private NOW MY TUMMY HURTS &. counsel meeting

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

DON'T YOU GIVE ME UP, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP​

---

none of this should have happened. they needed to consult in their other high positions. needed their approval. needed to do something. this wasn't fair. this wasn't fucking fair. nettlepaw shouldn't been been alone. he shouldn't have. because whatever rogue did this to him couldn't have possibly held their own against two shadowclanners. and training... they needed to be more vigorous. more ruthless than other clans when it came to fighting because it was the only way they could survive, especially when there was so many threats to their lives. it seems like they never truly get a break. not one. why did the stars hate them so much?

"i don't mean to interrupt your rest, all of you. but this is important. more important than sleep. more important than anything. we need to do something about this. he shouldn't have been alone. he shouldn't have had to... he's dead. and he shouldn't be. just like every other cat that's died here from wandering out of camp when I've told them not to. do I need to be more strict? what can we do if cats just won't take us serious, even when cats keep dying?"
​

 

[Frostbite]

Rest? What rest!? Frostbite has been awake this whole time, no rest to be had, mind or body. Who's next. Which of his kits is next. The possibility that he could wake up one day and one of his kits could be dead haunts him even more than it did before. The chance is higher than it should be, and it terrifies him. He hovers over Poppypaw more than he should, probably. He does a headcount of his kits every day, multiple times even. He's utterly terrified.

Chilledstar is absolutely right. Something needs to be done. He agrees with them, they aren't taken seriously. None of them seem to be taken seriously.

"We need to be more strict. Not just you." Frostbite says. "I'd think that it would be clear to everyone not to go out on their own, but it seems they need a more stern reminder. This cannot continue. We need to enforce our rules more strictly and punish those who disobey them. We can't keep losing cats like this. We can't be this negligent." He says firmly, but not aggressively. "Furthermore, I think we need to watch our borders much more closely. Siltcloud was able to trespass several times before... " He pauses. "Before she killed Comfreypaw and seemingly disappeared. Whoever killed Nettlepaw was probably on their way to trespassing further, had he not been there. We need to show cats, clan or not, that our borders are not to be crossed. That doing so will have severe consequences."

Cats wandering off when they shouldn't was one problem. Their borders being ignored was another that made that problem worse. They need to conquer the marsh, not the other way around.​

 

[SHARPSHADOW]

He feels a foreigner, within this den. One day he had been Sharpshadow, the too - late warrior. Pathetic enough to be picked on by apprentices; by warriors younger than him. The next, he had been Sharpshadow, the lead warrior, and not long after Nettlepaw's corpse had washed up on their shore. She didn't know how she was supposed to think, as a lead warrior. She didn't know what to do, what to say, or what to enforce. She just knew an apprentice was dead, and he would only be one of many within these past few moons.

What can we do? What did the rest of them have to do with anything? What did Sharpshadow, who couldn't so much as have a conversation? Sharpshadow sits, and he looks at his paws. Wide silver eyes stay stagnant, their jittering only to be seen by those who paid attention. And who would ever afford him that?

Frostbite is speaking. It's always been him, with something to say. The same nerves keeping Sharpshadow from moving at all keep her from shaking her head in reply.

" The... the punishment for leaving is death, " Sharpshadow croaks. Her gaze fleetingly passes over Chilledstar, Smogmaw, Frostbite... those who... were her superiors, or something like that, unlike someone like Forestshade. He could not believe how she's ended up here, but then... he wondered the same for Smogmaw, and for himself. " What... What would being more strict do, if the worst punishment of all has already happened again and again? If – if that's not scary enough for cats, then... " Now, he shakes his head. Negligent, they may be, but this issue was one of stupidity. Leaf - bare drives to hunger, which drives to wanting to hunt. Those who've left for seperate reasons were idiots, plain and simple.

What Frostbite says next, he thinks is... better. " I think... " wearily, eyes flicker to Chilledstar. They'd asked, hadn't they? They want to know what he thinks? " I think we should... we need to get rid of the killers, if you – we want anything to change, " he says. Would more patrols do that, though? " Get rid of them, " poignantly, he repeats, though not even he is sure what he means by it.

with myself i must play in this game of charades ( ♱ ) cause there's no one to speak to

• 
  
  

• 

• 
  SHARPSHADOW: he / she , no pref , dislikes gender neutral language ; fine with gendered terms ; 19 moons old as of 2.2.24
  

  dark smoke feline that stands at an above average height. Easily identifiable by her namesake – an unruly mat of fur, destined to be cluttered by inconsistencies between chimera halves. Burdened with a broken tail, often lying dead behind her in the dirt.

