ShadowClan Leader's Den - Page 51

***Undertaker*** · #**501** December 10th, 2023, 06:42 PM

Oh? So it was just a report about how her training was going with Rushingpaw. Dawnstar didn't get many training reports, it's not like she needed them but she wouldn't say they weren't nice to hear about.

"That's good to hear, the better the hunters the easier leafbare will become. Continue with your hard work and I'm sure Rushingpaw will turn into a fine warrior for ShadowClan." Dawnstar complimented. So many mentors ignore or vanish without training their apprentices. So she was glad that Stormeyes was taking her duty seriously.

"Is there anything else?"

Dawnstar blinked back the tiredness in her golden glare and perked her ears, lifting her large body as she heard the cat outside her den. Somebody wanted something. She stretched waiting to see if they'd call into the den, but instead, they just entered and started talking. If it were anyone else, Dawnstar would have swatted them for their behavior. Larkfire was saved, mostly due to her relationship with the leader, her usefulness, and the fact that she looked stressed out.

"You're joking?" Dawnstar deadpanned the rhetorical question with dry sarcasm. The leader swished her tail when her daughter remembered to greet her. "Yes, wonderful." Her tone remained unchanging as early. Seriously, that tom was so much work sometimes. Darkfall really should be lucky that Larkfire put up with him and Dawnstar. It was like he enjoyed running around causing the biggest headaches.

"Well this is not the greatest news, it could be worse. I'll take memory loss over a severe head injury or death. However, I do wonder what in the world he was doing that resulted in him connecting his head with a rock." Larkfire's mate sounded like a bigger idiot than Dawnstar's and that was saying something since Dawnstar's tempted death every time he opened his mouth.

"I am glad to see that you're settling into your new role well but don't stress too much. You're getting fat again, it's not good for your health." Dawnstar quipped, stretching again before sinking her claws into the soft flooring. "I'm not too worried about his memories, they don't just disappear, I'm sure they'll come back soon enough. Hopefully before your litter."

"Do you have any idea how much of his memory he lost?" Dawnstar needed to know if to remove the tom from his Enforcer rank and find his apprentice temporary mentors. If he was too far removed from Clan life, she might have to throw him in the elders' den for a time. She didn't need him getting under every cats' paws, hurting them or himself.

It might be a good idea to leave Larkfire back at camp with Darkfall during the upcoming gathering. Bringing a cat with amenisa to the gathering will probably cause her a headache, but at the same time, she'd like Larkfire there when she was properly announced as ShadowClan's new medicine cat. She could hold off on that announcement... which caused Dawnstar the least amount of mental pain?

Ughhhhhh! Whyyyyyyy! The Queen of Mean had been slumbering but was startled awake by the loud, tiny, paw-steps. Dawnstar's paranoia never let her sleep all that deeply or long. Her ears had pretty much trained themselves to rouse her at certain sounds, like approaching paws. Most cats treaded highly enough that Dawnstar had to strain her ears to pick up their movements, but kittens were the polar opposite.

She just wanted to sleep! Scowling, she parted one of her eyelids and stared into the darkness until her eye made out the back of the tiny figure moving through shadows. The pelt had patches of white so picking out the hairball wasn't hard. She was doing pretty good with stealth. Dawnstar might have been impressed if she wasn't so cranky.

The sudden weight colliding with her flank had the leader sighing loudly. The mountain of a feline didn't budge, the hairball lacked the mass and muscle for such a feat. "Hairball, you are so lucky I don't actually eat kittens," Dawnstar growled wide away now. She stretched out her front legs without getting up and slammed her claws into the ground. Dawnstar had grown quite the tolerance and lenience for the clan's kittens, so she stopped hissing and spitting at them even when they proved to irritate her like now.

"Hairball, whatcha doing?" She asked, lifting her large head and leaning over and down to meet the furball's gaze. That one was... Dancingkit. One of the older furballs that would be apprenticed so long as Dawnstar didn't throw her back in the nursery for another moon for being a pain.

