Greenleaf

[.:{Crag}:.]

Jaguarstripe dipped her head respectfully to the ScarClan leader, stopping herself just outside the camp exit. "That would be a very good punishment, Scorchstar." The she-cat agreed, "Though I did hear from their mentors that tomorrow would be a hunting assessment after the dawn Hunting Patrol." Only a slight whisker twitch showed that the deputy was amused, "So they won't be eating until well after dusk tomorrow. Of course your idea was perfect too, though. I think Rockpaw would come back half dead if Reedwhisker got his paws on him while his always growling stomach is empty!" The last sentence came out as a purr, though only to show that it was a joke, not as a form of emotion. Suddenly Jaguarstripe realized her gaze was flickering to the Nursery again. This couldn't wait any longer, and now that the leader wasn't busy....

She looked over her shoulder, "Actually, Tigerfrost, I have a matter to discuss with Scorchstar." The deputy meowed, "If you would like you may take the patrol without me." Jaguarstripe really didn't care if the group went out anymore; the boarders were safe, and the fresh kill pile was stacked high. Even if the elders or queens needed more food, there were still a few warriors out hunting. Dark brown eyes turned back to the ScarClan leader, "May I speak with you privately, Scorchstar?" Her gaze locked with his, a respectful gesture for ScarClan. She was on the verge of exploding with urgency. Any longer and her small body was sure to burst with anticipation, but her face stayed clam and emotionless. Only one more triumphant squeak came from the Nursery, but this time the two kits were herded into the den by a queen. It took every ounce of the deputy's willpower not to sigh with relief.

---

Pantherclaw watched curiously as the two apprentices thundered into camp. Their pawsteps alone were loud enough, but their voices were sure to have scared away every creature from here to PeakClan. A low growl came in his throat, but the tom knew who would take care of it. Sure enough, Jaguarstripe was the first to pad forward. Light amber eyes turned as he noticed Scorchstar, and suddenly he was burning with interest. Who would confront the apprentices first: The leader, or the deputy? Pantherclaw watched as Rockpaw turned slowly, obviously afraid. He was showing emotion, which was sure to upset Jaguarstripe. After watching closely, the tom noticed the two apprentices run away. The matter had been taken care of. Scorchstar walked forward and sat next to his deputy, and the two began speaking to each other. The large warrior sat, waiting patiently, for them to finish.

Pantherclaw was beginning to groom when Jaguarstripe turned, telling Tigerfrost he could lead the patrol, because she and Scorchstar had something to talk about. Amber eyes showed only a flicker of interest. It probably had something to do with patrols or something else insignificant. As soon as those same eyes landed on the Nursery, though, they softened and glowed; very odd for Pantherclaw. Only he knew about his new mate and the kits they were expecting. Mistcloud and him had fallen in love and decided to start a family. He had wanted to surprise his siblings when they were born. The warrior was worried about the Leafbare his kin would be born in, but he was convinced they would be fine.

After all, ScarClan was the strongest clan out of the four.

[Scorchstar]

Scorchstar twitched his ears uninterested on what the deputy thought of his own version of punishment, she didn't have much choice but to agree anyway. Only a frown creased his face as she joked about Rockpaw, being a serious cat joking with him had always been a waste of time. Especially since his brother, Tangleweb, had disappeared. Even at the thought Scorchstar's gaze narrowed in sorrow, but it didn't show as much more than a simple narrowing of his eyes anyway.

His gaze flicked to meet Jaguarstripe's watching in sudden curiousity as she glanced to the Nursery. It was more than the kits being herded in that was in her gaze. Hmm.... Was his loyal deputy wanting kits? Perhaps she had a mate already, it would be like him to notice most relationships in the camp though. So either they hadn't shown it at all or she was just feeling ready, the maternal instinct that usually made the leaders of ScarClan not choose female deputies. Well Scorchstar didn't follow that tradition, seeing as Scarstar herself had been a female, but who knew what she had really been like.

