border 𝐀 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 ╱ 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒

[SUNSTAR]

ThunderClan's forest has shifted the further they have walked. Without the greenery of greenleaf, it is...unnerving. Even their short pass through this territory to drive the rogues from camp had been enough to fill his head with a sense of richness to this territory. He could understand, then, why it was the land the original colonies had fought over. Now it feels terribly unguarded. Empty branches loom overhead. Not like the moor, whose very presence is meant to be beneath their stars. Knowing that they should be protected has only made him all the more confused by its loss. He can only hope that he will not remain long. The idle conversation of their discussion, weighted at times but gone now, dies fully as the twoleg-touched scent of SkyClan is no longer avoidable.

He had been here before. Then, he had not stopped at the border. Coyotepaw had brought them directly to the heart of this camp. Regretting would be pointless. What had been necessary would not be undone, and they did not know the entirety of WindClan. Before the terror, there was a cat who was wise and strong, and cared for WindClan above all else. Who was proud, yes, but loved the stars. Honored their ancestors. SkyClan would never see that. None but WindClan would mourn who she had been, so many moons ago. The other clans had met his news with various levels of uncertainty. Yet joy still tinged their reactions. They were relieved.

He knows that he is as well, distantly so.

"I cannot imagine patrolling this border," he murmurs in aimless conversation to ThunderClan's stout leader. "To know that there is so much above my head– I worry the birds and the branches would fall upon me." Though tired, Sunstride's smile is quietly wry at the thought.

𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓  ╱╱ 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐕𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 〚 11.22.2023 〛 —————«

• OOC. sun has been escorted through thunder's territory by @HOWLINGSTAR, who is still here!
• 

  SUNSTRIDE. WINDCLAN DEPUTY & MOOR RUNNER.
  ——– HE – HIM – HIS ╱╱ 48+ MOONS OLD, ADULT.

  NPC x NPC, LONERS. MATE TO WOLFSONG; FATHER TO BEARPAW, SINGEDPAW, RIVEPAW, SUNLITPAW AND FEATHERPAW. MENTORING SCORCHPAW.
  
  TH ╱╱ LARGE CHOCOLATE ROSETTE TABBY, ICY EYES.

• "speech"

​

 

[LUPINESONG]

❀‿ The Thunderclan border had a grave air about it nowadays. Blazestar's run-in with the fox that took two of his lives before... the most recent one... was at this border. And of course, everything was absolutely the worst it's ever been lately... Even still, Lupinepaw tried to keep her spirits up as she skipped amongst the branches toward the oak-forest border.

Well, so much for that.

The apprentice's nose was affronted with the windblown dust-and-heather smell that was branded into her brain by the image of Blazestar slain upon the ground, his assailant's insides strewn about alongside. Fear gripped her heart as she stared down with jade-saucer eyes from her place on a pine branch before the Thunderclan border. Also... Howlingstar was there too. She remembered the molly from the gathering, she thought.

"Uhm.. Hello Thunderclan and... Windclan? You're uhm... here." Lupinepaw offered a shaky display of decorum from her perch above before glancing back at the actual adults on the patrol. Oh stars, were they being war-declared? Is this how those things went?

She was so stressed.

NOBODY YET EVERYTHING ⊹₊°❀‿ A POOL TO SHED YOUR MEMORY

• OOC: mentor tag: @Dandelionwish :D
• 
• 
  — lupinekit . lupinepaw
  — trans she/her. 9mo apprentice of skyclan. padding after falconpaw
  — a tall, pretty, long-haired black smoke with low white and green eyes
  — smells like sweet lupine flowers and young pine needles
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — fullbody by pikaihao and chibi by rae
  — penned by eezy

​

 

[FIGFEATHER]

The WindClan deputy at the border has never not been a startling sight, but after Blazestar's death it takes her everything to not lunge at him then and there. Marmalade fur bristles wildly as Lupinepaw hesitantly greets both Howlingstar and Sunstride. Knowing all too well they were former clan-mates she shares a look of fury with Dandelionwish, what did he think of this? Did he feel rage itch at his claws just as much as she did?

