Blackwater Bog

[BEAR.]

In the heart of the Dark Forest lies Blackwater Bog, an unpleasant muskeg acting as a pool of rejuvenation. Far from the ideal hangout, Blackwater Bog's usage primarily stems from the impact its waters has on injuries. The lukewarm pond encourages faster healing and soothes injuries, making it an ideal spot to dip in when a cat is wounded. For Dark Forest spirits who are killed, this is often their respawn point and they appear in the bog's depths. The impact on living cats is not totally known, but it is believed dreamers who are invited to this location are gifted with fatigue and, if injured, are more sore when they awake, as if they slept on an uncomfortable surface.

This location always feels like Leaf-bare, with only the water itself offering any semblance of "warmth." The bog does not freeze over, but snow often decorates the dead plant material and surrounding trees. Cats who exit the water are more susceptible to feeling frozen and having their pelts ice over.

[Starfall]

Magpiewisp
He/Him || Dark Forest
@dino.

The tom felt as though he was drowning. Scrambling to bring his head to the surface, the hot water stinging his eyes and nose. Within moments his head breached the water surface, and he let out a deep gasp. Drinking in air instead of the sulfuric water.

The stench of the hotsprings made his nose twitch, and the crisp air surrounding the springs themselves made him wary to leave the water. Fury taking over once he remembered, oh that's right. His head was used as a rock that breaks seeds. Never in life, nor death, had he been so rudely treated. So Humiliated.

A hiss coming from Magpiewisp, taking a moment to pace, or stomp, back and fourth in the pool. Tail brushing some of the loose gripping ice that clung to a rock off, ear twitching as he heard it fall into the springs. Soon it would be replaced. The freezing outside temprature mixed with the humidity of the springs often left everything covered in a loose, thin sheet of frozen water.

As the water rippled, the former Medicine Cat realized. Oh. A certain leader had given him yet another body to add to the pile. Whether it intentional or not, he doesn't care. As long as he piques her interest enough he'd happily accept any blood she spills, until she realizes his goals are worth her efforts to work towards.

Taking a moment to muster the strength, the tom allowed Bumblestar to appear within the pool. He hadn't had a living feline in this pool for quite some time. What were the effects again? It didn't matter, he couldn't remember.

"Mind the water. I'd suggest staying within it."

[dino.]

Bumblestar wasn't anticipating being dragged out of one dream and into another so quickly, but here she was, opening her eyes once again to a pool of water. Unlike the last one, something immediately felt off, as if the water was seeping into her very bones and weighing her down even in her sleep.

She wrinkled her nose, lifting a paw and shaking it it to get the water off as if that would help whatsoever. She had half a mind to straight-up ignore Magpiewing and clamber out of the water anyways, but a quick glance around the outer edges of the pool told her otherwise. Whatever she was standing in might have been slightly warm, but clearly stepping onto solid ground wouldn't bode well. With a lash of her tail she opted to remain in place. "So it seems. What do you want?"

[ @SkeleStar ]

[Starfall]

Magpiewisp
He/Him || Dark Forest
@dino.

The feline twitched his ear and quirked a brow at the molly. She seemed somewhat bewildered...or so he thought she seemed to be. Ultimately he didn't care. He didn't have time to care. His wounds were sealing, slowly, but sealing as he walked further into the bog.

"Bit of a rude greeting with the information I'm about to give you. Doesn't matter." a pause as he stopped a fox length away from the molly. "You've been doing wonderful, giving me some...souls. I suppose we'll call them. A more recent one on the younger and dumber side, but no one could be worse than Beansprout." a snort.

"Your clan is Poisoned, if I'm recalling correctly. I'd direct your gaze down to the water." he suggested. Although he waited for no confirmation as he dipped his head down and touched his nose against the sludge colored water.

From the ripples a wonky yellow flower can be seen. Flickering between 5 long stems, or 4 short stems. Seemingly tucked away, hanging onto the edge of a cliff, or hidden within a rather damp cave. As fast as it appeared, it fizzled out of existence.

"A Blazing Torment of poison it seems. In your Clan that is." he hummed. Hopefully she would understand the hint. He wasn't one to just hand out answers after all. Lifting his head the tuxedo turned to begin making his way out of the pool. "Dunk your head whenever you're ready to wake up." he offered.

[Neptune.]

*-Larkwing-*
She/her | 17 moons | Mind Reader - ACTIVE
A sleek dilute tortie she-cat with green eyes

Larkwing laughs a little at her friend’s words, ”you’re not an old lady,” she says with a fond roll of her eyes. ”But thank you. Lead the way!” She says, and lets her friend guide her in the direction of the sacred cave, out of camp and through the territory. The trek is long, and Larkwing briefly considers if maybe she should have informed everyone she was leaving instead of making the decision on impulse and stealing one of the clan’s LionHeart’s away from them when the current politics within RiverClan were… the way that they are.

