ThunderClan Stormcrest

[vellichor]

Originally Posted by poppy.

Redkit was already in the clearing at the time, so she had escaped her mother (since she was already frolicking about when Bumblestar ordered the kits to go in the nursery, and she pricked up as she watched Bumbleleader dropped two bodies at the foot of the Stormcrest. "U-Uncle C-Cwackles?" The little bobtail squeaked out, face dropping as she hurried to his side. What was the red stuff? Was there a pond of red water instead of blue that he had fallen into? "Uncle Cwaaaackles, wake up!" She whispered. "You're gonna miss the meeting!" Since he wasn't awake yet, she nestled herself against his fur, cuddling him to no end, since he wasn't awake to bat her off like usual. Confusion and dread shot through her as she touched his cold, hard body and she jerked back, a whimper escaping her. What was going on?

•° Violetfreckle °•
Rapid Recovery • Collector • Master Scout

---

She didn't miss the look that one of the apprentices gave her, but she didn't care. As long as there was quiet for now... oh. Never mind. Because Violetfreckle can't have nice things. She did feel a bit less irate and more sorry for the little kit, but they were cuddling a corpse. That was probably a no-no. So, with a sigh, she pushed herself onto her unsteady legs and made her way over, promptly trying to snatch the kit by the scruff. If she succeeded, she would bring the baby back to where she was sitting and give them a couple licks on the forehead.

What? Maybe Violetfreckle had a bit of a soft spot for kits. Maybe.

[Rose]

Mapleface
She/Her | The Red Queen

Maybe the timeline was a cruel thing, giddy and gleeful and vicious enough to twist fates around and cause the most pain it could.

Innocent, oblivious steps carried the Red Queen back to her home, back to the place where she'd blindly put faith in her Clanmates to protect her last remaining family. Her Redkit, her Rosekit, and her beloved little brother, Crackles. She'd gone out today, had stepped out of camp to search for Applekit and Alderkit again, with hopes that she'd find either one of her missing daughters and be able to bring them back to ThunderClan. To what she had assumed was a safe haven, a home, where she could be at peace with her family.

Oh, how wrong she had been. The truth was a slap to the face, a mockery of her broken-heart-to-be.

The weather was pleasant, the skies clear. The sun stood a witness in the sky, blazing down almost in warning on Mapleface as she tromped back into Camp. Distantly, she made sense of Bumblestar's meeting call. It was snappish and angry as usual, so Mapleface wasn't quite surprised -- except for the part of keeping kits inside. On all other occasions, Bumblestar had allowed kits to attend, even on the more.. questionable days. So why was today different?

The first thing she heard were the whispers. The slithers of talk going around, but Mapleface was still unaware of the danger that lay at the base of Stormcrest. The danger that posed a threat to her tender heart. There were too many cats milling about, and while Mapleface was a sturdily built cat, she wasn't among the tallest. Lingering at the back of the crowd, Mapleface had to shove past a couple cats, murmuring quiet apologies as she went. What had happened, that so many cats were bunched together.

A movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention; One of the newer ThunderClanners, Violetfreckle (if she recalled correctly) carrying.. Redkit? Hey, wait, that was her kit. Bewildered, the Red Queen managed a single step in the warrior's direction, but perhaps it was that moment that someone recognized her as.. well, her, and stepped aside, allowing Mapleface's view to go further than just one or two pawsteps.

And when she saw what everyone was whispering so crudely about, her mind blanked, and all went to hell.

"What happened." Her voice was hoarse and broken, barely above a croak even though this was the first she had spoken. A strangled sound built in her throat, and then Mapleface was stumbling over in a daze, emerald-green hues glassy with disbelief. "No. No, no, no, no!" With every denial, her voice rose to a pitch, the first of tears streaking down the side of her face. "NO! CRACKLES!"

"What happened, what happened, what happened, what happened." It had become an unthinking mantra, and at this point Mapleface wasn't even aware her mouth was moving, pronouncing the words. "WHY IS HE BLEEDING!" The tortoiseshell point screeched, her body trembling with fullblown fear as she lowered herself beside the body of her little brother, pressing her muzzle into his fur.

