pafp THREE BLACK CROWS [guarding]

[SCORCHSTAR]

༄༄ Sootstar may not be dead, but she is gone all the same. The only thing that remains of the serpent-tongued leader is an ashen shell, hollowed out and left to lie across the floor of the very den she had once claimed as her own. The she-cat is nothing more than a ghost haunting WindClan’s camp; even after Sootstar dies, whenever that happens, Scorchstreak is certain that her presence will be felt for generations to come. That is a part of the reason that the calico stands guard so stubbornly at the den’s entrance is because she has seen firsthand the destruction that Sootstar has wrought, in the past. The words that drip like venom from her fangs cannot be trusted, especially around those clanmates weak-willed enough to believe her words.

Speaking of weak-willed followers…

She steps in front of a familiar blue and white form that approaches the den, golden eyes settling into a suspicious glare. The fact that Sootspot and Snakehiss still walk within these gorse walls is a testament to Sunstride’s mercy—were it her choice, both toms would be driven out like Granitepelt and the others. Not only had Sootspot remained at Sootstar’s for far too long, but he had also had the nerve to throw Dappledsun’s death back in her face.

No, Scorchstreak does not trust Sootspot any further than the den’s entrance. She had her doubts about allowing the tunneler to stay in the first place, but allowing him to freely speak to his mother feels like a step too far. "Wait," she says, a frown creasing her scarred muzzle. "What business do you have with Sootstar?"

// @SOOTSPOT​

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[SOOTSPOT]

He'd been the last to defect before the battle, when WindClan had lost its last medic and battle a possibility moments after, the writing had been on the wall. Time and time again he wished his mother dead instead of alive to seethe in the prison of poison called a den, but it did not stop the Tunneler from drifting towards it, words of appeasement rehearsed over and over again until he was somewhat assured he had the right tone to convince his mother that he was somehow acting in her best interest. A guard's presence at the den was not unexpected, having seen so many animals slip past to talk to the she-cat, his confidence did not waver. "Excuse me." A kind smile, a head ducked between wiry shoulders, Sootspot aimed to ignore the Lead Warrior as he walked forward. But, she did not move. Chartreuse eyes shifted upwards for an explanation, finding only accusation instead. Her words were the rattle of a snake's tail, a warning of things to come if he did not try to appease it. What in StarClan's name did she expect him to say, that he would plot treason with her? She was as good as dead, her followers scattered to the uncouth wilderness, he gained nothing by trying to rage against the new normal he found himself in - having anger was a fighter's job.

He felt stares burn into the back of his skull, the attention making his ears flicker rapidly. Whether this was overcompensation from the former loyalist, or retribution for past conversations, the chimera didn't know - involuntarily, his tail thrashed. "Last rites," he rasped, tilting his head upwards. "I presume she is not to be kept in camp forever... Reflection has made me believe that StarClan would not favour such cruelty." He searched her eyes, loathing how he found naught but suspicion and doubt. He was a rat to them, kept only because he'd made his presence insignificant enough to avoid retribution. Speaking to a WindClanner one-on-one, he felt the imbalance and wished it was him who told Scorchstreak what to do. The tom turned his head, keeping track of who was paying attention. When he turned again, he spoke louder. "Sootstar killed her daughter, my sister. I never got closure, she was just slaughtered like a mouse, for what? I could not say." He made a show of flattening his ears, heart-wrenching as he invoked Shrikethorn's name.

Sootspot feared no divine retribution when she was dead, but... it still didn't feel great. She had been a confidant when the torment of being replaced by Weaselclaw's brood had first reached him (she'd also been the least favourite child when he'd needed someone to be better than, but such eulogies were often frowned upon) "I cannot imagine the pain you are in... you did so much for that cat and she threw you away. But I know it must hurt more to have not had the chance to say goodbye to Rumblerain, to ask why they had done the things they did. Would you have me feel that same agony?"
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[RATTLEHEART]

For once, Rattleheart had actually planned on speaking in support of Sootspot, despite the general apprehension she felt about her fellow tunneler. Even if she trusted him as far as she could throw him - although that might be pretty far now, considering how much fighting she had been doing - she saw little reason to deny him the right to say goodbye to his mother. Especially considering there were already guards posted at the entrance to her makeshift prison, who could listen in and raise their voices high enough to alert everyone if they felt he and Sootstar were conspiring against them. Not that the fallen leader seemed likely to conspire against anyone anymore, existing only as a faded shell of the fearsome cat that she had once been.

Though she had planned on stepping in as a voice of reason, Sootspot still had to go and keep running his mouth in a way that Rattleheart knew wouldn't help him.

