Shadowstartheleader
Friendship Rank 4
~The world may be dark, we may be lost forever, but we stand a chance as long as we're together~
Posts: 617
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on May 24, 2022 16:07:45 GMT -5
Creekpaw glanced towards her sister as she mewed with such certainty that they would figure this out. She was personally feeling fearful after her tumble out of the tree, and she didn't understand how her sister could be so certain about their ability to dominate the skill. Certainly, Honeypaw didn't think it was an easy task--anything that her sister failed at, Creekpaw couldn't do, and normally, it was vice versa. They were two paws on the same cat, and Creekpaw felt nervous that she was going to be ordered up the tree once again.
But that wasn't what happened, and as Jasminefur started speaking to the two apprentices, Creekpaw focused in on the WindClan cat's advice. She wondered whether he had a unique perspective as a WindClan cat, and whether he would give them some sort of super speedy technique for catching a piece of prey that had scurried up a tree--but she quickly realized how silly this was. How many trees were in WindClan's territory? She quickly pushed herself past her hopes for a secret WindClan lesson. Jasminefur looked serious, and not in the mopey-sad-despondent way he had looked serious for the last quarter-moon or so. He looked like he was saying something the apprentices needed to learn, and Creekpaw stood up attentively on the tips of her toes as the WindClan warrior spoke.
Shame spread over her in waves as Creekpaw thought about how she had been in such a rush to get up the tree to catch her prey that she hadn't considered other alternatives. Jasminefur was a warrior, so he knew what a cat needed to do to catch prey. Because of this, Creekpaw knew that was she had done was wrong, if not catching the squirrel hadn't made that obvious enough. She sighed quietly as she looked down at her paws.
Jasminefur seemed to take note of Creekpaw's reaction to his comments, and an expression of guilt flashed over his face as he saw the apprentice avert her gaze down towards her paws. He wanted to think of something to say to soothe the cat's negative feelings, but Brightfrost took that place for him.
Creekpaw felt some amount of relief as Brightfrost hopped onto the branches above them-- she was confident that the warrior would be able to catch the prey and bring it back to their clan -- but another part of her nagged at herself, telling her she wasn't able to do anything to help her clan. She wondered if Jasminefur meant that she wasn't supposed to leap at opportunities that presented themselves to help her clan. How was she supposed to get up a tree and succesfully leap for prey, landing on a branch anyhow?
"Listen," Jasminefur had inched closer on quiet paws to the side of the two apprentices. His mew was gentle, and he clearly didn't want to make them feel ashamed of their mistakes. "Don't make a sound, and watch her," Jasminefur spoke quietly, an almost sharp tone in his voice as he looked up at Brightfrost's every step. He couldn't say this to the apprentices, but he wanted to see every move the ThunderClan warrior made--some part of him was very curious as to how she managed to climb the trees, and he knew that the apprentices needed to see that too.
Jasminefur might have picked up on near missteps that the apprentices wouldn't, but he didn't care. Brightfrost traveled the branches, in general, with a grace that he couldn't expect from any cat outside of ThunderClan, and he was left with his mouth just a bit agape as Brightfrost took a daring and brave leap towards the squirrel that somehow lie on the same branch as her without noticing. It was a moment that demonstrated her incredible skill in stealth, climbing, and prey-catching. Standing amidst ThunderClan cats as he was, Jasminefur felt just a little bit inadequate.
He couldn't hide a bit of admiration as she made her way down the tree, and he had to hold his tongue so that he didn't sound like an impressed kit. He waited until she had spoken, giving her advice to the apprentices--then he too opened his mouth, looking over to the apprentices beside him. "Remember how she approached that squirrel. She didn't rush up the fastest path--she measured her steps, and made her way up methodically. She went up the branches that the squirrel couldn't see--and by the time it could have realized, it was too late." He cast a glance towards Brightfrost, curiosity in his gaze, almost like he was looking for confirmation that his description of what she had done was right. His admiration hadn't left his eyes, either.
It was stunning to watch Brightfrost climb the tree with such strategy; Creekpaw had a feeling early on that Brightfrost was going to come back with the squirrel, but it didn't stop her mouth falling agape as the warrior set the prey down in front of her and her sister. Her frustration towards her own failure was gone for a bit as she listened to the two warriors explain the steps they would need to take to improve their skills--and to her, it seemed like, maybe, with these warriors as their example, they might be able to get the job done.
"I'm sorry I didn't catch anything, Brightfrost." Creekpaw looked down at her paws once again. Shame did echo in her voice. "But I swear that I'll work super hard to be able to go after prey like you do. I swear I'll become as good a hunter as you." Now, she seemed to be echoing her sister.
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Post by berryjuice on May 25, 2022 7:41:43 GMT -5
Brightfrost was glad to have succeeded in her demonstration, although she had had little doubt that she would. Especially in front of Jasminefur, who seemed to think she had done well enough. She hoped that he would at least know he could count on her for this kind of thing. And it made her feel good to be used as a positive example; she would need others to look up to her if she was meant to lead ThunderClan through whatever troubling future might await them.
She smiled to Creekpaw. “I know it won’t be long before I’m watching you bring a whole feast into camp.” She felt glad that the apprentices seemed determined, and that something seemed to be sinking in from the lesson. She was proud that she was able to get the squirrel- it would be a good meal for someone in the Clan. But she also felt a satisfaction from the fact that maybe they had taught these apprentices something. She did want to be a mentor someday, and now she felt more confident that she would be a good one.
She looked up at the sun. It wasn’t especially late yet, but this was a day where she wanted to delay going back to camp. After all, it wouldn’t be long before Specklesta would be assembling the group that was going to the Gathering. This was something that Brightfrost cared about on a normal moon. It was an honor to be invited- it meant that she was trusted to properly represent ThunderClan. And attending the Gathering was always a lot more interesting than lying awake at camp, waiting for the others to come back and share news. This time, she already knew she was going, and she knew it was going to be the most important Gathering she had attended. They had to continue their investigation into all this strangeness, convince the other Clans to help them, and deal with whatever new information might face them. It was an opportunity to work on solving the many problems at hand- but Brightfrost got the feeling that they might come back with more issues. After all, they had no idea what might have been happening in ShadowClan and RiverClan.
“Let’s start heading back. Stay alert and don’t make too much noise- we might be able to find more prey on the way,” said Brightfrost. She thought the squirrel would prove to the Clan that they had at least done a decent job, but more food was always a good thing. And while a hunting patrol that was halfway made up of fresh apprentices, she was sure that ThunderClan would have higher standards for a patrol that included a WindClan cat. And even if they didn’t catch anything more, the apprentices could benefit from working on their tracking skills.
Honeypaw hurried on ahead, although careful to never get too far from Creekpaw. When they walked side-by-side, Brightfrost thought about how remarkably similar they were; they even had the same gait. She was sure they would make a great team. She thought about her previous hunt with Jasminefur- while she normally liked to hunt alone, she did find that there were sometimes benefits to working together. She supposed that was also true now; it was important for the apprentices to see Brightfrost’s technique, but it was also important to hear Jasminefur’s explanations and encouragement.
Brightfrost walked beside Jasminefur as she watched the apprentices in front of them. She didn’t know how to feel around him anymore, but she didn’t want to make her tension obvious enough that the apprentices might notice- they were really warming up to Jasminefur, and she didn’t want to ruin that. But she still kept more of a distance from him than she had before and seemed to speak more guardedly.
“You did really well with them. I hope their mentors listen when they tell them how much they learned from you- it might help you make you more trusted.” She didn’t know what would happen after the Gathering, but she thought they were likely to need ThunderClan’s help regardless of what kind of path they ended up on. She was quiet for a few moments as she thought about this. “I hope you’re ready for anything. A lot could happen tonight, you know.”
