The Work Never Stops (Closed)

Today, Nightstar was taking his apprentice out for another patrol, but this time, it would be the border that Shadowclan shared with Windclan but not along the Thunderpath, this time. "Now Sablepaw, this is one of the borders that we share with Windclan. It's considerably drier and more open compared to the rest of Shadowclan territory, but that's because this used to be Windclan territory which Shadowclan has at some point taken. Be on your guard." The young leader warned, sniffing at old markers and then laying fresh ones on top of it before continuing along the border.

"Tell me, Sablepaw, what do you observe?" He meowed, his own long black ears pricked as he listened to anything that could be a cat sneaking up as he set up his apprentice to learn.

While the young apprentice loved his territory, he had to admit the dryness of this land was quite pleasant. While Sablepaw listened to Nightstar, he kept his eye out for any predators, half-hoping that something might attack them so he could see his leader in action once more. Sablepaw opened his mouth slightly, allowing more scents to reach him as they continued along the border, ears straining for any sounds that he might hear. "I smell Windclan, but the scent is so fresh, it's almost like they're here." As if on cue, rustling from the foliage alerted the apprentice to the presence of other cats.

_

A silver she-cat emerged from the stalks that had covered her presence, excitement bubbling over as she realized the two cats in front of her were from Shadowclan. Beckoning her companion out of the covering with a few quick flicks of her tail, the she-cat began bouncing slightly. "Brackenwing Brackenwing, look!" Siverwing had missed out on conversing with the cats of Shadowclan at her first gathering, this meeting almost seemed to her like fate.

"This is insane. I'm insane, for going along with this." Brackenwing grumbled, "How can one cat be this excited over a border patrol?" Her complaints, as often as they slipped from her tongue, were half-hearted at best. She'd come to expect Silverwing to be a social butterfly, even if she wasn't exactly used to it, and Silverwing, it seemed, was determined to get Brackenwing talking to other cats, for some stars-forsaken reason. Wasn't it enough that Silverwing herself could talk to others seemingly without restraint? Must she get her less-inclined clanmate to do so as well? She didn't seem to be taking no for an answer, and as stubborn as she was, Brackenwing had figured it best to humor her. Silverwing would grow tired of it eventually, she was sure of it.

"You realize they aren't likely to be friendly, right? This isn't a gathering, Silverwing." The marbled tabby tried again, "The last time we interacted with Shadowclan, I wound up having to drag one of our apprentices home by the scruff."

And before she could say much else, Silverwing was excited waving her tail and calling to her. Brackenwing risked a glance. Two cats, one of which looked to be an apprentice. The other - She groaned. "I think we can go, Silverwing." Please, for my sanity. She stared at the familiar dark tom with amber eyes, a sense of dread opening a pit in her stomach. He hadn't seemed like a particularly stupid cat, and he'd surely remember that idiotic scuffle that Brackenwing's own clanmate had caused. Stars knew she did, because it had almost ended in fur flying. Even now, the realization that she was standing in front of him made the tips of her ears turn hot. And this was the same tom that had been standing on the great rock at the previous gathering. Because their leader had-

Foxdung. Of all the braindead, hostile Shadowclanners to meet. It had to be this one.

"Night...star, now, is it?" Brackenwing couldn't have made herself appear less reluctant if she tried, she was pretty sure. "We're not looking for a fight. I swear to you." As if Silverwing's excited antics hadn't made it obvious, but Brackenwing felt it could never be overstated. Still, she padded to Silverwing's side, unwilling to leave her clanmate without backup in case things turned sour.

"Yes, that would be correct." Nightstar meowed, his steely amber gaze locked on the bouncy silver she-cat, his tail out and holding steadily in front of his apprentice. "Brackenwing is your name, if my memory serves me, regardless of that silver companion of yours shouting your name. I am not looking for a fight either. And as long as there are no apprentices running over monster paths, it is my hope that there will not be one." The leader's eyes noticeably flicked to his apprentices and back again, as if saying that he had something to guard and wouldn't be afraid of getting angry over it.

