sensitive topics why does my heart cry? ;; confrontation

[hyacinthbreath]

♚ // cw for bpd-driven splitting episode + violence!

They were friends, Weaselclaw and Hyacinthbreath. She didn't trust the barn cat when he first joined, but she knew Sootstar saw something in him that she couldn't. Blind with love, with loyalty to their Queen, Hyacinthbreath obeyed. And obeyed. And obeyed. Until she couldn't anymore, until she had to think for herself. Weaselclaw was a soldier, and the mate of their Leader. She knew Sootstar would be biased because of this, treat him like he'd gottena slap on the paw.

Her child was in that fight because Weaselclaw had started it.

She tries to rationalize with her own unfocused emotions, tries to convince herself that this was just one mistake. That Weaselclaw was only a mortal cat, he couldn't have controlled fate. But it all falls short, and all Hyacinthbreath can see is empty blackness as she marches through camp. The blood in her ears is roaring, her body hot despite the cold nip of air around her. You did this. The voice whispered, tempting her. You let him befriend you, and this is how he repays you? Nearly getting your child killed? It's irrational, this fury- but Hyacinthbreath spots the brown tabby all the way across camp. He's nursing a terrible wound, and Hyacinthbreath wants to make it worse for him. How could she have been so stupid, to trust this tom? All because her Queen did?

He's your friend. A voice whispers, she shakes her head. He never was. She reasoned, black and white and bloody. Her heart hammers in her chest, and before she knows it, she's already half-way over to Weaselclaw. There's a dark look in her eyes, as if all the light was missing- led astray. "You," She snarls, deep- accent broken with her fury. Her paws feel light, and she's reminded then that they're still in camp.

You're no murderer. The voice whispers, heart-pounding and it angers her. What do you know about me? He never even tried for us. Her face shoves itself into Weaselclaw's space, a harsh reminder of her presence. Do not lie to me! "I should slit your throat right here for what you did." A mistake? No, it wasn't a mistake. He made a stupid decision that could have gotten cats killed, and their Queen let him off lightly. If it was her, if she.. "Do you think about nobody but yourself? Your own pride?" It was for the Clan. He'd probably argue. Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit! The fur along her spine is crooked, spiked with her anger. Her agony.

"What would you have done if Aspenpaw was killed?" She snaps at the tom, teeth dripping with saliva; claws unsheathed. One wrong word, one wrong moment- he was no Lead Warrior any longer. Sootstar be damned, he was no friend of hers either. He was a threat. "Honor her as a strong cat who fought like a Warrior? She's just a child, Weaselclaw!" She shouts at the tom, heart wounded with his decision. Irrational, angry, hurt. Smokethroat was hurt because of him. "I trusted you to keep my daughter safe, to train her into a Warrior that could protect herself. How irresponsible can you be, starting a fight over prey that isn't even on our side of the border anymore?!" She yowls, daring him to say something. She didn't care anymore, she wanted to rip him to shreds right then and there. It's about time he got a matching scar.

@WEASELCLAW
// Warning: If your character tries to intervene with this physically, Hyacinth WILL lash out at them. This is public viewing (since its still in camp) and totally not pafp, but it is NOT grounds for other people to yell at Weaselclaw. Hyacinth WILL tell them to go away.​

 

[coalfoot]

———————————————【 coalfoot | windclan | male 】——————————————

【◈】Recently, it felt as though tension, spilled blood, and spilled tears was all WindClan had to offer. There was hardly a day that went by anymore without something going wrong. Even so, he would hardly consider himself to be used to it.

It was the yelling that woke him, fur already prickling with unease before his foggy mind could comprehend what was happening. Coalfoot lifted his head, squinting hard until his groggy visage landed on the raging form of Hyacinthbreath. She was yelling at Weaselclaw, working herself up by the second, although it was another few heartbeats before he actually processed what was being said. Coalfoot was on his paws anyway, expression warped into concern and worry as he approached, lightly shaking his head as if in denial.

Is she going to attack him? The tom fretted. She looked only a whisker's-breadth from it. He couldn't say he disagreed with the source of her rage, but she needed to calm down before it got worse. Weaselclaw was still recovering from the skirmish. More injuries would ultimately make things worse.

For a moment his mouth parted, gaze flickering between the two, before he closed the gap and gently pressed his nose to the former lead warrior's shoulder. "Hyacinthbreath, I understand your feelings, but please, you need to- you need to calm down. This won't solve or undo anything." Maybe not the best choice of words, but in the moment, he had fumbled for any at all.

// SORRY BUT INTERVENING IS EXACTLY WHAT HE WOULD DO

[penned by its_oliverr].

​

 

[Wormtail]

Wormtail watched through squinted eyes as the scene unfolded. The scruffy tabby had only a basic idea of what happened, but he wasn't going to intervene, oh no. Hell has no fury like an angry mother.

He sat beside Coalfoot and nudged him.