The tabby tom waited patiently as Jaguarstripe spoke back to her brother and then turned back to him. Well something definetly was up and he had the most horrid feeling that it had to do with the Nursery in some way. He wouldn't know though until she spoke to him about speaking privately. Flicking his tail Scorchstar silently led the way to his den beneath the rock atop which he makes announcements. Slipping into the hole, Scorchstar caught his own breath. The sheer size inside the small crack often got to any cat who hadn't been in his den, but the sight of the Wall of Scars was the real treasure in the modest sand pit. Trotting over to it, he pointed to the clawmarks of Hiddenstar. "Whose is this?" Scorchstar questioned, molten gaze landing on Jaguarstripe. It was his duty as leader to share all of the clawmarks of the past to the next leader, so he made it a constant effort to teach her these.

Waiting in silence, Scorchstar also wanted her to begin speaking about whatever it was she wanted as soon as she answered the question. he was certain she'd know the Scar of Hiddenstar.

----------

Tigerfrost nodded to Jaguarstripe, gazing after the two cats as they headed to Scorchstar's den. Turning to face his two brothers he began to speak. "Don't wory about the patrol then, the Clan does not need it at the moment. I would suggest you both find something constructive to do though."

With that the ScarClan Overseer trotted away to the Warriors' Den, disappearing to retire for a while. Only a while though, he was scheduled to lead the Sunset patrol.

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[.:{Crag}:.]

Jaguarstripe's heart leaped as Scorchstar started leading the way toward his den. He didn't act as though this was any different than any other day, just a deputy talking to a leader about patrols or something. The small she-cat followed him confidently, tail in the air as any cat of high ranking's tail should be. It was a short walk across camp to the rock where Scorchstar made announcements, and soon, Jaguarstripe found herself squeezing into the tunnel below it that the ScarClan leaders have used as a den. It opened up a bit, and she stared up at The Wall of Scars in awe. One day, it would be her job to teach each scar to her future deputy. Brown eyes stayed rock hard as her heart swelled with pride at the thought. Jaguarstar sounded better and better to her every day. Never would she harm Scorchstar, though. That is not something an honorable leader would do. It would be a disgrace to not only her clan, but StarClan as well.

Jaguarstripe wasn't at all surprised when she heard the tom's voice: asking her which cat a certain scar belonged to. Brown eyes narrowed, staring at the clawmarks, "Hiddenstar, obviously." The she-cat stated, "Warrior name was Hiddensoul, and his mentor was the great Singingwind." For a moment the deputy felt like an apprentice again, answering her mentor's questions in hunting and fighting. She quickly pushed the thought away, though, as there were really no fun parts of being an apprentice. The only praise she remembered from training was the day of her trial, and even then it was small. Rainwing had said, "You're ready." And the young apprentice's heart had swelled with pride at the compliment. Again the deputy's thoughts wandered to kits, and she reminded herself why she was here.

"Scorchstar, I'm sure you recall the plan that Eaglestar had constructed, bringing Pantherclaw, Tigerfrost, and myself as the pride of the clan." Jaguarstripe meowed, purposely leaving out Lynxtial. He had been the mistake. The shame of the clan. "Well, I've been thinking. Why not do it again? Yes, I know that if we started now the kits would be born in Leafbare, but that is exactly my point." The small she-cat stared into Scorchstar's eyes, "That would make sure that only the strong kits survived. Only the kits that would turn into strong warriors. It would toughen them up, and make them ready to be ScarClanners." Jaguarstripe's tail twitched, "There would be no mistakes this time..." Her thoughts immediately wandered to Lynxtail, brown eyes shielding the shame she felt being her brother's sibling.

The ground beneath the deputy's paws suddenly felt like quicksand. Would Scorchstar think of her as insane for thinking this? Would he take her aside and explain that kits needed to be born in Greenleaf, not the cold of Leafbare? Or worse, would he choose her as a queen? Although these emotions didn't show, Jaguarstripe's head was spinning with all of the questions. She didn't even know for sure if she would mind having kits or not. But how would be her 'mate'? The she-cat filed through eligible toms, and not one seemed appealing to her. Hopefully Scorchstar would see her as a leader in the clan, not a queen. Or maybe she wanted the honor deep down... It would mean her kits could be the future of ScarClan, but it would also mean that she could give birth to one of the mistakes.

Jaguarstripe had no idea what she wanted.

