private COLDNESS OF WINTER // council meeting

[HOWLINGSTAR]

// shhhh this is late but pretend it’s at the beginning of the month after the clan meeting; also mobile post so it’s short but wanted to get it going!!

Howlingstar sits next to her nest, tail wrapped neatly around her stout form. Her aged face is creased with concern, anger, sadness…tired eyes sweep the den, resting on each trusted face within its confines. “Berryheart and Hailstorm couldn’t even return to the Moonstone for the half-moon meeting after what WindClan pulled. My friends, I’m not sure what to do. With leaf-bare here, we couldn’t afford a conflict.” Could they?

She squeezes her eyes shut and sighs, and her body seeming to deflate with exhaustion. She feels lost - what are they to do without access to the Moonstone? What if they need StarClan’s guidance? She can’t risk anyone getting hurt again after WindClan proved they’d even attack a medicine cat who approached. Finally opening her eyes again, she rests her gaze on Flycatcher, but will quickly turn her head to any who speak up.​

 

[Flycatcher]

With everything that had been occurring with WindClan as of late it was perhaps inevitable that a discussion would be held to decide what to do, or at the very least discuss it. Howlingstar begins by mentioning the recent attack on Berryheart and Hailstorm when they attempted to make it to the Moonstone, before revealing her own uncertainty of what to do next.

"As you said, Howlingstar with leafbare here it makes whatever we decide to do next a difficult decision," Flycatcher began, his green eyes meeting Howlingstars. "If we were to challenge WindClan, there is almost certainly going to be injuries and deaths on both sides. But if we leave WindClan as it is, I fear it will only embolden them. They have already claimed the Moonstone and the land surrounding it as their own under the guise of needing more prey. What is to stop them from deciding they are entitled to further territory and then they turn their gaze on one of the clans?"​

 

[WOLFWIND]

Sootstar had some audacity to do what she did. But then again— you could say that, and probably describe just about her entire reign as WindClan's local witch. A weaker clan ( she's looking at SkyClan ) would likely roll over for her, and Wolfwind loathed to do the same. Evidently, Howlingstar was feeling the same way. The plausibility for action manifested 'round them all, curling it's way into this den, despite how damn crowded it was getting. Even if she just sat with her head hung, an I don't know... hanging in the air... She wanted to do somethin'. They all did.

Wolfwind is antsy about that fact. She doesn't need to be reminded of the costs of war by Flycatcher— that's what the hot - headed part of her thinks, but she gets why he says it. She has to keep her claws from plucking at the ground.

She wants to say a lot of things. She wants to give some emboldened speech about what a terror Sootstar is, how it's time they ought to retaliate. Wolfwind is tired of skirmishes; is tired of exchanging blows with a clan that held her kin, it's about time they sink their claws into WindClan. If Sootstar didn't care for the hospitality any of them had shown her before, why should they?

But Wolfwind lets all that go. Her emboldened speech is traded for a long sigh, and the sagging of her shoulders to go with it. " Leaf - bare's here, " she says, dejected. " As much as this is damn crime... They already tried roughin' up our medicine cats. We just lost... " Well, they all know, anyways... An awkward clearing of her throat. " Um, y'know... I'm just not keen on losin' cats right now. "

If StarClan had somethin' real important to say, they could just come directly if they needed to, right? " Say we wait till Newleaf. We fight in better conditions. All of us. " Not only WindClan, but the other clans too, were they so willing to help as she's heard... " And we find out if " We need the territory " is a load of fox - dung, or not. Which, we know it is, but y'know. "

( i'll do the same as you ) ✨ ( i'll try to hold it up )

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• [ SOON I HOPE, OR SOON AS I'M OLD ENOUGH ] WOLFWIND THUNDERCLAN LEAD WARRIOR! LITTERMATE 2 LAKEMOON; KIN TO MANY.
  
  

  SHE / HER, CONFUSED BY BUT NOT OPPOSED TO THE USE OF OTHERS
  CURRENTLY 25 MOONS OLD AS OF 12.3.2023. AGES EVERY 1ST.

  
  FRIEND TO MANY! UPBEAT AND UPFRONT. MOVES THROUGH LIFE WITH AN UPBEAT EXTERIOR AND BRIGHT EYES. MAKE NO MISTAKE! TAKES HER JOB VERY SERIOUSLY. THERE'S IMPORTANCE IN SAFETY, RECKLESSNESS ONLY GETS YOU SO FAR. ONCE A FOOL, BUT NO LONGER.

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[Flamestar]

As if Sootstar didn't already have bees in her brain, now she had laid claim over the Highstones, and one of her patrols had attacked Berryheart and Hailstorm. Her pelt was already prickling with irritation before Howlingstar begins, but she forces herself to sit quietly beside Flycatcher as she waits her turn.

