[Fawn]

LIONSTAAR
48 Moons - Tom - TreeClan

He was not so holy, not so benevolent that he could claim himself above the ability to hate. When Willowfur had come before him with irrefutable proof of Grayowl's treachery, a fire had burned white hot in his stomach, as if someone had set a blaze to his blood and a convicting darkness in his heart.

Even if his deeply ingrained sense of justice reasoned with him to hear Grayowl's side of the story, Lionst.ar ignored it. Instead, he strode, his pawsteps heavy and with purpose towards the Ancient Stump, which he jumped atop, his claws gripping into the aged bark as though he needed to keep himself from chasing Grayowl out of TreeClan personally.

The words were out of his mouth before he'd had time to process them.
"Let all cats gather at Ancient Stump. Now."

Lionst.ar's eyes were filled with a mixture of contempt and fierce clarity; he had never been more grateful of the power bestowed upon him by their ancestors. The power to banish a dangerous cat from his family was one he now triumphantly wielded.

As all of TreeClan congregated, Lionst.ar's dark golden tail flicked and twitched a moment before he willed it to still; this ceremony would mean nothing if it conveyed to the Clan that he was too emotionally involved to give out this kind of sentence. Well, whether the Clan thought him unstable or not, Grayowl would get his just desserts.

"Cats of TreeClan, in all my moons as your leader, I have yet to come across a situation quite like this. A member of our Clan has attempted to murder his own Clanmate." Lionst.ar's eyes flashed, seeking out the traitor in the crowd, his ears sharp to the shocked hisses and murmurs of TreeClan as a whole.

"Attacking with the full intention of taking another Clanmate's life is against our laws and everything TreeClan stands for. A despicable crime, and you deserve no less than severity in return. Grayowl, for your traitorous behavior, and with St.arClan's approval, I hereby banish you from TreeClan. You shall not seek shelter in any of the four other Clans, nor shall you set paw within TreeClan territory during your exile. You shall cut all ties with your mate and your offspring, and you shall never go near Willowfur again. Failure to obey the strictures of your punishment will result in even harsher sentencing. TreeClan will forever be closed to the likes of you, and I'll see that it stays that way."

The golden leader locked eyes with the accused party, taking in this view, looking at Grayowl for what felt like the last time. His claws gripped and ungripped the Ancient Stump, the hair along his back raising, the golden tom's fur ablaze in the sunlight overhead.

"Get out."

---

Word Count: 450 Words
Tags: Phoenix, Insidious

[Deleted]

you will never be alone again
love will make it all right

--------------------------------------

A loud, throaty command that absolutely reeked with revulsion interrupted a sleeping figure in the warriors' den. The form rose, cleared sleep from its eyes, and tumbled out blinking into TreeClan camp, revealing itself as Thornstrike. He was exhausted after a particularly brutal border patrol. Strange scents (that he felt were fox) had been discovered near the NightClan border, so Thornstrike and some fellow warriors had bounded out on an early patrol to investigate. They spent the morning chasing the scent up and down the border, never quite catching the source, until they noticed their repeated scent trails had driven the animal outside of TreeClan territory (and ironically, towards NightClan). Exhausted yet happy, they returned to camp and sought out Lionst.ar to give a report, but it seemed he was "not to be disturbed." So Thornstrike saved his news and went to recover his energy.

Now, the same voice that sent him out of camp drew him to the center of camp, and he padded out to join his Clanmates. Finding himself next to familiar faces, he looked up at Lionst.ar and almost didn't recognize his golden-furred leader. The eyes were different, the body language more aggressive... In fact, he looked like he was ready to kill someone. The realization st.artled Thornstrike, as he had never seen TreeClan's leader in such a state before. As Lionst.ar spoke, all the blood seemed to drain out of Thornstrike's face.

Attempted murder?! The incredulously he felt must have shown through in his entire being, but then he looked around protectively for Emberstorm. He knew she could take care of herself, but the thought of her being in danger even in camp made him sick. He waited, tail lashing, his ears not believing what he was hearing.

"Grayowl, for your traitorous behavior, and with St.arClan's approval, I hereby banish you from TreeClan."

