[Rejected] Lynxpaw

[Pitou]

**Lichenflood**
Ancient Windclan Warrior - Dark Forest

@FeurSturm [ @vellichor @Alchemist Kitsune ?]

The next calling brought the ancient tom to his paws and back over the misty starry neutral grounds to the clearing of the council. But do his eyes deceive him? No, surely that apprentice looked familiar. His eyes narrowed slightly at seeing the disloyal apprentice’s face once again at this council, shocked even that he’d have the gall to appear before them again. He’d left, turned tail and given up before an answer was even officially given. But here he was again. It had surely not been long enough for the apprentice to have proven his worth among the dead, so what was his angle? Was it as simple as that? The apprentice would try a different angle, smudge the lines of truth in an attempt to win favor? Hm. All the same, Lichenflood remained quiet, silently but not passively taking in the apprentice’s new beginning. But as he suspected, it sounded vague and blurry around the edges.

He held his hard stare for a brief moment before speaking. ’To show them what I can be’ ”And what can you be, young gallivanter?” His tail tip twitch mildly behind him and he brought it around to tap against the outside toe of his paw, his eyes remaining trained on the apprentice. ”Every cat in the clans who are fortunate enough to gather enough moons will know heartbreak and mourning. It is life. Why are your loved ones any different? Why do they deserve better than every other soul in the clans?”

[Snips]

Originally Posted by Pitou

**Lichenflood**
Ancient Windclan Warrior - Dark Forest

@FeurSturm [ @vellichor @Alchemist Kitsune ?]

The next calling brought the ancient tom to his paws and back over the misty starry neutral grounds to the clearing of the council. But do his eyes deceive him? No, surely that apprentice looked familiar. His eyes narrowed slightly at seeing the disloyal apprentice’s face once again at this council, shocked even that he’d have the gall to appear before them again. He’d left, turned tail and given up before an answer was even officially given. But here he was again. It had surely not been long enough for the apprentice to have proven his worth among the dead, so what was his angle? Was it as simple as that? The apprentice would try a different angle, smudge the lines of truth in an attempt to win favor? Hm. All the same, Lichenflood remained quiet, silently but not passively taking in the apprentice’s new beginning. But as he suspected, it sounded vague and blurry around the edges.

He held his hard stare for a brief moment before speaking. ’To show them what I can be’ ”And what can you be, young gallivanter?” His tail tip twitch mildly behind him and he brought it around to tap against the outside toe of his paw, his eyes remaining trained on the apprentice. ”Every cat in the clans who are fortunate enough to gather enough moons will know heartbreak and mourning. It is life. Why are your loved ones any different? Why do they deserve better than every other soul in the clans?”

Lynxpaw
Male-He/Him
7 moons

"Really, there's not much I cant't be if I put my mind to it. Leader, deputy…really, just can't be a flying hedgehog." He chuckled at his own joke, then stopped himself. Not the time, Lynx, he reprimanded himself. He listened to the next question from the ancient cat, quietly thinking over his answer. "Well," he said honestly, after the tom had finished, "I was young, you can't deny that. And my mentor…let's say she's more than a little sensitive. Fragile, even. Mentally, I mean." He cleared his throat nervously, waiting for the answer.

[Pitou]

**Lichenflood**
Ancient Windclan Warrior - Dark Forest

His eyes narrowed slightly at the farce of a joke but he waited for the apprentice to get through his little speech before answering, "When a kit is born, they are given the stars in their paws. Their path is not yet written and that kit can be anything they want to be. But with every passing day, every decision made, every action taken or not taken, that kit's story is being etched into fate. You are mistaken, youngster, you cannot be whatever you choose. You've already made that decision and you chose disloyalty and a selfish, false love. And this is where that chosen path ended you." He flicked his tail, giving no mind to the apprentice's attempt at some uplifting motivation speech, it was all bullocks. "We were all young once, but not all of us chose a path of disloyalty that got them killed then still claimed they could maybe one day be leader or deputy." He exhaled sharply. "If you're mentor is fragile then she has no business being a warrior, much less mentoring future warriors. Maybe your loss will straighten her out. If not, then she wasn't prepared for this life style." Lichenflood could hardly find in himself any more questions that he was sure would do anything besides make his distaste for this apprentice's plea mount so he didn't bother. But as much as he would prefer to simply dismiss the apprentice and be done with this, he was stuck here awaiting the voices of another council member to make the decision an official one.

