Anchors [Aweigh] (Legit!)

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// Legit! Here it is! Ratstar and Sparrowleaf are off! This thread will be just them traveling to Leaf's border--so, not a loooong thread, but still private between them ;3
Also tagging ℓυиαя, because Vineheart should proooobably be there to see them off, as well ;D


{Hope is the thing with feathers}

The sun was still behind the horizon in the early morning, and the sky was clear. The air of late Green Leaf was pleasantly cool, at that hour, and Ratstar's breath fell on a gentle sigh as she stepped from her den. She paused there, her keen eyes sweeping around the camp. Some warriors, and even one or two apprentices, were only just beginning to stir, and most greeted her with a nod as they caught her gaze. She nodded back.

Today was the day.

For better or for worse, everything was going to be different now.

For better or for worse, SunsetClan would stand behind her.

Though she hid it immaculately, the petite leader could feel her nerves settling uncomfortably into her bones. She was excited... and anxious. And, yes... maybe she was even a little afraid.

but this was bigger than her.

Taking in a slow, calming breath, the leader steeled herself, and then set off toward the Medicine Cat's Den. She hesitated at the entrance, but then called in, her voice level but not too loud. She didn't want to disturb the entire camp, after all. "Sparrowleaf?" she tried, hoping the tom was awake or would be woken.

{That perches in the soul}

[ℓυиαя]

Today was the day.

For Vineheart, it had been a restless night, the dawning responsibilities clawing at her fur as the day had grown closer with each ray of light. Now, here, at dawn, as the sun broke across the ocean, Vineheart knew today was when all the planning and preparation would come to settle on her frame like never before.

Ratstar was leaving, and from now on until she returned, the buck stopped with her.

Rising from her nest, Vineheart shook the moss clinging to her pelt and left on quiet feet just in time to see Ratstar emerge from her den and cross the camp to that of Sparrowleaf. The camp was quiet at this time of morning yet the air was heavy between the triangle of hierarchy forming as Vineheart approached the Leader and the Leader the Medicine cats den.

That triangle would soon be broken indefinitely leaving one lone point to balance a whole congregation. How different it would be, one cat juggling both positions, one cat taking two healing roles. In some ways, it was harder than what Ratstar and Sparrowleaf had to do. Not to mention, Vineheart only had one, lone life suspended within this plan.

She only had so many chances.

Shaking her pelt again as if she could clear her hidden doubts, Vineheart gave her chest a few quick licks before her feet drew her up at her destination, Ratstar's quiet greeting entering the den. "Ratstar?" Vineheart said quietly from behind her, face neutral despite the wave of emotions that crashed against her inner barriers. "I wanted to see you off." A pause suspended in time. "So this is it then?"

[Legit]

OOC: I am so very sorry; I am a super slow replier. :c I tried writing a bit differently but I'm not too sure if I like it. >.> Midnight for Mintpaw.

The night was not an easy one for Sparrowleaf. Little sleep came to pull the medicine cat from reality, and when it did, it did not take him away for long, nor leave him feeling rested and refreshed. No, the night was filled with more anxieties than sleep. Anxieties that constantly kept the tom awake. They toyed with his senses, making his body cut short the brief peace--similar to how some have instincts that wake them up right before calamity strikes. Maybe Sparrowleaf should have taken his instincts more seriously, for if he had chosen that morning to not leave the Clan behind some awful things may have been prevented. but there was no way the medicine cat could have known the future, and any body that sleep-deprived did not process its thoughts too clearly. All it wanted to do was fall back unconscious and catch a few more moments of rest.

For the last few hours before dawn, Sparrowleaf was finally able to sleep uninterrupted. That is, until Ratstar's voice pierced through the silence, waking him, and then Vineheart's quieter voice followed heartbeats later. Sparrowleaf yawned. "Good morning," the medicine cat greeted them slowly, testing the other two she-cats, as he rose sluggishly from his nest. The air was tense, even though the leader and deputy both wore expressionless masks. It wouldn't hurt to try to lighten the mood a bit. Out of all of them here, Sparrowleaf would most likely have to be the driving force behind all the efforts. He forced himself to seem positive. Still, he had to admit that he was nervous, anxious, worried, even scared about what was to come, and the obvious bags underneath his eyes probably showed everyone else too.

"One moment," Sparrowleaf excused himself and moved over towards his apprentice's nest. "Mintpaw," he whispered, followed by a pause to select his next words. He said a little louder, aiming to wake her up, "We're going to leave soon."

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// ℓυиαя, Legit, and Midnight (if you want to throw in a quick reply) sorry for my delay! I was busy, and then traveling, and then SICK, Yuck. but here now! And this needs to start moving, so I'm gonna post at length just to get along. Tally-ho!


{And sings the tune without the words}

Vineheart was beside her in the moments before Sparrowleaf's awakening.

"I wanted to see you off. ...so this is it, then?"

The leader's eyes were sharp as they met the Deputy's. Yes... yes, this was it. Inhaling quietly, the petite she-cat nodded to the other, her tail flicking as the only sign of her apprehension. "The Clan will stand with you," she remarked quietly, only for Vienheart to hear. The young Deputy... she would be given so much to care for, so much to devote herself to... Ratstar did not want her to feel alone. SunsetClan would be with her. Otterfrost, Thornfrost, S-...

...so many others.

She would not be alone.

