Am I evil, or are your eyes deceitful? [Open after Down, KJ and JJ post]

Falconmoon was back at Highstones. Snow covered the landscape. He was walking toward them calmly when a she-cat called to him. She was an odd looking cat. One side of her face was black and the other was orange tabby, and her eyes were a bright yellow/orange. She seemed afraid of something. Falconmoon turned to her and approached and she fell into his embrace.

"I don't know what to do. The ancestors… they've told me something terrible is coming. Something evil and dark. Tomorrow the moon will be covered and the stars powerless against these foes. I-I'm just one cat. What am I supposed to do? What are the clans supposed to do? I hardly know what's going to happen. Oh, Klaus… what do I do?"

Her words were crystal clear. The fact that she called him Klaus wasn't weird to him in his dream. He said something to her, some of the words he could recognize.

"That sounds... interesting, Darkglow. I don't think any cat could do this all alone... nor could clans. It's unfair to ask you to shoulder these responsibilities. It's cruel of Starclan to ask this of you..." His claws unsheathed under the snow. "You're a good she-cat, really..." Falconmoon snapped his claws up out of the snow and slashed her throat without hardly even flinching. Blood pooled from the she-cat as she crumpled to the ground. The light was draining from her eyes and all he did was watch. "I can't have you telling anyone else. I'm sorry." With that, he turned toward the Mothermouth. He entered and slipped into that same crack that he and Sunfire had gone through earlier in the week. He had no fear, only excitement. He approached the shiny black stones with confidence and pressed his nose to them. A gray cat appeared and they were talking. The words were muffled, but Falconmoon caught a little bit of what he himself was saying. Something about a reward...?

Falconmoon left. The sun sank behind the horizon and then he returned to the Mothermouth again. He again pressed his nose to the stones and again the gray tom appeared. His claws slashed Falconmoon's throat.

The warrior went from barely twitching in his sleep to suddenly springing to his feet. He charged, blindly, still in the grip of slumber, headfirst into the wall of the warrior's den. Falconmoon still did not wake. He crumpled back to the floor of the den and went back to furious twitching.

Falconmoon choked on his blood, gurgling his rage as life left him. It seemed like hours as different visions of color, then another of fire flashed before him. Then he was back on his feet, very much alive. Blood still poured from his throat and shadows swirled around him in great plumes of black smoke... but he didn't falter. He was powerful... more powerful than he had ever been in life.

And he was eager to go to Fourtrees to assert his dominance and authority over all of the clans and to exact his vengeance. I am Morningstar...

Falconmoon finally managed to force his eyes open and he stood bolt upright. He didn't know why his head hurt so much... but his first instinct was to swipe a foreleg under his throat to check for blood. Nothing. His fur was as white as untouched snow.

"I... I've had enough!" Falconmoon growled. A fearful determination made his paws carry him to the leader's den... but he found Birdstar just outside. He didn't care who saw him. He didn't care who heard. This had to end, and it had to end now! He padded up to her with a frustration and fear running so deep within him it made his eyes water. He furiously wiped the wetness from his eyes with a foreleg, focusing entirely on Birdstar and trying to drown out everyone else's existence around him. He was afraid if he looked around and saw everyone else staring that he'd lose his courage again.

"Birdstar?" Foxdung his voice shook. "I can't take this anymore. If I don't tell you now I won't be able to. I keep having really violent dreams. They're vivid. I saw myself in the nursery about a month ago in my dream and I..." His stomach churned to remember it. "I was talking to some silver tortie she-cat that was my mom, but not Wolfblossom. She said some things to me that really hurt... I don't know why I did what I did but... I... I killed a kit. I threw her against the nursery wall. I would never actually do that but it was so real... I heard her bones break..." The memory proved to be more powerful than his will to keep his tears at bay. The instant they started flowing, his voice left him.

He was determined to keep going... he hoped and prayed to Starclan that Birdstar wouldn't get mad. "I... I went to the Moo-" He choked on his voice as anger welled up within him. This wasn't fair! If Starclan would just actually make themselves available instead of hiding in the sky all of the time... this wouldn't be happening. He wouldn't have to travel so far or struggle to find straight answers. "I went to the Moonstone a few nights ago and I found these... weird rocks. Not the moonstone though. And there was a skeleton... and there was fur like mine stained with old dry blood and... well I had a dream just now..."

Falconmoon's voice cut off. His throat was in a knot and he couldn't make himself speak. He closed his eyes trying to get his frustration under control.