"Nay, lad. Let 'er deal with 'im. There ain't no force on this earth more furious than an angry mother." He told him.

So he turned his gaze back to the scene. Man, Weaselclaw was about to get an earful.

......

One earful.
​

 

[spiritpaw]

A mothers rage is not to be messed with, Spirit knew that. Spirit knew that too well and so when Hyacinth's voice raised in anger she was nearly cowering under the nearest warrior. Thankfully it was not at her so she inches out with wide eyes, listens to what Hyacinth had to say. Something about the skirmish and then it becomes clear, shes yelling at Weasel for endangering Aspen. She swallows as a flicker of pride ignites in her stomach, ears pinning against the back of her skull as she pries her eyes away.

Hyacinth is right and perhaps thats where the guilt begins to kill her, because Spirit knows that her own feelings are born from the need to keep Aspen safe. Her chest is heavy. Hypocritical, Spirit is, if Aspen wasn't on that patrol she wouldn't have cared (unfortunately for Weaselclaw she was on that patrol). "H-Hey, give her space!" shes worried about Coalfoot now because shes back on the defense, as if it were her mother causing this ruckus, as if her mother would lash out and try to blind him. "Stop, please. Get away from her," her voice is a whisper, strained as she cowers. Whatever Hyacinth did she just hoped it wasn't bad.​

"speech"​

 

[Juniperfrost]

"Your daughter is an apprentice in training to be a warrior, the way you coddle your children is disgusting." The blue ticked tabby moves forward on slow, lumbering steps and each step is sure-footed and careful; his head raised upward to regard the furious molly and her outrage, she demand retribution and he is reminded again of his mate, his ex-mate, and how she fled the clan with their children because she too could not handle the harsh environment here-the harsh ways he tried to teach her to stand strong, the harsh methods they trained their apprentices with claws unsheathed and bloodspill a consistency.
His cold, ice-blue eyes scan the crowd of cats pleading and begging her not to escalate but he wants her too. He wants to see her punished for her insolence. Soft cats like her had no place in WindClan, what a fall from grace she had. Once so noble, so loyal, bowing to their queen as she should so rightfully do and now she is a simpering fool asking for peace and leniency to what would one day be WindClan's newest generation of soldiers.
A shame, he once though so highly of her but now she was just like Leopardcloud had been: pathetic.
"I for one stand by what Weaselclaw did though I wish he'd not been so foolish as to have such a small hunting party. That rabbit could have kept your clan alive longer, it was born in our territory and its lose is one to be felt by many. You should be proud of your kin. That she bravely joined a battle for WindClan's prey when she could have ran is noble." His head lifts up even further, a sneer on his maw but eyes flashing a brilliant blue, "Coyotepaw is my son and though I detest seeing him in pain what he did was admirable-I am proud of him and he will be a strong warrior for the clan in due time."
Even with that nonsense pounded into his head back in SkyClan he had still acted as any proud moorland cat would have and it was something to be looked upon proudly.
"If you are so naive to think things will change here due to your weak will then you are sorely mistaken. Why don't you take your wretched lot and go then if it so displeases you. Less ungrateful mouths to feed."
​

 

[WEASELCLAW]

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮​

Oh, he's already so tired of this, so tired of a Clan that turned on him over another Clan's traitorous blood spilled. Weaselclaw doesn't acknowledge Hyacinthbreath at all, stalking over to him as though she has any power over him. Once, they'd been equals, lead warriors together, but now not even one of them is. They are both useless, both expendable, and he doesn't see why he has to give her his time at all.

More senseless words, the hot stench of her breath in his face. His fur is beginning to fluff out against his will; his ears go back, the shredded one screaming in protest.

Still, he says nothing, for she's drawn the attention of their Clanmates now. He snorts. Coalfoot tries to calm her. Wormtail. Hyacinthbreath's apprentice -- badly-disciplined, that one -- cries out for the other warriors to leave her be, let her scream and make a fool of herself in camp.

Weaselclaw is surprised to hear a male voice, chilled as the north wind, cut into the tension. He gives Juniperfrost a look of surprise. A warrior who understands why he took action against WindClan, who does not coddle the apprentices like they are kits nursing their mother's teat. A glow of respect lights his blue eyes, but it is dimmed when he realizes Hyacinthbreath is still in his face.

Weaselclaw turns slowly toward her, his eyes narrowed and glazed with frost. "Who do you think you are, shouting at me like that? My apprentice did what a warrior would have done. A real warrior, not like this Clan of cowards. This battle did not kill her, but do you think others won't come? Do you think we should shield all of our apprentices from hardship when that's all they will know?" His voice is whiplike, scornful. He rakes his claws over her, his gaze lingering on the 'X' across her chest.

"I don't care what you have to say. What any of you have to say. Get out of my face." He sets his head back down, onto his paws. His ear throbs, and the pain has seeped dully into his skull. WindClan is full of weaklings; the infestation has made them soft-cored, like a rotten fruit. But it's not his problem anymore. He leads no one anywhere.

