IF THERE WERE ONLY WATER / all thunderclan

[+ JAMIE]

- - -
after the torchlight red on sweaty faces
after the frosty silence in the gardens
after the agony in stony places
the shouting and the crying
prison and palace and reverberation
of thunder of spring over distant mountains
he who was living is now dead
we who were living are now dying
with a little patience

- "the waste land," t.s. eliot

SALTSTAR.

Old.

He felt:

old.

Scorchedfrost.

Cracked skin. Bleached bones. Tumbleweed memories. Dry desert words.

Not a drop of water in sight.

"Let all cats of ThunderClan..."

Blazefeather.

"... gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting."

Dusty remembrance: once upon a time, paws on this stone. Nervousness in breast. Triumph in heart. Unfocused energy replaced by deliberation. Resolve. A summer that had been hot: it had been good to the Clan. Ideas shared with confidence. Ambitious dreams. Smears of purple. Not red. (That was for apprentices.) The color of royalty.

A royalty he'd been so certain was theirs.

Fadedkit.

Watched the future of ThunderClan emerge from their dens. Trickle in from outside. Wonders: does he look shattered too? Shuttered and flat? He clenches his jaw. One jump of muscle: betrayal. Begins the familiar schooling. Submission. First the relaxing of mouth. Then the separation of teeth. The exhale from nose. The forward point of ears. The blankness of eyes. Not empty: that would get him nowhere. More blank page. Give his Clan the power to inscribe their own emotions onto him. Reveal nothing of his own. Was he sad? Furious? Calm? Resigned? Powerful? Vengeful? Defeated?

Whatever they wanted him to be.

He feels old.

Everhunt.

More arrivals. Firesoul. Burningshade. Stormchaser. Faces attached to names. Names to counter the missing bodies. Missing bodies attached to names. Around and around and around. He raced the circuit daily. Tallied the winners nightly. Just a year ago the track of names took seconds to lap. Now it took minutes. Starter's gun he never heard. Couldn't anticipate. Unwelcome trophies. Cheap medals. Once? Once he'd have thrown the race.

Featherfoot.

Sunlight, warm on his back. The clouds half-burnt off already.

His Clan... alive. Fading.

Small these days.

Falcondream.

Nothing much when the disappearances first started happening. A cat here. A cat there. Saltstar ruthless: losses factored into his plans. So what if they happened earlier than he expected? So what if humans were the cause? He'd anticipated them. Accounted for them. Accepted them as necessary. Sacrifices for the greater good. Sent his best warriors after the humans in their territory. Only felt pride as they drew blood. Drew screams. Delivered their warnings. Chased the threat away. Thought that was it. Turned his mind back to purpose: reclaiming sunningrocks. Attacking RiverClan. Bringing ThunderClan to the forefront of the forest. Where they belonged. Where they had always belonged. Where they belonged still.

And then the humans had come back.

Lightningbolt.

Yes. Lightningbolt. The first that mattered. The first unplanned. The first that was a loss, not a sacrifice. Only one day after the ceremony. Pride and fondness martyred in an instant. Saltstar had led the search himself.

You know what he found.

And after that?

Lilypool, Featherfoot.

... A lot more of the same.

Most of the Clan here now. Counted because he couldn't help it: obsessive. Didn't dwell on the number he came up with: preserving. A bug stuck in sap, not petrified into amber.

Not fucking yet.

"I bring this meeting to order. Thank you for coming." Terse. Straightforward. Sincere. Impatient. "I have good news and bad news. The good: the humans have left the forest again. The bad: they will return. Patrols report colored ribbons and more black boxes left in the sites they were staying. If it's like last year, they'll be back in autumn. We were taken off guard then. This spring too." No emotions. No regret. Just facts. What did he feel about mistakes? What did he feel about powerlessness?

"That's not going to happen again."

Nothing. Accept it as fact. (Seething fury.) Move on. (Volcanic rage.) Prepare better. (Burning anger.) Plan more. (Thirst for vengeance.) And patience: patience, patience, patience. (No water in sight.)

"We have another season to prepare for the next assualt. I called you here today to ask you for ideas. What can we do to counter our enemy? To evade their reach? To disable their traps? Anything you have to say: anything to suggest. I will listen."

Patience to defeat blinding panic. Patience to hang onto control by his teeth. Patience for uncertainty. Patience to tear the throat out of insecurity. Out of thoughts of failure. Out of the story of his past, too close these days.

Well. (Grim humor.) The last wasn't patience. It was (he told himself) experience. Hard won. Hard earned. And now? Put to the hardest test of his life.

