Dishonor (Open!)

Blossompaw's head turned as an excited, energetic voice sounded beside her, and she recognized the pelt of Wrenpaw, one of the newest apprentices. Gray eyes blinking in slight surprise at the tom's attitude (couldn't he sense the serious air that Spottedstar seemed to have?) she simply nodded lightly. "I did see your ceremony, congratulations Wrenpaw. I don't know what's going on, but it seems like something serious, Spottedstar.... Doesn't look happy." She quietly ignored the last bits of Wrenpaw's comments, Spottedstar had been leader when she was born as well, but she knew that he was still young. The lilt of humor in Wrenpaw's voice made it seem as if he knew the same, but she was distracted by a very familiar pelt coming closer to her. Wolfcall. His eyes were filled with dread and guilt, something she noted with a slight twitch of her tail as he settled beside her. What surprised her though, was the way his head lowered, eyes meeting hers for a heartbeat, before continuing to press against her shoulders. Worry filled her expression as she cast another glance to Spottedstar before beginning to groom the top of Wolfcall's head and ears gently. She wasn't sure what this meeting was about, or what news Spottedstar had, or what was clearly gnawing at Wolfcall's heart, but if he had wanted to share it with her he would have. What was clear, was that something was wrong, terribly wrong, and Wolfcall needed her. Gingerly weaving her tail around his, she carried on with her slow, methodical grooming, a low purr rumbling in her chest as she attempted to comfort the tom she loved.

Swansong looked up from where she was lying, a tingle of worry going down her spine at Spottedstar's tone. Flashbacks of previous Clan meetings called in that tone flitted through her memory, and she warily got to her paws, padding over to join the crowd, her eyes flitting over the cats and resting on Deerfrost. A feeling of dread started to rise in her belly, like a hard rock she'd swallowed instead of prey. She didn't know the tom well, but....

Spottedstar wouldn't do something like Tinystar did, She reassured herself. The new leader had been level-headed, so far. But then... so had her father.... Deerfrost is his son, he wouldn't do a thing like that. Memories of needless bloodshed still danced behind her eyelids, though.

(Did somebody mention reqs? @.@)

The tom turned his head as his mentor spoke up, and by the time Blossompaw had chimed in, his youthful enthusiasm had been tucked away, "Yes, Amberwing." Shame washed over him for such excitement. This was the first clan gathering he'd attended since his apprentice ceremony and perhaps he'd missed something; he had to pay better attention. Wrenpaw sent his denmate an apologetic smile before focusing his gaze back on Spottedstar. Something serious was going on and he was going to figure it out so that he could could do everything he could. His tail tucked tightly to his haunches and he straightened up. Amberwing seemed concerned as well. Whatever she needed, he'd be ready for that too.

Juniperpaw appeared from the shadows of a den when his father called the meeting, abandoning his captured beetle to see what his father had to say. He sat dreamily next to Wolfcall and Blossompaw, blissfully unaware of their closeness and fondness as they found comfort in one another. He hardly even registered that everyone was worried. Instead he saw Deerfrost at the base of Tallbranch and waved his tail cheerily, wondering if they could grab a meal together after the meeting ended.

The eyes of his clanmates told him all he needed to know. Confusion and worry mixed in the eyes of the older cats, and he himself remembered the fateful even that had taken place on the branch his balanced on many moons before. Spottedstar had promised to be different. Sparrowpaw demanded as much when StarClan gave him his lives. Glancing down at Deerfrost with the slightest hint of reluctance, the leader called out to his clan again when they appeared and quieted in the clearing below. "There are no ceremonies today. I have... bad news..." His tone was unsure. The inner conflict of how to handle the matter was tearing through his thin disguise of confidence, and he faltered as he spoke the next words. "It has come to my attention that one of our warriors tried to kill a ShadowClan cat in revenge for our war. While he clearly regrets his actions, and while no one ultimately died... a small kit was nearly killed because they ate deathberry-filled prey." Spottedstar paused and let the crowd take in his words, still thinking over his next choice.

