My shield, my steady hand | moonstone return

[Dandelionwish]

It was just a name but it meant so much more to him than anything else right now; he rolled it in his head and let it settle there in his thoughts so he could continue thinking about it and the meaning it held. There was going to be changes in WindClan, but to start them off he had to change himself. It was not as simple as what was right and what was wrong, he would need to pick his battles carefully and speak up when it was most important; it was apparent that his dealings with Sootstar were going to shift significantly. Sootstar hated Honeytwist, they had come to a mutual but strained acceptance of one another in the end and it had not been enough. She was going to take advantage of the fact he did not hate her guts as his mentor did, but he was was also going to take advantage of that in his own way. His name had not just been a new title bestowed upon him but a promise of acceptance and understanding from StarClan. He now had a place to fall back on, he had cats who believed in him. There was a reason Sootstar was here as their leader with her lack of empathy and tactless militaristic standing. Either he was going to help guide her or he was going to stick his claws in her throat the second it became apparent they had no other alternative. So be it. In the meantime, he would hope this was something he could handle without bloodshed.
First things first...

Dandelionwish wasted not a moment on his return, a beeline breaking for the medicine cat den and he stopped like a rigid statue before the nest his mentor once claimed. He had left it, clinging to the scent and familiarity of its place within the den since she had been cast away. Part of him wanted it to stay there forever, the dried flowers in it a reminder of softer, gentler times. But he knew he had to stop being so naive, so blissfully ignorant. She was gone, clinging to her shadow was not going to do him any good and though it pained him he reached down to grab at the edge of the bracken with his teeth and started to drag it across the camp to where he could toss its remains as part of their border; to be shredded and added to the slim defenses within the tall grass. With effort he twisted, rose up on his hindlegs and hurled the old nesting aside. There was room now for another smaller nest for injured or sick cats. He'd leave it empty for now but the back area was now going to be secluded.


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[VULTUREMASK]

From a distance he watched as Sootstar and Dandelion'paw' returned back to come after thier visit to the moonstone. He had no clue what had happend there, had no clue what exactly they even was doing in the first place when going there. But he was back now, so that meant he was thier new medicine cat now?. Leechpaw would wait for a moment or two before he rose to his paws and slowly made his way over to the medicine cat den with teeths tightly clenched. He hated to go anywhere near that den now, the stench of death and Rosepaw's dead body laying in there fresh in his mind. He couldn't enter in the end so froze right outside of the dens entrence. He was not ready. Every breath he took made it difficult just to breath being this close... He hissed quietly to himself, and retreated himself by turning his back to seat down right outside the den. Another moment of silence fell over the dark pelted tom like he was in no rush to speak. " How...did it go?" he finally asked, his voice reaching inside hopefully to reach Dandelionpaws ears.


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[SOOTSTAR]

By the time they returned it felt like her paws were about to fall off... Pawpads were worn and cracked due to the rocky terrain they had crossed, and the thunderpath had been no help to that. Perhaps the first test she could give Dandelionwish was treating her pawpads... Maybe if they still ached in the coming hours, he'd need his rest.

Sootstar gives a smile to those who greet her upon entry, chatting them while Dandelionwish drug out his mentor's former nest and tossed it over the gorse wall. It was about time he got that thing out of there... they didn't need her anymore; he didn't need her anymore.

How did it go? Inquires the ebony furred tom, Sootstar moves closer to the scene before twitching her whiskers. "As good as it could've." She smiles, allowing the medicine cat to share his new name for himself. ​

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Spoiler: TAGS ★ 10/19

( primary character / "speech" / ic opinions )​

╰ ★ ჻ 001 GENERAL INFORMATION ,
· SOOTSTAR, female — she / her
╰ ‣ 31 moons . pisces. ages on the first
╰ ‣ windclan leader . marsh-born . believes in starclan
╰ ‣ former soldier of the marsh group

╰ ★ ჻ 002 VISUALS & AESTHETICS ,
· DOMESTIC FELINE, smells like heather and wet dirt , status — 100%
╰ ‣ blue smoke . scarred chest, difficult to see through fur . green eyes

╰ ★ ჻ 003 MENTALITY & MANNERISMS ,
· ESTJ-A ❝ EXECTUTIVE ❞ , Slytherin, Lawful Evil
╰ ‣ Cunning, brash, fierce, confident, self-reliant, envious & selfish
╰ ‣ finds great difficulty in relating to others . can be cruel, usually shows mercy to those she can find sympathy with
╰ ‣ Appreciates titles such as "miss, m'am" etc

╰ ★ ჻ 004 INTERACTIONS & RELATIONSHIPS ,
· SOOT CLAW x PEBBLE BREEZE, sister to Pebblenose
╰ ‣ heterosexual. romantically interested in Weaselclaw
╰ ‣ mother to owlpaw & shrikepaw
╰ ‣ average fighter . skilled hunter .
╰ ‣ will start fights . unlikely to flee .
╰ ‣ attack in underline . penned by user @ava.

