Look What You've Done (open for TC)

Mossfoot trailed closely behind Ashstar, walking alongside her daughter. It had been such a long time since she'd come here, and though she knew every tree, it somehow still felt foreign. The kinship she'd felt with this place seemed to dissipate. Half those she knew here were long gone - this was not the ThunderClan she knew. This cam held happy memories, but that was all they were, relics of a bygone age. WindClan was her home now, and there she'd stay - and find justice for Shadepaw.
So much apprentice-maiming....
As the leaders spoke, Mossfoot stood tall, well, as tall as she could with her small stature. Would some of the others remember her? There was a small part of her which hoped so - and so that they could see that she wasn't as wishy-washy as before. She knew what she was doing with her life now, and she wanted them all to know it.

A pale spotted golden she cat poked her head from the medicine cat's den quietly the darker face marking along with her pale golden face was dappled by the shade of the leaves. Honeypaw blinked curiousity fillet her upon the situation and she came from the Medicine Cats den quietly but no words left her mouth.

"Oh Brindlewhisker, look at this mess! What was done is done, I may have been on the receiving end one night but what I did to Shadepaw will be much worse. Have you seen her face from under all that blood? Have you seen the pieces that litter fourtrees by the giant oaks?" Rockthorn asked with a sneer, about to spit another retort he was knocked back with sharp claws digging into his shoulders.

As he got to his paws after Ashstar got off and moved away from him he just looked at Ashstar, his nose wrinkled in a snarl. "I think it was an improvement." Rockthorn turned to look at Falconpaw as he bounded towards him, with Hawkpaw close behind him. "It doesn't concern you. My sins are not for your ears." Turning to Hawkpaw he padded up with a smirk on his maw. "That's right, and you know what I'll do now? I can hunt you down, sure I'll be gone from Thunderclan territory. But I'll return, there won't be mercy for rouge scum like you. So you better watch your back Hawkpaw, or you won't be with a face either." The tom spat before turning to look at Cloudstorm.

Padding up to her which wasn't far, he pushed his nose into her fore-head. "I'm being exiled, it all depends on Darkstar's words though." Rockthorn hissed under his breath, tipping his head he mewed for only her ears. "Find a way to tell me when the kittens are born, as soon as their eyes open meet me just before four-trees. Bring only one kitten." He demanded before turning back emitting power and confidence despite the grim future that lay ahead of him.

Cloudstorm nodded. "Alright i will.." She meowed back only for his ears.

"These moons I have wished you weren't my son."

Darkstar's form appeared just outside her den, absolutely still. She seemed calm, but there was a great amount of grief in her eyes. The leader moved towards the growing crowd of cats, eyes only for Ashstar. This was the second time the WindClan leader had barged into her camp. Two of the cats with her at the time appeared again, the now-deputy Brindlewhisker, and Darkstar's former apprentice, Mossfoot. Of course, that had been so long ago.

Once she was before them, her somber yellow gaze followed the bloody tom. "Rockthorn." She called softly, unmoving. "I never intended to raise you to be like this. I never intended to make you believe your actions had no consequence. Even now, you have underestimated the severity of what you have done." He was too dangerous to be exiled. And yet she couldn't keep him in ThunderClan either. The event with Leopardclaw and Cherrykit had been enough proof of that. What could she possibly do? Her thoughts moved at a snail's pace in comparison to Ashstar's ferocity. Darkstar barely even flinched when her adoptive son was attacked. "I have tried to view everything you do in a good light, but day after day it has become impossible. You will not be exiled. Every cat here knows what you are capable of under the mask of anonymity." She had the heart to call for Sparkflower then quickly realized, 'How could I ask her to do that?' A glance at the furious faces around her brought the leader to a grim conclusion. She had to.

"Sparkflower. I... I need something of you." Darkstar's tail hung limp and she shifted her gaze until yellow met with green.

"You have asked me to deal justice. But surely only more death would come from his exile? For the good of even my own clan, a more permanent decision may be the only way." It pained her heart to do this to him. In the moment she remembered when she'd first met Rockthorn, when he was only an innocent kit. The hunted beetles together under the Highrock. Then... then... she'd exiled Sleekpaw. Was her bad judgement early on the cause for this? Should she have even made him her apprentice?

