Is It Bad I'd Like to Live Again?

[Cloud]

Dottedfoot listened to the other three speak, hoping the impressions she was getting of them were correct. Dingypaw seemed nice, Woodstripe was so elegant, and Littlestorm...well, she wasn't sure about Littlestorm, but he was a Clanner, so he had to be at least halfway decent.

"True..." She muttered in reply to Dingypaw. "But we should also assist when we can, participate without straining too much, you know, maybe we could even try and convince cons ourselves, make them see why we, older cats, need a Clan..." It almost seemed like Dingypaw had been telling her to back off when she'd spoken. She was probably mistaken, though.

Raising her voice, she looked at Woodstripe with gratuity and respect. "Thank you. You quite overpraise me, though." She adjusted her broken leg, which was starting to get a little numb, in the sand. Woodstripe was nice, and clearly smart.

She nodded as Littlestorm spoke. Yes, skill with words was important, but their thoughtfulness and strategy skills were also important, yes. The tom himself seemed intelligent, just not very friendly.

"Definitely." She nodded as Dingypaw spoke again. "The only problem is that a corrupt cat may have turned others to be their allies with promises. Still, we can quickly solve that problem by working together."

[duckyaisha]

"I don't know what you want to do, but when the cons finally see sense and we've got a real Clan? I'm going to live a peaceful, relaxing life. I've already had enough drama and tension. I want peace. Maybe I'll do stuff, maybe I won't, but I won't have to hunt ever again, or fight for that matter." She smiled, her eyes gazing off into the distance as if she was already there. "But we can't have that until we've got a Clan. We need to make one fast. Woodstripe, how about recruiting people for a real Clan instead of an experiment? Don't get me wrong, the experiment's a good idea. But when it's over, we should make a real Clan in its place."

[Ten]

ooc| Elocution is where the word eloquent comes from, methinks. It means the art of speech and such.

bic|

"Why, not at all, Dottedfoot," Woodstripe insisted, but she said nothing further so as to allow the elder her modesty.

"Dingypaw is most correct. Once the experiment proves successful -- as I have no doubt it will -- the time for hesitation and quarrel will be over and done with. When I first decided to conduct the experiment, it was upon a suggestion from a gentle she-cat by the name of Frailheart to prove the merits of life under leadership. The experiment will be our proof. Once it is complete, will any of you present not hasten to form a Clan?"

[Rebecca]

Littlestorm looked from Dingypaw to Gottedfoot to Woodstripe.
"Well of course the experiment is going to work, and of course I'm going to join the new Clan as soon as it is formed. However..."
Littlestorm lowered his voice and cast a quick glance behind him. You could never be too sure in the Enclosure. It seemed that you always had to assume that you were under observation.

"What are we going to do about those who are dead set about keeping a Clan from forming? What are we supposed to do with they who, even with the largest amount of persuading, would still rather die than join a Clan? Some cons are more devoted to their cause then they appear."
He meowed in a quiet, grave tone.

[Ten]

Without thinking about it, Woodstripe lowered her voice with his. "Well, I do believe all cons can be converted, but until they change their minds they could very well pose a problem... Once we form, they must recognize us as a Clan and respect us accordingly. This would not call for territory boundaries -- not at first. We would have to ignore non-members. We would neither talk nor sleep nor hunt with them. If they attack, then we may punish them, but if they form any organized group against us, then they have become like us. Any way you look at it, the problem of cons is a problem that cannot last."

[duckyaisha]

What Woodstripe was saying made sense, mostly, but there was one thing that stood out, that didn't seem to fit with the rest of what she was saying. It didn't even make sense. The elder's eyes narrowed in confusion as she asked, "Wait...but if we aren't allowed to talk to the cons, how are we supposed to recruit new members? After all, persuasion is what'll bring them around. They won't suddenly decide 'Oh, I guess I'll join the Clan today'. And some people have siblings that don't want to join the Clan. They should still be allowed to interact with them. I think we shouldn't attack them or establish territory boundaries- unless it's in self defense- but we should still be able to talk to and hunt with the Cons. I don't want the Clan to seem like an exclusive club, and I don't want to act like we're above them, because they'll think we think we're better than them. That'll just make them less likely to join."

[Ten]

"You may be an elder, Dingypaw, but let no one say your mind is not still sharp," Woodstripe praised her. With gentle nods, she gave the matter some thought before proceeding. "Sensible Clanners have striven to help cons for generations, and still today modern cons remain steadfast to their conservatism. Therefore I conclude that those who have not taken persuasion in the form of words will take it in the form of action -- that is, we shall demonstrate to them the weighty benefits of Clanhood.

"To be effective in this endeavor, we must ensure the benefits of Clanhood are only available to Clan members. Were a Clan cat to hunt and sleep and talk with cons, and otherwise interact and share with non-members, those cons are (in essence) enjoying Clan benefits without having to cooperate or participate in Clan duties, which I find most unfair. When a con realizes the greatness of the Clan and decides to abandon the life of a loner, this con becomes a Clanner, and the Clan must accept well-meaning, dutiful Clanners.

