Braving a Storm [p]

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Blazingstar]
Former Leader of WindClan

Anger brewed deep within the golden tabby. An anger similar to that in his living moons. It often swelled and expressed itself in petty rage. Was that what was happening it? Oh, how long it'd been since he felt so passionate about anything. Perhaps it was the new-found family. Perhaps it was part of WindClan's future falling. Perhaps he'd just grown bored and grew attached to their lives like some kind of sick sit-com.

Regardless of reasoning, the anger was there. There was fire blazing in those golden eyes. His fur would thrash with the winds. Talons dug into the ground beneath him. This was so much different from the gentle gazes and contagious grins he shared with everyone. The setting around him was grim, mocking the emotion radiating from him. In these dreams, he commanded the outcome. The plains were gripped with drought; crunchy grass, a harsh wind, it even seemed darker with the overcast of the sky.

Still, he waited.
Unphased.

A rumbling voice echoed around him with the simple summoning: "Bravebird."

@taillow

[taillow]

Bravebird - WindClan Warrior
She/her | 45 moons | Beefed Up T3, One with the Warren

The nights following Fallownose's death were not filled with much sleep, what with Bravebird actively avoiding it. It wore her down, sure, but she was... afraid, if she were being honest. What if her friend pulled her into a dream? Or a nightmare? To tell her what she already knew - that she had been slacking and her presence from the Clan had slipped. A scoff left the warrior as she looked up at the sky. From where she sat just outside WindClan's camp, the stars glittered and glistened. Ironic how she claimed to love WindClan so much and yet here she was, putting off sleep when she knew it was bad for her and refusing to take up her duties. Well, not so much refusing as... spending each waking moment planning on how to get back at RiverClan. Her days were spent stalking their borders, claws unsheathed, waiting for one of the fish to show themselves.

Her eyes started to flutter a bit but the warrior remained awake... well, okay, sort of awake as she crouched down against the ground. It felt like something was fighting her, trying to draw her to the depths of unconsciousness. Bravebird let out a grunt as she fought back, struggling to keep her eyes open. This went on for a bit longer before eventually she gasped quietly and sunk to the ground, eyes closed as sleep dragged her under. The last thing she heard was the sound of her name, echoing somewhere far in the distance...

-


Upon waking up, blue eyes fluttering open, the first thought in her mind was that she was dead. Bravebird sat up in a shock, claws already unsheathed. Her breathing felt ragged as she glanced around at a desolate moorland. A sudden thirst gripped her throat and she let out a dry cough. A harsh wind whipped at her fur and had her staggering sideways a bit.

Once she regained her footing the lilac lynx-point turned around. It wasn't until she nearly completed a full circle that she saw him. Blazingstar. Shock faded into disbelief, because before this she'd never had any StarClan dreams. The only StarClan cat she had met in her life was the apprentice who had helped her back to her body, helped her back to life. So what was one of WindClan's former leaders doing here?

Tradition and age-old law of greeting, Brave ducked her head to the larger tom, eyes closing. "Blazingstar." Her voice was one of respect, similar to the one she spoke whenever greeting Twilightstar or... Fallownose. Slightly wincing at the memory, Brave lifted her head to look back at the tom. "What did you call me here for?" She couldn't help it, her eyes glanced around the eerie landscape. "...Where am I?"

[ Blazingstar - @SuspiciousMindz ]

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Blazingstar]
Former Leader of WindClan

Lightning ripped through the air at her greeting, although the tabby stood stern. A gust of wind shot between them, and he didn't sway. The crackling cut through her words, dismissing the question she had and Blazingstar disregarded her efforts to be polite. Surely, this feline couldn't be so dumb as to ask that. Did his presence not answer her question?

"You know my name?" the golden tabby would ask, rhetorically. He'd never met this warrior before and yet, she knew? He hadn't heard Crowtooth speak it aloud in the clearing, hadn't noticed a majority of the clan considering his presence then was to grieve Fallownose. To show his support to their leader and medicine cat -- which he picked up the hatred brewing in her. Lightningstorm was next on his dream list.

Before Bravebird would have the chance to answer his rhetorical question, Blazingstar's rumbling voice ripped through the air like thunder. "Don't you know the answer already? I've noticed your lack of care lately. No initiative. Little or no regards to your duties."

The winds picked up again as Blazingstar took a singular step towards the warrior, those golden eyes still holding angry flames. They were ready to engulf her if she gave him the chance. "Have you no loyalty to your name?! To your clan?! Friends?!" The words grew harsher and harsher as his anger was released on her. "Have you forgotten what being a warrior is for? Right now, your clan needs you more than ever. Twilightstar needs you more than ever! Yet you sit and devel into your emotions. You've allowed Fallownose's death to drag you deeper into the slump you've created thus tarnishing his name and aspirations."

