Sharpen Your Claws, Its Time For War [Important, Sunningrocks War]

Robinpaw listened to Blizzardstar, every ounce of attention in her body focused on the leader. For once, she remained silent. The last sentence she spoke seemed to take an eternity to fully register in the young apprentice's mind. War. With RiverClan. She thought, over and over again, until the words sank in. Her eyes widened in sudden fear. What would happen to her Clan? Her family? Yes, she understood that ThunderClan needed Sunningrocks to live, and if they didn't fight, her family could be lost anyway. It was hopeless. Hopeless. Her ears pressed flat to her head, the young apprentice gazed at the ground with intensity. StarClan, please, let our Clan survive this. Robibpaw didn't know what she would do without Swooppaw, or Whitepaw, or Lynxpaw, or Olivepaw, or her beloved mother. None of it was any fair! Was StarClan tying to test them? Well, she would pass, that was for certain. She thought of the prey pile, of the herbs, and how both were pitifully low. She bought of how everyone in her Clan seemed so thin. She bought of how proud her mentor would be if she fought. Robinpaw, in that moment, swore to herself that she would defend her Clan, family and friends with her life, and she would battle those fish-heads for ThunderClan's survival.

Birdflight felt shivers go down her spine. The air around her suddenly felt heavier. A war with Riverclan? Great Starclan! Was this what they were really meant to do? She wrapped her tail around her paws and self-consciously began to lick the fur on her chest. She avoided eye contact with her father. The warrior knew that there was no other way. Blizzardstar had done all she could but to no avail. If she was to go down in this war, she would go down as a sacrifice for a greater cause. Birdflight felt herself become anxious but determined. "Toadpaw, remember all that I have taught you. Use your wits and skills against the enemy. Think like them. Beat them at their own game." she told the tom beside her. Her eyes narrowed and her face held nothing but regret.

With her ears pinned back to her head,  Dustcloud let out a small grumble. She wasn't even all the way healthy again, but she could still fight and win. It wouldn't be much of a disadvantage to her, she'd just have to make sure she didn't work herself too hard. This was a perfect chance for her to prove herself to the clan.

Emberpaw was silent as Blizzardstar gave the announcement. ThunderClan was at war with RiverClan.
This place had become her home in the moons since she had become a ThunderClan apprentice. There were cats she had come to care for, and a code she was determined to uphold. If what they needed for ThunderClan's continued survival was Sunningrocks, she would help in any way she could. If that meant fighting to protect her Clanmates, she would do so. If it meant something else, she would do that too. Even if she was a little bit afraid of what might happen... The threat of losing the home she had come to love was too much to consider. They would win, they had to.

Shrewheart smiled as Sharptooth sat down near by him, but still kept his focus on Blizzardstar. And he was rewarded with some of the most exciting news he had ever heard. They would go to war. Real war with another clan. Not just another border skirmish. a real big battle for their clans. This was the best chance to prove himself to the clan. A wide grin spread across his face, contrasting with the fear in the air. Looking to his mate he purred. "Oh Sharptooth. This is gonna be fun."
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War. The word was so foreign to Swooppaw he almost didn't recognize its meaning. But it was easy enough to figure out. He thought of Robinpaw's comforting words, but even his sister didn't change the fear gripping his heart. Fighting was the opposite of friendship, which was the thing he cherished most. A small whimper escaped his throat, and he pressed into his sisters.

Despite having already guessed the results of the meeting, Leopardclaw couldn't help the tingling shiver that ran down his spine as Blizzardstar delivered her disastrous news.  For a brief moment the deputy's shoulders sunk in, his eyes screwed shut as he battled with the true weight of what was happening, but with a rapid shake of his head he regained his usual calm composure.  War...it's been a long time since the battle against Bear, most of these cats are probably too young to remember that time.  We won back then, and we won against the Mist and Swoop as well.  Those times though, we had the rest of the clans by our side.  We were working together, united against a common enemy that threatened us all...but not today.  This time...we are alone.  His greenish-hazel eyes hard and cold as ice, the golden spotted tabby tom-cat straightened his back, an aura of confidence and hope radiating off of him.  Inside though, he was scared out of his wits.  Not for himself - he wasn't afraid to die - but for Lichenfang.  For Reedheart and Birdflight, Orchidfeather and Honeyspark.  For the kits he had taken in, Heatherpetal and Ivypaw and Violetpaw.  For Blizzardstar.  For his whole clan...the very thought of having to see any one of them bleeding out and heaving their last breath upon those stones made his chest burn with anxiety.  He had to fight his hardest...for them.