"I regret to inform you that I myself have a brother who would be most unwilling to give up his con beliefs. As it is, we do not often speak with one another, but once a Clan forms he will come to his senses and..." As her sentence choked off, she lowered her green eyes to her paws and took a seat. "...then I will have my only family back."

With a soft swallow, Woodstripe blinked several times and raised her head, addressing Dingypaw once more. "As I was saying... The Clan would not be superior to non-members. Rather, it would be a distinct, different choice. We cannot have cats thinking they can live with a paw in both worlds."

[Cloud]

The gray and white she-cat watched the discussion with interest. It had been a long time since something this exciting had happened to her.

"True. Peace and rest are welcome. Still, I feel an urge to always be doing something to contribute, if I can..."

With intense curiosity the old she-cat resumed listening to the others. Yes, the Experiment...and what to do once it was over. But what to do while it was in progress? Maybe they could even use the Experiment as a distraction while plans for a real Clan were made...Everything they said about keeping away from cons when the Clan was formed...she realized a small flaw in Woodstripe's argument. True, in a sense if cons banded together they would be like a Clan. But they surely would not stay that way for long, being as they were.

The cons would almost certainly protest that it was the Clanners' action that lead them to unite, and they would not do so again except in an emergency.

"I don't mean to doubt you, Woodstripe..." The mottled elder began hesitantly, for she disliked disagreeing with her new friend. "...but I think Dingypaw's right on this one. I'm not saying we should actively seek out cons and try and persuade them, but if they try and talk to us we should respond, not ignore them. Like she said, they'll just think that we're acting like we're above them. I...I too have a relation who is a con. My half brother, Drabheart, is an extremely devoted con, and what's even sadder is that he used to be a Clanner. We had the same mother, and it's nigh impossible to imagine someone raised by Branchstripe being a con...I can only assume his father was one...ugh. I'm rambling, aren't I?" She looked down, embarrassed.

[Rebecca]

Littlestorm was quiet, listening to each of the she-cats statements. Each made sense and each had a point, however he couldn't help but agree with Woodstripe. After all, cons shouldn't be able to benefit from a Clan when they themselves weren't even in the Clan!

"I agree with Woodstripe on this one. The cons cannot be a part of both worlds, as both are too different and a Clan needs fully devoted members. We cannot show them any kindness, help them hunt, share our prey, or do anything like that because in the end we are only taking away from our Clan, something that they are not even a part of or contributing to. Sacrifices can and should be made, you know, for the good of the Clan. However I wouldn't know what either you are feeling what with your siblings and all."
He meowed, looking from Woodstripe to Dingypaw. No, his parents and brother were long gone. Even before they had died, Littlestorm knew that they had all been Clanners.
"As I have no living family to speak of. Now Woodstripe, you mentioned something about cons sleeping near Clanners. Would this mean that when a Clan forms it will take a part of the Enclosure as its territory?"

[duckyaisha]

Perhaps Dottedfoot's desire to do something useful stemmed from her broken leg. Dingypaw had been hunting and fighting since the day she started training and was quite relieved that now she could finally rest. Dottedfoot, however, might have been forced to end her warrior's life early because of her broken leg. The elder was still curious about that. Was it an old wound that had never healed? Or something more recent that made her feel impatient. Maybe Dottedfoot was not as old as Dingypaw thought she was and still had some fight left in her. Or maybe she was just stubborn.
Whatever the reason, Dingypaw agreed with her. "I agree. We cannot cut off all contact with the cons. If we do, they'll believe we think we're above them. This will hurt the Clan more than you realize. Think about it. What if a group of cats you hated beyond belief decided to stop talking to you. What would you say? " Personally, Dingypaw didn't mind cons. They'd come around eventually, once they got too old to hunt. As soon as their bones began to creak and their fur turned grey and they realized hunting wasn't what it used to be, they'd be lining up at the camp boundaries begging for food. She might not be around to see it, but she knew it would happen.
"Don't worry too much about the cons, Woodstripe. They'll come around when they get old and hunting gets too hard for them. Some stubborn ones'll die alone, but those with any sense left in their brains will come straight to the Clan to be fed and cared for." In fact, Dingypaw herself hadn't really decided on where she stood before she became an elder. On one hand, she wanted a peaceful life with her mate and kits and only a Clan could bring that security. She had constantly been looking over her shoulder, watching for those who would wish her harm. But on the other hand, she didn't want to be told what to do, at least, not back then. Surprisingly, the tired, complacent elder had once been quite a headstrong and independent- one might even have called her impulsive- young warrior. The idea of being told what to do every second of every day had appealed to her about as much as a rat bite. Age had mellowed her, and once age had made hunting difficult, she became a wholehearted supporter of the Clan idea. Now she didn't care about being told what to do. Independence was less important than survival.