RiverClan Leader's Den - Page 173

**Captain** · #**1721** April 12th, 2023, 06:25 PM

Watching as the large mottled brown elder strode into his den and took a seat across from him, the tall longhaired tomcat was quick to dip his head in return to the senior clanmate, showing Pondwhisker a little respect of his own to someone who had been around much longer than him. As a low cough wracked his battered body, the kindness and understanding that shimmered in the old cat’s eyes made Pikestar smile, feeling quite grateful for the true good-hearted cats that he had here in RiverClan with him. He was not a perfect leader, far from it, but those who did not treat him with merciless cruelty were what kept Pikestar going. Those who encouraged him, and were patient with him, and treated him like an actual living breathing individual instead of some almighty creature that should do no wrong. It motivated the tall oriental leader to be a better tom than he ever thought he’d be in this lifetime. “I am just thankful that you didn’t get snatched up by one of those wretched beasts in the process.” He said quietly, still haunted by the cats who lost their lives in such a scuffle, “I could’ve done more to prevent it, and I will suffer because of that mistake for the rest of my days, but I can only hope that if I’m willing to put in the time and more effort into my position as clan leader, then RiverClan will someday forgive me for all this.”

As their conversation moved steadily along, he nodded to the tom’s words surrounding his denmates. Pikestar knew both Ranch and Cheese would be quite the roommates, but kind and caring ones all the same. Overall, he was happy to hear that Pondwhisker had settled into the new living area nicely and without any issues. However, it seemed that the topic had brought some troubling emotions that appeared to cloud over the elder. Pikestar blinked at the RiverClan elder and remained silent, giving him more than enough time to find the words he needed to say. Truthfully, the senior clanmate’s reply would initially catch him off-guard, but he stayed calm and listened attentively as Pondwhisker explained his unique situation. The Lord of the River was not aware that the newly-named elder had family out in ThunderClan, but the nearly-begging tone in his voice made Pikestar believe the severity of the whole event. The real kicker of this whole conversation was that this tomcat was the birth father of Thrushstar, ThunderClan’s newest leader. “Who am I to keep a man from his family?” They simply responded with a gentle smile coming to their maw, “You are free to go to them, Pondwhisker, as soon as you wish… You have served RiverClan enough in your younger moons, and I believe you’ve earned the right to stay where your heart desires.”

“I remember seeing Thrushstar for the first time at our last Gathering.” Pikestar mentioned, looking off to the side thoughtfully, “He seems like a capable young man with a lot of stress on his shoulders, but I am curious about where he will lead ThunderClan in Sparrowstar’s pawsteps.” The River Lord did not often like to think back to the earlier days of his leadership, but he was that it was quite a lot to deal with. Skystar had died not too long after he had become his deputy, and it seemed Thrushstar was enduring the same destiny with Sparrowstar. Because of that, they sympathized with the assumably younger tomcat. “Do me a favor, Pondwhisker, and tell your son that the Lord of the River sends their regards.” Pikestar mentioned swiftly, fighting back a second cough from bubbling up his windpipe, “And if he ever shall need any help, simply look to the river.” ThunderClan and RiverClan’s history was not a stranger to him, not even slightly, but he wanted to make amends and strive for a better future, perhaps where they could finally be friends. It would not be a simple overnight process though, and the oriental longhair knew that well enough. Thrushstar even had the ability to shun Pikestar’s opportunities towards a possible allyship. This was just something that’d take time. “Shall I announce your departure at RiverClan’s next meeting?” They then asked. A clanwide meeting would most likely start either tomorrow, or the day following it, so he just wanted to make sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vellichor

Beansprout
RiverClan Warrior

At the leader's answering call, Beansprout felt a bit more at-ease. With a deep breath, he started trying to sort through the myriad of things on his mind. "Well, you and I both know the prey pile can be... an issue," the siamese started. "And that's not really an issue anyone should take lightly. So, what I'd like to propose is something both to keep the pile stocked and perhaps entertain the Clan for a day each moon." With a brief pause to properly sort his thoughts, Beansprout involuntarily tilted his head ever so slightly. "It isn't much, but I'd like to propose an event that I can host: a hunting competition. I know a lot of RiverClan is pretty competitive, and I think it's a great way both to keep the prey pile stocked and make sure that every cat, even if they aren't picked for patrols, keeps their hunting skills sharp." He let that idea hang in the air for a few moments, giving Pikestar enough time to input their thoughts.

