With the setting sun (OPEN)

[ℓυиαя]

This had to be one of her favorite places.

The setting sun still throwing light off the sand and the protective shelter of the suncavern. It was where both warmth and cold, both light and darkness resided together.

Those contrasting elements created a calming atmosphere that the newly appointed deputy of Sunsetclan needed right now. It had only been a few sunrises since her appointment and acceptance of the deputy position and her mind was all over the place, her thoughts scattered, emotions rampant. She had accepted the position off the strength that Sandstrike gave her but now she had so many questions that she didn't know the answer to. Vineheart was known for her kind and trusting nature but those that really knew her, knew a determined streak ran through her gentle nature.

She knew, as scared and unsure as she was, that she would carry through with this no matter what opposed her.

For the young tabby everything was happening at once. Her run in with a loner had left terrible crevices down her once pretty face, yet it was her eyes that made her seem older than her 20 moons. Padding into the entrance of the cavern, Vineheart made sure it was empty of young two legs and settled at the mouth. She had come at this time as it was a popular attraction, not only for the cats of Sunsetclan, but also for two-legs which didn't bode well. She came here often enough to know when to not. Curling her tail around her paws as she sat on the soft sand, Vineheart looked out into the horizon with golden eyes, contemplating her future and that of her clan.

[Midnight]

After a long day of herb-collecting, Mintpaw was completely exhausted. Many cats seemed to think that the job of a medicine cat apprentice was easy: one sits around memorizing herbs, and sometimes goes wandering around the territory picking leaves, roots, and flowers. Simple, right? Anybody could do it, right?

Well, not exactly. Mintpaw had specific things to look for (namely catmint, spider webs, and poppy seeds, three things that were almost always needed) and those things could be difficult and agitating to get (mostly catmint, as it was generally so close to twolegs' homes, and spider webs, where she could be met by poisonous, vicious little eight-legged monsters).

Throughout the day, Mintpaw had slipped in and out of the Suncavern, dropping off small bunches of herbs, then going back out to collect more. She'd planned on harassing an apprentice or two into coming with her at the end of the day to collect the herbs and bring them back to camp, but at that point, Mintpaw was on the verge of saying "To heck with it" and hope that no creature decided to steal the majority of the herbs overnight.

However, as Mintpaw approached the Suncavern this time, she noticed the fresh scent of another cat, namely Vineheart. The medicine cat apprentice paused, wondering for a moment if the new deputy was maybe having a private discussion with Ratstar, but when she took everything in, there was no sign of the leader. Assuming that meant Vineheart was alone, the gray tabby she-cat pressed forward, setting down her little bundle of herbs and dipping her head at Vineheart. "Hello, Vineheart. How've you been as of late?" As far as she knew, Vineheart was rather young, and so Ratstar must've really thought Vineheart was absolutely perfect for the position... either that, or Ratstar was going crazy. Mintpaw hadn't yet made an effort to get to know SunsetClan's new deputy, but she figured now was a good chance.

Picking her bundle back up and padding to the corner of the cave, Mintpaw's tail waved contentedly. She could count everything she got in the morning, but by the looks of things, she'd made a good haul. Setting the bundle with the others, Mintpaw turned and headed back over near Vineheart, flopping down at the left edge of the cave's entrance.

[ℓυиαя]

Vineheart caught the scent of Sunsetclan's Medicine cat apprentice before she even entered the cavern and though her thoughts were still heavy, the other cats presence caused one of her old smiles to spread across her face. It had taken her a while but she was starting to become her old self again, the friendly social she cat that seemed to get along with everyone in the camp. She had been shaken in the recent attack and so had the rest of the clan - especially in how to go about treating her.

The whispers.

Many a cruel word had been said about the she cat that had been nothing but kind to them, intentional or not.

Fortunately now, it seemed they had run out of things to talk about or maybe they were just used to her scars.

