ShadowClan Leader's Den - Page 40

***Undertaker*** · #**391** July 15th, 2023, 08:20 PM

Dawnstar's fur bristled in silent aggravation as she heard the voice call out to her outside her den. Grunting quietly, the leader got up and padded to the entrance of her den. She shot Shadefrost her usual glare and then glanced down at the hairball sitting in front of him. Dawnstar knew all the kits within ShadowClan, but that wasn't one of them. The leader moved fully out of her den and closer to the kit to sniff at it. "Where'd you get it?" She asked, noting that the kit didn't smell like any of the other clan kits. Another outsider's hairball.

Of course, it was ThunderClan. "I don't have all day, Quietwing, explain." The grouch snarled, hating it when cats came in and gave her small tidbits. What the hell was she supposed to do with no details?

Dawnstar observed the apprentice and his work in silence, he did as she told without any problems. He was rather methodical with his cut, it wasn't perfect but rarely was flaying things done perfectly. Once he finished, she leaned in a little closer to double-check his work and then carried on with her instructions. "Nicely done, you're good with your claws and paws." Flaying and skinning took a precise amount of pawwork and control, Mousepaw had far better control than she did at his age. She had been lucky to be born as oversized as she was since she surely would have been scolded for wasting so much prey for skinning if she hadn't taken to eating it as an apprentice.

[TW: Detailed Explanation involving gore ]

"Next is peeling off the pelt and detaching the extra limbs from the fur. Start slowly peeling from the back, cut the hip joint, detach the hindleg bones, and snip the tail either with your claws or fangs. From there you can pull the skin down to the forelegs, make a cut at the shoulders, remove the forelegs from the body like you did the hindlegs, and pull the skin past the neck towards the head slowly, you don't want to tear it. Depending on how good you are with your claws, you can cut the ears, eyes, and nose off the body, or forgo it and carefully pull the pelt off without doing it. And there's your pelt." She finished.

**Dark** · #**392** July 15th, 2023, 09:44 PM

Darkfall
___________

A couple of days after the battle against ThunderClan, Darkfall found himself on the way to the leader’s den. The wounds on his face and ear were particularly irritating today, but he’d do his best to ignore them for the moment. Truth be told, he was a little apprehensive about meeting with Dawnstar, but figured he had a duty to report where he was and why he hadn’t been carrying out many of his warrior duties lately. The last time he had come to the den was many moons prior when he asked to teach some of the kits, but it had been some time since he last held a hunting class.

Standing at the mouth of the den, Darkfall took a deep breath and called inside to the batte-scared she-cat. ”Hello Dawnstar, I am here to report what I had been doing away from camp for so long and the whereabouts of my apprentice, Moonpaw.” He wouldn’t enter until explicitly given permission, in case the aging she-cat was not in a good mood.

[ @Undertaker ]

**Galaxy_** · #**393** July 16th, 2023, 07:35 AM

"I got attacked for hunting on our own border!" @Undertaker

**Levi 99** · #**394** July 16th, 2023, 09:59 AM

Shadefrost forced his smile to stay big and bright as his leader's angry gaze passed over him, closing his eyes in attempt to shut it out altogether. "Well," he started in his usual happy voice, "I was at Herondive Hollow when I saw him. He had something wrapped around his neck and was choking, so I helped him out. I didn't think it wise to leave him out there, which is why I brought him to you to see what I should do with him." He left out the part where he had been in Thunderclan's territory, looking for any high rank (other than Bumblestar of course) to sink his claws into and kill. If it hadn't been for her he would have maimed that one squirrel he'd encountered and her apprentice before going deeper into the territory. Chances are he wouldn't have been successful with his self appointed mission, but he would have most likely did some damage, which was good enough for him.
@Undertaker @LongForgottenSnowyPelt

