Seems her wandering thoughts hadn't been far off, but she had not been assigned one of the young kits, instead, an apprentice who was already partway through his training. This was good, if she was to have kits sometime soon she didn't want to have to leave an apprentice all alone to join the nursery so, hopefully, with Redpaw she could finish up his training before then. Everything seemed to work out, thank StarClan for that, and Kestrelstar's decisions too.
Rootgaze found the lonely looking russet tom quickly, approaching him with her head held high. She was quite tall and she was going to use that aspect to help gain the respect of her new apprentice. "Redpaw." She nodded to the tom, lowering her head to perform the traditional nose tap. "I'm Rootgaze, I don't believe we've spoken before now. If you are willing to work hard then we ought to get along fine." No friendly, funny business here, she was his teacher first and foremost. If he needed a friend out of her that could come later, after he'd earned her admiration.
~Redpaw~
The russet apprentice looked up as his new mentor approached him. Redpaw stood and touched his nose to her's, Rootgaze seemed to be an acceptable cat. She was tall, yes, much taller than the mute tom, and she seemed to also know what she was doing. I guess I'll finish up training with her, he thought to himself with a sigh. He didn't have a thing against her, it was just that Redpaw hadn't gotten over Firesweep's disappearance, and getting a new mentor so quickly didn't help much...
"We all are," Plumstorm counters without missing a beat.
Her eyes follow the new apprentice who shows up in front of them. Why couldn't Kestrelstar have given her one of those? The new ones, who still had some kitten fuzz? All she got was a chicken as old as herself!
Speaking of, the silver molly turns, looking at the spot she'd last seen Saltpaw. With a sigh, she shakes her head and looks at Short Stuff again. Offering Lightpaw a smile, she blinks warmly. It was a weird gesture from Plumstorm, especially knowing she wasn't really all that social. "Congratulations, Teeny. Work hard for this guy here." Jerking her head at Looncry, she chuckles.
Then, she turns to the tom. "I'm going to go sit with my own and follow Short Stuff's good example of being a model apprentice. I'd be more than happy to hear about what's going on from you after the meeting, so I won't go far." Putting the invitation out there was more than enough for her. With that, Plumstorm ducks her head and slinks through the cats to seek out Saltpaw.
"Hey, this spot taken?" she murmurs as she sits beside him. Now that she was here, she could better focus on what was coming next from their leader.
hi i'm plum and i rp here in my spare time ceri || nectar
please understand i forget about things super easily.
you may remind me after a few days
to reply if you have sent me a message or a post.
Mistypaw couldn't help but smile, no matter how dire the current situation was. Storm was her mentor! She was actually pretty happy about it.
To be honest, she had thought her apprentice ceremony wouldn't be exciting. But now it was.
Mistypaw wasn't sure what exactly she should expect for the rest of this meeting. She still thought that Kestrelstar looked crestfallen. "Thank you." she meowed to her mentor.
She wasn't exactly sure to expect now. She wasn't sure what was to come, or what Kestrelstar would say. And, as much as she hated to admit is, Mistypaw was a little scared.
Lilyfrost looked at the new apprentices. 'One day, I'll have kits of my own and they'll grow up just like this and get their own mentors and, maybe even their own apprentices...'
Apprentices touching noses with mentors... a usually sacred tradition and one that brought joy throughout the Clan. Yet, all it made Kestrelstar want to do was hurl. The bile coated his throat, threatening to escape as he leveled his gaze at the gathered cats below. Were there two of everyone? How long had the ground been shifting like that? The leader blinked once, twice... nope, still moving.
It's in your head. It's in your head.
Self talk wasn't the tom's strong suit, so it did little to nothing of improving his current mental state. Kestrelstar wanted off the rock. He wanted to seclude himself from the rest of RiverClan, barricade the entrance to his den so that he was never bothered again. Even as his own apprentice, Tumblepaw, stared up at him, eyes so full of potential and hope, the leader found himself envisioning driving them all out.
No, not the entire Clan. Perhaps just those who fancied to hear ThunderClan out. The traitors. If his discussion with Eveingstar at the border had been any indication, war was about to begin.