[Scorchstar]

Scorchstar waited for her answer still, patience had always been one of his stronger suits. Finally her answer came, giving him more than he had asked for. that was good, only a true leader would take the time to learn everything about a cat. Of course that wasn't everything there was to know about Hiddenstar, she didn't seem the type of cat to care what the personality of Hiddenstar was. She was too ScarClan to even know there was more to a cat than his ability to not show emotion. Hiddenstar had been given his name because he was void of any emotion when a kit, he had never let out a single whimper in his first moon. He was a determined and loyal cat and it had taken him moons upon moons to master all the skills a warrior needed. No, he wasn't born a talented cat, but he was given the choice to train and train to become such a being. Perhaps after he lost his next life Scorchstar would be more open to give Jaguarstripe what remained of his cherished knowledge. He was qiite the history buff when it came down to it.

Nodding his head in acknowledgement to the correct answer, Scorchstar lay down, wrapping his tail around his tidy paws. If Jaguarstripe had thought Rainwing was a mentor of few compliments well she would come to know Scorchstar as a nonbeliever in such kittish things. A true compliment was knowing yourself that you were ready for something that you were preparing for. No one else can tell you that you'll be great, only you would choose anyway if it was true or not.

Finally Jaguarstripe began to speak once more, nodding his head in an attempt to keep her speech flowing. He was quite familiar with Eaglestar's plan, in fact that had been one of his claims to fame. Not many cats knew, but Scorchstar had been a key member in her senior warrior cabinet and he had made the first hint to her about the ability for them to pick and choose a proper pair. The idea was to create 'super warriors' that could perhaps lead to some of the best warriors that ScarClan had ever seen. Well the cats she mentioned were great examples of the success of the plan.

He pricked his ears at her thought, perhaps that had been the problem with his original suggestion. "Hmm, maybe that was the reason why we ended up with undesirables.... We didn't give them any hardships to begin their life with, no in fact they were rather spoiled. Well being so involved with the original plan of course I'd be willing to do something with it again." Scorchstar was unsympathetic to Jaguarstripe's shame in being a sibling to the horrid warrior Lynxtail. Scorchstar was born with a brother that had been worth just as much as he had, just with more of a heart for the she-cats than he had. His burning yellow gaze landed back into Jaguarstripe's brown ones.

Right off the bat, Scorchstar could think of one for sure match for such an endeavour. Hookclaw and Pantherclaw. "Well I'll need some time to pick a few other participants, but for sure your brother Pantherclaw and Hookclaw will be a pair." Then a curious thought was had by the loyal leader of ScarClan. Jaguarstripe. She was the perfect she-cat of ScarClan and being born to the original plan would surely make her the perfect candidate. Whom would be a decent match though?

Scorchstar's eyes narrowed in thought, she was the deputy, a leading figure of the Clan. As was he.... Scorchstar had no real feelings for Jaguarstripe in the sense of mating with her, but it was his duty to be the leader of ScarClan. perhaps he and she should lead them into the plan. All Scorchstar wanted was to be loyal and his blood had proved to be strong over the generations. "I also believe that it may be a good idea for you and I to be participants. The other two couples I will give more thought to...." Scorchstar looked at her, waiting to see if she'd show a reaction or if she'd just give her opinion. Either way he wanted her input.

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[.:{Crag}:.]

Brown eyes blinked in surprise, though you probably couldn't tell anything other than a blink. The she-cat had not expected him to agree so quickly, and had thought he would've thought about it overnight or something. Instead, Scorchstar started jabbing on about how he agreed with her! Jaguarstripe showed nothing about the matter, though, and just nodded to the tom's comments. First off, he mentioned that the first time the plan was executed, the kits were rather spoiled. It was true, after all, the deputy couldn't remember a time when she was hungry to the point of feeling ill at all. All she had to do was mention it and there was either milk or fresh kill available. This new version of the plan would force the kits to toughen up before they were even apprenticed. Jaguarstripe couldn't help thinking about how hard her first winter was for her. How could Eaglestar have not thought of this before?