**Goopysharkboi** · #**395** July 16th, 2023, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Levi 99

Shadefrost forced his smile to stay big and bright as his leader's angry gaze passed over him, closing his eyes in attempt to shut it out altogether. "Well," he started in his usual happy voice, "I was at Herondive Hollow when I saw him. He had something wrapped around his neck and was choking, so I helped him out. I didn't think it wise to leave him out there, which is why I brought him to you to see what I should do with him." He left out the part where he had been in Thunderclan's territory, looking for any high rank (other than Bumblestar of course) to sink his claws into and kill. If it hadn't been for her he would have maimed that one squirrel he'd encountered and her apprentice before going deeper into the territory. Chances are he wouldn't have been successful with his self appointed mission, but he would have most likely did some damage, which was good enough for him.
@Undertaker @LongForgottenSnowyPelt

Cola was slightly starting to wake up. "Wh... Where am I..?" The little kit mewed.

***Alchemist Kitsune*** · #**396** July 19th, 2023, 11:46 AM

| Mousepaw |

| Trigger Warning: Detailed Explanation Involving Gore |

Rounded ears perking up at the praise, the stocky apprentice let out a pleased chortle, taking immense will power to not stomp his paws on the ground with glee. It wouldn't do to ruin this lesson right after Bigmum had told him he wasn't being bad at it. Or better yet, good at it, yep yep! Fuzzy would be so proud! Yayayayayay!

At the next set of instructions, Mousepaw frowned with concentration. The first step had been easy. Now, it required much, much more precision! Even his tiny nest making hobby had not prepared him for this. But he would do it, he would! Now he had to make sure he didn't let Bigmum down, mmhmm.

Tongue sticking out of his mouth as he fixated on the mouse once again, the gray furred tom got to work. His claws grasping at the prey's hip bones, he peeled away the pelt, being as precise as he could. Unfortunately for the young tom, rarely was there an expert on the first try. The process, while crude and unrefined, was being made possible thanks to paws that were used to such small scale jobs. Whether it was a sense of duty or overconfidence he did not know, but he decided to keep going. Make the pelt as beautiful as he could, so he could gift it to Bigmum for all her help. And so, he kept going, aiming for the more skillful cuts.

He wasn't sure where his mistake had been made. An overeager claw perhaps overestimated the amount of pull he would have to give, but the head was soon shredded, left unrecognizable from the rest of the pelt. Flattening his ears in frustration, he squawked at the sight, fumbling with embarrassment. "Oh no no no! I messed it up, I did! Sorry, sorry!" he mewed, turning big green eyes on the leader, whiskers trembling with disappointment.

After a moment's thoughts, the apprentice's ears perked up once more, a thought brewing in his mind. "Oh I know, I know! Next time! Next time! I will keep practicing whenever I eat, mmhmm. And! And! I'll bring you my first perfect pelt. Then you will know, you will! When I get super duper awesome at! Because I am going to keep practicing and be the very best at it, yes? Yes!" Mousepaw declared, giving the leader a hopeful look at the thought. Plus, the mouse was still fresh and skinned. Maybe she would still like to eat his first ever caught prey? If so, half victory? He would take that, mmhmm.

-

@Undertaker [Dawnstar]

**Morrigan** · #**397** July 21st, 2023, 07:07 AM

Darkcloud padded up to the leader's den and sat outside the entrance "Dawnstar may I come in there is something I need to discuss with you" she called inside politely she rembered the last time she came into Dawnstar's den without permission and she would not be repeating that mistake again.

@Undertaker

***Undertaker*** · #**398** July 24th, 2023, 05:14 PM

Dawnstar lifted her head and stared eerily at the mouth of her den where the light streamed through. The Clan leader was processing a lot and she really wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone at the moment. However, her ears remained solely focused on the paw steps wandering outside of her den. It took a bit longer to set in, the death that is, she had been channeling her excitement and enjoyment of battle and reeling from the fact that in truth she had no one to rely on but herself not even her kin cared once they left this realm.

