⛆ FrogPaw flinched at her deputies aggressive demeanor, and moved her gaze to the ground shyly… FrogPaw was utterly embarrassed… She never meant to make a scene, and she never meant to make her heart so known to others. Its very hard to hide the truth in one’s gaze… It seems she had pissed off yet another cat, and though she needed to say something, she felt that words would dig her reputation deep into a grave…
⛆ “I’m sorry,” FrogPaws gaze lifted, her ears flattened and her head dipped… “I was irresponsible, immature, and selfish… I got too attached while trying to make myself happy and expected everything to remain the same when I returned…” She didn’t even know what she was saying, and just let the words flood out of her mouth. She was stupid, bad, a disappointment, a burden, why would they even want to keep her after learning her secret…?
⛆ Her once calm tone turned into a worried one as she spoke some more. “I never… I never meant to cause problems… I never meant to hurt anyone, or make a fool out of ThunderClan…” She didn’t want to cry, she really didn’t want to cry. Her claws dug into the ground… “Please don’t get rid of me, I can do better. I am better…” Tears were really threatening to show…
˚₊‧꒰ა ☁︎ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ——————
(I hope it was my turn.) ——————
Quote:
Originally Posted by dino.
Oh, boy. Alderstep looked just as pissed as she was. With a flick of an ear, Bumblestar scooted back to give her deputy room to sit. Ugh, it was getting crowded in here. She wanted to make this as fast as possible.
"Yes, you were all of those things," she snapped at Frogpaw. "Now, I already have an idea of what I think is a suitable consequence for whatever you've done here, but-" She gave Alderstep a pointed look "-I want to see what Alderstep thinks, first. If I think it's fine, I'll say so."
Alderstep did his best to ignore how he felt guilty when Frogpaw flinched. Either he was going soft, or he needed sixty more moons' worth of sleep. Preferably, it was the latter. He glowered at the apprentice as she groveled and wailed her woes or something dramatic. At least she was admitting her faults. That made everything easy.
The deputy winced as he noticed how close Frogpaw was to crying. He was really this close to praying to StarClan, despite the lot of losers that they were, she wouldn't cry. He looked away from the young cat, meeting Bumblestar's glance as the leader spoke. Oh, so he was gonna suggest what to do with her? Bumblestar must want to give him practice in punishing cats.
Looking back at Frogpaw, he inhaled slowly. Alright. Easy-peasy. "I'm suggesting that you are confined to camp and demoted temporarily." C'mon, he wasn't gonna let her off that easy. Alderstep glanced at the leader, wondering if she approved or not. He was just glad he refrained from a certainly insensitive joke meant to lighten the mood, just a little, so a certain someone wouldn't cry and make Alderstep embarrassed. He got a feeling the joke would've just made Frogpaw cry for real. Eesh. This whole situation was a giant mess.
...Yeah, no, she wasn't going to understand the whole lynx thing anytime soon. Maybe Mudhound just had an overactive imagination. It seemed on-brand for them, anyway.
Bumblestar fell still, jaw working silently, as her sibling carried on. This sucked, honestly. She understood the reasoning, she really did—she knew kin meant a lot to a lot of cats. But this...
"I'm sorry," she said again, with a forced edge. "I can't allow that. ThunderClan has too many issues already going on as is; I can't condone sendin' my warriors out to scramble around Twolegplace for kits who may not even be there anymore. I need everyone here so we can focus on restabilzing." Her claws caught in the bark with a harsh srrrratch and she retracted them. "And I don't wanna catch wind of a patrol being organized behind my back, either, 'cause if that happens, I don't care if you find those kits or not—everyone will be in trouble. Am I clear?"
The pinned ears were longer lasting this time and more obvious. Perhaps it wasnt as threatening as a normal cats ears but Mudhound was never going to be an intimidating cat despite their size. Maybe that wasnt the important thing though when the clear disappointment in Bumblestar was glinting deep in Mudhounds eyes.
What had happened to her? What had happened to rob this cat of its beating heart. Where was the basic compassion anycat should have to another living hurting being, much less the compassion a leader should have for their clanmate. Because the kits, those that still lived Rainkit and Skykit were Bumblestars clan and her responsibility now too. They were not missing cats abandoning their home they were stolen taken and failed by the clan. Didnt that mean it was owed to them for the clan that had a duty to protect them and failed to at least try to do right by them? Did Bumblestar realize that in the pursuit of the greater good, her justification for this, she was setting herself up for the death and pain of the individual who made up that greater? You cannot have a whole without a part and to sacrifice the part for the whole would eventually leave you with nothing.