Scorchstar didn't stop there, he also mentioned a possible match: Pantherclaw and Hookclaw. Jaguarstripe agreed.The she-cat's small, agile size would be perfect with the huge built of her brother. In addition to that their fur colors would most likely end up being dark, not the light fluffy pelt that few in the clan were cursed with. Hookclaw was a healthy warrior as well, so the birth would most likely go well, decreasing the chance of undesirable kits with deformations such as blindness, deafness, or... emotions. Jaguarstripe nodded slowly, listening carefully to her leader. Then, something came up that the she-cat wasn't exactly surprised about, and yet didn't know how to feel about it.

Scorchstar had said that she and him should be a couple for the plan. The deputy was confused: she knew it was a possibility to be chosen, but with the clan leader? And with an apprentice to train? It just wasn't likely... Unless... Did the tom have feelings for her? Jaguarstripe's stomach did a back flip, and she quickly pushed the thought away. After all, her parents were not in love, so they didn't need to be. Her eyes met Scorchstar's, "I agree, but what do you wish me to do about Silentpaw?" She meowed, "If you would like, because I know him well, I could start searching for the right warrior to substitute for me?" The she-cat was still in shock, and couldn't think straight enough to know which warrior would be best right that second. Although, this would mean Silentpaw would have to be thrown off the Elemental Plateau early, so they would have to start training harder.

Jaguarstripe attempted to clear her mind, concentrating on possible matches. She felt it would be a good idea to include Tigerfrost in this, considering he was so loyal and perfect for the plan. But who to match him with? The deputy filed through all the she-cats in the clan, and eventually stopped on one. She was perfect for him. The right size, the right color, and even the right personality to be a mother. It was a younger warrior, but not so new where she wouldn't work for the plan. Jaguarstripe started speaking again, "What about Tigerfrost and Shatteredsky?" Brown eyes gazed at Scorchstar, wondering if he would approve. They would certainly produce better kits than Lynxtail, which was a good thing. The last thing ScarClan needed was more warriors like him.

Jaguarstripe continued thinking about the last couple, though she was still waiting for a reaction from her leader.

[Scorchstar]

Scorchstar knew that she probably was surprised that he had jumped on the idea so quickly. When you were one of the mastermind's of that very same plan it was hard not to. Jaguarstripe's litter, as well as the three others, probably had not known what it was like to even be a little hungry. They were probably surprised when winter came along that they couldn't always immediatly have the food they desired. Scorchstar could've answered Jaguarstripe's question rather easily, Eaglestar had never been the smartest cat ever. Why else would he have gotten her to do so many of the things he suggested? Well she just was incapable of coming up with her own good ideas that didn't turn into random battles for no purpose. In fact it was his own loyalty that stopped him from blurting out everytime someone spoke of Eaglestar's brilliance that she stole the ideas of everyone else in the Clan.

"The only thing I'd worry about with Hookclaw being in the plan, would be her pelt.. I'm definetly certain, though, that Pantherclaw's straight black pelt will take out most of that undesirable white. Hopefully those claws of her's are passed down to their kits.... Think of the damage a tomcat could do with Pantherclaw's size combined with Hookclaw's claws." Scorchstar stated, though he sounded as though he would look excited he didn't look it. Not one bit, Scorchstar would never be like Eaglestar in anything besides the fact they were both leaders.

Knew that Jaguarstripe wasn't showing the emotions that she felt at his suggestion between the two of them. He did know what kind of questions would be rolling around in that head of her's. As to not cause unwanted issues between the two he began to speak. " Well you are one of the most perfect she-cats that could be chosen for this plan. No one else would truly get the same results, though, as our coupling would."

Scorchstar paused about talking about Silentpaw's part of the argument. She did agree that the mating would be good, but he wasn't sure if she was thinking about something else. " As for Silentpaw, you could still train him for quite a bit longer. After that, Tigerfrost doesn't have an apprentice right now to keep him busy. That tom has been taking around double patrols and two hunting parties a day. Let's give him a reward. It would also be good for Silentpaw to see another kind of mentoring style."

He pricked his ears when she begen to list another pair. He was unsure if he wanted to have another sibling become the father of the plan, how would the Clan take to the fact that all of their plan kits were kin. " I'm going to have to say no, future growth of the Clan could possibly be hindered if so many kits that have kin with all the litters are born. Tigerfrost will have to be on his own for passing on his genes, he may never get the chance to pass on his own blood. The way he works." It wasn't that he was praising the silver tom, he was just stating fact.

