The cruel intent behind Briarfrost’s words shocked her. After throwing her a harsh side-glare, fur bristling, her eyes softened to look at her deputy. “Hailgaze,” she whispered his name, touching his shoulder with her tailtip as if to silently reassure him before turning back to Briarfrost and the others, the fury returning to her golden gaze. “That’s enough, Briarfrost! I’ve heard enough from the both of you,” she snapped, now standing at the edge of the nook, tail lashing. “Blackfire is right. There is a reason why neither of you were even considered when it came to choosing a deputy, whether you wanted to be deputy—” she looked at her father, knowing how hard he tried to become deputy before Wolfstar was ultimately chosen over him, and then to Briarfrost, who claimed to not share the same goals, “—or not.”

Her eyes lingered on Briarfrost, signaling that she was speaking to her directly now. “Even if you say you don’t want to be deputy or leader, you’re still trying to act as one,” she pointed out, then continued speaking to them as a pair. “A leader makes choices that will benefit the clan, and neither of you think about how your actions effect the clan as a whole. They don’t go to war to prove something as superficial as their own strength, or to get back at another clan for something they have no real evidence of,” she told them, and despite being angry at having to explain this, her tone was passionate. After all, these were the teachings of her mentor and predecessor. What he’d taught her during her time as his apprentice and deputy played a big part in who she was today. “War is meant to be used as a last resort, not a show of strength, and the fact that both of you would go to war on the off-chance that another leader was lying proves that neither of you should ever be put in the position to make these kinds of decisions.”

When Blackfire came closer to the truth than Sandadder was comfortable with, anger flashed in his gaze for a split second, and then he smiled with luxuriant sensuality. “Jealous?” he scoffed, knowing exactly what to say to prove her wrong. While she’d been right about one thing, she wasn’t right about how he felt towards Wolfstar’s fatherly relationship with his daughter. “If I wanted to spend more time on my daughter and have a closer relationship with her, I would have done so. The truth is that my daughter was hardly ever worth the time or the effort,” he admitted shamelessly, chuckling to himself as if they’d just shared a funny joke. “The fact that Wolfstar saw potential in her means nothing. It was when he was chosen to lead this clan that everything started going downhill in the first place.”

Though her expression did not change, Desertstar stiffened. Part of her had always suspected that her father had felt that way. As much as his words stung, though, she remained incompassant. “If keeping the peace to focus on more important matters is what you consider going downhill, then we have very different ideas of what makes a leader strong,” she told him, knowing that she probably sounded more aggressive than she ought to, but it was taking every ounce of self control she had to keep herself calm.

Sandadder rolled his eyes, deciding not to argue any further. There was truly no point. “Windclan has become soft under your leadership and I no longer wish to be a part of such a weak clan,” he sneered, not bothering to hide his disgust with her. He wouldn’t tolerate another minute under her leadership. Turning away from Desertstar and Hailgaze, he addressed the cats behind him one last time. “For those of you that agree with Briarfrost and I, you are free to join us. We will be taking those of you who still value old traditions and uphold the warrior code, and salvage what is left of Windclan before it’s too late,” he announced over their murmering, soon making his way over towards the camp exit with his head held high. As he waited, there was a surprising amount of warriors that walked over to stand at his side. The warrior looked back over at the leader and deputy before leaving, a challenging glint in his gaze. “If Desertstar and Hailgaze are unwilling to step down from their positions by the time we return and allow someone else into leadership far more deserving of it, we will force it,” though spoke in the calmest of tones, the threat directed at them was evident.

“I will make Windclan strong again. May Starclan light our way.”

Art by Tori

Frozencinders The frozen but fiery soul of Windclan

Dreams were a fleeting thing, images that you could not hold onto upon your waking moments, though they might appear so vividly within your mind, they would soon fade to time. Those dreams would grow fainter and fainter, and fainter still, until they slipped into the oblivion of slumbers long forgotten. Frozencinders's dreams were shattered to pieces and the veil of slumber plummeted away as she awoke to a chaotic chorus of cries beyond the walls of the Warriors’s den.

The wails of her clanmates wild and tainted with the misery of malice and woe.

Blinking away the remnants of her dreaming, that were already slipping away from her mind, she took to her paws. She stretched her fluffy black, white, and ginger speckled body out, lightly scratching her claws against the ground underneath them, frustration flowing through her like liquid fire. Never in her wildest imagination could she ever have predicted what the pandemonium was pulsating through Windclan could possibly be about.

All she understood was that a commotion was coursing through the clan, and she wasn’t certain as to what she expected, but when she took her leave of the Warriors Den and was greeted to a disastrous din of accusations, insults and downright cruel caterwauls – the fur upon her spine began to rise as a dizzying wave of trepidation crashed into her.

She froze in place, staring at the canvas of cats barely keeping their claws sheathed, as they all began turning on one another. She could see many of her friends among the erupting bedlam, felines that meant more than the stars to her up in silver pelt.

However, the most devastating blow to her heart was the voice of her former apprentice, Briarfrost. Her voice was contaminated with cruelty as she berated anyone and everyone around her. Her eyes wild with a fire that would burn if you so much as glanced her way. It would seem that no one could stand against her, much less break through the barrier she built up to last, so as to continue her callous chiding.

At first Frozencinders’s instincts surged with shock, the undeniable urges to flee back into the den and hideaway were overpowering. To see her former apprentice turn against her clan, to forsake them and Frozencinders herself- it broke her heart in half and it bled against the jagged stones of betrayal. However as soon as Briarfrost’s weaponized words pierced through the most vulnerable place within their deputy Hailgaze’s heart, using his dead mate to send him into a silence that matched the stillness of a leaf-bare's day- Frozencinders thawed from her icy tomb of fear and moved.

She trailed a blazing path of righteous fury right through the crowd, “BRIARFROST!” Her typically soft timbre rose a sharp octave as she put herself between the deputy and Briarfrost. Her gaze gleaming with the anguish of Briarfrost’s treason.

