Revelation In The Night

[ooc: the same night, a while later, after this topic] as well as the February Medicine Cat Meeting

Herb Patrol Options:

It was with a newfound conviction that ShadowClan's medicine cat made her way back to camp, something small but defiant in her heart. StarClan had abandoned them; the ancestors she had loved and that had taught her in the absence of a proper mentor. She couldn't believe that they would do such a thing - that the cats she'd met throughout her life would ever allow such cruelty - but the absence of their guidance tonight, the pressing darkness in the wake of their ultimatum a moon before...

They had made their message clear tonight, and she would be a fool to ignore the signs. The Clans were on their own, and their medicine cats without guidance. But she wouldn't falter, she would stand for the things she believed in, even if doing so meant she was standing against the stars themselves. If they weren't watching, then what she said and did didn't matter; if they'd abandoned the Clans then they were free to do as they wished.

As she slowly made her way into camp, a sight she never wanted to see greeted her - Thornstar's form, laying limp and bloody against the Jaggedrock. She waited for her to wake up, knowing she was far from her last life, but the former leader never stirred. The mentor who had taken over her training, the cat she'd considered her mother ever since they'd washed ashore together in the flood, one of the things she'd relied on as a certainty of life, was gone; there was no denying that now. Whatever the cause of this, it only strengthened her resolve.

For the moment, though, there was a far more pressing matter. She made her way to the leader's den, believing she would - as she had after the last half-moon meeting, which felt so much longer than a moon ago - find Flintshard there, as she had each time before. "Flintshard?" she asked, her voice breaking slightly. "What happened, do you know?"

Flintshard rolled the odd stone that Thornstar had treasured so much along the ground, feeling its odd smoothness brush against his paw-pads as he stared into the darkest corners of the den. He had lost track of time, simply...Thinking about the situation. He had an idea of who his deputy would be but had been putting it off going out there - he wasn't sure what he was waiting on. That is until he heard the sound of paw steps and the shakey voice of Mothglow.

Right.

"I do," he said simply as he gently pushed the treasured rock into the safety of the nest, turning to look at Mothglow at the entrance. "...I am surprised that they didn't tell you," he said as he pushed himself to his paws, taking a step forward. Was StarClan truly cowards enough that they did not fess up to their actions? Or had they seemed something so...Brutal as not important. It barely mattered, the truth was going to be revealed anyways. "While out on patrol, Thornstar and I came across a...StarClan cat. Stars glowing in his tabby fur, no scent coming from him to reveal what Clan he had belong to in life... I would not believe it if I hadn't seen it myself. He claimed he wanted to speak to Thornstar alone, she agreed...And the two stepped away and he struck her down and no doubt refused to let her awaken with her remaining lives," he said, almost shrugging his shoulders as he explained. "And now...I am leader."

"You're telling me that StarClan left us in darkness, with no guidance, to kill Thornstar?" Mothglow asked, incredulous. There was a sharp edge to her voice, something blazing hot that she hadn't felt with this much intensity since well before the flood. Her anger, however, was not directed at the new leader of ShadowClan - she had thought her ancestors needlessly cruel in the past moon or so, but now her mother was dead. The evidence was clear, and she'd never known Flintshard to lie to her. "It's true, then. They've forsaken us entirely. There was nothing at all in my dreams tonight, only pressing darkness..."

As the reality of the situation set in, Mothglow wished with all her heart that this too was only a dream; still, seconds passed and she remained where she was, perfectly awake. "Well, obviously we can't trust them anymore," she said decisively. "We can't rely on them, and we can't trust them not to do something like this again - they've shown that they're both willing and able to kill; and they can seemingly walk among us now to do so."

