Adderpaw
Determined ⋆ Loyal ⋆ Lawful Good ⋆ She/Her ⋆ Beefed Up T3
“One day I’ll be the greatest warrior of all the clans!”
@taillow
With that confession there was certainly a wrench thrown into the cogs in Adderpaw's thoughts. Sure other clan high ranks deserved low level respect themselves but did that put them above the rules about crossing the border. Adderpaw flicked her ears and hummed as she thought about all the implications of this action had, but if it was her right next to another clans high ranks what would she do? Certainly try to chase them off, and Adderpaw wasn't free of accidentally killing someone in a fight. Damn it all.
"Thank you for confessing to your crimes Dusklion. High ranks of other clans seem like they think that they can just trot onto our clans borders, hells Thunderclan seemed it fit to just walk into our camp TWICE and honestly we hardly did anything to punish them for such transgressions. I my stance still says the same anyways. Dusklion should stay as deputy but needs a punishment. If she didn't lose her cool Windclan would have one less reason to try and wipe us off the map."
Call her cruel call her callous, honestly this was going light on actions plunging them further into all out war. This action also seemed to spur the other clans to listen to Twi with could only be about raiding them. Hopefully at least Shadowclan would leave them alone. They had to fight minks recently, maybe their side was hurting enough and Dawn didn't care enough to kick down on a clan already in the pits she wouldn't join in. It was a bit sad she had some hope that Shadowclan leader would be less cruel than her leader but this is what it was.
Willowpaw leapt to her paws. "Don't let these fools bring you down Dusklion! You deserve to stay! If you wanted this and you got it, good for you. Nobody has the right to take it away from you, we all make mistakes and we all say wrong things at one point. We ourselves just have to live past it." With a harsh glare around her clan she mewed. "And others need to leave it alone to." Willowpaw padded to Stagheart, plopping down beside him with a tiny proud look
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"If this moment is our wave. Dont' be afraid, face it with more strength"
- ATEEZ, WAVE
lio lurked here
hope dropped a bundle of chocolates here
@/Beanz@/mars@/Merp Machine@/CrimsionOaks@/WCUEhoneyfur @/Hollyheart of thunder
I love Seonghwa to Mars and back. I love his smile, his laugh, his amazing genderless, sleek style. I love everything about this man and nobody can change my mind. Park Seonghwa my joy I love you <3
->> jayfrost <<-
[ he/him | riverclan | 27moons | burn baby burn ]
a tall, skinny, silver classic-tabby with well groomed short to medium length fur and icy blue eyes
CW: hes not doing well, fear, panic attack(???) ptsd (???)
- please no interaction with him unless your cat is aspenkit, marigoldkit, garlicfeather, goldfish, vm if i forgot anyone -
jayfrost wasnt sure which part of fadingsuns speech it was, but somewhere around the middle he found himself nearly shaking in fear, emotions switching from tired displeasure to blind eyed terror in a matter of seconds. all of the sudden he was more awake than ever, hyper aware of his surroundings and himself, his skin crawled at the itchy feeling of sand beneath his paws and in his fur. he whipped his head around, an unnaturally stiff motion, unsure what he was actually looking for, unable to catch up with his thoughts at all as he staggered over towards the familiar kit. perhaps he had been looking for goldfish or garlicfeather but the prospect of any of the kits witnessing what was to come was too much, his thoughts immediately went to the execution last meeting, fogmuzzles execution, the apprentice cutting out fogmuzzles tongue before they had properly stopped breathing, the blood trenched ground after the raid. his breath caught and he briefly felt like he was suffocating again, but it wasnt cold, he could feel the squeeze of his ribcage all the same but it wasnt snow pressing in on him. jayfrost stood, shaken and quietly gasping for breath irregularly for a moment, he wanted to give up, let himself sink to the ground and continue to shake and tremble. he wanted to just let himself turn into a puddle of nothingness and let the tears he couldnt dare reveal to anyone but an empty forest finally spill. the raid, both incidents and memories far more painful plagued him, he tried to focus on the kit as he took the last few steps necessary towards them.
he had composed himself enough to speak normally through the fear "marigoldkit, aspenkit, its late, to the den" he ordered, perhaps a slight tremble could be heard in his low voice, and perhaps one could recognise the unfocussed fear in his eyes. would they go without complaint, he would follow the kits to the nursery to ensure they stay. he had to speak to goldfish, garlicfeather, he couldnt do much but try to fight off another wave of panic at the thought of all the innocent kits, all the kits he couldnt protect.
