In the days following Riversong's kitting - to the three most beautiful kits that ever there were - Robinstar had been the one to act diplomatically, going first to LightningClan to speak with Sparrowstar and now, she and Longtail were headed to RiverClan to meet with Wildstar. Wildstar was a cat that Robinstar admittedly didn't know much about. He was Shadowstar's successor and she'd heard tales about Shadowstar being a fearsome cat - not one to be reckoned with, but Wildstar was... unpredictable. She didn't know quite what to expect in their meeting.
He's the only male leader in any of the Clans. She thought, not acknowledging Flameautumnstarriver or whatever he would call himself now, since the battle. I shouldn't make assumptions about him. She concluded. She'd sent a scout the previous day, to locate a RiverClan patrol and express Robinstar's interest in meeting the following day with Wildstar.
She had just passed by the Meeting Tree and was skirting over the Temptation Rocks, glancing about for a RiverClan patrol. She flicked water droplets off her paws as she touched the ground and waited on the island between the Clans. It was here that she was to wait with Longtail for Wildstar and she would be sure to look attentive and alert whenever he made his appearance. @Teigra
Teigra — 02/09/2022
Of course, his border scouts had kept him aware of the changes happening beyond their territory as scents changed and blended, however Wildstar still had little news of exactly what had happened from anyone who had been present at the ousting of Fireclan. He had ordered his Deputy to prioritize keeping the scouts alert for signs of any trouble along their borders, as well as beefing up the sparring regimen for off-duty Warriors in the meantime. He was not necessarily anticipating trouble, but Forestclan have mercy on anyone who came to Riverclan looking for trouble themselves.
The patrol the previous day had brought word that Robinstar of Treeclan requested a meeting and Wildstar had sent back his agreement to meet. With a word to Wildflower to keep an eye on the camp, he set out for the meeting with only one other cat accompanying him; his daughter, Wildfire. The two bright orange striped cats made their way towards the designated meeting location while exchanging a bit of small talk and keeping otherwise quiet as they traveled.
Nearing the borders, Wildstar took the lead, Wildfire falling a couple of steps behind as they shifted from father-daughter to a more professional demeanor. A leader and one of his Warriors. As Robinstar and her companion came into view, Wildstar cast his attention over the surrounding area, searching for any sign of others. A distinct tail flick and Wildfire took over this duty as the leader fixed his gaze on the other blessed cat. "Robinstar, I presume?" he greeted with a nod, the scarred orange tom taking a seat with his tail curling over his paws. @belloblossom
belloblossom — 02/09/2022
Robinstar could see the bright orange tomcat approaching from the distance - his white patches making him all the more distinguishable - even in this season. She stood as he approached, inclining her head towards the RiverClan leader.
"You presume correctly, Wildstar." She replied smoothly. "Thank you for agreeing to come see me." She straightened her back and let any of her hairs out of place smooth as best she could. "I'll get straight to it - I came out here to give you some insight onto what I'm sure you've already encountered glimpses of. Earlier this season, I led TreeClan into battle with FireClan, and the Tribe leader, Feather, accompanied me in this task." She waited a beat. "I never agreed with Autumnriver's actions, once I found out that he left LightningClan on a suicide mission - and that he built his Clan to join him in that endeavor." She shook her head. "But when he built his camp in such a way that it overlapped my territory and the Tribe's? I wouldn't let him disrespect me in such a way, so I reclaimed the trees in battle and the Tribe took their mountain." She sighed. "In a battle, injuries will occur and sometimes even casualties, tragic as they are, are inflicted. While I'm sorry to say that there was only one life lost - one that could've been avoided if Autumnriver had declared a retreat earlier or not invaded my lands at all... at least it was only one life instead of many."
Robinstar fixed her gaze onto Wildstar.
"Now, as to why I'm coming to tell you this - well, I suppose it's for two reasons. When what few FireClan cats were run off from the trees and the mountain, they were headed towards your territory. I don't know where they might be headed, but there's a chance that they might try to take shelter in RiverClan territory and I thought it only right to give you a heads up on that matter, as our battle was what caused their move." She mewed.
"The second reason," Robinstar continued, "Is to announce to you here, that I do not have any feeling of resentment towards RiverClan - why should I? In fact, it's rather the opposite, as I admire how you've faced so much in your lifetime, since your founding indeed as RiverClan rather than RockClan, and persevered. Still, with this conflict between FireClan and I, I didn't want my fellow leaders to start thinking I was some sort of heartless monster. Undoubtedly, if you should come across FireClan, they'll spin some sob story, but hopefully my coming here, meeting you face to face, Wildstar, will give you some idea of my character. I care about my family and I care about the forest I protect and live in. We're growing by the day," She smiled, thinking of her three precious kits at home. "I want only what they deserve and now that I have it, I do not intend to battle anyone, so long as we can all keep to the borders from here on out." She mewed. "If you have any questions while I'm here, I'm happy to answer what I can, though hopefully I've made myself rather clear today." @Teigra
Teigra — 03/24/2022
Wildstar was attentive and respectful as the she-cat spoke, however, the more she went on, the colder his expression grew. He did not speak nor interrupt as she set out what seemed like a rehearsed speech, but he took careful note of a few points that caused his eyes to narrow. 'Was that a threat?' he thought to himself incredulously. A part of him was in disbelief that she was insinuating that Riverclan would be disrespecting borders, especially after what she'd just revealed.
Wildfire kept an eye on the long-tailed cat accompanying Robinstar as well as keeping her senses alert to any others approaching, but between Robinstar's words and a couple hurried glances at her father, she was less able to conceal her growing unease as the tip of her tail twitched. And she knew him well enough to read the absence of those signals as what they really meant. Oh, he was not happy. Still, she kept to her duty and kept silent, letting the leaders handle this for now....while remaining ready for action should need be.
