Should he feel warm from what seemed like a praise, or take it into consideration that he could lose it all from one simple action? Then again, he had already thought it over- he knew the major risks he was taking. And they terrified him, but the reward of making amends with the demons of his past, and saving a life in the process? It would be worth every struggle. Perhaps foolish in the eyes of others, but to Stormstar: meaningful beyond what words could describe. It would feel almost like a...full circle.

"If I live through this, then yes: I think we need more clans as accepting as DarkClan...even if my clan might disagree with my opinion. I...suppose I can only hope that StarClan chose me for a reason." Although, he did suppose that was a bit off. DarkClan did only accept dark element cats. But who knew? Perhaps one day, Ravenstar might open her doors to all cats, should the storm blow over.

Stormstar had to admit it- sometimes he doubted himself being leader of WindClan. A lot, actually...like, almost every passing moment. He acted so impulsively on helping Primrose, and it was a shock for a cat as indecisive as himself. True, he was still contemplating it over and over again, but what mattered was that he acted on it. Surely, that had to mean something? He did the right thing...right?

He could only hope that his new addition wouldn't only attract an angry Lynxstar, but whoever Primrose's father was as well.

But no matter what happened, he felt that Ravenstar would have his back. Indeed, they had only spoken a few times, but he felt like they had a bond like no other pair of leaders. Call it shallow of him to trust so easily, but he was confident that he could tackle anything with her by his side. "I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come across it. We can only hope that whatever she left behind won't be a threat to us in the future."

The tom appreciated her attempts to turn things into a more optimistic light, it was a good idea. He could only hope that he'd keep his overactive mind out of the negative, and continue into the direction that Ravenstar was going. "That's right! I bet she'd be great at navigating tunnels, so long as she doesn't mind a tight squeeze. Or dirt and bugs. I used to be pretty frightened of the tunnels when I was younger." The black smoke tabby paused to let out a nervous laugh. "Then again, I did fall into one as a 'paw, and I think a worm crawled into my ear." It was dirty work, and it wasn't for the faint of heart. It wasn't uncommon for the old tunnel-runners to be mocked, or so he had heard from tales told by the elders.

In the back of his mind, the leader contemplated the idea of lending a paw with the tunnels himself, especially if they planned on getting them in working order. For generations, his patrols and clanmates had dashed over the underground trails with few to no problems regarding collapsing (save for his little whoops as an apprentice), so surely they could hold up. However, it still made him nervous- potentially leaving his warriors to suffocate in a pile of sand and roots. It would be an awful way to go.

Optimism, be happy, think happy!!

The WindClan feline let out a soft purr, stretching his neck at the mention of the increasingly better weather. "It is nice. In fact, I need to start walking at night more often, I love watching the stars." For a while, the leader fell into silence, looking from the stars and then to his rounded paws. He appreciated the conversation he was able to have with Ravenstar, and he was even more grateful that she didn't mock him for his decisions. Instead, she aimed to help him grow, to become a better leader and take up wise actions.

Really, he had nobody else like that back in WindClan. "Ravenstar, I..." Finally, he blurted out, raising his head to stare into her eyes for several moments before he bashfully broke eye contact once again. "...y-you're a great friend, honestly."

While he loved to star-gaze and was starting to enjoy late night walks (and talks with Ravenstar, of course), Stormstar had to admit: he was a little afraid of the dark from time to time. But he wouldn't reveal that to her- she'd find that weak about him. Besides, with his interactions with DarkClan's leader, he was starting to realize that there was nothing to fear in the shadows and darkness. In fact, he liked what lurked in them.

...u-uhhh, not like that...they were both leaders anyways...that could never work.

But for whatever reason, what the world would be bent on denying them was almost...
...never mind.

"It must be nice, getting to see in the dark. I bet there's a lot more things you get to see that we can't, like certain nocturnal animals." The curious expression slowly faded into something equal to sorrow as a different thought slipped into the corner of his mind. Without duskiness to frame them, would stars appear as brilliant to them? "...I hope the stars still appear as brightly for you as they do for me, missing out on their beauty is something I'd never dare wish on a cat, no matter how cruel they are." The leader loved looking up to the sky to see StarClan smiling back down on him, even if they didn't approve of everything he was doing.

Did they approve of...this?

His heart sunk like a rock in his chest when Ravenstar's disposition seemingly changed from enthusiasm to something similar to disappointment. Did she not...want to be his friend? Had he overstepped? As if his fight-or-flight instincts suddenly kicked in, Stormstar felt his heart rate increase, racing and pounding in his chest like a fleeing deer. It seemed to beat so hard and so swift that he swore Ravenstar might be able to hear it. Uncomfortable from the change in his vitals and strange sensation of melancholy from her disappointment, he abruptly rose to his paws. "I didn't..." The indecisive tom struggled to find the correct words. How could he describe an overwhelming feeling that he didn't even understand?

Stormstar's stomach began to twist, painfully so, and he spat out some nonsense until the skittish tom took a foolish, cowardly route: flee. "I- I gotta go!"