Beside the den

[Kitty]

Ripplefur made it over to the elders' den and sat down right outside of it. She began grooming her pelt. The apprentices really needed to come. She'd found a tick behind her ear. But most of the apprentices were probably going to be aseep for a while yet, since nearly every one of them had gone to the Gathering. Maybe she'd get lucky and have one come check on them, and she could request him to bring some mouse bile to get rid of her tick.

She looked around the camp. She was tired, yes, but not quite ready to go in to sleep. So she sat, half in, half out of the den, trying to decide whether to go all the way in or some all the way out.

[hedgie]

Patchclaw had been sitting beside the Elder's den for a long time now, her tail wrapped around her paws. The small, wiry calico watched the camp with harsh golden eyes, the tips od her needle-sharp claws showing.

The Riverclan deputy yawned, jjaws stretching wide to show sharp white teeth and a pretty pink tounge. She was far from pretty, though, in personality at least. Patchclaw had never been the friendliest she-cat.

She watched, unenthused, as Ripplefur padded over to the den, away from the group she'd been chatting with. She should probably move away. Elders liked to talk about the past, and Patchclaw didn't want to think about hers. Yet she stayed, watching with a hidden fondness as Rabbitkit and Otterkit bounced around camp. Hopefully they'd never have to experience so much loss.

[Kitty]

"Why, hello, Patchclaw!" Ripplefur exclaimed, only just noticing the deputy sitting there. It had startled her a little bit. "How long have you been there?" she asked, tiliting her head to the side. "How's your deputyship going?" she went on in a slightly raspy voice.

She hoped the rather cold she-cat wouldn't ignore her. But if she was in a bad mood, Ripplefur wouldn't bother her anymore. "What happened at the Gathering? Usually we elders are the first ones to find out, but today seems to be different."

((Woo! Fail post!))

[hedgie]

Patchclaw looked up, slowly turning her head towards Ripplefur. She tried to fake a smile, and almost failed. "Not too long, really. Well, I actually don't know. I lost track of time, it appears.' She nodded her head respectfully. 'It's going pretty well, as it usual is. No big problems yet." When she spoke of her deputyship, her voice sounded warmer. She rather enjoyed talking about that.

'What happened? Well, Shadestar appears to have passed away, and now Ashstar's the leader of Thunderclan. Oh, and there's probably going to be some sort of trouble between Windclan and Shadowclan. Specklestar says that they want four of Rivermist's kits. Hopefully it doesn't reach Riverclan. That would be such a neeedless battle." She shook her head. They were fools, those other cats.

[Kitty]

"ShadowClan want to take four kits away from their mother?" Ripplefur asked. It was not all that surprising - ShadowClan were always up to such things. They'd taken a kit from ThunderClan once...."You know, if ShadowClan hadn't taken Foxfur from us, Rivermist and Foxfur wouldn't have had kits, because they woldn't have been able to meet each other easily. So ShadowClan have no one to blame but themselves."

Ripplefur sighed. ShadowClan were already the biggest Clan. Why did they need four more warriors? Thunder Clan needed them more - ShadowClan was twice the size of her Clan!

[hedgie]

'Hmmm....you might be right on that, but you nver know. He still could've met Rivermist, fallen in love and had the kits. No one really knows, Ripplefur." Patchclaw mewed, unwrapping her black-and-ginger tail from around her paws.

"Kits should never be without their mother." Those words held more meaning than what applied to their conversation. Her thoughts drifted to Blueflower and her brother, so happy to have their kits.

[nightstorm]

"Ah, are we talking about Rivermist and Foxfur again?" Tawnystripe meowed, her voice slightly cracked with age, but still smooth as it once was. Her voice held a note of disdain at the thought of taking a mate from another Clan. Dipping her head to Patchclaw, Tawnystripe continued, "I still think they could have refrained from seeing each other. Honestly, all this fuss over a few kits and their confused parents." She plopped down, and began grooming her pelt, straining to reach her back.

[hedgie]

"It's more about the kits then anything else. Most of us got over the mate in a different Clan thing a good while ago." Patchclaw mewed smoothly, pushing her thoughts back.

"If I was Rivermist, I would do anything to keep them all with me. I'd fight as hard as I could. Foxfur's the father, yes, but what has he done for them? He didn't give birth to them, or raise them for the past three moons. She did. As long as Riverclan isn't involved, though, I'm not bothered by it all that much."

I just have a strong feeling about kits and their mothers, that'a all. though these elders don't need to know that.

[nightstorm]

Tawnystripe snorted. "Oh, I for one am all for Rivermist fighting to keep her kits. Like you said, Foxfur didn't birth them, nor feed them, nor watch over them. He might have made a good father, but kits belong with their mothers. That's the way it has always been, and that's the way it should be." She continued licking at her fur, trying to get one particular spot that was mussed.

"Still, eight kits must be a lot to think about," she mused in between licks. "Thank StarClan there were other queens in the WindClan nursery, else Rivermist might have gone running like a pack of dogs was on her tail." She flicked her tail slightly. What she wouldn't have given to have had eight kits...perhaps one might have survived. The elderly she-cat's eyes clouded with sorrow, and she stared off at the side of the elder's den, eyes unseeing.

[Kitty]

Ripplefur snorted. "RiverClan will somehow be pulled into this, you mark my words, Patchclaw." she insisted to the deputy. That was how it always worked. Something happened between two of the Clan, and the othe two were some how always sucked into it. "It won't take long. Believe me, the Clans have always worked this way."