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Post by Durango on Jun 18, 2012 16:08:33 GMT -5
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Triumphantly the NorthClan warrior marched back into his own territory, glad to have secured the EastClan camp and fields. He left a few of his warriors behind to make sure to mark everything there. EastClan had fled to regroup, that was sure enough, and perhaps there would be another battle in due time. He would like it, he was addicted to the feel of victory. His warriors had triumphed in battle, securing his place as a strategic mastermind.
He turned to his deputy, Blackstorm. "I don't see why some of them look so glum," he meowed. "This was a triumph! For the first time in ages, we've been able to drive an entire Clan from their homeland. Is that not good enough for them?" His blue eyes burned as he looked at a few of his dejected warriors.
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Post by Kenya on Jun 18, 2012 17:41:59 GMT -5
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L i g h t n i n g f u r
Lightningfur watched Scatterstar triumphantly return back to their home with a heavy feeling in her heart. The other warriors seemed to share her feelings. They had won, driven off a rival clan, but why did she feel so beaten and defeated?
Lightningfur's bright ginger and white pelt showed brilliantly against the dull rocks of Northclan. Was this really even meant to be my home? She thought eyeing the darker pelted warriors. Lightningfur took in a deep breath and stalked up to her leader. She stood tall against his gaze even though every fiber of her body told her to bow her head and back away. Run away.
"Scatterstar, what did we gain from that? Eastclan had done nothing wrong!" She mewed flattening her ears as the courage drained from her. Scatterstar was a strong-willed leader. He had the courage of Lionclan and the cunning of Tigerclan. Why couldn't he use all that for good? She flicked her ringed tail and felt her head drop slightly with uneasiness. Suddenly she felt herself wishing for gray fur instead of her sun-bright pelt so she could melt away into the rocks and snow of Northclan.
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Post by sil on Jun 19, 2012 13:10:37 GMT -5
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f i s h b o n e |
[/i][/color] Fishbone padded into camp behind his leader. He tried to keep his head high, but the tom couldn’t keep his beige-banded tail from drooping or the defiance from burning in his amber eyes. His teeth were clenched so tightly that his jaw stung. But the pain of that and his injuries paled to the anger and sorrow raging in his chest.
His feelings were so jumbled; on one paw, he was horrified at what he and his Clanmates had done, yet on the other was a morbid thrill of victory—they had defeated an entire Clan and their leader! Fishbone had never been especially well-liked by other while growing up, but now he had accomplished something remarkable.
Fishbone absolutely hated himself for even considering that what they had done was glorious.
So engrossed with his own thoughts, he didn’t notice Lightningfur speaking with Scatterstar until she had started. Fishbone glanced between the two with surprise. Lightningfur was probably his only friend in the world, and here he hesitated to come to her aide. Had it been a battle, he would have thrown down his life to help her. But now, Fishbone stalled. He wanted to agree with her, why couldn’t he speak up?
Staring down at his dark paws, he finally mumbled, “There is little we can do about this now.”
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Post by h a r e . xxx on Jun 19, 2012 14:43:08 GMT -5
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Harespririt turned his head when he saw Scatterstar and the look of joyous triumph on his face. His leader had gotten what he wanted, even if it may not have been in the best way possible. He sighed inwardly and had watched as his Clanmates began chasing EastClan away; seeing Snowfall and her Clan running sent a twinge going through the medicine cat's heart. 'Was it all really what was best in the end? Even with StarClan as silent as they have been?' he asked himself, still in a state of confusion. Should he be glad that his Clan made it out alive, that he made it out alive? Very possibly, and somewhere deep down he was in fact thrilled that he had come out of this mess alive.
Still, despite that primal joy of survival, he couldn't help but feel guilt in the fact that this war happened in the first place. Sure, he wasn't Scatterstar, he wasn't even a full medicine cat at the time the battle started. Yet, he felt that this could have been avoided. His newfound friend in the EastClan medicine cat was possibly what drove his guilt. He couldn't help Snowfall stop the fight, no matter how much he wish he had. His mentor and her mentor were both gone now. And this was all due to ambition and bloodlust.
"Are there any cats that need attention immediately?" the blue-gray tom asked, wondering if he could make up for not being able to help during the actual battle itself. The majority of his time he had been kept out of the battlefield as much as possible, save his wounds from a confused warrior. Speaking of his wounds, the shallow gashes stung with every movement his body made save breathing and talking. He would have to remember to tend to his own wounds and not just those that the warriors of his Clan had suffered.