Lionspark's ears fell flat on her head as Blizzardshine spoke, staring at Rockthorn with a searching gaze - trying to find any traces of that apprentice who she had forced to take part in an assessment. Did he truly not see what horrible thing he had done? As the warrior in question spoke, his eyes narrowed as she let out a sharp hiss as he snarled at Hawkpaw. She forced herself in front of the apprentice, dropping into a protective stance as she stared at the young warrior she had once cared for - but no longer. She wouldn't stand for these threats again her Clanmates - Hawkpaw was a ThunderClan cat, rogue-born or not. "You won't lay a claw on his fur Rockthorn," she hissed softly under her breath at the tom, only to pause as a new voice broke through the tension. Her protective stance dropped as she stood up to her full height, turning her gaze as Darkstar strolled from her den. She simply dipped her head in a wordless greeting as the leader started to talk, her expression turning dark as the noble leader went on and on...And then her face went completely slack as she realized what the leader was implying. She opened her mouth, almost wanting to argue but stopped herself...No. Darkstar was right. Rockthorn...Rockthorn was a hazard - nobody would be safe if he was exiled. Mostly if he had the gull to threaten his own Clanmates.

Rainwhisper listened to his mother speak. "Mo- Darkstar, are you asking for what i think your asking for?" The senior warrior meowed looking at his mother then his adopted brother and then back.

Coldbreeze stood silently with Cloudstorm, lashing her tail.

Badgerstrike stood next to the two white she cats and watched the crowd of cats warily.

Hailkit watched his father from the nursery entrance and frowned. What was going on?

Tigerkit sat with Hailkit.

Splashkit tilted her head and watched.

Redkit stared at his fathers shoulders where the wounds were red. His eye twitched and he lashed his tail in excitement.

Birchkit stayed in back of all the rest of his siblings watching quietly.

By then, Clearpaw had retreated to the edge of the clearing with an uneasy look in his eyes--he knew Rockthorn had done some bad things, but he never imagined that the tom was so evil. How could he do that to an innocent apprentice? Clearpaw wondered if he had been provoked, but doubted it. And even if he had, there was no excuse for mauling someone so horribly. He felt a bit sick to his stomach as he listened to Rockthorn recount what he had done. He didn't know Shadepaw, but he found himself wishing she was in ThunderClan, so that he could help her. He flattened his ears as the short fight unfolded, then listened as Darkstar spoke. Was she implying what he thought she was? He supposed that she had a point. If they exiled Rockthorn, he would still be a danger, but to kill him... Surely there was another way?

As "Rockthorn" hissed a few more angry, vulgar words at her and Brindlewhisker, Ashstar just watched with contempt. He would get his comeuppance soon enough. Her ears pricked to catch every word as Darkstar came out and started speaking. About time. Though the words the ThunderClan leader spoke should have chilled her kind and caring heart, the gray-furred she-cat found herself nodding in agreement instead. As shown by his actions and words, this tom was a danger to the forest, just like Lionfur, and he deserved death. She found her respect for Darkstar growing at the far-sighted, but likely painful, decision she made. Hopefully, after this, the forest would be once more at peace. "Against my better nature, I find myself agreeing with you," she commented to Darkstar, voice still as calm and cold as a river of ice. "This is your decision to make, but I wholeheartedly approve. I hope nothing like this ever happens again." The WindClan leader and her small patrol would leave after the deed was done.

Cloudstorm stared horrified as she got what Darkstar was going to to do to her mate."You cant kill my mate! What about our kits!!" She meowed.

Blacktwif unwieldily appeared through the brambles after a hunting patrol, in which his memory loss had rendered him impotent of sorts. His contractile apertures slitted at the sight of WindClan in ThunderClan's camp, his fur bristling, but he discreetly stalked forwards once he realized no blood had been shed. He spotted Rockthorn being condemned. Oh, what has he done now? wondered Blacktwig. Unfortunately, the tom's condition had hexed him after Rockthorn had comitted his crimes. Now, he addressed the deputy and leader of WindClan with such vulgarity! Blacktwig sat down silently. He stared at Rockthorn now with slight disgust. Cloudstorm! Blacktwig looked at the she-cat right as she cried out. Poor Cloudstorm... I suppose she used to see good in him. Blacktwig was confused then.