Marigoldkit
She, Her\Kit\6 moons/Riverclan
"Keep your head up! You need to look at the world around you!"
· · ─────── ·· ─────── ·
Marigoldkit noticed a figure approaching the two of them. It was... Jayfrost! Oh boy, another friend! She must've willed one into existence! Oh but he didn't look nearly as well as she did. She looked over to the kit beside her as Jayfrost addressed them both with a trembling voice. Back into the nursery? Yeah, Marigoldkit figured that was going to happen, as least Jayfrost wasn't scolding them and yet... She found herself way more worried for Jayfrost. He looked sick with worry.
"I'll go," Marigoldkit respond as she rose to her paws. Her ears hurt from all the screaming in the clearing so I guess she heard enough. At least she knew something now. Cats murder and apparently it happened way more than she thought. "But, what about you? You don't look okay. Can't you come with us?" She offered, her white paws finding her way to his as he practically lowered over her.
Dusklion a murderer? If you counted Fogmuzzzle's death, then yeah, somecat could say that. But killing a deputy? That's what really changed everything for Owltalon.
She didn't feel groggily anymore, she didn't feel like crawling back into the warriors den to take a quick snooze, she felt like shaking somecat by the shoulders and demanding answers because what Fadingsun nad stated wasn't satisfying. It seemed that other cats agreed pointing out that this whole thing could've been a petty fabrication by Windclan. It wasn't though.
It was true.
Dusklion explained what happened. And since she was the cat who actually killed him she didn't feel sceptical about anything she shared. Owltalon knew how easy it was to kill, it was practically automatic, so she couldn't blame Dusklion. She didn't know. Yet, Owltalon couldn't hide the look of eerie betrayal and fear and confusion that slid onto her face as she looked from the deputy and the leader.
Oh stars. Oh goodness. It seemed as if they may never get out of their rut. But Dusklion was sorry, perhaps a word even more apologetic than sorry. She was already a fine deputy and warrior, she was already good at calling the shots. Owltalon saw no reason for her to be demoted.
With that, Owltalon stood to her multicoloured paws and faced the crowd of cats. "I say we don't demote this chap. She's a good commander, I wouldn't want any other cat in the position. But Fadingsun... I can't believe you'd group all these cats together like this." She had agreed with what many other cats had said about being classified in one bunch of cats. Fadingsun was doing what rival clans liked to do with their enemies, classify them with a single word and just assume the whole clan is bad. It kinda made sense when hearing it from another clan, they didn't live in Riverclan, they didn't know the amazing warriors that lived and died here everyday. But Fadingsun did. All that Owltalon could gather from that is Fadingsun saw them as the enemy now, Fadingsun, their leader, didn't want to have anything to do with them.
Her paws prickled with anticipation and a bit of distain. If she hadn't lowered her head or sat back down on her rump, Fadingsun would be getting a glare from her. She didn't want to look at him so horribly though, he probably just didn't know the affect of his words.
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❝Whatever will be, will be. Don't care what anyone else thinks.❞
-When You Grow Up, Your Heat Dies
[To keep things in timeline, this meeting is AFTER her kitting]
Goldfish had been resting when the meeting had been called. Her recent... disaster
had left her bone-tired and longing to move. But she knew she had to rest before
continuing her normal routine. She trudged, half-limping into the clearing, and heard
the leader speaking of Dusklion. A murderer. A force to be reckoned with. And perhaps
a cat that shouldn't be trusted. But then again, Goldfish couldn't bring herself to show
any dislike toward her whatsoever, whether that were for worse or for better. After all,
Dusklion helped the clan, did what she thought was right. Who didn't? Who didn't just
want to do what they thought was the right thing to complete? Not a single cat in this
clearing. Not a single cat who liked being in the clan, or tried their hardest. Even cats
who wanted to leave, as much as it made her overwhelmed with grief and dismay. The
scarred bicolor (queen? Warrior?) made her way closer to the center of the area before
briefly clearing her throat. She was given the opportunity, and she expected to take it,
whether she was unhealthy or not. Whether she should be sleeping (Oops) or not.
"Dusklion shouldn't be demoted." She announced suddenly. "All she's done is what
the rest of us have done, hasn't she? All we've done, or the ones who even try in this
clan, have done what we think is right for the good of the clan and the cats in it. All we
have done is try our hardest to help. All Dusklion has done is try to help the clan. Whether
it was a bad decision or not, hasn't she helped the clan, helped everyone in it so far?"
