Starry Meadow

[Moonraven]

Twilightstar worked in silent tandem beside the large warrior, mind on everything and nothing all at once. As she worked on building a new grave for the deceased Tom, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him. Why he had abandoned his clan. It was a question that Twilightstar's asked many times in her seemingly long life. What had to bring a cat to shatter its loyalties to the clan?

Cats came and went very few remaining that she could happily call old friends. Some dead, spirits of starclan, but many of them just vanished as if they ceased to exist altogether. Some many names she could speak and maybe one or two cats in WindClan could actually put a face to the name. She was sure that one day it would be her turn to become a name that no one could recall...

The leader's thoughts turned oddly ominous, and by the time she shook herself out of that thought process, she noticed the hole they were digging was deep enough to place the body. It seemed that Snowybreeze did most of the work, the young tom had grown into quite the giant over the seasons, and it was only natural his large paws dug better than her dainty ones.

Her former thoughts gave way to brief nostalgia as she recalled the tom's time as kit and apprentice, but even that feeling flew away with the passing breeze as she pushed herself out of the hole and gave her pelt a light shake flinging dirt away. "I believe that's deep enough." She meowed softly breaking the comfortable silence that had settled around them.

@Alchemist Kitsune [ well look at that another rp I almost forgot about I knew twi was doing something w/ snowy]

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Snowybreeze |

Paws slowly losing their pristine, snowy white look, the gentle giant kept his pace until the leader's words caught his attention, raising his gaze and meeting her own. With a nod, the tom turned from the grave, shifting instead the fallen warrior, lifting him gently before making to place him in his final resting place. Despite not knowing him - just learning his name most certainly did not count - the young tom dipped his head, offering a small nuzzle upon the stranger's head. Hopefully the stranger would not think it too forward of him, but the white furred warrior couldn't help it. Friend or foe, stranger or well known kin, everyone deserved respect and companionship in the end. It had been because of the kindness of others that he was here now. It would be nothing short of self centered foolishness from his part if he couldn't impart some of that kindness back at others, no matter what condition they were in.

Turning to Twilightstar, he awaited for her to continue, waiting for any words she might say or any special rituals that might be done before covering the tom's grave once again. His memory was still fractured. Broken. Even with what he did remember, there might be things he'd forgotten, and he preferred to not jump to conclusions by covering up their fallen ally too soon by mistake. Final respects given, he would turn to the task of moving the earth once more. Then, he would lead the lilac molly to the place he'd found the tom. He hadn't a clue if it would be of any help. If it would stop this from happening again in the future. All he could do was hope and try to do his best to safekeep and guard his clanmates to the extent of his abilities. And by the stars, that's what he would do. He promised as much.

-

@Moonraven [Twilightstar]
| I had forgotten about this one as well, sorry! Um, I believe he found Brackenheart by the territory if you prefer to continue the next post there, if not Snowy's next post will be there guiding Twilight to the spot he found him at. |

[BEAR.]

[ warning: there's a graverobber at large. viewer discretion advised ]

His path carried him through endless plains, until he came to the throat of the world where everything and nothing was public to the Stars. Countless flowers decorated the earth, almost masking the few visible mounds where grass was disturbed.

His scent is muddled, concealed between a layer of mud mixed with freshly damp grass. Scattered rainfall was an unexpected friend, it seemed. He never cared for it, but in the moment it was welcomed. He did not fully understand why he came here, there was an urge, a need, a desire... Looking at mounds of cats undeserving; StarClan's light meant everything and they were nothing like the parasites who called themselves a Clan. Who hunted and sat in camp, and did nothing worthy of true warriorhood.

It reminded him of something, of a copse of trees and trickling water. Of anger that ran so deep, it nearly consumed him. Untapped, bordering forgotten - now anew in a different energy.

He went to work.

First, he went for the flowers, his claws ripping through the stems like a hot knife through butter. It took a while, admittedly, due to the immense amount, but when he was finished several hundred flower heads laid on the ground, torn and trampled.

Then, his gaze set upon the graves. What did the dead ever do to rest in peace? They deserved to be picked apart, desecrated. Starting with the faded mounds, he tore into the earth and scattered pieces of bone and old flesh to the wind. For anyone seeking restoration, their efforts would be near impossible. Then, he went to the fresher mounds - ripping into that earth, sending pieces of cat flying. These ones were more intact, and he hauled them from their earthly nests to send them rolling down the hill. A predator would likely find them, take them, before any cat.

