D A W N P O O L
The commotion of cats re-entering the camp signaled the time in which she had been waiting for. The golden feline had made the decision to stay up throughout the night for those who had left for the Gathering to return to ThunderClan. Her apprentice, Coldpaw, had been excessively restless lately, which was very unlike him. Whenever someone would mention Hawkstar's name, he would immediately proclaim, "That's not my father" to whomever would listen to his woes. And she was not one to shake off the concerns of her apprentice.
Dawnpool could tell almost immediately that something was wrong. Returning cats came back with scowls, frowns, and harsh whispers between themselves. What exactly had happened, she didn't know, but she awaited restlessly for Hawkstar's familiarly dark shape to appear from the thorn tunnel. And when he did, she jumped hastily to her paws, her brows uncharacteristically furrowed with worry as she rushed to his aid.
"Hawkstar, what happened?" She fretted, taking in the gash on his head and the blood that seemed to had clotted around his forehead. Her eyes darted briefly to the warriors he had returned with- why had none of them shown concern for their leader?
Copperheart’s head snapped up at the sound of a she-cat’s voice. His eyes shone their true color brilliantly, before blue receded back into amber like the melting of ice.
He had to be careful. Suppressing his hold too far would allow Hawkstar to engage him for control again, and he knew the tom’s soul was nearby. He’d been buzzing about like an annoying insect ever since Copperheart had fully ejected him.
He studied the she-cat who had spoken. She was nothing short of beautiful, and so for a moment his anger subsided greatly. It reminded him of how it felt when Lilypool would soothe him. Maybe this was what he needed.
“Traitors, the lot of them,” He growled, staring at the backs of his Clanmates as they ducked inside their dens.
“They take issue with our alliance with ShadowCla, and our plans to cleanse this forest.” He grunted, seeing no point in lying to her. Gossip would spread soon enough.
“I had to banish those who refused to obey. It was a mess, Firestar attacked me.” His lip curled. “He’s always been a violent brute. I shouldn’t be surprised.”