Flintshard blinked as Mothglow stated that StarClan had left them, that she had gotten only darkness in her dreams. Ah, well that would explain why they didn't bother to say anything about their actions. He hesitated however when the medicine cat started to go on about how they couldn't trust them - now very certain that she would not react...Favorably to the choices he had made a short while ago. "...We...Need to talk. Not here. Not while the Clan...Grieves. I don't expect you to be...Happy with what I have to say and I do not blame you. Shall we take a walk?" he asked rather awkwardly, trying to think of an excuse for the two to exit the camp. He had to be the one to tell her of his decision to back StarClan - perhaps it was true, they couldn't trust them but...The safer option was still to go along with them. Not to give them a reason to strike out at them. "...Do you need herbs? We should gather herbs while we talk. A small distraction, something to do while we discuss."

"We always need herbs," Mothglow ceded. Not that StarClan cares about that, she thought. Or anything else, it seems. "Especially in leaf-bare. If you think this conversation is best had outside of camp, then I'll trust your judgment." He didn't expect her to be happy? Of course she wasn't happy at the moment, but the way he said it filled her with a lingering sense of dread.

"Great," Flintshard lilted in his monotone voice, brushing past Mothglow to lead the two toward the entrance and out of the camp. As they went, his gaze painfully stayed on course - not willing to glance over to see the body of Thornstar still laying in the camp before the two were out of sight. Now into the territory proper, he started to glance around for herbs - he didn't know them well but had been stuck in Mothglow's den for long enough that he was certain he could at least try to find the...Useful ones that he remembered. As he went, he found his voice to explain his...Stance. "...You are right, StarClan cannot be trusted. They acted in such cruelty to rip Thornstar away from us like they did. But I must protect ShadowClan...So, if they want us to enforce their laws then I will. I will...Go along with their demands if it means that we will be spared from their wraith further." He paused as a herb caught his eye, staring at a small cluster of black berries that somehow survived the bitter leafbare so far. He took a step forward, giving it a sniff as he struggled to recall if he had ever seen it in Mothglow's den. ...It didn't stir any memories and he wasn't going to risk his knowledge and so he turned and stepped away from the oddly shiny berries to glance at where Mothglow had stepped to see what her...Reaction to his choice would be.

The member 'Honey Badger' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 1

"You're doing what?" Mothglow asked. That sharp, blazing quality was once again clear in her voice, this time very clearly directed at her companion. "You can't be serious - no, wait, you have to be. You're always serious." She sighed deeply and scanned the marsh around her for herbs she could use. Things they weren't quite up to her preferred level of stock on, maybe. Something to occupy the back of her mind. "Do you remember when we spoke about this the last time? I stand by what I said then. StarClan doesn't care, and if they're going to forsake us so thoroughly I have no care for what they have to say in the first place. You can order the rest of the clan about all you want, and it's their choice whether or not to follow those orders." It was true, even if she didn't like it. Didn't want her clanmates led into submission against ancestors that seemingly had never loved them at all. She took a deep breath. "But I also stand by the other things I said. I'll tell you when you're being stupid. Like right now. So you can follow their orders if that's what you want, but until they start making sense and stop hurting everyone I love, I'm done listening to what they have to say." As she spoke, she spotted some celandine, and began picking the flowers.

The member 'Holly' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 2

Flintshard nodded his head softly as Mothglow snapped at him, honestly surprised - but relieved - at her controlled volume. Perhaps it was another side-effect of his...Failure to understand emotions, that he was expecting a far more bigger outburst. He could never tell how others were going to react, how control or...Confusing their actions would be. He listened to her quietly, allowing his gaze to once again scan the marsh for hopefully a herb he actually recognized. "...That is all I want, Mothglow. I do not make this choice lightly - but it is my task to protect ShadowClan and I cannot do that if they strike me down for denying to uphold their laws. I make this choice because since Cardinalcry left...There is nobody in ShadowClan that should be hurt by standing with them," he explained, his voice soft as he shook his head. "But all I desire is to protect ShadowClan. So if events are ever to turn - that simply following their demands is not enough...Please, tell me that I am stupid. Remind me that I simply want to keep my Clan safe. Those in ShadowClan right now, they are good. Loyal. If StarClan turns against them for things out of my control, then I want you to help me to not be...Blinded by my..." he drifted off, trying to find the word that would most suit his attitude. He always had trouble putting names to his feelings, but finally one clicked into place as a heavy sigh escaped him.