He was old.

But:

He wasn't dead yet.

--

All-Clan meeting. Takes place one week after Spring Capture 2023. Christalclear Scarlet Minteh Freshness JOS jackelyn [:ripples:] ArcticRed ✦dreamy DELAWARE

[Christalclear]

 Firesoul

    Firesoul knew it was a matter of time before he heard the words "Let all cats of Thunderclan..." come from Saltstar's gruff voice. Too many cats had disappeared. If he was honest with himself, Firesoul had been a bit surprised Saltstar had put it off for as long as he did, but it made some sense. Thunderclan had the most clan cats, they would have the most casualties. That's if this was happening to all the clans... The thought pricked at a nerve of fear that Firesoul brushed off before it could consume him. It was preposterous. Of course a twoleg disturbance would affect all the clans. The twolegs were smart, they would spread out throughout the forest to try to trap as many cats as possible. If that was not the case, then there would be more friction between Riverclan and Thunderclan. It was the only possible conclusion. Everyone was busy trying to preserve themselves. 

    He stopped a bit far from the highrock to sit. This would be the best position for him, he would be able to see all the clan members' reactions to Saltstar's words. The ginger tom could report back to his leader the general consensus of everyone. He also would not have to whip his head back behind himself to see who spoke (if anyone did). Firesoul clenched his sharp teeth as he attempted to wait patiently. Patience was never one of his best attributes.

    Where was everyone?

    The deputy obviously knew that not everyone was gone from Thunderclan. Most cats tried to stay relatively close to the camp because of the fear of capture. The twolegs had disappeared a few days ago, so maybe more cats were out stretching their legs, catching prey, collecting herbs, or just blowing off steam now that everyone could relax. This seemed like a foolish idea to Firesoul. The twolegs would be back, no doubt with a better plan than before to catch even more members of the clan. They could not dwindle more. They had to keep their members if they were to ever capture Sunningrocks. 
 
    Dear Starclan, was he really thinking about Sunningrocks at a time like this? 

    He closed his golden amber eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. The deputy would never say it out loud, but he felt like he barely recognized himself anymore. Firesoul was a soldier for Saltstar. Everyone looked up to him, or at least respected the tom. He was known for being heartless at times, independent, and objective. What was he now? Attached. Now that was terrifying. Firesoul had a family that crumbled a part and he had to rely on himself for success. He said Burningshade was weak for letting their family influence her behavior. If only his sister knew how tangled up he had gotten. She would laugh at him. It seemed Firesoul would need Starclan for more reasons than to help Thunderclan...

    Finally, finally, the short ginger tom heard more paw steps. He did not open his eyes yet. He knew himself enough to know he would probably snap at everyone to move quicker so the meeting would start. He understood how they felt, they dragged their paws in the dirt because they did not want to hear whatever negative news Saltstar surely had for them. But they had to. Thunderclan had to stick together. With this type of threat they were no longer just an army, they were family. You had to look out for each other. It was the only way to their survival.

---

Mentions: 
+ JAMIE for Saltstar
Scarlet for Burningshade
[:ripples:] for brief reference to Goldenhaze (not sure if you plan on keeping her active)
✦dreamy for brief reference to Fire(shine?) (not sure if you plan on keeping him active or whether he's an apprentice still. 

[jackelyn]

cranewing;

Cranewing finished her breakfast quickly when she saw Saltstar leap onto Highrock, she swallowed the last bite as he called the Clan to gather. Trotting out to dispose of the mouse bones she reentered in time to see bright shape of Firesoul ahead of her, taking a seat a little distance from Highrock. She was surprised, he wasn't going closer, then a second later she wondered why she was surprised. After all nothing was normal these days. Which, was really saying something, because Cranewing couldn't remember a single "normal" moment in her life. In fact just as things had been getting better, the humans had arrived and, the kidnappings had begun...

Cranewing shivered as she thought about it, she huddled herself down behind and to the right of Firesoul, subconsciously putting distance between herself and the deputy. From the second the first cat had disappeared, Cranewing had been terrified, it brought back so many bad memories and reopened her trauma. For a while, she'd been too anxious to leave camp, more or less hiding in the apprentice's den from sunrise to sunset... Of course, she wasn't able to stay that way for long, the Clan would begin to ask questions. Luckily Burningshade, was super nice and helped keep everyone off her back until she'd gotten through the worst of the PTSD. Of course, Cranewing hadn't told her what happened, she was still hiding the truth from everyone and, was determined to keep hiding it, but, Burningshade didn't need explanations, she treated with Cranewing with warm and kindness anyways.

