[Insidious]

R A Z O R F A N G

The leader of RainClan was dead.

Earlier the same day, Sandstar had left the camp alongside his deputy and one of the clan’s trusted warriors to patrol the NightClan border. And now, only a short time later, they were returning with one less cat alive. His heart felt heavy in his chest, unprepared for the weight of every clan cat’s shocked eyes on him and the lifeless leader upon his back when he walked back into the camp. He avoided all eye contact as he strode towards the River Stone, kneeling down in order to gently slide Sandstar’s limp frame off of his back. He refused to move more than a few mouselengths away from his close friend, swallowed up in his own private universe of fond memories he had shared with this very tom, now suddenly turned painful with the trauma of his last life being taken away. He had tuned out all of the voices of his clan mates, trying to find the courage inside of him to look up and meet all of their probing stares. There would be questions in need of answers; responsibilities to uphold. He was still only this clan’s deputy. He felt some of the burden lift off of his shoulders upon realizing that he wasn’t immediately taking Sandstar’s place. He would need to go to the Moon Tree with an escort as soon as possible, but for the time being, he would allow himself and the rest of his clan to grieve.

“All of RainClan!” He didn’t care that he wasn’t standing on the River Stone. This was no clan meeting. His voice was slightly cracked, yet thunderous all the same as he addressed the group of assembled felines, finally lifting his eyes from the ground, ready to face the clan and break to them what news they had likely already gathered from his mournful expression. “Mallowleaf, Sandstar and I . . .” It was difficult for him to speak the leader’s name as nonchalantly as before, knowing that there was no longer a cat amongst their clan to answer to that name. “. . . came across a NightClan patrol. NightClan started an inevitable fight and it cost our leader his last life. We did not leave without claiming one of their own.” He had summarized the events as best as he could, leaving out a lot of the details; it wasn’t open for discussion right now. It mattered not that Mallowleaf had struck down a NightClan warrior prior to Sandstar’s death. As of now, he was happy that she did. It wouldn’t have been fair if they had retreated with a dead clan leader, and NightClan didn’t get so much as a scratch upon one of their faces.

He didn’t know what to say. Everyone was watching him, drinking his explanation, when all he wanted to do was go and sit somewhere by himself and plead for Sandstar to receive another life from StarClan. There had been so much loss in his life recently. Just when he was beginning to accept the fate that had been bestowed upon Coldgaze, yet another cat was ripped away from him. NightClan would pay for what they had done to RainClan. Razorfang knew all too well what it felt like to succumb to his vindictive side - he had yet to completely get over his desire to shred Hawkstar to pieces - and now he felt that exact same passion to annihilate burning hot in his chest. “Sandstar was taken from us too soon. Let us take this time to recall every remarkable thing he has done for us as a clan, and to mourn the loss of such a great leader, and an even greater friend.” His loud voice perished in the heart of every cat’s murmuring, cherishing his last few moments alone with Sandstar before he reluctantly stepped aside, head hanging low, making way for the rest of the clan that was as deeply wounded by this loss as he and wished to have a few moments of their own with their fallen leader.

[Fawn]

Violetclaw
44 Moons. RainClan. Warrior. She-Cat.

A distinctive, female cry rose above the bowed heads of RainClan, the feline from which this mournful lamentation had sprung was easily identified by the deep unmistakeable rosettes overtop a gleaming silver body. Sandstar was dead. In a border skirmish that should have been nothing more than routine. What had gone wrong? Who's fault was this? Violetclaw's chest felt full, as if a pressure had built and was now straining against the sturdy bones of her ribcage, threatening to overwhelm her and burst forth.

What was this sensation?

Grief? Anger?

Violetclaw, yellow eyes raw with emotion, settled upon the hazelnut-faced tom that Sandstar had chosen for deputy in a gaze that would have burned straight down to the flesh had he been anything less than resilient. Rather than look at the figurehead that had been lost to them, rather than allow her attention and her grief to mingle with her Clanmates, Violetclaw raised her jaw, a contemptuous sheen to painful eyes as Razorfang separated from the group.

