Hardest of Hearts (swiftfoot)

Goldenfang walked as he listened, but he didn't seem in any particular hurry. The fall of his paws were soft, gait smooth, shoulders rising and falling underneath his long-furred pelt. Swiftfoot often seemed quiet, seemed reserved, but she had rarely seemed to hesitate to voice an opinion to him. There was no difference now when she confided in him her 'worries' about her apprentice - though she was not as direct as to say she was worried - and continued on to mention the rouges. Some of the fur around his shoulders started to bristle just at the mention of them.

"No kit is born with sense," he meowed, deciding to address that issue first. His tone was light, lifted with humour. "They seem to have no more when they become apprentices. That's what we're here for. You know we can guide them, teach them what we can, but only time and experience can solidify our teachings. Sparing with a Clanmate never quite prepares them for the reality of fighting another cat, for example." His tone was still gentle - he was only telling her what she already knew.

"You're a good mentor, Swiftfoot. One of the best Timberpaw could hope for. If anyone will make him into a warrior, it's you," he continued quietly. It was true - every apprentice hoped to be mentored by a deputy. Timberpaw already started with his best chance.

"As for the rogues.." He made a noise in his throat to show what he thought of that. "It can't be anything good. Their numbers seem unusually high. Rogues working together.." He shook his head, whiskers twitching. In his life he had seen them form small bands, like the one he fought off to earn his warrior name. It made them bolder than they had any right to be. Right now WindClan had no solid proof of organised rogue activity; just wisps of scent or glimpses near the border. No warrior wanted to feel like prey.

"If you need a scout, you know I volunteer. I could try to figure out more about them," he offered, giving her a look to test her reaction. It would be Redstar's choice in the end, but it didn't hurt to hear her thoughts. It would mean leaving WindClan territory, and it might be dangerous. Not something that made him flinch.

alee | notes: <3

Goldenfang was well aware of Swiftfoot's attitude toward the slow-learning apprentices and even the warriors that she thought hadn't shown enough improvement. He had never outright rebuked her or ventured to say that her way of doing things was wrong. He did urge her to be more patient though - at the same understanding that it was impossible for some. Swiftfoot seemed a very different cat when surrounded by the entire Clan. There she was prickly and difficult to talk to. She seemed a much softer cat when separated from her duties, even for a short while.

Another look was turned on her when she mentioned Timberpaw turning out as weak as Nightnose. His whiskers twitched, the only sign of his disapproval at the label. Nightrose was skittish, but Goldenfang wasn't sure he would call him weak. "A WindClanner's true strength in their swift feet," he remarked - it seemed off topic until he continued. "Timberpaw might be clumsy now, but that can only improve. If you can't turn him into a fighter, a hunter is just as useful to the Clan. As for Nightnose.." here he trailed off for a moment. The animosity between Swiftfoot and Nightnose seemed so strong. "He will never be considered one of our best," he conceded, "But the ability and will to fight isn't everything a cat needs to be useful to the Clan. Loyalty is what matters most." Goldenfang would say Nightnose had that, no matter how frightened he often was.

The mention of rogues made her pause, and Goldenfang stopped after a moment to watch her. Admitting to him that the rogues were a problem couldn't be easy; no predator liked showing their wounds. Her fierce meow about challenging the rogues had him dipping his head to her, which also served to hide the amused twitching of his whiskers before he returned to the subject. "No, not alone. A small group of no more than three, I would say. They wouldn't have to be fighters. It would only be a scouting mission." As nonchalant as he tried to sound, there was a undercurrent of tension under those words. A possibly dangerous scouting mission - which might not gain them any new information. It was better than sitting around and waiting for the rogues to circle in closer though.

alee | notes: <3

Goldenfang was not the type to hold a 'won' argument over someone's head. He did not keep score when he spoke to cats, and he didn't know. He knew that Nightnose was not the hill he wanted to die on. If he could change Swiftfoot's mind about the timid cat, it would take time and patience - the kind he wished the deputy would show for the tom. When Swiftfoot seemed to reluctantly agree with him, Goldenfang moved the topic along. There was no point rubbing Swiftfoot's nose in it.

The rogue issue was much more pressing. His ears perked and he looked down at the deputy when the claws came out. It made his whiskers twitch again with concealed amusement. There was nothing funny about it, not really, but the way she was so ready to defend her Clan even when the enemy was only being spoken about.. it was.. cute? A word he was sure was not often used to describe her. She was more fearsome than cute. He hurried to reply to her instead of letting himself dwell on why his mind had picked out 'cute' when thinking about her.

"WindClan are used to fighting them," he agreed with a dip of his chin. "We do know how they think.. if they ever do it." His tail twitched to betray the playfulness behind his words. "Suggest the idea," he continued gently. "If given the go-ahead, I'll put together a small patrol to go out of territory. You won't even know we're gone, and the rogues won't even know we're there."

The rabbit interrupted his thoughts and his ears perked, head turning to watch it, one paw up in the air like a dog on point. His head was cocked with concentration. With the wind, it was easier to feel where the rabbit had ran, the thrumming of its feet like heartbeats. He turned to give Swiftfoot a flat look, that thread of amusement running through it. "You think I can catch that thing all by myself? Who's the one named swift here?" He asked, eyes wide and mock-innocent before he took off running. Rabbits were sprinters compared to cats. The two of them could chase it down.

He wasn't as fast as Swiftfoot would be (nor as fast as most other cats in the Clan) but he was still WindClan. The scent of the rabbit was like a thread and it tugged him along, driving his feet when he might've slowed. He overtook the rabbit and cut in front of it - it almost ran straight into him. He was hoping to turn it down Swiftfoot's way.

alee |