[Mauve]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Hm. While the apprentice was glad that her friend seemed to be doing well, and that he would be well-fed, it was a blow to hear that the rest of WindClan was doing well also. She wished the other Clan would be weakened, making it easier for ThunderClan to strike when they needed to. They needed this win, because WindClan had killed one of their warriors. Even Kestrelpaw had heard of the brutal murder of Hiddentalon, and knew that it was unfair. And the fact that Blazingstar refused to take responsibility for it? That was the worst part of all. While she didn't believe Snowstar was being entirely fair on her part, causing drama and being a little more difficult then she needed to, Kestrelpaw did believe that war was a necessity at this point. It was more then a want, it was a need. They needed to fight this out, because clearly all these little acts weren't doing the point.

And if the leaders weren't going to take action, pretty soon warriors would take action without permission and it would be a chaotic war without any sign of stopping, because without a leader, which warrior would take charge? "We're surviving. Prey is scarcer, and our warriors are working harder, but we are staying strong. We've always been strong." There was a gleam of pride in Kestrelpaw's eyes as she spoke. She was happier talking about her Clan then anything else. Truth be told, she wasn't so sure they were thriving. That was why she had only spoken of their survival, not their good fortune. Being strong was survival, although out here, in the middle of leaf-bare, it might have been considered good fortune as well. No matter; Kestrelpaw believed herself to have stuck to the facts, no exaggerating, although some details were left out.

No one wanted an enemy Clan member - no matter how close they were - to know about their Clan's weakness. Only strength. Which is what the sandy feline had made a point of highlighting. She would be a warrior soon, and should know better then to speak of these things at all, but Jaypaw was a longtime friend and a former ThunderClanner. Unless he was truly desperate to prove himself to his new Clan, hopefully he wouldn't speak of anything that had happened here. "And what about you? Are you happy in your home among the rabbit-chasers?" She couldn't help but throw in the general insult that was used for WindClanners.

RiverClanners were fish-breaths, ShadowClanners were shadow-dwellers, and WindClanners were rabbit-chasers. ThunderClan? She wasn't sure what other Clans called them, maybe they were smart enough not to mess with the strong Clan. Kestrelpaw really was proud of her heritage and her Clan. She loved them. Really and truly, she did. That was where her loyalties always had lay and always would lie.

He was glad to hear that ThunderClan was doing well. Jaypaw wasn't aware of what it was like during leaf-bare, so hearing Kestrelpaw's words brought him some comfort. "Good. I'm glad to hear things are going smoothly," he purred, his eyes and expression revealing that he truly was happy to hear the news. It was a trait that most WindClanners expressed concern in, and most likely why his former mentor had abandoned his training. After all, who wanted to work with an apprentice who might have loyalties elsewhere?

As Kestrelpaw mentioned his new home with the "rabbit-chasers", Jaypaw flinched a bit. He hadn't been expecting the insult to come from one of his old friends, and especially not Kestrelpaw. Perhaps he was wrong in thinking their bond was a strong as it once had been. Of course it's not as strong, mouse-brain, the tom thought, a piercing feeling of sadness clawing at his heart, you left ThunderClan. She believes you're fully loyal to WindClan. "I've been good. Learning to chase rabbits is probably the more fun part. I never thought I could run that fast. I'm not the best," he clarified, offering a shrug, "but you should see my mentor. Shiningfeather can track down and catch the fastest hares in WindClan!" As he spoke of his current mentor, his eyes lit up. He was proud to have her as his teacher, and despite the bumps in their first training session, he knew she had nothing but good intentions.

Silence began to fill in the gaps between his answer to her question, and Jaypaw racked his brain for any other small talk to cover. It felt odd discussing such trivial matters with Kestrelpaw, but he had to remember they belonged to different Clans now. The only time they would be able to communicate without breaking the warrior code was at the Gatherings. He had yet to go to one, and hoped that he would be invited to the next one. His heart longed for the day he could meet with Kestrelpaw without the anxiety of being caught haunting his every sentence. "You must be approaching your warrior ceremony any day now though, right? Are you excited" he asked, feeling as though he had to force the words in order to continue the conversation.

Jaypaw had believed in much higher hopes for his first encounter with the she-cat since he left ThunderClan. He hoped she would understand that he just had to leave. He had no family in ThunderClan, and his father resided in WindClan. Did she really expect him to spend the rest of his life in a Clan that would always doubt his loyalty because of his half-Clan blood? Despite the stares he acquired from his new Clanmates, at least they knew his heritage was here, with his father. In ThunderClan, he would've had no family to lean on. The mere thought was enough to let Jaypaw know he had made the right decision by leaving.