His cold fur.

The realization was almost a physical blow to her body as she jerked upright again, eyes wild with denial. "No, no, no. Crackles, no!" The stream of tears pouring down her face only seemed to increase by the moment, head wildly snapping around, gaze fixating on the other body not far off. A kit. Vinekit, if she remembered correctly. Had something attacked camp while she was gone? Why was no one else injured?

Why, why, why, why?

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Her heart thundered in her chest, and this time the words were directed up at Bumblestar, her gaze searching the leader desperately for an answer. Why was there blood on Bumblestar's coat? Somehow, still, her pathetic mind believed that something or someone had broken into ThunderClan, and maybe Crackles had been defending Vinekit. Or had Crackles snuck out of camp with Vinekit? Had he tried to follow her, and this- this-

Her heart shattered into a million pieces on the spot, her mind cruelly playing out every scenario in which Crackles could have ended up like this, broken and bloody and lifeless. Her limbs trembled, shaking violently, seeking reprieve from the onslaught of grief. "No. No, please. Please, he's not dead. He's not dead. Tell me he's not dead!" She didn't even know who she was begging at this point as she stood over Cracklekit's corpse, her four paws splayed, her body positioned above the body of her little brother. Salty tears tracked down her cheeks and soaked the fur of her chest. Her tufted ears remained pinned against her skull, her tail fanning out behind her with distress.

"Who did this? How did this happen? How?!" And it wasn't long at all, for that bitter, crushing sadness, that endless well of grief, to turn into a boiling rage. "HOW COULD A WHOLE CLAN SIT BACK WHILE TWO KITS DIED?! HOW?! ANSWER ME!"

[ @vellichor - Violetfreckle / @poppy. - Redkit / @dino. - Bumblestar / @vampire - Singesmoke / @elaif - I love you, Crackles ]

[ChaosBringer.]

Fawnpaw

Fawnpaw stared at the ground before looking up at the warrior again. "Hey...I'm sorry for talking about him that way. I just don't like cats that hurt kittens." Fawnpaw said before loafing too, resting her head on Shypaw's back. @Demini @vellichor

[Zei]

Originally Posted by Shadowed Flower

Fawnpaw

Fawnpaw stared at the ground before looking up at the warrior again. "Hey...I'm sorry for talking about him that way. I just don't like cats that hurt kittens." Fawnpaw said before loafing too, resting her head on Shypaw's back. @Demini @vellichor

Shypaw nuzzled her friend

[BEAR.]

Probably against his better judgment, Wolfpaw shakily crept out of the medicine cat den. Bumba's call paired with all the screaming had roused him from a restless slumber, and he blearily squinted his eyes at the crowd. Hadn't the slightest clue on what was going on, but if he was in better shape he'd have boinged over to Bumba and latched on for support.

[Sleek]

