RiverClan Leader's Den

[BEAR.]

Lionstar couldn't help but chuckle at that. "I know Fallenstream and you have both dealt with plenty of betrayals, but it's more likely ThunderClan would betray us than WindClan. WindClan is.. if they didn't show up to the Gathering with the ten cats they have, I wouldn't be convinced they exist. Blazingstar has kept his head down for seasons and I doubt any of their cats would have the courage to act against us." If they did, Lionstar would personally take care of them. "I think ShadowClan is sufficient for now, and cats from the other Clans can be evaluated by us when they request to join."

@The Cannibal

[The Cannibal]

@BILL.
Grousestar wasn't quite sure why the other tom chuckled, but he didn't bother asking why. The reasoning sounded good, and for now, he supposed he could agree with Lionstar. He hadn't heard much from Windclan at all. They were hardly a clan right now, just like what was left of 'his own', if he could even call it that anymore. It hurt his head too much to think on it.
"I suppose that's true. Well then I believe we're in agreeance. Shadowclan cats will not be permitted to join, Windclan is irrelevant at the moment and any others can and will be evaluated as they come in. Sounds like a good deal to me."

[BEAR.]

Muzzle twisting into a pleased grin, Lionstar dipped his head to Grousestar. He found amusement in his statement on WindClan being irrelevant, and it was true-- with their heads kept low, the other Clan had done little to nothing in moons. Would they even notice if they lost some territory?

"I'll make sure the Clan knows." He spoke as he turned away from the other leader, heading toward the den exit. "If an outsider requests to join, there shouldn't be any question of our restrictions."

@The Cannibal

[BEAR.]

Lionstar was on the move.

After the conclusion of the meeting, he didn't waste time in getting to his den. He was excited! And for good reason.

He had a plan.

And even better? Frostflight didn't take long to join him. Lionstar didn't care for the deputy but at least he was being punctual.

"Frostflight." Lionstar greeted him, trying to keep his paws still as he approached him. "I imagine you're wondering what I could possibly want. With the SkyClan and beach expansion underway, that leaves one thing remaining:

"The tunnels. I've been wanting to explore those old things for a while now. Most of them have collapsed from the floods but.. if we had the Clan reconstruct them, to dig them out and bring them back to life, imagine what we could do with them? Rediscovering our old camp, having a backup sanctuary while simultaneously having the ability to ambush our enemies..."

The gleam in his eyes was dangerous. "What do you think? We could have small cats-- apprentices, even, slip into the crevices of the territory to seek out potential entrances."
@Dust

[Dust]

As Frostflight entered the den, he gave the other a polite smile before settling down to listen. His paws kneaded the ground with anticipation, an anxious knot deep in his belly. Well, yeah obviously he was curious as to why he wanted to talk... but it wasn't what he had expected at all! The feline stared at the other with surprise,

"Tunnels? Old RiverClan tunnels?" He couldn't recall ever hearing about any tunnels? Though.. he used to skip out on his apprentice chores so... it probably would have been some old wives tale that the elders told. Still, he grinned with intrigue,

"I don't think I've heard of them before... I wouldn't even know where to find them, but it's worth looking for, especially if you already know where they are." Wiggling in his spot, the deputy could barely contain his excitement. Riverclan was about to have two very big expansions ahead of them.

"Should we check it out before we send warriors or apprentices down? Take a small patrol and see what's left of them?"

@BILL.

[Fawn]

When Fawnpaw had returned to camp, it was with feathers and a fish in his jaws, a little den-warming gift for Lionstar since it seemed... like the polite thing to do. Their recent interactions had been mixed at best, and maybe this would smooth things over, as long as Lionstar didn't ask too many questions about where those items had been retrieved from. Well, he hoped he wouldn't. He'd barely been a tail-length from camp and it wasn't as if he could waltz in during the meeting, both abandoning his task and drawing attention to himself that'd be under worse scrutiny than usual after the notice regarding apprentices.

He stopped short of the den upon hearing voices within. Lionstar... and Frostflight, naturally--he could've guessed given the dismissal. Curiosity won another internal battle as he angled his ears, trying to best capture their conversation while reminding himself that it wasn't doing any harm; he wouldn't be announcing this to anyone, it was just to sate his own interest.

Really, he'd half-expected something mundane since most of their tasks were, but this was Lionstar... and he didn't disappoint. Expanding their camp through the tunnels was a wild plan, maybe a fool's mission in how dangerous it was, but a unique tactic that would provide an edge of advantage. His own experience with them had been entirely negative from falling into one with another apprentice and abandoning the thing because it'd been a risk even he wasn't willing to take. Fawnpaw winced at the thought of being commanded to explore one.

It was an ambitious move, especially with the other expansion underway. Although he held concerns about the Clan being worn too thin if they were undertaking both at the same time--right before leaf bare, no less, Fawnpaw bit his tongue. Hard to do when he actually almost laughed at Frostflight's own suggestion of trying to squeeze himself into one.


@BILL. @Dust

[BEAR.]