  Anxious, antisocial, paranoid. Sharpshadow has not known peace for a single time in his life, and lives anticipating inevitable dangers to the detriment of herself and others.
  heavy ic opinions! he's irrational and mean </3

​

 

[smogstar]

The guidance laid out before ShadowClan's rank-and-file is not overly complex. It is a modest- no, simple request to expect compliance, is it not? Chilledstar's word is law, the wishes of StarClan is gospel, and the rules outlined in-between are not subject to questioning. These are the boundaries that ensure ShadowClan's security. These are the limits which steer the clan and shield it from uncertainty. These are the concepts, clear and easy to understand, binding the community and sustaining its order. As such, this sudden trend of nonchalance, and its growing death toll, cannot be allowed any further room for infection.

Whether it is hubris or just stupidity driving unaccompanied cats into the wider marsh, is not the concern; the result, however, is unacceptable. Injury, and, most damningly, death must not become so casualized as they now are. And it is for that very reason the leader has convened their council to establish an appropriate response.

Chilledstar regurgitates their predicament. How cats from the clan have, routinely, become injured or outright perish due to solitary expeditions outside camp. Willful disobedience has long passed its threshold, they make apparent, and has evolved into brazen, self-slaying idiocy. A lonesome jaunt resulted in Starlingheart narrowly avoiding death, and that wasn't enough to dissuade Nettlepaw from getting himself snuffed out. Any and all preventative measures already put into motion have simply fallen upon uncooperative ears. ShadowClan cannot afford any further fatalities, and for this reason, the deputy firmly agrees with Frostbite.

The snow-furred tom is afforded a prompt nod before the deputy returns his focus onto the leader, beginning the thread of recommendations. "It must be made possible that none of our vulnerable cats, queens 'n apprentices alike, cannot leave camp on their whims. Lilacfur-" stern gaze wafts through the den to identify the molly, "-did well to catch Needledrift from leaving camp a couple days ago." What tripe, by the way. Needledrift, who put her life on the line to retrieve the ever-vital lungwort, reared her head and tried to leave camp. Not an ounce of self-preservation in her kit-swollen belly.

"The solution most immediate, in my mind, is expanding on the rule already in place," he meows. "Not only are the sick, young, and queens barred from leaving camp alone, but all cats of all ranks should be expected to prevent them from doing so as well. Punish those who enable wandering cats accordingly." It is the safest, least-intrusive option available. They could go a step further, making it so only officially-sanctioned groups are permitted to leave camp, but the extra bureaucracy and scrutiny will undoubtedly chafe egos and garner disobedience. And he is under no disillusions. ShadowClan has her fair share of free thinkers who enjoy being the pettiest sort of thorn in his tail.

With the primary subject addressed, Smogmaw seizes his former apprentice's stare. "Lethal force," he remarks with a huff, dipping his head slowly. "I agree, but let us think about what that entails." What do an unguarded medicine cat and two defenseless apprentices have in common? "Those who're hunting our clanmates seek only easy prey. Branching off what Chilledstar said, it's only because Nettlepaw was alone that he was slain without worry. So, considering this..." his words, unraveling a sordid trail, become laced in thick poison. He exhales. "...We would have to lay out a trap and set an ambush. Draw out our unruly guests, make them feel secure 'n confident, and strike. We've suffered under their trespass for too long." Lips curl in a half-snarl, yellowed teeth glinting with disdain. "But I'm not keen on figuring out what- er, who to use as bait."

Stony eyes flit to his leader's, narrowing solemnly. The situation has spiraled past mere meddlesomeness. It is a terribly risky proposal, implicating disastrous repercussions for its failure. Thus, he keeps it constrained the realm of hypotheticals, an unsavory suggestion rather than actionable demand. There are boundless alternatives, he is sure.​

 

[Starlingheart]

Her son is dead. Starlingheart does not sleep that night following anyways, so to be dragged from her nest, from her den, for this talk is a mercy. One which she willingly complies with, even if she walks with her tail dragging in the dirt, even if she sits in the shadows with her once bright green eye dulled and downcast. He shouldn't have been alone Chilledstar says and she agrees. Nettlepaw never should have been left on his own, not when there were so many dangerous souls haunting their territory right now.

