RiverClan Leader's Den

[spade]

Kestrelstar took a moment to study the tom. A certain conversation replayed in his head, dating back many moons ago when Kestrelstar had been a warrior alongside the tom that sat before them. Their conversation had wound its way around to ShadowClan, and how they had a shared dishevled opinion of their neighbors that occupied the pine forest across the border. He had always admired him, and was aware that under Lionstorm's leadership he had been a Lionheart.

"I'm not sure if you've taken notice, but one of our Shields - Fierceroar - has gone missing. I haven't seen her in camp in quite some time, and with the weather getting colder I can't afford for there to be any slip in the ranks of RiverClan." His voice remained steady and calm - he had long since moved past finding the ability to care for how many cats came and left RiverClan. Most of them came back bearing excuses of getting lost, so the leader had decided to stop wasting energy on wondering where every single cat went. "You served Lionstorm well as a Lionheart. How would you feel about taking up that mantle again, as a RiverClan Shield?" He watched Goosefury as he finished his question, wondering how the battle-hardened warrior would react.

// @Papaya

[poppy]

Ok. Ok. Yeah. She could do this and come out of the den. She would go into the den, talk to her buddy, then leave the den but not the Clan. He wouldn't cast her out of the Clan because of this, right? Birdpaw peered into the leader's den, a rush of anxiety tingling in her paws. Like she was stepping on a floor of pinecones, she tip-toed into the leaders den. She had to have faith in her buddyship, and that he would be understanding. ''Kestrel?'' She called nervously, then, with a sudden trill of realization, ''star!'' She added, flattening her ears. ''Kestrelstar!'' The name felt foreign and twangy on her tongue, she usually called him Kestrel, or Kessy, or Buddy. Kestrelbuddy was a good name too. She liked that one the most.

The little cat, feeling the ground shake- or maybe that was just her paws shaking, took a sudden, flying leap into the nest (DEFINITELY not landing on Kestrel's tail...) beside her leader, and flopped down next to him. His nest was nicer than her nest. Maybe she should inform him of this. He was already at the top of the hierarchy tree of RivercatClan, and she and the other apprentices were still trying to climb higher, but without a comfy place to sleep, they wouldn't be able to be the best they could be!

''You know, Kestrel, your nest is- I mean, Kestrelstar, hahahahaha whoopsies- your nest is heavenly, and personally, I would like a nice nest too.'' She blinked her wide blue eyes at him, then froze. Oops. What had Silvernight told her about that? Oh. Yeah. Hehe.''But I'm definitely not saying that, because Silvernight told me that was a rude thing to say, so I would really appreciate it if you forgot I ever said that, but you know... if you DON'T want to forget, and actually consider the whole 'comfy nest for Birdpaw' thing, I'm not gonna stop you or anything like that...''

Why was she in here again? Furrowing her brow, she rolled onto her belly, soft, fluffy underside facing the top of the den. Oh, this nest was amazing. ''How could you ever be grumpy with such a wonderful sleeping place?'' She mumbled. Oh YEAH.

Sitting up, and moving out of the nest, she sat past the edge and stared imploringly at him. ''But that's not the POINT, because I got sidetracked again and that's not okay. I wanted to talk to you about something, but I don't want you to be mad at me or stop liking me or even kick me OUT, because then that wouldn't be very good. But yeah, I have to tell you something, please?''


@arden

[dino.]

// @arden

>Goosefury<

His brows lifted slightly as Kestrelstar spoke. A Shield, missing - that was no good. He'd never really spoken to Fierceroar and couldn't say he'd really noticed her absence. A shame, really - these cats were given an important responsibility of protecting RiverClan from the inside and then neglected to keep up with it.

"I would be honored," he responded. "I like to think I was decent at keeping up with my Lionheart rank and I'll have no trouble doing the same as a Shield. I'll keep these cats in line, no problem."

[Dizerel]

Originally Posted by arden

The RiverClan leader had never been one for physical affection - it had taken him awhile to even accept it from Frozenberry (a thought that passed through him like a sharp curved claw now) - so his first instinct was to pull away. But instead he remained in place, parts of him tensing up before settling back into their relaxed state. There was something... something akin to a spark, but it wasn't noticeable enough to Kestrelstar for the tom to hold onto it.

