Pest [Open]

Littlestar finished his conversation with Yellowtail and leaped off the High Rock, look around the camp for a patrol join. He didn't want to make another one just for himself, but wanted to personally check the border between Windclan and Thunderclan. There had been slight tensions at the last Gathering. Not enough to break the peace the clans were so graciously experiencing, but enough for him to feel like he had to renew the scent markers with his own scent. A passive aggressive warning to Windclan cats that Thunderclan was here and strong. 

He flicked his tail, observed the camp, before trotting towards the elders den. They were always interesting to talk to and it would be nice to hear from them. He hadn't checked in on them in awhile and he wanted to make sure the apprentices were bringing them good bedding and juicy fresh kill. As he approached the fallen tree, he watched a small kitten emerge from the nursery. She was one of Wrensong's litter, but he hadn't heard their names yet, only visited them when they were young. He knew that one of them was blind, but couldn't be sure. 

He stuck his nose quickly into the elders den, but they were all sleeping, lucky cats that they were. He would ask them after his patrol then. He back away, turning when he had room and watched the tiny kitten fall off a rock. He quietly approached behind her, catching her last words spoken into nothing. 

"A smaller rock that smells nice."

Littlestar sat down behind her, and offered a small piece of advice, "You can't use your claws to hold to stone, you'll only tear them. Grip with your pads and you should be able to stay up."

So this was the blind kit. He knew she was Mothkit then. Her mother had refused to tell him about her disability until just last moon, and though he'd meant to check in on her, he hadn't found the time. Now he could see that she would struggle as a warrior. He knew she would be unhappy when her brother was made a warrior without her and right now he didn't have to heart to tell her. Maybe, Littlestar supposed, if she could prove herself capable then he would give her a chance. Any strong warrior was welcome. 

She tried again, this time taking the rock slowly and he was pleased to see how quickly she learned. The adjustment was small but indicated patience and intelligence, something he valued for his warrior.

She nearly fell off the rock and Littlestar flicked his tail out to soften her fall. But she kept her balance and crowed, ""I did it! I did it! Snakekit could never climb the rock! But I can! I did!" She seemed to recover a little dignity and it dealt him a small blow to see the kit so serious even in a moment of victory. In his opinion, only senior warriors, deputies, leaders and the medicine cat were allowed to have no fun.  "I mean- Of course I did!" Mothkit never looked up at him and it unnerved him to realize that she would probably never meet his eyes. ""I could have figured it out on my own. Thank you, though. I was being stupid. My name's Mothstar."

Littlestar's ears twitched in surprise. A confident blind cat. That was interesting. He meowed, "Mothstar is a good name. Which clan do you lead, Mothstar?"

Littlestar watched the kit, observing how quickly she figured out who he was. She admitted to being confused by new scents, especially when they came too quickly to sort out. She wouldn't be able to go into battle, or travel to Mothermouth without an escort. She couldn't go into battle, he assumed, either because the on rush of cats would confuse her nose and make her vulnerable. 

He did feel a jolt of pride when she told him that every cat smelled a little like him. It made him feel good to know that his influence over his clan was strong. It meant that he was taking a fair part in everyone's life. It meant he was a good leader, showing interest and evaluating each individual cat and attending to their needs and capabilities specifically. He knew that Cherrystar would be very proud of him. It made him glow inside. 

"Thunderclan." The little kit called his attention back to her, finally answering his question. "I've taken over. For their own good, you know." Mothkit was very serious, and though he wanted to laugh, Littlestar kept himself stern. "I'll give it back, but I have a list of demands. Okay?" Before he could answer, she continued with the everlasting speech of a kit "I want lavender and some feathers for my nest. Great cats need their sleep, you know. I can't make sure all these mousebrains stay out of trouble if I can't sleep. You can have some feathers too."

"Oh I can, can I?" Littlestar teased back. "But what if I want to just take the clan back for myself, with a fight? I could do that you know. Several cats are still very loyal to me, Mothstar. You might want to reconsider."

Littlestar had to admit; it was clever of her to use the mouse bile. Mothkit obviously knew how to think, and it was strange to deal with a cat who could not see. She seemed to think of the world in scents and sounds, rather than colors and figures. He wondered if her blindness had made her resourceful or if she was naturally imaginative. He felt a pang for the warrior she could have been. 

He shook it off and instead asked, "Wouldn't all that mouse just turn your cats away? And wouldn't it confuse your nose? It could spread to your supporters and then you'll claw the wrong ear off."

He wanted to keep putting increasingly difficult situations in front of her. If he was honest, and it was a depressing honesty, she would probably never make a warrior but she would never become a burden. Mothkit was proving to be very clever and she might be able to help him plan attacks. He could use a thinker like her, to help him observe angles he could not. 