"Fear. I...Fear StarClan and I am certain they are content with that. ShadowClan needs a leader, not another corpse to bury and so I cannot risk their wrath at this moment. Not yet... But if StarClan turns against us again...I...I must stand against that fear and I hope you will be at my side to see that through." His eyes finally landed on something that was not quite herbs, but would be useful nonetheless. In the cracked remains of a tree - shelter from the snow - was the silvered lines of spiderwebs reflecting the faint moonlight that illuminated the marsh. He managed to stick a paw in, swiping at the cobwebs before he had gathered quiet a bit and pulled it out...Before blinking. "...Mothglow, how do you carry cobwebs back to the camp?" he asked as he studied his paw, trying to think of how to best carry them back that wouldn't rob him of one of his paws.

The member 'Honey Badger' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 2

Mothglow took the cobwebs and draped them across his back as best she could. "There's a reason I like going with another cat - this way keeps your mouth and your paws free to carry other things, but it's difficult to get it on or off your fur on your own." After a moment, she fixed him with a stare, the small bundle of celandine she'd gathered resting at her paws as she spoke. "What would you do if Cardinalcry came back tomorrow? If we returned to camp and she was there, asking to come home?" Mothglow shook her head slowly. "I want you to know that I'm not happy about this - but I'll keep doing what I've always done, regardless of which frog-brained warrior sleeps in the leader's nest. I'll heal the clan, and I'll protect them where I can. I'll play my part to keep everyone safe for as long as possible. I can only hope this mouse-brained idea of yours just doesn't cause any lasting problems."

Flintshard sat still as Mothglow started to pull at the cobwebs that coated his paw, his tail twitching and flickering behind him as he was unable to knead his paws. His gaze darkened slightly as the medicine cat questioned something he had feared to think of an answer for - if Cardinalcry was to return. He turned his gaze away, a heavy sigh escaping him. That...For as much as he wanted her back, as much as it would make Freckleface happy...He hoped that Cardinalcry wouldn't return if only so he didn't have to make such a hard choice. "I...I don't know," he admitted as his paw was freed from the cobwebs and he stood up. "This is all so easy to do with the knowledge that nobody is going to get hurt at the moment. That ShadowClan should be safe. If Cardinalcry was there... I... I would let her make the choice, with full knowledge of what awaited her, I imagine," he murmured as he turned to step away.

"Request her to leave - to return to SkyClan where she would be safe...But I do not know if I would force her out if she was willing to risk StarClan's wrath upon her. Not when it would mean so much to her kits. But I cannot be sure if that is what I would truly do in the moment. When the true...threat of StarClan punishing ShadowClan is there. I doubt StarClan has remorse for their actions. I am sure their threats are truly real now...And I dread having to face them when I gain my lives." He paused, before a sigh escaped him. "...If that is even a reality itself. You said that StarClan showed you nothing?" he asked, turning to look at the medicine cat.

"Nothing at all. My dreams were dark and empty tonight," Mothglow sighed, choosing to cast aside the matter of Cardinalcry's fate. It was a possibility, though not a likely one, and so she saw no need to dwell on it further. That Flintshard had thought out some course of action was enough, for now, until the threat was more immediate. "I can't say if they'll speak to you - but then, they already have. You said the cat that killed her spoke to you, right? I don't see why they'd deny you after that."

"He didn't say much - just that he hoped that I would not make the same mistakes as Thornstar," he muttered darkly, before he turned his gaze upwards at the star-lit sky above them. They glowed in silence, as silent as Mothglow's dream had been and he assumed that it must have been the same for the other medicine cats - certain that would have been something to mention if it seemed the only had it out for ShadowClan. "You do have a point. If the tom didn't see me fit for leadership, he might have as well struck me down along with Thornstar. We must try, in any case. But...Tomorrow, I think. It has been a long night as it is and I still need to name my deputy...To bury Thornstar. We all need time to...Think. To process before our next course of action. I see no trouble in waiting until tomorrow night to gain my lives."