Birchpaw padded over to the clearing when the meeting was called, standing with Swooppaw and his sister, Robinpaw. She didn't get comfortable, knowing that if she let herself rest, she'd have a tougher time getting herself back up in hopes of catching another patrol. Things were certainly busy, they were always busy! Hopefully, another ceremony would mean a little relief for the apprentices. Her hopeful look went away as soon as Blizzardstar brought up how poor ThunderClan was doing. Of course, Birchpaw had no idea what the forest was like before the various tragedies that they faced, it was something like a kit-tale or a legend that she chased without rest. She boasted a very guarded expression at the mention of war, sending a nerve-filled look Specklefang's way. This was her chance. She could fight like a warrior and help the clan on a much bigger scale than endless patrols and two heartbeats of rest. RiverClan wouldn't have the river to their advantage, both had less food than they usually did and RiverClan couldn't hunt on land to save their tails. Even if they could, she'd still be there right at the battle, fighting until she couldn't stand and then standing strong to at least let her clan look the part. With a grin, she cast off her nerves. This was it! She'd prove her loyalty to her clan before she even pledged before Blizzardstar. At last, for better days, for respect and honor. She looked at her fellow apprentices. Both Robinpaw and Swooppaw had fear in their eyes. She saw Birdflight shiver, Emberpaw silent. Blizzardstar herself wasn't even keeping much of a strong appearance giving them the news. C'mon! This wasn't they way to prepare them for battle! She shouldn't add to her clanmates fear and doubt. Only Shrewheart had the same excitement as she did. Of course, he did. Sharptooth wouldn't have had it any other way, not with their family. "For ThunderClan!" she yowled, grin widening.

Robinpaw managed a small smile as Birchpaw came along. Of course, she would find a way to be happy about this. "For ThunderClan!" she repeated, as loud as she could in her fearful state. She pressed slightly against Swooppaw in an attempt to comfort him.

"For ThunderClan!" Dustcloud would do what she could for the Clan, and if that meant death, so be it. Though she had just gotten back not even a moon ago, she was already getting back into the swing of things. She'd already caught enough prey to feed a whole litter of kittens, twice! That sent a pang of sadness through her, but she shook it off. Her poor kits were in a better place now. She hoped that someday, if StarClan accepted her, she'd be able to see them happy. They could tell her all about what had happened... And they would be happy.

"For ThunderClan," Emberpaw chimed in, a determined look in her eye that was reflected in the tone of her voice. It didn't ease her concerns, but it was a phrase she could latch onto.

Heatherpetal listened to the entire speech from Blizzardstar, and the inputs from her fellow Clanmates, and her wish to fight alongside ThunderClan could not be any fiercer. This was the Clan who had saved her from her mother and the cold, lonely rogue life, and she would do everything in her power to protect and provide for it. Even if she died in battle, at least she would've helped the Clan reclaim their territory back from RiverClan. "For ThunderClan!" she yowled with her Clanmates.

Toadpaw was dumbstruck. In shock, he stared at Blizzardstar as she announced that ThunderClan was enemies with RiverClan. He had not been anticipating anything of major concern at all, and certainly not a war with his own father's clan. Except for the earliest part of his life when he and his siblings had been raised in the Mistwalker's Cave, the four clans had been at relative peace. While he always thirsted for adventure, this declaration of war was a sudden, unexpected development that jarred him inside.

He remembered when he and his siblings had crossed the river to see his father Otterleap, and how they had vowed to see each other again. Now his mother's clan was declaring a war against his father's clan? He never had managed to see his father again despite trying to find him at his first and only Gathering, and now there was the possibility that he would be forced to treat him as an enemy. What if I have to fight my own dad...? Would I choose him, or my clan? Realizing that he couldn't answer this question, he felt his stomach knot with uncharacteristic anxiety.

Hearing Birdflight's nervous words made him turn his head towards her with a slight jump. His mentor was usually calm, so this was definitely even more unsettling to him. Feeling lost, he meowed, "Birdflight..." He trailed off before deciding that he needed to reassure her. Nodding, he shakily meowed back, "I-I'll try."

His emotions swam even more as he heard his clan mates join in with a battle cry. He refrained, as he still wasn't sure if he would be able to choose ThunderClan over his father.

Blizzardstar felt mixed feeling with her clanmates’ reactions to her words. The initial shock was expected from most of them, but the acceptance that followed…that bit was the one she wasn’t expecting. While she was glad to have the support of her clan instead of they trying to throw blame on her for not solving this in a pacific way or trying to find a way to not go to war, this also raised doubts in her head. She knew that kits in the clans were raised and trained in the ways of a warrior exactly for situations like this…but she knew how terrible wars could be, most of her younger clanmates didn’t, and watching them to be so ready for battle when she couldn’t help but wish there was no war at all in the first place…

The white leader sighed as she tried to push those thoughts to the back of her mind. She would be able to deal with them later on, at the time she had a war to fight. She just prayed to StarClan they had the strength needed to win it “Prepare yourselves, try to finish any pending matters you have…and speak to those you love as even if I want to, I can’t promise that all the ones that leave to fight will return after the battle…I’m proud to call you my clanmates and there is none else I would like to fight with in this oncoming battle”.

