It's Never That Easy [open!]

[Hopey]

blueberryfrost

It was another beautiful day in the woods, and she greeted the world with a smile. It was just after sun-high when the young medicine cat padded into the camp, the sun warming her silvery fur. Green-leaf had been kind to NightClan, with no huge droughts or anything like that. In fact, her den was overflowing with herbs and flowers, which was a relief. There was always a part of her that believed she wasn't prepared enough, and that one day, something bad would happen and there wouldn't be anything she could do about it. Call her paranoid, but she was very serious about her duty to her Clan. And not just as a medicine cat, either. Clamped in her jaws was a fat starling, not herbs for once.

Blueberryfrost supposed it was strange, a Medicine Cat hunting. But she didn't want to be a burden on her Clan, even though she knew that it was quite irrational to think so. While she was no warrior - and never wanted to be - she had made her brother teach her how to hunt. Whenever she went searching for medicinal herbs, she always tried to bring back a piece of fresh-kill. She didn't want to be a burden in the Clan, although most cats would say that she was being silly. Blueberryfrost mentally shrugged it off. She wanted to help in some way, and cats weren't sick all the time. Shadowfoot had thought her crazy at the time, but Blueberryfrost had been just as stubborn. Now, whenever she had spare time, she went out hunting. The she-cat wasn't nearly the hunter most warriors were, but she never came back empty-pawed.

The silver-she cat padded soundlessly towards the fresh-kill pile, setting the bird on it and stretched. Crystalline blue eyes flickered about the camp, and she sighed. All was silent. Blueberryfrost was by no means a social cat, but she didn't like being alone. Mentally shrugging again, she padded to her den and brought out various herbs and settled near the entrance - in the sun - to sort her herbs. She might as well get some work done, she reasoned.

[Fallout]

flickerstar, leader of nightclan

As Flickerstar sat in the middle of his camp, having just organized a patrol, out of the corner of his eye he saw the medicine cat of NightClan, Blueberryfrost, carrying a starling into camp. This wasn't a particularly odd occurrence, or at least it wasn't to him anymore. He recalled Blueberryfrost getting a little bit of flack for it, but he'd learn to think nothing of it. After all, why not have every cat in camp pitch in to do things.

Just goes to show how efficient I am, he mused, purring happily as he thought of how this could potentially reflect on his leadership skills. Maybe he could brag about a hunting medicine cat at the next gathering. He didn't even care that he had never influenced the medicine cat to do so, or had anything to do with it at all. His ego was getting in the way, again.

His odd-eyes followed her across the camp. He noted that she was rather pretty, with those bright blue eyes and gorgeous pelt. Shame she's a medicine cat. Hm, I wonder if she thinks me attractive. Well... of course she does. Everyone does, he thought. His arrogance really knew no bounds.

He didn't really know Blueberryfrost that well. She kept to herself, and neither of them had been in their positions for very long. They were both young, though she was far younger than he was. He padded towards her, wondering if she had anything to report. As a new leader, he assumed it was best to check and see if the medicine cat had a sign of some kind. Not to mention some chamomile, the only thing that kept him sane and calm.

"How's the prey running, Blueberryfrost?"

[/color] he meowed, whiskers twitching in amusement. "In all sincerity, though, do you have a sign? Or, unrelated to my first question, some chamomile. Did our previous medicine cat mention to you that I need it?" His blue eye seemed to disturbingly twitch as he said this. It made him look more like an addict than a cat with need of prescription for emotional problems.[/size][/blockquote]

[Hopey]

blueberryfrost

Blue eyes flickered up as she heard familiar paw steps approach. A welcoming smile touched her maw, and she flicked her tail in welcome. In all honesty, she didn't know Flickerstar very well. She had always kept to herself, though not exactly anti-social. Unlike a certain leader, she didn't think she was the centre of the universe and that everything revolved around her. In fact, she hated to be the centre of attention. Which didn't exactly work out very well, being the sole medicine cat of the Clan. But she had always been on the quiet, shyer side of things, watching and waiting. It was perhaps this that the former medicine cat Goldenfur had seen potential with. That and the fact that Blueberryfrost had had no inclination to fighting tactics at all, and even as a kit hated to play fight.

