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 Mar 4, 2021 4:19:53 GMT -5
StarClan always felt so far away from him, farther away than the old, old legends of a distant territory the clans once occupied. But Jasminefur couldn’t even pretend if he wanted to that this was anything other than a sign. Even a number of cats around them were starting to murmur, and when Applewing stopped grooming Paleheart, the latter turned about and stood up, fixing a hard gaze on Jasminefur.
Autumneyes had been back in her den, but when Creekpaw stumbled in and announced something weird was happening that every cat was talking about, she turned around and exited, completely uncertain what the apprentice could mean.
But when she padded out and took in the scene before her, her medicine cat instincts immediately kicked in. “Oh...” she breathes a quiet sigh as her eyes fixed on Jasminefur. She had already thought he was tied in with Brightfrost’s destiny given how she found him, but this—this left her certain. StarClan was sending them a sign. “Thank StarClan.” She murmured quietly, to which Creekpaw looked up at her with an uncertain gaze, not sure why she would thank StarClan.
“I....what?” Jasminefur stammered, taken aback by her sudden question. It seemed out of nowhere, but it really wasn’t. Not after the incredibly strange sign that was still shining down on him. “N-no!” He shook his head urgently. “I mean-I don’t...not...I don’t think so, I-...” His gaze was now shifting in between Brightfrost and the sky above them, back and forth every few moments like he was struggling to process what was happening.
Then the wind died down, and the normal comfortable cover fell back over ThunderClan, and the sun’s rays died down and returned to their normal brilliance. A quiet murmuring remained around the camp.
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Post by berryjuice on Mar 4, 2021 5:12:29 GMT -5
Brightfrost stood up straighter as she noticed that her Clanmates were taking notice of Jasminefur. She moved closer to him and looked back at the cats. Her eyes were excited and passionate. “You must understand now, right? StarClan wants him here- they’ve told us that plainly.” It may be unusual for a cat other than a leader or a medicine cat to openly try to interpret signs from StarClan, but it wasn’t totally unusual for Brightfrost. And she felt confident that Autumneyes would back her up.
Specklestar padded over from the elders den. Brightfrost was very glad he had been in camp to see this himself; surely, this would make convincing him to let Jasminefur stay as long as he needed much easier. The tom nodded to her, then glanced to Jasminefur. “It does seem that way.” He looked to his medicine cat, watching her reaction; he didn’t seem to trust himself entirely to make this call.
Robinpatch scoffed. “How do we really know that this is really StarClan’s wish? It could just be weather.” He narrowed his eyes. “Or it could be some kind of WindClan trick.”
“Do you have bees in your brain? WindClan cats can’t control the sun!” said Brightfrost incredulously.
The deputy looked furious, but Goldenspots spoke up before he could.
“This isn’t something that we should ignore; we all want to follow StarClan's wishes. But I agree that we should be careful,” remarked Goldenspots, keeping his tone very neutral. “We don’t want to take it as a message from StarClan every time someone goes to sun themselves.”
“What we just saw is special,” said Brightfrost firmly with a lash of her tail. “We need to listen to StarClan. And they think Jasminefur belongs in this camp. It would be wrong of us to argue with our ancestors.”
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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 Mar 4, 2021 17:13:46 GMT -5
Applewing was having a hard time processing what they all had seen, knowing that this was no accident--StarClan obviously controlled the sun, and if they had caused something so unusual as complete sun to wash solely over Jasminefur, what was he supposed to think of that?
The paralyzed warrior listened as Brightfrost asserted that the rest of ThunderClan must understand now that StarClan was indicating to them that Jasminefur was not their enemy. Somewhere deep in his heart, he was feeling that the ThunderClan warrior might be saying the truth, reinforced by the oddity they had all just witnessed. It left him stunned, unable to say anything on his own.
So it was quite opportune that Paleheart was quick to rise to his feet and speak up. "The sun shone!" He scoffed, casting his gaze around the clearing. "No WindClan cat is capable of controlling the sun, but that doesn't mean StarClan spends every moment of the day waiting to shine it across our camp at the perfect moment! Do you really think they spend all day worrying about us and what we think of a piece of WindClan fox-dung?!" His words hinted at his own disinterest, or distrust of their warrior ancestors' sense of care for them--but despite this, to some cats, what he said might make sense. Why would StarClan worry about every single cats personal thoughts in regards to one single WindClan cat? Wouldn't they have better things to do?
