Tipping Point [open]

A slight wheeze had begun to form with each of Dustcloud's breaths, the weight of the nearly fully-grown tom upon her back beginning to truly take a toll on her. The trip from ThunderClan to SkyClan hadn't been at all pleasant, but it was a trip that she knew she had to make. Every attempt to keep herself from wondering exactly what had happened to the poor tom proved to be futile, despite how much she wished she could just focus on her pawsteps; on her breathing. Biting her lip as she made the last few strides into SkyClan's camp, the old she-cat tried her best to keep him balanced and off of the ground.

When she finally managed to get into camp, she kept her head low and avoided eye contact with any cats that happened to be in camp at the time. Gently, he lowered herself to the ground and let the tom slip from her shoulders, his body making contact with the snow below him. With her tail between her legs, she made her way to what she presumed to be Spottedstar's den, gulping down the sense of dread presiding within her chest. "Sp-Spottedstar," She called out, her voice cracking just as it had for many moons, and hoarse from disuse. "I... I'm so s-sorry, but I th-think you n-n-need to come out and s-see this." Still keeping her head low to block the gazes of the SkyClan cats around her, she waited for Spottedstar to come out from his den so she could explain what had happened.

Foxfire laid curled in the warrior's den, paws tucked beneath him as he embraced the fleeting warmth that the den gave. Normally when he wasn't on duty, he would hang in the clearing but the cold weather had made that a bit of a silly choice. Wolfcall knew where to find him if he was needed for a patrol, he just wanted to enjoy the safety from the biting winds. That was until he heard a voice, cracking and unfamiliar as his ears perked and he glanced toward the entrance. The voice was calling for Spottedstar, but with an apologize and request for the leader to come out and see 'this'... The warrior pushed himself to his paws, giving his pelt a shake to drop any moss that clung as he padded from the den.

He couldn't have braced himself for what he saw. An unfamiliar she-cat stood in the center of the camp, covered with scars and the scent of ThunderClan rolled easily from her. His nose crinkled in confusion of why she was there until another pelt caught his attention, the still form of...Oh Stars, was that Timberpaw? His breath escaped him, visible in the chilling leaf-bare air as he stumbled forward through the snow toward the unmoving apprentice. "T-Timberpaw!" he gasped but paused just short of the apprentice as he realized that the young tom's chest wasn't moving...Wasn't rising. He was dead. He had made Timberpaw an apprentice those moons ago, had given him to Flowerthorn as a hope to reminder her that she wouldn't be forgotten by him - not again. Granted...The two were still distance, mostly since he had stepped down and he prayed that this wouldn't weigh on her. She...She didn't need this. She had already lost so much and it was so hard to try to convince her that he and the others cared.

He wanted to pelt the she-cat with questions, whatever she knew but he held his tongue as he waited for the rest of the Clan to gather. There was no reason to ask her when Spottedstar wasn't out here - and he wasn't the deputy anymore. It wasn't his job to deal with this. It would fall on Spottedstar and Wolfcall. The warrior's shoulders fell as he slumped into a sitting position, unwilling to draw even closer to the apprentice. He hadn't known the tom well but...He was so young, he would have been a promising warrior, he was sure of it. He...Oh StarClan, what had happened?

Wolfcall was roused from his slumber by the scent of ThunderClan. Even through the heavy SkyClan scent of the warriors' den, and even through the haze of unconsciousness that claimed him, the foreign scent set off alarm bells in his head, forcing his eyes to open and his head to snap up, alert, as Dustcloud's voice ever so faintly drifted to his ears. Cautiously, he rose to his paws, peering out of den to see an unfamiliar form seeking his father's attention from outside the leader's own dwelling. Wolfcall had never been one to attack first and ask questions second, and the ThunderClan queen's posture and scent reeked of grief and sympathy rather than impending attack... but why?

Foxfire's cry of surprise and confusion drew his attention, and it was then that the deputy noticed the familiar pelt of Timberpaw, Flowerthorn's apprentice - the brother of his own apprentice, Oakpaw. He took a step forward, wondering if the mottled tom had injured himself somehow, and needed ThunderClan's assistance to return home, but... as he drew closer, it was clear to him that Timberpaw wasn't injured... he... he was dead. Wolfcall froze in his tracks, sorrow glistening in his eyes as he stared at the body, so very still... what had done this? He forced himself to look away, to see Dustcloud again, and he raised his tail, a signal for the rest of the clan to leave her be. Clearly she wanted to speak to Spottedstar directly, and if she had information regarding this... he'd let her go unchallenged.