Cloudspots felt relief wash over his pelt as Sparrowstar welcomed him. ThunderClan was lucky to have her as a leader; she was infinitely better than Dawnstar or Cinderstar had been, although Cloudspots knew Cinderstar tried her best.
He dipped his head respectfully to the leader. “I’ve come to talk to you about Wisteriapaw. I think she may be missing. She didn’t show up to the Clan meeting where she was reassigned to me, and she hasn’t shown up for training at all.” He hoped the young apprentice was okay. He naturally worried.
Well... That certainly wasn't normal for an apprentice. Especially one that had just recently rejoined their ranks.
"Thank you for letting me know," she stated, giving the tom a brief dip of her head. "I will keep my eyes out for them, however please send them to my den if you spot them before I do."
This was a behaviour that needed correction. If an apprentice was avoiding their mentor and training there had to be an underlying reason... Or they possibly weren't cut out for clan life.
"Was there anything else?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaryTheCrow
- Copperfire - He/Him
"Sparrowstar!", Copperfire announced his presence before barging into the Leader's den, any trace of his rare good mood gone. "None of the patrols I assigned have reported back." He lashed his tail in frustration. The deputy would've been far more upset had he himself not gone on patrol and braced his current anger with the satisfaction of a patrol gone well.
Still, the lack of respect he felt from these cats was immeasurable. Do they have better things to do rather than serve their clan by marking the borders and hunting prey? Was it an act of defiance in the face of leadership they didn't respect? The latter thought made Copperfire visibly pause before continuing to lash his tail, any hesitance being squashed by the fury that came with cats directly ignoring the fact that they had duties to uphold, that were given directly by the deputy of the clan.
Hard footfalls reached her ears as Sparrowstar scooped another pawful of sand from the back wall of her den. She had thought to begin the task of enlarging the space for future meetings with her deputy and Keepers, however it seemed that Copperfire had several more pressing issues to discuss.
"None of them?" Turning around with a rather bewildered expression, the tan molly shook some dust off her paws as she took in the clearly disgruntled appearance of her deputy.
After all the work she had done... After everything herself, Cindersky, and Nectarflame had accomplished...
A hot spike of frustration began to roil around in her belly as her expression hardened. The thought of her clanmates so casually throwing away the stability that they had fought tooth and claw for was unacceptable. Utterly unacceptable.
"Who was responsible for these patrols?" she questioned, tone clipped as she debated her options. "If warriors are neglecting their duties, especially approaching Leafbare, they need a swift reminder of the oaths they swore at their ceremonies."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Streamtail
Streamtail pads in, " Sparrowstar? I know how the kits are getting out, there is a hole in the nursery wall. I just wanted to let you know."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Streamtail
"It might need to be patched up, I noticed it when I was taking a small nap next to it and a cold breeze was blowing through it, it's just small enough for a kit to get out." Streamtail commented, proud and happy to be of use to the clan. I'm actually being useful to the clan!
A sudden voice called Sparrowstar's attention away from the twig she had begun to weave into the roof of her den. It was being rather stubborn, and had gotten stuck partway in... Green eyes flicked to the entrance before focusing on Streamtail as they padded in.
"Thank you Streamtail," she stated, giving them a brief smile and a nod. "Hopefully that's the only spot that needs repair. I'll assign an apprentice to go patch that up."
A tail flick of dismissal was sent towards the other feline, and the tan molly turned back to the task of pushing that darned twig back into place.
__________________
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
A small, disgruntled mew and tiny baps against her flicking tail alerted the tan molly to Galekit. Quelling the smile of amusement that threatened to crack across her stern visage, she elected to instead move her "offending" tail away from his resting spot.
Eyes flicked from queen to queen as they each expressed their resolve to do better and seek out the weak point in their den. They should have been doing so already, however it was better late than never.
A short 'mmrp' of surprise escaped her jaws as Lavenderkit bumped into her pelt, however no reprimand was uttered as they blind kitten made their way towards their mother's call. She could only hope that the young cat would be able to preform as an apprentice... Her sister seemed to function fairly well for her lack of sight, so perhaps this young one would as well.
"Well then," she finally stated, concerns eased ever so slightly by the answers of her clan's queens. "I trust that you will let myself or Copperfire know if you discover any holes or other escape points that could tempt your little ones. Stars know, I'd rather have bored kittens than injured ones."
Rising back up to her paws, Sparrowstar gave a final glance about the nursery.
"On another note, are you all receiving adequate care? I should hope our apprentices aren't neglecting you and your needs."
The new warnings make Copperfire grit his teeth. He can understand the younger cats being excitable and impulsive, but honestly, if this is becoming common, they should be learning from others' mistakes. The last thing they needed was kits and apprentices bringing something or someone to camp without noticing. Maybe that's how those rogues found their camp?
The tom nods back at Sparrowstar before stretching and going to find cover from the rain. It's not like any prey would be too keen on running around during rain, which left him sitting in camp. He doubted any cats would be breaking rules so soon after being scolded, but it'd never hurt to watch.
A low growl rumbled through the lithe molly's chest as she glanced around the clearing; empty excluding herself, the cats who initially responded to the disturbance and a smattering of stragglers who watched from the sidelines. Her warriors deserved better than that.
