Love and Loyalty (CedarxGinger) L0S1V0

[Cloudbat]

[bg=3b5839][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] A few stars were now beginning to poke through the wide blue sky, and the air was cool and damp on his thick brown fur. The long grass of his territory prickled slightly under his paws as he padded quietly through it. But what delighted him most was the she-cat by his side. Gingerstripe. The very sound of her name was like the breath of life. Even he did not quite know why he was so much in love with her - he simply was. She wasn't always on his mind - but often. She was much a staple of his existence as prey or water. She was loyal, brave - and strong. He well remembered that she had been one of the first to follow him on the Journey as an apprentice...and realized it was because her parents had died when she was young. He had never known Swiftstripe very well, but he and Russetpelt had often chatted with Sandfur on patrols. He wondered if it still bothered her. But that wasn't important at the moment - he needed to know what was wrong now. He reluctantly dragged his mind off of his mate so he could focus on her words. "I have...but I don't think it's much to worry about, just some muddled malcontents trying to stir up trouble. If it really worries you, I can speak with Rabbitstep and the elders." He said gently. "Unless you've heard or seen some outright rebellion?" He asked a bit more anxiously. "I haven't noticed any..." He tried to stop a bit of guilt from creeping into his voice. Maybe he wasn't quite as attentive as he should be.

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[ambird]

"I have...but I don't think it's much to worry about, just some muddled malcontents trying to stir up trouble. If it really worries you, I can speak with Rabbitstep and the elders." He said gently. "Unless you've heard or seen some outright rebellion?" He asked a bit more anxiously. "I haven't noticed any..." "Oh, no. I think I'm just a bit paranoid." she said reassuringly. After all...if cats really were angry, something would have been said. It was best just to wait to see if proper complaints were made. Maybe those cats she had overheard had had a little too much prey the night before and had been talking on bloated stomach's? She kept telling herself this, and it became more believable then cats actually angry at Cedarstar. Every at got irked at their leader at one point, that comment made in anger had been just that. That was all it was. How could she think anything different? She-cats and toms said things daily. Cats talked behind each others backs. It was just the norm. By tomorrow, the whole thing would surely be forgotten. This was Clan life, everything was sorted out in the end and no one held grudges for long. She shook her head on that one. Gingerstripe had held a grudge, through most of her life in fact. At Starclan. Well...whichever cats had the grudge wouldn't bring it up. Too many Forestclan cats to back up Cedarstar. Right? She had to let this go. Whatever was eating at her was just paranoia. After all she had seen, it would make sense to be a bit wary of pretty much anything. No one was mad at her kind, thoughtful and loveable mate and leader. They could have gripes, but getting right down to it, everyone respected him. He was their leader! The very cat who had looked past his former Clan and lead a majority of them there. And for those who joined later, he had inspired them to join, had he not? They could say things, but they all knew he was the reason they were here today. "Would you like to head down to the river? It is pretty hot, I'm thirsty, would you care for a drink as well?" she asked, focusing back on her handsome mate. Gingerstripe didn't care what the rest of her Clan thought of him, whatever flaws he had, she saw to the good in him. He genuinely cared for many cats, and always tried for the best for his Clan. What more could you want from a leader? [bg=b97335][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Cloudbat]

[bg=3b5839][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] The long-furred leader smiled again, glad his mates seemed reassured. Besides, he wanted to cast such trifling matters from his mind and enjoy some time with his lovely mate before he had to go get some sleep. His face lit up at her suggestion. "I would love to. Race you there!" He added mischieviously, and took off, his large build thumping over the poor little flowers and pebbles, but he barely noticed in the delight of the smell of the mint and berries and earth, the stars, and the good water ahead of him. Mind you, he fully expected Gingerstripe to win, as he was not built for long-distance running, and she was. Still, it was the fun that counted. Certainly much of MeadowClan would be surprised to see their stern leader racing around like an apprentice. But love did that to him. Truly, there couldn't be anything of much wrong. He'd go on a few patrols himself, just to see how things were, he would talk to Littlewhisker and the elders. But all was most likely well. Prey was good, the weather was good, and there were three new warriors. Apart from the border scrap last moon which they had lost, things were perfect. However, Rabbitstep had informed him of the offending cat, Redtail, and it seemed he was acting alone. So he hadn't worried. Cedarstar gave a deep, hearty laugh as he strode along the territory that he so loved, delighting in his black-skied world.

