[Approved] Redface

[nyme]

SHOULD'VE BEEN A ROCKSTAR

──

REDFACE . 28 MOONS AT DEATH . HE/HIM . FORMERLY WINDCLAN

"What makes you stand out from the rest of the cats who want another chance?"

"My DAZZLING GOOD LOOKS and CAN-DO ATTITUDE!"

Redface is here. He's here and he's nervous but, stars as his witness, he's going to sell himself as hard as he can. It'd been—how long? Not very, but in the time since his quick and underwhelming death he'd watched Windclan swell with kittens, battle a fire...once, he had thought that he would be able to take his death with grace. That he wouldn't be a big sniveling baby about it. It must not have been hitting him in the moment, though, just how final the end would be. How clean-cut. How...over.

But it's not! Or. It doesn't have to be. Why had nobody told him about this sooner? Whatever.

"Hello! I'm Redface! I died! I mean, obviously I died, I'm here, but...well alright, here: I was killed. It was—quick. Ugly. Humiliating, really. I won't pretend I'm not at all motivated by the idea of winning, like, haha ya thought I was dead but I'm not, take that!! Which is selfish, yes! Make of that whatcha will. Can I sit? I'm sitting," and he sits, licking a stripe down his ginger chest. "What I really want is to help, though. I want to help. Have you been keepin' up with Windclan? Lovely folks, Windclan, real sweethearts, but uhhhh...I mean, have you seen their lineup? How many kittens d'you reckon're crawling about down there versus how many older cats to help train 'em up? Weeeelll guess what,"

Aaaand he's standing again. He's—striking poses.

"Taaake it in..." turn, pose. Turn again, chest out, chin raised, pose. And again, tail angled up, legs stanced out all heroically. "You get it? You pickin' up what I'm layin' down? Look at me! I'm tough! I'm charming! I learn from my mistakes! Who better to help, when a clan needs helping? And my clan does. Badly. More than any stupid personal investment, more than soothing my own bruised ego, more than feeling my own heart beating again, that's what I want. To be there. To help."

He drops the foolishness, only standing, only waiting. The fiery tip of Redface's tail twitches to and fro, anxious energy keeping it tick-tick-ticking. "Mighty tempting proposition, isn't it? I know, I know. Take your time...digesting, I can wait patiently." Debatable.

[c1nder]

☆*: .｡. o Dewkit o .｡.:*☆

❧ Starclan Warden

The fluffy gray kit padded up to the tom. And flicked her ears in mild annoyance. "As annoying as you are..." she began, "you died protecting an apprentice. I find that admirable. Most would rather save their own pelt." And the warrior in front of her was young himself. No more than 30 moons.

"No one cares what you look like, Redface." she mumbled.

"I need a little bit more information before I say yes. In the hypothetical situation that Windclan does not allow you back in, what will you do? What will you do when faced with a similar situation to the one you died in?"

- @nyme @/other wardens

[dino.]

[ Bogtumble is not a Warden, he's just Here. ]

oooOOOOO HE LIKED THIS ONE VERY MUCH!! He was already giggling as he traipsed merrily out of the shadows, eyeing Redface as if the tom was either a loveable circus act, or... a very tasty meal. It was debatable.

"YOU!" he announced. "I like you! APPROVED! Have fun in WindClan, bye bye!"

[ @nyme @gayvinegar ]

[nyme]

SHOULD'VE BEEN A ROCKSTAR

──

REDFACE . 28 MOONS AT DEATH . HE/HIM . FORMERLY WINDCLAN

He sits up a little straighter as Dewkit draws near, unnerved to be judged by one so young. Not young, Redface reminds himself warily. Just...little. What a shame it must be, eternal kittenhood. But that doesn't mean he should blow off what Dewkit has to say, even if it starts out with an acknowledgement of how annoying he's being. Redface swallows, briefly sheepish. But only briefly.

Huh. What if they don't let him come back? Oh, stars, he hadn't really considered that...it'd look awfully strange to Windclan to have him back, wouldn't it? And he might give those last cats to see him up and kicking an especially nasty fright (well, the apprentice is blind now, what he just...never...talks to her? Is that bad?). What's a guy to do if his one and only big plan falls through?

