Skill of a Leader

[Scorchstar]

Rapidstep trotted at her usual faster than average pace, passing the Deep Forest halfheartedly. She'd catch two mice on the way out, she at least wanted to bring something back if she didn't end up wanting to hunt later on in the day. She did this every once and a while, go out and just pass through the territory of her ancestors and attempt to clear her head of all the nonsense that her Clanmates filled it with. Don't get her wrong, she loved her Clan and coudln't imagine living in any oth-wait that was exactly what she was doing. Wondering if she would be just as loved and appreciated if she was a PeakClanner or JaggedClanner, even a ScarClanner. She made a serious looking face to herself as she reached the water's edge. A small purr escaped her tiny muzzle as she sat next to the edge of the sparkling water. Everything here was so lush and beautiful, all the other Clans pretty much had territories made of rock, she lifted a paw and stared at the soft pink pads that were revealed. JaggedClan was out and it would be pretty hard to be a PeakClanner too. She had stamina, which would've been good for JaggedClan, but she also had speed which could've been used to speed from rock to rock so no one found her for their trial.

Rapidstep let out a sigh, no she was born in the only Clan that would ever fit her. Then laying down she looked about as a breeze ruffled her short fur. She was happy that it was a warm breeze, her fur wasn't the best cover for Leafbare's cold chills. Her golden gaze fell once more to the water, a fish shot passed her. A paw shot out as her fast reflexes were just enough to lift the fish out of the water. Unsheathing the claws of her other paw she sunk them in, the fish stopped squirming. Tossing it over she began to search for the next. She remembered being taught how to fish, a skill only the apprentices believed for greatness would learn. Foxstar had known how to fish and any cat that wanted to be leader had to learn so as well. She was ahead of the game, all she needed now was an apprentice and a boost with being Overseer. She wasn't really sure if she wanted to be leader though. She'd wait to see where life took her first before making plans that could end up being crushed.

[.:{Crag}:.]

A large tabby moved in and out of the trees in the Deep Forest, eyes on his paws. His body language showed his lack of confidence; an odd sight. Wouldn't a tom be proud to have a build so big? Well, not in TimberClan. Never in TimberClan. Havenfur sighed, staring at his paws to make sure he didn't clumsily step on something, like he always did. There was always a twig to be stepped on, or something to trip over with this tom. He looked up for a moment, hearing the steady flow of the Sparkling River, before staring back down at his massive tabby paws. Havenfur desperately wanted to be in a different clan. ANY clan. One that would treat him like a warrior, or at least not completely treat him like filth. It wasn't his fault he was born with such a deformity! TimberClan hadn't even given him a chance to show the kind of cat he could be. Now, all he assumed is that he was as worthless as everyone said.

Havenfur suddenly swerved, nearly running into a tree. His amber eyes widened, and at the momentary detraction, one of the tom's large paws got tangled beneath a tree root, causing him to plummet to the ground. A loud thud followed by the crack of a stick echoed across the forest, and Havenfur silently cursed. He heaved himself to his paws with no attempt to regain his dignity, not that there was anyone to see. "I really am worthless..." His depressed meow was barely audible even to him, so wouldn't be heard by anyone else. Amber eyes clouded with sadness. How could he have been born at all? Why did StarClan send him to the clans. It would have been better to be a Loner, or even a Kittypet. Havenfur sat, staring at no where in particular, recollecting the events that had happened that day.

Havenfur sighed as he saw the mischievous grin on an apprentice as he leaned over to a kit, whispering in his ear. The kit then whispered to his friends, who all looked at him. Great. Before long, nearly six kittens had thrown themselves on him. Havenfur was stuck: If he did anything, everyone would yowl at him for hurting their kits, but if he didn't... They would make fun of him. Well, not that that was anything new. The tom simply let himself fall to the ground and be leaped on by a few older kits, a few whose claws were not safely tucked away. Havenfur let this go on for the next few moments, before the kits got bored and scampered away. The tom heaved himself to his paws, staring at the ground like usual.

"Wow, you really are a worthless pile of Foxdung!"

Havenfur tried to block out the apprentice's harsh words, but it didn't work. It never did.

"I'm surprised you passed your trial at all!"

The apprentice spat and walked away, tail high in the air. The cats who had seen this go on simply stared, shaking their heads. They would never do anything about it. No one would ever do anything about it. Havenfur knew the young tom's words were true.

He was worthless.

Havenfur shook the memories away. He forced himself to begin moving again, pawstep by pawstep, while trying not to trip. As the tom grew closer to the Sparkling River, he heard a splash. The scent of Rapidstep brushed his scent glands, and Havenfur turned. He didn't want to be seen by anyone, let alone the pride and joy of TimberClan. He began to briskly pad away, hoping desperately that the she-cat couldn't smell him. Then, when Havenfur looked over his shoulder for a moment, he ran straight into a thorn bush. It made a rustling noise loud enough to alert the entire forest he was here(or, at least that is how it sounded to him). The tom screamed inside his mind, and moved his limbs desperately to try and backstep out of the bush. But the thorns were in his fur too deep. Havenfur was stuck, and the only thing he could do was wait for Rapidstep to come and save him.

