That sealed the deal for him. That was the permission needed in his attempt to shape up the clan. His attempt to help Dawnstar shape up the clan. They'd been allowed to get soft and now their numbers were suffering, whether that was from lack of prey or cats dying in the territory. Regardless, it was chalked up to the lack of care in the clan these days.
"I'll see to it, then. Hopefully this round of patrols goes much smoother. I'll report back," Hawkbite confirmed, dipping his head to the leader. If she had nothing else to say to him, he'd turn and leave the den.
Miss Grandmama said she would play with her. Despite her blank face it sparked some joy within the kitten’s chest, a slow but happy nod following in affirmation. She just had to find a game… Sleepykit didn’t quite play either. The other kits never spoke to her, they gave her looks, and therefore she never saw much reason to address them either, nor to try partaking in their games. But, she could try. Maybe she could ask mama about some games sometime.
Too small; that’s what Miss Grandmama said about the sparring – she looked at herself then at her grandmother again, giving another, subtler, nod. She had to grow bigger, then. If she wanted to spar with Miss Grandmama. And she did. Though the kitten wouldn’t complain about her grandmother’s response, she made a note to ask about this again, too, once she was bigger.
At least for now, Miss Grandmama was teaching her a hunter’s crouch, much to her happiness – it was even better when the bigger feline told her she had the stance down, following up with instructions that Sleepykit did her best to follow. She dropped lower, belly fur brushing the ground before she lifted back up a little again, just enough so that wouldn’t be the case. Her tail, she couldn’t leave it as it was – having to keep it low, which she did, but not too low, having to raise it a bit to be more level. Her paws remained the same, minutely adjusting her stance until she felt it better fit her grandmother’s instructions. “Is this better?”
She finally asked, looking back up with blue eyes.
[ @Undertaker – no need to reply ofc, I just didn’t want to leave this hanging entirely! ]
Lynxshade sat down and closed her eyes to organize her thoughts. Mhhhh."We could organize different levels of punishment, depending on how many patrols a cat fails to complete. Of course, it would also be mindful to set a cooldown for those cats. They should not be allowed to go on other patrols, but this obviously sets another problem for us: the shortage of cats willing to actually complete a patrol decently."
"A cat who fails to complete a patrol for the first time... might get a warning. Some of the punishments already used, you know. Go on extra missions, return to the border, and mark them again, things like that."Am I wasting my breath? She stared intently at Dawnstar, but her thoughts weren't very hard to read.
"If a cat fails twice... they get to change their name for some time. Let's have their name officially changed, even in the eyes of the other clans. They will be called with "shame" at the end. How does that sound?" At least, this would avoid physical punishments. Right?
"Our clan cannot be strong if we can't rely on one another. Our borders need to be strong, too. I suggest that from now on, we keep a close look at each one of them and try to put at the head of each patrol a clanmate we know for sure is loyal and hard-working. Furthermore, we could give some sort of prize to those who show they deserve it. Although I'm pretty sure you might have already tried some sort of similar method in the past, and it probably didn't work."
There was much to discuss. She could still think of other ideas for this recurrent problem, but it was harder than it seemed. She was going to brush the ground with her tail, when she realized only a stump now lay on her back. She pushed back a frown and focused on her leader.
"Maybe we should call an Enforcers meeting and discuss this together. It's more complicated than it looks." She suggested in the end.
Lynxshade sat down and closed her eyes to organize her thoughts. Mhhhh."We could organize different levels of punishment, depending on how many patrols a cat fails to complete. Of course, it would also be mindful to set a cooldown for those cats. They should not be allowed to go on other patrols, but this obviously sets another problem for us: the shortage of cats willing to actually complete a patrol decently."
"A cat who fails to complete a patrol for the first time... might get a warning. Some of the punishments already used, you know. Go on extra missions, return to the border, and mark them again, things like that."Am I wasting my breath? She stared intently at Dawnstar, but her thoughts weren't very hard to read.
"If a cat fails twice... they get to change their name for some time. Let's have their name officially changed, even in the eyes of the other clans. They will be called with "shame" at the end. How does that sound?" At least, this would avoid physical punishments. Right?
"Our clan cannot be strong if we can't rely on one another. Our borders need to be strong, too. I suggest that from now on, we keep a close look at each one of them and try to put at the head of each patrol a clanmate we know for sure is loyal and hard-working. Furthermore, we could give some sort of prize to those who show they deserve it. Although I'm pretty sure you might have already tried some sort of similar method in the past, and it probably didn't work."