Now, she hadn't really "healed" but, she was able to resume her regular duties without problems. Sure some days she still froze up, and she hated leaving the camp but the panic attacks were infrequent. And, everyone else in the Clan was in a similar boat, the past year and a half had not left any of them unscathed. In fact, maybe that was the only good thing, Cranewing's hunched posture and cautiousness weren't out of place anymore, everyone was tense now and fear scent hung over the camp like a cloud.

Immediately Cranewing felt guilty for thinking that. That's no way to think she scolded herself, Cats are suffering! Don't act like it's a good thing, just because it means, you're not standing out anymore... To get her mind off her shame, she looked around her at the cats gathering, but to be honest it made her feel worse. There were so many missing now, so many gaps in the crowd and empty space in the warrior's den.

With a small sigh she pulled herself into a smaller ball, if that was even possible and looked up at Highrock. She couldn't deny it, Saltstar's big shape was reassuring. She still found the leader terrifying and, tried to avoid him at every opportunity, but, Cranewing couldn't imagine ThunderClan having another leader right now. She didn't like how aggressive he was, but, there was no denying, he cared about ThunderClan.

Quietly she listened to his words, then looked around her to see if anyone was volunteering ideas. She didn't have any herself, but she felt reassured by Saltstar's confidence, even though she knew his vow was probably an empty promise. If he says it won't happen again, then maybe it really won't she thought to herself. I need... no... WE all need that hope right now.

TAGGED // Anybody who want's to interact with her! :) Scarlet, for Burningshade mention.
WORDS // 558

[JOS]

[attr="class","round-presto"]

BIRCHMASK

Thunderclan Warrior

The clan was slowly disappearing.


It seemed liked Birchmask had just become a full-fledged warrior, had just begun to solidify her place in Thunderclan, and now the clan was evaporating. It was the twolegs. They were stealing warriors away with their traps and their tricks. Why? The clans had never bothered the twolegs before, and it wasn’t as though the twolegs needed the extra hunting grounds. Birchmask couldn’t fathom the reason for the twolegs actions, probably because twolegs themselves were unfathomable creatures. They thought they had a right to the world. To her home.

Well, they didn’t.


Saltstar had called a clan meeting. The Thunderclan leader made her pelt prickle uneasily. He was an intense and intimidating figure, not the easiest cat to please either, and yet Birchmask was determined to win his respect. When the clan had gathered, Saltstar spoke calmly and factually. She felt the seriousness of the topic, sure, but she was not panicked by it. Saltstar would lead them to a solution.

Of that, she was certain.



Birchmask had settled beside Cranewing, a small blue she-cat who was several moons older. They had not interacted much. In fact, Cranewing had been a bit elusive since the disappearances began. Birchmask didn’t know why exactly, but it was clear her clanmate was scared of something as she had made herself into a little ball in the clearing. Birhcmask sat next to her, close enough to show her support but not too close as to assume familiarity. They weren’t familiar, yet.



"We have another season to prepare for the next assualt. I called you here today to ask you for ideas. What can we do to counter our enemy? To evade their reach? To disable their traps? Anything you have to say: anything to suggest. I will listen."



After a few moments, Birchmask stood with her tail held high. “The twolegs put the traps where the prey runs best. Maybe we could avoid those hunting grounds, rotate where we hunt so that they never know where we will be? And if there seems to be easy food just laying around, it’s probably a trap. Still, we should hunt in pairs. One can focus on hunting and one can look for traps?”

(wc: 364 + JAMIE for Saltstar and jackelyn for Cranewing ) 

[Minteh Freshness]

Cedarcreek


When Cedarpaw heard her leader call out for everyone to gather for a clan meeting, she slipped out of the apprentice den, solemn. Her green eyes instinctively swept the clearing until it landed on the familiar grey pelt of her father. He was sitting off to the side, dejected, the light gone from his gaze as he looked up at Saltstar. Gone was the tall, proud, hard-working warrior she knew growing up. Now in his place was a hunched over tom who had all but given up. And could she blame him? She grew up with so many aunts and uncles, enjoyed basking in their showerings of love, enjoyed bugging the ones who were stand-offish.

That big family was gone now. More than half of her father’s siblings had been captured by humans. Featherfoot, Shadefang, Greystorm. The other half couldn’t just stand by and wait for them to return so they had gone off to return them. Lightningstrike, Ashpelt. She was sure her father would have as well if it wasn’t for her and her siblings. But then again, even her brother Fadedkit had been captured. It had been her fault. She had lead them all out on an adventure, still kits, and had come across a strange-looking contraption. Rather than being scared and running away, she convinced them to play in it.