In a way, Sharpshadow is right. Death should scare the members of ShadowClan into leaving on their own, but she knows her clan. She knows all of them are so stubborn, so headstrong and unwilling to listen. It is a quality of her home that she loves and loathes in equal measure. It is Frostbite's words that cause her to wince "Yes thank the stars he was there so that whoever killed him could not tresspass" she hisses with more malice than what she is normally capable of. She regrets it immediately but she does not apologize.

Bait. Smogmaw wants to use a cat to hopefully lure one of the killers out. Someone vulnerable, weak. "I'll-I'll do it" she volunteers immediately. She was the perfect lure, after all. Siltcloud had every reason to hate her, Granitepelt would want to finish what he had started and any rogue would take one look at her rib-thin scarred pelt and deem her an easy target (which they would be correct about). And she would never dream to let another go in her place. Ever.

​

 

[Magpiepaw]

—————————————————————⊰♰⊱————————————————————

The fools who keep leaving camp know better and do not care for their lives nor the lives of those wishing to defend them. He wants to say they should just let them go and get killed, at what point does authority mean keeping a cat caged to ensure their survival? If they didn't want to be safe and guarded then they could just as easily go be loners, "Imprison or remove them, what does it matter." Exile for leaving camp while pregnant? Well, Magpiepaw wasn't sure how he felt on that but frankly too many ShadowClanners were acting like idiots to ignore the issue any longer. Those carrying kits wore said offspring like a shield against punishment as though the mere act of carrying young meant you could not have your ears chewed off.

Soul still tender from the loss of Nettlepaw he leans in carefully to his mentor's side as he listens to the rest of the discussion with only partial interest. Healing was his job and idiocy was not easily fixed with plant nor poultrice, if it were then he would have his paws full with ShadowClan certainly.
Smogmaw's suggestion has some merit but even as he mulls it over he hears his mentor speak and his blood turns to ice and chills his body to the core in an instant.
"No." He says stifly in a way that is sharper than he usually means to speak but Starlingheart's attempt to throw herself into a den of wolves is met with a rare flash of teeth and anger bubbling to the surface of the usually docile medicine cat apprentice. "You will do no such thing."

"If there is any cat who makes adequate prey it would be the one who can not RUN." Magpiepaw shifts where he sits, posture stiff, "...and one who can afford to lose the blood." His mentor had been touching noses with StarClan when they had dragged her back from the blood-soaked tomb of snow and scars, he would not tolerate her facing such a thing again - was there not any further flesh to be scarred, had she not lost enough including her own son?
And reasonably, he was not fully trained yet, if one was to address the logic, "Starlingheart is skilled and capable, if this fails and you lay her like an offering then this clan's health and wellness falls onto me and I am not done training. I am not up to the task yet. Losing her would risk catastrophe."
He does not glance at her as he speaks, not wanting to meet her disapproving stare but unwilling to yield. She was not doing this. He would fight it tooth and claw to prevent it.

——— ⸸ I'm the kid in the rain. Celebrate the insane ———— ⸸ Yeah, never goes my way

• OOC can go here.
• 
  
  
  Magpiepaw
  —⊰⋅ MCA of ShadowClan
  —⊰⋅ He/They
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  —⊰⋅ Black tom w/a white throat and blue-violet eyes.
  —⊰⋅ Has mild cerebellar hypoplasia (Wobbly cat syndrome)
  
  

​

 

[lilacfur]

Lilacfur hadn't expected to be called into Chilledstar's den this way so soon. Only a few days had been spared since she and her fellow new Leads were announced, and for a brief, fleeting moment she wondered if they had done something wrong. It's the limb-locking fear of being bad at this position that kept her alert and awake and she tried her best not to look so stricken by it. She shared glances with Sharpshadow before finally feeling slight relief at Starlingheart and Magpiepaw's arrival.

The rosette sat only a whisker away from her littermate in a silent, comforting presence. Quickly she realized what this meeting was about and an exhale left her lips in a sigh. Nettlepaw's death brought the fur around her neck into raising spikes. She still felt anger toward Nightswarm for allowing their nephew to wonder out so far by himself. For not watching him better, not keeping him in sight and she knew so much of what she felt was because of her own mistakes.