This felt like a fundamental thing Mudhound was realizing about their sister something they had to know if she knew. She'd still love Bumble-sis even if this was an intentional part of her that crawled up the warriors spine, the maine coon mix wasnt sure they were capable of anything else, but to love they'd need to know. The good and the bad. Love despite the bad.
They hoped they didnt need to, that felt like it'd feel like how they ripped apart in the past, just in the soul not the leg.
"I know that word I think. 'Condone' Doesnt it mean to be ok with a bad action? How is saving or at least bringing closure to a horrible loss bad? Why would you have to 'condone' what is a good action? Is it because you feel the clan might fall without even three of its warriors?
Sister the clan is recovering fine under you, we have new high ranks who are learning, we have a new camp, we have ever growing confidence in you that will come with time and good actions. Isnt that re-stabilizing already? And dont tell me that's down to just three or four warriors because if a clan falls in under a week due to the loss of even two its not going to survive anyway and wouldnt it be better then to figure out what to do once it does?"
They werent at war, they shouldnt be, the gathering was coming up and what little conflict that was to be found could be settled. Little border squabbles happened as often as it rained and how often was it that rains turned into an actual flood. Bumblestar was capable of making peace for the clan as she was making the clan strong again, Mudhound knew she was. Those were two sides of the needed coin regardless of their faith in their sister so even the idea of her not being capable of that simple thing was.... Bad. Storms on the horizon brought by paws and not just a twist of fate.
"Bumble-sis arent they thunderclan? I know there was a promise to bring them home and make them one of us like they should've always been. Doesnt that mean something? Anything? Even if they werent our sisters doesnt the lives and stories of innocent kits mean something even if it is only two cats looking for under a week."
Quieter now a blameless honestly aching to know question, Mudhound trying to understand.
"Can you really live with not trying at all... Because I can live with failure as final as it can be but not even trying to do something is different, isnt it."
(So sorry this took so long I am drowning irl rn this is still happening. tried to keep this as muddy as possible in their weird emotionally smart way but still feel off kilter about this ah well)
⛆ She didn’t want to protest, and wasn’t expecting to… Even so, she couldn’t help but speak to it… FrogPaw, just about a young adult, was going to be demoted…? If returning just to be an apprentice wasn’t enough, now she’s never be anything…! “Please don’t demote me. I’m already so far behind on my training, I don’t want to be pushed back any further…!” The plea escaped her jaws, and even she seemed surprised by her own protests…
⛆ “I’ll do anything, just please don’t demote me… I’d rather be banned from all future gatherings, or forced onto doing everyone’s chores, sleeping outside, starving myself…!” Each example of a punishment she’d prefer was more concerning than the next. “I don’t want to be an apprentice forever…” voice becoming quiet, she just looked down as her ears folded and tail curled over her paws.
⛆ FrogPaw never meant for her emotions to get in the way, and she never meant for any of this chaos to unfold… It was all her fault. She probably looked like a fool, an idiot… a coward… She didn’t want to cry, not again, not ever. Her emotions always got the best of her. She wish she never had to feel emotional damage again. This was all so silly!
Alderstep did his best to ignore how he felt guilty when Frogpaw flinched. Either he was going soft, or he needed sixty more moons' worth of sleep. Preferably, it was the latter. He glowered at the apprentice as she groveled and wailed her woes or something dramatic. At least she was admitting her faults. That made everything easy.
The deputy winced as he noticed how close Frogpaw was to crying. He was really this close to praying to StarClan, despite the lot of losers that they were, she wouldn't cry. He looked away from the young cat, meeting Bumblestar's glance as the leader spoke. Oh, so he was gonna suggest what to do with her? Bumblestar must want to give him practice in punishing cats.
Looking back at Frogpaw, he inhaled slowly. Alright. Easy-peasy. "I'm suggesting that you are confined to camp and demoted temporarily." C'mon, he wasn't gonna let her off that easy. Alderstep glanced at the leader, wondering if she approved or not. He was just glad he refrained from a certainly insensitive joke meant to lighten the mood, just a little, so a certain someone wouldn't cry and make Alderstep embarrassed. He got a feeling the joke would've just made Frogpaw cry for real. Eesh. This whole situation was a giant mess.