So she honestly didn't know much about the leader of her Clan, except what her mentor had told her. For some reason or another, he needed chamomile to keep him calm. Normally, it was used to calm hysterics, not used on such a daily basis. But Flickerstar was a special case, the special tom he was. So the young and pretty she-cat had somewhat expected his question about the chamomile, though not about the signs. Blueberryfrost didn't reply right away as she pushed a bundle of leaves towards the leader, curling her tail around her paws neatly, her blue eyes meeting his odd ones squarely. Not disrespectfully, just... calmly and quietly, a very Blueberryfrost-ish thing to do.

"Very well, actually. The sun's brought out most of the prey, so it's easy pickings, even for me." she said with a purr, whiskers twitching in amusement at her self-deprecating. She didn't enjoy killing things, after all. "And, yes, my mentor did indeed tell me about your need for chamomile. I have it right there," she flicked her ear at the pile of leaves she had pushed at the leader. "And, no, I'm afraid I haven't. I'm sorry." she meowed, referring to the signs. She looked at her white paws in embarrassment. Some medicine cat she was.

[Fallout]

flickerstar, leader of nightclan

Flickerstar breathed relief when he saw the chamomile. One more day without it, and he thought he would have gone back to being completely insane, in his manic-depressive way again. He bent down, chewing up the leaves in his mouth and swallowing them with a slight wince. No matter how long he'd been eating them, he still couldn't get used to the strange taste. Licking his muzzle, he turned back to Blueberryfrost.

"No signs, hm?"

[/color] he meowed, seeming disappointed. "What a boring day. I guess I'll just have to wage war on HailClan."[/color] He was joking, but he didn't exactly make it obvious, mostly because he wanted to see what Blueberryfrost's reaction would be.

He remained very solemn looking, his ginger and white fur luxuriously lit by the sunlight as he continued to seem weary of the fact that there were no signs, and serious about his declaration of war. Part of the fun of it was pretending to be without a doubt ready for a war. He really did wish, internally, that there was some kind of battle going on with another Clan, just so he would have something to do. Also, so he would have something to win and be hailed for. Otherwise he'd have to stick to spreading rumors in his favor, about great deeds he had supposedly done.[/size][/blockquote]

[acez]

;bloodbeak

[/color][/right][/size]

Bloodbeak dropped his kills in the fresh-kill pile, secretly pleased that he had proved himself successful. Halfway through his chase with the squirrel, his jaw had started to act up and he lost the rare mole when it tried to throw dirt into his face. With his exposed cuts, dirt would be a pain, and Bloodbeak tried very hard not to be a burden on anyone. Rolling a small mouse into the pile, when he ears pricked as the smallest of gasps entered in his ears.

Almost scared to look up, he let his green eyes just flicker upward until he was looking into the shocked eyes of a grey kit. He had lost count of the names of the kits, he just avoided them whenever possible. But every now and then, Bloodbeak and some unfortunate kit would meet and that twisting horrifying awkward moment would settle in. Having been in a stare down between the kit for what felt like seasons, the kit grabbed a bird and fled to her brother and sisters.

Keeping his head down, he scurried his way over to the medicine cat's den in hopes of herbs for his aching jaw. With his ears pinned to his head, and his ears pinned to his scalp, he curiously looked into Blueberryfrost's den, before shrinking back. He knew very little about Flickerstar's need for herbs, but as the leader, he needed the medicine cat's assistance more than the warrior's. Although, he could feel the fur on the back of his neck prickle, and Bloodbeak wanted nothing more than to disappear into the sanctuary that was the medicine cat's den. [/blockquote]

[Hopey]

blueberryfrost

Blueberryfrost watched in curiosity as her leader devoured his leaves, whiskers twitching. They tasted horrible, and she knew that from experience. Not as bad as some things - marigold wasn't very tasty either. Sometimes she believed that she had completely lost her sense of taste because of some of the herbs. Again, she mentally shrugged. Whatever helped, she supposed. Blueberryfrost didn't know if chamomile was dangerous to take so often, so she kept her mouth shut. After all, he seemed to be doing fine with it, and her mentor had said he had been taking it for years. So, really, there wasn't anything she could say to that.