- ,,​

​

 

[hyacinthbreath]

♚ Her fury is palpable, causing her limbs to shake and ears to lay flat against her head. She's realized then that she's tunneled in onto Weaselclaw, but she finds no courage to hurt him- he was once a friend, so loyal between the two of them. Their connection being Sootstar herself, their goddess. His mate. Bitterness eats at her sanity, the denial and rejection in his eyes fresh like a new wound. As if he had taken his claws and raked them down her heart himself. He doesn't react with much anger, tempers his own unlike herself- like she's an annoying bug that he can't wait to be done with.

She realizes that her breath is quickening, her eyes wide with emotion she couldn't quite understand- couldn't reason with. A friend? An enemy? Or just another cat in the background? It isn't until she feels a cold nose press against her shoulder does she visibly flinch, head swinging around and teeth bared. "Don't! Don't touch me." Hyacinthbreath growled low beneath her breath, head lowering and eyes wide with a mixture of fury, hurt, and fear. No, this wasn't the time for affection. Her whole being went into making things up to her children, making sure they were safe, and now someone threatened that. Slighted or not, Hyacinth couldn't catch her breath by the time her shaking gaze made its way back over to Weaselclaw. Fixing him with a deadly stare, lips drawn into a snarl and eyes void of the affection she once had for the one she called brother. She would apologize to Coalfoot later, but she shrinks away from him in an attempt to put some distance between them- her temper wouldn't last long enough for her to cater to Coalfoot's kindness in this moment.

Weren't they so stupid, Hyacinth? All I had to do was tell them to eat the berries for redemption, and they did just that!

An echo of a familiar voice, a reminder of a past still so fresh and painful. Hyacinthbreath shuts her eyes as the voices surround her, of worry and warning; Please give her space! Around, around, around.. And down the drain it went. She goes deadly still, trying to collect herself- count the sounds, but it doesn't work. Too many sounds, too many noises.

Your daughter is an apprentice in training to be a warrior, the way you coddle your children is disgusting.

Her eyes shoot open, searching for the voice that spoke those words. Who dared to claim she coddled her children. She did anything but that. Aspenpaw had barely begun her training, bringing her into a fight where they were outnumbered was stupid. Stupid! Her pupils narrow into deadly slits then, and then he calls her weak, insults her family, her friends. She's moving before she thinks better of it, quick like lightning with her light paws and small size. Hyacinthbreath doesn't give him a chance to say another smart comment, another insult- she's already going for his face, aiming to latch herself onto the tom's face and chest, teeth attempting to shred into whatever it could reach and claws burying themselves into his cheek to pull. "You don't know me! You don't know what I've done to keep this Clan safe! What I've had to sacrifice to come here, to help Sootstar create the Clan that you sully with your beliefs!" She yowls out in her fury, fur flying to and fro. She's seeing black, can hear the blood roaring in her ears. "Weak-minded?! You're a fraud, Juniperfrost!"​

 

[coalfoot]

———————————————【 coalfoot | windclan | male 】——————————————

【◈】The others had barely warned him off when the queen whirls around to snap at him, her teeth bared at him and stare filled with barely-repressed fury. Coalfoot recoiled as if struck. His ears flattened to his skull, eyes now wide as moons. He instinctively backed off, words caught in his throat and tongue pinched between teeth as his tail tucked itself between his legs.

The tom's mind had ground to a screeching halt, unable to conjure up so much as an apology before Juniperfrost and Weaselclaw were spitting icy words of weakness and disgust. Although rooted in place, his wide stare turned to the other warriors, struggling to process all that he had said. Hyacinthbreath had no such struggle.

She flung herself at him.

A ragged gasp was pulled in, Coalfoot snapped out of his stupor and letting out a dismayed cry as he surged forward. "Hyacinthbreath, stop!" Paws fumbled to pull at the pale molly, tears in his eyes as he tried his best to pull her off. "Stop! Stop! You can't- it's- Hyacinthbreath!" Hadn't there been enough bloodshed lately? Why did everyone have to fight?

[penned by its_oliverr].

​

 

[Wormtail]

Wormtail watched the scene escalate without moving an inch. He would not get in their way. He was strong and knew a thing or two about fighting, but he was outmatched against two former lead warriors and a cat like three times his size.

There was no breaking this up on his end.

"Be careful, lad." He said to Coalfoot as he stepped in to intervene despite his warning.

He sighed. The dirty tabby took a few steps back to watch the scene play out.

"Tis' why I stay in the ground, I tell ye..." He said to himself.

Can't fight underground with the threat of being buried alive looking over you!
​

 

[Coldsnap]

IM SCARED TO GET CLOSE AND I HATE BEING ALONE
I LONG FOR THE FEELING TO NOT FEEL AT ALL
THE HIGHER I GET, THE LOWER I SINK
I CAN'T DROWN MY DEMONS, THEY KNOW HOW TO SWIM

---

Coldsnap hadn't planned on getting involved.

