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Aspenstar was slightly... larger than the last time she was in SummerClan. Although it wasn't noticeable to many, too early for her to show a bump, she had confirmed with Jackdawpaw earlier that morning that it was, in fact, pregnancy that had caused her food nausea the last few days. She had... conflicted feelings about it. On one hand, the idea of having a family with Phantom was charming, everything she thought she wanted. On the other hand, though, this was horrible timing. She had her paws in so many different pots that she honestly couldn't think of a worse time to have her body co-habitated. Oh well, she thought. There was nothing she could do about it now. Plus, it gave her a reason to visit SummerClan. She'd missed Phantomfox since sending him there, and she was genuinely excited to see him. And, she was sure he'd be ... well... something about the news he was going to be a father again. She couldn't exactly guarentee what his reaction would be, something she realized with a soft smile. He was a little unpredictable, after all, something that was one of Aspenstar's favorite qualities about him.
The leader let out a sigh as she crossed the SummerClan border. It was strange, crossing it as she pleased, without any concern of who saw her. After all, SummerClan knew that Stormstar was simply an extension of her - she was who called the shots, and she wasn't above slicing the throat of a cat who crossed her. Still, it was strange, the spoils of her own war. She blinked, before letting her half-gaze sweep across SummerClan territory. This was a surprise visit, so she knew Phantomfox wasn't expecting her, which meant she'd just have to find him...
Except, like two magnets drawn together across the gulf of their separation, Phantomfox was shuffled inexplicably in Aspenstar's direction, an ashen veil slipped around his broad form. As he always did when he ventured throughout the territory of his former home, he hurried forth, trying to put as much distance between himself and his surroundings- to no success, given his surroundings were surrounding him.
The SummerClan invasion was in Aspenstar's vision; it was a perfect product of the plan they had gone over extensively together over the many sleepless days. It was also a perfect poison for Phantomfox. He who was murderously malleable, tethered to a temper always on the verge of snapping, was at the same time a traumatized child skipping out on his therapy sessions. NightClan had been a harbor away from the riptide of everything he'd spent a lifetime avoiding: Two fractured families, the dreaded in-between confusion of former clanmates that thought they knew him but couldn't never quite be sure, and the creeping, unshakeable disgust of his dead sister's spirit, always one spectral step away from him. It was enough to drive a sane man mad, and no one ever said Phantomfox was sane.
The Captain of Aspenstar's Guard veered far closer to the borders than he had in recent days. He'd stayed in camp the first few nights following the invasion but the longer he spent in it, the more the effects of it began to toll, so he'd taken to wandering and sleeping very little, same as he'd done when he'd lived in MoonClan. He froze when he detected movement up ahead- a furtive glance to the side certified that the wraith was still in proximity- and then prowled forward. Whether or not he liked it, these lands were now Aspenstar's, which meant he was consigned to protect them.
He stilled, taut sinew coiling up, leaped, and---- "Aspen?" Phantomfox dropped unceremoniously to the ground. His expression was quizzical, unsure of if she were real or another delusion SummerClan's spell cast on him.
The leader raised an eyebrow. "If I didn't know you better, I'd think that you were just about to attack me, hmm?" she meowed, a bit of amusement in her eye. The fact that he was so willing to protect her land made her smile; even when she was far away from him, he was still dedicated to her rule. "But the way you said my name," she was ever the observant one. "Don't tell me that in the last moon here, you've forgotten all about me?" Aspen was fond of melodramatics these days. She looked up at him, her lips pursed slightly as if she was fighting back tears.
"I should have known too long without me wasn't good for you," she then meowed with a wink, closing the distance between the two of them. She pressed her nose against his side, once again comforted by his presence. Being around him was calming to her. No matter what went on in her mind, she knew that he would support her, be at her side when the devil came calling for her soul. He was the only cat that would follow her so devotedly into the fires of her own self-destruction, and although a normal cat perhaps would be deeply unsettled by this overwhelming dedication, Aspen felt great peace in it. She knew her world would one day cave in, and when that day came, when it came time to pay for her sins, Phantomfox would still be there. Most likely, he would be the only cat who would still be there.
