ShadowClan Life Before Destruction

[Haunted]

@Lonestar23 @Moonraven @Venus @Skeleton Bliss Girl @Dirtfur

Hawkthornkit tumbled out of the shade of the nursery, bumbling on dainty mittens to reach his older sister [Vixenleap], nuzzling up against her chest with a little whine, "Why is everyone being so loud? And who's that?" His gaze lifted to the silhouette of Crowtail resting near Iceheart's side, the whole story of the rogue haven't reaching the innocent's tom's ears yet. He planted his plump body beside that of his sister's, 'importantly' staring up at the two with a puzzled gaze, trying to figure out the reason for the gathering of pretty much the entire clan. When he felt Vixenleap's cautious gaze scan over him, he broke out with a cracked smile and loudly mewed, "Even if I be a simple kit, I deserve to know!"

*******

"What am I to do with you?" Vixenleap took a lingering look at her clanmates, curling her thick brush around the kitten protectively and as a sign of warning to quiet down; "That's Iceheart, soon to be Icestar! And Crowtail, our new deputy." Her lips curled up in a fake smile, rising to her paws with a challenge in her gaze, a ferocity seemingly hidden unleashed. "A few cats seem a bit uptaken by this, but worry not, young tom, justice will be served." Her long talons sank into the muddy ground, her gaze pivoted towards Crowtail and Iceheart, and a glint shown in her eyes, "You will be protected, my dear, from any threat."

[Dirtfur]

Originally Posted by CasperCreates

@Lonestar23 @Moonraven @Venus @Skeleton Bliss Girl @Dirtfur

"...She may be a tyrant..." Owlfeather spoke up, her voice hoarse. "But she is a fine warrior. You must have faith in her. And in StarClan. Be grateful that she is on our side, and not somebody else's." The old tortoiseshell had been quiet thus far, taking everything in and trying to come to grips with this harsh new reality. She was sitting crookedly on the ground, still shaking slightly.

As much as Iceheart infuriated her, she was her daughter. It wasn't her fault that she became this unforgiving. It felt like something stabbed her heart whenever she looked at the black cat--all she could see was Wolverineclaw, her former mate. Iceheart's treacherous father, who had murdered so many cats and suffered an exile, before coming back with the Dusk Syndicate to wreak his final havoc, only to die by Owlfeather's claws herself.

"The last thing this clan needs right now is another war. Smooth your pelts and get used to it, because this is how things are going to be now, like it or not." The old she-cat was usually quite gentle and patient, but at times like these, she couldn't help but fret. Her mew was stern, but not harsh. Her raspy mew portrayed her many moons of wisdom and experience.

-------------------------------------

Iceheart didn't verbally respond to her mother. She didn't usually. She gave her a silent but defiant glance of gratefulness, as if she was angry that she was siding with her. I don't want your support, old hag, she thought, although she did not speak it out loud. You've wronged me too many times to have any respect from me now.

| @CasperCreates @Skeleton Bliss Girl @Moonraven @Haunted @Venus @Lonestar23 @canine |

"Owlfeather is right!" Redpaw declared. "We should be grateful that we finally got a new leader and a deputy instead of getting furious because some of us doesn't want Iceheart to be our leader!" the red Selkirk rex meowed. Why can't the clan be happy that we have a new leader and a deputy after the horrible things that happened to this clan? Is it that Iceheart becoming a leader is also a misfortune to ShadowClan?Does that mean the curse is not yet broken?

[Moonraven]

@Lonestar23 @Venus @Skeleton Bliss Girl @Dirtfur @Haunted @canine @CasperCreates

Snowfrost was mildly on edge. Still, she had successfully managed to get her claws sheathed. She pushed down the anger that rattled violently inside her chest, and tried to ignore the headache she knew would be coming just thinking about the trouble this would bring the clan. She knew she shouldn't actively be so touchy about the clan leader. It wasn't exactly her place, Starclan, even if she did think they were dead wrong here, had chosen these cats. The clear illogic of all of this was threatening to send her to the warrior's den earlier the normal. She did her best to look to the bright side of this, as hard as it was, Iceheart was clan and although tyrannical, she hoped the she-cat truly had the clan's best interest at heart. If not well...