The issue with the tunnels was that there wasn't much left of them, but Lionstar had an inkling on where some of the old entrances laid. "No, I don't think it's worth sending out the extra patrol. The tunnels are mostly collapsed. If there's pockets within that are intact, you will likely need to dig for it. ..But we have some older cats, like Firebird," or whatever his disowned father's name was, "that lived in the tunnels once. They can help locate the old openings and we can work from there.

"I want the entire tunnel system from here to the other Clans opened up. We can disguise them with predator scents so that they think it's just new dens. No Clan cat is stupid enough to enter a fox or badger burrow, and that will provide us easy access to their territories if we want to take advantage of that."

Lionstar didn't miss the scent of Fawnpaw as it wafted through the mouth of the den, and he padded over to the entrance only to pluck Fawnpaw up and bring him close to his nest, tucking him beside him. He was so focused on his plan he hardly registered the fish and feathers, merely aware this was his Fawnpaw, and that he was here.

"The tunnel system is not only under RiverClan, remember that Frostflight. All the Clans once lived underground, and we only relocated when a flood forced us to. The ruins of our old home are beneath our very paws, and I doubt many cats within the Clans even recall this. This would have happened during Fallowstar's reign, moons before the second Evil Era." Lionstar glanced down at Fawnpaw. "Can you believe your fathers would have been younger than you?" he questioned curiously. "Or maybe just Cakeless. Buckfrost has some moons on him.." he trailed off, looking outside the den.

"Frostflight, I suggest organizing the senior warriors and seeing if any of them know anything about the tunnels. They can lead a group of small cats to the old entrances and we can work from there to clear them out. I imagine they look similar to abandoned dens now. If you have apprentices help, at least one of them should have some experience with training. The last thing we need is untrained apprentices causing the tunnels to collapse more."
@Dipper, @Dust

[Dust]

Firebird? Oh, duh... Firehawk. Did Lionstar really forget his name? Nodding his head with slight amusement, the deputy continued, "I'll be sure to ask, er.. Firehawk, about the tunnels and see if he can lend a paw in finding the entrances. But-" Frostflight was cut short as he watched Lionstar proceed to get up from his nest, plucking an eavesdropping Fawnpaw from the entrance of the den. He thought he'd caught the familiar scent of the apprentice, though he was hoping not to see him right now. His belly bubbled with guilt and regret as he adverted his gaze from Fawnpaw, keeping a forced stare on Lionstar... though he was respectful as they addressed each other.

"I was going to send a small patrol up to the SkyClan territory as well to scout it out - with a former SkyClan cat in the lead, it should be no issue getting around." Frostflight had been thinking about this for quite a bit, at least since the meeting. Why bother putting a RiverClan cat in charge? SkyClan already knew the territory... plus they would certainly be more excited to hunt in the wooded slopes. The river couldn't keep them occupied forever. Frostflight dipped his head respectfully to the duo, still keeping his gaze adverted from Fawnpaw,

"If you will excuse me, I'll go sort those patrols out immediately."

@BILL. @Dipper

[Fawn]

Fawnpaw hardly had time to register it as he was taken from the entrance, sputtering a few noises that weren't intelligible words in a fleeting attempt to explain himself. But Lionstar didn't seem to notice or care about the eavesdropping and dumped him in his nest, where he delicately placed the fish down to nudge it in front of Lionstar. The feathers were a trickier matter and required a moderate amount of squirming to get them into place, but soon, he had a lined nest as Fawnpaw had been casually listening to the ongoing conversation. Humming a noise of contemplation at the thought of his fathers being apprentices, he asked dryly, "So what were you, a kit?" Logically there was no way that was true, but it was funny anyway.

While acutely aware of Frostflight's presence, more so as Lionstar directly addressed him, he didn't intend to acknowledge him. It was... easier like this, just ignoring it and keeping the professional distance. As long as Frostflight continued to respect the unspoken boundary, he intended on doing the same. The deputy's departure marked a sudden easing of tenseness he hadn't realized he was holding onto, but he could breathe again.

"Uh... hey." The greeting was a tad hesitant, sort of curious. "I brought some stuff for your den, ...Lionstar." Well, that felt weird. He wasn't sure he liked it. Lionstar as a leader had been doing a fine job despite his first worries, but the name change was going to be a difficult adjustment. "I'll work on it. ...How are you doing? I'm guessing it's kind of different, but RiverClan's not on fire, which makes you a better leader than some-- maybe that's not the best way to do this. I meant, congratulations."

@BILL.

[BEAR.]

Lionstar let out a small, displeased huff as Fawnpaw's comment about his age, lightly bapping him with the tip of his tail. Lionstar wasn't old. And even if he was, he wasn't that old.

Frostflight didn't seem to add anything important to the discussion, so he nodded stiffly to him as he departed in favor of focusing his attention on his Fawnpaw.

"How kind of you." Lionstar reached over to pull Fawnpaw back against him, swiping his tongue against his pelt to smooth his fur. "It's.. been exhausting, but it doesn't help I haven't slept since the Star Cats assaulted me."
@Dipper