Insanity's End (OPEN / CLAN MEETING / POST-SITE-WIDE WAR)

OOC: please remember that they are NOT bringing the dead back in this topic :)

Going from Fourtrees and back to SkyClan's camp seemed like the longest walk he'd ever had to endure, seeing as though the injured were especially slow, which was understandable. So much had happened in such a short amount of time, but it was all over now and all the small leader wanted to do was sleep for a hundred sunrises, though he knew that wasn't going to be possible.

Entering camp, he was greeted with Mintwhisker, who had somehow managed to leave the battle and make it back safely. Giving the she-cat a nod, he slowed his lumbering pace to a halt and turned around to face the incoming injured. He himself hadn't gotten any injuries, which he had to thank StarClan for, but it was clear that the majority of his clanmates who'd fought were in pretty bad condition. Turning to the Medicine Cat, he took a moment to gather his thoughts. "I'm going to start a clan meeting, but I want you and Amberpaw to continue assist the wounded while I do so," he mewed.

With that, Tinystar jumped up to Tallbranch and waited a few moments as those who stayed behind began greeting the returning warriors and apprentices. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Tallbranch for a clan meeting!" he short leader yowled, though his voice was noticeably raspy from all of the screeching and hollering that had been done earlier.

Mintwhisker flicked her tail and stepped forward as a straggly line of cats slowly filed into camp. "Welcome back..." She trailed off as they avoided her gaze, their faces hollow. The taupe she-cat blinked, taken aback. She knew that this battle was going to be difficult, but... She trotted toward her apprentice briskly, nudging her gently in the direction of the den they shared. She looked as exhausted as the warriors, if not more. "Amberpaw, why don't you get some rest. I can take it from here."

Several hours earlier, Mintwhisker had been struggling to sleep. Tired from preparing for her clan's return, she had retired to her den only to discover that rest was beyond her reach. She had tossed and turned for quite a while before giving the whole thing up and jumping to her feet. The urge to go to her clan was growing stronger and she paced the length of camp, mulling over her decision to stay behind. Perhaps Amberpaw should've been the one to stay. Now that she thought about it, her apprentice was far too young to witness a battle as big as this one. She was probably all alone, scared to death...
The thought of her little apprentice cornered by rogues was enough to make Mintwhisker move toward the camp entrance, but before she had time to leave a flash of white caught her attention. It was Tinystar, and with him, the rest of Skyclan.

Mintwhisker nodded as he gave her instructions, turning to trot briskly toward her den. She grabbed the bundles of herbs she had prepared earlier that day and set them just outside her den. "Anyone who needs healing or assistance!" She called, taking one of the bundles and moving through the crowd, searching for cats that needed to be treated first.

Amberpaw padded into the camp wearily, her cream-tipped paws dragging on the earth; after Lichenmask had been crushed by the branch and the rain had begun to put out the fire, she had practically gone numb. The young golden tabby had trudged through her duties, quietly treating the worst of the wounds to prepare her Clanmates for the journey back to SkyClan's territory. She could hardly remember who she'd seen, and who she hadn't seen. Everything had been such chaos at the end, and she was exhausted.

Almost immediately upon arriving, Tinystar informed her and Mintwhisker that they needed to continue to treat the wound while he called a Clan meeting. Before Amberpaw could move towards the injured cats to examine their injuries, she felt the presence of her mentor and felt the tabby give her a gentle but insistent nudge towards the den. Mintwhisker's voice held tones of concern as she direction Amberpaw towards her nest, and without another word the little she-cat stumbled into her nest and laid down.

Sleep didn't reach her right away; she heard voices outside, and commotion. She could smell the blood, could still smell the smoke, hear the crackling of the fire and the yowling of Clan cats and Exiles alike. The sound of the crunch as a branch crushed the Exile leader to death echoed in the she-cat's head, the popping sound as Fallowpaw had reset a dislocated shoulder. In her warm nest, Amberpaw shivered, and eventually dark waves of sleep dragged her under.