**fade** · #**502** December 10th, 2023, 07:20 PM

Dancingkit
They/She
6 Moons | “half white and grey cat, small facial scars with green and yellow eyes.”

Dancingkit tastes straight hair. Blegh! The kitten removed herself as they hear the loud sigh. Of Dawnstar, her question taking a moment to register. “I am being a shadow! Which you absolutely lost at being, you’re suuuuuppppeeeerrr loud! Maybe Loudstar would work, since you make loud sighs! And what….” She doesn’t eat kits… Dancingkit takes a step back. That story had been a lie?! How lame! Dancingkit sticks out her tongue at the leader as they look up at the massive shecat. “Even if you did, you would never catch me! I would simply hide in the shadows!” The bi-colored shekit retracts their tongue after she finishes speaking. Dawnstar would never eat her, haha! Take that kitten eater story!

The older kitten sits down, coming closer to the leader, asking the burning question. “So the story of you eating kits was made up? Or did you used to eat them and don’t like them anymore? Oo, oo! Better question about you, how did you get that throat scar?” Dancing across topics (pun-intended), Dancingkit had taken notice of the leader’s most visible scar. The faint light given by the outside made it appear more like a kittypet-collar. The kit takes another step closer, now approaching the leaders side (the one she had slammed face-first into, funny enough) and loafs next to the large tabby. More questions remain in their mind but this one just had to be answered!

[ @Undertaker ]

**Spider** · #**503** December 11th, 2023, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertaker

Oh? So it was just a report about how her training was going with Rushingpaw. Dawnstar didn't get many training reports, it's not like she needed them but she wouldn't say they weren't nice to hear about.

"That's good to hear, the better the hunters the easier leafbare will become. Continue with your hard work and I'm sure Rushingpaw will turn into a fine warrior for ShadowClan." Dawnstar complimented. So many mentors ignore or vanish without training their apprentices. So she was glad that Stormeyes was taking her duty seriously.

"Is there anything else?"

Dawnstar blinked back the tiredness in her golden glare and perked her ears, lifting her large body as she heard the cat outside her den. Somebody wanted something. She stretched waiting to see if they'd call into the den, but instead, they just entered and started talking. If it were anyone else, Dawnstar would have swatted them for their behavior. Larkfire was saved, mostly due to her relationship with the leader, her usefulness, and the fact that she looked stressed out.

"You're joking?" Dawnstar deadpanned the rhetorical question with dry sarcasm. The leader swished her tail when her daughter remembered to greet her. "Yes, wonderful." Her tone remained unchanging as early. Seriously, that tom was so much work sometimes. Darkfall really should be lucky that Larkfire put up with him and Dawnstar. It was like he enjoyed running around causing the biggest headaches.

"Well this is not the greatest news, it could be worse. I'll take memory loss over a severe head injury or death. However, I do wonder what in the world he was doing that resulted in him connecting his head with a rock." Larkfire's mate sounded like a bigger idiot than Dawnstar's and that was saying something since Dawnstar's tempted death every time he opened his mouth.

"I am glad to see that you're settling into your new role well but don't stress too much. You're getting fat again, it's not good for your health." Dawnstar quipped, stretching again before sinking her claws into the soft flooring. "I'm not too worried about his memories, they don't just disappear, I'm sure they'll come back soon enough. Hopefully before your litter."

"Do you have any idea how much of his memory he lost?" Dawnstar needed to know if to remove the tom from his Enforcer rank and find his apprentice temporary mentors. If he was too far removed from Clan life, she might have to throw him in the elders' den for a time. She didn't need him getting under every cats' paws, hurting them or himself.

It might be a good idea to leave Larkfire back at camp with Darkfall during the upcoming gathering. Bringing a cat with amenisa to the gathering will probably cause her a headache, but at the same time, she'd like Larkfire there when she was properly announced as ShadowClan's new medicine cat. She could hold off on that announcement... which caused Dawnstar the least amount of mental pain?