But she did have a couple of things to say about the idea of attacking HailClan. One of her eyebrows shot up and she looked at Flickerstar, most unimpressed. "Attacking HailClan would be a very stupid thing to do," she said in her typical blunt fashion. "For one thing, HailClan is quite a bit bigger than we are. And they haven't done anything wrong, at least, not to my knowledge. So their retaliation is sure to be swift." A glitter of amusement entered her pretty blue eyes. "Though, it would be interesting to see the mighty Flickerstar trudging through water and ice..." she said thoughtfully. Oh yes. She definitely dared to tease the leader. Mostly because she was that odd. That, and she was fairly certain he wasn't about to eat her or anything like that.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Bloodbeak lurking to one side. Blueberryfrost never reacted the way cats were suppose to react to such a sight, like the kit had. Instead of shying away, her eyes warmed. No pity with this cat. "Do you need herbs as well, Bloodbeak? Don't just lurk creepily over there like some kind of shadow, come here." she said warmly, flicking her tail to her other side. She continued to sort herbs as she spoke, eyes flickering down occasionally to watch what she was doing.

[Fallout]

flickerstar, leader of nightclan

Flickerstar tilted his head, the expression on his face slowly turning into a sour one. If there was one thing he did not like, it was being teased, or having his words mocked in some kind of way, even if the medicine cat was only doing it in good fun. He clenched his mouth shut to keep his temper from erupting. He took in a deep breath, letting the calming effects of the chamomile sink in.

"I wasn't being serious."

[/color] He meowed, the slightest hint of a growl creeping into his voice. "But I'll have you know, under my leadership we could take on HailClan any day. You want to see me trudge through ice and water? I will run, swiftly through ice and water, holding my head up high all the way."[/color] He was doing his very best to defend his pride. "I've taken on cats ten times more skilled than the warriors of HailClan, and I lived to tell the tale!"[/color] He lifted his head and showed off the scattered scars on his muzzle. His voice had reached a kind of crescendo, much louder than it had started out.

He heard the rustling, and saw Blueberryfrost address a newcomer. He tilted his head, and let out an audible sound of disgust when he noticed Bloodbeak. He hoped it hadn't been heard by anyone. Ugh, poor thing, it's a shame he's that way. Not all of us can be blessed with rugged good looks, though, I suppose. Narrows the competition down... what little there is. He thought, his odd-eyes staring condescendingly at the warrior. Flickerstar wasn't exactly known for maturely handling situations, even if he was an excellent battle strategist -- albeit, one who never actually got involved in most fights, contrary to his bragging. [/blockquote][/size]

[acez]

;bloodbeak

Bloodbeak strolled into the medicine cat's den, almost shyly. Like he was a kit who had done something wrong, instead of a grown warrior. His ears flickered the slightest at the noise of disgust. Oh, another one. He shouldn't be surprised really, Flickerstar was known to be vain, although Bloodbeak couldn't help but think of his leader as a hypocrite. Here, he commented on the scars of Bloodbeak when he had his muzzle worn thin to the bone. Ah, well. It wasn't as though Bloodbeak had the guts to say it aloud. He lowered his head in deep respect for the two, keeping his mouth shut as he did so.

oh, i hope you don't mind the interruption. His eyes shifted nervously between the two before he gave a more direct nod to Blueberryfrost, answering her question. Oh, yes. Some herbs would be lovely. My jaw seems to be acting up again. But he didn't say, he merely sat off the corner, just happy that he was in the conversation. Barely, but he was there. good greetings Flickerstar! Another thought he didn't have the guts to say. Why not? After all it was decent conversation. Yet when he felt like opening his mouth, it only seemed to disobey and clench his jaws tighter. Even now, in what Bloodbeak called his sanctuary, he couldn't speak.

Curling his tail tighter around him, he kept his head lower, listening briefly to what he heard. An attack on HailClan? He blinked calmly, as he assessed. It would be rather useless, even if the leader mean it as a joke. They had more cats than NightClan, so it would useless. And what did HailClan have that NightClan didn't? The prey was running, and why ruin such peace with little bothersome adventures? But this was Flickerstar, and even if the idea was stupid, Bloodbeak would run and do it nonetheless. He was loyalist, and if Flickerstar wanted him to go and attack HailClan, he would do it. One of those cats without the brain to think differently. Bloodbeak would always think differently, but with his shy personality, and currently loner status of NightClan, it would be best to just do whatever he was asked to do, without any hesitation.

[Hopey]

blueberryfrost

Do not kill your leader. That would be bad. He is your leader. Even if he IS a bumbling, vain, arrogant over-grown kit of a leader.

