camp DEADLY, YOUR DEVOTION // 8/21 meeting

When was the last meeting? Weeks ago, he thinks. It was where he got Mottledpaw as an apprentice... where Campionsong's runts became apprentices too. It feels so long ago, thinking of Howlingstar standing upon the high rock, unknowingly delegating her last pairings. She gave herself Littlepaw, and now that she-kit is off, likely getting pampered by some twolegs. Is that what you wanted, Howlingstar? No, of course not. She wanted to mold another pathetic cat into her image. But no longer. He is here to make ThunderClan better. Most of the Clan as is understands that. The rest... will come around.

In any case, perhaps it is time for another meeting. He has some new changes he'd like to make, anyways.

"ThunderClan!" he calls as he stands on the high rock. He remembers the way cats looked at him when he did this a week ago, blood pouring down his chest still. He wonders, as he looks down, if his grandmother left a dent in the ground. He swipes the thought away with bellowing, "It's time for a meeting. Gather 'round," he cares too little to be proper. He waits, gaze surfing the crowd for faces that he needs in order to proceed.

"We'll start simple. With the deaths and exile of many cats, we have a few apprentices incapable of continuing their training. Shroudedpaw is amongst them. Yewflame - you've been deserving of an apprentice for moons now, so I expect you to do well with Shroudedpaw. Do not let me down," his tail lashes, an unneeded threat left in the open air to be interpreted as such. He allows them the time to greet one another in front of the crowd before continuing -

"There are many apprentices ready to become warriors today. As I do not carry the stars on my shoulders -" yet. He was foolish to mar the medicine cat so horribly. StarClan may not speak to him without Gentlestorm as a medium, he thinks. Yet, he firmly tells himself, but says no more allowed about it, "I cannot bless you as much as you each deserve. However know that in the coming weeks, when I am finally able to receive my lives, we will do this proper. You've each earned your honor, and I will not leave you in wait for it." A pause, a deep breath, and he summons the apprentices.

"Sproutpaw," he begins. The young tom had always a spiteful spirit, damned with a kittypet mentor yet he flourished still. Skyclaw looks upon the chimera with blazing eyes, however, as he retains the mistakes, as he holds his follies. "Sproutpaw, from here on you are to be called Sproutberry. You have grown incredibly in the moons that've come to pass and have promise to continue to do so. ThunderClan treasures the warrior you come to be," and we will not forget the troubles that brought us here today.

"Wrathpaw," young. The short-furred tom is young, and emotional, and irate and monotonous - but he did it. Alongside Sproutberry and Yewflame, the youth captured a star in his very own claws. There was more to be done (there still is,) but Skyclaw feels the youth well and capable despite his age. "From here on, you shall be called Wrathhowl. You are sharp, you are ferocious," you will forever hold Howlingstar's life with you, "ThunderClan welcomes the warrior you are to be."

"Softpaw,"
nothing like the former two. Whilst once a she-cat prepared to defend her friends, she's grown meek with the changes. Quiet, pathetic. But all the same, she is adept. She is well skilled and to not honor her, to pick favorites as Doespring has called it, would not be smart. And so, Skyclaw glimmers a grin, adapting to the change he presses on the white furred she-cat. "You are to be known as Carrionshriek. I hope in warriorhood, you prove to be a more... animated member of ThunderClan." He sends her off colder than he does the prior two.

"Vixenpaw," and the frost continues. She is unlike her sister, fire-mouthed and petty. Her mentor is someone he knows well, however, and after a day's worth of begging, he's knelt to the she-cat's mentor to allow her to graduate with her sister. The pathetic nature of the tom does not allude him, however, as he serves the apprentice the same dish he's offered Carrionshriek. "You are to be known as Vilefury. Your rage may be your downfall," a threat, spoken through sharp, stained teeth, "so let's hope in your continued warriorhood, you learn to harness it." And again, he sends her away.

He does not listen to any outcry over the latter two's names. Instead, he speaks again, louder to quiet any discussion that parades over his meeting. "That is not all," he calls. Skyclaw looks over the crowd once again, ears turning back as he spies two she-cats. Freshly named by Howlingstar, among the far-too-many warriors she made prior to her death. These two had connections, however, to someone he considered near to his circle. And for them to be so far? It was insulting.

"Antlerbreeze, step forward." His demand is cold, venomous even. "You were the one to find the deathberries in the prey. Valiant, are you, to have swiped them away from those poor, poor kittens..." His tone trails to mocking, and his teeth clench together. "You should be honored for your bravery. And so, from here on you will be called Antlerpoison. You will thank me for this later, I am certain." There is a sick part of him that feels glee in the power, ripping her connection to his grandmother from her so easily. He doesn't dwell.

"And Doepath," he summons her, his grin too easy, too kind. He knows she cannot see him well, and he makes no effort to make it easier for her. "You must take pride in your compassion. Your empathy, your emotions. Warriors have been telling me that you're nearly crying at every turn -" Skyclaw does not withhold his laugh, a single breath of mocking air sent her way. His tone sours immediately after. "You should be recognized for this. From here on, you shall be known as Doecry. You're welcome."

A pause as he looks over the Clan in its entirety, and his grin returns. There are little-to-no cheers for names, no congratulatory passes aside from a few. They'll learn to live with it, he thinks. "ThunderClan, you are each dismissed. Tend to your patrols," he sends them off with no celebration of his own, sitting back on the high rock to watch them leave.

JUST A GENERAL HUGE CRAZY THANK YOU!!! to everyone who has been enjoying this plot and helping it along!!!! i know i am unable to reply to things every day but know i am so enamored to see the posts around the board and even more INSANE for the threads trashing skyclaw lol KEEP THEM COMING!!!
ok anyways

@shroudedpaw reassigned to @Yewflame!