Ughhhhhh! Whyyyyyyy! The Queen of Mean had been slumbering but was startled awake by the loud, tiny, paw-steps. Dawnstar's paranoia never let her sleep all that deeply or long. Her ears had pretty much trained themselves to rouse her at certain sounds, like approaching paws. Most cats treaded highly enough that Dawnstar had to strain her ears to pick up their movements, but kittens were the polar opposite.

She just wanted to sleep! Scowling, she parted one of her eyelids and stared into the darkness until her eye made out the back of the tiny figure moving through shadows. The pelt had patches of white so picking out the hairball wasn't hard. She was doing pretty good with stealth. Dawnstar might have been impressed if she wasn't so cranky.

The sudden weight colliding with her flank had the leader sighing loudly. The mountain of a feline didn't budge, the hairball lacked the mass and muscle for such a feat. "Hairball, you are so lucky I don't actually eat kittens," Dawnstar growled wide away now. She stretched out her front legs without getting up and slammed her claws into the ground. Dawnstar had grown quite the tolerance and lenience for the clan's kittens, so she stopped hissing and spitting at them even when they proved to irritate her like now.

"Hairball, whatcha doing?" She asked, lifting her large head and leaning over and down to meet the furball's gaze. That one was... Dancingkit. One of the older furballs that would be apprenticed so long as Dawnstar didn't throw her back in the nursery for another moon for being a pain.

storm-eyes she shook her head "thats all" she bowed her head respectfully and padded off

**Estelle** · #**504** December 12th, 2023, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertaker

The cold, although often no bother thanks to her thick pelt, was aggravating her. Her wounds have long since healed after the battle with ThunderClan, but she had forgotten about how the chill could cause irritation in the scar tissue. There was nothing Dawnstar could do about the ones irritating her face, scratching would result in bleeding, but she carefully nipped and licked at the newest scar on her shoulder and chest.

Outside of a lack of prey, and the snow, Dawnstar didn't mind leafbare too much. So long as she remained at the head of her clan she knew that she'd ensure that her clan would get through each and every one. The leader was pulled out of her head when the squeaky voice sounded outside of her den.

Dawnstar felt a frown pull at her maw at the nickname... or was it a title? She couldn't even get upset with it since there was meaning behind the name. It was another one of her family came to pester her, wonderful. Dawnstar wasn't certain exactly what these kits wanted from her. She was anything but sweet and maternal, yet still, they sought out her attention. She supposes she tolerate it while she could, perhaps she'd find a new apprentice to train out of one of the bunch.

"Come in, Sleepykit." Dawnstar replied, faintly recalling that this one was of Larkfire's litter, not Coguarbite's. The hulking she-cat didn't bother sitting up, the distance between herself and kits was so large that her ears could have difficulty picking up what they were saying when she sat at her full height. She went back to nipping at an itch alone her flank while waiting for the younger one to enter.

"Do you need something, Sleepykit?" Dawnstar asked once the kit had stepped inside. "Or are you just bored?" She peered at her granddaughter, faintly recalling that this one was actually her granddaughter and Cougarbite's hairballs were her great grandkits. Weird... this is why she simply referred to them as kin or family, easier that way.

[ Do apologise for the late reply, been rather sick, but here it finally is! ]

There it was. A deep rumbly tone, made familiar by the time Cougarbite's children and herself had been introduced to the Queen of Shadows. Just as it did then, the voice shook her, as though the ground trembled beneath her paws not out of depth of the voice, but rather out of fright and respect. Sleepykit, for a second, stared on in brief awe. She was truly doing this. She had crossed the clearing on her lonesome, and was now entering the lion's den.

