After the fact/before the gathering (Closed)

Tigerstorm limped into camp in the middle of the day, still bleeding profusely from her neck and chest. She was lucky to have her life, however, and she would have lost it if it weren't for her beloved Kestrelstorm coming to save her before that rogue had put an end to her life. That was when the two decided that Kestrelstorm would come to ShadowClan, to look after Tigerstorm and the kits that she was expecting. They had journeyed back cautiously. Now the pair would be facing the judgement of Thrushstar, and possibly the most senior warriors of the clan as well. Tigerstorm's legs felt very unstable, but she couldn't tell if it was nerves, exhaustion, or the fact that she was bleeding out all over the place. The small tabby stared across the camp, wondering if anyone was still awake.

Dawnflower was awake at the time Tigerstorm walked into the camp, though she was in her den. It was the scent of blood that was carried to her that caused her to exit with a wad of cobwebs. She looked around the clearing searching for the injured clan mate, and soon found Tigerstorm was the one who needed it. The light colored she-cat raced over to the she-cat and set down the cobwebs. "Sit down." She commanded. She didn't need the cat wearing herself out even more. The medicine cat grabbed the cobwebs and began to apply them to the wounds once the warrior was seated.

Mudfoot never really slept, well, not even in thge day time. Feeling restless, the warrior creeped out of the den and gave his legs a stretch. The weather was pretty nice, and he wondered why more clan mates didn't take advantage of it and sleep under the open sky. The night seemed pretty normal until the scent of blood hit his nose. Looking around with his fur standing on end, the tom noticed Tigerstorm and Dawnflower. Padding over to the two, the curious tom realized queen was bleeding and even though she wasn't his mate, he started to panic. "Dawnflower, is there anything I can do?" He meowed, alarmed at the sight.

Magpiewing's paranoia had been growing stronger with each passing day. Barely having slept, the tom left the warrior's den again, ready for yet another patrol. Even though he had brought back his grandchildren, and thought he had found the source of his worry, the aching feeling in his gut still stuck. Just what was out there that was making him so on edge. Determined to find it, he prepared to grab a small piece of prey and head out of camp when the scent of blood struck his nose.

His amber eyes drifting over to the sight of his adopted kits and a queen with blood-matted fur, the black warrior was startled by the familiar brown pelt. "Tigerstorm!" Rushing over to the queen, the warrior glanced at her with concern. The thick, red liquid flowed down her chest and onto the ground, leaving a small puddle around her. Accidentally stepping in the puddle, he retreated back and flicked away as much blood as he could. "I-I'll get Thrushstar and Leopardfang!" he stuttered and ran towards the leader's den. After calling out to the old tom, he rushed back to the warrior's den where he promptly prodded his friend awake. "Hurry, Tigerstorm's hurt!" he whispered, trying to avoid to big of a commotion.

Kestrelstorm seemed to be unnoticed, which was odd considering his height and his WindClan heritage. His jaw ached from the clenching and grinding of his teeth. The WindClan warrior was shoved back, abd he furiously bit his tongue. They were messing with his mate! The fur on his hackles rose slightly until he forced it down in the name of peace. "Help her." he whispered quietly

"What's going on?" Thrushstar asked as he bound out of his den at the first smell of blood. It had hit him just before Magpiewing had pushed his way into the leader's den and it set all of his nerves on edge. As he looked into the clearing, he barely had any time to focus on the outsider as his eyes landed on Tigerstorm bloodied and hardly conscious. "Dawnflower, what do... I need to do?"

The young queen obeyed Dawnflower immediately, sitting down and breathing as deeply as she could manage. She was afraid, and the clamor of cats was a little bit frightening. They were also a relief. They didn't seem upset by their guest, as they only focused on Tigerstorm. She flinched a few times at the medicine cat's touch, still a little jumpy after the sudden attack. Silently, her mind started to panic at the thought of Thrushstar and her father being present, even though it was necessary to get their approval of Kestrelstorm. Please, StarClan, if you exist and you are anywhere to be found, let them see and understand that we love each other... And also let me live! She glanced at the WindClan tom, sticking out like a black cat in snow in the ShadowClan camp. She was glad that he was able to stay relatively calm under the circumstances.

Leopardfang was having pleasant dreams of his youth when Magpiewing's voice and his annoying prodding brought him back to the present. "What? Tigerstorm? Tigerstorm!" His eyes suddenly opened and his head shot straight up when he heard that his pregnant daughter was injured. He tried to keep his fear under control, padding out of the den as calmly as he could manage while his daughter was off bleeding herself dry. He saw the blood puddle and internally winced, hoping that Dawnflower could work with her. He saw the WindClan tom and his fur stood on edge, but he didn't rush to any conclusions. Leopardfang kept his distance from the group. His daughter was probably feeling quite a bit overwhelmed by now, so he sat a few tail-lengths away and watched apprehensively, occasionally looking at his clanmates and trading concerned glances.