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Shadowstartheleader
Friendship Rank 4
~The world may be dark, we may be lost forever, but we stand a chance as long as we're together~
Posts: 617
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Jul 20, 2022 18:59:09 GMT -5
Creekpaw tried to show a brave and confident face as Brightfrost encouraged her and her sister, but her insecurity was betrayed by a glance to the side at her sibling, uncertainty piercing through the confidence she was trying to project in her eyes. Honeypaw was the trunk to her tree, the honey for her wounds, and Creekpaw couldn't conceal anything willingly when communicating with her sister.
As such, it was becoming a bit easier to see the self-doubt in her expression as Brightfrost started guiding them back to camp, the longer they walked along the path. Even given her doubt, Creekpaw paid special attention to the path she was taking as they headed back, wanting to keep especially quiet in order to maximize any chance of encountering any more prey. She was casting brief glances around them, alertly trying to catch sight of any piece of prey. She stuck her snout in the air a couple times as they walked, trying to catch any scent around them as she walked, pace for pace, with her sister.
Despite this, she was feeling just a bit distracted. Brightfrost, in the eyes of the apprentice, was already an expert in these things, and to a young apprentice, perfecting those skills felt so far away--so unachieveable. Even Jasminefur seemed to have an understanding of how these skills worked, despite being a WindClan cat. He was an outsider, and somehow he understood climbing better than her! How was she supposed to master this skill like Brightfrost? It felt like an impossible task.
She grimaced as she realized Honeypaw was getting a bit ahead of her. She picked up the pace to match her sister, though she unwittingly tossed aside the caution she had been utilizing with each pawstep in the process. Twigs met an unfortunate fate as she hurried to catch up.
As they began the trail back towards the ThunderClan camp, Jasminefur pondered how quick the lesson had felt, even with him being so inept at the moment of having to truly teach anything, at least as far as he was concerned. The apprentices needed teaching in some basic ThunderClan skills--and Jasminefur wondered why they hadn't already received just a bit of these lessons--but Jasminefur felt like, truly, he could have been much more useful in a lesson about hunting or territory marking.
Jasminefur naturally took caution with each step on the path back to ThunderClan, being an already ingrained part of his being. Any cat from any clan would know to do whatever one could to not scare prey away, even prey that one didn't expect. He was caught up in his thoughts for a little bit, not paying much attention to the apprentices they had been charged with, until the other warrior's voice, a couple tail-lengths away, broke him from his thought-induced trance.
Brightfrost's distance wasn't something that Jasminefur had consciously taken in right away; it had been more like a subconscious note, something his brain had decided for him wasn't worth noticing. Then, when Brightfrost mentioned how useful it would be for him for the apprentices to talk to their mentors about how good the lesson had been, Jasminefur's expression soured a little. What she had said sounded so...utilitarian, like all that mattered was what the lesson did for him. It surprised him a bit. She wondered why what Brightfrost cared about was how this changed his aspect in the view of her clanmates--which might have been something she was worried about a few days ago--but it was at this point his subconscious kicked in.
Something about the tone of her voice--he wasn't sure if it was colder, or more distant...but it was less impassioned. And then he seemed to really take in that she really was a couple more steps away than he had grown accustomed to. Suddenly, Jasminefur took in that, yes, his choices not that long ago had had an effect on her--and his mouth parted as his throat twinged with guilt, trying to come up with something to say to address what he had just picked up on.
But he didn't get the chance to control the damage. She moved on quickly, and he couldn't exactly jump back from what she brought up. She said it in such a short and direct manner, but Jasminefur was immediately filled with a long and dense sense of forebording. Brightfrost was absolutely right. Anything could happen tonight, and Jasminefur tensed up as he tried not to think of all the things that could go wrong. The other clans could reject the claim about the dogs...No other cats might show up from WindClan...there were so many problems that could arise tonight.
Jasminefur sucked in a breath as he was unable to untense his muscles. His gaze wavered towards the floor of the forest, and the voice that sounded from him wasn't one of confidence or determination. "I...I know-" He gulped, a quiet mew escaping him as his voice quivered slightly. "I don't have a clue how the clans are going to react. I can only hope they already found out from some of my clanmates," He averted his gaze to his side facing away from the ThunderClan warrior, as he didn't want her to see the visible queasiness that was starting to show on his face. The apprentices potentially seeing it wasn't really in his mind at the moment.
"Brightfrost..." He murmured quietly after almost ten seconds of silence between them- "If...Let's say, just on the far possibility, that....no other clanmates of mine made it..." His voice shook, and he refused to turn his gaze back towards her as his eyes starting wetting a bit. There was a part of him that was trying to investigate just how serious this distance he was feeling from her was--trying to sense if she might not display the same protectiveness she had shown him a couple times before. "...I'd have nothing to go back to. W...What would you..." He was trying to figure out how she would respond to that possibility, but his throat was starting to feel like it was closing in on itself. He stammered for a couple more seconds, but he really couldn't get more out as they continued padding along.
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Post by berryjuice on Jul 21, 2022 3:42:28 GMT -5
Honeypaw looked to Creekpaw, feeling similar worries. “We have lots to learn, I guess.” She wanted to believe that they would become great warriors someday, but they seemed so far from that now. The situation with the dogs had occurred very shortly after they had been made into apprentices, which meant they hadn’t gotten a lot of hunting training yet. Not only had the deeper parts of the territory commonly used for hunting become dangerous for two cats who had been in the nursery not long ago, but fighting training had quickly become the first priority. She thought about how she wanted to learn how to protect the Clan and she wanted to fill the prey pile with food ahead of leaf-bare. She was only just learning to recognize these for the challenges they were- the warriors around them were so strong and seemed prepared for anything.
She wanted to believe that her and Creekpaw would be ready when the time came, but they had never truly been tested. She brushed closely against her sister as she walked forward. She wanted to be confident, like the warriors. And she always felt more confident when she and her sister were together. Her thoughts raced as she thought about how they might work together to bring down the prey next time- and next time, Honeypaw was sure she wouldn’t mess it up. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn’t pay much attention to the fact that, like Creekpaw, she was making quite a bit of noise as she walked through the twig-filled undergrowth.
—
Brightfrost looked to Jasminefur with some pity despite her annoyance towards him. She wanted to believe that there were more WindClan cats out there. Surely, if Jasminefur had managed to escape, others could have. However, if they went to the Gathering and there were no WindClan cats present…sure, she supposed it was possible that the other survivors were living like rogues or had fled the territories entirely. But she thought survivors were more likely to end up with other Clans, which meant that if they weren’t there, then that may mean that there were no more WindClan cats at all. It was an eerie thought. Even if Brightfrost had not been raised to care for WindClan, the thought of any Clan simply being gone felt so…wrong.
If that were the case: what would Jasminefur do? She first considered this question from a literal standpoint. She didn’t think that ThunderClan would allow him to stay indefinitely, although maybe they would change their minds over time if Brightfrost and Jasminefur kept proving that he was meant to be there. Since the two were apparently destined to work together, Brightfrost would rather keep Jasminefur close for as long as StarClan felt they needed each other. If ThunderClan did kick him out, he could potentially attempt to join another Clan- if they wanted to keep this option open, it was important for them to foster good relationships with RiverClan and ShadowClan. Though, if Jasminefur was living in a different Clan, it would be difficult for them to regularly see each other without getting in trouble. The other option would be for Jasminefur to become a rogue or a kittypet. The thought of him having to do that left an awful taste in Brightfrost’s mouth. She didn’t want to imagine having to live outside the code. Would that really be living at all?
