[taillow]

Cindersky
And then it happened. Cindersky had almost been counting on it - the head of the whole movement it seemed, Cinderpaw shouldering her way to the Thunderwillow and taking the place of a branch just underneath Shiningskies. If it had not followed what was a rather disastrous gathering she might have been proud. But now all Cindersky felt was a trickle of irritation slip down her spine like morning dew dropped from a leaf.

There was so much potential within the she-cat, so much that she could do and become and accomplish - if only she would open her eyes. More than anyone Cindersky understood what it felt like to not be heard - to have decisions made in which she had no say over that directly impacted her. To feel powerless as the course of action was determined by another with no regard in mind to those it would affect.

Nectarflame had done this when she invited ShadowClan into ThunderClan. Ivythorn had done this when she had slaughtered her mate in cold blood. The warriors of ThunderClan had done this when they disregarded the cries of the apprentices around them.

Despite all of this - yes, Cindersky felt the fire and rage, similar to what she supposed Cinderpaw felt right now and all the moons preceded this meeting - she knew that most of the Clan would once again disregard what Cinderpaw was saying because of how she went about it. Voicing complains that needed to be handled, how ThunderClan warriors needed to listen to the apprentices and stop tossing them to the side - but vehementently refusing to allow them to do so. It left her feeling a bitter resentment towards the apprentice - but she hid it easily as she had the rest of her emotions this evening.

Beside her she was surprised to hear Bumblepaw speak up. Her ears also caught what Jaystride growled to her under his breath: that this was ridiculous. And it was. Truly. She had expected such exclamations from Cinderpaw, the she-cat who from where she was sitting was contradicting a lot of what she had stood for. But Shiningskies? A warrior with the knowledge of a Clanmate actively putting ThunderClan in danger? They had no idea what kind of cat the new RiverClan leader was, and if he commanded his Clan to rain down upon ThunderClan...

"You say you despise ShadowClan, and yet are so eager to become like them?"

Her voice rang out up to the duo, but the way she phrased it was intended for the entire Clan. Suddenly she knew it was time. Rising to her paws and striding forward, she stopped at the base of the Thunderwillow. That tree... it was reserved for leaders. For deputies. Not for cats like her; and certainly not for cats calling for the murder of one of their own.

So she refused to climb it and instead turned to look at the cats gathered; her Clan. "The past two moons have been a difficult storm that ThunderClan has had to weather, but tell me this: are we not more united now than we were before? We are taking our fate into our own paws, we are working together, we are listening to one another." As much as Cinderpaw wished to be blind to it, those were the facts; training was getting done, missing cats were being welcomed home, the Clan was moving forward.

To throw it all away and focus on Nectarflame seemed like a claw right to her face.

"What Nectarflame did was wrong." Her tone made it clear that was her stance, but still her eyes avoided looking directly at the golden bengal. "But we have proved to her, and to Dawnstar and ShadowClan, that we are not to be underestimated. We have proved to her that these cats here today are worth something - warriors, apprentices, queens, elders, and even kits. That we are ThunderClan, and we will not be shaken by the mistakes of a few." A few. Because she included herself in that. Taking part in leading untrained apprentices and kits out, when there could have been a better way of going about it. Coddling apprentices when what they really needed was training. She was guilty of that, just as Nectarflame was guilty of bringing ShadowClan down upon them.

Turning her eyes to Cinderpaw and Shiningskies now, she fixed them with an unwavering stare. Her posture stood tall, shoulders back and ears alert. "I hear you both. I respect you both. Shiningskies, you have worked tirelessly for ThunderClan, and no one questions your loyalty. But this? Ignoring the pressing issue of one of our warriors deliberately antagonizing and attacking another Clan at a time of truce? I expected better of you." There was no anger present, no malice. Just disappointment... and somehow that was worse for Cindersky.

Shifting her gaze to Cinderpaw, her expression softened for a moment. "I know you are angry. You have every right to be angry at a Clan that failed you long before you left the nursery." Flashes of the night RiverClan had invaded and Cinderpaw had received the mark on her face - it was still prevelant in her mind. "But executing Nectarflame will not change any of that. It will not make you feel better. It will not bring back Lionpaw, or Firkit. It will not bring back the kithood that you should have had, the one that ThunderClan warriors ripped from you."

Her heart ached for the she-cat. The pain and agony - she could see it clear as day. Underneath the hard shell that Cinderpaw presented to the world as if it was a mirror. Held up and reflecting the first day that Cindersky herself had been tossed into battle. A fresh-faced apprentice, not even six moons old and already thrown to defend her Clan.

"We need to focus on building ThunderClan, not tearing it down by murdering cats. We are not ShadowClan; we are better than that. We do not solve our problems with murder. I do stand behind you in that Nectarflame deserves a punishment for what she did, but death... that is never the answer."

Part of her throat felt a little raw from having elevated her voice. Not into a yell, but loud enough to be heard by every cat. ThunderClan needed to focus on moving forward if they were to have a chance at surviving. And dwelling on the past... would not give them what they so desperately wanted.

[ @Slushie @BILL. - for the mentions of bumblepaw and jaystride @NinjaBloss @littlelove ]