"I also have something a bit more serious to report," Beansprout started, curling his tail around his paws involuntarily. "It's been about a moon, so I sincerely apologize for the delay; time got away from me." With a dip of his head, the siamese warrior continued. "I was patrolling around the camp when I heard Bouncepaw, caught in a human trap. It took some effort, but I managed to get the poor kid out. I made sure to set it off again so no one else could get trapped by it, but... it makes me nervous." Beansprout shuffled his paws. "I haven't seen any since, thank the Moon Spirit. But still. Perhaps, if you could tell the Clan to be aware of these traps, keep an eye out for them, we can determine if this is truly a one-time instance or something that needs to be investigated."

At the dark-furred leader's words of something else, Beansprout's head tilted to the side yet again. Nonetheless, he sat in silence, waiting for Pikestar to continue that aspect of the conversation himself.

As their conversation would begin, the Lord of the Waters nodded solemnly. “Indeed. I have been doing my best to help keep it restocked, but we can only do so much if hardly anyone else is putting forth the work as well.” They mentioned, clearing their throat beforehand and aiming to speak a bit louder. From there on, however, Pikestar let Beansprout continue on without any interruption. He listened fully, giving the RiverClan warrior his undivided attention as a gentle nod of understanding and agreement would be made occasionally throughout. The large dark-furred tomcat’s large ears perked with intrigue as an idea for a special event would come up. He loved events, both hosting and participating in them, even if he didn’t always have the energy or time to do so. Beansprout made some good points in his plan. Mayhaps a competition would reignite that fire in their clanmate’s veins to do some hunting. The clan he knew was quite the competitive types, and the scarred siamese knew that as well as he did. It would be in their best interest to put that to use.

“You’re more than welcome to begin that event whenever you would like, Beansprout, I think it’s a wonderful idea and something that RiverClan could really use about now.” He said with a low crackly purr stirring in his injured throat, “And do let me know if you ever need someone else to host such a thing in the coming moons, I notice how hard you work for all of us and I’ve learned the hard way that it’s better to work together than to overwork yourself from doing too much alone.” Pikestar gave the other tomcat a gentle look, one of genuine understanding and kindness. He'd hate to see one of his best warriors work himself into the grave, though some cats were rather stubborn about that kind of thing. But trying to reach out rather than not at all was better in the end. If he felt up to it, maybe he himself would participate in that hunting competition, although his skills were with fishing rather than land hunting. Pikestar would give it some further thought. Eventually, the topic would shift to something more serious. He returned the slight dip of his head, silently telling the RiverClan warrior that it was alright. Apparently, Beansprout had come across none other than Bouncepaw caught up in a twoleg trap. Thankfully, he managed to free the calico apprentice and made sure that contraption would hurt none further. Regardless, this was rather concerning.

"Last moon, while I was out patrolling the borders, I happened to stumble across Pebblesplash caught up in a trap as well." Pikestar recalled to Beansprout, holding up his right paw to show the scars across his paw-pad, "The box was quite the opponent, but I managed to pry the damned thing open and free her. That was outside our borders, but it appears they are getting bolder and placing the traps within our land now." The RiverClan leader uttered a sharp 'tsk' of irritation and shook his head, tired of twolegs meddling in their business more and more these moons. "I shall alert the clan of these traps at our next clan meeting. Thank you for telling me about Bouncepaw. That kid is basically family to me at this point, so I am glad other cats are looking out for him, as reckless as he may be sometimes." Pikestar scratched the side of his neck idly for a moment, looking off to the side as he pondered something. "Lately, I have been having trouble keeping RiverClan in order and out of trouble. Gingerfrost recently recovered from an infection, and Stonepaw is still just a child. I need more cats that I can trust and have in my corner to help make sure RiverClan thrives. Beansprout," He meowed, shifting his partial gaze back to the siamese, "I'd like to promotion you to be one of my shields during our next meeting."