She then pulled away, a smirk on her face. "I was hoping I'd catch you in the act of doing nothing of importance," she teased the accusation. "I was thinking that we could go on a little date, just you and I. Leave our duties behind and just spend some time together. I've missed looking at your ugly mug."
The touch grounded him. There were few things he felt he could be sure of right now but Aspenstar's touch was one, if not the only one, acting as an anchor keeping him attached to this moment. It was enough to break the trance, at least for now, and he could afford to return her amusement. "I'm sorry, I think I'm mistaken. Who are you again?" Of course he could never forget her. If the devil did come, and if he rained down fire and razed destruction upon the earth, he would still be able to recognize Aspenstar in the char.
He leaned into her embrace, lowering his head to brush it along her cheek tenderly. "Is it bad for me or for you? You are the one that crossed several territories just to get me alone," he reminded her in a low, loving tease. "I think I can spare a while away just for you. I do love being mercilessly insulted," the simper was mild, Phantomfox nudging her to follow him. Even if he'd lived more of his life outside of SummerClan at this point, it was still his birth clan and the most vivid of his memories were within it. He knew it like the back of his paw.
He led them to one of its famous meadows. The magic was not lost, even so late into leaf-bare, though perhaps that was in part because the muted colors were now slicked into sharp, monochromatic splendor. "Do you think you can do that?" He asked suddenly, turning a suspicious gaze on her. "Leave your duties behind? Without...extracurricular aids?"
Aspenstar let out a feigned gasp, putting her paw over her forehead as if she was about to pass out. "You're breaking my heart, you really are." She let out an amused hum at his words. "Hmm, I guess I did, didn't I? You must be something special then, for me to come all that way."
She followed him a half-pace behind, her gaze studying the territory carefully. It seemed that Phantomfox was right to doubt that the leader would be able to resist the urge to ask how things were going. After all, it was in her best interests, and Aspenstar was keen to tend to her own best interests. Her tail flicked back and forth, before they arrived at the meadows.
"Sunfreckle told me how beautiful these were, but I didn't really believe her," she meowed a little breathlessly, taking in the field in front of her. NightClan was beautiful, never ending swaths of pine trees, magnificent waterfalls, the unique charm of a heavy forest, but NightClan's beauty was nothing compared to the beauty of the SummerClan fields. For a moment, she could understand why the garden keepers chose to spend their days among fields like this; although it made them weak, it was peaceful.
She settled down next to him in the middle of the field, letting out a soft sigh. "I suppose you're right," she responded with a flick of her ear. "But, I promise, only a little work, okay? " she meowed, her gaze somewhat apologetic. "You know I need to ask: how are things here? No one has reported back to me, so I'd like to think you all are handling things well?" Her head tipped to the side. She would ask how he was himself after they got business squared away, lest it distract her from the information she needed about SummerClan.
As Aspenstar marveled over the meadows, Phantomfox marveled over Aspenstar. There were few, very rare moments where he could capture her completely at ease, and it was not lost on him that she was only this way because they weren't in NightClan, where she had to keep up her image at all times. It was pleasant, comforting, to see her this way beside him. He dared to say it felt normal.
A quiet chuckle left the chocolate tom as she yielded to his question, suddenly the starry-eyed daze leaving her and being replaced by the vivid clarity of a leader. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't ask. It's what separates you from the other leaders," he purred, rasping a lick across her ears. He then sobered. "There was resistance at first, almost as if they don't like this new reality of theirs?" A quizzical expression swept through his gaze, as if fully perplexed by the futility of SummerClan's hatred. "They seem to have accepted it by now... although, Stormreign seems to be getting quite cozy here. Would you like me to remind him of the impermanence of his power?"