The long-haired medicine cat sat down and looked over his scratches, making sure that they would not get infected in the time he would spend looking over the more serious wounds. After a careful once-over, he decided that even if they were to become infected-which was highly unlikely-it would be more than manageable, since the wounds had already begun to heal since they were a few days old.
The sounds of Lightningfur and Scatterstar talking were really the only sounds in the camp. Dead silence save some muttering between the warriors. He inwardly agreed with Lightningfur, but decided to keep his mouth shut. Much of his power and influence meant little to nothing without StarClan being there to back it up.
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Post by Firefly on Jun 19, 2012 20:29:03 GMT -5
Blackstorm was just as triumphant about the victory as Scatterstar was, the deputy was such a suck up. He walked right alongside just as proudly. When his leader spoke to him his ears flicked, and he looked back at the cats. It was true that a lot of them did not seem to be victorious that they won the battle and drove EastClan away from their land.
"They'll come to acknowledge your wisdom in time, Scatterstar." He said. "For now they're just shaken up, I'm sure. If you want I could talk some sense into them?" He bared his teeth with a low growl as Lightningfur came over to speak.
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Post by Durango on Jun 19, 2012 21:08:57 GMT -5
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He shook his head at his deputy's response. He wanted to watch and see what his Clan would do before he went into any sort of panic. Was there the threat of rebellion? A civil war from within his own Clan? He shuddered to think that he was losing control over the members of his Clan. So long they had trusted him for his charisma and cunning, but now they seemed to have their doubts. What could he do to stop them from bringing him down?
"For now I just want you to watch them," he meowed to Blackstorm. "Make sure that the unrest stays quelled. Better safe than sorry, a rebellion would tear this Clan apart. We don't want to end up like SouthClan, ripped apart by their own cats."
He looked at Lightningfur when she came over with complaints, exactly what he didn't want to here. He'd need to use all his charisma to get past this. "My dear Lightningfur," he meowed. "We gained the future from this. We gained power, we showed EastClan that they can't take us down. They would have gone after us if we hadn't gone after them first. We now have more land, more food for our Clan. We gained so much from it."
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Post by Kenya on Jun 19, 2012 21:20:10 GMT -5
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L i g h t n i n g f u r
Lightningfur listened to his response, giving the Northclan deputy a hard glance as his low growling reached her ears. She lashed her tail in response. Was Scatterstar right? She looked around to the other cats. Harespirit looked as if he might of agreed with the ginger and white she-cat, but if he did he wasn't about to say it. Fishbone on the other hand looked torn. She didn't comment about what he mumbled to her, but he was right. What's done is done.
Lightningfur turned her gaze back to her leader and nodded. Perhaps he is right. She thought casting a glance down to her paws. More land means more food in hard times. Less threats means protection for kits, which she wanted to have herself one day. Lightningfur let out a light sigh as she imagined herself with kits and a mate of her own. He had to be right, he was leader for a reason. Wasn't he? She was suddenly panged with second thoughts. He had to of been chosen for a reason. Still she felt guild swell inside her, but what her leader said did make sense. And the leaders word is law.. She recited to herself.
"Yes, Scatterstar. I suppose you're right." She dipped her head to him, accepting his words. There was nothing she could do now, and Lightningfur knew if she could go back in time she still wouldn't of been able to go against her leaders orders. "I apologize for questioning you."
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Post by .:Lemonade on Jun 19, 2012 22:46:11 GMT -5
Shadestone padded back into camp. The gray tom seemed relatively unharmed- Just a few scratches here and there, and a torn ear. However, his paws and the fur on his chest was soaked with blood. It wasn't his blood. It was the blood of the cat he was dragging in his jaws. The limp white form was soaked with her own blood, and her eyes were closed. The cat was smaller than Shadestone, and looked young, like an apprentice.
