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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2017 23:49:15 GMT -5
It starts with the unexpected loss of something dear.
The warmth that comforted and cradled just disappears.
Laying in the shadows of the reeds along the wall of the warriors' den, Rushwhisker watched Stormstar's den. Silverstar's den. He and Echoshade had returned to camp to the surprise of changing leadership. Stormstar, Silverfrost, and Swanfeather had already gone. Ashflight had told him about the short meeting Stormstar had called before they'd left, leaving no room for any cat to argue or question it. The trio had arrived back at camp early in the morning, Stormstar was Stormheart again, and Silverfrost was Silverstar. The journey and the ceremony had taken its toll and Silverstar had gone to his new den to rest, meaning telling the new leader of RainClan about his little expedition into TreeClan territory was delayed for longer. He had gone fishing this morning, brought back a respectable enough catch, and laid down to enjoy one of his freshly caught fish in the very spot he still occupied.
He had not been laying there for long before Silverstar finally emerged, leaping up to the River Stone and calling the Clan together. Briefly he thought about how that might have been him. Rushstar. The thought didn't linger long, he had no interest in leading a pack of traitors. Silverstar was welcome to it. He didn't move from his spot as Silverstar announced the new deputy, a she-cat named Moonshine. He didn't know her very well, but frankly he didn't really care to. His gaze found Ashflight in the crowd, where she called out Moonshine's name in congratulations with the vast majority of the rest of the Clan. He remained silent where he was, just waiting for the event to be done so he could finally keep his word to Lionstar. All of StoneClan might think him a liar after seeing Swanfeather welcomed back into the Clan, but hopefully TreeClan wouldn't have to think the same.
He snorted lightly, coldly amused that he cared more about what the other Clans thoughts of him than what his own did. He stood and slipped out of camp, leaving the rest of the Clan to congratulate Moonshine and speak to Silverstar, hoping Echoshade wouldn't get to him first. He wanted Silverstar to know that it was his idea, he had taken the lead on it, and that Echoshade shouldn't be blamed for their journey into TreeClan territory. A mother should never be blamed for worrying about her kits. He wandered RainClan territory alone for a while, with no real destination in mind, letting his paws take them where they would. Finally he wound up back at camp just after sunhigh. The sunhigh patrol had already gone out. Rushwhisker headed straight for Silverstar's den, pausing outside to check that the tom was actually within before calling out, “Silverfr-... Silverstar? I have something to tell you.”
He had the decency to wait to be invited in, stepping inside and launching into it without any further hesitation, “Echoshade was worried about the TreeClan kits. She's been having nightmares about them starving after the fire. I took it upon myself to take her to TreeClan to see the damage, so she wouldn't have to worry anymore. Lionstar and one of his Clanmates found us and we left peacefully. I thought you should know, in case he brings it up at the next Gathering. It was my idea. Echoshade never would have gone if I hadn't lead the way. She was too worried to think straight.” He met Silverfrost's bright gaze evenly, prepared to take whatever the new leader would say or do.
And in its place there's nothing, just an endless empty void.
The path to isolation is littered with the dreams that lay destroyed. Justice (I figured if you wanted Echoshade involved you could have had her see Rushwhisker heading for the Silverstar's den and follow him or something, or maybe she got to him first, whatever you wanna do lol)
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Post by Justice on Oct 5, 2017 0:56:48 GMT -5
Once his first official clan meeting was over Silverstar had retired to his den just to take a short nap before heading back out and managing things again. There were things to consider, with leafbare approaching they'd have to make sure to keep an eye on the waters. He was pretty sure the water was too deep to freeze over, but he also knew that parts of it still did in the colder parts of leafbare. Things he'd never considered before. But he had to deal with them eventually, just not right now. Now he wanted a short nap, just enough to bolster his strength. He'd have to wait to sleep more throughly that night. Provided nothing catestrophic happened between now and then a short nap would keep him going.
And then someone needed him, and the silver tom sighed audibly before getting up. "You can come in Rushwhisker." Rushwhisker had been Deputy before him, and he respected the older tom very much. He knew how things were.
His head quirked at the others words, and silently prayed he wasn't about to be told someone had died. "Alright."
And then the other explained, told him he'd gone to TreeClan territory and crossed the border, that he'd brough Echoshade along for the ride and gotten caught in another clan's territory. Broken the rules. The slowly growing dark look he'd been forming over the matter faded instantly as he told him how worried his kithood friend had been, and he knew he couldn't be angry. He sighed, taking a slow breath to give himself a moment to think before regarding the other once again.
"You've done more for her than I could then. You both should have brought the idea to me before you went, but I can't really be mad." He knew he also couldn't let this slide. The clan would eventually find out and wonder why he had let it slide. He already had an upstream battle ahead of him, he didn't need more opposing him. "I'll deal with Lionstar at the Gathering. In the meantime I want you and Echoshade to clear out the old nests in the elder's den and replace them all."
