private My promise to you (Sunstride)

[Badgermoon]

Above, the starry expanse signifying their ancestors; below, the softening ground, ice giving way to mud. In between sat Badgermoon, his head tipped back, his yellow eyes lingering on Silverpelt, a searching expression on his face. The affairs at the Gathering, the losses of Branchfall and Juniperfrost, the growing oddities in Sootstar's behavior...her ferocity had not diminished, no, and neither had his own loyalty to her...but he did worry. He worried about StarClan, about disobeying their will, about a possible future where he would have to choose between his warrior ancestors and the Clan he had vowed to serve with his life, the Clan he loved. The deputy dropped his head and rested his chin against his chest, a deep exhale snaking out of his lungs and drifting away in the cool night air. StarClan guide my paws. I know you're real, I know you're there; my faith in you cannot be shaken. But please...please spare me some of your wisdom. a selfish prayer, perhaps, but in the privacy of his own head he was allowed to be selfish. Right?

@SUNSTRIDE​

 

[SUNSTAR]

There were many things to worry of, in their sorry expanse of life. Between the earth and the sky, the living and the dead. Like Badgermoon, a great many of them weigh upon the auburn tom's shoulders. He has done what he must to maintain his composure, to steady himself against all that would trouble WindClan, yet each day is more difficult than the last. In a clan such as this, who revere those that came before, perhaps his refusal to rely upon the stars was something strange. He looked to them for inspiration and for guidance, understood that he must follow their tenants. Yet any advice that they might give is tainted by their perspective. Even if they were to remember their life below with perfect clarity, they walked among those who had lived their lives and told their tales. It was not their duty to write the sagas of another, even if they act as guides.

An uncertain line to walk, of course, and one that he does not dare try to explain to another. At best they would not understand. At worst, his thoughts may brand him an outcast. (Such a thing is so easy in this clan, after all.)

In all that there is, he is level. Unshakable. To most any who looked at him, Sunstride's concerns would be distant clouds. Present, but far-off. Without threat, now. Even still he knows to see it in those around him. The deputy's head seems weighted today, and though he does not dare speak of it around his clanmates, they are allowed peace in this moment. There are none around to hear his questioning tone as he approaches the broad-shouldered tom, head ducked just slightly so that his words may be spoken between them alone. "You are troubled," Sunstride observes lowly. "Would you want to speak of it, or to be distracted from it? I may offer my assistance with both."

﹥ˏˋ〘  OOC NOTES INFORMATION 〙ˊˎ﹤

• ooc: —
• SUNSTRIDE. named for his coloration and his bold chasing of fate.
  —— cis male, he - him. thirty-six moons old. lead warrior of windclan and former rogue.
  —— gay, but somewhat closeted. will not be open about his interests.  single, will be so.
  —— seems comparatively stranger than who he was some moons ago, serious and cool.
  
  sunstride is broad and bold– a creature standing above most of windclan, though not a beast beyond its borders, with fur that flames red at its base and deepens to a burnt amber with every whorl and stripe. his eyes, in comparison, are a pale summer's blue, still as bold as the rest of him.
• "speech"

​

 

[Badgermoon]

In time, Badgermoon heard the soft patter of pawsteps, tensing slightly; he relaxed, though, as he caught Sunstride's familiar - and comforting - scent. "Sunstride." he murmured in greeting, lifting his golden gaze to seek the pale blue of the lead warrior's eyes. "You are always offering your assistance, my friend." the black-and-white tom mrowed, a chuckle at the fringes of his voice. "Sit with me, please?" he dropped his eyes to his scarred chest and waited for the tawny warrior to sit, or to refuse, before speaking again. "You seem so incredibly solid, Sunstride, all the time. WindClan's affairs seem not to rattle you." Badgermoon was still, but for a slight tremor in his freckled paws. "I am worried about the sign from StarClan, at the Gathering." perhaps that was obvious, but it bore repeating anyway. Right? He paused, turning his ideas over in his mind, before continuing: "I have faith in Sootstar, of course. Despite outsiders' attempts to turn her into some kind of monster, I see her commitment, her love. It is simply a fierce love. But I..." he let out a sigh that seemed to come from the very depths of his spirit. "If StarClan is angry with her, who's wrong? I...I cannot bear the thought of needing to betray our ancestors or our leader. I am afraid that we'll have to choose, someday."

Could he make that choice?​