⛆ She didn’t want to protest, and wasn’t expecting to… Even so, she couldn’t help but speak to it… FrogPaw, just about a young adult, was going to be demoted…? If returning just to be an apprentice wasn’t enough, now she’s never be anything…! “Please don’t demote me. I’m already so far behind on my training, I don’t want to be pushed back any further…!” The plea escaped her jaws, and even she seemed surprised by her own protests…
⛆ “I’ll do anything, just please don’t demote me… I’d rather be banned from all future gatherings, or forced onto doing everyone’s chores, sleeping outside, starving myself…!” Each example of a punishment she’d prefer was more concerning than the next. “I don’t want to be an apprentice forever…” voice becoming quiet, she just looked down as her ears folded and tail curled over her paws.
⛆ FrogPaw never meant for her emotions to get in the way, and she never meant for any of this chaos to unfold… It was all her fault. She probably looked like a fool, an idiot… a coward… She didn’t want to cry, not again, not ever. Her emotions always got the best of her. She wish she never had to feel emotional damage again. This was all so silly!
˚₊‧꒰ა ☁︎ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ——————
Bumblestar's ears twitched as Alderstep gave his suggestion. Not half-bad, honestly. Kind of in line with what she herself had been thinking.
"Right, so here's what's gonna happen." Her gaze skewered Frogpaw again. "You'll be confined to camp for a moon, and since I obviously can't trust you to not go wandering places you shouldn't be, someone's going to be keepin' an eye on you. If they catch you misbehaving, or leaving camp, or doing anything they or I don't like, they'll be reporting to me and I'll have you demoted faster than you can blink.
"Confined to camp means no training outings with warriors, no patrols, no nothing. And I want you to stay away from the medicine den unless it's for an emergency injury, don't bother my medicine cats with your nonsense. You want something to do? Clean out the dens or help out in the nursery. If I find you stepping even one paw in the medicine den and I don't see blood, I'm not afraid to make you start over from scratch and claw your way back up."
Her stare remained unwavering. "Do I make myself clear?"
⛆ She didn’t want to protest, and wasn’t expecting to… Even so, she couldn’t help but speak to it… FrogPaw, just about a young adult, was going to be demoted…? If returning just to be an apprentice wasn’t enough, now she’s never be anything…! “Please don’t demote me. I’m already so far behind on my training, I don’t want to be pushed back any further…!” The plea escaped her jaws, and even she seemed surprised by her own protests…
⛆ “I’ll do anything, just please don’t demote me… I’d rather be banned from all future gatherings, or forced onto doing everyone’s chores, sleeping outside, starving myself…!” Each example of a punishment she’d prefer was more concerning than the next. “I don’t want to be an apprentice forever…” voice becoming quiet, she just looked down as her ears folded and tail curled over her paws.
⛆ FrogPaw never meant for her emotions to get in the way, and she never meant for any of this chaos to unfold… It was all her fault. She probably looked like a fool, an idiot… a coward… She didn’t want to cry, not again, not ever. Her emotions always got the best of her. She wish she never had to feel emotional damage again. This was all so silly!
˚₊‧꒰ა ☁︎ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ——————
Quote:
Originally Posted by dino.
Bumblestar's ears twitched as Alderstep gave his suggestion. Not half-bad, honestly. Kind of in line with what she herself had been thinking.
"Right, so here's what's gonna happen." Her gaze skewered Frogpaw again. "You'll be confined to camp for a moon, and since I obviously can't trust you to not go wandering places you shouldn't be, someone's going to be keepin' an eye on you. If they catch you misbehaving, or leaving camp, or doing anything they or I don't like, they'll be reporting to me and I'll have you demoted faster than you can blink.
"Confined to camp means no training outings with warriors, no patrols, no nothing. And I want you to stay away from the medicine den unless it's for an emergency injury, don't bother my medicine cats with your nonsense. You want something to do? Clean out the dens or help out in the nursery. If I find you stepping even one paw in the medicine den and I don't see blood, I'm not afraid to make you start over from scratch and claw your way back up."
Her stare remained unwavering. "Do I make myself clear?"
Great cats, Alderstep was about to take back what he said, anything to make Frogpaw stop pleading for something else. He got a feeling that he wasn't great at punishing other cats. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to do it often (he doubted he'd get his wish. ThunderClan was a lot of problematic losers). But the apprentice quieted eventually, and then Bumblestar spoke.
Alderstep kept a keen ear perked, listening carefully to her words. As much as he hated to admit it, he was learning from this just like Frogpaw. And he used to think his days of lessons were over. Hah.