So it was a lot for her to deal with, but now that it's gotten a bit quieter and she was stuck in her own head, Dawnstar's anxious paranoia caught up with her. It was going to take a bit till it settled into something more manageable, however for the time being she was on edge about everyone even her own clanmate. She hated being jumpy, yet it wasn't something he could consciously control. The she-cat felt her muscles stiffen underneath her dark brown coat and in turn pain jolted through her nerves with the tension. The call of duty had startled the molly, she growled silently while carefully rocking onto her paws.

Once she was up, the claw marks in her stomach screech at her to move and her shoulder throbbed reminding her to be careful with it. "Enter Darkfall." Dawnstar ordered, lacking the desire to actually talk to the warrior outside of her den. She tried to get comfortable in her nest, but sitting upright proved to cause issues with that. As to distract herself from the need to itch at her facial wounds, she picked up a forepaw and began cleaning it while waiting for Darkfall to begin explaining himself.

"Of course you did," Dawnstar grunted in response to Quietwing's answer. "Don't go wandering around ThunderClan's border on your own from now, and check in with Elmshadow for your wounds. I'll figure out how to deal with ThunderClan in the meantime. Dimissed."

Dawnstar scowl intensive after Shadefrost mentioned Herondive Hollow, ThunderClan's border. She could only imagine what Shadefrost was doing messing around that border by himself. It wasn't hard to tell that the tom was doing what he could do to get back into her good graces, that he was just being reckless again. It was hard to tell with Shadefrost. He wasn't the tom that she had originally thought he was, but that was because he knew to behave around her that or he actually respected her. Whatever the reason, she wished he was more like this with all his clanmates.

As the kit meowed, Dawnstar turned and glanced at the puny thing. With the losses ShadowClan's been suffering, it wasn't bright to turn away new blood regardless of where it came from. Even if the cat proved to be a mediocre warrior, it was still another warrior to fill her ranks. She decided to ignore Shadefrost for the time being and focus on the kit, she wasn't keeping something that didn't want to be here.

"You're in my camp," Dawnstar told the kit. "Shadefrost found with something tethered around your neck, I am assuming you passed out due to the lack of air." She snorted dully. "I don't like wasting my time, so here's the deal assuming you have nowhere to go and no one to rely on, you can stay here within my clan otherwise I'm having him," She waved her tail towards the dark warrior. "Drop you back out into the wilderness, you can figure out what you wanna do with your life then."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alchemist Kitsune

| Mousepaw |

| Trigger Warning: Detailed Explanation Involving Gore |

Rounded ears perking up at the praise, the stocky apprentice let out a pleased chortle, taking immense will power to not stomp his paws on the ground with glee. It wouldn't do to ruin this lesson right after Bigmum had told him he wasn't being bad at it. Or better yet, good at it, yep yep! Fuzzy would be so proud! Yayayayayay!

At the next set of instructions, Mousepaw frowned with concentration. The first step had been easy. Now, it required much, much more precision! Even his tiny nest making hobby had not prepared him for this. But he would do it, he would! Now he had to make sure he didn't let Bigmum down, mmhmm.

Tongue sticking out of his mouth as he fixated on the mouse once again, the gray furred tom got to work. His claws grasping at the prey's hip bones, he peeled away the pelt, being as precise as he could. Unfortunately for the young tom, rarely was there an expert on the first try. The process, while crude and unrefined, was being made possible thanks to paws that were used to such small scale jobs. Whether it was a sense of duty or overconfidence he did not know, but he decided to keep going. Make the pelt as beautiful as he could, so he could gift it to Bigmum for all her help. And so, he kept going, aiming for the more skillful cuts.

He wasn't sure where his mistake had been made. An overeager claw perhaps overestimated the amount of pull he would have to give, but the head was soon shredded, left unrecognizable from the rest of the pelt. Flattening his ears in frustration, he squawked at the sight, fumbling with embarrassment. "Oh no no no! I messed it up, I did! Sorry, sorry!" he mewed, turning big green eyes on the leader, whiskers trembling with disappointment.