There was much to discuss. She could still think of other ideas for this recurrent problem, but it was harder than it seemed. She was going to brush the ground with her tail, when she realized only a stump now lay on her back. She pushed back a frown and focused on her leader.
"Maybe we should call an Enforcers meeting and discuss this together. It's more complicated than it looks." She suggested in the end.
Dawnstar leaned over to nip at an itch along her shoulder, listening to Lynxshade carry on about ideas for patrols. None of them sounded all that bad, a little different from the rules she had already in place, although they were a lot softer than what Dawnstar had settled on for punishments.
"Not bad ideas, although a lot softer punishments than I have set up. I've already permitted Hawkbite to carry out punishments his way, but I'm always open to new ideas to keep the patrols in order. I don't mind meeting with the Enforcer to discuss how they think the patrols are going and if we should implement your ideas into the punishments." Dawnstar wasn't sure if Lynxshade's plan would invigorate the clan or make them assume that they could squeeze their way out of trouble with them.
__________________
siggy art by redshiftreign
Dawnstar is the leader of ShadowClan and her kits currently reside in her den, enter and she may maim or kill you. She has a closed den policy. ShadowClan Resources ||| Dawnstar ||| ||| Kit Curriculum Finder
Flashpaw was still suppressing trembling as she trailed into Dawnstar's den. Her eyes appeared
haunted after what she'd just seen. Murder. She was certain now that Foreststrike'd been
murdered by someone in her clan. She tried her best not to think about it, or she would become
hysterical. Rotten. His corpse. She wasn't sure if Sootspirit was still behind her. She was far too
jittery to focus on that right now. Her tail dragged on the floor of the den. The warrior was slaughtered.
Who knows who did it? The body was half rotted anyway. She had been slow making her way
back to camp, enveloped in thoughts; most of them bad. What if they came for her, next? It
scared her, the thought did.
She took a deep, shuddering breath. Stuttering was not ideal. She had to speak properly to
get the job done. D-Dawnst-star? I-.... Th-there was... something h-happened. Her
voice was careful and tender, like at any moment her calm exterior may shatter. It-It's
i-im-impor-important. She took another deep, shuddering breath. Don't cry. Don't cry.
Stay calm. Relax. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. It's okay. It's okay. She wanted to 'Float',
but her calming method took time. Time she didn't have to waste.
Sootspirt entered Danwstars den with Flashpaw, sitting down next to the seemingly traumatized apprentice. She hoped it didn't look bad that the apprentice would give the report, but it was her report to give. Her eyes narrowed when Flashpaw started stuttering but she didn't interrupt, she would take over the report if she needed to but for now she sat waiting for Dawnstar to reply. Sootspirit was about to suggest Flashpaw breath for a minute but the apprentice was doing just that's and Sootspirit felt sympathetic towards her, wondering if she should try to comfort Flashpaw but didn't know how. She decided to sit in silence.
Guiding Minkpaw to camp was simple enough. Lostspark kept glancing over her shoulder now and then to make sure the apprentice had listened and kept her eyes closed. Eventually, when they finally ended up at Dawnstar's doorstep, at the mouth of Shadowledge, Lostspark paused by the looming den's entrance to unwrap her tail from around Minkpaw's shoulder. "You can open your eyes now." She said simply.
Lostspark had taken care to bring Minkpaw via the longest route she could think up, with so many twists and turns through the territory - plus the fact that Minkpaw was to be confined to camp for a moon - that backtracking would be impossible. There would be no scent to follow, no trail to track. Minkpaw was a sitting duck, and whether that be her gain or loss, Lostspark cared not.
Besides, as a cat who'd been blind once, Lostspark knew best the struggle of trying to familiar oneself with the land once sight was stolen. It had taken her a good while to gain confidence in her strides again, and she had already known ShadowClan's grounds. To a foreigner...
Internally shaking her head at herself, the lithe grey feline turned her attention to her mother's den. She wouldn't enter freely this time - would rather wait to be admitted so Minkpaw knew how to approach the Shadow Queen's den in case that wasn't a thing in RiverClan.
"Dawnstar? I have a newcomer here to introduce to you."