Redface gets a few false starts in, mouth opening and closing, chest swelling with failed responses. He clicks his tongue and settles himself with one big huff.

"That's an excellent question and—uh, you're right to ask it. I-I mean, what's the point in sending me back if I can't...hm. I don't suppose you'd be satisfied if I toldya there's no chance they wouldn't want me back? I mean, did you really look at me?" Redface almost stands again to strike another dashing pose, but he knows he's already driven that point home and this tiny judge seems wholly uninterested in any more of those antics. He knows, he knows; he's being a lot right now. He can't help it when he's so nervous. "Right, yeah. That's not very tangible. That's not an answer. But I think I could pull it off, don't you? If I stride triiii-umphantly back into their midst to inform them that the very stars deemed them deserving of help, and so sent my lovely self back home for patrols and trainings galore? Who wouldn't go for that? You see the vision, don't you?" Redface implores, tipping his pouting face to one side like a begging dog. That sad little look twitches into a tenative grin; he's sure this won't earn him any additional points, but he can't resist adding:

"Hey, and I bet you they'll welcome me back. Whaddya say? Winner gets an I-told-you-so for the ages. You won't have to wait very long to claim it, if you're right. If, hypothetically, Windclan wants nothin' to do with me at all, if my charm and enduring loyalty means nothin' to them, then I'll be sure to make my way right back here in no time to apologize for the time an' effort wasted. If. Cool?" Redface's tail curls up over his russet paws. "There's nothing left for me down there if they decide they don't need me after all. That's why I've only bothered to ask now that it seems very much like they do need me." It's a good thing he's a very red cat, or else the deepening blush in his ears at his own affected arrogance would be embarrassingly evident. But he's committing to it. No maybes or um, please?'s.

And as for the other part of this question...Redface doesn't bother to suppress the shudder that crawls down his spine. "Hey...that guy came outta nowhere, seriously," he paws at the ground bashfully. Poor Leopardpaw, poor Ravenhawk... "I won't let that happen again. I told you, I learn from my mistakes. We shouldn't have let her out of our sight, I shouldn't have expected him to be an easy fight, we—I handled that poorly, and it cost more than just my life, an' I do regret that. But I only regret it 'cause it shouldn'ta happened to begin with. If the same thing happens again, somehow, then I'll keep my head on. I'll protect my neck, like I know I should." He bristles. Time dead, aimless, has meant time to reflect on what had happened. What he'd done wrong and what he would do differently. So really, he's more prepared for this question than the former.

"Clearly I could stand to improve myself and while I'm at it, I intend to pitch in to help our young'ins out whenever I can. Keep 'em protected, teach 'em to protect themselves." What had happened to Leopardpaw was not her fault. She'd been failed by the two older cats present. Even so, she and young cats like her could only benefit from having this lesson and what to do when the worst is bearing down on you drilled into them againandagainandagain. Redface worries that, with warriors spread thin across the impending wave of bright-eyed future apprentices, more easily preventable mistakes like what had happened that day will come to pass.

"I mean, c'mon, d-don't make—uh," Oh, hey! Ain't this guy tons of fun?? Just as Redface is about to go and get all choked up, there's Bogtumble on the scene, getting his hopes up. Redface doesn't realize that this interloper has no say in what's happening right now and he perks up all sunshine and success at the false go-ahead, baring his biggest and brightest grin. "Really? Hah! Cool! Thank you so much! I like you, too, guy!"

@gayvinegar ; DEWKIT
@dino. ; BOGTUMBLE
+ OTHER WARDENS

[Dolomedes]

Is It Cold Outside?

Snowleopard
| She/her | Dark Forest | Ancient ThC Medicine Cat |

Oh how terribly late she is, she hadn't meant to, merely assumed that one of her fellow wardens would get to this sooner while she was busy doing other important work and still look at this. The kitten was the one taking care of it, what a terrible mess, and what a terrible look for her as she stepped out of the fog and into the trial. Oh it seemed that even that little rat Bogtumble had skittered his way in before her. Hm, she offered the annoyance a mere brush of her tail before she settled to judge. "Hello, I am so terribly sorry for my late arrival, fashionably late I hope." Though just as quickly her eyes snapped onto the warrior of the hour.