Thornstrike hissed loudly and leaped back, glaring with such pure loathing in his eyes at the tom seated near him. He tried to kill a Clanmate? He couldn't fathom what twisted mind the warrior had to even consider such a thing. He had always held a distant sort of respect for the tom, as every conversation they had, even if passing, seemed to be one of intelligence and a common goal of TreeClan's wellbeing. But now...it would be very, very easy for Thornstrike to say that he hated the grey tom in front of him.

As Lionst.ar laid out the traitorous tom's sentence, Thornstrike unsheathed his claws and stood, hackles raised, ears flattened, and his entire body on alert. He was not about to let Grayowl hurt -- or attempt to hurt -- any other member of TreeClan. Clans, especially their camps, were surrposed to be a safe haven for all members. Not a place where blood was shed like a desperate battle. Keeping his gaze trained on the tom, Thornstrike waited, ready to defend his family, whatever the cost.

--------------------------------------

thornstrike | warrior | treeclan
treeclan~ | tagged
494 | wordcount
thornstrike is getting angry~ | notes
thanks rick from RPGD

[Deleted]

Sunstride
The Brightest Flame
That’s the only way I know
Don’t stop 'til everything’s gone
Straight ahead, never turn round
Don’t back up, don’t back down

Adderstrike
The Snake of Treeclan
I am not alone, Not beaten down just yet
I am not afraid,
Of the voices in my head

Littletimber
Comfortably Numb To All
Come on now
I hear you're feeling down
Well, I can ease your pain
And get you on your feet again

---

The day had been going quite slowly until Lionfart called him ranting meeting. Of course, it was slightly amusing to the aggressive, ginger tom to see his leader so agitated and... angry? Did Lionfart even have that emotion in his brain? Apparently he did, the blue eyed warrior could see every muscle tense, his fur on end, lips drawn back to reveal sharp teeth and his eyes. It could have sent chills up Adderstrike's spine if he wasn't so curious as to what was going on and why the, oh so 'level headed' leader of Treeclan had his tail in a knot.

The snake like tom pricked his ears as he picked himself up from his position near the nursery to pad over, taking a position near Thornstrike and Bloodtalon. His tail waved around behind him as he remained standing on his paws, his shoulder muscles rippling as he came to a stop, head facing the lion like tom atop the Ancient Stump. Of course, his attention was scattered away from Lionfart for just a moment when he saw Grayowl from the corner of his eyes, he felt his lip lift slightly, reveling a nice sharp fang. It was an immediate reaction to the gray warrior.

However, Lionfart's next yowl of words brought Adderstrike's attention back to him, Murder? And almost in perfect timing, the large tom's chilly blue eyes landed on Grayowl the moment Lionfart called the gray tom's name out. A low growl echoed in Adderstrike's throat as he was vaguely away of Thornstrike's leap away from Grayowl and a hiss that echoed from the older tom's throat. Adderstrike's muscles tensed as he went to leap at the tom, prepared to take Grayowl's throat from him before a white and ginger tom stepped in-front of him, obviously aware of his brother's intentions. "Sunstride!" He snapped.

The white and ginger tom had been grooming himself next to his blue-gray sister as the two were enjoying a rather lazy day, well lazy for him anyways. Sunstride was the type of cat that was always huntng and patroling, everyday, but today he had only hunting, bringing back quite a bit of prey. However, Lionfart's hurried pace caught his attention rathering quickly and he pulled Moonshimmer with him over to the stump before Lionfart's call was even finished.

What could he be so upset about...

Lionfart was usually such a calm tom, collected and peaceful. But now, something was clearly bothering him, and so Sunstride's fur became ruffled as well, of course all came to light when the leader voiced what was on his mind and the white and ginger tom's green eyes locked onto Grayowl. Such a smug look covered his face, and almost... amusement in his eyes? How could he be so okay with being caught, trying to murder his own sister.

It almost made Sunstride shudder, he couldn't think of laying claws on Moonshimmer or Gentlebreeze, no matter the cost, maybe Adderstrike but he wasn't his sister. Just a large grumpy snake. And speaking of snakes... Sunstride pulled himself to his feet and quickly placed himself in-front of Adderstrike, stopping his older and aggressive brother from leaping at Grayowl. His ear twitched as his brother growled at him, but he simply ignored it.

