RiverClan Leader's Den

[Starfall]

Originally Posted by Liekki

Blossom blinked and shook her head quickly, "No, no sir. But... um... will I be able to keep 'Blossom' in my warrior name? I mean, it's fine if I don't; I was just curious." She tilted her head and thought about the fact that she would need a cat to show her around. I was certainly a good requirement, but she felt like she would have trouble meeting new cats. She knew not every cat would enjoy her company, considering she was a kittypet. Happiness bubbled inside of her as she ran Fallenstar's words through her head, you may join. She hesitated before asking, "So... can I leave or should I..." Blossom wasn't sure what to finish her sentence with, so she looked at Fallenstar, waiting for a reply. She knew she was going to have some trouble getting into the swing of things in RiverClan, but her hopes were high. She knew how to swim for the most part, but the fast-moving bodies of water scared her a little bit. She sat up straight and swayed slightly from side to side.

The ebony feline looked the molly dead in the eye, his ears tilting backwards at the name she called him. 'Sir?' he thought to himself, a confused look flickered acrost his features. He closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, thinking hard about her question, after all he saw nothing wrong with her having her kittypet name apart of her clan name. After a second of thinking he lifted his gaze and gave her a quick, small smile, if one blinked, they would miss it. "Yes. You may keep your name...and please, just call me Fallenstar." he stated. "And yes, leave, go get to know some of your newfound family members." he suggested, waving his massive paw at her. Just what did he allow Blossom to step into, he thought to himself, his stomach churning, bile rising in his throat. So much blood is being spilt at this time...was it really a wise decision to have her join?

[Starfall]

Originally Posted by Celestial

@starfall
[ I would really not worry about it being late haha c: ]
[ Also, I’m not sure if I want Rowan to let fallen know she’s pregnant, what do you think? ]

Gracefully dipping into the den the ginger and white spotted she cat could sense his uneasiness with her name change. It was odd of course and certainly not something you heard everyday, but that’s not exactly the whole reason she was here. She came a few whiskerlengths I’m keeping herself close to the exit just in case he did anything that upset her and she needed to take her leave. She was stoic but fallenstars words shook her soul, his glares made her weak no matter how much she didn’t wanna admit that. She shuffled her paws awkwardly before lifting her gaze off the floor. She looked directly at him her green eyes searching his for anything, but his seemed clouded over with deep thought. Bad timing for sure. she swallowed the bile raising in her throat and sat down instinctively sweeping her long fluffy tail around her paws. Flicking her ears toward him she gave a little sigh and straightened up. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you lately” she said raising her chin just a bit so she could see the tom in the dark corner of his den.

She blinked a few times than sighed “I can’t help but feel, that I’m doing something to make you hate me” she breathed. Admittedly this was the topic she had wanted to start out with and end on a sour note, her pregnancy. If it meant she had to resign she knew that it wouldn’t really go over well for anyone. She would be too antsy as she had always been. Deputy kept her busy and rightly so.

[I think it would be interesting!
and Sorry for the late post ;w; ]

For a few seconds, and only a few, he managed to turn off the screaming voices in his head, nothing but a jumble of words that seemed to get louder, screaming chants, something he had yet to decode. He had learned this trick after the meeting with Snowstar, turn off everything, thoughts, emotions, feeling, all of it. This time, however, he felt it best he just turned off his thoughts. He angled his ears forward as she began to speak, she sounded....worried? possibly with a hint of exasperation. why? The leader licked his maw and narrowed his eyes. Did she not wish to be deputy anymore? Did she not like them siding with Thunderclan? Did she need to leave? Was she leaving? She couldn't leave could she? Would she come back? She won't disappear would she? Did she even want to come back? he shut off his thoughts once more, now nothing but low mutters, a constant hum in the depths of his mind. Why were they there? They weren't there before? When did they appear, he couldn't remember, many memories were burned without his consent. troublesome. She reminded him of her, Rowanflower, the golden pelt, he flowery scent, it hurt. Did he choose her as deputy because he believed in her, or because he was doing anything to have even a sliver of Honeypool with him? He didn't know, the answer was blurry.

As the molly stated her concern the ebony tom lifted a brow, lapis hues swam with confusion, though, they never lost their clouded, dull look. They lost their spark long ago. "Hate you? Why do you say that?" he asked, words pouring out of his mouth, this, he was conscious of. What he did during the ceremony, however, he was not. He couldn't recall showing her any kind of discust toward her as a feline, memories of the glares, the hatred, the bubbling blood and the rising bile in the back of his throat as he spat out the words 'Daisyshade will you become my deputy' were gone, nothing but black blobs, burnt memories that were just a few hair lengths from his grasp. He only remembered naming her deputy, her accepting, and the cheers, the loud, loud cheers that seemed to get louder every single time they called her name. It was like a taunt. Why? Why was this bringing back such hatred? It was a happy moment, most definitely for her, for her mate, for her friends and family, why did it make him so angry? Fallenstar readjusted himself, swinging his fluffy tail around his paws, and refocused his gaze on the molly. "Rowanflower, I think you're a little tired...why not go get some rest? Aren't you sick? You have been seeing Juniperpaw a lot recently." he stated, lifting his paw. He noticed things, everything, all of it. All of the happenings in his clan, the rumors, deceit, hatred, all of it.

