Chase The Stress Away... -OPEN-

[iPepper]

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Pantherstarmain.png] Part of Pantherstar despised her former leader, the proud orange tom she'd served as deputy so happily. It was an unfair thing to say, and usually the black she-cat would be horrified at herself for such a thought, but right now she felt justified. She'd only been a deputy for a few moons, barely getting into the swing of things with her new responsibilities, and then Juniperstar had to just go and die. Sure, it was his time to go. The illness had taken him peacefully in his sleep, and she was thankful that he didn't have to suffer any more, but she missed him! She needed him! On days like today she just didn't feel fit to be leader of BrookClan. Leaders should be strong, and therefore their Clan should be strong. They should find some way to prevent their cats from starving over the coldest season, no matter how terrible leaf-bare had been freezing rivers and cutting them off from their food source. They should make sure that other Clans, like GoldenClan, didn't trespass on their territory and set tensions high. They should be a strong presence in their Clan to keep everyone working together, nice and organized. Pantherstar felt like she was none of those things. Juniperstar had been. He'd been a cat that every warrior could look up to for moons upon moons, where as Pantherstar felt she was the meek, inexperienced leader no Clan should have for long. She lay just outside the leader's den, watching over her Clan as the sun rose in the sky. It was almost moonhigh and patrols were coming back with the little prey they'd been able to find. True, things had been worse in leaf-bare, but it seemed to her as though prey was returning at a slow trickle rather than the rush she would prefer. Maybe her expectations were just too high. Surely things would pick up soon... but her warriors were weak, her apprentice's stomachs growling as they watched the elders and queens feed on the prey they had caught for them. Pantherstar herself wasn't in the best of shape, her coat hadn't yet regained its glossy shine, her stomach growled often, and she was the thinnest she could ever remember being. Her own state didn't concern her much, though. She was the leader, it was her duty to make sure the rest of the Clan was well fed, and if that meant missing out on a meal once every so often, so be it. She was more worried that the prey quickly return for the elders and the Clan's new kits, Fawnstripe's kits. The snow and ice that had daunted the Clan a moon ago, cutting off their food supply with little mercy and making the rivers dangerous to fall through, had caused even greater trouble for the Clan in new-leaf. It was almost all melted except for a patch of snow here or there, but it had flooded the banks of some of the smaller streams in the territory and water levels were dangerously high. The Flowing Stream, especially, had broken its banks and the water crept closer to her camp each day. BrookClan couldn't relocated, though she had roamed the territory a few times in the past week to look for possible new camps until the water levels cleared. She wanted to leave moving as a last resort. She was stressed, and it was obvious in her gleaming green eyes as she looked around the camp. Next week. Next week will be better, she promised herself. The waters would recede, the prey would run thick through the territory... next week everything would be better.

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