Instead he turned to look at Lionfart, keeping his smaller body in-front of his larger brother, "Lionfart, shall some of us escort Grayowl from our territory?" Always calm and level-headed. Even in an instance like this, that had Lionfart so riled up, the younger tom managed to keep his head on and ask a perfectly reasonable question. If left alone, Grayowl may not even leave the territory.

Littletimber glanced away from Honeypaw, as she was sorting different leaves by size, shape and scent. His emotionless teal eyes glanced through the bushes to see cat's gathering from Lionfart's hurried and rather angry call, or he would asset it as angry. The sandy brown tom lifted himself to his paws without a word to his apprentice as he padded to the entrance of his den to check on the status of the meeting.

Ah, Grayowl. Littletimber had spoken to his leader about the gray warrior not to long before he took Honeypaw has his apprentice. Whispersong had told him that she was only telling the eerie tom about Grayowl's history, Littletimber took it more as a warning and was good that he did. Because here and now Lionfart was banishing the gray tom for attempted murder. 

Littletimber tilted his head to the side, What would cause... Grayowl to want to murder Willowfur? A mystery that would remain in Grayowl's head most likely, but another thing that Littletimber didn't quite understand was smuggy appearance of Grayowl, did he wish to be caught? Wished to be banished from Treeclan? Odd...

That was when his teal eyes narrowed, there was a shadow of a cat, standing near Grayowl, larger than the gray tom and white in color, scars covered his pelt and his amber eyes gleamed coldly at Lionfart... Frostowl. Why would he be here...

---

Full throttle, wide open
You get tired and you don’t show it
Dig a little deeper when you think you can’t dig no more
That’s the only way I know

Down the darkest road, Something follows me
I am not alone
Cause misery loves my company,
Misery loves my company

Relax
I'll need some information first
Just the basic facts
Can you show me where it hurts?

