Ask to Join A Bold and Sunny Day

Like the sun, I may burn fiercely, but it's my fire that warms those I hold dear.

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Sunbear had just recently returned from her walk across the territory, her limbs hadn't failed her yet and the old she-cat was appreciative of that at least. After taking a bird from the fresh kill pile, she moved back to the Elder's den, hoping that Berrypaw hadn't haphazardly made up her nest again, it normally wouldn't be cause for complaint, but it was starting to hurt her joints, worse than normal... perhaps Breezewing should have a word with him.

However that was a chat for another day. Once she slipped into the den however she didn't really move to her messy nest right away, instead her hazel eyes landed on Boldclaw huffing about undoubtably the choice that Fawnstar had made to put him in the elders' den with oncoming permanence.

She let a breath free from her nose, not quite a sigh, but nothing that had any amusement either, pity? Sympathy? something similar. She had remembered her first couple of moons in the elders' den. She felt so useless to a clan that had accepted her... mostly so many moons ago. She decided that she could simply sit beside him, her presence would hopefully be enough to draw something from him.

So, the large she-cat sat, a pawstep of distance between them when she dropped the prey at her paws. "Care for a thrush?" she asked, not really expecting a positive response. However, she was much more used to negativity towards or around her, a positive response would surprise her much more than a negative. 

I’m still a Warrior no matter what you say!
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Boldclaw flicked an ear as he noticed Sunbear enter the den with food. Now there was a cat who deserved to be in this den. She was utterly decrepit with age in his opinion. Worse than that! She was allowed out and about without any cat telling her no. But him? Oh no. He had to stay put. Who cared if he fell asleep out in the nice warm sunshine on the moor? He was too big for any hawk and no murderer would get so deep into the clan territory anyway. Besides which, even if he went to the borders… The creamy tom’s thoughts were rudely interrupted by Sunbear plonking herself down near him. ”No I do not want some thrush hunted by someone else,” Boldclaw snapped and looked reproachfully at the larger she-cat.

”I should be out there hunting for you and the others. Not the other way ‘round,” Boldclaw dug his claws into the ground, leaving deep scratch marks. ”I don’t know what Fawnstar thinks she’s doing. This ought to have been a temporary leave until I…” the burly tom couldn’t stop the yawn that interrupted his little tirade. ”...got over this exhaustion thing,” he finished lamely. The seal point tom knew full well that yawn had just disproved his point and now he sat scowling. ”It isn’t fair,” he added, hoping for some measure of sympathy that he felt sure wouldn’t come.

Like the sun, I may burn fiercely, but it's my fire that warms those I hold dear.

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A torn dark colored ear flicked, Sunbear's expression its usual unmistakable unreadability as he snapped at her, it would have taken a little more than a shouting cat to make even a dent in Sunbear's stone-like composure. "A simple 'no' would have worked." She answered before dragging the thrush closer to herself and raking her claws along it's feathers to yank them out for an easier meal.

"You may not have aged like an elder but you sure are complaining like one" Sunbear replied, she wasn't sure if Boldclaw would see the sign of amusement in her eyes, the giveaway that she was joking with him, Heatherpaw didn't the first time, but if he didn't she wouldn't continue with something that would just make him more frustrated. "... Anyway."

Sunbear took a bite from the thrush after a sizeable amount of feathers had been removed for easy access to the plump flesh. "I'd assume every elder goes through something like that, you and Brightmaple especially. Retiring early when it's drilled into you from the moment your ears open to serve the clan with everything you have. Then just getting forced to the elders' den to rest and eat the prey other cats catch. It's frustrating at first." she began, curling her dark tail around her paws  before taking a bite out of her prey.

"But usually," Sunbear paused to lick the blood from her whiskers before speaking again "when a young cat is retired, it's for the best, Fawnstar is new at this whole thing, she's only had a couple of ceremonies under her paws. When Badgerstar was taken by the twolegs it wasn't easy for any of us." she explained, twitching the tip of her tail. "A sleep in the sun during hunting would be nice yes, but with a murder around only StarClan knows if that would be your last, you'd be easy prey for something bigger that comes along." 

She paused, however her eyes weren't as hollow as her expression, there was something a little bit deeper. "You have every right to be angry, but you can't let that anger take over everything you think about. Now, you have time to actually look at the world for what it is. And..." Sunbear pondered for a moment, she didn't normally do things like this... "I can take you on one of my walks, you can hunt around and I'll keep watch. If you're asked about it you can tell Fawnstar to come around to me. I'd be happy to have a chat with her." 

I’m still a Warrior no matter what you say!
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”I uh…well,” Boldclaw stuttered at the reprimand. ”But I should be bring food to you, not the other way around,” he finished lamely with a shrug. He wasn’t exactly remorseful over his snapping at the older she-cat, but the slightly sheepish look on his face told that he realised he had growled at the wrong cat. This didn’t last long, however, as Sunbear’s follow up comment fuelled the anger once more. ”I do NOT complain like some old fart!” the burly tom protested passionately. ”I’m not some decrepit foxdung heap of a cat who is good for nothing but lazing around and complaining! Uh…no offense,” the outburst had taken Boldclaw by surprise. He had thought it plenty of times, but hadn’t actually expected himself to say it. But he was tired and frustrated and Sunbear was rubbing his fur all the wrong ways. Even so, the tom quickly shuffled a tail-length away from the older she-cat to hopefully avoid a clawed ear for his comments.