It was thrilling, in some way. As the black and white slowly stepped inside she could feel a tingle of excitement in her paws, was it because she got to see her grandmama again? As she stepped inside, the kitten was mindful to greet the imposing feline, resting right there, with a polite nod. Speaking not, she waited to be addressed first, not wanting to interrupt her grandmother in case this was a bad time.

But, much to her relief and joy, the leader did not cast her out - quite on the contrary, she engaged her in conversation... Or questioned her, at least, but that was enough to prompt Sleepykit to sit down, neatly tucking her paws next to one another as she admired her grandmama - taking in her question. Did she need something? Truthfully, not quite. But was she bored?
"Mama is working."
Meaning that she hadn't seen the grey feline since she awoke in the morning, much to her chagrin, though the child wouldn't be caught complaining. She knew her mama's work in the clan was important, and as such she only hoped that one - rather sooner than later - Larkfire might finally take her with her.

"And I don't have any siblings."
Glancing down at her paws, she was uncertain whether that answered the queen's questions. She wasn't even certain what the two simple phrases were meant to mean herself, but if she thought about it, maybe it did mean that she was bored... Whatever it meant exactly. You see, while Sleepykit hardly minded being alone (it was more peaceful that way), she did have siblings to occupy her time, and ignored the exact definition of what may be a 'friend'. Unlike Cougarbite's kits, who had each other, she was alone save for the time she spend with mama. And, admittedly, sometimes all she wanted was to be with her mama.

Evidently, that wasn't always possible, which she understood, and that's what brought her here. Seeking out the rest of her family - her grandmama- whom she wished to know... Perhaps to know like her mama. That would be... Quite nice, yes, because then it wouldn't be just herself and mama. Then it would herself, mama and grandmama. Ah, but the leader was waiting. While she was thinking over her own answers, she failed to specify what brought here - heavens if she knew - or even figure it out.
"You don't play."
She stated rather plainly as she observed the larger feline, eyes slowly studying the scars across her face and body. Not with fear, but with interest, a genuine interest as to what might've caused them - and how the leader perceived these scars. Trophies, or dreadful reminders? She knew not.

But, if the leader did not play, as the leader was a kit, she thought to herself, then what did the leader do? She leads... She kept alive. She fought - yes, she had come to learn what fighting was. And if her mind did not trick her, the scars were reminders of those fights, recalling the night mama had returned to her with the sharp scent and bloody lines of red following a fight.

"Will you teach me something?"
The words left her maw as the realisation struck that, to reach any of the status and glory her mama and grandmama held, they must've learned so much, experienced so much, and trained for so long. Sleepykit did not want to disappoint either of them. She wanted... To keep up the good family name, to follow in her lineage's footsteps, whatever that truly meant, it sounded appealing to the young kitten. Perhaps one day she could stand equal to her mama, beside her grandmama.
"Please."
She added as her eyes sought to meet the dark feline's, hoping she would accept. If Sleepykit were to learn anything, she wished to learn from the best - and the best were her mama and grandmama, without a doubt.

***Mica*** · #**505** December 13th, 2023, 11:26 PM

Mistlewhisker [she/her, warrior, 35 moons]
[Dawnstar - @Undertaker ]
-------------------------------------------------
Mistlewhisker stared up at the gaping mouth of the leader's den, the shadows within making her uneasy. She knew Dawnstar was likely to shred anyone who barged in on her while she was in the leader's den, and was not particularly inclined to get her ear torn off today. Ever since Dawnstar announced ShadowClan's potential allegiance with WindClan, Mistlewhisker had been considering how she could prove herself a valuable warrior of ShadowClan. With Dawnstar's meeting with Twilightstar around the corner, Mistlewhisker had an idea.