---

Bloodstrike had heard the thud coming from inside the warrior's den. He looked at it once as he threw a squirrel on the fresh kill pile, but his eyes didn't linger. Falconmoon had always had fits in his sleep. The old tom turned around and was ready to find something else that he could assist with... when the gold and white tom burst from the warrior's den and started to stammer and blabber to Birdstar. He waited and listened, curious. As the young warrior kept talking... all blood drained from Bloodstrike's face.

Is he talking about Smokefeather..? How would he know who she was?[/color] The old tom was rigid as he listened. He hadn't been around when the Asylum took over, at least not in camp after the start of it. But Falconmoon's dream was practically deja vu. Bloodstrike's cold fear and uncertainty began to swirl with the addition of a slowly building fury. He made no moves towards the young warrior... but his eyes never left him. His claws itched to come out, but he stayed still and silent and focused only on what Falconmoon was saying. Unfortunately, the tom seemed to lose his ability to speak as his throat tightened with grief and frustration.

Come on... what else do you have to say? If his paranoia turned out to not be paranoia at all... well... today was going to be the day that he died, but he'd take that loathsome filth with him.

Sunfire's dreams had been mild and simple. The kind of dream you'd never remember when you woke. This had been the case for him ever since he was a young kit. Sleeping next to Falconmoon had given him experience with the other end of that spectrum... so usually, he was able to block it out. But there was no sleeping through this. As his brother vaulted to his feet, Sunfire was quick to follow, every hair on end in shock and confusion. "Falconmoon?!" he barked, but the other warrior didn't seem to hear him as he crashed blindly into a wall and slumped, back to unconsciousness.

"Mother!" Sunfire called out, whirling around and searching for Wolfblossom, but he didn't see her, and he didn't want to leave Falconmoon, either. Unsure of what to do, he stood over top him until the tom was awake - really awake this time. He stepped back, giving his brother some space, but there was no time for conversation, as Falconmoon whirled around and fled the den shortly thereafter. Utterly confused, nerves still shot, Sunfire followed, albeit at a slower pace. They didn't go far - Falconmoon had run to Birdstar, understandably hoping that she could give him answers to... what? He stood a fox-length away from his brother and listened... violent dreams..? killing a kit..? Sunfire slicked his ears back, but that was the only emotion he dared show, for risk of either insulting his brother or inciting... something. A crowd was beginning to gather, and he glanced around, suddenly nervous. He turned, his back to his Falcon's. Some of the things his brother was saying were... questionable, at best. What if they thought he was crazy? What if they kicked him out of SkyClan? No... mother wouldn't let that happen. Again, his eyes searched for Wolfblossom, but he didn't find her shape in the crowd yet.

What he did find, though, was his mentor. Sunfire's eyes narrowed on Bloodstrike just out of habit, and he started to look away again, to search for someone else... Graypaw, Quickpaw, anyone... but the intensity in Bloodstrike's eyes was hard to ignore, and it drew Sunfire's gaze back. He frowned more deeply, taking a step back so that his haunches were only a tail length now from Falconmoon's. The vulnerability the other tom was showing right now made Sunfire nervous... He had no real reason to believe anyone in SkyClan was a threat to them, but Bloodstrike in particular had been cruel to Falcon before - when he was doing something that wasn't even weird, like this was - and Sunfire wasn't going to sit and watch it happen again.

* * *

For the first time in what seemed like... well, forever, SkyClan had been quiet. The Twolegs had been the last real threat SkyClan had faced, and moons had passed since freeing Plumleaf and the others from their grasp. Spottedfrog preferred the quiet - who wouldn't, after all she'd been through in her lifetime? But it also made her uneasy... at least when something bad was always happening, you were usually prepared for it. Now, things had fallen into monotonous routine, destined to, eventually, be disturbed by something.

It appeared that something was Falconmoon. Though they were technically kin through Bloodstrike - and Beechfaceng - Spottedfrog had steered well clear of Wolfblossom's kits. Even so, she knew that the tom had weird dreams. Cats talked, and talk got around. Not that it needed to get around, since apparently today he was waving it like a giant red flag, storming into the camp and ranting off about some nonsense or another. Her ears perked, and a chill crept along her spine as the young warrior recounted his dreams, dreams that sounded... unexpectedly familiar. Smokefeather? A kit in the nursery? Instantly her eyes sought Bloodstrike, half of her praying that he wouldn't be around to hear this. Her heart sank when she found him nearby, already tuned in on what the young yellow striped tom was saying.

