Dry Winds [Redstorm]

[Deleted]

Maplefrost sniffed at the entrance of the elders' den. Here they all were, with newleaf clearly having arrived, yet they were all still stuck in this CloudClan-forsaken desert. The tortoiseshell was nearly losing her mind from the whole ordeal.

"Redstorm? You alive in there?" The senior warrior wanted to talk to him about something she'd discussed with Windflurry a while ago. That is, if the heat hadn't killed the old tom.

[Redstorm]

Redstorm was sprawled out in the shade. Even in the coolest part of the den he still felt like dry bone, maybe mixed with a little dust. He hadn't been that social within the last half a moon, except for the one quick conversation with Birdshadow.

Oh, derp, someone was here. He raised his head, only to find his visitor was Maplefrost. 'This should be fun.' He thought, sitting up.

"I'm alive, but just barely." He muttered, leaning against the den's wall. "What'd you need?" He asked blankly, swatting a gnat away from his ears.

[Deleted]

She winced a little as she caught sight of Redstorm. Wildstar's decision to move, combined with the fact that they were still here, had obviously taken a toll on this cat. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to make her request... yet she couldn't exactly wait forever.

"Do you want some water?" Maplefrost offered, tail brushing the sand on the ground. "I could grab some from the pond outside of camp..."

[Redstorm]

Redstorm simply shook his head, but plopped back onto his side. "No, no, I'm fine. Just a bit warmer than usual." He muttered, sweeping his tail across the sandy earth.

"How are things going outside the camp? No new dangers or anything?" He had meant to ask Birdshadow some questions during their little chat, but had never gotten around to it. Maybe Maplefrost would have some actual answers.

[Deleted]

A twinge of pity caused the female to frown. She padded all the way into the den, limping slightly from her twisted leg. By now, Maplefrost had given on hoping that she'd ever rid herself of the limp. Settling down in the shade closer to the elder, she sighed and blinked.

"Just about the same as it's been. Snakes and birds of prey are pretty troublesome, but other than that, it's the heat that's our real enemy," the senior warrior meowed in reply. "I sure wish we could go home..." She lowered her voice. "That's what I came to talk to you about."

[Redstorm]

Redstorm narrowed his eyes, sitting back up. "I'm not sure I like where this is heading." He muttered, looking past Maplefrost to make sure nobody else was listening in. "But go ahead and tell me what you have on your mind."

[Deleted]

She bit her lip uncertainly. If Redstorm didn't like the idea, it could mean trouble. Maplefrost hoped that he'd play along, yet it wasn't unlikely that he would refuse to join in.

"A while ago, Windflurry and I were talking about heading back to the mountains, because the idea of dying out here doesn't quite appeal to me. She mentioned bringing you, but we never got around to actually making plans. Of course, Wildstar would have my head... but I don't agree with her decision, and she shows no signs of leading the Clan back soon. Being here during greenleaf could cause a lot of suffering, possibly even death." Her green gaze stayed fixed on the elder, watching for a reaction.

"What do you think?" she asked at last.

[Redstorm]

Redstorm listened in silence, letting out a little sigh every couple of sentences. Finally she was done, and she was looking for his reaction. At first he simply stared at the ground, not entirely sure on what he wanted to say.

"I've already gone against Wildstar once. This time we're out in the middle of nowhere, and I'm basically a bag of bones. If I were to rebel again, she might not be as merciful as the last time." He whispered, never looking up.

"But I do not wish to die here. I put too many seasons into the mountains. I hold too many memories there, and I refuse to let them die off just because our leader is making odd decisions." He muttered, for once realizing that he had left his memories of his kits back in the mountains, of his lost family and friends.

"If you were to leave...I wouldn't need much convincing to go with you. But at the same time, I don't want to leave the entire Clan behind. Do you and Windflurry have anyone else you plan to take along, if you even go through with this?"

[Deleted]

There was sense in that, and Maplefrost admitted it mentally. Wildstar wouldn't take kindly to a few of her warriors just leaving. She had heard of the rebellion, having been born at the very end of it, when everything was just dying down. Yet the looming threat of punishment wasn't quite enough to deter the tortoiseshell cat. She had never quite liked Wildstar, especially after the leader had done nothing during her imprisonment in FireClan. Maplefrost held a grudge from that time, not just against Darkstar and her father, Hawkstar, but against her own leader as well. The way things were going, she might as well just move to TreeClan. At least she'd be living under a fairer leader there.

"She wouldn't be happy... but I'd make sure that she blamed me, if anything. I'm sure Wildstar isn't cruel enough to beat one of her most knowledgeable and respected elders to death. More than anything, we're not meant to be living here, and CloudClan themselves would agree. IceClan should be in the mountains, where we've belonged for countless seasons. All four of the Clans were destined to stay together, and our leader is defying our ancestors by doing this." The senior warrior bared her teeth sadly, realizing that CloudClan might just turn their backs on them, if they hadn't already.

"We weren't thinking of bringing anyone else, not that I know of. But tell you what... let me look around for a while and see if there's anyone else that would be willing to go." She got to her paws a little stiffly. "If the spirits are still looking out for us... perhaps we'll all be home before we're forced to do this alone."