"Brightfrost had two ear tips in that glow!" Paleheart barked in angered protest. A perceptive cat might notice that, inside of his meow, there might have been a sort of envy that the cat was manifesting in anger. He was trying to think of something more to say on the fly, but Applewing beside him spoke up to support Paleheart. "I bet a fly went through that sunlight with how long it was shining! Shall we start worshipping it as well?" He mewed, though his voice hinted just a bit more uncertainty than the friend at his side who had unending conviction to undermine Brightfrost in any way, unlike Applewing.
As Autumneyes listened to the various murmurings and strong opinions being thrown around the camp, she took in a deep breath and accepted the sign for what it was--this was an indication from StarClan, a sign that Jasminefur did not wish doom to ThunderClan, at least not now that his clan had been destroyed--and she felt that she needed to step in before cats like Paleheart took it too far.
"StarClan could not have sent a clearer sign," Autumneyes called out with a completely certain authority that normally wasn't common to the young medicine cat. "Spreading such a glow around him is a clear signal--Jasminefur will not lead us into darkness," She cast a wary and meaningful glance at Paleheart. "And with Brightfrost being in StarClan's divine glow as well, StarClan is providing a divination that she is meant to help guide us along the way as we face the challenges ahead of us," She murmured, her eyes finally leaving Paleheart and fixating on Brightfrost, her gaze never more serious, but her eyes filled with a type of love that only an older sister could show--like she was dying to say more, that Brightfrost was destined to bring their clan to a much better place and that Autumneyes wanted to be at her side the whole way.
Creekpaw hadn't known how to feel about all of this--she had been told for a moon, since she became an apprentice, that she would have to fight against WindClan, to repel every single sleek, slim pelt she encountered, but soon after she was being told not to cause any trouble with Jasminefur and Fernkit. It was so confusing, and seeing Jasminefur up close, he seemed like a very normal cat. Why are the elders so angry at him? What happened?
She was trying to figure out what to make of all that was happening--she still didn't understand StarClan very well, beyond a superior power that she needed to pray to and thank, especially for the defeat of WindClan. And here was Autumneyes, declaring that StarClan had indicated this WindClan cat was not the villain other cats were murmuring about.
The she-cat, still standing beside the medicine cat, gulped and prayed to StarClan that she wouldn't get thrashed and thrown into the river for saying this. "You're not the medicine cat! If she said he isn't an enemy, than you're wrong!"
Words couldn't describe the back and forth torment that Jasminefur was going through. Brightfrost was almost solidifying a place here for him in ThunderClan, and after the unbelievable event that seemed almost undoubtably from StarClan, Jasminefur was left doubting, even for just a moment, his own self-hatred. Such an amazing event was not easy to throw away, even under the most powerful of enemies--self-doubt.
Paleheart's outburst was unsurprising, but ultimately succeeded in returning a sense of uncertainty to the WindClan tom. He absolutely did not want a single cat worshipping him, and a patch of sun over him didn't mean by any means that that was what should happen--but before he could submerge himself back in self-doubt, Autumneyes spoke up and made clear that she was utterly certain that this was a good sign--and even the little apprentice beside her eventually pushed against what the stubborn ThunderClan warrior was saying.
The camp was turning into chaos--every cat had something to say about the sign, and Autumneyes was growing increasingly annoyed as cats seemed to continue doubting Jasminefur even after her interpretation of the sign. They don't trust my word because I'm young. Or, perhaps, they just don't want to consider any cat with a WindClan pelt can be good... She gave a strong frown, locking onto Specklestar with an intense gaze with an expectation the leader get these cats back under control--particularly, under control of the interpretation she had made.
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Post by berryjuice on Mar 4, 2021 18:57:59 GMT -5
“Only you would worship a fly,” Brightfrost snapped at Paleheart and Applewing. She felt her anger grow as she considered that not only was Paleheart trying to undermine her, but he was disrespecting StarClan as well. She always knew he was a pathetic excuse for a warrior, and that was certainly true if he was willing to make himself deaf to the commands of StarClan. “But I would never disgrace our ancestors.”
