The colossal yet quiet feline had been shouldering his way out of the elder's den when it happened. When everything broke into chaos. A dead body - he would carry it to Starry Meadows later, he always did - and accusations thrown to the wind. Everyone seemed to be out for blood. For WindClan blood. The sight confounded Snowybreeze, unable to grasp why a clan who was usually so quiet and united now looked like it was in the brink of dissolving itself. Warriors and apprentices alike - Berryfrost's apprentice, he realized with a pang - calling for the medicine cats' blood. Some called for Lightningstorm, others for both... but why?
There was a plague surrounding WindClan. The sickness had taken his beloved Berryfrost away. Were the cats here seriously believing ThunderClan's lies? That there was no sickness, but poison? The gentle giant had been there last night. Seen the aloof, indifferent coolness of the ThunderClan leader as she spoke of WindClan's troubles. And yet instead of casting suspicions on ThunderClan, on the potential for a stray traitor or maybe even that one deserter from the last meeting... who had it been... Willow... something? He had been at the nursery when she had betrayed the clan for ThunderClan, but even he had heard of the news. Wasn't it plausible she had made up something to tell the ThunderClan leader and Bumblestar was now using that to let WindClan know they were weakened? It wouldn't be smart for the traitor to say there was a plague, no one in their right mind would bring in a potentially sick cat to their clan... but if she had claimed it was poison...
As usual, it seemed like Snowybreeze was wrong. He was always wrong. This was why he didn't speak. Didn't give his opinion. Because the others always knew better. Twilightstar had burst out of the medicine cat's den with an exhausted, defeated looking Lightningstorm in tow, and had confirmed the clan's fears. Poison. Deathberries. The youngest of the healers had stared in horror at the newest victim, seemingly deaf to the accusations being thrown her way, her mouth open and closing as if her world was crumbling apart. He knew that feeling. Had just felt it not too long ago when his mate had died. And it made sense, he supposed. Cowtuft now seemed to be a potential suspect, and with how openly the spotted she-cat loved the giant healer, he could understand the sorrow that must be crushing her heart.
The pale warrior frowned, deep in thought. If it was poison though... why now? What had changed? Cowtuft had always taken care of the clan. There had never been deaths like these. Not unless one counted the... the snow fever. How many cats had died swiftly then? Even he had gotten sick. And the herbs had done nothing to help. Not until Cowtuft and Lightningstorm - well... Lightningpaw back then - had brought back the cure for everyone.
Could... could it have been a lie back then too? Could there have been no plague? It had been the same. An illness in which Cowtuft called for volunteers to help, and cats just dropped dead. Until it stopped. Did the roses even do anything at all, or had it been a side effect of no longer being fed the poison? Snowybreeze couldn't tell, and without proof to backup his paranoid suspicions, he didn't speak up. Couldn't speak up. Because it was a horrible thing to think, and no matter what, he preferred not to believe so. Because if it was true, Cowtuft had... Cowtuft had purposefully killed his beloved... and that was too much for his heart to bear.
Shaking his head, the Maine Coon mix caught sight of Whisperingpaw once more. His once bristling fur lay flat now, but the pain and grief was still clear on his face. The same pain and grief that consumed him ever since that fateful day. When - Cowtuft had killed - Berryfrost had died. When the - poison - plague had taken her. Knowing his beloved would have never wanted to see her apprentice in such sorrow and anguish, the tom padded towards him, silently sitting besides the apprentice and attempting to wrap his tail around him in a comforting motion.
"Berryfrost. Would not want. The call. For violence. Not. In her name," he offered sadly, offering a half hearted, pained smile of his own to the younger tom as he spoke.
Whisperingpaw dug his claws into the ground, trembling softly as he watched more of the arguing. Stempaw had calmed him down. 'I'll thank him for that later..' He thought, a small, grateful smile shown on his face for a moment before turning into grief and pain once more. Then Twilightstar spoke and explained the deaths. 'Poison..? They poisoned her?!' Whisperingpaw thought angrily, his fur bushing up again.
So many arguments... So much yelling.. He could understand what was happening anymore. Too loud, too loud, too loud! Whisperingpaw trembled again. He was too young for this.. Too young for this pain and loss. Why, why, why, why?! 'WHY DID STARCLAN GIVE ME THIS LIFE?' The shaken apprentice thought with a sob. He felt a tail wrap around him softly. "Leopardsong..?" He murmered hopefully, looking up to whoever it was. It was Snowybreeze. Berryfrost's...Father? He didn't know. "I'm sorry..." Whisperingpaw said to the warrior, leaning into their fur for comfort. "Why does everyone have to leave me? Why does everyone have to leave?" His voice cracked as his breathing started to get heavy and deep. 'Why am I always alone?'
Redpaw watched silently as the cats bickered amongst themselves with an annoyed twitch of her tail. Of all times they could be arguing, why now? She looked over toward Whisperingpaw and tilted her head, she didn't expect a single apprentice to be able to spark so much fear for their healer. She could even call herself a bit impressed. She quickly shook herself off and looked down at the Sweetkit.