->> minkpaw <<-
[ she/they | outsider? | 13moons ]
a dark blueish grey and white she cat with silver eyes
the way to shadowclan camp felt horribly long, too long to realistically be the fastest route but she had been ordered to close her eyes so it wasnt a far reach to assume lostspark wouldnt lead her directly to camp without ensuring she couldnt find her way back. their trek had been silent, not necessarily uncomfortably so, not in minkpaws opinion anyway, and she had mostly zoned out for a majority of the time. she thought about the moon she would have to spend in camp and how badly she already wanted to pledge her allegiance to shadowclan just to be able to do more than mere chores. but that was still in the future and dawnstar could still reject her. after a long time of just focussing on smells and sounds she squinted against the fading light, lostsparks tail had unwrapped from her shoulders but she stuck close. however stupid it was, she felt safer with lostspark next to her, despite the fact that she had been threatened with death the lithe grey she cat was more familiar than the other cats she could smell and hear.
with the prospect of meeting dawnstar in a matter of moments and the goal to leave a good impression, or..just not completely mess up, she straightened up briefly regretting that she hadnt spent more time grooming bi coloured fur to perfection before approaching the border.
Flashpaw was still suppressing trembling as she trailed into Dawnstar's den. Her eyes appeared
haunted after what she'd just seen. Murder. She was certain now that Foreststrike'd been
murdered by someone in her clan. She tried her best not to think about it, or she would become
hysterical. Rotten. His corpse. She wasn't sure if Sootspirit was still behind her. She was far too
jittery to focus on that right now. Her tail dragged on the floor of the den. The warrior was slaughtered.
Who knows who did it? The body was half rotted anyway. She had been slow making her way
back to camp, enveloped in thoughts; most of them bad. What if they came for her, next? It
scared her, the thought did.
She took a deep, shuddering breath. Stuttering was not ideal. She had to speak properly to
get the job done. D-Dawnst-star? I-.... Th-there was... something h-happened. Her
voice was careful and tender, like at any moment her calm exterior may shatter. It-It's
i-im-impor-important. She took another deep, shuddering breath. Don't cry. Don't cry.
Stay calm. Relax. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. It's okay. It's okay. She wanted to 'Float',
but her calming method took time. Time she didn't have to waste.
Sootspirt entered Danwstars den with Flashpaw, sitting down next to the seemingly traumatized apprentice. She hoped it didn't look bad that the apprentice would give the report, but it was her report to give. Her eyes narrowed when Flashpaw started stuttering but she didn't interrupt, she would take over the report if she needed to but for now she sat waiting for Dawnstar to reply. Sootspirit was about to suggest Flashpaw breath for a minute but the apprentice was doing just that's and Sootspirit felt sympathetic towards her, wondering if she should try to comfort Flashpaw but didn't know how. She decided to sit in silence.
So usually these two would have been met with a furious hiss and claws flying at them. The Queen of Mean did not recall giving either cat permission to enter her den and as they were neither her kin, her Enforcers, or kittens, they should know better than to walk into her den. However, considering Flashpaw's rather fragile state, she'd let it slide this once.
Her amber orbs didn't soften in the slightest as she observed Flashpaw. She looked over the cat for any injuries, but it seemed she was just spooked terribly by something. The apprentice was doing her best to hold it together though. Flashpaw started speaking and then cut herself off with a stuttering breath.
Stifling an annoyed sigh, Dawnstar glared at Sootspirt but got nothing from the cat. The she-cat seemed more interested in staring at Flashpaw instead of explaining anything. Seriously, Dawnstar hated wasting her time. "Relax, Furball." The leader growled as she lifted a forepaw to groom her face. "You're training to be a ShadowClan warrior and we do not give into fear. Whatever has got you so spooked, remember that you have all of ShadowClan and me at your back." Dawnstar told the apprentice, reminding her she was not alone, and as safe as she was going to get so long as Flashpaw wasn't reckless.
"So take a breath and then tell me what happened," Since Sootspirit's not talking. Dawnstar didn't add the latter thought, the quicker Flashpaw learned to conquer her fears the faster Dawnstar got to the bottom of this.
Guiding Minkpaw to camp was simple enough. Lostspark kept glancing over her shoulder now and then to make sure the apprentice had listened and kept her eyes closed. Eventually, when they finally ended up at Dawnstar's doorstep, at the mouth of Shadowledge, Lostspark paused by the looming den's entrance to unwrap her tail from around Minkpaw's shoulder. "You can open your eyes now." She said simply.
Lostspark had taken care to bring Minkpaw via the longest route she could think up, with so many twists and turns through the territory - plus the fact that Minkpaw was to be confined to camp for a moon - that backtracking would be impossible. There would be no scent to follow, no trail to track. Minkpaw was a sitting duck, and whether that be her gain or loss, Lostspark cared not.
