WindClan Clearing

[IDIOTICBEAN101]

Leopardpaw-She/Her
8 Moons
PURRKS
Chill of Death-Not Active


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"Oh, no I didn't mean that!" Leopardpaw corrected kindly "I meant, like, you'll get the best training ever, cause, who's better than the leader of WindClan herself, right?"
She hadn't met any harm or anything, it was clear that she was overly enthusiastic about everything.


@isla

[TheRedWyvern]

Originally Posted by Rustleaf

Willowpaw padded into the clearing.
She wasn’t really sure how to personally address the clan leader, so she settled for, “Twilightstar! Could you please come here?” that sounded good, and she added, “there’s someone here to see you!”
@TheRedWyvern @Moonraven

A small orange cat was standing next to Willowpaw. Its damp fur was sticking to its body, making its ribs visible. He tucked his tail low.
“Uhh Willowpaw, do you have some rituals or something to do in front of your leader?” whispered the kit with a shaky voice. He looked around the clearing. “And why is everyone looking at me?” He added.

{ @Rustleaf || @Moonraven }

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

~ TWISTEDPAW OF WINDCLAN ~

AFAB | SHE/HER | APPRENTICE | 17 MOONS | NO PURRKS

Small, skinny, black she-cat with a light gray belly and tail-tip, a mangled tail, a crooked jaw, and one blind eye.

As soon as the final words forced their way out of Twistedpaw's mouth, a silence descended on the clearing. Nothing moved. Nobody spoke. Not even the grass rustled. All she could hear was the rapid pounding of her heart as it rose into her throat. The silence didn't feel real; hardly any of this felt real. She kept seesawing between acceptance and denial, understanding and confusion. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend this wasn't happening, that Wolffang wasn't dead and that he hadn't sacrificed himself for her.

But that thought ended the silence and thrust her back into reality.

A wheezing noise turned Twistedpaw's attention to Crowtooth. She stared at him, concerned, unsure of what to do. Then she realized... he was laughing. She stared at him like a kit who'd just gone outside for the first time, frozen and in awe, but not in a good way. How can he be laughing?! This wasn't funny. None of this was funny.

Then she saw the way Crowtooth looked at Twilightstar, the desperation that shadowed his mismatched eyes. Then his rambling, raspy voice filled the air, making Twistedpaw feel dizzy. A coyote... So that was what had... what Rosebriar had...

He's not dead?

Twistedpaw kept staring at Crowtooth, astonished. Had the tunneller really just said that? He was insisting that Wolffang was too strong, that a coyote couldn't have killed him. But... it was so huge, and vicious... Unwillingly, she remembered the power in its large body as it flung her aside and how easily its jaws had torn through Wolffang's flesh.

Crowtooth's words, tinged with desperation, now made her feel sick. He'd been pinned. Bleeding badly. She'd expected the group surrounding her to break down in grief and mourning, but it seemed she was wrong. She wasn't sure which was worse: grief or denial. Maybe it was denial. Because Twistedpaw knew what she saw - or didn't see - and the cats around her, the adults who had been so supportive, refused to believe it.

Fresh tears were already beginning to burn in her mismatched eyes when Lichenpaw added her voice to the prayers of life. But this one was worse as the younger apprentice begged Twistedpaw to do the impossible: lie. Tell her that Wolffang wasn't really dead. She really felt like she's on the verge of breaking down now, trembling harder as more tears streamed down her face.

Why... why couldn't they shut up and accept it? Accept that Wolffang was dead? That he died... trying to save me?

She flinched away from Lichenpaw, shaking harder now, feeling on the verge of passing out. She needed to tell them, to explain... but a sob was all that came out when she opened her mouth. Besides, how could she? The thought of making them all feel worse was too much to bear.

Twistedpaw looked at Batglare desperately. He was always honest and gruff. Couldn't he tell everyone to shut their traps? But he remained silent, not moving. Twistedpaw shut her eyes tightly. Try to breathe... She had to stay here, stay present. She'd spent so much of her life being the one who always broke down. Now... now she had to be strong for these cats, one younger, one older, both refusing to accept what she knew so painfully.

Twilightstar's voice broke into the din, thank StarClan, down to business as usual as she partially organized the patrol. Looking at her, the black apprentice was surprised at how neutral her expression was... that is, until she saw the grief glinting in her emerald-green eye. Twistedpaw felt a sudden rush of pity that briefly drowned out the painful caucus. Twilightstar's seen so many cats die. She must have, as a leader. Twistedpaw wasn't fully aware of what she was doing; her paws moved her forward. Then, sniffling, she moved to push her nose into Twilightstar's fur and give her short fur a lick, her tongue grating over the surface of her many scars.

