A/N: Looks like we get to learn a bit more about the characters of Lynxfang and Mistlestem :) There's more to them than just being the forgotten kits of ThunderClan that like disappear into the realms of nether sometime during the first series. It is my definite plan to give them bigger roles to help them shine in throughout this fic. Wish me luck!
'I just wanna play my part
Should I make waves or not?
So back and forth in my brain the tug of war wages on'
- Guts Over Fear (Eminem)
~~Chapter 9~~
Each and every sunrise that followed after Ruby's awakening was… strangely uneventful to say the least. After her scare with that panic attack that overwhelmed her, Ruby had taken the advice that Cinderpelt had given her and tried practicing the exercises that the smoky-grey she-cat prescribed to help the swirling thoughts that messed with her mind.
Every day Ruby would lay in what was essentially the Clan's prisoner den, doing what was called meditating (keeping her mind as empty as it could be or trying to), building up her strength with NewLeaf's emerging prey, and getting any wounds and general health seen to by an attentive healer or 'medicine-cat' as it was called. At some points during that time the grey she-cat would be escorted to a place nearby to make dirt and also receive the opportunity to gather moss for the den, or for drinking. Other times it was a younger cat's job – an apprentice as they were so named, that was sent to her as the result of something they had done wrong (or most likely by the sound of things.)
Ruby didn't care for the details of the rants the cats seemed to make – they were here to make life a bit more comfortable, so who was she to judge? One of those cats, Rainpaw (as he was called), seemed to be the most vocal about this punishment he had received.
"Cloudtail can be so mean… It's not fair! It's not my fault that I can't wake up on time for training - Sorrelpaw fidgets and kicks in her sleep all night! I know you're alright, so why do I have to be stuck here looking after you?"
He would exclaim and promptly push bits of old moss into a pile to make way for the new lot.
All he got in return was a tired yet level look, which for some insane reason seemed to calm him down.
Surprisingly Rainpaw would end up being a regular visitor and someone she could consider to be a friend, though he'd never confirm to that assumption himself. Still, Ruby could somehow always tell that the young tabby with kitten fluff really did enjoy having another cat to regularly talk to; she could understand that feeling herself very well.
So Ruby could now safely say that she had her first friend of sorts here. Well maybe? Eh she wouldn't think too much about it. Who knew how long she would actually be staying here after all?
She felt as if she were a drifting soul, never knowing whether she belonged in one place or the other.
Another regular occurrence turned out to be the other cats in the Clan fixing Ruby with a wary or suspicious look every so often (whenever they saw her around the camp). It was when they thought she wasn't looking, of course. She did tend to keep to herself near the entrance of the prisoner's den after all.
It was enough to make Ruby feel irritated with the amount of negative attention induced on her.
I'm just a cat like you! She wanted to yowl. I'm not going to do anything!
Not like she could anything anyway with the eyes of all the Clan on her, even if she wanted to. This probably happened to any prisoner of the camp depending on how many they hosted in the past.
Which probably wasn't many, come to think about it. Aargh say something to draw their attention away!
"Er… so what am I meant to be doing here exactly?"
What a way to start a conversation…
The strange thing was that it sort of… worked?
A bunch of cats cleared off to go somewhere and only a couple were left sitting near Ruby and her den, to her immense relief. The remainders looked slightly uncomfortable and not the friendliest, but they hesitantly answered her impromptu questioning. Meanwhile her appointed guard sat off to the side and didn't seem to do anything in the way of interceding at all.
"Just sit around and get accustomed to the camp life is what Firestar intended I think…"
A pale tabby she-cat frowned and directed her yellowy-green eyes up and over Ruby's head, as if to avoid looking at her directly.
Her striped tail twitched uneasily.
A ginger-and-black tabby tom sitting next to the she-cat scoffed and held Ruby's eyes in a confrontational manner, protectively curling his tail over the other tabby's flank.
"Don't get the wrong idea, rogue. You aren't a welcome member of our Clan, and we are not going to be telling you all our secrets and giving you advice!"
Well that is just plain rude.
The other she-cat's eyes narrowed slightly and she looked angry.
"Lynxfang! No need to be so fox-brained! Firestar helped this cat especially, and if he thinks she can be an addition to the Clan, she'll need some guidance during her time here!"
The lectured tom huffed and looked away stubbornly. The tabby she-cat sighed at this and gazed at Ruby briefly before staring off into the distance again.
