Due Consequences

[duckie]

Sootflare - RiverClan Clearing
__________

Sootflare had been noticing more and more patrols going unfinished - or at the very least unreported - as of late and it was beginning to get on his nerves. It always rubbed him the wrong way when warriors couldn't even be bothered to give an excuse as to why it couldn't be done but the sheer amount screamed 'laziness' in his eyes. There had always been a looming threat of punishment coming from Lionstar but it seemed to never be followed through. It was about time that changed.

"Flyfur [ @Rainquail ]! Rainsplash [ @Splashy ]! Hickoryblaze [ @Moon Lily ]! Viperfang [ @Quailsong ]! Doefeather [ @Fallen One ]! Cricketchirp [ @Rainquail ]!"

This would be an attempt to enforce some sort of accountability within the clan. If they continued on letting warriors act on every whim and desire and leave their assignments unfinished, nothing would ever get done.

"Frostflame [ @Me dragon, u breakfast. ]! Cloverwish [ @CloverAndCoffee]! Tigersnap [ @Catattack]! Sparrowflame [ @Mayflower]! Shadowpelt [ @jackal blackout]! Morningmeadow [ @:Grimm:]! Shimmeringpool [ @Shimm]!"

"All of you, come take a seat!"

He gave them all a moment to gather - and only a moment - and as soon as they were all in front of him, he launched into his lecture. Everything about his posture, his tone, the way he moved communicated the seriousness of the situation. Sootflare was not here to play around.

"I've gathered the group of you here because somewhere in the last few rounds of patrols you have failed to complete the duties assigned to you. Either the patrol was finished without you because you failed to show or the patrol was not reported at all."

"Some of your patrol members have gone missing - either in the course of the patrol are between now and then - and some of them have died. You obviously cannot complete a patrol if you are dead or missing, now can you? And yet, there are patrols that have gone unfinished and the rest of you are all sitting in front of me today. So tell me..." He stopped his pacing in front of the group, pausing right in the center where he could stare them all down from where he stood.

"What's your excuse?"

[Cobra]

[I know you didn't mention me, but frostflame is @Me dragon, u breakfast ] @wnder

[Abyssopelagic]

Flyfur ducked her head as her name was called. She didn't remember having done anything wrong, so she was a bit confused. She sat and looked at the other cats. Owlpaw had gone missing and Featherpaw hadn't been assigned to her group when she came to help. Salmonsong was not among the gathered or called for cats.
"Salmonsong said she would report the border patrol since I had planned to take Owlpaw hunting, but Owlpaw slipped away from me so when I came back, I thought the report was finished." Her voice was little more than a murmur.
"I hadn't seen her when I came back to ask her either. I'll accept whatever consequences, regardless." She curled her tail over her paws and tried not to look as nervous as she felt.
She wasn't lying by any means but fear boiled in her veins nonetheless.



Cricketchirp glanced up and padded over. Perhaps he irritated the wrong cat.
But as more cats grouped up, he figured that was not the case. Report? What report? He was supposed to report the patrol?
"I didn't know that!" He bleated, a little offended. "I wasn't told we were supposed to give a report?" His brows furrowed and ears tilted backward, trying to keep the challenge out of his tone.

@wnder

[CloverAndCoffee]

@wnder
[ It’s because of stuff that has to do with my family, sorry if I’m inactive frequently. ]
` ` I’ve been busy training my apprentice that’s why. I’ve never had an apprentice in my 66 moons of being alive. So, it’s all too much for me. ` ` Cloverwish looked down at her paws, a bit ashamed for her absence. She had never had this much stress out on her. An apprentice to train, partoles that were missed, plus future patrols. It all started making her head hurt. Since Lightningkit had gone missing, her head had been filled with thoughts. Too many of them.

[Moon Lily]

[ @wnder -it's really because life has been chaos for me, sorry about that!]

