ThunderClan: Life Before 2023's Sinkhole

[lio]

[ @Slushie ]

Duskstar felt herself lean into the touch, remaining silent save for the quivering breaths she took in an attempt to calm herself down. The voice, goodness the voice was so powerful. It masked any other thoughts she had, overpowering her mind. It was too strong.

Useless. Stupid. Hated. You've just destroyed the Clan. They'd be better off if you never existed. They all hate you. They all want you dead. Just leave. It'd be better with you gone. You're worthless, little Duskfeather.

She couldn't take this. The voice was right. Even StarClan hated her. The fire was her punishment. Maybe it was better off if she just... disappeared.

Many, many heartbeats passed where she simply breathed in the scent of Buckbranch's fur, using it to slowly but surely calm down from her panic. Duskstar took in a deep breath, blinking open her eye to look at her deputy.

"I..." she trailed off, gathering her words, "...I can't be leader anymore..

[dino.]

[ @hxney ]

----Buckbranch----

He tensed as she leaned into him. The touch was strange, unfamiliar, and his first instinct was to draw away. Yet he forced his body to stay still, and let his eyes drift shut. He would remain there for as long as she needed him to.

Which, as it turned out, even though it felt like ages, wasn't very long. He drew back to look at her as she moved, his eyes glimmering in the dark. And then his breath caught in his throat.

He stared at her for a long moment, stunned into silence. "I- what do you mean?" he managed finally. "You're stepping down? Why? When did you decide this?"

[panchiko]

"heya bloompaw!" rainsong gave his new apprentice a small grin. so he had an apprentice now -- cool, cool. bloompaw didn't exactly seem delighted about it, but rainsong didn't take it personally and simply aimed a boop to their nose. "this'll be great," he murmured, more to himself than bloompaw as he tried to envision him as a mentor. hahah... no. not the best idea. but he'd do the best he could.

// @Rainquail

[Abyssopelagic]

Bloomkit, no, Bloompaw grinned as Rainsong booped him.
It tickled a little and he stifled a giggle, paw coming up to tap at his nose.
Well, Duskstar might have made his an apprentice earlier than he wanted, but he liked who she gave him as mentor, so he wouldn't complain.
"Will be starting once the meeting ends?"
He wasn't particular on whether or not they did. He asked mostly out of curiosity, but if they did start, he wanted to do a group training with his siblings, if all of their mentors were ok with it.
@hope

[lio]

[ @Slushie ]

She gave a weak smile.

"... just now. I- I can't do it anymore, Buckbranch. The Clan hates me. StarClan hates me. The other Clans hate me. I've destroyed this Clan more than I could have ever imagined. The fire was my punishment for being a horrible leader, wasn't it? I said I'd make this Clan stronger, but all I've done is break it down. I just... I can't keep trying. ThunderClan would be better off without me leading."

Duskstar took a shaky breath, looking down at her paws with a frown. For now, she had managed to silence the nagging voice. It seemed to be satisfied.

"I trust you with leading the Clan, Buckbranch. Please, please make it better. Fix everything I had destroyed. Make things right. I know you can be a better leader than I was."

The she-cat chuckled quietly, though it was weak. Sadness loomed over her and she could only listen to the sound of her heart beating. For once, she would be making the right choice.

"Tomorrow, we will go to the Starcave and you will receive your lives. I will give up my remaining lives and it will be your duty to build up from the mistakes I had made. Just... please promise me that you will be a better leader than I was."

She looked at him, hope glinting in her eye. Please.

[plum]

Rainywhisker blinks, copper eyes darkening with confusion. He already had an apprentice, had Duskstar forgotten? She seemed... Stressed out, to say the least. His eyes swipe over the new apprentices. "Valleypaw," the warrior meows huskily as he stands and pads closer. He'd done this so many times in such a recent few moons. It was beginning to weigh on him. Still, as he stoops over to perform the customary greeting with this new apprentice, his touch is gentle and he offers the little fuzzbucket a smile. "It's a pleasure." Clearing his throat, he guides the apprentice nearby to sit while the meeting continues.
When the new deputy is announced, he blinks. Buckbranch? The warrior watches as the other tom accepts the announcement and heads off after the meeting concludes. "Interesting," he mutters under his breath before clearing his throat again. "So, Valleypaw. Let's talk. What do you want to do on your very first day of being an apprentice?"
[ @Zero ]

[gs29513]

Oh, woah. She was an apprentice! Finally! Turning to her mentor, she chirped I’m gonna be the best apprentice ever!!! @Fawnhearted

[dino.]

[ @hxney ]

----Buckbranch----

His eyes scanned her face as she spoke, and a feeling of cold dread settled on his shoulders. She wasn't joking, was she? She was serious about it. Probably worst of all was that he couldn't bring himself to reassure her that she was wrong, because he knew she was right. Maybe she had some supporter, just maybe, but even if that was true, they were far and few between.

The sudden weight of responsibility slammed down on him, adding to the dread. Leading... by himself? But he didn't know how! He'd just screw everything up, and the Clan would be no better off than it was now. Yet he couldn't bring himself to argue. This was what Duskstar wanted, and there was no talking her out of it.

A shudder passed through him at the thought of receiving lives, of coming face-to-face with StarClan. He closed his eyes and allowed a sigh to pass from his nose. "Okay," he murmured after a moment. "Okay. If this is what you want. I promise that I'll try. But, afterward... what will you do? Will you stay here in ThunderClan, or... will you leave, like Flintspirit did?"

[Exis]

Smokekit padded up to Lightkit and smiled, “Hey, Whatcha doing?” They mewed nonchalantly.
@Shadeleaf

[Elementals]

~Pineapple~

(Zzzz, ~blinks~ oop O-O)

Pineapple didn’t expect that her first apprentice would decide to go missing out of the blue. It was even more confusing when she got another apprentice. Their name was Littlepaw she believed. Turns out that they were already waiting for her and calling for her.

The spotted molly made her way through the crowd and touched noses with Littlepaw muttering a ‘sorry’ for being late. It was annoying to be late when she was usually early than a lot of cats. Seedcrush would probably have her be punished by him but he wasn’t that bad.

{ @~RooRoo~ }