He'd made it clear to not only Hyacinth but Dandelion as well that he wasn't in the headspace to be making decisions right now, and so regardless of how he felt on the matter he'd been content to stay out of it. Hyacinth and Weasel were both grown ass adults with valid points in each of their corners. Hyacinth was protecting her family, and Weasel had been to protect the integrity of their clan, keeping them from looking weak. In either ones position he wasn't sure if he'd have acted any different.

His old mentors mistake had been choosing to confront Weaselclaw in public. Once something was done in camp it had the unwelcomed side effect of suddenly becoming everyones business, and as more and more of his clanmates trickled toward the pair he shook his head lightly, already anticipating the fight that was sure to break out.

In some way, he and Hyacinth weren't all that different, and even if she was no longer his mentor, in some ways she always would be.

The tom rose to his paws, annoyed and conflicted, but still loyal enough to Hyacinth to make sure she didn't end up doing something she'd regret later. He'd felt her claws and teeth before, and he wouldn't lose sleep over feeling them again if he had to get involved. His age had never been a factor in their training, the shecat pushing him like she would any of her warriors back then, maybe even harder.

He didn't care much if Hyacinth sunk her claws into Weasel or Jupiter in that moment, but Spiritpaw and Coalfoot were both far too close, and while he didn't think she would turn her claws an either purposefully, he knew better than most that sometimes shit just happened when you were pissed.

Things went from 10 to 100 though when Hyacinth suddenly lunged at Juniperfrost, shrieking in rage, and he would have considered letting the two vent it out if Coalfoot hadn't imediately thrown himself into the mix, trying to pull the raging shecat away.

Cursing beneath his breath he immediately broke into sprint to close the distance between him and the the trio of Windclanners. "Coalfoot! Go, I've got this!" he snapped, the words coming out harsher than he intended as his larger body made to shove the crying tom away from the fighting cats. He'd feel like shit if the black and white tom got pulled into the fight, and judging from the tears they were already overwhelmed as it was.

He wasn't sure if Coalfoot listened, but either way he was quick to turn his attention back to the fight. Much more forcefully than Coalfoot, the large grey tabby leaned forward and attempted to sink his teeth into Hyacinths scruff. If he succeeded in grabbing ahold of her, he'd rip her away from Juniperfrost with all of his strength and drag her back to put some distance between her and the other tomcat, not caring if his rough treatment caused either one of them extra injuries or discomfort. Hyacinth had never coddled him, and he wasn't about to coddle her either.

---

windclan warrior - male - 12 months - a large, dark grey tabby with yellow eyes[/u]​

​

​

 

[Echolight]

Her attention had been wandering all that morning, shuffling between Daisykit, her own kits, and nothing at all. When the screeching began, she was in a daydream, settled at the mouth of the nursery to feel the snow that freckled her face each time the breeze flew by.
Still, Hyacinthbreaths rage-fueled screams pull her out, and Echolight shifts to her paws, the alarm that blares in her head overriding the mobile difficulties of her extra weight.
The queen throws her head over her shoulder, making sure her own daughter was tucked safely inside the nursery.
”Stay here, keep Marmotkit and Bristlekit company.” Is all she’d say to Daisykit before she herself stepped out, but keeping a wary distance.
Juniperfrost’s words made her sick, but unsurprisingly so, Windclan was militant- their children were soldiers before they shedded their soft kitten fur, before their ears could properly fit their heads.
Spiritpaw’s pleas catch her ears, but they’re quiet, and the lilac queen almost confuses them with the leaf-bare breeze.
With one quick scan, however, she see’s the pale apprentice, and moves towards her.
She knows her bond with Hyacinthbreath, she understands it with Daisykit.
"Spiritpaw" her own voice is barely above a whisper as she pulls herself to her side on wobbly legs, aiming to sweep her tail around the apprentice, but refraining from directly touching her.
She can’t say anything more before Weaselclaws own shouting has taken over, before in a split second Hyacinthbreath is turning on Juniperfrost and pouncing.
Personally, Echolight agrees with the lynx warrior, and if it weren’t for the terrified apprentice at her side, she’d probably be content to watch this play out, to watch that pathetic, cold hearted man get his ass kicked.
That wasn’t the case however, and only now would Echolight make contact with Spiritpaw and aim to sweep her close. "Come on Spiritpaw, she wouldn’t want you in the crossfire. She’s a strong cat, she’s got this" her words are gentle, but firm enough for the apprentice to know she wasn’t asking, but Spiritpaw was headstrong and stubborn, and if those traits were to shine through Echolight would nudge her to the nursery herself.
It hadn’t come to that yet though, and the queen only warily gets to her paws, blocking Spiritpaw from the altercation.
Despite the lack of showing it, terror was running through her veins at the speed of light.
My kits will never be safe here, not with cats like those- she cuts herself off, mentally shaking Sootstar, Weaselclaw, and Juniperfrost from her mind.
"Speech."
​

[ WHAT A TIME ]​

 

[SOOTSTAR]

Sootstar was at her most dangerous when she felt the power slip away from her paws. When she felt her control on these cats loosen and slither away. Hyacinithbreath needlessly berating Weaselclaw almost had her yowling and hissing, but her last straw actually snaps when Hyacinithbreath turns and attacks Juniperfrost.

