one too Soon - OPEN

The old leader lay awake in her den, pondering the possibility or retiring soon. She hated to show weakness, but at 64 moons her old bones were getting harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning. She was on her last life, and honestly didn't want to even think about leaving the clan to Emberstrike without her overseeing him a little. He was ambitious, she knew that much, but he seemed like a capable leader. With a cough, the she-cat tossed in her bed. She wasn't getting to sleep any time soon. She slowly got up, pain aching in her paws. She shook it off, not wanting the clan to see her as weak. She was strong to them, and that's how she would always be. She wanted to remain like that, the strong and independent she-cat that lead them into greatness. She hoped she had done a good job as leader, at least. Of course you have you old croak. She laughed at herself and padded out of her den.

Seeing that most were returning to their dens, she decided to go check on everyone. No one was in the nursery, so she went into the apprentice den. Noticing that Sagepaw was not there, the question of where the she-cat could be rested in the back of her mind. Her warriors she wasn't too worried about - they could handle themselves. But Sagepaw was just made an apprentice. She couldn't handle herself in a fight. The old leader, in need of a trip outside of camp for once, decided that it would be best if she looked for the apprentice herself. After all, Emberstrike would probably be too harsh on the little one. And god forbid Cherrysong find them. The sheriff of Shadowclan would have the apprentice's hide if she found her out in the middle of the night. Yes, it was best if Ravenstar found her first.

It wasn't hard to track Sagepaw. She left her scent on everything, and even if Ravenstar was out of practice she still had the best nose in Shadowclan. She easily found the apprentice, but she wasn't alone. She was talking to Willowpaw, the medicine cat. Ravenstar felt so sorry for the thing. She was so young to be thrown into such a position. She was sure the apprentice felt overwhelmed and stressed. But that was life, and Ravenstar honestly believed that she would benefit from this much more than she thought she would. The leader hid in the bushes as the apprentices talked, and she overheard Willowpaw voice her concern over losing clanmates. The poor thing. Already thinking about death. Ravenstar closed her eyes. She couldn't believe that the young thing felt like that. Just as Willowpaw finished asking if Sagepaw had been out training, Ravenstar made herself known. She emerged from her hiding place, a sweet smile on her face. She wasn't without care, after all.

My dears, what are you doing out here? Her rough voice was far from pleasing. But her words were sweet, and her expressions were soft. She wasn't angry. She just wanted to make sure the apprentices were safe. It's dangerous to be out here all by yourselves at this time of night. Especially with neither of you being able to fight well. She understood, though. She understood why they wanted to escape. Hell, didn't she get out of her den for the same reason? But I suppose since I'm with you, it wouldn't hurt for you two to... She looked around, trying to figure out just exactly they were doing. Willowpaw had herbs, so she assumed they had gone out together to look for them. ... to continue gathering herbs. Perhaps I could be some of assistance? The leader was unsure of how the apprentices would feel about her jumping into their little gathering, but she didn't care if they liked it or not. She was here to stay. She had to protect them, after all.