WindClan Galewood

[sillycreatur]

ᗢ crowstumble ᗢ

it/they . wc . heavy stutter . 28 moons . tags ; @talle , @Rani

trigger warnings for this post: none

crowstumble's ear pricked. it dipped their head to crowtooth, meowing a quick ' th-thank you-you. ' to the warrior, then turned to.. that was bravebird, right? they hoped it was, or else this would be really embarrassing.. ' h-hello. ' it stuttered, noticing the frustration wafting off the warrior. okay, so don't get on their bad side.

[gs29513]

So other patrols had found minks as well. Deadmoon had been in possession of a good inkling what this meeting would be about, given that she had been part of one of the patrols to report them, but the vast number of them was still surprising. Going to Shadowclan for help was rather horrible, especially as the cats she actually liked were long gone, but it was perhaps necessary. Deadmoon would fight the minks if asked, of course, but that didn't mean she wanted so much risk to life and limb when they could get the pine brutes to do it for them. They'd probably have FUN doing it, and that was fine by her. Fighting was still, after all these moons, not something she was fully comfortable with. If Leechscar was clever he could spin it as a benefit to Shadowclan as well, seeing how easy it would be for the mink to cross a border.

It came as something of a surprise when she was summoned by Crowtooth for a tunneling patrol, but it was a pleasant one. To be trusted for something, even if it was just a hunting patrol which was composed of more experienced cats. It was something of a surprise Wolffang wasn't included, but Deadmoon supposed he might not fit. There was no point dwelling on it. It would be fun, unless they ran into minks, seeing as she did actually know how to deal with the tunnels. The training had come during her apprenticeship, but she had dipped into the segments closest to the surface since. They suited her a bit more than the open moor, giving her places to sneak up on rabbits without sight betraying her, or cornering them. The second method carried a risk of injury, but her fighting skills weren't so bad that she couldn't take out prey. With a bit of a spring in her step, Deadmoon made her way over to Crowtooth, chirping Gathered! in what was perhaps undue enthusiasm. Proper etiquette had never been an issue high on her list of priorities, and that was unlikely to change now. @Rani @Lillith @Estelle @zozelen

[Undertaker]

@Rani @talle @Moonraven @Alchemist Kitsune @Tiabirb @Starii
Leechscar grunted softly at the light scolding he received from Twilightstar. Listen, if these dumbasses stopped being stupid he'll stop being an ass... maybe. Until then she was going to have to deal with it. Leechscar ears flattened as he heard Swiftfire's reply. His fur immediately bristled and his tail whipped around behind him frantically.

"Cowardice! Pathetic! Seriously. How the hell is wanting to save lives cowardice?!" Leechscar snarled fixing Swiftfire with a seething glare of his own. "You want to die fighting so badly go join ShadowClan. I know Dawnstar has no problems throwing her cats in the line of fire and watching them burn without a second thought. How horrible and cowardly it is to have a leader that gives a dung about whether you live or die!" How dare she call his mother a coward and pathetic! After everything she's done for this ungrateful clan.

"You live through everything Twilightstar has, bear the responsibility and weight of having your clanmates die because of decisions you made, and then tell me it cowardly wanting to play it smart and cut back on as much death and injuries as possible." Leechscar spat, beyond annoyed with how ridiculous Swiftfire was being here. Yeah, it might be honorable or whatever dying for your clan but no one seemed to care about the pain and guilt those left behind bore. Selfish furball.

Well aware that he's most likely irked Twilightstar off more than enough, and not wanting to deal with Swiftfire any longer. Leechscar swung his head in the direction of the eyes staring at him. He found that fierce one, Bravebird looking at him and his mother.

"Crowtooth," Leechscar called, tone losing its agitation immediately. "Can you switch with me? Give me Bravebird for my patrol, you can take Swiftfire and her apprentice, Dustypaw. If she wants to go with you." Swiftfire didn't even seem like she wanted to go on the patrol, and quite frankly Leechscar didn't want to deal with her right now.

"Fallowfeather, you can tag along if you're up for it. Dapplebreeze, Batglare, I need you to accompany me on a patrol." Leechscar called for the two seniors. Batglare was the only other cat in the clan Leechscar could honestly say he liked, Lightningstorm and Leopardsong had their own categories of tolerance for the warrior. Dapplebreeze he wasn't overly familiar with, but he knew Twilightstar found her dependable and she had to be easier to get along with than Swiftfire. Or at least not rude and selfish enough to call her clan leader a coward.

