camp COUNTING STARS ↷ [DEPARTURE]

[smogstar]

His mind strays freely over the past few days, recalling every discussion and brief encounter in-between. As ever, Smogmaw has thoughts aplenty about clan happenings, about clanmates both present and past, about leadership and duties as they lay. Eminent on this list rests the matter of setting this transition in stone; setting off for the Moonstone, and, just as importantly, ensuring that ShadowClan is still intact upon his return.

Chilledstar's vigil, burial, and the first council meeting after the fact—it all depleted his words and the mental energy necessary for their expression. He's had his fair share of fanfare, and the tom must imagine it is a two-way exchange. The tom thusly prepares to conclude things concisely, in as few syllables as he can muster. Every iota of time and vigour saved is an iota preserved for the night ahead. Starlingheart is already well aware to what awaits her on this night, and so, having fetched her from the medicine den and brought her to where he now stands at camp's entrance, Smogmaw readies his throat and vocal organs.

He hardly ponders delivery—he speaks, and it happens. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather!"

It goes without saying anymore, but the clan is greeted by an expression so numb, a countenance so thoroughly stripped, devoid, and detached to feeling. A cat who, on surface-level, looks entirely unconcerned with any current or forthcoming obstacle; established prowess notwithstanding. Through a turgid blanket of fog, the cresting moon shines in orange, eerie through the haze overhead. A disarming spectacle.

Lips purse in fleeting consideration, then flatten moments thereafter. "It's about high time I made off for the Moonstone and became your leader truly," the tom would begin. A sideways hasty glance towards the medicine cat separates his words, as does a secondary clearing of his throat. "Starlingheart and I will be gone for the night. In the meantime, I entrust ShadowClan's welfare to its council of lead warriors. @MIREPURR, please gather cats for a patrol out WindClan ways. @FORESTSHADE, all the while, I need you to assemble your own crew to stand guard at camp."

His vision then sweeps over the clan before him, brows brought taut. He seeks out clanmates of a rank not known for receiving and carrying out official tasks, yet the duty envisioned for them holds equally supreme significance in his mind. "@mockingbirdcry, @MOLTFACE, @HARRIERTEETH ." Queens, all. "While the clan's kits are still awake tonight, make use of this opportunity to teach them on StarClan; what we understand of it, the powers it lends to the clan's leaders, what happens when a cat passes away. Answer all questions they have, and don't shy away from mentioning Chilledstar's departure. Do this well enough, and you'll have 'em all asleep before you can say 'Smogstar'."

He has said enough. Having listed tasks by order, spoken his expectations, and fulfilled a diplomatic standard toward communicating with clanmates, his next breath exudes in full all the burdened exhaustion kept pent up until now. Shoulders raise up ever slightly, then relax in steady succession as his last message concludes. "Goodbye."
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[scalejaw]

★ She is just as impassive as he when they are called to stand beneath him. How strange it feels, to be down here, whilst his helm was high above. A change in dynamic- just as strange as it was to not see inked fur standing there instead. She finds a spot that she deems appropriate, and settles into it. Her fur prickles with the change in dynamic, and he speaks without much ceremony. Orange eyes glitter as she stares up towards him.

Himself and Starlingheart would be heading to Highrock- that was nearly seen coming. She was silently grateful that the tabby didn't bide his time in becoming a -star, but it ached somewhere within in terms of leave Chilledstar's name behind, writing it to the stars. She inhaled slowly, Scalejaw's eyes flicking towards each lead warrior mentioned. Her head dipped towards them, indicating she was ready if they stagnated on who they wished to bring for either patrol or guard duty.

And at Smogmaw's order of teaching the kits, she withheld a chuckle. The kits would fall asleep before Starclan could even utter it themselves. Her eyes return to him, expectant of any other news but finding none but that of his body language. Ears twitched as she looked on, watching his shoulders raise and fall. Scalejaw's head dipped. "Travel safely." She called, only moving away to the warrior's den if the other two lead warriors did not call her for either detail.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── MESSES WITH YOUR SANITY ⋅❁⋅ TWISTING ALL YOUR THOUGHTS AROUND ──┐‎

• "speech"
  

• 

• SCALEJAW 🌧 she/her, warrior of shadowclan, sixty three moons.
  ★ A SH black/LH blue smoke chimera with glowering orange eyes, tufts of fur that make her look dragon-akin, and scars that she wears with pride. motherly and stern attitude, with a warm streak for clanmates and a cruel streak for enemies.
  ★ mentoring no one
  ★ padding after no one / / mother to bonerattle, nightwhisper, and shadefall
  ★ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ★ penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

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[MIRESTAR]

✦

It is an odd thing to realize, but with the way Smogmaw has been propelling them all forward, it isn't truly that surprising: the days are slowly but surely starting to feel less hopeless without Chilledstar. Whether it is wishful thinking or something that holds merit is anyone's guess, but Mirepurr finds solace in the fact that their late leader is not suffering anymore. Surely, the exhaustion under those eyes are lifted within the stars; surely, there is no foreboding fear without any more lives to lose; surely, they can rest easy with the knowledge that ShadowClan is taken care of.