Between the notion that she was worried about him and her rolling onto his den floor, Kestrelstar stifled a laugh. Instead, the RiverClan leader lowered himself to the ground as well, rolling onto his back and stretching his paws upwards towards the roof of his den. Laying side by side with his friend, the gray tabby tom let a sigh slip through his jaws. "Have you thought about taking on another apprentice? You've done an excellent job with Featherpaw - from the looks of it she is almost ready to become a warrior. If you'd like, since I know you're not going anywhere, you could help train those who seem to have revolving mentors." It was something she would be able to put her focus in, and at least Kestrelstar knew that if he was in her position it would help him. Having something to focus that much energy on was beneficial for every party involved.

Of course Snakeheart had. With a mrrow of amusement, Kestrelstar's yellow gaze followed Junipersong as she moved to stand back up. He followed suit and was soon on his paws once more. "Snakebite doesn't scare me. Although, I am trying to take better care of myself, really. I... RiverClan has been doing so well, and I like to think part of that is because of the personal changes I've made. I'm glad I came back, despite all of the obstacles that have been put in my way. And I'm glad... that cats like you still choose to put their faith in me." The den grew quiet for a moment as Kestrelstar glanced towards Junipersong. He couldn't imagine living life without the massive brown tabby, his friend and confidant, right up there with Snakeheart.

Glancing towards the entrance of the den, Kestrelstar sighed. "Maybe you could go around and share your ideas with every other cat in RiverClan," he joked with a laugh, taking a seat once more before returning his gaze to his friend.

As they laid side by side for that brief moment, two friends just sharing their woes, she was brought back to simpler times. Out in the territory sharing stories or eating together. Or one of her favorite memories, setting up a huge event on snowball hill and challenging all of Riverclan to get to the top! It only took up about half a day but that was the best half-day of her life. Which reminded her of something else she wanted to ask, but that was for later.

Ears perked as Featherpaw was mentioned. A bit of guilt coursing through her about the incident she had that she still told no one about. Maybe she could talk to Snakeheart about that later? "Well I have only had about a moon or two with Featherpaw so far. I think I did a good job with Fierceroar though. I am so proud of the warrior she has become. Sorry, shield that she has become." Remembering the esteemed rank that her previous apprentice got. "I... try my best to teach them that you can fight battles without claws. I know it may not be in the best interest to the clan, but we should have warriors that aspire to prove we are more than just a group of cats who claws anyone that crosses our borders." Turning away. A bit ashamed. While she hadnt forced it onto either of her apprentices, she focused almost all battle training on defensive techniques, and constantly reminded the apprentices that diplomacy should always be attempted first. Was that right to do? Especially now with Featherpaw, Juni had been avoiding battle training with her new apprentice for nearly a moon just out of fear of if something bad could happen again. "If.... If you dont want me to do that, im sure I can manage. Helping give apprentices a reliable mentor is more important than me trying to reaffirm my own beliefs by proving them vicariously."

As they now stood in front of eachother, Junipersong got a special little sparkle in her eye at the mention of that. "You know, I never lost hope in you. Not for a single second. I knew you would come through. Everything is a learning experience, after all. You may dislike me saying it but... I hope that even someone as crazy and far-gone as Dawnstar might eventually be able to learn and turn themselves around."

[spade]

Originally Posted by poppy.

Ok. Ok. Yeah. She could do this and come out of the den. She would go into the den, talk to her buddy, then leave the den but not the Clan. He wouldn't cast her out of the Clan because of this, right? Birdpaw peered into the leader's den, a rush of anxiety tingling in her paws. Like she was stepping on a floor of pinecones, she tip-toed into the leaders den. She had to have faith in her buddyship, and that he would be understanding. ''Kestrel?'' She called nervously, then, with a sudden trill of realization, ''star!'' She added, flattening her ears. ''Kestrelstar!'' The name felt foreign and twangy on her tongue, she usually called him Kestrel, or Kessy, or Buddy. Kestrelbuddy was a good name too. She liked that one the most.