"I'd be up for two more litters, who cares if then the kits find food a hard thing to come by. Weed out the weaklings right? We'll have to come up with one more litter couple though." Scorchstar spoke soundly in his decision, this way they'd truly find out who was the weak link or not before they had to waste paws in training it. Breezewhisker's time had most definetly been wasted on that useless lump of fur, Lynxtail.

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[.:{Crag}:.]

The deputy nodded to Scorchstar's comments absentmindedly. Her thoughts kept wandering back to kits. What would her kits be like? They would most likely be a combo of dark tabby and black striped ginger; their pelts couldn't really mix into one unique pelt. She assumed each kit would go one way or another. Another question was: What if one of her kits were as useless as Lynxtail? Simply the thought made Jaguarstripe become nauseous. The she-cat did NOT want to be connected with any worthless cat like she was connected to her brother. The deputy made a silent promise to herself to raise each of her offspring carefully. She wouldn't let them be worthless. They couldn't be. On the bright side, though, because Jaguarstripe was the deputy, one of her kits would be mentored by Scorchstar. Or, at least one had a really good chance. A flash of pride flowed through the she-cat from ears to tail tip. Her kin would be mentored by the best.

But one question seemed to linger in Jaguarstripe's mind: What if her kits died? It was a harsh season, and with Scorchstar wanting so many litters all at once.... She didn't know if she could handle that. The deputy may be good at hiding emotions, but its not like they aren't there at all. Brown eyes narrowed thoughtfully. For the sake of her offspring she would have to be extra careful when it came to what and how much she ate while pregnant. It would increase the chance of them being healthy when born. That decision made, Jaguarstripe began sifting through couples once more. Not many pairs came to mind, unfortunately. This would be much harder than the she-cat had anticipated. Was this really a good idea? She pushed the thought away. Either way, it was too late now. The small deputy starred at the Wall of Scars in silence. That was when it came to her.

Harefoot and Snakestrike. Snakestrike was young, but had proved himself already to be an exceptional warrior. He was well built as well; with broad, muscular shoulders and a strong, hard face. Harefoot was quick and nimble. They would be a perfect match. Even their pelts would be great: Light brown with dark tabby. Green eyes and brown eyes. The coats of the kits would be great camouflage, unlike the bright ginger and soft white that this clan simply did not accept. Sometimes even she got annoyed with the small amount of ginger in her fur. The ScarClan needs fit great. In Jaguarstripe's opinion, it would be foolish of Scorchstar not to agree.

"Harefoot and Snakestrike seem to make a good match." Meowed the deputy confidently, tail swaying back and forth behind her. Brown eyes locked into Scorchstar's. Repeating this plan had brought so many memories back to her. Unlike Lynxtail, Jaguarstripe was very proud of where she came from. She was proud that both her parents were loyal enough to be part of the first thoughts of the plan- even with the risk. She was proud of the way Breezewhisker raised her and her brothers. She was proud of how it turned out, and where it got her in life. The Wall of Scars seemed to shine down on her proudly now. From that moment on Jaguarstripe knew.

One day, she would mark a scar on that sacred wall.

[Scorchstar]

Scorchstar stopped making comments when she stopped seeming to be paying attention. He debated whether she was thinking of their soon-to-be kits or if she was simply thinking of other possible matches. He wasn't as worried as she was about the likes of their kits, with the genes that ran through his veins combined with her own wonderful genes their kits. That and having them be born in Leafbare would weed out the unworthy and they'd have the best mentors possible. In fact he would mentor one himself, and Jaguarstripe would mentor one of Pantherclaw and Hookclaw's.

He also didn't really care if a kit was to die in such a harsh season, he could hide emotions very well and in some cases he didn't care. You would've thought that after his brother disappeared Scorchstar would be extremely bothered by the thought of losing any more kin. Then you'd have to remember that Tangleweb was pretty much just as perfect as his brother, perfection led to Scorchstar being able to call him a brother and to love him. Imperfection was much worse than losing his own kits.

Scorchstar went back to thinking of possible matches when one came up in his mind. Falconswoop and Talonstrike. Falconswoop was the opposite of a usual tom, he was small and nimble like a female would be expected to be, but he had the intelligence of genius grade. That combined with his build still made him good in everything he did. Talonstrike was very large for a female and had shown herself a very strategic thinker by the time she was ten moons. With those beautiful builds, even if they were flipped, would make a thinking machine.