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[ambird]

"I would love to. Race you there!" she purred at his response, and gave him a head start( not too big of a head start) Three heart-beats and she was off. Of course, simply by her build Gingerstripe would inevitably beat him, but why waste time on winning? She wanted to have as much fun with her mate as possible, and running around like kits again would definitely be called fun. She glanced up quickly, and saw the twinkling stars above. Beautiful, stunning and enchanting. The mere wonderment of such a thing would usually keep her in awe, but not tonight. Cedarstar was her main focus. What was to worry about? Even if cats were angry, that would blow over faster than almost anything. Once it was done with, everyone would forget about it. If not, feelings would just be hurt. And maybe some retaliation, but for the sake of the Warrior Code, would anyone really fight? If they did then how many cat would they even have any cats to back them up? Even if skirmishes broke out, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. But even that would blow over. Nobody wanted to really hurt one another, right? So why be scared for something that may not even come to pass. "Beat ya," she purred playfully, running up to the bank of the river. She licked up some of the water, and then looked up. Gingerstripe glanced back, and he was right up behind her. She smiled at the brown tabby tom, all former doubts about whatever may have been wrong with some cats. He was determined, thoughtful, and above all else, Cedarstar some how put up with all of her flaws. Gingerstripe was high-strung at times, and could be a bit annoying, and yet he didn't care about any of that. Thanks to him...she had matured vastly. Partially because of the great journey, but mostly because of her love for him. She guessed love just did that to cats. "So, how's life been for the almighty leader of Meadowclan?" [bg=b97335][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Cloudbat]

[bg=3b5839][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] She beat him, as she knew he would. Cedarstar thought as long as he lived - and seeing as he had eight more lives left that could be quite a while - he would never forget the smell of his mate or the warmth of her smile, even if he became so old he could no longer see or hear. Thinking of this, a slight worry crossed his mind - what if he did outlive Gingerstripe? It was very probable...though he was older by 13 moons or so, he did have eight lives left. A long life could be a blessing - or a curse, as he now realized. He vowed that if his love ever died, he would be not long after her. Life would hardly be worth living otherwise...even for his Clan. But then he smiled as he too bent to drink, getting the thick fur on his face wet and shaking it off, watching the droplets fly everywhere like little specks of light. The future would be worried about when it happened. For now, the present of his Clan and his life mattered. He knew he shouldn't be oblivious, but he would live in now. "Not bad." He replied, but then grimaced. "Though I really need to talk with that former apprentice of mine about his pranks. I hate to consider it, but I might need to imprison him temporarily if he doesn't stop." It was the one thing the tabby leader felt like a failure in - Shrewstorm had learned the skills well enough, but he lacked any sort of discipline or awareness of his actions. Though Cedarstar truly felt sorry for Rabbitstep - it must be awful to have a son like that. At least Sootstripe was a good warrior. Gingerstripe had taught him well. Speaking of children..."Do you...do you think you'll ever want kits, Gingerstripe?" He asked her softly. It had been on his mind, and thinking about Rabbitstep's son had reminded him. He would certainly like to have children of his own one day...but only if his mate wanted them, too.

[ambird]

"Though I really need to talk with that former apprentice of mine about his pranks. I hate to consider it, but I might need to imprison him temporarily if he doesn't stop." she purred quietly at this, knowing full well Shrewstorm had been a bit of a problem. But, his heart was loyal to the Clan, so that had to amount for something. She couldn't really judge the tom, however annoying he may of been. Gingerstripe may have been just as bad(or worse) as an apprentice as well. She knew full well he needed to mature....somehow. If love had done it to her, what could possibly mature a cat like Shrewstorm? Regardless, Rabbitstep's son was a wonderful addition to the Clan. "Do you...do you think you'll ever want kits, Gingerstripe?" Gingerstripe slightly raised her eye brows at this. Kits? Well...she had often fantasized about being a mother. But, she hadn't considered actually being lucky enough to have a mate to have kits with. Only some moons ago Gingerstripe hadn't even considered being in a relationship. But now...that opportunity was now open. It would be wonderful to mother a few kits. It couldn't be that hard, could it? The Clan would support the kits as they grew and developed. Whatever anger there was, it would never be brought down on kits. Or, that's what she told herself. "I've definitely considered it, Cedarstar," she said, nodding. "How...about you?" [bg=b97335][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Cloudbat]