She could read the look in his eye... it was one she'd seen more than a time or two, and one that was never truly good. This was serious. This was important. Silently, she rolled to her paws, her sunny patch of ground abandoned as she moved closer. She kept her body language loose, dripping casualness, but it was difficult to hide the tension in her gaze. Swallowing hard to try and dull the feel of her heart in her throat, Spottedfrog slunk in closer, moving to the other side of the brothers and Birdstar, in Bloodstrike's direct line of vision past them. She tried to briefly meet his gaze. I don't know why... but you'd better have a really good reason for this, Dad... Spottedfrog didn't desire to shed blood tonight - and certainly not blood she shared with what amounted to a couple of kits - but she trusted her father, and she would follow his lead.

Wolfblossom dropped a plump squirrel onto the fresh-kill pile, having returned to camp at the head of a patrol just in time to hear Sunfire's frantic call for her.

"Sunfire? What's-" Her eyes found Falconmoon, and Wolfblossom had the sinking suspicion that she'd just answered her own question. Silently she pressed against Sunfire, a brief attempt at reassurance before she hurried toward Falconmoon and Birdstar, ears catching the words the young warrior managed to get out through his cries. Foxdung. Foxdung! So his nightmares hadn't subsided in the slightest. She had known that, but to hear the vivid, bone-chilling details... A kit killed in the nursery... She couldn't imagine it. Didn't want to. Falconmoon, she was certain, wasn't capable of such. He was a good warrior, a kindhearted tom. Even as a kit his dreams had never been pleasant ones, and Wolfblossom wanted desperately to understand why the stars had singled out her son to torment with such things. "I'm sorry, Falconmoon." Just as before, she had no answers for any of this, all she could do was be there for him. But it felt like failure. How was she supposed to protect him from this? He'd held onto the nightmare of a kit dying for a moon and not told anyone. It made her chest tighten. All this time he'd been dealing with this horror and hadn't told anyone?

Not that anyone seemed to know what was going on. Stars knew Wolfblossom was still just as confused and frustrated by it as Falconmoon had been. But this, this was too far even for Falconmoon. Standing on the opposite side of her son from Birdstar, she pressed against him. "I'm here, Falconmoon... I wish I knew how to solve this." He shouldn't have to go through this. He was a young warrior with a bright future. "These nightmares, they're not you. I don't know what they are but they're not you."

And of course, this attracted a crowd. Wolfblossom's eyes traveled from warrior to warrior, harsh disapproval shining in her gaze. "Have you all nothing better to do than gawk?" She had never dreamed of using that tone on anyone, not even when she had to deal with Shadowclan or deal with warriors fighting and leaving in the middle of crisis at fourtrees. She had assigned patrols this morning, perhaps she should assign more. And then her gaze found Bloodstrike's stare, pale blue eyes meeting intense green for a long moment. Something was... off. Very off. Bloodstrike's past was not a kind one, she knew, anyone with eyes could see that. It wasn't something often talked about, only in hushed whispers, and when she was a kit Beechfang had been very careful to try and shield her kits from the worst of that knowledge. She knew the broad details, and they were plenty nightmarish on their own. She liked her grandfather, but something told her that he wasn't all here. Or maybe he was. He had his own personal dark forest and knew it. They all knew it.

The way he stared at Falconmoon with such intensity made her fight to keep her hackles from rising. Her grandfather seemed far too interested in the despair of her son. It wasn't normal, it wasn't right. Neither were Falconmoon's nightmares. Good sense told her the two were related. And there had been the look of sheer panic on Beechfang's face when she had seen then-Falconpaw when that patrol had returned from fourtrees. A look she had tried to hide by turning her face. To Bloodstrike. Who had been trying to tell her something before the excitable apprentice had greeted his aunt. The look in Bloodstrike's eyes was not quite what the look in Beechfang's had been, but... It was something to worry about. Something that made her want to grab Falconmoon by the scruff as if he were still a kit and bring him somewhere away from here. Something that made her want to keep herself between them, a physical shield that she was already doing.

Wolfblossom wanted to shield her son from all of this. She wished she could shield Bloodstrike from... whatever this was, though it was very likely much too late for that. Go, she wanted to tell him, get out of here before you do something stupid. If it came down to it, Wolfblossom knew who she would defend, should her grandfather actually give in to whatever was fueling his intense expression.