"Sablepaw, these are Windclan cats as I'm sure you've already put together by now. While we guard our borders, I'd like to make it clear to you as my apprentice, that if we can avoid a border scuffle, we will do so. If these cats would like to humour us, we can open a discussion. These moments can bare important information should our neighbours decide to give us, or by accident." He looked back up at Brackenwing. "If you'd like to, I'd like to inquire on how your predator situation is. We have been very busy running them out since our return, and it would be uncouth of me not to express concern if they've ran to your territory." He meowed, slowly lowering his tail from its defensive, protective position in front of Sablepaw, but he had noticeably closer. "If not, we can just continue on our way on our separate patrols. No harm." He remembered that Brackenwing had been one of the more level Windclan cats, but being the only warrior trying to get a handle on a rowdy apprentice and not break border rules had proved its challenges.

He only had respect for the she-cat though, so he'd like to allow her a choice in what she wanted to do. For him, she made or break the discussion he was trying to have, for Sablepaw's sake. If Brackenwing didn't want to have it, then they wouldn't have it. It was the most he could do to apologize for how stressful that encounter was.

The arrival of the two Windclan cats had Sablepaw's hackles raising slightly. He would be ready if a fight broke out, though he doubted it would with the way the silver cat was acting. She seemed incredibly dopey to him, possibly far more loose-lipped than the marbled one. He was about to say as much to Nightstar before he mentioned running over the monster path. The accompanying look he sent Sablepaw's way made it feel like a personal jab. Had Leopardsun told him about their outing and of how reckless he had been? No, that was impossible, if she had then Nightstar surely would have confronted him already. Sablepaw forced himself to relax, observing his leader's diplomacy in action. Gleaning information from other cats would be a valuable skill to have when he became a leader, for now it would be best to learn as much as possible.

_

"Enough of your pessimism Brackenwing, you'll never make friends thinking like that." With a flick of her tail, Silverwing dismissed her clanmate's protests. She had already ruined her first gathering with her pessimistic attitude, the least she could do was suffer through a single interaction. Silverwing remained uncharacteristically quiet as the two spoke, Brackenwing didn't say too much, but that was expected. So the two knew each other, her fellow warrior had held back the fact that she had already made Shadowclan friends. How rude. Directing her attention to the taller of the two Shadowclan cats, she began addressing him. "Forget about the predators for a bit. Nightstar, right? As the leader of Shadowclan I have an important question for you." She gave a quick pause for dramatic effect before continuing. "Do you really hunt frogs? My mentor, er, ex-mentor? Says that they're really fast. I can see you being able to catch them with those long legs, but..." She trailed off as she stared at the apprentice at his side. He wasn't exactly small, but Nightstar almost towered over him.

"I have friends!" Brackenwing sputtered indignantly, glaring at her clanmate. Whisperear,and... Silverwing, she admitted to herself grudging. That made two! Two friends! That weren't her siblings! And Batsong, though Batsong was more like an adopted sister. "There's nothing wrong with only having a few." She huffed.

Nightstar at least, seemed interested in showing the apprentice something more diplomatic than their last encounter. Brackenwing could've simply refused and walked away, though it would've been rude to do so, even she knew that. And she'd never hear the end of it, she was absolutely certain. Resigning herself to her fate, she spoke. "Not any more than usual. Though I'm sure now that I've said it, that'll change." Because that was just how the universe worked. She and Coyotegrin had fought a fox in the tunnels a while back, and there had been several foxes on the territory more recently, but the tunnels themselves had been claiming more lives than predators recently. But that was strictly Windclan business, not Shadowclan.

"Silverwing-" Her words made Brackenwing turn, giving her clanmate a wide-eyed stare of disbelieving exasperation. That... Had been rude. And she certainly didn't know Nightstar or the apprentice behind him well enough to know their reactions. If they decided to take offense... Well, an apprentice would be easy enough to handle. Brackenwing wasn't so sure about Nightstar himself. And she didn't particularly want to find out. Fostering tension between the clans when their last meeting had already gone so poorly wasn't something Brackenwing was keen on, even if Nightstar didn't seem to hold it against her. "I apologize, she doesn't mean to be rude."