The little cat, feeling the ground shake- or maybe that was just her paws shaking, took a sudden, flying leap into the nest (DEFINITELY not landing on Kestrel's tail...) beside her leader, and flopped down next to him. His nest was nicer than her nest. Maybe she should inform him of this. He was already at the top of the hierarchy tree of RivercatClan, and she and the other apprentices were still trying to climb higher, but without a comfy place to sleep, they wouldn't be able to be the best they could be!

''You know, Kestrel, your nest is- I mean, Kestrelstar, hahahahaha whoopsies- your nest is heavenly, and personally, I would like a nice nest too.'' She blinked her wide blue eyes at him, then froze. Oops. What had Silvernight told her about that? Oh. Yeah. Hehe.''But I'm definitely not saying that, because Silvernight told me that was a rude thing to say, so I would really appreciate it if you forgot I ever said that, but you know... if you DON'T want to forget, and actually consider the whole 'comfy nest for Birdpaw' thing, I'm not gonna stop you or anything like that...''

Why was she in here again? Furrowing her brow, she rolled onto her belly, soft, fluffy underside facing the top of the den. Oh, this nest was amazing. ''How could you ever be grumpy with such a wonderful sleeping place?'' She mumbled. Oh YEAH.

Sitting up, and moving out of the nest, she sat past the edge and stared imploringly at him. ''But that's not the POINT, because I got sidetracked again and that's not okay. I wanted to talk to you about something, but I don't want you to be mad at me or stop liking me or even kick me OUT, because then that wouldn't be very good. But yeah, I have to tell you something, please?''

@arden

Usually by this time Kestrelstar was up on his paws and weaving in and out of camp. Checking on things, surveying the territory - all part of his duties as the Clan's leader. But today he felt a headache right when he woke up, so the leader had been spending extra time staying in his nest. It was soft and comfortable ever since his recent trip to Cattail Pond to fluff it up a little. It was nice and perfect and -

Hearing a voice at the entrance of his den, Kestrelstar barely had any time to react to the flying leap that was Birdpaw. A startled squeak came from him as he watched her land square on his tail, sending a short stab of pain up his spine. Quickly he pulled it out from under the eager apprentice and had to force his expression to not glower down at her. "Birdpaw, hello," he greeted, though his jaws were clenched a bit. He had to remember that she looked up to him, as did some of the other younger members of the Clan. And for stars sake, he had to start to realize that he couldn't just be the grumpy tom they knew him to be.

As the chatter continued, Kestrelstar focused on making sure the forced smile stayed on his face. Her inquiry of his nest as compared to the apprentices den amused him, as they had access to the same materials he did if only the work was put into it. "I'm sure there are some feathers lying around camp that you could collect," he pointed out as he lifted a hind leg to do away with a scratch. Maybe he could find a warrior to host a nest-making event, something for the apprentices to do while leaf-bare mounted around outside them.

It seemed as though the nest topic was just a distraction, as Birdpaw put it. Regarding her with mild curiosity, Kestrelstar placed his leg back down underneath him and covered his paws with his tail. "What's on your mind?" he asked, disregarding the comment of him kicking her out.

Originally Posted by Papaya

// @arden

>Goosefury<

His brows lifted slightly as Kestrelstar spoke. A Shield, missing - that was no good. He'd never really spoken to Fierceroar and couldn't say he'd really noticed her absence. A shame, really - these cats were given an important responsibility of protecting RiverClan from the inside and then neglected to keep up with it.

"I would be honored," he responded. "I like to think I was decent at keeping up with my Lionheart rank and I'll have no trouble doing the same as a Shield. I'll keep these cats in line, no problem."

As Goosefury accepted his request, Kestrelstar gave him a simple nod. "It will be announced at the next meeting. Thank you, Goosefury." The leader rose to his paws and gave a shake of his fur.

Originally Posted by Dizerel

As they laid side by side for that brief moment, two friends just sharing their woes, she was brought back to simpler times. Out in the territory sharing stories or eating together. Or one of her favorite memories, setting up a huge event on snowball hill and challenging all of Riverclan to get to the top! It only took up about half a day but that was the best half-day of her life. Which reminded her of something else she wanted to ask, but that was for later.