He was aware he should make Dreamlight tag along, but having her come along to see the molly who killed their foster mother in front of them probably wouldn't help with her mental health at all.

[Tiabirb]

Swiftfire
------------


"How dare you!" Swiftfire whirled on Leechscar, "Who died and made you deputy, Leechscar? The arrogance it takes to tell me to join ShadowClan. I'm sure your lovely attitude will be just the thing to convince Dawnstar of all cats to help us. How dare you try and twist my words and intentions around, as if I want death? When you spit in the face of your own oath to this Clan! Why don't you join them, since you seem so eager to involve them yourself."

Swiftfire snarled, "I have no problem giving my life for my Clan. I promised that moons ago. I remember what that oath means, even if it's become lost on this Clan, and I will uphold it, no matter what pathetic cowards like yourself try to say, Leechscar." Swiftfire curled her lip back, "You have not a clue what empathy is, and not even a whole pawful of us could amount to what Twilightstar has been through in all of her lives. Don't try to use her to levy your counters, and don't sit there and yowl like I am being disrespectful to Twilightstar. I fought beside her, shoulder to shoulder when we were under attack by those minks, Leechscar. Not you."

She took a low, heavy breath, forcing her fur to lie flat and her tone to flatten. "But I shared the experience of fear and desperation to get out of that cave alive, to protect our Clanmates. I shared the experience of seeing the vicious creatures mercilessly rip at our Clanmates with claws and teeth. Every single one of us that was there experienced, even for just a moment, the same thing as our own leader. Does that compare to the vast mountains of experiences Twilighstar had endured? No. But it is a moment shared, an experience shared. And that experience only strengthens my resolve and my fury to stand strong and keep fighting. Even at the cost of my own life."


She snorted and turned away from Leechscar, her eyes on Twilightstar again, her face a burning mask of annoyance. "My point, was only that we should try to fix it ourselves first. If cowardice isn't the right word, then giving up too soon certainly is."


@Undertaker @Moonraven

[taillow]

Just as she was moving to greet Crowstumble - and wondering if they should really be bringing a cat who looked like they were going to jump out of their own fur at any moment - Bravebird heard her name called. A switch? Suddenly her good eye lit up as her maw curved into a half-grin. "Sorry, Crowstumble," she offered in a haste as she trotted over towards Leechscar. She was not about to let this opportunity go. As she drew closer she flattened her ears (the shredded one simply twitching) to the two bickering.

"Watch it," she warned after catching what the warrior had said about Leechscar having not fought with the minks. "Leechscar may not have been down there with us, but he's a formidable fighter and has fought tooth and claw for this Clan just like we all have. I don't like the idea of asking ShadowClan for help anymore than it seems you do," Brave scoffed with a narrowed glance towards the yapping warrior, "but Twilightstar has ordered it - if she can set aside her personal grievances with that toad of a leader and her Clan, then so can we." She glanced briefly at her leader, for a moment feeling a twist in her chest. Twilightstar had gone through too much for her warriors to be at each others throats like this.

It angered her, truly, that they had to ask ShadowClan for help in the first place - but Brave had since come to understand it. Perhaps in her younger moons she would've stood alongside Swiftfire in her passionate argument - but life was a precious thing. As much as she would lay down her life for her Clan, no one but Twilightstar could understand what it meant to have those lives' weight on their shoulders. "...I for one have buried too many bodies to bury any more - especially to such vile creatures like those underground rats. If asking those slimy toads allows us to keep more WindClan cats alive... so be it."

With her ears flattened it was clear the warrior wasn't happy with what Swiftfire perceived as "giving up too soon" but she kept her mouth shut as she waited for the patrol to head out. It seemed her mother would be on this outing too, along with Batglare. Fallowfeather too, which would be good to get the newly named warrior familiar with how these sort of things worked. The last time she had been apart of something like this it was the meeting between all of the Clan leaders that Twilightstar had organized. Her paws were itching to get going.

[ @finley.exe @Undertaker @Tiabirb @Moonraven ]

[Rani]

Crowtooth
Windclan Tunneler | He/him | 49 Moons
Power Card: Cold Gust

It seems some cats didnt know how to shut up or use their brain and as Swiftfire continued to run her mouth Crowtooths lip gradually curled listening. Leechscar had the right of it but the tom felt he had to add his two cents in and scoffed. "Ya really shouldnt be a mentor wit' that mindset, risk yer own life sure but 'f ya value the rest o' yer own clan so little that ya think risk 's a good thin' yer a heartless moron.