Mistlewhisker had never stood out as a warrior, other than her loyalty to the clan. She was good at hunting and controlled border skirmishes well, but that was simply the duty of a warrior. Several seasons ago she had lost an eye during a battle with ThunderClan, but had never let that affect her hunting and battle skills. She had begun taking more patrols, going out of her way to prove herself, but this time she wanted to talk to Dawnstar directly. Mistlewhisker held a lot of respect for the leader. Plus, visiting the leader of a potential allying clan would give Mistlewhisker a better idea as to what they would be working with. The rabbit-chasers were known for their adaptability, which could be useful.

So Mistlewhisker padded up to the leader's den, sucking in a deep breath and steadying her paws before calling out. "Dawnstar? May I speak with you?"

**gayvinegar** · #**506** December 14th, 2023, 08:33 PM

·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　　˚*• ̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙

·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙* ˚Duskkit of Shadowclan | 2 moons | Purrks: n/a˚*• ̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙

Oh! So she was a hairball! Better tell Papa-Cougar that! "Oh Flowers! Yes, Yes!" Her little paws teetered out of the den for a moment, letting her nose guide her to a small patch of Bluebells she had found previously as she was mapping out the camp. And no-so carefully plucked the stems, "Flowers for Big-Gweat-Gwandma-Dawny! What do they look like? Others don't like that I ask that a lot..."

- @Undertaker

**Rose** · #**507** December 15th, 2023, 02:33 PM

Larkfire
She/Her | Purrks Overlook

Oh, Larkfire wished she was joking. But she wasn't, and apparently that was the biggest joke of all. The Medicine Cat sat in silence as Dawnstar spoke, listening intently for anything she could add. While Dawnstar had taken the news quite well (in comparison to the original reaction Larkfire had been mentally preparing for), Darkfall's dilemma was still a problem, because Larkfire was unsure when or if her mate's memories would return. He'd seemed to have a faint memory of her right before she'd left, and had latched onto the Enforcer idea when she'd mentioned acting like a sound adult to him, but who knew?

Frowning, it was only Dawnstar's comment about her gaining weight that made Larkfire snap back into reality. That was funny. Darkfall had mentioned that she was getting fat too. No... what had he said? He'd called her round, of all th- oh. It was only then that the truth quite literally dawned on her, and Larkfire couldn't maintain the blatant surprise the scrawled across her features for a stunned moment before her brain seemed to reboot, expression smoothing into a mask of indifference once more. Bewildered indifference, yes, but oh well. She needed to pay attention to herself more, apparently.

Trying not to frown down at her stomach, the grey feline shifted her gaze back up towards her much taller mother. "It isn't too bad, I don't think. Darkfall's memory loss." Larkfire clarified. "He seemed to remember a couple things when I mentioned them. Memory just needs to be jogged. At most, a quarter moon, and at least, a day or two.

[ @Undertaker - Dawnstar ]

***Undertaker*** · #**508** December 16th, 2023, 06:06 PM

The hairball's answer was typical and hairball-like. Loud and nonsensical. She wasn't going to even try and argue with them. She merely sighed again and returned to resting on her side, wondering if she ignored her long enough if she'd go away. She quietly counted her tail lashes while the kit went and one, never shutting up.

"I own the shadows," Dawnstar yawned without looking at Dancingkit, still counting her tail lashes in her head to keep her from meeting the hairball out of her den. Sadly, she knew she couldn't toss the hindrance out nicely and didn't want to give Larkfire more work because she had broken one of the kits out of frustration.

"I stopped eating kits, Queens kept complaining, but you are making me regret that decision. I may have to make an exception for you." Dawnstar replied, tail pausing mid-lash as she felt the kitten plop themselves down right beside her. She lifted her head for a moment to glance at Dancingkit with a deadpan expression and then went back to lying down, resigned to her fate.