Those are the reasons Mirepurr does not seek guilt. They push it away, denying it altogether, accepting the fact that nothing would turn time back for them. Fate says, this is how it is. One can choose to fight against those currents or swim along.

Mirepurr chooses the latter. There are little to no attempts at uplifting their Clanmates' spirits — they all need to grieve in their own way, and Mirepurr would not be the one to stand in the way. They will support, but that is all- and right now, they have a duty to fulfill as per Smogmaw's orders.

They regard him — not for the first time, but definitely for the last time as Smogmaw. Little reasons arise to doubt StarClan's acceptance of his unique, cunning nature, the last few days surely convincing anyone who might have been skeptical of him before. The next time he steps into this camp, he will be a changed tom; nine lives, a Clan of his own, and equal amounts of burden and blessing to carry from now on. Mirepurr dips their head, ever respectful and hopeful. Just come back safe.

"If anyone wishes to accompany me to WindClan," they turn to address the rest of the Clan, nodding when they catch Scalejaw's gaze, "please let me know. We will head out shortly."
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[Loomingpaw]

Despite the fact that Loomingpaw knew this was coming, knew that eventually Smogmaw would have to travel to the Moonstone to become star-blessed as Chilledstar had before him it still felt like it was going fast. She feels speechless as the soon-to-be -star speaks to those within the camp, sets patrols out and sets up a small gathering of cats to watch the camp. It's as if he isn't leaving for the night to leave the clan without a medicine cat for a day, simply giving out orders as he had many times before. For a moment the apprentice chewed on the inside of her cheek as she listened to the orders, waited for a moment to be told what to do before she just... wasn't.

She knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep - not until Smogmaw was back, not until the clan officially had a leader once more - so waited around for a second before Mirepurr spoke and her ears flicked towards their direction before paws shuffled that way. "I'll come if that's okay?" She'd speak to her clanmate, tail waving behind her absentmindedly for just a moment before she looked towards the entrance to the camp, waiting to go.

She made a mental note to make sure to not say anything to WindClan should a patrol be up this late, at least not about Chilledstar's death or Smogmaw heading to the moonstone. Though she was sure that if a patrol was keen enough to they could see the small pawful of cats moving towards the moonstone and guess what was happening she didn't want to give them any confirmation. There was no telling if they'd decide to storm in the camp because of their lack of leadership.

COYOTES TIPTOE ┆彡 IN THE SNOW AFTER DARK

• --

• 

• : ̗̀➛ sh lilac/blue smoke chimera w/low white & sectoral heterochromia
  : ̗̀➛ 10 moons old, ages realistically every 25th
  : ̗̀➛ bisexual biromantic; many puppy crushes; interested in none
  : ̗̀➛ stubborn and loyal to shadowclan
  : ̗̀➛ will start fights, will finish fights outside of clan
  : ̗̀➛ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  : ̗̀➛ peaceful powerplay and healing allowed

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[SHARPSHADOW]

It happens sooner than she expects: Smogmaw's voice crying the words of meeting. He thinks he's been holding onto it for awhile now. Waiting until it tastes, right... Waiting until all of their senses could be a little dulled. Until they wouldn't be as startled by the rasp not being Chilledstar's. Sharpshadow looks upon him, not yet blessed by the stars, or whatever. She thinks that'll be something else entirely, when he can finally leap onto the rock with a -star on his name. He'll probably milk it for all it's worth, the bastard.

Worry crosses his face, at the sight of Starlingheart, marred to hell and back. She thinks about Lilacfur, torn up by someone they've yet to track down. Would that same someone intercept them? If not, it wouldn't be a stretch for something else to, in its stead. Disguised as annoyance, concern scrunches his nose. A questioning glance flickers Mirepurr's way, but it isn't for long that she can keep her gaze from ShadowClan's deputy. Smogmaw for the last time he ever would be, unless...

After Scalejaw comes, " Stay safe, " swallowed thickly. And It's pushy, just on the cusp of being a demand. " Please. " He'd follow the both of them, if he didn't know better... He'd rather StarClan ignores him entirely, rather than frown at him. They surely would, if his paws drew too close to holy soil... or whatever.