Then, he came to the last grave. This was the freshest - kept for the sole purpose of his wrath. Once he had that dug, he hauled the cat out and began to drag them away. He had a perfect idea of what to do with this one.

WindClan certainly wouldn't forget it.

[Moonraven]

CW: corpse desecration, mild gore, and macabre
Well, this was startling. Batglare kept catching whiffs of something disgusting in the air. He had thought it was just the lingering scent of that body stuck in his nose, nope. The closer they moved to the meadow the more he noticed the shadows flying overhead. It was uncommon to see large birds flying in the sky in WindClan, it was more problematic when there were large flocks like the ones overhead.

It was at the bottom of the hill that he found the first few turnkey vultures, they were huddled around, picking at a corpse. The old cat hissed and let out a loud, screeching caterwaul, sending the small flock flying. They didn't leave, they hovered some fox lengths away but made not no move to draw closer to the ticked-off warrior.

"Grab what you can and help me get them back up the hill." Batglare growled to Leechscar and set to work hauling remains back up the hill to the meadow. Batglare silently fumed at the state of the meadow when he first saw it. There wasn't a single flower intact, every grave desecrated, bones and remains everywhere. Batglare didn't bother saying a word, he just got to work cleaning what he could of the bodies.
@Undertaker

[Undertaker]

@Moonraven
CW: burial ground clean up
Leechscar arrived at the Starry Meadow behind Batglare and was genuinely shocked to see bodies out of their graves and large birds pecking at the remains. Batglare was quick to send the birds off, not far, but away from the bodies at the base of the meadows. The younger warrior didn't dare ask anything as Batglare quickly commanded he start helping with carrying the bodies. Leechscar didn't have any sassy comment or quip for once, just wrinkled his nose in distaste and padded behind the warrior as he lugged an unrecognizable cat up the hill.

Trying not to gag, Leechscar did the same, dragging literal dead weight up the hill. At the top, the meadow proved to be even worse all the flowers were destroyed and every single grave was desecrated. Leechscar didn't normally care much for the dead after they were gone, but even this was a bit more for the warrior. Who the hell does this to graves? Batglare didn't say anything, he simply got to work on gathering the remains of the deceased and dropping them in the graves that had been dug up.

Leechscar, still trying not to throw up, quickly hauled the body he had over to a clawed-up patch of ground and dropped the body in. He returned to the base of the hill, making a few more trips, hauling bodies up the hill, and dropping them back into their graves. He winced internally when he pulled the fresh body from the base of the hill, and silently apologized to the cat, before dumping their body into the grave.

There weren't a great deal of dead here, but the cleanup was long, and hard work. By the time he was finished, Leechscar knew that he reeked of decay and rotten flesh, he was going to need a long bath after this. "Who do you think did this?" Leechscar asked after a long, long silence had settled between the younger tom and the older warrior. Leechcar hadn't felt any need to disrupt the tense silence between him and Batglare. But as he worked on reburying the bodies, he couldn't help but hope the older cat had some sort of answer cause Leechscar didn't.

[Moonraven]

Batglare reeked of death by the time he finished collecting the scattered remains of their dead and reburying them. He turned his attention to Leechscar who had broken the silence with a question that Batglare wasn't certain he had the complete answer. "RiverClan is my only solid guess, but the fact that we can't catch a scent is irksome. Unless it was one of our own, but I can't think of anyone unhinged enough to do something so disturbing." Batglare tail lashed back and forth as he shook out his coat.

"RiverClan's proven to have no honor or compassion when it comes to picking fights with other clans. Neither does ShadowClan, but as far as I know, WindClan hasn't started anything with ShadowClan as of late, so Dawnstar's had no reason to sink this low." Batglare grumbled, hopefully giving the younger warrior some ideas to report to Twilightstar. He was debating on joining him for the report since he was well aware Twilightstar wouldn't act without solid proof of the claim.

"RiverClan has stolen burial grounds and attempted to poison cats in the past, but at the same time, to find the meadows, destroy it, and drag a body to the falls would mean they would have had to spend some time exploring our territory to get from the falls to the meadows. Someone would have to of caught a whiff of that fishy scent, or signs of RiverClan somewhere. No matter how I look at it doesn't make sense." He did want to pin the blame on RiverClan. But this took a hell of a lot of work, and planning for someone who's not familiar with WindClan's territory. Considering how far the meadow was from the other landmarks, they would have had to have a considerable grudge against WindClan.