[wren]

Originally Posted by starfall

[I think it would be interesting!
and Sorry for the late post ;w; ]

For a few seconds, and only a few, he managed to turn off the screaming voices in his head, nothing but a jumble of words that seemed to get louder, screaming chants, something he had yet to decode. He had learned this trick after the meeting with Snowstar, turn off everything, thoughts, emotions, feeling, all of it. This time, however, he felt it best he just turned off his thoughts. He angled his ears forward as she began to speak, she sounded....worried? possibly with a hint of exasperation. why? The leader licked his maw and narrowed his eyes. Did she not wish to be deputy anymore? Did she not like them siding with Thunderclan? Did she need to leave? Was she leaving? She couldn't leave could she? Would she come back? She won't disappear would she? Did she even want to come back? he shut off his thoughts once more, now nothing but low mutters, a constant hum in the depths of his mind. Why were they there? They weren't there before? When did they appear, he couldn't remember, many memories were burned without his consent. troublesome. She reminded him of her, Rowanflower, the golden pelt, he flowery scent, it hurt. Did he choose her as deputy because he believed in her, or because he was doing anything to have even a sliver of Honeypool with him? He didn't know, the answer was blurry.

As the molly stated her concern the ebony tom lifted a brow, lapis hues swam with confusion, though, they never lost their clouded, dull look. They lost their spark long ago. "Hate you? Why do you say that?" he asked, words pouring out of his mouth, this, he was conscious of. What he did during the ceremony, however, he was not. He couldn't recall showing her any kind of discust toward her as a feline, memories of the glares, the hatred, the bubbling blood and the rising bile in the back of his throat as he spat out the words 'Daisyshade will you become my deputy' were gone, nothing but black blobs, burnt memories that were just a few hair lengths from his grasp. He only remembered naming her deputy, her accepting, and the cheers, the loud, loud cheers that seemed to get louder every single time they called her name. It was like a taunt. Why? Why was this bringing back such hatred? It was a happy moment, most definitely for her, for her mate, for her friends and family, why did it make him so angry? Fallenstar readjusted himself, swinging his fluffy tail around his paws, and refocused his gaze on the molly. "Rowanflower, I think you're a little tired...why not go get some rest? Aren't you sick? You have been seeing Juniperpaw a lot recently." he stated, lifting his paw. He noticed things, everything, all of it. All of the happenings in his clan, the rumors, deceit, hatred, all of it.

[ Here goes nothing XD ]

Rowanflower made a small noise in her throat as if she wasn't quite sure if he was being serious or not. why do you say that? Why do I say that? the mollys stomach seemed to churn and her claws flexed uneasily beneath her. She hadn't been the only one to catch his glances, juniperpaw, tumblestep and most likely a lot more. Perhaps when he had during the gathering it was all for good reason, she had spoken out of line. Even though she was trying to keep her comment neutral she couldn't help but feel it was slightly unnecessary. Though the glare had explanation and some reason behind it she would excuse herself from bringing that example up. She corrected her posture and let her green eyes fall on his own gaze trying to force as much affection and respect into them as possible, she never wanted to make him angry despite feeling like a failure in the first place. She neglected to tell tumblestep of her news and decided to tell a leader which she felt held more hatred for her than any other clan. Except maybe windclan that is. she ran her tongue graceful over the bend of her paw than drew it over her ear with such dainty delicacy before allowing her gaze to come back to his. We will get things settled here, and that's it. unbeknownst to the pair all their settling would be done in the moon following this encounter... ( dun dun dun )

Her whiskers twitched "Forgive me if I'm mistaken but, the way you seem to" she paused for a moment trying to select the right words in case of a- burst? "Look at me per say, isn't exactly accepting nor" she paused again for a shorter time "gentle?" she bit her tongue as soon as the words came out her claws fumbling in he dirt and pebbles while her gaze kept wandering the den. She glanced over her shoulder worriedly and than turned back with an awkward smile and little cough. Terrible words. shut up. You've made him angry. oh please, he's a rational cat! Are you sure? yes I am sure. Get out of my head! And with that she flicked an ear dismissively to the corrosive thoughts and focused her Attenion back on the dark ebony Tom with uncertainty.

[Brilliance]

Was this the right thing to do?
Now, that he was actually in Riverclan, he continued to pace back and forth. Passionstar hyped himself up for the journey, Imagining over in his head how easy this meeting would be; he’d address Fallenstar, they would talk, possibly agree on matters, then Passionstar would leave, his face a lot brighter. Everything in his head went splendid...only he refused to acknowledge what reality would offer. Besides, this was the first Passionstar had to bombard into an abode that wasn’t his own. Although Riverclan was just as lovely, and he’d imagined - cozy, as Thunderclan was. For the millionth time, he turned around, doubting himself. Then, he turned back around because Passionstar was far from being the one who took the flight option. Again, he was hyping himself up to be brave. This couldn’t be something complex to do. Passionstar felt Fallenstar was an understanding tom, and a grand ally that he knew he wouldn’t want to slip from his paws. Tensions between the clans was higher than ever. Snowstar left a battle to the new leader when he wasn’t prepared to fight, but he was most certain willing to end it. Yet, when the matters came, Passionstar lost all train of thought and attacked like a Neanderthal. “You’re being a fool, Passionstar. How hard could it be? You like act like you’re awaiting to be executed.” He let out a soft chuckle at his crude joke before he gave a couple licks to his chest. Padding forward on heavy paws, Passionstar exhaled. Fallenstar, at least, deserved to know that Snowstar resigned, and he had stepped up to his expected position. If Passionstar wanted a trusted ally, he needed to prove his worth to the Riverclan leader...he just hoped he was doing the right thing. Even though it’s been a couple days of receiving his lives, Passionstar still was entangled in confusing wires and the stress of running a clan solely based on his own thoughts of allowing himself to stress himself. When was the last time he slept? Shaking his head, Passionstar knew he should had invited Powdernose to accompany him on this trip...but this was his requirement to do. Alone. He was, as he believed, much stronger alone. He just hoped he was doing the right thing. He wasn’t making decisions on his own. Every decision he made would have a consequence. Whether good or bad. The tom stopped to peer at the den of the Riverclan leader. Iniation took over him, and the burly tom stepped forward to make sure Fallenstar wasn’t busy. “Fallenstar, may I speak to you?” A deep, expressionless voice, a flick of unnoticeable doubt, a little harsh because of his own swirling, hesitant thoughts in this moment. Politely, he added, “Only if you have time, that is.”