Invoking Rumblerain was a fool's errand, one that sent the tunneler wincing as she approached to speak with her sister. Her ears flattened briefly, with her having to bite down on the inside of her own cheek to keep from lashing out with unneeded and hostile words. It felt ironic for Rumblerain's name to even fall from Sootspot's tongue, considering her nibling had been drawn along by the lies and manipulation of Sootstar herself. Digging her claws down into the dirt of camp to steady herself, Rattleheart swallowed down the lump of venom in her throat, looking towards Scorchstreak with a sigh. "Maybe it's best to just let him have a last chance to see her. Not like she'll be rushing off anywhere anytime soon. Besides, knowing Sootstar she'll have nothing for him except for vitriol." She didn't bother trying to spare Sootspot's feelings, if she was ostensibly advocating for him. It just seemed unlikely that his speaking with Sootstar would have any positive results.

The fallen moorland queen had already been more than happy to try and tear down each and every one of her children that had approached so far, so why did he think he would be any different? If anything she would probably just treat him as harshly as Bluefrost, considering he was another one of her kin that had abandoned her in the last moments of her loss. Rattleheart was certain she wouldn't be able to display such masochism, face grim as she looked towards the shadows of Sootstar's den. "If you are let in, though, I hope you're prepared to not receive a satisfying answer from her. I'm sure she's already convinced herself that your sister's death was for the good of Windclan, or some other nonexplanation to justify her bloodshed." It was a cold condemnation of all their former leader stood for, the only sympathy in her tone related to what Sootspot had lost, rather than any care for his mother or her motivations. She knew she would be devastated if she lost Scorchstreak or Rabbitclaw - though she'd want to tear apart whoever was responsible, rather than ask for an explanation.
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[ PENNED BY EO ]​

 

[SCORCHSTAR]

༄༄ Snakehiss may have been vile enough to serve as Sootstar’s deputy, but even interacting with that worm does not stoke the fires of her rage like the warrior before her does. The embers in her eyes leap to sun-bright flames as Sootspot argues his case, claiming that he only wants to see his mother once more before her eventual death. He pins his ears back in the near-perfect show of a grieving brother, but Scorchstreak can see the slug-slime that drips from his pelt. His attempt to sympathize with her is similarly ill-fated; his chances of being allowed into the den fall to their screaming death the moment that Rumblerain’s name leaves his mouth.

Lips peel back to display her bared fangs, and the red-striped hair at her scarred shoulders bristles as she takes a step closer to the tom. "I did speak to them. She poisoned their thoughts, just as she’s done to yours." She says it plainly, sharply. She does not owe this hare-brained tom any explanation, but his mention of her kit has set her fury ablaze. She does not back down until her sibling speaks up, and even then the calico only glances over at them briefly. "Rattleheart," she forces her sibling’s name out through gritted teeth. It is not quite a warning, because she knows that she doesn’t hold the power to actually prevent anyone from visiting Sootstar. Her only duty is to keep the viper confined, and the rest is all outside of her authority. She has made a judgment call, though; for the good of the clan, she should not allow Sootspot in. Rattleheart argues that the tyrant queen will likely have nothing good to say, but the calico does not feel open to debate at the moment. Rattleheart has always been more soft-hearted than herself, more pitying to those who do not deserve it—just look at Bluefrost. Until either of them makes a better argument, the tunneler’s raised hackles make it clear that Sootspot will not be continuing on his way into the den.​

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[SOOTSPOT]

He watched the Lead Warrior before him turn into a wild beast. Sootspot took a hitched breath, staying tepidly still as she took a step towards him, wincing as if wounded by her actions. "We have all wallowed in her poison, Scorchstreak. It promises us so much, we do not realise how fatal it is until it is too late. I escaped before the killing dose, as did you - it is not fair to judge me because I defied her later, she is... was my mother, rejecting blood is not something I take as lightly as some." He blinked feverishly towards her as he made such a comment. Bared teeth promised violence that Sootspot could not reciprocate, even if his claws were not long from underuse. A loud voice had not attracted the bleeding hearts he'd hoped, except for Rattleheart, whom Sootspot tentatively tilted his head towards. He smiled at her, dipping his head in gratitude, even as her words were laced with a certain... bluntness. She was quick to let him know his mother would hate him, and even quicker to tell him that any answer for Shrikethorn's death would be ineffective in offering him what he wanted. He decided then that he really, really did not like these siblings.

He had known before, but talking to them now set his thoughts ablaze; it was an absolute travesty that he held the same scar as one of them, that Sootstar had trusted Scorchstreak as much as she trusted him. "We can but try," Sootspot rasped, tone strained yet hopeful. "Perhaps the truth will come out if I ask the right questions." An uneasy stare landed once more upon the tortoiseshell, who seemed unmoved by Rattleheart's tentative defense. She almost seemed to double down, prepared to pounce at him like a starving wolf if he dared remain. Sootspot swallowed a lump in his throat that had grown from the budding conflict. Another strategy then, before it came to blows. "Is there something you are afraid of?" He tilted his head, yellow-green eyes blinking wide with fear confusion. "What could I possibly do in there that would threaten you or WindClan? It is not as if I would be alone... you would come with me, would you not?" It would make a conversation trickier, venom more likely to spit, but a compromise was a compromise, and Sootspot needed to see his mother before Sunstride grew bored of her.


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