Great.

[Scorchstar]

Rapidstep was everything TimberClan wanted, small and quick. She was raised by the entire Clan and everyone knew her. yet she was rather young, twenty moons to be exact. Perhaps it was for this reason that she often felt drawn to sitting on the edge of the borders of the other Clans, constantly curious about the life that they led, only seperated by a single scent-marked border. It was wrong of her to think these thoughts, she knew it. She had the life that every cat wished to have, the pride of her entire Clan and loved by all. You couldn't wish for more, could you? She was a full-blooded TimberClan cat, some unlucky souls couldn't say that. Yet out of place was how she felt, she fit in perfectly, yet one piece had to be flipped.

Her paw flashed once more, a fish coming out again, this was her fourth of the day. So she had two mice and four fish already, wonderful. Biting into the slippry meat she flipped it up onto the shore along with her other three fish. Then letting out a sigh her small head came to rest on her dainty paws. Gazing down into the water she stared into her golden eyes. Her bright pink nose stood out from the white that surrounded it. Well life was alright anyways.

Rapidstep's head lifted suddenly as she scented the air, another cat was in the area. Havenfur, she knew the scent and relaxed a little once she was certan that it was a Clanmate not an intruder. Not that she wouldn't do something if it had been an intruder, she would've rushed over and attacked. Just like any good warrior for the protection of his or her Clan. She figured that the out of luck warrior was out here to be left alone, so she wouldn't go off looking for him to chat with just yet. She didn't care if everyone thought he was useless, he was a Clanmate and that was enough for her to find respect for him.

Then she heard a rustle a large one at that. Waiting for a moment she looked around, it had stopped and now Havenfur didn't seem to be moving at all. or at least that was what she could tell from his scent, so carefully she picked herself up, glanced to her prey a final time and padded quickly towards the scent of her Clanmate. Pressing through a few shrubs and swerving around a tree or two she made it to where Havenfur was. She found the large warrior hopelessly caught in a thorn bush. Her golden eyes clouded with worry. "Are you ok, havenfur? Don't worry I'll help you get out."

Shooting forward she began to loosen the many thorns from his pelt and pull at their branches. "Dunwurry wiggle a bi' 'kay?" She said witha mouthful of twigs and fur. She was doing this as gently as she could, as to not injure the tom any farther. No one could blame Havenfur for getting stuck, or wincing a bit in pain, except maybe a ScarClanner but that was beside the point.

Finally Rapidstep loosened the male enough for him to make his escape. Sitting back she licked at her paw and rubbed it against her face to counter the ruffled look it had just been given from the effort of freeing her Clanmate. "How'd you get stuck in there, silly?" She purred out, giving him a glance of affection that usually graced her epression when teasing someone. Rapidstep became aware of the fat that Havenfur seemed to have become a haven for the likes of thorns and twigs. Stepping forward she sat close enough to him where she could reach up and start pulling them from his fur. "Sorry if this hurts, you can't go back to camp looking like a porcupine though, can you?"

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[.:{Crag}:.]

The large tom felt the skin under his fur getting warmer as Rapidstep approached him. How more embarrassing could it get? The tom closed his eyes and tried not to move as the she-cat began to loosen the thorns around him, wincing only once or twice in pain. How could he have gotten stuck in there anyway? He was so clumsy, and worthless. No TimberClanner wanted him in the clan, and Havenfur was pretty sure Rapidstep didn't either. She had never made fun of him, though, and he knew her as kind and modest even after such great achievements. Oh well, better her to see him than Patchfur or Creekpaw. Havenfur wriggled slightly once Rapidstep was finished, taking his time to step out of the bush as to not get stuck again. He didn't bother thanking her. She probably thought it was just a waste of time, although he knew she would never say so. The tom sat back on his haunches, his eyes on the ground. He wouldn't bother trying to make another escape away from the she-cat, because surely another thorn bush would make its way into his path.

Havenfur concentrated on his paws. He still hadn't spoken; the warrior had always been socially awkward, mainly because no one ever gave him a chance to talk anyway. Clanmates were always attacking, hissing, or clawing at him. Suppressing a sigh, Havenfur moved his eyes to the thorn bush. The prickly stems were still stuck in his fur, poking him every time he moved. Never had he bothered to remove them, but felt Rapidstep begin to do so. The tom moved away slightly, not used to such a kind gesture. Why was she being so nice to him? He lifted his eyes for a short moment before quickly dropping them to the ground.

"How'd you get stuck in there, silly?"