The threat o' death an' riskin' lives 's part o' clan life sure, an' we made the bond as warriors ta do so, but why would we go boltin' ta our deaths when theres another option that don' involve doing that. Yanno death 's a bad thing, right?


An' shut up about the damn minks! Swiftfire ya moron that's Twis son, he o' all cats knows what she went through when you were glarin' at her not long ago! Don' pretend ta care 'cuz ya think 't makes ya look better.
Ya experienced the minks so you o' all cats should know why 'ts smart then ta want help wit' them! I fer one aint keen on throwin' windclan inta a fire against those beasts 'cuz you think 'ts 'cowardly' ta let shadowclan get a bit shredded instead.

We got the chance ta lessen our losses an' deaths by lettin' shadowclan take the heat, slime as they might be you are blind 'f ya think 'ts not a good deal ta take advantage of."
The tom spat at her paws, tail lashing as he turned to Leechscar to respond, ignoring her having decided her opinion and yammering was now worth dirt. It was a shame, he'd once approved of her work ethic but being an idiot had ruined any potential bond there.


"Sorry Leech, ya can have Bravebird but after this mess I don' want this wreck. Tunnelin' 's dangerous enough wit'out the danger o' a warrior chargin' off ta start a fight wit' no tunnel fightin' experience against an enemy that kicked our hides. Dustypaw @starry 'f ya want ta join ya can but 'f yer takin' Bravebird then...... Ah, Rabbiteye @MockingRabbit yer joinin' Dustbunny's patrol. Get ta 't."
The tom did not care if he was blatantly insulting Swiftfire now he was just done with her. He was telling the truth with the tunnels being dangerous and not the place for recklessness especially with his suspicion that the mink dwelled down there. He'd change his mind if Twilightstar stepped in of course but for now his bullheadedness was not to be swayed. Swiftfire if let on the shadowclan patrol could destroy the alliance and so was a risk there and was a risk on the tunnel part too, frankly normally Crowtooth would think Bravebird was a risk on the border too for her fighting tendencies but she'd been reasonable lately so got a pass.


@talle @Undertaker @Tiabirb @Moonraven

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Dapplebreeze |
Agatha Kitty - Active | Silver Tongue - Active | Beefed Up [Tier 1] - Inactive

---

The senior warrior had remained quiet throughout the entirety of the argument. She had been quite pleased to stay to the fringes of what was being discussed, preferring to gain information and be readily available for any necessities. So many warriors had gotten injured in the clan. She held no ill will towards Twilightstar for it. The purpose of the patrol had been to scout, and from what she had heard of the minks, they were terrifying, dangerous, and quite frankly deadly beyond belief. It had been nothing short of a miracle that everyone had returned alive, an open display of just how wondrous the warriors of WindClan were to stand up to such an ambush! A presentation that was admittedly soured at the idea of utilizing their alliance with ShadowClan.

Ill as she thought about ShadowClan and the alliance as a whole, however, Dapplebreeze saw the wisdom in Twilightstar's words. These creatures were dangerous. This was no mere fox or badger to be taken care of. A whole group of these things could very well drive them from their home. And if they had to be allied to the despicable vermin from the swamps? Well... might as well use them here. Let them use up their lives in the place of WindClan warriors. StarClan knew their clan had already been through enough.

In a way, the patched molly could sympathize with Swiftfire. The younger warrior was prideful. A trait that the former queen was known for as well. However, there was pride... and then there was a lack of decorum and a severe inability to read the crowd. It was mistakes afforded only to the young. The untested. The round faced she-cat knew very well that might have been her at one point in her life, before the act of living had given her the wisdom needed to see beyond just herself and her strength, the understanding that sometimes she was not the only one in the right. That situations were usually more complex than they first seemed.

A hint of surprise gleamed in the tan and cream feline's eyes as she heard Leechscar call her for the patrol. She was... uncertain how Twilightstar felt about the whole situation. Personally, Dapplebreeze was appalled by the behavior in display here. This had gone from a simple debate to a throng of cats who had simply not unsheathed claws and sunk them into each other's flesh due to the simple fact that they were all WindClan. And despite the fact that she also balked at the idea of depending on ShadowClan, she loathed even more the idea of having anyone refer to her own clan as cowardly or as giving up too soon for the mere fact that not enough bodies had been tossed at the minks yet. Because more could die before they resorted to the extreme. It was indeed youthful naivety... there could be no question about it even as the senior warrior stepped forward, clearing her throat before speaking in a demure, polite tone.