The fur along her shoulders bristled slightly, a kit shouldn't have to see this nor hear her clanmates arguing like this. "Hey, if you don't want to listen to this I can take you back to the nursery." Redpaw mewed with a soft tone of voice. She looked over toward Twilightstar, a beam of relief spreading through her, hopefully, she could get through to the rest of the clan.
*-Sweetkit-*
she/her // 5 moons brown masked tabby with a white chest
"But-" Sweetkit tries to protest. She'd made the choice to be here, she wanted to hear what was going on. Was that wrong? Was she not allowed to do that? "But they're being means to Cowtufts... He wouldn't kills anycat, he wouldn'ts!" Eyes, starting to shimmer with tears look at the apprentice hopefully, searching for any sort of confirmation in her gaze. She only saw uncertainty. It was scary. Still, she wanted to stay, so she just shook her head at Redpaw curled up next to the body of Leafspot. This cat did not deserve to have the clan arguing over his dead body. Sweetkit would stay with him, she would comfort him on his journey to StarClan, even if the rest of WindClan would have done so.
*-Sweetkit-*
she/her // 5 moons brown masked tabby with a white chest
"But-" Sweetkit tries to protest. She'd made the choice to be here, she wanted to hear what was going on. Was that wrong? Was she not allowed to do that? "But they're being means to Cowtufts... He wouldn't kills anycat, he wouldn'ts!" Eyes, starting to shimmer with tears look at the apprentice hopefully, searching for any sort of confirmation in her gaze. She only saw uncertainty. It was scary. Still, she wanted to stay, so she just shook her head at Redpaw curled up next to the body of Leafspot. This cat did not deserve to have the clan arguing over his dead body. Sweetkit would stay with him, she would comfort him on his journey to StarClan, even if the rest of WindClan would have done so.
Basilthroat
They/He~Windclan~24 Moons
"I don't need the world to see
That I've been the best I can be"
Feeling terrible for the little one he came over. Curling his tan tail around Sweetkit. "Everything's gonna be alright little one" he reassured Sweetkit. Basilthroat lowered his head a little hopelessly "Im sorry you have to see this" his voice was hoarse from the yellow along with his tears.
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★☆"There is no show without an Audience!"☆★
Gentlecrab is Beachclan's Medicine cat, pearl has a semi-open den policy
Please use tone tags when speaking to me Character website Commisions
Mintpaw cried, wanting to say something but glow couldn't. Glow would not allow Cowtuft or Lightingstorm to be exiled, Mintpaw felt more sad by the medicine cats than the dead cat in front of glow. Glow would never allow the exile of the cats who helped glow during kithood.
@Moonraven
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Mintpaw - Mind Reader [Active]
I'm a proud Reality Shifter, and I made a thread in general board for it. Reality Shifters United
Bravebird
She/her | 41 moons | Beefed Up T3 • One with the Warren
There was much erupting around her, but Bravebird kept her steady gaze on Hawkfur. She didn't like the way her heart was pounding and the way she felt as if ants were crawling through her fur. Feeling doubtful and second-guessing herself was not something she ever did - she was a warrior for stars sake! Not some fresh out of the nursery apprentice!
Taking a breath to steady herself she closed her eyes as her Clanmate approached, his nose to her cheek acting as a grounding of sorts. Brave let herself fall back into taking a seat, leaning against Hawkfur. Confusion warped her thoughts and twisted any words that had the chance of being spoken. Peachfrost flashed across her mind, followed by anger and confusion. She had known her sister to be a good and loyal warrior, but her accusations... Now though, as Twilightstar revealed that deathberries had been found in the medicine den...
"I feel like everything that I knew growing up in WindClan just got flipped on its head," she murmured to Hawkfur as she opened her eyes, looking out at the crowd. Loud voices and accusations flew across, and for once in a rare moment Brave had no desire to join in. Instead she kept her gaze trained on her leader, the one cat who her trust in would never waver. She had found that whenever her head floated too far up into the clouds of misjudgment, Twilightstar was there to speak anchoring words of reason. And she did, what she said made sense.
Eyes flickered to Firestorm, who stood valiantly by the entrance. She admired her tenacity and spark, the willingness to defend her love friend from personal insecurities masquerading as accusations from the majority of WindClan. A few others proposed that Cowtuft shouldn't be punished, but the rest of it fell to deaf ears. She knew she should speak up, offer her opinion like Hawkfur and Poppysong and Firestorm and Scorchedfang and Crowtooth and several others but...
For once, the normally outspoken warrior had nothing to say.
But that wouldn't do as a seasoned warrior. With no will left to argue, Bravebird leaned against Hawkfur and let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. There was nothing left to say as they all waited for Cowtuft to appear, to explain why in the stars another cat was dead. She was holding onto the hope that in a last ditch effort the true culprit would reveal themselves and she could stop this festering hate she felt in her gut towards the senior medicine cat.
There was something she could do for her Clan though, while they all sat around and debated the innocence of a cat Brave never thought would be on trial, let alone for this. Standing on shaky paws, she called, "I can take Leafspots body to be buried." to Twilightstar. In the midst of this chaos, she didn't want the fallen warrior to be forgotten. Whatever would happen to Cowtuft would not be up to her to decide; making sure a Clanmate was put in their final resting place, however, was something she could control.