Her image was something she'd spent much of the last few moons cultivating. She needed to be strong, present, unweilding with her authority. It was the only way to counter her brother's constant tarnishing of her name; she needed to prove to her clan mates that no matter what others said, she was the rightful heir of the crown. But, in the private moments, moments that didn't call for Aspenstar, the brilliant strategist, such an image fell away. This wasn't to say a softness replaced it; calling Aspen soft was akin to calling a boulder soft. Still, the leader relaxed was almost a different cat than the leader on point, and no matter the circumstance, any time she was alone with Phantomfox, she found herself relaxed. Just as he fed into her more devious qualities, he also tapped into the cat behind the scenes, the Aspen that existed outside the realm of politics, outside the realm of making appearances. It was part of the reason she was so intrinsically drawn to the tom; in his presence, she was allowed to be all parts of her, instead of simply a groomed and perfect god.
Her gaze turned back to him as he spoke, a certain level of critical analysis forming behind her gaze. She smirked at his comment about her being unlike the other leaders, a soft purr escaping her throat. "Indeed it is," she meowed in agreement, revealing once again that Aspenstar viewed herself as completely distinct from the others who held her position. In her mind, they were all weak, unable to make the moves necessary for not only survival of their clans, but the thriving of them. Perhaps this was why she no longer was close to any of them. Her only allies were long gone; Cradlegrave was the closest she'd been to actually befriending another leader - although at one point she'd been friendly but not a friend of Ratstars - and he was long gone, replaced by a tom whose clan was intrinsically connected to SummerClan. No other leader had particularly drawn her eye. Although she was on working terms with Littlestar, this was not the same as friendship. No, Aspenstar only extended her friendship to cats that she viewed to be equals or near equals, and although Littlestar was a theoretical ally, she did not consider the SunClan leader an equal. No, she was too absorbed in picking up the pieces left by her successors to truly be an equal, no matter how strong her clan may be.
She let out a sigh, then considering the other words he said. An amused look crossed her gaze when he suggested that SummerClan was unhappy. "They'll learn, sooner or later, that we are there to help," she meowed with a wink of her blue eye. "Sometimes, cats don't appreciate a push in the right direction. One day, though, they'll thank me." Her words were confident, despite the slight delusionality of them. After all, even if SummerClan became stronger after this, something she knew that they would, it was unlikely that they'd ever thank her. Instead, they'd stay wrapped up in ideas of death and oppression that came from her paws, unable to consider that a phoenix could only rise from the ashes.
She then tipped her head at his assessment of Stormstar. Ah, yes. If Aspenstar had any reservations about her endeavor, it was her placement of Stormstar. She would have much preferred allowing her mate to take the lead, but strategy had prevented it. SummerClan never would have listened to Phantomfox alone, no matter how absolutely terrifying the tom would be. No, they would have been too caught up in their misplaced loyalty in Rosethorn. Out of her remaining options, Stormreign had been the best; he had prior experience, and had seemed dedicated enough to the cause. However, no matter how dedicated he seemed, he was still a wild card. Her lips pursed at his words, offering a nod.
"Do as you must to ensure that he knows his rightful place," she meowed. Phantomfox was the only cat that she'd give such a blanket permission; even her deputy was on a much tighter rope. "Do you think he's a risk to the operation?" Her words were frosty. "Larkspur already is, I don't need another."
"You overestimate SummerClan's stubbornness," he mused, "coming from a former SummerClan cat." There weren't many qualities of his birth clan Phantomfox still retained- ever since he defected, he had spared no expense to erase every last shred of their influence from his body, sacrificing charisma for cruelty, warmth for wrath, ambition for apathy- but that one trait remained in him. It was a permanent stain on his soul as far as Phantomfox was concerned, an infection in his blood no amount of medicine could purge.
He wasn't confident they would submit and show their bellies anytime soon, no matter how much pressure he and his mate applied, because no one in NightClan knew the will of SummerClan as intimately as Phantomfox did. He'd seen that same ferocity in his mate, his sister, his son- but where another cat might consider the mission a futility, a waste of their time and energy and resources, he saw it as an opportunity to vent those ancient frustrations until he was sated. The cold, clasping claw never let go of his heart, but the pain did subside when it got its fill on terror and bloodshed.