She had let Ghostpaw out of her sight. She had let her get taken away or run away to her father- whatever the rumors say could have happened she was at fault for it. Another of her sisters kits lost because her siblings were did not keep them safe.

Lilacfur felt their voices like buzzing bees until Smogmaw named her directly. The glaze over her eyes recede and she is snapped back to the attention of her peers, meeting the deputy's eyes with matching steel.

Sharpshadow brought an obvious point that the problem truly lied on the killers rather than the killed, but plenty had been defeated by the whims of the swamp. Twolegs, foxes, monsters, creatures not so easily put down but could be deterred if a few extra cats were about. Smogmaw brought about his own proposal to build off his former apprentice's words and Starlingheart-

"You want to?" The words spill from Lilacfur's maw before she can hold them back. Magpiepaw leapt to speak against her involvement at all and as her eyes flickered between their faces she felt the den get smaller and smaller. "No he... he thinks you're dead, doesn't he?" That had clearly been his intent, telling from her wounds. "What if we don't stop it in time? You could- we're not..." Safe. None of their family were safe under this star-damned curse that filled their blood. ​

[ i need the clouds to cover me ]​

 

[smogstar]

The descent from meaningful discourse to asinine prattle proves alarmingly swift. Though Starlingheart ought to be granted leniency for her wavering demeanour—grief has its sick way of distorting judgment and reason—the scant clarity demonstrated thus far has not inspired optimism toward this meeting. Sure, Frostbite should have invested in a more tactful phrasing, and the deputy's open-ended proposal left room for volunteers to fill in the gaps. But Magpiepaw is unequivocally correct in his dissenting appraisal; no healer will be a sacrificial lamb. For the medicine cat to offer herself as such strikes him less as a declaration of loyalty, rather as boldly-spelled desperation.

Compared to her, his familial woes pale. A negligent, renegade aunt thrusted her to a mantle of responsibility, at an age ill-suited to grapple its burdens. An older brother slaughtered in an insidious swoop. A mate with kin-slaying proclivities, who'd infected her daughter's mind and led her astray. And, as of recent days, her own son fallen victim to the same sinister ideology, dying a lonely, unsung death for it. Tragic losses, enough for any cat's heart to shatter into a million jaded slivers, and their collective shrapnel a crueler torture than any physical wound. Her desperation, albeit irrefutably shortsighted, stems from anguish.

Logic must not yield to anguish in a discussion as pivotal as this.

"You're a scratch and a bite away from a family reunion," Smogmaw reminds her. His language is indeed harsh, yet the deputy's tone reveals resolve, not viciousness. They've all veered off course for too long. "The situation at paw is dire enough as is," he continues, "and your station in this clan is invaluable, Starlingheart. We will not jeopardise it by gambling you, not when the peril outweighs any promise of advantage. Don't. For the love of this clan, don't." Wrinkling at his muzzle in clear displeasure, Smogmaw pins Starlingheart to the spot with a stiff-necked appeal.

This is precisely the outcome he'd dreaded by opening his lips on the topic—wrangling over who's expendable enough to be a sacrifice. Truth is, no one in ShadowClan is. But there are some of healthier bodies, more likely to withstand any lapses in such a dangerous, protracted endeavor. His breath rings sharp in his throat. "There is another route we may explore, if taking the fight to them is what we must do."

Dulcet eyes drill into Chilledstar, whose countenance remains as unreadable as ever. He clears his throat, half-expecting dogged dismissal before words have even spilled past his whiskers. Their aversion to meaningful interaction with other clans is a tangible entity in itself. Even so, Smogmaw persists: "I believe it's likely that Sunstride has a hunch about Granitepelt's whereabouts. If he doesn't, he'll find a clue or three if he sends a patrol looking. It is the least WindClan can do after granting him safe haven for moons on end. If their new leader is willing to demonstrate his newfound principles, we can request he do so at this coming gathering, assuming his clan is attending. I would much rather not stand idle and let things unfold on their own accord."