She couldn’t let that happen. “We would figure something out,” said Brightfrost with more confidence than someone in her position should have. “We could convince Specklestar to let you stay with ThunderClan; Autumneyes will help. They can’t turn their backs on a cat who’s been chosen by StarClan themselves.”
As she looked into Jasminefur’s grief-filled eyes, she also considered the less tangible consequences of WindClan being gone. To Brightfrost, being a cat without a Clan was a terrible fate. Even if he was ultimately allowed to live among ThunderClan, she didn’t think he would ever feel like a real part of it. For Jasminefur, not only did he have WindClan blood in his veins, but he had trained as a WindClan cat and swore to serve his Clan. Brightfrost was sure WindClan was as much a part of him as he had been a part of WindClan. But what did it mean to be a warrior of WindClan if WindClan didn’t exist anymore?
“You’ll always have Clanmates- even if you can’t see them.” She tilted her head up at the sky, obviously referring to the stars that weren’t visible in the current daylight. “I’m sure your mother isn’t the only one watching out for you. Every great WindClan cat must have their eyes on you.” Her tail swayed as she thought deeply about Jasminefur’s situation and what it meant for the destiny of the Clans. “I’m sure, no matter what happens, WindClan will carry on somehow. It’s StarClan’s will that there be four Clans by the lake and we will do all we can to carry out that will.”
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Shadowstartheleader
Friendship Rank 4
~The world may be dark, we may be lost forever, but we stand a chance as long as we're together~
Posts: 617
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Jul 21, 2022 4:15:12 GMT -5
Lots of possibilities spread out before his mind as he considered what the true destruction of WindClan could mean for him. If it was only Fernkit and him left, how could they possibly preserve the clan? He struggled to believe that he would find a place, a truly welcoming one, in ThunderClan. And there was a piece of him that found the idea a little bit nauseating, swept away from the openness of the moors. There was something to be said about always having the light of Silverpelt shining down on one's surroundings.
He didn't feel reassured right away, as 'figuring something out' didn't tend to go well for him. But, Brightfrost reminded him that Autumneyes would have his back for certain, and Specklestar had been one of the most amenable cats since Jasminefur had arrived. He wondered if they, along with Brightfrost, would be enough to keep the clan from abandoning him in his desperation--if things went as Brightfrost hoped, they would have the support of the medicine cat and the leader. It was hard for any warrior to speak up against one of them, let alone both. "Whatever way it goes, if I don't leave for WindClan camp tonight, I have a feeling our problems with other cats are only going to get worse." He didn't have the same confidence about being able to handle them--though that was likely due to the fact that ThunderClan would tolerate Brightfrost having a spat with a clanmate, while they would likely swarm him if he dared bite back.
He sighed, slowly gazing up at Silverpelt along with her. Sure, his clanmates, at least a majority of them, were gazing down and watching the path he was on. There was no doubt about that. Jasminefur just wished that they were here instead; cats he had never gotten along with that well, many of whom disliked him personally. He wished he could offer help to some senior warrior just to hear them snap at him about being perfectly capable. He almost stated that he would prefer they be looking at him from the ground, but did he even need to say that aloud?
"That's true," He murmured quietly as she finished speaking. "We'll have to hope there are many survivors. There have always been four clans, and it should stay that way." He murmured quietlty, looking ahead at the two apprentices whose racket Jasminefur had tuned out amidst his thoughts. What would the younger cats think? He was the cat they were being trained to fight, at least until days ago. If they were successful and Windclan carried on, it would be weaker than ever. When Specklestar died his final life, what would happen? "Although, no matter what, WindClan will be weaker than it ever has been," He murmured quietly. He didn't add this on verbally, but a shiver went down his spine as he questioned how plausible a true recovery from this situation was. StarClan does wish for WindClan to carry on....right?
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Post by berryjuice on Jul 21, 2022 6:11:52 GMT -5
Brightfrost wondered if she would be able to continue to protect Jasminefur from her Clanmates. It was a strange thought- the idea of keeping ThunderClan from hurting a WindClan warrior, when she had been so fiercely raised to do the opposite. She knew her Clanmates would continue to think it was odd- especially if she couldn’t get them to understand that she was only fulfilling the wishes of StarClan. She wanted to believe they would come around to the idea of Jasminefur living with them, but she often worried that the worst was yet to come. She knew even some of the more tolerant cats would be furious if they were told that a WindClan cat would be with them for the foreseeable future. And the cats who had been vocally against Jasminefur’s presence the whole time…she didn’t want to think about it, but told herself she would find a way to protect Jasminefur. If she had to really fight Paleheart, or any other warrior, this time, so be it. “If you need to stay with ThunderClan, I’ll make sure it’s safe.” She wasn’t sure her promises were really worth anything when Jasminefur didn’t seem to trust her to protect him. Maybe it was worth saying for herself; she needed to believe that she could help him.
But she wasn’t sure how to help WindClan itself. She thought Jasminefur was right, especially as she considered all the cats necessary to make a Clan strong. ThunderClan tended to focus on training warriors, especially for fighting. But Brightfrost knew there was more than that. There needed to be a leader to set everyone on the right path, a deputy to make sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to, a medicine cat to keep the Clan healthy and connected to StarClan, queens to provide the Clan with future warriors…WindClan didn’t have any of that. And while Brightfrost was hopeful that they would find more cats, she wasn’t sure that there would be enough cats to fill all these roles. WindClan likely would be weak for moons to come. She thought about how happy some of her Clanmates would be about that. ThunderClan had spent so long wishing to dominate their rivalry with WindClan once and for all, since far before Brightfrost was born. And now it had finally happened. Would ThunderClan really be willing to help WindClan when this was what they wanted? They might cooperate in order to drive out the dogs, since that affected ThunderClan too- but what about when that was done? How could WindClan continue?
“...I don’t know what will happen,” she admitted. “StarClan will light the path, I’m sure. But WindClan’s recovery may be difficult, especially if there are few cats remaining.” She thought carefully. “We’ll have to talk it over with the other survivors and the other Clans- maybe they would be more willing to lend support. And we would have to make sure WindClan’s territory is livable; the dogs and…anything else need to be dealt with. It was quiet when we went, but we don’t know if it’s entirely safe yet.”
She was quiet, lost in her thoughts as they neared camp. Eventually, she spoke again, softly, “No matter what, it’s important to hope.” Hope there would be more survivors, hope that they would have a way to save their Clan, hope that the other Clans would be willing to help. Hope that they could handle anything that StarClan may have planned for them.
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Shadowstartheleader
Friendship Rank 4
~The world may be dark, we may be lost forever, but we stand a chance as long as we're together~
Posts: 617
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Jul 22, 2022 23:18:21 GMT -5
Jasminefur didn't speak anymore after Brightfrost continued grasping to give him hope that they would make something out of the situation. He was good at anxiously speculating but never let himself reach a solution. At least the Gathering was just at the end of the day. Too much longer and the warrior felt that he might lose his mind waiting to learn something about the devastated clan. Hope was in short supply right now and real answers were the only thing that could make him feel better.
He considered what 'making ThunderClan safe' would look like. He would have to have eyes in the back of his head, looking out for the hostilities of some cats if he was set to stay in the clan for some time; and what in StarClan would they do if there were other cats alive? His mind flashed back to receiving a sign from StarClan, and part of him had to wonder if that meant they were meant to remain together to solve the dog problem. Would his clanmates understand that? He struggled to believe they would be comfortable with him having any sort of relationship with ThunderClan.