**puppeteer** · #**1722** April 13th, 2023, 05:16 AM

pondwhisker

| @Captain |

He could feel tears of joy and grief well in his eyes at Pikestars allowance of him to leave. Pondwhisker, for the first time in many moons, cried. He wrapped the leader in a hug, unable to speak for a moment. After the hug, he stepped back and started speaking.

"Thank you, Pikestar! Thank you so, so much. I shall relay your message immediately! And I'll leave once that meeting is over, once I can say goodbye to everyone." He paused in his rambling words to sniffle and wipe at his eyes. "Would you allow me to speak, at the meeting? As a goodbye to everyone?"

**Captain** · #**1723** April 16th, 2023, 10:59 PM

As he gave the elderly tomcat permission to leave, he’d be slightly surprised to see tears well up in his clanmate’s eyes. Then, while his tears would flow freely and without anything holding them back, Pondwhisker would move in closer and embrace the Lord of the Waters in a warm hug. Pikestar, not too used to affection too much anymore, was a bit taken back, but soon returned the gesture, resting one of his paws on the older feline’s back as he’d allow himself to show a small smile. Of course, the hug didn’t last too long, and the RiverClan leader would step back, immediately speaking. He would thank him, again and again, making the oriental longhair wonder if the elder had expected him to try and keep him here in RiverClan. Pikestar chose not to think too much on it for the sake of everything. "You're welcome, Pondwhisker, I'm glad I can give you this freedom." They replied simply with a twitch of their ears, "I hope ThunderClan welcomes you with open arms, and that your family fares well for many moons to come." And he truly meant that.

Giving Pondwhisper a moment to collect himself, the longhaired RiverClan leader nodded his head understandably. "Of course. I will be sure to let you know when it's time for your moment to speak." Pikestar remarked, releasing a gentle yawn soon after, "The meeting will start sometime tomorrow evening, around sunset, so be sure to be there. There's some important things I need to tell the clan." Their partial gaze went pensive for a short moment, but the dark-furred cat shook their head to brush that away while other cats were present in his den. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

**vellichor** · #**1724** April 17th, 2023, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain

As their conversation would begin, the Lord of the Waters nodded solemnly. “Indeed. I have been doing my best to help keep it restocked, but we can only do so much if hardly anyone else is putting forth the work as well.” They mentioned, clearing their throat beforehand and aiming to speak a bit louder. From there on, however, Pikestar let Beansprout continue on without any interruption. He listened fully, giving the RiverClan warrior his undivided attention as a gentle nod of understanding and agreement would be made occasionally throughout. The large dark-furred tomcat’s large ears perked with intrigue as an idea for a special event would come up. He loved events, both hosting and participating in them, even if he didn’t always have the energy or time to do so. Beansprout made some good points in his plan. Mayhaps a competition would reignite that fire in their clanmate’s veins to do some hunting. The clan he knew was quite the competitive types, and the scarred siamese knew that as well as he did. It would be in their best interest to put that to use.

“You’re more than welcome to begin that event whenever you would like, Beansprout, I think it’s a wonderful idea and something that RiverClan could really use about now.” He said with a low crackly purr stirring in his injured throat, “And do let me know if you ever need someone else to host such a thing in the coming moons, I notice how hard you work for all of us and I’ve learned the hard way that it’s better to work together than to overwork yourself from doing too much alone.” Pikestar gave the other tomcat a gentle look, one of genuine understanding and kindness. He'd hate to see one of his best warriors work himself into the grave, though some cats were rather stubborn about that kind of thing. But trying to reach out rather than not at all was better in the end. If he felt up to it, maybe he himself would participate in that hunting competition, although his skills were with fishing rather than land hunting. Pikestar would give it some further thought. Eventually, the topic would shift to something more serious. He returned the slight dip of his head, silently telling the RiverClan warrior that it was alright. Apparently, Beansprout had come across none other than Bouncepaw caught up in a twoleg trap. Thankfully, he managed to free the calico apprentice and made sure that contraption would hurt none further. Regardless, this was rather concerning.

