[untamedhybrid]

*Jadepetal walked out of camp with a smile on her face. The sun was shining and there hadn't been any trouble the last week. She walked for a little while, just enjoying the warmth and the grass against her paws, before she finally settled down in her favorite spot. It was a nice little place. A little shady glade near a peaceful stream, with a large oak tree just begging to be laid under. The wind was blowing gently, as she scratched an itch behind her ear. She laid her head against her paws and closed her eyes hoping to be able to snooze before her next patrol. As always, whenever she was alone, her thoughts drifted to her long lost friend Swamp. She remembered how he hated being called Swampkit and told her to just call him Swamp. She smiled remembering the annoyance in his voice when he told her that. Her smile was soon lost as she remembered she never even had a chance to see what he looked like. Her frown deepened when she thought about how he wasn't there the day she was abandoned by her guardian and how his scent was two days old in their special meeting place. A bittersweet smile soon developed on her face as she remembered when Swamp described the place to her, "The water of the pond is so clear you can see the pebbles on the bottom. The trees surround us in a circle and are so tall that all you see of the sky is a small circle about the size of your paw." Jadepetal sighed deeply. She missed him a lot. What she missed mostly though, was his scent, like wild mint, that used to calm her during the wildest stormy nights. Finally she sensed that she wasn't alone in her little private brooding session and reluctantly opened her eyes to see who was there.*

[caracalfang]

*Falconstar stepped out of his den and stretched as he surveyed his camp. He stifled a yawn as he looked about. Well after all, he had been traveling a good part of last night for his Leader ceremony. And this morning, he would have to tell the clan what had happened to Midnightstar. He frowned as he thought of the sadness that would bring to his clan. Perhaps some happy news should follow. But what? Ah! He was to name a deputy to fill his place. That should help soften the blow a bit. And he would have some cat to take care of the patrols for the evening, having only set the ones for the sunrise and sunhigh. He gazed around the camp and considered the warrior's in his clan. There was Stormwing. Oh, but she was sometimes barely better than an apprentice herself. And, Honeypaw, his own apprentice, was not ready to be a warrior nor was she really old enough to be a deputy. Then, StoneClan had Snowscar. Hmm, he might be a good choice. Eh, but he had his rough spots. He liked to fight with other clans, and there was a certain degree of diplomacy needed for a deputy. Also, he could be arrogant. But, he was loyal and strong, and a wonderful hunter. He was old enough and had had apprentices, too. Still, there was something that didn't feel quite right about him being his deputy. As he thought through his clan, he saw Jadepetal walk across the camp and head into the surrounding forest. He watched her with a curious gaze. Now this was a cat he hadn't considered yet. Hmm. And why not? She was kind, understanding, and smart. Oh, she was a bit young, he supposed, but she was wise beyond her years. And youth would keep her energy up for the job. Also, she didn't like to fight, so she wouldn't be keen to start a boarder battle with a peaceful party. She wasn't clan born, but that wasn't everything. After all, he wasn't either. Still frowning, but now in thought, he stood and padded after the white she-cat. He had two good candidates for deputy, but he wanted to talk with Jadepetal first. He followed her trail to a nice glade under an oak and beside the stream that ran through their territory. He stopped for a moment to look around. It was a pretty spot on their land. He would have to visit it again some time. Then he sat and watched the she-cat as she rested. He knew she had a hunting patrol to go on, but she would be ready when her time came; she always was. As he looked on, she frowned and her brow furrowed as if remembering something sad or otherwise upsetting. She sighed and he decided she was, at the very least, reflective. Then, she opened her eyes, slowly, as though it were the last thing on her list, and gazed at him. He dipped his head in respect to her.* Forgive me, Jadepetal. I did not mean to disrupt you. I can leave if you would like, but in truth I wish to speak with you.