He'd have to hope that the other clans would be more willing to lend them a paw; it was no secret that, unlike in the distant past, RiverClan and surprisingly, ShadowClan had both been eager to stay out of the generations long conflict. Jasminefur wasn't certain why they wouldn't leap at the chance to take extra territory, but it led him to believe that, at least, he might be able to secure some aid for WindClan where ThunderClan likely wouldn't help; or at least, not happily.
He let out a shiver, willing his body to take in more heat from the sun than it was. No fluffy pelt was at his side to help and he wouldn't dare draw closer himself. He sucked in a frosty breath, looking ahead and wondering how the apprentices didn't even look remotely affected by the cold. He couldn't remember being so immune to the nip of frost; then again, he couldn't claim to have the same fluffy coat the apprentices did.
The closer they got to the ThunderClan camp, the more something didn't feel right to Jasminefur. His whiskers felt frosty and his legs were struggling to take normal steps. He paused in place, looking around them as the trees' nature colors drained away, as frost crept up from the ground up to the tree trunks and all the way to their branches, the few remaining leaves turning a crystal blue. He blinked a couple times in astonishment, looking first to Brightfrost, then to the apprentices; Creekpaw kept walking along without a word, and he couldn't see any sign that Brightfrost was seeing this either.
Then he heard a whisper in his ear, chilly and brisk like the air around him. "The path that awaits you was forged by the past of your clans. Seek understanding in those who lived it." Then, much faster than it had creeped up his surroundings, the frost receded from the trees, the leaves returned to their mostly yellow-brown colors, which wouldn't be so for much longer given the snow.
He blinked again, looking around them for a few momenmts for any sign of a cat who might have said this to him; but he knew that he wouldn't find anyone. The voice had sounded almost...in his head, rather than one spoken. The short message was not as cryptic as he might have expected, but he didn't like the implications all the same. Implying this path they were on was directly related with the past of what he assumed meant ThunderClan and WindClan specifically? How in the frosty bottom right whisker of Silverpelt was a dog attack related to the history of their clans? And did the voice mean they were meant to ask older cats about it?
He huffed quietly, then realized that Brightfrost must have picked up on something by now. He glanced her way, and then over at the apprentices, who thankfully were pulling a bit more ahead of them. "I-I'll tell you later," He murmured cryptically without looking back at the she-cat, then hurried to catch up with the apprentices, at least to not let them get too far out of their overwatch. He knew he was going to have his tongue removed from his mouth if he told her that it was nothing, and he didn't feel particularly compelled to lie to her about what was going on after her strong reaction to his choice the night before.
---
Jasminefur mostly kept silent as they returned the apprentices to the ThunderClan warriors, although he did pipe up to try placating Ratwhisker by mentioning he hadn't taught them any devious WindClan tricks; he shouldn't have expected much success, but he tried anyway. He bid farewell to the apprentices for the moment, softly encouraging them to keep it up and that they'd be catching more prey in no time.
He waited until him and Brightfrost were able to get away from anything the other cats had to say; in particular he noticed that Paleheart had stood up and was starting to approach as they finished speaking to Goldenspots, and he quickly turned about and double-timed for the medicine cat's den, glancing back to see if Brightfrost was following. He had to mention this message to her.
"C-come on," He called back to her gingerly. "Let's see if Autumneyes is here."
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Post by berryjuice on Jul 23, 2022 5:32:54 GMT -5
Brightfrost padded along, thinking about WindClan’s plight and the danger the Clans could be in. With each sunrise, there seemed to be new challenges around every corner. But that was alright- it was her responsibility to deal with it. She just wished she knew how, exactly- and how to convince Jasminefur that they would find a way through. She knew she had a part to play, but she felt like there was still so much she didn’t know. How would she guide ThunderClan when the future appeared dark and murky even to her?
She was snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed Jasminefur’s confusion. She wondered if he was thinking the same kind of thoughts as her, but as she watched him she thought there might be something more. “What’s on your mind?” She tried to keep her voice even, but felt nervous as she thought he may be making plans without her again. She really hoped that they would be united as they spoke to the other Clans, but she didn’t know what kind of ideas Jasminefur might have.
She swished her tail in annoyance as he said they would talk about it later, but didn’t complain. She hoped that he was telling the truth and that he really would share whatever he was thinking with her. But there was a part of her that worried he wouldn’t- and it was always hard to be patient, especially in a situation like this. She simply nodded to him and continued their walk with silence.
As they arrived in camp, Brightfrost felt on-edge; she was starting to get used to that. She did her best to assure Ratwhisker and Goldenspots that the lesson had been fruitful and that they had learned a lot about hunting and climbing. Goldenspots seemed receptive enough, albeit a little concerned. He smiled to Creekpaw, proud of her despite her not bringing back prey. Brightfrost hoped that the next time the mentors took their apprentices training, they would see how much they improved. Maybe then, they would think of Jasminefur as useful- or at least not harmful.
After watching the apprentices head off, Brightfrost looked around camp. She smiled a bit as she saw that Quickbird had returned from hunting with a rabbit for Fernkit and the other kits. She wondered if he would come to the Gathering to discuss the dogs or if he would remain at camp with Fogfoot and the kits. On that note, she noticed Specklestar going around and picking cats for the Gathering. Most of the Clan seemed to know that it would be an important one, so many wanted to attend. She knew that herself and Stoneheart would, as they were important witnesses. Specklestar exchanged a brief few words with Goldenspots after they were done talking to him, so she assumed he was going to be invited. She thought Creekpaw and Honeypaw would be too, since they hadn’t been yet; it was unfortunate that their apprenticeship announcement may be overshadowed by the grave news. Brightfrost could still remember the pride she felt at her first Gathering. Despite all of Stoneheart’s warnings about not letting her guard down around the enemy cats, especially the WindClan ones, Brightfrost had felt her heart swell at the sound of the Gathering cheering her name. She hoped Creekpaw and Honeypaw would get to enjoy that, even if it wasn’t under the best of circumstances.
She was starting to think of cats that she hoped Specklestar wouldn’t bring when she also noticed Paleheart’s movement. There was a part of her that hoped he was coming over so that she could show some dominance. Maybe it was her desire to prove herself to Jasminefur, maybe it was her agitated anticipation for the Gathering. Still, when Jasminefur started heading to the medicine den, she did think he might have the better idea. They would likely have plenty of trouble to deal with at the Gathering; they didn’t need to start early. She shot Paleheart a glare before following Jasminefur.
She went with him to the medicine den, thinking about how she hoped the medicine cats talking things out might be helpful in getting the Clans to work together. “Autumneyes?” She still felt like things were more tense between them than normal; she wished she had more herbs to bring her, but she hadn’t seen anything worthwhile when they had been out. “Training the apprentices went well. I think they’re starting to like Jasminefur- maybe at least they’ll believe in your vision.”
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Shadowstartheleader
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~The world may be dark, we may be lost forever, but we stand a chance as long as we're together~
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Jul 23, 2022 16:27:30 GMT -5
As the two warriors entered the medicine cat's den, they saw that bundles of herbs were strewn around the corner of the den near the branches of stores, only a few bundles back on the stores in a neat line despite the fact she had already reorganized them recently. Autumneyes was hunched over them, and she picked one bundle up just as they were entering and placed it down equidistantly in the same line as the others. She jumped a little as Brightfrost spoke up, but when she turned around and saw her, Autumneyes breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
She turned back to her chaos of bundles, picking up the dock and placing it next to the horsetail, trying to keep all of the herbs for poultices, infections, and the such in one group. "Well, I guess that's a start at least. It's befuddling cats could not see the paw of StarClan in such an obvious sign," She mewed aloud with just a trace of annoyance in her voice. Turned away as she was, she didn't see Jasminefur nervously shuffle his paws about beneath himself.
