shifting winds; setting sail [open - clan meeting]

Windclan had drifted into uneasy sleep. The weight of their missing kits had settled into the air like a heavy precipitation which coiled around it's victims and threatened to suffocate them. Pale moonlight, fractured by drifting clouds, scattered broken rays across the clearing. Olivestar's coat was dappled with frail light. Despite the relentless cold winds, whose icy claws raked the moorlands, it promised to be a peaceful night in appearance. But something seemed to be looming over the horizon; shadows fell over the clan.

Wildflower hadn't returned to camp that night.

It was known, settled into the mind of each warrior. Windclan regarded their members carefully, closely, bonded far beyond kinship; ignoring the presence of a missing member was an impossible feat. That fact stirred pelts more than the prying wind. Not only had kits gone missing but their deputy had seemingly vanished as well. Wildflower's nature would have never allowed her to leave without telling another soul, right? Duty to the clan. No doubt, these thoughts twisted and twirled in the half-asleep minds of many.

Starclan with their watchful eye had noted this as well, seen the events that unfolded. Their paws had been resigned to the stars for sometime, most trying not to pry at the living after the horrific events brought about by the Righteous Few. But something had to be said for the sake of the clan. For this reason, Sageleaf had found her way into the Windclan leader's dreams. While the pretty, white and grey she-cat had died on Thunderclan soul, her heart belonged to the moorlands and her kin who resided there. Concern shone in the depths of her green gaze.

"Unseen, lost to the shadows... a flower dies, Olivestar. Windclan must carry on for what is to come." There was haze, surrounding every element of the dream and nagging at the fringes of Sagelight's pelt. This was a dream after all. However, before the leader could awaken, it was made clear. Through the fog, Olivestar was shown a sandy, spotted-pelt.

This was more than simply a misplaced clanmate, temporarily separated from the clan... Wildflower was gone, for good it seemed.

With the disappearance of her youngest son, the disappearance of one of her oldest daughters was another stone weighing Olivestar down. Not only was Wildflower's disappearance significant to her, it also held significance to the Clan, as WindClan was once more without a deputy, if the sandy-colored she-cat was never to return. Curled up next to Zinnia, the leader fell into a fitful sleep, her dreams taking on a feeling akin to a nightmare, where the leader's paws pounded through a suffocating tunnel, the walls pressing in on her and tripping her up. Every time the tunnel looked as if it would end, it abruptly angled down into the earth again, until her nightmare took a turn. Finally, moonlight streamed into the tunnel and the leader burst into the clear air of the above-ground, and she recognized the starry plains of StarClan, hazy and unclear to her, but StarClan nonetheless.

Heart still pounding from her nightmare, Olivestar shook out her pelt, shaking off the feeling of dirt on her body, and turned abruptly to see the gray-and-white pelt of a starry she-cat that she didn't know. A sense of relief washed over the leader as she realized that her nightmare was no longer such, and listened intently for the words that the she-cat before her would speak.

Olivestar's heart began to sink as Sageleaf spoke, telling of the fact that Wildflower was gone for good. While the words were vague, the meaning was clear, and the leader's shoulders sagged, fresh grief washing over her at the loss of a second child in a matter of days. With that, the dream dissolved, and the leader blinked her eyes open to stars above, and a warm glow on the horizon heralding the sunrise ahead.

Immediately, the leader knew that she would have to announce the development to the Clan, and that she'd have to start thinking about the next deputy to appoint in Wildflower's stead. Glancing around, the leader saw that she was one of, if not the only cat awake, though she figured with a glance towards the medicine den, that Softbreeze was probably already awake, and if not, she would be soon.

Carefully detangling herself from Zinnia's embrace, Olivestar rose to her paws, and picked her way around her sleeping Clanmates, grief weighing heavily on her heart as she padded towards the medicine den. Poking her head inside, she saw Softbreeze already awake and going about her duties, and the leader stepped fully inside, the words that Sageleaf had spoken echoing inside her head. If her presence hadn't already been noticed, the leader cleared her throat quietly, and began to speak, her voice a low murmur, so that the news wouldn't travel yet.
"Hey, Softbreeze. I got a message from StarClan last night, and it was about Wildflower. She's... She's gone. She's..." Olivestar was loathe to say it, but she forced the word past her jaws, "...dead."

