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Brilliance, @
spookapi, @
Spoopy Star
Umbraice had been the first to answer his silent cry. He had a confidence in his voice, a certainty that helped to old tom's heart to steady. And here was Fennelheart. Had it really been so long ago that the cream-colored shecat had been the stubborn apprentice he had trained? Look at her now, ready to do what she needed for her clan even if it meant bending or breaking the code he had so diligently taught her. She had fire in her now. Applesight, an older tom, was more focused. More cautious. Ready to put himself in danger for the sake of his clanmates, even an old fleabag like himself.
Smiling, the old tom got to his feet, grunting with the effort. He staggered as one of his forelegs stiffened with pain and tried to buckle, but he caught himself. "Thank you all for coming here today...Auroraflame would thank you as well, but as you can no doubt understand, she can't risk stepping out of line again." He paused and met each of their gaze. "And make no mistake, stepping out of line is exactly what you're doing now. I've devoted my life to serving the warrior code and Skyclan. Now, the day has come where we must break the code to keep it. The warrior code clearly states that the word of the leader is the warrior code. Each of you, when you earned your warrior names, swore to defend your clan even at the cost of your lives. Now, I'm asking for more than that. If any of your parts in this are discovered, I can't guarantee your safety or even your continued role in the clan. Anyone who, understanding this wants to leave know that this is your chance."
When the old tom was done speaking, he paused a beat and looked around as every warrior stayed. He turned to Applesight, his whiskers twitching with faint amusement. "First of all, the only thing you'll be losing an old fleabag like me to is Starclan. Second, I'd like to see you try to make me leave this to anyone else." He nodded at Umbraice and Fennelheart, who seemed ready to go once they had a direction. "What I can tell you all now is that some cats are already gathering like-minded cats both within Skyclan and outside of it. Skyclan isn't the only clan unhappy about Riverclan's current situation. Not even close. So our numbers are growing. The question now is what will we do once we have enough force behind us." The old tom sat back now to see what the younger cats would come up with.