Faded Stars on the Marshes (OPEN / CLAN MEETING)

It's funny, really. Despite her name and appearance, Littlestar wasn't so little after all -- at least by body mass. Her dead weight put massive strain on Scorchfang's neck and jaws, but it wasn't as if he was at perfect strength anymore anyway. Not after what had happened at Fourtrees.

He still couldn't believe that one cat was able to cause so much damage to a perfectly healthy Clan leader with all nine lives at her disposal. All it took was one swift strike of his claws down her belly. Every time he closed his eyes or even blinked, his mind mercilessly replayed those tragic events over and over again behind his eyelids. He wanted to hide. He wanted to cry. He didn't want to face his Clanmates in his weakened state. What would they think? What would they say? Of course they would grieve and weep for their grand fallen leader. But what would they react when they learn that he will become their next leader? Will they accept him? Or will they side with Lichenmask's ideals and turn against him, all because of a stupid decision made moons and moons ago?

There would be only one way to find out, he knew. Laying Littlestar's body in front of the Jaggedrock, he maneuvered her body so that it looked as though she were sleeping. Yeah, right. her underbelly was completely flayed for StarClan's sake! Blood was still pooling from her departed body! The reek of blood -- the blood of an honored and cherished leader regardless of heritage -- that would probably never truly be cleared from his nostrils.

Oh, right. That's another thing he will have to address. The strange phenomenon in the sky, where the sun was completely swallowed by the moon. It was sunrise at this point in time, but it still felt like the break of dawn. It felt very strange and surreal to him, and he did not like it. Something else that struck him odd was how it occurred just as Lichenmask declared his opening statement, declaring war against the impurities of the Clans. Before he killed Littlestar.

He didn't know if he could do this. Sure, he had held plenty of ceremonies before. He had even representing Littlestar at a Gathering a few moons ago when she had fallen too ill to attend herself. But this... This felt like an entirely new league of its own. No matter what he had said or done, at the end of the day it was Littlestar's duty to care for the Clan. Now it was all on his shoulders. He felt he would collapse from the sheer weight of it all right then and there.

But he knew he had to be strong. It was his duty now to care for his Clan. It was his destiny. He would have to be strong for his Clanmates whenever they would feel weak. He could do this.

Climbing up to the top of Jaggedrock on paws that barely felt like his own, he took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. Then he called out his familiar yowl: "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Jaggedrock for a Clan meeting!"

Sparkpaw was horribly not ready for this. She came out of her den, at first confused. Why would Scorchfang hold a ceremony while it was dark out? But as she glanced at the moon- or where it should be- she found that it was something she'd never seen before. "O- Orchidpaw? Do you k- know what that is?" She asked nervously, before her eyes settled on it. Littlestar, bloody and dead, at the paws of her friend's father. "Littlestar! What happened to her?" She cried out. Did that mean Scorchfang was Scorchstar now? What horrible being had done this?

Orchidpaw was just as startled as Sparkpaw in every aspect. The blackened sun with wispy light emitting from around its edges made his fur prickle along his back, but it fully bushed out at the sight of their dead leader. Not many things really spooked the normally easygoing tom, but this was an exception. "Wh-What in StarClan's name happened?..."

"Orchidpaw! What happened to the sun? What happened to Littlestar?" Poppypaw yelped in full fright, cowering next to him and Sparkpaw, his fur fluffed up along his spine and tail, the latter tucked away between his hind legs.

"I-I dunno, bro. I think we're gonna find out soon, though."

Acornkit scrambled out of the nursery, staying by her parents as they walked her over. Apparently Sparkkit had become an apprentice, as she didn't have to be guarded by her parents anymore. This sucks. Acornkit thought bitterly. Another meeting as nothing but a plain kit.

"What's going on?" She then asked nervously. Oh StarClan, was she becoming an apprentice early or something?

Firestone left his den at the slightest smell of blood. A lot of blood... The flame-furred tom approached the Jaggedrock and he flinched at the sight of a small, dead body with mottled fur.

Littlestar...

He had to admit it, he was in shock. He was shocked by the sight of his former foster mother lying dead in front of the Jaggedrock while Scorchfang was standing on the top of the stone. However... a long time ago he had dropped all those love feelings for her... the day she exiled his brother, the she-cat lost any of his affection as a son. Firestone soon recovered and he glanced at the dead leader with emotionless, serious eyes. Her reign of injustice and hypocrisy was over. I won't miss you, "mother"... you took everything piece of family out of my home... It's a relief to see you got what you deserved for making me and Gingerstripe suffer for your lies... I hope we don't meet again... He thought before taking a place with a calm expression among the gathered cats. Littlestar's leadership was over... it was time for Scorchstar to rise.

Froststone entered the clearing from his nest, having heard Scorchfang's call. He had seen the light of the sun change colors from the bright white light that came with the moon as it had been high in the sky before dawn had appeared... to red. The moon had swallowed the sun, leaving a reddish hue in its place. It made his fur look bloody- just like he saw Littlestar. He hadn't noticed her immediately, but now he had. He could visibly see and smell the bloody, gory scene. Someone had made her look as if she was sleeping, yet he couldn't help but be repulsed. He'd never seen a dead clanmate before, and he hadn't ever thought that it would be Littlestar. He hadn't been quite prepared to see this, he didn't think anyone was.

