[ti]Private[/ti]So Much to Do So Much to Do

[LupTacco]

Foxfall crept out of his nest, his jaws pulling themselves back with long yawn. Even with five- how could there even be that many...?- deputies, he still felt utterly overwhelmed by the whole situation. He didn't feel like he should bother some of the more experienced cats- Firechaser and Mudjaw surely had better things to attend to than a volley of questions from someone who was supposed to be taking some of that load himself- and yet he didn't want to add too must more stress onto the others, either. Dustytuft was always so collected, she probably didn't need his nervous energy, and Heronflight had kits to raise. Against all odds, he felt alone in his task. I should... "...ask another warrior," he mumbled to himself, voicing his thoughts aloud halfway through.

But who...? He scanned the clearing, seeing who else was awake and not too busy yet, his yellow gaze settling on a ginger and white pelt not too far away. "Swif-" he cleared his throat once he heard how hoarse his first attempt was, speaking louder and clearer, "Swiftwing! Would you, ah- do you mind helping me with a patrol or perhaps something else?" His eyes flicked to the ground apologetically for a moment, "If you weren't too busy, I mean. I don't want to impose."

tags;; bits

[bits]

She was honestly doing her best not to get involved in the increasingly difficult politics of her clan. She wasn't any less loyal to Ivyclan as a whole, but even a warrior as dedicated as her was ... having difficulties coming to terms with the current state of her clan. Five deputies, and a half of a leader (if that). It was better to just... dip out whenever possible, trying to contribute in a way that she found meaningful.

And then... Swiftwing!

She turned her closed off gaze to see one of the new deputies - Foxfall. He wasn't a bad sort, though she could tell from the hesitance in his tone that this whole thing was weighing on him. Or maybe he was naturally nervous - she didn't spend much one-on-one time with many of her clanmates. Still, she cocked her head and listened to Foxfall's request. It took Swiftwing a moment to reply, mostly because she wasn't quick to think or respond.

"Sure. I was planning on checking the border over there again. There's like... a whole clan there now? Rootclan? So that's... something."

Look, she could make conversation like a civilized cat. Luckily it was conversation related to clan duties and not... social lives (or the lack thereof). Maybe in another day and age she'd feel a little hesitant just guiding a deputy like this but... well, she was confident in her actions more or less. The least she could do was give Foxfall some sense of direction in this small task. 

She nodded to her clanmate and started to head in the direction of the border, under the assumption that he'd follow.

[LupTacco]

He held his breath in as he waited for a response, please don't be mad please don't be mad I'm just doing my job. He couldn't help but suck in a breath of relief as she responded. "Oh, thank StarClan," he sighed quietly, before raising his voice back to speaking level, "Right, uh 'RootClan'. Yes, that's- I hadn't even thought about that border." Pausing with a shy look, he added on quickly, "I mean, I have, just, I haven't thought to send a patrol there yet." His jaw creased down in a small frown as she turned away towards the entrance, but he only hesitated a moment before he pushed himself into a trot to catch up, slowing down to match her walking pace.

Holding his head low, level with his spine, he let his mind swim with thoughts for a bit as they walked, thankful at least to be walking with someone who wasn't too chatty. RootClan... weird how things have changed so quickly lately. I was barely a warrior when it happened. I was at camp, too, wasn't I? That's... probably a strike against my being deputy in some cats' minds. But, I guess they have more upfront criticisms too. His thoughts wandered, trailing from worries about his new position to worries about his brother's health and sanity, or how his father was holding up these days. They hadn't spoken in a while, certainly not since Olivenose had gone away. He could feel his heart grow heavy as he remembered her, and he shook his head to clear it, blinking at his new surroundings. Right. They had been walking. "So, RootClan is... over here? I mean- RootClan is over here," he restated himself, trying to sound less uncertain.

[bits]

She wasn't intentionally rude, but the people skills she boasted were equivalent to the people skills of slightly damp moss. Actually, scratch that - even moss dried out and could be used to keep people warm. Metaphors were also not her strong suit.

Luckily, warrior duties were her strong suit. She was blessed by the silence as they moved, giving her time to arrange her thoughts in a far more communicable way. When Foxfall spoke up again, she didn't critique his uncertainty, merely nodding to affirm his assumption. It wasn't his fault - she hadn't been aware of Rootclan until she had stumbled onto them herself. By accident. While definitely not-looking for her brother.

"Yes - I've only seen a couple of them on the border so far. No trespassing yet, and I haven't seen any attempts to change the border, but that might changed. The last one I saw was... probably apprentice aged."

There was no judgement about Foxfall's knowledge or lack thereof, just a simple, straightforward explanation of what she'd seen and heard.

"Has there been any discussion as to... what to do with them? If anything? I've just been keeping track of the border for now."