The she-cat followed, slowly at first, before the speed began to gather into her paws, and it was only in her shaken disgust that she kept her claws sheathed and did not bowl the tom over. "You let him die?" It was less of a question and more of an accusation. "How is it that a young warrior comes home without a scratch but our leader is born on your back, dead as a fish?" Violetclaw's words were cutting, but there was agony behind them as well, an unspoken, private mourning that should not have been - not if she'd ever wanted to be deputy.

Such a chance had come again, but did she want it?

"Tell me what really happened, not that crowfood explanation you gave everyone else." She wouldn't let him go until he did; he could keep his secrets from the rest of the Clan, but Violetclaw could not allow so measly an explanation for so great a crime.

Did NightClan seek war with RainClan? What would have caused such a devastation?

Why?

[Deleted]

Timberwing

The Fox of Rainclan

Your face—it haunts my once pleasant dreams

Your voice—it chased away all the sanity in me

---

Though she had been out earlier that day, hunting for food to give her adopted clan, she had felt that something was off, something were to happen. Call her suspcious, or maybe she had lived so long that she was starting to Elder-citis, but she was sure something bad was to happen today, and Starclan was watching. It was unsettling, and she wasn't sure if she should be out hunting or not, but what was to happen, was to happen, weather she intervened or not.

She was not expecting what happened would be what she felt in her bone earlier that day. Timberwing had returned from her hunting excursing with a couple of water voles she had managed to trap and catch before returning back to Rainclan's camp. She had been sitting near the warrior's den, grooming the mud from the tip of her plume tail when Razorfang and Mallowleaf returned with Sandstar riding on the deputy's back, limp and lifeless.

Dull green eyes widened as the older she-cat pulled herself to her paws, letting her trueborn clanmates reach their leader's body first, as she padded along behind them, letting her gaze run over his body as she dipped her head silently, sending a prayer with him to Starclan. She felt a pang of sorrow wash through her body, something she thought she'd never expecience again after she fled from Nightclan and her horrible past living there.

Yet, here she was now, staring down at Sandstar as she let the pain swirl though her body and heart, she hadn't realized that the tom who welcomed her into Rainclan had become such an important cat in her aging life. Looking back, she remembered all the deceased tom had done for her, took her in, fed her, gave her a new home. He trained her in the ways of Rainclan, and laughed at her unwillingness to jump in the water like he could do so freely.

Timberwing glanced at her clanmates, they were going through more pain than she was, they knew him their whole lives, or most of their lives, fought besides him, trained besides him. This was a hard lost for all of Rainclan, Sandstar was a great, proud leader who served his clan with hope and bravery, as any leader should do. The fox colored she-cat turned her head from her clanmates to lay her eyes on Razorfang, who was now caught in a confrontation with Violetclaw.

"Enough." Timberwing said, voice cracked from age, her graying paws moved her forwards to stand near Razorfang, her long red fur clashing with Razorfang's more darker colored fur. Her dull eyes held little emotion but sympathy and sorrow. "This is not the time to accuse or blame one another, let us more over Sandstar peacefully." The senior warrior allowed her words to settle, her green orbs staring into Violetclaw's own eyes.

She let her voice grow louder, "We have all lost a friend, a companion, a mentor and a leader..." Though she wondered, she would voice her thoughts on Violetclaw's feelings towards Sandstar, "It's hard and painful, but we are warriors of Rainclan, and we will honor Sandstar as he makes his final journey to Starclan." She let her speech run through the ears and hearts of her clanmates, this was her final goodbye to a cat she hadn't realized had become her friend and mentor.

She dipped her head towards Sandstar's body.

---

These wounds won't seem to heal

This pain is just too real

There's just too much that time cannot erase

[Deleted]

Mallowleaf entered camp as the deputy was announcing Sandstar's death. Halfmask's blood covered her muzzle, a blunt, gruesome declaration against her pale fur. Even from the entrance, she could make out where it had splashed against Razorfang and Sandstar's pelts. Her ears lay back as she stalked in to camp, face twisted to a grim expression. She was furious, her silence electric like the time just before a storm.