"Last moon, while I was out patrolling the borders, I happened to stumble across Pebblesplash caught up in a trap as well." Pikestar recalled to Beansprout, holding up his right paw to show the scars across his paw-pad, "The box was quite the opponent, but I managed to pry the damned thing open and free her. That was outside our borders, but it appears they are getting bolder and placing the traps within our land now." The RiverClan leader uttered a sharp 'tsk' of irritation and shook his head, tired of twolegs meddling in their business more and more these moons. "I shall alert the clan of these traps at our next clan meeting. Thank you for telling me about Bouncepaw. That kid is basically family to me at this point, so I am glad other cats are looking out for him, as reckless as he may be sometimes." Pikestar scratched the side of his neck idly for a moment, looking off to the side as he pondered something. "Lately, I have been having trouble keeping RiverClan in order and out of trouble. Gingerfrost recently recovered from an infection, and Stonepaw is still just a child. I need more cats that I can trust and have in my corner to help make sure RiverClan thrives. Beansprout," He meowed, shifting his partial gaze back to the siamese, "I'd like to promotion you to be one of my shields during our next meeting."

Beansprout
RiverClan Warrior

With a pleased, rumbling purr, Beansprout dipped his head toward the leader. He was already planning the specifics of the event, the cogs in his brain working. He couldn't get too far into thought, though, as Pikestar continued. With a concerned tilt of his head, Beansprout listened intently as the dark cat before him described a similar scenario to his own. As the leader held up their paw, Beansprout held up his own, small scars crisscrossing his pad. "Those traps are awful on our paws." With a nod of affirmation, the warrior spoke. "I'm glad you're letting the Clan know. If this was an isolated incident, it could be taken care of perhaps a bit quieter. But we do need every cat to know of this, just in case."

With a prick of his ears, Beansprout felt adrenaline race through his veins. "I would be honored," the siamese answered, dipping his head. He wasn't too surprised, considering he had been working his paws off for RiverClan lately. With the new rank, perhaps he could accomplish even more. "Speaking of Gingerfrost and Stonepaw though, I do have... a few concerns with them." Though perhaps a bit out of line, Beansprout needed Pikestar to hear this. "I feel like I haven't seen much of either of them lately. Sure, Gingerfrost is there to give out patrols every once in awhile and watches over some events, but... I feel like that's all I see of him. Even during Clan events, he mostly watches. I get being busy, and perhaps there are issues behind the scenes that I simply can't see. But I fear Gingerfrost's lack of... public presence, per se, might give our Clanmates the wrong idea about your choice in deputy. As for Stonepaw," With a brief pause, Beansprout let out a low hum and figured out how to word what he was thinking. "Stonepaw is young and inexperienced. I get that. But I hardly see the kid at all, in the medicine den or outside of it. Sometimes I forget the kid even exists." With a slightly irate flick of his fluffy tail, Beansprout continued. "The kid ate a damn rock and then disappeared for the dog fight, for the Moon's sake. I just feel like, maybe the kid could use a few extra paws to help him learn? Whether that be the 'Star Cats' or Fawnlight and... what was that ShadowClan medicine cat's name again? Marigold...leap! Yes. But he needs pushing to do more."

He had a few more things, unfortunately for the dark-furred leader. "I'd also like to tell you that I've heard rumors about the cause of the dog attack, and I would like to hear the true cause from you. I was sick in the warrior's den, so I, regrettably, have no idea how the attack happened. So... how did that huge pack of dogs get into camp?" As he asked the question, Beansprout felt a strange sensation. He felt as if he could tell, somehow, if Pikestar lied to him. Perhaps this was the result of his roleplayer having too much kk on their hands.