"We are small. We can't afford another war with any clan, but we especially can't let old wounds reopen with ShadowClan. Because of this, the offending warrior - Deerfrost - will be exiled from SkyClan." He forced the meow out, bile rising in his throat and claws digging deep into the bark under his toes. His heart pounded in his chest and stung with every beat, and for a moment, he was brought back to Amberdawn's choice to leave the forest for good. He would never meet her again, and now he was exiling his own son. He would never see Deerfrost grow to his full potential. His son would never again stand at his side as they entered a gathering. His family would not be complete again. He lowered his amber eyes to Deerfrost's smooth brown pelt, an apology in his expression."My son, you have until sunset to leave our territory. Don't come back or you'll be attacked on sight. Someone may escort you to the border if you wish, or otherwise you can leave alone. That is all." Spottedtsar finished icily, having successfully swallowed the emotion in his voice. He stayed up on the branch. He didn't know how to say goodbye the right way, so maybe it would be better if he didn't say it at all. 'Keep it together, Spot. It's for peace. It's for SkyClan. It's for Beanheart. Keep it together. You have to.'

Foxfire flickered an ear at the idle chatting of his Clanmates, sparing a glance in the direction of the small group. Something was up, it was easy to see the dour look on the leader's face and the fact that Deerfrost had apparently been in his den...But, it couldn't be anything to bad, could it? He sat there, keeping the hope that it would be some sort of...Good or at least neutral news. A hope that was dashed when Spottedstar started to speak. Slowly, the warrior's eyes widen as the leader went on and on, detailing the deeds of the young SkyClan tom.

"What?" Foxfire gasped softly, muzzle scrunching up in disbelief as his gaze fell from the leader onto his old apprentice. Deerfrost had...He had tried to kill a ShadowClan cat in revenge for the war. For... Foxfire glanced down at his scarred shoulder - phantom pain flickering through his body as he thought back on that dreadful night that had left him nearly dead. He...He couldn't blame Deerfrost, not completely. They had never found the cat who had done it - no punishment was dealt and it felt like SkyClan still only ended up losing more as the war went on with the death of Leaftwirl and Beanheart. But... How was it worth it? Things were peaceful between the two Clans for once and now a kit almost died by Deerfrost's birdfeather scheme.

He frowned softly, finding himself...Disappointed in Deerfrost's action, almost missing the punishment that Spottedstar gave. Exile. His gaze snapped up, mouth hanging open as he looked up at the leader. Deerfrost was...Exiled. Just like that. ...Was it his fault? The thought drifted in his head as he slowly looked at the warrior. He had been Deerfrost's mentor, had he messed something up? Had he missed something so obvious? Could he have prevented it if he had been a little more active in the tom's life? He knew he hadn't been a perfect mentor - the stress of being deputy and nearly dying... Slowly, he pushed himself to his paws and approached the tom. "Deerfrost, I... I'm sorry," he managed, swallowing as he looked at the apprentice that he had failed. "Things...Things shouldn't have been this way. SkyClan - I...We'll miss you."

He paused, tears brimming in the corner of his eyes before he ducked his head and turned away. "I'm sorry," he repeated softly before he trotted towards the warrior's den - unwilling to stand seeing his old apprentice get sent on his way.

He didn't look up when the leader started speaking - it was clear enough from his tone and demeanor that the news Spottedstar had was not something he wanted to hear. He let himself get lost in the rhythmic rasp of Blossompaw's tongue about his ears, desperately hoping that he was wrong... but...

Exile.

The word struck Wolfcall like the blow of an enemy's paw, its thorn-sharp claws piercing, raking, bloody, and he physically flinched away from the leader's voice. Exile. Somehow, he'd thought that there would be a way for Spottedstar to fix this... so that it would all blow over, so that things would remain normal. Deerfrost was young, and he'd freely admitted his mistake. He was sorry. He was sorry.

You have until sunset to leave our territory.

Where would he go? What would he do? Deerfrost was born and raised in SkyClan, a true clan-cat born and bred. How would he survive as an outsider? The thought almost made Wolfcall nauseous. His little brother, exiled. Forbidden from treading foot on the very territory he'd spent his entire life on.

Distantly, he heard Foxfire speak, but the deputy couldn't bring himself to lift his head, to see how the others were taking it. He was lost in the comfort of Blossompaw's touch, and there he would stay until an outside force demanded otherwise.