Her eyes, a muted amber green, fell upon her leader's corpse. She blinked, pressing her teeth together, before her paws taking her to stand a short distance from Razorfang, opening her maw to defend him once more. Timberwing's words abruptly filled the space where her words would have fallen. The warrioress remained quiet, tail twitching subtly with hushed agitation.

"Sandstar's last life was stolen by NightClan warriors who dared trespass and attack us within our own borders," she hissed, her voice only loud enough for those nearest to her to hear. "They fought like cowards, but they did not escape unscathed." Her eyes darted to meet Violetclaw's before she fell silent once more, the feral energy of battle still pumping through her veins, the blood of her enemies splattered across her cream pelt.

Character; Mallowleaf
Word count; 202
Notes; ~

[Deleted]

pray for peace

---

"H-hey, watch w-where you're s-splashing-g th-that!" Ottersplash, though a warrior now, still maintained his aversion--fear--of water, and the little kits splashing near where he sat were starting to get a little too close for comfort. The silver-black tabby tom scooted over a few mouse-lengths, leaving the current splash zone. He brought a forepaw to meet his tongue, ridding it of the droplets of water.

A patrol of cats entered the camp, and at first he thought nothing of it. No big deal, it happened all the time. But then the camp grew quiet. He looked up from washing his paw, and it hung in the air as he took in the scene before him.

His jaw remained parted as his eyes widened hugely. It couldn't be. There was Razorfang, and Mallowleaf, and.. and Sandstar. But why wasn't he walking? Had he been injured too badly? The deputy lowered Sandstar to the ground, and instead of moving like Ottersplash expected him to, he lay still.

"All of RainClan! Mallowleaf, Sandstar, and I came across a NightClan patrol. NightClan started an inevitable fight and it cost our leader his last life. We did not leave without claiming one of their own."

If possible, Ottersplash's eyes grew even bigger. Dead? Sandstar? Impossible! But.. "Sandstar was taken from us too soon. Let us take this time to recall every remarkable thing he has done for us as a clan, and to mourn the loss of such a great leader, and an even greater friend."

How..

A hiss rose above the murmurings of the Clan, and Ottersplash drew his gaze from his leader's body. "You let him die? How is it that a young warrior comes home without a scratch but our leader is born on your back, dead as a fish? Tell me what really happened, not that crowfood explanation you gave everyone else."

The anger rubbed his fur the wrong way, and he shrank back involuntarily. Another voice entered the fray, one showing signs of age, but still held strength. "Enough. This is not the time to accuse or blame one another, let us mourn over Sandstar peacefully. We have all lost a friend, a companion, a mentor and a leader...It's hard and painful, but we are warriors of Rainclan, and we will honor Sandstar as he makes his final journey to Starclan."

His ears flattened to his skull, the tension in the center of the Clan becoming unbearable to him. He shook himself lightly, taking a deep breath. With small, hesitant steps, and keeping his body low, he entered into the circle of cats, where the confrontation was taking place.

"P-please.." His voice was quieter than he wanted it to be, so he swallowed hard and began again. "Please.. th-there is enough p-pain. Let us n-not f-f-fight each other. W-we sh-should be l-leaning on each other, f-for s-strength, to-to g-get us th-through S-Sandstar's loss..." His voice was still soft, but loud enough to be heard, as he stared up at Violetclaw with wide golden-brown eyes, filled with pain, compassion, and a hint of fear. His body was low, his ears back. He was terrified. He'd stepped out of his comfort zone speaking up, and was only just now beginning to think of the repercussions.

"Sandstar's last life was stolen by NightClan warriors who dared trespass and attack us within our own borders. They fought like cowards, but they did not escape unscathed." So much anger. So much tension. His wide eyes swiveled to settle on Mallowleaf, his expression the same. Why was there so much anger? They should be mourning their loss, leaning on each other for strength, not jumping at each other's throats.