“How dare you! How dare you speak that way! How dare you speak that way to your leader, your deputy and your clanmates. I thought I taught you better than this, surely! You have no right to speak with such a poison upon your tongue. Does our bond mean nothing to you? Do my teachings mean nothing? You speak things you don’t understand, you lash out with animosity – you have become the very image of the mother that raised you! I thought that perhaps I could curb the violence boiling in your veins, I thought I succeeded! But I was wrong! You’re every bit your mother as you feared you would become.” She lashed her large and fluffy tail with a flourish to bring emphasis to her striking words.

“You attack Hailgaze merely because you’ve been treated unfairly, and so you lash out at him, because your parents never loved you. You lash out because Tinyflame and Hailgaze love their kits, and you wish that you could have been loved by your own mother and father. You speak of us being weak, yet you let your past mold you into this monster. Weakness, true weakness if giving into your own darkness and becoming a beast, you are walking down this path and it will destroy you. How dare you tarnish Tinyflame's memory by this treachery!”

She could see an infinitesimal crack within Briarfrost’s demeaner as she glared at her with the faintest hints of distress hidden just underneath the surface of her amber eyes. The pale brown and white molly took the smallest of steps back and her fur puffed out to try and make her look larger than she was. Yet Frozencinders would not be deterred.

“I loved you, I loved you as though you were my own kit, Briarfrost. However, I was blind to the darkness that was consuming you. You are no longer the Briarfrost I know and love, you are a mockery of her. You disgust me, truly. Do not come crawling wounded back to me after all of this is said and done, I will not be here for you.” Briarfrost could only stare as her former mentor tore a hole into her chest and ripped out her heart, her former mentor who had become a mother figure towards her. She couldn’t speak, there was something caught in her throat, a sob, a silent one.

She swallowed it down, her mouth as dry as the sand upon the beaches lining the edge of their territory. Her mentor’s words were ocean’s salt being rubbed into new blooming wounds. She could feel herself plummeting from a precarious ledge, the terra firma quaking underneath her paws and becoming undone.

Her defenses were sharp rose thorns but even that was not enough to protect her from Frozencinders’s verbal onslaught. Her claws marking up her pelt would hurt her far less than this reprimand.

She’d rather her former mentor physically lay her claws upon her, than use her words to bring her down to the lowest of lows she’d ever experienced. Usually nothing anyone could say could navigate through the black thorns blocking off her heart, but this was her former mentor and mother figure that she had come to love dearly.

So... this is what true heartbreak felt like...

Briarfrost decided she hated it.

“S-Shut up! Shut up! You don’t understand what’s going on, you don’t get to judge me, you.. you fox heart!” Briarfrost hissed out furiously, while she felt as though she couldn’t breathe, so coming up with any other call back was far too strenuous upon her floundering mind as Frozencinders uprooted her entire life with a fire that matched Briarfrost's own. Frozencinders merely shook her head and went to stand next to Hailgaze, offering him her shoulder, “I understand fine, Briarfrost. You have forsaken our Leader, our Deputy, Our Medicine Cat, your birth clan of Windclan, our bonds, and so have forsaken me.”

LIGHTPAW.

apprentice of windclan

cw: major self-loathing, callous thought of serious injures and result of those injuries

He was tired, and not just in the sense of how he lazily lolled outside the medicine cats' den in a patch of delicious sunshine. Life before his accident had been monotonous, and then he'd had the power to try and do something to make his life feel meaningful. And try he had, perhaps a bit too hard, because that trying had landed him where he was today; wrapped in cobwebs and disgusting poultices, left without a voice because his tongue was all but gone. Karma truly was a bitch. The proud Lightpaw who had only ever known how to run his mouth, reduced to a crippled mess who could no longer communicate with the world.

'Open wide, Lightpaw, let me see your tongue.' 'Take these poppyseeds for the pain, Lightpaw.'

'Lightpaw, today you're going to have sing language lessons.'

Life was all fun and games until it suddenly, brutally wasn't. He'd had a world that was all his, only his and not his Clan's or family's, and then it'd been gone with the spilling of some blood and his own teeth biting into his tongue. It was so anticlimactic when thought like that, when he looked back on it. It felt like a dream.

So when the meeting Desertstar had called that he'd been resolutely ignoring was suddenly interrupted, when the monotony of Clan life was thrown into disarray, was it really any surprise that Lightpaw couldn't help but suddenly feel alive again?

Sandadder and his words were a bright beacon of chaos and life in the drab, almost colorless landscape the young tom's life had become after the accident, while he was confined to bedrest and sign language lessons until he was deemed fit to become a warrior and start the duties he'd receive with such a prestigious title. Even if he didn't truly care for the message the older tom was spewing, even if he didn't care for Clan politics, he was being offered excitement, danger, uncertainty- the whole Clan was in a tizzy, and Lightpaw had always been one to feed off negative energy.

Pushing himself up into sitting from where he'd been sprawled lazily in the sun, he was once more overwhelmed with frustration when he couldn't add his voice into the mix. And never one to be left out, never one to shy away from the spotlight, it would come as no surprise when the silver tabby climbed to his paws and shoved his way through the crowd. It likely surprised no one when he defiantly stared at Hailgaze for a moment before moving to Sandadder, pausing when he reached the older tom's side before acting like his was covering his dirt toward the deputy. That was as good as a fuck you that Lightpaw could say at the moment.

And having said his peace, having declared his side, he sat down and stubbornly ignored everyone's gazes with a proudly held head.

~Briarfrost The Bitter Soul Of Windclan~

Briarfrost took only a glance at Falconscar, flicking her ears as his words merely rolled off of her with no consequence.

