A tom's ambition should not exceed his worth [p]

[Undertaker]

@Ravensong @Levi 99
The ShadowClan leader limped her way back to camp, she was in pain, and her stomach wounds burnt, but she looked worse than she was. The puncture wound in her shoulder was more annoying with a slight hint of pain. It kept stopping and starting with the bleeding, over and over again. If she put too much pressure on the shoulder, new blood would trickle out of the wound making her paw all gross and slippery.

The battle, although a loss, hadn't gone as sideways as Dawnstar had worried it might have. There were wounds, yes, but she hadn't seen anyone too badly hurt. They'd live to fight another day and that's all that mattered. Dawnstar gradually made her way over to the medicine cat's den. Elmshadow had said he wanted to speak to her about Shadefrost on the way back to camp.

She could guess what it was about, but guessing only got her so far she needed to hear it from the source. The leader, despite her limp, moved quietly across the clearing and entered Elmshadow's den. The leader took a seat off to the side in case clanmates needed Elmshadow's attention or something of that sort. She knew the tom would be busy after the fight and whatnot. Her amber eyes sought out Shadefrost since she knew the tom couldn't be anywhere else other than the medicine den, not after the beating he took.

"Elmshadow, you said you wanted to speak to me." The leader spoke after a moment passed, growing bored of waiting even though she hadn't been here long.

[Levi 99]

If it were possible, Shadefrost would have done everything in his power to avoid seeing Elmshadow right now. But the throbbing pain in his shoulder and chest was enough to let him know that the alternative meant bleeding to death or getting an infection, which wasn't on his bucket list. So with extreme reluctance and much-needed mental prepping, the warrior padded into the medicine cat's den and settled onto one of the moss-lined nests. The air was thick with the scent of herbs, a blend of earthy and medicinal aromas that filled Shadefrost's nostrils. He was already dreading this. Crossing his paws and closing his eyes, the slick-furred tom laid his head on them, attempting to relieve whatever weariness or stress was in his muscles. Then his leader's voice broke the silence, causing his ears to prick in her direction. He didn't lift his head, though. He wouldn't unless Dawnstar specifically addressed him.
@Undertaker @Ravensong

[Pitou]

**Elmshadow**

@Undertaker @Levi 99

Making his way back to camp had been uneventful enough and he immediately got to work sort through the herbs he knew he'd need even before fully assessing the sustained injuries. Wounds would be aplenty so marigold, yellow bells, poppy seed, honey and cobwebs would be the most pressing, dock and comfrey may come in handy. He moved through assessing the warriors and apprentices already in his den looking for treatment when Dawnstar's voice spoke up from one side of the den. He stabilized the most pressing injuries then addressed his leader. His green eyes moved first over the fresh wounds that scarred her pelt. "Yes. Your wounds need cleaning," he meowed. He offered her a couple poppy seeds if she'd want to take any then set to work making a poultice of marigold and honey. Elmshadow generally preferred when warriors cleaned their own wounds though some of the extensive wounds that Dawnstar had received made him feel a bit more lenient in the particular case, in which case he'd grab water-soaked moss to help remove the blood. "It's about Shadefrost. His insubordination, selfishness, and disregard during the battle left his apprentice vulnerable and his clanmates lives at risk. He fought well against a Thunderclanner though, in the end, she managed to knock him cold. Mousepaw and Larkfire jumped to his aid, Mousepaw was working to get Shadefrost to safety while Larkfire distracted his opponent as well as battling her own. I stepped in to aid Larkfire when Shadefrost woke and fought both his apprentice, who he was aware was acting under my orders, and myself. He made his demands to rejoin the fight putting Mousepaw at considerable risk stuck in the middle of a battle and threw in his own threat against me for good measure." As he spoke he kept his paws working as he attempted to prepare and then apply the poultice and cobwebs to wherever Dawnstar needed it.