For the fact a cat of higher seniority was not present, and for that fact alone, Figfeather dares to address Sunstride. "Have you come for the body?" The growled retort is to come as a complete shock to the oblivious moor-cat. Figfeather looks to Howlingstar wearily, does she know why Sunstride is here? Does she know WindClan sent a warrior to kill Blazestar?

Even in heightened emotions she would not dare be the one to reveal to the clans their beloved leader has fallen. She would not give WindClan the satisfaction that they had succeeded, not now.

♡ INFO BATTLE

• 
  » Figfeather
  » SkyClan Warrior
  » She/her . AMAB
  » Mentoring Wolfpaw
  » Mate to Fantastream
  » Sire to Sangriakit & Coffeekit
  » A red tabby she-cat with a mangled leg.
  » ”Speech”․ thoughts ․ attack
  
• 
  » A foe in battle whose ability to strategize can shift tides.
  » Excels in strategizing and pre-planning her battles.
  » Fights defensively and aid to her clan to victory.
  » May powerplay minor harm. Can powerplay healing

​

 

[SUNSTAR]

A surprise cannot begin to explain what he feels in this moment. His quiet thought is shattered, stunned from his bones. Like a flock of startled birds his peace takes flight on flailing wings. Where he had relaxed, halfway towards settling to a patient rest, his body freezes and mechanically raises once more. Taut and tall, his posture is not anger, but —

Panic. Worry. He thinks of those he had left behind. None could have beat him to this border without crossing through ThunderClan's territory. He had been direct in his path, with the leader's guidance. Had it been in the hours before his departure? Had one of his clanmates left after he spoke to their glowing leader through the moonstone? No. No, he had returned to camp before setting off. He had left Wolfsong in his den, and the few cats that he could completely trust in charge of their camp. Those they had lost in the battle were buried and mourned. Certainly not roaming into SkyClan's forest.

In this moment of free-fall as his world is ripped from his paws, Sunstride does not consider the loyalists. His fur bristles and his eyes go as wide as his tail. "Who?"

𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓  ╱╱ 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐕𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 〚 11.22.2023 〛 —————«

• OOC. —
• 

  SUNSTRIDE. WINDCLAN DEPUTY & MOOR RUNNER.
  ——– HE – HIM – HIS ╱╱ 48+ MOONS OLD, ADULT.

  NPC x NPC, LONERS. MATE TO WOLFSONG; FATHER TO BEARPAW, SINGEDPAW, RIVEPAW, SUNLITPAW AND FEATHERPAW. MENTORING SCORCHPAW.
  
  TH ╱╱ LARGE CHOCOLATE ROSETTE TABBY, ICY EYES.

• "speech"

​

 

[BEETLEBACK]

"Whoa! Figfeather that's a way to start a convo for sure..." It's no reprimand. Beetleback by no means is challenging her or saying that is wrong. All he's saying that it's a shocking statement. She isn't wrong though. Orangeblossom said to get rid of the Windclanner at the unclaimed border. No burials. Blue paws shift, uncertain of what he is allowed to say. Figfeather has already announced that there is a body. Would it hurt to explain? He looks at the Windclan deputy and the Thunderclan leader. While respect towards Windclan at the moment is not great, Skyclan has no reason to be rude to Howlingstar.

Before he can even elaborate it is the Windclan deputy whose fur bristles and demands an answer. "I don't know his name. He had brown and black fur. The body was hauled to the unclaimed border. If you want to go get them?" A lackluster answer, but Beetleback didn't even know that many Windclanners. The first time he saw Harrierstripe was when he was dead, and no one mentioned him by name. Unless the name was mentioned and he missed it somehow. Pretty sure no one said it... "What brings you here? We don't normally have Windclan visiting, so did something happen?"