He made his way closer to the Jaggedrock, getting ever closer to the dead body of their former leader. He couldn't look away, he was shocked, and angry, and frustrated! He felt so many emotions that he didn't want to feel right now! He had to be there for his clanmates right now. Then Froststone heard his apprentice cry out and snapped out of his horrible trance. He swang himself around to comfort Poppypaw, knowing that he didn't need to see this. Yet he had to, as he needed to be here for the meeting too. "Poppypaw, it'll all be alright. I'm sure StarClan is doing their best to assist us in this time. To be honest, that's all we can hope for... In the meantime try- try not to look at her too much. Focus on Scorchfang right now." The white tom's voice shook slightly in pure shock of the moment. He tried to trust his own words, even though he felt almost shattered inside.

Shadowclan's leader was dead. That meant that Scorchfang would take her place and become Scorchstar soon. He wanted to be happy for Scorchfang, but he couldn't. This wasn't the time, this was the time for finding out what happened to Littlestar. Then grieving. His fur was fluffed out to its fullest extent, not only in fear but also in anger. Who did this! He'd claw them open just as they did Littlestar if that's what it took.

Ravenkit stared in horror at the scene, her leader dead at the paws of her father. She had no idea what could have happened, but she knew that her father did not kill Littlestar. She stayed at the edges of the group, trying to work out what had happened.

Wolfheart's eyes closed at the sight before him, features creased in woe. So much death in such a brief lifetime- first Leopardstar, then Magpiestar, and now Littlestar? Perhaps the sun was grieving too. The rosetted tom's exhausted gaze gradually reopened once more, ears pinned back as he caught bits and pieces of the various speculations that drifted across the shell-shocked clearing. Remaining settled upon the edges of the sparsely populated clearing, the tom was silent.

Scorchfang gave a shaky sigh, though he tried to keep it as soft and inaudible as possible. He needed to be strong for his Clan right now. He just hoped he would be able to guide his Clan out of this terrifying darkness. Taking a deep breath through his nose, he stood up taller and began his speech. "Earlier this morning, just before sunrise, Littlestar and I had been summoned to a meeting at Fourtrees. There, the leaders and deputies from every Clan attended by the request of a cat named Lichenmask of RiverClan. He had received a prophecy from StarClan, foretelling the eradication of cats with impure blood and heritage for the sake of those with pure blood and minds. Lichenmask had many followers... and those include our own Clanmates. Brushgaze, Fallowpaw, Stonepaw, Pumapaw, and Aspenpaw are no longer welcome in ShadowClan territory. If you ever come across any of them during your patrols, you are to kill them. Not let them off with a warning, not drive them out of the territory, kill. Too many cats have been banished, only for them to return with a vengeance. We must prevent this from happening again. With this being said, warriors will leave in pairs and no apprentice is to leave camp with out at least one warrior. Morningpaw will not leave the camp without two warriors to escort her. Queens, kits, and elders are not to leave camp for any reason. If they do, the punishment will be severe." He absolutely hated being this hard on everyone, but he knew he needed to set down rules everyone had to follow to keep his Clanmates safe.

Now came the harder part. He cleared his throat to keep the shakiness out of his voice. "During this meeting, Lichenmask declared to us the prophecy and its purpose: to drive away and destroy all impurities of the Clans. And he chose to prove his words were not just words. He... He seemed to have been gifted the power of the stars themselves. He attack Littlestar. He... He took away all nine of her lives with a simple swipe of his claws. This cat and his followers are very dangerous. I cannot stress enough that we must all stay vigilant and take any necessary precautions to preserve our way of life. If Lichenmask and his followers have their way, Clan life as we know it will be utterly destroyed.

"With that being said, as these are incredibly trying times, I will not travel to the Moonstone at this time to be granted my nine lives and my leader status," he continued. "That would require the absence of not only myself, but our only medicine cat as well. Morningpaw must stay to make any and all necessary preparations for any struggles ahead. I will still, however, announce a deputy later this evening before moonhigh, as the warrior code demands."

He let out yet another shaky sigh. He had done it. It was difficult to keep the tremors of stress out of his voice, but other than that it wasn't nearly as bad as he had thought.

Acornkit felt a bit worried at Scorchfang's speech, the news was pretty unsettling, but...kill? Kill??? Acornkit wouldn't kill anyone no matter what, only if it was for self-defense. "I wouldn't kill them!" She declared, not caring that she was apparently too young to see what was going on. "Killing is wrong unless it's for self-defense! Killing not for self-defense will only make you as bad as them!"