The warrior is pulled out of her thoughts as she felt another pelt bump against her. She recoiled, not used to being touched by anyone other than her apprentice or the large white warrior she now collied into moving away from the other cat. Whiteshadow didn't move an inch, she was far too light to move him when he was sitting. Beyond the mere glance, the silent warrior acted as if nothing had happened. Snowfrost looked at the molly speaking to her in a low tone, recognizing the she-cat by her eyes. "Go ahead, I don't mind." She meowed calmly in return to Mistyeyes' question, ears turn back to listen to the other cats as they spoke their piece.

It didn't matter what anyone said about Iceheart, she refused to believe that Iceheart was the right cat to lead the clan, however, she'd accept it seeing as she could not change it. She had no opinion on Crowtail yet, yes he was a rogue and she wasn't fond of outsiders, she didn't know him well so he had his chance to prove to the clan that he was right for the job. She was mildly annoyed with the cats who kept telling them to be happy about Iceheart as the leader, were they not entitled to feel as they want now?! Snowfrost knew she was taking out pent up emotions on her clanmates but this was rather hard for her to swallow. She'd need to go hunting or running after all of this to relive unwanted stress, perhaps visit Rabbitpaw in the medicine cat's den.

---

The mountainous tom looked over to his friend as she inelegantly bumped into him. Seeing as she was merely startled, he gave her no mind and returned to quietly observing the cats around him. The disdain he saw in some cats and acception in others was interesting but could cause problems in the future. He was not happy with all of this, yet, he'd follow in line for now. He wasn't the type to stirrup trouble anyway, as far as he was concern every cat was intitled their own opinion and thoughts. He'd be rather happy if Iceheart proved him wrong and made herself into an able and respected leader.

The voice of a nearby she-cat claimed his attention as he lowered his head to look down at her. His nose twitched at her words, but he didn't outright reject them. "Perhaps." He meowed, his deep voice was oddly soft as if he was talking to himself. His words, short and clipped as they often were. He didn't see the point in merely respect a cat simply because they held a certain rank. To him, respect was something earned not given. He watched as their leader left the clan to Crowtail. His eyes falling from their deputy over to a she-cat near the nursery with a kit. He faintly wondered what the kit was doing out and about, yet didn't bother quelling on the question as he waited to see how their little meeting was going to end.

---

Sweetheart raised an ear when she saw Iceheart turn to her. Oops, perhaps she had been a tad louder than expected. Sweetheart listened to the larger black cat without flinching. She kept her frown on her maw and openly expressed her dislike for the she-cat through body language, as much as she wanted to open her maw and continue bickering, a sharp jab to her side from Bitterblue kept her quiet for now. This wasn't over though, Sweetheart hated not having the last word. Sweetheart gave a low growl and stomped a front paw on the ground and of course, got another jab from her sister for the kittenish behavior. Perhaps she shouldn't have come back to the clan, at this rate she was going to have to leave again anyway.

---
Softpaw had plastered herself to the ground as she saw angry words go flying. The tension wasn't directed at her, but it still disturbed her and made her heart panic inside her chest. She wanted her mother. She did dare move from where she was laying right now so she stayed by Elfinpaw and begged it all to pass soon so she'd stop feeling like she was going to vomit. The loud tom questioning them nearby was overlooked as Softpaw did her best to calm herself down.

Elfinpaw wasn't exactly certain what was going on with Softpaw, but let the younger cat use her smaller body as a shield or whatever it was she was trying to do. She hoped she didn't have to get up or anything otherwise she was going to trip over the apprentice. Elfinpaw tipped her head back at the loud voice to her right, she caught sight of a blurry figure in her line of sight. Every day it seemed like her eyes were getting worse and worse, Elfinpaw knew she was going blind just wasn't sure when it would be fully happening. "On our new leaders? Well, I think it's fantastic. I was assuming that with a new leader and deputy everything would go back to normal, but there is still so much tension." She meowed, using her nose to try and place the scent of the cat she was talking to.