Nightstar nodded as Brackenwing obliged, "That seems to be the way things are, I'm afraid." He meowed, ready to ask another question before Silverwing butted in. He raised his tail for silence, his eyes flicking back to Brackenwing. "Do not apologize for your clanmate. They are a warrior and should be treated as such." Shadowclans leader pulled himself up to his full height, amber eyes turning to steel as he glowered down at Silverwing and their impudence. "You will not interrupt your clanmate, or myself. You are out of line as well as rude and will show me respect." He approached, threatening to cross the border in his annoyance. "Your callousness is not only disrespectful to myself, but your senior, Brackenwing, and you will do well in life to consider what she has to say. Your life will be short-lived if you continue to squander the chances that your senior presents you. Now you will shut your mouth, lest I send your fur flying, do I make myself clear?" Nightstar snarled, his lips peeling back to show the slightest flash of white teeth before he withdrew and turned back to Brackenwing.

"I do not envy the situations you get yourself in, Brackenwing. How often your authority has been disrespected in my presence alone is exhausting. Speak to Shrikestar about it, it shouldn't stand." Nightstar meowed, a bit more calmly, but his eyes would flick back to Silverwing pointedly and often.

Silverwing watched as the Shadowclan leader rose, shying back a bit as he did. His eyes seemed to pierce right through her, giving her a slight chill. She understood now why Brackenwing didn't like Shadowclan cats. As he approached the border, Silverwing stood up straight. She stared at his paws, silently begging him to take another step. He may be a leader, but if he dared set paw over that border she would be forced to defend her territory. Even she knew better than to talk back to a leader, so she suffered his rebuke in silence, embarrassment heating her skin. Nightstar could go get hit by a monster for all she cared, but maybe he was right about one thing. Maybe her apology to Brackenwing was long overdue. That could wait a little longer though, she wouldn't give this brute the satisfaction of hearing her admit her mistake, just like she wouldn't dignify him with a response. Instead, she settled for glaring back at him anytime he looked at her.

_

Sablepaw bristled at the Windclan warrior's stare, if Nightstar hadn't initiated their exchange, Sablepaw would have, and it would not have been as friendly as his mentor's. Or so he thought. Nightstar's verbal assault seemed almost to hurt the cat, quickly shutting her up, and not soon enough. He shot her a withering glare, but she was too focused on Nightstar. That couldn't be good, his leader was already irritated, could this patrol potentially end in a fight? Surely Nightstar wouldn't go that far. "Perhaps it would be best if we continue our patrol?" He suggested, not wanting the situation to escalate further.

Brackenwing cringed inwardly at the expression on the Shadowclan leader's face, anxiety making her heart race as he reprimanded Silverwing. It wasn't entirely undeserved, she had to admit... And the Shadowclan leader of all cats saying she deserved more respect was... Surprising, to say the least, her pelt flashing hot with embarrassment as the tom continued, stepping a bit too close to the border.

Brackenwing stepped forward, placing herself between Silverwing and the clearly angry Shadowclanners, flicking her tail across her clanmate's face in a very clear "shut up, mousebrain" gesture before Silverwing had the chance to say anything. "Enough, Nightstar. I... appreciate it. Be that as it may, she's not your clanmate to discipline." The apprentice finally spoke up, and she nodded sharply at him. "Yes, that would be wise, I think. We'll be on our way. Now." Her gaze flicked toward Silverwing, but she was careful to keep both Shadowclanners in her sights as well. One could never be too cautious. The dark forest had taught her that from a young age.

Nightstar looked to his apprentice and considered what he had to say with his steely amber gaze before his attention was drawn to Brackenwing. He nodded silently and stepped away, beckoning Sablepaw with a flick of his long plumy tail. Nightstar had half the mind to threaten a fight the next time he had an issue with Windclan on his border patrol, but he figured that he would spare Sablepaw the distress of it. He was just an apprentice and didn't need to consider going to war with Windclan an option over a few petty border skirmishes, after all. Sighing sharply through his nose, he turned to his apprentice, "Let us finish this patrol and head back home." making sure to soften his features this time around. He shouldn't be instilling fear in his cats, accidental or not.