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Magpiewisp |
Ancient RiverClan Medicine Cat
Dark Forest

---

The tuxedo had remained well hidden, away in the darkness as he stared with complete disinterest at the young, traitorous apprentice who had thrown it all away at a whim. For love. It was enough to almost make him sneer. Instead, the dark forest resident overheard Lichenflood and the ignorant youngster speak, unimpressed once more by the attempt at an uplifting speech. He could be anything? Please, don't make him laugh. He had already thrown his life away, he could stay right where he was.

It seemed the ancient WindClanner agreed, as his words mirrored Magpiewisp's innermost thoughts. Truth be told, he could not understand why this Lynxpaw had even insisted on a second meeting. His death had been his own doing. His choices had led him there, and nothing else. Terrible choices, really, that had brought nothing but disloyalty and death. He doubted his leader would take back the little traitor, in any case. Couldn't see Dawnstar bothering with such a tom. So why the insistence, when at the very least his foolish choices had led him to the stars?

"I'm afraid I must agree. Seeing death, no matter the age, is but a daily occurrence for a clan cat," the tom added, his bored drawl preceding him as he padded forth from the inky shadows. "Your actions as they were taken were the actions not of an apprentice, but of a foolish, traitorous warrior. Young as you were, I do not understand where your mind lay that day, but it shows glimpses - and plenty of - towards what your future might have held. Why are you so certain it will change? You were impulsive... still are, by the looks of it. As far as I can see, staying where you are might be the best course of action for you."

---

@Feurstorm [Lynxpaw] | @Pitou [Lichenflood]

[Abyssopelagic]

•° Dewkit °•
StarClan Kit

Ah, now wasn't this all a familiar sight.
Dewkit approached the group, a feeling of deja vu sweeping over her as she saw Lichenflood and Magpiewisp. Those two seemed to be getting involved with every new case, didn't they? The feeling only heightened as her eyes landed on Lynxpaw.
She stared, unamused, at the apprentice as they spoke.
More spouting of reasons that didn't matter. More excuses that didn't mean anything to anyone.
"So, you've come to re-appeal your case not because of personal growth or a desire to do better or contribute in a way you couldn't before, but because your death will hurt your mentor."
She blinked at him.
"Everyone deals with loss. It comes with the life of a Clan cat. We can't just bring you back because someone misses you. Do you think you're the only one that left behind family? Everyone leaves behind someone. Of course it hurts when we lose those we care about, but it doesn't make someone worthy of returning to the land of the living."
Her ear twitches.
Besides, there'd be no one left in StarClan or the Dark Forest, the Clan's would be too big to support themselves if they had that many mouths to feed, just to spare everyone's feelings from grief. It was life.
Yeah, it was tough, but life wasn't about what was fair.
Stuff happened and everyone just has to deal with it.
"You do not have my vote for another chance at life."


[ @Pitou ; @Alchemist Kitsune ; @FeurSturm ]

[Pitou]

**Lichenflood**
Ancient Windclan Warrior - Dark Forest

@Abyssopelagic @Alchemist Kitsune @Supersabre

The Dark Forest tom didn't move as he was joined by Magpiewisp and then Dewkit, both reflecting a similar sentiment to his own. And Lynxpaw's silence was loud enough, not that he could really say anything at this point to better his odds anyways as far as Lichenflood could see. Maybe it was for the better that the apprentice bowed out now than making even more the fool. He was pretty convinced that Magpiewisp was saying no, and Dewkit gave a definite rejection. He figured he'd put an end to this misery, "You've been rejected. Go find a place among the dead. You have no place in the living any longer." With that, Lichenflood stood and turned, disappearing into the dark mist.

[Snips]

"Well, just great," Lynxpaw muttered, turning. "Bye, see you all later," he said half-heartedly. If these cats thought two rejections were going to stop him…well, they were wrong. Very wrong. He would get back if it took a hundred tries. @Pitou @Abyssopelagic @Alchemist Kitsune