Quote:
Originally Posted by Charmer
"That's the hope," he said, nodding at Grousestar's optimism. It seemed like the leader was hardly phased by the problem Shinefang's subpar knowledge presented. He had at most two moons to prepare for the cold and harsh weather that could bring white couch and green cough to the clan. It very well might not be enough, and Acornpaw would not be the last cat he lost before newleaf. Grousestar was either abnormally resilient in the face of adversity or too foolish to realize just how deep the foxdung that Skyclan had stepped in really was. He couldn't even say it was necessarily one or the other, but one thing he knew is that he had faith in Grousestar as a leader. He had followed him here from their old territory for good reason: the brown tabby may have be naive, but he was sensible and he cared for his clan well. Shinefang had nothing but respect for any cat who cared for his clan the way he believed it deserved to be cared for. Even so, it surprised him when the tom called him, 'Shine'. "Shinefang if you don't mind. Only the shecats can call me Shine." He played it off, like a joke, but the truth was the only two cats had ever called him Shine, his mate and his mother. Grousestar was neither.
The old tom listened intently as Grousestar suggested traveling to Dusk syndicate territory in search of herbs. He was so surprised to hear the suggestion that he actually stopped to look at Grousestar's face. Was he serious? It was a bold move if so. There may well have been herbs left over in whatever the Syndicate had that passed for a camp, but what intrigued Shinefang the most about this idea was that with their territory now unclaimed, this expedition the leader was proposing could be the first pawstep toward widening the territory. This was another thing he liked about Grousestar, the younger cat was more cunning than he let on, and full of surprises. "Hmmm. I think there's some real potential there. exploring the Dusk Syndicate territory nearly doubles the possible places to find herbs. I doubt any healers the Syndicate knew as much as a trained medicine cat about herbs and how to use them. There may be herbs that are untouched entirely! There may be herbs that don't grow in Skyclan territory at all!" The more Shinefang spoke, the more excited about the prospect he became, until his tail was raised and twitching, and his scarred face brandished a grin that looked like a grimace. "Yes! Excellent plan! But I think should still take a patrol in that case. Just because the Syndicate disbanded doesn't mean there are no bad-tempered, former members lingering in the shadows. As much as I hate to admit it, I can't fight like I used to if I run into trouble." It hurt to admit, but it was true. The old warrior was past his prime. And he couldn't risk his life foolishly now. His clan needed him. At the statement about the pressure of leadership, Shinefang nodded. "There was a time when I was young and foolish, when I thought about what a nice ring 'Shinestar' had to it. But power is a heavy burden, and I don't envy you now. Many lives rest on the decisions the leaders make in times like this. Thankfully, Skyclan is lucky enough to have a leader with a decent mind. Not like those mousebrains leading Windclan and Thunderclan." The medicine cat's teeth curled in a momentary snarl as he shook his head. "Challenging another clan to war so soon before leafbare. Blazingstar has a funny way of avenging his starved warriors: killing more of them."
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Grousestar knew fully well the problems that the medicine cat phased, with them only having some knowledge on herbs, less than a fully blown medicine cat should have. But he also knew that Shinefang was the only one they had to rely on. Ebonyfrost hadn't taken up an apprentice in her time as medicine cat; there was no one in the camp fully trained in the ways of a medicine cat. So he knew that it would be useless, even detrimental, if he gave anything but hope for the medicine cat. If he made Shinefang truly feel subpar, like he wasn't doing the best he could, then he wouldn't perform as well, and may even give up on the duties leaving them in an even worse predicament than before. So yes, he would seem naive, maybe even stupid for not outright acknowledging that Shinefang had subpar knowledge in the area of herbs. But he would take that over possibly jeopardizing the medicine cat's decision to stay and medicine cat. Grousestar would never let any other cat know his way of thinking, he would let them remain thinking that he was a naive tom with his head in the cloud full of optimism and cheer because that's what kept cats happy, that's what gave him his charisma. But the second he revealed his true thinking, the way cats looked at him would change. He didn't need that right now. He needed them to remain believing that he was nothing but a ball of cheer and fun.
As Shinefang stopped, so too did the leader, looking over to look at him in the eyes, reading the surprise there but not saying anything, waiting to see what the other tom would say first. He knew there were still dangers to watch out for in the former Syndicate territory, and he knew it was a really bold move to try and make a move on the territory so soon after their dismantlement. But he believed it would greatly benefit Skyclan in the end, especially with the harshest season to come looming so near. And it also occurred to him that the other clans likely wouldn't try to claim the territory, they would have to travel a bit of a ways just to get to it and he just couldn't see them doing that in order to get prey or territory in general. Not only that, but two of them seemed to be distracted in a feud anyways, they wouldn't be paying attention.
When the medicine cat finally did speak, the leader smiled brightly, the older tom voicing his thoughts exactly. Nodding his head but not interrupted the excited spewing of Shinefang, Grousestar couldn't help but chuckle. Quietly glad that the other tom agreed his idea was a good one, and could be very beneficial. If Shinefang had doubted him, he would find doubt in his own plan as well. Shinefang was a wise cat, he had many moons under his belt, so his opinion mattered greatly to Grousestar, just the same as Auroraflame's.
"Oh most certainly, I wasn't planning on sending you out there alone especially with the possibility of some of their members remaining in their old territory. When we get back to camp, I'll organize a patrol and we can head out as soon as your ready." There was the seriousness he tried not to show too often, but he figured that Shinefang should know that he could be serious at times.
Then a light smile began to show on his muzzle again as the conversation shifted slightly to Shinefang's original question. "Yes, when I was younger I used to play with-" My younger brother.. "-other kits in the nursery, acting like the deputy, or the leader at times. I never imagined I would actually take the role. And it's not as exciting and fun like I thought it would be when I was a kit. It's a hard job that others don't quite realize. I appreciate the kind words." Glancing over as the other tom mentioned Windclan and Thunderclan, all he could do was sigh and shake his head. "It is rather foolish of them to try and go to war so soon to leaf-bare. I only hope the casualties on both sides are minimal, but I don't think stepping in to help either side will be beneficial to us. It'll only end up getting Skyclan cat's killed, and for no good reason."