The blue smoke is delayed in acting, engulfed in a feeling of shock and fury by this display. Where had the loyal warrior gone? The warrior who she had once wanted for deputy? It was clear she wouldn't be waking up any time soon, and Sootstar's patience runs out.

More cats join the fray, Coalfoot and Coldsnap, though they are trying to dislodge the fight rather than keep it going. Whether or not they are successful in tearing Hyacinithbreath away from Juniperfrost, the leader bounds onto her rock. "ENOUGH!" Even with a sore-throat oncoming, Sootstar still could manage a good threatening yowl. "Hyacinithbreath- HYACINITHBREATH!" She snaps twice to get the silver she-cats attention, her fur bristling.

Yet when she looks in the former lead warriors eyes her fur flattens, she almost looks sorrowful.
Whats happened? What has happened to the friend she thought she once knew?
"...You need to leave." Sootstar grows shockingly quiet, but her voice should still be able to be carried to the cats below. "I've ignored and forgiven all I can. You abandoned me when you stepped down as a lead warrior, you abandoned me back at the RiverClan border when I needed a cat like you the most- and not only that you rallied my other present warrior to your side? You've embarrassed me- you've embarrassed and let down WindClan enough."

Sootstar points her nose to the gorse tunnel, the exit, "...Go."​

---

Spoiler: TAGS ★ 10/19

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

╰ ★ ჻ 001 GENERAL INFORMATION ,
· SOOTSTAR, female — she / her
╰ ‣ 32 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 windpaw & sootpaw
╰ ‣ mentor to sootpaw & coyotepaw
╰ ‣ average fighter . skilled hunter .
╰ ‣ will start fights . unlikely to flee .
╰ ‣ attack in underline . penned by user @ava.

 

[ASPENPAW_]

( ♬ ) Her back still stings, left sticky from the cobwebs Dandelionwish had so carefully layered over her wound, but it's not the slash marks that stick the most with Aspenpaw - instead, it's the swirling cloud of emotions inside of her, only made that much more intense with the rising tensions. The longer she thinks, the worse she feels about it; everyone yelling at Weaselclaw, erupting in fury on her behalf, leaves her wondering what it would have been like if she hadn't been there. Would there be this much uproar if it had just been Coyotepaw there, her fellow apprentice? Nobody seemed up in arms over his involvement, despite the injuries he had sustained, too. It's all so overwhelming, the idea that a simple hunting patrol could have gone so wrong so quickly, and still Aspenpaw wishes that she had done something to stop all this, that someone had done something to stop it, instead of just running headlong into a stupid, useless fight. None of them could have known what dire consequences it would have, but it still tears her up inside that this could all have been so easily avoided if someone had spoken up, if Weaselclaw had been just a little faster.

At first, the distant yelling startles her, and she's jumping to her paws - so soon after the skirmish, so soon after Nettlepaw's attack, even, and with the threat of war hanging around, too, Aspenpaw expects the worst, that somebody's hurt again. It never really seems to end, all this violence, and when she spots the small throng of cats, recognizes Hyacinthbreath and Weaselclaw at the center, she can't help but be relieved that there isn't any danger this time. Of course, it still hurts to see yet another of her clanmates, her own mother, tearing into her mentor once again because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but she can at least let her guard down for the time being. Ears laid flat, she tries to tune it out, sick of all the fighting, but as Aspenpaw sees sudden movement, sees Hyacinthbreath lunging at Juniperfrost, claws out, she's left standing there, gaping. She hadn't thought - not in camp, not so soon after the skirmish -

Suddenly, it's as if she's back on the border again, watching the fight break out all over again, though this time it's different - it's not Riverclan, it's her own clanmate, and there's no rabbit, it's her that's put Hyacinthbreath so on edge that she's willing to attack Juniperfrost in the middle of camp. This time, though, Aspenpaw won't just sit back and let it happen, won't turn a blind eye, and she's already racing to the scene, even if she's not sure what she could even begin to do to mend this. Not quick enough, there are already others pulling them apart, and she's left to helplessly watch as Sootstar ascends the Tallrock, only able to listen to her leader's words, frozen in shock. No, no, surely this wasn't happening - perhaps it's all just some terrible nightmare, the skirmish and all - but Sootstar's words are still ringing in her ears in a way that feels so terribly real. "No, you - you cant..." She doesn't even know who her words are directed to, soft as they are, hardly even realizes she's spoken them aloud in the wake of what's just happened. Aspenpaw still doesn't truly know what to think about Hyacinthbreath, doesn't understand her like she wants to, but this - this isn't how things are supposed to go. It's not supposed to end like this, her mother exiled, just like that.​