​

 

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

DON'T YOU GIVE ME UP, PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP​

---

getting rid of the rogues was a no-brainer, at least to chilledstar it was. there is nothing more that chilledstar wants than to sink their teeth in both siltcloud, and granitepelt's teeth. and whoever killed nettlepaw. and anyone else that even dared to mess with shadowclan. their tail lashed in thought, though their face was unreadable to say the least, as they listened to words of each member of their counsel. their gaze moved to starlingheart, as she spoke of being the bait. that wouldn't work. not really. magpiepaw offers instead and once again, sounded like a horrible idea. hmph.

"if anyone's going to be bait, it's going to be me."

there is a long pause of silence before they even speak up, and that's what they say. they mean it. they can afford to lose a life or two. none of these cats in this den can do that. they cannot be replaced. they cannot be resurrected. they cannot die, because it is not yet their time.

"we can ask sunstride, sure. but we cannot yet attack them. as much as i want to kill every last windclanner, the ones that remain are not our enemies. it is the rogues that followed sootstar, if they are still alive at all. and even then, even if we find these cats, we need to be cautious. leafbare has weakened us."

they look over to frostbite, who had already passed out from hunger. who knows how many other cats are on the verge.

"once new leaf rolls around, we will be strong again. and we will not go hungry next time. trust my words."

even if they had to steal prey from other clans. they would not be left this weak. never again.

we must emphasize that cats cannot be out of camp by themselves. this is getting tedious. they don't seem to think we are serious. so. if an apprentice is caught out of camp alone, they will be temporarily be demoted to kithood. their mentors will be in trouble, as well. warriors will be made to do apprentice tasks, and be treated like one, since they don't wish to listen. multiple offenses will lead to harsher punishment. what do you think should be the harsher punishment, smogmaw?"
​

 

[Frostbite]

Sharpshadow has a point, the punishment for leaving camp is death, by whatever is lurking out there. He wishes it wasn't so, that his clanmates understood this and cared about their own safety more. Part of him wants to say fine, leave camp alone and unattended. There will be no pity for you when your are hurt or killed, only sympathy for those you've hurt.
But he can't be like that.

Frostbite agrees with her at least, on getting rid of the threats. "We need to be the most dangerous thing in this marsh."

His ears flatten when Starlingheart speaks with malice that he's never heard before. It's directed at him, too, and he feels his blood turn as cold as his namesake for a brief moment.

"That isn't...What I meant..." He says softly, the wind taken from his sails.

Thrust into a pool of guilt by his own words, he waits before speaking again.

Smogmaw's is an opinion that Frostbite respects. He hadn't been there for Needledrift trying to leave camp, but it frustrated him. After all that has happened, why? It begins to dawn on him that this feels less like a clan, and more like shepherds herding sheep to keep them from harm. It's something he's only seen once, but the memory briefly flashes in his mind.

Did the other clans have the same problems they did? He almost wants to inquire about it to one of them, but doing so would make Shadowclan look even weaker. He will not have it.

The suggestion of using someone as bait, however... He isn't so sure he agrees. Too much could go wrong. They risk losing another one of their own, and he's not sure Shadowclan can take it anymore. He certainly cant. Knowing that at any moment, one of his kits could turn up dead haunts and terrorizes him enough.

"We are not using you as bait...." He says to Starlingheart. He's glad that others agree and speak against her. They can't lose Starlingheart. He'd go off the deep end if they lost her. And Flintpaw.... Flintpaw would be alone. That's the last thing he needs.

"Instead of bait, I suggest we post guards at the border." He says. " Keep them hidden in the reeds, and when someone crosses..... Take them by surprise. No mercy." No mercy is shown to Shadowclan, after all.

The question Chilledstar poses is meant for Smogmaw, but he finds himself compelled to answer as well. He waits, however, for Smogmaw to reply. In his opinion, if you don't want to follow the rules, then you should just leave.​

 

[SHARPSHADOW]

Frostbite meets her eye then, cool blues sharp in a way she could never hope to match. We need to be the most dangerous thing in this marsh. Right – right. It's weird, when Frostbite agrees with her. Frostbite, who should be a lead warrior. Who's so far away from her. " Right " she says, mouth dry.