“You disgrace our ancestors if you just decide to do whatever you want and pretend it was StarClan’s will. Evil cats invoke the name of StarClan all the time- even WindClan claims to follow them,” said Robinpatch, growing angrier as more cats seemed to disagree with him. “Maybe if I’d like an extra piece of prey from the pile, I should claim the breeze in the leaves is StarClan saying I should have it.”
Goldenspots nodded to Creekpaw and looked to Robinpatch. “Would you really go against our medicine cat? I may have my misgivings about letting an enemy sleep in our camp. But Autumneyes was approved by StarClan to interpret their messages. You and I are only warriors.”
“I’m not ‘only a warrior’- in case you’ve forgotten, I’m your deputy,” Robinpatch growled. It was known that Robinpatch was one of the older cats in the Clan and would likely have to retire sooner rather than later; Brightfrost wondered if he was angry that he was already being treated as if he had no authority. But she thought he was being stupid; Specklestar was here, so the deputy wasn't even in charge. She thought the deputy should follow the leader, as outlined in the warrior code, rather than the deputy trying to push the leader into making the wrong choice.
Brightfrost stood tall as Autumneyes stated that her Clanmates ought to listen to her. She was ready, of course- she felt more confident of that with her friend voicing her trust in her. She would figure out the right path for her and her Clanmates- she wouldn’t let Autumneyes and their ancestors down. As the arguing continued, she was glad that she had the support of her friend; it would be a challenge to win ThunderClan’s respect on her own when so many of them already seemed set in their ways.
Specklestar watched his arguing Clan, seeming to forget for a moment that it was his job to run it. He then noticed Autumneyes strong gaze and paused for a moment to figure out what he was going to say before climbing up onto the Highledge.
“Listen-” The leader struggled to speak over the arguing cats. Robinpatch noticed and gave an ear-piercing yowl to silence the others. Brightfrost supposed that at least the deputy still recognized the importance of the leader’s word over his own.
“Er...thank you.” Specklestar looked down at his Clanmates. He hardened his gaze and tried to appear certain of what he was about to say. “I know that we all have reason to hate WindClan. For many generations, they’ve brought us suffering; they’ve taken our territory, our prey, and many of our dear Clanmates.”
Brightfrost worried as she saw anger in many of her Clanmates’ eyes. Was Specklestar only going to justify their hatred?
Specklestar continued. “However...our medicine cat has informed us of what this sign means. StarClan is telling us that Jasminefur will not harm us and that Brightfrost was right to bring him here. Even if we can’t trust WindClan, we can trust StarClan.”
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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 Mar 4, 2021 19:34:18 GMT -5
To protest anymore was to protest the wisdom of StarClan; there were certainly cats who remained discontented, unhappy with any result that let the WindClan cat stay here, but there was a silence that held over the camp as Specklestar called somewhat authoritatively that they needed to obey this sign from StarClan.
"What have we come to, placing our faith in a WindClan cat..." murmured a very senior ThunderClan warrior, close to his retirement to being an elder.
Autumneyes took special notice of the tension between Goldenspots and Robinpatch, trying to figure out an even ground between the two that she could point out. They needed to find peace between each other, but it was a difficult thing when all the cats were so tense, and especially when Robinpatch seemed so aggressive in re-asserting his position.
Of course, Robinpatch knew that his position as deputy was not likely to be maintained for too much longer. He wasn't going to make it to leader--every cat knew that. She was about to say something when the ear-piercing screech of Robinpatch sounded, leaving the medicine cat's ears ringing.
It was such an uncomfortable thing, to be the blatant subject of such debate in an enemy clan. Jasminefur found himself shriveling up in the spotlight of the clan's attention, and though Brightfrost stood taller and more confident than ever, he was shriveling and turning red with sheer embarrassment.
If it was another moment, without such a strange apparent sign from StarClan, he would have been more self-conscious--but this was an incredibly strange moment, and he found himself drawing closer to Brightfrost, maybe even starting to press against her pelt for protection as the whole clan was evaluating whether he was a good or bad piece to have in the clan. Being the subject of such grand study was incredibly uncomfortable for him, and he was sheltering in the pelt of the only cat who had demonstrated constant kindness towards him.
