SLEEP TO THE FREEZING — private

[Orangestar]

They both probably know why she has called them here, collected them from the returning sunhigh patrols herself with the scalding fury she would imply towards a pair of unruly apprentices. She would speak to Chrysaliswing later. The problem at the forefront, however, is located in her council.

She'd said to Hazelbeam that the two lead warriors had been promoted for their protectiveness and their fierceness. While this much is true, it's gotten out of her paws in the wake of Blazestar's death. Harsher comments, localised towards the source of SkyClan's potential. Had they taken the chosen leader's demise as free reign? Did she mean nothing to them, his deputy for thirteen moons and the daughter of a kittypet herself?

Orangestar ushers the two into her den. Silent, she turns to face them and sits. In the quiet, Orangestar notes that she's quite a bit shorter than the two toms. It's not something she ever noticed before, the two lead warriors endowed with a height rarely seen among the other Clans.

She ignores any questions they might have about their summons, instead waiting until the silence between the three of them verges into the territory of uncomfortable before she speaks.

"Why does SkyClan accept kittypets into our ranks as daylight warriors?" She asks tersely, sweeping her tail around her paws.

ooc ✧ 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦

• / @SLATE @SILVERSMOKE
  
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  ORANGESTAR ✧ she/her, leader of skyclan | nine lives
  " a scarred white-and-ginger she-cat with brown eyes."
  
  — single ; mentoring springpaw
  — speech is in #E3B2A9
  — tags | art by pin
  

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[SILVERSMOKE]

To be associated as the same manner of aggressor as Slate felt like an insult, shared by both the clan and the leader herself. He sat level within the Leader's den, chest rising and falling at a rate to steady his temper in the presence of Orangestar. When the other finally spoke, he tilted his head instinctively: she couldn't expect him to be truthful, could she? Blazestar had been a kind leader, but his had been a good that was too heavily influenced by the life before his nine - it was the only flaw he could assign the late tom. He'd avoided war with ThunderClan for a ThunderClanner's sake, likely, he'd accepted Daylight Warriors as a sign that kittypets could be warriors... but Silversmoke had never argued against that. Jowls grow tense as he's forced to lie, to assign meaning and benefits where the Ragdoll had assigned none. "Blazestar thought it was beneficial to have Daylight Warriors within the clan. They hunt for free, they can train apprentices, and we have space in the camp for more things than just their nests." They were all benefits he could acknowledge, but the benefits had yet to outweigh the drawbacks... too often had he felt the sting of betrayal when they chose their Twolegs over the clan.

"They knew how to work Twoleg contraptions when we could not. That's why Johnnyflame became a Lead Warrior." He remained a Lead Warrior because of his dedication, though conveniently, such a realisation had never left his mouth. "I presume that's why Blazestar accepted them, why do you accept them?" It was not an unkind question.
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[SLATE]

Slate hates this. He is not used to being scolded like a mother would her kit; he had lived by his own rules for so long that the idea of having to abide by the laws of other cats, of society, was still something to get used to. Slate did well, for the most part, with things like keeping to SkyClan's side of the border and only killing prey with the intention of eating it. Those laws were straightforward and foolproof to follow. However, he did not know that name-calling would land him in hot water with Orangestar. Slate wouldn't even consider it name-calling, either; isn't that what daylight warriors were? They were kittypets! It was not as if he was spreading lies.

Either way, the lead warrior is not pleased to be standing next to Silversmoke, awkwardly making eye contact with the she-cat who otherwise made his heart kick into overdrive and his gut churn. Her gaze, otherwise a sight to be admired, sears onto him with the intensity of hot asphalt. She was a leader now, she had to be fair to everyone even when it didn't make the most sense. They were owned and controlled by humans—and willingly, at that! How was that something worthy of his respect?

Silversmoke's explanation is logical, to no one's surprise. The other lead warrior had always operated off of reason and rationality, but even as the silver tabby tom noted some of the supposed benefits that daylight warriors brought to the clan, Slate still could not justify any reason to truly offer him unconditional respect.

As for his own response, Slate really did not know. He could only assume Blazestar had implemented the rank of daylight warrior because he had been a kittypet himself. "Blazestar probably needed more numbers when SkyClan first started out." Blazestar hardly turned anyone away; he was fair and just, though too trusting in Slate's opinion. Not that Blazestar's kindness had ever gotten him in trouble, but would having such loose welcome policies eventually backfire on SkyClan? It would not be difficult for a complete stranger to take advantage of their kindness. For Ora's sake, she needed to remain vigilant and keep an eye on who she allowed into her clan.