Ears perked as Featherpaw was mentioned. A bit of guilt coursing through her about the incident she had that she still told no one about. Maybe she could talk to Snakeheart about that later? "Well I have only had about a moon or two with Featherpaw so far. I think I did a good job with Fierceroar though. I am so proud of the warrior she has become. Sorry, shield that she has become." Remembering the esteemed rank that her previous apprentice got. "I... try my best to teach them that you can fight battles without claws. I know it may not be in the best interest to the clan, but we should have warriors that aspire to prove we are more than just a group of cats who claws anyone that crosses our borders." Turning away. A bit ashamed. While she hadnt forced it onto either of her apprentices, she focused almost all battle training on defensive techniques, and constantly reminded the apprentices that diplomacy should always be attempted first. Was that right to do? Especially now with Featherpaw, Juni had been avoiding battle training with her new apprentice for nearly a moon just out of fear of if something bad could happen again. "If.... If you dont want me to do that, im sure I can manage. Helping give apprentices a reliable mentor is more important than me trying to reaffirm my own beliefs by proving them vicariously."

As they now stood in front of eachother, Junipersong got a special little sparkle in her eye at the mention of that. "You know, I never lost hope in you. Not for a single second. I knew you would come through. Everything is a learning experience, after all. You may dislike me saying it but... I hope that even someone as crazy and far-gone as Dawnstar might eventually be able to learn and turn themselves around."

Kestrelstar had almost forgotten that Junipersong had finished out Fierceroar's training as well. Yet another reason to enlist her help in finishing the training for apprentices. She was a solid member in the Clan, well known and respected by the younger generation. "Fierceroar has proven herself time and again to be a warrior RiverClan can be proud to have," Kestrelstar agreed, nodding his head as he spoke. Featherpaw was... she was a little more on the softer side, but he was glad to hear things were going well. "Yes, fighting without claws... While I know we have some differences there, I can appreciate that you are instilling that in RiverClan's youth. It is something I wished I'd had in a mentor."

Shifting so that he was positioned in a more comfortable, more settled in seat, Kestrelstar gave a quick lick to one of his paws and drew it over his face. It was nice to just sit in here with his friend, and it made him feel like a simple warrior once more. Gone was the weight of responsibility, the ever mounting tasks that never seemed to be finished. Right now, in this moment, the leader felt content and... maybe even a bit happy. It was a nice and welcome feeling after many moons of turmoil.

A knee-jerk reaction that he couldn't help; his fur bristling at the mention of Dawnstar. Anger clouded yellow eyes in dark storms, but he resisted the urge to unsheathe his claws. He had since put behind him the ShadowClan leader's cowardly attack under the concealment of nightfall, simply due to how well his patrols and Splashleap had fought back in his absence. But even though he had not retaliated - and did not plan on doing so - his mind was always awake with ideas on how to tear the tyrant down from her crooked throne. "If Dawnstar can turn herself around, I'll believe anything," he replied with a snorted laugh. Turning his yellow gaze to Junipersong, Kestrelstar smiled. "Maybe you can use your no-claws tactic on her at the next Gathering and get her to see the light."

Not lost on him was the comment about not losing faith. Kestrelstar's yellow eyes sparkled with gratitude, his heart feeling warm in the moment. Many had forsaken him, had cast him out and still regarded him with heavy distrust, but Junipersong... She seemed to have never forgotten who Kestrelstar really was. Sometimes the leader was convinced she knew him better than he knew himself. "Thank you for coming to visit me. It was... nice."

[spade]

Feeling unusually restless, Kestrelstar began to pace back and forth in his den. His tail swung back and forth behind him. Yellow eyes were darkened with slight concern as the leader mumbled to himself. He hadn't spoken with Splashleap in quite some time - since he'd been back, really - and there were many things to discuss. Moving to poke his head out from his den, Kestrelstar surveyed the camp for the familiar brown and white pelt. "Splashleap! If you have a moment," he called, beckoning her into his den with his tail as he disappeared inside once again.

The walls of his den somehow felt closer to him as the gray tabby took a seat, awaiting the arrival of his deputy. Flicking back and forth, Kestrelstar finally forced his tail to lay flat over his paws to stifle the anxiety that bubbled in him, yellow eyes moving to his den entrance.

// @gs29513 [figured i'd toss up the starter since i had a moment ^^]

[dino.]