After a moment, Beansprout shuffled his paws uncomfortably. "I'd... also like to bring up something that you might not like, and that's Clan names. We have Clanmates named... Blue, Cloud, and July. Even Ranch Dressing and Cheeseburger. Why don't these cats follow naming structure? I understand unique prefixes -- I was once Bean, after all. But I took a Clan name as a kit, apprentice, and warrior. Why do these cats get to skirt that? I'm not a stickler for tradition, but it feels... necessary, to assimilate into the culture of RiverClan. Otherwise, cats will see them as outsiders forever." His tone wasn't harsh, but confused and frustrated. There was no accusation in Beansprout's voice.

"My apologies for all the different inquiries, I've had a lot on my mind lately."

SUGA · #**1725** April 18th, 2023, 04:57 PM

Sleelshine
Riverclan had suffered so much already. Dog attacks.. missing cats.. whisperwave… this was all so much to take in. Sleekshine felt for Pikestar. Pikestar had to witness the death of many cats whom he loved and cared for, his daughter went missing (although she returned)… and Tinystorm criticised him and many cats before tiny storm too. Yet she felt a great surge of admiration towards him, as chaos unwrapped before his eyes at the meeting, he was calm and sorted the situation out. That, was a true leader. Yet he announced that he would be stepping down. Sleekshine’s world was shaken. No. Pikestar was the best leader they ever seen. Not that Gingerfrost was a bad leader, but Pikestar didn’t deserve all this criticism ..

Her heart was broken as he announced the clanmate’s deaths, sorrow driving a thorn deep into her heart. As he offered suggestions for the clan to contribute, she had a sudden idea. When she was a wee kit, her mother would tell her stories. One in particular, was about her grandfather dying in a great battle. He died like a hero, slaying the enemy. In the end, he was laid to rest, floating into the river with lotus along with him. She thought this was a good idea as Lotus flowers represented eternity, purity and prosperity.

She was eager to share her idea, but decided to speak calmly, not to get hyper about it. She would speak with a controlled tone, instead of blabbering it all out as Pikestar too would have been mourning the clanmate’s deaths and taking it easy. She stepped by the entrance, leaning slightly towards the den, ears pricked for any sounds. “Pikestar? May I come in?” she called. Her voice turned out to be raspy so she cleared her throat.

[ @Captain ]

**vellichor** · #**1726** May 20th, 2023, 09:32 PM

Beansprout
RiverClan Leader

It was... strange. Walking into this den with the intent to make it his own. The scent of Pike-- of Snowleap was stale, almost entirely gone. The den had been untouched for nearly a moon, it seemed. Any moss that was left of a nest had long dried out and gone bad. Other than a few scraps of moss and some other debris, the den was hauntingly empty. A chill ran up Beansprout's spine. Nevertheless, he persisted, grabbing the old moss to dispose of it. After bringing it outside the camp and grabbing some fresh moss, the siamese began to form a nest for himself. It was nothing special; he didn't need a big fancy nest by any means. He lined the bottom with a few of the feathers from the hawk he'd caught, just for comfort. That was about the extent of it, though.

Now, Beansprout sat in the open den, his nest sitting near the back. It looked lonely. Empty. He had a few trinkets of his that he needed to grab from the warrior's den, though, so perhaps that would make a small difference?

The sun was high in the sky; only a few cats were in the warriors' den as Beansprout entered and approached his old sleeping spot. There was a small spiral shell tucked under the rim of his nest, as well as a sleek pebble. To be honest, it was a miracle the shell hadn't been crushed. The fragile-looking trinket was more durable than it appeared, it seemed. He carried the little doodads back to his new den and set them up against a wall, feeling a bit happy that he had room to display them. They were attached to happy memories, after all.

The den was still so... empty. Dark. He didn't want to sleep here alone, but it seemed he would have to get used to this. Perhaps... he could sleep in the warrior's den for a bit longer, then slowly transition to this den? Beansprout decided that was the best plan of action. He didn't want to leave his Clanmates behind, even if he was simply moving to a new den.