Paleheart could not have looked more furious if he tried. He began stepping forward, towards Brightfrost, snarling with a growl that was almost seeming to indicate an intention to initiate violence. "I guess you worship anything the sun tells you to," Paleheart's voice was approaching a yowl, and even as he spoke it seemed the warrior was looking for anything to throw back at the warrior, beginning to approach step by slow step towards her--his claws sliding out of his paws.
Applewing was still behind Paleheart, his smug disposition fading as Paleheart began to approach Brightfrost with what looked like an intention to initiate violence. The warrior wasn't necessarily keen to pounce on an opportunity to hurt a clanmate, even one who was such an annoyance in his life, and even though he wanted to support Paleheart in everything that he did, Applewing found himself lingering behind.
The problem was that Paleheart didn't seem to want to accept that StarClan was indicating that Jasminefur was okay. Even if he didn't want to give Brightfrost much credit, Applewing was capable of taking a step back and laying off of Jasminefur for a bit. Paleheart wasn't. He watched with wide eyes as the cat stalked towards Brightfrost in plain view of the rest of the clan.
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Post by berryjuice on Mar 4, 2021 20:30:04 GMT -5
Brightfrost noticed Jasminefur press into her fur. In her fervor to convince her Clanmates that he belonged, she hadn’t noticed how uncomfortable he was. She supposed that this must be difficult for him; he struck her as someone who was used to being ignored. It must be a shock to suddenly be in the center of attention of an entire Clan. She moved closer against him, wanting him to know that he wasn’t alone here. She would look after him; StarClan had willed it. The feeling of his warm body against hers filled her with an even stronger desire to fight for him and for their destiny. It was almost like the sun was still shining on them.
She was not entirely surprised that Paleheart refused to back down, despite everything. She was disgusted that he was willing to public disrespect their leader, their medicine cat, and StarClan themselves. The warmth she felt turned to a hot rage as she watched him approach her with his claws out.
She moved so that she was between Paleheart and Jasminefur and met the angry tom’s gaze with blazing intensity. She showed no fear- which was easy, because she didn’t feel any. This was one of those times where she was so sure that what she was doing was right that she was practically devoid of all other thoughts.
She shifted into a fighting stance and unsheathed her claws. Every muscle in her body prepared to strike.
Specklestar frowned at Paleheart and Brightfrost. “There’s no need to start fighting amongst ourselves…”
Robinpatch looked to him. “Some problems can’t be solved with words.”
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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 Mar 5, 2021 6:17:02 GMT -5
Jasminefur looked up to the side as Brightfrost moved closer to him in a supportive and warming gesture the reassured him that at the least, she believed him and that he was meant to be here. It was a sensation he might have taken time to enjoy a little if they weren't surrounded by talking cats, and Paleheart hadn't started advancing on them.
Autumneyes frowned as Specklestar rather meekly tried to stop violence from breaking out between the two WindClan cats. Sometimes I swear you don't know what authority means, She thought silently to herself, looking around quickly in a panic and she tried to figure out what to do. She did not want Brightfrost to get hurt more, firstly because she was Brightfrost, and secondly because she was in charge of Jasminefur. If he recovered but she got hurt, there could be problems--she shivered trying to imagine Applewing assigned to watch Jasminefur.
As if on cue, the warm sun began fading, replaced with the drearier view of the world without the sun's glow. She looked up to the sky to see a large patch of cloud moving over the sun, what must have been a thick one to darken their surroundings significantly to the dreary grey. Was this another sign from StarClan, or did Autumneyes just get lucky? If it was going to help to protect Brightfrost, she didn't care.
"You threaten to bring StarClan's anger down on all of us!" she let out a cold yowl, her gaze fixed on Paleheart. Within a few moments, the whole clan was tensed up as their murmuring increased in volume as their eyes saw what must have been a sign from StarClan.
"You're making them mad!" Creekpaw meowed urgently. "They're going to punish all of us!"
"What if they scatter our prey for the Leaf-bare? We'll starve!" A ThunderClan senior urgently called, now feeling that perhaps Paleheart did need to sheathe his claws.
