LOOKING FOR A BAIL-OUT ↷ [ patrol discussion ]



The sorrow deepens as his young ones' whereabouts yet linger in darkness. Profound, soul-crushing defeat, unparalleled by any other failure he's endured prior, consumes him whole, and he powerlessly grapples with it, bereft of any solace to cling to. Halfkit and Tanglekit, wherever they may dwell - if they still dwell - await a saviour, but all attempts to afford them their salvation had amounted to naught. Five patrols in total. Five. One, in which the swamp's entirety was scoured for even the faintest trace of them, and the remainder relayed to the neighbouring clans. All futile in their pursuit, a step backwards rather than forwards. The most agonising aspect wasn't the not knowing; it was the whispering suspicion that certain individuals held knowledge beyond their disclosure.

The ashen tom sits at Clanrock's base, and in his midst stand Granitepelt, Skunktail, and Chilledstar. Clanmates who'd helmed the patrols to ThunderClan, SkyClan, and RiverClan respectively, with the deputy himself having led a unit towards their moorland neighbours. Bitterness steams off his tongue, and his knuckles are locked so firmly, his claws were one with the soil at this point. "What have we learned?" he puts forward, lying in wait for their purposeless answers. This discussion wouldn't be held, had the patrols unearthed anything pertinent. "I've a hunch on something, a... gut feeling. I think some may know more than they let on."

⁂​

// @GRANITEPELT @CHILLEDSTAR. @Skunktail
// anyone may contribute to the discussion, but the emphasis should initially be on the patrol leaders!
// ALSO THIS TAKES PLACE BEFORE SUNSTRIDE'S VISIT AJKDHKLASDJALKHSDL

 
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Skunktail raises a back paw, scratches at the back of his ear, mongrel-like, unrefined but his posture straightens back up into its usual nonchalant slouch once he had gotten that particular itch dealt with.
"SkyClan ain't seen'em and I feel they're being honest. If there's one clan I ain't worried about lying to our faces and snatching kits its those buffoons." The kittypet clan was hardly the most threatening clan among them all, Blazestar was a puffball of nothing -he could take the guy in a fight easy, maybe they'd get an edge once Orangeblossom became leader; she had the tenacity and grit for dirty work that dainty paws otherwise can't handle and she'd answered them all bluntly and to the point when they came calling.
"It's got to be one of our neighbors, eh? WindClan or ThunderClan had to have snatched them- I don't see any other option that isn't the more upsetting ones." He didn't want to tell Smogmaw to his face that if the kits weren't taken then they were certainly dead by now, but it was obvious to anyone who listened it was what he was implying. They either needed to be in another clan somewhere or they were probably not alive anymore. Or maybe, an odd third option, that some passing loner snatched them up to adopt or something. Couldn't be the rogues, any rogue would consider a three moon old kit a waste of time and effort to raise when they had higher priorities such as themselves and their own bellies.
"...ThunderClan let us go to SkyClan, even escorted us there all polite like." Though that was probably out of mistrust and he couldn't really blame Howlingstar for that, "...lot of show to make a point if it was them. They seem holier than thou enough to think kits would do better in their clan than ours. If its WindClan then it was out of spite entirely, bunch of fools they are...though it'd be stupid to steal kits and then declare war on the entire forest by snatching Highstones right after don't you think?"
No way they'd be so arrogant as to draw that much attention to themselves after robbing another clan of its children. But it made more sense than ThunderClan. Maybe he was just trying to ignore the obvious option that the kits were dead. Maybe he was just rejecting the idea outright and trying to force something else to make sense...

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  • 62602478_UrpK9NsUJpgnTSw.png
    Skunktail
    —⊰⋅ Warrior of ShadowClan
    —⊰⋅ He/Him
    "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
    —⊰⋅ SH Black & white tom w/spearmint green eyes

 
They've been instructed by their mentor to be quiet and to listen, and to learn about Clan politics at play. Deerpaw is good at that. They've always been good at asking questions, or so they've been told. They sit at the fringes of the congregation, attentive to the conversation passing so far between Smogmaw and Skunktail, eyes eagerly flicking back and forth between the two toms as if they're watching a particularly interesting game of moss-ball unfold. It's horrible that Smogmaw's kits are missing, they remind themself sharply with what might constitute a flinch or a wince. But it's interesting, says the voice in their head that they listen to more often.

