Whipping Winds [WindClan Sitewide Topic]

Daypaw's nest hadn't felt the same that night. She had searched it back and forth over three times for any loose thorns before giving up and falling asleep in a state of discomfort. She had decided to fall asleep early that evening due to the fact that she had a training session the next morning, and being tired would only slow her down. In all honestly, in comparison to patrols, training sessions weren't that bad. There weren't nearly as many cats to watch her make a careless error and that brought her a small sense of peace. No matter how odd she had felt as she closed her eyes, sleep didn't hesitate to crash over her. Daypaw wasn't the type of cat to remember her dreams. Her memory was already questionable when she was awake so there was no way that it would somehow improve when she was asleep. It didn't bother her, though. On the bright side, if she ever happened to have a nightmare, she wouldn't be able to recall the details.

Towards the middle of the night, the discomfort that Daypaw felt returned, and this time it was strong enough to startle her awake. Getting up to check her nest again would be terribly noisy, and she had no intent of accidentally waking up any of the other apprentices that slept near her. She would have to push through it until sunrise arrive. It was possible that one of the warriors could offer her some assistance in the morning. It didn't take very long for Daypaw to fully register that the irritation she felt was no longer coming from her nest... it was coming from her neck, and it was more painful than it was uncomfortable. She blinked a couple of times in a rushed attempt to chase the fog of sleepiness out of her eyes.

Her breathing instantly became shallow as she turned her head slightly to see the shadowy and unfamiliar form of another cat on top of her. Had it been a WindClan cat, Daypaw wouldn't have been afraid, just a bit confused on why she was being pinned by one of her Clanmates in the middle of the night. Now, however, the terror that she felt was enough to make her feel sick. Any small move from her and there would be blood gushing out of the neck of her dead corpse. She couldn't make a run for it, she couldn't lift a paw to attack, and she couldn't even gather up the strength to scream. She wasn't the only apprentice that was under the paw of one of these strangers. In fact, there were enough foreigners to pin down the warriors, too. What would happen to WindClan at this state?

Daypaw wasn't a fan of these new regulations that her Clan would have to abide by, but she would follow the orders of the Asylum cats if it meant that she wouldn't lose her life. Thinking about the other Clans was never something that she found herself doing, but she couldn't help but wonder what was going on at the other four camps. If they had all fallen to the same fate as WindClan then what would happen to the forest? Surely this wouldn't last forever. Surely there was some hope. Surely StarClan could see that the entire forest was in shambles. Surely her Clan would discover a way out. She was more than relieved to feel the claws leave her neck, but the entire camp was still under surveillance. It wasn't as if she had anything to celebrate. With her ears pressed against her head, the bi-colored apprentice realized that she couldn't huddle in the shadows of the corner of camp. She was trapped. They were trapped.

Throughout this whole ordeal, he'd been silent, staring at Goldengale's body in horror and growing rage. He distantly heard Softbreeze screaming and yelling, and Dappleshine's pleas for mercy, but all he could focus on was Goldengale's body, even once she was moved to beside Shyfawn. Until Eagletalon spoke. His head snapped up and a loud rumbled came from his throat. Lashing his tail, he approached Eagletalon, spitting venom at her. "Traitor!" He screeched, furious. "Are you really that mousebrained? They don't want to help us, you idiot! Is there nothing but thistledown in your brain!?"

Downtuft was beyond angry. Beyond livid. Beyond furious. He was raging. "Don't forget who mentored you!" He hissed, pointedly throwing a glance at Goldengale. "That's Clovertwist's sister, laying dead and staining our medicine cat's fur! That's a cat who saved the lives of Crowspirit and Spotlake! That's the cat who gave Grousefrost the will to keep going and to continue living after he lost his hearing! That's the cat who nearly died protecting Finchstar! That's my sister, dead, motionless. And Dappleshine? She's your elder for Finchstar's sake! Are you saying she deserved to be blinded for something she had NO PART IN!? If you side with those foxhearted, no-good, evil, coniving," His tail lashed in the direction of Roe and Thalia, "Snakeskinned, badger-breath, mousebrained, slimy, vile, disgusting!" He was screeching at this point, making himself more than loud enough to reach the ears of every cat in camp, "absolute idiotic, heartless monsters then WindClan will never forgive you!"

