstar's thick golden tail brushed against her shoulder as he set out ahead, seeming to set a path back towards camp, but that wasn't quite right. Willing Daringheart to trust him, heavy paws crushed the snow beneath them as they carried the muscular tom straight through the hidden thicket where the apprentices were trained in the art of battle, his pace never slowing. She could keep up, of course. A cat who did that much adventuring certainly wasn't going to let a couple inches of snow slow her down. He took her to the sparkling brook, which was TreeClan's major water source, but to him it was a little more than that. Even though it was beautiful in the summertime when the sun was shining just right that it could cause the surface of the water to dazzle and glitter like the wings of dragonflies, he still felt as though it held the same kind of beauty in winter. Different, of course, considering it was frozen all the way through, which he tested by placing all four paws upon the icy surface. Even though the Clan had to lap at the snow whenever they needed a drink, Lionstar still liked the idea of a frozen brook; and boy did it still sparkle when the light hit it just right. Though they couldn't see all the way through to the bottom, the curiosity to peer into the frosty, solid brook was still there. "I used to come here with Badgerstripe - my father - pretty often in the winter. He taught me how to slide down the brook without breaking my nose," explained Lionstar, reveling in fond memories of his kithood and apprenticeship, thinking warmly and a little sadly of a father that StarClan had collected far too early. Word Count: 439ish Notes: None! [/size][/blockquote]
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2013 13:06:02 GMT -5
Daringheart was lead through the deep snow by Lionstar, it seemed like they had trekked apart a good part of the territory before they reached their destination. She wasn’t expecting him to bring her to the brook, she was figuring he would know of a place a little less public and maybe a little more special. Then he explained how his father had brought him here causing her to giggle again, “I know who your father is silly.” After he explained however she understood that all a place needed to be special was a bit of history and good memories to go along with it. Perhaps after today this would be a special place for her too, it was highly probably as she had never taken the time to see just how beautiful it was here in the winter. Everything sparkled and it left her in awe, stepping forward to stand at Lionstars side Daringheart pressed her own side into his firmly before nuzzling him softly.
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Post by Fawn on Jan 23, 2013 5:01:23 GMT -5
“I know who your father is silly.”
"Right, right, sorry." He chuckled, realizing he didn't need to refresh her memory on the various aspects of his life. If anything, he was the one who needed the refresher; when one was juggling so much stuff as well as trying to keep tabs on everyone, you tended to forget a few things from time to time. Feeling her nuzzle softly against him, the golden warrior felt another sharp twinge of surprise, the skin beneath his fur suddenly splashed with heat at this bold gesture of - friendly? - affection. Should he call attention to it? He didn't want to make her feel awkward or make himself look like an idiot for misinterpreting her behavior as something else completely. "How have you been doing lately, Daringheart? You seem a bit different than usual," he mewed, deciding to tread carefully. It was only natural that he ask her how she's been, from one friend to another. If she saw that as an opportunity to fill him in about her day, then great. What had happened to his almost tomboyish friend from many moons back?
They'd both matured, apparently. Of course they had. While he'd been utterly absorbed in his role as deputy and now leader, Daringheart had been busy living her own life. It was stupid of him to think that she hadn't changed too.
What had happened, in their 8 or 10 moons spent a bit out of touch? Had she fallen in love? Had she made new friends? Did she discover something wondrous?
Overcome with a sense of curiosity, the tom shifted his weight into a seated position upon the ice, glancing around at the winter scene that had never failed to bring him peace. Constantly in the spotlight due to his position, Lionstar didn't need to provide a recap on what had been happening to him lately, so now the focus could shift a little. Enough about him and his problems. How about they spend a little time discussing her?
Word Count: 381 Notes: None!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2013 1:58:32 GMT -5
Daringheart smiled as it seemed Lionstar really remembered who he was talking to, it was no secret that they had been drifting apart for some time now. She felt this may have been the first time he really realized who he was talking to for quite some time. Then he asked how she had been, what she had been up to and this caused her to think about for the moons since he had become deputy. She realized how she had just been… her, doing the same kinds of things she had always been doing. That however was hard to explain if you didn’t know her though, as she was known for being spontaneous. “Well I’ve been doing all the types of things we used to do together-“ She said before shooting him a look, “Without my number one sidekick that is…” She said shooting him a grin. “I’ve been living life, I think you should get out and do that a bit more yourself.”
