trials and tribulations [RC POST-GATHERING THREAD]

Fishstar hadn't ever thought she'd set foot in RiverClan's camp again after her ordeal at the Gathering.

It was like a nightmare, but it'd all been real.. The mist swallowing her up and tossing her about in a storm of darkness, the Tribe's allegiance with the Dark Forest, the second great bloodshed at Fourtrees, less than nine moons after the last one..

.. StarClan continuing to do nothing..

No. Now was not the time to express her hatred, as much as she wanted to. Fishstar desired nothing more than to chase the Tribe - and all of those who'd accepted them into the forest - down and rip them to shreds for what they'd done, but first and foremost, she had to let her Clan heal. Perhaps, when they were done healing, other plans would be made, but the safety RiverClan was the most principle matter.

Amberpelt sat by herself in the corner of the camp, cleaning her wounds the best she could as she watched her Clanmates linger about. She knew that she allow Cloudstone or Icepaw to take a look at her injuries for proper healing but she was content with waiting until the rest of her Clanmates were taken a look at. Nobody had escaped that battle unscathed thanks to that strange mist that had washed over them all but she knew she had managed to withstand the damage better then some cats and she had also been lucky enough to not be struck down by Smokefang in the battle. And so she sat there by her lonesome, a mixture of her pride and motherly instincts preventing her from getting up and heading toward the medicine cat's den.

The gray furred warrior padded into the camp with dark eyes that reflected his worries about what happened in the gathering. The threat that left Smokefang and that Tribe cat felt so real for him and he couldn't stop thinking about the future of his clan and the forest. What would happen if the Dark Forest rise again but with more evil cats supporting the leader of such a horrible place?
Jaystream just walked to the medicine cat den, hoping that Icepaw or Cloudstone could help him and the others with their injuries. Still, he preferred that the younger cats, such as apprentices, were healed first than he and because of that he was ready to aid the medicine cats with everything they need even if he didn't know too much about herbs.

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Tinytip walked into the camp, bleeding because of her wounds, but she was a bit more optimistic of what happened. They defeated the leader of the Dark Forest and they wouldn't return soon so that was something to be happy, at least for her.
The little warrior made her way to the medicine cat den, waiting for the medicine cats as she looked with concerned eyes at her leader, who seemed more serious than usual.

A beaten Swiftheart walked into camp, opening her eyes to the sunlight, feeling glad to see it. The warmth of the sun gave a comfort saying "It's okay, you're home now". She slowly walked to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed a fish. Laid down in exhaustion, she ate the juicy fish, feeling slightly better. She walked over to the edge of the island and laid in the shallows, letting the cool waves smooth her fur, like the stream is grooming her.

OOC: Come on people we can't let this die this is important my dudes

Shellwater had taken to sunbathing in the middle of RiverClan camp, enjoying the last few days of Greenleaf before the warmth gave way to chillier air. Since she had had nothing better to do after returning from the Gathering and spending an exhausted night asleep in her nest, next to her daughter Splashwillow and the empty nest of her mate, the calico she-cat was currently lying curled up near the Willow Branch, letting the rays of late afternoon sun warm her tired, scarred pelt. Unfortunately, this left her alone with her thoughts. The latest Gathering had been terrifying, to say the least. From the Mist's final attack to the Tribe's ultimate betrayal to the appearance of the Dark Forest leader, it was definitely an experience she would rather forget than dwell on. Honestly, she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The RiverClan warrior had given up on StarClan long ago, after they ruined her life and took away two of her kits for good. After they abandoned her, and her Clan. But here was this evil she-cat from the Dark Forest, the one who supposedly controlled the Mist and who had thereby been the cause of Snowpaw's death and Otterleap's disappearance, and her existence was enough to make her wonder. If the Dark Forest was real, wasn't that proof enough that StarClan was real? She didn't know which concept was worse- that there was no benevolent StarClan and thereby only the hellish Dark Forest for the spirits of her loved ones to reside, or that StarClan was real and had allowed them to suffer all this time. Thankfully, those thoughts were driven out of her head by the sudden arrival of Fishstar and Swiftheart in camp.

