He wasn't surprised the snarl anymore. He could sense her annoyance, but he was aware it wasn't aimed at him. Slowly, he'd grown to learn how the leader felt. It only took a few moons, but it was something.
Alright, time to get it over with. Hawkbite remembered the last time he was suggesting a deputy. He'd offered himself to the position. It was bold, but he never regrated it. So, he sat before her, ambition radiating from his eyes and from the way he held himself. He merely hoped the leader understood he was always willing to step up to the role. He felt confident he could fulfill the role, but if that wasn't Dawnstar's wishes, then he'd swallow his pride and move on.
So, he did just that. Hawkbite swallowed, hard. His eyes once brimming with ambition, blinked, and were filled with some odd emotion. Sadness? Maturity? Who knew. "I'm suggesting Mistlewhisker to you. I know she's an Enforcer and we'd be opening up another spot to fill, but I can fill it," the Commander spoke. He didn't really need to explain his reasoning for the Enforcer. Her actions and contributions should have been enough to stand out so far.
"Soon, I can fill them. There are a couple apprentices I've been training and melding into better material. They just need to prove themselves once they're made warriors," Hawkbite spoke. His tail wrapped neatly onto his paws, a sigh escaping him. Honestly, it was almost sad to him that he was having to wish on apprentices to fulfill the roles. With how many warriors there were, he should've been able to fill these spots already.
That led him onto the next subject. He wouldn't dwell on the deputy recommendation for too long. It already took a lot for him to push past his pride to suggest someone else, even if he deemed them worthy of it. "The patrols we ran, they were a disaster. The herb patrols, the hunting, border. They were all a disaster with punishments soon to come," Hawkbite spoke, his claws sinking into the dens floor. The emotion in his eyes shifted to that of frustration and disappointment.
"So, I have an inquiry to ask from you about the next batch I'll be sending out."
Dawnstar cocked her head at the head and the leg dropped towards her. That was new, she normally got pelts, not body parts. She was probably going to have to bury them and wait for the flesh to decay before she could place them in her den. Rotting flesh never smelt good.
"Wonderful work," Dawnstar meowed to the molly. Sharpfrost has always been an attention seeker, but not the same Shadefrost had been. Not nearly as aggravating. "I appreciate the new gifts, I'll add them to the rest of my collection. Why don't you get cleaned up before someone in the clan throws a fit about your scent."
Sharpfrost practically glowed at the praise. "T-Thank you Great Dawnstar. I'll get cleaned up right now. W-Would you like more gifts?" She said, her blood pumping much faster at the chance of getting more morbid gifts for her great leader.
__________________
Purrks! Shadow Walker, Kitty Softpaws are Both active!
Credit to Jude for the sig pics!
Petalrot
~<>~
29 moons || bug/bug’s || ShadowClan Warrior slim tortoiseshell w/ white tuxedo markings; green eyes
Bug had debated taking this matter to bug's leader for several days now, and finally caved after thinking it through again. Even if Dawnstar did not have a solution she could offer, perhaps a fresh perspective was what was needed. After all, who better to go to for a slight hiccough in apprentice training than the clan leader herself? Would she appreciate being bothered for something that might be perceived as trivial? Potentially no, she would not appreciate it, but a fresh perspective from a cat who's been in charge of things for moons upon moons might be just what bug needs.
"Dawnstar?" Petalrot calls out from beyond the entrance to her den. "If it's alright with you, I'd like your perspective on something."
Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Enforcer
she/her | 38 moons
[Large black cat with a half-white muzzle and a pale green eye (left gouged out)] Purrks: Beefed Up T3
· · ────────────── · ·
[Dawnstar - @Undertaker
· · ────────────── · ·
Mistlewhisker entered, eye adjusting to the dim light of the den. She dipped her head in a quick greeting. "At the Gathering, I found myself approached by Crowtooth. He was worried that ShadowClan might leave WindClan in the dark. Apparently we've been 'too quiet'." She made her annoyance and amusement with that statement very clear. "I told him that you'd tell Twilightstar when she needed to be told." As much as she would love to relay the entire conversation to Dawnstar, that wasn't why she was here. "However, he did recommend something to me that I think might benefit both ShadowClan and WindClan, and increase synergy for any upcoming battles."
