CLOSED Redstar's Amazing Plan

[Runfast]

Redstar of DarkClan and his Clan were preparing to face the enemy cats of MudbloodClan in a trick-filled battle. They were setting up traps left and right and he knew that, if the enemy was lured correctly, the battle would be swayed into DarkClan's favor with ease.
He was also waiting for the arrival of Cloudfeet, Sunmist, and the cats he had sent down to the Bloodstones. He hoped they were all okay, but he didn't let thinking about them stop him for too long - he was done with that sort of acting.

Gorseclaw had come back and was now somewhere - maybe with Blizzardgaze or something, maybe.

Goldpaw, Redstar's sister's son, was at his side while he called out orders to his Clanmates. Sometimes he would instruct the young tom on how to fight on the mountain terrain and its shifting patterns, or how to hide in the tall grass versus hiding in a clump of foliage, what mud or clay to roll in, and other things.
Frostshine, who was Goldpaw's mentor, occasionally went off to help someone else, and left the two to their devices.
Redstar was pleased with his nephew's progress in training to become a warrior. Thought he had become an apprentice (with his two siblings) much later than a cat usually would, he was doing well.
Maybe three, four more moons, he figured, before Goldpaw's warrior ceremony.

The construction of the final traps was nearing completion, and the cats of DarkClan were figuring out what positions they would hold and what strategies they would use - they were due for another meeting soon anyway...

[Runfast]

Redstar looked up at the cloudy sky and judged the time of day - nearing sundown, he knew. The cats of DarkClan, weary after a hard day's work, would be filing back into the previously chosen base camps. There were two base camps that were primaries, and then there were fall-back camps, and then there were the watch posts thrown further down the mountainside.

Redstar and Goldpaw were on their way to one of the primary base camps.

"Redstar," said Goldpaw, "Sunmist and Cloudfeet should be back soon." The 'where are they' was left unsaid but Redstar could hear it.
"Morning, more like," Redstar responded. He weighed his next sentence in his head before saying, "They're both skilled warriors, Goldpaw; their strength and good judgement will bring all of them back."

Goldpaw 'hmmed' and nodded, concern in his eyes. He wasn't just thinking about the the full group - he was thinking about his brother and his sister. He couldn't stand the thought of something happening to them while he wasn't there to at least - to at least - oh, he didn't know, back them up? Be with them?
Agh, he missed them. Waiting was just horrible. Redstar seemed to know what he was thinking, because, he didn't say anything, but he swept his tail along Goldpaw's flank in sympathy.
Goldpaw nodded in return and held his head up. There wasn't a whole lot he could do until they came back (as much as he hated the fact) so all he could do, he knew, was just keep moving forward.
I wonder, he thought suddenly, if my father would be pleased with me. Goldpaw's eyes widened slightly - where had that come from? He almost never thought about Thornstar. Goldpaw had never known him.
The first time he'd even seen him was after he died. And that was...weird. Really really weird. Like, he'd looked at dead Thornstar and wondered if they looked similar. Were their heads shaped the same way? Thornstar hadn't looked very much like Silverpaw or Bronzepaw, he'd thought. Maybe Jaycall looked a little like Thornstar, kinda. But to Goldpaw, Jaycall mostly looked like their mother, and he also looked a lot like Robinsong (he supposed - the she-cat vanished a day later).
No, Thornstar was a large, thin gray cat with scarred, patchy fur and blood on his mouth, eyes shut tight in death. Goldpaw, in that moment and now, couldn't fathom having anything in common with this dead tom. He hadn't seemed much like the dangerous leader of DarkClan the older cats had spoken of. Goldpaw had felt a little confused when everyone bowed their heads for the dead tom.
This was him? he had thought. This was the Thornstar? There must be some mistake...
It was weird to think that that happened only a few moons back. Things had changed so much since then...

Redstar and Goldpaw went up a rise in the mountainside and then there, at the top, back in the row of brush, was where base camp was hidden.
They wasted no time getting there.

Within were some of the cats of DarkClan - namely, Flowerfoot, Rainfoot, and Gorseclaw. Flowerfoot had been waiting by the brush entrance, watching.
"Hey, Redstar," the black-furred warrior dipped her head.

"Sleetcoat is out on watch," Rainfoot reported - it was a little strange to see him alone, since he was usually stuck to his former mentor's side like a burr.
Redstar looked at Gorseclaw and said, "How are you feeling?"

Goldpaw pushed his way into the sheltered space, glad to be mostly out of the rain.
"Hi, Flowerfoot," he said as he passed her. She meowed in response.