"I Will never forgive you!" He finished dramatic, fur bristled up to twice his normal size. This was a scary sight to see, Downtuft was practically a whisker from her face as he hissed, "You can be born here and live on these moors as long as you'd like, but the second you even think of betraying a single cat here, you are no longer a child of the moors, no longer a member of WindClan. I won't hesitate to be the first one to strike you down if you do. That's a promise." The sandy ginger warrior vowed, and every WindClan cat here knew that Downtuft was a cat of his word; if he promised something, it was delivered. Stepping backwards he sneered, spitting at the dirt in front of her. "Olivestar is stressed enough without a newly named warrior telling her to 'no be so prideful'. These cats don't even believe in StarClan! Why would StarClan purposefully send us cats to kill, maim, and stalk our every movements? We can't even visit the Moonstone! I never thought you to be foolish, Eaglepaw, I guess I was wrong. And stay away from Daypaw and Violetpaw, they don't need such a terrible influence."

He angrily stomped away, looking over his shoulder at Olivestar. His gaze softened and he gave a half smile. "Go see Softbreeze; I'm sure she has some anti-stress plants or whatnot in her den." Downtuft told him, expressing great concern for her which not many cats saw. He began to pad to the nursery, to help groom his sister's bloodied mess of a fur, but paused when he saw Lilacpaw talking to Thalia. "You want to see cruel and unreasonable? Go look in a puddle and tell me who you see," The tom growled, and laid his tail on Lilacpaw. "Zinnia looks distressed. Go comfort her." His voice held no room for argument. Nodding towards Zinnia, he continued, stopping as he noticed a disheveled Daypaw.

"Hey, er, 'paw. It'll be alright, everything always is, cheer up. I bet Shyfawn could use some snuggles." Downtuft whispered gently. In truth, the harsh tom cared greatly for his Clanmates, and seeing them like this hurt. He'd do everything he could to help them. Leading Daypaw over to Shyfawn and the nursery, he dipped his head to the peaceful queen and took his sister's body from her. "I'll take care of this, you handle Daypaw," he rasped gently, taking his sister by the scruff and, as gently as possible, carried her into the camp's center. There, he began to groom her.


Shyfawn nodded at Downtuft's request. "Daypaw! Thank StarClan you're here, I was so worried, and I could use a nice long hug to help destress," The queen mewed, eyes displaying a grand array of anxiety that was quite fake but very realistic. In truth, the queen herself was not very stressed. She'd seen worse affairs. That didn't make this by any means right, but an old molly such as herself was bound to become desensitized to it at some point. Truthfully, she wanted to give Dyapaw comfort, not the other way around. She was so young... The poor scrap was probably scared stiff. She'd always known Downtuft would grow into a great warrior.

Thalia recoiled at the new cat's approach, the words she'd been expecting from Lilacpaw delivered at last from a different source. She took several steps back, moving closer to another of her fellow Asylum cats. If she could have, she would have slipped back under her pelt - there was no need to give them the satisfaction of knowing just how much they'd hurt her - but for now she remained where she was and kept quiet.

---

As Downtuft lashed out at Eagletalon, Zinnia opened her mouth to reprimand him - a dangerous move indeed, but infighting was the last thing WindClan needed, and it wouldn't be the first time she told him to stop doing something stupid. But after he was done with her, he spoke to several other cats with a kindness rarely seen. "If I'm distressed, it's because none of you seem to know how to keep quiet," she called after him, unsure if he caught the words. They were laced, however, with the affection she'd felt for WindClan since first arriving on their land; the love she felt for each cat on this moor past and present - the company of the current invasion excluded, of course.

(The moor-cats' inherent inability to keep any sort of silence reminded her, quite strikingly, of Finchstar. She couldn't seem to decide if that was a good thing or not, but it was decidedly WindClan.)

Still, she wouldn't turn away her daughter if she chose to listen to Downtuft; the day had been quite stressful for everyone, and she would gladly offer up what small comforts she could to her Clanmates.

Lilacpaw jumped a bit as Downtuft approached, her fur bristling. She understood why Downtuft was so harsh, she really did, especially after what happened to Goldengale, but Thalia didn't seem like a mean cat! If anything, Thalia seemed a little like Lilacpaw herself. Still, she didn't want to cause any conflict, and StarClan knows disobeying StarClan would do just that. So she turned back to Thalia, an apologetic look on her face.

"I-I'm sorry about him. Downtuft isn't a bad cat, honest, he's not. But the cat that died? That was his sister. B-but I'm sure things will work out! It's got to! Maybe we can hang out later?" She didn't wait for an answer. Standing up, she raced over to Zinnia. She didn't say it out loud, but she was scared. These cats killed Goldengale, and they attacked Dappleshine and Hayglow. She could see they believed themselves to be right, but they were hurting so many cats! And why? Was this because of whatever had happened before?