After a moment's thoughts, the apprentice's ears perked up once more, a thought brewing in his mind. "Oh I know, I know! Next time! Next time! I will keep practicing whenever I eat, mmhmm. And! And! I'll bring you my first perfect pelt. Then you will know, you will! When I get super duper awesome at! Because I am going to keep practicing and be the very best at it, yes? Yes!" Mousepaw declared, giving the leader a hopeful look at the thought. Plus, the mouse was still fresh and skinned. Maybe she would still like to eat his first ever caught prey? If so, half victory? He would take that, mmhmm.

-

@Undertaker [Dawnstar]

[We can wrap this up with your next post if you'd like]
What was with his tongue? Dawnstar pondered it curiously in an attempt to amuse herself as she watched Mousepaw follow her instructions. She didn't get why he needed his tongue to stick out like that it's not like it helped with concentration... right? Some of her younger cats had such strange little quirks. She heard the sound of something small breaking and drew her gaze back to the mouse, noticing he had more or less used far too much strength when trying to remove the pelt. She grunted low in the back of her throat in acknowledgment of the mistake but didn't seem all that troubled by it. It was a lesson learned.

The disappointment on Mousepaws face came and went like a breeze. He seemed too uppity to be brought down by such a mistake. Honestly, personality-wise Dawnstar didn't understand how Mousepaw would grow up into a true ShadowClan warrior. He just seemed too innocent and naive, Starrypaw was similar to him. She wondered if he and she would remain within the clan once they understood just how ruthless and cruel the clan she was run was.

"Do keep practicing, but don't waste any fresh kill," Dawnstar replied to the enthusiastic apprentice. "I'd love to receive your first pelt, I enjoy adding gifts to my collections and watching my apprentices improve." She smirked. "Now off you go, you can leave the mouse. I'll eat it." Mice were not filling in the slightest for someone of her size, but he already made a mess in her den so she didn't see the point in him taking it with him.

Stretching out her long muscular legs, Dawnstar's tattered ears swerved, follow by her amber eyes, towards the opening of her den. She listened quietly for a moment until she heard the meow calling out for her attention. "Come in Darkcloud," Dawnstar replied, delighted to see that Darkcloud had learned not to go wandering into her den without permission. "What do you need?"

**Morrigan** · #**399** July 24th, 2023, 05:45 PM

Darkcloud quietly entered Dawnstar's den and gave a respectful dip of her head "Thank you Dawnstar" she meowed politely "As you can see I am injured" she said pointing with her tail to the bite wound on her foreleg that was covered in poultice while a scratch on her cheek was open "And it was from a fight with a Thunderclan apprentice that I killed" she finished still politely and respectful the dark she-cat was not looking for praise only reporting to her leader.

@Undertaker

**stag** · #**400** July 24th, 2023, 07:18 PM

HOUNDHUNTER
Death: Reversed
Pronouns: Haunt/Hauntself || Massive black and white cat with heavy flank scarring, orange and green eyes.
Purrk: Beefed Up || Tier 1
[ ➥ MENTION(S): @Undertaker ]

Entering the camp after burying Sweetpaw. The trek back making haunt’s paws ache slightly, the massive cat locates the leader’s den. She must have retreated to here, hm. Haunt barely enters the den’s entrance to report haunt’s task as done and to ask the ‘Star something else. “Sweetpaw. Buried at Moonlit grove. Also. Question.” The cats deeper voice halting as haunt cleared haunt’s throat quietly. “Host an event, I’m asking. Clan is low on prey, it would provide teamwork environment and more prey for us,” Green and orange eyes locating her amber ones. Hm. The large cat didn’t enter any further, it would be disrespectful. But haunt sat down in the entrance, off to side encase she wished to leave. Houndhunter flicked haunt’s tail tip, as haunt waited for a response before wrapping it neat around haunt’s paw. The large tabby could either shut the idea down or approve it. Either way, to either answer, Houndhunter would take it as it was. There was no need to bicker about it if she denied haunt the privilege to do so.