Hey Guys! Thrush is Dying! [open to exiled cats]

Frostedpaw emerged out of the nearby foliage, confusion sparkling in her eyes.
"Hiya! I heard voices and-" She began, but paused when she saw a familiar body amongst the other cats, but it didn't look very lively at all. The ShadowClan apprentice stalked forwards, her eyes glued on Thrushstar's lifeless body. She didn't say a word. For the first time in Frostedpaw's life, she was speechless. Sure, she didn't have a special bond with Thrushstar like any other ShadowClan cat would, but she still respected him greatly because he was her leader. And now he was dead. And at the worst possible time....StarClan had left according to the Dark Forest ghosts, would his spirit find their warrior ancestors? Her black and white tail drooped.
"W-what happened?" She choked over her own words, her gaze quickly moving from one cat to another. There was more fear in her than anger or sadness. A chill went through her spine and her ears flattened against her head. Respectfully letting the warriors and the deputy mourn closer to ShadowClan's dead leader, she sat back behind them and lowered her head sadly.

Why did this have to happen now? It honestly had the Shadowclan leader a little worried. As he opened his eyes, Thrushstar began glancing around where he stood. Unfortunately, it was exactly as he expecting. Darkness covered the plain where Starclan once stood. A blood red sky loomed over him as what used to be grass crunched dryly under his paws. There was still that awful charred smell in the air of what used to be trees, but there was no one around. He couldn't smell anyone or anything close by. Instead, he was left there alone to take in the sights and smells of the death around him. At first, the leader simply sat down and waited. He thought that it would take a little longer for him to revive considering Starclan wasn't exactly there now, but the longer he waited, the less he felt like he was alive. It was a very strange feeling being spiritual for so long, and it was beginning to worry the old tom. Sure, he was mad, but Leopardfang had made some good points from what he could remember. All of those memories were still a little hazy from the disease in his body, but he knew he needed to get back. He needed to do something about the situation they were in. He still had three lives, after all.

Still, nothing happened. He couldn't feel himself being healed like normal, and in a slight panic, the tom began to try to look himself over at the wounds he had received. There were a few on his back he could spot slightly, and to his relief, they were, in fact, healing but very slowly. Even in the midst of this chaos, Starclan was still somewhere to be found. He would just have to wait it out. Standing up on his paws, Thrushstar figured the best he could do was have a look around at his surroundings. Padding away from where he sat, he looked around at the carnage left behind by the Dark Forest cats. Nothing around him was alive and it was hard to look at what destruction they had caused. The brittle, dead grass under his paws began to hurt, almost like spikes pushing their way into the pads of his feet. Occasionally, he stepped on a blade that shoved its way between his toes which caused him to hiss and jump away from where he was standing. This was absolutely horrible. How could half of his clan even think about joining these awful cats if they could even be considered cats?

Suddenly he had triggered his original thoughts. The same anger and rage began to boil up inside of him again, his stomach twisting and churning at the thought of Webtail standing as leader in his camp. Part of the old leader wished that he could meet Webtail in a dream here right now and rip every last piece of fur off of his body. The warrior at least deserved that much for only murdering Pinepaw, his own clan mate. After this, Thrushstar would show no mercy to that cat. He didn't deserve it. With a yowl of frustration, the leader thrashed around a bit, trying to get rid of some of his rage, but nothing helped. Instead, he could only sit in this Starclan forbidden place until he was well enough to visit the living again. Unfortunately, this took much longer than he had ever anticipated.

It felt like days, maybe even moons went by. Time became indistinguishable. He had finally realized he was back with the living when a horrible cough escaped his already damaged throat and his newly repaired muscles protested from the violent movement so quickly. Opening his eyes, Thrushstar glanced around to see where he was. Fortunately, he was still in the alley right where he had fallen, but it was obvious some time had passed. Where the sun was high in the sky when he had passed, it was falling beyond the horizon now, preparing for nightfall. He had never been out that long and just the thought of it was discomforting. "Leopardfang?" he tried calling out in his raspy voice, trying to solidify the rest of his surroundings. Had they moved on without him or were they still there waiting for him? The leader couldn't tell in his still-disoriented state.

Ooc: gonna assume there's a time skip in play and everyone's asleep

Ferretshine hadn't slept. She kept dreaming about darkened shapes of cats clawing at her throat and Lightningpaw with them, taunting her. The warrior decided against sleeping after that, so she left her ditch of a den and started pacing. It wasn't like it mattered, anyway. It was a good idea to patrol the various dens in case a pesky intruder tried to attack. She was getting worried, Thrushstar hadn't woken yet. Was he gone for good? 

It wasn't any more than 5 minutes before she had made her way back around her former leader's den and peered inside fretfully. Sure enough, his green eyes shone dully through the apparent darkness. She turned and looked around at the cluster of cats. "Thrushstar is back!" Ferretshine whispered loudly into the alleyway, "Leopardfang, come here!" Her words were laced with sharpness, a sleep deprived, grumpy demand. She cautiously moved closer. "I almost thought you wouldn't be back," she said to the tom softly, "You don't quit. It's a little endearing." The she-cat laughed a little, her always bright smile wide on her face.

Leopardfang was right outside of the box that Thrushstar had claimed as his den when they first got there. He was still awake, absentmindedly licking his shoulder wound raw. It wasn't until he had snapped out of his tired trance at the sound of Ferretshine's voice that he realized that he had turned his cut into a sore and that it was hurting terribly. He closed his eyes in frustration and realized just how tired he was. Have I even slept since I got here? Leopardfang wondered to himself before remembering that he was being summoned by his granddaughter. "Ah... hold on a moment..." He got to his paws with some difficulty, his new sore souring his already bad mood. Following Ferretshine back to the alleyway with reluctance, he limped his way around the corner and stopped dead in his tracks, eyes widened in shock and mouth hanging open. Thrushstar was breathing, though unevenly. Thrushstar was alive.

Still with an expression of surprise, the deputy padded slowly to the side of the cat he thought was dead. Leopardfang sat down, numbness overtaking him. These past few days had been the craziest, most tumultuous moments of his life, and he just didn't know how to respond anymore.  Every conceivable emotion passed through him before he was aware of himself once more. Leopardfang had watched his leader die, but now he was alive again. This didn't make any sense at all, unless... A long silence passed before he could think of what to say. "I thought StarClan was gone. I didn't even think that they existed. I don't understand why they have such limitations on such great power." He meowed, barely above a whisper. His green eyes were empty of emotion as he looked over Thrushstar, still injured but clearly alive.

Night peeked in the alley. He was glad that Thrushstar still had lives, even though he was in exile, and StarClan was gone. StarClan did not leave and the Dark Forest took their place, no, Dark Forest shoved them out. He was one of them, they told him themselves, "StarClan was driven out", did they not? He couldn't be with them, not after they killed his brother. He was a double agent from the beginning. He didn't hear future plans, but he knows the truth. He was kind of scared to go forth. Thrushstar was his only kin alive, yet Night betrayed him and ShadowClan. He left them for their sake, ShadowClan has no room for traitors.

He padded forward. He looked at Thrushstar. He waited to see what happened.