₊ ⋆ * ⊹ ₊ ☾ —— 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐜𝐞

•  

• 

• 

  ₊ ⋆ * ⊹ ₊ ☾

  slate
  

  — he/him; lead warrior of skyclan
  — a hulking, scarred charcoal-black colored maine coon with amber eyes
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — link to full tags; @ on discord or dm @beaaats for plots!​

  ​

​

 

[Orangestar]

"Because they are more than just useful." Orangestar can't believe she has to say this, her ears pinning to her head briefly in something akin to incredulity. Maybe she had been onto something, promoting Twitchbolt above these two. "They are whole, loyal cats. This was true before the Clans, too: the majority of the Pine Colony, half housecat visitors before StarClan chose their leaders, became SkyClan. It was never just us in this part of the forest."

Us, she realises privately, is a funny word for her to use: Orangestar has never consciously been a kittypet, though she's been told she and her littermates had been cared for by Alice's twoleg for the first couple of moons. She had been raised in the forest, sure, but where did that line lay? In SkyClan, it was as blurred as the pines on a misty morning. Background had never determined a cat's skillset here. Johnnyflame was living proof of that. Tallulahwing had been, too. Butterflytuft, brought up alongside Daisyflight's brood, had passed her warrior assessment by StarClan's grace and no skill of her own, Orangestar remains sure; but she's been a queen so long now that Orangestar had almost forgotten it.

"There is a difference between-" Orangestar sighs through her nose. How does she want to word this? Even with the time she's had to try and choose her angle, she feels like she's gone about this the wrong way. Maybe she just needs to come out with it and deal with what came next, afterwards. "Stop calling our daylight warriors useless, or kittypets, or anything like that as an insult. Immediately. I don't care if you still think it. I don't care if you don't become best friends with Tiggerbounce or Hazelbeam tomorrow, but you need to at least pretend you don't think they're less for being daylight warriors. That you're at least tolerant."

She meets the eyes of the two for a moment each, hardened. "I want to believe that the two of you are better than this. If more incidents get back to me after you leave this den, I will remove you from my council. Am I clear?"

ooc ✧ 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦

•  
•  
• 
  
  ORANGESTAR ✧ she/her, leader of skyclan | nine lives
  " a scarred white-and-ginger she-cat with brown eyes."
  
  — single ; mentoring springpaw
  — speech is in #E3B2A9
  — tags | art by pin
  

​

 

[SILVERSMOKE]

"Twolegs have hurt our home more than anything else. These cats know that their owners killed Daisyflight and tortured StarClan knows how many of our own... to still have affections for the no-furs after all of that..." Ears droop to the sides of his skull. "I'm sorry, Orangestar, I may have poor-sight but I'm not blind, I can't call it loyalty." It was an idea he couldn't swallow down, no matter how hard he tried. The closest a cat had ever got to changing his mind had been an elder, one he had not seen in too many moons. He could only presume the inevitable, that the loving paw of the twoleg had shown its claws when Earthsoul had grown too old to be a fun accessory anymore. It's not a bereavement he got to consider before Orangestar's tone flipped, ripping Silversmoke's attention away from his own thoughts and onto the bicoloured leader. There's something in her words that gave him pause. He glanced to Slate to see what the other maine coon may have been feeling, it was the other Lead Warrior who'd been more trouble, then, past conversations repeat in his head.

He stood from his position, paws slamming against the earth, spotted fur bristling - he knew what this was about. "They said I insulted them? And you believe them? That I would use my position as a Lead Warrior to throw such words about as I see fit?" His lungs filled with air, the first he'd felt himself consciously breathe since the moment he stepped foot in Orangestar's chambers. Reality hit him in the faced like claws, he was being threatened for something he had not done... this time. The law had always been above personal opinions, what he felt away from his duties had never influenced him when he was on them - he'd told himself that so many times that he couldn't trust how true it was, but at that moment, with adrenaline pumping in his veins, it was gospel. "The word kittypet or useless never left my tongue when I tried to sanction the apprentice for insulting a Lead Warrior of SkyClan, I can't speak for Slate, I was only trying to enforce the rules you told us to, that any cat who undermines authority will be punished." Betrayal set in wide eyes, the perceptions of SkyClan's code rolling in his head like waves in a storm. He grits his teeth, limbs quivering as frustration finds itself with nowhere to go.

Something was stuck in his throat, a lump so thick he couldn't swallow it down. He knew what it meant when it was himself in the den and not any of the Daylight Warriors. "I am not happy that the repeated disrespect that Hazelbeam, Edenpaw and Applefrost have shown will go overlooked." His tail lashed as his justice crumbled before his eyes, the cold air from outside the den burning his lungs. It felt like grief had ripped a hole in his belly, that something he valued so dearly must die for the sake of peace. He looked to Slate briefly, the first ever cat he'd had to bite his tongue because of. To be compared to him now was... cruel, it was cruel. His thoughts veer to Johnnyflame and what the chimera would make of this telling off, Stars he could imagine the smug grin now. Silversmoke straightened his posture, the tips of his ears grazing against the top of the den. "But... the peace in SkyClan matters more than my feelings. I concede. Tell me how I should approach such rulebreaks with the Daylight Warriors in the future and there will be no further issues from me." A promise built upon a broken oath was hardly the steadiest of foundations, but it was all he had.