@starfall

[Starfall]

Originally Posted by Brilliance

Was this the right thing to do?
Now, that he was actually in Riverclan, he continued to pace back and forth. Passionstar hyped himself up for the journey, Imagining over in his head how easy this meeting would be; he’d address Fallenstar, they would talk, possibly agree on matters, then Passionstar would leave, his face a lot brighter. Everything in his head went splendid...only he refused to acknowledge what reality would offer. Besides, this was the first Passionstar had to bombard into an abode that wasn’t his own. Although Riverclan was just as lovely, and he’d imagined - cozy, as Thunderclan was. For the millionth time, he turned around, doubting himself. Then, he turned back around because Passionstar was far from being the one who took the flight option. Again, he was hyping himself up to be brave. This couldn’t be something complex to do. Passionstar felt Fallenstar was an understanding tom, and a grand ally that he knew he wouldn’t want to slip from his paws. Tensions between the clans was higher than ever. Snowstar left a battle to the new leader when he wasn’t prepared to fight, but he was most certain willing to end it. Yet, when the matters came, Passionstar lost all train of thought and attacked like a Neanderthal. “You’re being a fool, Passionstar. How hard could it be? You like act like you’re awaiting to be executed.” He let out a soft chuckle at his crude joke before he gave a couple licks to his chest. Padding forward on heavy paws, Passionstar exhaled. Fallenstar, at least, deserved to know that Snowstar resigned, and he had stepped up to his expected position. If Passionstar wanted a trusted ally, he needed to prove his worth to the Riverclan leader...he just hoped he was doing the right thing. Even though it’s been a couple days of receiving his lives, Passionstar still was entangled in confusing wires and the stress of running a clan solely based on his own thoughts of allowing himself to stress himself. When was the last time he slept? Shaking his head, Passionstar knew he should had invited Powdernose to accompany him on this trip...but this was his requirement to do. Alone. He was, as he believed, much stronger alone. He just hoped he was doing the right thing. He wasn’t making decisions on his own. Every decision he made would have a consequence. Whether good or bad. The tom stopped to peer at the den of the Riverclan leader. Iniation took over him, and the burly tom stepped forward to make sure Fallenstar wasn’t busy. “Fallenstar, may I speak to you?” A deep, expressionless voice, a flick of unnoticeable doubt, a little harsh because of his own swirling, hesitant thoughts in this moment. Politely, he added, “Only if you have time, that is.”

@starfall

The leader had been up to anything at that time. A rare thing. It was always something for the brawny tom, whether it be his own problems, his clanmate's problems, his clan's problems, heck, even other clan's problems. Something was always ripping the leader from his slumber, keeping him from closing his eyes and resting. Recently it had been the ordeal he had with his deputy, Rowanflower, pregnant and running around in a storm, he was surprised she didn't get hurt more than she did. Now, however, was a rare moment of silence, no voices were screaming at him in his head, no clanmates asking him to do them a favor, no pressing deed to be done. Silence. Of course, it scared the leader as much as the noise did. Being able to hear nothing but the wind outside and your own heartbeat is indeed a weird feeling, and he wasn't used to it...quite yet. The doddering of paws outside his den awoke him and pulled him from the silence. He perked an ear and lazily opened one eye, looking at the visitor. 'Snowstar?' Thunderclan scent swamped his senses and he shakily picked himself up with a grunt, still incredibly sore from the events of yesterday's storm. However, as his lapis orbs adjusted to the sun that filtered in between the vines of the fronds that draped across the opening of the den, he noticed that instead of a purely white coat, he was, instead met with a flaming one. The tom narrowed his eyes and his ears flicked back, a frown evident on his face. 'Who in the name of Sta-is, is that her deputy?' Fallenstar leaned forward, trying to get a better look of the tom, and after a second, he concluded that it was, indeed Snowstar's deputy. Or atleast, her former deputy, he had no clue she was no longer the leader, nor that he had taken her spot and received all 9 lives. "Passionflame, yes, yes I wasn't doing anything anyways." he stated, voice gruff, sore from all the shouting. It felt as though his throat was ripped to shreds, of course, screaming over thunder would do that to a tom. The ebony feline let out a sigh and shifted himself in an attempt to get more comftrable "What I want to know is...why are you here? If you're trying to get me to go against Snowstar's back I ain't doing it. Jeeze, don't even think I'm gonna keep my clan in this war either, make sure you let her know that when you get back." he huffed, but, it came out as a wheeze more than a huff, commanding voice, something he had acquired in his few moons as both deputy and leader. Honestly, it sickened him.