An honestly pitiful thing, having been done in through murder... She never agreed with such rash and harsh methods, there were much cleaner ways and this cat.. though she didn't really know much, did not seem like he needed to rest so soon. Very excitable and full of himself like all young cats were, annoying sure, but happy enough, and no need to enforce methods of removal. That was to say, she pitited his death... but this cat was almost 30 moons year old he has so little to his name, nothing of worth... the only real instance of anything at all was dying for an apprentice he initially put at risk from his own narcissism which was on full display even now.

"Yes... shall we? You are... sorry, were, nearly 30 moons yes? And in a patrol with another senior warrior against a single outsider... and you still allowed an apprentice to be blinded and yourself killed, I want to be sympathetic, and I am... its simply." She waved a paw in a sort of so-so motion, taking a breath to continue, she was honestly surprised that the kitten was not seeing the fault in the whole situation, in this warrior's life as a whole, and what could happen to those precious kits and apprentices if such a... characters were to teach them. Though perhaps that's why she was here, someone to see the full picture despite her own biases towards his unfortunate murder.

"I only wish to know why exactly you think you should teach? You showed poor skill, things could've been executed overall much better. You had numbers, likely experience, and age over that rowdy loner and you still lost. I'm not sure Windclan would allow such a poor display of skill train their future warriors, you know? Not too mention that before that patrol, you have achieved little." She ended with a different, almost dangerous lift to the end of her voice, not quite condescending but she didn't sound like she though that Redface was an equal. "Bogtumble, dear, if you wish to play pretend at least do so accurately." She finished addressing the stowaway as one would do to a kit playing 'clan leader' in the nursery.

[ @nyme | @dino. | @c1nder ]
[ I don't think I've written her before(? I think ) but hopefully this is alright ]

[Mica]

Magpiewisp
Dark Forest
he/him | Dead
[Tuxedo mix with sharp blue eyes]
· · ────────────── · ·
[Redface - @nyme ] [Dewkit - @c1nder ] [Snowleopard - @Dolomedes ]
· · ────────────── · ·
This was taking far too long. The stoic tuxedo tom stalked out of the darkness behind the two dead she-cats who were facing a rather obnoxious tom. So far he had heard nothing but bluster from him, and the former medicine cat was almost tempted to let him go just to get him out of the afterlife and out of their fur. But the facts were stacked against him--he had utterly fumbled what should have been an easy encounter. That was not the type of cat Magpiewisp wanted to bother sending back to the clans. The tom gave the spirit one last look over before shaking his head. "No. The only thing left for you to pass on is weakness. That is my judgement." With that, the warden turned on his heel and disappeared back into the darkness.

[Magpiewisp's decision is no!]

[nyme]

SHOULD'VE BEEN A ROCKSTAR

──

REDFACE . 28 MOONS AT DEATH . HE/HIM . FORMERLY WINDCLAN

Redface is so sure that he's done, here. He did it! He won, and he's going home right now, and wow, this was a neat little experience, but now it's time to think ahead towards the future, and hey, look! Someone new's stepping onto the scene. Redface greets Snowleopard with a wordless, airy trill, and then a smiling assurance: "Hey! No trouble at all, ma'am. S'fashionable for sure—but I bet anything you do would be." He's got no idea why she's here, since he still thinks he just got the seal of approval through sheer luck and blinding charm alone, but she's a lady and a pretty one to boot, so, it's all good. Matter of fact, since he guesses he still has a bit of time until they send him on his way—amber eyes go round and curious, and Redface leans forward on his paws as he presses, "what do they call you, anyhow?"

And—oh. Oh, dear.

Snowleopard gets on with the proceedings, with her duty to evaluate his life and his worthiness, and Redface realizes he's not out of the woods yet. Nowhere near. A hurt look is flashed at Bogtumble. What the heck, guy? I thought...and Redface squirms like a fly in amber before slowly sinking back onto his haunches. I'm not sure Windclan would allow such a poor display of skill train their future warriors, you know? Not too mention that before that patrol, you have achieved little.

Ouch!!