"Paleheart," Applewing reappeared at Paleheart's side, his own gaze shifting in between his friend and the sky above them. "I think this is a bad idea, and..." His voice lowered, probably only reaching his friend, Brightfrost, and maybe Jasminefur. "I'm sure you'll have another opportunity to make her eat her words, but I think StarClan really is close to cursing ThunderClan. Please-" He pleaded as he drew closer, moving up against Paleheart's side with a light purr.
Applewing reared back in shock as Paleheart snapped at him, slashing his claws across Applewing's shoulder, drawing blood. "Get off of me!" He hissed, then whipped back to look at Brightfrost. "You best watch your back," He hissed, then whipped around and stormed out of camp and out onto ThunderClan territory.
Autumneyes huffed after the warrior departed, looking across the camp first at Applewing, surprised at Paleheart's actions-both hurting who seemed to be his one and only good friend, and at actually heeding the warning. Then she looked back up to the sky--the cloud continuing sliding across the sky at a slow pace--maybe it had just been a ordinary cloud, but it didn't matter to her.
Silently, she asked StarClan for forgiveness for using them for her own means. Even if it was to prevent violence and keep Brightfrost safe, making up a sign was what it was--invoking the name of StarClan in a lie.
"I swear he'd fight a badger if it looked at him wrong," The gruff voice of an older she-cat sounded disapprovingly, but her eyes hovered over Applewing and his new wound. Her gaze traveled across camp to Autumneyes, and she cleared her throat. "Best get that patched up, Applewing," She meowed, looking back to the warrior who still seemed to be in shock.
Jasminefur took a deep breath after the warrior finally left, his spiked short-fur starting to slowly settle and lay back down on his pelt as he sat hiding behind Brightfrost. He didn't say anything, not having words for how tense the situation had been--he didn't expect Paleheart to make such a bold advance to attack the cat, but he didn't really know Paleheart.
His eyes glanced towards Applewing before his injury was pointed out, and he bit his lip, wondering why in StarClan's starry eartips Paleheart would react that way. His expression a frown, he sighed quietly, looking back up to Brightfrost. "So much for a peaceful morning walk in the sun," He murmured quietly, just a drop of dark humor in his voice--but he sounded tired. Already.
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Post by berryjuice on Mar 6, 2021 6:18:42 GMT -5
Brightfrost knew that the proper thing would be to be relieved that they had avoided the worst of any potential violence. But there was a part of her that was angry that she didn’t get to sink her claws into the aggressive tom’s flesh. Maybe if she beat him- and beat him badly- he would finally learn his lesson. However, StarClan had clearly spoken and, unlike Paleheart, she wouldn’t go against their wishes; there would be no fight today.
She watched Paleheart with disgust as he left. She went back to standing proudly against Jasminefur, trying to seem unbothered by the whole ordeal. “He’s fox-hearted; he’d rather hurt his friend and storm off than take me on.”
She looked to Applewing; she felt some sympathy towards him, but not a lot. He was the one who had always chosen to hang around Paleheart and often chosen to side with him at her expense. Still, at least he had shown that he had slightly more sense than his friend. She nodded to him with a flick of her ears. “I’m sure you could find someone better to follow around. Next time he strikes, he might not hold back.”
Brightfrost turned back to Jasminefur. “I think it’ll be a long time before we have that ‘peaceful walk.’” She felt bad for saying this; she guessed that Jasminefur was looking to return to some semblance of normalcy after all that had happened. But that seemed unlikely for the future. Things in ThunderClan were tense, and there were dogs and prophecies and all sorts of new things to worry about. Brightfrost had never truly known peace; she felt confident in her ability to carry on as always. But Jasminefur was new to StarClan’s grand design; she wondered how he would fare. She decided to quickly change the conversation to a more positive one. “Now that StarClan has spoken on your behalf, we won’t have as many enemies. And we’ll be able to convince more cats to help us."
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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 Mar 6, 2021 11:02:37 GMT -5
Applewing didn't even cast a glance at Brightfrost; his expression was filled with hurt and he didn't seem to want to move. It was only when Autumneyes was at his side, shoving him forward that he finally moved away from the leftover cats in camp towards the medicine cat's den.