"Falconscar, I do believe that you shouldn't concern yourself in these matters. This is between Hailgaze and I. Perhaps you think him too weak to fight his own battles? My my, looks like I'm not the only one who thinks our Deputy is just as weak as our Leader. Seems as though Falconscar agrees with me, by merely stepping in to his defense. If a Deputy cannot handle one of his clan mates for calling him out on his faults and his weaknesses and instead have someone else fight that battle for him, he is undeserving to be Deputy."

She suggested callously, obviously not giving how low of a blow she'd given their Deputy.

"Oh sweetheart, if you think this is about me being bitter about Desertstar not even considering me as deputy, then you've got another thing coming. I've never wanted power or anything of the sort, what I want is Windclan not to be weak, we've relied on Thunderclan far too long." Briarfrost replied to Blackfire, she would however admit Blackfire had some nerve coming at her, and calling her a reject, when she knew nothing about her or her life. But that was all she had going for her, and it was no skin off her bones.

"You've got some nerve, I'll give you that, but did you not listen to a word Hailgaze spoke. He said that Wolfstar caused his own death because of his insanities, that's no different than saying he deserved it because he went insane. I might have hated him, but to kill someone for their lost mind, it's something only the most cruel and depraved cats could do, and that's what Thunderclan did. They killed him at his weakest moment, showing him no mercy or compassion. They didn't have to kill him to 'defend' themselves. One does not need to kill to win battles." She still didn't waver, Blackfire was nothing to her but a simple thorn in her side, and she'd pluck her out and move on like nothing was ever under her skin to begin with. "You're one to talk when you know nothing about me, accusing me of wanting to be deputy? You assume things you know nothing about, also if you wish to talk about low blows, then look at yourself. Assuming things about your clanmates, holding any sorts of expectations for them and then throwing a tantrum when they don't fit them?

You shouldn't expect anything from someone you don't know. As for entitlement, do you know what the meaning of that word is? The belief that one has a right to something, or that I think I deserve special treatment or privileges.

Can you come up with anything I've done that remotely fits in with the definition of entitlement. Not once did I demand my rights to anything, not once did I ask for special treatment or privileges.

Seems to me like someone's awfully insecure and immature, to be throwing around big words in an effort to seem competent and to be insulting someone you know nothing about? That is the very definition of kittish behavior. At least I don't lose my composure like a kit when confronting an issue, I only tell it as is. So why don't you do Windclan all a favor and silence your tongue, before you make more of a fool out of yourself." She turned away from Blackfire and towards her clanmates.

"Windclan, tell me this, do you want to be underneath Thunderclan's shadow forever? Wrapped in their brambles? Do you want to owe them? Wolfstar was something we should have taken care of on our own, but Desertstar was too weak of a deputy to do anything about him.

Therefore, she made us look weak in the eyes of Thunderclan, which in turn led them to believe they should take care of the problem for us. Are we going to sit around and wait until they decide to take care of Desertstar for us too? Are you willing to let her be slaughtered when we can easily just uproot her and be done with it? Do you not care for your Leader enough that you would step in when she has proven herself unfit?"

Blackfire

Windclan Warrior

“Woah woah woah.” A sudden voice appeared after Briarfrost had finished speaking, soon a couple of cats turned to look towards the black and gray smoky figure of Blackfire who barged through all the cats before standing opposite of the other molly, her green eyes narrowed for a moment before speaking clearly for everyone to hear “Honestly, I cannot listen to all the shit that’s been coming out of your mouth.” Blackfire said, tilting her head towards the other molly with an emotionless look on her face. Going to personally attack someone, especially with a deceased parent and mate was way out of hand “To attack someone’s deceased parent and mate, what a low blow huh? Thinking that you’re all high and mighty, when in reality you’re acting like a complete piece of crowfood.. Didn't expect that coming from you, but I guess my expectations were too high for you in the first place.” Blackfire said, padding towards Briarfrost until they were face to face.

“You clearly don’t have enough common sense to understand anything don’t you?” Blackfire said, causing a few murmurs within the clan before she kept speaking “Wolfstar wasn’t fit to lead, but Hailgaze and Desertstar were not saying that he should die, no one spoke about it until both of you decided to make up this random crap.. To ensure that you have some kind of power within the meeting because a bunch of rejects like you are too bitter because you weren’t relevant enough for Desertstar to even think about you when picking a deputy..” The small molly turned to look towards Sandadder and Briarfrost with narrowed eyes, she knew that Startledcrow and Eveningstorm would have calmed down their sister by now.. But both of them weren’t around, which meant it was free range until her older brother Eveningstorm dragged her away because he knew how bad her temper was.

“So do me a favor, especially you.” Blackfire said, turning to look at the opponent molly in front of her, a small smirk appeared on her lips. “Why don’t you shut your mouth, go sit down and learn your place?” She questioned before letting out a bitter laugh and shook her head and let out a mere shrug “Stop acting like the entitled bitch that you’re attempting to be, and let the adults do the talking.” Blackfire said before turning to look at Sandadder and her eyes narrowed before turning in his direction and cleared her throat before speaking clearly “I didn’t understand you were all buddy with Wolfstar, that you now have the need to defend him now? I mean, where was this motivation when we first learned about what happened?” She questioned and there were voices of agreement surrounding her, the molly made a clear point.. Why was Sandadder now addressing this? After all this time, why now?

“Let’s face it, you’re jealous that Wolfstar treated your daughter better than you ever had… You most likely thought that after your daughter became leader, you would be able to have some kind of influence over her and thought she would submit easily.. Let’s face it, I’m glad that Wolfstar made a very good choice in picking Desertstar.. Because if he chose you, Windclan would had been destroyed a long time ago because of your easily bruised ego.”