( WE'RE ALL JUST SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING ☾ )

 

[Juniperfrost]

He didn't expect her to attack him, then again perhaps he should have. She was unhinged, choosing only to conflict with her own clanmates over their enemies, she was a danger to them all and a traitor of the truest breed. The claws tore his face before he could raise his own in retaliation and by the time he was lunging back to swipe at her with his own other cats had moved in to try and stop her. Coalfoot's useless hide throwing himself into a fight when he'd run scurrying the moment someone looked at him wrong otherwise, Coldsnap trying to yank her back far more aggressively though with intent not to harm; of course he'd expect no less from the apprentice she trained before she'd lost her way. She'd ruined this young cat, probably filled his head with nonsense as well-otherwise he would have put her down as she deserved. Exile was too good for her.
Juniperfrost's teeth flashed in a snarl as he withdrew, blood dripping from his face and the only thing keeping his ebony claws from lashing out in retaliation was Sootstar's orders that she leave. He wanted to kill her, wanted desperately to rip her into pieces right then and there as an example before the entire clan but his leader had not ordered her death. Briefly he felt irritation that the ashen queen would be so lenient but surely there was a reason, surely she had purpose for letting this wretch walk away.
"I suggest you take this mercy you are being given and clear out before I make you regret it." Straightening back up to stand full height he shakes his head, sending red droplets onto the ground before turning to bully their medicine cat into fixing what that bitch did his face.

//out!
​

 

[hyacinthbreath]

♚ In the pulsating of her heartbeat in her ears, she could make out the sound of Coalfoot crying out for her to stop; intervening in a situation he could get hurt. She's distracted when the tom lunges back, a hefty paw swiping up her ear and slicing right through it. She barely even feels the pain beneath her rushing adrenaline, the urge to kill similar to the feeling she had when the Deity had taken her family's lives. Taken everything from her. She's not able to get another fine swipe in, not before Coldsnap is helping Coldfoot yank her off of Juniperfrost. Her eyes are wide with unbridled fury as Coldsnap scruffs her like some child, but it's the separation she needs to understand that her name is being called- no, shouted.

Enough! Sootstar yowls, and Hyacinthbreath narrows her eyes at Juniperfrost as he steps back, flicking blood to the ground with a scowl. A feeling of satisfaction, giving the tom a piece of his own game. He wants to insult her, he better have the bite to back it up- because Hyacinthbreath did, and she knew it. Her violet-hued eyes flick upwards to Sootstar, who seems confused that Hyacinth even had the nerve to pull something like this off. Hyacinth is still reeling from the numbness, the violent urges and hurt to register what's being said until Sootstar speaks up again.

...You need to leave. She says, calm- disbelief fills her voice, and she almost sounds like she doesn't want to say such words. That's right, Sootstar once trusted her- trusted her to hurt the innocent in the name of the beloved Sootstar, Queen of the Moors. Anyone who dare speak out, dare try to usurp the Goddess that reigned atop the rock that stood so tall above the rest. It's bittersweet, the words that Sootstar speaks.

"Abandoned you?" Hyacinthbreath laughs breathlessly, chest rising and falling in ragged pants. There's hurt in her eyes, but even moreso there's anger. "You abandoned us. You abandoned the cats who originally came here to serve you. You abandoned those who would put their lives on the line to protect you. All for your own glory. Your people, the ones who loved their Queen in the beginning before she became this.. this monster with nine lives. You were all I had left after Lavenderstorm left us." She couldn't find the heart to deny herself that reprieve, that breath of air that she so desperately needed. Pollen, oh.. Pollen would be alone again, she couldn't let her think this was abandonment- she would have to do something to make up for it, something to protect her family. Hyacinthbreath is still hanging from Coldsnap's jaws like a kit having a tantrum, but her fury is real. Juniper speaks, and Hyacinth shoots a death glare towards him. "Shut up, you useless stump! You're a danger to all of these kids.. and if I ever see you near any of mine again, WindClan or not, it won't just be your ugly face that I fuck up next time!" She hisses low, eyes blazing with rage- her ear is dripping blood, but the long nick on her ear is nothing.