She didn't speak for a moment, then continued. "Dusklion deserves her rank. She's tried as
hard, harder than a lot of cats, to prove it. Isn't that enough? She wants to be deputy. She's
trying to be a good deputy. And she's good at it; she's really good at it. Has she not been
organizing patrols? Or going on patrols herself? Or been active in this clan? If you say no, your
head has been down a rabbit hole during the entirety of both Birdsnow's and Fadingsun's
leaderships. I respect her and everything she's done for Riverclan. I agree with you, for
better or for worse." Her eyes flashed as she recalled how Dusklion offered to help search
for Minkpaw. Even when the apprentice wasn't here, she still wanted to help her. It really
meant a lot to Goldfish and she wouldn't forget it soon. "And Dusklion deserves her rank.
Nobody in this clan deserves to be deputy more." She spared a glance at Jayfrost, wishing
she could read his thoughts.
._______._____._______.
| OPEN for response |
Oi this is sloppy
__________________
"Prepare for the horrors
This night will keep repeating over and over
And over
Until you make it to the end"
Chaos is yet to arrive
Paris, Alec, Bean, Glitch, Indy, XxGhostStarsxX, PeanutCash, Morrigan, Hollyheart, Dolomedes, and Marigoldwhisper all reside in here. They will never escape :>
Last edited by zBlaze; May 16th, 2024 at 06:36 AM.
With pricked ears and a nervous hope still fluttering around inside him,
the silver kitten turned his attention to Fade. The leader... didn't seem to calm, and
Springkit shuffled his paws a bit. Would this be like the last meeting? Would something similar happen again? He still had nightmares about the previous meeting and had noticed that everything about his mother seemed... tense... even though she'd tried to hide some of it, Springkit wasn't blind to how much of her usual spirit was gone.
Gathering? He wasn't allowed to go there yet - what had happened that he wasn't aware of?? His hopeful expression turned into a frown... and then in a pale, blank stare. No. No no no. Not murder. Please, stars, say I heard that wrong. Blue and yellow eyes searched the crowd, looking at his clanmates without actually seeing them until he found Dusky. He wanted her expression to be one of shock and maybe anger, disbelief at the lies her leader was spitting... But she wasn't defending herself... she wasn't being accused of something she hadn't done....
I trusted you.
He had made a conscious choice to place his faith in Dusky that time when he brought her the feather, he had hoped he wouldn't be proven wrong.
Tear-clouded eyes turned back towards the leader, trying to take in what else was being said, that Dusky- ehrm, Dusklion, would be demoted... but also that all of the clan was to blame for this. A shot of pain shook Springkit's whole body as he continued to stare at Fadingsun, still teary-eyed, and tried to swallow down the lump of guilt pressing in his chest. Had he done something? Yes, since everyone was being accused. Had Mother done something? He wasn't sure. Fadingsun did continue by saying that the youngest cats were not to blame, but Springkit didn't hear it, because the next word coming out of the leader's mouth seemed to boom over everything else that was said.
war.
A war was coming. Windclan, and probably the two other clans who also hated them, were going to attack. Springkit's thought from a previous meeting resurfaced, pictures of Windclan invading the camp, the question of where would be best to hide if... when they did. And Springkit knew that if someone tried to hurt him, Mother would be killed first since she would try and defend him, meaning they would probably both die. And who else would be killed? Springsight, Pebblesplash, Sunkit, Berrypaw Dusklion and Mistyshard? Apart from himself, how many of his clanmates would be gone by the time a war was over? ..did wars ever end?
The spiralling thoughts had drowned out whatever else Fadingsun had spoken about, and the next time the kit could fully understand what someone was saying was his other clanmates as a cacophony of shouted opinions filled the air like thick smoke forcing it's way into his lungs and blocking out the fresh air. Not again. Not another fight. Not more threats and shouting. Please.
Redwater shouted and Twigstep joined in with a scoff, redmire said something vaguely wise and reasonable, Birdsnow... Springkit blinked. Then blinked again. Then, with a cautious hope flickering in his gaze, looked around him. They are standing up for her. They are taking her side. They weren't fighting. They had loud opinions, sure. But they weren't fighting. And Dusklion... appolozied.
He couldn't speak for anything or anyone right now, he didn't have the energy, he could only wait for what the clan decided to do.
(Please note this is after the ongoing patrol, as Rainingpaw cannot teleport or clone her self.)