Mistlewhisker paused, considering her words carefully. This could either earn her begrudging agreement, or the loss of her only remaining eye. "A joint training event between ShadowClan and WindClan could be a good way to foster trust--even a small amount--between the clans. He claimed it worked well for WindClan and RiverClan in the past. I thought it might be worth an attempt." Mistlewhisker ended her speech, watching Dawnstar impassively for her reaction. "What do you think?"
Dawnstar returned to grooming herself as Mistlewhisker began speaking. Her tail stopped leisurely swinging and bristled slightly when she heard approach and Crowtooth put in the same sentence. What did that bunny want? Unlike most, Dawnstar trusted her Enforcers to be smart enough not to go running their mouths. The leader relaxed when Mistlewhisker responded correctly. Even so, it still bugged her that Crowtooth was sniffing around for information. She was going to have to bring that up with Twilightstar later.
If that continued this alliance was going to go stale fast. At the mention of a joint training session, her claws slid out and stabbed the ground out of habit, and a low growl bubbled within her broad chest. "I'm not particularly interested in fostering any type of trust between our clans. This alliance is not meant to be permanent." Dawnstar growled. It was unlikely she'd be warring with WindClan anytime soon, but that'd only last as long as Twilightstar remained in power. It wasn't the clan itself but their leader that earned her respect. She didn't want ShadowClan growing soft for WindClan itself.
"Still, I can see the advantage of at least holding a joint event." She drawled reluctantly. "I'll speak to Twilightstar to see what she thinks about it." ShadowClan's never been raided for as long as Dawnstar's been in power. It might be a good idea to see about running a mock raid with the bunnies. The best way to learn how to fight with someone is to fight against them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WCUEhoneyfur
Honeykit slowly peeked in Dawnstar's den. As her eyes adjusted to the dark she began to ask the question she had wanted to ask. Dawnstar, I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could become an apprentice now that I am six moons old. The only reason I'm asking is because I'm half-blind and might not be able to be trained properly. Will you please consider me? I promise I will work very hard to prove I can hunt and fight well!" She waited hesitantly for the leader's answer. @Undertaker
[Before I forget. Honeykit was missing the 'existed for a month irl' requirement which is why she was not made an apprentice. She'll have to wait until the end of the month or the start of next to get apprenticed.]
Golden amber orbs narrowed as a small hairball stepped into the leader's dark den. A growl was growing in the back of her throat, but she forced it down. Tolerate the hairballs. She reminded herself while the kit began mewing.
"One of the most stable clans is run by a half-blind she-cat and one of my best Enforcers is half-blind. I don't know who's running their mouth and telling you otherwise, but you'll become an apprentice when I deem you fit. My expectations with you will be no less than every other apprentice in training. Don't expect me to treat you differently or that I think less of you just because of a disability." The leader growled annoyed.
In the past, the leader would have been more picky about such disabilities, but as cats have risen above her expectations, Dawnstar has grown out of her immature mindset. It did make her wonder who was telling the clan's kits that she found such disabilities as a weakness. Perhaps she should send one of her Enforcers out to find this gossiping idiotic so she could cut out their tongue. No one runs around defaming her in her clan!
He wasn't surprised the snarl anymore. He could sense her annoyance, but he was aware it wasn't aimed at him. Slowly, he'd grown to learn how the leader felt. It only took a few moons, but it was something.
Alright, time to get it over with. Hawkbite remembered the last time he was suggesting a deputy. He'd offered himself to the position. It was bold, but he never regrated it. So, he sat before her, ambition radiating from his eyes and from the way he held himself. He merely hoped the leader understood he was always willing to step up to the role. He felt confident he could fulfill the role, but if that wasn't Dawnstar's wishes, then he'd swallow his pride and move on.
So, he did just that. Hawkbite swallowed, hard. His eyes once brimming with ambition, blinked, and were filled with some odd emotion. Sadness? Maturity? Who knew. "I'm suggesting Mistlewhisker to you. I know she's an Enforcer and we'd be opening up another spot to fill, but I can fill it," the Commander spoke. He didn't really need to explain his reasoning for the Enforcer. Her actions and contributions should have been enough to stand out so far.