@Sproutpaw is named Sproutberry for his growth and continued potential to grow. He is also named this for his actions in the deathberry crime, to forever be remembered for his part in all of this.
@WRATHPAW is named Wrathhowl explicitly for the life he took from Howlingstar, as if it is something he can carry with him. To the general public, he is being named this for his ferocity.
@Softpaw is named Carrionshriek! Carrion for Skyclaw's perception of her bystander effect - acting hardly better than a corpse in his eyes. -shiek is intended to mock her selective mutism.
@vixenpaw. is named Vilefury! Vile for Skyclaw's perception of her behavior, and -fury for her anger.

@antlerbreeze is renamed Antlerpoison for her part in the deathberry crime </3
@doepath ࿔ is renamed Doecry for her reaction to all of the change </3
 

Softpaw despises how easily Skyclaw has settled into his role as 'leader' of ThunderClan. He takes to the high rock with all the confidence of Howlingstar before him, but none of the qualifications. At least he has the tact to acknowledge that he isn't yet blessed by the stars, and, Softpaw thinks bitterly, she hopes that he won't ever be - StarClan had to have more sense than a kit, had to know better than to elevate this tom to such a level as leader. It's a bit sad, though- that Softpaw won't have a proper ceremony for her warrior name, at least not under Skyclaw's rule. She'd always assumed she'd be honored with her new name under Howlingstar, or, given what had seemed impossible, under Flamestar - not under an usurper.

Still, Softpaw gathers with the other ThunderClanners, pink eyes casting a glance towards the medicine cat's den. She wonders if Gentlestorm will be able to join them all at the meeting, but considering what Skyclaw had inflicted upon him, she doubted that he would make an appearance. It doesn't help to think that there are so many Clanmates that should be here for this, that aren't. Despite how routine it all is, everything feels off. Vixenpaw sits beside her, and her fathers are in the crowd, but there is a distinguishable lack of cats that she thought might be there when she became a warrior.

Sproutberry... Wrath-howl... Skyclaw goes on with the naming of warriors, and Softpaw is hardly listening until he calls out her name. She looks up from the dirt beneath her paws, which has been kneaded into a small hill, and feels a small sense of pride beating in her chest despite the situation. This is it - what she's been training for for moons, what she's been looking forward to since she was just a kit hidden away in the ShadowClan nursery - the name that will proclaim her a ThunderClan warrior, a defender of their Clan. What will it be? As a child, she was playfully named Softstorm, and she wonders if Skyclaw's name for her will reflect that in any way.

Carrionshriek.

It feels like time stops, even as Skyclaw goes on with the meeting, but the last thing that Softpaw really hears is the name that she's been given. That can't be right, she thinks - she's been Soft as long as she's been alive, given the name by her fathers, a name compounded by everything that she'd achieved over the moons. Soft is her name, one that can't be so carelessly trampled on as Skyclaw is doing now. Carrionshriek. It sounds disgusting dripping off of Skyclaw's tongue, serves to twist Softpaw's stomach into knots. She feels hot, like she does under the summer sun, and her voice catches in her throat when she opens her mouth in protest.

She knows it isn't her own fault. Still, she feels as though she's failed Honeydapple, in the nursery - failed Gentlestorm, in the medicine cat's den - failed Roaringpaw, out wherever he is now. Closing her mouth, Softpaw - no, Carrionshriek - swallows thickly, a frown that's become increasingly permanent etching its way onto her maw. What Skyclaw named her is a slap in the face, no more, no less, and he's allowed to get away with it because he's in charge. He named her according to her flaws, because of what's overcome her since Howlingstar's death, and even in the aftermath of being told to her face how little Skyclaw thinks of her, she can't muster up the voice to say anything in protest. Perhaps, in that regard, she was deserving of being named as she was.
  • !
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  • SOFTPAW apprentice of thunderclan, eleven moons
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted.
    penned by Archivist.archivist on discord.

 
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She did not know what this meeting was about. She was much too tired to remember how old she was even, her body settling close to her sisters, almost using her weight to keep her upright. She did not think after all this, he would choose to name others, but alas in the beginning he said as much. And her eyes narrowed into slits. Vixenpaw had a bad feeling churning about in her stomach, though, maybe she was wrong.

She hoped she was wrong.

Sproutpaw became sproutberry, and that doubt began to settle her a bit, though her chin raised a little. Wrath paw was named much too early, she knew the Tom couldn't be the same age, however, she didn't do much but shrug it off. Wrathhowl was a unique name, but that did not mean he did anything to deserve it but he a buttsniffer. Sproutpaw was too. They both coincided with the murderer, or even helped murder.

If she was a leader, things would be way different. She knew this. But who's to say she ever would be? She still had many moons to prove herself- and hopefully maybe her childhood dream would come true. She would not murder her way there. She would fight her way there with loyalty, strength of character, determination-

Softpaw. You are to be known as Carrionshriek. I hope in warriorhood, you prove to be a more... animated member of ThunderClan.

Vixenpaw. You are to be known as Vilefury. Your rage may be your downfall-


White and black claws embedded into the earth as suddenly a hiss erupted from the apprentice. How... How dare he? How fricken dare he? Her name was barely heard, but heard enough as her ears flattened back. The sound of her pounding heartbeat as blood rushed into her veins was all she could hear as her body pulled from her sisters and her teeth bared to Skyclaw.

Vixenpaw would refuse that name. She could not identify herself as anything that coward dare name her or her sister. "The stars will never accept you! These names mean nothing until Star ends your name. Even then, they mean nothing when you're dead." She hissed underneath her breath, the most disgusting thing her face had ever made, the snarl that ripped from her throat indifferent from who she was.