Rainingpaw nervously started to speak. Pride, anger, love, and hurt hit her like a wave. "This clan may be full of a lot of idiots", she mewed, "but all these idiots have a huge heart when it comes to what they love.", Rainingpaw looked up from her paws and continued, "I do not believe that Dusklion should be stripped of this rank she worked hard to earn, and I don't tolerate you putting down my clanmates and acting like we're impulsive thunderclanners". frankly she new that from watching as a pretty much pointless blood bath happened in their camp. "I say this with all DUE respect.", she finished.
Last edited by Yoshdo; May 16th, 2024 at 06:58 AM.
Reason: To make the word due bold to further show the attention that needs to be given to this word.
"Demotion." The word came out clear but controlled. Starlingflight narrowed her gaze, listening to the news this last Gathering had provided. She wasn't surprised by the ire that was revealed was pointed in their direction.
"We need a clean slate. A cat without blood on their paws, or a history of violence against this or the other Clans. Where can we find that in this Clan? I don't know. But for the sake of our future, to protect those to come from the repercussions of one cat's actions, this is the advice I give. How and why doesn't matter now. It happened, and it puts us all at a greater risk, which wasn't a thought in mind when claws came out and blood spilled." She let her eyes rest on Dusklion, "You are a strong and capable warrior, but your heart is not ready for this burden. You can support Fadingsun from the rank of Lionheart."
With a flick of her tail, Starlingflight listened around for the rest of the verdicts.
Mudsmoke quietly waited as his clanmates finally filtered into the clearing and sat down gathering around the Floodstone. Some, who had not gone to the gathering, were asking what had happened while others looked up at Fadingsuns in anticipation waiting to hear what he had to say. Mudsmoke found himself also waiting anxiously for what was to be said. after sitting quietly waiting, the events of the gathering had finally caught up to him in his brain. Things didn't look good for riverclan at all.
The moment Fadingsun began to speak, the first thing Mudsmoke noticed was that there didn't seem to be any anger in voice like expected just exhaustion. Mudsmoke pitied Fadingsun, it must be frustrating constantly dealing with mistakes and wrong doings of your clan. It would take time but mudsmoke truly believed that riverclan would get better, that they WERE getting better...just very slowly. He felt the fur along his back bristle at Fadingsuns next words. Blaming the entire clan!? Sure a few pawfuls of cats hadn't done the best for their clan and some made mistakes but blaming them and saying they're the reason this war was coming their way was out of line. He was even blaming the apprentices. Some cats were truly trying to fix this clan, maybe he himself wasn't the best but he wasn't actively trying to bring the downfall to riverclan! The thought made him feel sick.
He turned his head, his gaze scouting out Dusklion in the crowd, she looked miserable. Fadingsun wasn't going to demote her but leave it up to the clan to decide. Dusklion wasn't the most innocent cat here, she had many problems she had yet to deal with. At her deputy ceremony he was sure she was too change, now he doubted himself. It was true that they needed all their high ranks now more than ever but they couldn't have just any cat in their deputy position especially one who might have put them in this whole damn situation. A few warriors spoke out on her behalf, he wasn't quite sure he agreed with them. He did however agree with staghearts words, Dusklion deserved to atleast tell her side of the story, what kind clanmates would they be if the just blindly listened to another clans leader and believed it without question!? He would wait until he heard her words before he responded.
As Dusklion stood up and faced the clan it was clear what she was saying was the truth, she didn't even try to hide her expression. After hearing her words mudsmoke made up his mind. She made mistakes, but what cat didn't? She owned up to them and didn't try to put the blame of herself, she held herself accountable and took responsibility of her actions. In his opinion it was clear she loved her clan and that is what they need in their deputy. "I vote she stays deputy, she made a mistake and so do all of us. What is important is she took accountability for it. I believe that Dusklion will become a great deputy to riverclan." he said confidently.
->> jayfrost <<-
[ he/him | riverclan | 27moons | burn baby burn ]
a tall, skinny, silver classic-tabby with well groomed short to medium length fur and icy blue eyes
CW: hes not doing well, fear, panic attack(???) ptsd (???)