"You can decide when you make your report to Twilightstar. Let's hope Wolffang and the others get here soon so we can finish this up."
@Undertaker

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Lightningstorm |
Flock Together [Tier 3] - Inactive

---

This place had been brutally disheveled recently. Lightningstorm was almost not sure what she was looking for here. Well... that wasn't entire true. She knew what she was looking for. The young healer simply wasn't certain why she was bothering. She needed some herbs. Some burnet for one of her patients. Dapplebreeze might be feeling better, and her strength was most certainly returning to her, but... she still needed the occasional push. If only because the molly refused to sit still for too long. The moment she felt even a smidge better, off she was to her daily routine.

The lithe calico couldn't really complain at this point. Compared to the lazier type of warrior, she supposed she preferred the ones that worked twice as hard, albeit with the concern that they might be overdoing it. Like the spotted warrior no doubt was whenever she took her eyes off of her for one second. Her mind instantly flew to a similarly stubborn tabby, and the healer found herself rolling her eyes fondly. It seemed Firestorm kept worming her way into her mind one way or another every now and then. Perhaps it was a sign that she should go tease the ginger molly. Make sure she wasn't suffering from her usual case of overly inflated headitis.

Almond shaped gaze sweeping through the turbulent soil - the signs of recently dug out graves littering the meadow - Lightningstorm shook her head. Whosoever had done this could go rot in the Dark Forest for eternity for all she cared. She did not hold any real attachment to this place. Her former mentor's words were still clear in her head. This was more a place for the living to visit than it ever was for the dead. But for those whom this place was sacred? For those who held on to this place as the final resting ground for their family? It was a vile crime that the Oriental mix truly hoped would somehow come back to bite the perpetrator. If only because she had to hope that StarClan did hold some use for those who were still in the realm of the living after all.

About to give up, relegating her findings to nothing, the wiry framed lass paused, her gaze suddenly stopping on a pair of small, spiky purple flowers. Burnet! It wasn't a lot of it. Barely enough for a few doses, but it was there! Carefully, the molly approached, gently removing two of the leaves to bring back with her. The territory was over picked enough. She would not be the cause of more damage. Sending a small prayer of gratitude to the stars - in the very off chance they had somehow guided her paws here - she turned around, making her way back home.

---

| +2 Burnet |
| Openish? |

[Luck]

CROWLIGHT
warrior - forty-eight moons - voice claim: alan rickman
@lynxyboo (I apologize that Crow is not the biggest socializer ;w; Ginger is welcome to stay or leave, whichever she chooses!)

He knows the weight of the apprentice is miniscule, so Crowlight finally determines that the heaviness he feels is that of his own grief attempting to smother him on the walk to Starry Meadow. Gray eyes narrow against a particularly strong gust of wind sweeping the moors, pure grit maintaining the deceased Clanmate that rests half on his back and half on Gingersplash's. His pelt is almost brushing hers, as any space between them and Mousepaw's body would fall - and he hates it. Being close to any of his Clanmates when volatile thoughts submerge his mind in murky water... it's a dangerous recipe.

Crowlight prevails though as the recently desecrated gravesite comes into view. A silent sigh of relief is releases from the confinements of his chest and he locates a spot that has not been dug into yet. Without a word the skinny black tom lets the apprentice's body slide off gently before his paws go straight to work. They remove the grass and the soil, uncaring that the white fur is being stained a dirty brown the further they go. Tucked at an angle he is able to use them to scoop a good amount of dirt from the ground. Still he remains silent, not looking up to see if his Clanmate is joining in the digging. He won't blame her if she doesn't.

"Lower him... gently." His voice feels hoarse even though it isn't, and Crowlight doesn't meet Gingersplash's eyes as he looks over to where Mousepaw's body lays. Stained white paws shuffle towards him and he fastens his teeth in the young cat's scruff, eyes flickering up only to make sure the other warrior has the other half. From there he lifts him up and carefully, slowly, lowers them into the grave. Teeth release fur and Crowlight steps back. From up here it looks like Mousepaw is simply sleeping... dreaming about training, or becoming a warrior, or whatever it was that apprentices dreamed about these days.