// @arden

>Goosefury<

A lopsided grin crossed his features and he ducked into an exaggerated mock bow before turning and exiting the den. "Sounds great," he called over his shoulder. "Call me back if you need anything else."

[poppy]

Originally Posted by arden

Usually by this time Kestrelstar was up on his paws and weaving in and out of camp. Checking on things, surveying the territory - all part of his duties as the Clan's leader. But today he felt a headache right when he woke up, so the leader had been spending extra time staying in his nest. It was soft and comfortable ever since his recent trip to Cattail Pond to fluff it up a little. It was nice and perfect and -

Hearing a voice at the entrance of his den, Kestrelstar barely had any time to react to the flying leap that was Birdpaw. A startled squeak came from him as he watched her land square on his tail, sending a short stab of pain up his spine. Quickly he pulled it out from under the eager apprentice and had to force his expression to not glower down at her. "Birdpaw, hello," he greeted, though his jaws were clenched a bit. He had to remember that she looked up to him, as did some of the other younger members of the Clan. And for stars sake, he had to start to realize that he couldn't just be the grumpy tom they knew him to be.

As the chatter continued, Kestrelstar focused on making sure the forced smile stayed on his face. Her inquiry of his nest as compared to the apprentices den amused him, as they had access to the same materials he did if only the work was put into it. "I'm sure there are some feathers lying around camp that you could collect," he pointed out as he lifted a hind leg to do away with a scratch. Maybe he could find a warrior to host a nest-making event, something for the apprentices to do while leaf-bare mounted around outside them.

It seemed as though the nest topic was just a distraction, as Birdpaw put it. Regarding her with mild curiosity, Kestrelstar placed his leg back down underneath him and covered his paws with his tail. "What's on your mind?" he asked, disregarding the comment of him kicking her out.

Unaware of the potential irritation she was causing her buddy, the small ragdoll perched on the edge of her nest, her light stature and minimal weight preventing the edge of the nest to collapse. So good. Making an effort to seem as mature as possible, the apprentice took a deep breath, but as she summoned her courage to speak, her throat felt dry and her confession failed to come. She didn't want to lose her new home, because the woods would be so lonely... But Kestrel was her best buddy, he would never chase her out. What was she thinking? Silly Birdpaw. She should have realized he wouldn't kick her out.

''I um... I keep hearing things about StarClan. Fernmother, a long time ago, before she left, told me that it was basically where dead Clan cats died. If... if they believed. If they didn't believe in the Starcats, they would just disappear. And... And I don't believe. I don't know how.'' Her eyes felt wet, and she wiped her face to dry it. ''And I haven't told anyone this, because I'm worried about them not liking me anymore, but I don't believe in the Starcats. I'm... I'm really super sorry, Kestrel.''

Now he knew, and now she could stop lying to everyone. But what if he was angry? What if he chased her out? ''If... if you want me to leave, that's ok.'' Was it? No, but she didn't want to be a bother. ''I just wanna say goodbye to Silvernight and Reedbuddy and Plummy first...''

[Rani]

What Snakeheart had managed to do to the leaders den in the time that Kestrelstar was out looking for a dead man was miraculous and maddening. Miraculous as now the den was carpeted in a fine layer of soft sand and shredded moss pretty shells and rocks that usually belonged in the medicine cats den bordering the area with a new overlarge nest in it. Maddening because Snakeheart felt he was going mad feverishly preparing the den to standard in a effort to force fate to his whims and make Kestrelstar stay. He'd stand guard here if he had too and would, the nest that stood as a centerpiece to the room added to that plan.


It was huge large enough that two big cats could comfortably sleep that and looked like a nest in construction. Woven reeds flexible sticks and dried grass formed the bulk of the structure high walls and many small pockets of air made the nest warm and a soft layer of downy feathers from various prey and more moss gave it a padded feel that one could luxuriate in for hours. To cap it off a crab (courtesy of Junipersong) and a fresh trout lay waiting for the leader to return alongside Snakeheart who barley managed to restrain his twitching as he sat in wait.


If Kestrelstar wasnt back soon he'd go looking for the tom. He had to come back, there was no other option.