Overall, Alderstep found no quarrel with Bumblestar's actual decision. He'd gotten confinement right, so the deputy took his little victory there. But Frogpaw wasn't getting demoted (probably fair. Looking back now, demotion seemed a bit too harsh), so he'd been off there. Alderstep couldn't keep his curiosity from flashing across his face about the tidbit about the medicine den. He honestly had no idea what went on in there, so he'd have to trust Bumblestar on that one.
It's not like Alderstep had a choice to trust, anyway. He had no place to choose, what with his lack of experience. He kept quiet and peered at Frogpaw, trying to study her reaction. He had to make sure she wouldn't cause any trouble, though the tabby got the feeling she wouldn't. Frogpaw looked like she was actually listening, which was better than what he'd have expected from any of ThunderClan's 'paws.
There's something that goes, "Keep your face to the sunshine and you can't see a shadow." How Alderstep wished that's how life worked, but unfortunately, the shadows decided they did not want to go unseen. Figuratively and literally. The tabby's claws itched to scratch something up as he turned from the clearing to go talk to Bumblestar. Today could've been a good one, for all he knew, but of course, there had to have been a dramatic she-cat and a bloodthirsty kit. Well, the kit wasn't as much a problem as he was a bother, but still.
And now he had to go talk to the wonderful Bumblestar. Alderstep resisted his impulses as he poked his head into her den, frowning instinctively at the lichen. Eugh. Add it to the list of things that were ruining his day. "Hey," he started informally, twitching an ear. "Firestream just showed up, said she was attacked by a ShadowClanner at Herondive Hollow. Thought I'd let you know, since...yeah," the tabby trailed off with a shrug, hanging out by the entrance. This should be rather quick unless Bumblestar had something to say to him. He hoped not, for the sake of his nerves. Anyway, there was no need to get comfortable for a chat in her den. Whatever it was, Bumblestar didn't seem to like sharing, which he respected. He wouldn't either, but he didn't necessarily get a choice. What was he doing again? Oh, right. Complaining to the leader.
Sootfur padded hesitantly toward the leader's den, wondering if he was making the right thing or if his decision was too hurried. ...I must do what's right. Not what's more desirable. He reminded himself.
Taking a deep breath, he padded in and stopped right at the entrance. "Bumblestar. I must... talk to you, if you're not too busy. It's important."
The pinned ears were longer lasting this time and more obvious. Perhaps it wasnt as threatening as a normal cats ears but Mudhound was never going to be an intimidating cat despite their size. Maybe that wasnt the important thing though when the clear disappointment in Bumblestar was glinting deep in Mudhounds eyes.
What had happened to her? What had happened to rob this cat of its beating heart. Where was the basic compassion anycat should have to another living hurting being, much less the compassion a leader should have for their clanmate. Because the kits, those that still lived Rainkit and Skykit were Bumblestars clan and her responsibility now too. They were not missing cats abandoning their home they were stolen taken and failed by the clan. Didnt that mean it was owed to them for the clan that had a duty to protect them and failed to at least try to do right by them? Did Bumblestar realize that in the pursuit of the greater good, her justification for this, she was setting herself up for the death and pain of the individual who made up that greater? You cannot have a whole without a part and to sacrifice the part for the whole would eventually leave you with nothing.
This felt like a fundamental thing Mudhound was realizing about their sister something they had to know if she knew. She'd still love Bumble-sis even if this was an intentional part of her that crawled up the warriors spine, the maine coon mix wasnt sure they were capable of anything else, but to love they'd need to know. The good and the bad. Love despite the bad.
They hoped they didnt need to, that felt like it'd feel like how they ripped apart in the past, just in the soul not the leg.
"I know that word I think. 'Condone' Doesnt it mean to be ok with a bad action? How is saving or at least bringing closure to a horrible loss bad? Why would you have to 'condone' what is a good action? Is it because you feel the clan might fall without even three of its warriors?
Sister the clan is recovering fine under you, we have new high ranks who are learning, we have a new camp, we have ever growing confidence in you that will come with time and good actions. Isnt that re-stabilizing already? And dont tell me that's down to just three or four warriors because if a clan falls in under a week due to the loss of even two its not going to survive anyway and wouldnt it be better then to figure out what to do once it does?"
They werent at war, they shouldnt be, the gathering was coming up and what little conflict that was to be found could be settled. Little border squabbles happened as often as it rained and how often was it that rains turned into an actual flood. Bumblestar was capable of making peace for the clan as she was making the clan strong again, Mudhound knew she was. Those were two sides of the needed coin regardless of their faith in their sister so even the idea of her not being capable of that simple thing was.... Bad. Storms on the horizon brought by paws and not just a twist of fate.