F A L C O N

falconscar -- windclan warrior

ready to snap any moment

i'm thinkin' it's time to go get 'em

they ain't gonna know what hit 'em

The absence of his wife had left a chill in his veins, a quality that he was unfamiliar with but not wholly confusing. The itch and furnace fires of rage that typically echo his steps are absent, replaced by a solemnity deserving of his loss. The silver tom's gaze is hollow, flickering disinterestedly over the crowd as he stands guard by the Nursery, where the last pieces of his heart lie. Tucked away amongst the other queens and kits, it should be reassuring of their safety, but the warrior stubbornly refuses to allow fate any sway in his children's lives. He trusted fate with Hazelwing's life, and it has been a full moon without her sweet scent and friendly warmth. Too long, too late-- A hiss too much like Gorgewhisker's rumble sounded in his ears. Reactively, Falconscar's shoulders tensed, the cuts along his cheek pulling with the scowl that positioned itself over his features. He rises to his feet, preparing to enter the Nursery when Desertstar's call reaches his ears. Gut churning, Falconscar freezes, struggling to choose between curling up with his kits and responding to his leader's summon. He makes a decision when he hears another voice, one he recognizes as Sandadder's, speak up.

The lithe warrior slinks into the meeting area, fiery gaze sliding toward the place where Sandadder stood, a renegade amongst soldiers. It's enough to pique the scarred tom's interest.

Briarfrost, who sat a few foxlengths from him, made her declaration, earning a contemplative hum from Falconscar. Suffered is a strong word, he thinks of saying. Though, I certainly didn't appreciate his sense of humor. The scars littering his chest sting in a reminder of just what Wolfstar chose to name him. Perhaps, at the time, he believed he chose a complimenting name for the then-ambitious apprentice-- but for Falcon, it remained as a reminder of who he failed to defeat. A reminder of who refused to die at his paws.

Once upon a time, Falconscar might have been swayed by Sandadder's persuasive silver-tongue-- by Briarfrost's impassioned arguments-- but he had enough blood on his claws and one crime too many. Treason was not one he planned to add to his ledger. He might have disappeared from the crowd then, was tempted to-- however, Briarfrost's last words made him pause.

"That's a bit melodramatic, Briar," he chuckled flatly, a twitch starting up under his eye. "I sympathize for you I do-- Starclan knows too many have told me I'm not of sound mind since Scarletflood," because Windclan isn't a big clan because news travels fast. After all, apprentices don't simply get beat up by Shadowclan warriors without word traveling. "But that was a low blow," Falconscar sneers, "If you can't prove your point without bringing in personal matters, then perhaps you rethink speaking at all."

It would seem the tabby had inserted himself into the mayhem with the rest of his comrades, so he might as well push his point. "Whether Wolfstar was murdered or not, and whether Wildstar's actions were a gift or a sign, I care not. Desertstar is our leader-- time has proven her capable enough. You are her father, so maybe it is jealousy that drives you to challenge her. You certainly didn't strike me as such a supporter of Wolfstar, Sandadder. But an ambitious snake, certainly." The younger tom quirks a brow at the other. "I agree with Softbreeze-- I want this mess finished because it seems more like a family matter than a clan one."

~Briarfrost The Bitter Soul Of Windclan~

"Compassion? Compassion?" The fur upon Briarfost's back bristled as a cackle of erratic laughter erupted up from her vocals, as she stared intently into Hailgaze's eyes, hatred and contempt glistening as bright as the sun within them. "You think Thunderclan has any compassion in their hearts? You think that they care for anyone but themselves? You think that they wouldn't try to manipulate us- by returning Wolfstar in a false act of so-called compassion?" She lashed her tail, clawing at the earth underneath her, as she remained upright ad unwavering under the scrutiny of Hailgaze. "So, you think that anyone who loses their minds should be put to death, do you? You think it's just that he died- all because he was suffering for something he had no control over?" Her maw morphed into a crooked wild grin, as she sneered at their equally as weak deputy. "You truly believe that Thunderclan cares about anything else other than appearances? Then truly you are a fool, they care not for anyone but their own Clan. They just want to look like Heroes so that they all have us wrapped around their paws, so we may do their dirty work for them when times get tough. Do you really think a Thunderclanner would stand by you when an all-out clan disaster strikes? No, they'd flee to save their own. To the Darkforest with the lot of us, so long as they save their own kin. It's how they've always been, ever since the dawn of the clans themselves." She inhaled sharply, as she let her words sink into the felines around her, she could hear more shocked gasps and whispers, and even cries of dismay from the crowd around her. "So, Hailgaze from what I can gather about what you've said about Wolfstar- you think cats who suffer under mental issues deserve no compassion in life? That they should all be slaughtered? Is that what you're implying, that Wolfstar deserved death because he was a victim of his own mind? I've not been sound of mind since I was a kit, that's what happens when you're born to weak parents that abuse their own kits because they're too afraid of the cruelties of the world. So, if you're saying that cats should be put to death because of their mentality, then go ahead-" She lifted up her head, exposing her neck to the Deputy. "Go ahead and kill me, Hailgaze. Spill my blood on the ground for all to see, so all of Windclan can see how much their Deputy is just like those fox hearts of Thunderclan. Killing Wolfstar when he was so vulnerable and needed help, and compassion - not for his lives to be stripped from him senselessly. I might have hated Wolfstar, but even I know it's going too far when you kill a cat who hasn't any idea what's going on, because they're lost in their own mind." Briarfrost remained rigid, staring piercingly into Hailgaze's eyes, "You think such cruel thoughts. Hailgaze, you are truly heartless, no wonder Starclan took Tinyflame from you, you didn't deserve her."

- ℍ𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕘𝕒𝕫𝕖 -

𝔻𝕖𝕡𝕦𝕥𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕕ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕟

Thankful that Pinepaw had made sure to take Airkit back to the nursery, he didn’t have to worry about his young daughter getting caught up in the drama. Taking a stand for his leader to lean upon his support, scorching amber eyes watching the tomcat before him. Sandadder was gazing at him as if he were a cute apprentice trying to talk back to their mentor, which irked him. The whispers were starting to shift in order to side with Desertstar, his feathery tail swishing behind him. He knew his father hadn’t been in his rig he mind, obsessed with needing to explore the mountains, isolating WindClan from everyone. Wildstar had been a big obsession, convinced the once rogue, now leader; was planning to murder him. Everything was thrown out of proportion when it came down to Wolfstar’s last life’s and he knew it. He had seen it. Trying to calm his father’s anxieties and worries, which consequentially won in the end.