She paused her re-reorganizing to turn back to them and she took a couple steps closer, focusing her eyes on Jasminefur for a bit. "Did it go okay? Were they amenable to you?" It wasn't that Autumneyes doubted Brightfrost's analysis of the training; she just wanted to hear how Jasminefur had taken it.
He gave a light shrug. "I didn't get to help all that much, but Honeypaw and Creekpaw seemed equally eager to learn from us both." His voice ended a little flatly, and it made it sound like he was not being completely honest about the apprentices' behavior, even though that was a quite accurate read of their training. He could see Autumneyes tilt her head at him, and he realized suddenly she was concerned he wasn't being forthcoming. Her voice chimed up, "Is that really so? You sound a bit..."
Jasminefur quickly shook his head. "N-no, really. I think it went well...It's just...The Gathering is just around the corner, and I just had something really weird happen to me," He murmured quietly. He glanced briefly at Brightfrost. "It seemed like I was the only one who saw it. So I wanted to wait till we go back here. To...not worry the apprentices," He turned back to the medicine cat as he said it. It wasn't a lie; worrying the apprentices with the warriors' quiet whispers really wasn't going to help Jasminefur. But he also knew the she-cat closer to him would prefer he just mentioned it immediately.
"We were just walking back, and...everything went cold. Like, really cold-- it was hard to move my legs. I looked around and the ground, and the trees...they all turned ice blue, and...some cat spoke to me. Like it was in my head." He cleared his throat awkwardly, glancing back out of the medicine cat's den to make sure no one is stalking around the entrance. The wrong cat could take that another way.
He looked back to the medicine cat. "She said 'The path that awaits you was forged by the past of your clans...' And then she said...to find answers from 'those who lived it.' I...I can only imagine, based on the timing, they're talking about older cats that will be at the Gathering. Surely they'll know something about what that meant, right? Or...do you know anything, Autumneyes?"
The medicine cat watched Jasminefur, puzzled, for awhile. He seemed less shocked than the medicine cat expected from his previous reaction to a sign from StarClan. It sounded like there was some answer to be found in the history between their two clans, and she could only hope that some cat who was alive would have some sort of answer for them. "I, myself, have no idea what it's referring to. I'm only a pawful of moons older than yourselves, keep in mind." She murmured quietly, tilting her head down towards the floor of the den thoughtfully.
"We don't even know what thing they're referring to that older cats might know. What would they possibly know about a dog attack?" She thought out loud. Her gaze flickered back up towards Jasminefur. "That was all she said?"
Jasminefur bit his lip, understanding there wasn't much to go off of about the message. Part of him wondered if brainstorming this with Brightfrost beforehand might have been a better call--she did know more than Autumneyes about the situation now, after all. "It is. But it's ssuch strange timing...so specific, I mean. It must be about the Gathering, right?"
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Post by berryjuice on Jul 24, 2022 10:20:46 GMT -5
Brightfrost nodded firmly as Autumneyes commented on ThunderClan perhaps not fully believing in the sign. She thought ThunderClan should be doing everything possible to serve StarClan, even if the idea of working with an enemy cat was strange. She was also annoyed that they wouldn’t trust in their medicine cat- especially when that medicine cat was Brightfrost’s friend, who she had always seen as being reliable and committed to her position. Autumneyes hadn’t steered the Clan wrong before- why wouldn’t they have complete faith in her?
She felt her heart beat quickly as Jasminefur described what he had seen. She tried to remember their walk back to camp- no, she hadn’t seen it. Why hadn’t she? Had StarClan prevented her from receiving their message? Was it because she had done something wrong? Were they losing trust in her? Was it because Jasminefur didn’t trust her? What if she wasn't good enough to carry out StarClan's wishes?
No, she couldn’t fixate on that. It wasn’t her place to question StarClan; she knew they always had their reasons for these things. And besides, she knew how important Jasminefur was to them- they had chosen him to survive the attack, and they had already been communicating with him. She should focus on interpreting the message and figuring out what it was telling them to do. The first part, the ice…under normal circumstances, she would suppose it was meant to be an omen of a difficult leafbare. Which it may be, but perhaps not just because of the usual challenges. Prey shortages and greencough were bad enough- what else may be in their future?
She thought about the previous dreams that she had had. One thing that many of them had in common was the strange, deathly cold. She didn’t like remembering that sensation, but she knew she had to. “I’ve dreamed about the cold as well. It’s a kind of cold that feels…different than how cold normally does.” She glanced to Jasminefur, wondering if his experience was similar. “Maybe that’s an important part of StarClan’s message.” She sounded less confident than she normally did when talking about this sort of thing.
As she thought about the frost that Jasminefur was describing, she thought for a moment about her own name. But this made her feel more unnerved, and she couldn’t feel that way. She needed to be confident so that Jasminefur and everyone else felt safe putting their trust in her. And she needed to make sure that Jasminefur felt good about having shared the message. He seemed so ill at ease in these situations, and she wanted to make sure he felt understood. And besides…this wasn’t about her, right? It was about the history of the Clans- although she wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, either.
Brightfrost focused on what they would be able to find in the history of the Clans- and where they might find it. She was not very excited at the prospect of having to talk to elders. She knew that they offered important wisdom, but in her experience they could be difficult to deal with. She thought about when she and Jasminefur had tried to look after the elders and how stubborn they were about it. Still, she knew a lot of elders just liked gossiping and liked feeling needed by younger cats. “Maybe the ThunderClan elders will help us if we can convince them it’s what StarClan wants- they can’t argue with that. But I don’t even know what we would ask…if we ask them to tell us about WindClan’s history, they’ll just start going on about everything WindClan’s done to us in the past.”
“I think you’re right about it having to do with the Gathering, Jasminefur. There could be elders from ShadowClan and RiverClan there- they could be more agreeable.” She wasn’t really used to interacting with cats from any Clan, but she would need to learn how to make allies wherever they could find them. Though, she didn’t know how those Clans fit into all this. Talking to a WindClan elder would be useful, but Brightfrost was not very optimistic that an older cat would have been able to survive the cat. Still, she supposed it was possible.
She paused and looked between Jasminefur and Autumneyes with a more confident and determined demeanor. She had kept thinking about wanting StarClan’s guidance- why didn’t she go ask for it? She didn’t want to have to beg for help if StarClan had meant her to be figuring things out on her own. But maybe they did want to communicate more directly. “I have been thinking…I want to visit the Moonpool. After we go to the Gathering and find out whatever we can from that. No one knows more about the history of the Clans than our ancestors.” She glanced to Autumneyes for assurance. Even though Brightfrost wanted to have perfect understanding of StarClan, she thought there were some things a medicine cat might know better. Still, it seemed her mind was fairly made up. She nodded to Jasminefur. “I think StarClan has shown you something important; we’ll make sure to remember it.”
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Shadowstartheleader
Friendship Rank 4
~The world may be dark, we may be lost forever, but we stand a chance as long as we're together~
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Aug 4, 2022 23:26:03 GMT -5
Jasminefur would've been lying if he had said he wasn't concerned about how the two cats would take him delivering this message; especially the warrior who seemed to have been picked by StarClan in recent days. He had already fractured the trust that he believed had been building between them, and part of him worried that she wasn't going to believe him--but that didn't seem to be the case at all. Despite the recent distance she had been giving him, she seemed to take him for his exact word, something he hadn't been expecting.
But that paled in comparison to what she said to him afterwards. His gaze shifted and fixated on Brightfrost as she told him that she had dreamed about the same cold he was communicating to them. It might seem too coincidental, a convenient lie to an outsider--but Jasminefur felt chills run down his spine as she attested that it wasn't a cold that felt like the touch of snow-tipped air, or a rainy day. It did feel different. Astonishment broke through the nervous mask that had been on his face as he recounted the experience he had had. He didn't mean to send this message, but it seemed that her believing him still managed to surprise him, even after the eerie event they had shared not long ago.
