Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2019 14:34:25 GMT -5
War was coming, whether any cat wanted it or not. Rainfur’s attempt to keep things calm on the TreeClan border was nothing more than delaying the inevitable. With half of NightClan’s territory under water and unusable, NightClan had two choices to sustain them until the water receded. They could either attempt to hunt higher in the mountains, in terrain they were not trained to hunt in, or they could push into TreeClan’s forest, which would at least hold some familiarity in the techniques and skills they would need and would likely yield better results.
Thus, Darkstar had called her deputy away to the branch trail, to find a low perch they could share to have a private discussion away from the all too open clearing which provided next to no privacy at all. Claws digging into the bark beneath her, Darkstar sat upright, her bright gaze surveying the dark ground below, “NightClan cannot get by on the prey provided by half our normal territory.”
“Yes, that has already been proven by the lack of a real freshkill pile. It seems as soon as prey is brought to the clearing, it is eaten,” Rainfur agreed, thoughtful, “We should send hunting parties ranging higher into the mountains.”
Darkstar’s tail twitched, only the need to balance on the branch keeping it from lashing, “No. Few cats are familiar with hunting in the mountains. There are further dangers there that are not present in the valley, and the endurance needed even to traverse the terrain is greater. It will take more out of our warriors for little reward. You are looking the wrong way, Rainfur.” Darkstar’s gaze settled pointedly toward the TreeClan border.
Rainfur sighed openly, causing Darkstar’s ear to flick toward the older she-cat, “Fighting is hardly what we need right now. Half our medicine cat’s herbs have drowned, and most of their stores had to be left back in camp when it flooded. The mountains will surely provide enough until the flood waters recede-”
“No,” Darkstar growled, “You’re right, we don’t need fighting right now. But I never said anything about fighting.” Her gaze narrowed in the direction of their enemies, “Why fight over territory when we can simply take prey as we need. Hunting patrols, with a couple dedicated guards, is all we need. We want prey, not territory, so that is all we will take.”
Rainfur shook her head, “You know a fight would be inevitable. TreeClan is not just going to let us steal prey without consequence. Especially if they are dealing with any flooding as well.” She looked off toward TreeClan’s territory as well, contemplative, “And what if they decide to steal prey back in retaliation? Hunting in the mountains might be difficult but it would not waste herbs on injuries from fights we don’t need, and no TreeClan cats would be hunting in our territory as payback.”
The young leader finally turned her fiery gaze toward the deputy, “Anything worth having comes with a risk. The fighting will start sooner or later, Rainfur. I am no longer content to sit back and wait for TreeClan to make the first move against us. If a fight is coming, NightClan will strike first.”
Rainfur’s gaze narrowed slightly, “Are you sure you’re not just trying to get close to Brackenstride, Darkstar?”
Darkstar hissed and nearly lashed out with one paw, but dug her claws deeper into the bark to stay her strike, “I will kill him, Rainfur, but attaining enough prey for my Clan is my top priority right now. TreeClan does not hunt at night, their night prey is likely flourishing. We will find what we need there, and we will fight for it if we need to. We are warriors.”
Rainfur took a moment to gather her thoughts and flicked her ear as if to flick away the flash of irritation that shot through her, but it was gone just as fast. “Darkstar, TreeClan’s territory might have flooded as well. If both Clans are low on prey, the fighting will become desperate and the injuries will subsequently become more costly.”
Darkstar’s gaze narrowed at the deputy, displeasure rippling the fur over her spine, “I didn’t take you for a coward.”
“Not wanting to senselessly spill my own Clan’s blood is not cowardice,” there was an edge to the deputy’s tone, clearly even her seemingly endless patience had its limits.
“It is not senseless. We need prey to survive. We will take it as we need it. We will fight for our survival,” Darkstar replied, unusually calm.
Rainfur stared at her for a moment and then sighed, trying once more, “We could negotiate for a peaceful deal with TreeClan. If they allowed us to hunt at night on a portion of their territory, we could give them the deer path back once the waters recede-”
Darkstar snarled, “I won’t so easily give away what rightfully belongs to NightClan. What Blackwolf gave his life for. NightClan does not need TreeClan’s permission to do what we need to do to survive. And do you really think they would negotiate with us? Did you not hear Lionstar at the gathering? He thinks I’m nothing but a lawless rogue. Would you negotiate with a rogue? The time for peace is over, Rainfur.”
Rainfur’s tail lashed once, the only sign of her frustration, but it was clear Darkstar had already made up her mind and nothing she said was going to convince her otherwise. She turned to look at the younger she-cat and Darkstar met her gaze, “I will back you in this, Darkstar… but only until the water recedes and we have our territory back in full. We must cease stealing prey once that happens.”
Darkstar considered her, “That is my current plan, but I cannot promise anything. It all depends on TreeClan’s response.”
That was the best response she was going to get for now, Rainfur supposed. They would have to see what the future brought. “Will you tell the Clan when we return?”
“Yes,” Darkstar affirmed, rising from her crouched position in the tree in preparation to return to camp, “We will begin immediately.”
Greenleaf 21 - The sun shines and the sky is free of clouds, but by nightfall the sky is overcast, causing some to worry about more rain. The day is pleasant over all, and the night is cool.
Fawn