"I'm afraid that while I understand your... argument, Swiftfire - I believe no one here is a fan of the plagued vermin from the swamp - pray tell... when would it no longer be too soon to give up? How many bodies would you believe would be worth to then turn around to those we are allied to? And will the clan be happy then? Will they not turn on Twilightstar's lack of competence for all the lost when we might have had ShadowClan at our beck and call? I do not believe anyone here wishes ill for WindClan... we have simply let our passion for our clan get the better of our judgement today. Perhaps we should take a step back. A breather while we handle our tasks. Calm ourselves and discuss again once we return... with less rage blinding our hearts and minds."

Dapplebreeze resolved to not bring up Swiftfire's removal and replacement from the patrol in her attempt to calm the storm gathering up in camp. It was not her place here, nor did she wish to waste time in a pointless discussion. Words were to be used diplomatically, yes, but it was clear there was no room for diplomacy in this meeting while moods were irate. Tension running high. With any luck, perhaps a more civil conversation could be had once they had all had time away from each other and had managed to consider what the others were saying. In the end, she would follow Twilightstar's decision on the matter. She had gotten the first patrol against an unknown enemy out alive. The leader had her trust in doing the best for the clan and making sure that WindClan lost as few lives as possible while this threat lurked in the plains her clan called home.

---

@Moonraven [Twilightstar - Batglare] | @Undertaker [Leechscar] | @talle [Bravebird] | @Tiabirb [Swiftfire] | @Rani [Crowtooth]

[Moonraven]

Twilightstar
Her ears plastered themselves against her head not long after hearing Swiftfire's counterargument. The leader didn't feel any slight against the warrior, but she was well aware that Swiftfire's words would rub more than just a few cats wrong. Naturally, Leechscar was the first to spit back. Any argument Swiftfire made against Leechscar was quickly retorted by both Bravebird and Crowtooth.

The whole situation was quite frankly displeasing, but Twilightstar would rather her clanmates bicker verbally than physically. She didn't see the need to snarl at anyone for speaking for her or particularly say that anyone was wrong or right. She valued her clanmate's opinions and thoughts even if they didn't always align with hers. It didn't make them wrong. She'd prefer if everyone would just agree to disagree with Swiftfire here and call it a day.

"I hear you and I do understand where you're coming from, Swiftfire. But I don't see asking ShadowClan for help as giving up. I can't allow pride to cloud my views of reality. I don't think you understand just how dire the situation we're in is. A single mink is more than capable of taking down a warrior. I know it seems unlikely, but minks are as bad as foxes, there's a reason they're predators, not prey. I don't know how many minks there are, but at the rate they're spreading through our territory, WindClan would have their work cut out getting rid of them."

"As I've said before, we're running low on prey and the same could be said of herbs. If I send a large battle patrol out to take care of the minks in Windy Hills, let's say they do manage to chase the minks off. I have no clue how many are going to die for the clan doing it. I don't know if Lightningstorm's going to have enough herbs to tend to all the injured, I don't know how severe the wounds will be, and I'm not sure if we'll have enough prey to feed them while they heal. I don't know if while allowing those injured to heal; the minks could simply retake Windy Hills once again." Twilightstar meowed in a level serious tone.

"Even if I exclude those too injured to fight, and those who died fighting, and instead of waiting for anyone to heal, throw another battle patrol to retake Twilight Falls... there is no if, there isn't any way I see us winning that. I brought some of my most seasoned warriors with me to those caves, and we barely got out by the skin of our teeth. It's pure luck that none died there cause we all should have been dead. If my experienced warriors had trouble with the minks, I can only imagine how my less experienced warriors and apprentices are going to fare." Twilightstar's tail lashed behind her and she shook her head.

"I only have Lightningstorm to take care of every cats wounds, I don't want to overwork her, I still need warriors to cover the borders, and somehow the clan needs more prey to keep their strength up to fight, and herb patrols to cover for all the herbs used for the wounded brought back. If I factor that in with those we lost, I'll be lucky if I have enough abled body cats to carry out any of the patrols, let alone continue fighting an enemy with numbers I can't comprehend right now." The more Twilightstar thought about fighting these minks alone the worse the conclusion became. Nope, nope, nope, they were asking ShadowClan for help.

"With ShadowClan's aid, WindClan has double the fighting force, and two additional medicine cats to help with the wounded. We're not going to win this without them." She needed Swiftfire to look at the bigger picture surrounding this newest problem. Twilightstar wasn't joking bout having to move the clan again if they couldn't get rid of the minks promptly. The leader glanced at the brown and white warrior who padded over, Batglare added his voice briefly to the topic at hand. It's like he enjoyed adding to her anxiety. Twilightstar needed to go destress herself cause at this rate she was going to have an anxiety attack.