[untamedhybrid]

* For a moment her eyes had trouble placing whom had so politely broken her solitude. Thoughts of Swamp and their kit-hood adventures still circled her head as a kind tom spoke to her. I wonder what Swamp would sound like now, when he reached warrior age. She refused to say if because she knew deep down that he was alive somewhere, looking for her too. She shook her head slightly at her own wishful thoughts and focused once more on her surroundings. Then her eyes widened when she realized it was Falconstar, the StoneClan's leader. She had never told him or anyone, and she really doubted he knew, but she modeled everything she learned as an apprentice after him. She respected him greatly and would do anything he asked of her, even to the extreme of leaving if, StarClan forbid, he truly wanted her to go. Realizing how long she had been quiet she said,"There was no intrusion Falconstar, I was merely remembering the past," she said as she sat up and focused on her leader. "You wished to speak with me? About what, may I ask." A horrible thought crossed her mind as she waited on his answer, "There hasn't been an attack on the Clan has there?" All lingering thoughts of Swamp faded, as concern for her clan became foremost in her mind. Almost without her knowledge her sleek, long haired body slipped into warrior mode as his silence dragged on. Then it hit her. Falconstar would not have left the camp just to come find her if the clan were being attacked, so that couldn't be it. She forcibly relaxed her body as she accepted this logical conclusion, but her mind was still churning. Why was he here then? No matter how much she fought it off, her deep secret fear was that one day, they would cast her outsider self out of the only home she had ever known because she wasn't clan born. She thought back to the near accident involving her teaching two kits the basics of hunting just a few days ago and the almost deadly encounter with a badger on their way back to the camp. That was it, she thought, the kit's mother had asked for her banishment for putting her kit in danger. Her belief was so strong that he would send her away, that her less than admirable eyesight ( with which she had trouble with if she let herself become too stressed) flared up and suddenly she was a kit again, looking for Swamp. She realized, some deep part of her realized what was happening, but she couldn't pull herself out of this episode like she had in the past. She could only hope that Falconstar, the tom that she secretly saw as a surrogate father, would be able to help her.

[caracalfang]

*Upon hearing that there was no objection to him joining her, Falconstar sat down and curled his tail around his feet. He was about to answer her question when she posed her own theory. She didn't wait for him to speak before she began to mentally prepare herself for a battle, as evidenced by her outward bodily expressions. As he watched, her fur fluffed out and her claws unsheathed. He was then going to reassure her, but her eyes suddenly began to glaze over in fear. He sighed. He just knew she was thinking about the incident with the kits from the other day. But even though taking them out of camp was, frankly, a mouse-brained idea, she had gotten them back safely and the badger had been taken care of. He coughed a bit to get her attenion, then spoke.* Woah, Jadepetal. Take a deep breath for a moment. Now, you seemed to have figured out that the camp is safe, for now. And if you are thinking I am going to punish you for that problem with the badger, you are wrong again. No, I want to talk to you about something very serious for the clan. You know I recieved my nine lives last night, and that means we have an opening for a deputy. I wanted to talk to you about the position. *He, as a general rule, did not smile often, nor did he now. But his voice was warm and open. He had liked the white she-cat since she had been found in StoneClan, wandering around looking for a cat named Swamp and virtually blind. Thank StarClan the medicine cat before Tigerlily had been able to help her. Jadepetal's eyes still tended to be bad when she was under pressure though, therefore, she wasn't exactly the best fighter in the clan. But, she was brave and loyal enough to her clan to charge in to battle if she was needed, however much distaste she harbored for fighting in addition to her lack of skill at it. One more thing he could add to the list of reasons she would make a great deputy. And, his eyes didn't seem to bother her, which was a big plus. His eyes had been a constant sore spot for him since he had escaped his father's wrath, and he always looked just above or below another cat's eyes when talking to them, afraid to meet their gaze even now. But his mother's, Fluff's, words suddenly echoed in his mind from last night, closely followed by Quailfeather's, and he shoved his anxiety about his eyes to the back of his mind. Well, more like his improved confidence, a gift from Quailfeather, cast it there.*

[untamedhybrid]