The tom-cat waited until Robinstar asked for questions and whether she'd made herself clear today. In a disarmingly calm voice, Wildstar began, "Let me see if I have this correct then. You're telling me that you allied with a second clan to attack a smaller clan and drive them out of their home and kill one of their kin in the middle of Leafbare, because you felt the territory belonged to you and that you deserved it. Because you said so. I don't suppose there was any attempt to discuss this with Fireclan previously in an attempt to come to a peaceful resolution without resorting to violence and bloodshed first?" Though his voice remained steady, it grew in barely concealed disdain as he continued. He would assume that the comment that she was sorry there was only one life lost was an error in speech, but he had definitely noted it, though he would not bring it up right now and diverge from his point.
"Now, I am not sure what dealings, if any, you may have had with my predecessor, Shadowstar, but I personally have had no direct experiences with you, only what I have heard from my scouts, what I have heard from Flamestar, and what news I have of what happened to Fireclan. And, of course, what I have heard here so far today. I must admit that I am not getting the best first impression, Robinstar. Flamestar, on the other hand, came to me before the tragedy to inquire about some unclaimed lands on our Riverclan borders, while also expressing concerns that his kin may be in danger. I gave him clearance that Riverclan had no plan for those lands at this time and gave him permission to use them if he so required a safe place. While I may not agree with everything Flamestar has ever done, I do respect his coming to me out of mutual respect and out of the concern for those who chose to follow him as Fireclan. They are welcome to take shelter in those lands to tend to their wounded and get back on their paws again."
Wildstar took a deep breath, attempting to keep calm and centered while driving his point home. "I too care about my family and all those of Riverclan under my guidance and protection. Following that, however, I believe that the lives of all cats are precious and that violence should only ever be a last resort, or something reserved for the likes of foxes and dogs with which there is no reasoning. That being said, I do not take threats, or implied threats, against my cats lightly. If you and yours are growing and ever feel the inclination to spread your borders of your own volition again, I would advise against looking towards Riverclan lands. For your own sakes. I hope that I too have made myself clear?" @belloblossom
belloblossom — Yesterday at 6:15 PM
Well, this wasn't going well.
Of course, RiverClan's leader had to view Flamestar as a tomcat who was to be sympathized with. It was just her luck, she supposed. Still, she wanted to believe that she was friendly enough with the Tribe and with LightningClan that if anything ever were to conflict between her and these fish-eaters, that her Clan might survive the encounter.
"When dealing with a Clan lead by a cat who I deduced to have no sense of sanity left between his ears, yes I decided to cut to the chase and remove a threat to my family without trying to reason with an otherwise proven unreasonable cat." She sighed, listening to his words, but too wrapped in her own mind, her own anxiety for the situation to consider her next carefully. "I did not intend to kill anyone, but such is a casualty of war. Why call ourselves warriors at all if we are not prepared to fight for what we believe to be ours?" She shook her head. "But there is no point in me speaking to you further. Your mind was made up before I came here, I can see that now. No matter what I say to you, you're only going to believe your own opinions - and whatever Flamestar may have told you."
She raised her head, but took a step back.
"You make yourself as clear as the river that separates our borders, Wildstar." She replied. "Be rest assured, TreeClan will not look to speak to RiverClan over such matters of war or relations again." She mewed a tone of finality in her voice and she backed away a few more paces, before flicking her tail to Longtail. There was little point in staying - it was time to return home. @Teigra (Sorry for the abrupt ending, I've been struggling to find a clear muse for Robin so I thought I'd just best wrap it up.)
Teigra — Today at 6:25 PM
Why was she so certain that Flamestar was not of sound mind? Wildstar may have disagreed with the....melodramatic way that things had happened between then-Autumnriver and Brightstar, but that didn't mean that he hadn't understood that Autumnriver still had the best intentions. He was afraid that the dogs would pose a threat to Lightningclan and wanted to pursue...Brightstar hadn't wanted to risk Warriors' lives for such a risky maneuver...it had been more of a dramatic (and public) disagreement than it needed to be, but Autumnriver had only wanted to protect his clan. He had left Lightningclan with the intention of placing himself in danger to provide warning if the dogs came back. What in the wide world below the Silverpelt was going through Robinstar's head?
That's when a more troublesome thought occurred to him. Wildstar's impression of Robinstar thus far had been based on her blunt statements and aggressive demeanor. However, he had been leaning towards the idea that she was young and headstrong, perhaps a bit big for her pelt, but otherwise able to be reasoned with. But, if he let that assumption go...focused on her continued insistence that Flamestar was illogical...while also considering her multiple statements in this conversation alone where she seemed to contradict herself or say things that didn't make sense...
Hostility and aggressive behavior was one thing, but if unpredictable and illogical as well...then that spoke to a true threat and danger to them all. Perhaps Robinstar herself was a greater threat than previously imagined.
Wildstar shook his head sadly, commenting, "If caring for and protecting one's kin makes one unreasonable in your eyes, Robinstar, then I fear indeed we have little common ground to speak upon. I came to this meeting wary, but I had not made any set decisions in my mind as you so insinuate. However, you have done much with your words to do that yourself. I will not tolerate threats to my kin, especially when we have done nothing to earn this hostility. And by saying that you will not speak with us civilly again, I can only assume that you mean to treat us like Fireclan and attack us without warning someday whenever it suits your whims. I do not see the taking of lives done lightly...however, if you come after those under my care, I will do what is necessary to protect them. That is the only warning you will receive."
He watched the Treeclan leader and her warrior depart, an uneasy feeling in his gut. Only after they had gone from the border, he turned to Wildfire with a frown. "Send a messenger to Lightningclan. I need to speak with Sparrowstar immediately." @belloblossom
[FIN]