Every cat opening their mouths was stressful enough, but now with Twilightstar’s intervention between it all, it didn’t help much if at all. Driftingsoul scoffed at first, gathering their thoughts peacefully before speaking up. Anyone who disagreed could eat some rocks (especially since most of them were children and they knew nothing about accusations like this most of the time). The shecat weaves through the crowd to try and at least be face to face with the older leader.
Her voice was gentle, softer than they expected the words to come out. “Twilightstar,” Trying to grab the attention of the lilac cat somewhat. “If I recall correctly, we’ve lost more than three or four cats to this deathberry-poison but if it’s not Cowtuft then who could it be? Lightningstorm, as Softsong stated, has no motive to just start killing other cats...” Driftingsoul paused to collect her thoughts for a moment. “You holding Cowtuft accountable is great, but what we probably want is immediate action. Not simply sitting around and waiting for another Leafspot or Berryfrost, cats have lost children, friends and family to the herbs, the herbs that Cowtuft is in charge of making sure are safe for our clan. Lightningstorm isn’t excused of this charge either but if I had anyone to take action on, it would be Cowtuft,”
Driftingsoul steps back, directly after she finishes speaking. The young warrior nods swiftly and returns to where they had been previously, a bit away from the center. Bravebird caught their attention, a senior warrior in the clan. Her offer to take the body sparked something within the cat. Driftingsoul attempts to pad a bit closer to the other cat, giving the same offer as Bravebird did. “I can aid in taking Leafspot’s body with Bravebird…” Driftingsoul’s head turns to the older cat, a faint look of sympathy crosses their face before it returns to a more awkward expression. Just force yourself into everything why don’t you…
*-Lichenpaw-* 101/100
she/her || 11moons small and scruffy calico with one blinding eye CW: brief discussion of panic attack like symptoms
Happily carrying her catch back into camp, Lichenpaw is momentarily curious about the shouting and raised voices she can hear even before she pokes her way back into the clearing. Did something happen while she was hunting? Weird. Anyway... keeping her ear perked to listen, the apprentice wanders her way over to the prey pile and deposits her rabbit there.
Someone died? Just keeled over dead after going to see Cowtuft... huh. That was... unsettling. How many deaths was this now that had something to do with the senior medicine cat? Six? Seven? Anxiety ripples its way up her spine and it's uncomfortable - she's not used to feeling anxious. But - the medicine cats wouldn't do something like this on purpose... would they? It doesn't make sense, doesn't slot neatly into her brain like the things she knows are true - a square peg shoved into a round hole, so to speak.
Part of her, a dangerous, angry and violent part, wants to sink claws into the medicine cats and demand answers, demand an explanation for all this death and not let go until they tell her the truth, because they have to know something about it, right? ...right? 'Death berries...' she hears someone whisper and sucks in a breath because why would there be a supply of death berries in WindClan's herb stores? Ears flat, blue eye drifting to Cowtuft in the crowd, she tries to search his face for an explanation, anything he has to say that would be a good answer, anything that would absolve him and Lightningstorm of any and all blame.
'Are these deaths targeted? Do they want me dead too?' Her brain wonders, and, oh, there's the bone chilling shiver up her spine again and it's not the chill or the snow anymore, it's an emotion she isn't very well acquainted with. It's fear. Cold, unfeeling, oppressive, fear. Skeletal paws gripping at her neck, trying to stop her from breathing. She's lightheaded and it takes a minute for her to get a grip over herself again. She's done nothing to warrant the ire of either medicine cat, she tries to remind herself, pleading with her mind to think this through rationally, and, slowly, the cold skeletal paws of fear recede and she can breathe again.
"Surely Cowtuft didn't do this on purpose!" Lichen says, unsure who she's really talking to, more-so just speaking into the mass of cats, "he would have known poisoning the herbs in his own stores would lead the blame right to him and Lightningstorm! Sure, punish him for his negligence, for not realizing sooner, for the fact that they kept death berries in the first place - but this isn't- he wouldn't- this isn't his fault! Surely... surely it's not their fault... right?"
Please someone tell her she's right and they didn't do this on purpose... please anyone say she's right!
Coming in late to the meeting, Lilacpaw seemed surprised by the news. There's no way cowtuft would do anything like that at all... She tilted her head in thought. Would there really be a punishment for missing something like that? For the moment, she would keep her mouth shut to see what everyone else thought.
Redpaw stared down at the kit, pity and even some respect in her gaze. Even with all the warriors yelling around her and a dead body right in front of her the kit still wanted to stay. She glanced over at Basilthroat, hoping the warrior could help reassure the kit before she turned and looked up at Twilightstar. Foulplay, that's the conclusion she'd come down to, if the old medicine cat really wanted them dead couldn't Cowtuft shout nonsense about some new disease, give them all poisoned herbs, and be done with it? Kill them all with one swoop? Well unless the deaths were motivated, well crap now that was a whole new thing she'd have to think about. Why must things be so difficult?
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"Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go."
Re: WindClan Clearing