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Post by Fawn on Jan 25, 2013 23:47:26 GMT -5
“Well I’ve been doing all the types of things we used to do together-“ She said before shooting him a look, “Without my number one sidekick that is…”
This produced a laugh from the muscular golden tom. "What, I've become leader of TreeClan and I'm still stuck as your sidekick? Ouch." He teased, nudging her shoulder with his own, careful not to use too much strength, amusement coloring handsome gilded features. The next comment about living life had Lionstar's expression fade into one that was more thoughtful, the soft sway of his tail behind him portraying his pensive mood. "See, for me - being Leader, looking out for the Clan - that's living. I enjoy my life," He smirked at her, eyes warm. "Sure I'm not off exploring and getting into trouble, but that's fine by me. My heart has always been back at camp, not necessarily out here in the rest of the forest."
Drawing in a cooling breath of mountain air, Lionstar could feel the chill of the ice beneath his paws seeping up between each pad, momentarily blocked by the thick tufts he sported. "I can understand the appeal though, of adventuring."
Word Count: 231
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2013 16:25:39 GMT -5
“Stuck as my side-kick?” She asked with a bit of a smirk, “You should be honored that such a brave adventurer such as myself would take you under their wing! I have lifetimes of experience and you could use a bit of remedial training as my new apprentice!” Now she was just trying to push his buttons in the right ways, she was planning on even trying to get him to start a mock battle. “I would believe that you think you are living your life back there in camp, there is so much work to do! All work and no play makes a dull, dull Lionstar.” She said giving him a slight prod with her paw, “I know it’s your job but you still need to have some fun, yah know, before you turn into a cranky old cat that’s mean with a huge temper and abuses other cats.”
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Post by Fawn on Feb 3, 2013 17:57:19 GMT -5
Lionstar laughed. "A cranky old cat who's mean and abuses others? How old do I look to you? And I'm having fun right now, so I don't think I'm in any danger of that happening." It was nice to get caught up with an old friend, even if she seemed determined to pull him away from his duties when he was probably needed back at camp. Still, she had a point. If he constantly stressed over his role as leader, then he was going to be constantly miserable. He still intended to be the responsible, reliable, valiant Lionstar he hoped the Clan saw him as, but he would try and be less...tense over everything. If this Leaf-bare was teaching him anything, it was that fretting over stuff wasn't going to make it better or make the problem go away any quicker.
Yawning, golden jaws parting wide as the sun warmed his pelt, Lionstar stepped off the frozen brook, turning around to face his deputy now that his paws were once again on slightly warmer ground. Well, not really warmer, but the flattened snow beneath his wide, tufted paws wasn't quite as cold as the ice they'd been standing on earlier. "I promise to relax a little more if you promise to help me keep an eye on things, at least until I can elect a new deputy," he vowed with a gleam in each gilded iris. "Actually I've been meaning to ask - care to help me assess the apprentices? Wormkit, Onyxkit, Crimsonkit, Wavekit and Wildkit are going to be apprentices soon, and I don't know if the apprentices' den can hold them all on top of the existing apprentices."
It would be good to have a second opinion and a second set of eyes to help hold assessments. With the death of Smallshine, he was admittedly quite understaffed, and had come to rely on his two closest friends - Stormchaser and Daringheart - to help pick up some of the slack. He would have liked to start another hunting challenge like the one he'd held in past moons, but the weather didn't seem to want to allow such things.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2013 17:01:54 GMT -5
“Spending time with the up and comers in the clan would be great!” She said with a big smile, “I would love to help evaluate them.” She was rather taken by surprise that he wanted her help on a project that was directly work for the clan and was usually the job of higher ranking cats. Daringheart had always thought he viewed her no differently than he viewed an apprentice, they meant well but they just weren’t ready for the true work that went into keeping a clan happy and healthy. “I’m just surprised that you want my help on a job like that.” She admitted her tone becoming somewhat quiet as she looked at him with her wary eyes. The she-cat was honestly afraid of what he had to say on the situation, she had learned to work through it but she had always had confidence issues when she wondered how Lionstar felt about her maturity. His was one of the only opinions that mattered to her, and it mattered greatly.