Shimmerheart rushed out of the elders den after hearing her youngest daughter's name. "Tigerstorm, are you all right?" Then she noticed a WindClan tom standing beside her, looking anxious. "What do you have to do with my daughter?" she inquired coldly, looking him up and down. Problems like this were exactly what Thrushstar didn't need right now, so hopefully she was wrong in her assumptions.

Kestrelstorm jumped, focused on his mate and not noticing the ShadowClan cat finally taking notice of him. Kestrelstorm's mind raced and soon he carefully spoke, looking down upon Shimmerheart apprehensively. "I saved her." the tall tom murmured softly, shuffling his large paws.

Dawnflower grabbed more cobwebs from the bundle she brought out and applied it to the wounds. These wounds were deep, but if she could stop the bleeding Tigerstorm would be fine. "Mudfoot, go into my den and grab more cobwebs for me. I will also need horsetail, it's a tall stemmed plant with bristles on the end." Marigold would have worked too, but they had more horsetail at the moment. Until Mudfoot got her that stuff she had to keep pressure on the wounds with the cobwebs she had. Even though sitting on her hind legs was uncomfortable, she could deal with it for Tigerstorm's sake.

Mudfoot gave a nod and ran to the medicine cat den. Cobwebs...Horsetail... he repeated over and over to himself, searching through the den. After what seemed like forever of looking, he finally found what was needed and ran back to Dawnflower, dropping the herbs at the she-cat's feet. "Will she be okay?" he asked nervously, even though he didn't know Tigerstorm that well. Now that he thought about it, who was this other cat here? Wasn't he from WindClan or something? Wait, did he say that he saved her? Questions raced through his head about the strange tom, but he kept quiet, not wanted to distress the Queen.

Shimmerheart was intrigued. "Saved her from what? And why was she on WindClan territory, anyway? Or were you on ShadowClan land?" the black she-cat asked curiously.

As Mudfoot rushed around helping Dawnflower, Thrushstar figured they had it under control. He took a second to look over Tigerstorm, staring at her wounds and studying them. They were definitely made by another cat which made the leader very uncomfortable. What had happened? Before he could ask, however, Shimmerheart's questions brought the Windclan tom to his attention. Thrushstar heard him say something about saving her, but it didn't excuse why he was in their camp. Windclan did not have a very good relationship with Shadowclan. Narrowing his eyes, he stepped toward the Windclan warrior. "Tell me what happened," he demanded in his now typical raspy voice, his actions sharp and forceful. "Now."

Kestrelstorm glanced to Tigerstorm as she struggled. He shifted to the side, coming closer to Thrushstar slowly, unthreateningly. The tall tom looked around from each of the ShadowClan warriors, with each moement he knew their patience would run thinner. "She was in WindClan territory." he said firmly, only a hint of nervousness. "I am Kestrelstorm kf WindClan, son to Cedarfur and last apprentice to Falconstar. My son is Falconstone and my former mate was Sablestar." With the introduction complete, Kestrelstorm shifted on his paws, lowering his head and hiding his eyes. "For the last couple of moons, I have been training Tigerstorm. I have fallen in love with her, and I was told tonight she has my kits. That is why she was on WindClan territory." Kestrelstorm's heart pounded in his chest. [color:a89f=#00990p]"I was just patroling and I heard cries. A rogue was attacking Tigerstorm. I killed the rogue. I came with her to make sure she made it safe and to beg you to allow me to join your clan so I may be the father to my kits and live with Tigerstorm so I may protect her." With thst, Kestrelstorm waited.

Having the medicine cat pressing cobwebs against her chest and throat was uncomfortable, and it didn't help that there were a bunch of old concerned toms hanging around and staring at her mate. And then she saw the black pelt of her mother among the gathered cats. Oh no, not Shimmerheart! Well, if anyone was going to be the harshest it would be her mother. She coughed a bit, trying to clear her throat to explain to Thrushstar and Shimmerheart what was going on, but she couldn't properly form any words. Fortunately, Kestrestorm could speak quite clearly. Unfortunately, he had probably the worst way to explain it that one could manage. We're doomed... All the queen could do now was look around and meet her clanmates' eyes with her own, silently pleading for their understanding and acceptance.

Leopardfang's attention moved from his daughter to his mate and then to the WindClan tom. He had feared this. Well, not feared it, just strongly hoped that it wouldn't be the case. Tigerstorm never acted like she loved any of the young ShadowClan toms. It was foolish of him to have believed that she had chosen one of them to have kits with. But when did she find the time to do all of this? She always seemed like she was in the nursery, doing whatever the queens did to pass the time. He didn't react outwardly. The choice was entirely Thrushstar's.... Thrushstar, the leader who was tired of betrayal and code-breaking. The chances of the WindClan warrior's pleas succeeding looked rather poor. But justice was justice, and he could not intervene for his daughter. It wouldn't be right. She would have to handle the consequences, whether good or bad, by herself. He watched his leader's face to try and tell what kind of reaction was about to occur.