Flameflicker trudged into the clearing, head down in shame as he carried the body of his mate. He tried his best not to gaze in those beautiful hazel-brown eyes, now sightless, staring into the black emptiness of death. With difficulty he gulped, shoving the saliva down his throat. He stumbled forward to the stormcrest where the other two bodies lay and hesitated, unsure. Maybe there was hope. Maybe she was still alive? Maybe-No. All it took was one look at the cold, now gray body to see that there was nothing left. Flameflicker didn't have the energy nor wanting to gently put her body down. Why? There was no need. She was dead. And there was nothing he could do about it. He clenched his jaws. They had a future. They were mates, goddamnit! Couldn't Starclan have chosen anyone, anyone else? No. Starclan were evil. They were pure monsters. He dug his claws down in frustration. First they had taken his father. Then his mother. Then his brother. They had spared his brother for some time, leading him to believe that he still had hope. And then they snatched him up, leaving dark emptiness where he had been. And his heart had been like that for his entire life, until Morningsight had come to him. She had filled that gap. She had given him purpose, reason in his life. But then Starclan had stolen her, leaving Flameflicker's miserable life for torture. That was the whole purpose of life. The only reason they were born. Just to suffer. And now, without Morningsight, Flameflicker was to be tossed aside like garbage, useless. He dropped her motionless body, watching as his tears fell onto her. No. There was no 'her' anymore. She was dead. She didn't exist. He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but no sound came out. He tried his best to keep them in, so his clan wouldn't look at him like a wailing kit, but did it really matter? Did anything even matter anymore? His mom was gone. His dad. His brother. And now, his mate. He didn't even care anymore. They might as well kill him, he wouldn't care. Breathing shakily, he finally managed to speak. In a frog croaking manner. "This-this is Morningsight. She-" he stopped, sobbing. "She was my mate. She didn't deserve to die. She-she was killed. In battle. She died a hero." He sniffled, closing his eyes. Did it matter what he said? Nothing mattered anymore, she was gone, and there was nothing, absolutely nothing that he could do. Calling her a hero wouldn't resurrect her, no matter how desperately he wanted it. Hell, she could have killed all of those nasty ruthless rats, he wouldn't care, all he wanted was for her to live. Why her? Why not him? Why not any of these stupid pigs in this god forsaken clan? Why did it have to be the only god damned reasonable, intelligent, innocent cat? He roared in agony, not caring how stupid he looked. He looked once to Bumblewhothehellcares, she wouldn't save her, nothing would, and stomped his way out. He didn't give the smallest care for whether he interrupted the meeting. Why did they hold the meeting anyways? What would that do? What would anything do? They might as well all just die, none of it changed anything. All that mattered to him was that his mate was dead, and now he had no one to care for. Growling, he got back into the crowd, shouldering anyone who was in his way. They could all die, he. Didn't. Care.

@dino.

[gs29513]

Were all the warriors in this clan completely useless? The apprentices too, but they had a teensy excuse on account of being still in training. Although really, did it take much training to know that the kit currently cuddling with a DEAD BODY should be dealt with? Removed from said dead body lest the little critter contract some sort of illness or become generally covered in blood? Tansyjaw had been summoned by Bumblestar's irate yowling, following Goatcrunch out of their den with a soft snort as he complained about the loudness of the summons, before making her way past him into the clearing proper. She would be right in the center of what was going on, thank you very much, whether she blocked other cats views with her large frame or not.

That said though, Violetfreckle seemed to have taken care of the Redkit situation, or at least was trying to. Only, apparently, for the kit to be replaced by Maple. Who was screaming like crazy. Fair enough, they were related in some way, she'd be similarly crazy(had been similarly crazy) when Thistlethroat had died. It was reasonable, though not...terribly proper. And it seemed to have altered the poor mollys reasoning skills. Tansyjaw might be smarter than most, but she imagined the signs were fairly clear to most. A small, dead kit. A larger, dead kit. Blood on the large one, and on Bumblestar. Bumblestar had killed Cracklekit. Why she didn't know, but she imagined it had something to do with Vinekit's still body. Who knew. She wasn't terribly attached to either of them, so Tansyjaw kept quiet and stayed in the crowd. She was quietly saddened, the younger a cat was the worse their death, but she would not react unduly. She would have facts first.

[silver.]

eveningdance // he/him // 44 moons
purrks: -

---

Chaos. His clan was being plunged into chaos. First it was taking over Cattail Pond. Then it was foxes. Then it was the battle with Shadowclan. And now... Now Mapleface's blood-curdling cries deafen his ears. Having sustained some nasty gashes from his run in with Cunningthroat of Shadowclan, he had been doing his best to rest up, lest he take up valuable time of the medicine cats that were busy with far more important things. But her cries... Her screams... It draws him from his nest and out into the clearing of camp.

The first thing he notices is the scent of fresh blood. Blood and tears and fear scent. It's jarring-- nauseating, really. After having just waded through corpses and bloodshed it shouldn't phase him. But as he lifts his head and scents the air blood mingles with the soft milk scent of...