Fighting the lump rising in her throat, she continued.
"I was having a nightmare about the tunnels, when I burst from them finally to StarClan's moorland, and an unfamiliar she-cat stood before me, the entire dream hazy. What she told me, verbatim, was 'Unseen, lost to the shadows... a flower dies, Olivestar. WindClan must carry on for what is to come.' I can only assume that this means that Wildflower is gone, and that I must appoint a new deputy in her place."

With a heavy heart, the leader sat, a heavy sigh escaping her.
"I already have another deputy in mind, thanks to the system I used in selecting Wildflower, but I'm not ready to tell the Clan just yet, which is why I came to you first. What do you think?"

"D......dead..?"

It took all of her strength not to break down and cry right there. Wildflower was kin, she was family. She was a friend. Softbreeze let out a choked cry, and brushed her tail across her eyes, trying in vain to appear strong. "But.. How? Wildflower was-- is-- strong. And with the missing kits- Oh, Olive, this must be so hard for you." Several tears escaped her facade, and she placed her tail upon Olivestar's shoulder.

Blinking in surprise at the mention of a new deputy, "New... Deputy?" She pondered aloud, grief dulling her senses until she recalled that Wildflower was deputy. And she was dead. A dead deputy. A deadputy. "Oh, yes, of course. As much as I loathe it, you need to choose a deputy immediately. With several kits missing, we need all paws united, and that means a new deputy. We can grieve immediately after the ceremony, before it, and even during it. Who did you have in mind?"

Her blue eyes twinkled sadly as she gazed at one of her greatest friends, who had suffered so much recently and didn't deserve this. Fondly brushing her cheek against that of her leaders, Softbreeze tenderly rested her head upon Olivestar's shoulder, offering to try to help take some of the grief away.

ooc: as a reminder, this takes place before the deputy ceremony!

---

In the midst of Olivestar's grief, Softbreeze was a beacon of kindness and warmth, and the leader was glad to have her by her side. The little gesture was enough to sweep away some of the pain and grief, and after a moment, the leader straightened back up again, taking a deep breath. She was reluctant to admit it that they needed a new deputy, but she knew she had to, and so, she murmured,
"Maplewhisker. She's young, but experienced, and I think she has the right mindset and morals to lead the Clan well once it's her turn."

Olivestar then turned towards the entrance to the den.
"I need to tell the Clan about Wildflower."

She pushed her way out of the den, and by then, the rest of the Clan was beginning to wake up. Nodding to each clanmate that she passed, she trotted over to the Tallrock, and leaped up the path, taking her place at the top. Despite the cold stinging her eyes, ears, nose and paws, she stood for a second, gathering the resolve to actually make the announcement she was about to make.
"May all cats old enough to run the moor gather beneath the Tallrock!"

Violetpaw had worked hard, looking for the kits. And she definitely wasn't the type of cat to give up. But the plump mollie's chances at finding them were slim. She refused to believe they couldn't find them, it was up until Wildflower's sudden disappearance. But Voletpaw hoped the deputy would return the next day, with happy news about the kits.

Violetpaw stretched her grey body, lifted up her mossy nest, and grabbed her feather. Wildflower will be here today, she was just busy searching, right? She waited there for a moment, it seemed no-cat was awake yet. She was proven wrong, however, when she heard a voice ring out from the middle of camp. Olivestar is for sure making the announcement that Wildflower has returned!

But as the Apprentice stepped out of her den and looked around. she only saw the grim look in the leader's eyes and no sight of Wildflower. She held her feather tighter, hoping that just by holding it, Wildflower would return. She eyed the entrance of camp, her yellowish green eyes watching hopefully.

Violetpaw knew it wouldn't happen. She kept watching, however, just encase she was wrong. Because she had to be wrong. She just had to.

Lilacpaw had been growing anxious, cooped up in camp. She had not seen her mentor lately, assuming Wildflower had been searching for the missing kits. And Finchkit. Her poor little brother must be so terrified!

Hearing the call of her leader, she padded over with bright eyes. Did Wildflower find them? But looking around, there were no kits. And there was no deputy. Well certainly they were just resting out of sight, right? They've gone through so much, they must be exhausted! She refused to believe that there could be bad news, being ever the optimist.