Honeypaw’s jaw dropped. No. No, this couldn’t be happening. Deerfrost ... Spottedstar’s own some ... was to be exiled? This had to be some sort of mistake. While she didn’t know her brother as well as she would have liked, she still couldn’t see him doing such a thing. But ... even if he had, why was he being banished? Why couldn’t he have been put on probation, or ranked down, or anything that wasn’t this?

Tears swelling up in her eyes, she took a few steps towards her brother, which turned into bounds, and within moments she was at Deerfrost’s side. She deeply nuzzled into his fur, trying to take in his scent one final time before he was to be sent away, never to return to SkyClan.

She knew what she wanted to do right then and there. There was no question about it. It might go against the warrior code, or it might not. She honestly wasn’t too sure. But she still wanted to do what was right by her family, regardless where they may roam. ”M-Meet me tonight in front of T-Twolegplace, at moonhigh. Please.” She pulled away from him and trudged back towards the medicine den.

Deerfrost sat down awaiting Spottedstar's words. Awaiting his punishment. Then it came. Exile. To Deerfrost it was quick and painful like getting a thorn taken out. But it was what he deserved. He gave a final nod to his father. It would be the last time he would see his father. Foxfire came up to him and Deerfrost mouthed, "No its not your fault. You were a great mentor." Honeypaw came up to him. His older sister. When she asked him to meet her in front of twolegplace he nodded.

Then he went up to Amberwing. "Goodbye my love." He said, giving her a lick on her cheek and put his nose to her cheek for 5 seconds before he bounded through the entrance one final time. And with that he was gone.

As Spottedstar spoke, he clenched his teeth. A warrior had attempted taking the life of another cat, and a kit had almost died because of it, "That's not honorable..." Wrenpaw heard himself mumble, simply as a reaction to what he'd heard. Even with his lack of experience, he felt an air of devastation wash over the clan. It appeared that several members of the clans had kind words for the cat that was now being exiled. He felt himself stiffen uncomfortably at what was happening. This cat had almost killed another and was still beloved. Shadowclan was not known for their honor, though, they'd killed Skyclan cats before. Confusion washed over the tom and he simply whisked his gaze to the ground.

It wasn't until Deerfrost approached that he glanced up. His eyes widened slightly at the words. This was his mentor's mate. He watched the interaction between the pair, blinking a few times. And then Deerfrost was gone, no longer one of the clan. The young tom shook out his gray and white coat before padding to Amberwing's side and pressing his coat against hers, "I'm sorry." He didn't know what else there was to say.

Flowerthorn watched silently. Dull blue eyes looked between all of the cats that were processing the situation. Exile huh? She had no feelings on the subject. If Spottedstar said it was the only way then it she just had to accept it regardless of how others felt on the situation. She didn't feel bad for the Shadowclan cats that nearly died. She didn't feel bad for Deerfrost. In her mind they weren't worth much to her. Regardless, deep down, she hoped the now exiled tom would find his own happiness outside the clan.

Amberwing knew what Spottedstar was about to say, she understood his decision but guilt still spun in her belly at the leader's words. Amberwing thought she was a loyal Skyclan cat but maybe at heart this was all her fault. She could of said something, maybe something that would've made the punishment a little less harsh. But she didn't, she was just standing there, watching her clanmate, her mate get punished. She looked towards him as Deerfrost padded towards her. She listened to him but she couldn't stop the buzzards in her belly.

"No! Deerfrost!" But he was already gone. Her heart was beating in her ears as tears pressed at her eyes. She looked down at her apprentice, then up to Spottedstar. I love my clan but I love my mate even more. She shuffled away from Wrenpaw. "Spottedstar!" She yowled. "Spottedstar, I'm no better, I watched him do it and I never told you!" Her paws and voice were shaky and finally the tears came down her face. "I- If you're gonna exile Deerfrost, you should exile me too." She tried to keep steady, she really did. But she couldn't, she was really crying now and she collapsed into a lying position, her eyes still staring at Spottedstar. "I told him to tell you because I couldn't do it myself." The guilt was spinning faster now and Amberwing couldn't do anything about it.