 

[Orangestar]

𝐵𝑈𝑇 𝑇𝑂 𝐴 𝑊𝑂𝑀𝐴𝑁, 𝐵𝑌 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷 ✧ 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐋𝐋 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀

• 
  
  — orangeblossom | tags
  — she/her ; deputy of skyclan. mentoring springpaw.
  — scarred white-and-ginger she-cat with brown eyes.
  — "speech" ; thoughts
  — chibi by waluigipinball
  — penned by mercibun. @ me in any official tabbytales discord for plots.
  
  

​

"Dark tabby. His front teeth are too big for his mouth. Young, probably a new warrior. Sound familiar?" Orangeblossom disregards the fact that WindClan's warriors are named early in her assessment, mind sweeping over her glance of Blazestar's murderer. Her expression is stony as she approaches the group at the border, tension lining every plane of her frame. She doesn't recall his name, nor does she remember him well enough to identify him as Sootstar's son, but there's still an odd feeling of familiarity she has yet to shake. However ...

Sharp eyes focus on Sunstride. She knows this one, though not by name. The ruddy-furred warrior who had claimed SkyClan would kill them all when yellowcough was announced to the Clans, the stammering mouse-brain who had stood in for Sootstar the gathering after Smokestar had been named. The only thing that tempers Orangeblossom's claws for the moment is Howlingstar's presence, though she spares the older she-cat a questioning glance. She lifts her tail, hoping to quiet Beetleback's chatter, and repeats the question he's just asked:

"Why are you here?"
​

 

[Dandelionwish]

—————————————————————⊰⚘⊱————————————————————

Dandelionwish bristles as he stands next to his apprentice, mismatched eyes widening and then narrowing as he grits his teeth and snaps his wheat stem in half. There is an almost aggressive nonchalance to the way he stalks forward to eye the spotted tom with disdain, he can remember the teeth at his back like it was yesterday, he can feel the hot breath of cats crying out for his blood into the crimson stains of a night sky burning into dawn. When Figfeather speaks he shoots a look her way as if wondering the same but not so bold as to say it. Surely this was some WindClan ploy further, that her deputy would come this way after all the happened while he still felt an ache in his chest for the leader who had given him more than that ashen stained molly ever had.
His tail curls around Lupinepaw's side as she shifts his stance, ensuring his apprentice is behind him in case this turned into something more than a mere visit at the border as it often did with WindClan.
He's grateful when Orangeblossom arrives to diffuse the tension in her usual calm way but it is also another reminder of the golden tom they would never see standing proudly at this border in defiance again.

————— ⚘ hold the line —————— ⚘ this is how we'll be defined (stand your ground)

•  
• 
  
  
  Dandelionwish
  —⊰⋅ Warrior of SkyClan
  —⊰⋅ He/Him
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  —⊰⋅ Cream/Chocolate Chimera w/mismatched green and orange eyes.
  

​

 

[SUNSTAR]

Barely a moment later, his panic turns to an ache. The crowd has grown much the way it had at other borders. Though there is more rage here than he can understand, the company and disdain have both become a familiar burden. Something that he could bear. Yet SkyClan speaks of death, and loss, and briefly he wonders how he will tell the remaining of this litter that more of their family has dwindled in this battle. His confirmation is quiet, body language slowly unraveling. "Harrierstripe. He is — he was Sootstar's son, and a defender of her rule. I had thought he fled with the rest of them. I am sorry it was to your border." And even if he will not voice it to them, he is sorry that it had led to the young warrior's death. He thinks of Addervenom and Bluefrost, so terribly corrupted by their mother's way of life that they had so very nearly followed her into death. They had broken free. Harrierstripe had not.

"Almost two moons ago, I returned ShadowClan's stolen kits to their rightful home. In retaliation, Sootstar drove half the clan to exile. It was a great battle, and many of my own were wounded. We spent our time healing and have only returned a little over one sunrise ago. We have reclaimed our camp and our home." He knows Orangeblossom only faintly as Blazestar's deputy, and wonders why he had not told her of their conversation. It would surely be any moment now that the tom himself stepped up to explain. But not in time to stave off Sunstride's own explanation. "Sootstar no longer leads WindClan, and those that followed her have been driven out, or have died in their attempt to remain. Granitepelt is at their head, and I do not know what their plans will be."

