"The absolute nerve of them!"
"We should actually raid their territory! If they think we are doing it anyway, why not get some extra prey while we are at it? There is a drought after all!"
"And make them more mad at us?! No way!"
Dappledpaw angled her ears back as the cats around her argued back and forth. Icestar had only called the clan meeting to announce Flaxclan's attempt to attack moments before and it already felt like they'd been arguing for the entire afternoon. Her wounds stinging under Longfang's herbal treatments were not helping her mood, nor her irritation at the goings on around her. Sedgepaw sat next to her, gently licking her shoulder around her wounds in an attempt to sooth her.
Icestar was sitting up on the High Stone; silhouetted against the setting sun, his face hard to read in the harsh light. His small ears flat against his ears and his eyes slightly following the flow of the bickering conversation of his cats below. Otherwise he was still, but Dappledpaw could just make out a growing tension in his broad shoulders; a slight lift of his short, white fur. He was getting annoyed.
A short, small growl silenced the clamour quickly.
"Retaliation at this time is ill-advised." He said quietly, causing those who agreed to nod along, and those who wanted revenge to narrow their eyes or huff. Dappledpaw wasn't sure what they should do. Part of her certainly wanted to act on hot-headed feelings of wanting to strike back, but Icestar knew best. And her rational mind knew it wasn't a wise move when all the other clans were watching them closely. It could be three against one if they weren't careful.
"So we do nothing?" Waspsting grumbled up at his brother; his short tail flicking against the dust.
"For now, we will not strike back at Flaxclan. All that will do is make them feel their actions justified; we will be the aggressors they think we are." Icestar's orange eyes narrowed; glowing in the setting sunlight.
"Why are they so certain we are trespassing and stealing prey?" Kauribark called out.
"Maybe some cats are sneaking over because they secretly love the taste of frogs." Rowanpaw sniffed sarcastically from his spot over to one side by himself. His father leered at him angrily but Rowanpaw didn't acknowledge it if he noticed. Had to always get a jab in where he could… It was so immature, thought Dappledpaw. Rowanpaw had never gotten on particularly well with his father; indeed, he had been rebellious with him since kithood, though his mother -who he was close with- was able to silence him with a stare instead.
"Perhaps someone is stealing prey, though I would hope that such a cat would have come forward by now, to avoid a war." The leader rumbled in reply after a moment's pause. Icestar made no comment on the passive-aggressive interaction, though Dappledpaw thought he should call Rowanpaw out on his inappropriate and rude behaviour. It was unbecoming of a proper apprentice; especially one Rowanpaw's age!
"However, I think it is more likely either a case of mistaken identity, willful or otherwise, or a complete fabrication." Icestar continued. "Even Swallowstar's clan seemed uncomfortable with his words at the Gathering. This tells us much. I believe the old leader's grip on reality is slipping. However…" He stood now, and the cats below him straightened as orders were likely to follow. "We will get to the bottom of this; if there are other cats raiding Flaxclan that are mistaken for us, we need to know about it. I will be doubling patrols on the Flaxclan border until this matter is settled. Sorrelwind will see to this."
He inclined his head towards his deputy and mate who sat at the base of the High Stone. Her eyes glanced upwards toward him, and one of her large ears flicked in acknowledgement. "See me after the meeting if you want to join the extra patrols." She said to the warriors at large. Dappledpaw could see interest in some of their eyes already; Waspsting for one. He likely was still annoyed by the raid and was itching for another fight.
"In the meantime, I have decided that training new warriors is of the utmost importance." He inclined his head towards the apprentices den, where she and her brother sat; Rowanpaw slightly further away. "I will become more involved in the training of all our apprentices and oversee it personally; we must ensure they are ready to face any coming adversity." Weedfur and Kowhaifall both nodded their approval at Icestar's decision. Not that they really were in the position to refuse.
As Icestar spoke on about the importance of new warriors to the clan and that he hoped to apprentice Pebblekit and Honeykit soon, Dappledpaw admittedly was a bit tuned out; her own thoughts drowning him out. She was trying to figure out where she stood in terms of her assessment. Sedgepaw too. He had talked like they weren't going to be made warriors; their training would continue… Surely she had gone above and beyond? Excelled past any expectations? She had done half her patrol and hunt before the raid interrupted. She ran almost back to camp to find help, and still fought well after! If that wasn't worth becoming a warrior, then what was…? Was some part of her technique inadequate? Was the normal part of her assessment not going well before the interruption? Was she in trouble for fighting instead of returning to camp like Waspsting had wanted her to? In truth, it made her feel not only disappointed and confused, but frustrated, and angry. She felt snubbed. Why wasn't she good enough to be made a warrior yet? Especially after all that!
"Hey," Sedgepaw's voice broke her out of her thoughts, a certain concern in his blue eyes. He blinked slowly. "Don't worry about our assessments, okay? I'm sure Icestar will talk to us about it tomorrow, once everything is a bit calmer."
Dappledpaw looked at him a moment, then took a breath. It would be fine. Icestar would have a good reason. She was sure. "Okay, okay… You're right." She touched her nose to his quickly. "I shouldn't get worked up over it."
"Exactly." He huffed, lifting a paw to gently cuff one of her large ears. "You are probably exhausted after today and wounded! You get too worked up, you could start bleeding everywhere again, and that will put Longfang into a right state!" The pointed tom chuckled. "Nobody needs that."