**c1nder** · #**1727** May 20th, 2023, 11:29 PM

"Beanystar! Or are you still Beanysprout?" Ashpaw stopped at the entrance. "Can I come in? I dunno if you have an open den or anything but uh yeah." Her long and fluffy chimera fur bouncing with her. As if it were common knowledge -she acted as if it were- her bubbly personality was rarely damaged, often chipped a little, but never cracked.

(Short but I wanted Ash to get in here)
@vellichor (again congrats smelli velli)

**Valient** · #**1728** May 21st, 2023, 08:47 PM

Mallowmist paused outside of the leader's den, kit still clamped firmly in his jaws. "Beansprout? I er, found something," He called through the mouthful of fur. He shifted his paws nervously as he waited for the leader's response. How am I going to explain that I just found a rouge kit at the border and decided to bring it back to camp?
@vellichor @jupiter

**poppy** · #**1729** May 21st, 2023, 09:05 PM

Lucy

In her 5 days of life, Lucy had NEVER been so hungry. Tired after "flying" all the way here, she wiggled out of the warrior's grip and landed clumsily on the ground. The tiny Abyssinian looked around the den, before noticing another cat in the den. She couldn't quite place it.... but he was different than Mally. Maybe all cats were different from each other. She just remembered Mama and Dadda, who were always angry. Lucy wondered if other cats were angry. Mally wasn't. This cat didn't LOOK angry. "Hi!" She squeaked, eyeing the comfy looking moss clump with feathers all over it. Pointing, she tipped her head to the side. Ready to ask a question, but then deciding not to, even if she had a lot. What was a beansprout? And what "something" did Mally find? And did cats... sleep on that feather and moss thing or something? Back at home, they just used the ground. She used a nice, flat rock and Dadda's tail. "What's your name?" Her new favorite phrase that Mally had taught her.

[ @vellichor @Valient ]

**Fade** · #**1730** May 22nd, 2023, 05:35 PM

Minnowpaw
They/He/It | Post Count: 21

The learner was eager to make his way to the Commanders den, one idea on plan on its mind. Trotting their way around camp and padding into Beansprout’s den. A hollow and dark fortress for a Commander, who would want to live in here? It gave Minnowpaw the chills, like a dark force was stalking and hiding in the depths on the shadows. Welp, it was now or never. The learner tapped his paw on the ground to alert the scarred cat that was the dens current resident. “Beansprout- Beanstar- Uh- Whatever I call you from now on, I have something to discuss with you. It’s important to me and I think it might benefit the settlement….I want to bring the tunnels back to the River Settlement!”

Minnowpaw spoke firmly, the words coming out in full confidence. The learner sat down, taking their seat near the right side of the den as to not block the entrance. “I want to at least try! Wormbite and Gingerfrost took me there recently and I want to know the tunnels more! I feel like if we’re able to restore them, at least partially, it would let The River Settlement collect more prey, water if it collects in a pool down there, and more protection for the settlement! You see, we don’t have a backup camp or anything in case of a disaster or raid, the Settlement can’t just move to the ancient Skyclan area or whatever that place in the cliffs was, if we restore the tunnels though, I feel like it would be a good expansion. If i’m allowed to of course, I want to test what keeps the tunnels together or at least try to find something to keep it together.”

They stopped to clear it’s throat and to caught their breath. Green eyes wavering from the floor to where he thought the Commander was in the dark den. How did this thing get so dark anyways? Wasn’t it just made out of mud and some reed? Mud and reeds made up most of the dens…dens…dens! “I have an idea on how to restore the tunnels if I am allowed to do so! So the most random thingy just came to mind Beansprout! So what if we treat the tunnels like a den? Like use some reeds, sticks and mud to keep them from collapsing or something to support it and the dirt?” Yeah, he was smug about this now, however the most they showed was a extremely wide smile and the excitement in their voice, combined with the lashing of it’s tail back and forth as they waited for a response.

@vellichor
*That tunnel visit is still a WIP Roleplay*