[Haunted]

@Lonestar23 @Moonraven @Venus @Skeleton Bliss Girl @Dirtfur


"A new leader? But what about Windy-" Hawkthornkit was gruffly cut off with Vixenleap's tail covering his mouth, and he growled at this, disliking the intense gleam in her usually soft eyes more and more. With a hiss, she slowly uncovered his jaws but quickly rushed to say, "Windystar is no more, watch your tongue." A quiet gasp came from Hawkthorn as this abrupt news sank in, his innocent eyes wide with surprise- and horror? His sister noticed his distress, and felt a tickle of worry worm through her belly, hoping to not have upset him; a kit outburst was not needed at the minute."It's better up in Starclan, don't worry for-"

The anguished wail cut her off, and of course Hawkthorn chose this particular moment to spit up a bunch of questions, his usually frisky kitten-tail limply dragging on the ground, "What happened? Why are they gone? Was it those rogues? Is it my fault? Is that why Iceheart is being a leader? Why is Starclan better if they're doing this to us?"

[RedHead]

@CasperCreates
Icy blue eyes watched the commotion in the clearing from a shadowed corner. The large tom was content to listen to his clanmates squabble, that was all they seemed to be able to do these days. Shadowclan had first been humiliated by Riverclan, and then the attack from the rogues didn't do anything to help their condition. Now, Starclan had finally sent them a sign. And all everyone could do was bicker about it. Like kits. Standing up, the large black tomcat made his way out the clearing, pawsteps easily crossing the dusty ground until he stood before Iceheart. "Looks as if Starclan might actually have some sense after all." He meowed, dipping his head to the new leader. That was all the congratulations she needed from him, and that he was willing to give. He didn't know the black-furred she-cat too well, but he did hold respect for her. She would make a strong leader. "I just find it sadly humorous that our formerly leader-less clan is arguing about finally getting leadership." He cast his gaze around the clan in a scornful matter, shaking his head mockingly. "I doubt any of them would've stepped up if there weren't a sign." He returned his gaze to Iceheart, giving her the small semblance of a smirk.

[.:Virgo:.]

Bubbling peeked out of the elder's den, quietly watching the commotion as a bystander. She was just a nobody in this clan, and it was further solidified by her new leader's sharp words. 'You could say she's a bit chilly, eh?' Bubbling chuckled quietly at her own joke, but soon stopped, as she was starting to get confused with all of the different noises around her, and the many voices of the cats.

Bubbling shifted her old bones about, her back knee popping painfully. 'I'm going to have to see Agaveheart again if that keeps up.' She walked creakily and sat down in a shadowier venue, just watching the drama unfold.

Bubblingbrooke was honestly kind of scared of what would happen. Would she be forced back into warrior duties? Or would she be respected? Or would she be left to die and be forgotten by the many younger cats in the generations to come?

Bubblingbrook thought of all of this as she watched everything unfold.

[Leucos]

( icehearts interesting :3)

Maplepaw perked his ears up at the new leader, the young abyssinian s pelt prickled with suspicion of iceheart . It even showed in his face. But what she spoke of sounded good.....it's just....her tone...her body language . From what he's heard of windystar....he preferred him. what would windy think if he were to see what he's been replaced with??? he gave iceheart a glare with a twitch of his whiskers I wonder what shadestripe thinks of her. with a huff he looked around "id rather have my warrior ceremony be given to me by a badger " he meowed to himself as he glared at the ground. Maybe he shouldn't have said that....he looked over at bubbling only to frown with concern . everything about this is raising my tail... I don't like this!

[BEAR.]

"What's going on?" Falconkit's voice squeaked out as he peered at the group of bristling cats. Due to his young age, he was unaware of the stigma associated unfairly with Iceheart-- all he knew is these cats were angry, and he didn't like it. He had finally made his grand escape from the side of his sleeping mother, and he knew the commotion would alert her to the clearing if it got any louder.

Twitching his ears, Falconkit took a few wobbly steps toward the big cats, hesitant around the massive paws that threatened to stomp on him as he made his way over to the cat that seemed to capture the most attention. She was definitely huge, but he wasn't surprised too much-- his daddy was big, too! "Why is everyone mad?"

[ @CasperCreates since he's approaching ice, but this is open for all ]

[Moon Lily]

Originally Posted by Snail-paw

@Lilyfur2

She nodded sadly “we’ll always be a clan,” she murmured looking off across the dreary camp “well make it, we always have” resting her head on her paws and silently wishing to starclan that they would make it through it “I don’t know who our next leader will be though”

Raventuft nodded briefly, gazing off into the forest.
"That's true. We do always make it..." He mewed, "I just can't help but think that it'll be different this time." He replied, ears folding back.