"Soon, I can fill them. There are a couple apprentices I've been training and melding into better material. They just need to prove themselves once they're made warriors," Hawkbite spoke. His tail wrapped neatly onto his paws, a sigh escaping him. Honestly, it was almost sad to him that he was having to wish on apprentices to fulfill the roles. With how many warriors there were, he should've been able to fill these spots already.
That led him onto the next subject. He wouldn't dwell on the deputy recommendation for too long. It already took a lot for him to push past his pride to suggest someone else, even if he deemed them worthy of it. "The patrols we ran, they were a disaster. The herb patrols, the hunting, border. They were all a disaster with punishments soon to come," Hawkbite spoke, his claws sinking into the dens floor. The emotion in his eyes shifted to that of frustration and disappointment.
"So, I have an inquiry to ask from you about the next batch I'll be sending out."
Yes, yes, yes, Dawnstar was well aware that Hawkbite would make an excellent deputy if given a chance, far better than the last several failures. But the problem with putting competent cats within that rank is that they quickly become incompetent as time progresses. Bit by bit, they start slacking one way or another. She wouldn't mind demoting them if push came to shove, but after demotion, they often disappeared or died before that. It's not like they continued serving the clan. Vulturefang is a wonderful example, since his demotion she hasn't seen a hair of him around the clan. It was like she was setting cats up for failure with the rank of deputy.
Her tattered ears were pinned back against her skull as soon as Hawkbite suggested one of the Enforcers. As much as she wanted to snarl a no, the commander was still speaking. So she'd hear him out. He could fill them? Ha, she wasn't doubting that he wouldn't find different cats, but how long would she have to wait for some half-decent oaf to fill Mistlewhisker's spot? When it came to reliance, Dawnstar counted far more on her Enforcers than she's ever on her deputy. To remove one of her better Enforcers from the rank so she could make them deputy sounded absurd. Lostspark was a special case, and Dawnstar had wanted her as a medicine cat, not a deputy.
The rest of Hawkbite's news only worsened her sour mood further. This was not what she wanted to hear when she was already irked. All of the patrols had gone terribly! What the hell was wrong with her clan?! She had already warned them about this. If they wanted to be lackadaisical kittypets, Dawnstar would have to make the whole clan suffer. They didn't want to take their duties seriously, the only freaking duties they had, they were only showing her they weren't ready.
"Keep an eye on Moonmeadow as a replacement and I'll think about Mistlewhisker." She spat, livid with the idea but willing to compromise. It's not the first time she's had to adjust her ideals to make things work in the clan's favor. "Speak," She ordered with a wave of her tail. She doubted anything he could say now could rile her any more than this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willie Warf
Sharpfrost practically glowed at the praise. "T-Thank you Great Dawnstar. I'll get cleaned up right now. W-Would you like more gifts?" She said, her blood pumping much faster at the chance of getting more morbid gifts for her great leader.
Dawnstar poked at the head at her paws and barely glanced up at Sharpfrost's question.
"If you want to bring me more, I'll take them. I need new pelts, I got rid of several of my old ones." Dawnstar told her, lifting her head. She was thoroughly amused with how delighted Sharpfrost was.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neptune.
Petalrot
~<>~
29 moons || bug/bug’s || ShadowClan Warrior slim tortoiseshell w/ white tuxedo markings; green eyes
Bug had debated taking this matter to bug's leader for several days now, and finally caved after thinking it through again. Even if Dawnstar did not have a solution she could offer, perhaps a fresh perspective was what was needed. After all, who better to go to for a slight hiccough in apprentice training than the clan leader herself? Would she appreciate being bothered for something that might be perceived as trivial? Potentially no, she would not appreciate it, but a fresh perspective from a cat who's been in charge of things for moons upon moons might be just what bug needs.
"Dawnstar?" Petalrot calls out from beyond the entrance to her den. "If it's alright with you, I'd like your perspective on something."