Blazingstar let those words sink in. Let them bury into her skin and fester. He allowed her a moment to process. "Explain yourself Bravebird."

@taillow

[taillow]

Bravebird - WindClan Warrior
She/her | 45 moons | Beefed Up T3, One with the Warren

It was hard to not blink in disbelief as the former leader questioned that she knew his name. Didn't every cat in WindClan know? Sure Bravebird hadn't been alive but she still knew of Blazingstar. She knew of what a courageous and admired leader he had been, had heard stories of valor and honor surround his name. She knew of him enough to respect him and everything he had done for the Clan she loved so much.

But there was no time give to answer his question before he continued speaking - and at the sheer volume Brave flinched. It rolled like thunder across the sky and shook the ground. Her ears went flat in fright and her tail bushed out to twice its size. Even if she could speak out against him, she wasn't even sure what she could say. Because he was right. She had been inactive as of late. Sure she had started to pick things up, but that had never been good enough for her - and now she knew it hadn't been good enough for the stars, either.

"I-I..." she stammered, unable to find enough footing to offer any counter points. For once, the she-cat known for her sharp tongue and biting comebacks was silent, crouching fearfully in front of Blazingstar. Around her the wind seemed to pick up, howling in the distance. Flames danced dangerously in his eyes as he stepped towards her. Heart hammering in her chest, Brave found that she took a step back also, subconsciously.

He was right. Fallownose's death... it had consumed her. The grief had rocketed her off course and sent her spiraling into this deep, dark pit of despair. She had worked so hard to come back to her beloved home, only to not be even half the cat she once was.

Tears formed in her eyes against her will as a low growl started in her throat - before it puttered out to a mere whimper. Fallownose. She was dragging Fallownose's good name through the mud. WindClan, too. Twilightstar. Stars above... "No I haven't!" Her yowl came out louder than expected as she lashed her tail. The tears fell now, but they were not of sadness. Anger exploded in her eyes, doused here and there by the waters of sorrow. "I never expected... I came back and I... StarClan wiped my memories, a-and..." Each excuse she came up with was more pitiful than the last. None of them meant anything

This was all. On. Her.

"...I'm sorry!"

Something heavy sounded nearby - Bravebird couldn't tell if it was thunder, or the wind, or something else entirely. Blue eyes stared back at Blazingstar as the storm continued on around them. "I know I haven't been the warrior my Clan needs me to be. There are more patrols I could've done, more training. I could've helped Lightningstorm after Cowtuft was exiled, I could've visited Twilightstar more often, maybe asked for her company in a hunt or helped her and Crowtooth with ideas on how to make better use of our tunnels! ...I could've noticed something was wrong with Fallownose and approached him sooner, a-and... and..." Fallownose. It hurt, stars it hurt more than anything. It reminded her of losing her brother to those vile ShadowClan rats.

But she had become stronger after her brother's death. Fallownose's? Not so much.

Her sides were heaving as she fought for breath. "I'll do better! I swear! I will be..." Her voice trailed off as she gasped, unable to regulate the erratic heartbeat in her chest. It made her body stiffen. "I'll be the warrior WindClan deserves. I will." There was a newfound determination in her voice as she tried to stand to her full height as she faced Blazingstar. Swallowing the rest of her initial fear, she continued. "I will not drag Fallownose's name down!"

[ Blazingstar - @SuspiciousMindz ]

[SuspiciousMindz]

[Blazingstar]
Former Leader of WindClan

The winds raged on the more excuses she gave. He didn't want to hear excuses. He didn't come here to listen to excuses! Blazingstar was here to get answers and press for the better of WindClan. It was true, the leader had been absent in the last few seasons. He had felt locked away and unimpressed with himself, but he was back. He was here to try and help again. He was here when the Dusk Syndicate attacked them again. He guided Twilightstar to their victory -- or at least he tried. There were hundreds of excuses Blazingstar could give back for his absence, but he was here now and that's what mattered.

The same mindset would be held with Bravebird. He refused to let her regret the decisions of the last few moons. There was no changing the past, but he could help alter the future. If not for WindClan, well at least he could start with Bravebird.

Then, the revelation she started to have. Emotions of empathy and a anger fought hard in his mind. The emotions reflected off the flames that burned in his eyes. They were dying, flickering into embers as he listened. The winds around them started to ease. The grasses around them stopped whipping around. Blazingstar even seemed to physically relax as Bravebird came to her conclusions.

Golden eyes closed and Blazingstar released a heavy sigh. When they reopened, they held a new emtion: hope. He stared hopefully at Bravebird, given the warrior a silent nod of approval.

"I have faith in you Bravebird. Go prove yourself."

The last words Blazingstar would speak held a gentle tone. Overcast skies started to dissipate as he ended their encounter. There was no need to have Bravebird linger here.

The last thing to fade were those hopeful eyes.

@taillow