Then, Crowlight sits. He doesn't make a move to bury the apprentice yet, and instead hangs his head as if in silent thought. Unaware and uncaring to whatever Gingersplash decides to do, and certainly not bothering to fill the sustained silence with fleeting small talk.

[anika]

Originally Posted by Luck

CROWLIGHT
warrior - forty-eight moons - voice claim: alan rickman
@lynxyboo (I apologize that Crow is not the biggest socializer ;w; Ginger is welcome to stay or leave, whichever she chooses!)

He knows the weight of the apprentice is miniscule, so Crowlight finally determines that the heaviness he feels is that of his own grief attempting to smother him on the walk to Starry Meadow. Gray eyes narrow against a particularly strong gust of wind sweeping the moors, pure grit maintaining the deceased Clanmate that rests half on his back and half on Gingersplash's. His pelt is almost brushing hers, as any space between them and Mousepaw's body would fall - and he hates it. Being close to any of his Clanmates when volatile thoughts submerge his mind in murky water... it's a dangerous recipe.

Crowlight prevails though as the recently desecrated gravesite comes into view. A silent sigh of relief is releases from the confinements of his chest and he locates a spot that has not been dug into yet. Without a word the skinny black tom lets the apprentice's body slide off gently before his paws go straight to work. They remove the grass and the soil, uncaring that the white fur is being stained a dirty brown the further they go. Tucked at an angle he is able to use them to scoop a good amount of dirt from the ground. Still he remains silent, not looking up to see if his Clanmate is joining in the digging. He won't blame her if she doesn't.

"Lower him... gently." His voice feels hoarse even though it isn't, and Crowlight doesn't meet Gingersplash's eyes as he looks over to where Mousepaw's body lays. Stained white paws shuffle towards him and he fastens his teeth in the young cat's scruff, eyes flickering up only to make sure the other warrior has the other half. From there he lifts him up and carefully, slowly, lowers them into the grave. Teeth release fur and Crowlight steps back. From up here it looks like Mousepaw is simply sleeping... dreaming about training, or becoming a warrior, or whatever it was that apprentices dreamed about these days.

Then, Crowlight sits. He doesn't make a move to bury the apprentice yet, and instead hangs his head as if in silent thought. Unaware and uncaring to whatever Gingersplash decides to do, and certainly not bothering to fill the sustained silence with fleeting small talk.

Gingersplash joined in digging the hole. She wasn't going to let her Clanmate do it by himself. Besides, that isn't what a warrior does. They help their Clanmates, not not help them. Whenever they had finished and had lowered Mousepaw's body gently into the earth, Gingersplash, without a word, pressed her muzzle to Crowlight's shoulder comfortingly. The mottled torbie's ear flicked and she lifted her muzzle after a moment, looking down at Mousepaw's body in the dug-up hole. The WindClan she-cat's sky-blue eyes were sorrow-filled, and, sharing a glance with Crowlight, began to scrape earth down gently onto the apprentice's body.

[Luck]

CROWLIGHT
warrior - forty-eight moons - voice claim: alan rickman
@lynxyboo

Silence washes over the scene as Crowlight keeps his head down and eyes closed in a moment of silent reflection. He is not praying to StarClan, nor is he asking for guidance on what to do. No, the skinny black warrior is fuming and doing his best to not sprint from the Starry Meadow right onto ThunderClan territory for retribution. It takes every ounce of will power he has to keep his claws sheathed, his tail from lashing, and his teeth from curling into a snarl. He will not go against his leader's orders, even though they clash and fight with his own view on the situation.

An unexpected touch of Gingersplash's muzzle to his shoulder causes him to flinch. Crowlight's eyes fly open and he leans away, staring at his Clanmate with bewilderment in his gray gaze. It takes him a moment, a flash, to remember that she is a Clanmate and not an enemy ThunderClanner as the claws that have poked out of their hiding spots so desperately wish for. They share a glance and soon the she-cat begins to scrape dirt into the grave. A moment passes before Crowlight joins her slowly.

Eyes flitter over to Mousepaw's body as it becomes unable to be seen, swallowed up by the earth. White paws pat the top of the mound and for awhile the tom just stares at the resting spot. Fury still weaves its tendrils around his heart but the tom refuses to let them sink their talons into him any further. "Let's go," he mutters and stands to his paws. Only a single look is spared to Gingersplash before he begins the slow trek back towards camp.