[Jingle]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

Onyxpaw couldn't help but flinch at Halestar's harsh tone, but he swiftly recovered with a mean scowl and a furious lash of his tail - even when she adopted a kinder tone. He lowered his head, his eyes narrowed, and turned it slightly so he now looked away from Halestar, and stared at the ground to the side of them. His whiskers and ears would twitch in a way that gave away what he genuinely felt. He knew Halestar was correct, but he refused to admit it. After all, based off Onyxpaw's own experiences, Blazingnight had been a gentle, loving leader - but that was Blazingnight as a mother, not a leader. However, Onyxpaw continued to believe his mother had been an honest leader.

``No you aren't,`` Onyxpaw growled, his nose wrinkling as he bared his teeth angrily. His ears were folded back. ``You aren't sorry. If you were, SkyClan would not be welcome in these forests.`` He forcefully pressed his paw pads harder against the ground, fighting the urge to unsheathe his claws. He would not attack his mentor, but he would drill his claws into the earth, but he worried Halestar would take his actions as a threatening gesture. ``And-And she was not a bad leader! Cats respected her! And followed in her pawsteps. Cats admired her. She truly was a kind warrior,`` Onyxpaw's voice cracked with grief as he remembered the times he spent at his mother's flank. ``If only... Her position was threatened, and she felt the need to defend it. Don't you feel the need to defend your position? And Blazingnight let cats live freely. If we didn't believe in the code, then we didn't have to follow it. You can't force me into something I simply cannot believe.``

He now glared at Halestar through narrowed eyes, his head lowered close to the ground in a submissive gesture. Though he argued with his mentor, he had to let her know he was no threat, because he wasn't. However, he did not respect her. Even if he tried, he could not respect her. He couldn't even fake respect. Onyxpaw huffed, his chest puffing out briefly before falling flat once more. ``Didn't you know mentoring me would be a challenge? Aren't you aware that I blame you for the death of my mother?`` He spoke the harsh words truthfully, his tone of voice laced with genuine honesty. He looked at Halestar as a killer, the cat who made him an orphan, the cat he could not respect.

Halestar frowned at the apprentice before sighing faintly and scowling deeply. "If you ask any cat who lived under her reign they will tell you just how cruel she was. They will tell you of the kin that she took away from them. Her rule was far from free, Onyxpaw, she forbid believing in StarClan. Her actions were heavily influenced by Bucknight- a cruel killer who wanted nothing but to ruin the clans and their faith. The evil era leaders did believe in something- they believed in the Dark Forest. They believed that lying, death, and other horrible unmentionable things were how the clans should be run."

"Cat's will respect whatever is in charge of their lives. If she wished she would have ended many lives. In order to gain her position she killed and attacked many warriors." Halestar said, her eyes narrowing. She turned to show him her heavily scarred side, the wounds from no one else other than his mother. "I am not forcing you to believe in StarClan, Onyxpaw... I believe that every cat needs to have faith in something. Without StarClan the leaders wouldn't be suited to lead clans, without StarClan- medicine cats would have different priorities, without StarClan the leaders wouldn't be given nine lives... StarClan has been the ways of the clans since they began. StarClan has always helped us in times of need..."

"You can blame me for the death of your mother, however I would you to think of it this way... cat's in this very clan that you call home blame your mother for their kin's deaths or exiles. I could blame the fall of Timberstar and the death of my mate on your mother- now you, but I decide not to. It was not your fault that you were her kin. You do not deserve to be ridiculed by your own clan for actions you did not commit." The leader said, flicking her tail and looking down on the other cat. "I understand if you blame me for her death, Onyxpaw, but you have to think about the other cat's in the situation. They were in horrid conditions..."

"Have you ever hear of the Evil Era code? What the leaders forced upon the clan members? They made it so leaving a unjust fight was punishable by death, no more than three elders were able to live in the clan- otherwise they were exiled or killed, kits in danger would be left to die unless they were showing strength and promise, medicine cats could not speak to each other or StarClan, as it was forbidden, if a medicine cat gained a mate or kit they would loose their rank and their loved ones would be killed, and the mention of StarClan was forbidden- punishable by death. This is the code your mother followed and enforced. Do you have any idea how many cats died beneath her paws?" Halestar said with a hiss at the end.