"I've brought in two new kits to the Clan," Kestrelstar launched into it suddenly, foreclaws scraping against the Streamstone wher ehe stood. "Crabkit [ @liz ] and Bravekit [ @distant cry in the woods ]; I hope you understand the oath you've taken, despite being kits. RiverClan is to come first, above all else." Kestrelstar let his gaze find the two kits, watching them intently. Sure, they were kits. But one wrong misstep...
Onto other matters. "Usually I also announce those who had returned to us, but let me be blunt about that; I do not trust that their loyalty lies with RiverClan at the present moment," the leader continued, voice traveling so that even those who were not in the meeting - perhaps sleeping - would be able to hear him. "If you spot any sign of disloyalty, or suspect any of your Clanmates among us to be sympathetic towards ThunderClan or outsiders, I need to know immediately. I will no longer tolerate any disrespect on RiverClan's name or legacy." Despite his weakened state, Kestrelstar stood tall as he announced this, yellow eyes raking over the gathered cats.
Just a few more to go, then Kestrelstar could get off this damn rock. "I must also report another death at the claws of ThunderClan." Static coursed through Kestrelstar as the memory of Petuniaflame flashed in his mind. The young warrior, one of the first cats to tolerate him when he was just a warrior. Slain, taken too young. "Petuniaflame was killed at the border, and sacrificed her life to save those she was on patrol with." Anger flared in his chest, the familiar inferno. "I will be burying her body tomorrow at dawn; for now I ask that you pay your respects."
The storm was breaking in his head, and for a moment Kestrelstar teetered on the edge of a deep ravine. Below, nothing but dark shadows, the claw-like tendrils slowly reaching up as if to embrace him. To comfort him. Offering safety amidst the growing despair of his Clan and the troublesome war ahead. But war... it was inevitable. Claws and teeth would meet, and ThunderClan would finally, finally, understand the pain they had put RiverClan through.
All that was left to do was take the leap. And at this point, with not much else left to loose, Kestrelstar felt a grin tug at his lips as the decision was already made. The leap was already done.
"I have spoken to Eveingstar at the border in regards to this," he called out again, giving a lash of his tail. Yellow eyes were now darker, a certain gleam of retribution and malice encapsulating their rocky depths. "I will tell you all what I told him; that I no longer see any reason to hold those who are rightfully angry with ThunderClan back. It is no longer us who should be watching our actions; their time to pay has come. If you spot a ThunderClan warrior at the border, or especially on our territory," the same grin, twisting his maw until it made him almost unrecognizable, "you are welcome to kill them on sight."
Let the chaos erupt. Let the storm break. Kestrelstar stood tall, claws gripping the Streamstone as he felt the power he held as Clan leader surge through him. This would get pushback, and the gray tabby fully expected a few cats to just up and leave. Good. Let them. It would do his duty of weeding out the traitors. The ones who weren't fit to call themselves RiverClan. War was coming whether it was wanted or not, and Kestrelstar was ready to face it. He'd lost everything; his mother, his brother, the one cat who made him remember a small gleam of happiness... There was nothing else.
"This meeting is dismissed."
The leader leapt down from the Streamstone, striding over to Tumblepaw. He was certain that his Clanmates would surround him, barraging him with questions. Kestrelstar didn't care. "We're starting your training tomorrow. Be ready." An edge to his voice that usually wasn't there, Kestrelstar gave a curt nod to Tumblepaw before stalking past him and towards the entrance.
Mistypaw gasped at the announcement of a death. How could ThunderClan warriors be so cruel? She really wanted to attack them now. But she knew she couldn't. She didn't currently have any training instance or something like that.
Mistypaw never really knew much about Petuniaflame, but she wanted to pay her respects anyway. The newly made apprentice padded over to the dead warriors body, gently whispering a few words.
"I hope you have an okay time in StarClan. I'm sorry that ThunderClan took you. You'll stay in all RiverClan cats hearts forever."
Lotusheart's face twisted in disbelief. Kill on sight? That wouldn't make us any better than the cars who killed Petuniaflane, wouldn't it. "This is unnecessary. Why are we escalating this conflict?!" she muttered.