He was just mad she wasn't licking the bottom of his feet and worshipping him for something he wasn't. Her tail lashed behind her, and the bicolor female was wide awake now. No exhaustion Doelight had put her through could fix this. Nothing could. He may have changed her name, but he messed with the wrong person by changing softpaws to something so.... Vile.

"I'm going to kill him myself." She hissed to softpaw, but as she looked towards her sister, her rage broke and her eyes softened. The hurt and betrayal in her eyes broke her. "Darling... Do not accept this name. Do not let yourself feel any type of way about this. In my heart, in my soul, your name will be changed. I know this."

If it's the last thing I do. You deserve more than this. You deserve the world.

 
Tybalt sat with his claws sinking into the earth as Skyclaw spoke. The names he had come up with were unnecessarily cruel, but devoid of meaning without StarClan having gifted him his nine lives. Even if the lives had been given to him, Tybalt would have still found his naming decisions foul. Tybalt's own name had always been important to him, and despite his own distaste for his warrior name, Emberstar had at least named him for his strengths.

He could see Softpaw and Vixenpaw whispering among themselves as their names were changed, and he offered the pair a small nod and reassuringly touched Softpaw's shoulder with a flick of his tail.

"Ignore him," he rumbled softly, his voice low so that only the pair of sisters could hear it. "These won't stick, and I wouldn't use them even if they did. You'll both get names you deserve once we're rid of him. Flamewhisker would never expect you to keep them, nor would anyone else."
 
Skyclaw's first meeting is hardly an event that would get Badgerstripe's attention, if not for her constant fear of rejection. That she was a poor-performing warrior who couldn't stop running her mouth, who would, today, be stripped of all her honor and pride. That Scarletpaw would be taken from her and given to a stronger, younger warrior; like one of Skyclaw's little patrol leaders; who seemed more fitting a mentor. And, even worse, that she had finally outlasted her welcome, and would soon join the kittypets in exile, for she could never be as strong and favorable as her loyalist Clanmates.

Ears remain at attention not out of loyalty, but out of this fear, waiting for the worst to come. And.. it never does. Not for her anyway.

Badgerstripe's mouth hangs agape at the warriors that are named. Sproutberry is too kind a name for such a wicked little kid. But then comes.. Carrionshreek and Vilefury. That he would disregard the names their parents gave them was a disgrace in itself, but, stars.. she can't even help but comment this time, it's almost like Skyclaw is asking for it. " Such ugly names, " the warrior mutters. " How unfitting. Perhaps we should think up some nicknames instead. " A sideways glance is given to Tybalt, who seems in agreeance.

A new brand of fury festers in the tortoiseshell molly.

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BADGERSTRIPE ( she/her )​





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It would be okay. A promise shared in uncertain murmur with a confidence that didn't suit her. Perhaps he'd heard... and chose to make an example of her insincere optimism. It couldn't get worse, she'd assumed, separated from the dappled tom that warmed her nest, stretching between her litter-mates to keep them from drifting so far apart they wouldn't be able to find each other again. It wouldn't get worse.

Until Skyclaw calls for a meeting. A tremor starts in her toes, numbness spreading through her limbs as duty demands her attention. Refusal wasn't an option, not when it came at the cost at undermining the reputation Fallowbite had carefully woven. A gentle shroud, knitted to cover them, obscure them. The tickle of that knowledge becomes gnawing, painful, like a belly left without a meal for days too long.

The names he announces are nothing short of torturous... Why Sproutberry got the most peaceable one seems to be an effect of favoritism and only encourages her to keep note of that one. Another enemy to fear, another cloaked foe to avoid. Her heart breaks for the young apprentices whose names are torn to shreds. Wrath-howl.... it stings to hear in the face of a lost star. Carrionshriek... such an ugly name for a gentle girl. Vilefury... a punishment for rage in the face of a usurper.

At least there are no young kits to be thrust into this horrible whirlwind, her own younger siblings coming to mind with a throat tightened with apprehension. This couldn't last forever... if StarClan was willing, Thrashkit, Yipkit, and Howlkit wouldn't be made to suffer Skyclaw's rule. There was just no way they could give a tom like that nine lives... right?

"That is not all."

Daffodil eyes slowly lift upward, finding the wrapping of barbs and briars that twist into a devious smile. He says Antlerbreeze's name and it feels like a funeral is being prepared in her head. The smell of Wolfwind's fur the night of her vigil. Skyclaw knew her sister as Howlingstar's last apprentice... knew how much hatred must be festering in her heart. He sneers at her, crowing compliments but with such gnashing of his syllables that makes it clear he isn't honoring her.... Antlerpoison. Her maw hangs open in a silent argument, unable to find a voice to shout with. He couldn't do that.... couldn't change her, much less with such ugliness... could he?

"And..."

The letters of her name slide like a snake's hiss past his teeth and the world spins. What could he possibly want with her....? She hadn't done anything wrong, hadn't spoken up against him- But when had that ever mattered? Half her age and he'd decided her an enemy... or a burden. Maybe both. This might be the death sentence she'd feared. Had she lied to Sunshinespot?

Warriors have been talking about her... to him. She can feel Fallowbite's stare suddenly but her body refuses to move, to glance towards it for reassurance or out of fear. Would that single glance ruin the facade... it couldn't be risked. Her teeth grit at the mention of hours spent on the verge of weeping... It's your fault... It's your fault and you know it, the fawn thinks bitterly, You've ruined everything.

Still it sweeps her off her feet, to feel the tendrils of her name clinging to her, snapping as the tension grows too tight and then.... it's gone. Replaced. Doecry.... Doecry. Frustration wells in the pit of her stomach and perhaps more embarrassing than anything else... is the sting of tears that line her eyes near instantly.

