And Still, We Stand (closed)

Softbreeze was restless.

Since Rookfire had informed her there was a cat in WindClan with ideals like that of the Righteous Few, she'd been trying to piece together who it could've been. It definitely wouldn't be someone who'd been alive during The Righteous Few's Era; no living cat today would condone what they did and the pain they had caused to so many. That definitely eliminated quite a number of cats..

She'd stayed up late last night, eliminating each cat in her head. Finally, she ended up with a solid list of cats who were born after the Righteous Few's terror. Amberfluff, Tawnyflare, Shrikestorm, Dayspring, Lilacstar, Fawnstep, Snowbriar, Flashstrike, Muddypaw, Honeypaw, Sunnypaw, Pidgeonpaw, and Brookpaw.

Afterwards, she eliminated each cat with close bonds to (or were) outside born cats, half-Clan cats, or who'd had a forbidden romance. That knocked out Tawnyflare, Dayspring, Lilacstar, Fawnstep, Flashstrike, Muddypaw, Honeypaw, Sunnypaw, and Brookpaw. Finally, after hours of deep thought, she'd created a firm list of cats who could possibly be who Rookfire meant. Tawnyflare had only just returned to them. Dayspring and Brookpaw were close to Downtuft, who was half SkyClan. Lilacstar's adoptive mothers were both former loners. Flashstrike was mentored by Goldengale, who was also half SkyClan.

Muddypaw, Sunnypaw, and Fawnstep were all close with Hayglow (although the last was up for debate. She didn't suppose you'd have kits with someone you hated, though.) And of course, Honeypa and Pidgeonpaw, who were easiest to knock off, were both former outsiders who were found as older kits. So that left...

Snowbriar. Shrikestorm. And Amberfluff.

She doubted Amberfluff; she was really close to Lilacstar. The other two.. She didn't know well enough to say. They both seemed nice enough, but she hadn't interacted with them very much. Shrikestorm had been mentored by Smallbean, and Snowbriar was Fawnstep's sister, though neither of those truly eliminated them... And so, the next morning, it was safe to say Softbreeze was exhausted. Still, she got up, said a good morning to Smallbean, and made a beeline to Lilacstar. "Lilacstar, my den. Now. It's important." She mewed urgently. If there was a cat here who... Who agreed with what the Righteous Few did... The lives they ended, the sadness they inflicted.. She had to stop them. Softbreeze couldn't let another event like that happen ever again.

Softbreeze's sudden order came as a shock to Lilacstar, as she had been making casual conversation with one of the warriors. Of course, if Softbreeze said something was important, she knew very well that it was. Her medicine cat was not one to overreact when it came to things like this, so with a rushed apology, Lilacstar followed the she-cat to her den.

"I'd beg for this to be good news, but even I know better than that. So what happened? Did StarClan tell you anything?" The leader was extremely anxious, with Asylum having just been defeated, another crisis was the last thing they needed. All of a sudden, she hoped Softbreeze WAS overreacting.

"StarClan didn't tell me, per say, but they told Rookfire, ShadowClan's medicine cat. I trust him, and the rest of my colleagues. I wish it were good news." She murmured, bitterly. "Zinnia and Olivestar have already told you this story, I'd assume, but I'll briefly retell it. It was many moons ago, back when Finchstar was leader and Aspenheart was still alive. Downtuft and I were still 'paws, and my father was still alive." Softbreeze began, curling her tail around paws, anxiety written across her face.

"It was my first Gathering, and before Torrentstar of RiverClan and Thornstar of ShadowClan could speak, StarClan hurled light down at us. They forced Mossbloom to reveal that Thornstar and Torrentstar had had kits together, and most of the clearing were appalled. Finchstar, however, congratulated them. He was a believer in love, and Oakstar hesitantly agreed with him." She paused, letting this sink in. "At the medicine cat meeting that moon, Owlstar, a former SkyClan leader, came to all of us, while we were awake. He told us to cast out code breakers and outsiders, clan hoppers and cats whose love ignored borders. I refused. I called him out as a fool, denying him, because WindClan was a haven for those who wanted a home. A place for the misfits, a Sanctuary for the wronged and the lonely. I myself am half-Clan, you know. My mother, Graybriar, is pure SkyClan and came here as an old Apprentice, almost warrior. She fell in love, and Briarthorn, my half brother, was the product of that love."