Is that what brought Harrierstripe here, in his final moments? Had the traitorous tomcat sought something in this territory? Or was it only a fight he expected? Sunstride exhales harshly. "I have come only to warn you of this, and to say that Highstones is open once more. Your ancestors will not be denied to you."

𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓  ╱╱ 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐕𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 〚 11.22.2023 〛 —————«

• OOC. —
• 

  SUNSTRIDE. WINDCLAN DEPUTY & MOOR RUNNER.
  ——– HE – HIM – HIS ╱╱ 48+ MOONS OLD, ADULT.

  NPC x NPC, LONERS. MATE TO WOLFSONG; FATHER TO BEARPAW, SINGEDPAW, RIVEPAW, SUNLITPAW AND FEATHERPAW. MENTORING SCORCHPAW.
  
  TH ╱╱ LARGE CHOCOLATE ROSETTE TABBY, ICY EYES.

• "speech"

​

 

[GREENEYES]

Greeneyes hoped that the first border patrol he’s been on since… since, would be uneventful. He’d hoped to mark the border, to quiz @falconpaw! again on his ThunderClan knowledge and then go back home and rest. But the scent of moors hits his nose before the scent of oak, and dread sends his heart plummeting, sends his mind remembering, his gaze searching for scarlet among the snow. Maybe the next patrol will be nothing of note.

Confusion spreads across his face as malachite eyes catch sight of Howlingstar and Sunstride, and the young lead warrior stands straighter.

“ Oh, uh — Greetings, Howlingstar. Uh, Sunstride, “ he says, trying to keep things peaceful and uneventful still. Viridian optics shoot his sister a look at her sharp-edged question, a warning not to tread her line any further he thinks he shouldn’t have to give, though he’d be lying if he said he weren’t curious too.

He briefly wonders: Was Sunstride the one tasked with going after the ThunderClan leader? Was this some strange regime of WindClan’s? An attempted takeover of the rest of the clans?

He looks to Orangeblossom as she speaks, then to Sunstride and Howlingstar, awaiting an answer from the odd pairing.

And its a name he learns: Harrierstripe. It’s familiar in notoriety, in mentions from gathering to gathering, though Greeneyes can’t say he’d met the cat before he’d laid dead in the snow. Sootstar’s son is the one who killed Blazestar — he can’t help but to look to Orangeblossom again at the news.

More information is shared: WindClan’s leader has fallen too. Sootstar no longer sinks her claws into the moors, no longer stakes claim of the Highstones. Would this be a point of celebration, if Blazestar wasn’t gone too? If Sootstar’s minions still linger elsewhere? He isn’t sure. ​

✦ ABOUT

• 

  GREENKIT ‣ GREENPAW ‣ GREENEYES
  ── Lead Warrior of SkyClan
  
  ── Daisyflight x Raven Ramble
  ── AMAB; He/Him
  ── A red tabby and white tom with bright green eyes.
  ── Mentored by Sheepcurl; Currently mentoring Falconpaw
  ── "Speech"; Attack​

​

 

[Orangestar]

𝐵𝑈𝑇 𝑇𝑂 𝐴 𝑊𝑂𝑀𝐴𝑁, 𝐵𝑌 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐸𝑁𝐷 ✧ 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐋𝐋 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀

• 
  
  — orangeblossom | tags
  — she/her ; deputy of skyclan. mentoring springpaw.
  — scarred white-and-ginger she-cat with brown eyes.
  — "speech" ; thoughts
  — chibi by waluigipinball
  — penned by mercibun. @ me in any official tabbytales discord for plots.
  