”I’m not an elder though!” Boldclaw whined like a kit put on timeout. ”And nor am I weak! Okay I can’t always control when I fall asleep, but Windclan isn’t weak either. Murderer or not, I’m as safe as any cat in our territory whether I’m asleep or not!” The creamy-coloured tom lashed his tail and huffed nonchalantly. He genuinely didn’t see an issue with his falling asleep uncontrollably. ”Besides? What else is there to do? You might be content sitting on your tail and being fed like a kit, getting fat and lazy like those yellow-bellied Riverclanners, but I have so much more to offer my clan,” the tom sneered. Boldclaw liked to think of himself as charismatic and tactful but moments like these really proved just how untrue this idea was.

The seal-pointed tom narrowed his eyes at Sunbear as her offer to take him on her walks sunk in. ”I’m not some helpless kit!” he hissed, fury glittering in his eyes. ”I don’t need a kitsitter! Nor do I need to be looked after by some old nobody who can’t even decide what clan she belongs to. I don’t need your help!” Boldclaw glared at Sunbear, just barely refraining from growling at her. He knew he was supposed to respect her since she was an elder and had served the clans. In fact, he even knew he was being unfair by sneering at her past, but he just didn’t care right now. He hated that every cat now thought he needed protecting and looking after just because he got so sleepy. He hadn’t trained his tail off throughout his apprenticeship just to retire after a few moons after gaining his warrior name. He would prove to every cat in Windclan that he was capable. Maybe he would just start doing his warrior tasks again. Yes, that would show them.

Like the sun, I may burn fiercely, but it's my fire that warms those I hold dear.

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Sunbear didn't bare much of a reaction to Boldclaw's degradations, he certainly fit his name-sake that was for sure, if he was bold enough to shout obscenities at one of the oldest members of the clan he was certainly had enough guts to be named after it. But regardless, she wasn't going to indulge it. She was still sitting where she was yes, but she didn't flinch when Boldclaw rose his voice, even when he spat venom of her past. She had heard worse for moons and she wasn't going to let a grown car behaving like a pouty kitten get under her fur.

She took to giving her paws a groom as the ex-warrior rambled, cleaning the fur between her pads thoroughly without even sheathing a claw in anger, as if she had taken his words with a droplet of rain. Her eyes narrowed, not in anger, but in focus as she found a speck of dirt hidden under one of her pads and reached to clean in with dutiful precision.

Eventually, the tom's growls and spitting came to a quiet standstill and Sunbear's ears finally pricked at the silence before turning her sharp hazel eyes towards him. "Have you gotten it all out yet?" she asked, her tone baring its usual dryness before she did a final check of her newly cleaned paws. "Because if you're not, I can take the hits of your snaps, get your anger out on me. I won't object." she added, her tail rolling around her slowly for her to begin the cleaning of her long-haired plume.

Sunbear's movements seemed almost calculated and effortless, as if she had cleaned her fur this way for many many moons of service. She didn't care to say much more though, simply letting out a quiet hum to herself as she wondered how her daughter was doing with her apprentice, would they be training right now? ... Probably.

I’m still a Warrior no matter what you say!
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Annoyance began to glitter in Boldclaw’s eyes as he noticed the elder simply washing her paws. She seemed almost to be ignoring him. Treating him as though he were some insignificant mite. A growl rose in the cream tom’s throat. ”You don’t care about anyone else but yourself, do you?” the pointed tom growled lowly, tail lashing. ”I bet you enjoy sitting on your tail. The walks are just for show, aren’t they?” Boldclaw snarled and stood up, trying to threatened the elder by standing tall. Although whether this would work on most cats was questionable as he was hardly a tall cat. Not short, no, but not long-limbed. Perfectly average.

”Everyone treats me like a kit. Or worse. You all think you’re better than me!” Boldclaw growled, his tail lashing furiously. ”None of you understand what it’s like! Starclan simply wishes to share with me. But I’m not ready yet. That’s why I don’t remember anything. But they do! They force sleep upon me and I’m sure we talk in those dreams. One day they will grant me the privilege of remembering those dreams. Until then I will focus on deciphering the visions they give me in the day. And you! Well you will learn to respect me.” The entire tirade was growled and snarled, tail lashing like a dying fox caught in a snare.

”I’ll show you,” he snapped. ”I’ll show all of Windclan that I’m not some kit that needs to be coddled in the camp!” Boldclaw lashed his tail and yawned widely. Looking furious with himself for yawning, he turned to stride out of the den and then paused mid-step. His eyes were closed as if during a blink, he had forgotten to open his eyes. Slowly his paw dropped to the ground and a serene look came over the previously angry tom’s face. His body relaxed and although he remained standing, the rhythm of his breaths seemed to imply sleep.

Like the sun, I may burn fiercely, but it's my fire that warms those I hold dear.

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"Who gave you this disrespect, Boldclaw?" Sunbear stated, not a snap, just a dry, but somehow genuine question. Typical of Sunbear to ask. "Have you even paused for a moment to think what Fawnstar might actually be thinking before rambling off to me about how unfair it is. Not everything is about you." She added, her voice didn't have the growl or snap that Boldclaw's did, just honest truth mixed with that stone faced lilt it never seemed to get rid of.

Sunbear twitched her torn ear, curling her tail around herself as she decided that it wasn't worth fighting. She began to pluck the bird at her teeth, removing clumps of feathers until the bird became comfortably edible before tearing it open with a single claw before she tore out a bite. "You talk like you're some great leader. You're not. As much as you have distain for it, you're an elder. You've got to either accept that or take your thoughts to Fawnstar. I don't have the power to give you a rank or take it away. So it won't do you any good to speak to me about your issues." she added, Boldclaw's attempt at intimidation rolled off of her like rainwater off a RiverClanner's water resistant fur. 

"Take your complaints to Fawnstar or don't. But don't expect things to change if you keep loudly complaining about it." Sunbear finished, taking another morsel out of the prey, her tone didn't change, it never did, there wasn't even a flare of anger in eyes eyes, just that simple neutrality that Sunbear was one of the best at carrying, for her own protection.