The leader was in the middle of sharpening her claws. She left huge indents on the stone wall as she dragged them repeatedly. It wasn't as comfortable as claws at a tree trunk, but she avoided splinters, and truthfully her claws were far sharper after scratching the rocks. A strange trick she had picked up from Roanpaw, how she missed and resented the one. Much like how she did the majority of those who came and went in her life.
Dawnstar swung her head towards the opening of the den, ears perked. She brought her front paws back onto the ground after hearing Petalrot's call. Perspective? Huh, it was rare she was asked for advice on anything.
Intrigued, Dawnstar replied. "Enter." The leader padded over to her nest and sat. She raised one forepaw to her muzzle and unsheathed her claws, cleaning the dirt and stone from them. She twitched a tattered ear at Petalrot, allowing bug to speak while she groomed her freshly pointed claws.
The leader was in the middle of sharpening her claws. She left huge indents on the stone wall as she dragged them repeatedly. It wasn't as comfortable as claws at a tree trunk, but she avoided splinters, and truthfully her claws were far sharper after scratching the rocks. A strange trick she had picked up from Roanpaw, how she missed and resented the one. Much like how she did the majority of those who came and went in her life.
Dawnstar swung her head towards the opening of the den, ears perked. She brought her front paws back onto the ground after hearing Petalrot's call. Perspective? Huh, it was rare she was asked for advice on anything.
Intrigued, Dawnstar replied. "Enter." The leader padded over to her nest and sat. She raised one forepaw to her muzzle and unsheathed her claws, cleaning the dirt and stone from them. She twitched a tattered ear at Petalrot, allowing bug to speak while she groomed her freshly pointed claws.
Petalrot
~<>~
29 moons || bug/bug’s || ShadowClan Warrior slim tortoiseshell w/ white tuxedo markings; green eyes
Well, no going back on this now... shaking out bug's pelt once, Petalrot enters bug's leader's den, trying not to focus too hard on her piercing eyes or the way it feels like they want to bore into bug.
"It's about Albatrosspaw," bug begins, "I would like to thank you first for allowing me to finish his training, I am grateful for that," and bug is grateful, truly, bug never really expected to be a mentor, there's nothing exactly exceptional about bug, after all. "I've run into... something of a snag, though, with him. He simply doesn't seem all that engaged in training. We've managed to get through stealth somewhat, but after that his interest seemed to wane... I've hardly seen him around at all too. I guess I was mostly wondering what you might do to encourage interest in training..? I think running a clan might be - at least loosely - similar to training a whole bunch of apprentices, so... I guess I was curious what you'd do." As long as she didn't tell bug to kill the kid, Petalrot thought bug could handle any sort of punishment she might suggest.
She didn't have much to say on his ideas, but it wasn't anything new to him. Hawkbite wouldn't press in on the mind of the leader, it simply wasn't his place and he was sure he'd have his ears shredded. So, despite his curious nature, he'd move on. Moonmeadow as the replacement? Sure. He could take a look into that. He'd only been introduced to the feline recently, but they had been pulling their weight a little.
A simple nod would suffice at her words. No matter who she'd pick for the next deputy, he'd make sure the Enforcers were prepared and he had replacements as needed. So far he'd shown interest in Midnightpaw, Palepaw, and Yellowpaw, although he could be bias based on the fact he'd personally trained each of them.
As for the patrol idea. . . here we go. "I'll be sending out the next round of hunting and border patrols. I'd like your permission to exile -- temporary or not -- and/or execute failures. There will be no redemption punishments, just the baseline: finish or gone. Of course, if the troublemaker has been half decent otherwise, I'll go lightly."
Hawkbite paused for a moment, watching her expression. He was aware he had the permission to throw punishments out as needed, but this was a little different. This was asking more than just the typical. "It's time the clan was reminded that laziness or outright duty neglect can't be tolerated. Let's start with getting the damn patrols taken care of."
Dawnstar returned to grooming herself as Mistlewhisker began speaking. Her tail stopped leisurely swinging and bristled slightly when she heard approach and Crowtooth put in the same sentence. What did that bunny want? Unlike most, Dawnstar trusted her Enforcers to be smart enough not to go running their mouths. The leader relaxed when Mistlewhisker responded correctly. Even so, it still bugged her that Crowtooth was sniffing around for information. She was going to have to bring that up with Twilightstar later.