[bg=3b5839][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] His heart started beating about three times as fast when she said she'd definitely considered it. Oh, the joy! He had a beautiful mate, lead a good Clan, and ruled a wonderful territory. Being a father would complete his life in full. "Yes...for a long time. Even when we first left ForestClan, I wondered whether I would ever have a mate, and whether we would have kits. It seemed so unlikely at the time, whether we would even make it to a new home...I despaired of ever having a family of my own. But now-" He looked at her lovingly, breathing in her familiar scent "-I have everything I've ever wanted. My Clan...my territory...you. Everything. But I've wanted to be a father for a long time." The idea of having children to carry on his mighty legacy was so enthralling. Would he have kits, they would be the best in their class, perhaps one of them would even be leader one day when he was gone. Perhaps one would be the most brilliant medicine cat ever born, or the swiftest hunter to race across the fields. Maybe they would be the greatest climber, reaching the tops of trees that no one else dared to scale, or the most courageous fighter ever born. Lost in his daydreams, the mighty leader didn't realize a moth had landed on his nose.

[ambird]

"-I have everything I've ever wanted. My Clan...my territory...you. Everything. But I've wanted to be a father for a long time." Gingerstripe purred at this and her eyes lit up. Being a mother! It was a bit of an overwhelming thought, but she could handle it, simply because she had her wonderful mate, Cedarstar, to support her. Kits! Living, breathing jumping kits. And she would be responsible for them...this made her heart skip a beat. Very....very big responsibility. Their lives were in her hands...she stopped for a heart-beat and thought of that. Such a major thing to do....Gingerstripe could do it, couldn't she? No! She couldn't already doubt her abilities to raise kits if she was to have them. "Kits...that would be wonderful. For the Clan...for our lives..." she murmured softly to herself and Cedarstar. Mostly to herself. It was great that they both wanted kits. For a few short heart-beats she was starting to wonder if he wanted to take it that far. Thank Starclan he did as well. There was only one other question she had left to ask him. "Well, we both want them. So...the only question that would remain would be...when?" she asked, not trying to ask to earnestly. After all, they did have as much time as they wanted. Be in a Clan gave you just that much security that the sun would rise and the sky would be blue. They needn't worry about day to day life. Which reminded her of her earlier worry. Why would her kits have any problems to begin with? They were in a loving Clan. Nothing would ever change that. Sure, they were Forestclan, what was the big difference? She didn't take any notice of blood, but obviously others did. [bg=b97335][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Cloudbat]

[bg=3b5839][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] Cedarstar purred with his deep voice, feeling currents of happiness wash over him like the water in the river that was so cool and clear. He was so glad that she seemed all right with it. He loved Gingerstripe, and felt like she belonged to him, but felt equally that he belonged to her. So even if she'd said no, he would've respected that...but the brown tabby was so pleased she'd said yes. The MeadowClan leader considered his mate's words seriously, and then realized there was a moth on his nose, and he flailed at it, but ended up madly batting at it and - whoops! - fell into the river with a big splash. In front of any other cat he would've died of embarrassment, but love and night air made him foolish, so he grinned like a fox and splashed his mate. "How about...tonight?" He asked it jokingly, but he meant it, too. "But first let's enjoy the stars!" He said, and hopped back out, making sure to shake his thick pelt in the direction of Gingerstripe. "I challenge you to a border race!" He said, resuming his normal imperious stance and stern gaze, though his face betrayed his joy. OOC: Do you want to post once more and tie it up, or do you just want to stop here?[/blockquote

[ambird]

"How about...tonight?" he had asked her, slightly joking. Gingerstripe knew that he wasn't just making idle conversation. He was serious. Tonight? Her schedule was free enough. She purred at her own smart remark. "I challenge you to a border race!" she purred once again at him. "Border race? Cedarstar, you have no idea who you're challenging. One of the fastest cats in Meadowclan, I'd daresay." she laughed, a glint of joy in her eyes. Gingerstripe had seen the slight uncertainty in his eyes as he has asked her about the whole kit thing earlier. She smiled warmly at this, seeing her leader slightly nervous had been all but adorable. To her, at least. She wouldn't trade anything for all the time she had spent with Cedarstar. He was her best friend. Her mate. Any cat that wanted to say he was selfish would have to say that to her face. And the outcome of such a thing? Said cat's face being clawed off. He had his flaws. So did every other cat in the Clan. Live and let live. Otherwise, strife would tear apart everything she had ever known. Those rebels(if they really did exist) would do more than just fight against Cedarstar. And she would be ready for them. By teeth and claw if necessary. OOC: Short ending is short. lD [bg=b97335][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]