"I'm sorry about him. Lynxfang is pretty cautious and hardheaded to get along with. He isn't so trusting of others unless they've earned it. If Firestar is willing to trust you, then I guess it is how it is. We don't usually give sanctuary to outsiders, you see."
Ruby nodded as the tabby she-cat spoke for she understood those sentiments very well. She hadn't been so trusting of others after those moons of starvation when her and Socks's own Housefolk abandoned them.
It didn't help when Scourge chased them away either.
Trust was difficult to dredge up after experiences like those; it planted in one's head the idea that you never knew who would let you down when it counted the most.
The wild was an unwelcoming and cruel place; she had learnt this after many bad experiences. Because of this, it was certainly hard to learn to trust again.
But then again... Maybe an environment like this would help her?
She would just need to work her way from the bottom, no matter how long it took; Ruby would start with getting acquainted with this cat, seeing as she hadn't been a bad conversationalist so far… as far as she knew anyway.
The grey she-cat curled her tail over her paws and fixed the pale tabby with an inquisitive look that they hopefully didn't find too intrusive. There was this one question burning on the tip of her tongue that she couldn't help but ask.
"Why are all your names so weird? I've been wondering that for a while to be honest."
Here the distinctive black-and-ginger tabby tom cut in again, rather rudely according to Ruby's opinion. His answer was really not that helpful either.
"Our names? What about yours!? Ruby is a pretty strange name when you stop and think about it. Seriously, what even does it mean?"
All the while the pale tabby she-cat glared at him with narrowed eyes.
"Lynxfang! What do you think you're doing!?"
Ruby wanted to yowl in frustration. Why all the fighting? These Clans seemed to be home to a bunch of mousebrains and argumentative fools. She ended up blurting out her thoughts before really considering them.
"You mean your names actually have some sense to them?"
"Of course! Our names actually mean something, unlike your crazy Twoleg-given names. Honestly… Only StarClan knows why you let those creatures take care of you and give you names. Probably to indulge their own whims I suppose."
"Just stop talking, Lynxfang! Can't you see you're upsetting her?"
"So? Who cares what the rogue feels! She's probably in cahoots with those BloodClan scum! Who knows what they're up to…"
The tabby she-cat rolled her eyes for what seemed like the 5th time, clearly fed up with the way this chat was going.
"Oh you just be quiet now! Please ignore this mousebrain… he's usually not so mean. Have I told you my name yet? I'm Mistlestem."
Ruby nodded to the influx of conversation going on around her. It was pretty overwhelming but she'd do her best to go along with it. It upset her to listen to the rude tom's opinion on Twolegs though. She had a good home before she and Socks had been abandoned by their housefolk unexpectedly one afternoon. It still mystified her why that had occurred without any warning. There was never any lead-up to it, and no explanation for why it had occurred. She still dwelled on it occasionally on days when she felt the loneliest.
"I'm Ruby," She offered quietly.
Lynxfang opened his mouth to probably say something degrading about her name again but Mistlestem's voice rose over whatever he might have said.
"That's an interesting name. Does it have any particular meaning that you know of?"
The Clan cat looked a bit friendlier now as she got to know Ruby, and even started to glance directly towards Ruby more often, while Lynxfang still wore an expression of scepticism as if still wary of trusting her.
"I think I heard my mother once say that it was some sort of Twoleg stone or item? I'm not too sure… but I think it has something to do with my eye colour?"
Ruby ventured on what she could only speculate. The objects that Twolegs placed importance in could be so confusing to dwell on, she found.
Her audience exchanged looks with each other, uncertainty clear as day in their own respective gazes.
"Well… I guess Twolegs do have some semblance of meaning in their name choices after all."
Ruby felt a prickle of impatience rise within her as she repeated her own question from earlier once again.
"And what about your names and their meanings?"
Now an answer would finally be given to her.
"It's all to do with what can be found within our actions, appearance, and surroundings. The warrior code is a set of rules that guides us and teaches us the ways of being a warrior, as well as what leads us on the other paths of a clan cat. This is something you would learn and follow if you wish to stay with us."
Firestar's mew joined their conversation in an abrupt way that startled the unsuspecting Ruby. The two new acquaintances bowed their heads with the arrival of the clan leader. Mistlestem then raised her head first and looked the leader confidently in the eye before asking something that Ruby was now curious herself.
