Doubt

Or...

The Young Deputy

The air around him was shockingly still. The sun had just begun to peak over the towering mountain, painting the sky briefly in brilliant shades of pinks and reds, staining the snow that lingered at the topmost parts of the stone pillar. even from where her was, hidden beneath the canopy of pine trees that made up his forest home, he could see the bright glowing orb as it slowly crawled its way up into the clear blue skies, burning away the morning mists that clung to the earth. It warmed him already, chasing away the chilled iciness of the night. He couldn't help but breathe in the fresh air, a arm purr resounding from deep in his throat. the warmth of the sun seemed to chase away any thoughts of prey and even the natural inclination to hunt.

"Jayflight?" The sound of his name, along with someone nudging his flank, brought him back to reality. He opened his heather blue eyes slowly, turning to meet the cold green gaze of Sharpclaw. Her eyes were sharp with the need for progression, though not entirely without understanding. "we need to keep on if we're going to catch any more prey."

"Haven't we caught enough prey?" when the she-cat continued to glare at him, Jayflight rested his tail soothingly on Sharpclaw's shoulder. "We've been hunting all night and caught more than enough prey for the queens and elders. Newleaf has finally arrived." He let out an amused purr. "You can relax now."

The senior warrior remained staring at him tensely, and the new deputy couldn't exactly blame her either. It had been a very harsh and difficult leaf-bare for all the clans, with IceClan being no exception. They had lost half of their elders and three of their warriors to sickness and starvation, one of the fallen being the deputy Curltail. Sharpclaw had every right to be concerned. With a slight shiver at the memory of seeing the dead, he dipped his head respectfully to the older warrior. "I understand your worry, but we have caught enough. besides, there doesn't seem to be anything here."

Sharpclaw knew he was referring to the odd silence that dominated the section of the forest they had patrolled overnight. she lifted her long muzzle in the air and opened her mouth slightly, her ears pricked as she tried to pick up any signs of prey. When none appealed to her sense, she gave in with a grudging, "I suppose you're right, Jayflight."

The two cats proceeded to retrace their steps, collecting their prey as they headed back towards camp. Despite himself, Jayflight felt himself relaxing as he walked beside the legendary warrior. He had always been under the belief that Sharpclaw was simply a bitter, aggressive she-cat who seemed so above everyone else, especially himself, who was but a small, pretty kittypet in comparison. He had enjoyed the hunt though, and admired the skills the warrior had displayed. Hunting was not her forte, he knew, but even so she had caught more and sensed more than he did. Jayflight felt the familiar prick of doubt in his heart as he looked to the calico she-cat.

"Doubting your skills as deputy again?" Sharpclaw asked with a twitch of her silvery whiskers, apparently possessing the ability to read minds as well. Jayflight forced himself not to huff in annoyance.

"Perhaps…" he muttered through his mouthful of prey. Eyes gleaming in amusement, Sharpclaw hooked her final piece of prey - a plump gray mouse - on one of her claws before tossing it into her mouth and carrying it away with the rest of her prey. Jayflight stared after her, feeling increasingly worried about Creekstar's decision in making him deputy at her lack of response. He shook his head and bounded after the long-legged she-cat.

...

When their prey had been deposited and they had notified the leader of their return, Jayflight focused on relaxing for as much as he could, sitting at the cliff edge with his plumey tail wrapped about his paws. A gentle breeze blew through his fur, and the crisp morning air was refreshing. The outlook was hardly spectacular; there was a small stream that cut through the thick undergrowth but otherwise little for the eye to behold. Even so, it relaxed him greatly, and he appreciated the soft sounds of the forest.

Bluenose found himself watching the young deputy, taking an interest in how he ran things. The old warrior found that, with more practice and more time to adapt to his new and important role, he had the makings of a natural leader. He possessed all the right qualities for one. He just needed more courage.

"Do you regret picking Jayflight as your deputy?" He asked his silver-coated brother, deep green eyes not leaving the small form of the brown and white tom. Creekstar let out a thoughtful sigh, his thick-furred tail sweeping the dirt behind him, before he looked up at his large brother.

"No, not yet."

"Yet…" There was that word again, Creekstar's favorite when making decisions. Bluenose smirked as his brother snorted.

"He's got potential, but he's too timid when ordering older warriors around. It's something he will have to get used to." Creekstar pointed out matter-of-factly. Also true, Bluenose decided.

"Do you blame him?" He asked. "Some of these warriors are some four to six seasons older than he is, have mentored plenty more cats, and to him probably seem like more likely candidates." A rusty purr rumbled deep in his throat. "I mean, if I were him, I'd be terrified to order a cat like Sharpclaw to do something."

"She reported well on the hunt," the ICeClan leader pointed out thoughtfully. "At first he had reservations, but he quickly grew comfortable enough."

"Did the plan work?" Bluenose was happy to see his brother shake his head.

"No. Sharpclaw tried to convince him to hunt more, placing herself in the authoritative position, but he didn't back down from his decision to return to camp."

"See? There's promise after all."

The two aging toms watched in amusement as the medicine cat, Honeyspots, walked up to Jayflight and sat beside them, the pair talking quietly enough that no one in the vicinity could hear. Bluenose's whiskers twitched. "I've a feeling she'll help him quite a bit in getting some more courage."

Creekstar snorted. "She certainly doesn't have any reservations of ordering cats around."

Bluenose chuckled, a warm purr rising in his throat as Honeyspots flicked her tail past Jayflight's ear, and the old tom caught the glint of happy confidence in the deputy's eyes. The two brothers sat quietly together in amusement as they watched the odd couple.

Suddenly, Bluenose spoke up. "I'm thinking about retiring."

Immediately, the massive tom felt a drop in the warm air of enthusiasm and hope as he said this, and Creekstar didn't respond. "We're reaching our tenth season of life, Creekstar," Bluenose pointed out. "You might have lives to spare, but I certainly don't. I'll continue hunting and such, but I'd prefer not to add to the stresses of our young friend."

Creekstar looked to Jayflight, watching with ice-colored eyes as the deputy nuzzled Honeyspots in a quick farewell before he proceeded on with his duties, his reservations seemingly gone after his talk with the feisty medicine cat. He bowed his head. "I suppose your right, as you always are, Bluenose."

Purring, the largest of the two brothers nudged the smaller leader. "Like I said, I will remain active as long as I can, but it's time for me to relax and rest. There's no telling how many moons I've left, and I'd still prefer it if we went out together, like we said when we were kits. There's a better chance of that happening if I'm not rushing into battles."

Creekstar let out a purr. "Very true, my brother." The leader stood up, stretching in the warm sun. "I'll hold the ceremony today then at sunhigh."

Bluenose laughed. "Make it during sunfall. I'm not so quick on retiring. I want one more day as a warrior."

Purring still, Creekstar nodded, watching appreciatively as the brother he looked up to so much made his way towards the deputy, ready to receive his orders.

AN: An idea given to me by ze lovely anim8or. ^^ She suggested a story where Jayflight faces disapproval from some of his clanmates, and he's encouraged by some of the others. Not exactly that, but I still hope you enjoyed! In other news, I've also created an RP/Everything else forum called "SummitClan", so if you're interested in joining that, feel free to do so. The link is on my profile. :)