ShadowClan Clearing

[ghostwriter]

@Rani

Leopardstrike looked gaunt. In her prime, she had been an epitomal example of a ShadowClan warrior--muscular, toned, and brimming with fiery presence. Now the senior warrior looked her age. Her amber eyes were slowly losing their signature mettle, her coat far less glossy than it normally appeared. She was fatigued, and had little appetite as of late, but the rosetted warrior would spare herself the final indignity of the warrior's den.
Her age was changing her. Minutely, imperceptibly, but it was. Leopardstrike was seeing things that had taken her quite literally all her life to recognize. When she trained recent apprentices, when she watched warriors truly mentor--and not coerce--their wards, she began to reevaluate her memories with something akin to remorse. Not quite guilt.
Leopardstrike stalked into camp after an unsuccessful hunt. It was rare for the battle scarred warrior to ever return empty jawed, but her she was, her movements slow and deliberate. There was a specific reality on the horizon for Leopardstrike. One she would not meet unprepared.
She spotted a familiar dark silhouette across the clearing. Adderfang. Perhaps the most successful of her students--a devoted and respected warrior--one who loathed her. Leopardstrike inhaled sharply, her eyes distant. She approached the young warrior, and with a low rasp, cleared her voice.
"I know we have not done so in moons. But you and I need to talk."

[Rani]

Addefang had just come back from a battle training session with Marigoldpaw and sat down with a finch when Leopardstrike approached. The spar had gone well, Adderfang had returned today with some bruises under her fur, a testament to her apprentices improvement and growing size (the large warrior was even forced to come to terms with the fact that the younger molly would outgrow her eventually, though not just yet) but in its wake the warrior was tired.

So while she might normally growl or scoff and just leave all the molly did was heave a large sigh and drolly look over at her old mentor and drawl, flat and cold as ice, "Leopardstrike we have not spoken in moons yes but from experience Im sure I can guess the subject. What is it this time, am I not doing enough for the clan, is there something wrong with my teaching methods, or is this a check that I have not returned to That Place again even though its been almost a full season change since I left it behind? If this is not important do walk away before I am forced to."
It had been awhile since Adderfang had employed her tried avoidance method, camping out on the riverclan border to watch, on Doetufts recommendation but she'd do it again in a heartbeat if pushed.

But then Leopardstrike didnt really look well did she. The ravages of time had hit her once, to her eyes, untouchable mentor hard and the molly viciously suppressed a flare of satisfaction at the sight. The two did not get along but it was a step to far even for Adderfang to take pleasure in the slow decline of a powerful shadowclan warrior. "If you must talk, talk the night approaches and I have an early start to make tomorrow."
@ghostwriter

[ghostwriter]

@Rani

"No," Leopardstrike responded dryly, her tattered ears flattened. She had little pride left--her only pride remained in staying out of the elder's den, "I know you hate me. That is not of my concern. However, I have aged...I have aged quite a bit since you attempted to disgrace me in your warrior's assessment." Leopardstrike inhaled effortfully. That was not her point.
"I often see...the younger warriors training their apprentices...they are not relentless soldiers, but they seem...content." she exhaled, eyes hard and distant, "I have recently realized...that perhaps...our clan's folly is not weakness...but our belligerent determination to snuff it out."

[dino.]

[ @feather lily ]

Whisperkit leaped for it as it came his way again, reaching out with one forepaw and smacking it back her away. "I guess so? I've never lived anywhere else, so I can't really answer that as well as I'd like - but I really admire Dawnstar." Sure, the she-cat seemed a tad insane, and not a lot of cats supported her, but... "She saved me when it mattered. I trust her. Wouldn't think of living anywhere else."

[Rani]

...... Was she kidding here?! Adderfang was far from amused at what she saw was nothing but pure hypocrisy from her old mentor and was tired enough to have little to no filter as she immediately snapped back. “Are you really so blind that you do not see the connection between my hatred for you and the harsh training methods of the clan and to push that harshness even farther you?! If shadowclans normal teaching methods are harsh (and I will admit I am known as a strict mentor) then you were downright cruel! I hated you, hate you, because of your teaching methods and attitude towards me when I was an apprentice! I was struggling! I lost my mother my crush was abusive and yet you never one spared me an ounce of sympathy or pride and instead drove to to the ground in all aspects of training! Maybe with a support system I would have been fine but because of your relentlessness I had no time at all to form that and it is squarely on your shoulders that I had no friends or connections bar my siblings until I was a grown warrior! As much as training is about skills it’s also about connection to once clan and I had none of that! You focused so hard on one aspect of strength you drove me to the dark for stars sake and you can’t see how my feelings might be even slightly linked to a toxic training culture you participated in?!”
As this point the large molly was standing, growling down at her mentor with fury as she panted so easily driven to forget her apathetic cover in the face of old trauma. Heaving in a deep breath she tried to calm herself, dropping into a low rumble rather then a yell.