He looks to Mirepurr, gathering the likes of Loomingpaw, and more to come. " D... do we think WindClan will attack? " She would not have put it behind Sootstar, but Sunstar... No, she was more worried about what was already within ShadowClan's borders. What might meet Starlinghart and Smogmaw on their path. If she couldn't look after them, she'd look after the next best thing. He sits next to Forestshade, frown set deep.​

 

[Halfsun]

Her fathers transition to leadership had been jarring to say the least. One moment, he was Smogmaw, deputy of ShadowClan and then, in one fell swoop, he had become something else. Something elevated above his station of just Smogmaw. When he came back from this journey would he be so different he was unrecognizable? Would the change to -star, the additional nine lives alter more than just his name? The thought of it makes her heart twist, makes her want to throw herself at his feet and beg him to take her with him. Useless she thinks as she glances at Starlingheart by his side. She loved the black and white she cat, of course, but her claws had never known the sting of battle - true battle. What if they were attacked? Not by WindClan because surely Sunstar would never, she thinks. She could protect him... "Are you sure you shouldn't take another with you..." she says, her tone coming off more pouty than she intended, like a kit being left at home during a gathering. That's what she was right now. Nothing more than a kit playing at being an apprentice.

When it is clear he will not bend, that he intends to leave without her or anyone else in tow she acquiesced, bowing her head low, a gesture not from a daughter to her father but a warrior to her leader and when she looked up, her eyes gleam with her unspoken grief and turmoil. What if he doesn't come back "Stay safe.." she mutters softly with the rest of the well-wishers, but she does not meet her fathers eyes as she draws closer to her mentor subconsciously. Instead she focuses on Scalejaw's smoke feathered pelt and then Mirepurr as they states they are going to WindClan, Loomingpaw all to quick to jump on the opportunity to pad on the lead warriors heels. She herself says nothing, but she glances up at her mentor as he speaks. "They wont." she says a little too quickly, a little too forcefully, her eyes gleaming with something that could be likened to cold determination.

( ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ) no fake friends, forced smiles, or favors

• 
  
  
• 
  HALFPAW SHADOWCLAN APPRENTICE ; SHE / HER ; SISTER TO APPLEJAW, ASHENFALL, SWANSONG, GARLICHEART, THORNPAW AND LAURELPAW
  

  A fluffy she cat who's fur is half cream tabby, half blue tabby split by white. Her eyes are two mismatched shades of blue, with one being a light icy blue and the other being darker in color.

  ✦ Easy in battle + still learning how to fight
  

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[Gigglepaw]

Chilledstar's departure from the waking world has left a bit of a hole in Gigglekit's heart, if she's to be honest - she can't fully fathom that the great leader, the leader that Gigglekit had known all her life, is gone forever now. She'd expected that when the day came, she'd be apprenticed under them, and perhaps even given a warrior name under their guidance - and now that isn't to come to pass at all.

Solemnly, Gigglekit sits besides her brothers and watches as Smogmaw - soon to be Smogstar, as per the nature of things - addresses his Clan and lets them know of his intentions. She's old enough now, in her own opinion, to know that she'll be staying up the entire night, no matter how Mockingbirdcry and the other queens make it their intention to get all the kits to sleep. She won't have Marblepaw or Sycamorepaw there beside her, and she wonders what exactly she should be feeling now. She thinks she should cry, but she feels far too numb.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎OOC ᓚ₍ ^. .^₎ .ᐟ.ᐟ INFO ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

• !
  

• 

• GIGGLEKIT ✩ kit of shadowclan, five moons
  → blinks incessantly & uncontrollably.
  → peaceful and healing powerplay permitted.
  → penned by Archivist → .archivist on discord.
  

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[FORESTSHADE]

As Smogmaw calls for the clan's attention, Forestshade feels a twinge of irritation. His tone is detached, but she can't shake the feeling that he continues to revel in his newfound power. His words in the council meeting have earned a lack of favor towards him, and it is with heavy reluctance she listens. When he assigns her to gather a patrol, she nods, masking her disdain. "I'll assemble a team," She replies, her voice forced to remain steady. She doesn’t think he deserves to stand where Chilledstar stood, but her loyalty to ShadowClan runs deep, and she will obey. "We'll hold the fort down while you're gone," The torbie utters firmly, ready to ensure the camp remains protected, despite her reservations about their new leader.

Blind green eyes narrow slightly - at least the kits won’t be coddled tonight. They need to learn about loss, lest it find them sooner than it should. She can feel Sharpshadow’s posture tense beside her and she turns her muzzle towards her, ears flicking. “Stand guard with me tonight, ‘kay? We’ll make sure nothing happens here.” Nevermind the excuse to spend time with him. She wants that comfort now more than ever. Not that she is…particularly comforting, but the familiarity of her is what helps. Getting to her paws, she dares to pull her tail against his flank before walking towards the camp entrance. “Hemlocknose, you too!”
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