[ -0.5 honeycomb -1 marigold -1 cobwebs ]

[Undertaker]

Dawnstar flattened her ears as Elmshadow immediately said her wounds need to be taken care of. That is not why she came over here! Not that he's wrong, though. The hole in her shoulder, the cuts in her belly, and the scratches that ripped open old scars on her face did need to be cleaned, but that was beside the point. Dawnstar huffs loudly as the medicine cat brings over some poppy seeds. She debate on taking them, testing the pain threshold of her wounds, and though the pain was easily manageable, the cuts on her belly were very irritating. Toleratable, but her mood would suffer for it.

So, she dips her head and laps up the tiny seed if nothing more than to have a clearer head. Dawnstar's tolerance for poppy seeds was low since she hated using the pain relievers if she didn't have to. Elmshadow walked off and returned with some wet moss which had the frown on her face turn into a full-on scowl. Most of the blood caked on her was located on her chest and neck, but she had no chest wound and the fatal wound on her neck was fully healed and sensitive. She'd prefer he not touch her neck, but at the same time, she could not clean her neck unless she took a dip into the water. Elmshadow was as trustworthy as it was going to get in this clan.

As she couldn't see the damage done to her face, she supposed that needed cleaning as well. Ugh, no point in throwing a fit about it. Unhappily, the leader settled down, shifting her weight so that Elmshadow could get at her stomach wounds without too much of a fuss. Instead of hissing and snarling, she gave his report her full attention to distract herself from the contact with her wounds.

"Well, that's quite the mess you've gotten yourself into, Shadefrost." Dawnstar's amber glare located the black tom from where he was resting. Elmshadow seemed to make a point of ignoring which would be funny if she wasn't so enraged. Once the medicine cat was done applying all his herbs and whatnot the leader tried not to itch at the poultice. She hated this stuff.

"I had plans for you, but your actions at the battle have ruined them and now I've got to rethink everything." Dawnstar spat out of frustration. He really did screw her plans up here. "Fighting well and strength mean little when it comes to respecting your superiors, following orders, watching out for your clanmates, and knowing your limitations." Dawnstar may not like, agree, or even trust the majority of her clanmates, but when it came to the opposing clans she'd protect and give her lives for these mousebrains. That is what loyalty drives one to do in clans. They could hate her and spit on her name all they liked, so long as they weren't turning on her or a threat to ShadowClan, she'd fight for these idiots because they were ShadowClan. At the end of the day, it was ShadowClan against the world.

"You endangered your own apprentice, who I entrusted to you, your medicine cat, and an Enforcer, in a fight you clearly already lost. Your indifference for Elmshadow's rank and clean insubordinate is no different than going against my own." She had placed Elmshadow as her medicine cat with complete trust and faith that he could handle the rank, and he's yet to let her down. Thus, it wasn't like Dawnstar would let anyone walk all over the medicine cat without some severe repercussions.

"Though you may regret it now you're no longer in the heat of battle, you're too stubborn for your own good, too immature, and selfish for the rank of deputy. I had plans to announce you as deputy at the next clan meeting, but I'd have a riot on my paws if I chose you after the trouble cause you caused."She spat while sliding out her claws and shaking her head. Lovely, now she had to another whole freaking moon without a deputy, or make a split-second decision on who to replace Shadefrost... but she hated doing that. She doubted even her newest daughter would sit back and simply accept such a clear breach in judgment.

"Not only are you losing your promotion, but your lack of care for Mousepaw is unsettling. I'll be reassigning him." It was clear Dawnstar didn't care to hear whatever excuses or whatever might come from Shadefrost's maw. He had no idea what kind of mess he had just caused for Dawnstar. If she was going to suffer for this so was he. She hadn't made a second choice on deputy cause she didn't think Shadefrost could screw up badly enough for her to need a different choice. What a mess, what a mess!!! Having a deputy after the Sunkissed Creek fiasco would restore some morale in the clan, but now she had to go and tell the clan otherwise. As if this couldn't get any worse for her or ShadowClan.