He held the tomcats gaze as Sandadder looked at him, those eyes tinted with animosity. Nostrils flared as his skin instantly boiled. He was no fool, knowing that the male before him was trying to insult Wolfstar by using himself. Hailgaze would not be so easily taunted, pupils narrowing in a silent warning. Hailgaze was well aware he had an uncanny resemblance to his father, except for the eyes. However, he took it as a sign of pride, holding his physic royally. Sandadder could try all he wanted, he would not speak out of turn. Tail tip rattling with unspoken annoyance at the way Sandadder reacted to his daughter, whiskers trembling as he fought the urge to snarl.

Hailgaze stiffened slightly as the Tom raised his voice, addressing the clan. Ear twitching at the annoying buzz of this fly, his amber eyes slowly moving out towards the rest of the clan to see their unsure expressions. They were loosing the upper hand, but he remained calm as he moved to stand beside Desertstar, letting her know she had his full support. Refusing to appear concerned, his expression was emotionless but his eyes flashed towards Pinepaw as the boy spoke up against his peers, those blue eyes blazing with ignorance. Nostrils flared as he released a sigh, Pinepaw didn’t know that he was getting himself into. This had all happened before the boy had even been a thought. Breezehowl spoke up as well, his green eyes flashing towards Desertstar before looking at Hailgaze, speaking his mind about who he thought should’ve taken action.

Wolfstar’s descendants had been angered by the lack of reaction to their fathers death, but to Hailgaze this wasn’t what Wolfstar would have wanted. Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, he lightly brushed his shoulder blade with Desertstar’s. “We are aware that Wildstar killed Wolfstar. She told us herself as she even brought back his body to encourage words of grief.” Hailgaze said evenly, no longer looking at Sandadder but over the clan. The damage had been done, now they needed to reason against the voices of unjust. “Wolfstar’s death happened over a full turn of seasons ago, one that he caused because of his own insanities. Wildstar could have used that to her advantage with starting against WindClan and yet she chose not to. Returning the body of our fallen leader, to be buried along side his family and ancestors.” Hailgaze turned his chin towards Sandadder then to Briarfrost, narrowing his eyes. “You would suggest starting an unjust war against an act of compassion?” He reasoned, holding the toms glare before looking out over the clan. Hailgaze could only offer words of comfort and reason, but he was not their leader.

~Briarfrost The Bitter Soul Of Windclan~

Briarfrost was as silent as the falling snow around her, as she listened to the bedlam erupt around her while Sandadder stirred the tides of the chaos he was creating. The brown and white speckled molly listened carefully to the words he imparted upon the clan. Her amber eyes narrowing with contempt as the tom spoke of Thunderclan and of their under-pawed ways. Though she had kept away from the drama that was Wolfstar as best as she could in her youth, seeing as her own family was falling apart ever since her birth, what with her mother's manipulation, her physical tendency to lash out with her claws, and her father's intimidation tactics that kept her and her brother Rootfrost in line- she had, had more than enough on her paws than to deal with a Leader who had been falling apart. However, even though she held contempt for Wolfstar for reflecting outwardly what she saw in her parents, the very nerve that Thunderclan had any right to claim his life, and to leave Windclan at their mercy was too much. She had never agreed with the little alliance they'd formed with Thunderclan after the untimely death of Wolfstar. She had always believed that he'd been murdered by Thunderclan, after all, Thunderclanners were so full of themselves, so proud, so self-rightous, acting like the Heroes of everyone's stories. No doubt they believed plucking Wolfstar's lives away from him would be some kind of heroic act. The must have believed poor little Windclan was far too weak to deal with Wolfstar on their own terms, and now here they were, proving Thunderclan right and stroking their ego by acting as though they were allies. Windclan shouldn't be in the debt of any other clan, shouldn't be cast into shadows by another clan's light, they should be strong enough to not need their assistance. Desertstar had made them weak by forming an alliance with those Thunderclan fox-hearts. Sandadder was speaking nothing but the truth to those foolish enough to believe in Wildstar's words. Wolfstar was killed, and unless Wildstar could prove that it was indeed in self-defense, then why should Windclan believe it was nothing more than vigilante murder? Who deemed Thunderclan worthy of carrying out the will of justice? That was Starclan's duty and theirs alone. She slipped out of the crowd and padded up towards Sandadder and stood tall beside him, while she cast an icy glare towards Desertstar in contempt.

"I agree with Sandadder, I too would love to see the proof of Wildstar's claims that she killed Wolfstar in self-dense. How do we know for certain that's what happened? How are we to know without a shadow of a doubt that they did not just kill Wolfstar in his vulnerable state? How are we to believe in such a Clan that thinks themselves the Heroes in everyone's story? How are we to know that they did not kill Wolfstar in an effort to put us in some type of debt with them? Everyone knew of his mentality, how we all suffered under him because of it." She felt several stares burning into her pelt, but she ignored them. continuing to sneer at their so-called Leader, a weak she-cat that had to side with a Clan that killed their Leader, in an effort to be strong, but in reality, was making them all weak. How long would it be until the Thunderclanners decided that Desertstar was a detriment to Windclan, would they allow Thunderclan yet another oppurtunity to deal with their own problems and fall further into their paws? A change was in order, and if it had to be forced, then so be it. She wouldn't let Windclan be swallowed up by Thunderclan any longer. They would prove they weren't weak and deal with the new problem Windclan was facing. A weak Leader who left their clan vulnerable to another clan's will. A Leader who put value in another Leader's words, when Wildstar could have so easily lied to look like a victim and that she was some type of martyr that rid the clans of a growing threat Showing the other clans that Windclan was too weak to reel in their Leader themselves. "I'll bet they wanted to play Heroes and decided that Wolfstar had to die in order for the clans to be free of him. As though they believed us incapable of dealing with our own problems, and that we were weak. And now here we are, relying on Thunderclan, proving them right. That Windclan has become weak, we shouldn't have to rely on such fox-hearts who would be so under-pawed as to kill our Leader and then have the gall to lie about it. Who is Thunderclan to think that they have the right to so callously murder another Clan's Leader and then get away with it? No matter how Wolfstar was at the end, he hardly deserved death. We could have dealt with his deterioration on our own, we didn't need saving!"