"None of your business, hairball. More importantly, where is my gift? You can't just come in here and start pestering me without giving me something for it. You already asked three questions that are like three mice worth." What was this free babysitting? If she was going to entertain a hairball that was actually irritating her she better be getting something out of it. Dawnstar felt absolutely no remorse at the attempt to extort a kitten, maybe they'd go away now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Estelle

[ Do apologise for the late reply, been rather sick, but here it finally is! ]

There it was. A deep rumbly tone, made familiar by the time Cougarbite's children and herself had been introduced to the Queen of Shadows. Just as it did then, the voice shook her, as though the ground trembled beneath her paws not out of depth of the voice, but rather out of fright and respect. Sleepykit, for a second, stared on in brief awe. She was truly doing this. She had crossed the clearing on her lonesome, and was now entering the lion's den.

It was thrilling, in some way. As the black and white slowly stepped inside she could feel a tingle of excitement in her paws, was it because she got to see her grandmama again? As she stepped inside, the kitten was mindful to greet the imposing feline, resting right there, with a polite nod. Speaking not, she waited to be addressed first, not wanting to interrupt her grandmother in case this was a bad time.

But, much to her relief and joy, the leader did not cast her out - quite on the contrary, she engaged her in conversation... Or questioned her, at least, but that was enough to prompt Sleepykit to sit down, neatly tucking her paws next to one another as she admired her grandmama - taking in her question. Did she need something? Truthfully, not quite. But was she bored?
"Mama is working."
Meaning that she hadn't seen the grey feline since she awoke in the morning, much to her chagrin, though the child wouldn't be caught complaining. She knew her mama's work in the clan was important, and as such she only hoped that one - rather sooner than later - Larkfire might finally take her with her.

"And I don't have any siblings."
Glancing down at her paws, she was uncertain whether that answered the queen's questions. She wasn't even certain what the two simple phrases were meant to mean herself, but if she thought about it, maybe it did mean that she was bored... Whatever it meant exactly. You see, while Sleepykit hardly minded being alone (it was more peaceful that way), she did have siblings to occupy her time, and ignored the exact definition of what may be a 'friend'. Unlike Cougarbite's kits, who had each other, she was alone save for the time she spend with mama. And, admittedly, sometimes all she wanted was to be with her mama.

Evidently, that wasn't always possible, which she understood, and that's what brought her here. Seeking out the rest of her family - her grandmama- whom she wished to know... Perhaps to know like her mama. That would be... Quite nice, yes, because then it wouldn't be just herself and mama. Then it would herself, mama and grandmama. Ah, but the leader was waiting. While she was thinking over her own answers, she failed to specify what brought here - heavens if she knew - or even figure it out.
"You don't play."
She stated rather plainly as she observed the larger feline, eyes slowly studying the scars across her face and body. Not with fear, but with interest, a genuine interest as to what might've caused them - and how the leader perceived these scars. Trophies, or dreadful reminders? She knew not.

But, if the leader did not play, as the leader was a kit, she thought to herself, then what did the leader do? She leads... She kept alive. She fought - yes, she had come to learn what fighting was. And if her mind did not trick her, the scars were reminders of those fights, recalling the night mama had returned to her with the sharp scent and bloody lines of red following a fight.

"Will you teach me something?"
The words left her maw as the realisation struck that, to reach any of the status and glory her mama and grandmama held, they must've learned so much, experienced so much, and trained for so long. Sleepykit did not want to disappoint either of them. She wanted... To keep up the good family name, to follow in her lineage's footsteps, whatever that truly meant, it sounded appealing to the young kitten. Perhaps one day she could stand equal to her mama, beside her grandmama.
"Please."
She added as her eyes sought to meet the dark feline's, hoping she would accept. If Sleepykit were to learn anything, she wished to learn from the best - and the best were her mama and grandmama, without a doubt.

[You're fine I'm in no hurry]
Dawnstar was pretty certain that Sleepykit was way politer than her mother when Dawnstar first met Larkfire as a kit. Who knew the molly would come as far as she is today? It just proved that if you put in the work you get rewards appropriately.