So, Brightfrost had received a similar dream with the same cold sensation. Jasminefur couldn't deny it--if he believed her, which he did, he couldn't deny that they were experiencing strongly linked dreams. He gulped, needing to take that fact in for a moment. That meant that...StarClan really had chosen him in some respect, didn't it? There was no way he could doubt for a second the sign Autumneyes had interpreted for the Clan. He hadn't particularly 'doubted' it--just wondered if StarClan had really.....made the right decision including him in it.
Jasminefur could make no argument that he wasn't a big part of this; StarClan was making that much clear as the crystal lake. He was given this information, and even if it didn't point them in a clear direction, it had been his to give. He gave a quiet sigh, picking up on the less assured tone of voice of the other warrior.
Jasminefur nodded in agreement, a curt sigh escaping his lips as Brightfrost pointed out that the ThunderClan elders weren't likely to gibe them an unbiased and helpful history if they asked. She was right about the Gathering--RiverClan or ShadowClan cats might be more amenable. "Of course, that's assuming some of them come. We never know if they won't be able to make the trip," He mewed trepidatiously, worrying they wouldn't be able to speak with any of the other Clans' elders. He was going to continue verbalizing his worries, but Brightfrost turned to Autumneyes, and he chose not to interrupt. Jasminefur met her gaze as she looked to him for a moment.
"I can honestly think of few Gatherings where no elders came from a Clan; they love gossip, and they often are urged to stretch their legs anyhow. I'm pretty sure there will be at least a couple there." Autumneyes reassured Jasminefur the best she could, not seeing any visible change in his facial expression, though he did, after a few seconds, give her a slight nod.
Then, she lookedd back to her friend as she spoke up. Autumneyes tilted her head curiously as Brightfrost stated she wanted to visit the communing grounds the medicine cats used to have contact with StarClan. It was obviously a place meant just for medicine cats, but Autumneyes averted her gaze for a moment, looking down at the floor of her den thoughtfully. Brightfrost's destiny was certainly quite closely mandated by StarClan--perhaps they would see the warrior if she were to be brought to the Moonpool. She pondered if she, herself, might get into any trouble, but her mentor had never particularly mentioned anything about a case like this. She was left in the dark as to StarClan would take this sort of bending of the rules.
She looked back to Brightfrost, not feeling confident about granting or denying what Brightfrost wished. "You know you're not a medicine cat--there is no guarentee they will see you. They could very well even chastize your unwillingness to solve there messages alone," She mewed gently. She didn't want to sound judgemental; she knew Brightfrost might feel like it was a blow to the ego to hear she might not be able to do it on her own. "But if you believe communing with our ancestors is necessary to figure this out, I don't think Specklestar would deny a request for you to accompany me. And I won't say no to you, if that is the case." She murmured quietly.
Her gaze glanced over to Jasminefur. She bit her lip and exhaled loudly. Autumneyes was almost certain she couldn't spin bringing him along with as well. In the eyes of most of the warriors, she imagined he had far less right than even Brightfrost to visit the Moonpool. "There is the issue of....what to do with Jasminefur, if we were to leave for a time."
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Post by berryjuice on Aug 11, 2022 0:32:22 GMT -5
Brightfrost did feel grateful that Autumneyes was confident enough in her that she would be willing to take her to the Moonpool. However, she did feel worried at the thought that StarClan may not want to commune with her; she didn’t want to offend them. They hadn’t told her to go to the Moonpool, and it wasn’t expected of her the way that it would be expected of a medicine cat or a leader. They could very well want her to figure out on her own what to do next. They wouldn’t send her messages unless they expected her to understand them, right? What if she was letting them down by not being able to interpret their wishes correctly? She needed to be sure she was making the right choice; she didn’t want Autumneyes’ trust in her to be misplaced.
She still thought that visiting the Moonpool could give her the clarity she longed for, although now she felt uncertain if it was truly the best thing to do. However, Autumneyes’ comment about Jasminefur made her hesitate further. She had wanted to bring him with her, but thinking about it now she wasn’t sure that she could get permission for that. Even if Specklestar was fine with it, the anger from the rest of ThunderClan would likely be too great for Specklestar to want to go along with the idea. And she couldn’t leave Jasminefur alone. In ThunderClan camp, some of the warriors might take advantage of Brightfrost’s absence and try to hurt him- or worse. And she certainly couldn’t leave him out in the territories when there were all sorts of threats and he was still recovering.
She did wonder if the best route was simply not to ask permission. But that wasn’t something she could say openly. “You’re probably right…we should only visit the Moonpool if we really need to. StarClan will know the best way to communicate with us.”
She heard excited voices outside the den and realized that cats were being called together to prepare for the trip to the Gathering. ThunderClan was leaving camp earlier than they normally would- Brightfrost suspected they wanted to make sure they had as much time as possible to assess the situation in other Clans before announcing their own big news to them. And there was the matter of wanting to take the route through the territories that was as careful as possible, knowing that there may be dogs still on the hunt.
Brightfrost peeked her head out, then looked back to the others. The Gathering party would certainly not leave without their medicine cat and their witness to WindClan’s fate, but she was still eager to leave. “It looks like it’s time to get going. Are you ready?” Her heart beat quickly in anticipation of what may await them under the full moon.
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Shadowstartheleader
Friendship Rank 4
~The world may be dark, we may be lost forever, but we stand a chance as long as we're together~
Posts: 617
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Aug 12, 2022 19:49:25 GMT -5
Autumneyes was struggling to divine what was the best course of action here. Brightfrost had stated that she understood the Moonpool should only be some sort of last resort for the warrior, and the young medicine cat wanted to commend her little friend's caution. Even so, the stress of the events surrounding them made it hard for Autumneyes to do so. She couldn't have blamed Brightfrost whatsoever if she had decided to strongly insist on visiting the Moonpool. The events they were living through were unpredecented in the eyes of most cats, and Autumneyes herself worried they would be in the dark without more guidance.
Both Autumneyes and Jasminefur peered outside the den as excited voices began to sound outside of it. There was no doubt that the Thunderclan cats were relatively excited to hear whatever news awaited them at this Gathering--some of them, surely, were hoping to hear that WindClan was practically no more.
Autumneyes was left with no more time to comment on the warrior's statement. They had to be going. "We should join our clanmates. Tonight, I believe we will learn much, if what Jasminefur has recounted to us is to be believed." She glanced at the WindClan warrior quickly. "And--I do believe something must be meant of that message." She held the warrior's gaze for a time, then turned back to Brightfrost. "Do not leave his side." Her voice had suddenly hardened as she commanded her closest companion. "Many may take advantage of now. I know not whether ill will pass us on the way there, or not." She sighed heavily. "This night must explain much to us, however."
Jasminefur's heart was starting to beat incredibly fast. He was afraid. He was scared of what was coming. What was awaiting him at the Gathering? He had spent a long time expressing his fears about it to Brightfrost, and even still, he was terrified of the uncertainty that plagued the Gathering that was close at paw. Fear was easily visible in his facial expression as he gazed outside Autumneyes' den. He felt frozen to the ground, feeling a terrible sense of paralysis despite how much he had expressed wanting to reach the Gathering. He couldn't move.
"You're going to be okay. You're coming with me and Specklestar," Autumneyes claimed boldly as she drew closer to Jasminefur. She gently nudged his shoudler as she stepped into the space beside him. "I will be walking alongside Speckelstar, and you and Brightfrost will be with me. You will come to no harm--We'll reach the Gathering without an incident. I promise you that."