He cringed lower, his tail fluffing up, but remained where he was, his gaze shifting back and forth between Violetclaw, Timberwing, Mallowleaf, and Razorfang. The tensions running in their little circle made the fur on his back stand on end, and he hoped against hope that the situation would be diffused soon.

"S-Sandstar w-wouldn't w-want th-this..."

---

OTTERSPLASH

[Hellion]

Swanfeather

---

She had waited patiently at the entrance to her den, having wished to update Sandstar about general health of the Clan. Movement caught her attention and blue eyes looked for the fur her RainClan's leader but instead was greeted with something different and more heartbreaking as her breathe slipped out in a gasp. On her paws she quickly went to Razorfang's side, she didn't need to inspect anything, the evidence was unforgettable. Watching as the leader she had seen in a dream being placed on the camp floor the seal-pointed medicine cat bowed her head, giving a soft prayer for StarClan in hopes of seeing him in her dreams.

Sandstar had been the leader RainClan needed and thanked him for his leadership, her head tilting up for a moment to glance up at the sky. Wondering if he could see them now. Her attention wasn't on Razorfang or the other cat that had joined him in the patrol but judging by the state of Sandstar's body it was clear he gave a fight and din't die in vain. Her eyes had grown cold as she ventured into her den and returned with a bundle of sweet smelling herbs. It was important to her that the smell of death didn't cling to his golden pelt any longer. Lavender and other sweet smelling herbs where placed around him, some tucked under his body to be hidden but still give up a better smell. Her task was to prepare him for the vigil that would be started for him, it was best that the cats who said their farewells didn't remember him as the sour smell of death but a sweet scent of him and other herbs.

The confrontation was heard and ears flicked to catch bits and pieces, doing her best to remain out of it and remained a silent caretaker for the better part of it all. Razorfang was the new leader of RainClan and while it wasn't easy to understand the entire Clan would have toe accept it sooner rather than later or risk RainClan falling apart. Ottersplash's words caught her attention and at that moment she felt it was alright for her speak, bring attention to her finished work.

"I have finished preparing Sandstar's body for his vigil. Now no more talk of the nature of his death. What's done is done and that is StarClan's will. We must unite even stronger now. NightClan may have taken our leader but consider it a blessing they did not take our deputy as well. Remember the time after the flood? RainClan can not survive if blame is being tossed around like bones. She paused for a second trying to meet the eyes of Razorfang. "I support Razorfang as the new leader of RainClan and know that Sandstar had chosen well for his deputy. I will walk with you to Moontree when you gain your nine lives but until then, we gather to send our leader off to StarClan and honour his memory." She finished and took a step to the side allow those cats who wished to say their goodbyes gather around their fallen leader. Swanfeather did not take part and preferred to wait until right before the burial.

---

Give me love like never before,
'Cause lately I've been craving more,
And it's been a while but I still feel the same,
Maybe I should let you go,

Word Count:: ---
Tag::@insertname
Notes:: ---

[Insidious]

R A Z O R F A N G

The first of many to approach was enveloped in an unexpected emotion: rage. He hadn’t expected to return to a clan of cats that were not negatively affected by this turn of events, though he certainly hadn’t been under the impression that one of his fellow warriors would verbally attack him. For a moment he could do nothing more than stare, surprised if anything else that Violetclaw could even bring herself to suspect him of actually allowing the leader to die without putting up so much as a fight. He was not so lustful for power, not so cold in his heart, that Sandstar would fall dead before his eyes without him having done something to try and help. He had defended his leader from the first of many of Blackwolf’s ferocious blows, and although it had been wrong of him to sit in a stunned daze for so long over Mallowleaf’s killing of Halfmask, he knew better than to think that Sandstar would blame him for it. He wouldn’t go so far as to say that Sandstar was a generous cat, for it was difficult to be such things when the well-being of an entire clan was firmly perched on your shoulders, but he wasn’t unappreciative. If he could be alive right now, Razorfang was certain that he would come to stand by the deputy’s flank effortlessly, putting every worried thought, or every angry thought, at ease by ensuring his clan mates that nobody was meant to be blamed for this tragedy.

