[lone]

Originally Posted by InfernoFlicker

Infernosky's auds fell flat against her cranium when she listened to the cat that accompanied the deputy explain what she'd missed. All of that information didn't quite make sense to her, but what troubled her most was the fact that Dapplestar was missing, not dead. The red tabby wasn't sure what would have comforted her mind more; knowing that she was dead and not suffering, or the fact that she could be alive out there somewhere, hurt, or in danger....or she could be alive, free, and fine. Not knowing which option was the truth nearly drove her mad inside.

Meanwhile, behind Infernosky, Russel and Jitterbug wore blank expressions in response to Obsidiansky's story. The Chartreux avoided everyone's eyes awkwardly, and Jitterbug had her paws held up infront of her muzzle, counting her toes as if she were trying to organize the information in her head.

Infernosky's response to Shriketail's dismissal to the names she offered and her acceptance into Windclan was met with a level bitterness the former deputy had only used when she was thoroughly upset. Her long-furred banner was lashing wildly behind her now, and she placed one paw step ahead of her in a challenging stance. She clearly was not going to move without a fight.
"I would hate to bring you to harsher measures," There was a small hint of cockiness in her voice, "but if you don't take me to this 'Blazingstar' or take me to some cat that knows me and get some sense into your thick head...I'm afraid I won't be the only one getting hurt."

At this point, Russel took a step into the conversation and mewed a warning to Infernosky, "I thought we decided violence wasn't part of the plan..."
His attention then turned to Obsidiansky, who offered to give them a better explanation and to take the wheel on the situation. Russel liked this cat; much like himself, he found virtue in finding compromises and peaceful negotiations. The Chartreux nodded in agreement, "Wonderful idea. I know I need a better explanation, especially since I don't have a clue who any of these names are...aside form what Infernosky has told us, of course."

As Shrikecall turned to leave, Infernosky was bristling. "Ask anybody if they know me! There has to be somebody..." she was calling after his turned head, "I want to speak to Blazingstar, too. And-"
She fell silent when Russel placed his thick furry fore arm and shoulder infront of her. Deep blue eyes sincerely looking into her firey greens, he told her to give it up. Put in check, Infernosky paused, sighed, and forced herself to regain her composure. This was a nightmare. She wished she could just claw her ear and wake up, back in the warriors den, when her whole abduction by loners and trapped in twoleg cages in the 'city' was all just a dream. Maybe Russel was right; she just needed to check herself, and take a step back to process everything. Had she been a fool to believe that everything would be as it used to be when she finally came all this way back? Was it all in vain?

As if to read her mind, Russel stood by her side to lead her in Obsidiansky's direction and said, "Maybe this cat has answers for you."
Infernosky was rarely openly vulnerable in anyone's presence, Russel being the only exception. She burried her face in Russel's mane-like neck fur for a few long seconds.
"It's okay," The big grey tom murmured, "Me n' Jitter are your family too."

Infernosky took a deep breath, pulled away and nodded. This is not the time to grieve... The red tabby thought to herself. She forced herself to keep her head high, and grudgingly looked to the friendly cat to lead them to an explanation of everything she had missed.

"So...what's your name anyway?" Jitterbug piped up after the awkward exchange of bitter emotions. Jitter was about the age of middle aged apprentice, and she wasn't too fond of serious emotions. She bounded up next to Obsidiansky with large, youthful, and bi-colored eyes, one grass green, and one morning sky blue. "I'm Jitterbug. Wanna know why? Because I get the jitters sometimes." Her tone was peppy and rather oblivious to the true meaning of the name. Behind her, Russel's eyebrows furrowed into a look of pity.

Obsidiansky watched the three cats for a moment, before he sighed and lowered his head. He felt bad for the two she cats, and the tom. Coming all this way only to find that something had happened to the very cat they were looking for, well...that couldn't be easy at all. And of course he couldn't possibly know what it was like, the closest he could get to identifying with anything like that was...well...nothing, really. What could he say? What could he do to try and make these cats feel better? "Blazingstar's a little busy right now, but I'm sure you can talk to him soon. In the meantime, since our grouchy Deputy is making me stick with you all, I'll give you the explanation you want." The dark furred tom smiled, before padding over towards a more secluded corner of the clearing, the three cats following him. He glanced over at the energetic looking young she cat, and smiled in a friendly manner. "I'm Obsidiansky, it's nice to meet you, Jitterbug." He mewed, cocking his head to the side. That was an odd name. But he wasn't in a position to judge, and even if he was, he wouldn't have...Obsidiansky wasn't one to judge any cat.

He turned around after a moment, sitting down and curling his tail around his paws. "I don't know who the other two cats you spoke of are, but I did know Dapplestar. I guess I don't have to tell you she was a great leader." He looked down at his paws, before glancing at the cats in front of him with a somewhat more piteous expression. He knew they probably didn't want his sympathy, but what else could he do? He wasn't quite sure how else he could show that he felt bad, and there really wasn't any other way...the tom sighed, the tip of his tail twitching back and forth. "I don't know if-if she knew trouble was coming, and I don't think she did. Everything was going fine, and then...there was a fire. There was a fire, and no one really knows what happened-- I don't think. We all left, trying to help each other out." Obsidiansky looked down at the ground as though the memory was physically paining him.

"And...then Dapplestar was gone. There was a new leader, his name was Singenight-- and he outlawed StarClan. That was why he didn't take the suffix 'star,' he-- he had turned his back on them. He was really big on loyalty and everything...he killed some cats. It was...a hard time." Obsidiansky looked angry now, like he was thinking of something that made him want to claw everyone's ears off. Though he wasn't the type of cat to do that. Unlike Shrikecall, who most likely would have lashed out at someone. His hues narrowed before they softened once more and he sighed. "The other Clans had gone through the same thing-- well, not the fire, only WindClan and ThunderClan had a fire, but the others all had leaders who were like himself...they had turned their backs on StarClan and all had the suffix 'night.' And they had appointed their own deputies, too. It was a dark time, for a long time." A shudder went down the tom's spine and he looked as though he were going to be sick. The thought of the harsh time really did make him uncomfortable, as he would have preferred not to speak of it.

But they deserved an explanation. "And then a whole new Clan showed up. We had no idea it existed, but apparently they're called SkyClan. They helped us fight against Singenight, and then went on to free the other Clans-- Singenight disappeared, and we haven't heard anything of him since." The tom looked down at his paws and then glanced back up at the three cats as though wondering if any of this was making sense. Probably not, since they hadn't actually been there to experience it. It was the best he could do, though. Those had been the darkest moons of his life, and he never wanted to go through something like that again. He wanted to forget it, although he knew it was part of his heritage and he needed to remember it so that someday, he could tell other cats about what had happened. Like these three.

"Dapplestar returned for a short while, and appointed Blazingstorm as her Deputy. We're-- I'm-- pretty sure she's, uh...she's not coming back. Blazingstorm is Blazingstar now, and he appointed Shrikecall as Deputy. Why, StarClan only knows, but he did it anyways." The tom sighed, looking down at his paws for a short moment before he glanced back up at the three cats, wondering if any of that was making sense to them.

"Did you understand any of that?" He asked, cocking his head to the side as he examined the cats before him.