That had been the scariest day of her life. She can still hear the sound of metal clanging shut, of her brother’s frightened meows. She had run. She ran, and ran, and ran, and had left her brother behind, left him screaming as two-legs scooped up the trap that he was in. She didn’t even know what had happened to her other brother Mistralkit. He’d probably been captured as well. She wasn’t sure. All her eyes had seen was Fadedkit, trapped.

Cedarpaw shook her long fur out, feeling the prickling of guilt once again and she missed her mother, Mountainhaze. Her father had scolded her for only a moment before he wept and then smothered her until she became an apprentice, scared to lose her too. But then a month after his apprentice Bluepaw had gained his warrior name of Bluetooth, the young tom had passed away. Peacefully, some kind of illness that wasn’t passed onto others. But that death had left Smokestorm as a shell of the cat he had once been.

She looked at her father for a moment longer before slinking away to sit in the middle of the clearing, lifting her head up to gaze at Saltstar. She sat with her chin up and shoulders back. She had made mistakes in the past. They all had. All she could do was move forward, otherwise she would become like her father. And while she had looked up to him before, imagined being as great as him before, she no longer wanted to be like him now, only like he used to be. Or now, instead, more like the tom waiting for all of them to gather. Saltstar. He was strong, powerful, steadfast. She wanted to be like him now. Become a great warrior. She didn’t know if she wanted to become leader or not, but she knew she didn’t want to be left behind. She didn’t want to be forgotten. It was times like this that she missed her mother and her quirky sister Raven.

She listened to his news. Agreed with him. They needed to be prepared for the next assault. Her chocolate, ginger and silvery fur rippled as she thought. What could they do? They had to do something, right? Her gaze shifted to Birchmask as the other she-cat piped up.

What the blue point warrior said made sense. They needed to be smarter about going out, not falling into old routines. But that was just on the defensive. What they needed was to be on the offensive. To make the two-legs wish they had never come, to make them never want to come back. Cedarpaw stood up, head held high. ”Why can’t we take the fight to them? Lay a trap for them instead. Have we ever counted how many there are each time they have captured our clanmates? We chased them out that one time, why can’t we do it again? Make them regret ever stepping foot in our territory. They should know that Thunderclan isn’t to be messed with, that we won’t go down lightly. We’ve been training for a battle since before I was born, why not use that training now when we need it the most? When our very existence is at jeopardy, not just our territory.”

She was only an apprentice, still had at least two moons left in her training, but it always seemed Saltstar had been fair in hearing what everyone had to say. And Cedar was not one to stay quiet.

Words || 801
Ooc || I haven’t brought Smokestorm back yet, didn’t want to have him be captured but didn’t want him back yet until I figured out what was going on with his plots with other characters.
Tagged || + JAMIE || Christalclear || jackelyn || JOS ||
Scarlet (Fadedkit ref) || [:ripples:] (Featherfoot ref) || ✦dreamy (Panthermoon/Ravenkit/Mountainhaze ref)

Kestrelgaze


Kestrelpaw had been in the middle of sorting the herbs for her mentor Burningshade when she heard Saltstar’s call. She sighed, annoyed, and finished putting back all the herbs that were still good. She had a pile of herbs next to her that had gone bad that she pushed farther away so it wouldn’t get mixed up with the good ones when she would come back to them later. Thankfully most of their store was still edible and held their medicinal properties. With one last look, she turned around and trotted out of the Medicine Cat’s den and into the clearing. There were already a few cats gathered, a lot less than what it used to be like. Firesoul was sitting off a way, able to look over everyone in the clearing, rather than the usual spot designated for Deputies under the Highrock. He seemed irritable, impatient, yet stoic as he waited and watched everyone come out to the clearing. There was Cranewing, hunched in a ball. Kestrelpaw didn’t have much patience for the she-cat, she thought she needed to face whatever scared her and get over it, so maybe it was a good thing that Burningshade hadn’t asked for her help whenever she dealt with the blue she-cat.

Near the small blue warrior was Birchmask, one of the younger warriors in the clan, supporting her fellow warrior with her presence. Kestrelpaw’s green gaze moved on, landing on Cedarpaw with a frown. She had never liked the other apprentice. They had been foster siblings once, when Kestrel’s mother Littlewish had disappeared, and Cedar’s mother Mountainhaze had taken her and her sister Mothkit in so they could get the milk they needed. Cedarpaw, then Cedarkit, had constantly reminded her that they weren’t related, that Mountainhaze wasn’t her mother, that the queen had just pitied the kits. No, the two of them had never gotten along, not with comments like that, nor with how headstrong they both were. Kestrelpaw did have a type of respect towards the other she-cat though, only because she was straight-forward and didn’t lie. It could be irritating and hurtful to some, but Kestrelpaw found it refreshing, even though she didn’t care for the rest of the torbie’s personality.

