RiverClan Leader's Den

[squidz]

| BERRYPAW |

small & nimble dark brown she-cat with darker flecks and light, leafy-green eyes | the collector

[ riverclan mc apprentice | she-cat | 9 moons | timid, kind, hardworking ]

—

Berrypaw nodded swiftly, her eyes still shining as she dwelled on Fadingsun seeming confident in her. "Yeah, o-okay... I will!" She assured, making a mental note to come back to the leader to show him what she knew. It became like a mission in her mind, propelling her to want to learn even more herbs in order to impress RiverClan's head... or, at least, let him know she won't be screwing everything up as Mistyshard's apprentice. Hopefully both, if she pulled it off.

"...Thanks, Fadingsun," Berrypaw mewed earnestly, dipping her head in respect for her leader. She hesitated a moment, wondering if she should say anything else. Deciding there was nothing else but extra babble she'd say, she gave him an apologetic smile for lingering around before turning tail and padding out, trying to keep her pace steady. As soon as she left the den she exhaled, the tension in her body relaxing as she headed back to the medicine den. He was much nicer than she thought, but that didn't stop the nerves from speaking one-on-one with the leader of the Clan. Anyone would be a bit nervous about that, right?

[ @occultation ]

[occultation]

[ Set after RiverClan's camp has been cleaned out + dens established ]

( @taillow )

Sitting around in pain every time he took a breath had given Fadingstar plenty of time to think. Fighting for the new camp had been invigorating; it was the first time in a while he'd felt like he'd accomplished something significant. And, frankly, that was probably because he'd had his nose buried too deeply in worrying about punishments and keeping cats in line.

It shouldn't be his job to handle those things; what was the point in having a deputy and Lionhearts if not to handle the smaller things so that he could focus on the bigger picture? If he could trust that others were handling his Clan's discipline, he could spend more time training apprentices, finding new territory, patrolling- doing all kinds of things.

Plus, his Clan had, so far, behaved themselves since returning. He didn't trust at this point that it would last, but they were starting to show that they'd learned their lesson. So, perhaps it was a good time for him to step back.

Leaning out of his new den and trying to ignore the pain bursting in his chest, he called, "Dusklion! Come here; I want to speak with you about a few things."

[taillow]

Dusklion - RiverClan Deputy

There were many thoughts that bounced around in her head these days, so much so that the deputy rarely found herself with a moment to rest. So when she heard her name being called from the spot where Fadingstar had made his new den, crossing the clearing to scoot out into the territory, Dusklion paused. For a moment, she stayed where she was, shoving a thought in her mind down. Her eyes turned to look over at the ginger and black leader, blinking once, before her paws turned and headed over.

Following inside his den she didn't bother sitting down and instead studied him for a moment. There was a bit of silence, before finally the deputy cleared her throat. "What about?"

[ @occultation ]

[occultation]

( @taillow )

He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel like things were still tense between him and Dusklion, but he was hoping that could start to change over the near future.

"I've been thinking a lot, both about what you've said and how I've been handling myself. I've been focusing too much on trying to make sure RiverClan stays in line; it's become an obsession for me, in a way, and it's something that needs to be fixed, like I said after the Gathering. Aside from a couple things here and there, RiverClan has behaved themselves. I need to step way back from being so involved in every single thing; it's not only creating a rhetoric here that I've grown to dislike, but it's distracted me from the more important things."

He paused to shift around a bit. "Let me get to the point. Until further notice, I'm putting you in charge of handling discipline and punishments in the Clan. I still think the Lionhearts are capable of handling temporary exiles and demotions and things, unless of course it's something you're already involved in, but I want you to handle any permanent exiles or executions that come up. I think it's the best solution for the whole Clan. My obsessiveness has clouded my judgment, and by doing this I'm separating myself from the problem without leaving our Clan without anyone to deal with its problem-causers.

"I'm not saying I'll never punish anyone again or that you'll be the only one doing those punishments forever and ever, but for a little while I just... need to reevaluate some things and figure out a better way to bring myself to handling our Clan's troublemakers. I still want you to report anyone whose been exiled or killed or what have you to me, and I definitely want to know if cats are starting to cause problems at the borders again- which is another thing I want to get to. But first, what do you think of that? I'm... really trying, this time, to find a better way forward."

[taillow]

Dusklion - RiverClan Deputy

That was... a lot of words at once. A lot of information that the deputy blinked a couple times as she watched the leader. So he was stepping back in a way... Dusklion drew her ears back but didn't interrupt him - she had grown tired trying to reiterate certain things to him so for now she would just remain silent.

Oh, so everything was up to her now? Was she the Clan's deputy or leader?? He had spoken so much of wanting to be a team, but now here he was dumping all of the hard decisions on her. Great. Lovely. Was this all a ploy to get the negative image off his back and onto hers? Not that her reputation in the Clan could sink much further than it already was. But it would do wonders for him - shove all of the hard decisions onto her so that when push came to shove, the Clan would turn towards hating her even more, and see Fadingstar as the sparkly golden leader.

