Boulderstar chuckled at Harepaw's excitement and at the comment of the queen cat. "Two bears, that must be right then if you heard it, Ravenfeather. But don't forget about that lion I met once." She joked along.
Then she turned to the apprentice a bit more serious, but still in a light mood. "You have so many questions and so much energy. I believe a mentor would do you very good right now. Why don't you go meet Brimpelt and let him answer all your questions? Tell him, the fearless clan leader said so. Or else a bear is the least he'd have to fear", she added the last sentence jokingly.
Boulderstar really liked the young tom. It was good for apprentices to ask questions. You cannot learn, if you don't know what is missing in your education. She was proud of the little energy purr ball. But as much as she wanted to joke around with the young apprentice, she had her duties. And right now she needed to make sure Owlkit was found safe and sound.
"Ravenfeather", she turned to the queen. "Please allow me to help you find the little runaway kit. It'd be my pleasure to have you share company with me." She meowed politely. Today really was one of the kinder days. Boulderstar seemed to just be in the right mood.
The leader liked to have a close bonding with her clan cats, especially since sticking together was so important these days. She felt responsible for every little thing that happened in the clan. That included the runaway kitten Owlkit giving the gueen a hard time, Harepaw's attitude towards every other cat, and of course all the apprentices who needed training.
She felt responsible to give every single cat what they needed. So she made sure the senior warrior Aspenclaw wasn't being left behind duo to his age, he was a great member of the clan and deserved to feel just as important as the young warriors. She wanted to make sure that the younger warriors respected the elder cats, so she would bring them together every once in a while. Every cat could learn from the other, not only the young from the older ones, but also the older ones from the young.
She wanted them all to have a bond, it didn't need to end in friendship, but at least in some kind of respect.
And most of all, she wanted all of the clan cats - from young kittens over warriors and queens to the medicine cat to the elders - to know that she, Boulderstar, was caring about each of them and their problems. Let them be as tiny as searching a runaway kitten or as big as a clan war. She would be there for all of them the best she could. She would give her warriors attention when they talked, she would play with the little kittens, she would fool around with the apprentices and give them a hard word here and then, she would care for the elder and help the medicine cat as best as she could. It was important to her to not just be a leader of the Boulderclan, but also be a friend who every cat could come to if they needed a talk or advice. Being a leader was more than making hard decisions. Boudlerstar knew that. And she took her responsibility very serious. Respect is something you have to earn, not claim. It's something very precious that you cannot take, but have to be given by free will. Yes, and Boulderstar was thankful for each of them who respected her. And for those who didn't, she wasn't mad or angry or disappointed, she was just eager to gain their respect in the most honorable way she knew. Truthful care. Care for their tiniest problems. And listening. Listening to all they had to say. Be it Harepaw complaining, Ravenfeather worrying, deputy Amberleaf's suggestions, Granitepaw's questions or simply a few words from the kits. Everything was important in their own way.
Boulderstar respected every cat in her clan and their thoughts, worries, abilities and support.
Ohm,
Alisdragon911,
Scrawl Banditta,
N3v3rM0r3,
BrokenPromise