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:000000]Broken[/smear:ff6633][smear:ff6633]song[/smear:ffffff]

~~~~~~~~~

She'd been lying on her own, stretched out comfortably in the sun when a voice broke through her blissful peace. Now, she would have risen and gone to the Ancient Stump regardless of the tone used, simply because Lionst.ar was calling the Clan together. But it was the ferocity with which he basically demanded that they gather that had the pretty tortoiseshell she-cat scrabbling to her paws. Hazel-green eyes were stretched wide in alarm as she glanced about. Her heart was beating hard against her rib-cage, the call having easily surprised her to the point that she felt a slight pang of fear.

Half-expecting a patrol of NightClan cats to come barging into their camp, it took the she-cat a moment to quell the onslaught of fear that had taken no time in washing over her. Her breathing was a little ragged when she finally started to move, bounding in the direction of the gathering place. Her fur was still prickling slightly, but she managed to get her tail to quit lashing quite so fast. Looking about, searching out a familiar face, the mute she-cat's eyes skimmed over an all too familiar gray tom. She shivered slightly, recalling the time she'd had to save Onyxpaw from an out of control LightningClan apprentice. Why did he just stand there...?

Shaking off the clinging feeling of something akin to dread, Brokensong felt a little on edge, unable to spot Zephyrfang. Even her friend, Feathercloud, was nowhere to be seen. In the end, she was sitting near the edge of the group, ears pivoting to focus on the Clan leader as he began his announcement. But that feeling of dread only grew at what Lionst.ar had to share with them. She was on her paws in moments, not liking the small distance that was between herself and the alleged attempted-murderer. The tom beside her leapt to his paws, causing her to scramble out of his way, and thankfully, farther from Grayowl.

Her fur was pricking again, and she felt a deep pang, a need to be with Zephyrfang. He always made her feel safe. The slight loneliness only made her even more on edge, and she bounded away from the older, gray tom, eyes desperately looking for someone she knew well enough. It was then that she spotted Adderstrike, who was being held back by his brother. Her paws seemed to move automatically, remembering all the times Adderstrike had been kind to her in the past. Maybe his presence would calm her down a bit. Or at least... Maybe he could help her find Zephyrfang.

Slipping past Sunstride, the tortoiseshell slipped up against Adderstrike. Her fur was on end, which made her very aware of the way her fur brushed his. But it did help her relax a little. Keeping her smaller frame pressed against him, as though trying to hide from Grayowl, Brokensong glanced at Adderstrike with wide eyes. Her ears were tipped back, and written all over her features was disbelief. How could Grayowl have done something like that? And yet... She believed him capable. She'd witnessed him nearly allow his apprentice to be killed. There was something wrong with the gray tom, and she would be the first to admit that he scared her.

A slight shiver passed over the mute she-cat, her tail fluffing out as she turned her shocked eyes back of the culprit of the whole ordeal.

[Insidious]

G R A Y O W L

Oh, if only the bristling sound of Lions.tar’s voice could have been a surprise. He had been so close to finishing Willowfur off for the last time. She would have been dead, once and for all, and he could have watched with nothing but joy in his eyes as Lions.tar’s heart got ripped from his chest all over again. It would have been such a beautiful display. It would have been so many things . . . if Crimsonshadow hadn’t ruined it. Strolling out of the warriors’ den, holding more knowledge about this call than the rest of his clan mates, immediately sought out the red-and-black form of the newly named warrior. Crimsonshadow tried to shrivel into the background, emerald eyes alight with melancholy and this twisted form of guilt. Grayowl, hunting for a suitable position amongst the assembling cats - intent on a location that would make for a relatively easy escape once this meeting was said and done with - slowed his purposeful stride upon nearing Crimsonshadow. Turning his head, dark gold locked inside of fearful green, reading the apology inscribed within his body language and offering nothing more than a violent sneer in return. The newbie warrior looked as though he would cry, had he the ability to do so. Perhaps, Grayowl had made a mistake when he assumed that Crimsonshadow was ready to take on such an immense responsibility. His eagerness had been promising; Grayowl could tell that there was nothing he’d rather do than be at his side, helping him take Willowfur’s life. But now, it was too late for any of that. Thanks to the shuddering, sulken warrior in the corner that couldn’t seem to get far enough away from Grayowl after making such a horrendous error, fully behind him being caught and banished in the first place, he had likely lost his chance to erase Willowfur from existence forever.

