Sootspirit nodded as Flashpaw recallled the events of the patrol and she turned to face Dawnstar. "Flashpaw found the body and it was her news tor report. I came in case Flashpaw couldn't get the words out." She said defiantly. The leader made her somewhat uncomfortable to be around and she could feel the leaders annoyance towards her and the black cats fur almost started to prickle and it took some effort to make sure it remained flat and calm against her back. "It was hard to smell who caused it, with the body being out there for too long." She added with narrowed eyes.
->> minkpaw <<-
[ she/they | outsider? | 13moons ]
a dark blueish grey and white she cat with silver eyes
the way to shadowclan camp felt horribly long, too long to realistically be the fastest route but she had been ordered to close her eyes so it wasnt a far reach to assume lostspark wouldnt lead her directly to camp without ensuring she couldnt find her way back. their trek had been silent, not necessarily uncomfortably so, not in minkpaws opinion anyway, and she had mostly zoned out for a majority of the time. she thought about the moon she would have to spend in camp and how badly she already wanted to pledge her allegiance to shadowclan just to be able to do more than mere chores. but that was still in the future and dawnstar could still reject her. after a long time of just focussing on smells and sounds she squinted against the fading light, lostsparks tail had unwrapped from her shoulders but she stuck close. however stupid it was, she felt safer with lostspark next to her, despite the fact that she had been threatened with death the lithe grey she cat was more familiar than the other cats she could smell and hear.
with the prospect of meeting dawnstar in a matter of moments and the goal to leave a good impression, or..just not completely mess up, she straightened up briefly regretting that she hadnt spent more time grooming bi coloured fur to perfection before approaching the border.
Dawnstar's ears twitched with displeasure while listening to the paws walking to and fro outside her den. The leader's been in a nonstop bad mood for over a moon now. Bitter and snappier than normal, but could you blame her? ShadowClan used to have an unshakable and unrefutable hold as the fierce of the clans. However, as of late, they might as well have been kittypets stuck outside for the first time in their lives.
ShadowClan's been nothing but a disappointment as of late. None of the warriors within her clan were worth even being named deputy, and sadly she was mostly going to have to pick the most obvious choice, which also fueled her irritation. Dawnstar grumbled softly while staring at the opening of her den when her daughter's voice reached her ears.
Her annoyance with life dimmed just a tad at the sound of Lostspark's call. Curiosity overtook her emotions as soon as she noticed that Lostspark wasn't entering without permission. That's right, she had said something about a newcomer.
"Enter." Dawnstar snapped as she got up from her nest. She dragged her rough tongue down the pink scars along her shoulder and chest and waited for her order to be heeded.
Having been given the go-ahead from Dawnstar, Lostspark wasted no time stepping into her mother's den. The familiar darkness washed over her, her attention instantly zeroing in on the scarred tabby. Waiting until after Minkpaw had entered behind her, Lostspark introduced the apprentice. "Found her sitting at the border, wanted to join ShadowClan. She gave me information on RiverClan, already has most of her training, and knows her herbs too. Names' Minkpaw."
Minkpaw probably didn't need to be told who the cat in front of her was. If she didn't know how to use common sense and figure it out, then apparently Lostspark's judgemental skills were lacking. Speaking of, Lostspark still had a couple of herb names and uses to weasel out of the apprentice before she disappeared or left or whatever if it happened. Inclining her head, the scarred feline sat down to continue. "Birdsnow is no longer RiverClan's leader - fell ill and had to step down. They have someone named Fadingsun now, and a cat named Mistyshard as their Medicine Cat to take over the position Marigoldleap temporarily was filling."
She debated adding that Minkpaw had been doing all the Medicine Cat work in RiverClan, but figured that in the end... it didn't matter whatsoever. Lostspark had banned Minkpaw from her den, she didn't want anyone meddling with her herbs, RiverClan spy or not. She had learned her lesson with the Smokekit incident. "Apparently Birdsnow just didn't bother have RiverClan show up to the Gathering after ThunderClan raided them."
Tail tip flicking idly, Lostspark turned her face slightly in Minkpaw's direction. "I've taken Minkpaw on as my warrior apprentice so I can keep a closer eye on her and her activities." The herbalist blinked as something occurred to her. "Perhaps I should keep an eye on her dreams as well." This, a mutter more to herself as she made a mental note to visit Minkpaw's dreamscape from time to time. Lostspark knew only of herself being able to invade dreams, but if she could do it, who was to say others could not?