The scornful and suspicious glances shot her way are not lost on the young molly, she’d have to be stupid not to see them, but, for her own sanity, Larkwing choses to mostly ignore them. She knows she is not a murderer, she knows she did nothing wrong, but the way things are looking… well, it’s not exactly hard to draw conclusions and shout accusations where none should be. The situation being what it is, the best thing Larkwing can currently do for her clan is to get to the Starcave, and receive whatever lives or guidance she could get. Would her ancestors scorn her? Would they, too, call her a murderer? Would they shut her down if she tried to explain herself? Tried to tell them, to force them to understand, that this was all a freak accident? That she didn’t want to be receiving leadership of her clan this way? Hell, she had liked Gingerstar! She’d thought him competent and fair and just! Did they all really think her capable of cold blooded murder for a position of power she didn’t even really want in the first place?

She hadn’t told anyone, was too self conscious to, but maybe Pebblesplash would understand?

”You know,” she starts, somewhere she thinks might be close to the Starcave, trying hard to swallow down her nerves, ”I didn’t even really want to be deputy… but I thought to myself- I thought that if I didn’t accept the position, then maybe the person who did would bring us to ruin.” It’s a confession she didn’t think she’d be making, and especially not on her way to receive her extra lives and gain her new name. ”And now…” she cuts herself off, unsure of how to continue. How do you tell someone that you fear this is the wrong choice? That you fear you will not be what your clan needs… that you think they need someone…. that they need someone greater than you could ever hope to amount to? No matter her personal thoughts, Larkwing had to be enough for her clan now, she didn’t have any other choice.

Conversation wanes to a stop now as the two mollys come to the entrance of the sacred cave. Larkwing stops in her tracks, gaze focused somewhere inside the mouth of the cave, and she can’t help the ripple of fear that courses through her as she stands there. This is it, the big moment. She has no idea about what happens at a ceremony like this one, no idea what to expect. Helplessly, she casts a glance to Pebblesplash, swallowing hard as doubts and insecurities cloud her mind once again. But she takes a breath. There is no time for her to be anxious or insecure.

”Wait for me?” She asks her friend, gaze searching her face for any uncertainty when she answers, and it’s only after Pebblesplash indicates her answer that Larkwing nods and gives her a small, somewhat forced smile. Then, steeling herself with a deep breath, the tortoiseshell steps into the dark mouth of the cave.

====

It takes a moment for her eyes to adjust, but once they do, Larkwing notes that this cave is… unremarkable. ’Is Pebblesplash sure this is the right cave?’ She can’t help but think, though she doesn’t doubt her friend knew where she was going. Lark just sort of thought that it would be… more. She thought she’d be overcome by a feeling of grandeur. But the cave is nothing more than a cave.

It’s her job now to commune with her ancestors - warriors she is absolutely certain will want nothing to do with her after she’d been silently cursing them for moons. Would they blame her, though? The past moons have been nothing but calamity for RiverClan, was she really not well within her rights to curse the stars for whatever made them bring such tragedy to her home? She needed to remember not to argue with anyone who came to speak with her… if her stubborn streak got her into trouble with StarClan, then RiverClan would have yet another thing to worry about, and she didn’t want to do that to them.

”Ok, Larkwing, you can do this,” mini pep talk complete, the young warrior leaned forward and pressed her nose to stone, almost recoiling at the chill, and waited for what was to come.

__________

[ Pebs - @Sakura. || @SkeleStar ]

[Starfall]

Magpiewisp
He/Him || Ancient RiverClan Medicine Cat
World Weaver Tier I :: Nightmare Fuel Tier I
@FrostyGalaxy

He knew it was coming the moment the Ginger one made his way into StarClan. Another bumbling fool made their way to the Moonstone expecting lives from StarClan. Sadly neither StarClan nor the Dark Forest planned on giving lives...anytime soon it seemed.

Instead of the starry scape they were surely expecting, instead Magpiewisp pulled the molly to the Bog instead. The leader to be instead surrounded with sulfuric water and a crisp air.

"So. You're the next mistake that believes they're fit to lead this Clan?" the tom asked. Letting her lead the way this time. He wanted to see what she'd say, what she'd do. How she'd react. After all she's in the Dark Forest territory right now, not safely tucked away in the Stars.