At the mention that Larkfire was working, Dawnstar twitched her tail tip but didn't give any verbal response. That was to be expected with Larkfire, she usually found something to keep her busy or getting into some sort of trouble involving injuring herself. It was one or the other. She hoped that Sleepykit took after her mother when it came to work ethic, but Dawnstar would be happier if kit minded her physical health a bit more. Sleepykit didn't seem upset that Larkfire was working, but it didn't seem like she was happy about it either.

That's right, Sleepykit was an only kit. Dawnstar faintly wondered what her life would have been like if she was an only kit. She doubted it would be much better, although she hated her now, Hailstorm hadn't been a terrible sibling when they were kits. Now that she thought about it, everyone who was known to be her blood kin was gone. She was the only one left of Icestar's family. That was an ominous thought. She might as well as been an only kit. The leader was satisfied with the family she chose over the family she was forced to be related to. Granted, she's lost more than she gained, but in the end, the little things like Sleepykit were worth the heartache.

"Play? Unless sparring counts, I don't think I've ever played anything." Dawnstar stated after a small silence. She didn't have friends when she was a kit, much like Sleepykit she was often on her own, trained as soon as she was big enough and weaned. Playing and relying on others was taught to be a weakness and so Dawnstar made sure to never do either as a kitten, cutting off any relationship she had with her sister to earn Icestar's approval.

At being asked to teach, Dawnstar's eyes shited the side. She guesses she could do that, although the hairball was a bit too small to do a lot of stuff nothing fighting worth, but maybe they could do something light. "Shall we practice your hunting crouch?" Dawnstar asked, accepting the request.

Dawnstar didn't bother to pause while grooming her tail as she heard the paws reaching her den. She had to start heading out soon. She doubted Twilightstar would really mind, but she did have a meeting to get to. She hoped whatever Mistlewhisker wanted was fast.

"Come." She replied shortly, whiskering her tail behind her as she turned her eyes to the mouth of the den.

"Speak," Dawnstar demanded once Mistlewhisker had heeded her command. She didn't think whatever the molly had to say would end up being something foolish. Mistlewhisker wasn't one of those odd toadbrains that came to her with the strangest of news.

Dawnstar observed the sightless kitten as she walked out of the den without running into anything and then returned a few moments later. She dropped some bluebells at the leader's paws, it looked like she had just ripped them out of somewhere in camp. A medicine cat would have probably been annoyed if this were an herb brought to them.

"Thank you," The leader meowed to her great grandkit. She carefully pushed the plant closer to Duskkit at the last question. "Your paws work, don't they? Have you ever tried feeling something to get a picture of what it looks like in your head? I can describe it to you, but I doubt it will make much sense." It seemed troublesome to try and describe the flower's appearance when the kit's never seen what Dawnstar was describing.

"You can ask what you want as many times as you want since you need to learn. Tell whoever says that you can't that I'll claw off their ears, that'll give them an excuse to not answer you." Dawnstar growled. Half the reason Dawnstar tolerated kits and their endless questions was because they were learning, the better trained they were the better warriors she had in the future. Even though she found most of their questions stupid, babies were babies. At least in her clans. She couldn't say she'd spend or tolerate as much time for kits outside of ShadowClan. They weren't her responsibility.

Huh? Maybe she was just eating more. Larkfire seemed a little put off at the fat comment. Was she not bearing Darkfall's kits? Dawnstar watched her daughter with a hint of concern as the molly's expression smoothed itself back into something more neutral and expressionless. As much as the leader enjoyed harping on her son-in-law, she was glad that Larkfire had a mate within the clan who could watch over her... even if he was a bit of an idiot.

Larkfire was not very good at taking care of herself, not that Dawnstar could say much, but the leader at least knew how to take care of herself physically. Larkfire not so much. Larkfire was the only kit Dawnstar had left that hadn't died, betrayed her, or gone missing, the leader would very much like to keep her around for as long as she could. Brackenfire's words danced around in the back of the leader's head, calling her a neglectful mother who treated the warrior like dirt.