Leafbare was here, of course it was a horrible time to risk going into battle. Their herbs were naturally limited, the prey was guaranteed to dwindle soon, and it was prime time for sickness to spread. The fiery tabby took in a long inhale, and forced her lungs to slowly exhale. She wanted to growl, to hiss threats about the moorland queen. Her claws begged to sink into the ground beneath her, but she was able to keep herself fairly composed with how truly angry she was.

"She has stolen Starclan's blessed lands. Highstones is not for any of us to claim." she started out, her tail flicking irritatedly behind her. "Leafbare is the worst time to fight, but surely we can't just let her poach territory that is not her's. If she has already gotten this bold, who's to say what's next?" What if she tried to take over Fourtrees? Or another clan's territory? "I am not usually for bloodshed...but I worry what will happen if we wait...If we were to take action, surely we would have aid from other clans?" ​

★ don't need to save me

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  FLAMEWHISKER of THUNDERCLAN
  LH red tabby with low white (masks black tabby, carries dilute, solid)
  — Lead Warrior of Thunderclan ; currently mentoring Acornpaw
  — she/her ; mated with Flycatcher
  — mother to Stormfeather & Falconheart
  — 27 moons ; ages on the 20th
  — Smells like dirt, old leaves, tree sap, faint hint of flowers
  — will start a fight, will finish fights, will kill (case depending)
  — "speech" ; thoughts ; attacks
  — penned by Icey ! ; link to tags
  — link to toyhouse​

 

[batwing]

.i'll be your calm, —————————

————————— before the storm!.

▵ ———————— ◮ ———————— ▵

The trip rested heavy in his mind. He had been there alongside the two warrior cats- he bore minimal injuries, thanks to being a slippery cat, but he knew it could have been far worse if some of the stronger cats in Windclan had been there. Some with more spine and more talon then he thought possible. His eyes closed, akin to the way stress rested heavy on all their shoulders, as he listened into one of his first meetings.

Leafbare was here. His thoughts were chugging along- they'd need food, medicine, if they were going to be attacking. When he opened his eyes, he still look perturbed and undecided, words slow but full of an anger that only one who witnessed Berryheart being chased across moor could build. "Flamewhisker is right. We can't allow her to continue her... 'claims'." His ears twitched, lifting to look towards Flycatcher and Howlingstar. "The other clans did say they were fed up too, at the Gathering."

His statement was neutral- he knew the risks of launching a battle now. He knew that it would be grisly, but if Sootstar went unharmed... it could become much, much worse. He wasn't here for the rogues, but the stories were... well. He didn't want that to happen due to Windclan's paws.

"speech"​

​

 

[Sunfreckle]

—————————————————————⊰☀︎⊱————————————————————
Normally passive and gentle Sunfreckle remains silent for the moment but there is an irritation in his eyes not commonly present otherwise. A combination of WindClan's audacity and his recent incident with being captured by twolegs had left his mood particularly soured and he while he would normally bid they make no rash decisions that might risk the clan he tires of bending to the whim of a mad woman. Sootstar had proven herself not just to be a danger to ThunderClan itself but to all the clans and even their ancestors in StarClan itself; she had no care for anyone but herself - not even her clan seemed to be held in any esteem given her behavior. A cat who only wanted power was dangerous to just ignore.
Sunfreckle wants to agree with Flamewhisker and Batwing's assessment, that they retaliate alongside the other clans and with the aid of more cats and more medicine cats they may very well be able to put WindClan back in its place and send that delusioned molly to meet the very stars she has disrespected. But he knows its not right, he knows the risk of injury when their own healers were out of sorts would be a delicate thing to manage and who is to say this would not simply incite a full war between all the clans in a paranoia that they might turn on one another? RiverClan surely wanted Sunningrocks back, ShadowClan might be emboldened to steal from their territory this leafbare again. Would it unite them or would it cause more chaos than they needed at such a risky time in the season?
The red tabby gives a weary sigh, "...no, Wolfwind is right. I want nothing more than to stand against her as well but even if the other clans agree that will not spare us the injuries and even deaths that might come as a result...were it not leafbare I would be more willing to say we fight, but..."
He trails off, uncertain and worried but the fury in his gaze still lingered. It was such a messy thing to deal with.

——— ☀︎ light the fire, let it burn on top of you ——— ☀︎ breath again beneath the flames

•  
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  Sunfreckle
  —⊰⋅ Lead Warrior of ThunderClan
  —⊰⋅ He/Him
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  —⊰⋅ Large red tabby tom w/green eyes and no left foreleg.
  

​

 

[nightbird]

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ "even if we were successful driving them away, we could not afford to send patrols to highstones every day to ensure it remains unoccupied, our blood would shed for nothing." her head shakes solemnly as she follows sunfreckle's insight. "sootstar would undoubtedly retaliate further, what if she launches an attack on camp?" it surely wouldn't be out of character for the tyrant. it was all a headache, another impossible issue with equally impossible decisions that needed to be made.