- please no interaction with him unless your cat is aspenkit, marigoldkit, garlicfeather, goldfish, vm if i forgot anyone -
jayfrost wasnt sure which part of fadingsuns speech it was, but somewhere around the middle he found himself nearly shaking in fear, emotions switching from tired displeasure to blind eyed terror in a matter of seconds. all of the sudden he was more awake than ever, hyper aware of his surroundings and himself, his skin crawled at the itchy feeling of sand beneath his paws and in his fur. he whipped his head around, an unnaturally stiff motion, unsure what he was actually looking for, unable to catch up with his thoughts at all as he staggered over towards the familiar kit. perhaps he had been looking for goldfish or garlicfeather but the prospect of any of the kits witnessing what was to come was too much, his thoughts immediately went to the execution last meeting, fogmuzzles execution, the apprentice cutting out fogmuzzles tongue before they had properly stopped breathing, the blood trenched ground after the raid. his breath caught and he briefly felt like he was suffocating again, but it wasnt cold, he could feel the squeeze of his ribcage all the same but it wasnt snow pressing in on him. jayfrost stood, shaken and quietly gasping for breath irregularly for a moment, he wanted to give up, let himself sink to the ground and continue to shake and tremble. he wanted to just let himself turn into a puddle of nothingness and let the tears he couldnt dare reveal to anyone but an empty forest finally spill. the raid, both incidents and memories far more painful plagued him, he tried to focus on the kit as he took the last few steps necessary towards them.
he had composed himself enough to speak normally through the fear "marigoldkit, aspenkit, its late, to the den" he ordered, perhaps a slight tremble could be heard in his low voice, and perhaps one could recognise the unfocussed fear in his eyes. would they go without complaint, he would follow the kits to the nursery to ensure they stay. he had to speak to goldfish, garlicfeather, he couldnt do much but try to fight off another wave of panic at the thought of all the innocent kits, all the kits he couldnt protect.
Aspenkit
he/him |4 moons | RC | Reckless, naturally energetic | a little fighter and future nuisance
He did start to notice marigoldkit's unease towards the clan meeting which confused him, then he heard her words. "kill our clanmates? That would never happen only if we had to!" he said reassuringly without knowing that his words weren't very reassuring at all actually. His ears twitched in the direction of Fadingsuns voice, oh! He had begun the meeting. Aspenkit turned to look up at the Floodstone excitedly, he wondered what would be said? Fadingsuns started speaking, speaking about some awful things that some of his clanmates had done. That didn't sound right, why would riverclan cats torture other clans apprentices for no reason? Fadingsun then said something about Dusklion being the killer of fallownose. Dusklion? Oh that was the deputy cat! Yes he remembers her, though it didn't sound like Fadingsun was very happy with her by his tone. Looking around it seemed no cat was actually happy with her too, how come? Wasn't the deputy someone important and who was fallownose anyway. Fadingsuns then went on to blame the whole clan and call them- pathetic?
The word rolled around in Aspen'kits head for a few moments before it finally registered. Huh? Wasn't riverclan the best clan? He was confused, why in starclans name would Fadingsun call his own clan pathetic. He was late to notice that a warrior, whom marigoldkit seemed to familiar with, had approached them. His words about returning to the nursery completely flew over his head. He wanted to stay, he wanted to hear what Dusklion had to say about this, as she stood up all heads turned in her direction. Aspenkit let out a frustrated hiss as he was ushered away from the clearing towards the nursery. Aspenkit strained his ears towards the meeting listening to what Dusklion had to say. She said some things that aspenkit didn't quite understand but from what he heard she had a right to kill fallownose, whoever they were, they had been spouting awful insults about his clan and they deserved what they got. Death.
He peered around the warrior who was kinda blocking his few from the meeting and watched as Dusklion addressed the clan stating that she would only be deputy if the clan wanted her to be. Scooting past Jayfrost but not quite leaving the warrior, he would return to the nursery as told after he had said what he wanted to say, he looked in the direction of Dusklion and stood proudly. "you should stay deputy! You're proud to be part of riverclan just like everyone else should, you deserve to stay your rank!" he declared loudly and with no doubt in his voice. He stood confidently not caring when a few eyes turned back to look at him. He felt proud of himself as if he had just said a magnificent and convincing speech, he liked Dusklion she sounded like a great riverclan cat because she was proud to be part of riverclan and had defended their honour against that stinky fallownobody. though he didn't know what a deputy exactly was, he was sure Dusklion deserved the position. Having said what he wanted to he turned back to Jayfrost and marigoldkit, "ok we can go to the nursery now" he responded quietly as tried to push Jayfrost in that direction aswell.