"Hi Firestar. Did you want something?"
Ruby wondered if Clan life was always this hectic.
The flame-ginger tom acknowledged the two warriors with a dip of his head.
"Not really, I just wanted to see how our new guest is settling into Clan life. Getting to know the other Clan members here is the first step on the path of recovery after all."
Here, Firestar smiled and gestured approvingly at her choice of companions.
"Between you and me, I reckon you can learn quite a lot of useful tips from these two hard-workers here."
Lynxfang looked incredulous and surprisingly abashed at that statement that was aimed towards him and Mistlestem. Ruby noted that it was a nice change from the standoffish behaviour he had displayed earlier. It suited him more.
He shrugged his broad shoulders before responding. "T-Thanks Firestar. Everyone works hard here though, not just us."
Firestar nodded at the response given, pleased at the lack of arrogance in the ginger tabby's tone.
"That is true. If we all do our bit then every task is done efficiently and with seamless energy. That's what participating in Clan life is about."
He sounded so sure of himself; it was as if this way of thinking was woven into his beliefs, strongly and integrated in a way that just made sense to follow. Ruby could learn to admire and follow the same set of ideals - if she chose to.
For now though, she would sit here and listen to the chatter of the Clan as they moved about their day, as well as learn more about what each cat did in the role they took on.
It seemed like an interesting use of time, and a way to ease into the lifestyle that well-suited all the members of ThunderClan that were already settled here. Maybe Ruby would find her purpose too, the longer that she stuck around within the camp's boundaries. She could only hope so.
"And not everyone spends their time fighting and training in the ways of a warrior - you could probably find something that suits you that doesn't involve those things, in the way that Cinderpelt heals and Fernsong helps keep the nursery in order for any possible expecting queens."
Okay that certainly took Ruby by surprise.
"Y-you mean there's more to being a part of the Clan life than all that guarding and hunting and violence I hear about?"
Quince's words from long ago trickled into the back of her mind along with other forgotten memories. 'They face all kinds of monsters and terrible beasts.'
Although Ruby had made fun of her smallest brother's fear at the time, she truly did not want to come face-to-face with any of the monsters in the forest that their mother had mentioned either. She had pushed the feeling down at the time though, and had it disguised with the contempt and brusqueness that Socks and her displayed to hide their insecurities. They had to act like the bigger, more confident siblings; they had the idea that Quince had always favoured Tiny more.
It had come back to bite them in the end hadn't it? Ruby mused on this.
Meanwhile, Firestar was adamant in his answer to her query.
"Of course there are other ways of contributing to the clan. We just need to find you one that suits you and will help you adjust better to being around the others here. It will help them to accept your presence too, if you are out there helping with a task that is handy to the camp. With persistence and hard work comes a trust that's difficult to lose once it's earned."
Mistlestem was nodding along to what the flame-coloured leader said, obviously agreeing with the words and ideas he put forth. She turned her head towards Lynxfang and nudged him not so subtly to offer a suggestion of his making.
Lynxfang groaned but acquiesced to his friend's prompting.
"Why don't we show our guest around camp to point out the different landmarks we use? It can only be useful since we don't know how long she's staying here."
Firestar looked pleased at the suggestion, and with the warrior that offered it.
"Now that's a good idea! Ruby you can go with these two and they'll show you what there is to see and do here, rather than being cooped up in your den all the time."
He gave Ruby's new guides a level look right after saying this.
"Don't forget to introduce her to anyone you think might offer some advice or help her with picking out a clan role."
Mistlestem looked as though she might laugh from the resigned expression on Lynxfang's face.
"Don't worry Firestar, we'll make sure to do that!" She purred with mirth dancing in her eyes.
And so off they went, showing themselves to the clan as a weird party of cats that were wearing various expressions of hesitance, amusement, and resignation.
Little did they know that this was an eventual friendship group in the making, and that these expressions would be a constant factor in much of their interactions with the grey former rogue.
Ruby raised her head to hold it high in the air, mimicking the others that strode ahead of her. Maybe it was a way to boost her confidence, or maybe it was a way to make her feel more of a part of this unintentional group she seemed to be forming without her realisation.
Whatever it was, she hoped it would carry her through to higher ground, to the path that she wished to follow of her own volition.
Ruby released a tiny hidden smile out into the open air.
By interacting here with the others, she truly hoped it would grow bigger the longer she stayed there.