She rushed to her mother, burying her face in the comfort of Zinnia's tabby fur. For the first time since these cats arrived, she let her emotions overcome her, letting out quiet, gentle sobs. "Is this going to be our life now? Goldengale is dead, they attacked two other warriors. What is going to happen next time they get angry? What if they hurt you, or Olivestar?" She looked up, the fur on her cheeks dampened, and a silent statement resting in her sorrowful, blue eyes. I don't want to lose my parents. Not again.

Eagletalon looked at Downtuft with her fur bristling while he yelled at her face, calling her a traitor when she had done nothing by asking a few simple questions that would've helped the clan. To add to the insult of calling her a traitor, that insult she could handle she wasn't about to let the insult of 'Eaglepaw' slide. "Donwtuft, do you think that I care nothing about the clan's life and ways?" she asked in a low dangerous tone. [color=#0066cc]"Do you think that I wanted to see Dapleshine dead on the ground when I came back from my night hunting? Do you think that I could've forgotten my mentor Clovertwist who basically raised me?"[/color] she asked icily swishing her tail.
She raised her voice to address the clan. [color=#0066cc]"While it is true that I grow up here in Windclan many of you forget that I came in as an older kit and remember somewhat of the life outside of the clans. I wouldn't wish that on anyone and if the infighting can stop among the clans why not live in peace?"[/color] She looked at Downtuft who was grooming his daughters. [color=#0066cc]"How can I ever forget the kindness that Windclan has shown to me?"[/color] she asked with her head still raised. [color=#0066cc]"If Windclan takes in stray kittens, apprentices and even warrior's into our ranks why can't we learn to cooperate with these cats?"[/color] she challenged the clan.

(I understand why they are so angry, but if I can earn the trust of Thorem, I can bring the Asylum cats down one by one by killing and getting rid of them. Surely Olivestar will understand that. Surely in time Downfur will as well.) Inwardly she was sad that she was the one who had to speak out within Windclan. If she was being honest, she was willing to get herself killed for the sake of Windclan and probably would if she didn't start to keep her mouth shut. Thoren or Roe would probably kill her if her clanmates didn't kill her first.

Zinnia curled herself around her daughter as she buried her face in her fur, offering whatever comfort she could. WindClan had fallen, but they had fallen before and risen again. "WindClan is strong, my dear, and Olivestar is doing what she can to keep all of us safe," she whispered, a promise as much as a truth she knew well. "We will survive this, somehow, as we always have before. Be it these strangers or the stars themselves that seek to cause us pain and anguish, we will endure. We will live as they wish, for now... But we will remember WindClan as it was," she murmured, and hoped that Lilacpaw understood what she meant was, We will be that WindClan again in time. "Finchstar told us once that WindClan is forever. That no floods, no dogs, and no monsters can rid us of our love. I think he was right: so long as we have love, whatever else may come, we shall endure."

WindClan was love, and endurance, and strength. They would survive this, as they had survived everything that came before.

"I was here when they came the first time," she said softly. "I know what these cats are capable of, and I have seen the damage that only a few of them can do. That is why I did not dare to talk back to them today. I will not tell you not to speak with them, if that is what you wish, but please - I beg of you - be careful, Lilacpaw."

As the tip of Theron's tail whisked out of the camp entrance, Olivestar let herself relax just a little bit. With a sigh, she turned to look at her Clanmates, and the Asylum cats that had been stationed there. She turned to see Lilacpaw taking to the Nightstriker that she'd just corrected, and before she could do anything else, Downtuft exploded, yelling at... Eagletalon? In her talk with Thalia, she'd missed the newest warrior's remarks, and she watched, slightly puzzled. Then, before she could step in to break up the verbal altercation, the older warrior broke away, glancing at her over his shoulder, tossing a couple of words her way about stress relief. She gave one small nod to him, deciding to visit his sister for that once she got the next duty out of the way.

Gathering up her strength, she raised her voice once more, not only addressing her Clan, but the Asylum as well.
"Enough is enough. We don't have to like it, but we have to live with it. Asylum cats, you'll have to get used to sleeping in the open if you're going to stay here, as we don't use proper dens. There's the occasional burrow here and there, and you're welcome to use those, but if you choose to sleep in the open like us, all I ask is that you make your nests separate from us for the time being. As for rules about prey, the queens, kits, and elders are to be fed first, then the rest of the Clan. I get that these rules might be different than yours, and that I'm not your leader, but since you'll be living in my Clan's camp, I expect you to follow these simple rules. Last thing is that I will not tolerate any of you laying a claw on my Clanmates from here on out. Theron may be brutal, and this occupation unwelcome, but if we're going to be living together, there will be no infighting, is that clear?"