Moving on, she noticed Cedarpaw’s father, Smokestorm, on the other side of the clearing. The tom was not what she remembered. He had been happy and loving towards his kits, and very nice to her and her sister as well. It was a slight shock to see how much the tom had changed over the past several moons. Her kind mentor had been trying to help him deal with his emotional pain, something Kestrelpaw never quite understood fully herself. Her mind was geared more towards practicality than emotions. She probably would have been a great warrior, but she had pushed to become the Medicine cat’s apprentice because she wanted to learn everything, and med cats seemed to have a lot more knowledge than warriors.

Glancing around, she looked to see if she could find her father. She could never fully tell if the retired medicine cat was happy or not that she was following in his footsteps. Afterall, he never seemed like he liked the idea of her or her sister getting hurt, especially after Mothkit got that infection that left her deaf in one ear, but she also had pursued this path for what many would deem the wrong reasons. She’d heard it before that to be a medicine cat you should be focused on helping others, physically, mentally and otherwise, not just on gaining as much knowledge as she could. She didn’t care though.

The fluffy brown tabby took note of the others that were still trickling in as she took her own place in the clearing, halfway between the Highrock and the den she shared with her mentor. She knew she needed to be close in case she had to run back to grab something, but she didn’t like not feeling like she was part of the meeting when sitting just outside of her den.

Once most cats were gathered, the meeting started with Saltstar asking for suggestions, opinions, ideas. Birchmask was the first to speak up. It would be hard for some to want to avoid the best hunting grounds, but perhaps fear of being captured would help to curb that need to go there. Plus, with less mouths to feed, it wouldn’t hurt them too much if they weren’t able to catch as much as normal by hunting elsewhere.

And then Cedarpaw’s loud, popular girl voice rose up next, grating on Kestrelpaw’s nerves. The torbie apprentice just oozed with ego, though it seemed only obvious to her. It always seemed like everyone loved the princess. She probably had a good point, but Cedarpaw felt the need to speak up as well.

”And how many of our clanmates would get hurt doing that? Yes, the two-legs seem more intent on capturing us rather than hurting us and they are slower than us, but who is to say that by attacking, they won’t retaliate? They might not have after the last time we did that, but they still came back after that time. If we attack, they might decide it would be easier to injure or kill us instead of just taking us. We’ve already lost so many of our clanmates, why jeopardize the rest?”

Cedarpaw whirled to face her, the two she-cat apprentices glaring at one another. ”Do you want us to live in fear for the rest of our lives?! We don’t know how many more times they will come back! For all we know they will come back every year until every one of us is gone! We should strike them and let them know we won’t go quietly!” Kestrelpaw’s chilly green stare met the torbie's fiery green gaze.

Words || 968
Ooc || Still kinda stinks I didn't get to rp them as kits more!
Tagged || + JAMIE || Christalclear || jackelyn || JOS ||
Eppy (Roanfur ref) || ✦dreamy (mothkit/mountainhaze ref)

[Scarlet]

Burningshade || Med Cat || ThunderClan
Beautiful tortoiseshell with yellow eyes
IMAGE & BIO

---

It seemed to have been ages since she had seen the light of day. Nearing on a week since she had left the medicine den, 21 meals of only a few bites eaten in silence and ... fear. Many had come in for treatment, for confident words, for comfort and solace. And she had lied to each of them, said that things would work out, they would be fine. They would find a solution.

Because ThunderClan. Always. Found. A. Solution.

A deep breath rattled in and then back out. A lack of sleep, as always, weighed heavy on her fur and deep into her bones. This felt even worse than usual. Back when the disappearances started, she had resorted to poppy for an evening just to force her body into sleep because she was death walking. She had left her Clan alone for a whole day, and they had been fine, but she was guilt-ridden by that event that she just allowed herself to pass out whenever it happened. Middle of the day or middle of the night. She wasn't even sure when she had slept more than a couple hours at a time. Her fur sagged around her ribs, but her eyes were bright enough and her mind too. She stopped in front of a flower at the entrance to her den, the golden flowers vibrant against the green foliage that draped the doorway. Burningshade stared deep into the core of the flower, where the red stripes of the day lily came together.