As Rosehawk wrapped her tail around Cobs and seemed to understand what Dusklion was asking, the deputy felt grateful. Even though her words were false, the small dark tabby appreciated the sentiment. It was a clear sign that not every cat in the Clan hated her, but two voices out of the many were still too quiet for her chaotic mind to hear. She was going to be demoted, she knew. Fades believes Twilightstar. Believed that she would cross the border. Hadn't defended her in the slightest - in fact, had left her on the stones without so much as a brush of his tail or a bump of his shoulder. It made her feel... defeated.
Turning her gaze now as her brother began to speak, she could see how clearly he was hurting. Disappointment, that's what she was. She was a disappointment to him and right about now the dark tabby knew he was regretting asking her to be his deputy. Tears stung at her eyes but Dusklion refused to let them fall. Instead she sat up straighter and watched him.
A frown deepened on her face as Fades did nothing short of lay into them. It hurt her heart to hear this, and if she wasn't so heartbroken by his lack of defense for her she would've found herself angry. Because how dare he blame every cat. The apprentices. The kits. Those who were genuinely trying to bring this Clan back up to what it once was. How dare he lay the blame for her actions on anyone but hers. Fallownose's blood dripped from hers and hers alone - she would make sure the Clan knew it.
How could he say those things about RiverClan? About their home? Yeah, they were in a predicament, and yeah Dusklion knew that warriors represented the Clan - but that was something to say in the face of other leaders, not in the privacy of their own home. More and more her brother's actions had been confusing her. If only she hadn't messed up, and if only she wasn't about to get demoted, she could stay and show him there was a better way. Ruling with a tight claw was good, because RiverClan needed stability. Ruling with a bloody claw... that did no one any good.
Dusklion winced as he called the Clan pathetic. Her automatic love and loyalty had a small growl rumbling in her throat, but it quickly died out. Heart hammering fast in her chest it was becoming clear; he wasn't planning on demoting her. Why? She had been so sure. He hadn't defended her, hadn't said a single word to her on the way back. She couldn't help but figure that this was some sick, cruel, and twisted way of getting back at her. Their heart-to-heart had meant nothing, and it seemed that now he wasn't going to be the one to demote her - he was going to let the Clan she loved more than her own life do it themselves.
Suddenly, the idea of living in a world without her brother didn't hurt as much. It still made her stick to even entertain, though.
His words of encouragement meant little now as Dusk felt her heart break in her chest. They felt like claws to her face, dirt and grass rubbed in a fatal wound that Dusklion knew would be what took her out. She didn't bother to hide the despair from her gaze, the sadness and grief. The... betrayal she felt. Had she murdered Fallownose? Yes. Had it been an accident? Yes. But as far as she figured her brother was concerned, Dusklion might as well have marched directly into WindClan's camp and slaughtered the deputy in his nest.
Then her brother stopped speaking, and the Clan fell into silence. The first voice to speak was a loud one - and it was calling for her exile. Dusklion winced, turning to look at Redwater. The first of many. Someone had to cast the first stone. She gave no words, but simply nodded. The cats who stayed silent she figured must agree with Redwater.
But then... then a voice started, and it was Redmire. Dusklion looked over, unable to hide the shock from her face. She shared part of the deputy's thoughts - in how Fades had took Twilightstar's word as truth without so much as a single word in her defense. And she wanted her to remain as the Clan's deputy. It would've warmed her heart if she didn't feel so rotten over the fact that Twilightstar had been right about one thing; she had killed Fallownose.
Duskleaf was next, and his words started to reignite the little spark that had gone out. She had truly thought that this entire Clan hated her - could she have been wrong? Despite her mistakes, was she really worth defending? Dusk's gaze then flickered over to Talonpaw. She had never known the young tom to be happy over much outside of his mentor, Starlingflight, so his words came as a shock too. Birdsnow... stars, the guilt was still there with that one. Dusk wouldn't retract her statements on how poorly their former leader had acted before getting sick, but she was still here, and still trying despite her sickness. She hadn't run away or fled or tried to hide. That alone drew respect from the deputy.
Despite hearing the nickname she called her brother - one that felt so odd to hear other cats use - Dusklion couldn't help but feel gratitude towards Rainpaw. She had thought for sure the apprentice hated her because of the harsh words she had spoken of his mentor, but it seemed once again she had been wrong. Stagheart was next in the target of her shifting gaze, and he was the first cat to ask to hear her side. It... made her want to cry. Not out of sadness, but out of relief that there was at least a single cat who wanted to hear her side of the story. Along with Redmire, and Talonpaw, and the others who had spoken in her defense, he didn't jump to conclusions. He wanted to see what she had to say, much unlike her brother. The whiplash... well, she could dig through it later.