[Dakotaa]

——————

PebbleSplash

RiverClan
~A beautiful scarred white mollie, pale gray and ginger torbie markings with blue eyes~

—————— @FrostyGalaxy
——————
This takes place before larkbestie enters the cave, I won’t be using silly description words because I need to get this up-

PebbleSplash listens to her friend vent, even looking distraught when Lark confesses her true feelings about her new power…

“Oh, LarkWing… Dear… The moment GingerFrost appointed you, I smiled. I knew that you were the best choice for our clan. You are strong, brilliant, and humble… I am so proud of you… Self doubt is normal, but it’s not necessary… Not for someone as amazing as you. You’ll do amazing, larkie. Now go get your lives, you’re already making RiverClan proud,”

And with that, her friend was gone… PebbleSplash waits outside, trying her hardest not to fall asleep.
——————



[Neptune.]

*-Larkwing-*
She/her | 17 moons | Mind Reader - ACTIVE
A sleek dilute tortie she-cat with green eyes

Larkwing blinks her eyes open, assaulted by the pungent smell of sulfur and the stark cold of the air around her and… and the darkness. She knows at once that this place is not StarClan. This place is beyond the reach of the stars, the convergent point where every cat who had ever done an evil deed was sentenced to remain. And now, she too was here.

It’s… startling at first. Scary. She wan’t to run, but finds that her paws are rooted to the very spot she stands. And a cat she does not know the name of is addressing her. He is intimidating, and imposing and Larkwing feels as if she is not allowed to speak. But he addresses her, he calls her a ‘mistake’. A word she does not disagree with. However… what she doesn’t agree with is his statement that she apparently ‘believes’ she’s fit to lead the clan because, to put it frankly… she does not believe such a thing.

”You seem- you seem to be mistaken,” she manages to squeeze out, finding it oddly difficult to talk here, trying to suppress her fear at being here. She does not belong in the Dark Forest. ”I hold no misconceptions that I am the right fit for RiverClan’s leadership, and I agree that I may be a mistake on the path to returning my clan to full strength, but someone has to lead them.” Was this when she allowed for her stubbornness to win over? Where she dived head first into a headstrong opinion and stuck to it like a burr in her fur?

”I might not be what you want in the next leader for RiverClan, and there may be cats out there now who are far better suited in your eyes. But what if what RiverClan needs is not a cat you approve of? Will anyone ever meet your expectations?” Was she out of line? …maybe a little bit, but this was the stubborn ideal she had apparently decided to latch herself onto. This Dark Forest cat can think what he will of her, but this is the stand she’s going to take right now, and she will stick to it no matter this dead tom’s feelings, using her strong feelings for this stubbornness to force down her anxiety that she still doesn’t manage to quite hide, tail tip lashing behind her.

__________

[ magpiewisp - @SkeleStar ]

[Samantha]

Ghostpaw is the most curious out of all the shadow clan appearances
Leaning a little to close to the edge of the water
All of a sudden she sees herself but older. She looks closer and sees her death
She's heard of warrior try to change their fate but end up killing them self earlier than they are supposed to. She hope what she saw was wrong. But was more real than she could imagine. But she didn't know that she still had time to change her fate and if she made the write decision coming up.

[Starfall]

Magpiewisp
He/Him || Ancient RiverClan Medicine Cat
World Weaver Tier I :: Nightmare Fuel Tier I
@FrostyGalaxy

The Tuxedo raised a brow as the molly spoke up. Annoyance bubbling up in his chest, which held true to the water they both were standing in. The lukewarm water now coming to a boil. "Is this what my Clan has come to? Full of somebodies and who Can's? A Clan who used to be compared to a Roaring River now nothing more than a pathetic trickle that tries to pass as a stream." a bark came from the Ancient feline. "Leader after leader nothing more than a sorry excuse of a leader with even sadder deputies! Even the Medicine Cats have been pathetic. You sit in your dens and wait for the world to claim you. For fate to take you." anger and annoyance. He'd killed and sacrificed multiple felines to grant his clan the Wisdom they once had. They used to be centuries ahead when it came to medicinals and yet here they were now.

"Make no mistake. If you decide that you'll just await to see what life has in store for you. I'll be the one who will take your pathetic title from you in your sleep." a hiss as he stepped forwards. It wasn't a threat, it was a promise. "Your Clan will have no idea what happened other than another leader bit the dust as they slumbered away." he said with a snap.

At this point the tuxedo was now pacing circles around the molly. Tail lashing and splashing water as he did so. Ripples splashing up against Larkwing's legs. "Your last mistake didn't receive his lives, neither will you." he announced, it was stated like a fact. A calmer demeanor about him now, but he hadn't stopped pacing. He hadn't stopped moving. "You'll earn them, something none of you have shown you can do yet. You can't go crying to the stars anymore you belong to me now." a pause as he stopped just beside Larkwing.

"I'll be blessed, if RiverClan get's destroyed due to incompetency. I've made it great once. I'll do it again. However this time it will be through you. And you have a choice to make, you do as I say. Make it as great as it used to be. Or you die. You don't wake up, and your body rots by the Moonstone you all seem to seek refuge at."