Desertstar’s jaw tensed, annoyance etched across her normally soft features, though, a wave of relief washed over her as she caught sight of Hailgaze. Inhaling deeply, she felt more at ease with him at her side. It’d be much easier now to deescalate the situation with two of them rather than one. As calm and collected as her deputy appeared on the outside, however, she could hear the hint of danger in his voice as he spoke to Sandadder. She silently hoped it wouldn’t come to that, though, and they’d be able to smooth all of this over before it became a problem. This was the last thing they needed after everything their clan had been through.

“Thank you,” she whispered to her deputy, taking a deep breath to calm herself before turning back to face her father with renewed vigor, “I didn’t need to see it to know that’s what happened, Sandadder. Any cat could see that Wildstar had been attacked, and as much as I absolutely adored Wolfstar, Hailgaze is right,” the leader calmly explained, trying to reason with her father and reassure her clanmates that she’d made the best possible decision for them, “To have sent our warriors off into an unnecessary war would have been truly foolish, not to mention a waste of our time and resources.”

With that, a hush fell over the meeting, and sounds of agreement filtered through the air. Sandadder’s eyes flicked to Desertstar’s as she spoke, then back to Hailgaze with unhidden animosity when she was finished, clearly displeased with the deputy for intervening. The warrior huffed in amusement. “You sure do look like your father, don’t you?” the corners of his mouth twitched into a smile, though it was no compliment. Upon noticing Airkit at his feet, he recoiled, doing well to step out of the way so that the little rat could scamper passed him. Just how many cats were descendants of Wolfstar?

Not wanting to engage with Wolfstar’s kin any further, as just looking at Hailgaze made his skin crawl, he turned his attention back to Desertstar to resume their little debate. If he were going to convince the clan that she was unfit to be leader, he needed to act now, and fast. “You know who else knew that Wolfstar wasn’t himself?” he asked her, raising his voice loud enough for the rest of the clan to hear him, and after a few moments of silence, he answered, “Thunderclan.” Behind him, the crowd was starting to get loud again, frantically whispering amongst each other as they began to further question their leader’s decision. Grinning, he turned away from Desertstar and back to the mass of gathered cats, eyes burning with the intensity of a predator making a kill. “And don’t you think that Thunderclan would use Wolfstar’s state of mind to their advantage and lie for their own benefit!?” he shouted the rest of the clan, some of their whispering now turning into outrage.

Sandadder’s heart pounded almost painfully with excitement, and all around him, the shouting rose. His plan was working. Now, even if he was silenced, it wouldn’t do them any good. He’d already convinced several others of his side.

“I believe that Wildstar killed Wolfstar!” he exclaimed loudly, his voice and the voices of others echoing off the abandoned cabin’s mossy, wooden walls.

Art by Tori

Just nights before Nectarpool and Breezehowl had sealed the deal and finally became mates after many many moons of already acting like a couple. Nectarpool had enjoyed what she thought was going to be a lazy day cuddling in their newly made nest. Her face buried deep in his neck fur with a purr, but her peace was short lived as the familiar sound of Desertstars voice filled the warriors' den. “Come on Breezy we gotta meeting to attend to.” Forcing herself away from the comfort of her gray and white mate.

Stepping into the clearing, you could feel the tension pushing down on everyone. Desertstar was a great leader, Wolfstar made the best decision making her deputy, but Sandadder was bringing up feelings already buried from when Wolfstar died at the paws of Thunderclan. It hurt thinking about her prior mentor's death, but everyone knew Wolfstar wasn't in the right place towards the end of his life. Nectarpool didn't want to get into the middle of everything just yet, settling down towards the back of the crowd.

Even from where she was she could see the tiny bundle of fur, Airkit, bouncing over to her father, Hailgaze. She shouldn't be out here during this…Watching the kitten burying herself in the deputies fur sent a warm fuzzy feeling rushing throughout the warrior, I bet Breezehowl would be a good father. Her eyes widened at her own inner thoughts shaking it from her brain before refocusing on the meeting. Her teeth grinding as she listened to Sandadder being outright disrespectful to their leader, she didnt care if they were family, Desertstar was the leader and he needed to respect her. Hearing Hailgaze show maturity when handling the outspoken Sandadder Nectarpool took a sigh of relief, she knew she could count on a Wolfstar descendant to stay calm and try to keep the peace.

- ℍ𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕘𝕒𝕫𝕖 -

𝔻𝕖𝕡𝕦𝕥𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕕ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕟

Aware that a clan meeting was going to be taking place today, the large dark grey and white streaked tomcat was sitting closer than most to the nook, a clear sign of his respect for his leader. Familiar faces were beginning to file out into the opening, his scorching amber gaze watching quietly. Nostrils flaring as he slowly breathed in the scents around him, but it was lazily done as he slowly exhaled. Truly this was the most boring part, waiting for everyone that was present in camp. Ears perked up suddenly as a high pitched voice, following by the thumping of small paws against the ground caught his attention. Eyes moving to spot the small cream tabby as one of his daughters was running at him full force. “Airkit.” He smiled, his bored amber gaze softening at the little she-kit as she ran straight at his legs, tail waving behind him. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Daypaw and Pinepaw were inching closer to the group of gathering cats so that they could be near him. Smiling at his sons for a moment, he looked back down at is daughter as she smiled and giggled from excitement. “Remember to be quiet once Desertstar starts to talk.” He reminded her gently.

