UNDER PRESSURE | ratshadow

(hope it's alright i made the thread here, didn't want to flood the shadowclan board with more private threads!)

Soon the promise of spring would blossom as flowers do, yet today, just like the days before, the wind blew cold, nipping at the youth's short tan-hued pelt. Upon the grass blades there was frost, much like sprinkled sugar, gently piercing his sensitive paw pads. The frigid air had a way of keeping him in the moment, wicking away body heat faster than it was replaced. It was one of those days when the sky was deceptive, no signs of clouds nearby or soon approaching, just the sun, but freezing nonetheless. Breaths rise in puffs, fur bristling and there is a briskness to movements. Come soon, hopefully, faces will reflect the warmth of the sun in their smiles; today they had to show resilience and a will to prevail. At this point, that was nothing new.

"Do you think this is StarClan's doing?" Stagheart questioned the onyx femme beside him as they set on their patrol, referencing the unpredictability of the conditions they found themselves in. One extreme to another, like a torturous pendulum, from heatwave to the bitter cold of bareleaf once again. He wanted to maintain his faith in StarClan, trust that their ancestors were doing everything in their powers to ease the pain, but even now Stagheart was beginning to question his own beliefs. Unfortunate circumstances appeared to be endless for ShadowClan.

Ratshadow

He had noticed how recent occurences had taken a toll on the molly. He knew little of her history, what she had been through, but from appearance it was evident that the former leader was carrying the pain of both past and present events. He thought that perhaps she ought to stay behind and rest, perhaps eat whilst there was still prey in camp, but that might offend the inky molly. He knew other clanmates that didn't like to appear weak, or accept defeat. Maybe the fresh air and exercise would be good for her. Volcanic visionaries following her form as it approached him, the young boy readied himself for their patrol, stretching each limb one by one, relieved at the disappearance of tension from his muscles. They ached.

"Well, perhaps..." A moment of silence as he began to think, scrambling for justifications as to why StarClan would let such suffering come to them. He wasn't exactly the brightest of the bunch, and so ideas came slowly to him, but he had given this topic much thought lately. There was nothing else to think about, except the constant flow of tragedies of which ShadowClan were subjected to. "Perhaps it's just a cruel test of our faith" Stagheart suggested, orange gaze averting to the ground upon which they walked, carefully avoiding the puddles in their path. "Or maybe they're in trouble too, if they're not speaking to the medicine cats. Maybe we're the ones who need to defeat the evil" As ominous as it was, he hoped that was the truth, because it was better than their ancestors completely abandoning them.

"I imagine that many of us are beginning to lose faith in ShadowClan" Stagheart sighed, briefly glancing towards Ratshadow before once again focusing on the horizon ahead of them. "But maybe us losing faith in them means their powers are weakened. Maybe their powers are fuelled by our faith, and without enough of it, they can't have an effect" It was just another theory, since he wasn't entirely sure how it all worked. He had merely been raised believing in them, going with the flow since birth.

[No worries! Apologies for my own late reply gah]

He was taken aback by her words, evident by the pale crimson hue that began to accompany his cheeks, the tips of his ears growing hot, a sheepish reaction. He, bright? He considered himself far from the brightest of the bunch - everyone in comparison to him appeared to come to conclusions, and form ideas, and solve problems far quicker than he was capable of. He couldn't help but be naive, given the fact that he was still young, but even so...he wished to share some of the intellectual traits their clanmates possessed, such as Brindlepaw's logic. "Oh, thank you" he murmured quietly, nevertheless encouraged by the compliment, a small smile beginning to form upon his fallow-hued maw.

Stagheart listened to the words that followed, nodding in agreement with what Ratshadow had to say. "Canarysong thinks we ought to pray more to show our faith" he responded, unsure of whether it had actually been Canarysong who said that. Regardless, someone did. It was possible, but part of him doubted that was the answer to their problems. Maybe it would help. It wouldn't hurt to pray more. "But yes, only time will tell" And that was the harsh reality of it all.

"What was it like being leader? Did StarClan guide your decisions?" he questioned seemingly out of nowhere. Curiosity overwhelmed him, and he could not stop himself from asking. She appeared to be a feline of experience, of knowledge, and so Stagheart wished to know, hoping that he wasn't being intrusive.

Part of him was not shocked to hear that StarClan had not been there for her for guidance, as they ought to be. They appeared to be less in control of the fates of others, less of an influence in decision-making, for reasons that he struggled to explain. Perhaps they thought that the clans no longer needed them, if leaders like Ratshadow were capable of making their own choices. He figured that was a good trait, the ability to lead independently. Even so, the tawny warrior could not imagine what being leader must be like. As much as he enjoyed work, he did not enjoy stress. There was a heavy weight upon a leader's shoulders, a heavy weight to carry, he knew that much.

"Hmm" Stagheart mused thoughtfully, carefully stepping over the puddles that began to block their way as they ventured further into the marshlands. "StarClan speak a lot to medicine cats, don't they?" At least, that was the impression he got, considering how medicine cats would receive visions and travel to the...to the...Moonpool, was that it? "Who was the medicine cat when you were leader?"