Get out of here before either of us do something we'll all regret.

---

Graypaw yawned as she lifted her head. Training was going... better, and after a morning of sparring with Thornstalker she had found a patch of sunlight to stretch out in. The muffled thud from the warrior's den had roused her from her own peaceful nap, and as she blearily blinked awake she was aware of someone exploding out of the warrior's den nearby. Aware of Sunfire's call for their mother. Falconmoon, she realized, beelining toward aunt Birdstar. To say he looked distressed was not the right word, not even remotely, and his expression and sobbing had the apprentice stumbling to her paws as her brain registered what was going on. What she could make out through his muffled sobs was... Horrifying. But Birdstar and mom would find a way to fix this, somehow. Graypaw glanced around for her siblings, finally finding Sunfire's golden form. She slunk over to him, noting the warriors who had gathered. Spottedfrog, who she knew little of, and Bloodstrike, who was staring at what was going on with a ferocious intensity that made her want to shrink away in fear.

"Sunfire?" Graypaw questioned quietly, pressing into her brother's side, tension in her shoulders. The look on Bloodstrike's face scared her... And the way her mother had just reprimanded the onlookers was... Comforting... And equally scary. Whatever was tormenting Falconmoon wasn't good, and the attention it was attracting was even less so. The tension in the air was oppressive and heavy, colder than leafbare snow, and she wanted very much to be away from it. But she needed to make sure Falconmoon was okay. Needed to make sure that whatever this was didn't evolve into anything worse.

Ravenclaw didn't sleep well. She hadn't been able to for quite some time now. She usually woke up early and went out on her own patrol, usually coming back with prey just to keep herself useful. That particular morning, she had come back with a couple birds to put on the prey pile. Someone of her advancing age should've probably been avoiding trees, but she was SkyClan, and she would fly through the branches of the forest until she died.

She came back into camp shortly after Wolfblossom, placing her prey on the pile. That was when she noticed Bloodstrike out in the middle of camp. It was nice having her father back, even if things weren't the same as when he was the leader. Things changed, and he had changed with them. He was still her father, though, and she wasn't going to give up on him. Never. Besides, hadn't she promised Beechfang she'd look after him? That would apparently be something she had to do that morning.

When Bloodstrike froze, Ravenclaw moved closer to him, concerned. That was when she could hear what was going on. It wasn't as if Falconmoon was screaming out his business for the whole clan to hear, but it was in the middle of camp, or approximately that. She could hear it, and it made her freeze as well. She had known about Falconmoon: who he looked like, who he sounded like. At times it made her sick, made her angry, enough to let her claws come out. She had always stopped herself, though. This wasn't the same cat. Falconmoon was a loyal warrior of SkyClan, and wasn't that what mattered? Weren't those the most important cats in the forest to Ravenclaw? She stepped closer to Bloodstrike, her heart beating fast. Hearing what Falconmoon had said, this... wasn't all that good. "Dad?" she broached cautiously, looking between him and Falconmoon talking to Birdstar, and Wolfblossom giving Bloodstrike what she thought was a bad look. This wasn't going well.

Thornstalker had retired to the den shortly after her spar with Graypaw, worn by the mock fight. While her apprentice was still an apprentice, it didn't change the fact that she was growing and getting better everyday. The warrior had just settled in her nest for her nap when a commotion brought her out of her tired daze. Blue eyes flicked up to see Falconmoon's tail leaving the den quickly followed by his brother. Curious the warrior pushed herself up out of her comfortable nest, and followed the two warriors out into the camp.

She was a little late coming out of the den, for when she emerged a crowd had already began to gather.. and by the looks of it, it wasn't good. She could see the pale tom was speaking with Birdstar, his siblings at his side, while others looked on interested in what the tom had to say. Blue eyes turned to Wolfblossom as she told others to stop gawking at the scene. While she was curious as to what was happening, the need to follow the deputies order was more important than her curiosity. Even if she was small she turned her ice blue gaze to the others. "You heard your deputy, back to your duties. This isn't for us." She doubted they would listen, but she was going try. The pale warrior stepped up, standing between Falconmoon and the gaze of the crowd, fixing them with a glare. She didn't care if they didn't like her, she was going uphold what her deputy wanted.

She knew in time that Birdstar and Wolfblossom would share with the clan as soon as the conversation was done, but first the conversation had to had happen without the prying eyes of the clan.