The scarred calico she-cat perked up immediately. She had been worried about the leader and her daughter, after the one had disappeared at the Gathering and the other had been missing for quiet a long time. But their appearance also raised another question in her mind. Otterleap. Her mate, the one cat that had any capability of cheering her up, had been missing ever since Snowpaw's death. He hadn't been there while she grieved for first one lost daughter, than another when Sparkwillow had bled out during kitbirth. After gaining enough pieces of the puzzle by listening to other cats' information and Smokefang's ranting, she had determined that Otterleap must have been taken by the Mist, just as Swiftheart had. So he should be here, right? Raising herself up on exhausted limbs, Shellwater made her way over to the silver tabby leader. Her words were to the point, as always. "Fishstar. Where's Otterleap?"

Snailpaw was there in the medicine cat den, unconscious after the Smokefang ordeal.

Trailing behind all the other cats was Otterleap, a broken soul who was a fraction of the warrior that he'd once been. The world had been taken from him, and given to him at the same time. He had kits in ThunderClan, but at what cost? And he'd heard from Fishstar that his daughter, Sparkwillow was gone. Was there any good in this world? StarClan had come far too late for them, once again.

When he met his mate's searching gaze, he broke it immediately, looking off to the side.

Everything ached, his head, his heart and his body.

He couldn't handle this.

-

Ivyfall sighed with relief as Fishstar entered the camp. The deputy had feared that whatever happened would have taken the leader from them. She had no designs on being leader any time soon, though many of the current leaders were similar to her in age. She preferred delegating over leading directly. "You're safe. Good, the clan had been unsettled and worried. Are you hurt? Did you lose a life?" The deputy spoke softly to her leader, not wanting the fear of a possible life lost riling up the clan. Though she had half a mind to scorch SkyClan to the ground for accepting the Tribe Scum.

Cloudstone could barely look up to acknowledge the return of the missing cats. His eyes were bloodshot and droopy and his paws were not nearly as skillful as they should. He was exhausted from treating wounds, including his own. There may have been a moment during the night where the tom could've slept, but could he really? He was ashamed after what he had done. Of course he hadn't realized who he was siding with, but the decision the leave StarClan was still plain as day. The medicine cat could barely open his mouth to speak out of pure shame.

Even though he knew he didn't deserve rest, the black tom could feel himself nodding off. 'There isn't time for that.' His dark gaze lingering for a moment on the fresh-kill pile before he shook his head and got back to work. He didn't deserve to eat either. He would do this as if they were in the middle of Leafbare; he would only take care of himself when absolutely necessary.

"O-Otterleap?" Splashwillow was hardly able to stammer out the question, her amber eyes going as wide as the full mood as she started as the sulking form of Otterleap. She hadn't attended the seemingly cursed Gathering, so she was only able to learn what happened from her bedraggled Clanmate's stories- so she was equally surprised to see Fishstar leading their stolen Clanmates back into camp. However, she took no notice of the somber mood that had overtaken the camp.

"Otterleap!" Splashwillow practically howled her fathers name is a mixture of disbelief and joy, hardly able to contain herself as she did so. Scrambling to her paws and practically hurling herself across the clearing, the young warrior was only just able to avoid tripping and stomping over the troop of exhausted cats returning from wherever the Mist had taken them.

Pressing herself tightly against the scrawny form of her father, she let out a loud, rattling purr as she continued to remain nuzzled against Otterleap's side. She hadn't seen her father since before Snowpaw's death all those moons ago and so much had happened since then. So much! Swallowing down the endless stream of words that wished to spew from her mouth, Splashwillow remained close to her father as she pressed her cheeks against his.

Otterleap froze as his daughter came bounding towards him. He didn't know what to say, he even thought of backing away, but the soft press of her pelt against his and the sweet scent of his kin was too compelling. He couldn't help but lean in, a rumbling purr spilling out as he embraced the love of his daughter, Splashpaw. Though her name probably wasn't Splashpaw anymore. "Splash... Oh, my daughter. My beautiful daughter... Thank StarClan one lives... I'm so sorry for everything. For Snowpaw, for Sparkwillow, for everything I have to do..."