With those words she jumped off the Highrock, ready to help all the cats that needed her to finish any pending matters as well to pick and organize those that would go with her to Sunningrocks the next day.

Specklefang wasn't expecting to hear this news, and when she did she expected to feel the excitement, but it left her devastated. War was a thing to be feared, something she didn't want her kits or loved ones to know. Specklefang tensed as her sons and daughters crowded her, her fur bristling as she looked up at Blizzardstar. She should have tried harder, said something different, let her come with her to see Ivystar and let her knock some sense into the Riverclan leader.

Specklefang got to her paws rigidly, but if a war was to keep her kits safe and full this leaf-bare then perhaps it was necessary. Specklefang was conflicted, no idea what to feel about the situation and it was killing her. A growl reverberated from the massive she-cats throat as she looked at her clan-mates, so simple-minded, one track to run on. Did they not think of the fact that their loved ones could die? That her kits could die? Specklefang got to her paws ruggedly and left the camp, tail twitching as she did so.

Leafstorm looked up at Blizzardstar, his curious expression hardening into a blank mask. A war with Riverclan? The fluffy tom's thoughts raced as tales of great battles, mere myths told by the elders, raced through his head. His hackles raised as he remembered the fiercest battle he had ever fought, attacking the Twolegs with Specklefang. Long-forgotten battle cries rang in his ears, and the clash of sharp claws made him cringe.
Families would be ripped apart. His own apprentice, Whitepaw, hadn't even begun to train for battle yet. So much was at stake, and yet...
He had a feeling this was the right choice to make. Suddenly, the great reality of the world seemed heavy on his shoulders. Cats would be wounded. Cats would die. Blizzardstar was putting the clan over any personal beliefs. A community over the life of an individual. It wasn't like she hadn't considered all of the options, of course. There was a reason Darkflight had chosen her as the next leader of Thunderclan.
Blizzardstar was taking risks. And Leafstorm was with her.

He slowly got to his feet as others began to stir. There was so much work to do, but one thought ran through Leafstorm's mind.
Justice.
If there was one word that governed all of Leafstorm's actions, it was Justice. Justice for Specklefang and Lionspark, justice for Sunpaw. Justice for the past, redemption for the harsh Leafbare when apprentices were forced to turn away food, instead giving the scraps to starving kittens that wouldn't last the night. Justice for the herbs that would've healed countless of his clanmates. Justice for the young that died before they had a chance to live.
The bulky warrior sighed and motioned for his young apprentice to join him. There was work to do.


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"War?" Sharptooth was frozen for a moment. "Now? In Leafbare?"
Everything that could go wrong... Shrewheart could die. She could die. Her newborn kits could be without a mother. What if the Riverclan scoundrels managed to break into camp? What if they managed to break into the nursery? The fluffy she-cat's thoughts raced and she shuddered, but her fear died as quickly as it began.
Didn't Riverclan know how formidable Thunderclan was in battle? There was a reason the fat, filthy Riverclan cats lived safe on an island, after all. Hadn't she fought Riverclan apprentices in Fightclan, and beaten them easily? Why, beating the fish-faces would be easier than catching a crow with no wings!
And if they managed to break into camp, they'd have to pry Sharptooth's fangs out of their cold, dead bodies. If they touched her family, there'd be hell to pay.
Sharptooth got to her feet, a faint smile on her maw as she looked around for her apprentice.
"Crowpaw!" She trotted jauntily towards her young brother, grinning now. "It's time to show that Riverclan scum why Thunderclan is truly the greatest clan of all. And once we win, little brother, I'll have a word with Blizzardstar about your warrior ceremony. For Thunderclan!"

Deep down, Specklefang's daughter knew that there were many risks she was taking. She knew that if she met Riverclan in battle, she might not make it back to camp at the end of the day. But the foolish young warrior was determined that she wouldn't even think of such things. All she had to do was distract herself, keep busy, and before she knew it this war would be over, and she would be safe in the nursery with her family. All those horrific tragedies, the stories the elders told the gullible... that couldn't happen. Not to her. Not to Thunderclan.
With that thought in mind, Sharptooth began to determinedly score her claws across a nearby tree, leaving deep scars across the bark. When Riverclan attacked, she would be ready.