The Age of Awesomeness: I have seasonal allergies, so Autumn and Spring aren't too good for me. XD I need a pack of travel tissues wherever I go right around then, but generally I forget them.

QLKwriter: Winter is so pristine and clear! The only objections I have are when it's cold but there's no snow and static electricity.

Willowdream of ForestClan: I used to horseback ride, but I just stopped and I don't know why. Maybe it's because I moved after 5th grade. I've always wanted to keep going, but it just never really happened. :( Maybe it's time to bring up the subject with my parents again...

ShadowHawk540: I LOVE it when it snows! It just never snows where I am, too. :( But I'd prefer it to be cold because you can always put on more layers but there's a limit to taking them off. XD Nope, I'm not stripping in public on hot days.

Silverkitty16: I never realized it before, but we have sort of similar pen names, don't we? Yeah, I'm in the US and I know about the Superbowl. :P I'm not a huge football fan, but wasn't there this one touchdown thing that didn't work and it's why the Seahawks lost? Anyway, yeah, I like Winter and Summer too. (spoiler for my AOTD below, whoops :P)

EradrinSkyleaf: Neither can Sootpaw! XD And I'm not as fond of Spring and Autumn because I've got allergies... yeah...

Nightfeather: Crowtail crowed on purpose. XD If I knew your address I'd send your computer a get well card, but it would be sort of strange and creepy and stalker-ish if I knew where you lived. 0.o *sends imaginary get well card to your computer* Yeah, I've known one of my friends since kindergarten, and most of the rest I met this year because I moved last summer. I generally get to sleep around 10-10:30. Because I'm a year older in my teenage years, I basically need 3 extra hours of sleep. XD Well, no, that's an exaggeration, but I do feel much more tired than I used to. If you're not a teen yet, cherish your wakefulness. It won't last long, I'm afraid.

Sootpaw's POV

Hold on.

It was getting so hard to hold on these days. If it weren't for Ashthorn's dream and Dawnpaw, I figured I might have cracked and gone insane days ago. It was such a burden to bear sole leadership of an entire Clan. My legs were so young and weak, the weight almost too much for my buckling knees to handle.

The sun was setting in a bright flare of purples and pinks, illuminating the distant clouds from below. I sat on the Highledge, tail wrapped around my paws, gazing below at the Clan, most of whom were lying by the edges of the clearing sharing tongues.

As my gaze flickered over the Clan, I spotted Molewhisker carrying a fat squirrel, bounding toward the nursery. Through the entrance flicked Larkwing's tail. Nearby lay Sparrowtalon and Mistheart. I was pleased to see those two siblings spending some quality time together. Dawnpaw had told me how they'd stuck together after their sister, Dewcloud, left with her mate for a more peaceful territory, and how Sparrowtalon had been there for Mistheart after her mate died at the claws of a NightClan warrior. It was good to see them happy now.

It was good to see any happy cats during this tremulous time of war.

I shook my head, turning to stare at my paws. As long as Rainpaw and Cinderpaw got back within the next quarter moon, we might have a chance for survival. NightClan, I could tell, was waiting, lurking just behind their shadowy borders, ready to strike at a moment's sign of weakness.

But what held them back? They should know they'd win if they attacked us again. They should know how very weak we were, how few warriors we now had. It was impossible to assign more than half a day's patrols at once, and cats often found themselves patrolling twice or even thrice per day. It was wearing them to the bone. But maybe our victory at their earlier full-on attack had made them cautious. Still, I couldn't imagine it would hold them off for long.

I pushed a small pebble over the edge, listening to it clatter against the rocks on its way down. At the bottom, though, I didn't hear a crack of stone on stone. I heard a yelp.

"Hey, watch it!"

I peered guiltily over the edge to find two yellow eyes narrowed irritably from the shadows, framed by russet fur. "Sorry, Rustpelt."

Rustpelt sighed and readjusted his position amongst the rocks. "That's okay," he muttered, laying his head on his paws. "I'm sure you didn't notice me under here." He them muttered something I couldn't make out.

I suddenly realized Rustpelt was the only cat here sitting alone. "Are you okay?" I asked, worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

It was my turn to narrow my eyes, though this time it was in suspicion. "I'm not so sure."

"Why?" Rustpelt glared up at me again, some of his old apprentice spunk returned. "What does it matter to you?"

I began bounding sideways down the rockfall, landing in the clearing and circling around to face Rustpelt. "Because you're my Clanmate," I said stoutly. "And technically you're under my protection, as I'm your leader."