Springburst seemed pissed at her brother and built off of what Redmire had started; there was no use in blaming the whole Clan for the transgressions of the few. Adderpaw seemed to be thinking exactly what Dusklion had at the gathering - that Fades blunt encouragement of violence at the Clan meeting must've had some sort of play in the warriors that had tortured Twistedpaw. Yeah, regardless of this outcome she needed to have a talk with her brother. This was not the cat she knew. She knew that they'd had to kill to survive while out on their own, but torture... Dusk had never envisioned either of them to be the type of cats that promoted that. She never wanted to. The punishment idea at the end would've had her snorting in laughter if she wasn't trying to formulate what her response to all this would be.
Her ear caught the sounds of Jayfrost rounding up the kits currently present - Marigoldkit, Aspenkit - and she made a silent reminder to thank him later. She didn't expect this meeting to end in bloodshed, because if her brother tried to make a show of executing some cat like last time, unless they blatantly wished for the death of an apprentice - she would stop him.
Finally, in a moment of silence, Dusklion rose to her paws. Trusting that Cobs would be fine with Rosehawk she padded forward. The small dark tabby made her way through the crowd until she stood at the base of the Floodstone. For a moment, the RiverClan deputy simply faced it. She stared at the smooth surface, relishing in the last time of her being here. Standing here. Facing the Clan and cats she loved, despite this hole they'd gotten themselves into. A single tear fell from her eye and rolled down her cheek, but she made sure no more were visible as she turned to face her Clan.
"Twilightstar was right." Best to not beat around the bush. "I was out near Sedgewater Valley when I caught sight of Fallownose. He was alone, walkin' along the border - he was on the border - so I challenged him like I would any other outsider who was too close to our borders. I made sure he knew he couldn't just get that close, 'n told him to back up. He didn't, 'n instead started draggin' RiverClan's name through the mud. He started hissin' 'n spittin' vile words, 'bout me, 'n about this Clan. I... I snapped. I love this Clan, more than anythin', 'n hearin' what the other Clans have to say about us, what he had to say... yeah, I attacked him. I wanted him to back off our border, especially after the stunt WindClan had pulled a few seasons ago when we were stranded in Lions- Rugged Range with nowhere to go. I knew I was outmatched, 'n that he'd likely leave me for dead - but I struck a claw out, 'n he didn't seem to... fight back like I expected. Before I knew it, he was bleedin' out on the border..."
Stand tall. Stand strong. Finish this, no matter the outcome. "I was wrong. I was reckless, 'n I was stupid, 'n I know that. Trust me, I've begged the stars to take it back. I've carried the guilt from leavin' him to die ever since that day. It may not seem like it, but I don't find joy in killin' cats. But I'll do it to protect my home, my Clanmates." Part of Dusklion didn't even know where she was going with this. But she had never been afraid to face her Clan. "'N I wanna make one thing clear." A sideways glance up towards her brother, the briefest flashes of disappointment, before it found the Clan once more, "Fallownose's death is my crime, 'n mine alone. I agree that we've dug ourselves into a hole - 'n that I've contributed to that - but there are cats here who have 'n continue to work their tails off to make sure we climb out. RiverClan sees you, 'n RiverClan will thrive because that hope, 'n that determination, will always outweigh those who try 'n bring us down." That, she firmly believed.
Now, for the decision.
"I've made mistakes. I'm not perfect - never will be. But... stars dammit, I care about this Clan. I care about my Clanmates, 'n I've never loved anything like I love RiverClan. Ever since the day I was brought into this Clan at twelve moons old with my brother, I knew it was my home. I knew I would spend the rest of my days servin' RiverClan. I made it my goal to one day be this Clan's deputy the first day my paws hit the sand, 'n eventually its leader. I've worked hard, 'n... I like to think I've started to make a difference." A breath out. "But I know I've made mistakes. I know I've put us in a bad position, 'n added onto the reason that the other Clans see us as nothin' more than rogues. So I want the decision to rest with you. Not Fades. Not myself; you. The Clan will decide if I'm to remain its deputy. Now that you've heard my side of things, 'n it's all laid out, I will do whatever the Clan thinks is best." Heartbroken, because despite everything, she knew the outcome. She tried her best to hide it though.