"So then, let's move on your patrols." The leader turned her head to look at those who had gathered around. "Swiftfire if you want to continue discussing this, you can come to my den. Otherwise, I would try taking Dapplebreeze's advice and go for a walk. The rest of you, finish gathering your patrolmates and off you off you go." The leader dismissed them all.
Breathe, relax, they'll be fine, the clan will be fine, they were going to be picked off by minks, and no one was going to die a horrible death from starvation, and she wasn't going to have to deal with cannibals again! Scowling, Twilightstar began to her den, if she clawed at the walls long enough it might calm her nerves down.

@Undertaker [Starii's on hiatus, so you can take a different cat if you want or just take the three you got] @Tiabirb @Rani @talle @Alchemist Kitsune

Batglare
The older cat rose as soon as he heard his name. He was still healing from his run-in with the minks at Twilight Falls. Oddly enough, he was plagued with nightmares of Thundersnow's and Whisperingpaw's corpses next to Gingersplash's.

It disturbed him and left him feeling rather helpless. This was one threat he knew WindClan wouldn't be able to endure. Batglare padded over to the group which was in a heated discussion. He joined not far behind Dapplebreeze and took a seat, waiting.

"WindClan can't win a fight with a horde of minks with pride or anything else. You can't endure or wait them out either. Minks are surplus killers, they kill for fun or sport. If they don't scare off all the prey in the territory, they'll kill them and leave the crowfood behind. They'll turn the territory into a wasteland if they're not dealt with quickly, but carefully. If we don't starve to death first, they'll are capable of ripping through our warriors faster than we can replace them. "

Batglare added while licking at one huge forepaw and swiping over the healing gash above his eye. He swung his gaze over to Leechscar, ready to go when he was. He was doubting it'd be hard to convince Dawnstar and ShadowClan to help with the minks. They'd turn into a threat to the other clans soon enough if they were left alone.
@/whoever he's not speaking to anyone directly just adding his two cents.

Dustbunny
The molly slipped out of the tunnel she was resting in, shaking dirt out of her pelt. She had more or less heard everything going on, and was pretty delighted to be going on another hunt in the tunnels. She had gotten good at snagging rabbits down there. Although she was a bit concerned about the minks, they could go underground as well. She quietly prayed to starclan for protection.

She had Whisperingpaw and Nighthail... the switch-up was a bit confusing, but it was Rabbiteye now... as she didn't see any of the cats called for her patrol yet. She was left waiting. The tunneler didn't dare get involved with the discussion the other cats were having. She didn't have anything to add, and quite frankly didn't enjoy having attention drawn to her for any reason.

@ChaosBringer. @furrensic @MockingRabbit [if you can't join the patrol let me know please.]

[starry]

Dustypaw - WindClan Apprentice

The bengal tom had been pretty bored by the meeting, half pricking a single ear whenever something important came. Minks, all that stuff... He was about the head back into the apprentice's den when Swiftfire said his name. So he needed to come with her to somewhere? He had no idea what she was talking about, but decided to make his way over since there were quite a few cats. He quirked his brows and looked at them in a questioning way. Now there was some talk about switching him and his mentor to a different patrol... he didn't care too much so he just lingered around until something happened.

Well, it seemed like Swiftfire had made this group of cats mad. They were protesting against her, saying things... Dustypaw still had no idea what they were all yapping about but he had half a mind to jump in for his mentor. Just for the sole purpose of it. She was the only cat in the clan he'd really interacted with. Now Crowtooth was saying something about him going along with Bravebird and Leechscar. He just stood there a little lost as they discussed everything, then nodded to Crowtooth. He did not mind too much, having something to do would be nice... maybe more enjoyable than the training he'd already experienced.

"Sure, I'll come," he grumbled. From all that talking he had been able to take out they would be going to ShadowClan's territory to ask them for help with the minks. He did not know too much about them but this would be more interesting than loafing in camp trying not to draw attention to nosy, loud kits.

[ @Undertaker @Rani @talle i hope i got this right? sorry if this post is messy lol - can someone vm me if i got something wrong/who's on the patrol because i'm a little late and confused ]

[ChaosBringer.]

Whisperingpaw (136/100)
Beefed Up T1 [ACTIVE] Survival Instincts[ACTIVE]


Whisperingpaw bounded after Dustbunny quickly, a worried and annoyed look plastered on his face as he padded up beside the warrior(?). "Sorry. Slept in.." The tom said with a dip of his head.
@Moonraven (short..)