Ears twitching, eyes lifting up from his daughter as he noticed that Blackfire was making her way towards him, her expression set and determined but her eyes were the only sign of her uncertainty. Pupils narrowing as he could see she wanted to speak about something, however, Desertstar’s voice caused him to half way turn his chin away from his close friend, amber eyes finding the golden spotted she-cat before he gave Blackfire a slight smile. “Maybe later.” His deep voice rumbled, giving her a small dip of his chin. She wasn’t being ignored but he did have to pay attention to the meeting, his eyes following her for a moment longer as she turned to walk towards Cactuspaw and Rockypaw. Grunting he looked away as his eyes began to roam around the other WindClanners. His tail curling around his paws with the tip lightly flicking against Airkit’s chest to keep her occupied. Although he was listening to Desertstar, his eyes kept slowly roaming towards Blackfire as she hovered over her niece and nephew, but he couldn’t help but wonder what she had on her mind. Slowly he looked away from Blackfire as Desertstar went on about how they could push past the Black Throat Plague to strengthen their resolves to survive this Bare-Leaf season.

He could sense a disturbance was beginning to take place, pupils narrowing as his gaze landed upon Sandadder. One of the few warriors he had trouble with getting along, jaw tightening slightly as he point blank disrespected Desertstar. Even Blackfire had used her muzzle to gesture towards the troublemaker. Suddenly, instead of having a clan meeting now they were faced with a very fragile situation. The fur along his spine beginning to become ruffled as his amber eyes watched as Sandadder brushed past him in order to sneer at Desertstar. Hailgaze glared, his chin tilting as he noticed that Airkit had cuddled further back against his stomach. “Pinepaw, take your sister back to the nursery.” Hailgaze said softly, giving his son a quick look before he used a paw to lightly push his daughter in the direction of her older brother. Watching to make sure his small kit reached Pinepaw, he grunted as he stood up, his amber eyes shifting towards Desertstar before he calmly spoke to Sandadder. “Calm, Sandadder. We all know that Wolfstar had changed in that life. His views and actions weren’t that of a mentally sound cat. I don’t think its fair to judge Desertstar’s actions on that.” Hailgaze spoke softly and calmly as he moved to where he was looking up at the tom, but he was close enough that if Sandadder made a play for his leader, Hailgaze would reach him first.

Whispers were beginning to sound of behind him, tail tip twitching but he couldn’t afford to turn and look back. If he did, then Sandadder would know he was unsettled. “WindClan isn’t necessarily in the same tree as ThunderClan but we can at least respect that Wildstar brought Wolfstar back to us. To your leader, Desertstar.” Hailgaze hummed, his pupils narrowing. Wolfstar had been his father, to use his dead father as leverage against Desertstar was just disgraceful.

#f9884b

:: ℝ𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕪𝕡𝕒𝕨 ::

𝔸𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕕ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕟

Lips pressed together as the young tom was trying his best not to giggle out-loud as the rest of the clan was beginning to venture into the clearing for this clan meeting. His pale yellow eyes shimmering with humor as his sister was explaining how she had knocked Goldenpaw on his butt during a training session. Their brother was often self-centered and had a rude mouth to him, something he must’ve inherited from their papa, Quiethawk. “Did you really?” He asked, his nose wrinkling as he smiled. Cactuspaw was a little fire cracker, always had been, but she was also very quick on her feet. Rockypaw could only imagine that their brother hadn’t even seen Cactuspaw coming. “That is awesome!” The brown tomcat grinned, the fur around his scruff sticking up slightly in excitement. “You will have to show me what you did, so I don’t land on my butt.” He laughed softly, although he quickly had to bite down on his lower lip when his mothers familiar voice called for a meeting.

Pale yellow eyes briefly scanned the clearing, he had yet to spot any of his siblings other than Cactuspaw. Eveningstorm also wasn’t present, which made the young tom pout momentarily. He knew his aunt and mentor was sitting behind him, so that brought some comfort as he scooted closer to his sister, noticing she was shivering a little with being in the open. Every now and then his eyes would flicker towards Daypaw and Pinepaw. One was his best friend and the other was his crush, although he had quickly stepped away from being friends with Pinepaw because of it. Desertpaw had a rather outstanding crush on the brown tomcat, which if it was against him or Desertpaw, he would prefer his sister be given a chance. Didn’t mean his stomach had stopped giving him butterflies and kept his eyes from finding Pinepaw in a crowd.

Clearing his throat, he peeled his eyes away from Pinepaw as he looked up at his mother, chin tilting at the mention of the Black Throat Plague. Honestly, he didn’t remember much of it, just that he hadn’t been allowed outside without someone with him at all times because of it. Ears swerved on top of his head as Sandadder’s sickly sweet and yet sarcastic voice raised above his mothers, cutting her off. He frowned and looked towards his grandfather. Rockypaw didn’t know much about the tomcat, but he did know that he was Desertstar’s father. Why was he arguing with mom? Rockypaw didn’t understand the situation, still too young. But the older warriors did, this wasn’t their first rodeo. Hailgaze was already on alert, his amber eyes watching Sandadder like a hawk, but Rockypaw wasn’t alarmed just yet. He was a little startled when Blackfire stepped between him and Cactuspaw, brows furrowing slight at her words. “U-um, okay.” Rockypaw nodded, looking towards Cactuspaw cautiously before looking back at Sandadder and his mother.