"If you want me to continue servin' as your deputy, say so. If you'd rather see me demoted, say so. This isn't a decision I or my brother can make; it rests with RiverClan. Because as much as we need stability, I know we also need high ranks we can trust to get the job done. So... I leave it to you all." Exhausted. Dusklion did her best to hide the exhaustion from her eyes - the lack of sleeping, of eating, of all of it. She stood tall, unwavering as she laid her fate in the paws of her Clanmates.
[ i know everyone's getting tired of clan mentions so i sincerely apologize - but feel free to have your character either speak about keeping dusklion in her position or removing her. this will have an impact on whether or not she remains. ]
Grimpaw, Skyfall, Crowglow and Dogpaw all cheered for Dusklion to stay.
"LET HER STAY, SHE DESERVES HER RANK!" They all yowled in unison before Grimpaw suddenly whispered something that made Skyfall go into a slightly embarrassed mood.
"And I think Skyfall has a crush on Dusklion." Grimpaw had mumbled.
very large & muscular light brown tabby tom with stark greenish-blue eyes and a torn ear; beefed up tier 1
[ riverclan warrior | tomcat | 50 moons | gruff & battle-hardened, yet thoughtful; loyal to a fault ]
—
Stagheart was quiet in thought for awhile; as Dusklion made her confession, he watched her carefully, noting every shift in expression, the watery eyes, the conviction in her voice as she spoke of RiverClan's state. Despite his discouragement at hearing that it was true, he noticed something else; her love for the Clan was clear, her dedication apparent. She knew what she'd done was wrong, and by the look of her slightly-haggard appearance (how skinny she seemed to have gotten, the lack of sleep in her hollow eyes, he noted), she was already torturing herself enough.
Narrowing his eyes as his mind continued to ponder, he heard his Clanmates speak up once more. Starlingflight's stood out to him — he'd always respected her opinion as a warrior, and he understood the sentiment behind her words. He'd also been raised to trust in the integrity of the Clan, the warrior code, the will of StarClan — and most of him agreed with her... in an ideal world. And unfortunately, this wasn't ideal.
Mudsmoke's comment stood out to him as well, making an important point — she had taken accountability. Sure, it was a bit overdue from whenever the incident first happened, but there had hardly been a moment's pause in this Clan's tumultuous history these past moons to even breathe, let alone lay down a confession like that.
This Clan was far from being able to request ideal candidates — they had to make do with what they had. And, despite her blunder, Stagheart reckoned Dusklion was a damn good option to have to 'make do' with.
He looked down and offered a half-smile at Willowpaw, grateful to hear his apprentice's support as well. The fact that she had such a spark in her helped rejuvenate him a bit, too — knowing that there was young life burning like a fire in this Clan. A whole new generation coming in to feed the flames of RiverClan's revival. That was enough to get him to his paws to speak once again.
Straightening up, he cleared his throat and let his deep voice raise once more when there was a lull after the last Clanmate spoke. "...She's confessed. Like Mudsmoke said, she's taken accountability — somethin' a whole lot of us struggle with. She ain't a killer in the true sense — just someone who was pushed too far. She's real sorry, y'can see that much. And it's clear she loves RiverClan with every bone in her body — she'd give her life for it, no doubt."
He briefly glanced at Starlingflight. "I get what you're sayin', Starlin'flight, but... we ain't in a position to be searchin' for righteousness, as much as we'd like to have it. I don't think none of us can say we'd do much better as deputy, nor could we all say we'd be able to hold in our anger if a cat from another Clan was belittlin' us 'n our entire Clan while steppin' right on the border. That itself is an invitation to attack, 'specially if she warned 'im. Even if she lost her cool... look at 'er. She's sufferin' for it everyday. 'N with WindClan at our heels, tryin' to get the other Clans in on us — we need all the strength we've got."
He hoped the words didn't come off as condescending to his Clanmate — really, he just wanted to point out the flipside of her words. That being said, his gruff tone didn't always convey the way he wanted; sometimes he came off a lot rougher than he meant, despite his relatively abrasive nature. But it was what it was.
With that he returned his gaze to Dusklion, saying firmly, "I've seen ya do much more for this Clan than most, 'n I'd trust ya with my life if it came down to it. Your loyalty 'n love for this Clan despite what it's become gives me hope that our leadership is headin' in the right direction, one pained step at a time... so I'd vote that you're stayin' right where ya are."
He paused for a moment, then added to his Clanmates in a quieter voice, "...We can't change the past. We can only move on."
The large warrior then sat back down, curling his tail over his paws.
Re: RiverClan Floodstone
Re: RiverClan Floodstone
all toasters need some bread and all bread needs to be toasted 
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