* At his voice, Jadepetal's attack seemed to vanish as if it had never happened. Nevertheless, she still shock with the bone deep fear she had felt. At his words about not being cast out, she almost melted into a relieved puddle, but stopped herself at the last moment and sat in a position so as to give Falconstar her undivided attention. Her eyes found his mismatched ones, and held them steady. They had never bothered her, yet she knew that they bothered him. But she also knew that he didn't know that she knew, she thought with amusement. She had always found his eyes fascinating. She turned her attention to her surroundings when she thought she heard the branches rustle nearby. Her ears strained, but they heard nothing else. She once more focused on her leader when he asked her to be his deputy. She couldn't believe it! She was sure her jaw hit the ground. Why would he pick me?!? Realizing her mouth was still open and that he was waiting on her answer she said,"Why would you pick me? I mean I am honored, don't get me wrong, but I'm still so young, and I have such poor eyesight, and I am not clan born..." She realized that she was rambling again, just as she always did whenever she was nervous. This time however she couldn't seem to stop herself and continued, "And thank you for the generous offer, but I'm still not sure I am right for the position, and even though it thrills me that you gave the offer first...."she just couldn't take it, she finished in her head. "Falconstar, I don't want to disappoint you, and even though I really want to be deputy, I just know I'll let down the one tom that I have always thought of as my surrogate father. I couldn't bear it if after he worked so hard to give me this position, I embarrassed him by being banished. I'm sorry," she finished with a discreet sniff. She couldn't let him see her upset. She turned to go, but realized that would be very rude, so she laid down completely flat on her stomach. While she laid there, with her eyes closed, she finally realized what else she had said to him. With that ground breaking revelation, she shook inwardly with trepidation. Then out of nowhere, a cat appeared and chuckled.*

((OOC: We have a choice my friend. This strange cat can be an ousider or it can be Swampecho once I add him to the site. What do you think?))

[caracalfang]

((Ahh. I say we let it be a rogue. That way, Jadepetal can have a chance to prove herself to herself.))

*Falconstar waited as the white she-cat blurted all that was on her mind. He sighed to himself as she went on and on. This was just like her. When she seemed to have spoken all she could and lay down in misery, he flipped up his eye brow and prodded her in the shoulder with his paw. He held up his paw to silence any protests that might still arise when she opened her eyes.* If you are quite finished, I would like to say a few things myself. First of all, you are not too young. You have met all the requirements, including having had an apprentice of your own. Next, your eyesight is not so bad that you cannot carry out the duties of a deputy with the same ability that you carry out your warrior duties. It's your mind that the clan needs to be sharp, not your eyes. If you are so worried about that, I can pick up for you. *He squirmed a little before his next sentence, hating to call attention to his own occulars.* My mismatched eyes may not be normal, but they are anything but deficient. Also, you may have forgotten, but I am not clan born either. That is not everything, and you and I prove it every day. Surely you heard the stories of the great leader Firestar when you were an apprentice? He was born a kittypet, but he is a leader of legend. Why, when this clan was still known as SkyClan, he brought together the new clan from the ashes of the old on the paws of loners and kittypets. And, I must wonder, where Does this idea of banishment come from? You have never done anything but be a brave, loyal, and noble warrior of StoneClan. In fact, no cat has been banished from our clan since we moved to this forest, and I highly doubt you will be the first. Unless you plan to kill a clan member in cold blood, and I seriously don't believe you do. Great StarClan, Jadepetal, you don't even like to fight! *He shook his head in a long suffering manner, then sighed again. When he looked back up, he had a very, very small smile on his face; a rare treat indeed. His voice took on a gentle, fatherly tone.* Finally, you will not disappoint me. I don't know where that idea came from, but as you see me as a father figure, I would have been proud to name you daughter. You, like it or not, are what the clan needs in a deputy. And your caution to accept such a job is nothing but further proof, as far as I am concerned. Rarely does the path we see for ourselves turn out to be the one StarClan places our paws on. Do you think I don't fear being a strong enough leader for StoneClan? I can tell you honestly that I worry with every breath that I will not be adequate. But, it has fallen on me to be a leader, and I can do nothing but try my best. I now only ask of you to do the same. *His smile had faded by the time his speech had ended, but it was mostly out of seriousness that it did so. Then, as he waited for her answer, a voice laughed in the bushes nearby and a striped tom emerged from the undergrowth. Foxdung! He knew he had seen a rustle in the brush behind Jadepetal, but he had been too absorbed with talking sense into her that he disreguarded it. He sprang to his feet with a feral snarl on his face. He unsheathed his claws in threat and hissed at the tom.* This is StoneClan land. You will leave now. *But the tom only laughed again, a hostile spark in his eyes.*