She pulled back at Twilightstar's voice. Normally, she would've worried that she'd broken some kind of boundary, but caught up in the shock and pain of the moment, she didn't care. Twistedpaw sniffled and swallowed, trying to make her stiff jaw good enough to speak with. "I... it was..." She glanced at Batglare and took a deep breath, grounding herself.

How perfect the day had seemed.

Until... until Rosebriar came and ruined it all.

A sudden rush of anger rushed through the small she-cat, but she stayed on her paws, letting it sharpen her mind and focus her senses.

"It was near a training spot. Open ground with a few surrounding trees to provide some shade. From there, you should be able to smell the rotting meat from... from whatever creature we found."

"I... I'm not hurt bad. I can lead you there. I... I know what happened, but..." She took another deep breath, feeling sick but determined.

"I need to see, too."

Vinepaw's support was needed. Twistedpaw pressed her nose to his ear in thanks. "I'd be glad to have you," she purred. He was a great friend, and Twistedpaw was looking forward to the day they could be warriors together, even if he would be spending more time belowground.

Another voice cut through the air, and Twistedpaw turned to see Deadmoon, Wolffang's sister, pushing her way through the crowd. Her voice was tight as she insisted that she would come along. Her stomach lurched. More cats... that was the last thing she needed. So much pain, so much grief. She'd encounter it on the patrol if she was allowed to go. Suddenly, she wasn't sure if she wanted to revisit that spot, see where Wolffang's body lay.

But, all the same... she felt like she should do her duty. Whatever that was. If it was to join the patrol, then she should go. If it was to stay back, she'd go to Lightningstorm.

She glanced at Leechscar. Apparently, he was the one - and Batglare - who would be organizing the patrols. Her mind should be on her duties, but her head was spinning, and suddenly, all she could think of was Ashfeather. What had Ashfeather been like? What was her relationship with Wolffang? These questions couldn't linger, however, not with the task at paw.

@Rani [Crowtooth] @Neptune. [Lichenpaw] @Moonraven [Batglare + Twilightstar] @Tallstar [Vinepaw] @gs29513 [Deadmoon] @Undertaker [Leechscar]

[Rustleaf]

Originally Posted by TheRedWyvern

A small orange cat was standing next to Willowpaw. Its damp fur was sticking to its body, making its ribs visible. He tucked his tail low.
“Uhh Willowpaw, do you have some rituals or something to do in front of your leader?” whispered the kit with a shaky voice. He looked around the clearing. “And why is everyone looking at me?” He added.

{ @Rustleaf || @Moonraven }

Willowpaw laughed, “No Ash, no rituals needed, and everyone is looking at you because they’re not used to having strange kits in their camp.” Willowpaw said the words kindly, hoping she hadn’t offended the kit by calling him strange.
@Moonraven (Twilightstar)

[wendigo]

Maplepaw yelled at a stick that she tripped over.


[activity, sorry!!]

[isla]

Robinsnow lived.

[Moonraven]

Batglare
His pupils slowly shrank in size till they were narrow slits as he listened to Crowtooth's and Lichenpaw's rambling. The older warrior tasted a hint of something metallic as one of his fangs pricked his tongue a tad too deep. The mild pain cooled his rising temper and kept his claws within their sheaths. He felt Twistedpaw's gaze on him, but he did nothing to quiet the others' talk. He'd only make it worse. She'd have to find strength in what little his presence offered her.

He reminded himself that death could rattle even the most stoic cats, shaking the ground beneath their paws. The closer one was to the cat the worse the rattle. That reminder was the only thing keeping him from spitting at both the apprentice and the fury. He did not like how either cared so little for the apprentice who had endured all this hardship. But cats were selfish, unable to look past what they deemed important to themselves. Not even Batglare was above selfishness.

His first thought at the news of Wolffang's supposed death was that WindClan had lost a great warrior. Batglare didn't care about the cats that he had left behind or the pain they'd endured. He just cared that his clan would be down another senior. That and he should stop letting Twistedpaw go off on her own. The thoughts of the coyote in the territory were disturbing. WindClan did not need a pack of mangy mutts here.

Twilightstar's assistive voice tore Batglare out of his thoughts she went right into business. Something he'd forever admire from the she-cat was her ability to keep her head on straight when tragedy struck. She felt but never let those feelings overwhelm her desire to do what was best for the clan. Batglare wasn't surprised when she named Leechscar the patrol leader. A mere glance at the tom told him he was fighting his own emotions at the news of Wolffang's death.

The older cat jerked his attention back to Twistedpaw when she moved away, his tail unconsciously curling, attempting to draw her back to his side. But she wasn't going far merely offering the WindClan leader some comfort. The sight was heartwarming. Batglare looked over to Vinepaw, the tunneler apprentice, with a hint of curiosity wondering when Twistedpaw had acquired a new friend. Then Deadmoon showed up making demands that he knew wouldn't go well with the patrol leader. As expected Leechscar growled a reminder to her.