"As for the oak leaves, do you plan to spread them out over the clearing? They'll be kicked up, you know. And if you only surround yourself, you'll be knocked out of the center very quickly." He purred, gently. "I think it will be easier if you just give me my clan back. I promise to hold you as a prisoner, instead of sending you into the forest to die alone."

"Why would Wrensong be mad?" Littlestar asked, curiously. "I believe that she is completely loyal to her clan and it's current," he stressed the word, "leader, which would be me. She won't be pleased to have to send her favorite kit into exile."

Littlestar frowned quietly then stopped fearing the kit would think it was aimed at her. And then he remembered that she was blind. While he doubted that Wrensong would actually disobey a direct order, he certainly didn't want the fierce warrior queen angry with him. He was still very new to his leadership and the last thing he needed was a cat with sway affecting how every one viewed him. He was very well aware that leading was more than just making difficult decisions, it was also about politics. 

Not that he was actually considering banishing Mothkit, but there was an ever increasing possibility that he would have to confine her to the elders den. And neither she nor her mother would want that. Other cats would understand his decision but he didn't need any cat doubting him. It would shake the clan and present itself as a weakness to others.

Shaking his head, he focused on answering Mothkit's questions, which were insightful and impressive for a very young cat. "No one should like sitting up on the Highrock, Mothstar. But like all warriors, leaders have duties, and being lonely is one of mine." He paused again, thinking. "And I'm not as lonely as you think. Every cat here is my family and I'm close to all of them, in different ways. Their trust and support makes me stronger and without them, I would be nothing. Without each other, Mothkit, we are nothing."

"Mother's are always worried about their kits." Littlestar admitted, keeping to himself that he worried about his entire clan like it was his kit. "If Wrensong is extra anxious about you, she must love you an extra amount." He thought about addressing her blindness, since she'd been so open about it, but he wasn't exactly sure how to approach the problem without making her feel like she couldn't help. She was a challenge for him.

Mothkit wiggled off the rock and he was impressed with how graceful the kit was. She wasn't in any more control of her body than other kits her age, but she seemed to be handling herself well. He tried to make a comment but was quickly distracted by her constant stream of conversation. Maybe this was why he didn't really visit the kits very often. He felt like he could never keep up. 

As she talked, he observed that she seemed to be more comfortable about with her paws on the ground. He wondered what it meant to her, to be able to touch the earth. He sensed that she didn't see her disability as a disability and he wondered, if he was honest, he desperately hoped, that they could work to find away around it. Like all his warriors, he wanted to give them everything they could possibly want. If he was doubly honest, he was secretly developing a soft spot for the spunky little kitten. 

"If you ask Wrensong, I'm sure the elders would love feathers in their bed." Littlestar wanted to teach this kit, which wasn't a new feeling, since he'd had two apprentices in the past, but sometimes, it was good to just have a willing ear. No wonders the elders loved when the kits visited. "Elders are useful. When I encounter situations I don't know how to handle, they might. Remember, Mothkit, they've been around for a really long time. They're practically ancient. And we have to respect the service they gave to the clan. We have to honor their skills to live as long as they have. I rely on them for their wisdom, as they rely on the clan for protection and survival."

Then he crouched, low, not quite invading her space, but close enough that their conversation became very very private. "Mothkit, you're blind. You know that and I know that."

He took a deep breath, trying to be as gentle as possible. He didn't want to have this discussion with her, not at this young age, but she'd brought it up, and he believed in honesty. "I've never had a blind cat in my clan and I don't know if you can be a warrior." Quickly, he flicked his tail across her shoulders, trying to comfort her. "I've already asked the elders, and they say that there has been blind warriors in the past. I want you to be a warrior, Mothkit. But you'll have to work twice as hard as other cats. You have to prove to me now that you can do even the simplest tasks. It's not going to be easy, and I'll be very honest with you. Mothkit, you might not make it. I cannot put you in danger and feel good about it. Your mother would have my tail, and you were right, she's very very scary. But she wouldn't be the only one angry. I would be very angry and Starclan would be very angry with me as well." 

He sighed, slowly, feeling both anxious and relieved. "Mothkit, listen to me. No matter if you make it as a warrior or not, I want you to understand something very very important. You will never ever be nothing to this clan. Or to me. I value every kit, warrior, and elder under my protection. But after our discussion, it's become very clear that you are very very clever. You think with more than your heart and you're also very brave and curious. As you grow up, these qualities will only improve and I will need you to help me solve problems that I can't. You see things differently from others and that is something I value. I might not always agree with you, but I will always value you."

Then he sat back up, watching the kit, somewhat nervously. He added as an afterthought, not that it wasn't untrue. "Just for the record, Mothkit, I am rooting for you."

OOC: SORRY! I know it's long but Littlestar would totally use this moment to explain how things are. He's a somewhat young leader and sometimes, he can be brutally honest.