It was Clearpaw, Shadestone's apprentice. His muddy green eyes were pained as he lay down the body of Clearpaw. Ears pinned back, he raised his gray tabby-marked head. Staring silently at the other cats who had returned from the battle. Then, his shoulders slumped, and his gaze fell back upon Clearpaw. What a waste... He thought bitterly, curling his ringed tail around his paws. The whole battle was a waste. It shouldn't have happened. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and then blinked them open. If StarClan existed, they wouldn't have let this happen. The thought took him by surprise. He had felt his faith slipping as of late- But this was the first time he had really thought... That StarClan wasn't real. He shook his head to clear the thoughts, and glanced back up at the other cats. His gaze sliding over Lightningfur, and onto Shatterstar. It's his fault that Clearpaw is dead. A flash of anger erupted from inside him, but Shadestone quickly quelled it. No. He told himself firmly, as if trying to convince himself, It's whoever killed her's fault.
Not wanting to be the first to say anything about Clearpaw, Shadestone simply sat beside her body, waiting for anycat to say something to him. Bitter regret ached in his heart whenever he lay eyes upon the bloody corpse of his apprentice, and he couldn't keep the thoughts out of his head, the ones that hisses venomously, You failed as a mentor; you should have saved her; it's your fault, just like with Brightleaf...
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Post by sil on Jun 19, 2012 23:37:24 GMT -5
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f i s h b o n e |
[/i][/color] Fishbone turned to Harespirit and tipped his head respectfully before he meowed, “I’m alright. See to the others first.” Fishbone realized he probably looked horrific, with his injuries and all of the gore running from his muzzle to his belly fur. He would need a thorough cleaning, but he didn’t have the energy for it now. Physically and emotionally drained, all the tom wanted was to escape somewhere out into their mountain territory and sleep for moons in solitude.
The dark tabby Warrior looked up sharply when Blackstorm growled at what Lightningfur had to say. His orange eyes narrowed, Fishbone padded up to stand beside his ginger-pelted friend. The two of them had shown surprising teamwork in the battle, each of them looking out for the other, which, with the invaluable help of Poisonthorn, had culminated in the death of Ripplestar. How could he have forgotten this when Lightningfur was standing up to their leader all on her own? She was only speaking what was on many Warriors’ minds. Opinions in NorthClan were changing. Dividing.
Growing up, Fishbone had admired their leader. He was a lot like Scatterstar in a number of respects; what they lacked in physical prowess they made up for in cunning and intelligence. For that reason, Fishbone saw right through Scatterstar’s little speech. His heart clenched when he glanced at Clearpaw’s lifeless body. They had lost a lot of cats with their victory, but the little apprentice’s body gave him the strength to speak.
“What will we do with two camps, Scatterstar?” he began. “Will we be strong enough to fight EastClan when they come back for what’s rightfully theirs, potentially with WestClan or SouthClan’s help? Driving an entire Clan off their territory is practically unheard of.”
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Post by owlflight on Jun 20, 2012 10:50:36 GMT -5
Owlflight felt dead on her paws, her only wound was a long scratch on her flank that had already stopped bleeding. As she drew her tongue over it, the massacre repeated itself in her mind. NorthClan had won the battle. But what did we win? Owlflight thought bitterly. An entire Clan was driven out of their home, warriors, a leader, and two Medicine Cats have died, and for what? Scatterstar's greed and arrogance. Speaking of Scatterstar...
The leader never seemed to happy in his life. Did pain and death mean anything to him? Blackstorm's face mirrored his leader, but the NorthClan deputy was probably fawning over Scatterstar as usual. But Owlflight doubted that Blackstorm felt any remorse anyway.
Owlflight's green eyes looked over her Clanmates. Lightningfur and Fishbone carefully asked their leader and deputy questions about what was lost and supposedly gained. Harespirit quietly carried out his duties as NorthClan's new Medicine Cat. Shadestone mourned his apprentice Clearpaw. Clearpaw, only an apprentice...
Where was StarClan when they needed them the most? Was NorthClan being punished for an unspoken deed? Did StarClan turn their backs on her Clan because of signs of a bloody and lawless feature ahead?
Or does StarClan even exist?
Fear shot through Owlflight like claws on her skin. Her faith was melting away like a snowflake on a rock. She shook her head as if that would clear the noxious fog that was seeping into her brain.
She could not stand the sound of Scatterstar's voice, justifying his war on an innocent Clan. Owlflight dragged herself up and approached Shadestone, who looked more defeated than she was. In front of him was the limp body of Clearpaw, her white fur soaked red with blood.
"I'm sorry about your apprentice." Owlflight mewed.