"You're such.... an unbelievable ass," she whispers under her breath, getting up quickly to seek out her patrol lead so she might at least be free of his smug grin.​
 
Sitting amongst her clanmates and listening to Skyclaw name the new warriors, she seethes. Her characteristic crooked smile is absent, the look in her eyes akin to that of someone about to commit murder out of rage. Black claws dig into the ground beneath her as she fights to hold her tongue. Skyclaw mocks and humiliates his clanmates, and she's not sure she'll be able to suffer the same disrespect should he decide to tempt fate. She will not use these names given by the brat pretending to be leader.

But she will certainly offer the same disrespect towards him and his followers. She already viewed them as beneath her, like insects deserving to be crushed. With each reaction from the named cats she catches, she believes this more and more. It takes all of her self control not to march up that rock and tear Skyclaw to shreds for this mockery. Does he really think Starclan will grant him lives? Does he expect to see his fallen clanmates congratulate him? His family, does he think they will praise him?

She doesn't know whats going on in his little pebble brain... But she knows sooner or later, someone's gonna squish it against that rock. It's only a matter of time at this rate. A hunter waits for the right time to strike, and she will wait impatiently for the hour of execution.​
 
[ ] what towers above the rest upon a stolen throne was no longer a cat to most but a beast who muddies a delicately crafted legacy all in the name of making thunderclan great again and it seems like things are beginning to move forward down a path that both confuses and frightens spiderkit who had hunkered down in small patch of underbrush a comfortable distance away to watch the meeting unfold.

it's a bit concerning how easily words flow from their maw, tone void of any sort of pride or warmth a true leader would have when addressing their clan especially during ceremonies. wrathpaw and sproutpaw are of course, to no one's surprise, left unscathed when recieving their new names but the rest are not so lucky.

carrionshriek. vilefury. antlerposion. doecry.

each name called out rings heavy inside spiderkit's ears that are quick to flatten against a shadowed crown, his expression twisting into one of subtle disbelief and alarm. he still has a long ways to go before ever recieving his warrior name but dread claws uncomfortably at his stomach at the possibility that on the day he turns six moons spiderkit would face a name change as well to something more fitting like scaredypaw or crybabypaw. he presses himself closer to the ground, a multitude of thoughts rushing through his head.

should he just start trying to be seen more favorably in skyclaw's light? to join their side to keep himself and his sister safe from future harm even if it meant going against the others? could this really the best for thunderclan? spiderkit barely acknowledged the dismissal of the meeting, only whimpering quietly to himself as it felt like the reality he knew before was coming undone at the seams.

if only starclan could tell him what to do.

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  • ooc.
  • Untitled240_20240814011439.png
    a sh, gangly solid black kitten with large ears and wide, golden eyes.
    at first glance, spiderkit is nothing remarkable compared to other children in the clan but a double take will point out something glaringly obvious about them that being the fact they are unusually tall for a thunderclanner and one could almost question whether or not they were born in the right clan. other than sporting a coat weaved from the shadows of night itself and baring wide, unnerving golden eyes he also seems to have quite the set of ears upon their head and a snaggletooth that peeks just from beneath his lip.
  • SPIDERKIT —— "love. brain. heart. control. caffeinate. melatonin."
    thunderclan kit, npc x npc . littermate to myrtlekit
    amab, nb masculine / he they pronouns / 5 moons and ages the 9th
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / underline & tag account when attacking

    —— spiderkit is a very anxious-riddled child and a bit introverted, a complete opposite to his fluffier sibling myrtlekit. that being said, they aren't the best at socializing but tries to befriend others in a sort of exposure-therapy sort of way but due to nerves causing him to want to cry it can tend to make the interaction a bit awkward and or worrisome.

    penned by cobatic
    "speech, 'thoughts', all opinions are in character
    biography — msg on discord for plots — toyhouse
 

A meeting. A poor mimicry of Howlingstar's structure, but one she was dutiful to attend non the less- lest she wanted threatening looks or crow's cries in her ear. Carrion birds- perhaps the closest thing she could liken Skyclaw's regime too, his council, those who stalked close and circled. Scavengers of a greater time. She ignored the guilt that threatened to worm past a numbed defense at attending someone else's meeting in Thunderclan. It felt wrong, and twisted. No, not just felt- it was. A reassignment, first of an apprentice, then a declaration.

Even without the star's blessings they'd be named. Apprentices either deserving or undeserving of what name they were given. Sproutberry's name comes and goes without recognition as to the meaning behind it- but Wrathhowl has her finally moving her stock still frame to turn and pin a look to the newest apprentice. Wrathhowl. The very same apprentice that helped take a life from Howlingstar, given her name in memory. Something entered her mind slowly, like a clinging shadow, wrapping around any softer emotions and slowly wrapping a padlocked chain around them.

Carrionshriek and Vilefury's names only prove to make her a hint more angry then before, but her eyes are upon Wrathhowl, staring. Her ears twitched finally, turning to look back towards Skyclaw. I hope someone kills you. I hope someone kills you. I hope someone kills you. She chants in her mind, orange eyes slowly turning to slivers-

That is not all.

His gaze has been turned upon her, and her sister. Instinctively she is stepping forward to block Doepath from his sight, even as her name is called, to ask her to step forward. She feels some shock of recognition as eyes turn towards them, but she stands her ground, teeth grit and ears backwards. He speaks on what she did just a day or two before Howlingstar's final deaths, and she stills remembers the vermillion color so well, pinned between her claws- caged and protected. Away from where they could harm kits.

It seems to be her downfall- saving those two lives. Did that paint a target on her head? She thinks briefly upon this as she is stripped of the identity that Howlingstar gave to her, fragments of her clan-mother's own previous name removed from her. Antlerbreeze's breath is stolen as she became Antlerpoison, aptly name for the scene she caused saving kittypet-born lives.