"Yeah, sure," Rustpelt scoffed. "You don't even have your nine lives and your name."

I bristled. What had gotten Rustpelt's tail in such a knot? "I'm following my father's lead," I meowed quietly, anger coursing through me like adrenaline.

"And how well did that serve him?"

It was as though he'd slapped me with a rubber glove. After standing there for a few heartbeats, shock and rage warring within me, I finally allowed rage to win and opened my mouth furiously to retort, but before I could make a sound, a new voice interjected, "Rustpelt! Quit being so rude to Sootpaw!"

It was Dawnpaw. Calm and collected as she always was, it was another shock to see her pale blue eyes narrowed, stalking toward Rustpelt, the darker fur along her spine standing on end. Shoving her face into Rustpelt's, she continued, "What gives you the right to criticize his father? Ashthorn was a great leader. If it wasn't for him, LeopardClan wouldn't have survived as long as it has!"

She wrapped her tail firmly around my shoulders and turned me away. "Come on, Sootpaw," she said, haughtiness overshadowing her meow, "let's go spend some time with cats who actually want us there." We began to march away.

"Wait! I'm sorry, okay?" Rustpelt had caught up with us. I tapped Dawnpaw lightly with the tip of my tail, letting her know I wanted to stop. Then, I turned to face Rustpelt.

Rustpelt stood awkwardly, head hanging, casting nervous, sideways glances in my direction. "I'm… I'm sorry I was such a… well, a…" He paused, and Dawnpaw immediately took up the slack.

"Fox-heart?" she suggested, her eyes still narrowed. "Badger-tongue? Dog-brain?"

"Twoleg," Rustpelt finished. My eyes widened in shock – calling a cat a Twoleg was one of the worst insults I'd ever heard of. "I shouldn't have said those things. I wasn't thinking."

"No you weren't," Dawnpaw muttered. I cast her a warning glance – I was still her leader, after all – and she went quiet.

"Do you know why you weren't thinking?" I asked Rustpelt, taking care to keep my voice neutral; if I spoke too gently, Rustpelt might think it'd be okay to tease me about my father later on, but if my voice was too harsh, he might back down and refuse to tell me anything.

"I…" Rustpelt hesitated, his eyebrows knitted as he thought hard. After several long heartbeats, he finally blurted out, "I miss Foxtooth."

I let out a rush of breath. So this was what it was all about. "I understand," I said, finally allowing myself to sound gentle. "I miss my littermates, too."

"But how do you handle it so well?" Rustpelt gazed at me mournfully. "I've never even once seen you waver or fall like me."

"That would be because you've only seen me when I'm putting on a brave face for the Clan." I spoke quietly; I put on that brave face for a reason. The Clan needed to think I was strong enough to follow. "Plus, it's easier when you have someone to confide in. This beautiful she-cat," I cast an affectionate glance at Dawnpaw, which she returned, "helps me out when it becomes just too much. She just sits there in my den while I rant and sob and curl up on the ground like a kit. It takes a bit of the burden off of your shoulders when someone's there for you. It's probably why leaders have deputies even when they still have nine lives left to lead."

Rustpelt's head slowly rose as he listened to my little speech, tilting to one side wonderingly. "Does that really work?" he asked cautiously.

"Yeah, it does," I meowed confidently, risking a small smile. "It helps so much. You shouldn't just keep your thoughts bottled up inside. Tell them to someone else. Don't feel like you're alone in this."

Rustpelt returned my smile, his eyes slowly regaining a bit of shine. "Yeah," he meowed slowly, "yeah, that makes sense." He gazed at me rather cautiously, as if trying to gauge my reaction to what he said next, and I thought I knew what he was going to say. I figured I should probably make the offer first, just to decrease his stress a little more.

"If you want, I could be the cat you confide in."

Rustpelt smiled widely, the first one, I suddenly realized, that I'd seen since Foxtooth and Cinderpaw left. "Would you do that?" he asked gratefully.

"Sure," I smiled. "I'd love to. If ever you need me, I'll be there."

Rustpelt dipped his head in gratitude, then licked my chest in respect. "Thank you," he murmured. Then, flashing a smile, he added, "And just for the record, I think you're a great leader."

I grinned. "Thanks."

Sorry for such a short chapter, I'm pretty sure low muse hits us all at some point or another. -.-

AOTD: I like Summer and Winter best, Summer because of no school and the ability to go to ropes courses, zip lines, pools, etc. and Winter because of snow and Christmas and my birthday. :)

QOTD: Do you keep a journal or have a friend so you can just spill out your troubles to them through pen or word?