Things Could Be Better [Pipitstar and Mothface]

[Jay]

Pipitstar felt awkward on his paws. He always did, really, ever since Whitestar's death last greenleaf. By now he should be used to his position- should being the key word. He knew there were some in his Clan who thought him too young, too inexperienced, not enough, to lead their Clan. Sometimes he agreed with them.

But there was no changing this. He'd gone to the MoonClaw, gotten his nine lives. He still had all of them, too, he was that new.

Something in his stomach dropped and he looked upwards, towards the clouds drifting in the sky. He wished it was night time so he could see the River. Whitestar would be up there, probably, one of the countless lights blinking in the sky. He could use a little guidance, a little reassurance.

He supposed every leader felt this way at first. But they'd probably had more experience. Whitestar had been sick when he'd appointed Pipitfur as his deputy. Possibly he wasn't in his right mind, Pipitstar thought to himself bitterly. Who would have made him deputy of anything if they were clear of mind? No one, probably.

You have to live with this, he reminded himself sternly, and stopped standing around like a lost kit. What was there to do, though? he wondered. There were no announcements to make, no new apprentices or warriors to declare. He'd only done those things a pawful of times. But he could at least look like he was a confident, competent leader, so he moved from his den to the other side of the camp with self-assured strides.

[Bunny]

Just returning from the morning patrol, Mothface dispersed from the clanmates she had spent her morning duties with and padded further into the clearing where their clan camped. The patrol had gone smoothly. All the appropriate scent markers were along their borders and there didn’t seem to be any sign of a disturbance within their territory today. It was reassuring for one day to go smoothly. In the badlands, you only got so many good days after all.

Mothface spotted a familiar dusty brown tabby exiting his den, her ears pricking up in obvious interest. Any opportunity to speak with her leader was a welcome one. She observed the confidence in his stride and felt a swell of pride for him. Some cats in the clan still thought poorly of his youth - Pipitstar wasn’t even older than Mothface herself - and she knew how hard he had to work against those perceptions of him.

“Pipitstar,” Mothface called in greeting as she drew towards him and nodded her head before speaking further. “The morning patrol didn’t run into any problems.” She hoped the good news would lighten the load her leader carried upon his shoulders. That was why she was here after all. Deputies acted as second-in-commands and helped their leaders however they could.

Sometimes, Mothface wondered about what it would be like to be leader, but she knew Pipitstar would have to die for that to happen and it made her gut wrench uncomfortably. Because of their similar ages, they had even shared the nursery together and Mothface hated the thought of losing someone she loved. 

She remembered how hard the clan had taken Whitestar’s death and Mothface hoped they would not have to endure the loss of another leader any time soon.

[Jay]

Pipitstar turned his head as he heard his name. "Mothface," he said, pleased. His deputy, and his closest friend. Just the cat he needed to see, especially since he'd been in danger of sliding back down in doubt.

Mothface.. She should have been leader. Her standing in ShaleClan made that obvious- but the most he could do to fix that was make her deputy.

She didn't seem bitter about it, at least. She'd done her best to support him, in fact, something he was incredibly grateful for. Hold on, she had been talking to him-

"That's good," he said quickly, hoping she hadn't noticed his lapse in attention. "No more sign of the-" He didn't know what to call it. "The.. intruders?" The ones who had made the noises and left the strange scents just outside their borders. Whatever they were.

[Bunny]

While the patrol had gone smoothly, Mothface could tell her leader was not in the best shape because of his dazed response. Her tail moved slowly back and forth as she tried to decipher this new information. He hadn't been paying attention to what she was saying, which probably meant he had something else on his mind. Well, either that or he had just zoned out. Both probable, but - considering Pipitstar's lingering leadership struggles - Mothface bet more on the former. 

"There was no sign of them today. Only our scent markers," Mothface explained. To be frank, she had expected the patrol to run into trouble. There may not have been many ceremonies as of late, but more than a few of the cats had started to notice unfamiliar smells and sounds near the borders of their territory. On the particularly early and late patrols these past twos day, they have made sure their most capable warriors laid out the scent markers and kept an eye out but nothing stood out to Mothface today. 

It had been a quiet morning with no sign of trouble on the horizon despite the former incidents and findings. "Maybe they've passed by," she said. It was a reassuring thought to say the least and they could use some good news. Mothface worried Pipitstar's fur would start turning gray early at this rate. 