  

​

Were this information not revealed in the wake of their own tragedy, Orangeblossom might have celebrated. The mad queen of the moors was no more. Highstones was open to them all to traverse without fear of attack, and Orangeblossom could rest herself at StarClan's judgement. Yet, one thing stands out to her above the rest of the rosetted tomcat's words: Your ancestors will not be denied to you. Brown eyes narrow once more at the phrasing. Does he know? He couldn't have been told - shouldn't know, unless he had communed with StarClan already and Blazestar himself had met with the WindClanner.

"I will inform Dawnglare and Fireflypaw. Are you to be WindClan's leader?" Still, her suspicion remains. Are you already? This tom had some moral standing, at least, having returned ShadowClan's missing kits. But he's still a WindClanner. The best of a bunch of stars-traitorous rogues is still not to be trusted; the only exception to this rule is Periwinklebreeze, and even now she wonders if his saving of her when the dogs had attacked them on the journey was mostly coincidence.

Despite her reservations, however, Orangeblossom's mind swirls with questions. Had this Harrierstripe acted on Granitepelt's behalf? On Sootstar's, even, sent as some desperate assassin? Had it been sheer luck that he'd crossed Blazestar and Bobbie's paths? Plumy tail flicks, and Orangeblossom waits for an answer.
​

 

[DOGBITE]

✦ Walking along, trailing off on their own rhythm, his steps pause from the intruding scent of Windclan and Thunderclan. Figfeather's growl is enough to kick the tabby into action. Pushing ahead and halting just shy of Orangeblossom's back as she addresses the intruders. Dogbite's pelt flattens, and his good eye observes the golden deputy and the darker tabby leader at his side. It takes all of his will not to express similar hostilities, but now was not the time to bare fangs, not when they were left vulnerable without a leader. He had begun to feel a touch at ease with his sister's presence among the clan. That did not put the fresh imagery of his leader's death out to the winds. In fact, it only made room for anger and confusion. Why had Windclan come looking for trouble on our lands? Sootstar was madder than a hare, but even he felt the move too bold.

His pondering is soon answered by the name of Harrierstripe, and now a name is put to the murderer. Knowledge that the Windclanner was driven out for the kits' return was certainly an eye-opener into the moorlands' conflicts. Quietly, they listened to the spiel, and as the news hit him, Dogbite felt a twinge of satisfaction. Good riddance. Knowing Sootstar had finally met her end was a relief and under any other circumstances a congratulation would've been in order. Yet, it seemed the serpent of a she-cat's brood went down in a similar fashion. Sitting on his haunches, he wonders what Sunstride's answer will be. He wasn't very familiar with the maned tom, aside from his appearances in former gatherings. Surely, if Highstones were now returned, the other would've secured his lives.

Hopefully, he would prove to be a far better leader than the darkness that preceded him. The thought made his coat prickle with unease, knowing that his friend would have to make the journey to Highstones, and a new era was just on the cusp. Sunstride assured passage, but Dogbite still felt seas of distrust rage within him.

✦ OOC ✦ INFO ✦

• 

• 
  ———✧———​
  ✧ LH cinnamon tabby w/high white one blue eye
  ✧ child of npc x npc ; sibling to crescent and bear
  ✧ skyclan warrior ; ex-loner ; mentor to littlepaw
  ✧ 32 moons old ; birthday 07/01 ; ages realistically
  ✧ AFAB ; nonbinary ; he/they
  ✧ pansexual ; polyromantic ; single
  ✧ "speech", thought, attack, powerplay
  ✧ peaceful powerplay allowed
  ✧ penned by tasmagoric
  
  ———✧———​

​

 

[SILVERSMOKE]