He shifted so he could tuck a leg around Aspenstar, inching her close to his side, as he considered her question. "Stormreign has gathered trust from several SummerClan cats since the beginning of our occupation. I don't consider that in itself a problem, but his insistence to keep NightClan numbers low here is a concern of mine. I wonder how long it is before he flips and turns SummerClan completely against us under his authority; it wouldn't take much to sway them if he befriends some of their respectable members. I'll continue keeping tabs on this," he assured her. "What troubles are you having with Larkspur?"
She flicked her ears at his words; perhaps he was right. It was one of those things that was neither here nor there, really. She really didn't care about SummerClan at all; they were, at the end of the day, inconsequential. If they wanted to be stubborn, fine. "If they choose to continue to fight, so be it," she meowed ambivalently, her tail tip twitching as she looked away. "We won the first time, I'm certain we'll win again." This time, though, there was a hint of doubt in her voice. It wasn't doubt at her decisions; she was doing what she thought was right, but she was starting to doubt the endurance of the warriors around her. Not everyone was cut out for this life, and she had seen the tiredness in several of their eyes. And then, she'd come face to face with the reality when she spoke with Larkspur, heard her deputy's dreams of everything burning. She wanted to believe that her warriors were better than the fatigue, that they were all equally dedicated to making NightClan glorious as she was. She was starting to wonder if maybe that belief in the felines around her was misplaced.
"If you expect a mutiny, send for me immediately. I will not tolerate such foolishness. I will drain him of every ounce of blood he has before I let him get away with such a ... serious betrayal of my trust. Feel free to remind him that I do not play games." She clenched her jaw, falling silent for a moment. Sometimes, she wished it was different, that she lived a simple life where the biggest decision she had to make was what was for breakfast, not how much pressure to put on a group she'd occupied. These days, she often fantasized about that life. Perhaps it had to do with the growing flutter in her stomach; maybe hormones made her want to escape into a world where she could be a young mother. But, Aspenstar knew that such a life, where her only concern was the growing idea of kittens, was never meant for her. Even if there was a particularly maternal part of her that craved retiring into the mountains, Aspenstar knew intimately that such a life would bore her. Without the heat of the chase, she would grow restless. She would never be satisfied.
The leader let out a deep sigh, breaking away from her swirling thoughts. "I appreciate you, Phantomfox," she meowed, pressing her head into his shoulder softly. "I couldn't do this without you." There was a hint of ... was that desperation? exhaustion? It was ... something, an unclear emotion so subtly hidden in the tone of voice. "You're the only one I trust to have my back."
She pulled away again, shaking her head tiredly. "Larkspur has lost sight of the cause. Her dedication to NightClan is still strong, I can't deny that she wants what is best for them, but what she feels is best and what I feel is best is fundamentally at odds." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. She had had so much hope that her deputy would be different, that that fire Aspenstar saw in her had burned differently than it had. "I expected too much of her," the leader admitted, for the first time perhaps in moons suggesting doubt at her own decision making. "No matter what I say to her, she believes I have lost sight in what is good for the clan. Accuses me of being too pre-occupied to notice my own clan's failings." She let out a noise that was close to defeated. For a moment, she sat, slumped slightly. "I can't have someone who doubts me in a position of power. It's a mutiny waiting to happen," she meowed, laughing at the irony of her own word choice. "But I also can't just get rid of her." What was she to do? Was she letting her personal affection towards the deputy impact her ability to think straight. The obvious answer was to demote her, but she.... she couldn't. She didn't know why, but no matter their differences, if something were to happen, Larkspur would still be the cat she trusted to take her position.
She let out a troubled sigh, before sitting up straight. Just like that, all of the emotion drained from her expression, and she looked just as casual as ever. As much as a part of her wanted to crumble into the earth, she was in enemy territory. Letting a SummerClan cat see her like that would be a pathetic oversight, a mistake she was not going to let herself make.
"It's quite a predicament, hmm?" she finsihed, sounding strangely detatched from her words.