Jasminefur was silent and unmoving for almost ten seconds as the medicine cat promised him safety. He struggled so greatly to trust that anything would go right this night, even given that StarClan seemed to be watching him. But...what else was there to do? Would he stay parlyzed in the den all night? Fearing every strike from a ThunderClan cat?
Jasminefur stood up just a little straighter as Autumneyes beckoned him forwards towards the destiny that was awaiting them. Giving a shaky sigh, he glanced towards Brightfrost. It was clear to him that he hadn't inspired the most trust from her--even given their roles in this, he was afraid that events might unfold in such a way that she would choose to spurn him and leave him to the dogs, so to speak. There was some glint of fear on his face as he gazed towards her, but he wasn't given time to say anything as Autumneyes again nudged him towards the exit of the den.
Larchleap sat silently a ways from the Highrock. He was hopeful that he would be selected for the Gathering; he knew that the WindClan cat was something of a bearer of bad omens, but as he thought back to the cat leaving camp, and how it had seemed to be that he would be leaving permanently, Larchleap still had to wonder whether Jasminefur should really be here. He truly wished to see what happened at the Gathering, and to figure out whether the WindClanner had been telling the complete truth.
Creekpaw was bouncing excitedly right at the side of her sister. She had certaintly been disappointed by her own performance in the prey hunt of that day, but now that the Gathering had come, that had been briefly cast out of her memory. She was praying to their warrior ancestors that she and her sister were chosen to go; it would have been simply unfair for them to miss such an important Gathering!
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Post by berryjuice on Aug 17, 2022 20:29:33 GMT -5
Specklestar stood in the middle of camp, listing off the cats who would be going to the Gathering. It was clear that he was not really the one making the choices. As with many things, it seemed that the stronger warriors of the Clan were making ‘recommendations’ that Specklestar accepted with little argument.
Goldenspots sat by his leader. “Creekpaw and Honeypaw did well today; I think they should be rewarded for that.” Honeypaw giggled happily and looked to her sister, thrilled that they would be part of something so important.
“Good idea. You, Creekpaw, Ratwhisker, Honeypaw…” Specklestar paused, trying to keep a lot of information straight. “Ratwhisker is injured, isn’t she? Can she make the journey?”
Goldenspots shook his head. “I can keep an eye on both apprentices- I don’t mind.”
Stoneheart murmured an agreement. She looked over at Brightfrost and Jasminefur when she noticed them approaching. “Are you prepared for the Gathering? We’ll need to be able to describe the situation with the dogs clearly- we need to make sure that the correct information is conveyed to the others, and nothing more. This is not a responsibility to take lightly.”
“I know- we've been thinking about this Gathering for many sunrises,” said Brightfrost with a flick of her ears. She thought Stoneheart didn’t even know the half of it. Brightfrost knew all too well how important this Gathering would be and how she and Jasminefur needed to play their roles perfectly in addition to keeping their eyes and ears open to any important information. She was annoyed that anyone would believe she wasn’t taking it seriously.
Stoneheart gave Brightfrost a stern look before turning her attention to Jasminefur. She looked down at him with narrowed eyes. “You will need to be on your best behavior. You may be WindClan, but for as long as you’re with ThunderClan any of your mistakes will be reflected on us. Understand?”
Stoneheart held her gaze for a moment before turning and going to rejoin the conversation with Specklestar. “We need to make sure we have plenty of true ThunderClan warriors with us, so that the other Clans don’t think we’re being taken over. Larchleap, Mintbreeze…”
Brightfrost frowned and looked back to Jasminefur. “We’re going to do great. We know better than anyone how important tonight is.” As usual, feeling that others were doubting her was spurring her determination. StarClan had said they needed to trust in her- tonight she would prove it.
The chosen cats soon set out towards the Gathering. They took a different, longer route that provided them more cover. These patrols always had a lot of excited chatter, and tonight was no different- there was quite a lot of speculation to be had about how this Gathering would go. But the tone was different, more hushed. Stoneheart was frequently signaling to the younger cats, especially the apprentices, that they needed to be quiet; besides that, there was a natural tension in the air that made one reluctant to be too noisy. Especially for those who believed that the threat of the dogs was as dire as it had been described.
Brightfrost walked near the front of the patrol and didn’t pay much attention to what her Clanmates were saying. She remained close to Jasminefur, always feeling like she might need to protect him, especially when her Clanmates were near. But she was still distant, lost in thought as she was. She was still thinking about all the different ways the Gathering might go. There were so many unknowns that they couldn’t truly be prepared- and she felt confident in her ability to think on her paws. Still, with everyone counting on her, she needed to do all she could.
Thankfully, the relative quiet of the night was preserved, at least for now. While they did not encounter any dogs or enemy cats, the shadows themselves felt like a threat- as if promising that something unknown could be awaiting them in the shadows.
Despite the trip taking more time than usual, she felt like barely any time had passed before they had reached the bridge to the island. She didn’t hesitate before climbing onto the fallen tree and stepping forward, her fur seeming to glow under the light of the full moon. Her focus broke for a moment as she remembered her companion; she paused to help Jasminefur onto the tree if he needed it. She knew this was likely going to be even more challenging for him- he would be confronted with not only the potential suspicions of RiverClan and ShadowClan, but with the future of WindClan as well.
Her intense gaze softened slightly. She whispered to him, “Stay close to me, okay?”
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Shadowstartheleader
Friendship Rank 4
~The world may be dark, we may be lost forever, but we stand a chance as long as we're together~
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Aug 17, 2022 22:36:54 GMT -5
It was a surprise to him when Larchleap heard that he would be attending the Gathering--he wondered what he had done for the clan, besides the normal guarding of the entrance, and hunting for the Queens. He felt that his actions this moon hadn't been that special, but even so, Larchleap wasn't going to plead the case of why he shouldn't go. Going to a Gathering, in normal times, was an exciting and fun event; the young warrior had only been to a couple since he was made a warrior the previous Leaf-Bare. But this Gathering was certainly going to be...different.
Larchleap had believed, for a short time, that the WindClan cat was leaving the camp for good; he should've known that that wouldn't be the case given the circumstances. However, Larchleap had felt a strong seed of doubt regarding the story the WindClan cat was telling. Part of him had wondered if Jasminefur was going to alert his clanmates in some secret hiding spot of the ThunderClan vulnerabilities when he had left.
But that wasn't what happened. Now, they were preparing to go to the Gathering, and Larchleap had little reason to doubt him anymore. The Windclanner had been given easy opportunities to spring some sort of trap or attack, and he hadn't. Larchleap longed to see the results of tonight's Gathering, so he gladly prepared himself to set off.Fatal, destructive, and searing lava pored into Brightfrost as Paleheart glowered at the she-cat. It was unbelievable that Specklestar was allowing Brightfrost to go to the Gathering on this hunt for a kit's-tale when he had to remain in camp.
He turned to Applewing, casting a cold glance at the tom-cat that was watching him with anticipation. Paleheart could see the nervousness on his face. "You're going, and I'm not." He murmured quietly. He remained silent, watching as Applewing began shuffling around on his paws. It certainy wasn't fair that the meek warrior got to go while Paleheart didn't; but it wasn't completely unsalvageable.
He watched Applewing squirm for several long seconds beneath his piercing gaze, hiding the smile that wanted to creep onto his face as he was reminded of the power he held over this cat. Applewing was so eager to please him, and it gave the tom-cat such a rush to be able to dictate whether Applewing had satisfied him or not. Now, he had a specific task that he wanted Applewing to fulfill. Without a smile or any show of affection, he quietly recounted what he wanted from his sycophant.