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by starfall

The leader had been up to anything at that time. A rare thing. It was always something for the brawny tom, whether it be his own problems, his clanmate's problems, his clan's problems, heck, even other clan's problems. Something was always ripping the leader from his slumber, keeping him from closing his eyes and resting. Recently it had been the ordeal he had with his deputy, Rowanflower, pregnant and running around in a storm, he was surprised she didn't get hurt more than she did. Now, however, was a rare moment of silence, no voices were screaming at him in his head, no clanmates asking him to do them a favor, no pressing deed to be done. Silence. Of course, it scared the leader as much as the noise did. Being able to hear nothing but the wind outside and your own heartbeat is indeed a weird feeling, and he wasn't used to it...quite yet. The doddering of paws outside his den awoke him and pulled him from the silence. He perked an ear and lazily opened one eye, looking at the visitor. 'Snowstar?' Thunderclan scent swamped his senses and he shakily picked himself up with a grunt, still incredibly sore from the events of yesterday's storm. However, as his lapis orbs adjusted to the sun that filtered in between the vines of the fronds that draped across the opening of the den, he noticed that instead of a purely white coat, he was, instead met with a flaming one. The tom narrowed his eyes and his ears flicked back, a frown evident on his face. 'Who in the name of Sta-is, is that her deputy?' Fallenstar leaned forward, trying to get a better look of the tom, and after a second, he concluded that it was, indeed Snowstar's deputy. Or atleast, her former deputy, he had no clue she was no longer the leader, nor that he had taken her spot and received all 9 lives. "Passionflame, yes, yes I wasn't doing anything anyways." he stated, voice gruff, sore from all the shouting. It felt as though his throat was ripped to shreds, of course, screaming over thunder would do that to a tom. The ebony feline let out a sigh and shifted himself in an attempt to get more comftrable "What I want to know is...why are you here? If you're trying to get me to go against Snowstar's back I ain't doing it. Jeeze, don't even think I'm gonna keep my clan in this war either, make sure you let her know that when you get back." he huffed, but, it came out as a wheeze more than a huff, commanding voice, something he had acquired in his few moons as both deputy and leader. Honestly, it sickened him.

Upon seeing the ebony tom come into view, Passionstar have a formal duo of his head to display his respect, as he done with many. As much as Passionstar felt anxious inside, he kept reminding himself to keep this visit short and sweet because he didn’t want to take much of Fallenstar’s time. When he was given the alright to proceed to talk with the Riverclan leader, Passionstar slowly approached the den, his eyes gently scanning the area and admiring the different use of substances that hiwnoen den in Thunderclan lacked. He never officially been through Riverclan’s territory, as he had no reason to, but he did enjoy the visit here. It furthered his knowledge that every part of the forest was unique and beautiful in its own way. Fallenstar’s voice caused Passionstar to direct his attention to the dark furred tom. Ruffling his fur slightly, Passionstar gave a nod of understanding - to which, he vigorously shook his head. “Go against Snowstar’s back? Heh, no I’m not here for that at all. I would never - I’m not insane to ever go against Snowstar’s back...well, actually,” Passionstar paused for a moment to collect his thoughts together. Unconsciously, Passionstar paced back and forth, a quirk to always stay moving. At least moving around kept his thoughts flowing and far away from anstuttering squirrelbrain tom. “Snowstar stepped down. She resigned. A few days ago, I received my lives. I’m Passionstar now.” The flame colored tom spoke briskly. Stopping only for a moment to glance briefly at Fallenstar, then began he resumed his motive. “Trust me, Fallenstar - I’m with you. New leader and all, I don’t want Thunderclan to go through this war. We deserve peace, don’t you think? You and I both.” Evidently, Passionstar agreed with the Riverclan leader. As leader, the most important thing was his clan mates’ well-being. Passionstar always felt that the entire territory of Thunderclan could be demolished or taken, but as long as his clan mates were safe...unharmed, then Passionstar was willing to rebuild; something much stronger, sturdier, grander. Passionstar regretted initiating the fight with Shadowclan. He was high-strung from the surprise attack that cost him his warriors’ lives. Passionstar stopped once more, flicking his ears back as he detected the raspiness in Fallenstar’s voice. “Snowstar won’t need you any longer, you can bet that much. But, me? I’ll still need the help. I’m humbly asking you for a partnership - or...something similar to that.” Passionstar slowly drew out his words to make sure Fallenstar understood him. It was not his intention to bring another clan into a war that was meant for Thunderclan...but now every clan was brought into the tension. This was everyone's fight. “You know how Windclan and Shadowclan can be very sneaky...” recalling the past events and surprise battle that both clans done on Thunderclan. “What if you’re next? Wouldn’t you want someone to have your back?” Passionstar had padded about until he stopped once more, looking at Fallenstar from the corner of his eye without turning his head. He almost looked as if he was persuading Fallenstar to stay in this brutal game. In all honesty, Passionstar just needed a balance, someone to help him out on this new journey - and, who was better than the Riverclan leader? Fallenstar had came to Thunderclan’s aid, and Passionstar felt that he was forever in their debt. Aside from that, Passionstar was quite wary that his mind would shut down and the decisions he made might have been the downfall of his clan.