Oblivious to the disappearance of his daughter, Smallbean rose from his nest, feeling as if he were in a good mood for once. Instead of the sun being his cause for waking up, this morning it was a call from Olivestar. Pulling himself from his moss nest, he stood up and stretched before giving his pelt a good shake. He stepped out into camp, the chilly weather of Leaf-fall now setting it. The coldness crept it's way into the depths of his pelt, making the small tom shiver. Joining the rest of the clan, he gathered beneath the Tallrock, focusing his attention on Olivestar. With the recent disappearance of kits, tensions were high, so Smallbean decided to keep his distance from any other cats.

As the Clan gathered below her at her summons, Olivestar had to steel herself once more, taking a deep breath and holding onto the resolve that she'd managed to pull together. She kneaded the rock below, shuffling her paws so that they wouldn't freeze to it, and looked around at her gathering Clanmates, hoping to stall just a few more moments. Her frown deepened as she caught sight of Smallbean in the crowd, and she looked away before she met his gaze, the crack in her heart growing just a little wider at the sight of Wildflower's father.

She gritted her teeth and took one final deep breath, still reluctant to speak. Opening her mouth and forcing her voice to work, she began to talk.
"As many of you know, Wildflower did not return to camp last night. I was hoping that she was simply taking time to search for the missing kits, and that she would be back in camp by this sunrise. However, last night, I received a sign from StarClan that Wildflower is..." the gray she-cat choked on the word for a moment, "...dead."

She gave a moment for the news to sink in, but truthfully, she had to regain a bit of her own composure to continue.
"I wish I had better news for everyone in this grim time, and it's news that i was loathe to receive. I will announce a new deputy at sundown. That is all."

Lilacpaw froze, and she heard a gasp from somewhere. She soon realized that it had come from her. How could Wildflower be dead? This couldn't be real, could it? Her cheeks felt warm, and her vision was foggy. She soon realized that she was actually crying. She could taste the salt in her mouth. And it felt like she had broke inside.

She stood up, meaning to go hide away, find some moss to bury her face in and scream, but she staggered. It felt like everything was spinning. She couldn't hear anything but the sound of her own heart and heavy breathing. Couldn't hear her screaming. Couldn't hear the sobs coming from her. She could barely recognize anything around her.

Wildflower is dead. She heard those words on replay in her head, as though she needed a reminder of what she already knew. She knew, but didn't want to believe. "StarClan has to be wrong! Wildflower isn't dead! She's coming back! She will walk through that entrance any moment now! She didn't realize she had spoken the words out loud, but still she watched, waiting for her mentor, her deputy, and her friend to return.

Curious mismatched eyes found their way back up to Olivestar as the meeting began. Something seemed.... off, about the leader. She normally stood tall and proud on top of the rock, but today seemed different. It seemed as though there was some force upon her, making it hard for her to speak. Smallbean knew that feeling all too well, but he felt like for Olivestar it was something different. 'Maybe it's what this meeting is about?' The thought haunted him as he wondered what the meeting could be about. It couldn't be anything too bad, right?

He couldn't have been any more wrong.

With Olivestar's next words, Smallbean backed away, his head lowered. "No....no, no no NO NO! Not again!" His breathing grew raspy and uneven, yet his words were for once clear. "What. What do you mean, she's dead? That... that's not possible! She could still be out there! We have to go find her! There's no way my daughter is- There's no way she's dead!" Desperation clung to his words as he raised his head and locked eyes with Olivestar. "P-please...." Tears brimmed his eyes as he came to a realization. Wildflower hadn't returned to camp last night. She never came back. It was so unlike her to return late. His his already damaged heart cracked a bit more. The tom's eyes found their way back to his paws.

Silence fell upon him for a moment or two before he spoke again. "Why.... Why does Starclan hate me!?" The words were muttered under his breath, barely audible to the cats around him. Raising his voice, he continued. "Time and time again, i'm just put through more and more pain! I'm never able to just fully enjoy a single day, something always seems to happen. I can never get a break! F-first Larkflight, then.... then her, and now Wildflower!" The sentence broke off to a bout of sobs from Smallbean, his small figure slouched over his paws. "My... my daughter.... i never.... never got to say goodbye." His heart cracked more as he thought about the memories they had shared. Then came the thoughts of how upset she had been with him the past few moons. "I... i never got to apologize."

Standing up, he began to slowly walk toward the camp entrance. "I... i need some time alone." When he approached the entrance, he broke into a run, leaving nothing but kicked-up dirt behind him.