He had been on the verge of retorting Violetclaw’s comments until he heard a familiar, cracked voice rising above the rest. He knew the senior warrior to be exceptionally talented in matters of peacemaking; she had a diplomatic head on her shoulders that was easy to want to listen to. As she spoke, the deputy’s tension was diminished substantially, relaxed eyes flickering towards Violetclaw, for once in his life remaining quiet in the face of her accusations. He wasn’t guilty of whatever the she-cat’s suspicions had been able to conjure, and right at this very moment, he didn’t want to fight, he wanted to peacefully mourn the passing of their clan’s respectable leader - it was just as Ottersplash’s unexpected voice had said: Sandstar wouldn’t have wanted everyone to be at one another’s throat. The unease was clear inside of the young tom’s face. Razorfang moved away from Timbering and Violetclaw to stand close to the new warrior instead, wishing to reassure him that this bickering was over with for the time being. As easy as it was for Violetclaw to make her way underneath his skin, he wasn’t going to let her this time around. There would be a better time and place for her to throw every accusation she could muster his way, and he would be prepared to answer all of her questions because he simply would not fight her on something as important as this. “You’re right, Ottersplash. Our leader deserves to have a peaceful journey to StarClan. There will be no more fighting.” The guarantee was clear in his words as he addressed the tomcat, though turning to Violetclaw once more, there was the hints of a challenge in his eyes for her to disagree. He knew that she was angry with him - whether or not with good reason, he didn’t care to think about for now - but surely her respect for their deceased leader would be able to overpower her wrathful emotions. She would be able to find him later, when the two of them could be alone and not risk the apprehension of clan mates such as Ottersplash.

If not, he would find her and put a stop to this nonsense once and for all.

Mallowleaf had offered up a few more details that had been left out in Razorfang’s speech, and he had every intention of leaving the conversation exactly where the cream warrior put it until a more proper time for discussion was to arise. Swanfeather had been nearby throughout most of the group’s bickering, tending to Sandstar’s body with an assortment of herbs to get rid of the smell of death that clung to his bloody body. Meeting the medicine cat’s eyes when she intended for the two of them to do so, he gave a grateful dip of his head. He appreciated her support of him rising to the title of RainClan leader more than she likely knew. He was unsure what the majority of his clan mate’s opinions of him in the position were to be, so it was reassuring to know that their medicine cat - a well respected feline amongst their clan - believed he was fitted for the role. With a final, thoughtful glance down at Sandstar’s corpse, the deputy released a sigh that he had been holding. Accepting of Swanfeather’s appointed vigil, he turned his eyes up towards the stars, in search of one more in the sky with the rest that was shining a bit brighter as it looked down upon its clan.

[Deleted]

She was cleaning the Elder's nests when the call was made for the clan. She poked her head from the den and she saw the lifeless body of her leader. She froze then unable to move for fear of what was going to happen now. She finally did move though when she was nudged by one of the Elders and she walked to the center of the camp where everyone was gathering. Her ears perked as a voice started to cry out and blame Razorfang. Snowpaw shook her head to clear her mind and gather her senses then. She looked over at her own mentor when she spoke to quiet down the angry she-cat.

Snowpaw walked over to her mentor then and she let her tail touch her mentors side. Snowpaw was shaking a little from the grief that she felt from losing her mentor. She was also scared. If NightClan did this, were they going to attack the camp as well? She started to hear all the talk of peace to allow their leader to pass peacefully. She also saw that Swanfeather had prepared Sadnstar's body for the vigil. Snowpaw walked up to the lifeless body of Sandstar then and she placed her nose on the ginger body. "I am going to miss you Sandstar. May StarClan accept you with open paws." Even for an apprentice, she was still thoughtful and she knew what to say.

She laid down a few paces away so others could say their good byes and she watched Sandstar's body with tears forming in her eyes. She closed them then and she let a silent sob come from her tiny body.