Something usually left to apprentices, since it was hilarious to watch the elders deal with the younger cats around them when they didn't like how something was being done.
@zen
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2017 22:30:10 GMT -5
It starts with the unexpected loss of something dear.
The warmth that comforted and cradled just disappears.
Rushwhisker waited patiently as the young leader digested the information before responding. He was surprised when Silverstar honestly didn't sound at all upset. The punishment was minor. He would have taken on whatever Silverstar set him to, not that he was looking for punishment, but he was glad Echoshade at least would not have any serious consequence.
He gave a small nod, “Fine. I'll let her know.” He was about to turn to go, but remembered what Lionstar had said about the kits and paused. He settled his gaze back on Silverstar, “Also... Lionstar seems agreeable to setting up a meeting between Echoshade and the two kits. I... don't know if it would do more harm or good for her.... I doubt Lionstar will want them visiting each other constantly, and I don't want her to get her hopes up about that, but I thought you should know, in case it was something you wanted to consider, or at least discuss with Echoshade.”
To be honest, Rushwhisker thought it would be better for her to let the kits go rather than trying to cling to them, but a mother's love wasn't so easily extinguished. He may never have been a mother and never would be, but he had seen what grief had done to his own mother, how losing her kits had driven her mad. He did not know what the answer was here, but he would hate to see any other cat meet the same fate, and Echoshade was clearly still yearning for her lost kits. In the end, it wasn't really his problem, but maybe Silverstar would do something about it.
And in its place there's nothing, just an endless empty void.
The path to isolation is littered with the dreams that lay destroyed. Justice
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Post by Justice on Oct 21, 2017 10:25:18 GMT -5
"Thank you." He paused and took a slow breath in then out, before regarding the former deputy again. "I'll talk to Lionstar soon, see if we can set up a meeting for Echoshade and the kits. I believe, and I think he'll agree with me, that if she just hears from the kits themselves that they are happy and well taken care of she'll be able to move on. There is no greater love than that of a queen to her offspring." That didn't go into the times when a she-cat didn't want to be a queen or hated kits, he meant in general.
"Echoshade knew going in that the kits would go back to TreeClan, but she's a good mother. When she found out they had no parents, even with family and friends of her parents to go back to, she couldn't help but love them. That's a queen's privelage. When she got so upset and went to ask for them to stay, I should have sided with Stormheart. I know now that its going to be hard for me to see past the individuals that are my friends and family to treat all the cats in RainClan the same. Or as close to it as I can manage. Favoritism breeds dissent, and I do not want another war on my paws."
He considered the other tom for a long time before rising to his paws again. Well, he wouldn't be resting today, not now. "Thank you for telling me before I found out from Lionstar at the gathering. I'll see what more can be done for this situation, and the rest will have to come with time."
Silverstar dipped his head to Rushwhisker and headed for the exit of his den. "Walk with me a moment would you please?" If he were honest the only reason he asked the other with him was so that he didn't have to discuss this with his Deputy just yet. He was frankly tired of the company of she-cats for the time being. It was nothing against Moonshine, he just needed a little more time away from the fairer members of the clan. And Rushwhisker had been Deputy once, had seen the things that happened in the clan and what the consequences could be.
@zen
@kahani for Moonshine mention.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2017 16:43:31 GMT -5
It starts with the unexpected loss of something dear.
The warmth that comforted and cradled just disappears.
Rushwhisker shrugged when Silverstar suggested a meeting would be good for the queen. It wasn't his problem anymore. Truthfully it never really was, but.... He gave his chest fur a few quick licks as if he could wash away his ability to care. But when the younger tom said he should have sided with their former leader over his friend, he couldn't help shaking his head. “I think it's a good thing Stormheart was still leader when the decision had to made, because those kits belong in TreeClan, but the moment you blindly follow your leader's word without at least trying to stand up for the cats you care about is the moment I, at least, would lose all respect for you, Silverstar.”
He gave the young leader a serious stare, “I'm glad it wasn't ultimately your choice, and you were spared having to choose your Clan over your friend. It isn't an easy choice to make, and it's a luxury that leaders don't have,” his voice had dropped slightly as his gaze fell to his paws, “It's why I stepped down as deputy. I know now I can't make those decisions.” He looked back up to Silverstar, “As deputies we had more freedom in those choices, but as leader... the Clan has to come before any individual, and I just... I can't do that.” A small smirk tugged at his muzzle, “As may be apparent by my recent actions.”
He had been thinking about Echoshade first and Clan second when he took her into TreeClan territory. He obviously didn't want to start a war with his actions, but he had been more concerned with setting the queen's mind at ease. He was surprised when Silverstar asked him to walk with him, but shrugged and followed, “Sure.”
And in its place there's nothing, just an endless empty void.