Together. Pull it together.

Another deep breath. One more, this one stronger. Chewed on a bit of mint, the sharpness helping her body and mind clear a bit. Shoulders rolled and spine straightened. Head high. Ear perked. Another lie, but as with all her lies recently, a necessary one. Strength, confidence, love, acceptance, approachability.

Spiritual leader.

Her head broke through the draping greens and she pattered out into the clearing. Her brother sitting where he could see the Clan. Saltstar's words already rolling out with assurances but also questions. Good, pull the Clan together to find a solution, don't leave them afraid of being alone. She stopped at a few Clan members on her way to the bottom of the highrock. Asked a murmured word about health, a tail touch to a shoulder, a smile to the younger ones. She settled at the base of the leader's pedestal. She knew she didn't look her best but she hoped the facade would help others have some confidence.

She wished she had answers. She wished StarClan would tell her something. Anything. She wished she could provide more than lies and physical healing. The forest needed true healing. And... she didn't have that.

tags: + JAMIE Christalclear
notes: damn, all my cats are having major emotional changes

---

I just have one wish
It ends with a burial in roses

[jackelyn]

cranewing;

Cranewing tried not to look too startled when Birchmask sat next to her, she managed a little smile at the younger warrior that immediately made her feel silly. The two of them hadn't spoken much, but, in another life they probably would have been good friends. They were both trained by Riskflight, they were both young and, they both had blue eyes... Actually compared to other warriors Cranewing felt more comfortable around Birchmask. The other she-cat was around half Cranewing's age but, counting time actually spent living in ThunderClan, it was probably similar.

And... Birchmask was nice. Really nice. Even though she didn't say anything, Cranewing could feel her support, she cringed a little to think her discomfort was noticed, but... but it was nice Birchmask cared enough to try and make it better in a small way.

Of course, then Birchmask stood up to share her ideas, and, Cranewing suddenly found herself included in the attention of the entire Clan. Ok, they were looking at Birchmask but, it was more than Cranewing was expecting. She cringed backwards into herself involuntarily and hoped no one had noticed. Unfortunately she felt the heat of someone glaring at her, she glanced up just in time to see Kestrelpaw looking away. That made her feel worse than ever, she knew Burningshade's apprentice disapproved of her for some reason but, she wasn't sure why and, she didn't need the reminder right now...

Cedarpaw announced her idea to the Clan next, and Cranewing breathed a sigh of relief as the pressure moved away from their little area. As Kestrelpaw and Cedarpaw started to argue Cranewing wanted desperately to slip away, the meeting had barely started and, already it felt like too much. But, it would make everyone notice her even more. She didn't want that.

Suddenly she realized no one had said anything about Birchmask's idea, the two apprentices had taken over the conversation and, so far no one had stepped in to stop them. Well... even though she hadn't liked the attention, it had been a good idea, and, Birchmask had been kind enough to sit next to her when she didn't have to, so, maybe...?

Summoning up her courage and, under the noisy distraction of the arguing apprentices, Cranewing leaned over a little to Birchmask and whispered, like a little mouse "I thought your idea was really good..."

TAGGED // JOS , Minteh Freshness oooh Drama! I like it!
WORDS // 390

[andromeda]

SABLEPAW

you should see me in a crown
i'm gonna run this nothing town

Teeth gritted, eyes narrowed, Sablepaw was the image of vigilance near the entrance of the apprentices’ den. Ever since the disappearances she has felt on edge and personally responsible for the Clan’s well-being. She had taken the losses hard, swallowing them like stones, but she would rather eat kittypet food than allow her pain to show. She had taken to training herself after her mentor’s capture, Falcondream’s kind voice guiding each swipe of her claw. And Everhunt - she had a difficult and complex relationship with the eccentric and guarded she-cat when she led the special operations program for Saltstar, but Sablepaw could not dismiss her own growth under her supervision. The disappearance that shook her to her core, however, was Lightningbolt. Through their sparring practices, Sablepaw had developed a real sense of respect for the newly named warrior. It was not something that she would ever admit, but she had really begun to miss him.

Her arc of destiny. Was she still on it? Was this it?