[Starfall]

Originally Posted by Brilliance

Upon seeing the ebony tom come into view, Passionstar have a formal duo of his head to display his respect, as he done with many. As much as Passionstar felt anxious inside, he kept reminding himself to keep this visit short and sweet because he didn’t want to take much of Fallenstar’s time. When he was given the alright to proceed to talk with the Riverclan leader, Passionstar slowly approached the den, his eyes gently scanning the area and admiring the different use of substances that hiwnoen den in Thunderclan lacked. He never officially been through Riverclan’s territory, as he had no reason to, but he did enjoy the visit here. It furthered his knowledge that every part of the forest was unique and beautiful in its own way. Fallenstar’s voice caused Passionstar to direct his attention to the dark furred tom. Ruffling his fur slightly, Passionstar gave a nod of understanding - to which, he vigorously shook his head. “Go against Snowstar’s back? Heh, no I’m not here for that at all. I would never - I’m not insane to ever go against Snowstar’s back...well, actually,” Passionstar paused for a moment to collect his thoughts together. Unconsciously, Passionstar paced back and forth, a quirk to always stay moving. At least moving around kept his thoughts flowing and far away from anstuttering squirrelbrain tom. “Snowstar stepped down. She resigned. A few days ago, I received my lives. I’m Passionstar now.” The flame colored tom spoke briskly. Stopping only for a moment to glance briefly at Fallenstar, then began he resumed his motive. “Trust me, Fallenstar - I’m with you. New leader and all, I don’t want Thunderclan to go through this war. We deserve peace, don’t you think? You and I both.” Evidently, Passionstar agreed with the Riverclan leader. As leader, the most important thing was his clan mates’ well-being. Passionstar always felt that the entire territory of Thunderclan could be demolished or taken, but as long as his clan mates were safe...unharmed, then Passionstar was willing to rebuild; something much stronger, sturdier, grander. Passionstar regretted initiating the fight with Shadowclan. He was high-strung from the surprise attack that cost him his warriors’ lives. Passionstar stopped once more, flicking his ears back as he detected the raspiness in Fallenstar’s voice. “Snowstar won’t need you any longer, you can bet that much. But, me? I’ll still need the help. I’m humbly asking you for a partnership - or...something similar to that.” Passionstar slowly drew out his words to make sure Fallenstar understood him. It was not his intention to bring another clan into a war that was meant for Thunderclan...but now every clan was brought into the tension. This was everyone's fight. “You know how Windclan and Shadowclan can be very sneaky...” recalling the past events and surprise battle that both clans done on Thunderclan. “What if you’re next? Wouldn’t you want someone to have your back?” Passionstar had padded about until he stopped once more, looking at Fallenstar from the corner of his eye without turning his head. He almost looked as if he was persuading Fallenstar to stay in this brutal game. In all honesty, Passionstar just needed a balance, someone to help him out on this new journey - and, who was better than the Riverclan leader? Fallenstar had came to Thunderclan’s aid, and Passionstar felt that he was forever in their debt. Aside from that, Passionstar was quite wary that his mind would shut down and the decisions he made might have been the downfall of his clan.

[ ;w; sorry it's short ]

The tom perked his ears in surprise at the leaders statement, "Oh, I'm happy to hear she's alive...congratulations Passionstar." he said, though he was quickly cut of by the other leaders explination of his future plans, or atleast an incredibly brief explination. "Yes, I do believe we both deserve, it, so you and Blazingstar should talk something over. I wasn't enlightened on the details as to what happened, all I knew that it was 2 against 1 which, last I checked, isn't fair." he huffed, tail fluffing up and wrapping over his ebony paws. The burly tom, to say the least, was conflicted, he was finally beginning to get his positive emotions back, they finally began to seep into his soul once more, why throw it all away to go to war? It had taken in moons, that and his clanmates were suffering enough, especially with the dissapearance of Juniperpaw, they were without a medicine cat. "Passionstar, I appreciate the fact that you believe in the 'lean on one another' rule, but I am going to attempt to fix my mistakes....as best as I can." the last few words were low, quiet. He was...ashamed of his actions, he had sucsessfully torn down everything Russetswirl had built up. He had let his hatred blind him. He wouldn't let it happen again. "A good fighter doesn't make a good leader...I learned that the hard way." he whispered, his voice quivering. He was so...undecided at the moment, not just about the war, but about everything in general. His life had once again been flipped upsidown, and he didn't know what to expect, what his first step should be, which direction he was going, or even what path is the right path. This war that he dragged his clan into, it was just a crossroads, the next step would decide what path he would be taking. " Alright. Riverclan will continue to be an ally of Thunderclan..." and off to the left path he stumbles, the fallen fool with the broken soul.

[Starfall]

@Benrito

The ebony tom had awoken to something tickling his nose, in fact it wasn't one of those, slowly blinking into reality type of awakening. No, he sneezed himself awake. He sniffed a couple times after the rude awakening and looked down at his nest. It was messy, strewn with anything soft, anything that would help, even the slightest bit, with the toms need for sleep. He had rarely been able to get a good nights rest, they even followed him into his dreams now, those voices. He didn't understand it, why they had suddenly refused to go away, why they got louder, why they're still here. It felt as though they had been there his whole life, but quieter, whispering in the darkness instead of piercing the light, the very little amount of life that was left in the felines soul. Chasing it away. He had been getting sicker and sicker, he could feel it, he was decaying on the inside. Yet he couldn't tell anyone about it, he would sound like he was loosing his mind. Not that he wasn't in a sense. He shifted the bits of leaf and moss around, trying to make sure he won't wake up to a sneezing fit again. The leader was going to try to go back to sleep, honestly, that was the best nights rest he had gotten in a good while, he wanted to see if he could still...grasp it. Sink into it. Drown in it. Although the voices followed the burly tom in his dreams, they were quieter, as if underwater, nothing but whispers and gurgles as he just sat there, staring at absolutely nothing, doing absolutely nothing. He couldn't tell if his dreams, now a days, were nightmares, or his own being caving in on itself. Either way, he wouldn't classify it as good. He didn't care though, he was quickly growing numb.