If that continued this alliance was going to go stale fast. At the mention of a joint training session, her claws slid out and stabbed the ground out of habit, and a low growl bubbled within her broad chest. "I'm not particularly interested in fostering any type of trust between our clans. This alliance is not meant to be permanent." Dawnstar growled. It was unlikely she'd be warring with WindClan anytime soon, but that'd only last as long as Twilightstar remained in power. It wasn't the clan itself but their leader that earned her respect. She didn't want ShadowClan growing soft for WindClan itself.
"Still, I can see the advantage of at least holding a joint event." She drawled reluctantly. "I'll speak to Twilightstar to see what she thinks about it." ShadowClan's never been raided for as long as Dawnstar's been in power. It might be a good idea to see about running a mock raid with the bunnies. The best way to learn how to fight with someone is to fight against them.
Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Enforcer
she/her | 38 moons
[Large black cat with a half-white muzzle and pale green eye (left gouged out)] Purrks: Beefed Up T3, Shadow Fiend
· · ────────────── · ·
· · ────────────── · ·
Mistlewhisker understood the sentiment that the alliance was temporary, but the enforcer saw no reason to leap to unstable relations the moment WindClan lived out their usefulness. That was just asking for confrontations that would take more resources than were necessary. Trust could go a long way in making sure surprise attacks were less likely to happen. But, Mistlewhisker supposed, it also put them at the disadvantage of having a clan rely on them. Ah, politics. Her favorite. Dawnstars begrudging acceptance of her (and Crowtooth's, she supposed) idea was all she could ask for, and the enforcer nodded. "Very well. I have one other thing I wish to discuss."
The molly raised a paw to run it over her ear in a cleaning motion, irritation making her pelt prickle. "The patrols. I'm sure Hawkbite has already discussed with you the disaster that they were. Luckily, those given punishments were quick to accept and complete their tasks." Except Larkkit, that was. But hers would take a moon anyway. Maybe she could use that moon to relearn how to be part of a clan. But that did bring her too... "Boneclaw. Never showed up for patrols, never reported in. In fact, I haven't seen him around at all recently. It's entirely possible he went missing, but I wanted to let you know in case you saw him loitering around camp." Mistlewhisker's claws dug into the ground for the briefest of moments before they retracted, her temper along with them. "Clearly he can't be bothered to do ass around camp, so might as well ensure he doesn't appear in camp at all." It wasn't her place to decide whether cats could be in camp or not, but Mistlewhisker was getting irritated with the clan as a whole. Mistlewhisker had a difficult time telling when she might overstep with Dawnstar, but the molly was nothing if not good at keeping herself in her lane when told to. Dawnstar didn't scare her. She didn't need to.
"That is all. Thank you for your time." The enforcer finished, pushing herself to her paws and slipping out the den exit once she was dismissed.
O-oh! Goopypaw wasn't sure what kind of response he was expecting, but an open invitation to continue with his thoughts wasn't it. R-really? Not even an insult to my character? Or a c-cuff behind my ear for my abrupt entry? It seemed someone in Starclan was watching out for him after all! Did that mean they supported this? If so... why did he feel so ..... ??????
He nodded again, this time to himself. There was no time to second guess. He had to do this. Another deep breath in... out... then:
"Well... I was thinking of an ambush. Everyone else would h-hide while I would p-position myself on our border. Um, I wouldn't cross over or anything l-like that. Using my c-curse to our advantage I could make myself look sickly or... um in need of help in some way. Just enough to grab a few wandering Thunderclanners or a patrol over to check on m-me. W-when they got close enough we could emerge from the shadows and dispose of them. Maybe um... we take their bodies so it doesn't t-trace back to us." He stopped for a moment, running over his plan in his head to make sure he hit all his points; not noticing his front paw resume it's nervous tapping.
"I believe this will also help with um..." Oh geez whats the word??? The apprentice blinked helplessly at his leader for a moment as he begged his mind to help him out.
It was a moment too long before it finally came to him.