[Longstorm]

OOC: COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLL STUFF ABOUT THORNSTAR YEEEESSSSSSSSSS

IC: Gorseclaw nodded briskly. "Oh yeah," he said to Redstar. "I'm feeling good. What's our next move?"

OOC: Should I just make another topic for the "other camp" or what. And who else is out on watch if there's two watcher?

[Runfast]

OOC: I'll put Blizzardgaze out there. YES MAKE A TOPIC FOR THE OTHER CAMP PLEASE LS THANK YOUUUUUUUUU.

IC: "We're waiting on Sunmist and Cloudfeet, as you all know," Redstar addressed Gorseclaw and everyone else in the camp. "We've set our traps. We may set a few more, if there's time. That all depends on what the patrol says when they get back from the lowlands. We may have a day before we expect the Mudbloods, or it could be hours - it's the waiting game for now, I'm sorry to say." And he was. Very very sorry about that. He hated the waiting part of battle.

Goldpaw and the others frowned and/or sighed in frustration. Waiting really was the absolute worst.

"In the meantime," Redstar continued, "we will continue to hunt, patrol, and train for battle. I -" he paused, thinking about the cats in the other camp who were not there to hear him. "I know waiting is stressful. Believe me, I know." He exhaled. "So there won't be any sitting around doing nothing. We'll be ready for the enemy, whenever they appear. And they're in for a nasty surprise when they do." Redstar had a glint of hard determination and anticipation in his eyes, and Goldpaw and the others could see it too.
Goldpaw grinned. "Yeah, yeah," he said, "They won't know what hit them!"
Flowerfoot called an enthusiastic agreement and even Rainfoot had a goofy, excited grin on his face while he flexed his claws.
"We'll prove to those foxdungs just how strong DarkClan really is," Flowerfoot crowed, and for the moment the energy in the camp was red-hot excitement.
Redstar nodded and nodded and nodded. Things had really turned around for DarkClan in the past couple of days, and Redstar was glad of it.
And it's not my Clanmates who needed to change,, he thought. I've really turned around. I feel...better. Not all the way, but better. He thought of Jaycall at the other camp and the conversation they had had before. Jaycall's a good warrior.

Redstar turned his thoughts back to the cats in front of him. "Flowerfoot," he said to the black she-cat.
Flowerfoot straightened up. "Yes, Redstar?"
"I want you to go now to the other camp and take what I have said here to them. I won't have any of our Clanmates left in the dark."
Flowerfoot nodded briskly, glancing shortly at Goldpaw. "I'll be back in a flash," she meowed resolutely. "Watch the door, Rainfoot!" She froze then looked at Redstar apologetically.
The leader shook his head with an approving look and Flowerfoot relaxed.
"StarClan light your path," Goldpaw called out to the warrior as she vanished into the falling night.
Flowerfoot called back some reply and was gone.

"I guess we just rest and wait for now," Rainfoot said good-naturedly as he took his place guarding the entrance, staring out intensely at the slopes.
"Yeah," Redstar replied. "Sounds about right."

Goldpaw realized that he felt pretty frickin tired. So he found a made-up nest and lay down with a grunt, his muscles aching from the long day of work.

Redstar knew he'd be sleeping soon too...

OOC: I don't know if I should end this or what but I know that Mistlight should be meeting then at some point I dont know when though...

[Runfast]

The night came on and went by. Redstar wasn't as restless as he slept as he thought he was going to be, though he woke up once when some noise woke him up. Goldpaw, who was also awake, flashed him an apologetic look and whispered "Sorry." Redstar drifted off again after that.

...

Dawn broke, and Redstar woke with it. His eyes opened slowly and he blinked, remembering where he was and what he was doing. Okay.

[Longstorm]

Gorseclaw was already awake, sitting right inside the entrance of the camp/den, staring out onto the slopes of their mountain home. He was thinking about his sister and the cats stuck down deep in the valley all the other Clans called home. Trapped down there. He wasn't a big fan of the other Clans, to be certain, but he felt very sorry for them.
The warrior sighed softly.

OOC: Bump? This would be happening just around the time Falsecall is making his speech...right? yeah?

[Runfast]

Redstar got up, ready to face the day. He wasn't sure what would happen that day, but he was confident that whatever happened, his Clan would be ready for it.
REdstar turned to Flowerfoot (who had come back last night) and said, "Flowerfoot, find the others again and tell them that after everyone eats there will be a Clan meeting at the fallen rocks."
She nodded and took off again, proud to have been sent off on yet another errand by Redstar...

OOC: literally waiting on LS.
btw random Clan meeting area is random.

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