His heart drops, and his mouth flaps open and closed a few times, chest bubbling with a few quiet, indignant sputters. He'd been flushed before, sure, but now it feels like his whole face has caught fire and he doesn't have to look to know that his tail has started bushing up in alarm. Redface swallows thickly, willing his fur to lie flat. Funny how these reflexes out him even in death. He has no beating heart and still he swears he can feel it hammering off his ribs. Still he worries it's audible even to them. Embarrassing. Nearly as embarrassing as the swift and decisive vote of the cat who arrives shortly after Snowleopard. His judgement is passed as easy as rainfall. No. Somehow, Redface doubts he'll be so lucky as to have two phony judges; surely, this unknown tom's word is the real deal. Redface's ears sting, but he holds fast to his strict no pouting rule and calls after the disappearing warden:

"O-Okay! Thank you for stopping by!" No or not, he still took time out of his eternity for this. Manners maketh man, Redface knows this. He turns back to the two left, doing his utmost not to look like a freshly-scolded kit. A deep breath in, not because he needs to breathe but because he needs to keep his chest puffed and his shoulders squared.

I'm not sure Windclan would allow...stars almighty but she's right, isn't she? Even if Redface razzle-dazzles his way back into life, what are the odds he'd be able to charm his way back into Windclan when all that's left of his time there is one blind apprentice? No way they'd let him anywhere near another one, if they even let him back in at all. Who's to say they'd even remember him? Redface had thought it would be enough that he wants to help. He does, really. He just hadn't stopped to consider whether he's the sort of cat that anybody actually needs help from.

So maybe he needs a different angle. Maybe he sprang this request too soon, too eagerly. Maybe, yet again, he'd overlooked some important factors, rushed in, and now had to pay the price.

Ah, but he can't just admit defeat outright, can he? He's gone and initiated a process, here, and there's cats on the hook for his sake. It wouldn't be any fun for anybody if he just rolled over and oh, never mind'ed the whole thing. So Redface rolls his shoulders and sighs theatrically, up on his paws again as though there's a spotlight demanding his performance. He decides to act like he's heard none of the good points made about the circumstances of his death, because he doesn't have any good answers or reasoning. 'Accidents happen', 'Could've been anybody', 'I was off my game that day', 'Give a guy a break'...all that slimy, self-pitying stuff stays firmly under wraps. He can think it, but he knows better than to say it. None of that flies when some young, nobody punk totally got him in no time flat. Can't really blame ALL that on a stuffy nose, huh? Feels smarter to just not touch that point at all. Better for his ego, too.

"I'd be good at teaching, alright? So good—I'd kill it, trust. I mean, you see me, right? You know more cats could stand to take after your good pal, Redface!" We're not quite back to posing, but he is runway-strutting in this emphatic little circle; all angles must be put back on display for everybody's sake. "Come on! You see me, right? The looks, the presence, the gusto—you're getting the gusto, right? Tell me you're getting this. This was all hard-earned, I'll have you know. Achieved little my tush...name five cats who've got it all like I have in the time I had!" He pauses, but not long enough for anybody to actually list any names. If this is all starting to sound colossally stupid, that's because it is. Redface is committing to throwing, now. He's got to get his credentials polished properly, that much is clear now.

"Say, on the off chance I don't make it—since I can already heeeeear the 'oh, yes!'es on tips of your tongues—, I get redos of this, right? And...if I were to make the best of my downtime," because he hadn't been previously; he'd been absolutely, pointlessly adrift in Starclan, bereft of any emotional reunitings or sit-downs with familiar faces...it's almost like Redface only ever existed to just die one day, "by, like...helping? My folks? From up here?? Then that counts, right." Here's the constructive part of his dramatic self-sabotage. "As like, a super notable achievement? Annnnnd if I'm an extra good dreamguy starbuddy to them and they're all begging me to come back and kick it, living-style, you guys can't ignore that, right?" It sounds good to him but he clearly needs his own judgement doublechecked by a discerning audience, so here he goes. "I don't actually know how to do all that cool dream-y mystical junk yet but it's gotta be second nature if you're dead, right? I just gotta...try it?" He coughs. "And that's all just if you guys are zany enough to no me like that other nice fella, who I'm sure was just having a bad day."

