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freckleface smiled at the tom, whom she considered to be a friend, albeit not being particularly close. stormgaze had always been there for her, and she'd be willing to pay the favor back one day, should he need it. though, she had her doubts he'd ever need help; for as long as she'd known him, he'd handled himself quite fine.
"aren't we supposed to be the last ones to eat?" she jested, giving the tom a wink to show she was only kidding. granted, those unfit for working had to be fed above anyone else, but prey wasn't so scarce that anyone had to starve. provided nobody was stuffing themselves full while others ate scraps, she fancied the warriors ought to eat; they couldn't hunt when they were half starved, and they certainly wouldn't be able to defend themselves in the event of an attack.
however, the feline had noticeably lost weight. she'd eaten every day, she knew the clan needed every warrior and killing herself wouldn't do anyone good, but she'd spent most every waking hour out on the moors hunting. their clan seemed to have shrunk as of late, so many of their clanmates disappearing, and so many of those still around were quite young. kits and a smattering of apprentices. every warrior still around would have to catch ten times as much as what they ate to keep everyone fed, and she'd always been persistent on doing twice as much than she had to. she always worried about others too much.
she blinked warmly at the tom, though there was a dark fear hidden in those murky green eyes. "no, not in many days. i'm sure he's going to go soon enough, once the weather permits and everyone is well enough to manage to stay behind. you and i, he left in charge in his absence, if i recall correctly. so, no matter what happens, we ought to remain resiliant and keep everything running smoothly. it's our duty." she said, giving a weak shrug of her shoulders, which protruded through her fur more than they usually did. working, careful eating, and the stress of not seeing much of her leader was taking a toll.
"a hunting patrol sounds wonderful. i might attend, once i get a couple more patrols out. i went out a few times this morning, but i haven't been getting very lucky lately." she confessed, sighing. granted, she was a bit hard on herself; she always came back with something, but something was never enough for the fem. it never had been.
