| Dapplebreeze |
At fifty-eight moons of age, Dapplebreeze did not consider herself an old cat. She had just the right amount of seasons to be in prime fighting condition and the wisdom to know better than to attempt hare brained strategies against less than honorable opponents. That said, it was truly disheartening to know just how few of WindClan's wonderful, capable warriors did not make it to old age, the elder's den near emptiness a testament to this sad truth of clan life. Unlike the sheltered, easy life the other clans held - surely must be, considering how much trouble they enjoyed seeking outside of their already overstocked borders - WindClan cats had to face a daily struggle against the elements, to hunt for prey, even to seek out the very herbs the medicine cats sought to tend to their wounds. It was an unending fight against nature, and the seasoned warrior loved every part of it.
There was no denying WindClan's superiority against the savages that played clan beyond their borders. The ones that killed on sight yet pretended to care about the warrior code or the honor that being a warrior carried with it. And yet even with this clear advantage over the others they had, there was one clear problem amongst their ranks of late. The apprentices were all a bunch of slobs. Look at this place! It was almost as if the young paws had forgotten that it was up to them to ensure the comfort and well being of the oldest that still walked among the living. For shame, truly. And yet... she couldn't blame the apprentices. Not really. Teaching such lessons fell on their mentors. Just like it had fallen on her with her lovely Moorpaw. And she'd failed, just like the rest of them.
Dainty, tan socked paws dug out dirty nesting material as the patched molly felt her ears burn with shame. So close. Her apprentice had been so close to assessment. She had gone to the apprentices' den, hoping to ask her how she felt about the idea, if she preferred having another warrior assess her for lack of bias. Dapplebreeze had to admit to having grown fond of the apprentice, perhaps becoming more blind to her faults than she cared to admit. But then... there were no faults, truly. A hot temper than could easily be molded, be directed towards the enemies. A lack of confidence that would vanish with time as she realized how capable she truly was. And yet she had gone. Vanished with the breeze. Just like her Bravebird. And her troublemaker Ryepaw. Perhaps... perhaps the problem did not lie in the other mentors. Maybe the problem was her?
A sigh escaped the former queen, sorrow making it shaky, holding back tears with the help of pride that refused to let go. Refused to become a bumbling mess. She had already messed up enough, not realizing that her darling had been missing something. Must have been something dreadful that she had missed... to have gone away from WindClan. Dapplebreeze wondered if it was too late to start over. Perhaps a third litter? New young ones to love and care for. She did miss being a queen, and with no apprentice to care for, none of her own kits still living, she dared hope for a moment that perhaps this was a sign that she should try for kits once more, only to dissuade the option entirely a second later.
She may not be an old molly, but she was certainly not young. Definitely not young enough to consider most of WindClan's eligible, single candidates as romantic options for herself. With a scoff, she knew she'd been through this train of process before. When her two kits had... well, gone. She'd arrived to the same conclusion then as she did now. Blue eyes considerably duller as she felt a wave of loneliness creep on her, Dapplebreeze carried the scrapped nesting material outside, deciding to focus instead on the task at paw.
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| Open |