Mistyrain trailed behind Tinystar as he led SkyClan into their camp. Mintwhisker's greeting was welcome, and knowing that her injured Clanmates could have the full attention of their medicine cat put her mind at ease. The entire walk home, the deputy had done her best to keep her spirits up and her disappointment at not retrieving the dead exiled SkyClanners concealed, if only for the benefit of her Clanmates. But now her face was creased with worry as Tinystar called the Clan together.

Lichenmask's death meant that life among the five Clans could go back to normal. But how long would it take? The sound of the branch crashing down on the exiled RiverClanner still echoed through the back of her mind, and she shivered. However, she also knew that the Clans were each led by a capable leader, and the damage Lichenmask had done could be repaired.  

Mistyrain settled among her Clanmates, waiting for Tinystar to speak. Whatever he had to say, she hoped it would be positive. Good news would be welcome after such a long, trying period of time.

Tigerleaf's eyelids flickered open. The first thing she felt was the pain. She jerked, and it lanced sharply through her side. A groan slipped from her jaws. Her head throbbed, a ringing in her ears. What was going on? It took a moment for her to recall her last memories. They flooded back with intensity--Fernpetal and Lichenmask atop the Great Rock, fire all around them. Oh, yeah. She had gone flying across the clearing. The young warrior would be more alarmed at the recollection, if not for the fact that she was too occupied by the pain. Obviously, she had broken something. Probably more than one bone. In reality, she had broken her left foreleg, as well as a rib. Add to that a concussion from having fallen from a certain height. She couldn't be bothered to lift her head and check, though.

The striped she-cat was currently lying at the edges of SkyClan camp, where a clanmate had probably set her down. In the distance, she could hear Tinystar's voice. Had they won the war, then? She was utterly exhausted. Closing her eyes yet again, she drifted in the void between consciousness and unconsciousness. She would stay in this state until someone called for her.

Solemnly, Darkflower trotted into camp. The fight had gone well, or well enough. The clans had won, and her family was safe, just as she'd wanted. Her clan had been lucky, she didn't think there was any casualties, or major injuries, within SkyClan. It was, hopefully, going to be okay in the end.

Spottedpaw was still in camp when the chosen fighters returned from the battle at Fourtrees. He had been very sick recently and was unfit for battle, making it impossible to fight with them. Did he mind? Maybe not... they all seemed pretty hurt and shaken up. But they were alive, and that was good. The older apprentice watched Tinystar jump on the Tallbranch and joined the rest of his clanmates beneath it. Maybe the leader could give them a decisive answer and would hopefully fill in what Spottedpaw had missed.

Waiting a few more moments for this clanmates to gather bellow, Tinystar used this time to gather his thoughts. Of course, he would need to (another word for tell) them about their victory on the battlefield, which was a good thing, but he'd also need to tell them about the deaths of SkyClan's Exiles, which would be harder for some cats to accept than others...

"Cats of SkyClan!" the small leader called out to get his clanmate's attention. "As you may have noticed... the sun is back. With the assistance of the other four clans, Lichenmask and his followers have been defeated once and for all. While no SkyClan lives were lost, former members Jaysong, Falcongaze, and Wrenpaw were defeated in the fight. They are being buried along the River by Nightstorm as we speak," he mewed and waited a few seconds longer for the news to sink in before continuing.

"Now, I would like to announce another important matter. Seeing that the moon, sun, and stars have returned, Moonstone Journeys and all ceremonies will continue where they left off. While I understand things around the clan need to get moving again, I want every-cat to rest up well. The harsh extremities of Leafbare are just around the corner and I need everyone to pitch in in keeping SkyClan healthy and safe," Tinystar finished, but instead of instantly hopping down from the Tallbranch, stayed where he was in case anyone happened to have any questions or concerns that would be beneficial to the clan. Hopefully though, no one would take such news difficultly, seeing as though any-cat could've assumed just as much would happen.