Not only that, but Vineheart was now having to cope with a completely different type of attention. In her new role, she was treated different again and she almost had to remember how others saw her now. Like she had always seen the deputies before her. It still felt weird, like it hadn't really sunk in yet. Vineheart knew she had the support of both Ratstar and Sandstrike especially but it had to feel real to her too.

That was happening, slowly.

Vineheart was glad that Mintpaw had shown up as she didn't know the younger cat too well and she wanted to get to know her. Maybe now was the time. Nodding back, the small smile grow slighty and she moved over to allow her clanmate room. Vineheart was young herself but she could only imagine what it would be like to have that amount of respsonility on her at Mintpaws age. "Hi Mintpaw." She laughed lightly at the apprentices question before answering in light humour. "I've been better but a lot worse off too. How have you been? You look like you have been busy." Those gold eyes moved from where she held Mintpaws gaze and looked at the bundle of herbs. They all looked similar to her but Vineheart knew their functions would all be of vital importance. So different to her experiences as an apprentice. "How's your apprenticeship going?" Voice soft, that gaze turned back, the gold depths soft, somewhat understanding.

[Midnight]

As she looked over at Vineheart, Mintpaw recalled there being a lot of gossip regarding the scar that had made its way onto Vineheart's face. Mintpaw cared not for gossip, or, really, the goings-on of her Clanmates so long as she treated every patient that came in. Being a medicine cat apprentice, scars, blood, and many other gory things were absolutely nothing new to Mintpaw and most things failed to phase her at this point. "Same for me. Greenleaf is wonderful for herbs, which means I have to do a lot of wandering and gathering, which is very time- and energy-consuming, but it also means there are generally fewer injuries and sicknesses popping up. Unfortunately, as we roll into leaf-fall and leafbare, herbs will be harder to find and cats' health will decline. It's a stressful, yet rewarding, position." Mintpaw explained, sighing at the end as she looked out at the beautiful sunset, the thing for which the Clan had been named. She hoped that her words sunk in as some sort of metaphor or whatever: something that would help Vineheart see that while having an important position in the Clan meant working hard almost all of the time and being constantly tired, it was also extremely good to see the results of it all. Mintpaw didn't particularly want to have a talk with Vineheart about this in a direct, straightforward way, and was using this as a method of testing the new deputy, hoping that if Ratstar trusted her enough to give her the deputy position, that Vineheart would be capable of figuring out little things like Mintpaw's metaphoric assessment.

"You know, it's interesting when you think about our way of life. We start as kittens, grow into apprentices and train our butts off, then we're warriors. Some warriors have kittens and others may become the deputy, then the leader. For a medicine cat, we train for many, many moons until we receive our full name and hope desperately that our mentor doesn't die at any point soon, because that would mean having everything on our shoulders, and then we die without leaving any kin behind. Either way, it's all a big circle that, in some ways, I don't even really think matters too much. It matters to us because it's what we live, but in the long run, eh, who cares?"

[ℓυиαя]

It's a stressful, yet rewarding, position."

Vineheart couldn't agree more. She had always been someone who looked to the positive of every situation and those positives had been the deciding factor when she had accepted this new position, they still were. She had thought about how she could help the clan. Sure she had had doubts, sure she had seen the stress in the eyes of other deputies before her, sure she had heard the worry in their tones in times of stress. but all of that seemed so insignificant compared to the benefits. One thing Vineheart did know was that regardless of what she had to go through, she was in a position to help and help she would. "It very much is, yes but you have to have the bad to have the good. It is how you deal with the bad that matters for that is what ensures there is still good to come." That deep golden gaze followed Mintpaw's until they were both looking at the horizon where the sun had crept down further in the sky. It was just as beautiful as it had been when her eyes had caught it's rays only moments before yet in the time that had past, that same beauty had a completely different effect on the sky around it: the hues deepening, the shadows growing. Mintpaw's spoken thoughts drifted to her ears as she sat with the last remaining rays of sunlight on her face and the cooling sand beneath her paws. When she had finished, Vineheart moved her tail closer and crouched down to tuck her forepaws under her body. That was the question wasn't it? Who cares?