Blossompaw was listening, her ears directed towards Spottedstar as he spoke, even while she attempted to soothe Wolfcall. So there was bad news, and as her mentor and leader continued she felt her belly twist in discomfort. A kit? Almost died? While she was still trying to wrap her mind around that news, the punishment came. Exile. Her rhythmic lapping paused and Wolfcall flinched at the word, and in that moment she recalled that Wolfcall was Deerfrost's brother. A low hum rumbled in her chest as she nestled his head under her chin. Deerfrost approached, and for a moment she thought he was going to speak to Wolfcall, and her eyes turned to meet his full of concern and uncertainty, but then the tom turned towards Amberwing. His mate..... Her heart threatened to choke her as she heard the all-too-quick goodbye, and before she knew it the warrior was gone. Turning her gaze up to Spottedstar, she wasn't entirely sure how to feel.... A kit had almost died, and albeit indirectly, it was Deerfrost's fault. She did not envy Spottedstar the decision he had been faced with, and while she didn't know whether his final choice was right or wrong, she recognized that her mentor had made it. Pressing her nose to Wolfcall's ears, the low, sympathetic rumble continued in her throat. "I'm so sorry, Wolfcall....." She muttered as Amberwing stepped forward, raising her voice to Spottedstar in turn. It seemed this would only get worse before it got better.....

Listening as Spottedstar spoke, Sunflower's gaze shot to Deerfrost. What in StarClan's name... he'd tried to kill a kit? No wonder Spottedstar was exiling him. Of course, it would be hard for some-cats to say farewell to their clanmate, but in Sunflower's eyes, the less mousebrained murders in the clan, the better, seeing as though it would be one less... factor that might cause the clan harm, which is what Deerfrost had wanted... for whatever reason.

Soon, his daughter's voice spoke up and what she said put a frog in his throat. She had been a part of this whole ordeal as well? Had she lost her mind? He had already lost Leaftwirl and so many other members of his family... he didn't need to lose his only daughter as well. But, what was he to do about it... he was nothing but a coward, Spottedstar wouldn't listen to him even if he pleaded for her to stay, right?

Standing up, his legs shaking and tail tucked under his rump like a fleeing fox, he kept his worried amber gaze at Amberwing. "N-no. Don't g-go," he stuttered meekly as he stood above the crowd like a tree in the depths of the forest. Great StarClan, had he lost his mind? Daring to speak up like this... he was for certain going to get his ears bit off.

Juniperpaw's wide smile deflated when Spottedstar told the clan what Deerfrost had done. "Exile?" He meowed, shoulders slumping and tail drooping flat against the ground. He'd never seen something like this before - clan meetings used to be happy most of the time. And now his brother would be gone. "Goodbye..." The apprentice mumbled weakly, even though Deerfrost was already leaving camp. He looked down at his inky black paws, feeling dejected. When Amberwing admitted that she knew about what had happened and called to be exiled too, Juniperpaw gasped and looked back at her. 'Losing her mate must be painful to make her want to leave the clan.'

"Amberwing... I understand what you feel." Spottedstar meowed to her, features softening. He hadn't known about their relationship until Deerfrost spoke to her, sending a spike of pity and regret through his stomach. The leader still thought of her as his apprentice even if she was a warrior now. He knew what that goodbye felt like and why Amberwing's guilt bubbled up so fiercely. "In the end, he did tell me because of you. It was better that he had the courage to tell me instead of you doing it for him. I won't punish you for convincing him to do what's right. SkyClan needs strong, dedicated, and honest warriors more than ever, and if we lost you, we would be losing an exemplary cat. Please don't leave us, Amberwing." He said sincerely, wishing he didn't have to beg his own warrior to stay loyal. But he understood the pain. It returned to him in waves and brought the memories with it.

Amberwing's amber eyes searched for an excuse to leave, the guilt felt like a tornado now. But her deer was so far gone now, she couldn't chase after him. "What if he's killed? It'd be all my fault, I got him exiled.." But she was speaking so fast it was hard to understand her. They, her clanmates were begging her to stay. "I.." She looked around, padding over to her father slowly, reaching up to touch him with her nose. "I'm sorry. You don't need to stand up amongst all these cats for me, dad." She whispered, her voice starting to break. She leaned in, resting her head in her father's shoulder fur. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them, staring at the exit. "H-he didn't mean to k-kill a kit.." She murmured. "He-He's not that kind of cat.." She pulled herself away, looking at her clanmates. "Sp-Spottedstar, I can't just- I can't leave him- I just.." She was giving herself a headache, she let herself fall, covering her head with her paws, her sad eyes closing.