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[Orangestar]

"I called you both to me for a reason." Orangestar snips back, annoyance bristling at her shoulders. Slate has been uncharacteristically quiet through all of this, actually; is he taking it on board? She hopes he is. The leader barely glances his way, though she wants to, because Silversmoke demands her attention. Ignoring his comment about loyalty is easy enough, an opinion that is squarely his and not one she needs to put any stock in. He's right; Twolegs have harmed SkyClan. But so has WindClan. So has StarClan. Does he not see that their daylight warriors consider their twolegs kin, their Clanmates by extension? She fights the irritated growl that threatens to rise in her throat as he stands, ears brushing the foliage at the top of her den.

"I was not present, Silversmoke, I only know what I have been told about the situation." She's had to tell him to stand down before, snapping threats at the border in an otherwise civil situation. She gestures for quiet while she thinks, continuing after a heartbeat.

"As leader, why should I not believe my Clanmates when they tell me what is wrong? While I trust the report you gave earlier was factual, you did not bring up any discussion of daylight warriors at all. This is fine when it is not relevant but when I have another side of the situation telling me that they face repeated insults for being one, and in that very same incident, how am I meant to know that she did not also tell the truth? Hazelbeam apologised to me for the fuss and the insubordination when I spoke to her after." You have not. For all his comments about their Clanmates undermining his authority as a lead warrior, is Silversmoke not undermining Orangestar's own as leader by questioning her now? Do you even think you've done anything wrong? She doesn't mention it. Doesn't need to, she hopes, as Silversmoke finally concedes. Her tail twitches again.

"Good." She watches him for a moment, her fur finally lying flat as he backs down. She glances behind them towards the camp. Maybe a new rule is in order. Maybe several are. "For now, bring them to Twitchbolt or myself for punishment. You will be welcome to tell me about what happened, if you are a witness. When I see improvement, I will give you both new orders on how to handle any issues that arise."

ooc ✧ 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦

•  
•  
• 
  
  ORANGESTAR ✧ she/her, leader of skyclan | nine lives
  " a scarred white-and-ginger she-cat with brown eyes."
  
  — single ; mentoring springpaw
  — speech is in #E3B2A9
  — tags | art by pin
  

​

 

[SLATE]

Orangestar is soft on those kittypet warriors like Blazestar was... and she had not even been a kittypet to begin with! She had kittypet kin, just as he did, but the difference was that he did not feel any obligation to like them. "They're also loyal to those beasts who trap 'n kill cats." Slate reminds not only his leader but also his friend, stubbornly attempting to knock some sense into her skull. They are the common enemy of all clan cats, all rogues, all loners. They were cruel and greedy, their only intent being to keep cats locked in their dens for their own entertainment and delight. It is already frustrating enough when others do not see his perspective, and for Orangestar to act blind to this truth does not sit well with him. What if a daylight warrior ended up leading their twolegs right back to SkyClan's camp? Just because it had not happened yet did not mean that it could never occur. Tension wracks his nerves at the very thought of those bipedal monsters invading their forest refuge.

Silversmoke and Orangestar go back and forth concerning the backtalk that the other lead warrior had received back in the apprentice's den, an issue that Slate mostly remained neutral over. Edenpaw's insults toward Silversmoke had not necessarily been incorrect, at least in his opinion—he had always been a worker bee, never the least bit interested in relaxing and releasing the tight grip on his strict demeanor. However, insulting him to his face would easily result in a punishment. Slate would have probably done the same thing. Daylight warriors were just as prone to receiving chores as anybody else was.

Being told to simmer his personal thoughts on kittypets, to bite his tongue, was a difficult request. In fact, he takes such an order personally, a scowl forming on his broad maw. "Why does my opinion of 'em matter? It's not gonna change. If they got a problem, they should learn to deal with it." Slate had never had to hold back for anybody; even Blazestar had dealt with his brash personality, perhaps only valuing him for his brawn and brute force. Would he be willing to do so, even for Orangestar?

The ginger-splotched molly had never spoken to him directly in such a stern manner. Her brown eyes are sharper than blades of grass, piercing through him as she makes herself crystal clear — abide by her law or get off her council. It's hard, reminding himself that she was ever loyal to SkyClan, more than she would ever be to their friendship. Slate's eyes grow frosty, though he holds back the many words he urged to spill.

His blood boils even more when Twitchbolt is mentioned. Yeah right; him issuing a punishment? What was he gonna do, twitch and stammer at them? Ugh. He just doesn't understand her sometimes!

As soon as Orangestar dismisses them, Slate swiftly gets to his paws and storms off toward the exit of camp.

₊ ⋆ * ⊹ ₊ ☾ —— 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐜𝐞

•  

• 

• 

  ₊ ⋆ * ⊹ ₊ ☾

  slate
  

  — he/him; lead warrior of skyclan
  — a hulking, scarred charcoal-black colored maine coon with amber eyes
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — link to full tags; @ on discord or dm @beaaats for plots!​

  ​

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