Fallenstar laid himself down and tightly curled himself into the tightest ball he could muster. He was cold, oh so very cold, he was also sore. This was most likely due to the event that happened a few days ago, the event that caused the tom to release pure emotions. It was the first time in moons he had felt like himself. It was pure bliss, but, it, along with everything good that had ever happened to him, melted away into nothingness, and he was once again numb on both the inside and the outside. He hadn't gotten a break after that, because then came Passionstar...the new Thunderclan leader, and the ebony feline was once again dragged into war. He was breaking, oh so slowly being ripped to shreds, piece by bloody piece. It was agonizing. Some days, he never wanted to wake up. Other days, he just wanted to run off and hand it over to Rowanflower. He loved this clan too much, however. He promised his mother he would try his best, she was so proud of him even though he himself hated it, loathed it. She believed in him, Russetswirl believed in him, Honeypool, his siblings? They believed in him, what kind of soul less jerk would he be if he didn't at least try? It was getting harder and harder to even get up every day, how soon until he broke? He shoved his muzzle beneath his fluffy tail and closed his eyes, knitting his brows together, maybe trying a little too hard to doze off.

[Fawn]

Originally Posted by starfall

@Benrito

The ebony tom had awoken to something tickling his nose, in fact it wasn't one of those, slowly blinking into reality type of awakening. No, he sneezed himself awake. He sniffed a couple times after the rude awakening and looked down at his nest. It was messy, strewn with anything soft, anything that would help, even the slightest bit, with the toms need for sleep. He had rarely been able to get a good nights rest, they even followed him into his dreams now, those voices. He didn't understand it, why they had suddenly refused to go away, why they got louder, why they're still here. It felt as though they had been there his whole life, but quieter, whispering in the darkness instead of piercing the light, the very little amount of life that was left in the felines soul. Chasing it away. He had been getting sicker and sicker, he could feel it, he was decaying on the inside. Yet he couldn't tell anyone about it, he would sound like he was loosing his mind. Not that he wasn't in a sense. He shifted the bits of leaf and moss around, trying to make sure he won't wake up to a sneezing fit again. The leader was going to try to go back to sleep, honestly, that was the best nights rest he had gotten in a good while, he wanted to see if he could still...grasp it. Sink into it. Drown in it. Although the voices followed the burly tom in his dreams, they were quieter, as if underwater, nothing but whispers and gurgles as he just sat there, staring at absolutely nothing, doing absolutely nothing. He couldn't tell if his dreams, now a days, were nightmares, or his own being caving in on itself. Either way, he wouldn't classify it as good. He didn't care though, he was quickly growing numb.

Fallenstar laid himself down and tightly curled himself into the tightest ball he could muster. He was cold, oh so very cold, he was also sore. This was most likely due to the event that happened a few days ago, the event that caused the tom to release pure emotions. It was the first time in moons he had felt like himself. It was pure bliss, but, it, along with everything good that had ever happened to him, melted away into nothingness, and he was once again numb on both the inside and the outside. He hadn't gotten a break after that, because then came Passionstar...the new Thunderclan leader, and the ebony feline was once again dragged into war. He was breaking, oh so slowly being ripped to shreds, piece by bloody piece. It was agonizing. Some days, he never wanted to wake up. Other days, he just wanted to run off and hand it over to Rowanflower. He loved this clan too much, however. He promised his mother he would try his best, she was so proud of him even though he himself hated it, loathed it. She believed in him, Russetswirl believed in him, Honeypool, his siblings? They believed in him, what kind of soul less jerk would he be if he didn't at least try? It was getting harder and harder to even get up every day, how soon until he broke? He shoved his muzzle beneath his fluffy tail and closed his eyes, knitting his brows together, maybe trying a little too hard to doze off.

Pacing around the mouth of the leader's den, Cedarsprint wondered if he should enter, but there was little option to back out now. His scent had probably already drifted in and alerted the cat inside, and what if he didn't go? Fallenstar would know he had been here and maybe would seek him out, then what would he do, how would he explain? Cedarsprint decided that Fallenstar had been a good friend to him throughout the moons of their lifetimes; he'd been there during the bad times, and they'd enjoyed the better times… but of course, that was prior to his promotion in the Clan. While Cedarsprint was extremely happy for his childhood companion's accomplishment and believed he deserved every bit of it, between duties and adventuring they had barely any time to actually talk to each other, even less so now that he was leader. One of the few interactions they'd had was him asking permission from his leader to try to enter the Dark Forest for knowledge-collecting purposes. There was still paranoia over another one sweeping the Clans and ruining everything they'd known and worked for, and he was determined to discover what may be in store for them. And he did, but it wasn't what he'd wanted to know, nor was it the news he had been hoping to deliver to Fallenstar. There was never an opportune time to report death and destruction being on the horizon, if the first Evil Era leader had any say in their future, but it had to be done before it was too late.

Gathering a bout of courage, he made the move to shuffle inside Fallenstar's den and saw a sad lump of fur curled tightly in his nest -- it was heartwrenching and worrying to watch the ebony tom in such a state, and Cedarsprint looked down in guilt. He wished he could have been there for him, prevented things from getting so bad -- an omen, essentially, was hardly what he should be telling a broken cat right now. "Fallenstar?" he spoke cautiously but with conviction, his voice teetering on gentle as he didn't want to disturb him any more than he had to. Cedarsprint wanted to ask if he was alright, but he held his tongue; Fallenstar probably didn't want anyone--much less him--to be coddling, as that wasn't really his style. As much as he wished he could do something about his friend's current seemingly-withering condition, there were important matters to discuss that left not even a shred of time for unrelated chatter and as per their agreement, he needed to report these findings to Fallenstar. "I know you didn't seem to be thrilled, exactly, with my interest in studying the Dark Forest, and that's… well, quite frankly, I don't blame you at all." Cedarsprint started, hesitance lost but replaced with something harder to identify, something closer to regret. He wasn't sure he should've ever done this, but the insights were valuable nonetheless.