@arden

[Dizerel]

Originally Posted by arden

Kestrelstar had almost forgotten that Junipersong had finished out Fierceroar's training as well. Yet another reason to enlist her help in finishing the training for apprentices. She was a solid member in the Clan, well known and respected by the younger generation. "Fierceroar has proven herself time and again to be a warrior RiverClan can be proud to have," Kestrelstar agreed, nodding his head as he spoke. Featherpaw was... she was a little more on the softer side, but he was glad to hear things were going well. "Yes, fighting without claws... While I know we have some differences there, I can appreciate that you are instilling that in RiverClan's youth. It is something I wished I'd had in a mentor."

Shifting so that he was positioned in a more comfortable, more settled in seat, Kestrelstar gave a quick lick to one of his paws and drew it over his face. It was nice to just sit in here with his friend, and it made him feel like a simple warrior once more. Gone was the weight of responsibility, the ever mounting tasks that never seemed to be finished. Right now, in this moment, the leader felt content and... maybe even a bit happy. It was a nice and welcome feeling after many moons of turmoil.

A knee-jerk reaction that he couldn't help; his fur bristling at the mention of Dawnstar. Anger clouded yellow eyes in dark storms, but he resisted the urge to unsheathe his claws. He had since put behind him the ShadowClan leader's cowardly attack under the concealment of nightfall, simply due to how well his patrols and Splashleap had fought back in his absence. But even though he had not retaliated - and did not plan on doing so - his mind was always awake with ideas on how to tear the tyrant down from her crooked throne. "If Dawnstar can turn herself around, I'll believe anything," he replied with a snorted laugh. Turning his yellow gaze to Junipersong, Kestrelstar smiled. "Maybe you can use your no-claws tactic on her at the next Gathering and get her to see the light."

Not lost on him was the comment about not losing faith. Kestrelstar's yellow eyes sparkled with gratitude, his heart feeling warm in the moment. Many had forsaken him, had cast him out and still regarded him with heavy distrust, but Junipersong... She seemed to have never forgotten who Kestrelstar really was. Sometimes the leader was convinced she knew him better than he knew himself. "Thank you for coming to visit me. It was... nice."

Though, talking about Fierce did pull at the heartstrings a little bit for the big molly. Fierceroar had a time they were missing for a while, recently. And knowing that her former apprentice was missing made Junipersong pretty somber. After moving on from apprenticeship, the mentor and former apprentice hadn't done much together, and the thought of never having seen Fierce again made Junipersong regret not spending more time with each other. Hopefully she could change that for the future, if given the opportunity. She didn't want to dwell on it too much, though. She should focus on the here and now.

Junipersong took a good look around the den. Seeing what all Kes had done to the place. She remembered he was incessantly digging before when he had gone crazy. Wondering if that had a purpose and if it was visible. Also seeing if there were signs of any cats she would recognize. Any herbs from Snakeheart, perhaps? Or fresh kill brought in by anyone she knew? It was always interesting to ponder the lives that others had when you weren't looking. Though that might also be considered snooping.

She could sense his unease at the mention of Dawnstar. But it was an important thing to consider. Everyone had an issue with the corrupt leader, and even someone as empathetic as Junipersong understood that Dawnstar was, for the most part, evil and should be removed from leadership. However there is one thing that irks the big molly. "You know. Everyone is so insistent on removing Dawnstar from power or killing her. Do you think anyone has even tried to get to know her? To make things NOT about combat or killing and actually try to become friends? Maybe they have and I'm a mouse-brain but someone who grows up thinking that the whole world is against them is... well... going to try and fight the whole world."

And keep in mind, Junipersong would be the first to slit Dawnstar's throat if the Shadowclan leader tried to harm any of Junipersong's friends. Beneath Juni's soft exterior was a fiend just itching for a chance to go wild. A fiend that she didn't like. She kept it repressed, few knew about it, cause she chooses to be better than that. But it had its uses. Namely in protecting those she loved. Looking straight at Kestrelstar, remembering everything they have been through. She would not hesitate for a single second to claw and bite her way through every single cat in the other 3 clans if it meant protecting him.

Starting to make her way towards the exit. Sensing that it would be best to stop the conversation here for now, while everything was in good spirits. "Any time. If you need someone to talk to, no questions asked, you come and find me and I will drop everything I am doing. You got it?" She smiled. And if there was nothing else, she would take her leave.