Kit. The nursery.

Fur bristles defensively and the tabby goes sprinting off toward the nursery. Mismatched gaze counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 small heads of his litter, staring at him in confusion, before he can allow himself to relax. Not for long, but long enough to reassure himself that his little ones were safe and sound. He whips around and focuses on one of his other beloved children. May it not be by blood, Mapleface was like a daughter to him. He would defend her as such. So he grits his teeth as he pushes through the pain in his belly and he rushes his way toward the Stormcrest to see... Blood... Corpses... A dishelveled Mapleface and a bloodied Bumblestar.

It takes a moment to settle in. What had happened. Slowly, paw steps push him forward toward the front, wide eyes staring at the pained queen standing protectively over her brother's corpse. To him it was obvious. Obvious what had happened. He had never been fond of Cracklekit but... He knew well enough that there were not many that were fond of the peculiar tom. Regardless, family of Mapleface was practically family of his own. Regret pools in his belly at the thought of not getting to know the young tom better. Heaving a shaky sigh, he moves closer to the grieving queen, pressing his cheek to her face as he speaks quietly to her.

"Worry not, my little one. The blood that stains her pelt shall not go unpunished. Whether it be by our anger or the wrath of Starclan."

Hopefully that was comforting enough. If she listened closely enough she could pick out the burning anger that seeped into his usually neutral tone. Brows furrowing he marches his way to stand beside Mapleface below the Stormcrest, rage piercing the flank of their leader from his spot on the ground.

"What is the meaning of this?" He demands, tail lashing behind him. Eveningdance had always sat on the sidelines. Loyal to his clan, loyal to his leader. But this was too far. "Enough is enough, Bumblestar. Sooner rather than later we will all tire of your bloodshed."

mapleface | @Rose // bumblestar | @dino.

[ChaosBringer.]

Fawnpaw

Fawnpaw snapped her head away from her friend at Mapleface's cries. "What the-" She hissed. We lost two kits. One killed the other. And the one killer was a menace. One of the reasons for war! A murder was in our clan. @Rose @Demini

[Neptune.]

header by @/roo!

*-Pebblepaw-*
18/100
they/them || 10moons || no purrks
a grey spotted tabby with a white muzzle, chest, belly, inner legs and tail tip and bright amber eyes

Pebblepaw was scared. If Bumblestar's yowl for a meeting wasn't enough to freak them out on its own, then her addition that all kits should be kept in the nursery was even more jarring. And then, as they psyched themself up to exit the den, there came the anguished wailing, the pleading of grief and the fury that it often morphed into. Now Pebble really didn't want to leave the apprentice den, but... well, it would look bad for their family if they didn't attend the meeting out of fear and the thought of that was almost enough to send them to StarClan right then and there.

Quietly, the grey tabby made their way to the crowd of cats, perpetual slouch on full display, wishing they were anywhere but here. The furious yells had come from Mapleface, a pretty queen who Pebblepaw had never spoken to but one they saw around enough, and the dead cat was... Cracklekit. And, not far from him, was the body of another kit. Pebblepaw didn't know this one's name at all. Maybe Leafkit? Vinekit? Something about plants that was for sure. The accusation Mapleface threw out about an entire clan being unable to protect two kits from dying stung, and Pebblepaw shrunk even further in on themself. She was right. How had this happened? Did it happen inside camp? Did the two sneak away in search of adventure? Pebblepaw shuddered, suddenly feeling so unsafe.

They wished there was something they could do, something they could say, but on top of the fact that they'd rather drop dead too than go up and speak to her, there was little words of comfort could do to quiet the oppressive voice of grief, fury and anguish. Even if they did talk to her, try and offer comfort, what could they say? There was nothing that would be able to quiet her grief and Pebblepaw had a feeling that the next thing Bumblestar says will just make it worse... why couldn't they have just stayed hiding in their den??

__________

[ all mentioned, no one directly spoken to lmao || bumblestar - @dino. || mapleface - @Rose ]
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