Numbness has transferred to this cold feeling. Something that started at her pawtips and ended at her throat- it ate away at all that was gentle and soft, removed the worn edges and replaced with new, sharp ones. It? It was rage, rage of another kind. A poison had swept into her veins, one that began with Skyclaw's fangs in Howlingstar's throat, and this bump in the road where her name, her name, her last connection to Howlingstar herself, was removed in mock of her saving kit's lives. A mock of how she stained this clan.

While anger began to bubble and churn, a feeling she was nearly unfamiliar with, Doepath is stripped of her name that signifies her journey, becoming Doecry. A snarl ripped from her lips, ugly and animal like, all akin to Fallowbite's tendencies and none her own. She could do that. Rageful, like her sibling. Poison, like her name. "You do not speak with the measure of Starclan's blessing. You, traitor, murderer, shameful scorned, rename us out of the cruelty of your heart, and not to signify our strengths." She spat, her tone louder, fur along her spine standing.

Orange eyes lifted to lock upon Skyclaw. Antlerpoison defied the creator of the evil brewing in camp, defied those who stared at her now. Shatters of Antler, Antlerpaw, Antlerbreeze- they begged for her to step back, to ensure Doe retreated somewhere safe, that Fallow didn't reach for her. They were just that, shatters, not her, no longer her. "You are what walks in nightmares, not the glory of Thunderclan. I hope you rot in her den, suffering from guilt of killing your kin, I hope your family hates you and turns their shoulder when you're bleeding from your neck."

What was this, a crescendo of fury in her veins? Was this what he wanted, by naming her so? Ripping the name Howlingstar bestowed upon her, giving the so called 'honor' to someone else, someone who killed her? She thinks she might murder someone if they tried right now. With a final snap of her teeth she's turning, wary glances and all edges to anyone who tries to follow her.

I'm sorry, Howlingstar, I'm so sorry.
  • "speech"
    // she is out! please do not attack her if you are a villian! there's a planned interaction later :)
  • ANTLERPOISON she/her, warrior of thunderclan, twelve moons.
    LH cinnamon lynx sepia with low white. smaller body, agile and slippery, fits really well in small gaps in the underbrush. soft spoken but strong and determined.
    previously mentored by howlingstar / / mentoring no one
    padding after no one / / sibling to fallowbite and doepath
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
    penned by dallas ↛ dallasofnines on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 
〕Green eyes blaze with fury as she glares at the 'leader' on top of the Highrock. Starclan strike him down. Send down lightning, blast him off of Howlingstar's sacred rock. No matter how many times she prayed to their ancestors, the murderer continued to stand as he addressed the clan. At his claim for receiving his nine lives here soon, the deputy let out a disbelieving laugh. There was no way that they would ever give him extra lives. Is that what you are waiting for? Maybe Starclan would kill him then. Surely if they could give lives, they could take them as well? The thought brought a small smile to her maw.

Skyclaw continued on, naming Sproutberry and...Wrathhowl. Flamewhisker's eyes widened, and her jaw parted. "Excuse me?" For one, Wrathpaw wasn't even warrior aged, despite the fact alone that Skyclaw had no authority to even rename cats....and to name his goon after the leader he helped kill? Flamewhisker felt light headed at all the stupidity that the tom spewed. "Is this some all some joke to you?"

But he wasn't finished. Softpaw was renamed Carrionshriek, and Vixenpaw to Vilefury...but when she thought it surely couldn't get any worse, Antlerbreeze's name was stripped away, leaving Antlerpoison in its place. While her sister Doepath was renamed Doecry. Her eyes whipped to each of them. "You have no right to rename anyone. You are not Thunderclan's leader." Her words were hissed, her gaze burning with rage. He had taken away Antlerbreeze and Doepath's Howlingstar given names, and given Wrathpaw a name to remember her by. That would not stand. She turned to the nearest villain to her, and lunged towards them with outstretched claws. She couldn't take this anymore. Skyclaw was going to pay.

Or, he was...

Until a flash of grey from the corner of her eye caught her attention, and a small wail broke the silence.
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  • ooc. please don't interfere (:
  • FLAMEWHISKER —— deputy of thunderclan , mentoring none . storm x lily . littermate to nala, smokey, and nemo ✦ penned by icey !
    afab / she/her / 35 moons & ages every 20ᵗʰ
    widowed / heterosexual / closed to romance
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / underline & tag account when attacking
    —— difficult in battle

    speech”, 'thoughts', all opinions are in character
    tags — msg on discord for plots — toyhouse
  • 74170852_bklpiIOmSWVpAVE.png

    a longhaired red tabby with low white and green eyes. flamewhisker's fur is a vibrant hue of red, riddled with thick classic tabby markings. her fur is medium in length, and she has a large, feathery tail. her chest, belly, tail tip, and her paws are dipped white. flamewhisker's eyes are a dark, deep shade of green. her shoulder has a large scar on it from a fight with a dog. she also has a shredded ear from a disagreement with a loner during her time alone before joining thunderclan. on particularly cold days, or sometimes before a major weather change, she will walk with a slight limp from her shoulder injury.
 
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ nightbird listens from the mouth of the nursery, purposeful in the way her tail lays barrier across the opening she could not block with her body. every word from skyclaw's mouth is a nail in his coffin, the way he mentions casually how he had yet to receive his lives. nightbird wants him to make the journey to highstones, for him to return with a tucked tail after starclan refuses to grant a lick of power to such a disgrace.

and the names they bestow, her lip curls as he announces each one, a quiet scoff leaves her throat. they weren't even fit for the maggots that wriggled amongst a rotting carcass. her tail begins to tap as cats begin their dissent, speak out against skyclaw's tyranny. flamewhisker's hiss rings loud, and nightbird's spine goes straight as the deputy becomes nothing more than a fiery streak through the air. her claws press into the dirt, unmoving, she watches with caught breath.
  • ooc ↛
  • NIGHTBIRD she/her, lead warrior of thunderclan, 35 ☾'s
    a small black smoke molly with a white paw and pale silver eyes. currently a queen residing in the nursery.
    mate to raccoonstripe / / currently mentoring none.
    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.
 
