Post by Fireflake on Jul 16, 2020 8:48:29 GMT
Twelve moons had passed since Mantisstar's announcement that Tansystar had gone and that she would be MothClan's new leader. It was the same day she had first told the clan they would be going after the kits that the rogues had stolen. Her eyes wandered to her half-brother across camp. Even though they didn't get Strikekit back, even though that patrol came at a great cost, they had Fatcloud. That wasn't the announcement her mind was stuck on, though. She'd also told the clan that she wouldn't be an absent leader....
The last thing she'd said then had been that that they should all challenge themselves in the coming moons. Mantisstar herself had made the silent vow to ensure her clan always got the ceremonies and Gathering. They could be late, but they had to happen. This moon had rolled by and the days had crept into one another. Nobody had any reason to say anything. Nobody was waiting to be named. The leader had woken up several times to find herself dumbfounded, unsure of what to announce. Now she stood on the rock and it couldn't be more clear.
"All cats old enough to fight your own battles, gather around for a clan meeting!"
Mantisstar didn't have to wait long. "We have no new young cats, so I'll jump right into it. I realize that word of what happened in Twolegplace has been spread mostly in whispers. It can be a fun little game, but it's time I said something about it officially. I don't need my warriors asking RootClan cats. Everyone settle down and I'll lay it out for you."
Her eyes scanned the crowd and caught a mixture of glances. Luckily, she'd learned how to ignore those a long time ago.
"As you all know by now, we were unable to find Strikekit- or, for that matter, RootClan's Fidgetkit. Our patrol went into Twolegplace with theirs, in our final effort to retrieve the stolen cats, and found nobody to stand and fight. We scattered the rogues that seemed hostile and tore up the nests in their old den, then marked our borders on the way back in to make sure no cat would follow. And... yes, we did see a few dogs too. But they didn't chase us nearly close enough for the other clans to know that, so nobody should mention it. While we were there, RootClan met a loner. I didn't trust her, but I believe she's now their medicine cat. I guess desperate times call for desperate measures."
Mantisstar looked out over her clan. The little remarks about the others seemed to slip out like second nature by now. She didn't even dislike the cats. The leader stifled a sigh, straightening up.
"It was a joint effort between us and RootClan, though of course, I think our familiarity with the area was an advantage."
Pausing for a few moments, she wondered if this was the right time to comment on the relations with the other clans. She couldn't think of any better time. "We won't be going back there unless we need to, but, and this is just staying within the clan now, we will be pushing MistClan's border a lot harder than before. That's all."