--- Creekpaw could have exploded when she heard that she was attending the Gathering. She had had a sense of self-loathing since the training session, leaving her with the belief that they wouldn't be attending the Gathering--but to the contrary, her and her sister were going! She leaped onto her sister and bowled over her in a chaotic mess of fur, unable to pretend to be a mature and well-adapted apprentice.Jasminefur was right beside Brightfrost as they approached the center of the group preparing to go to the Gathering. Confident wasn't the word that could describe the timid and frightful tom-cat, but he was surprisingly quiet and composed. Of course, no cat could imagine the torture going on within his mind as they drew closer to the time of the Gathering; but his appearance was almost tranquil.
This tranquility dissipated as Stoneheart set upon the two of them. He couldn't think of much issue describing what had happened with the dogs, but when Stoneheart turned to him in particular, Jasminefur's calm mask melted away, and was replaced by a worried expression and a hunched posture.
He tried to stammer something out before Stoneheart turned away. "O-Of course," he blurted out, but the ThunderClan warrior had already turned away from him, not caring to hear him agree to be on his 'best behaviour.'
Jasminefur's composed mask had been easily crushed by Stoneheart; but when he turned to Brightfrost as she reassured him of their certainty of success, he sucked in a breath and seemed to reevaluate their circumstances. His eyes were fixed on her for several long moments. Jasminefur gazed silently into her amber eyes, feeling just the slightest breeze pushing through the camp as they held a gaze.
Time paused for just a moment. We're going to do great. Jasminefur immediately thought about how his recent expedition to his camp had strained their relationship, and how, even so, Brightfrost felt it necessary to give him reassurance about what was coming. Jasminefur felt several layers of indebtedness to the she-cat, given that not only had she seemed to have bought, more or less, the rest of the tragedy he had told her. Maybe he should have expected that given their journey to his camp....but he still felt that he was lucky to receive such empathy from her.
Jasminefur kept silent. He was worried that if he spoke, he would get choked up. He wasn't used to any cat showing him that kind of support, especially in the face of his own unreliability. Even though he was trying to hide it, his eyes were glazing over, and he gulped as he tried to bury his emotions.
"Y-Yes. O-of course," He croaked, though his voice cracked with emotion as he responded to her.
----- The journey was long, not because of the path they chose, but because of the tension in the air based on recent events. Bristlebark, an elder who had spoken out during the sign from StarClan against Paleheart, was quietly murmuring with a couple other senior warriors. Applewing was walking alone, mostly staring ahead without wavering, though his gaze was cast towards Jasminefur and Brightfrost every now and then; he didn't seem to be making any attempt to hide it, either. Autumneyes was with Brightfrost and Jasminefur at every step of the journey. Noticeably, she seemed to refuse to take a step away from Brightfrost, evne presented the opportunity to chat with other cats. She almost seemed more vigilant than some warriors, occasionally pushing her lean frame ahead of the two warriors to ward off whatever danger she seemed to be afraid of. She said very little. Jasminefur had found a safe spot near the front of the group, almost directly in between Brightfrost, Specklestar and Autumneyes. In a normal Gathering, he wouldn't have dared approach the front of the group, but this Gathering, he was an essential source of information, and he believed Specklestar would not be offended by it. When a moment presented itself, Jasminfeur murmured a quiet thanks to Specklestar, for all that he had done for him and WindClan. As they approached the fallen log, the scent of decay and death began to assault every cat's nostrils. -----
It was hard to miss the numerous pelts of Riverclan cats that were gathered before the log that was normally crossed to reach the Gathering place. Jasminefur murmured an absent-minded affirmation as Brightfrost ordered him to remain close, but his attention had clearly entered on what was ahead of them. It took Jasminefur a few moments to realize something wasn't right.
Specklestar, Autumneyes, Brightfrost, and Jasminefur were ahead of the rest of the clan, and as such they were the soonest to reach the group of cats gathered around the far edge of the log. Jasminefur wasn't especially clear on why the cats were lingering this far from the Gathering place, but his uncertainty was worsened to dread as the RiverClan leader drew nearer and began speaking. "Specklestar, what is this barbarity? How could you possibily believe this to be in keeping with the Warrior Code?" Finchstar's voice sounded harshly and angrily as the RiverClan leader quickly approached the ThunderClan leader as he stepped over the end of the log. To the ThunderClan cats, it wasn't clear what Finchstar was referring to, but her rage was palpable. Autumneyes tried to intervene. "W-What do you mean? ThunderClan hasn't-""Perhaps you would like to gloat about your own work?!" Finchstar yowled. "StarClan will never forgive this horror!" Her forceful yowl was twisted with genuine wrath. Something had left her absolutely disgusted and enraged. Autumneyes noticed how closely the RiverClan cats had bunched together as she attempted to glance past them. The medicine cat could clearly see the bristling fur on most of their pelts, and her own fur began to bristle. She pressed ahead, leaving behind the rest of the ThunderClan cats as she hurried over the log, reaching the other side and landing upon the soft ground of the Gathering place.
Many ThunderClan cats followed behind her, also not understanding the horror that the leader of RiverClan was referring to. But Autumneyes understood almost immediately. Her senses were filled with the horrific sensation almost immediately as she crossed over the log and drew just a little closer to the center of the Gathering place.
--- Jasminefur didn't really notice the horror on the faces of many of the RiverClan cats as Finchstar berated Specklestar. In fact, despite the berating, Jasminefur hurried forward, sensing that something was wrong, though he, without consciously doing so, pressed closer to Brightfrost as he shoved past a number of RiverClan cats that were blocking the way into the large central Gathering space.
After shoving past a few cats, he was cut off from Brightfrost briefly. Even so, he kept pushing through, and it was only a matter of moments before he could see what lay beyond the large group of RiverClan cats.
Below the high branches where the leaders would usually gather, set in a messy pile, were the bodies of dozens of decomposing cats, unceremoniously thrown one on top of the other in a large heap of lifeless corpses. Hundreds of flies buzzed about the pile of what must have been twenty-five cats at the least; the bodies showed clear signs of decomposing, maggots writhing about in various wounds in every cat that had been set upon the pile, and other crawled around the pile searching for their meals.. They crawled about in shoulders, around wounded eyes, through infected neck wounds...wounds that had been closed by blood, but had yet to have been consumed by the grosser parts of StarClan's cycle.
Jasminefur had pushed through every cat in his way. Lying before him was a sight he had never expected to see in his life. Dozens of cats, decaying and wilting away, were strewn upon an unceremonious pile, bloodied corpses laying upon each other. They were at the other end of the clearing, and despite the horror that had settled upon Jasminefur's face, he left Brightfrost's side and padded closer to the pile of cats.
There was a small piece of him that already knew who these cats would be before he approached. Even so, he padded forward, away from Brightfrost, alone. As he drew closer, the forms of the cats became clearer, even in their decomposing state.
A horrific wail sounded from the WindClan warrior as his gaze found the body of his father. Even decomposing, with insects leeching off of him, the form of his father was unforgettable. Jasminefur's wail sounded across the whole clearing, and it silenced even Finchstar, who hadn't seemed to have noticed the WindClan warrior who had been accompanying ThunderClan. These cats were Jasminefur's clanmates--there was no mistaking them for other cats in his mind. What seemed like the entirety of his clan lied before him, in a decomposing pile.
Jasminefur crumpled onto the ground as he reached just a few tail-lengths from the pile of bodies. It wasn't difficult to encounter the body of his mother, tossed into another part of the pile.
Jasminefur Traumatized
Horrible, loud, crushed sobs began escaping Jasminefur as he looked upon the bodies of his clanmates, the bodies of his parents, the bodies of his clan.
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