"M-morale!! Yes It will help with morale if we win a s-small scale battle and um... dwindle Thunderclan's numbers as well." A final nod, indicating he was done with his long winded explanation.
@Undertaker
Lynxshade wasn't upset about her leader giving up on the plan against Thunderclan, but she couldn't still see the reason for giving them back Sunkissed Creek. Weak. We are so weak because of our own incompetence.
She stopped at the entrance of Dawnstar's den, sitting under the bracken and taking a deep breath before talking. "Dawnstar, I'd like to talk about the patrol situation. It's clear something needs to be done, and I'd like to discuss it with you in private."
Petalrot
~<>~
29 moons || bug/bug’s || ShadowClan Warrior slim tortoiseshell w/ white tuxedo markings; green eyes
Well, no going back on this now... shaking out bug's pelt once, Petalrot enters bug's leader's den, trying not to focus too hard on her piercing eyes or the way it feels like they want to bore into bug.
"It's about Albatrosspaw," bug begins, "I would like to thank you first for allowing me to finish his training, I am grateful for that," and bug is grateful, truly, bug never really expected to be a mentor, there's nothing exactly exceptional about bug, after all. "I've run into... something of a snag, though, with him. He simply doesn't seem all that engaged in training. We've managed to get through stealth somewhat, but after that his interest seemed to wane... I've hardly seen him around at all too. I guess I was mostly wondering what you might do to encourage interest in training..? I think running a clan might be - at least loosely - similar to training a whole bunch of apprentices, so... I guess I was curious what you'd do." As long as she didn't tell bug to kill the kid, Petalrot thought bug could handle any sort of punishment she might suggest.
The fur along her tail bristled and a firm scowl appeared on her maw. Yet another apprentice slacking. The gratitude bug offered for being given an apprentice was. It wasn't the first time she'd been thanked for allowing a warrior to mentor an apprentice, but never when they came to complain about said apprentice.
"Running a clan and training an apprentice are very different, but I suppose they have similarities." Dawnstar meowed. "Rather than encouraging his interest, I'd remind him that his sole duty, for now, is finishing his training. I will only tolerate such laziness to a certain extent. He will be exiled if he can't complete his training." She told Petalrot. "There are severe consequences that come with slothfulness. You can try smaller punishments like making him choose between cleaning out bedding and hunting, or he can't eat what he doesn't hunt." Apprentices are weird these days, she doesn't understand what made them tick.
"You could talk to him and figure out why he's not taking training seriously." If Albatrossaw's mind was stuck on something and he wasn't a mouse-brain, Petalrot would have to remind him to focus. But Dawnstar felt Albatrosspaw was just being sluggish. "Learning and training is not a game here, it's our way of life. If he continues to slack, he will be tossed out." She was tired of dealing with kittypets in her clan.
"Whatever you do, if he doesn't get his act together he'll be coming to speak to me next."
She didn't have much to say on his ideas, but it wasn't anything new to him. Hawkbite wouldn't press in on the mind of the leader, it simply wasn't his place and he was sure he'd have his ears shredded. So, despite his curious nature, he'd move on. Moonmeadow as the replacement? Sure. He could take a look into that. He'd only been introduced to the feline recently, but they had been pulling their weight a little.
A simple nod would suffice at her words. No matter who she'd pick for the next deputy, he'd make sure the Enforcers were prepared and he had replacements as needed. So far he'd shown interest in Midnightpaw, Palepaw, and Yellowpaw, although he could be bias based on the fact he'd personally trained each of them.
As for the patrol idea. . . here we go. "I'll be sending out the next round of hunting and border patrols. I'd like your permission to exile -- temporary or not -- and/or execute failures. There will be no redemption punishments, just the baseline: finish or gone. Of course, if the troublemaker has been half decent otherwise, I'll go lightly."
Hawkbite paused for a moment, watching her expression. He was aware he had the permission to throw punishments out as needed, but this was a little different. This was asking more than just the typical. "It's time the clan was reminded that laziness or outright duty neglect can't be tolerated. Let's start with getting the damn patrols taken care of."
Dawnstar had to think for a moment about the patrol proposal. Honestly, there should have been more cats getting harsher punishments when it came to patrols in the first place. She got too relaxed with Vulturefang, and now the whole clan was a mess.