Sharpshadow's gaze is beckoned to Smogmaw's word in the same way it has always been. Wide gaping moons in swaths of silver. He prickles, at the anecdote mentioned . Sure, yes, Lilacfur had brains. The problem was that so many of them were stupid enough to need a loan of intellect from her in the first place. Had the very same cats not helped bury their dead? There were so many of them now, Sharpshadow thinks it must be impossible for them not to have. Punish those who enable wandering cats accordingly. ...It's not a bad idea, Sharpshadow thinks, as if he really had a say in this matter.

Lethal force. When Smogmaw's head swings, Sharpshadow instinctively looks away, even when the target wasn't him... Not... necessarily. His mouth struggles to put those two words out into the den. Not necessarily, but... something close. The only thing they could do to keep idiots from walking into fire was to remove the flame... somehow. Smogmaw makes a connection that Sharpshadow hasn't considered. A suggestion that Sharpshadow had not been crafty enough to think up herself. Smogmaw has a point – and she hates when that happens. Bait... Well, that wasn't worth it, was it? Sharpshadow's face furrows in consideration, trying to think of something.

Starlingheart's voice held more venom than Sharpshadow thought her capable of, and then her own head is snapping upwards when suddenly, I'll go. Disbelief ties his tongue – makes him stupid, but his eyes scream no. No, no, no. ShadowClan has been left without a Medicine Cat once before. He considered them lucky, for Starlingheart to still be here. And what would that make them, if they were without a Medicine Cat because of their own stupid ideas? The point of bait was that it was – was disposable. Chilledstar themselves was more disposable than Starlingheart.

Her apprentice pipes up quickly, and in reply, Sharpshadow snaps back. " It's not like we're gonna say yes, " On cue – the others protest. Lilacfur is particularly pitiful– her sister. They're sisters, aren't they? Sharpshadow turns to the medicine Cat herself, eyes wide. " We need you, " he sounds like a kit when he says it. A kit that just watched their Medicine Cat leave and their leader die nine gruesome deaths. Chilledstar offers themselves too, and Sharpshadow is again shaking his head. ShadowClan needed them too... even if it was hard to believe, at times.

Another option. Sharpshadow turns to their deputy once again. Sunstride. She remembers — the deputy of their own clan at their border, offering the return of Sharpshadow's to - be apprentice, Smogmaw's daughters. A hunch... It makes sense. Granitepelt surely turned tail to WindClan. Chilledstar meets him with a plain no. But Sharpshadow thinks – he thinks...

To Frostbite's suggestion, his frown dips a bit deeper. " Like... all the time? " There have been gaps between each killing; each attempted attack. Sure... just, being there constantly would stop the threat of sneaking past, but did they have the strength or numbers to keep that up for who knows how long? Maybe if it were only two or so guards... More than one is supposedly all they needed, right?

" Um, " he speaks up then, putting the words together, like it meant something; like it meant anything. " Sunstride's WindClan so desperately wants to be... better, don't they? " Mostly rhetorically, he asks. " I don't believe them. I don't think we should, " She says, even if she remembers the few kind WindClanners on the journey; the ones that had saved them from sudden death — but so had ShadowClan. So had RiverClan, SkyClan, ThunderClan... " But if they're really so righteous, they'll have their own problems with Granitepelt. Maybe a push is all they'll need to deal with Granitepelt for us... Or, um, at least... distract him until we're ready. "

Briefly, he glances around, checking to see if anyone was pulling faces at what he was saying. It couldn't be so terrible. Or so... so awful, if they hadn't minded before... " What if we pressure them. We tell them that their clanmate and his kin have been killing us and if they don't do something about it, then... " He trails off... vagueness hanging in the air. If they were different... if they were better, it'd probably be a declaration of war, but... could they afford that right now? He looks down at his paws. " It... doesn't have to be um, too serious, but... If they're as good as they want us to think, they should do it without too much pushing... Just... embarrass them a little. " He gestures vaguely. Sharpshadow knows its what she hates the most. And many of the cats present had a talent for it... " If they messed up, well, um... Granitepelt and the rest would probably be too distracted or roughed up at least to bother us for longer... "

He just said a lot. Too much, his mind helpfully supplies. " Maybe, I dunno, " he tacks on, withholding a grimace.

with myself i must play in this game of charades ( ♱ ) cause there's no one to speak to

• 
  
  

• 

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  SHARPSHADOW: he / she , no pref , dislikes gender neutral language ; fine with gendered terms ; 20 moons old as of 2.13.24 ; ages every 8th
  

  dark smoke feline that stands at an above average height. Easily identifiable by her namesake – an unruly mat of fur, destined to be cluttered by inconsistencies between chimera halves. Burdened with a broken tail, often lying dead behind her in the dirt.