Despite the rather unpleasant turn of events, Grayowl had no intention of giving Lions.tar any satisfaction. The predatory glimmer didn’t fade from his eyes as he burned a hole into the side of his leader’s head, a smirk visible on the corner of his lip, even as the words that spoke of his treachery boomed from Lions.tar’s throat and sent the crowd into a frenzy of surprised murmurs and hisses. He spotted Willowfur, then, huddling close to the great rock. She was still covered in some of her dried blood, eyes a complete mirror of her brother’s own glazed over, undoubtedly still experiencing some kind of aftershock from this whole ordeal. She’d probably never recover from the knowledge of her own sibling wanting her dead, and having been behind her disappearance so many moons ago. If Grayowl couldn’t kill her, he’d at least take some amount of contentedness with him off of TreeClan’s lands knowing that she’d never feel safe again. Having been so focused on the body of his mortified older sibling, he hardly noticed when his nearby clan mates leaped away from him, immediately defensive - as if he’d suddenly decide to go on a murder spree when so outnumbered. He realized, then, how completely pathetic some of these cats were. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad living on his own as a loner, after all. Lions.tar could have fun keeping this clan of weaklings and sheep under control; he could only hope that they’d all sleep with one eye open after this, skeptical of the cat next to their bed. Catching Adderstrike’s vicious eyes for only the briefest of moments, Grayowl grinned at him as though they were long lost friends as he got to his paws and turned away from the great rock, ready to leave with or without this so-called escorting party.

He sought out Sootpaw and Mockingbird amongst the crowd, no fatherly love or regret present in his eyes. He knew that getting himself banished was only partially fixing the problem. Lions.tar would still have to deal with Mockingbird, and he trusted that his daughter would make him proud in his absence. He couldn’t care less whether Lions.tar was prohibiting him from seeing his family anymore. Of course, he wasn’t actually going to miss any of them, but he’d still love to see Lions.tar even try to keep Mockingbird away from her father. As for Sootpaw . . . he supposed that this freed the young tom-cat from making any decisions that he didn’t want to make. He would no longer be forced to live underneath the looming shadow of his father. Without a steady home in TreeClan, there was no longer a use behind having a son that didn’t show any particular interest in the lifestyle that Grayowl wanted for him. But, should their paths ever cross again, he’d be sure to see to it that Sootpaw kept an eye on Lions.tar and, if possible, helped Mockingbird in any future endeavors. Just when Grayowl was about to vanish into the foliage, on the path that would lead him out of TreeClan territory for the rest of his life, he paused. Slowly, the senior warrior turned his body backwards, once again facing the crowd of cats with mixed emotions and reactions. He let his eyes skim over all of the cats one last time before traveling up the length of the great rock, settling inside of Lions.tar’s disgusted gaze, watching the oh-so great and noble leader watch him right back. He made no attempts to raise his voice over the thunderous howling of his former clan mates, emphasizing each syllable of the whispered phrase as it danced off of his tongue, a lingering threat in the air meant for Lions.tar’s eyes alone to try and decipher.

“See you soon.”

[Deleted]

there's a fire in her eye and a storm in her heart
and baby, she'll tear your world apart

---

The cry of their leader was so loud, so commanding, so angry, that the hunting patrol heard it from outside of the camp. The flame-colored she-cat bounded off first, dropping her two mice in the process. This was important, and she could come back for the food later. She burst into camp and skidded to a stop shortly beyond the entrance, giving just enough room for the rest of the patrol to come in. Vivid green eyes locked onto the lion-esque form of their leader, panting slightly, as he spoke.

'Murder?' Emberstorm's eyes tightened and her body tensed. At the offender's name, she hackles rose as her eyes tore through the crowd to find him. She joined her Clan in giving him a sta're of hatred, until a small black-and-white form caught the corner of her eye.

She moved quickly, and in two bounds she was sliding to a halt in front of her sister, sweeping her tail to push Honeypaw behind her. She hissed, fur spiking up from her head down to the tip of her tail. She was all burning fire and acid eyes, and if looks could kill, Grayowl would be ash.

---

EMBERSTORM

[Phoenix]

LET HIM RUN. LET HIM LIVE.

As it was clear to anyone with any functioning senses that this clan meeting was of an entirely different nature than the rest, any normal cat might have picked his way toward the Ancient Stump with trepidation in his quivering limbs. Gazing around at his clan mates, he certainly saw an unusual wariness travel through the gathering crowd as the clan slowly registered what he had noticed before Lions.tar had even made the summons. The leader was angry, and the apprentice could easily hazard a guess as to who it involved. Pale blue had glanced across the cats as one of TreeClan’s newest warriors shrunk away from the unforgiving amber gaze of his father, and he turned away. That was all he needed to see.

Listening with one ear to the crime and subsequent sentence, the son of the accused blankly s.tared at the golden tom digging his claws into the aged stump beneath his paws. Lions.tar made no attempts to hide his revulsion, and, as his attention moved to the crowd around him, neither did his clan. In a way, their immediate reactions were almost amusing. The tom sitting beside his father leapt to his paws with unsheathed claws, as though the amber-eyed menace was so mousebrained as to try his luck against the entirety of TreeClan and the strength of their combined loathing. The mute she-cat skittered away like a spineless rabbit, clearly disturbed and shaken by the announcement and her proximity to the almost-murderer. A tabby tom – Lions.tar’s former apprentice, the one who was recently renamed – made like the rest of them, green-yellow eyes immediately finding those dear to him before he made his way over to that odd apprentice who was afraid of the sun, clearly on guard and ready to protect his charge. As if Grayowl, dangerous though he was, would consider mounting an attack for more than a moment.