That was the silent mantra going through her head as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Bluberryfrost had the feeling that if she dared to roll her eyes or laugh at what he had just said, she'd end up with a fight on her paws. She could cut someone to pieces any day, but she had no doubt in her mind Flickerstar could eat her alive. He probably wouldn't... but his pride might. She felt as if she was dealing with a little kit - or worse, her brother - even though this was her leader. For StarClan's sake, he was older than she was, and she was still more mature! Part of her wanted to give a rather acidic reply, something that she would've said to her brother."What are you, mouse-brained? Sure, we could attack HailClan. And promptly be slaughtered. Is that a good idea? I don't think so, even if it is for your precious pride!" Those tart words were on the tip of her tongue, but instead, she responded quite calmly, befitting of her normal personality.

Even if she did want to strangle him. Or knock some sense into him. Preferably both.

"I'm sure you could, Flickerstar," she said, unable to keep the exasperation out of her voice. "But what about the rest of us? Not all of us are as strong as you are, and your brilliant leadership can only take us so far. You are likely to do very well against an attack, but the rest of us would flounder. And what if - StarClan forbid - something happens to you? The Clan would fall apart." She said it completely serious, too, an nearly impossible feat. Half of what she said was true - the Clan would not do well without its leader. But Blueberryfrost personally felt that Flickerstar would fail utterly if he decided to take on HailClan by himself. But Bluberryfrost was a skilled diplomat, and soothing wounded pride was something she specialized, just like soothing true wounds.

After saying her bit, she turned to Bloodbeak. She didn't ignore how battered the tom was, she simply didn't pay attention to it. She pushed a couple of poppy seeds towards the tom, for the pain in his jaw, nodding warmly at him, before turning back to her impossible leader.

[Fallout]

flickerstar, leader of nightclan

Flickerstar briefly sneered a little at Bloodbeak, who was lurking in the shadows, in his opinion, like some kind of creep. If he had something to say, it was Flickerstar's opinion that he should just spit it out already. But he wasn't about to say anything. He was too engaged in conversation with the medicine cat, trying to argue his strength and superiority to her, as he did with everyone.

His ginger-tabby-tipped tail swished back and forth, but his face held no emotion, save for an ever subtle burning of irritation in his mismatched eyes. He prided himself, as he did with most everything he did, in having a very strong ability to mask what he's thinking, even if it wasn't flawless. At least it kept most cats from thinking he was completely insane... though technically, with his manic-depressive disorder only just suppressed by chamomile herbs, he was.

Flickerstar's ears pricked as Blueberryfrost spoke. She was not disagreeing with him, which pleased him. He enjoyed being complimented, and she seemed confident in the fact that he could take on HailClan by himself, which made him swell with pride. Though, although he would not fully admit it, she made a point. On the tiniest, tiniest off chance that something did happen to me -- which isn't ever going to be the case, since I'm so brilliant at everything... the Clan would indeed fall apart, he reckoned. He practically thought himself invincible, especially with his nine lives.

"These are true things."

[/color] He meowed, still trying not to display emotion, and with the light of rage and wounded pride slowly vanishing from his eyes. "What would the Clan do without me? Why, I'm sure it'd be utter chaos. And naturally, during an attack on HailClan, you all would certainly not be able to keep up with me. For now, I will not wage war on them. Nevertheless, I wish this day was less boring. I'm glad I thought of all this, however, and took the time to consider what a miserable place the world would be without me... you know, on the slightest slight of a chance something were ever to happen to me."[/color] He had clearly not thought about all this until Blueberryfrost had said something, but it was natural for him to take credit for something he hadn't said or done.[/blockquote][/size]

[acez]

;bloodbeak

[/b][/i][/right]

Bloodbeak listened between the two, remaining silent. Oh, so this was brought on by boredom? Well, Bloodbeak had many remedies to boredom. There was hunting, climbing, swimming. He was happy just to think as well, but he doubted this adventurous tom would enjoy dabbling his paws in the river, relaxing. He would have been happy to make any suggestion, but he remained silent, his jaws like a steel trap never to open.

He perked up though, when Blueberryfrost passed him some herbs, poppy seeds, by the color and size. He lapped up the small beads, and could feel the raw, strange taste on his tongue. His tail twitched in appreciation and he bowed his head low in respect. He didn't want to become some sort of herb user, who relied on the some seeds to take away his pain, he was stronger than that. Or so he would like to believe.

