[Dark]

Darkfall
___________

Pulled out of his thoughts by a voice calling to him, Darkfall looked up and met Moonpaw’s gaze. She wanted to know if he was okay? Well, he guessed he did look kinda depressed which may have worried the younger cat. Feeling a little guilty he nodded and gave his apprentice a small smile. It didn’t reach his eyes. ”Yeah I’m just a little sore, no need to worry about me,” He told her, touching her shoulder with the tip of his tail.

Of course, this was only a half-truth. He was physically fine, but at the moment his emotions (or lack thereof) were a mess. ”If you’d like, you may sit with me,” he offered, before sternly adding ”But don’t cause any trouble like the last time,” with narrowed eyes. He hadn’t forgotten the last meeting when the two of them had nearly been punished for the she-cat’s outburst, and he didn’t particularly want a repeat of that incident.

Then Dawnstar spoke. She was asking the clan’s opinions on reparations for the unjust deaths that were caused and a chorus of voices rang out through the clearing. There were some who wanted more territory, some who agreed that they should have hunting rights, and others who were more against the idea. None of this interested him though. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he believed that ThunderClan deserved a harsher punishment for taking the lives of his clanmates. Those cats didn’t need to die when all they were doing was defending their territory from invaders. ThunderClan was wrong. They were the monsters.

When Sunsetthorn and Heavengaze suggested they take what Sparrowstar had offered and leave it at that, Darkfall openly scoffed. They hadn’t been there. They didn’t see the blood, the bodies littering the forest floor, they didn’t hear the screeching and snarling, see the mutilations. They didn’t know what those damn squirrel lovers did to their beloved clanmates. He did though. He watched as Daypaw had been attacked by an older warrior, as his clanmates fell and didn’t rise again, he had faced off against the deputy no matter how brief and stared into the older tom’s eyes as he ordained that he was a monster for defending his home. He witnessed all of that because ThunderClan had stolen their prey, and it had made him angry. Very, very angry.

And it was that anger that he drew upon as he stepped forward and addressed the leader of the clan. His clan. Emotional suppression be damned. ”Dawnstar, if I may be so bold-” the young warrior began, dipping his head slightly ”-I believe that rolling over and accepting their terms would be an insult to our clanmates who have lost their lives defending our territory, no better than making dirt over their graves,” a wave of his tail indicating the still bodies behind him. Raising his chin, he swept his eyes around the clearing, seeking out the ones against revenge, and frowned at the ones who dared to suggest such an asinine opinion.

”I agree with the majority when I say that we should expand our borders and lay claim to some of their territory,” As he spoke he made sure that he was looking right at the battle-scared queen. ”I also agree that it may be wise to assess the situation and wait until after the gathering before making our move in order to gather intel and not make any unwarranted mistakes.” He didn’t care what the rest of the clan thought anymore, it took all he had just to keep himself from bristling out of anger. ”However, if we are met with opposition I believe it would be prudent of us to show them just what we as a clan are made of and have them pay blood with even more blood.” The more he spoke, the more the anger rose within him.

Those were his clanmates behind him. Dead. And for what? Absolutely nothing. They had done nothing wrong and had paid the ultimate price for nothing. In his eyes, every single one of those warriors that they had met on the battlefield deserved death for being impudent enough to harm some of his own. ”Those squirrel huggers and as it appears some of our own clan seem to have forgotten just who we are-” raising his voice a little bit as he turned to look at many of the other cats gathered around the Shadowledge ”-We are ShadowClan, and we are not weak. There isn’t a clan in this forest who is our equal and all those who dare to threaten us should be crushed under-paw with extreme prejudice. I am prepared to lay down my life if it means that our clan and families may get to live their own with fewer worries.”

That was right, the normally cool-headed tom was advocating for nothing short of a war should it come to that. He had something to protect. His brothers - Smolderingkit, Smokekit, and Vulturekit. His apprentice, Moonpaw. His friend, Larkfire. The cats he admired for one reason or another, Shadowfur, Dappledleaf, and Mirehound. And then there was the rest of the clan. Every single one of these cats owned a place in his heart, no matter how much he tried to shut them out, and he would do anything within his power to keep them all safe. To make sure that they saw another day and didn't die in vain like his deceased comrades.

’We are ShadowClan, and we are not weak’

[ @Wingnettle @Ravensong for Sunsetthorn mention @Leafí for Heavengaze mention @Undertaker ]