  Anxious, antisocial, paranoid. Sharpshadow has not known peace for a single time in his life, and lives anticipating inevitable dangers to the detriment of herself and others.
  heavy ic opinions! he's irrational and mean </3

​

 

[FORESTSHADE]

Her first council meeting. Like her friend, her seat in Chilledstar's den feels cold and foreign, not like when she's come to visit just to chat. This is important. This is clan leadership, and she has no idea what she's doing. But she maintains her laid-back exterior, blind eyes half-lidded as she slumps against the wall with her thick tail splayed out to the side. It thumps against the ground every so often as she listens, her twitching ears the only sign she is listening.

She can't help the frown that crosses her maw when the cats around her talk of idiocy and lack of self-preservation. Forestshade is a wanderer - she always has been. Her paws thirst for new lands, they thirst for moving and climbing and running and scratching. Her solo adventures have taken her all over the territory tens of times over, and some even outside of their borders. An adventurous soul is hard to quench, and she finds her snout wrinkling when she argues, "So what, now even warriors need a buddy system? Chilledstar, that sounds ridiculous!" The young she-cat tries to reason with the leader after several of her peers speak, muzzle pointing in their direction, but it is for naught. They all agree - no one can be out alone, and the patched tabby grumbles with displeasure.

Talk of killing the threat is brought up by Sharpshadow, and she immediately perks up, jerking her head in his direction to show her support. "Yes! Let's kill them - if we come up with a plan, it can be easy!" If they kill them, there will be no more threats. If there are no more threats, she doesn't need a buddy.

Conversation dips into one of bait and sacrifice, and she listens in silence. This isn't something she wants to dip her claws into. A mourning mother, a protective apprentice, an assertive deputy telling them both no. Her tail continues its thumping until Chilledstar speaks again. Almost as if on cue, when they bring up hunger her stomach growls halfheartedly from behind her forelegs. The promise is a good one - she wouldn't mind not going hungry for a leaf-bare. But then Chilledstar goes on about punishments for wandering cats, for wandering warriors, and her frown returns, ears pulling back against her skull. Thanks to some rogues, she and every other warrior is going to be treated like some kit. She despises it.

She huffs and leans back against the wall, ear angling towards Sharpshadow as she explains her idea. "I'm in," She shrugs, piping up with her agreement. "Whatever it's gonna take to have this marsh go back to normal. I don't care what we have to do."​

 

[lilacfur]

Amber sights tear away from Starlighearts to look between each cat that spoke next. Unanimously they agreed the midnight speckled molly wouldn't be thrown to the test of luring her former mate and a weight lifted from her shoulders as she exhaled in relief. Good to know nobody else was comfortable seeing her sister possibly torn to ribbons once again.

Forestshade is in more protest than she expected about warriors and apprentices remaining partnered whenever they leave camp and a frown made its way to her maw. Given how many apprentices have suffered and the mollys own kittens shared a den with those lost. Aside from that their warriors had easy targets on their backs if caught alone by a twoleg or a fox just as Roosterstrut and Ferndance had been. If they remained together it was safer, she could only think of Scalejaw's instance with the badger as proof of that.

"We don't have a lot of numbers to expand on border guards... would that leave everyone in camp at a disadvantage? Like what happened with the bears..." Sharpshadow's suggestion left her a bit baffled. Pressure WindClan, how? Threaten war so soon? It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume ShadowClan would win, given that they hardly recovered from taking over their home from Sootstar once again, but she found the idea of jumping into a fight like that unappealing.

"Whatever we do shouldn't risk more lives to get it done. If we pressure Sunstride- star- whatever, and he retaliates, what then? If we approach WindClan at all for help on this it should be done more diplomatically than making threats. Obviously he has some shred of decency to risk his life returning our kits when he didn't have to, we could appeal to that side of him. Fixing Sootstar's mess considering he let her do it for so long." Lilacfur felt like she was talking too much now and leaned back once she finished. She felt unsure if she spoke out of turn, challenging her peers in such a way but she kept herself up straight and tall. ​

[ i need the clouds to cover me ]​