Casting a wary eye to the outside of the medicine cat's den, Bloodbeak twitched, nervous. This was his sanctuary, his place of belonging. The old medicine cat didn't mind his presence and Blueberryfrost rarely minded as well. But he didn't want to step out into the cruel light of the world, not yet. But he could feel Flickerstar's agitation and he didn't want to be caught between the two quarreling cats. However, he managed to swallow and speak, low and harsh. I smelt some strange scents ne'ar the reverr. loner scents.[/color] His voice was raw, as though Bloodbeak had been swallow smoke for several moons, but he kept his low, bowed. Maybe the stranger's scents would be enough for the leader? Then again, the scents had been quite awhile ago, at least last sunset, so he had no clue if the scents were still lingering on the river's bend. [/size][/blockquote]

[Hopey]

blueberryfrost

The little silver tabby wished that Flickerstar wasn't so judgmental, and that he would actually think. She was almost positive that one of these days he was going to get them into serious trouble, and then what would happen? She knew that Flickerstar would fight to the death, but that would be rather useless. The Medicine Cat met her leader's eyes squarely, tail curled neatly around her paws. While she wasn't one for arguments - indeed, she tended to keep to herself - this one was a little bit important. After all, if her leader randomly decided to attack another Clan, the whole Clan would pay for it, not just him. And she really didn't feel like having to patch up half of the Clan because of something her kit-like leader decided to get them into, not at all.

Luckily for her, her pleas worked. Half of them were true, she had to admit to herself. The Clan would not respond well to losing their leader, not one bit. True, the deputy could take over and do a good job. She wasn't slandering her at all. But Flickerstar was their leader, and despite his irrational and sometimes strange ways, he was a good one. Well. When he wasn't planning on a attack on HailClan.

The silver cat didn't let the relief show on her face - she had learned long ago to hide her emotions. It was probably why others referred to her as a cold fish, since she rarely showed when she was happy or sad, but emotions weren't an easy thing for Blueberryfrost to show. Ever.

"Exactly. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you, even if it only has the slightest chance." she agreed with Flickerstar complacently. Blueberryfrost flicked an ear when Bloodbeak spoke. She didn't often hear him speak, mostly because he was so shy. Blueberryfrost didn't personally feel the need to fill the camp with meaningless, mindless chatter, unlike some cats. She really wished that he hadn't suggested his suggestion, though. She really, really didn't want her leader charging off in all directions, trying to take on the world himself (which she could seem him trying to do). Nevertheless, amusement crept into those stunning blue eyes of hers, and she looked at Flickerstar. "What do you say, Flickerstar? Is that adventure enough for you?" she asked.

[Fallout]

flickerstar, leader of nightclan

Flickerstar's ears pricked as he heard Bloodbeak speak, something the warrior was rarely seen doing. Strange scents by the river probably meant intruders of some kind, or some sort of an event that he could not miss out on. He ran his tongue across his sharp teeth, and tilted his head a little bit to the side. If I get rid of these intruders, he thought craftily, I will prove to my medicine cat, and to everyone else, that I am a very, very impressive leader indeed. His odd-eyes were sparkling with delight now. However, there was the slightest bit of hesitance. This hesitance spawned from the fact that he was full of hot air. He could talk the talk, but not walk the walk, so speak. In fact, though he was brilliant at coming up with war strategies, he was not the best fighter. A brilliant hunter, a brilliant schemer, and in his opinion, brilliant at most everything... but though he bragged, fighting was not one of these things he was brilliant at.

He got to his paws, and stretched slowly, extending his claws. He listened to what Blueberryfrost had to say now, as she continued to express what he took to be extreme concern regarding his life -- or lives, as it were. Fully intent now on proving his might, and having another incident to brag about, he nodded. "Yes, that sounds like something worth looking into."

[/color] He motioned with his tail towards the den exit. "You should join me, Blueberryfrost. Oh, and you too... Blood...face... or whatever your name was."[/color] He tilted his head again. "Not that I need your support to chase off invaders, or anything. I just thought it would be nice for all of us to go together. It'll be like a nice, pleasant group outing."[/color] He nonchalantly compared the task to something so simple. He was still wondering to himself if this time he could back up his words with actions.

[/blockquote][/size]