@Snail-paw

[lone]

Originally Posted by Moonraven

@Lonestar23 @Venus @Skeleton Bliss Girl @Dirtfur @Haunted @canine @CasperCreates

Snowfrost was mildly on edge. Still, she had successfully managed to get her claws sheathed. She pushed down the anger that rattled violently inside her chest, and tried to ignore the headache she knew would be coming just thinking about the trouble this would bring the clan. She knew she shouldn't actively be so touchy about the clan leader. It wasn't exactly her place, Starclan, even if she did think they were dead wrong here, had chosen these cats. The clear illogic of all of this was threatening to send her to the warrior's den earlier the normal. She did her best to look to the bright side of this, as hard as it was, Iceheart was clan and although tyrannical, she hoped the she-cat truly had the clan's best interest at heart. If not well...

The warrior is pulled out of her thoughts as she felt another pelt bump against her. She recoiled, not used to being touched by anyone other than her apprentice or the large white warrior she now collied into moving away from the other cat. Whiteshadow didn't move an inch, she was far too light to move him when he was sitting. Beyond the mere glance, the silent warrior acted as if nothing had happened. Snowfrost looked at the molly speaking to her in a low tone, recognizing the she-cat by her eyes. "Go ahead, I don't mind." She meowed calmly in return to Mistyeyes' question, ears turn back to listen to the other cats as they spoke their piece.

It didn't matter what anyone said about Iceheart, she refused to believe that Iceheart was the right cat to lead the clan, however, she'd accept it seeing as she could not change it. She had no opinion on Crowtail yet, yes he was a rogue and she wasn't fond of outsiders, she didn't know him well so he had his chance to prove to the clan that he was right for the job. She was mildly annoyed with the cats who kept telling them to be happy about Iceheart as the leader, were they not entitled to feel as they want now?! Snowfrost knew she was taking out pent up emotions on her clanmates but this was rather hard for her to swallow. She'd need to go hunting or running after all of this to relive unwanted stress, perhaps visit Rabbitpaw in the medicine cat's den.

---

The mountainous tom looked over to his friend as she inelegantly bumped into him. Seeing as she was merely startled, he gave her no mind and returned to quietly observing the cats around him. The disdain he saw in some cats and acception in others was interesting but could cause problems in the future. He was not happy with all of this, yet, he'd follow in line for now. He wasn't the type to stirrup trouble anyway, as far as he was concern every cat was intitled their own opinion and thoughts. He'd be rather happy if Iceheart proved him wrong and made herself into an able and respected leader.

The voice of a nearby she-cat claimed his attention as he lowered his head to look down at her. His nose twitched at her words, but he didn't outright reject them. "Perhaps." He meowed, his deep voice was oddly soft as if he was talking to himself. His words, short and clipped as they often were. He didn't see the point in merely respect a cat simply because they held a certain rank. To him, respect was something earned not given. He watched as their leader left the clan to Crowtail. His eyes falling from their deputy over to a she-cat near the nursery with a kit. He faintly wondered what the kit was doing out and about, yet didn't bother quelling on the question as he waited to see how their little meeting was going to end.

---

Sweetheart raised an ear when she saw Iceheart turn to her. Oops, perhaps she had been a tad louder than expected. Sweetheart listened to the larger black cat without flinching. She kept her frown on her maw and openly expressed her dislike for the she-cat through body language, as much as she wanted to open her maw and continue bickering, a sharp jab to her side from Bitterblue kept her quiet for now. This wasn't over though, Sweetheart hated not having the last word. Sweetheart gave a low growl and stomped a front paw on the ground and of course, got another jab from her sister for the kittenish behavior. Perhaps she shouldn't have come back to the clan, at this rate she was going to have to leave again anyway.

---
Softpaw had plastered herself to the ground as she saw angry words go flying. The tension wasn't directed at her, but it still disturbed her and made her heart panic inside her chest. She wanted her mother. She did dare move from where she was laying right now so she stayed by Elfinpaw and begged it all to pass soon so she'd stop feeling like she was going to vomit. The loud tom questioning them nearby was overlooked as Softpaw did her best to calm herself down.

