RiverClan Leader's Den

[wolfie]

STAGE TWO OF AUDITION.. COMENCE!

slivershade paddle into the den, unaware that there was a audition going on. considering it was pretty quiet. they took a step back outside of the den. must be respectful to the others. was that.. otterleg in there? they were pretty sure at least. slivershade would never forget a darling like otter! yet never had really interacted with the she.
slivershade blink, almost forgetting what they were doing. they heard the word dismiss and took this as a signal to reenter. after otterleg would leave, the warrior spoke up. it was noticeable that they were carrying.. something...? in their mouth? uh, sliver..?
"HELLO!! im backkk for PART TWO!" slivershade mrrow but their voice was extremely muffled. they dropped the mash of herbs-- generally withered up and old. slivershade didn't wish to waste good herbs for a non-existent wound. slivershade clear their throat, walking over to lionstar. they gently nudge the leader on the side, gesturing for him to roll over. "my good sir, if you would. i heard the great beast had gave you a nasty wound on your stomach! no, no. not acceptable. disgraceful the beast would dare but nonetheless, " slivershade gave lionstar another persisent nudge. "i have brought my WONDERFUL, not-- NOT withered herbs for you, " they scooted the herbs close with their tail.
slivershade's baby blue eyes gleam and you can assume the cat was missing a few braincells. though, in their opinion lionstar requested interesting auditions on such a short notice... slivershade was doing their best! hmph! they gave the golden leader a wink, "play alonggg… act as if im generally the medicine cat and you are wounded horribly!" slivershade whispered in a hushed voice.
luckily they brought a twig in case lionstar was being stubborn.

sorry lionstar about the torture youre going to go through.

[BEAR.]

Lionstar didn't know what Silvershade was talking about, and frankly he didn't want to. Perhaps he would have been more inclined to act along if he hadn't already dismissed this one, and it seemed this one.. was incapable of understanding that? He might be dealing with another Flintstar here!

"Didn't I tell you to leave?" He was more than a little annoyed, having wanted to see someone new-- fresh! Silvershade would probably be better off trying to pretend to be someone new. "Scram! Silver-be-gone! NEXT!"

[ @x ghostie ]

[Kitty Mama]

Omenshade exhaled a breath away, and with it, their exterior faded into neutrality fit for business. Not hard to do when their twoleg owner had been basically a grey rock equipped with a feeding dispenser and a revolving cast of strangers sitting on the furniture and blabbing nonstop, but those days were over. This was about survival, and keeping the clan fit to continue surviving through a mixture of traditional and inventive means. Yes, they had ideas. Unconventional, perhaps a war crime, but they were tactics. "Lionstar," they greeted cordially. "Your elite warriors are coming along nicely. May I ask when you intend on implementing poison? Starting with non-toxic substances for training, of course, but I expect you'll want to upgrade them after."
They waited a moment to reveal what they'd brought with to this audition, an assortment of leaves from Shiverpetal's den. Many smelled familiar, but they weren't here to list their names. They had something more important in mind. Omenshade organized them haphazardly between them and Lionstar. "I'd like you to look at these," they said and dipped their head to the pile. Voice a rumble, they went on, "It is very important that you concentrate, Lionstar. Ignore distractions, and tell me what you see. This exercise is most beneficial if you look beyond surface observations."

[BEAR.]

Hmmm?

Well, this was new.. and Lionstar could appreciate his knack for recognizing his unannounced brilliance when it came to adding poison to the claws of his elites. "I planned on waiting to add the non-toxic version once we had a steady amount of regular cats involved in the sessions." No point in sharing their secrets with those uninterested in attending.

He was curious.. if not a little wary of Omenshade's scheme when he whipped the leaves out. "I hope this isn't the opening to you showing me out to slice open a fish and sprinkle some herbs on it... is gazing into the leaves supposed to make me have a vision of what flavors are?"

[ @Kitty Mama ]

[Kitty Mama]

"I see. I suspect the regular trainees will also be most likely to appear on the battlefield anyways." Omenshade didn't care one way or the other, just was glad that the opening line managed to slide by Lionstar without a hitch. That was a paw in the den for the more important aspect of this discussion. Lionstar's response wasn't getting them anywhere, but Omenshade was unfazed. "I think it might help to relax. Take a breath in and a breath out," they meowed as Lionstar cracked a sarcastic quip. "Good. Now I'd just like you to look at this arrangement of leaves and tell me what you see."

[BEAR.]

What a weirdo..

But Lionstar was interested to see where this went.

Leaning over the arrangement, he did his best to focus on the stupid leaves without letting himself get distracted.

Huh, it was strange.. giving them a closer look, he could only come up with one solution. "... a bird...?"

He didn't really like birds, ugh. Stupid things with their equally dumb faces and cruel pecking.

[ @Kitty Mama ]

[Kitty Mama]

((sorry shorter))
Birds, interesting. They took note of that. Omenshade collected the leaves by gathering them toward themself with their paws, then spread them in another arrangement. "Let's do one more," they coaxed the leader, "then we can talk about you for a little while. But before getting to that, take your time and tell me what you see now."

[BEAR.]

As much as Lionstar loved to talk about himself, even he knew they were on a time crunch. So many wastes of time in so little time..

He'd humor this next leaf pile, but after that? He'd try to cut things short.

Lionstar would admit, he liked to gaze at the dumb little things. He could swear sometimes he saw his reflection in the shiny green leaves.

This time, it was harder than before. Less obvious, but there was only one thing that came to mind. "A ..puffy deer tail."

[ @Kitty Mama ]

[Kitty Mama]

"A deer tail and a bird," Omenshade echoed thoughtfully while they scooped up the leaves again for the last time, but their tone didn't betray any way of feeling about Lionstar's answers. They were quite fascinating, definitely pointed to future sessions and alot left to uncover. Matter-of-factly, they began considering the reading, "The bird links us to the stars and the sun, and deer are often viewed as symbolic of authority. I believe something here points to an instability in your leadership, a hardship. The deer tail... has someone with authority turned their back on you recently, perhaps betrayed your trust?" Omenshade wasn't done yet, their claws clinking on the flooring of the den deep in thought. "The bird is... complicated. Maybe you felt you were robbed of a kithood by being metaphorically kicked out of the nest too early." He waited to give Lionstar a while to process that or connect it to events of his life. "I am feeling that you're looking for something- or someone- to ground you. Your 'tree' to land in and feel safe, even if you are still a bird and crave freedom." But he wasn't done yet, they had so much more to discuss! Lionstar was full of potential, and Omenshade yearned to get him to open up, take a real look at what was inside Riverclan's leader. "The deer may have a double meaning here, maybe there is someone 'dear' to you who brings out your playful and peaceful side, both traits of this majestic creature. Does this sound at all familiar, Lionstar?"

[BEAR.]

Lionstar was growing more and more uncomfortable with each word Omenshade was saying, and the fur along his spine bristled defensively at his question.

"No. I don't know what you're talking about, and I think you've shown me enough of this foolishness! If you want to play with leaves, Omenshade, the nursery is just a few dens down."

[ @Kitty Mama ]