"I've confined her to camp for a moon, you can extend or lessen this time if you wish - she is a sitting duck here - but either way, I've made it clear she's not allowed to leave under risk of punishment unless you or I give her permission."
->> minkpaw <<-
[ she/they | shadowclan | 15moons ]
a dark blueish grey and white she cat with silver eyes
minkpaw stepped into dawnstars den, falling slightly behind lostspark instead of following shoulder to shoulder, and had to blink a couple of times until her eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the den. dawnstar was hard to miss, even while the light difference robbed minkpaw of seeing any details and dawnstars dark brown pelt seemed to blend into the background, it was clear that this feline could snap her in half without issues and minkpaw subconciously straightened a bit more.
when lostspark introduced her she just nodded, there was no need for her to speak unless asked and minkpaw didnt want to imagine angering dawnstar either.
now that she was more or less face to face with shadowclans leader, not just watching for the stones while the leaders spoke, she couldnt help but glance at the large scar around her neck, the ones crossing over the bridge of her nose and wonder. her own semi healed wounds, soon to be scars, were thinner and more regular in a way, crossing her eye and shoulders in a way that made it more than easy for bystanders to assume how she had earned them. dawnstars were more of a mystery to her, mostly battle scars not unlike the ones she had seen on countless other cats but especially the ones crossing in the middle of her face were unusual. or at least minkpaw hadnt met anyone with similar scarring. young and stupid, she couldnt imagine how many battles the older she cat had fought, couldnt imagine what being a leader for longer than minkpaw had been alive would be like, couldnt grasp the concept of a leader remaining in their position for such a long time. concentrate. it snapped in her mind, far less echo-y and sounding more enraged than usual, she had probably only looked for a second, but the reminder of her mothers teachings came quick and harsh. minkpaw averted her gaze to a more appropiate place and continued to nod in support of lostsparks retelling from time to time.
the comment about her dreams made it hard to control her expression, almost letting a bit of the suprise and fear crashing down around her slip, but she had lied through her teeth enough times to recover quickly and more or less unnoticable. she couldnt talk to mossfreckle, she had to catch them alone some time, let him know at least. stars it must look like she was just expecting him to understand her reasoning on his own. minkpaw considered letting marigoldkit know as quickly as possible but she couldnt imagine any situation where she would tell the kit something that would get her in trouble if the meeting alone wasnt enough for lostspark to get mad. and.. that was it. she didnt have more cats she planned, or ever had seen regularly. she hadnt spoken to nathaniel and blazingstar for a long time and didnt expect any cats like willowwisp to reach out again, though she would very much like to see the latter one again. after most of the innitial shock had settled she began to wonder about a third cat inviting themselves into a dream without the other participants knowing, how it was possible to settle deep in someone elses mind while staying hidden, undetected even by the owner of the very land their paws were resting on.
The Commander padded towards the Leaders' Den. "Dawnstar," Hawkbite called from outside the den before pressing through the entrance. At least a little warning before surprising her with just entering. "I've new updates on Woollyfeather and some other Enforcer names to offer," Hawkbite got straight to it, sitting down in his normal spot near the entrance. His tail wrapped around his paws neatly as he gave her a chance to prep.
It'd been a couple moons since the last update about his dear friend, Woolly. Dawnstar had seemed interested in getting the warrior back and they'd finally got a chance at that. "Woollyfeather showed up in a dream of mine recently. I think it was StarClan guided," he paused, thinking on that for a moment. It was an odd idea to him. "Anyway, we chatted about a plan that could get her out. The humans have clear entrances to their house that they'll leave slightly open. Woolly can't push it open herself, but with a couple stronger warriors, I'm sure we could get her out," Hawkbite spoke. There was an eager fire in his eyes to get her back. He missed the she-cat more than he wanted to admit.
"The weather is warming up again so we could go on a warmer day and retrieve her. That would be the best time to try," Hawkbite finished. He was eager to hear her thoughts on this. Perhaps moreso than the opinions on the names he'd offer her next.
Re: ShadowClan Leader's Den