Kill him? What...?

Leopardclaw, who had been watching the scene silently from the sidelines, felt his heart chill over at the bleak tones that invaded Darkstar's voice; her conversation with Sparkflower seemed to confirm his suspicions. So....Rockthorn's time has finally come. I thought I would be more happy.... Wincing, the spotted tom painfully shifted position and the soreness of his wounds hit him once again. His brutal fight with the gray tabby tom had given him a few new injuries, but most of the soreness came from him thrashing in his sleep, caught in an endless nightmare. One where Cherrykit didn't wake up after she was tossed viciously against the Highrock, one where Rockthorn had succeeded in killing him, and with his last sliver of sight in this world he had to watch that monster slaughter his family.

A choking sound caught in his throat, and Leopardclaw gazed down at his tensing paws. Curse that traitor to the Dark Forest! Even though his enemy's punishment was about to be carried out, the young warrior could only feel a numb sense of pity. The look reading in Rockthorn's eyes gave him all the information he would ever need; the broken cat had gone positively insane. Had he caused this? Did his insult so many moons ago start Rockpaw's wild tumble into evil? Casting a brief glance over to where Falconpaw stood beside Hawkpaw, she suddenly wondered if he had been wrong to cast the title of murderer onto Rockthorn. It's took late now; the past is in the past. Now, this is what it's all come to; a mother forced to put her own son to death... With a heavy sigh, Leopardclaw summoned his courage and looked up, forcing himself to watch whatever came next. I helped create this....his pain will also be mine to bear.

Rockthorn hissed as they discussed like he wasn't there to hear it, was this how he was to end? Slain by the cat's that have nothing but wronged him? Spitting at the two she-cats he unsheathed his claws, he wouldn't be going without a fight! "If you wish to put me down, Darkstar in front of my children and mate then so be it. But you're worse than me if you wish to spill my blood in front of them, nonetheless Cloudstorm is expecting." Cloudstorm was a weak link, and he'd play on that every chance he could even if it was just stalling for time so he could think.

"Though, death would be quite a mercy I say. Especially compared to... Shadepaw wasn't it? Not with a face, hardly able to eat. She won't be able to see either, that's a mercy in itself since she won't be able to see the ugly mess she is now!" Rockthorn snapped, his tail lashing as he padded closer to the two she-cats. If he could manipulate them just right then he could maybe live, but the way he saw it was that he could loose something of his but at least he might still be alive by the end of the day.

For his ears? Falconpaw was furious, "O-oh no you don't! A-as if you care one bit a-about those kits!" He spat, "I-i can hear all about y-your sins! A-and you cannot talk about killing in front of family! Y-you took a-away my mother! R-right there in front of me!" When the older tom walked away his fur rose, his eyes were wild with all the pent up emotion he's had since his mother died. Since everything went horribly wrong, since the stuttering started. "I-i'm not innocent, I never g-got that chance." With the comments about how much he did to the apprentice Falconpaw felt bile in his throat, "Y-y-you're digusting! I..." He looked at Hawkpaw, thinking of the way Rockthorn had degraded him for his loner blood and then said simply that he didn't mean it towards Falconpaw. Falconpaw had pure loner blood, he was covered in it young, born from it, and it ran through him. It haunted his nightmares and blazed when he paid his respects to his mother every other day. This was something he'd never give up, even if Rockthorn showed hatred for that kind of filth. The threats Rockthorn said to Hawkpaw were just adding onto it. He looked at Rockthorn with a cold face, "I hate you." And that, was the first time he didn't stutter, there wasn't any uncertainty or fear in the statement. When Darkstar killed him, Falconpaw would go do some training with Hawkpaw, visit the river and ask some RiverClan cats about what the bottom of a river looked like, he'd go with Blizzardshine and ask Sparkflower about his fear of blood that only three knew about so far. Rockthorn was already dead, he'd never be anything to Falconpaw but skin filled with maggots. Perhaps that's the filth that Rockthorn saw in his blood, he hoped it was all that he remembered of Falconpaw too, he didn't deserve Falconpaw's memory.