Then, Acornkit had another idea. "Give them second chances! Maybe they'll change?" She suggested. A bit of hope was in her green eyes as she looked up at Scorchfang.

ooc: someone tell off this naive little acorn

The elder who listened from afar suddenly stood and, in a lot of pain, she made her way to Scorchclaw. Even if she was weakened by her artritis, the fiery she-cat didn't stop and when she was face to face with the deputy, she snarled with fire in her eyes. She felt betrayed, attacked by the back. This cat... had taken her family away without a question for the actions of one cat who wasn't even from Shadowclan. "SCORCHFANG! I thought you were my friend! A good, fine and noble cat who was worthy of his position. AND YET YOU EXILED MY KITS WITHOUT A WARNING OR GIVING THEM PROPER JUDGEMENT IN THE CLAN! YOU'VE CONDEMNED THEM TO DEATH WITHOUT KNOWING THE WHOLE STORY! My kits... they would never do that such a thing! That cat must have done something to them... he's manipulating them..." The fiery eyes of the she-cat filled in tears of frustration. No... not her kits. It couldn't be true. The deputy was lying or was either confused by the facts of the situation. Brushgaze, Aspenpaw, Stonepaw... they could have never done that. They were fine Shadowclan cats... didn't they?

Yeah, he should've known better than to expect all cats would see his reasoning and agree with it. Ignoring Acornkit's outburst for the time being, hoping one of the queens would see to him, he turned his attention to Cedarstorm, trying to ignore the pain in her heart from seeing one of his friends so outraged by his declaration. "Cedarstorm, believe me, I don't like this anymore than you do. It was Littlestar who exiled them first, not me. If I had it my way, I would welcome them back. But... Lichenmask killed our leader. He proved to these cats that they all can have the power to destroy us if their own little leader can. I know how hurt you are, I do, but..."

He paused, beginning to truly think about the situation. He found he was thinking like Littlestar. She had exiled Brushgaze and those four apprentices, and he knew she wouldn't let them escape alive if they were caught in ShadowClan territory. As much as it pained him to admit yet again... Littlestar was gone. He couldn't lead like Littlestar. He had to lead like Scorchfang. And Scorchfang would never want to kill without exhausting all other possibilities and solutions. There had to be another way.

Standing a little taller, he spoke again. "If I am to be leader, that means I'll have to take into consideration what my Clanmates suggest to me. Therefore, I have decided to retract my previous statement. You will not kill these cats if they trespass. Rather, you will capture them. Even if this means having to capture your friend or kin and treat them like a criminal, at least that would be better than killing them. We will then give them the chance to choose between ShadowClan as it is here and now or exile. If they choose exile and return again, we will deal with them accordingly depending on the situation. However, if they are any of Lichenmask's followers that are not ShadowClan, you will fight them off and make it be known that they are not welcome in ShadowClan by any means. We will not stoop down to Lichenmask's level." He knew that, even if some cats still had some objections to this, at least they would take it easier than being ordered to kill their own Clanmates, whether or not they've been banished. He knew in his heart that this was the right call. He just knew it.

Froststone was completely ready to kill the traitors. They betrayed their clan, helped this- this Lichenmask rise to power, and now the sun and moon were gone. Replaced by this... ring of some sorts. It didn't matter to him if they were killed or not. He did flick his ears when he heard one of the kit's speaking up. They shouldn't be out here for the meeting anyway, they didn't need to see Littlestar's body. Suddenly he heard Cedarstorm from behind him, screaming at Scorchfang. He was quite tempted to talk back to her, but inside he knew she was right. They deserved to not be killed for coming back. He didn't mind capturing them though. They deserved it. They'd all go to the Dark Forest when their time came, he was sure of it.

The white tom spoke out quietly, yet his voice was now steadied. "They do not deserve to be killed, no. I agree with that. Perhaps more guards around camp at night as well. If Lichenmask and his followers were to attack, and Shadowclan, not technically having a leader with nine lives, would be seen as weakened. I feel we should be prepared for that." He went back to looking deep in thought. He wanted to help however he could, just... there was so much.

His blue eyes were darkened by exhaustion. He hadn't been up that long, yet all of this news... He sighed quietly. He recounted the events in his mind. Littlestar was dead. The sun and moon were all but gone. The stars weren't shining. Scorchfang would be Scorchstar soon. Then a new deputy would be chosen... whenever Moonhigh was. He could only hope that this was temporary and would be short-lived. Inside he knew that a fight was coming, it would affect all the clans. If Lichenmask could kill Littlestar in one fell swoop, how would the rest of the clans fare?

Wildstrike who had been sitting in silence looked up at his brother, he where now a clan leader. He smiled towards him before he realized one thing, no two things "Will the apprentices be able to go to the Moonstone? If you don't think it's safe for you to leave and go to the Moonstone then wouldn't it be as dangerous for them?" he asked. "And what about deputy?Will you name one before you have recived you'r nine lifes?".

He waited in silence for an answer, he had always wanted to be deputy but he knew that Scorchfang had to choose the one that would be the best for the clan. He look around at his clanmates, who could it be? Who would get the chance to serve their clan like deputy?

Sparkpaw was stunned. "H- how dare they!" She stuttered, unable to keep control of her voice, which was wavering. After calming down for a moment, she spoke again. "Do- Does that mean we call you Scorchstar now?"