@gayvinegar ; DEWKIT
@Dolomedes ; SNOWLEOPARD

[c1nder]

☆*: .｡. o Dewkit o .｡.:*☆

❧ Starclan Warden | She/Her

the kit turned to the other two wardens. "do you forget that those who've accomplished far less and have returned?" the fluffy gray furball looked back towards redface. "as far as i'm concerned, redface died protecting an apprentice, kept the apprentice alive, and he has both the will to help, and reason to. my vote is yes"

- @nyme @/mica @Dolomedes @/dino. [dol: since dew's vote was a voluntary yes, snowleopards vote must be a yes]

[Dolomedes]

Is It Cold Outside?

Snowleopard
| She/her | Dark Forest | Ancient ThC Medicine Cat |

If the tom was to be described in one single word, that would at the very least be entertaining. The medicine cat watched as her words seemed to settle in his mind, bringing forth what was hopefully a proper reassessment of his skills. Before whatever evaluation could be presented, a new voice joined the fray. The ever-composed Magpiewisp, who promptly denied and then left, and honestly the herbalist was starting to feel the same way. Watching, with her mind made up, as the warrior scrambled for any sense of worth... only to come to the same realization that she and Magpiewisp did.

Dewkit said yes.. the herbalist blinked but didn't say anything. No point, the kitten was allowed her vote, that was the purpose of the covenant. It was Snowleopard's turn now, and the feline stood up, flicking her long tail as she thought over the information one more time. Still a no from her. "Yes." Her mind stuttered, what.. that wasn't what she meant to say at all, "Y-Yes, I'll.. allow it." The words came forced because it was surely not her speaking them, she almost started to look around for an imposter. There was no one. The warden froze in her paws for a moment longer, before promptly turning and leaving into the mist, half terrified at whatever forced her choice like that.

[ @c1nder | @nyme | @Mica ]
[ Snowleopard has given her yes ]

[ Hopefully this is fine for 'her being forced' to say yes. If not, then let me know and I will take it down and rewrite it proper /gen ]

[nyme]

SHOULD'VE BEEN A ROCKSTAR

──

REDFACE . 28 MOONS AT DEATH . HE/HIM . FORMERLY WINDCLAN

Dewkit's acceptance earns a genuine little grin. Kid's alright, honestly! He still can't wrap his head around being a kitten for forever, but, maybe that's alright by Dewkit. Clearly she's more than aware of her options to try for something else, and maybe this is just what she'd rather be doing. All good by Redface; he's appreciated her attendance, here, and it's gratifying to hear her tiny assertion that lesser nobodies than him have been given grace. So maybe when he does a better job of prepping the land of the living for his glorious return, she'll have time to stop by and give him another biiiig, happy go-ahead.

"Hey, you're really cool for that. I mean it. Thank you."

Now on to Snowleopard's vote. Redface doesn't expect anything less than a solid no same as what he'd gotten from Magpiewisp, and he's ready for it. No pouting, right? She's just gonna break his heart right quick and he'll get over himself and do better. And hey, maybe the next time he tries this she'll be there again and he'll have made such astonishing progress and proven himsef so thoroughly that she'll be all like, swooning over herself in awe, like wow Redface, what a lion you turned out to be, what a tom amongst toms, yes of course you can go back, yes yes y—

"Yes."

What.

Oh no.

Wait, no, this is a good thing. Is it? Uhhh. Uhhhhh.

Wait, is she into him? That's gotta be it. So this is a good thing! Maybe. That glimmering moment of self-awareness and reserve, and his hopeful attempt at laying a more solid foundation for a proper comeback blips out like a smothered light and now there might just be no managing his vanity ever again. You know what? Everything'll probably work out. What in the world was he so nervous about? If he can successfully petition the stars and beyond for another chance then he can do anything! But why does she look so....

Redface's enthusiasm fizzles out. He wants to celebrate, it's just that he's never seen a 'yes' look so much like a 'hell, no' and now he's. Just. So deeply confused—but there she goes, as though fleeing the scene of a crime before he can run his big mouth any more.

But...yes. Yes. It's a yes. No point in spoiling it for himself, is there? He'll probably never see any of these cats again (not if he can help it, anyway) so there's no sense at all in getting worked up about what one's face looked like the moment she finalized his return to life.

"Hey, thank you!" Listen. He has to be polite. He has to be. "Now you guys keep an eye out, alright? You watch, you just watch!" He is not at all ready for what this is actually going to be like but for better or worse, his fate is sealed. He'll live. And he'll learn.

[ o7 ]