"Bumble-sis arent they thunderclan? I know there was a promise to bring them home and make them one of us like they should've always been. Doesnt that mean something? Anything? Even if they werent our sisters doesnt the lives and stories of innocent kits mean something even if it is only two cats looking for under a week."
Quieter now a blameless honestly aching to know question, Mudhound trying to understand.
"Can you really live with not trying at all... Because I can live with failure as final as it can be but not even trying to do something is different, isnt it."
(So sorry this took so long I am drowning irl rn this is still happening. tried to keep this as muddy as possible in their weird emotionally smart way but still feel off kilter about this ah well)
The blatant disappointment in Mudhound's eyes was enough to make Bumblestar's fur bristle. No, Mudhound didn't get to be disappointed in her. Mudhound hadn't gone through what she had endured, they hadn't seen the state of chaos this Clan had been in, hadn't witnessed the decisions Bumblestar had had to make. They didn't get to be disappointed in her for this! Thorny words sprung to her jaws but she swallowed them down, and forced the spark of anger in her eyes to fizzle out as well. Bristling shoulders and claws stuck once more into the bark beneath them were the only two signs that she was ticked.
There was the urge to swat Mudhound over the head, as horrific as that was to her, as her sibling started off with hurling a definition at her. She swallowed that down, too.
"Cats vanished during the collapse too," she stated flatly, "but you don't see me sendin' out search parties for everyone who didn't make it to the new camp. Or even every cat who simply up and goes missing or is stolen or whatever the hell happens on a random day. I don't- ThunderClan doesn't have the resources to spare. If I tried every single time, I'd run this Clan ragged. 'N unfortunately that goes for kits, too."
She glanced away again, unhooking her claws once more. "It sucks. I get it. But I've got an entire Clan to focus on now, 'n that means I can't send cats after every kit snatched from a queen who was wanderin' around in places they shouldn't have been." Yeah, it felt a little cruel to say that about her sister, but Houndspirit had died three times in Bumblestar's lifetime, and she witnessed more cats who were even closer to her murdered by badgers or by crumbling earth or by other Clans enough that the process of greiving had started to become obsolete to her. She was tired of it, simply put. And she didn't need to have her cats chasing after the wishes or the spawn of the dead.
"It's still no. And I mean what I said; you start this patrol anyways, knowing full well I told you not to, and you 'n whoever else you drag along with you is gonna have to answer to me."
Sootfur padded hesitantly toward the leader's den, wondering if he was making the right thing or if his decision was too hurried. ...I must do what's right. Not what's more desirable. He reminded himself.
Taking a deep breath, he padded in and stopped right at the entrance. "Bumblestar. I must... talk to you, if you're not too busy. It's important."
Bumblestar lifted her head from trying to tidy up her nest as Sootfur entered. Her eyes flickered briefly over his form before they narrowed in mild concern. "I'm not busy. What's up?"
There's something that goes, "Keep your face to the sunshine and you can't see a shadow." How Alderstep wished that's how life worked, but unfortunately, the shadows decided they did not want to go unseen. Figuratively and literally. The tabby's claws itched to scratch something up as he turned from the clearing to go talk to Bumblestar. Today could've been a good one, for all he knew, but of course, there had to have been a dramatic she-cat and a bloodthirsty kit. Well, the kit wasn't as much a problem as he was a bother, but still.
And now he had to go talk to the wonderful Bumblestar. Alderstep resisted his impulses as he poked his head into her den, frowning instinctively at the lichen. Eugh. Add it to the list of things that were ruining his day. "Hey," he started informally, twitching an ear. "Firestream just showed up, said she was attacked by a ShadowClanner at Herondive Hollow. Thought I'd let you know, since...yeah," the tabby trailed off with a shrug, hanging out by the entrance. This should be rather quick unless Bumblestar had something to say to him. He hoped not, for the sake of his nerves. Anyway, there was no need to get comfortable for a chat in her den. Whatever it was, Bumblestar didn't seem to like sharing, which he respected. He wouldn't either, but he didn't necessarily get a choice. What was he doing again? Oh, right. Complaining to the leader.
Sometimes Bumblestar was torn between bapping Alderstep on the nose or whacking him on the head. She didn't know why, it was just this impulse she got. Something about him. And she got it just now, when he poked his head into her den to speak.
Unfortunately, she had to yet again push the urge down when she heard what he had to say, and her expression immediately soured. "Great," she muttered darkly, turning to face him fully. "Damn rats just can't keep their claws off out territory. Is Firestream okay?"
Re: ThunderClan Leader's Den