Simmering down after the tom leaves to go to Dandelionwish, she idly wishes Dandy was in another position- never forced into such an intense one. Her precious friend... Sootstar speaks again, tells her that she's embarrassed. She's shocked that Hyacinth would do something like this. "Put me down, Cold." Hyacinthbreath finally mumbles, calmly. She doesn't break eye contact with Sootstar. When he's settled her back onto her dainty paws, Hyacinthbreath takes a step towards the rock; raising her voice just enough for Sootstar to hear her. "I loved you. So wholeheartedly, because I couldn't love anyone more than my Queen. But you're not her. You've lost yourself to some sort of.. madness, and I wont be apart of it. Fine, I'll go. I need.. I need to gather my things, and you won't have to see me again." She resigns herself then, stepping away from the growing crowd. Echolight ushers Spiritpaw away, and Hyacinthbreath looks almost dejected- would Spiritpaw hate her, after this? Would Aspenpaw, Periwinklepaw? She knew Wisteriapaw would, the boy always had a grudge against her for keeping their sire secret. Moonshadow, the poor woman.. She'd have to see her kits grow up in WindClan, where Hyacinthbreath wouldn't be able to help her. Not directly, at least..

Sparing Coalfoot and Coldsnap an apologetic glance, Hyacinthbreath turns and begins to pad back to the tunnel she had called home for so long. She needed to collect all of her things, even if it was few in amount. She wouldn't even dare to look at Weaselclaw- that stupid tom fell for a monster, and she couldn't blame him. Loving was one thing, but loving your Leader.. It was the most painful feeling of all.

// out!​

 

[coalfoot]

———————————————【 coalfoot | windclan | male 】——————————————

【◈】It was all he could do to try and prevent the fight from getting worse, Juniperfrost retaliating and spilling more scarlet blood that made him cringe. Coldsnap was there in a flash, shouldering the smaller tom aside and leaving him stumbling as he dragged Hyacinthbreath away.

Coalfoot shook his head, sucking in a stuttering breath and trying to compose himself. Sootstar, her thundering voice ringing out across the camp, startles him and brings his attention snapping to her. The softness of her voice somehow scared him more than her initial bellow, each word uttered pitting more stones in his belly, wincing at the mention of the border patrol. No, she- she couldn't.

"Sootstar, please..." he pleaded, but his hoarse voice didn't quite make it above a murmur. Hyacinthbreath was speaking, his attention flickering over to her and ears flattening, head slowly shaking from side to side. Was this really happening? Did Sootstar just exile her? Why wasn't- why wasn't anyone saying anything?

Biting down on the words vying for freedom, Coalfoot turned his head away, eyes scrunching shut.

[penned by its_oliverr].

​

 

[spiritpaw]

No, nono, no, no, this can't be happening. Spirit's heart stops and, fuck, there are tears rolling down her face. Hya jumps at Juniper and theres blood and theres a strangled scream that leaves her mouth, eyes wide, fuck, fuck, she needed to get her- Echo's tail sweeps around her. "Thats, thats my- No, no, no, Echo, please," shes babbling incoherently as she sobs, she hasn't cried this hard since she left the barn. "Stop, stop, please!" her throats hoarse because shes been screeching and it hurts but she can't stop it and her heads spinning, oh man. Please, stop fighting, but its useless, its useless.

And for some reason Spirit doesn't blame Hyacinth at all. If she were bigger, stronger she would have flung herself straight for Juniper herself. Aspen was not a warrior. They- they were children. They were still young. Inwardly she wishes it were her on the patrol. She had witnessed countless acts of violence from her mother, it would have not bothered her.

Echo stands in front of her but then Soot exiles her and Spirit's eyes go wide as saucers. "Thats my mom, thats, please, stop!" her voice rises in to a frenzied screech once more, no, please, please, please, shes inconsolable. Hyacinth isn't truly her mom, probably not even in an adoptive meaning. She's not ever going to be her mom but she is the closest thing she has to a mom. Closest thing she had to a mom after her own laid claws against her flesh. Mom, to Spirit, was supposed to mean comfort in your darkest hour and thats exactly what Hyacinth had provided. Nothing but kind, she still remembers her gentle voice when she had first joined. Her head whips to Aspen and she cant help but feel her heart shatter further because Apsen was about to lose her actual mom.

"Echo, Echo, Echo, mom, I-" she gasps for air because she realizes she cannot breathe. "I'm sorry," i'm sorry but Hyacinth, she couldn't leave. Not without her, no. She doesn't think as she darts to the side of Echo, straight after Hyacinth. Wherever Hya went she'd go, she'd follow, she cannot bear the thought of having another mentor. She does not want that, truly. In the moment shes booking it after her she decides she will come with her. Spirit will shed her Windclan apprentice title to be with Hya, wherever she goes, because someone needed to be able to save her when she got in to trouble. Spirit nearly breaks down in to sobs once again.