It was rather sad.

For a heartbeat, he idly entertained the idea of standing up and moving to stand by his father’s side, an unmistakable declaration of loyalty. It would be that easy – he hardly expected that anyone would stand in his way, as terrified as they were by the monster among them. But it was simply a musing. The life of an exiled feline was undoubtedly a harsh one, and there was an uncontestable strength in numbers, even if the majority of the numbers were driven by their emotions to an unbelievable extent. Craning his neck, he met the dark yellow gaze his father, unsurprised by the lack of a last minute declaration of fatherly love in their depths. It was only fair, as his held as little sadness as they did any other emotion. In any event, should his father ever decide to make use of his position within TreeClan, there would always be the chance that he could one day find it within himself to accommodate. Perhaps absence would make his heart grow fond, just as it allegedly had every other cat. And perhaps that mute she-cat would speak.

All the same, he rose to his paws as his father strolled easily to the edge of camp, unshaken, of course, by the announcement that had rattled the rest of the clan. Gray ears flicked as he caught his father’s parting words, registering the ominous threat that lurked within those three, tiny syllables. He did not doubt them, but he knew that his father would appear whenever he chose to. There was nothing he could do about it, and so he hardly considered the simple phrase worthy of the anxiety it would undoubtedly cause the rest of his clan.

And, just like that, his father was gone, and for all intents and purposes, he was fatherless. It was hardly a life changing moment. Grayowl had never been a particularly attentive father in the areas the others valued, and Sootpaw had always been rather independent from the start. His sister, however, would be interesting to watch. Pale blue glanced across the sea of cats to meet her gaze and was not surprised at what he saw. As if Lions.tar had the ability to keep a determined Mockingbird from her father, even if the rest of the clan would be watching the pair of them with owl eyes for the next few moons.

As for him? Long before this meeting, he had always been under some form of scrutiny. Lions.tar, in particular, could hardly claim to be innocent of it, for the leader certainly distrusted his father enough to unleash a similar suspicion on the senior warrior’s son. Even if he ignored them, brushed the looks aside, he was not unaware of their existence. He could almost feel his fur prickling, hyperaware that it would not be long before the clan shifted its focus from the monster to his spawn. It mattered not. They could watch, but they would learn nothing from him.

Sootpaw | TreeClan | Apprentice | One of Us - Lion King 2

BUT DO NOT FORGET WHAT WE CANNOT FORGIVE

[Fawn]

LIONSTAAR
48 Moons - Tom - TreeClan

    The wave of reactions amongst his Clanmates was expected, Lionstar watching the chain of aggression and fear ripple through his Clan as though a stone had been tossed directly into the center of a lake.

A gray, menacing stone.

Somehow, having Grayowl's treachery made public cooled a little of that fire burning through his veins - as if he no longer had to singlehandedly harbor a hatred and mistrust of the charcoal tom. That burden could be shared with all of his Clan and kin, now; he would have to be the levelheaded one, the leader he had sworn to be upon Distantstar's death.

At Sunstride's judicious question, he briefly pondered the anger-stricken faces before him, needing only a few seconds to decide whom to send after the gray traitor's heels.
"Adderstrike, Sprucefur, Thornstrike and Gorsetail. See to it that Grayowl is properly escorted from our Clan's territory." The golden tom's eyes were steeled, the words Grayowl had spoken had been unable to reach Lionstar's ears, but he was well-aware of his nemesis's personality. It had likely been something threatening. Another verbal dagger with which Grayowl tried to plunge into his heart.

He preferred to do his fighting with actual claws, not the manipulative words Grayowl sharpened on a regular basis; when he saw that tom again, he would meet him with his full strength. No sickness. No concern over appearing vindictive and unstable before all of TreeClan.

It would be a quiet, secluded fight.

And he would win.

Lionstar's chin lifted, watching as the cats he'd chosen left the sanctuary of TreeClan's camp after the exiled feline, a small part of Lionstar wondering if Grayowl would not try to overwhelm and maim at least one of them. No, Grayowl was too smart for a four on one fight; and he had deliberately chosen Adderstrike for his venomous personality - he would be oh so willing to sink his fangs into the owl if given a big enough reason.

Gorsetail and Thornstrike in accompaniment, however, meant that the chance of the escort party coming back in one piece was considerably heightened.

    "When you are finished, Sprucefur you are to send word to NightClan. Adderstrike will take word to RainClan. Gorsetail to LightningClan and Thornstrike to StoneClan. Let the others know that Grayowl is not to be trusted or given shelter for any reason."

He didn't care if the ghastly golden-eyed menace declared he had repented his ways and was a changed cat.

He wouldn't have given him a mouse if he were starving, knowing full well Grayowl would've bitten him in the throat simply for getting within range.