Just hanging in camp

[Kitty]

Badgerclaw was right, Snowfoot knew. It probably didn't make Whitepelt feel very good knowing that she was depressed. She sighed.

"You're right, Badgerclaw. Maybe I should be trying harder. But I'm not going to forget him. I'm going to make him proud of me. I am proud of him. I'll try, Badgerclaw, I really will."

She sounded exactly like an apprentice promising her mentor she'd try harder in her hunting patrols. 'I'll make you proud of me, Badgerclaw. I promise I'll get the hunting crouch right. Even if I spend he next three moons trying.'

"It's not going to be easy, though, Badgerclaw." She turned her gaze from her paws to the tom, tahnkful for his advice.

[spike]

Badgerclaw shook his head and gave a small chuckle. "Nobody said anything of life being easy," he pointed out. "Just hold your head high, Snowfoot. That's the best way to get through it." The tom stood and stretched out his back. The muscles beneath rippled like water. He then shook his head, ears flicking at the wind's voice. "Now, Snowfoot, there are a few things you must do. First, stand up. I want to see your head up. It's the first time for you but it'll definitely not be the last. Go on, stand."

He didn't move closer but he kept his stance proud and strong hoping it'd make an influence on the she-cat.

[Kitty]

Snowfoot sighed. "I don't know how this will help, but if you insist..."

She pulled herself to her paws and stretched. Then she tried to stand taller, so that she'd be as tall as Badgerclaw. But she was still a good bit shorter, even with her head held high. She was a small cat, after all.

It felt nice to stretch her neck out again and not be staring up at the sky when she did. "Happy?" she asked, dully, but a little less.

[spike]

"Better, better," he muttered. "Now, you've just made one step towards fixing it. Now, let's finish this off a bit, shall we?" Badgerclaw walked around Snowfoot and inspected her. "Firm paws," he muttered. "Tail up. Don't let your shoulders slump."

Satisfied with his words, Badgerclaw took a step back. "I can see Whitepelt a bit," he pointed out. "That pride he had for his Clan? Yeah, that's there. I never thought I'd see such a sight. Snowfoot, you make a pretty impressive she-cat if you keep up the appearance. The heart will come. But for now, I'm happy with this much. You have something to prove, Snowfoot. Show that you'll make it."

[Kitty]

Snowfoot sighed. "I can't change overnight, Badgerclaw. My grief will always be here. It's never going to go away, Badgerclaw." Jeez, she said Badgerclaw's name a lot. Maybe it was because she liked talking to another cat, and needed to get out all the times she'd never said any other cat's name out of her system, as if she'd been missing out on soemthing all that time. Or maybe it was because she just liked his name. Honeslty, Snowfoot didn't know.

"I'll try, like I said, but it won't be easy." She attempted to lift her tail, but no matter how hard she concentrated on keeping it from drooping, if she thought about Whitepelt for even a few heartbeats, her tail sunk a little. So she stuck with just keeping her head held high, giving up on the tail.

[spike]

Badgerclaw decided that had been enough for one night. "Well, I'm not asking you to change over night," he pointed out. "You just need a shoulder to lean on right now, okay? How about something to clear your mind up, hm? How about a walk to the river? That might help you out." He moved out of the way so the camp entrance could be seen. Badgerclaw remembered his days when he was in a fair ammount of sorrow. It was before he learned to accept his past. Walking along the moon-lit river always calmed him for some reason. Maybe it'd be the same for Snowfoot.

[Kitty]

"That sounds like fun," Snowfoot agreed, allowing her tail to slump back towards the ground now that she was no longer under close inspection. The river was nice. It reminded her of...but she shouldn't think about that riht now. The phrase 'the first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one' came to mind. So, maybe if she thought about Whitepelt less, she'd get over it faster. She could only hope. And Badgerclaw could help.

She went to stand behind him with a murmured "Lead the way".

[spike]

((Moving the post to another part of the territory.))