Stormwatcher was just settling in for a nice nap.  His favorite part of the day.  His eyes had just drifted shut when that tryhard falcon was talking too loud for his liking... yes he could be sleeping in the den but it was nice and sunny out here.  


He glanced over annoyed to see a large crowd gathering.  stars... for once for once man just wants his nap in peace" he grumbled as he went over to see what was happening.


Blood had death written all over his face that was the most noticible thing as he was staring at Falcon while his daughter tried to calm him... well one daughter that was, the other seemed to be encouraging him... what had the silly tryhard falcon done this time? Take too many patrols?  That was fine with stormwatcher what had bloods pelt all twisted in knots?

Oh... he quickly found out from some npc warrior what all had happened and he sat there looking at falcon and blood.

... seriously? The lazy warrior scracthed as his ear with his back paw.  Not overly invested in any of this pointless drama.

he wanted nothing to do with this mess.  He was not sticking his neck out to save falcon if it came to any fight.  He would be quietly cheering for falcon because he never did trust blood ever since he had come back he knew something like this was gonna happen.  

But in reality if these two tried to fight it would be over before it even began.

dont do anything stupid falcon he thought to himself...

well... more stupid than you already have that is.  Telling a dream about Klaus in front of blood was about as dumb as standing up to the dark forest.  OH WAIT!! hmm: well he was surrounded by idiots nothing was new here. Could he get back to his nap yet?

He did not care about any of his clanmates that much... ok with the exception of Stone and maybe wolf... where was stone? Thinking of that

He glanced around quickly she would not be in the middle of this.

He panicked a bit... she would know not to get involved in all this right??

He relaxed a bit spotting her somewhat nearby.  He sat next to her not wanting anything to happen to her... but you could take his pelt before he ever said THAT out loud.

"yea lets just stay over here" he suggested to his former apprentice

Lightningbreeze had been taking a nap in camp (one of the rare occurrences where she wasn't actively racing around at top speed), the commotion rousing her. She stretched, pulling herself to her paws. "What's going on?" she mumbled sleepily, moving just close enough to watch and listen. She saw Birdstar, Wolfblossom, and several of her clanmates gathered; Falconmoon at the center. Had something happened?

"Did someone get hurt?"

She looked over the cats she could see, trying to see if anyone had been injured while she was sleeping. What could have happened to cause such a crowd?

---

Mistpaw watched from a distance as her Clanmates gathered, curious about what they were saying but not enough to risk a closer approach.

Falconmoon took a few moments to calm himself. He heard what Birdstar was saying, but he heard his mother and other voices too. They weren't helping. He desperately tried to tune out the fact that others were gathering. Everyone was staring. He pinned his ears back so hard it hurt, but if he was going to continue he had to block them out. His legs shook, but he forced them to stop. He tuned out what was going on around him and only focused on speaking.

"The skeleton is through a little crack. If you're not looking for it you won't find it." He'd go into more detail later, but he needed to get his dream out before his courage entirely left him.

"I dreamed I was at Highstones just now. A she-cat came to me because she was scared. We nuzzled and everything. I don't know her name. She had a face that was black on one side and orange tabby on the other. She told me something terrible was coming, something evil and dark. Uhh... Tomorrow the moon will be covered and the stars will be powerless against these foes... She called me Klaus. She asked me what she should do and then..." He caught his breath once he realized how fast he was speaking without breathing.

"I... I killed her. I just... slit her throat... I told her no one else could know." Falconmoon looked up at Birdstar with wet eyes, crying as if he'd actually done it. "I'd never do that. I swear!" He struggled to keep his voice steady. He needed to refocus on his dream. He needed to make sure Birdstar knew everything. What if it was some kind of warning? What if Flowerthorn had been wrong?

"I went to the place where I saw the skeleton in my dream and I put my nose to the... whatever those were. The weird stones. I saw a gray tom, we talked, I don't remember what was said. I left, then I came back when it was dark... I put my nose back again and the gray tom killed me! But then I wasn't dead... I don't think? My neck was still bleeding and I had black smoke or something around me." His blood ran cold at the memory and he had to pause, for a moment. He did manage to continue, only being more and more aware of the eyes and ears on him. Focus. He had to focus.

"Then I was angry... and happy at the same time. I... I was going to go back to the clans and I think I was going to hurt them. I don't know why, but I felt like there was some debt to be paid or something. I don't know. It ended there."