"So... basically whenever there's an issue, you want me to handle it while you hide out here in your den like a kit while I take the backlash for it, is that it?" A snort came from her and she was glad she hadn't sat down; she didn't plan to stick around in this den for long if this was the unfurling of yet another lie. "Guess all that talk of wantin' to be a team 'n everythin' was just smoke, huh? Should've known better." A paw scuffed the ground as she glanced down, shaking her head and ignoring the way her eyes stung. It hurt. It really did. This didn't feel like a step in the right direction, this felt like the cat she had once considered family putting her between the Clan's claws and himself.

Frankly, all of this still irritated her that Fadingstar still, after all this time, didn't see the true point. Part of her wanted to really dig in, to say what she truly wanted to say; if he wanted to act like a kit and hide behind her while she made all the tough decisions, why even be the Clan's leader? But she bit her tongue, keeping the words shoved down. She didn't bother to hide her displeasure at it. "Fine. I'll do it." If he didn't want to make the hard, tough decisions to ensure RiverClan's survival, she would. She would see to it that this Clan's glory was restored, and it was clear she would have to do that without relying that her bro- that Fadingstar would be there to have her back.

"You said you wanted to get to borders." An abrupt topic change, but Dusklion just wanted to get out of here. This was not how she had expected this conversation to go, and it was clear in the way her expression hardened and she stood up straighter that she just wanted to get this all over with.

[ @occultation ]

[occultation]

( @taillow )

So she was upset. Again. Great.

His ears flattened as she accused him of acting like a kit, and of lying about wanting to handle things as a team. His intention wasn’t to hide like a kit, he was trying to avoid making any further messes while he figured out a better way forward.

“If you see it that way, then I don’t want you just agreeing to do it,” he said. [B]“I really thought that me stepping back from all of this was the right decision, to make sure that no more major blunders happen until I can get things sorted. I want to find a way to fix this that both of us are satisfied with; since what I’ve suggested isn’t satisfactory, then we need to figure something else out.”

He was quiet for several moments as he thought. If stepping back entirely wouldn’t work, then there had to be another way…

“What about… deciding together before issuing any sort of severe punishment if it’s something where I’m involved? Maybe we could involve the Lionhearts, too? I’d go with whatever the majority wants. You’d still be free to act however you want without involving others in the decision, unless you want others’ input. That way I can still handle some things, but I wouldn’t be able to act without clearance from others. Would that be a better solution?”

[taillow]

Dusklion - RiverClan Deputy

At this point, whatever he said only made the deputy's fur feel even more ruffled. She couldn't help but think back to the gathering, and to their conversation at the den. Dusklion felt the familiar ache in her chest resurface despite numerous attempts to keep it at bay. She remained silent for now, letting him get whatever other ideas he had out.

"...Sure. That's fine by me." Her tone was empty though, void of really any emotion outside of exhaustion. She just wanted out. This den, being here with a cat who she didn't quite recognize anymore... it made her feel trapped. Even in light of all of this though, of everything, deep down... stars, she missed her brother. Or, who she had thought was her brother. Perhaps it hadn't been as real for him as it had for her, the sibling bond they had shared. Perhaps blood was what really made family in his eyes.

She stared at him for awhile, trying to discern between the storm of emotions that brewed within her mind. After a bit though, Dusklion blinked. "So, the borders?"

[ @occultation ]
[ since this appears to once again be a recurring theme including for those reading these interactions, please note that dusklion's thoughts and actions do not reflect my own, and i would greatly appreciate it if they stopped being taken as such ]

[anika]

Poppyburst - RiverClan Warrior
The Collector
Chill of Death
Kitty Softpaws Tier 2
_____________________

The small-framed tortoiseshell dropped the carp between her jaws so she could call into her leader´s den. ´´Fadingstar? May I come in?´´ Poppyburst called, green eyes glistening in the gloominess. ´´I wanted to check on you after the battle with the dogs. I thought you might be hungry.´´ The RiverClanner nudged the silver carp forward.

[ @occultation ]

[dino.]

Was this maybe a bad time? Sure. Everyone was just starting to get settled in and the last thing Dusklion needed was drama to add to the weight on her shoulders. But Redmire was still pissed, and it wasn't quite 'drama'. First it had just been the initial incident, but pretty much everyone had heard that sorry attempt and failure of an apology directed to Sedgeflake, of call cats. It wasn't even the fact that Redmire didn't want to get in trouble for some garbage reason - like Duskleaf, if it got out of hand, Goldfish's unawareness and refusal to admit when she was wrong could end up seriously endangering the Clan's well-being.

She took the path carved into the stone structure up to Dusklion's new den and poked her nose through the lichen. "Hey. I'm sorry if this is a bad time, but I need to talk to you about Goldfish."

[ @taillow ]

[taillow]

Stormstar - RiverClan Leader

Yeah, this den would need some serious TLC if it was gonna be up to her standards. Stormstar stood, glancing back and forth at the walls - noting the claw marks, hmmm - before hearing the lichen overhanging her den being poked through.

Turning around she blinked, spotting Redmire. She wanted to talk about Goldfish? Memories of having demoted Strongpaw came to mind, and the new leader turned around. "Was actually gonna seek you out in a bit," she nodded, gesturing for Redmire to come in. "Overhead somethin' Sedgeflake said to Goldfish about a 'paw bein' threatened. I figured you'd have more info since your name was also brought up...?" Not that she faulted anyone in the situation for not having told her right away, considering everything had happened so quickly - and the true trouble had been dealt with in the form of demotion.

[ @dino. ]