As Shellwater saw her mate emerge from the copse of trees that marked the camp entrance, her first impulse was to bound towards him and press herself against his strong form, something she had longer to do for ages. Just in seeing him, she felt more complete than she had for a long time. But she hesitated as she saw the look in his eyes. Wasn't... wasn't he happy to see her again, too? He still loved her, right? No, she was being mouse-brained-, of course he did. But then, why did his gaze slip so- guiltily away from hers? The calico she-cat slowly walked forwards after her daughter, her orange eyes concerned as they gazed into Otterleap's green ones. "Is something wrong, love?"

Shellwater's tentative words were lost on Splashwillow as she continued to remain tightly curled against Otterleap, her rattling purr faltering slightly as she listened to her father speak in such a manner. The realization that he had been alone all those moons with nobody to comfort him over Snowpaw's death made her feel small beneath her fur. "Please don't apologize," Splashwillow softly murmured, feeling the twinge in her chest ache more sharply, "I'm just glad you came back home." Her throat had tightened greatly as Otterleap mentioned Sparkwillow and it had taken everything in her to refrain from yowling to the high heavens about everything that had transpired during the long moons. Perhaps once the rest of the Clan was out of earshot she could tell her father about their new kin on the other side of the forest. Perhaps that would cheer him up.

With a yawn, Whisperkit waddled out from the nursery, heedless of the bereaved atmosphere, her small coral-coloured nose wrinkled in disgust at the sour odour of blood in the camp. What is that awful stench? She questioned, blinking her eyes as they adjusted to the late greenleaf sunshine.
Her curiosity towards the smell soon faded as she noticed a broken reed dangling at her side, begging to be tossed around. This ensued a series of amorphous bats of her paws and weak kicks of her hind legs before she tired and lost interest. A sigh escaped her small mouth as she flopped onto the floor, desperate for something interesting to do. The young kit's dark ears pricked at the sound of a conversation between some warriors, and she tilted her head in interest.

"Its... Nothing... We can talk about it later, not now." Otterleap whispered to his mate, choosing to instead warmly purr and bury his face in her scruff. It had been an exhausting few moons, and he prayed that nothing like this would befall them again. He didn't know how much more his heart could take, the guilt, the grief, the pain, it was all a bit too much. He wasn't the same tom now, and he felt that down to his bones. How would he fit back into the clan again?

-

Frogjaw was exhausted both in mind and body, but that all seemed to fade the moment he scented his mother in the distance. The warrior sprang out of where he'd been lying in the medicine cat den, hobbling over to where his mother was to greet her. His tail rose high in delight, and life seemed to return to his body. He was like a new cat, though his matted pelt still showed his self-neglect and exhaustion. "Fishstar! You're back, thank StarClan!"

Finchstream had been sitting on the sidelines, watching with eager eyes as Fishstar returned alongside their missing clanmate Otterleap.  Of course she was happy to see their leader and one of their best warriors return, but she kept looking beyond the group, her eyes set on the camp entrance.  Someone's missing...where's Ospreypaw?  Did they forget him?  No, Fishstar would never allow that....but, if he wasn't with the cats taken by the Mist...  As the realization began to set in, the young silver and white molly felt her eyes begin to well with tears, and she had to dig her claws into the earth to control herself from crying out her grief.  "He..he can't be gone!  I ne..never told him....."  Trying to take a deep, calming breath, Finchstream suddenly felt crowded and exposed in the camp, and her paws seemed to pull her towards the river.  Padding towards the entrance, Finchstream cast a bitterly sad glare over the group of cats surrounding Otterleap, all with overjoyed, relieved expressions.  All of you...you're lucky.  At least you get back the one you lost...the one you love.  Her lip quivering, Finchstream darted out of the camp without saying a word to anyone.