*+:。.。 The last time a meeting - a real meeting was called, Bugpaw was reassigned to her brother. How grateful she was to have given her second chance at apprenticeship beneath Howlingstar's kind eyes rather than those of this fraud. From her position at the apprentice's den, still trapped in her mandatory rest, Bugpaw would watch with a narrowed glare as the meeting progressed. "I hate the look in his eyes" she mumbles to no one in particular. It feels refreshing to hear her voice, weighed down though it is by Skyclaw's pounding boom.

Wrathpaw and Sproutpaw received their names, and though Bugpaw lacked the experience to understand how wrong it truly was to be named so early, she was still more than capable of sharing in her mother's feelings of disgust when Wrathpaw received the -howl suffix and Sproutpaw the -berry. Thick fur bristling, she lowered herself into a crouch, more out of instinct than any planned motivation.
How could a cat be so cruel?

Still, despite this unique brand of awful being once, and still, a member of her clan, she couldn't find it in herself to be truly scared. Always the positive thinker, it took only a quick sweep of her gaze over those gathered to know Skyclaw's power could only be temporary. The rage and shock were electrifying, the air practically buzzing, the withheld need to strike mounting. Bugpaw didn't understand politics or war schemes, only that she had promised her mamma she'd be careful - and boy was Skyclaw lucky she didn't know quite yet how to fight - otherwise Bugpaw would be up and arms, ready to defend her family's home with every fiber in her being! And she knew, with a swell of pride for the real thunderclanners around her, that she wasn't the only one ready to defend their home.

The meeting continues and the air is stolen from her lungs. In Bugpaw's small glimpse of the world and its mighty traditions, names had always been sacred. That's why the suffixes -berry and -howl were so dastardly, not because they broke tradition by being granted far too early, but because of their ties to a cruel person and an unfair fate - ties that would last for the rest of the apprentice's known lives. Names were permanent. Once granted one by your leader - or temporary stand-in - these names would be yours until the end of your known existence. Thus, Bugpaw is left speechless when Skyclaw not only changes assigned names but warps them into something utterly vile! Bugpaw's heart squeezes with sympathy when she looks into the crowd to see Softpaw, Vixenpaw, Doepath, and Antlerbreeze's reactions - the shock, horror, rage so palpable Bugpaw feels it in her own spirit.

Thunder rumbles within the storm clouds of mounting tension, tongues of lightning whipping free of the restrained grey as cats - justifiably so - can no longer hold back. Hateful words spring to life, aiming where claws unfortunately can't, as sweet and patient cats are pushed to their edge. Vixenpaw - for she could never be Vilefury to Bugpaw - is the first to shout her displeasure, followed soon after by Antlerbreeze. Bugpaw paws at the ground that she's vowed to anchor herself to, energy thrumming through her, filling her pelt with static, "You tell 'em!" she hisses, lifting her gaze from Thunderclan's proud women to the coward that foolishly believes he can control them. Eager to support them, to do something besides let the cruelty continue, Bugpaw opens her mouth to scream out further insults when-

A flash of fire, the color of warmth and love, ignites from the crowd as her mamma, brave and hypocritical, takes a dangerous stand. Bugpaw doesn't realize she's started running until she's already left the apprentice's den far behind her, lunging into the crowd to pull her mamma back - or to help her fight, if it must come to that. She's not ready, she knows that, but she can't let another woman she cares about lose their life because she hung back. No matter what happens, Bugpaw will be right there by her mamma's side!

That is, until sharp teeth dig into the back of her scruff.
"Ma-ACK!" A pained squawk escapes her as she's pulled away, thrown like a ragdoll to her back. Before she has a chance to get her bearings, let alone scramble to her feet, a heavy paw slams stars into her skull.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" Smokefur, a voice she will never forget, rings clear and calm over the cacophony. Bugpaw glares in disgust at the paw holding her head down, recalling with vengeful clarity how those same evil paws hit her mother before on the high rock. "Don't touch me! Mamma, don't lis-" valiant words cut off, adjacent to the airflow now denied to her. With one paw pinning her down by her flank and another stepping firmly on her throat, Bugpaw is left thoroughly pinned.

And unable to breathe.

"Stand down Flamewhisker - or take your time if you wish, I'm sure Bugpaw won't mind the wait" Bugpaw wants to growl, but a strangled whine is all that escapes her, "I'm surprised you forgot about your five little hindrances. Don't make that mistake again the next time you dare challenge Skyclaw" Clawing at the dirt, she wishes her glare would bore right through the older tom cat from her position on the ground, the second he lets go, she vows to give him the worst knuckle-bite of his life! But her bravery wavers when pressure mounts further on her throat, Bugpaw's wriggling intensifying despite the restraint as pain erupts not from where Smokefur holds her, but from a head starved of oxygen - a headache that had become blistering.

"Or perhaps I'll grant you some mercy and drop your burdens down to four..."