He didn't have enough willpower to keep the tears from rolling, but at least he managed to keep his voice from cracking. He leaned back into Sunfire, suddenly feeling like he needed his brother's physical support. If he got Sunfire in trouble, he was sorry, but this wasn't something he could handle on his own anymore.

"If this doesn't stop... I just want..." ...to die. He didn't finish. He only went silent and took a few deep, ragged breaths trying to calm himself down. Now that he had finished, his face was hot and he wanted to hide.

---

It took every ounce of willpower to not spring forward, despite the crowd gathering around Falconmoon, and bury his teeth deep into the back of his neck just behind the skull. It would have been quick and no medicine cat could have fixed that damage. Bloodstrike saw it all as vividly as if he had actually done it. He would have then turned to Wolfblossom and offered his throat.

Bloodstrike had never been afraid to die and today was no different. What he did fear, however, was what would happen to Spottedfrog, whom had given him the slightest silent eye communication, but it was enough. She would have died or been exiled for trying to defend him. Ravenclaw... she had always been supportive of him and all of his decisions. He had no doubt she would have fought all of Skyclan for him. She almost already had once...

I will not lose more daughters to death or exile... not even for you, you fox-hearted bastard... Bloodstrike thought as he glowered menacingly at the back of Falconmoon's head. He was aware of the eyes on him. He didn't give a flying fox.

He made eye contact with Spottedfrog and hesitated. Ravenclaw was beside him, concerned for him...

"It's him. It must be." He whispered low so only Ravenclaw could hear. He mouthed it too, for Spottedfrog. No doubt others would see it, but he'd heard no talk of Dawnhawk the entire time he'd been here. It was like a secret that Beechfang had done her best to bury, and he had been content to bury it as well.

But of course... that was not meant to be. Bloodstrike felt like he had a rabbit in his chest. He finally locked eyes with Wolfblossom.

"Wolfblossom... I may have some insight into this, but we need to speak privately." He had nothing more to say. He didn't move either, on the of chance something else was said. He didn't want to miss a thing. His eyes went back to Spottedfrog and he hoped she understood somehow. He glanced at Falconmoon quickly then back to her. Watch him. He hoped she would.

Firepool had been asleep in the Warrior's Den. The key word, was had. When Falconmoon began loudly speaking about dreams, growling and shouting, the tom had woken, albeit a bit groggily due to being woken from a sound sleep. It took him a few moments to come to his senses, and worried about the possibility of an attack due to the commotion, rushed out of the den to where Falconmoon had continued speaking to Wolfblossom and Birdstar.

What he heard was, understandably, disturbing. Dreams about killing, killing kits, warriors? Skeletons within Highstones... It was all strange. If Falconmoon was being plagued with those dreams, Starclan must have a reason, but what could it possibly be? Falconmoon would never do anything like that, not to the tom's knowledge, despite their brief interactions. Wolfblossom had told them to disperse, but how could they? The tom was making a scene, and it would be impossible to go back to their duties without the full story. It would either go around in whispers, getting darker with each retelling, or they could hear it straight from the warrior himself. Firepool preferred to hear the story, despite the tension that had gathered around Falconmoon.

Movement at the entrance of camp drew Sunfire's gaze, and the relief on his face was plain to see when he realized it was his mother and her patrol who had returned. Finally, someone with some sense... and someone he knew could deescalate the situation. Not that Birdstar couldn't... but she was just one cat, and besides, Sunfire thought Wolfblossom was way scarier, anyway. She approached, and the dappled warrior grumbled quietly, worriedly, at her as she briefly pressed against him, his eyes following as she moved around to consult with Birdstar and Falconmoon. There was a brief moment of quiet murmuring between them, and then his mother barked out an order in a tone that made him flinch and look back.

He wondered briefly if that meant him, too, but quickly decided that he didn't care if it did. No cat in this clan could order Sunfire to abandon his brother at this moment. He was staying where he was unless Falcon told him to leave. Graypaw eventually sidled up next to him, and he dropped his shoulder against hers, glancing at Falconmoon and mouthing "dreams" to his sister. He exhaled through his nose, shaking his head sadly, but glad that she was there with him now, too.