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Post by Fawn on Feb 7, 2013 17:28:49 GMT -5
“I’m just surprised that you want my help on a job like that.”
"Surprised?" he mewed back, ears pricking forward at her unexpected words. "Why surprised? You're one of my oldest friends, of course I'd ask." A chuckle interrupted him, but he was quick to get back on track, dark golden plume wrapping around his front paws to keep them warm. "Sure you get into your fair share of trouble, but you've always been a good warrior. As long as you aren't encouraging them to go stick their heads in badger sets, I'd like for you to help." While it was true that he, Daringheart and Stormchaser had gotten into quite a lot of trouble in their early apprenticeship days, he didn't count that as a mark against her character. Sure, she could be troublesome when she was really itching for an adventure, but for the most part she performed her warrior duties just as well as everyone else. She had yet to mentor an apprentice, but that wouldn't be for too much longer, she was only slightly younger than him, and if he could become deputy and then leader, then Daringheart could help him with apprenticeship assessments.
He could always ask Stormchaser too, if she felt unsure of her abilities, and it would be like getting the old band back together - Lion, Storm and Daring, plunging into the forest once again, only this time for a far less reckless excursion. His adventuring days were behind him now, Lionstar realized with a pleased, slow blink of his golden eyes. He would leave that to TreeClan's 'up and comers', as Daringheart had put it.
e0be0c.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2013 0:56:42 GMT -5
Daringheart looked at Lionstar as he spoke, a part of her still couldn’t believe he wanted her for this job. It just seemed so official and Daringheart didn’t think he could ever see her in an official way. She then started to think about how exactly Lionstar did see her, and she was sure it wasn’t horribly great. He liked her plenty as they were friends in the past and grew up together, and she was a loyal clan member but since he had become deputy and then leader he had spoken to her a few times. The bigger one that came to mind was the solo expedition to the badger den, she had never endangered other warriors lives though only her own. Between the reckless decisions and ignoring the direct orders from her leader and deputy that forbid her from making them she had to wonder why he trusted her at all. “Lionstar, why are you trusting me with this? I figured you thought I was a delinquent that deserved nothing more than to be locked in camp until I grew up and behaved.” It was perhaps and overly harsh assessment but it couldn’t be too far from the truth, it was true that her near suicidal exploits had stopped as she had aged but she was still going on her little adventures with informing her leader and she knew he knew it.
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Post by Fawn on Feb 12, 2013 1:20:49 GMT -5
“Lionstar, why are you trusting me with this? I figured you thought I was a delinquent that deserved nothing more than to be locked in camp until I grew up and behaved.”
"'a delinquent' is a bit harsh," he mewed with a faint gleam of humor in his tawny-golden stare. "'A challenge' would be more appropriate. It's true you don't listen to me as much as I'd like, and you seem to be Dark-Forest bent upon nearly-dying as much as possible." Lionstar grimaced, expression souring slightly as he recalled her recent escapade into a badger den. For the love of StarClan, what had possessed her to go into the home of a badger if she wasn't there to chase it out? The encounter could've cost the reckless she-cat her life, and he would forever be unsettled by that.
Drawn out of his thoughts by Daringheart's original question, Lionstar dared himself to smile, revealing his optimistic views that tended to overshadow her record of negativity. "I trust you, Daringheart, because when you aren't trying to tie my whiskers in a knot, you're a good warrior. And you deserve a chance to show me and the Clan that despite your recklessness and your disobedience, that you deserve to be trusted, by them and by me." He wanted so badly to trust in the old friend that he had grown up with and nearly died with on several accounts, and though she had given him plenty of reasons not to, there was a childish part of him that liked to cling to the idea that hey, if he could change into a trustworthy, reliable member of TreeClan, then so could she.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2013 3:31:56 GMT -5
Daringheart didn’t take her eyes off her friend as he spoke about her, how she deserved to be trusted by her clanmates and could be a truly great warrior. She sat silently as she digested his words; she searched his face looking for any hint of doubt at what he was saying. The she-cat couldn’t see any on the surface but deep down she honestly wondered if it wasn’t there. This curiosity prompted her to ask, “Are you only giving me this amount of trust because we are friends, and because of everything we have been through?” She was sure it was a fact and it made her feel a sweet tingling inside for Lionstar, she was touched to he liked her and trusted her but she didn’t think it fair. There were plenty of clanmates that deserved the honor more and yet he had chosen her for some reason she couldn’t fathom; perhaps he himself didn’t even know it was just a feeling that she was the right choice.
