the truth of the matter [c]

Daystar decided that it wouldn't hurt to check in with Smallbean to know the status of her leg. Her splint wasn't bothering her as much as it was when she was originally injured, but it still prevented her from doing plenty of things. Besides, she needed some positivity at a time like this. If her leg had fully healed, that would be the first bit of good news to hit the she-cat in a long time.

She crossed the camp floor as swiftly as she could and headed toward the medicine den, politely nodding at cats as she passed them.
"Uh, Smallbean," She began as she reached the den, "I have a questio-"
She blinked once she realized that the tom wasn't in view. A couple of glances back and forth informed the she-cat that he must've been out gathering herbs. There was another cat sitting there in his place, though. Daystar was unfamiliar with Smallbean's apprentice, Henpaw, but she knew that the young she-cat had gone from training under a warrior to training under a medicine cat.

"Oh! Hi, Henpaw. Sorry, I didn't know that Smallbean was gone. Do you know where he went?" She asked apologetically.

Henpaw turned her head at the sound of words to see the new leader. Daystar. Aha. She had just been wishing to see her. “He’s out gathering herbs, per usual. If you’ve come for your leg, sorry, I don’t know much about splints and such yet. You look fine to me.”

The calico set aside her herbs and turned to Daystar. “Sit down,” she said with a flick of her tail. “There’s a lot I wanted to talk to you about- and no, it isn’t about omens or anything. Haven’t gotten any of those yet. Stars know… anyways, yes. It has always seemed odd to me that all medicine cats do is know herbs and watch for signs. I have free time. I don’t like having free time. If there is anything, anything I can do to help the Clan, it is your duty as leader to tell me!

I have thought over this,” she continued, leaning forwards and punctuating her words with tail flicks. “And it seems to me there is something you don’t have time to do. Planning. Figuring out which Clan is weakest. Which is most likely to attack us. Which can we attack? What cats may cause trouble? Think about it! I can, quite literally, waltz into SkyClan camp and they can’t do fox-dung about it, as long as I’m courteous and have an excuse. I can tell which Clans have the most warriors. Which are struggling with sickness. Stars above, some of the medicine cats will give out every foxing detail. We can’t pass this up. No cat else has realized this, yet.

A medicine cat has to stand apart from Clan rivalries, yes. I am. I’m not focusing on any particular Clan. Is there anything you can say? Of course, if you wish me not to do so I won’t.” That was a long talk, almost a tirade, but hopefully Daystar would see the sense in it. “I am your medicine cat, remember. I will do nothing without your bidding.” Henpaw leaned back, satisfied. There was sense in her argument. She could save lives, couldn’t she, just by keeping her ears open.

Daystar was surprised by Henpaw sudden command, but she sat down nonetheless and listened attentively. She was glad pleased to hear that the she-cat was so eager to be of assistance, and she parted her maw to give Henpaw a grateful response, but she just continued speaking. Daystar instantly shut her jaws, awkwardly glancing to the left to hide her embarrassment. It seemed as if this young she-cat had a large load of ideas and opinions, but she definitely was right about one thing. Daystar barely had any time to plan. Well, she had only been the leader for one day, but that day had shown her that she was going to be far too busy to do everything that she wanted to do before night fell upon the forest.

Her words did make sense, but they were flawed, and they even sounded dangerous.
"Henpaw, I appreciate your ideas, really, but maybe we should give it some time before you start snooping around SkyClan's camp? A medicine cat apprentice, just like you, was attacked by them during the battle that we fought right in the middle of camp. It wouldn't feel right if I ordered you to march in there on your own. Plus, I don't think Smallbean would allow you to go there alone yet."

Daystar was unsure of what to say now. It would feel strange to give Henpaw the okay to act like a spy and gather intel on other Clans when they thought their information was safe. She had no intention of waging war on Clans that were sick or struggling, and quite frankly she had no intention of waging war at all, under any circumstances. The Clan had seen enough bloodshed and suffered through enough injuries to last for a lifetime.

"It's fantastic that you want to help, but if I'm being honest, I think that the only thing I want everyone to prioritize right now is rebuilding WindClan. The past few moons have been tough, and we can't afford to focus on what the other Clans are up to; that's what Gatherings are for. I'd feel guilty asking you to look for the weaknesses in other Clans." Her tone was soft and uncertain as she met Henpaw's eyes.

Henpaw sat for a moment in stillness, tail swishing behind her, face expressionless as she thought over Daystar’s words. As much as she hated to admit it, Daystar was right (not about Cloverpaw though, but she’d keep that to herself). The she-cat spoke truth. WindClan needed to be rebuilt. The best way they could do that was staying out of everycat’s way. A light shone in Henpaw’s eyes. This was right. Apart from Gatherings, there really was no reason to interact with other Clans. As soon as RiverClan was off their territory, they could take a deep breath. Slow down. Focus inside, instead of looking outwards. Make WindClan what it had the potential to become. After all, they did have a lot of prey, and from what Thrushflight had told her, there was usually no trouble finding enough prey in leaf-bare.

A smile spread across Henpaw’s face. Daystar had changed her perspective of the times to come. WindClan, isolated yet powerful. Staying to themselves. “You’re gonna make a good leader, Daystar. I appreciate you’re keeping me in the loop.” She’d grown up in war, Henpaw had, and she wanted to experience peace. RiverClan were their allies. ShadowClan liked to keep to themselves. There was no reason why friendly spars couldn’t replace border skirmishes. Predators could be chased off the moors, no kit would die in leaf-bare, WindClan territory could expand…

Alright, perhaps her view was a bit grandiose, but she was determined to see it happen in her lifetime. “I understand.” Perhaps this was for the best, anyhow. She could spend her time helping the Clan emotionally. Making sure differences were reconciled. No cat seemed to see the importance of that, but Henpaw knew it.

Daystar smiled kindly at Henpaw's words. She was grateful for the time that she got to spend speaking with the medicine cat apprentice. It was practically necessary for a leader to be in sync with the other high ranks so that the Clan could be on the same page and work together. It was unity. That was the one word that Daystar wanted to focus on throughout her era as a leader. She wanted to see her Clan together, smiling, and happy. Nothing else would bring her that much joy.
"Thank you for that, and thank you for understanding. If it brings you any reassurance, you'll be one of the first cats that I turn to if I need help with anything regarding the other Clans. StarClan forbid that we get stuck in another mess with another Clan, but I guess I have no idea what the future will bring."

Another smile graced Daystar's features as she looked over at Henpaw.
"Y'know, I'm very glad that you were picked to study under Smallbean as a medicine cat. You're extremely bright and you want to see WindClan prosper. I know that the Clan will benefit with you being apart of the upper ranks."
Her words were genuine as she spoke. Henpaw could be rather... blunt... at times, but she supposed that it could be an admirable trait at times. She needed honest cats more than ever now. Daystar was the kind of cat to sugarcoat things out of the goodness of her heart, and she needed someone who would balance that out for her. That was where Henpaw could be of use to her.