In times like these, Sablepaw begrudged the collective huddle of fear that cast over the entire Clan; she plays better when conditions are riper for individual achievement, and the spirit of unity and solidarity threatened the foundational theory of her own exceptionalism. But she had to admit that the Clan was, remarkably, still here and doing okay, and it owes that to the speed at which everyone coalesced into this united front that now, at Saltstar’s summoning, was on full display. Without thinking, Sablepaw had stationed herself slightly separated from everyone else at the Clan meeting and swore to herself that she would wait to hear the other hare-brained ideas before offering up her own brilliant solution to every problem the Clans have ever faced. Rotating hunting grounds…C’mon. And trapping Twolegs…in what world?! Without knowing, Sablepaw was edging closer to the critical mass. Her jaw opened, her lungs drew air; but before words could form, a booming voice rang across the clearing.

tagged
+ JAMIE Christalclear JOS Minteh Freshness [:ripples:] (for falcon and lightning ref)

ooc

SILKWHISKER

can't say i'm perfect, but i certainly tried
to be joyful and happy, sunny and bright

All considered, Silkwhisker had weathered greater storms than this, which was why his heterochromic eyes glowed with only placid calm as he padded to the foot of the Highrock to receive Saltstar’s rallying call. He was no stranger to mourning — mourning the death of ideas, for the loss of identity, and for all those who had come and gone. He nodded to the Clanmates trickling in near him. Though he said nothing, he let his expression become an envoy of tacit mutuality, of his commitment to make sure that everyone stays safe henceforth. He withheld judgment and response as members of the Clan were galvanized to share their ideas, weighing each one over, feeling their gravity on his tongue.

He would have conveyed Kestrelpaw’s sentiment with a touch less aggression, but he was in agreement with its substance. ThunderClan did not have the ability to mount an offensive against Twolegs, at least not yet. The spark of his mind alighted on Birchmask’s proposal. It felt like a promising direction. He raised his head in thoughtful deliberation, “Birchmask has been most astute to observe. There does appear to be a correlation between abundance of prey and the prevalence of Twoleg traps. I do conjecture that the Twolegs somehow have more concern for the prey than for the exact whereabouts of our hunting grounds.” Pause, head dip towards his leader, the most minuscule droplet of worry that what he was about to say would harken back to the more distasteful parts of his past. “Saltstar, have you been able to confer with the leadership of the other Clans, to determine what collective courses of action might be welcome? It is uncommon—though not unprecedented nor unfeasible—that we might all be able to relocate our hunting grounds for the time being.”

tagged
+ JAMIE jackelyn JOS Minteh Freshness

ooc

[DELAWARE]

At first, Placidstorm assumed that Saltstar's voice - deep and resonant and somehow carrying across the Clan, even though he never seemed to particularly raise his volume - was simply part of his dream. The leader didn't often feature in his dreams, but Placidstorm's subconscious had developed a nasty habit of sounding a bit too much like Saltstar these days, and so infiltration into his dreaming conscious was less a matter of 'why?' and more a matter of 'when.' Still, he was a little shocked when one of the dancing squirrels suddenly started talking like his leader. And a leader calling a Clan meeting, to boot... how did the squirrel know all the right words...? Placidstorm frowned in his sleep, forehead furrowing, and a second later was nudged into full and abrupt wakefulness by another warrior on their way out of the den. "Wake up," they said unnecessarily. "Clan meeting."

Placidstorm was standing and following before he'd even properly processed the words, instinct and muscle memory taking over. Thankfully, the bright morning sunlight knocked some sense into him before he could walk directly into the center of camp, too. Placidstorm blinked a couple of times, disoriented and half-tensed with adrenaline. Normally if he was woken suddenly, he was expected to go somewhere, fight something, defeat someone, carry out some kind of mission... the peaceful scene before him, cats trailing in to sit below the highrock, Saltstar imposing but not in danger above it, was triggering a real cognitive dissonance. Placidstorm took a few deep breaths to calm himself. When he felt sufficiently even-keeled once more - though there was a trace of stress around his shoulders, still - he joined the rest of his Clan.

As he went to sit down, he was dismayed to discover that he was still covered with clumps of moss from his hasty departure. Surreptitiously he did his best to brush them off, though he had a horrible feeling that there was probably some on his back that he couldn't see and couldn't get. Fighting a new impulse to twist around and start cleaning himself thoroughly, Placidstorm was grateful when Saltstar started the meeting. What thoughts he had of moss and unkempt pelts were quickly distracted by the topic. For Saltstar to ask for ideas, so openly... Placidstorm had grieved with the rest of the Clan, had been just as devastated as his peers, but he'd never truly believed that they'd fall apart, not with Saltstar at their head, confident, unmoving, unflappable. But to have him crowdsource from the entire Clan was a first, and ashamed as Placidstorm was to admit it, it struck him with a sudden, intense feeling of dread that - until now - he had not felt.

