[Fate of Five Staff]

BLUEWAVE

The sun had risen and fallen six times since Leopardyowl had been imprisoned in RainClan's camp; tensions among the Clan cats had increased. Timberstar had left her den only once since then--to make Minnowpaw Minnowsplash -- but the Clan had not seen her for several days. Bluewave looked tired, worn out from doing the duties of both a leader and a deputy under such troubling, wearying times.

An air of solemnity hit the camp as Bluewave approached the river stone, hopping up. It was clear that he didn't need to call a summons; the Clan, already walking on tiptoe as if expecting the ground to give way beneath them, had assembled on sight.

"Timberstar has passed on. The Clan will sit vigil for her as soon as Ottersplash and I return from the Moon Tree."

There was a quiet bit of murmuring amongst RainClan; one cat, Roselight, the mate of the late Razorstar, spoke up. "What will this mean for this fight?"

"Yeah," said Ashclaw, looking solemn. "Without Timberstar, they don't have much reason for this bloodshed."

"Right, like Timberstar's the only cat they have a problem with." Roselight's tail lashed, and it was clear the former queen, as the mother of Piketooth, Minnowsplash and Quietstream, would be especially worried for her kits. "I don't want those murderers back in RainClan."

The murmuring increased, and it became clear to everycat present that the deaths of three warriors were not so easily forgotten. Sunstride and Rippletail, the parents of Glowflower, were also among the crowd arguing to keep Swanfeather and her supporters permanently out of RainClan.

"Enough!" Called Bluewave, irritation in his voice. "That will all be discussed upon my return. For now, we must remain extra vigilant. Dawnstep, take Blackpaw, Lilypool and Jaycry with you to fish. The Clan still needs to be fed. Honeygaze, Whiteash, take over guarding the prisoner from Coldrush and Duststorm." There was a hard stare sent in the direction of the elders' den, where Leopardyowl was being confined. The elders had been moved into the warriors' den for their own safety.

"Rippletail, Sunstride, Mottledpelt, go on border patrol. And stay out of trouble."

"Who is going to take care of the hurt cats while Ottersplash is gone?" mewed a pretty brown warrioress in the crowd.

Bluewave hesitated, tail-tip twitching. "Bravebird and Snowfrost will look after the injured. The rest of you, stay alert."

Amber , Fawn , @zen , @sparrowkeeper

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Tagged Members: a second thread will be started in RainClan territory where three cats will discover the final bodies. The cats will be: Russethawk, Ashpaw and Owlflight

Remaining Members: feel free to post your cats' reactions in this thread, you will be tagged for the final poll!

[BlooRey DVD]

~~~~~~~~ Off-green eyes stared down at her paws, wide and diluted by overwhelming fear and sorrow. How could this be? To the fawn-colored she-cat, it seemed as though but a breath had passed between her ceremony and now. How could Timberstar be alive one moment, sickly but alive... And then gone the next. Six days... Six days of hell, of fear, of death. Vultureback, Duckquack, Glowflower and now Timberstar... How could this be happening? What had they done to deserve this? She felt sick to her stomach, and an icy vice-tight grip seemed to clutch at her chest, making it difficult to breathe. After eighteen moons, she'd finally earned her warrior name; no longer was she Minnowpaw, but Minnowsplash. Yet, what good was a new name amongst all the carnage brought on by the recent Leaf-fall? There was no joy to be had in realizing hers would be the last name announced by Timberstar of RainClan. It was her mother's voice that tore through her dark thoughts, causing her head to snap up. Finding the she-cat among familiar RainClan faces, Minnowsplash did her best to follow what remained of the conversation. She quickly grew aware that Roselight's reason for being so defensive was Minnowsplash and her siblings, Roselight's kits. Purity was not something Minnowsplash had ever really focused on. But now? It was becoming increasingly more difficult for the new warrioress not to be aware of it, not to feel a tinge of shame for not being pure. Sure, she wasn't the only one in the Clan to have blood other than RainClan running through her veins. That didn't make it any easier to bare; her mantras were becoming nothing more than background noise in her mind. Dimly aware of Bluewave barking orders to the rest of the Clan, Minnowsplash held on to enough sense to listen for her name, in case she was told to do something. The slightest twitch of recognition shook her as Coldrush's name was called, the white tom finally relieved of his guard duty. Part of her wondered where he'd go, what he would do. Leaving camp seemed to become more and more a hazard in recent days. Did Coldrush have any friends, anyone to pass the time with? Did she have any friends? Thoughts rushed through her head more rapidly than the river during flood season, and rather than try to sort through them all, Minnowsplash just let them run their course. And all the while, she remained seated where she was, staring down at her paws.

Note: 18 moons old.