Besides, as a cat who'd been blind once, Lostspark knew best the struggle of trying to familiar oneself with the land once sight was stolen. It had taken her a good while to gain confidence in her strides again, and she had already known ShadowClan's grounds. To a foreigner...
Internally shaking her head at herself, the lithe grey feline turned her attention to her mother's den. She wouldn't enter freely this time - would rather wait to be admitted so Minkpaw knew how to approach the Shadow Queen's den in case that wasn't a thing in RiverClan.
"Dawnstar? I have a newcomer here to introduce to you."
->> minkpaw <<-
[ she/they | outsider? | 13moons ]
a dark blueish grey and white she cat with silver eyes
the way to shadowclan camp felt horribly long, too long to realistically be the fastest route but she had been ordered to close her eyes so it wasnt a far reach to assume lostspark wouldnt lead her directly to camp without ensuring she couldnt find her way back. their trek had been silent, not necessarily uncomfortably so, not in minkpaws opinion anyway, and she had mostly zoned out for a majority of the time. she thought about the moon she would have to spend in camp and how badly she already wanted to pledge her allegiance to shadowclan just to be able to do more than mere chores. but that was still in the future and dawnstar could still reject her. after a long time of just focussing on smells and sounds she squinted against the fading light, lostsparks tail had unwrapped from her shoulders but she stuck close. however stupid it was, she felt safer with lostspark next to her, despite the fact that she had been threatened with death the lithe grey she cat was more familiar than the other cats she could smell and hear.
with the prospect of meeting dawnstar in a matter of moments and the goal to leave a good impression, or..just not completely mess up, she straightened up briefly regretting that she hadnt spent more time grooming bi coloured fur to perfection before approaching the border.
Dawnstar's ears twitched with displeasure while listening to the paws walking to and fro outside her den. The leader's been in a nonstop bad mood for over a moon now. Bitter and snappier than normal, but could you blame her? ShadowClan used to have an unshakable and unrefutable hold as the fierce of the clans. However, as of late, they might as well have been kittypets stuck outside for the first time in their lives.
ShadowClan's been nothing but a disappointment as of late. None of the warriors within her clan were worth even being named deputy, and sadly she was mostly going to have to pick the most obvious choice, which also fueled her irritation. Dawnstar grumbled softly while staring at the opening of her den when her daughter's voice reached her ears.
Her annoyance with life dimmed just a tad at the sound of Lostspark's call. Curiosity overtook her emotions as soon as she noticed that Lostspark wasn't entering without permission. That's right, she had said something about a newcomer.
"Enter." Dawnstar snapped as she got up from her nest. She dragged her rough tongue down the pink scars along her shoulder and chest and waited for her order to be heeded.
__________________
siggy art by redshiftreign
Dawnstar is the leader of ShadowClan and her kits currently reside in her den, enter and she may maim or kill you. She has a closed den policy. ShadowClan Resources ||| Dawnstar ||| ||| Kit Curriculum Finder
The sunshine-orange tabby dipped her head at the leader's words. She had to focus, to
properly collect herself before speaking to a leader. It was simply the proper thing to do.
Thoughts of the partially rotted corpse clouded her better judgement. The first thing she
wanted to inform the leader of was not to be mad at Sootspirit, she herself had wanted to
speak. "I-I t-told Sootsp-spirit I w-wanted t-to t-te-tell you wha-what h-happened."
She informed quietly, but made sure to meet Dawnstar's fierce amber gaze as steadily as
she could manage. "M-me, M-Moonme-meadow, S-Sootsp-spirit, a-and Peb-ebbleshell
went o-on patr-patrol i-in Ic-cy H-he-heartlands. S-so-something sm-smelled, so w-we went
t-to investig-gate. I-I f-found a b-body. A Sh-Shadowclan bo-body. I-it was a-a-almost r-rotted,
M-ma'am. Th-the throat w-was torn out a-and a-an entire ch-chunk o-of the should-der was
g-gone. M-ma'am." She spoke pretty quickly, uncertainly. She forced her paws to stop
trembling. The image in her mind would haunt her forever. "H-his n-na-name w-was F-For-
Forest-st-strike." The flirty, bothersome warrior. Her eyes closed for a moment and she let
the shudder wrack her body for a minute. She opened her eyes again. "M-Moonme-meadow
i-is bring-bringing the b-body to th-the outs-side of c-camp. W-with Pebbleshell. B-because o-of
th-the smell." Her explanation caused her voice to dip low for a moment, but she brought it
up quickly. As hard as she tried, nothing could force the haunted look from her eyes.
Re: ShadowClan Leader's Den
]