He listened carefully to the suggestions of the others, nodding along at points, frowning at others. He'd adopted his persona as a capable, professional warrior so well that even he could barely feel the real Placidstorm, the one nervous and suddenly fearful and wondering if any idea could ever, possibly, provide a real solution, that was wondering what he would do, if Saltstar was suddenly fallible. The real Placidstorm would never contribute to this meeting; the fake Placidstorm, the one molded by expectations and influence, did. "What about combining the two ideas?" he asked, nodding at both Birchmask and Cedarpaw. "Avoiding the traps will help us tremendously, but we have to expect that they may just adapt to us. If we also bring the fight to them, we can keep them distracted enough so that they don't notice we've moved to other areas." He paused, then added, "I don't advocate for a full assault, or anything that may risk the whole Clan even more. But small distractions, little unexpected attacks if they're alone... that wouldn't be so hard to pull off. Cedarpaw's right. We have trained for this."


[ ooc first post back with placid!!! bit roooough but moved it along at the end lol. all thunderclan, + JAMIE, JOS, Minteh Freshness for specific mentions! ]

[[:ripples:]]

♥ Honeybee of thunderclan

SANDPIPER

IT WAS THE ONLY NAME THAT MATTERED.

TO HER.

IT HAD COME OUT OF THE BLUE, at least in her mind. It wasn't as if it was ever a surprise anymore- at first, it had seemed just another monster to fight, just another enemy that they would overcome with their brute strength and superior trainig. They were at war, after all. And the disappearances, at first, seemed more merciful, more temporary, than the alternative of death in battle. She had almost expected the warriors to return. Scorchedfrost was clever, and Falcondream was a born strategist... and even when time stretched and they did not come back, she could imagine them plotting their escape from the twolegs. It had been done before, it could be done again, right? She had looked to Saltstar, as she always had, and he had been a bastion of confidence, and the disappearances had stopped, even if their warriors had come back.

SHE HAD FELT THE CRACKS in her former mentor on the day that Lightningbolt disappeared. His first apprentice after her, the day after his warrior ceremony. He had been the closest thing that Saltstar had to a son, and while Honeybee had twinged with jealousy at the leader's obvious fondness for him, the loss of a young warrior just entering his prime, just as he entered their ranks... They had searched long after they knew it was hopeless. Because it was easier to keep going, to pound their aching paws into the ground, to follow scents that were only in their imagination, than to admit defeat. She and her brother had searched together, fear and grief mingled as they searched high and low for the cat they knew they would not find. It was the first time that it had felt... real. No one had returned. And it did not let up.

BUT THEY WENT ON. Stuck closer to one another. Tried to stick together in pairs when they could. She shouldn't have let him go out alone, but he had always been independent, always had liked his time to himself. They had taken to checking in frequently, to having meals together. He had promised to meet her to share tongues at sundown that night, after a solitary walk. He just needed a little time on his own. She understood, of course.

BUT HE NEVER CAME BACK.

AT FIRST, she had tried to believe that he had simply been waylaid. Maybe he was in a tiff with a RiverClanner, or he had a secret romance that had gone too long, or he had fallen and hurt his leg and was just limping back... She volunteered to lead the search. She had even worked alongside her mother, tense, looks of fear and distress exchanged between the still estranged she-cats. The two of them had continued the search far longer than the rest of the patrol. Continued it still, in a way. But they knew the truth.

IT HAD SHATTERED HER WORLD. Honeybee had lived a charmed life until the disappearance of her father, Cedarstar, but even the difficulty of losing him and having Riskflight abandon them for her duties had been soothed by her bond with her brother. They were all the other had. Even as they trained, even as she rose up as one of Saltstar's favorites, his first apprentice after his appointment as leader, they had stayed close. Even as Sandpiper made up with Riskflight, encouraged her to do the same, there had never been a rift between them. He had been her support, her encouragement, her solace.

AND NOW HE WAS GONE.

AS SHE LOOKED UP AT HER LEADER, she saw the same dull pain in his eyes as she felt reflected in her heart. The rumble of Placidstorm's voice at her side awakened her from her wandering memories of her brother, and she turned to look at him. She wanted to be strong. Wanted to show Saltstar that she had something to contribute. But it was all that she could do to hold back tears as she thought of what Sandpiper might say. Nothing could ever be the same.

♥ DELAWARE + JAMIE JOS jackelyn; wasn't sure what was going to come out of honey, but this feels... right? she's sitting in proximity to placid, birch, and crane. i guess i didn't realize that she's super depressed, but... here she is! makes sense!

i just wanna be by your side
if these wings could fly