The russet apprentice looked up as his new mentor approached him. Redpaw stood and touched his nose to her's, Rootgaze seemed to be an acceptable cat. She was tall, yes, much taller than the mute tom, and she seemed to also know what she was doing. I guess I'll finish up training with her, he thought to himself with a sigh. He didn't have a thing against her, it was just that Redpaw hadn't gotten over Firesweep's disappearance, and getting a new mentor so quickly didn't help much...
// Rootgaze
A quiet one, huh? Good, less yapping meant more time for training. The tortoiseshell warrior stayed next to Redpaw but focused her attention once again on the great leader. As much as she'd love to rant about training tactics, the meeting came first. Of course, she did the ceremonial calling of all the new apprentices' names, encouragement was good in times like these, after all.
It's not like it was hard to tell Kestrelstar was off today, Rootgaze was not close with him but him being leader and all it was easy to figure out when he acted unordinary. She dipped her head when the death was announced but she was very intrigued by the grey leader's traitor speech. She'd been expecting war, she thought everyone was, ThunderClan couldn't simply get away with murdering a former leader along with countless others.
Rootgaze's tail swished, she was caught up in Kestrelstar's speech for sure. "Looks like some battle training is first on our agenda." She spoke to Redpaw but her gaze stayed trained on the leader, ThunderClan would get what was coming to them and any cat who didn't like that was not loyal to RiverClan. However, even if the leader himself said to kill, she would only resort to such lengths if necessary, as the warrior code taught.
OY! What was this little call out feature incorporated into an otherwise entertaining ramble. Frozenberry couldn't appreciate the shade being thrown their way, at their drifterClan folk--they were loyal! Big LOYAL. until they weren't, but up to that point VERY LOYAL. Damn Kessy not understanding the pain involved in coming up with an elaborate excuse as to why they hadn't been seen in a moon or two, it was an intricate art that not many could master.
Frozenberry may have thought they'd be grouped in with the traitors but considering that seemed to just encompass ThunderClan cats and having sympathy for them, it was an easy never. He didn't say he had to be loyal to RiverClan, just couldn't be kind to ThunderClan. And Frozen, well, they didn't remember a single time in their life being kind to anybody so they could wash their paws clean of that, and call it work well-done, a life well-lived. ThunderClan and kindness were a waste of time.
They perked right up at the scent of, dare they say it, dirty laundry. A DEATH. A murder! Finally, something worth coming to this meeting for. Frozenberry didn't quite hear the name but doubted they would've recognized it, just another nameless faceless being in the crowd of "i hate this stupid loner, what a queer fellow" that constantly berated them whenever they dared come in the vicinity of RiverClan camp.
sometimes, they forgot this was supposed to be their home. mostly felt like a carnival act where they were the star.
Disappointed that they didn't catch the name of the newly-murdered, they leaned to the side and opened their mouth to ask, but.. didn't know what to say when "who was that murder victim again?! once more for the cats in the back" just felt lame several seconds later, and they hmmphed before settling on, "I think you're going to be next." This was presumably the appropriate opportunity to take bets, and the weenie hut jr next to them was definitely on the menu.
Frozenberry may as well have been adjusting their ThunderClan-is-yummy bib once Kestrel was finished with the meeting, drawn in by the prospect of terrorizing the cats of the border. Not loving the training aspect but they were a self-declared warrior now, training was over. They knew how to do the basics like stage a war crime, lead the rebellion, have a manic episode, get pregnant, and go out in a blaze of glory. they were pretty sure they were more qualified than most of the cats present, looking around at them.
The dismissal of the meeting brought Frozenberry to their paws and they stretched, a yawn stifled. They'd give this meeting about a 6 for too many children, but gazing at Kes while he'd been on the stone was a memory certain to serve them for future evenings. They craned their neck to attempt to locate where he'd run off to, a prickling feeling nagging at them like they should probably actually talk to the guy at some point but--
the thought of their return and what horrible welcome wagon had sought them out caused them to stagger. didn't want that happening again. and more worryingly, there was the night that Kes literally died and...they weren't equipped to deal with that either.
Re: RiverClan Streamstone