Those words still didn't quite resonate with her since Dawnstar didn't think she treated any of her adopted kits like dirt and although she could probably be more attentive to them, she was always around when they sought her attention. She didn't think they needed her attention every hour of the day, they weren't kits, but Larkfire was starting to make her think otherwise. But...

As Darkfall was brought up once more, Dawnstar shoved her thoughts aside for another day. "Good, so he is not completely useless. I want you to stay behind when we go to this moon's gathering and see if you can jog a few more memories. Darkfall is a good warrior, one of ShadowClan's few Enforcers, and he has an entire family to tend to, the quicker his memories return the better." Dawnstar huffed, ensuring Larkfire stayed away from the gathering. She was sure the medicine cat could do without the extra spotlight, she seemed stressed enough as it was. Dawnstar had learned to manage her stress, somewhat, Larkfire would need to learn as well or crumble under the pressure and expectations of a high rank.

***Mica*** · #**509** December 16th, 2023, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertaker

Dawnstar didn't bother to pause while grooming her tail as she heard the paws reaching her den. She had to start heading out soon. She doubted Twilightstar would really mind, but she did have a meeting to get to. She hoped whatever Mistlewhisker wanted was fast.

"Come." She replied shortly, whiskering her tail behind her as she turned her eyes to the mouth of the den.

"Speak," Dawnstar demanded once Mistlewhisker had heeded her command. She didn't think whatever the molly had to say would end up being something foolish. Mistlewhisker wasn't one of those odd toadbrains that came to her with the strangest of news.

Mistlewhisker [she/her, warrior, 35 moons]
[Black cat with a half-white muzzle and a gouged out green eye]
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[Dawnstar - @Undertaker ]
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Mistlewhisker wasted no time padding into the den, head dipped respectfully to her leader. "Dawnstar. I wished to speak with you on the matter of your meeting with Twilightstar." She straightened, her one good eye glinting in the dim light of the den, the scars over her right eye stark against her dark fur. "I wish to join you. I trust your judgement on the safety of our clan and yourself, but I am hesitant letting anyone--even you--go to meet with another clan member alone. Especially with how tense things have been." Mistlewhisker, like many in her clan, was wary about allying with WindClan. She did not trust Twilightstar. "I am certain you could rip her to shreds easily. However, in case she brings an entire patrol..." Mistlewhisker shook her head and met Dawnstar's gaze again. "I would like to be of service to you, if you allow me."

Mistlewhisker was fully prepared to be scorned by her leader, and told that she should mind her own business. But she couldn't just sit back and let the uneasiness eat at her. If Dawnstar told her to leave her alone, Mistlewhisker would do that. But for now... she simply waited patiently for a response.

**fade** · #**510** December 16th, 2023, 08:40 PM

Dancingkit
They/She
6 Moons | “half white and grey cat, small facial scars with green and yellow eyes.”

The kitten lets out a snort as the leader speaks of eating kittens and owing the shadows. “Is that why they call you the Queen of The Shadows or something?” She giggles, make that four questions. Dancing kit was tempted to bat at the shecat’s tail as it lashed about in the rear of their vision, but instead Dancingkit felt the want to not get thrown through the forest. Til the Shadow Queen brought up the mice they apparently owed!

“Three mice?!? And if i’m a hairball that makes you a mossball, take that!” A look of shock hung on their face as they looked the large cat up and down before shifting to slightly annoyed yet playful one. “Okay, okay, okay, I can totally get you those mice when I become the best apprentice this clan has ever seen! Like I’ll be all cool and stuff! Oo, oo! Maybe take your place as owner of the shadows too! Like be super cool you make me deputy and stuff!” The kit exclaimed, fairly confident in their claims.

Dancingkit was absolutely going to make this lady eat her freaking words! She was sooooo gonna beat her one day, and it was soon! Plus, they were so not a stupid hairball! Dawnstar was totally going to regret that one!

[ @Undertaker ]