Another Lesson to Learn (closed)

Black paws sloshed about the watery territory as Sablestrike patrolled his territory, a tall and imposing figure never too far from him. Aside from the sounds they made going through the territory, there was silence between the two toms. While he couldn't vouch for what the older tom was waiting for, Sablestrike knew what caused him to keep his mouth shut. Leopardsun had said that Nightstar would return and enact a proper punishment, and being alone with the leader gave the young warrior a bad feeling. That threat of a real punishment from Nightstar almost scared the black tom, but as long as he didn't start a conversation he could always hope that Nightstar would forget about it, if Leopardsun had actually told him anything at all... No, she had most certainly said something to Nightstar, perhaps the best course of action was to just accept this punishment, and perhaps he would be able to avoid consequences for disobeying Leopardsun's orders. "Nightstar," Sablestrike began, "I guess we should talk about what happened at Highstones." There was no going back now, all he could do was hope that this was the right thing to do.

"Yes, I think you should. Explain to me exactly what you were thinking." Nightstar said simply, 'and you might still be a Shadowclan cat by the end of this conversation' going unsaid, though Nightstar definitely wanted to say it, at least until he forced himself to consider that Sablestrike was still young. But Sablestrike needed to remember where his loyalties lay, Nightstar was his leader, and Leopardsun his deputy, and the blatant disregard for the positions and leadership held by the both of them needed to end. Nightstar needed to correct this behaviour before it turned into some pitiful rebellion.

"Me?" Sablestrike took a few moments to think about his next words. This wasn't how this talk was supposed to go. Nightstar was supposed to yell at him for a bit, dole out a punishment, and then... Maybe he hadn't thought that far. "You... You were gone, taken by the twolegs at Fourtrees. I didn't think you'd be able to escape them, I thought you were gone for good. We lost our clanmates, our territory, and our leader. I thought having a solid leader would benefit our clan and raise their morale while we shared Highstones with Windclan, so I told Leopardsun that she might as well take the few extra steps towards Mothermouth and become our leader." A bit hastily, the tom added, "But I didn't know that in doing so it would strip you of your remaining lives. I promise you that had I known such a thing I never would have suggested what I did. I know now that what I did was wrong, but it's still befitting of a real punishment." Leopardsun's idea of punishment had been to keep him from leaving Highstones, but that still didn't seem like enough.

"You're not telling the full story. You did not 'tell' Leopardsun, you tried to pressure her to take up that mantle. That you made claims that Leopardsun was what was it? 'Leader longer than she knew?' what is that supposed to mean, exactly?" Nightstar leveled Sablestrike with a heavy glare. "I understand that with your youth, comes rash decision-making and ambition, but surely you know where your loyalties lie?" Nightstar's frustrations mounted, but Icehearts reminder and consult that he needed to be more fair and level with his clanmates kept him in check. "But I suppose, as my former apprentice, you are only doing as I taught you, and perhaps I should take the blame for it. When I had snapped at you those moons ago after the rites had gone wrong, it was anger and fear that drove my language and motivation, not the rationality I should have been using. But stars knows that I must have taught you right, considering how willing Swiftheart is to make sacrifices for you." Nightstar huffed, distinctly displeased, but he turned his gaze away, anger simmering under the surface still.

Sablestrike stood stock-still, letting his leader's words sink in. Surely you know where your loyalties lie. Of course he knew. His loyalty would always be to Shadowclan no matter the circumstances, and that meant it also belonged to the leading cat too. Even if that cat was missing, giving up on them entirely too soon was an indication that loyalty wasn't as strong as Sablestrike had thought. "When you snapped at me it was deserved, Nightstar. I endangered my own clanmate because I was reckless, I thought it was the right decision in the moment but all I did was get Roseburn hurt. What's worse is I had the audacity to try and argue with you over it, and even tried pinning the blame on you. I'm sorry for that." This apology was long overdue, and while it seemed like the wrong time for it, it still needed to be said. "You did teach me right, but my actions to this point haven't been a reflection of your teachings. They've been the actions of a petulant kit too stubborn to grow up. Swiftheart believes in me for some strange reason, and I'm determined not to let her down." Same goes for you. "Give me a chance to prove my loyalty to Shadowclan- to you. I'll do anything you ask of me Nightstar, please just give me a chance to show you that I'm done making mistakes." A hint of desperation crept into Sablestrike's voice. He had no clue if his words were having any effect on the tom, all he could do was hope that Nightstar would give him a proper opportunity despite his failings.