“This is your problem here Leopardstrike, you are so incapable of addmitting failure or fault that it’s never ‘my issue’ it’s always ‘the clans’ and you never can see when you might need to apologise so you destroy your relationships instead. I train Marigoldpaw with the expectation that I will mess up because I, and everyone, am just a cat. It’ll be hell and humiliating but I’ll do it. I train her with enough free time to create bonds in her clan without compromising her skills and it’s not even hard. She is not weak for that.” Adderfang sighed as she almost deflated here sitting down again and (though her face was nothing but neutral) her eyes took an almost morning cast. “What’s the point of this Leopardstrike? To rile us both up to fury? To lament on the continual direction of the clan? I can’t see the purpose of this.”
@ghostwriter (I love this but whoops adder snapped lol sorry about the essay)

[ghostwriter]

@Rani

Leopardstrike's expression did not change. She got the response she had anticipated, but at this point in her life--in her stage of epiphany--conflict did not excite her anymore.
"Adderfang," she said slowly, "That is...the point of what I am saying to you right now." she murmured, shaking her head lightly, worn and almost remorseful, "When I was younger...I thought I was doing the right thing...it was how I was trained, it made me strong. But I realize now, that...it may have made me other things as well...I...regret...isolating you in your own clan..." she confessed slowly, "I am not eloquent...and because of that...I'm not sure my words can satisfy you. But you need to understand...even though it is too late for me to recognize that I made mistakes...I do recognize them. Strength...is a commodity. I thought I could create it, manufacture it. But I know now...that mentality comes at a high cost."

[vampy]

Originally Posted by Spoopy Eclipse

Webpaw sat in the clearing, hoping that her mentor would forget about her punishment all together. I only got lost, why do I have to clean moss then! She thought back to the time when she was a loner, when she didn't have to be loyal to someone like Dawnstar. She paused for a moment. Why have I been focusing so much on proving myself to someone I don't even like? Of all the clans I had to stumble upon, why did it have to be this one.
@Minty

~ Duskfern ~

Duskfern’s pawsteps made a small crunch each step she took. She was heading for Webpaw, who looked resentful. She couldn’t blame her, no one really liked doing things for the elders. The chimera she-cat looked down at her apprentice with a faint smile, then went and slowly rested by her.
”Other tasks are annoying,” she purred. ”But don’t worry, I had to do them back when I was an apprentice, and I have to now too.”
Duskfern paused for a moment. Obviously a cat did something wrong to be punished, so she decided to add onto her words.
“Though you didn’t appear for patrol when we got out, and I forgot to actually continue to patrol. So I guess we both kind of deserve it, don’t you think?” she looked into Webpaw’s yellow eyes kindly.

[duCky]

Originally Posted by Minty

~ Duskfern ~

Duskfern’s pawsteps made a small crunch each step she took. She was heading for Webpaw, who looked resentful. She couldn’t blame her, no one really liked doing things for the elders. The chimera she-cat looked down at her apprentice with a faint smile, then went and slowly rested by her.
”Other tasks are annoying,” she purred. ”But don’t worry, I had to do them back when I was an apprentice, and I have to now too.”
Duskfern paused for a moment. Obviously a cat did something wrong to be punished, so she decided to add onto her words.
“Though you didn’t appear for patrol when we got out, and I forgot to actually continue to patrol. So I guess we both kind of deserve it, don’t you think?” she looked into Webpaw’s yellow eyes kindly.

"No! I'm being punished just for getting lost a little. Do you think that's reasonable?" Next time she would make sure she didn't get lost. There was no way she was going to do this ever again.

[vampy]

Originally Posted by Spoopy Eclipse

"No! I'm being punished just for getting lost a little. Do you think that's reasonable?" Next time she would make sure she didn't get lost. There was no way she was going to do this ever again.

”We all make mistakes..” her words trailed off and she was silent for a moment.
She listened to her own advice, bringing her back to the bad decisions she had made. But there was hope for her, and with a puny situation like this, there was definitely some for Webpaw too.
“But we can fix them. You’ll do better next time. You are right, however, since I didn’t show you around the territory too much. But that’s on me. And I’ll fix it too.” she mewed softly.
Duskfern waited for a response, and remained calm. Webpaw reminded her of herself. Maybe that was for old cats and it was silly, but she was fierce and knew how to speak her mind. She wouldn’t let her go down the wrong path like she did, though.

[Mango]

@Kipo Oak @Fuzzy

Stempaw glanced at Owlspot,” Alright. I’ll try, I know how to fight, but it just doesn’t work as well with the missing leg and all.” she meowed. Hopefully that wouldn’t make her seem weak, she wanted to be a tough and strong warrior, but she wasn’t sure it was possible with a missing leg.