She barely registered the small voice of Rainpaw next to her... Blinking herself back to the present and quieting the tired frustration that seemed to seep from her very bones, Sparrowstar turned towards the young apprentice with a softening look.
"I will be fine Rainpaw, however... The gesture is appreciated. " she started, tongue rasping over her jaws once again to clear off a bit more of the rusty stain. This wasn't a place for young hearts to be, and her own heart cracked just a bit more as she spotted Brightkit racing towards Cloudyflight to comfort her. She needed a task. A distraction to pull young paws away from the grisly scene. "Although, perhaps you could do me a small favor; the queens have discovered a small hole in the nursery walls. Do you think you could repair it, and keep any other kits from wandering out before these warriors are taken to Willow's Rise?"
That should be a decent job to keep the clearing as calm as she could. Stars know she didn't need another pawful of traumatized kits to crack before they even began their training. Turning to Rainpaw's sire, the Thunderclan leader lowered her voice.
"And Thrushfur. Could you collect another warrior and assist with moving the bodies to our grave site? Let Cloudyflight mourn for... As long as she needs, but they need to be buried before moonhigh."
He seemed a trustworthy enough cat to lead the task, and had a decent head on his shoulders. Hopefully their wouldn't be a third body added anytime soon.
The Ginger and White Tomcat Stepped Onto the Territory After All Of This Time. In All Of This Time He Had Gone Through So Much,Such Much Pain. He scoffed,the Scent of Thunderclan filling His Nose For Once On Thsi Entire trip. The Tom reflected on how he Managed to set up in Lionsrange for a while until he made it here. He Turned to Face The Forest,A Small smile filled his face. “After All This Time,Eh. Finally.” He Mumbled to himself.
The Scared tomcat Spoke lightly,His Left eye shutting itself after its use was over to help him to get a better view of the land before him. Then His Ears Perked Slightly towards a noise. The Younger Warrior Aged Tomcat turned his head,He hadn’t gone all this way through Burns and Twolegs for nothing. His Former Windclan Ancestors Had gifted him with the speed for most of these sorts of things but if this cat wished to battle he wouldn’t back down.
The tom let out a large, sharp breath, deflating. "I sent Breezewind with Spiderspark and Berryspot to the Smallpines, Stagbound was sent to the Herondive Hollow with Thunderblaze and Wildspark. For the hunting patrols I sent Russetflare, Flamepaw, and Hollypaw to the Muskrat Mire, as well as Stormwind, Dawnpaw, and Acornpaw to the Firefly cove," He recounted. The next time the patrol leaders showed their faces, they'd get an earful. Instead, since there's nothing to direct his anger at aside from Sparrowstar (who he probably shouldn't upset), he resorted to clenching his jaw.
Copperfire could feel his teeth grinding, which was not a welcome sensation. Feeling distressed from both his anger and the unpleasant sensation, he blurts out just to keep his teeth from touching one another, "What should we do with them?"
The tom let out a large, sharp breath, deflating. "I sent Breezewind with Spiderspark and Berryspot to the Smallpines, Stagbound was sent to the Herondive Hollow with Thunderblaze and Wildspark. For the hunting patrols I sent Russetflare, Flamepaw, and Hollypaw to the Muskrat Mire, as well as Stormwind, Dawnpaw, and Acornpaw to the Firefly cove," He recounted. The next time the patrol leaders showed their faces, they'd get an earful. Instead, since there's nothing to direct his anger at aside from Sparrowstar (who he probably shouldn't upset), he resorted to clenching his jaw.
Copperfire could feel his teeth grinding, which was not a welcome sensation. Feeling distressed from both his anger and the unpleasant sensation, he blurts out just to keep his teeth from touching one another, "What should we do with them?"
As Copperfire recounted the names of each of the offenders, Sparrowstar made a mental tally of each name. More warriors than apprentices, but what kind of example were her peers setting for the young cats they were training if they didn't bother to report in with them? A few of those faces hadn't been seen around camp for a moment and... Well Wildspark was off the hook for this one seeing as he had most likely missed the call due to being deceased.
"Well we can take Wildspark off the list of disappointments since Starclan called him to Silverpelt in his sleep," she grumbled in morbid amusement as she began to pace. "And I haven't seen Breezewind, Spiderspark, or Hollypaw recently... But I want all the rest of them called to the clearing. I will not allow such a blatant act of apathy to go unpunished."
Pausing for a moment, she turned back to face the older tom as his question seemed to force it's way out of his mouth.
"We are both going to give them a thorough dressing down. I don't want any of our warriors thinking that they are above your position or my own, and consequences need to be enforced for this sort of thing. Once it looks like our point has been made, I think they deserve to do some extra work. Rechecking the border and hunting along with, nest changes or tick duty. Your choice for who gets what, depending on who you believe to be more at fault."
Pausing a moment to re-center herself as the fire of indignation roiled low in her belly, Sparrowstar turned her attention back up to her deputy.
"And I hope you know that this isn't any sort of failing on your part. I certainly had my fair share of punishments to dole out to cats who never showed up or reported patrols. Don't let it get to you; even if it is a weak attempt at undermining your authority, I appointed you for your strong-pawed approach to things. Your no-nonsense attitude and will to improve this clan is an admirable trait."
Green eyes stared intently into his own as Sparrowstar awaited any suggestions he had.
__________________
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
Re: ThunderClan Leader's Den