A cold expression lie on the medicine cat's face as she looked at Specklestar. She was incredibly annoyed that he had made so little of an attempt to stop the combat, forcing Autumneyes to step in. She didn't say anything, just turned away with a jerking motion back towards the medicine cat's den, entering after Applewing. Jasminefur stared up at Brightfrost, taking in how proudly she had taken all that had happened here--she seemed completely confident that Paleheart wasn't a cat capable of really standing for anything, even if it was that Brightfrost was utterly wrong. He bit his lip, uncertain if she was right--he looked almost ready to pounce until several ThunderClan cats started speaking up.
He gulped as she voiced the truth she felt about any sort of remote peace. That wasn't a very happy thought, being unable to take a walk without some sort of larger problem hanging over their heads. But, the truth was, just because she said it didn't mean it hadn't already been burning in the back of his brain, the possibility that he was never going to have peace now that WindClan was thrown to the wind as it were.
He blinked, looking around them as Brightfrost opined that they would not have as many issues. He thought to moments early, the debate in between the cats that remained here. It was tough to think of this clan not being hostile to him. "There are whole patrols that didn't see this," He murmured quietly. "Even if they're told it happened..." He stood up slowly, brushing at the floor with his paw absently. "I don't even know if I believe it, Brightfrost," He murmured even more quietly to her, looking down at his paws.
Had it been StarClan, in general? Or was his mother answering him?
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Post by berryjuice on Mar 7, 2021 1:11:59 GMT -5
Specklestar watched his Clan from Highledge. He looked to Applewing with concern; he had always seemed to take personal care with the lives of the individuals in his Clan, moreso than some leaders might. His eyes were filled with shame as he met Autumneyes’ gaze; he looked away. It was likely that he could plainly see that he had failed to assert his authority. But as he often was, he was uncertain. In some ways, he and Autumneyes were similar- both were relatively new to their respective positions. He wished to apologize to her and resolve to do a better job next time, but would that mean anything if he didn’t have the actions to back it up? These thoughts were on his mind as he moved back to the leader’s den to speak with Robinpatch. --- Brightfrost frowned at Jasminefur’s doubt. A beam of light descended from StarClan and he still had his doubts about their ancestors? What more could he want- for a starry cat to come down and talk to him personally? Maybe a trip to the Moonpool was necessary, though she couldn’t plan that until Jasminefur was in good enough shape to safely make the trek. She would have to ask Autumneyes about it whenever she wasn’t busy cleaning up Paleheart’s mess.
“It is StarClan’s word. I’m sure of it, and so is Autumneyes. She knows what she’s doing.” Brightfrost was used to other cats not believing her when she talked of StarClan, so she hoped that backing herself up with a medicine cat’s authority would help. “There were plenty of witnesses- including some of the most important cats in the Clan. Everyone else will have to believe it.”
A few moments later, Brightfrost had an opportunity to test her theory as Stoneheart returned with her patrol. She nearly leaped over in her excitement to show her former mentor that she had in fact been right the whole time about the WindClan cat. Her words poured out quickly. “There was a sign from StarClan- they sent a ray of sunlight to prove that Jasminefur’s not going to hurt us- oh, and they said that I’m going to guide ThunderClan- so Jasminefur’s going to stay.”
While Brightfrost was speaking, Stoneheart walked over to the prey pile and deposited a freshly-caught thrush. It was unclear at first if she was even listening, but then she turned to look between Brightfrost and Jasminefur with narrowed eyes. She paused before speaking, “Was it only you and Jasminefur that saw this ‘sign?’”
Brightfrost flicked her ears, annoyed but not surprised that Stoneheart didn’t immediately seem to believe her. “No, everyone in camp saw it. Autumneyes told us what it meant- and Specklestar agreed.”
“As convenient a story as it is, she’s not lying. It was quite a sight,” Goldenspots remarked with a twitch of his whiskers.
Stoneheart was silent for a few moments again. She glanced to their other Clanmates, as if waiting for someone to pipe up to contradict them. It was hard to tell, but Brightfrost was sure that the grey tabby was astonished when it seemed that StarClan really had spoken. “...I see. I suppose this has worked out quite well for both of you,” she said to Jasminefur and Brightfrost. “You should be grateful that ThunderClan is honorable and will not to ignore StarClan’s wishes.”