"Is it ever not WindClan?" There's a touch of complaint to Deerpaw's voice as they speak up to the nearest Clanmate, though the distinct lack of sarcasm to their meow marks the question as genuine. Every time they've been privy to problems caused by another Clan, the culprit has always been their moor-bound neighbours (excepting the yellowcough plague, which had nearly undoubtedly been SkyClan's fault).
 
Frostbite listens to those present and finds himself agreeing with Skunktail. It's true, Thunderclan had been quite eager to help.... But there was the possibility that it was genuine. He's never met a.... Bad Thunderclanner. None of the ones he's seen strike him as.... Morally lacking. They all seemed to have, like Skunktail said, a holier than thou attitude about them and he doesn't take Howlingstar for someone who would be THAT underhanded.

This doesn't absolve them of suspicion, however. Because it's either them or Windclan, and no matter how many times he thinks about it, he always ends up with Windclan as his answer if it isn't rogues or predators. He smiles at his son, who shares the same sentiment.

"You're right. Windclan is the only clan that would stoop to this level." He says. "Not to mention.....They were pretty strange at the border. Suspiciously nice and sympathetic, unheard of for them." He says. He then looks to Smogmaw. "You saw that one molly too, right? The one who blurted out in surprise and gave that weasel grinned tom a look?"

He thumps his tail thoughtfully. "It would be foolish of them to kitnap and then take highstones.... But Windclan is foolish. They are arrogant and believe they are the strongest clan in the forest. That was a show of arrogance, when they took highstones." He says to Skunktail.

He does second guess himself. His argument for suspecting Windclan was because they were nice at the border. It seems stupid, when he thinks about it. That, and the grudge he holds for their brazen attack on their deputy. Thunderclan has a motive too, from last leafbare when Shadowclan stole prey from them. But Thunderclan hasn't attacked Shadowclan outright, like Windclan has... And the constant venom that spits from their cats gives him plenty of suspicion when they're suddenly nice, with only a few spitting vitriol in a group as big as the one they had met.

At the end of the day, Frostbite is totally fine barging into each camp in this forest to see who's lying and who's not.​
 
DON'T YOU GIVE ME UP, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP

they're not truly present. something in them thinks that maybe they left part of themself upon the border of riverclan when they said they hadn't seen the kits. their gaze is hollow, at most, and their stomach hurts. or does it? they aren't sure of they can feel it, feel anything, but dread. their dull eyes turn towards the other patrol leaders and they twitch their tail back and forth.

"they're not in riverclan."

is all they have to offer. there is nothing more to be said. they didn't want to think about where they couldn't be. they wanted to know where they were.

"blaming windclan seems fun, but we will not walk blindly into a death trap. we walk within the shadows, not within the moors."
 

Lilacfur hadn't been able to attend any of the patrols, much to her dismay. Her body still recovering after receiving the lungwort, she was left to hear all the information secondhand as they gathered beneath the Deputy. They shared their reports, one after another and she listened as they came to the slow conclusion of the possible culprit. Lilacfur sighed as small ears pinned down in frustration, looking away from the crowd.

"ShadowClan has had too much injustice. After all this Clan has done for them, in their weakest moments." The pale rosette grimaced and she closed her eyes, forcing herself to take a deep, wheezy breath. "It almost feels too easy to blame WindClan. They're always the villain, yet if we ignore the signs and it turns out they truly acted so diabolical..." Ugh.
[ sad hello's and mad high low's ]
 
" I'M AN ANGEL " ?
TELL ME WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT

siltcloud 17 moons female she/her shadowclan warrior

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Siltcloud knows exactly where the kits are - or at least, where they'd sent them. For all she knows, windclan had eaten them or something - liars and fox-hearts, all of them, she doesn't dare assume anything they'd old granitepelt had been the truth. But really... it'd been a stupid idea. This was far from forgetting about orphaned kits, from assuming rogues had snatched them away - no, each day has them creeping closer to the truth. She can only hope that when her brother falls from grace, she won't be dragged down with him. Instead of speaking any such thoughts aloud though, she lets them argue - lets them gossip. Standing just a bit too close to lilacfur, dust hued molly watches through lowered head and lashed, green eyes sharp. " I'm sure we'll find out the truth soon, be it windclan or thunderclan... " she says quietly, hoping to offer what little comfort she can.

actions & " speech, " & 'thoughts/quotes'

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