Home at last?

[რoonwhisker]

"What did I do wrong?"

Moonwhisker looked up at the old tom. She felt sorry for him, she really did. Things were getting crazy. She knew he knew that he had done wrong, she was just sorry that he was realizing it now. Moonwhisker had known Patchstar sense she was first born. He'd always been nice to her. The poor old tom was old, she realized. He didn't look the same as he had in his glory days thats for sure.

"Well, I don't think you should have threatened to kill so much. After all, they only looked to be about apprentice age," she said. That was a start, she figured. Best not get him aggravated.

[♫.Starredmyst]

"But what else was I supposed to do?" Patchstar demanded. He still felt cornered, besieged by cats on the verge of rebellion; that unconscious feeling was what had driven him to make his decision in the first place. "They were trespassers, Moonwhisker, and then all those cats were speaking out against my decision! What else was I going to do?"

[Đarκsong]

Mothflight didn't need to be asked twice to leave. He went off to do other things, while Darksong slowly made his way to the Warrior's Den. He just itched to say something to Patchstar. So he did.

"You could have listened to your clan!" Darksong growled under his breath as he padded past the clan leader. He then disappeared before Patchstar could say anything.

[რoonwhisker]

"They were trespassers, Moonwhisker, and then all those cats were speaking out against my decision! What else was I going to do?"

Moonwhisker frowned, What else could he have done? Was he serious? "Give them a warning, exile them, force them to leave, anything but threaten to kill them! Patchstar, you have to think before you speak. You have to think of what's best for the clan. Could we have used those apprentices?" she paused for breath, "Patchstar, I don't mean to offend you. But I'm worried about you," she said.

"You could have listened to your clan!"

"Darksong! Show some respect!" she hissed at him.

[♫.Starredmyst]

Moonwhisker's words angered Patchstar, angered and frightened him. He shook his head angrily. "It was the expedient thing to do," he argued, refusing to admit his deputy's point. "They wouldn't have respected me if I'd let those cats be so disrespectful to each other, to me." He wasn't speaking of Ghost and Canary, but referring back to the beginning of the argument, speaking of Silverstripe and the other cats who had appeared early on, protesting Silverstripe's moves and disregarding Patchstar's presence. "And then Silverstripe was questioning me. I can't let cats question me. It's all I've got, Moonwhisker, their obedience is all the respect I've got."

It wasn't that he couldn't see, not really. He could see what else he could have done, and how it might have turned out, and -- it frightened him. Agreeing with another cat represented a lack of control. He had nothing but control to rule his Clan with -- and he was totally, completely aware of his incompetence. So he spent his days like this, arguing and petulant, stubbornly refusing to see how his life was spiraling wildly out of control.

"It was the best decision, whether the Clan believes it or not," he said finally, stubbornly. Moonwhisker wouldn't agree -- he knew she didn't -- and so he turned and walked away before she could respond.

[რoonwhisker]

"And then Silverstripe was questioning me. I can't let cats question me. It's all I've got, Moonwhisker, their obedience is all the respect I've got."

The poor tom looked like he was about to cry. It was hard being leader. The she-cat looked at him sympathetically. "I know, I know," she said, trying to comfort him. "But next time, be more careful," she advised.

"It was the best decision, whether the Clan believes it or not,"

"Patchstar!" Moonwhisker started to say, but the big tom had run away. She sighed. And our psychiatric meeting was going so well to,