With her piece said, she let out another sigh, turning back to Zinnia, where Lilacpaw was now pressed into her side. She pressed herself against Lilacpaw on the other side, wrapping her tail around her mate and eldest living daughter, and murmured,
"It'll be okay, I'll make sure of it. We'll figure something out."

She groomed Lilacpaw's head and Zinnia's cheek in turn for a few moments each before breaking away from her family, and catching Thalia's eye again. She approached once more, her body language much more friendly this time around, nodding her head at the other she-cat in a gesture of near-apology.
"I never caught your name, but I apologize for my harsh tone earlier. I get that your cats are unfamiliar with our way of life, but like I said, if you'll be living with us, you'll see that for yourself. You seem like a nice cat so far, and thank you for your kindness towards my daughter. I can't say that I'm happy that you're here, but if this means anything, I hope my cats and the moors treat you well while you are."

With Theron gone from WindClan’s camp, it seemed that the whirlwind of change had finally come to a stop with Olivestar’s last address. At least, for the time being. Flashpaw threw the remaining Asylum cats a hard sideways glance as he padded into the center of camp to join Downtuft at Goldengale’s body.
“Here. Let me help,” he mumbled as he crouched down beside the warrior, dipping his head to help groom his fallen mentor’s fur. It was the least he could do for the cat that had taught him everything it meant to be a warrior. Stars guide you, Goldengale.

Chaos. Dissent. Fear. These were three of Dragon's most favorite things in the world. The white-and-cream pelted tom, the pelt of a brindle hound atop his back, lingered on the edges of the camp, keen eyes watching, waiting, willing someone to step out of line. He didn't have to wait long. The first attacking cat was handled by Roe, and no other claws flashed here, but plenty of these WindClanners had a very bad problem with holding their tongues.

Dragon took in their faces for later, a sinister smile never leaving the tom's lips. This was his element, where he thrived... and Dragon set his gaze on the loud, belligerent herb-smelling cat as she spat vitriol at Theron. His lip curled, claws flexing into the dirt. This one would pay first.

The tom sat, tail curled around his paws, and waited. When Theron had gone, and the others had escorted the injured elder into what apparently was their infirmary of sorts, Dragon rose to his paws. He flicked his tail, summoning Nerio to his side, and followed after them. It was larger than he expected, though crowded as it was, and Dragon shoved his way past the cats with no apology or even acknowledgement. There was a store of herbs and berries in the back, and in one smooth motion, Dragon ripped his claws into the stores, dragging them against the ground. The smell of herbs filled the air, and Dragon lifted a paw, shaking the remnants of a tattered leaf from his claws.

He then turned, moving forward until he was looming over Softbreeze, and in exactly the position he needed to be in to strike, if he needed to. Dragon grinned, lowering his nose almost to touch the medicine cat's, and inclined his head towards the injured elder. "If you go near her, I'll rip her throat out myself, and make you watch her life's blood wet the earth." The voice was a menacing whisper, though loud enough that every cat present could hear it. "If she has the strength to survive on her own, then she deserves to live. If not..." he trailed off with a cold chuckle, one shoulder lifting in a shrug.

Hoosier watched as Theron slipped away and the other Asylum cats were left with the clan cats. And while some of them looked rather scared, nervous, or just plain furious, they did them like okay cats. Defintaly not as harsh as Theron or 'murderous' as Dragon. Letting out a sigh, he slipped the raccoon pelt from his head, letting it rest on his back, to reveal a fluffy silver tabby. He stepped towards Olivestar and bowed his head. "While I'm not sure my compaions would feel, I except your terms as long as you follow Theron's." He meowed softly, before padding off towards the entrance and laying down.

And from there he looked on, waiting to see what the clan cats would do next.


Spotlake let out a soft hiss as Dragon padded past her, and wait what was he doing? Was he destroying the herbs? Spotlake's face looked horrified for a brief moment before jaw turned into a scowl and her eyes slited. While she was thinking that maybe all Asylum cats weren't bad, Dragon had offically made them evil. "Why you little foxdung." Spotlake hissed at him. "Destroying our herbs stores, just before leaf-bare! How heartless can you be?" Her claws unsheathed, as her fur pricked up and her tail lashed. She knew Olivestar didn't want any infighting but maybe Dragon was an exception.

With a simple flick of his tail, Dragon had captured Nerio's interest. She'd been positioned over one of the less fortunate apprentices, her claws pressing daringly close to the poor WindClanner's throat, but in an instant she was at the tom's side, wondering what he had in mind as they stalked towards the medicine den, side by side. The excitement began to brew as he slashed the herb stores, and she watched on excitedly as the flame point tom loomed menacingly over Softbreeze- and she took that as a cue.