She echoed his laugh lightly. "Definitely." She looked to the High Stone where Icestar had finished the clan meeting, and had bounded down to the ground to talk to his elites. With a little shake of her head that then ran through to a full body shake as she stood, Dappledpaw turned towards the apprentices' den. "Let's get some sleep."
"Good idea!" Sedgepaw chirped, standing as well. "I could sleep for a moon!" He paused a moment at the entrance, looking back over his shoulder. "Coming Rowanpaw?" He asked the red tom that was still sitting in the same place, watching Icestar and the elite guard speak. His parents were gone, and he seemed to have his ears angled towards the conversation of his leader; straining to listen.
"No thanks. I'm busy." He replied distractedly, probably not even hearing exactly what was asked.
"Suit yourself." Sedgepaw shrugged, pushing the bramble aside as he entered the den.
Dappledpaw wondered if she should also be trying to listen in to the likely important talk, but she was really just too tired,and followed behind her brother. Suddenly, as the energy that had been crackling through camp faded, she just felt very heavy; her wounds throbbing a dull, irritating pain beneath Longfang's treatments.
She barely even prodded her moss before lying down, as Sedgepaw did his ritualistic circles and digging to get it just right. She watched him sleepily as he worked on his nest, vision blurring at the edges until her eyes shut to blackness…
"My my… you've had fun today, haven't you dear?"
Dappledshade's eyes snapped open as once again she found herself in a dank foggy bog with her belly fur soaked. Ugh. Her lip curled as she crawled up onto one of the soft banks of moss and mangrove roots. Her eyes narrowed and flicked upwards to the source of the voice, now letting out a light laugh that irritated her ears like nails down stone.
"What do you want, Stoatberry?" She hissed, annoyed at being dragged back here in her sleep again, especially after the day she just had.
"Touchy." The spirit hummed, her tail twitching back and forth a moment where she lounged on a tree branch high above. "Are we not allowed to simply chat? I told you I want to offer my advice."
"I don't really want your advice."
"Ah, I see, you're upset you weren't made a warrior today." Stoatberry tilted her sleek head. "Am I wrong?"
Dappledpaw grumbled as she shook herself off, leering up at the other cat. "How do you even know about that? How do you know what happens in the living world?"
"I have my ways." Stoatberry replied evasively. "It's hard for a mortal mind to understand. And it does not matter, yet." She stretched on the branch, her claws scraping across the bark.
"So you get to know everything about me and I know nothing about you then?" Dappledpaw complained with a roll of her eyes. Her tail flicked back and forth. She felt decidedly antsy, not helped but the flickering movement of the shadows of the former residents of this place lingering at the edge of her vision. It put her fur on edge, knowing those… things were watching. Stoatberry had said they were harmless lingering wills, but something about them felt decidedly menacing.
Stoatberry of course, was completely at ease, in an annoyingly lazy way. "I'm happy to answer certain questions. You are also welcome to answer only what you choose. I only know some things after all." The herbalist laughed, which really only annoyed Dappledpaw further.
Stoatberry made her way down from the branch, landing on the ground before the apprentice, though her feet made no sound as they made what would otherwise be a heavy contact with earth. "You're disappointed." Her matter of fact tone didn't match her sympathetic face. She paced around her, Dappledpaw turning to follow her progress. She didn't entirely trust this cat, though she wasn't sure exactly what a ghost could actually do to harm her. Still, she didn't like having her back to her. "It's perfectly understandable." Stoatberry continued; unbothered if she was aware of Dappledpaw's unease.
"...I don't understand what I did wrong." Dappledpaw admitted, unable to help herself in venting her frustrations. After all, who would Stoatberry tell? "I don't get why he wouldn't make me a warrior after everything I did today. I know it's not my place to question a leader's decision, but surely he must have some reason? Am I just not as good as I think I am? Why wouldn't he tell me what the problem is?"
Stoatberry let out a tiny scoff. "In my humble opinion, your performance was exemplary of a Gorseclan warrior, and it was unfair not to at least talk to you about it. I cannot say what his reasoning is, of course, but it is typical of his predecessors… Why send an apprentice to sleep after a stressful day without easing their mind?" The sleek cat snorted with a certain disdain. "The tough love attitude in Gorseclan is something I never approved of. The mind must be nurtured, just as the body. But they never listen to the "sentimental" herbalist about these things, oh no… No wonder the clan keeps producing emotionally stunted thugs."
Dappledpaw was starting to think this really wasn't all about her. Suddenly instead of her getting to vent, the old herbalist was instead. She did not have the patience for it. Not today.
"Do you actually have some advice to offer, or are you wasting my time? I could be dreaming about being a warrior right now or something. You know, something nicer than being stuck in an evil swamp with an evasive ghost."
Stoatberry's ear flicked back only for a moment, and then she met the apprentice's gaze with her chin tilted upward. "You want simple advice? Very well. Here's my advice…" She took to pacing once more, though her orange eyes never left Dappledpaw. "Don't take things at face value, Dappledpaw."
"What does that mean?"
"I thought you weren't here for conversation?" Stoatberry tilted her head, slightly mocking. "You're smart. You'll figure it out." She padded off into the rolling fog, her voice fading as her form vanished and she left Dappledpaw behind. "Next time let's have a proper chat, hmm? I have things I want to teach you."