#bf8cca

Blackfire and Co Windclan Cats ‘Alright, you can do this.. Just tell Hailgaze that you’re leaving to find Startledcrow and Heatherpetal.’ The black and gray smoky molly kept repeating into her head as she paced around in the medicine cat den, her light green eyes focused on the ground. It had been almost a moon and a half since her brother Startledcrow and his mate Heatherpetal had left Windclan towards the mountains, and Blackfire couldn’t help but become very nervous for them. Perhaps she was too inpatient, but she was hoping that her family members would have been back by now. Looking as Quiethawk was preparing the travel herbs that she would need, the small molly watched as the tom placed them nearby which caused her to stop pacing around and she quietly thanked him. This morning, Blackfire had made the choice to leave Windclan in an attempt to look for the two missing cats. Eveningstorm wasn’t all pleased that his younger sister was planning on leaving the safety of the clans to go off into the unknown, but he respected her choice as he was also worried for their younger brother. Why was Blackfire nervous about telling Hailgaze that she was leaving? That was her best friend.. She knew that he wouldn’t have the best reaction to her leaving. After consuming the traveling herbs, she thanked Quiethawk before stepping into the camp clearing and scanned the area. One would assume that Blackfire would perhaps change her mind, and simply wait it out like everyone else.. But while her brothers and friends had families to go home to.. Blackfire really didn’t have anything to call hers, so it was most likely the reason why she was ready to head into the unknown. Spotting Hailgaze nearby with his sons, a small smile appeared on his lips before padding towards them “Hailgaze, can we speak in private about som-” Blackfire said but was cut off by Desertstar’s call for a clan meeting. Narrowing her eyes in annoyance, she let out a sigh “I guess we’ll talk later then.” She mumbled before spotting Rockypaw going towards Cactuspaw and the two siblings sat with each other. Going towards her niece and nephew, she sat behind them and listened to them eagerly talking about something. Having Rockypaw as her apprentice was one of the best things that happened to her, as her nephew was more like a son.. One that she never really had as she suffered a miscarriage seasons ago. Spotting at the corner of her eye, she spotted Mistynight coming towards them and the black molly nodded in greetings to them all before taking a seat next to Blackfire. A frown appeared on her lips when looking at Sandadder as it appeared he was looking very pissed off as his daughter spoke. Cactuspaw seemed tense too, as she wasn’t overly fond of her grandfather. Watching the older tom carefully, she turned to look at Hailgaze and beckoned her head towards Sandadder, basically giving her friend a heads up that someone looked very mad. Daypaw and Pinepaw were quietly muttered about something nearby, it seemed like the two brothers were speaking about something as well but she couldn’t figure out what was happening until her ears perked up at the sudden shouting that came from Sandadder and Desertstar’s eyes narrowing Ah, yes.. There it was! Blackfire knew something would be happening. Suddenly getting up, she cut between Cactuspaw and Rockypaw and lowered her head slightly “If things start going south, Rockypaw I want you to find your father and tell him for all of us to meet at the hideout spot we used to hang at.” The black and gray smoky tabby muttered, as she knew that Eveningstorm would know where to head towards. Hearing a snort nearby, she turned to see the face of Softbreeze looking at Sandadder and Desertstar with narrowed eyes “Disgusting.” Softbreeze simply said, her tail lashing back and forth in annoyance. How dare Sandadder and Desertstar become petty towards each other, it was Softbreeze’s job! After all, Startledcrow missed her ceremony! Periwinkle blue eyes narrowed slightly as the white and silver molly suddenly got up “Will you both shut up? I want this stupid meeting over with!” She called but of course, it didn’t happen. The young warrior narrowed her eyes before turning around and suddenly towards the camp entrance. It was almost poetic justice that after Hailgaze kept punishing Softbreeze for her antics, and letting Vulturepaw and Lightpaw get away with everything.. Both of the toms were still ‘paws’. Softbreeze wouldn’t be involved within this stupid family drama, she would take her bussiness elsewhere and go on vacation.

“Shit.” Blackfire muttered quietly when looking towards Mistynight as the black molly wasn’t pleased with Sandadder’s responses, she knew that the molly and Desertstar were good friends growing up.. So it would be a normal reaction as Mistynight had also gotten up and looked like she was ready to defend her friend and leader.

- 18ff01 Blackfire

A I R K I T

The little she-kit had been in the nursery with her sister, Wolfkit, and her foster mother, Peppernose, when the call for the Clan meeting was made. Oh! My first Clan meeting! The one moon old kitten thought excitedly. It was still early in the day as the sun had not yet started to descend and the sky was still a clear blue. Her father, Hailgaze, and her older brothers, Pinepaw and Daypaw, were attending to other Clan duties.

"Oh, can we go?" Airkit turned to her foster mother excitedly, awaiting her permission before she turned and made tiny little bounds out into the clearing. The cream kit paused for a moment to gather her surroundings. Gosh, everyone around her was so big. One day, she hoped that she wouldn't be smaller than everyone else, like the stories her father had told her about her mother, Tinyflame. Apparently, the fiery warrior was still the size of an apprentice, even though she was fully grown!

I'd rather be as big as my papa, or by brothers. Airkit thought to herself.

Oh!

Speaking of her papa, she spotted him sitting just beneath the nook at his rightful spot as Clan deputy. "Papa!" She called, her little legs carrying her as fast as they possibly could for her to reach the large grey tom. Coming to a halt, Airkit cuddled in close to his leg. Her head barely managed to reach his foreleg, but that didn't mean that would stop her from stretching up on her tipie toes to pretend like she was taller.

She was just happy to be here, settled at her father's paws as she listened to Desertstar speak of things that her kittish innocence had no real levels of understanding. However, the excitement she felt towards being at the Clan meeting dissipated when Sandadder interrupted her, his tone dark and heavy. She wasn't completely aware of what was going on or what they were talking about, but even a kit as young as herself could feel the tension hanging over the camp. No longer was she excited to be here. Unsettled, she cowered underneath Hailgaze, her tiny little body huddling underneath his belly.

"Papa?" She murmured, a whimper in her throat, "What's going on..?"