Baleful eyes scanned over the rosette feline, once an opponent, now, something even worse than that. A glimmer of something crossed his features when Sunstride revealed the attacker to be Sootstar's son, pupils narrowed and expanded as if hit with a burst of light. To be so hateful, so spiteful, as to attack Blazestar as a last rite. Saliva rolled around his mouth like venom, Silversmoke seemed uncomfortable on the soft earth beneath him, paws itching to move, to fight and kill despite the Deputy's ignorance. Tufted ears listened out for the conversations of his other clanmates; no one mentioned how SkyClan was leaderless too, no one was willing to show vulnerability in the face of an enemy, it should've been comforting, but the secret was a hefty weight upon his shoulders. He moved closer to Dogbite, hoping the presence of a calmer figure would prevent his words from causing conflict. 'Hardly seems that great of a battle... if your opponents can be killed by kittypets.' He hadn't spoken to Bobbie since that day, her wounds were grievous in mind and body, yet despite the sacrifice, she'd still triumphed over a wildborn warrior. It was easier to be offended at the weakness of WindClanners than it was to admit she might be stronger than he gave her credit for.

"His body's long gone, food for crows by now," he mewed with a twitch of a raccoon-striped tail. Harrierstripe had chosen to die alone, he could be buried alone too, picked at by scavengers and vagabonds until all that was left was dust. "Don't think it'll bother you. You act like you're different from her, but... you were her dog for a long time." Conflict flickered throughout his tone, so often he'd admonished WindClan rebels for being untrustworthy that he didn't know what to do now that one had succeeded. Sootstar was awful, but... he couldn't decide if it was worse to be a traitor or a villain. Neither could be trusted, but only one came to borders with promises that the Highstones were open. Silversmoke shook his head and exhaled sharply, tilting his head down to stare at Sunstride and the ThunderClan leader. Guilt was what he was looking for, even if was hypocritical to ask him to be vulnerable when SkyClan refused to. 'We never attacked you first though... it's fair, it has to be.'

​

 

[HOWLINGSTAR]

Howlingstar had sent the rest of her warriors back to camp, for she knew how it would look showing up at SkyClan's border with no only WindClan's despised deputy, but warriors and apprentices at her heels, too. So she walked through the dead forest alone with the tom, their discussion silenced when they reached the pine forest. She sits a respectable distance away from him, for he is no ally of hers and she will not act like it. Still, her relaxed and calm posture is enough to signal to anyone that she is not here out of ill will. A hum of amusement is all she offers to Sunstride before the SkyClanner's arrive.

Have you come for the body? The words cause her eyes to widen in shock, and immediately a suspicious glance is cast towards the WindClanner, something that says, What are they talking about? But he is swift to explain, and Howlingstar withholds judgment for now, straightening herself and meeting Orangeblossom's wary gaze. She nods to her, something subtle and slow - she trusts the SkyClan deputy, and hopes that trust is reciprocated now. She is not here for any reason but to be an escort on what is pretty important business, nothing more.​

 

[DUSKPOOL]

anger makes you stupid . stupid gets you killed .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

He rumbled, staring at Sunstride with a deadpan hue, wooly tail brushing the snow-covered ground idly, sweeping up foliage in its path. His helm tilted upward just a hare, whiskers quivering at the news, staring at WindClan’s new leader with contemplation, caution high in his shoulders. Sootstar ain’t leadin’ huh? He thought, brows creasing despite the unwavering neutrality he bore openly. Retaliation? Revenge? Some sick twisted plan to lull them into a sense of vulnerability before WindClan struck, but Duskpool was quick to banish those thoughts, childish and naturally ignorant to the entire truth that still had yet to be displayed. He doubted it ever would, twisted and left to rot in total darkness. His emotions wound tight beneath his skin and would remain that way for as long as he drew air into his rickety lungs.

He wondered how this would play out, how Sunstride would lead, bringing news and receiving news in return. He was unnaturally numb, waiting for the other paw to drop before he too vanished into the forest, but for now, the smokey warrior remained quiet, listening. He wanted to huff, mangled ears swerving but remained upright, body perfectly still. Damnit. “If yer lookin’ to retrieve Harrierstripe, I’ll show ya where we left ‘em.” He rumbled, glancing at Orangeblossom for silent permission, wooly tail twitching. ​

​

thought speech​