➳ Kestrelwing

For a brief moment, Kestrelwing was reminded of his blow-out the other day in camp with Bumblestep. He knew that most likely, other Clanmates had picked it up, but he hadn't pegged one of them to be Stormcall. Didn't she have other duties to attend to? The tom contemplated trying to explain himself until the RiverClan deputy's next statement - and the tone behind it. He was already irritated with the slow responses of the so-called warriors he was forced to patrol an unprotected border with, and now this? Luck surely was not in the cards for him, that much he was certain of.

"If you're asking me to apologize for what I said, I'll do no such thing." Kestrelwing held his ground, lifting his chin up in a slight defiant manner. Sootstar knew where his anger stemmed from - and if he didn't, all the more reason for a kit to be in charge rather than the disillusioned tom. His eyes switched between the two cats, carefully narrowed as he assessed the situation. This wasn't just another Clan warrior - so while the tom hated the idea of it, he had to be careful in what he said. "ShadowClan has invaded our border multiple times, going as far as to murder our own in cold blood. WindClan now may be extending their rabbit chases into our land. What's next? ThunderClan barging in demanding territory??" Furious, the tabby lashed his tail. "RiverClan cats have died because you won't do anything but give verbal warnings. We can't afford to lose more cats, especially with Dawnstar running ShadowClan how she is - and quite frankly, the other Clans as well."


// @ghostwriter

➳ Kestrelwing

Kestrelwing wrinkled his nose a bit as Stormcall spoke, but didn't interrupt as he held his tongue. Of course they couldn't afford to loose Clanmates, but they also couldn't afford to show weakness to the tyrant that was running ShadowClan. If Dawnstar knew of their lack of border protection, the tom wouldn't put it past her to take advantage of that to swipe up some neighboring RiverClan territory. "We can't afford to not protect our borders, either," he retorted, claws digging in the ground as he urged Stormcall to see it from his view.

"That's exactly why we should be sending out patrols specifically in search of trespassers. If Dawnstar has given permission to take care of the issue ourselves, then that should've been the first decision made after the Gathering - extra patrols to spot these code-breakers." His head spun with this whole conversation. Mixed emotions of needing to keep his cool versus protecting their borders from any outsiders crossing over tumbled around together like moss balls. "My lust for battle stems from my loyalty to keep this Clan safe. I may not be deputy, or leader," he snapped with a pointed glance in Sootstar's direction, "but I am a Clan warrior. My duty is to protect my Clanmates with my life, no? I may not have responsibility like you, but that does not mean I live like a rogue, only looking out for myself, with no responsibility. Ask any warrior! They all feel the responsibility to protect this Clan.

By now, the anger that was now normal for the tom began to bubble in his belly as Kestrelwing stared back at Stormcall. He'd surprised himself by keeping his cool, but perhaps that was because of the issue at hand. Border defense... something Kestrelwing had in mind as he learned battle move after battle move, earning his warrior ceremony early. He wanted to protect their borders so that no RiverClanner would ever again die because an outsider strayed over the line. For as much disdain as he had for them, the last thing Kestrelwing wanted was for another young apprentice, much like he had been, to experience the loss of kin...

"If you want unity within this Clan, then I would suggest taking our border security seriously. Unless we start taking the issue into our own paws, like Dawnstar said, those fox-hearts will continue to taunt and tease us by way of murder."


// @ghostwriter

➳ Kestrelwing

Now here was a warrior worthy of perhaps leading RiverClan one day... Kestrelwing hadn't exactly expected this level of retort when he first finished his patrol report, but something about Stormcall reminded him of his mother; strong-willed and ready to defend RiverClan at the drop of a hat. The gleam in the molly's eyes was different than any he'd seen within Sootstar. "I would trust you to drive them out over Sootstar," he replied simply with an indifferent flick of his tail, not even bothering to look in the leader's direction this time. His own issues with Sootstar couldn't be fixed by having a new deputy simply tell him to respect the leader. Respect, in his case, had been lost long ago.

Kestrelwing eyed Stormcall, weighing the challenge she had thrown his way. Usually the battle hungry tom was more than willing to spar with his Clanmates, but for now he was just exhausted and wanted sleep. He wanted to shut the Clan out, and perhaps even the world, if only for a brief few moments. With this thought, his claws slid back into place, and he realxed his muscles a bit. "The next ShadowClan border patrol, I want in." It wasn't posted as a request, or question - more like a statement. He held Stormcall's gaze, his own unwavering as he searched her expression for any sign of resistance to it.


// @ghostwriter