"I'll be straightforward," the younger tom cleared his throat, "I met with Eternalstar." There was a heaviness in the air as he said it, or maybe it was his imagination--even referencing the horrid former leader was almost taboo. Buried in the depths of his own thoughts and speculation regarding the incident, he began to pace the expanse of the den as he spoke once more. "My attempts to contact him were in vain, but he appears to have the power to contact me." It was something he'd found intriguing--cats couldn't visit the Dark Forest at will, at least not to his knowledge, but instead were basically summoned by one already there. Stopping in front of Fallenstar, he meowed, "Which is strange, yes? We were under the assumption he was reincarnated… as Bucknight, but that apparently isn't the case. He claims Bucknight's alive, that he survived and escaped." Whether that was true or not, they couldn't confirm, but it wasn't the most pressing issue. The pacing around Fallenstar's den resumed, the same look of thoughtfulness in his yellow eyes. "That aside, I fear there's terrible plans in the works.. he's shared his intentions--a desire, if you will--to bring chaos to the Clans once again." Cedarsprint paused, an expression of desperation etched on his features as he hoped Fallenstar would believe him, take this threat seriously. "I don't know the extent of his power, but.. I'm also left unsure of what to do except continue to allow him to visit me." That may encourage Eternalstar to spill more of his plans, but it carried a risk of its own as well.

[Starfall]

Originally Posted by Benrito

Pacing around the mouth of the leader's den, Cedarsprint wondered if he should enter, but there was little option to back out now. His scent had probably already drifted in and alerted the cat inside, and what if he didn't go? Fallenstar would know he had been here and maybe would seek him out, then what would he do, how would he explain? Cedarsprint decided that Fallenstar had been a good friend to him throughout the moons of their lifetimes; he'd been there during the bad times, and they'd enjoyed the better times… but of course, that was prior to his promotion in the Clan. While Cedarsprint was extremely happy for his childhood companion's accomplishment and believed he deserved every bit of it, between duties and adventuring they had barely any time to actually talk to each other, even less so now that he was leader. One of the few interactions they'd had was him asking permission from his leader to try to enter the Dark Forest for knowledge-collecting purposes. There was still paranoia over another one sweeping the Clans and ruining everything they'd known and worked for, and he was determined to discover what may be in store for them. And he did, but it wasn't what he'd wanted to know, nor was it the news he had been hoping to deliver to Fallenstar. There was never an opportune time to report death and destruction being on the horizon, if the first Evil Era leader had any say in their future, but it had to be done before it was too late.

Gathering a bout of courage, he made the move to shuffle inside Fallenstar's den and saw a sad lump of fur curled tightly in his nest -- it was heartwrenching and worrying to watch the ebony tom in such a state, and Cedarsprint looked down in guilt. He wished he could have been there for him, prevented things from getting so bad -- an omen, essentially, was hardly what he should be telling a broken cat right now. "Fallenstar?" he spoke cautiously but with conviction, his voice teetering on gentle as he didn't want to disturb him any more than he had to. Cedarsprint wanted to ask if he was alright, but he held his tongue; Fallenstar probably didn't want anyone--much less him--to be coddling, as that wasn't really his style. As much as he wished he could do something about his friend's current seemingly-withering condition, there were important matters to discuss that left not even a shred of time for unrelated chatter and as per their agreement, he needed to report these findings to Fallenstar. "I know you didn't seem to be thrilled, exactly, with my interest in studying the Dark Forest, and that's… well, quite frankly, I don't blame you at all." Cedarsprint started, hesitance lost but replaced with something harder to identify, something closer to regret. He wasn't sure he should've ever done this, but the insights were valuable nonetheless.

"I'll be straightforward," the younger tom cleared his throat, "I met with Eternalstar." There was a heaviness in the air as he said it, or maybe it was his imagination--even referencing the horrid former leader was almost taboo. Buried in the depths of his own thoughts and speculation regarding the incident, he began to pace the expanse of the den as he spoke once more. "My attempts to contact him were in vain, but he appears to have the power to contact me." It was something he'd found intriguing--cats couldn't visit the Dark Forest at will, at least not to his knowledge, but instead were basically summoned by one already there. Stopping in front of Fallenstar, he meowed, "Which is strange, yes? We were under the assumption he was reincarnated… as Bucknight, but that apparently isn't the case. He claims Bucknight's alive, that he survived and escaped." Whether that was true or not, they couldn't confirm, but it wasn't the most pressing issue. The pacing around Fallenstar's den resumed, the same look of thoughtfulness in his yellow eyes. "That aside, I fear there's terrible plans in the works.. he's shared his intentions--a desire, if you will--to bring chaos to the Clans once again." Cedarsprint paused, an expression of desperation etched on his features as he hoped Fallenstar would believe him, take this threat seriously. "I don't know the extent of his power, but.. I'm also left unsure of what to do except continue to allow him to visit me." That may encourage Eternalstar to spill more of his plans, but it carried a risk of its own as well.