Thornstalker, who had also snapped at the crowd, broke several cats' line of sight on Falconmoon by stepping in front of him, and Sunfire attempted to meet her gaze and nod a thanks. As he did, he felt his brother press against his back, and Sunfire half-turned, resting his head briefly on top of Falconmoon's. Birdstar offered her den for a more private conversation, and Sunfire nudged him gently. "It's okay if you don't want us to hear. I can wait outside, if you'd rather. But I won't be far, promise."

* *

Just as quickly as the crowd had gathered around the drama, it was ordered to disperse. At Wolfblossom's command, Spottedfrog didn't move. She kept her eyes on Bloodstrike, waiting. If he made a poor decision here... one she knew he was contemplating, it was over. And she would willingly share his fate, if that's what it called for. Suddenly, Ravenclaw was at his side, and she didn't know whether to relax, or grow more worried. She knew her half-sister shared her love for their father... but would she side with them, if it came down to it? That, Spottedfrog wasn't sure of... and it worried her.

Another cat, Thornstalker, growled at the gathered cats, too, but again, Spottedfrog ignored her, never tearing her gaze away from Bloodstrike. Eventually, after muttering something to Ravenclaw, her father met her eye and mouthed something. It's him. It had to be.

Him? Spottedfrog's brow furrowed. Him who? She finally spared a glance at the sun-striped tom... one that bore a very large resemblance to... no. If cats could pale, she would have. As it was, it was all she could do not to let her jaw drop open in surprise. A mixture of horror and disbelief surged through her. No. That was impossible. That just... didn't happen.

But Dawnhawk had a talent for making the impossible into reality... and this... well... this was pretty on par. She couldn't, and wouldn't underestimate him again. Even in death. Spottedfrog kept her eyes on Falconmoon now, even as her father beckoned Wolfblossom away, to speak. Please, be wrong... she begged. If there is any good in StarClan anymore, please let this be a misunderstanding. There's been so much blood... SkyClan deserves peace.

Finally, the order from Birdstar came. Make yourselves useful. Spottedfrog blinked a few times, then turned and returned to her spot of sunshine... but there would be no relaxing for the tuxedo she-cat, and as she settled down and curled up where she'd been previously, her half-lidded eyes remained on the young warrior with the sun striped fur. Bloodstrike said watch him, and so watch him she would.

Thornstalker backed her order, and Wolfblossom gave her former apprentice a grateful look. Spottedfrog didn't move, but she was staring at Bloodstrike, not Falconmoon, Wolfblossom realized. Ravenclaw was beside him too, something said that Wolfblossom was too far to hear. It seemed to get through to Bloodstrike, though, and he finally spoke, words directed at Wolfblossom.

He knew something, or thought he did. Oh, how she would have liked that to be true, and how Wolfblossom would've liked to know this information so much sooner. But something in Bloodstrike's tone and still intense gaze did not fill her with confidence. This was, she knew, not going to be an easy fix. She had realized that long ago. If Bloodstrike the heavily-scarred self-imposed exile thought he knew something... She would listen.

"Alright." Wolfblossom nodded once at Bloodstrike, though she glanced at Falconmoon and Birdstar for a long moment. She trusted her sister with her life, and trusted that she would take care of her kits... But a large part of Wolfblossom was unwilling to leave Falconmoon like this. Birdstar confirmed she would take care of it, though, and the deputy sighed. Briefly, she pressed against Falconmoon's pelt. "I'll be back. Go with Birdstar. We'll figure this out." Somehow. And then the deputy was pulling away, albeit reluctantly.

---

Graypaw nodded in understanding at her brother's mouthed words, listening quietly to the conversation around them. Poor Falconmoon looked miserable as he recounted the strange dream, and Graypaw shivered. His nightmares had never been pleasant but this... She didn't know. She wished there was something she could do to be useful, but all she could do was sit and listen. Her brother's tears made her claws itch, but there was nothing she could sink them into to make them go away. Falconmoon leaned against Sunfire, finally stopping, and Graypaw stepped up beside him, pelt pressing against her brother in silent solidarity.

Bloodstrike was telling Wolfblossom that he might have insight into this, and while Graypaw wanted to know very badly what that supposed insight might be, her paws remained rooted by her siblings' side. Wolfblossom seemed more reluctant to leave, but Birdstar's reassurance seemed to work on her. She was glad that Birdstar wasn't dismissing her and Sunfire outright and had left the decision to Falconmoon. "If you'd rather me not hear, I'll go. But you're my brother, Falconmoon. I'm here for you too." She echoed Sunfire's words quietly, perhaps just as reluctant as their mother had been to pull away.