As Jaguarstripe spoke up once more Scorchstar got to thinking. They were both still young in their careers, but as far as he could tell were well on their way to becoming just two more shinning stars in ScarClan. "They sound like a decent match. Perhaps for the final match we can use Falconswoop and Talonstrike." Scorchstar said strongly, those were his final choices and now once sh agreed, which of course she would, they would go out and announce that a new breeding plan would be taking place.

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[.:{Crag}:.]

Falconswoop and Talonstrike were perfect matches. Jaguarstripe couldn't believe she hadn't thought about that yet. All the matches that she had imagined most likely wouldn't have worked; they were either mated already or had too opposite personalities to work together raising the kits. Scolding herself inwardly, the deputy nodded curtly, "I like the idea." Dark brown eyes scanned Scorchstar, once again looking for qualities that might show in their kits. It was just so odd to her, thinking they would be having kits together. Hopefully they wouldn't have any mistakes, like Lynxtail. Jaguarstripe didn't think she could live if she had a kit even remotely close to her brother. But no, she wouldn't let that happen. None of her kits would be like that. They would be the pride of her clan. She would make them be! Determined now, and no longer worried about having kits with Scorchstar, Jaguarstripe sent a silent prayer to StarClan, "Warrior ancestors, please keep my kits safe during Leafbare, and help them be the pride of ScarClan and our way of life."

Looking up with a new outlook on things, the deputy stared at Scorchstar. She knew she wouldn't have to say anything about the announcement; he would make it himself without reminder. From all these moons of working with him, Jaguarstripe knew he was a very cut and dry tom. He wouldn't sit around talking about it. If it were time to attack TimberClan, ScarClan would do it right then and there. That was one of the qualities the deputy liked about him. In fact, as a young warrior, Jaguarstripe really disliked their leader because he would say "We shall attack three sundowns from now." Then warriors would groan, because they would be pumped to defend there clan. That leader wasn't very popular.

Tail swaying rhythmically, Jaguarstripe waited patiently for Scorchstar to make the announcement. She felt like a kit again, her insides bursting with excitement about how proud her clan would be. She had met her dream from kithood; to become deputy, and was now working on her secondary goal; to become leader. Of course Jaguarstripe was much too loyal to do anything to the ScarClan leader, and would grieve when he was gone.

Then again, she would get over it.

[Scorchstar]

As soon as Jaguarstripe said that she liked the idea Scorchstar was halfway to the cave's entrance. He was running through his announcements as he leaped onto the top of his den and called out the usual summoning. It was odd that despite every clan's difference they all used the same summoning call. It always kept the clans in perspective for him.

He twitched his tail patiently back and forth until more cats gathered. He glanced down to Jaguarstripe rather quickly, motioning subtly for her to come up with him. This was her idea and she would receive the proper honor for bring the idea to mind. Once she joined him Scorchstar cleared him throat to announce the big plan.

"ScarClanners, we are all the products of the best training and lifestyle of any of the Clans, we are and always will be superior in every way to our brethren. However it has been brought to my attention that we could be doing something more to heighten our chances of the ultimate ScarClan goal of Perfection." Scorchstar stopped a moment to gaze across the crowd of cats lined up in straight rows with ridged postures, even Clan Meetings were perfect in his Clan.

"I propose that we improve upon Eaglestar's breeding plan. What better way to further the distance between us and the unworthy? Jaguarstripe and I have come up with names of cats that we believe to be good matches to meld together the best qualities in our finest warriors with the best qualities of others. Who needs love when we have the chance to breed into our midst the perfect warriors?" He waited again to let the idea sink in, he often used questions to get his sometimes opinion less warriors to think and wholeheartedly agree.

"To show my support in this plan I myself will be pairing up with Jaguarstripe. The other pairings are as follows and if they accept this great honor need to speak up now in front of the whole Clan. Falconswipe and Talonstrike, Hookclaw and Pantherclaw, and finally Harefoot and Snakestrike." Scorchstar's burning gaze scanned around to take note of the various reactions in the Clan and see whether his choices agreed.

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