@Levi 99 @Ravensong

[Levi 99]

Shade could feel a slight frown creasing his brow as Elmshadow began listing the multiple transgressions he’d committed, but he didn’t move or say anything. It wasn’t as if anything he did would help him. It seemed as if the medicine cat had gotten the gist of it all, though the threat part was more so an "I wanna fuss your head off" type of thing. Shade’s frown grew deeper as the Shadowclan leader addressed him directly. He listened intently to her angry lecture, taking each word and analyzing it to properly understand what was being said. As Dawnstar's words filled the air, Shadefrost's expression shifted from a frown to a mix of regret and frustration. He was fully prepared for her anger. After all, you don’t just pull a stunt like that and expect your leader not to be upset with you. But the disappointment in her voice was worse than any of the scathing words she had for him. It made Shade want to bury himself under a rock and never come out. The tom’s ears flattened against his skull as Dawnstar's words pierced through him like thorns. He knew he had messed up. But hearing the extent of his failure and the consequences that followed was a heavy blow to his pride. Shadefrost had always strived to prove himself, to be recognized for his strength and loyalty. But now, he’d tarnished his reputation and shattered the trust that Dawnstar had placed in him. The weight of his mistakes settled heavily on his shoulders, making him feel smaller and weaker than ever before. It would have probably been better if he’d stayed down until someone had gotten him back to camp. But what was done was done. There was no point in dwelling on it now. The most he could do was try to learn from his mistakes and not let them define who he was. That was of course, if his leader felt generous enough to give him a second. Using the paw the arm that hadn’t been wounded in the fight, Shadefrost pushed himself up into a sitting position. He took a deep breath, his gaze shifting from Dawnstar to Elmshadow and back. Slowly he dipped his head respectfully and said, [B]"Dawnstar, Elmshadow. I understand that my actions were wrong, and I am truly sorry for allowing my impulsive spirit to take control and endanger your life as well as the other’s. It was never my intention to put anyone at risk, and I ask if that you both forgive me for what I’ve done. If you let me, I’ll work hard to do better."
@Undertaker @Ravensong

[Pitou]

**Elmshadow**

@Undertaker @Levi 99

Elmshadow's focus remained on Dawnstar even as the massive leader turned her scornful words on the other tom. The rank of deputy, Elmshadow was only mildly surprised by the revelation though his expression remained stony. The ambitious tom was a similar fit in deputy to some of her previous picks so it would have had some sense in it. Her previous deputies were not bad picks to begin, they simply hadn't maintained the ability to uphold the expectations they'd brought upon themselves. He couldn't say he was ever fully convinced of Shadefrost's qualities but even he was surprised by the tom's actions at Sunkissed Creek. Shame.

He didn't turn to acknowledge Shadefrost until the warrior spoke his name. He turned unreadable green eyes on the tom and waited to let him speak his piece. Elmshadow cared little for his own part in the ordeal. Elmshadow was not a personally prideful cat but insubordination was a weakness within a clan and weakness inside Shadowclan, worse to have been displayed in front of another clan, can spark murderous rage within the stoic tom. A clan ran smoothly and effectively when all were onto the same goal, the same mind, and that meant doing as you were told, unquestioningly. Personal pride was a weakness, damn near treasonous, to put oneself above the clan. And Shadefrost had done so overtly, putting himself above the clan, even at the cost of his own apprentice. "Clean your wounds." The medicine cat felt there was nothing left to say on the other matter, and he was not a cat to waste words. Forgiveness was not given and he had not yet earned it, but he was going to be suffering for his actions by Dawnstar's punishment, so Elmshadow put his duty first. He gathered marigold, honey, and cobwebs, making a poultice of the marigold and honey. If Shadefrost was going to stick around for the healing, he'd spread it over his open wounds before coving any still bleeding wounds with cobwebs.