At the gray warrior's questioning glance, he sighed softly. Before he could speak though, Crowtooth's reply sounded a little more levelheaded than before. He didn't seem happy with how quick Twilightstar was to agree with the warrior's death. It took Batglare a moment to recall that Crowtooth hadn't been around the first time Twilightstar watched Wolffang die. Honestly, if one thought about it long enough it made more sense for the leader to believe that she had lost her clanmate rather than hope for something else. By now she's had to have seen over a hundred of her clanmates die, burying bodies, and saying goodbye was easier than being optimistic and being proven wrong.

"Coyotes are nasty creatures, bigger than foxes, and with a meaner bite. Assuming that Wolffang wasn't distracted protecting Twistedpaw, we should bring extra paws. Wolffang was a seasoned warrior." Batglare told Leechscar. Even though he was well seasoned, his weakness seemed to be canines as he died similarly before.

"Crowtooth, though in emotional turmoil, is reliable in battle. He'll follow orders and his advice is often sound." Batglare was unaware of the coyote experience, but he knew the tom was one any cat wanted on their side in battle. "Ignoring Deadmoon's outburst, she's not as great a fighter as Bravebird and also not as temperamental, but competent and steadfast. If we can't find the coyote we should split into two patrols, one to take Wolffang back and the other to make sure the coyote is dead, we can trust her to make sure that Wolffang gets to where he needs to be. Dapplebreeze, Hawkfur, Snowybreeze, and Silverrose are experienced in a battle and could accompany us." Bravebird would have made the list if she hadn't seemed...off. Plus pairing her and Crowtooth together in highly emotional states was asking for trouble.

"We can find our way, Twistedpaw, and Lichenpaw don't need to tag along." He didn't see the need to bring either apprentice. Twistedpaw was injured and Batglare didn't trust Lichenpaw to pull herself together like Crowtooth could when things got problematic.

@Undertaker [Leechscar] | @Neptune. [Lichenpaw] | @TheNyanCatMinecart [Twistedpaw] | @Rani [Crowtooth] | @gs29513 [Deadmoon]

[Moonraven]

Twilightstar
She turned stiffly ready to head back to her place beneath the Galewood, when she felt the bony form press against her and tongue rasp again her scarred side. Her muscles stiffened as the scent of blood clogged her nose and her eye stung as she bit back tears begging for freedom. She swallowed the giant boulder stuck in her throat and offered Twistedpaw a mild smile grateful for the small comfort she had offered.

Her name was called and her attention drawn towards the apprentice in the clearing. She took a few breaths, calming herself as best she could, and began to walk towards Willowpaw. But not before a bundle of ginger plopped in front of her, clutching her tiny paws around her. As Owlkit pulled back, Twilightstar dropped her head to nuzzle the sweet kit while simultaneously cleaning the tear that rolled down her cheek. She felt terrible wanting to stay here breathing in the comforting scent of the kitten, but duty called.

"Thank you, Owlkit." She meowed gratefully and watched the kit padded off. The leader huffed, taking a second to groom herself. She had let a little sorrow escape and now it all wanted freedom, bursting at her seams, threatening to drown her. The will that had kept her at this for so long pulled the plug, dragging all her heartache, pain, and sadness into the void to be visited when she had time to lay down and feel. Her single green gleamed with her usual focus as she walked towards Willowpaw and the cat.

"Willowpaw were you out of camp by yourself?" She asked, eyeing the unknown kit. It wasn't WindClan, but she could faintly pick up some ThunderClan within his scent. "Why are you bringing unknown cats into our home." Twilightstar fixed the apprentice with a stern glare. Kit or otherwise, it wasn't clan and thus didn't belong here. Willowpaw was in some trouble with the clan leader.
@TheRedWyvern [Ash] @Rustleaf [Willowpaw] @Blaaze [Owlkit]

[TheRedWyvern]

The kit’s heartbeat accelerated. Willowpaw’s leader wasn’t happy, even if he didn’t know why. But with what he had learned before, it was not a good idea to approach an angry cat that had scars. It was even dangerous… unconsciously, his paws started to shake. I have to control it he ordered to himself. He tried but they were nevertheless shaking, even though he managed to calm it down a bit.

He wanted to say something, that Willowpaw wasn’t outside by her own but he didn’t. It was probably better that she said that, the WindClan leader didn’t seem to be willing to trust him. The kit eyed a prey for an instant, but didn’t move. His attention came back to Twilightstar and Willowpaw. He waited for her to answer.

{ @Rustleaf || @Moonraven || @Blaaze (I guess I’ll mention you too) }

[---Bluestar---]

Nightshade walked around hoping someone would hang out with her.

(Open)