High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]
He was shaking. He was shaking. Meek and timid and cowering before her as if he were the victim, the one being wronged. And Maplehaze, there to offer comfort, like he hadn't made a mockery of his role by neglecting every single cat under his care... it made her muzzle contort in disgust, but Wolfpaw's feeble apology sent fire surging through her veins. "I DON'T WANNA HEAR ANOTHER WORD OUTTA YOUR TREACHEROUS MOUTH!"
Bumblestar struck Wolfpaw in the face, as hard and as painfully as she could manage. Blood sprayed. The single strike was all she could manage after the near moon of being left to wither. If she had the strength, she'd have knocked him on his back, pried open his jaws, and ripped his tongue clean out. She staggered forward, taking advantage of his position against the ground to loom over him.
"No amount of apologies will ever reverse the damage you've done! All your inaction, all your neglect. You let me die. You nearly did the same to your other Clanmates, your responsibilities, for what? 'Cause you're too much of a coward? Couldn't handle it? You're lucky Spiderthroat's already made the decision to let you stay. You're LUCKY I don't beat you 'till you're broken 'n bloody, send you off into the woods, 'n hunt you down for sport! I should tear your throat out like that otter did to me 'n leave you to choke on your own blood. Or drown you like it did Mudhound 'n Violetfreckle, or- or rip your other leg off like it did Dragonflycliff!" Or tear both his eyes out for the two that were lost, leave him to flounder in the dark the way she'd been trapped for nearly a moon.
What a mockery he made of the cats she was forced to remember each and every time she looked at him.
"You never deserved those names, either of 'em," she snarled. "Redhawk's memory is too good for you, Wolfhive's is. If you don't pick a new one, pick it now, I'll do it for you 'n you'll be stuck with it for the rest of your sorry afterlife. You're a disgrace, a worm. I should save us all the trouble 'n bury you like one! You might've been allowed to stay in ThunderClan but you will never be welcome here again!"
Now, Maplehaze? Maplehaze may not have received the full brunt of her fury but his closeness with the disgraced medicine cat was more than enough to trigger her to round on him as well, her teeth snapping together just centimeters from his muzzle. "And you. You wanna defend this stain on our Clan, this murderer? Come to his aid, offer comfort? You sympathize with his actions 'n all I see is just another traitor willin' to throw away their duties 'n leave their Clanmates to suffer, starve, 'n die! Get the hell out before I gut you right here!" She lifted her head to address the rest of the camp. "Same goes for the rest of you!"
Her head swung back around to face Wolfpaw, and she bore down on him as she swayed unsteadily on her paws, spitting, "I can still rip whatever mercy Spiderthroat gave you away. Your name or your life. Choose."