Immediately, the she-cat shifted and padded towards Dappleshine, examining her wounds with great care. Asylum's medical knowledge was slightly more... sophisticated than WindClan's was, and she had far more of that knowledge than most of her Standard peers did. She unsheathed a claw and looked back to Softbreeze with a slight smirk, and proceeded to trace Dappleshine's face with it- careful not to prick her skin, though (not that it would change much for the she-cat). "Poor, poor Dappleshine..." The she-cat cooed softly, sitting down by her side and wrapping her tail over her paws. "She couldn't save you if she tried." She murmured, gaze shifting between the elder's broken leg and her wounds, which were oozing blood at a rapid pace.

As the leader was about to turn to pay her respects to Goldengale and send her on her way to StarClan, voices and a crash from the medicine den made Olivestar look up sharply.
"Excuse me," she murmured to Thalia, and made a beeline for the medicine den, pushing her way in to see the mess, two Nightstrikers threatening Softbreeze, and the last of the male's words.

Clearing her throat loudly, it turning into a growl, Olivestar spoke, lashing her tail, ears pinned back against her head. The leader's patience had finally run out.
"I don't think so, mangy fools. I didn't think that you'd have so blatantly ignored my announcement back there, but you have no right to threaten my medicine cat, in my camp. Get your mangy tails out of my camp, and report to Theron your acts of cruelty here. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear of your acts of terror. I will not have this, and I will not have you in my camp, threatening my Clanmates."

With her words, she shouldered her way past the Nightstrikers to stand between them and her Clanmates, fur bristling and claws out, the epitome of enraged. With the most rage that the normally gentle leader could muster, she spat,
"Get out of my camp."

Spotlake's words made Dragon glance to the side, meeting the she-cat's gaze with a playful wink despite the rage that quivered within her voice. He was enjoying this, and that was very clear. The tom opened his mouth, drinking in the intoxicating scent of blood as Dappleshine suffered behind him at Nerio's side, and he was about to respond to her when another cat entered the scene. Baby blue eyes slid to land on Olivestar, and he angled towards the entrance of the medicine den. For a moment it looked like he was going to obey her words, and leave, but as he took a step, it was not towards the camp, but towards the leader herself.

This WindClanner was slim and lithe, and beside her, Dragon's powerful, muscular form looked almost comically opposite. As he'd done with Softbreeze, the tom got uncomfortably close, his ears cupping forward directly at her, whiskers twitching with amusement. "Or what?"

As Dragon stepped closer, Olivestar did not back down, her lips drawing further back from her teeth as their proximity increased. The gray leader didn't even glance down as she lifted her forepaw and suddenly pressed her unsheathed claws to his neck, digging them in enough to send a message, but not enough to draw blood.
"Or I make you my fourth kill."

With a sideways glance at Nerio, she spat,
"Any closer, and he gets it. Now, get your two mange-ridden pelts out of my camp, or I'll make you regret ever coming here."

With a quick shove, she pulled in her claws, and pushed Dragon away from her.
"No one threatens my cats and gets away with it. I mean it."

Daypaw, shivering and attempting to steady her breathing, flinched with fright as she heard her mentor's voice. She silently thanked StarClan that it was only Downtuft and not one of the Asylum cats trying to address her. The whole situation had her tense and on edge, and even the slightest noise startled her. Never in her life had she seen her mentor lose his temper like that. If she was being honest with herself, it was a bit intimidating. It was completely understandable, though. Goldengale was dead... the Asylum cats had mercilessly ended her life. It made Daypaw realize just how serious these cats were about their threats. They would kill anyone that got in their way. They weren't afraid to use force. They weren't afraid to kill. It barely made any sort of sense to her, though. They wanted to help and protect the Clans, but their method of helping was threatening and killing. What sort of protection was that?

Willingly, she followed Downtuft over to Shyfawn. She was relieved to see that the older she-cat was alive and safe. Daypaw knew that Downtuft meant well, but she didn't feel any better about what was happening. WindClan would never be the same... the camp that she felt safe in didn't even feel like a home. There would be hostile strangers sleeping in the same place that she found peace in. It made her sick to her stomach. However, she managed to put on a stiff smile for Shyfawn. Quietly, she snuggled up against the she-cat. The warmth made her feel relaxed and safe, and her forced smile turned into a genuine one.

"It'll be okay, Shyfawn," The bi-colored apprentice turned her head to speak to the queen, "I'm scared, too. WindClan is strong though, right? We have really brave warriors and Olivestar knows what to do. I'm sure we'll find a way to get through this sooner or later."