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Post by Fawn on Feb 13, 2013 4:22:07 GMT -5
“Are you only giving me this amount of trust because we are friends, and because of everything we have been through?”
The tom's tail flicked pensively, his handsome visage set in a look of quiet confidence, mood seeming to mellow out what with all of their talking. "Because we are friends, Daringheart." He explained, voice calm, eyes amicable. "If you can't trust your friends, who can you trust? We've been through a lot, you and me, and I'm hoping we can go through a lot more if I can count on you."
For a few moments, Lionstar contemplated asking Daringheart what she thought of his leadership decisions so far - but how was she supposed to answer that question? She was rather biased, wasn't she? Being one of his oldest friends, not to mention she had already not-so-subtly hinted at him needing to relax a bit more... If he really wanted to get the kind of feedback he desired, he'd ask the other warriors in the camp, they would be less inclined to hesitate or hold back out of worry they might hurt his feelings or rub his fur the wrong way. Still, her opinion was rather important, even if she and authority weren't exactly friends.
Mulling this over for a heartbeat or so, Lionstar thought back to his earlier moons - a little over 6 moons back, right? - when he'd first been made deputy. A light chuckle escaped him, as the attractive lion-like tomcat recalled how nervous he'd been upon being named deputy by Distantstar. "What did you think when I was made deputy? Pretty surprised, right?"
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2013 12:23:32 GMT -5
“There’s a difference between trusting your friends and trusting your friends to do important things for their clan.” Daringheart reminded Lionstar as she gave her chest fur a few nervous licks, she wasn’t sure she was the right choice for his plans but it didn’t seem she could convince him of it. Her friend then seemed to lose himself in his thoughts for a few moments, and to her surprise he asked after his time in silence how she felt when he became deputy. She frowned slightly as she thought of her answer, her gaze softening significantly as she looked him in the eye and delivered an honest answer. “I was really scared Lionstar…” He words trailed off as her gaze fell to her paws. “So many deputy s get hurt and die, you were on the frontline of some stuff before you became deputy but once you did you were in the front everytime for everything.”
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Post by Fawn on Feb 15, 2013 17:38:48 GMT -5
“So many deputy s get hurt and die, you were on the frontline of some stuff before you became deputy but once you did you were in the front everytime for everything.”
He had been expecting a joke or a wisecrack about how ill-suited he was for the job, not eyes full of concern and a tone full of distant worry, as though she could still recall her feelings with perfect accuracy despite them having happened quite a few moons ago. Lionstar's expression softened - even if deputies did seem to have a shorter lifespan than the average Clan-Cat, that hadn't scared him, he had been honored to accept the position. What had scared him was letting his other Clanmates die on the front lines when he could've been there, fighting and protecting them as he had pledged to do.
The thing about becoming deputy, Lionstar had realized early on, was that you were now put into a position where you could help, whether it was jumping and saving a Clanmate during a fight, or smoothing over some kind of domestic dispute, or even taking a few seconds to quell a kit's fears about the future. It had been the best job in the world, to a tom as genuinely good-natured as he, as someone whose values coincided with the title of deputy maybe even moreso than the leadership title. He had made peace with the idea that, even if he died a young deputy of TreeClan, then he would have died having made an impact, having done his best for his Clan. He would have gone out doing what he loved.
"Sorry I made you worry," he mewed sincerely, "but I made it through - a bit earlier than expected, but here we are. You don't have to worry quite so much." It was nice to have your friends worry and care about you sometimes, but Lionstar didn't like the flash of unease that had darted through Daringheart's gaze at mention of his deputyship. He didn't want his normally energetic, charming, troublemaking friend to spend any part of her day worrying about whether or not he would die on the front lines. That was no way to live.
It was ironic, really, how he, one of the biggest worriers the Clan had, was encouraging others not to do the same.
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