Havenfur merely shrugged, not wanting to make any verbal contact with the she-cat. He would just end up saying something dumb, like always. The tom couldn't get himself to talk to anyone, let alone the pride and joy of TimberClan. Rapidstep and Havenfur were total opposites: He was born hated before he was given a chance, she was born loved before being given a chance. Now, though, the warrior simply assumed that even if he had been given a chance he would have blew it. He thought he was the worst cat ever born. The whole clan agreed. There were very few like Rapidstep, that were nice to him, and even the ones who didn't regularly tease him were thinking it. That was probably what the she-cat was thinking. Havenfur winced as a pinch came to his skin from Rapidstep's removal.

"Sorry if this hurts, you can't go back to camp looking like a porcupine though, can you?"

Havenfur closed his eyes.

He might as well be, no one would notice a difference.

[Scorchstar]

Rapidstep hardened her gaze to Havenfur ever so slightly, but if one looked close enough they would know that it wasn't in anger or hatred. She was slightly confused as to why he wasn't speaking, he hadn't uttered a word since she had arrived. "You know you can speak to me right? I only bite prey and enemies. You are my Clanmate so I'm pretty sure you don't fall into either category." She smiled kindly at him between picking out the thorns.

On the contrary to what Havenfur was thinking Rapidstep desperately wanted to gain Havenfur's approval and friendship if at all possible. She was the center of attention back at camp and that meant that she recieved all forms of gossip and came to learn pretty much the entire workings of the Clan. She was the cat everyone confided their deepest darkest secrets to, the one everyone felt comfortable around. She was possibly the most loved and enjoyed cat in the entire Clan, her company was almost always sought for.

This meant that Rapidstep was completely aware of Havenfur's stance in the Clan. For lack of kinder words, he was the filth of the Clan, the cat no one wanted to be nice to and if you couldn't find the heart to bully him than you were to turn the other cheek. In fact it was common knowledge that your stance dropped a bit if you stood up for Havenfur. That is where Rapidstep is completely different from the rest of the Clan, she could never find someone useless.

So when cats watch and see Havenfur getting beaten up by a kit or told off by an apprentice and they all turn to gossip and snicker about the overgrown lump Rapidstep isn't at all kind about telling them to shut up. With her standing in the Clan the others have to abide and she doesn't fall even the slightest bit in popularity, it's actually seen as a personality quirk. She was too nice for her own good, caring for even those that don't deserve it. That was what she was told at least, my my TimberClan certainly had their fair share of being conceited.

As she picked out the final thorn that she could see with her teeth Rapidstep stepped back and looked up to watch Havenfur's face. She was still waiting for an answer and wouldn't leave or say another word or ask another question until he answered. Once he gave her a nod or spoke up she'd smile and continue chatting with him. " So do you want to go hunting with me or something? We could always stand here and talk if you'd rather engage me in some decent chit-chat. You can't stay silent forever, I'll get you to speak yet."

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[.:{Crag}:.]

"You know you can speak to me right? I only bite prey and enemies. You are my Clanmate so I'm pretty sure you don't fall into either category."

Havenfur wondered if she was mocking him. This had happened several times in camp, where someone pretended to be nice to him, enough that he almost trusted them, only to laugh in his face and call him a mousebrain. Havenfur looked up at Rapidstep's kind smiles, but made no effort to return them. It was obvious she was making fun of him. Just like everyone else... He flinched again as a thorn was taken from his pelt. Havenfur hoped Rapidstep didn't press the speaking matter any more. He really felt awkward about this whole thing, and if he was as much a TimberClanner as he wanted to be he would have ran into the bushes by now. Suppressing a sigh, he stood still enough for his clanmate to tear the remaining thorns from his pelt.

" So do you want to go hunting with me or something? We could always stand here and talk if you'd rather engage me in some decent chit-chat. You can't stay silent forever, I'll get you to speak yet."

Havenfur sighed, she wasn't giving up. Why was it she wanted him to speak so badly. He'd probably end up saying something dumb anyway. Looking away from her, the large tom stayed silent for a moment longer, trying to careful choose his words as to not insult her in some involuntary way as he always seemed to do. Havenfur didn't meet the she-cat's eyes, but looked just over her shoulder.

"Erm.. Thanks for helping me out of the bush."

The meow was low and gravely, not many had heard it considering Havenfur usually stayed quiet. He had stopped defending himself a long while ago, usually to be called a muted kit. The insults don't exactly bounce off a thick skull as most would think. Havenfur was actually fairly intelligent, always thinking about something or another. It was only during this awkward pause awaiting Rapidstep's reply that his mind stayed blank, constantly moving his gaze to somewhere other than his clanmate. He shuffled his paws a few times, and the wind changed direction, sending the scent of squirrel to his nose. He pretended like he hadn't smelled it. Surely Rapidstep would snag it and bring it back like it was no big deal. This was something the tom had always wanted to do... just casually leave talking with someone to bring back a piece of prey like it was no big deal. Havefur had never been a good hunter, no matter how hard he tried.

Just another way to prove Rapidstep was better than him, and surely she thought the same thing.

[[mucho suckish x.x]]