What a terrible, dreadful day.
// also out </3​

"speech"​

 

[Coldsnap]

IM SCARED TO GET CLOSE AND I HATE BEING ALONE
I LONG FOR THE FEELING TO NOT FEEL AT ALL
THE HIGHER I GET, THE LOWER I SINK
I CAN'T DROWN MY DEMONS, THEY KNOW HOW TO SWIM

---

Fights between clanmates, they were bound to happen every now and then, especially with the way Sootstar kept finding excuses to add cats to the clan; snatching Skyclan kits, merging a rogue group with their own- Coldsnap wasn't surprised at all by the lack of synergy in the clan, or the fact that the original Windclanners were having a hard time staying connected with each other. Even he and Dandelionwish had beaten down a trio of apprentices back when they were younger, unable to see eye-to-eye with their treatment of Rosepaw. Even Sootstar herself had been a hairs breath away from smacking the shit out of WEaselclaw after that fight with Riverclan.

And so he honestly hadn't thought too much about it as he hauled the shecat away from Juniperfrost, yellow eyes flashing toward the tom in case he tried to take a cheap shot at Hyacinth while she was held down, a scenario which might cause Coldsnap to loose the shecat and join her himself. Luckily though, there didn't seem to be a chance for the fight to continue, because Sootstars voice rang out through the camp, forcing everyones attention to her.

"Hyacinthbreath. You need to leave."

The words honestly surprised him, and it was probably that more than his fear of Hyacinth lashing out again that kept him holding onto her as she responded. She was... Exiling her? For a fight with a clanmate? For stepping down?

His head screamed yes, they'd been signs of disloyalty, signs that Hyacinth had been going to leave them all anyways and that it was better to cut her loose before she could stick a knife in them. But his heart, that broken thing that Dandelion and Hyacinth kept trying to get him to hear, it was screaming no, that Hyacinth wasn't a traitor, that she didn't deserve to be run from her home or her family.

"You abandoned us. You abandoned the cats who originally came here to serve you. You abandoned those who would put their lives on the line to protect you. All for your own glory. Your people, the ones who loved their Queen in the beginning before she became this.. this monster with nine lives. You were all I had left after Lavenderstorm left us."

His gaze set itself on Sootstar as his old mentor spoke, and for the first time a part of him was able to understand. Sootstar wasn't trying to protect Windclan from the agony of betrayal.... she was trying to protect herself.

He was pulled from his epiphany by a brief jostle as Hyacinth shifted to snarl at Juniperfrosts words, and at her command to be dropped he did so as if on auto-pilot, only half in the moment as another part of him stayed desperately trying to cling to the edges of his own realizations. He doesn't bother to hide his conflict as he meets the shecats gaze, voice unheard by all but her. "This isn't right."

She hadn't attacked Sootstar or acted disloyaly toward Windclan. Hyacinth loved this place and it's cats - with some obvious exceptions.

He watches her go with claws sinking into his chest, the sound of Spiritpaws desperate cries for her mother filling his ears.

---

windclan warrior - male - 12 months - a large, dark grey tabby with yellow eyes​

​

 

[SOOTSTAR]

Sootstar finds all of what Hyacinithbreath to be saying delusional... she must've caught some type of leaf-bare illness. She had watched cats in the swamps descend to insanity after coming on with something this time of year. The sliver tabby had worshipped her, supported Sootstar through many of the monsterous orders she now likely referred to.

"You claim I do no good for this clan but not until now have you stood up to any of my orders. Not even when you were at my side." Sootstar explains with a growl, "So... if I'm a plague to WindClan... and if you love this clan so much more than I do, why is it just now you make a mouse-tails effort to put a stop to me?" It's because all she spoke of was nonsense, this was the last leg she had to stand on in the face of exile, Sootstar was certain of it. The blue smoke knows she is capable of selfish thoughts, but at the end of the day truly does not believe herself to be a monster with nine lives, as the former lead warrior puts it.

"You've attacked my warrior Hyacinithbreath. You tried to provoke Weaselclaw after I, leader of WindClan already dealt with him. You've made us look foolish before RiverClan, you showed them we were quarreling. You showed them a weakness when for all we know StarClan forbid they're planning an attack back!" Sootstar lashes her tail and shakes her head.

For once, she is less angry and more riddled. How had Hyacinithbreath gone from such a loyal warrior to this so quickly? Sootstar hadn't even seen it coming! Perhaps she should've guessed when the silver and white she-cat stepped down.

As Hyacinithbreath leaves, she looks down on the clan. "Warriors of WindClan, I speak before you. If you're not loyal to me then you do not belong in WindClan. This is my clan and all I ask for in return of being a part of it is your support. If the cost of staying here is too high, this is your time to leave in voluntary exile. Leave now and I vow harm will not befall you, but you will not be welcomed back." ​

---

Spoiler: TAGS ★ 10/19

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

╰ ★ ჻ 001 GENERAL INFORMATION ,
· SOOTSTAR, female — she / her
╰ ‣ 32 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 windpaw & sootpaw
╰ ‣ mentor to sootpaw & coyotepaw
╰ ‣ average fighter . skilled hunter .
╰ ‣ will start fights . unlikely to flee .
╰ ‣ attack in underline . penned by user @ava.