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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 Mar 7, 2021 5:17:27 GMT -5
Jasminefur nodded slowly to show he was listening to her--it was true that it seemed quite magical, and it was a little hard to believe that this wasn't an intervention from StarClan given how specifically the sun settled over him--but that didn't make it any less fantastical for the young warrior's inexperienced mind.
When Stoneheart came through the entrance followed by a group of other cats, Jasminefur straightened up a bit in his standing position to face them as Brightfrost practically pelted over to her mentor. He listened to gauge Stoneheart's reaction, but his gaze drifted for a moment as Brightfrost indicated she was meant to guide ThunderClan along. As much as he wasn't sitting around plotting how to make ThunderClan more amenable to him, when she said Autumneyes' words out loud, he realized just how helpful that really could be.
I think StarClan really did send this for us... He thought silently to himself, filled with a sort of awe he wasn't used to experiencing. The way the tides had turned so suddenly, how could he deny this as anything other than a divine sign?
It wasn't shocking how Stoneheart responded, and Jasminefur maintained an even and unshaken expression on his face. His gaze glanced over to Brightfrost expectantly--giving their few conversations with other ThunderClan cats, he believed she could handle this, if her bounding excitement practically sparking off of her pelt wasn't enough of a giveaway.
And he picked up the particular tone in Stoneheart's voice--it had 'worked out for them--' and he had to wonder for a moment if Stoneheart even liked having Brightfrost as an apprentice. He hadn't heard a tender word or seen much concern at all from the older warrior, and the question lingered in his mind until he pushed it back to keep listening in.
It was Jasminefur who spoke up this time, taking an almost identical tone to when he had responded to Goldenspots, while he didn't make any acknowledgement of the pointed jab at WindClan. "WindClan never could have seen this coming, and my gratitude towards ThunderClan for hosting myself, and especially Fernkit, is immense." Again, Jasminefur demonstrated a natural tendency towards diplomacy and servility in the face of a cat who was, if not hostile, then prickly towards him. It was his go-to strategy, and the only thing he felt kept him safe during his time in WindClan when so many of the cats found his attempts to be a better warrior so overbearing. Here, so far, it had worked with most cats he had spoken to.
He was about to mention his hopes that they would encounter more WindClan cats at the Gathering, and that they could try to get things back to normal--but if 'normal' was even possible anymore, none of these cats were going to want that. More fighting and injuries? Constant herb shortages? He held his tongue as a bit of an uncomfortable expression displayed on his face.
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Post by berryjuice on Mar 7, 2021 6:20:34 GMT -5
Stoneheart looked into Jasminefur’s eyes; it was clear that she was trying to read him. Brightfrost prayed that she wouldn’t see him as insincere in his flattery of ThunderClan. Jasminefur’s diplomatic ability seemed to have worked so far, and now he had the will of StarClan to back him up. But she knew how deep many of her Clanmates’ hatred of WindClan ran; she was confident that it would now be much more possible to get her Clanmates to trust Jasminefur, but she couldn’t count on it to be easy by any means.
Stoneheart hesitated before nodding to the WindClan cat. “Only StarClan could have predicted these strange times. It is good to hear that you’re grateful for ThunderClan’s mercy, but I hope that this is not only talk.”
“He’ll help out around camp.” Brightfrost gave this reply easily; she only thought after she had said it that Jasminefur hadn’t really volunteered to do this, and he had previously voiced some displeasure over the fact that he had often been relegated to apprentice duties in the past. But, well...they needed to show the Clan that not only was Jasminefur not a detriment to the Clan- he was a potential asset. And having him help out would make him seem like...well, she didn’t think he would ever be thought of as anything less than an outsider, but maybe it would help if he acted like a productive member of the Clan. “And we were just talking about him hunting once he feels well enough.”
Stoneheart seemed to approve of this; Brightfrost knew how she valued hard work and the responsibilities of a warrior- especially the most boring ones. “I had hoped that I would see you with an apprentice of your own someday; I never pictured them as a fully grown WindClan cat. These truly are strange times.” She motioned to the recently-restocked pile of fresh kill. “The elders must be hungry after all of this...excitement.”