She can't breathe, she can't think straight, but even so, Bugpaw blows a weak raspberry at her captor. It'll always be Bugpaw's job to make her mamma smile...even if the job is impossible right now.
  • //Powerplay permission given! Bugpaw is not in any life-threatening danger though I promise <3


  • GENERAL:
    Bugpaw
    DFAB— She/Her
    6 moons — Ages
    Daughter to Flamewhisker and Flycatcher
    Sibling to Falconheart, Stormfeather, Lilykit, Butterflykit, Scorchedpaw, Squirrelpaw, Sunpaw
    Thunderclan — apprentice
    Apprenticed to Falconheart


    COMBAT:
    Physically easy | mentally easy
    Attack in bold pink
    injuries: None currently
 
Oh, the outcry. There's burning rage beneath the thin fur on his chest, cold pin pricks stapling his paws to the high rock, demanding he not turn this into a bloodbath. Who are they, VIlefury, Antlerpoison, to question him? What are they, even - if not pawns for him to move about as he sees fit. A moniker is important, sure, but he must live with his own until his inevitable demise, must he not? There's a sense of retribution in his scheme, a sense of childish, if I can't have it, neither can you. And in the end, he tenses his jaw and lets them pitch their fits. He will talk to them later. He has no issue with conversation.

In his silent ruminations, a flash of reddish fur cuts through his vision. He doesn't flinch, watching the deputy make her move - yet not far behind her, her little sling is caught beneath the claws of Smokefur. The tom sucks noisily on his teeth, eyes narrowed as Flamewhisker halts. Is that fear in her eyes? Frustration? It is no fault of his that she seems to have forgotten her brood in her fits of anger. Five noisy apprentices, four if Flamewhisker shifts another step forward. His gaze flutters to the crowd, wondering if Falconheart is here to see his precious sister pinned, unable to breathe. Oh, he would be so angry if he was. Shame.

"Smokefur," he huffs, turning his gaze back towards the tom. "Flamewhisker will continue to her patrols now, I believe. You've made your point, certainly," Skyclaw mutters, pointedly glaring down the mother. He dares her with no words to continue on her tirade, to lose the life of one of her own for the chance of steal his. He clicks his teeth together, tauntingly, "Right?"
 
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Wildheart joined the gathered crowd to listen to the utter farce of a meeting. His ears were flattened back in irritation as he stared at Skyclaw as he prattled on about this and that, though he nearly choked on a scoff when getting his nine lives was mentioned. "As if StarClan would ever bless that rat with such an honour. Howlingstar would never allow it." There were enough in the stars to bring him the comfort to know that such a pretender would never ascend to such lofty heights.

However, his patience boiled over as apprentices were being named warriors. In particular his apprentice was given a name! Wildheart's eyes widened with fury and disgust! "Excuse me?! Wrathpaw hasn't passed any of his assessments, and if I recall murdering other cats is hardly grounds for becoming a warrior. Are you trying to get the clan's apprentices killed? And what sort of names were those?" His lips curled back into a snarl as he flexed his claws into the grass beneath him.

 
Ma-ACK

She stops immediately in her tracks, and whips her head around to see no other than the smoke furred tom who had stopped her from helping Howlingstar. Underneath his heavy paw, her daughter lay trapped. Her breath hitched, and she took a quick step backwards. She couldn't take her gaze off of Bugpaw, her eyes rounding like a deer in headlights. Perhaps I'll grant you some mercy and drop your burdens down to four.. The threat flushed a whole new level of anger throughout her, but she obeyed him without hesitation. "Let her go." She forced her ears to lay back, but she couldn't flatten her bristling fur...like an angry wolf backed into a corner. There was no way out of this, not without her daughter joining Flycatcher, Lilykit, and Butterflykit.

She never imagined to be thankful to hear Skyclaw's voice. At first, she had assumed he was giving the order to kill. If her outburst had caused the death of any of her kits...that would have been the end. Her heart was racing as her gaze burned into Bugpaw's, awaiting the order...but he called the brute off. Flamewhisker let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "Yes..yes..I will."
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  • ooc.
  • FLAMEWHISKER —— deputy of thunderclan , mentoring none . storm x lily . littermate to nala, smokey, and nemo ✦ penned by icey !
    afab / she/her / 36 moons & ages every 20ᵗʰ
    widowed / heterosexual / closed to romance
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / underline & tag account when attacking
    —— difficult in battle

    speech”, 'thoughts', all opinions are in character
    tags — msg on discord for plots — toyhouse
  • 74170852_bklpiIOmSWVpAVE.png

    a longhaired red tabby with low white and green eyes. flamewhisker's fur is a vibrant hue of red, riddled with thick classic tabby markings. her fur is medium in length, and she has a large, feathery tail. her chest, belly, tail tip, and her paws are dipped white. flamewhisker's eyes are a dark, deep shade of green. her shoulder has a large scar on it from a fight with a dog. she also has a shredded ear from a disagreement with a loner during her time alone before joining thunderclan. on particularly cold days, or sometimes before a major weather change, she will walk with a slight limp from her shoulder injury.
 

ˏˋ*⁀➷ Antlerpoison. Doecry.

This has to be some cruel joke.

Have I not proved my loyalty enough already?

Skyclaw is taunting her, she's certain. Next, he'll take her name, turn it into some twisted mockery. Fallowhound. Fallowhowl. She bites down on her lip to keep the venom from slipping between her jutting teeth. The pit in her stomach grows wider by the day; she must be hollow with it by now. It's only a matter of time before the wolves descend upon her, upon her sisters. She can't keep this charade up forever - and here he is daring her to break it.

How could she have ever thought he was someone worth trusting? One of the better ones, she'd declared him in quiet conversations with herself. Someone who knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of prejudice.

And now, he stands as mockery of a leader, grins serpentine and satisfied at her sister's anguish. All her work to keep them out of sight is for nothing.

Skyclaw is drunk on blood, and he won't stop until he's taken every last drop that ThunderClan has to offer.

A voice rises: her sister. Fallowbite's claws rake across the ground, each of Antler's words lodging like claws between her ribs. Her spit curses seem pulled from its own mind, all the words it's too cowardly to say. Its sister has a death wish, it seems - and yet it cannot quite bedgrude her the defiance. There is something satisfying to hear her timid sister tear down Skyclaw from his throne with roaring, righteous words.