Elfinpaw wasn't exactly certain what was going on with Softpaw, but let the younger cat use her smaller body as a shield or whatever it was she was trying to do. She hoped she didn't have to get up or anything otherwise she was going to trip over the apprentice. Elfinpaw tipped her head back at the loud voice to her right, she caught sight of a blurry figure in her line of sight. Every day it seemed like her eyes were getting worse and worse, Elfinpaw knew she was going blind just wasn't sure when it would be fully happening. "On our new leaders? Well, I think it's fantastic. I was assuming that with a new leader and deputy everything would go back to normal, but there is still so much tension." She meowed, using her nose to try and place the scent of the cat she was talking to.

From the tone of voice, Mistyeyes was able to tell it was a she-cat speaking, although she couldn't tell which one. It was aggravating, being unable to identify various cats, but all of those voices could get confusing after a while. She couldn't be blamed for mixing them up. "Thank you, and.. I'm sorry, I'm not sure who you are." For all she knew, it could have been someone she'd never met before. She wasn't great with voices, but she could generally pick out a good friend's voice, or even a well-known one. As long as it was one that Mistyeyes spent a lot of her time hearing, she was comfortable with it. Feeling better once she would receive an answer from her companion, the she-cat settled in to listen to the arguments continuing.

She didn't think Iceheart was being treated in a completely fair manner. After all, she was their leader. Yes, Mistyeyes believed that such a violent path was unnecessary, but she also knew that arguing wasn't going to get them anywhere. The cats who were speaking out against their new leader were going to end up in trouble, and for one, she didn't want to be a part of it. She loved ShadowClan, and as long as Iceheart didn't start ripping apart the foundations of the Clan, she would support their new leader.

As for Crowtail, well, she wasn't entirely happy with a rogue being welcomed into their Clan, but she didn't have as extreme of a reaction as the others. She didn't think it was necessary to be so upset about this. She could only hope that it would blow over eventually and that the heated arguments would soon turn into nothing more than quiet complaints. That was how it usually went, wasn't it?

Sensing her companion's frustration, Mistyeyes turned her sightless gaze on the she-cat. "Are you alright?" It wasn't an overly-personal question, at least, not in her opinion, and she hoped the feline wouldn't read it that way. She was willing to listen if it helped this cat feel a little better.

---

Perhaps? What kind of answer is that? Forestpelt disliked vague answers; she liked things clear-cut. "What do you mean, perhaps?" She asked, her voice low and frustrated. She was determined not to cause a scene now; she was getting too old to cause arguments in the clearing. She was getting too old to cause arguments at all, but out of pure stubborn energy, she held onto that last shred of power she could. She believed their leaders deserved some semblance of respect, and she may not agree with them, but as aforementioned, she was getting too old to cause arguments. Her passion was beginning to fade out, and controversy was becoming something she wasn't as interested in anymore.

However, that didn't mean she was completely out of energy yet, and a couple of arguments never hurt anyone. This tom's answer had bugged her; she was going to address that. I'm not an elder yet, she thought. Some warriors remained fighting until the end of their days. Others would retire, and die peacefully in their sleep. Forestpelt wasn't sure what kind of warrior she was going to be yet, but at the moment, she didn't want to curl up and die. As long as she had fight left in her, she wouldn't retire to the elders' den.
---

Birchpaw examined both of the she-cats, scanning over them as if they were pieces of prey in the fresh-kill pile. One of them looked terrified, crouching low to the ground (in fear, and not ready to fight as he'd assumed), while the other seemed more confident. The scared-looking one quickly lost his interest; he wasn't about to spend his time reassuring her. "Things will go back to normal soon. As soon as everyone realizes this is our reality, they'll calm down." An uproar was to be expected; after so long without leadership, had anyone actually thought that everyone would be fine with whoever turned up? Birchpaw didn't mind the chaos. As a matter of fact, he welcomed it; chaos was something he could thrive off of. Anyone who had trouble with it, well, they were going to have a lot of issues with the new leadership. Iceheart would thin out the disloyal ones, he assumed; either that or they'd eventually come around. Something was going to have to change.

"I'm glad you think it's fantastic, though. It seems like a lot of cats here have forgotten what leadership is supposed to be." Strong, firm, a powerful hand to guide the Clan. Birchpaw could never be a leader; he lacked the moral integrity to do something like that. Appointing a rogue as the deputy was enough to make him question StarClan's intelligence, but he supposed things would work themselves out. If they didn't? Well, no one was forcing him to stay here, were they?