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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 Mar 7, 2021 6:42:31 GMT -5
Jasminefur's discomfort faded away as Brightfrost volunteered him to help with tasks around the ThunderClan camp. He immediately started wondering what the rest of ThunderClan was going to think of that--without an order from Specklestar, they probably weren't going to be quiet about it.
That being said, Brightfrost was in charge of looking after him, and if she ordered him to, that was essentially just in following with Specklestar's order, right? At least, Brightfrost could probably make that case if any cat decided to say something about it.
Then Stoneheart essentially called him Brightfrost's apprentice, and the young warrior flushed a little red with embarrassment being referred to diminutively like that. Sure, he was more of a charge for her to look after than an equal, but Stoneheart explicitly made it seem his rank was beneath Brightfrost's here, and the young warrior, even though he was used to criticism, found himself a little lost for words.
But how could he argue? If the price for his and Fernkit's safety was apprentice duties, he saw it quite differently than in WindClan, where he should have been given more serious tasks to help with. Here, it was a price for staying, and a way to prove his intentions weren't malicious.
It took Jasminefur a moment to process Stoneheart's last comment, but he quickly flexed his claws in and out of their sheathes, blinking and speaking up. "I'll take them some right now. How much do they need?" He didn't know how many elders ThunderClan had, and how much food would be appropriate.
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Post by berryjuice on Mar 8, 2021 6:56:31 GMT -5
Stoneheart seemed to approve of his commitment to getting this job done and getting it done correctly. “We have three elders to look after.”
“Three for now,” Goldenspots remarked. Brightfrost wondered if he was talking about Robinpatch, or potentially the warrior close to retirement that had spoken up at the previous meeting. But she had a feeling it was a comment about the deputy. After all, his mate had recently retired; Brightfrost wondered if they missed sharing the same den, though she couldn’t imagine willfully giving up an important position.
Stoneheart shot the tom a glare in response to his comment; he took this as a cue to go join a border patrol that was forming. She glanced back to Brightfrost. “You know how they don’t like to be kept waiting.”
Brightfrost was a bit annoyed at her and Jasminefur being ordered around when they were both full warriors, but she supposed it was to be expected. She hoped that soon they would be able to turn their attention to what Brightfrost was now more sure than ever she was destined for: guiding her peers through whatever dark times awaited them and preserving the balance of the four Clans around the lake.
But for the moment, so as to avoid unnecessary conflict: elder duty. She picked up the thrush and led Jasminefur towards the elders’ den. She looked to him, feeling bad that he had been insulted. “It’s not your fault; she’s about as friendly as a fox with pretty much everyone,” she said through a mouthful of bird. “...sorry you have to do apprentice stuff.” Though, she did consider that it might be nice that they had a good reason not to return to the medicine cat den yet; she was sure Applewing would be poor company.
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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 Mar 8, 2021 18:12:22 GMT -5
Jasminefur didn't delay responding to Jasminefur's attempt to apologize for this. As he followed her to the prey pile, debating whether he should grab a second piece of prey or not, he quietly responded to her with a "It's okay," before grabbing a small mouse that was on the pile. If they didn't eat it, one of them could be taken back eventually.
"I just hope these cats start to understand I'm not here to hurt anyone and just want to keep WindClan from dying," His voice was low and hushed, not sure how much he wanted cats to hear him speaking about recovering WindClan. "Let's just try to give them food without me losing an ear." He sighed quietly.
He was trying not to think too much about Goldenspots' comment; maybe it was just a one-off about how many old cats the clan had. But Jasminefur thought he detected a hint of something in the warrior's voice--perhaps some sort of calculating that might turn into his favor, but the young Windclanner wasn't even certain what Goldenspots might be wanting. He kept his mouth shut, not wanting to risk saying something off about something he knew nothing about.
For now, he was also thankful to stay away from the medicine den. Applewing was not a cat he felt like being around, and staying out here in the sun was a nice idea, if they could just not deal with more cats getting aggressive towards them. He moved to enter the elder's den beside Brightfrost, though he rethought it just a moment later and retreated a couple steps behind her.
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