After a while, those eyes once more moved to the cat beside her, enjoying the easy company they shared. "Now that is a thought." A pause during which she frowned, a movement that caused the scars along her face to buckle slightly. "I for one, am glad of this cycle as without it, we wouldn't be and therefore other 'cycles' wouldn't be either. We wouldn't have the friendships we have, the opportunities we strive for. The sun might not rise and fall, the birds may not fly over head. It is all these cycles that make everything just that.. everything."

Licking a paw, Vineheart moved it over her ear as she sat comfortably down in the sand, feeling it move against her fur before once again looking back. "Most importantly, nothing we do is pointless as the cycle is in place and it does matter, to us it matters. And without that, we would have nothing." She smiled softly then a friendly smile that thanked the other she cat for taking the time to sit here with her. They both had stressful lives ahead of them but it was nice to just take time as it went for once.

[Midnight]

And so, in those few minutes, Vineheart passed Mintpaw's test and received the younger cat's full approval. Mintpaw purred, beginning to wash her pelt. "Exactly. I just want you to remember this when the times get really bad. If Ratstar... if Ratstar dies during your lifetime, and you end up being leader, you probably won't feel ready. Leaders don't have countdowns on when they'll die. It'll probably come unexpectedly, but when it does, you need to feel ready to hold up that weight. Like I said, it's unlikely you'll feel ready to take on the name and rank of a leader, but in the least, you need to hold on to the idea, the hope, that for every crappy thing that happens, there will be something good that comes out of it. The dark times of the Clans come, but we always beat them. It's the way of the Clans." She nodded in agreement at what Vineheart brought to the fresh-kill pile regarding cycles, a brighter look than she took on it. Mintpaw's view was rather monotonous, so she was glad for the fresh idea that Vineheart brought up. "You know, you're right. I've never seen it that way until now. Without the cycles, there wouldn't really be much structure, and without structure, we're not a Clan, we're a group of loners or rogues sitting around." Mintpaw noticed the smile and returned it with a friendly blink.

"I hope that cats end up respecting your position more than they seem to respect Sparrowleaf's and mine." Mintpaw blurted out, flicking an ear in annoyance. "It seems that others, at least apprentices, think that the job of a medicine cat is all flower-picking 'fun'. How wrong they are."

[ℓυиαя]

It was nice having someone to talk to that understood, that could speak from experience. They were both young cats thrown into a position of high responsibility and Vineheart was glad that they could relate. Other's often forgot that the ones in those positions grew up fast, maybe too fast. It was important to create relationships to help deal with the whirlwind.
The small tabby was glad that Mintpaw could see where she was coming from - a much more positive approach than what the apprentice had taken earlier and she smiled softly. "I've always thought that on one single topic, there are so many sides and often it takes someone else to show one to you. There is strength in that that loners and rogues lack, that we have." At Mintpaws next words, Vineheart cocked her head to the side, her golden eyes growing dark. Similar thoughts had already crossed her mind.

What if no one respected her in her new position?

What if she wasn't right for the part?

What if she had to battle everyday with clan members because they would accept her?

Sure she had always been a well known member of Sunsetclan but after the accident she had withdrawn slightly as they had talked, whispered. What did they think now that she was given the deptuy position?
Rejoice, happiness, excitement and relief?
Or frustration, anger, confusion and pity?
She didn't know and so just like Mintpaw, she hoped. "I hope so too and the majority of them will, just like they respect you and Sparrowleaf. It is only those few that make us feel like they don't, like we shouldn't be where we are. I guess you have to think of all the support you have from the ones that care and let the others that oppose you make you stronger. We were all chosen for a reason." Those golden eyes flashed back to the sun before she gingerly licked a paw and moved it over her scars. While they were better, they still bothered her from time to time.