"I'll allow execution and exile if they show no promise of improvement and have failed multiple patrols. Ridding the Clan of the lazy won't harm the clan." She meowed with a soft sigh. She had thoughts about apprentices, but she figured Hawkbite would know to be more wary of them. The first time they could off with a warning, but after that, even apprentices had to learn.
"Temporary exile anyone else, but set a time when they must return and I expect prey or herbs brought back for their incompetence. If they do not return after a certain amount of time, I'm going to assume they'd rather spend their time in exile and remain there permanently." Dawnstar had done temp exiles in the past so many cats casts out never returned. So she just considered them exiled instead of missing.
O-oh! Goopypaw wasn't sure what kind of response he was expecting, but an open invitation to continue with his thoughts wasn't it. R-really? Not even an insult to my character? Or a c-cuff behind my ear for my abrupt entry? It seemed someone in Starclan was watching out for him after all! Did that mean they supported this? If so... why did he feel so ..... ??????
He nodded again, this time to himself. There was no time to second guess. He had to do this. Another deep breath in... out... then:
"Well... I was thinking of an ambush. Everyone else would h-hide while I would p-position myself on our border. Um, I wouldn't cross over or anything l-like that. Using my c-curse to our advantage I could make myself look sickly or... um in need of help in some way. Just enough to grab a few wandering Thunderclanners or a patrol over to check on m-me. W-when they got close enough we could emerge from the shadows and dispose of them. Maybe um... we take their bodies so it doesn't t-trace back to us." He stopped for a moment, running over his plan in his head to make sure he hit all his points; not noticing his front paw resume it's nervous tapping.
"I believe this will also help with um..." Oh geez whats the word??? The apprentice blinked helplessly at his leader for a moment as he begged his mind to help him out.
It was a moment too long before it finally came to him.
"M-morale!! Yes It will help with morale if we win a s-small scale battle and um... dwindle Thunderclan's numbers as well." A final nod, indicating he was done with his long winded explanation.
@Undertaker
Dawnstar listened and thought over the proposal offered to her. She was having a hard time seeing anything wrong with the plan. So long as they disposed of the bodies and nothing was left that pointed back to ShadowClan. It worked. It removed a few ThunderClan irritations, and ThunderClan remains none the wiser.
"I'll allow it," Dawnstar told him pleasantly. "So long as you ensure that every cat is dead and no traces of them can lead back to ShadowClan," Dawnstar meowed. The plan was rather bold for an apprentice. Goopypaw didn't seem all that filled with resentfulness towards ThunderClan. She did wonder what spurred this plan on but refrained from asking.
"I trust you'll bring some trusted warriors with you." Dawnstar's interest in fighting ThunderClan has dwindled. However she didn't mind if her cats caused trouble so long as they weren't caught she could weasel her way out of any accusations, and the problem wasn't large enough to drag her whole clan into an unwarranted war. "You'll be stuck on your own if this leads back to ShadowClan." She told him. Dawnstar was looking forward to seeing how the apprentice pulled this off if he could. She could use more cunning cats within ShadowClan.
Lynxshade wasn't upset about her leader giving up on the plan against Thunderclan, but she couldn't still see the reason for giving them back Sunkissed Creek. Weak. We are so weak because of our own incompetence.
She stopped at the entrance of Dawnstar's den, sitting under the bracken and taking a deep breath before talking. "Dawnstar, I'd like to talk about the patrol situation. It's clear something needs to be done, and I'd like to discuss it with you in private."
Dawnstar lifted her head as soon as she heard her name called. The leader stared aggrivatingly at the mouth of her den as if she could will the cat away. She's been extra cranky lately, no thanks to the clan. She was finding it difficult not to snap and growl at every cat within her vicinity for no reason.
Still, being grumpy wasn't a good enough excuse to turn cats away, especially her Enforcers. "Enter." She snapped. Dawnstar sat up, grooming old scars, and listened for Lynxshade's paw steps. "Let's hear it." She huffed once the Enforcer had entered.
Re: ShadowClan Leader's Den