Hickoryblaze could hear his name called from where he was in the clearing, having returned from his most recent training session with Stonepaw. Sootflare seemed serious, and strict-serious, for the first time in...maybe for the first time officially, actually. His golden-brown pelt glinted in the afternoon sun, shimmering lightly in spots. As he made his way over to where the now fuming deputy stood, he felt his fur begin to prickle. Sootflare was rarely this mad. He drowned up at the bristling tom, eyes suddenly worried. Missed patrols? He'd only missed one of two he'd thought. Perhaps one he'd forgotten to report, but the other he'd handed over to Vipersong or whatever their name was. He'd been busy looking after Ashpool that day. A lot of days, actually. Shuffling nervously on the dusty ground, he looked up at the white and grey tom as he was called upon. His excuse? He'd hardly call it that. A reason, maybe. But not an excuse. He'd never try to miss a patrol. Or abandon one.

"Yessir, I see your point, and I apologize. I'd forgotten to report back after one patrol, which wasn't cool of me. My mate is also expecting, so that would explain me not being able to lead the most recent one. I realize that other cat and queens could stay and help, but all of our first litter died, and being concerned, I had to stay." He explained, pelt growing warm with shame. He knew he should have told Sootflare before doing so, but it'd escaped his mind in the moment.

[jackal blackout]

(I am on when I can be on sorry) there was mewing behind shadowpelt and shadowpelt thought "well I am dead" she then said "I was trying to find the mother of this kit, but we did smell blood and it led to a carcass." @wnder

[Splashy]

+ @wnder +
Rainsplash padded silently up to Sootflare, the tom feeling a bit guilty at not going straight to the Deputy after his hunting patrol. He lowered his ears at the sharp words, clenching his teeth. After a long thought, he finally opened his jaws.

"I apologise profusely for my actions, but I was reassuring my apprentice in her hunting skills as we walked back to camp, which caused us reach to camp late, and once we returned, I had forgotten to report what we had caught.

The tom seemed truly guilty, the tom biting his lip as he prepared for what the Deputy would say to him for his actions.

[Mayflower]

Sparrowflame sighed, reluctantly padding over to Sootflare. Great. First the weird kit thing that Shadowpelt tried to bring home, then the mangled carcass of who knows what, and now they were in hot water with Sootflare. The flicked their tail quickly, hoping to keep some semblance of formality with the deputy. "I know there is no true excuse for my actions, but we had some complications in Smallpines that delayed our return and report. There was a seemingly orphaned kit and an unidentifiable carcass and due to those situations I failed to report. I apologize."
@wnder

[duckie]

Sootflare
__________

Excuses, excuses, excuses. That was all he was hearing, really - excuses. With the exception of a few valid reasons. At least they had the decency to speak up at all.

"Viperfang! Doefeather! Frostflame! Tigersnap! Morningmeadow! Shimmeringpool!" he barked, fur bristling, "Have you nothing to say for yourselves? No excuses to give?" He took a step back. "Very well. I'll deal with you all in a moment."

"Hickoryblaze..." he began, voice softening slightly and only for a moment as he turned to the tom, "You're dismissed. Next time, come to me and explain the situation before completely abandoning your duties. If this happens again I will not go so easy on you." Given he hadn't had any issues with the warrior in the past, there was no reason to prosecute him now. He mustn't let the others think they would get off just like that, though.

"Flyfur, Sparrowflame, and Rainsplash, you all failed to report... because you forgot? Because you didn't know? Cloverwish - because you were too busy? Need I remind you all - that all that is asked of you is that you contribute to the clan? Hunt for your clanmates, fight when it is asked of you. When you fail to report your patrol it tells me you are careless. When you fail to complete your patrol -" He shot a pointed glance at Cloverwish, "It tells me that you lack the discipline to serve your clan in the way you are needed. You do not care."

Hmph. He'd return to them soon.

"Shadowpelt." He marched over where he could get in the warrior's face, "Please- explain to me why you thought it necessary to abandon the task assigned to you in order to put undue stress on your patrol mate and proceed to fail at the task you assigned yourself?"

[ @Rainquail @Splashy @Moon Lily @Quailsong @Fallen One @Rainquail @Me dragon, u breakfast. @CloverAndCoffee @Catattack @Mayflower @jackal blackout @:Grimm: @Shimm ]

[Abyssopelagic]

Flyfur sighed softly and tried not to deflate physically. She felt way more stressed than she should be- she didn't have a longstanding record of being tardy or failing to report.
She'd gone through some harsh punishments in her life and surely none of the ones Sootflare had in mind would be as bad. It's not like they could exile her over this.
...... Right?