In a rare moment, a piece of Ratstar's impassable mask was let to slip away, and a gentle smile, pure and clean, flushed across her expression. Hope burned brightly in her gaze, excitement lit her face--she was true, in that moment, and Vineheart would see her, before the shields returned upon Sparrowleaf's greeting and the smile disappeared. Ratstar nodded to the Medicine Cat, her old friend, as he excused himself. Quiet settled then... but it rested for hardly a moment before it was shattered by a tangible pain--a despair--pervading the air. Ratstar's head swiveled.

Sandstrike was approaching.

{And never stops at all}

The tom, long-legged and coated in cinnamon, strode toward the Leader and her Second, eyes blazing and tail lashing. His eyes fell for a moment onto Vineheart before locking onto Ratstar and embedding themselves there. He advanced until he stood immediately in front of the dappled she-cat, glaring down at her with such a ferocity she would have recoiled had she been not been so seasoned.

Even still, she found herself wondering if even she could withstand what came next.

"Don't go," he commanded after a pause, voice steady; but she heard his pleading beneath his strength, the weakness in his words. He did well to hide his desperation. Ratstar was still, her body like stone. There was only the briefest shake of her head to signal her reply.

No. No, she had to leave.

The tom's lip pulled back momentarily into an ugly snarl, his claws unsheathing. "You think you can keep me here? You think I won't follow you?" he threatened heavily, truth weighing down the depths of his tone. "You think I won't fight your warriors, to come after you?" Ratstar had once threatened to have others hold him in camp if he did not let her go without a scene... clearly this threat did not dampen his spirits, now.

"No," came her cool reply after a moment, voice practically lucid. She paused as his brow furrowed, and then she nodded toward Vineheart. "but she will need you, and I think you will stay for her." Ratstar's eyes jumped to the Deputy's, a knowing glance, before returning to Sandstrike, who's expression gave his confusion away. He pulled his whiskers back, the anger in his eyes replaced by broken truth.

His jaw tensed.

And he found he had nothing to argue.

[ℓυиαя]

"The Clan will stand with you," came her leaders reply, a reassurance for her ears only. Vineheart appreciated it, she did, but couldn't help but wonder what plans Starclan had for her in the upcoming moons. The role was heavy to bear now, what would it be like when she was at the top of it all, when the chase stopped with her?

In the moments after, as silence filled the air, Vineheart found there was nothing to say. Instead, while looking over at the dappled leader, she watched as the walls fell, giving her a brief, private glimpse into the mind of a strong and dedicated cat. In all her 30 moons, both being deputy and not, she had never seen anything like the soft, genuine smile that washed her features. It told Vineheart that it was going to be OK.

Smiling back, softly, delicately while the weight still pressed down upon slender shoulders, Vineheart nodded to Ratstar and then acknowledged Sparrowleaf's quiet greeting before he disappeared most likely to finish preparing for the journey ahead.When Vineheart turned her attention back to her, the walls once more stood strong and impenetrable, as they always had been and no doubt would remain. It didn't take her long to realise what it was in preparation for.

He moved swiftly, like the ground was about to fall out from underneath him, his paws hot on the heels of anger and pain. Vineheart tracked him, watching the fire in his eyes and the way his tail cut ferociously at the air until he stood right before them. For a brief moment, his eyes caught her and there was no softness there, no kindness or support. Just an unrelenting fire that would have burned her had he not fixed his gaze on someone else.

Ratstar.

"Don't go." Words of a tom that was hurt, armored under a heated tone.

"You think you can keep me here? You think I won't follow you? You think I won't fight your warriors, to come after you?" 

His emotion was so raw, so unchecked. It hurt her. It reminded her of where his loyalties lay. Their private walks, their discussions, their closeness - it all fell away the moment he had to choose between them. As if it had never been. She was his second option and one he wouldn't - couldn't - fight for. Golden eyes shuttered and she looked away from the two felines locked in an intense battle, both primed and ready. One fire, the other ice.

"No, but she will need you, and I think you will stay for her." 

The deputy froze hearing Ratstar say those words, hearing the knowledge behind them - and her heart stopped. She knew. Golden eyes flicked to the two of them.

What would he say?

A part of her was angry. This wasn't her battle to fight! She had merely been caught in the middle of it all when her heart had locked on him. This... mess between them was not hers to shift through. What was Ratstar thinking bringing her into this? That he would calm down, agree and everything would be just peachy? She felt like a piece of bait being shoved in a trap - vulnerable and helpless but to wait. As much as she knew she needed him, she didn't want him to think he was doing her any favours. She didn't want to hold him back.

What would he say?

There was a silence after Ratstar spoke, Vineheart's eyes flicking from one of them to the other, waiting to see the storm hit and for him to continue on his pained rampage.

Nothing. Only silence.

She didn't know what to say. She had been thrown in a difficult situation and had no way of getting out. Ratstar was using her to make him stay and by the looks of things, knowing he would. She, Vineheart, would now be the cause of his unhappiness. An invisible tether that locked him here and away from where he needed to be. The normally kind features of the deputy were shadowed by a frown that crumbled the haggard lines of her face. She wouldn't have his support and if she did, it would be because he had to, because he had been convinced into it and nothing more. "Excuse me," she murmured, turning tail and leaving out the entrance to the camp. She couldn't sit through this anymore and pretend everything was OK.

They were all heading into a storm that they couldn't handle.

And she were breaking inside.