The leader was a sitting duck, easy to snuff out, easy to get rid of. He smelled nothing but the stench of his own self regret and fear, it swamped his senses and drowned out everything else. The stench stuck to him, it was plaguing his very blood cells, and no matter how hard he scrubbed, no matter how hard he scratched at it, it never went away. His fluffy tail coiled around his body, trying to make himself into an even smaller ball, but it was almost like his own tail was choking him. He was sinking, he had been slowly sinking for moons, and no one was there to save him, bring him back to land. It hurt. The ebony feline flinched and sharply inhaled at the sudden voice, swinging his head around, eyes wide. It was soft, the softest voice he had heard in a moon, his life had been filled with nothing but shouting, screaming, crying. Than here he came, a soft voice that was illuminated by the sun that broke through the fronds that were draped over his den. He had always been like that, bright, he envied the tom from the shadows, from the depths of the Ocean. The burly tom took a second to let his fur flatten, licking his chest vigorously, hoping that maybe he'd also get rid of the stench in the air. "Cedarsprint." the words just fell out of his mouth, rolled off his tongue with ease. It was almost like a silent plea. He didn't look up, lapis hues burnt a hole in the den floor. He could smell it, the guilt, it made his blood boil, made him want to scream. He held his tongue and bit the inside of his cheek. Why? Because he knew that the tom wasn't wrong, that he was indeed, broken. He didn't want his friend to see him like this, the only tom who held even a sliver of his trust.

He knew what the warrior came in here for, and it made his stomach churn. Cedarsprint was the only one left, his parents are dead, his siblings rarely spoke with him, and his deputy his mourning the disappearance of Tumblestep and her dead kit. He was alone again. Yet, here was his childhood friend, throwing his well-being and safety away to go...research. It made him angry, made him want to lash out, made him want to tell the other that "You don't have to do it by yourself. Trust me every once in a while!" but he knew that they were just empty words coming from a hollow husk where a spirit once called home. He lifted his head slightly and looked up at the brown feline, lapis hues flickered beneath his lashes, the only light that had made itsef known in moons. "If you know, why are you still going?" he asked, his voice hoarse, as if something had been scratching at the walls of his throat. Maybe it was just the acid of the words he continuously swallowed down, or maybe it was the searing hatred that he screeched whenever he managed to choke up the words, the wrong words, but words nonetheless. "There's no point...we'll just deal with him when the time comes." he added seconds after. He wanted to say more, call him an idiot, tell him to cut it out, but before anymore words could come pouring from his mouth, he heard it, that twinging sound of regret that hung from the toms sentence. It made the ebony tom almost heave over, his stomach churning and twisting. He could deal with it, the pain of regret, the hatred, but he couldn't bear it if his former closest friend was going through the pain.

Fallenstar opened his maw, taking a few seconds to think about what to say, but he immediately closed it as the warrior spoke up. What he heard next sent a violent shiver down his spine and made him want to throw up. 'Cedar met with the first evil era leader. That's practically poking death with a stick.' He felt is fur fluff up and his claws dug into the nest messily planted beneath him. He didn't like this feeling, what was it? He had experienced it once before, but the face, the memory, it was blurry, her face was covered by a dark cloud. Panic. It clicked and he swung his head up to look at his companion, brows knit together, body language tense, fear flickered across his face. Cedarsprint was the last, thin thread of hope he had left to grasp onto, his saving grace. He sat there, rooted to the den floor, his eyes following the treading of the multi-colored warrior, unable to cough up a single thing. It scarred him, the early evil leader able to contact one of his clanmates, his childhood friend? The thought of it shook the burly feline to his core. The leader knew that the pair had grown distant, and honestly, he blamed himself, it was his fault, he pushed the other away, he tried to cut ties. He couldn't say anything, he didn't have the right to. He could feel the iron tickle his tongue, he was biting his cheek too hard. The leader leaned back as the warrior stopped his pacing and stood directly before him, making the toms fur fluff up. He was being weighted down by it, the sheer awkwardness that this meeting held, it hung over their heads like a tempest and refused to disappear. He hated it, that he couldn't say a single thing to ward it off, that all he could do was sit there like some scared kit and listen as his friend was talking of his findings in the Dark Forest. The next bit of information that was thrown up in the thick atmosphere, however, terrified the ebony tom. 'There's more than one of them?' That thought shook him to the core, it made him stand up and scrape his claws against the stone beneath them.

"What." it was practically inaudible, barely even a whisper. More chaos, more blood, more fighting than the clans had already been facing? What did they do to deserve this? His walls crumbled, and soon enough, so was he. Fallenstar shakily sat himself down and coiled his tail around himself once more. Maybe it was a comfort thing, for such a large tom to want to be so small when worried, scared. His strength, which had so many cracks in it, so many weak spots, was now nothing more than dust in the wind. His fake toughness, straight face, seriousness, it was all chucked off a cliff, left to sink to the bottom of the ocean. It must've been because the silent, soft sense of peacefulness that floated just below the sheer awkwardness, not that this was a peaceful topic they were speaking of. He couldn't explain it, everything that he spent moons building up seemed to crumble with the falling of a leaf whenever Cedarsprint was near, no matter how hard he tried. His gaze was locked onto the stone floor below, ears flat against his skull, body tense, claws scraping, clinging to anything they could. Yet, even though he was clearly worried, clearly...angry, he couldn't say a single thing, not a single coo, scream, cry, statement, shout, none of it, they choked him, refused to let themselves be known. It took a large amount of sheer force to barf out what was about to come out of his mouth, "The second your life is in danger, get out and never go back." it was more of a silent plea than a command, more of a hope than an order. It was laced with fear, but it wasn't purely fear for himself, or his clan, no, though he was terrified for them, it was also fear for Cedarsprint's safety. He didn't care if the tom had eternal life, that didn't mean getting clawed at didn't hurt.