☼WindClan: Home of the Swift and Loyal |☾ ☼ ϟ ≈ ☁| ☼

Palegaze surged forward toward the nest, capturing two rabbit kits easily between his claws, pinning another beneath his chest. A fourth one shot from the burrow and directly toward Eclipsesky.

"Yes, Eclipsesky!" Palegaze shot up quickly, swiping his tongue around his jaws. "That was great! And thank StarClan we found this nest; I'm sure the Clan will appreciate the food." The tunneler bent and grabbed two of the rabbits in his mouth, pushing the other towards Eclipsesky. "'hy don' 'e 'ead 'ack?" he mumbled around a mouthful of rabbit fluff.

Palegaze rolled his eyes before bounding up beside Eclipsesky, playfully shoving him with his shoulder before following him back into the camp. He dropped the prey and tilted his head back to relish the slight breeze in his whiskers as Silverpelt began to shine overhead.

"Hey, Eclipsesky?" he asked softly. "Have...have you heard anything from StarClan lately? Are we going to be okay?"

Palegaze let out a small sigh of relief at the medicine cat's reassuring words. "That's good to hear," he meowed. "I hope things can get better. We need it."

"Me neither, let's eat!" Palegaze grabbed a rabbit, padding away toward the edge of the camp. He crouched down and took a bite before pushing the rabbit toward Eclipsesky.

"Me neither, usually I'm just giving my prey to the elders or queens," Palegaze meowed after swallowing. "It's nice to see the territories coming to life again."
Finishing his last mouthful, the warrior leaned over to groom a stray tuft of fur sticking up on Eclipsesky's shoulder before beginning to wash his own face. "I'm going to sleep outside tonight since it's getting warm, what about you?"

Palegaze cast a sidelong glance at the dark-furred tom, mulling over his mention of Silverspirit. Flicking an ear as if to banish the thought, he rolled onto his back, looking at the night sky as the stars blinked to life above the camp. "It is nice out here as it gets warmer," he meowed. "The stars always look best out here on the moor, might as well take advantage of that, right?"

Palegaze snorted good-naturedly, stifling a yawn of his own. "Couldn't you ask Dawnshadow to take over for a day so you could rest? I mean, you have an apprentice for a reason, right?"

Palegaze shrugged. "I mean, I guess so. But to be fair, there's many warriors, so while we all are working hard, we also all share the burden." He looked sincerely at Eclipsesky, his transluscent gaze piercing his. "But there's only two of you. You two have to shoulder the burden of caring for the whole Clan...it's amazing, really."

"I'd believe it," Palegaze murmured, lowering his chin to his paws with a stifled yawn. "You're a really great medicine cat, Eclipsesky. I think it's time you let yourself recognize that and appreciate yourself as much as the Clan does." Palegaze's eyes slid closed as his words, wise beyond his years, hung in the night air. They opened again a moment later, half-lidded gaze unfocused on the other side of the clearing as he grew more drowsy. "I know the past couple of moons have been hard for you, and not just because of the fire...but you've gotta forgive yourself; you're good cat, Eclipse."

Any traces of tiredness were immediately dissipated as Palegaze's bat-like ears perked up and he stared up at Eclipsesky, shocked. He quickly composed himself, his gaze becoming softer. "Oh, Eclipse...I had my suspicions, but..." He also glanced around, making sure no cats were in listening range, sliding closer to his cousin and pressing his flank against his. "I, uh, you know I don't really know anything about all that...stuff," he meowed, running his tail along the dark tom's spine. "But I feel...I feel like you can't really control feelings, you know? They just are. Maybe, like, it's what you do with them? That's kind of what Pansyfoot always said to me."
Palegaze stilled a moment as he thought of his mother, lost in the fire. He cleared his throat before he continued, "Whenever I was feeling particularly bitter -- not that I don't still do that, I don't have to grow up yet -- she'd say, 'Palepaw, you're not a bad cat for what you feel. Feelings can't be good or bad; it's what you do that makes you the cat you are." 
He looked over at Eclipsesky again, feeling out of his depth with having to be the serious and wise one for once. "Maybe that's how you have to look at it? Like, sure, you feel that way, but maybe you should talk to her and let her know that you care about her but your Clan comes first? I don't know," he trailed off with a shrug.

"Love's worth a lot, I think," Palegaze meowed. "But...you're an amazing medicine cat Eclipsesky, and I've never seen one so dedicated o what they do. It seems you love being a medicine cat, too." He paused a moment, looking up at the stars over the moor before letting a soft sigh escape him. "I can't tell you what to do, but you and I both know what the code says." He cringed at his own next words, knowing it would probably hurt the tom beside him. "Is the love of one cat worth the lives of a whole clan?"

"Hmm...I suppose then, if you weren't a medicine cat, it wouldn't be wrong, right?" Palegaze murmured. "Maybe you can have both. StarClan knows you've served your clan a thousand times over."

Palegaze's expression softened as he licked between Eclipsesky's ears. "I'm sorry you're in this position," he meowed quietly. "But for the record, I think you're too strong to break. Now, we should probably rest. And who knows? Maybe StarClan will visit your dreams tonight to help you out." With that said, the albino tom rested his head between his paws and let his eyes begin to droop.