 

[ｂｌａｃｋｐａｗ]

( ★ ) pawsteps were entering camp. normally not a very interesting occurrence, but blackpaw could smell sootstar and their new medicine cat. he finished tidying up the apprentice's den and exited soon enough to hear sootstar say it went well. the apprentice trotted up to the medicine den, excited to hear if anything interesting happened. although he knew dandelionpaw couldn't tell anyway.
"so," he chirped excitedly "what's your new name?" the one part he could talk about! he wasn't oblivious to the mood on the air, but hoped a cheerful attitude could help encourage the sepia tom to feel a little better.​

( DO I SOUND LIKE A JOKE WHEN IM TALKING TO YOU )

 

[Dandelionwish]

He turned, met Leechpaw's stare and question that seemed more uncertain than usual and he padded out to sit alongside the other with a thoughtful smile. It was hard to articulate how it went, Sootstar said 'as good as it could've' but he wasn't sure anymore. He wasn't sure if he would call it good or bad, it just felt final. Infinite. He and Leechpaw were not much different in age yet he felt strangely wizened by the journey, as if he'd lived countless lives like a leader; spinning through nine in the span of a single night. When he finally spoke he had to withold himself from blurting things out he knew might be sacriligeous, so he restrained from his usual method of shouting in exuberance to give a curt nod, "...it...went well. Yeah. It's Dandelionwish now." He answered both to the unspoken curiousity and to Blackpaw's more direct manner of going about things, "...StarClan's a lot more real than I thought it was...not that it wasn't before but..." Dandelionwish burned with the desire to spill every detail, every drop of it onto the floor for the clan to see; awash the moors with starlight and tell them how they needed to strive to be better because it was right there in front of them. "I think we're gonna be alright..."


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[Duskfire]

I WANT SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS​

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For once, Duskfire found himself was a cause to be happy. Dandelion was a cat who'd proven their worth to the clan a dozen times over in his eyes, and he was pleased to hear that everything had gone well as the pair made their return to camp. Duskfire had never had an encounter with Starclan himself, and to be honest he couldn't even begin to comprehend the likes of it all, but he wasn't against believing in a bunch of dead cats. After all, he knew so little about the world already that dead cats visiting you in your sleep was just as plausable as half the other stuff he'd learned about- things he formerly wouldn't have even considered to be real.

By the time he made his way over there was already a small group gathered around the leader and healer, but the Deputy didn't seem to mind. He cared a lot less about a lot of things these days and his social awkwardness was one of them.

"Congrats on the new name; Dandelionwish suits you." he said, offering the younger tom a small grin of approval before green eyes shifted to Sootstar, smile slowly fading. "Did you speak with Starclan tonight as well, Sootstar?" he asked, tone somewhat hesitant. "Was- was Rosepaw there?"

Try as he might, Duskfire still felt horribly guilty over what had happened to his apprentice. He had heard the other Windclanners trying to console him with their words of 'he's with starclan now', but the words could only offer so much comfort when Duskfire didn't truly understand what they meant. Was Rosepaw really with Starclan? Was he.. Was he happy up there? Was he angry with Duskfire for failing him? He had so many questions that was desperate for answers, because it didn't feel right to let go of his grief when Rosepaw might not be at peace.
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windclan deputy- male - 21 months - single - tall, strong bengal tomcat

 

[THYMEROOT]

He waits.

Waits for his all-too-young brother to return from his journey to the moonstone, from his graduation from medicine cat apprentice to medicine cat. Thymepaw has to remind himself that Dandelionpaw will be okay, that he'll come back safe, but it doesn't stop images of Sootstar arriving alone, standing atop Tallrock to announce his brother's exile - to announce yet another new medicine cat - from rolling through his mind.

It won't happen. He knows. However, the fear still lingers until his brother's in his sight, returning home from his trek.

He's back. He's safe.

"Dandelionpaw!" he calls, perhaps the loudest the quiet tom has ever spoken. The flower-laden fawn point bounds forward to greet his littermate, glee bubbling within him. He's safe, he's safe, he's safe. "You're back! How'd it go?"

Thymepaw pauses, blinks.

Right - he graduated, so... he's no longer Dandelionpaw, right?

"Err.. I reckon I oughta call you something else now, yeah?" Blackpaw asks similar, and it's after that his brother announces his name: Dandelionwish. No longer a paw. Soon, Thymepaw would follow suit. What an odd thing to think about, name changes.

"Dandelionwish," he repeats, getting a feel for the name he'll have to call his brother from now on. A nod of his head follows, a small smile, "I like it. Suits you well."

Dandelionpaw - wish, Dandelionwish - speaks little of what had happened during his ceremony, but he says something of reassurance: they were going to be alright. Thymepaw hopes he's right, but knows that - despite how young Dandelionwish is, despite how much Thymepaw wishes things had gone differently for his littermate - there's no one better for the star-gifted role placed upon him.

"You will do great," he promises his brother. WindClan's best medicine cat was standing before him - Thymepaw was sure of it.
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[VULTUREMASK]

Leechpaw would remain silent as Dandelionpaw joined him on the outside of the medic den, and shortly after followed Blackpaw and Sootstar who was quick to answer it had all gone well. When it come to starclan though it always seemed to be going well if asking thier leader about it. Dandelionpaw would be quick to confirm it as well along...with his new name. Dandelionwish. " Good.That's good. Your name is...not that bad either." Was the best of a compliment he could give them right now. The talk about starclan though made him have to force his own fur to lay flat. His anger did not only lay with the hawks but so it did with starclan as well. The hawks had killed his friend but starclan had been the one who had taken him. If they could give Sootstar nine lives then...they could have given Rosepaw some extra lives as well. He hated them for how unjust they where.

The conversation was turning sour for him, but he stayed even when Thymepaw showed up to congrats his brother as well. It was Duskfire though and what he said that made his heart drop to the ground. 'Was-was Rosepaw there?' Quickly he would stand up and he would hurry himself away from there with teeths clenched tightly. He didn't wanted to hear anymore of this bullshit. If Rosepaw was up there or not, if he was happy with being...dead. He refused to believe his fallen friend would be satisfied with his fate....to have got stolen so harshly from life. Leechpaw didn't wanted to hear what Rosepaw had or hadn't said. He wasn't ready for any of this.

So he left before he could hear any of it.

// out!


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