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Post by .:Lemonade on Jun 21, 2012 17:26:21 GMT -5
Shadestone has closed his eyes, trying to block out his thoughts, and the sight of Clearpaw. But still, questions swirled in his mind. Why? Why did this have to happen? Not just Clearpaw, everything. He pulled his tail up around his paws, and let his claws slip out of their sheathes. Why is everything falling apart?
A voice broke the gray warrior's concentration. He snapped his eyes open, and turned to look at Owlflight, the cat who had spoken. He blinked once, registering what she had said.
"Oh." He mewed, glancing back at Clearpaw's body. "...Thank you." His voice was weary, and he sighed softly. "She was one of many victims of a battle that cost far too many lives." As he spoke, his eyes slid over to Harespirit, remembering that his mentor had been killed as well. The loss of a medicine cat... What more could have happened, to convince Shatterstar that the battle just hadn't been worth it?
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Post by owlflight on Jun 21, 2012 21:14:13 GMT -5
Owlflight scored the cold rocky ground with her claws as if distracting herself from the present. She wondered if Scatterstar ever experienced loss. She wondered if he ever knew the pain that came with loss. Perhaps he did. Maybe it scarred him so deep that one day, he chose the path of a hard heart to protect himself from such pain.
Or maybe, he was one of those cats. Cats who were born with apathy and cold-hearts. Owlflight heard stories of such cats from her father.
Whatever he is, Scatterstar is a fool. Owlflight thought savagely. This battle has caused nothing but loss. As Shadestone's dejected stare pierced his dead apprentice, Owlflight wondered if this was the future. Lawless battles and blood-stained grass. Dead cats, no one spared. After all, two medicine cats were killed.
"Clearpaw is now a warrior of StarClan." Owlflight murmured, hoping to soothe Shadestone's pain. Then she caught herself.
Not only has Scatterstar's war resulted in a lost of cats, her faith was slowing dripping away...
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Post by Durango on Jun 21, 2012 21:39:31 GMT -5
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Scatterstar turned to address Fishbone's questions, inwardly angry that he still hadn't managed to quell the simmer of the cats. "Don't think of their camp as another camp, Fishbone," he meowed. "It's our hunting grounds now. EastClan will not come back unless they are foolish, and if they are foolish we will send them to their deaths with the strength of LionClan. SouthClan would never ally with them, they're enemies. WestClan keeps to themselves. Perhaps in SouthClan we could find an alliance over a common enemy?"
His blue eyes dared the warrior to ask another question. He couldn't help but let his gaze drift over to the broken body of the apprentice, lifeless. They'd lost many warriors, something he hated, but the victory almost made it worth the while. If he didn't stop to think about the cats they lost, then he didn't have to feel guilty and responsible for their deaths. It was dangerous for him to distance himself like that, from his own clanmates, but he wanted to justify his actions as much as he could.
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Post by Firefly on Jun 22, 2012 19:37:59 GMT -5
Blackstorm looked miffed over the fact that there were so many cats trying to challenge the authority of the NorthClan leadership. If the NorthClan cats thought they could get away with going against what Scatterstar had to say, than what might happen if he were leader? His approval rating was very low after all. Not many of the cats in the Clan liked him, so they might think it was fine to challenge him if he ever became the leader of their Clan. He didn't like that idea at all, and growled to himself just thinking about it. "Don't challenge Scatterstar," he hissed. "The leader's word is law!"
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Post by Kenya on Jun 22, 2012 22:49:04 GMT -5
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L i g h t n i n g f u r
Lightningfur gave a faint hiss to her deputy. She didn't want to imagine North clan under his fox-hearted leadership. Although many cats may disagree with Scatterstar, he was a strong leader that any cat could find they admire. Lightningfur gave her chest a few swift licks to smooth her ruffled fur. Today had been to much and she needed some time to think.
"Scatterstar?" She asked purposely turning her back to Blackstorm. "Would you like me to go and re-mark Eastclan's borders?" The time alone would clear her mind and with luck appease Scatterstar. She flicked her ringed tail rhythmically and gazed up at him with hopeful eyes. Hopefully her 'sudden change' in mood would convince him to let her go.
Her ears flicked back as she caught a few words from Owlflight and Shadestone. Clearpaw shouldn't of died today. No cat should of died today. Lightningfur needed to clear her mind from everything around her. The feeling of despair hung through the camp, thick like fog rolling over a river. The claws of cats from the ancient clans couldn't even cut through this.
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