[Jay]

Despite his best efforts, Mothface had obviously seen that he wasn't all here. Lashing his tail in irritation, Pipitstar did his best to pay attention. "Good," he said to the news that the intruders had yet to return. "Nothing to bring up to the other Clans at the next Gathering, then." Not unless someone else spoke up first, anyway. Pipitstar really didn't want to be the first to talk about it.

"How-" He paused, fumbling a moment. "--The younger warriors! Th-The apprentices- Are they doing well?" He cursed himself. He didn't usually stumble over his words so bad. Today just seemed an off day. He hoped Mothface wasn't too disappointed in him.

[Bunny]

Mothface noticed Pipitstar lash his tail in irritation. At first, she momentarily wondered if she said something to offend him or overstepped her bounds as deputy. She quickly replayed as much of her own words as she could in her head, but realized how she had said was the patrol report. Had the results not pleased him? 

Her worries were quickly cut short as Pipitstar referred to the report as good news. 'Hm. What could it be then?' Mothface thought to herself, her ears slightly pressed forward with interest and curiosity. When Pipitstar mentioned the gathering, Mothface's thoughts went to the other clancats she was familiar with. She wondered if any of them had had similar border incidents.

Pipitstar seemed wary to mention it at the Gathering though. Mothface felt it to be understandable. It may not have been important, and it would be bad to make a fuss over insignificant news. They might think their clan is run by scared kits. She mentally noted that if none of the leaders mentioned it at the Gathering, then she might do some snooping around in the warrior circles for more details. 

Mothface listened as Pipitstar stumbled over his words, trying to ask about the state of the apprentices. She nodded her head in affirmation as he spoke and after he finished, hoping to usher him forward and trying to encourage him as much as she could. It was important that he always say what was on his mind or get practice speaking his thoughts even under duress. It was a skill they would need him to have in days to come . 

"From what I understand, they are all progressing well," Mothface said warmly. "It may still be awhile before they earn their warrior names, but none of them seem to be giving their mentors too much grief." She shifted her weight from one front paw to another, pondering her options for a moment, before adding, "Has your morning been alright? You seem a little stressed." 

[Jay]

Luckily for him, Mothface took everything in stride. At least out of everything he'd made a good decision choosing his deputy.

"I'm glad to hear that," Pipitstar said to the news that the apprentices were doing fine. Then she asked about him personally.

"I'm just nervous, as always," he confessed. "Nothing out of the ordinary has happened, but it still feels like I shouldn't be here." He knew it was silly. StarClan wouldn't have given him his lives if he hadn't been the one for the job. But that didn't stop him from feeling anxious.

"Do you think I'm doing alright?" he asked hopefully. It was a blatant attempt to fish for reassurance, but he couldn't help himself.

[Bunny]

'Well, that is a good sign at least,' Mothface thought as Pipitstar said he was glad about the apprentices' progression. However, he immediately confessed to being nervous right afterwards and her heart went out to him. She knew the high position had always taken a toll on him since he had been forced to accept his title so young, but to know he was still struggling saddened her. 

She placed her tail against his shoulder in an attempt to reassure him once he explained how he didn't feel like he should be here. When he asked her if she thought he was doing well enough as leader, she nodded her head. 

"I think there's no one I'd rather have as leader," Mothface said with a slight twinkle in her eyes. "It's good to have a leader who knows how hard you can shove them into the nursery floor if they get too full of themself." She lightly poked him in the side with her paw before her voice turned a little more serious as she added, "You're a great leader, Pipitstar, and you're always aware of the weight your decisions hold. Trust me, I'm sure the rest of the clan feels humbled in your presence." 

[Jay]

Pipitstar let out a long, soft sigh. "Thank you," he said to Mothface, the gratitude clearly evident in his voice. He knew she wasn't lying; that wasn't Mothface's way.

Her words helped, more than she probably knew. "I'll endeavor to live up to such priase," he added, serious. His posture straightened a little and his head lifted. Best to not let down his Clan. They were the first love of his life, after all.

For the first time in awhile, he felt less like someone thrust into responsibility, and more like he could shoulder it for the rest of his nine lives.

Things had needed to be better, and now they were.