The path to isolation is littered with the dreams that lay destroyed. Justice
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Post by Justice on Nov 5, 2017 21:29:08 GMT -5
SiLverStaR 28 Moons RainClan Tom He sighed and smiled weakly. Well at least someone thought he was right in siding with his kithood friend. "Echoshade is gentle and kind, she'd have done right by those kits. She did do right by them. I'm just sorry she got hurt trying to help out those kits." He looked ahead as they walked, slowly mulling over his thoughts. "The luxury of choice in my life was stolen the moment I went to Moon Tree and took my lives. StarClan forges paths, and a leader must ultimately follow that path and think more for the clan than themselves."
There was a reason he wanted to talk to this tom, the former Deputy of RainClan. "I worry about Echoshade's kits, my kits. Fernpaw and Dewpaw are apprentices now. I worry that because I am their father and the leader that more is going to be expected from them. I've seen some of the other leader's offspring, its like they're held to a different standard than the rest. I don't want that for my she-kits. They deserve to be raised and grow normally. If I treat them as normal apprentices will the clan follow my lead?"
For the first time in his life, Silverstar was worried about the ones that came from him. He hadn't really cared what happened before. He was never cruel to them or their mothers, but he had no paw in raising them either. Now that he was a leader, StarClan's chosen, he thought more of them than he ever had.
"Rushwhisker." He looked at the other tom then down at the ground, breathing deeply. "RainClan has so much healing to do, so many deep hurts that need to be mended. I haven't the faintest idea where to start. Ultimately, I'm ill suited to lead. I'm a selfish cat. I want to lead by my heart rather than my head, consider the individual rather than the whole of the clan. Somehow, I think that won't go over well."
His blue eyes went dull, the pull of exhaustion in his body obvious. He'd just taken his leadership, he'd named a Deputy, and now he was dealing with his first issue as leader. Broken rules were taken care of, punishment lain out even if it was light. "I wonder how I'll balance it all. I know I'm not really alone in this, but it feels as though I am. And, and I never thought I'd say this, but if one more she-cat of this clan comes up to me and flirts I think I might shred them. I'm so sick of she-cats right now."
The future lies before you, like freshly fallen snow
Be careful how you tread it, for every step will show
author unknown @zen |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2017 18:28:40 GMT -5
It starts with the unexpected loss of something dear.
The warmth that comforted and cradled just disappears.
Listening as Silverstar expressed his worry for his kits, and how he didn't want them treated differently now that he was leader, Rushwhisker shook his head, “Silverstar, Dewpaw is a medicine cat apprentice. More is going to be expected of her regardless of your relationship with her... but I think her position will also grant her some exemption to what you worry about. She has a different path, one most cats will never understand, so it's unlikely there will be any excess pressure on her just because her father is also the leader.”
He looked over at the younger tom, “As for Fernpaw.... I'm her mentor, and I at least won't be treating her any differently because of you, but there will always be cats that will.” His whisker twitched in cold amusement, his voice taking on a sarcastic tone, “You're annointed by StarClan. Some cats will always see you as above them, on some unreachable precipice, and feel like anyone related to you isn't far below. You can't dictate how other cats will treat your kits, but some will be watching you, to see how you handle them, and they will take your lead.”
He shrugged again. It was what it was, but Rushwhisker would do his best to be a buffer from any unfair treatment, good or bad, that came Fernpaw's way. A cat determined their own merit, their blood had nothing to do with it. RainClan had fought an entire civil war over that fact. And it seemed Silverstar was thinking similar thoughts, bringing up the healing the Clan had yet to do from that war. The fur along his spine began to rise slightly as his thoughts turned to Swanfeather, but he forced it back down, his voice hard, “Some of those wounds will never heal until the cats who have been hurt by them, and the ones that caused the wounds to begin with, are gone. You shouldn't waste your time trying to fix something that never can be.”
He looked seriously over at Silverstar, “You'll be leader during that transition, and it will make things hard for you.... But....” He looked down at his paws, “Perhaps... if you can hold the Clan together long enough for that to happen... the younger generations, the ones untouched by the war... they can heal RainClan, some day, and it will all just be a bad story they tell their kits to keep them from making the same mistakes.” He met Silverstar's eyes again, “I will never forgive Swanfeather, Silverstar, and there are plenty of other cats who feel the same. She shouldn't even be here. There's nothing at all you or any other cat can do to change my feelings about that. So focus on the things you can do, you can change, and let the rest take care of itself with time.”
What Silverstar said about she-cats actually got a surprised bark of laughter from the former deputy, shaking him briefly out of his souring mood. He glanced back toward camp as he walked alongside the silver tom, “Russethawk would make a good confidant for you, Silverstar. He's... he's a great cat. He has a lot of experience, and... he always seems to know the right thing to say. If you ever find yourself tiring of she-cats again and want some male advice, I suggest you seek him out. He may never have been deputy, but he was my mentor, and he was trained by Razorstar, so I figure that counts for something.”
And in its place there's nothing, just an endless empty void.
The path to isolation is littered with the dreams that lay destroyed. Justice Fawn (russet mention lol)
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