"our focus needs to remain on thunderclan, getting through leafbare. her claim is weak and sitting upon deluded righteousness. it'll crumble before we see greenleaf, and if it doesn't we'll be better equipped to handle it then." nightbird's gaze travelled briefly to wolfwind, agreeing with what the grey molly stated earlier. for better or worse, she was a cautious creature when the lives of her clanmates came under fire. they had so many brand new warriors, hadn't worked through leafbare let alone seen a battle. the timing was too wrong for her to justify an attack.

"if berryheart and hailstorm need to reach highstones again we can send them with a patrol large enough to fight off every cat that sits in their camp, driving them out would would tempt a war we are ill-suited to deal with in leafbare."

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎┌── OH, I'LL CUT YOU DOWN ⋅⋆⋅ FOR I KNOW YOU ARE WEAK ──┐‎

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  NIGHTBIRD ✩ she/her, lead warrior of thunderclan, twenty-eight moons.
  ⭃ a small black smoke molly with a single white paw and pale silver eyes.
  ⭃ mate to raccoonstripe / / mentor to tba
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ↛ see battle info here
  ⭃ penned by vayle ↛ @vayl3 on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[RACCOONSTRIPE]

Raccoonstripe worries to see the defeat in his mother’s slumped shoulders. An attack on their medicine cats—the tabby’s pelt had bristled into hedgehog spikes when the two of them had returned to camp, their own fur hanging in messy clumps. Luckily, his brother and Hailstorm had been warriors before they’d taken up StarClan’s vows, but not all medicine cats would be fortunate enough to have had extensive battle training. His deputy and co-lead warriors speak, each of them fighting the worry in their eyes, the heat threatening to unsheathe their claws. The tabby remains silent, waiting.

Flycatcher’s indecisive, stating that leaving WindClan to their own devices will only embolden them. Wolfwind states ThunderClan should wait until newleaf, until the snow melts and the prey returns, to wage war. Flamewhisker and Batwing reference the other Clans, and Raccoonstripe winces. “Can we truly count on SkyClan and RiverClan to help us? One is led by a kittypet. And it's no secret that RiverClan has no love for us.”

He twitches his ears toward Sunfreckle, who agrees with Wolfwind—to wait until the warmer season to fight back. It’s Nightbird who catches his attention—“Our focus needs to remain on ThunderClan, getting through leafbare. Her claim is weak and sitting upon deluded righteousness. It’ll crumble before we see greenleaf, and if it doesn’t we’ll be better equipped to handle it then.” Raccoonstripe grins. “There’s an idea. You figure all of WindClan can hold their territory and Highstones throughout leafbare? They’ll be stretched thin, patrolling all that ground on little prey, extending themselves where they shouldn’t. Their own warriors will sicken.” He flicks the tip of his tail thoughtfully. “WindClan will destroy itself trying to hold onto that territory. If we remain strong until newleaf, and they still haven’t returned to their senses, well…” His claws scrape the floor of the den meaningfully.

, ”​

​

 

[HOWLINGSTAR]

Flycatcher speaks first, voicing her same concerns with injuries in leaf-bare, but he adds on the point of emboldening WindClan. She hadn't thought of that, and it makes her paws prickle with unease. Highstones could be the first of many territory claims, and who's to say the next claim won't be on RiverClan's side of the bridge, or ShadowClan's side of the thunderpath, or even ThunderClan's forest? Wolfwind speaks next, and takes the side of inaction, at least for now. Howlingstar nods slowly - wait for newleaf, when herbs are plentiful and hunger doesn't weaken her warriors.

But Flamewhisker and Batwing are next, the former understandably furious. They both want to fight, both so sure the other clans would work with them to claim back Highstones for StarClan and StarClan alone. Howlingstar recalls the anger from the other leaders at the Gathering; she's sure she could count on Blazestar's help...she's no friend of Smokestar, but RiverClan and WindClan are known enemies, and he may leap at the opportunity to fight. Chilledstar is a wild card; since the incident involving Sunnyday, they have been friendly, but the ShadowClan leader does tend to try to stay out of drama.

Sunfreckle expresses his own desire for peace until better conditions, agreeing with Wolfwind. Nightbird brings up a good point next, one that pricks Howlingstar's ears. Of course, there would be no way for the clans to ensure Sootstar is not continuing to claim the Highstones without sending warriors daily, and that's an impossible feat. They don't have the travel herbs for that, and they don't have hunters to spare. Raccoonstripe voices his agreement with his new mate; WindClan cannot possibly keep up so much territory during this time. They'll weaken themselves, spread too thin as her son says. She closes her eyes, nodding.

"We wait till newleaf, then." It's not a solution she likes, not at all, but what can she do? She can't send her warriors into war when herbs are frosted over. They must do what they can already to combat hunger and the inevitable greencough that is sure to find one of her clanmates...they cannot add battles onto that burden. "But Nightbird is right. We will send patrols much larger than last time with Berryheart and Hailstorm if they ever have to go to the Moonstone. WindClan will not keep us from convening with StarClan when we need to."​