She licks her lips. Oh, what she'd give to tear the life from the hollow of his neck.

It takes Antler's sudden departure to snap it back to reality. Skyclaw has not come for it openly. His cruelty is only in words - and it stings, it does, he has laid no claws upon Doe nor Antler. Not yet. She lets her voice raise so that the rest of Skyclaw's followers can hear her. "Don't mind her," Fallowbite drawls, casting her lone eye after her more outspoken sister.

Her gaze flickers briefly to Doe's departing form, conflicted. Comfort can come later; now is the time for damage control. "She'll see reason soon enough, I'll make sure of it." Her body feels like it's on fire, nerves prickling across the length of her pelt. Her tail flicks as she turns to stalk after Antler.

She still has time to fix things.


  • 84967151_9ydGxfWsqAPcif1.png
  • FALLOWBITE ⁀➷ she / it, warrior of thunderclan, twelve moons.
    a scarred, pointed brown and white molly with shaggy fur and golden eyes.
    standoffish and solitary, always seems to have a dark cloud hanging over its head.
    baying hound xx npc, littermate to antlerbreeze & doepath.
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
    penned by SATURNID ↛ saturnids on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
 
*+:。.。 Wrathpaw, named comedically after one of the most vile emotions a cat can experience. Once in his kit-hood, he'd bawled his eyes out to his mother, asking her how she could've given him such a mean-sounding name. She had been sweet in her reply, promising the killer that his name wasn't something to revile, but to honor, in the same way all emotions should be. Anger - wrath - wasn't something that should be ashamed of, but to harness. It was an emotion that brought many cats strength, after all!
Wrathpaw wasn't so sure about his mother's optimism, not anymore, at least.

His name was a curse. Or perhaps, it was more accurate to say it was an omen - a promise that if he led with his namesake...well, this was his destination, wasn't it? Sitting before the high rock, unable to blink away from the red stain he knew no amount of rain or time could ever clean from High Rock's sacred stone face. It would always be there, Howlingstar's blood, even if he couldn't see it past the lens of memory.
Scorched upon his mind's eye it will always be.

It's fitting to see Skyclaw up there, drenched in that invisible blood he so happily stomps upon. It's even more fitting that Wrathpaw sits far below, yet still painfully close to his feet, a dog obedient to its master, tied up and forced to bathe in the drip, drip, drip of that unending supply of ichor. It sounds like shattering bones snapping on repeat. Still, he endures it. He has nowhere else to go, after all.

He's in a daze when Skyclaw lists his name. At first, he can only blink tiredly, unable to process Sproutpaw's ceremony. Still, a thought does manage to slip through the fog - Sproutpaw...but he's too young to be a warrior...we're practically the same age.
And then, as if on cue, amber eyes turn on him.


Wrathpaw thinks about copper. The taste of it on his tongue, was metallic and warm, the color of a bleeding sunset. He thinks about swallowtail wings torn to shreds just as they sought to take flight, fluttering to land amidst the leaf litter as easily discarded as autumn blooms like shards of topaz left to twinkle once then no more.
"Wrathpaw" his ears sting with adder's venom, with the sound of crunching bones, with the last gasp of a dying breath, listen closely... No, no, no - no more plans, no more schemes, I can't do it
It's too late to say that now.

The wolf with hollow blue eyes can only stare as he's praised for his traits - You are sharp, you are ferocious, he feels no kinship with. Skyclaw is digging his teeth into Wrathpaw's throat, he must be, for why else is his stomach suddenly on fire, the back of his mouth dry and tasteless? He can't breathe, he can't think, he can only look into those two fiery golden orbs, somehow more alive than Pebblestep's will ever be yet glowing with the shine of death, the promise of it, a scorching sun that steals cool breezes and burns away cleansing rain, leaving behind an uninhabitable desert in its wake.

"ThunderClan welcomes the warrior you are to be."

Wrath-howl.

Protests ring around him instead of cheers. He sits alone, small and terribly young, and finds no statement more false in his entire life. Thunderclan does not welcome him, and he can't say he blames them.

Wildheart, his mentor, is among the loudest - or at the very least, one of the few voices he cares to listen to. The killer would look despondently upon his mentor, wishing more than anything to hide behind Wildheart's shadow, as he would've if he belonged still in his guiding wing. But he doesn't. Perhaps that's for the best, lest his mentor's name be dragged in the mud alongside....well, Wrath-howl's.

He clenches and unclenches his jaw, fighting to unstick his tongue from the dry roof of his mouth. Watching Followbite excuse its sister is enough to motivate the cream-colored wolf in tabby markings to shake his head desperately at Wildheart, "Don't - don't Wildheart." it's more of a mewl than an order, but Wrath-howl presses on, "it's the new order. Accept it." he casts his attention briefly to Bugpaw and Flamewhisker, swallowing thickly as he imagined his mentor beneath the claws of the next follower of Skyclaw's.

It is what it is.


He squeezes his eyes shut, wondering if, wherever Gentlestorm believes Wrath-howl's soul will go, he can at least apologize to Howlingstar on the other side.
Wherever his soul goes in the next life, he hopes his new name won't go with it. But just as the blood on his paws remains ever-present long after it's washed away, he doubts he'll cleanse himself of the stain of this name, and all that it means, anytime soon.



  • GENERAL:
    Wrathpaw
    DMAB— He/Him
    10 moons — Ages 1 moon every month real-time
    Brother to Lovelight, Joywing, Laughblossom || Pridepaw, Merrypaw
    Thunderclan — apprentice
    Mentored by Wildheart


    COMBAT:
    Physically mediocre | mentally very easy
    Attack in bold #4a59ff
    injuries: None currently , mentally unwell
    "SPEECH"