"Anyways, back to story, Aspenheart reacted in fear. I've forgiven him since, but for a while I was deeply hurt. He lashed out, and he smacked me, and even though his claws were sheathed, the others were appalled. Downtuft, a paw at the time, was enraged and attacked Aspenheart. Eventually, Galestar, a former WindClan leader, came to Finchstar in a dream after he lost a life to Greencough. She told him what Owlstar had told us, and of course, he refused. It went against everything he believed. After Downpaw attacked Aspenheart, the stress made our father weaker and he succumbed to his greencough. I was dubbed Softstar for a horrific five minutes, as I was the reason Downpaw attacked Aspenheart. I gave them both the same, fair punishments, as they both had attacked Medicine cats." She paused for a moment, closing her eyes in sorrow.

"He paid the price of love. For us. His last words... 'WindClan is forever.' At the next Gathering, Galestar and the rest of the Righteous Few appeared. Briarthorn snarled at them, and Badgerstar demanded the other leaders to kill Finchstar. Of course, they all refused. Brackenstar smacked Briarthorn, and Galestar was furious. She said any wound that Briarthorn received, she'd return to him. Then she turned to Finchstar. She gave him one last chance to stand down, and he stood his ground. He loved WindClan and each cat in it; he could never punish a good cat for loving others or not being born on the moors. I... I tried to sacrifice myself for him. He was my leader, my idol, and most importantly, my friend. I couldn't let him die, I couldn't do nothing. I pleaded with Galestar to spare him, to take my life instead. Ploverpuddle spoke up as well; he wasn't always WindClan you know. He's half-Clan, and used to be SkyClan. We both offered our lives in exchange for him, and I honestly believed I was going to die. Downpaw and Clovertwist argued against this of course, but I'd accepted this fate. I was okay with it. If my death meant Finchstar's life, then I was okay with it. Instead, Galestar found pity on us. She put me into a deep, dreamless slumber, in hopes it would ease my grief."

Galestar. The only one of those monsters who had a heart. "I was told that she carried me to Aspenheart the way a queen would a kit, with such gentle care as she carefully placed me in his paws. She then turned to Finchstar, and in a flash was on top of the Great Rock. Again, she offered Finchstar one last chance, and he used this to tell the forest to never lose hope, and to tell WindClan that as long as they had love, they would last forever. She stripped him of his remaining five lives with a touch to the nose, and unlike how Torrentstar and Thornstar's murders went, this was gentle and almost hesitant. I think our rebellion and offering of lives shook her beliefs and made her doubt their cause."

"Raventail became our leader, and Olivestone his deputy. Morningdove, a paw at the time, decided enough was enough. She started a rebellion, and as I had rather openly opposed them, I immediately was interested. That's how we learned Dacedream of ThunderClan, one of the kindest cats to ever live, had been murdered for refusing to leave ThunderClan. We also found out Oakstar had been forced by Brackenstar to return to ShadowClan, his birth Clan, and Nettlefire took over a temporary leader. Then the Righteous Few sent the plague. It infected everyone they deemed codebreakers. Zinnia, Graybriar, Raventail, Dappleshine, Ploverpuddle, and so many more... It was chaos. At the next Gathering, the Righteous Few appeared. And.."

She hesitated, flinching a bit. "They demanded Morningpaw. Nobody knew what they wanted her for, but we all knew it was nothing good. The leaders all banded together, except for SkyClan, and stood their ground, refusing to hand over such a young Apprentice. The Righteous Few had brought with them an army. Sixteen StarClan warriors. I pleaded with Galestar, begged her to spare Morningpaw. I could sense she didn't want this, I knew she was a good cat. If she wasn't, why didn't she just kill Ploverpuddle and I? Why did she get angry with Brackenstar for attacking Briarthorn? Why had she so mercifully ended Finchstar's life, and given him so many chances? She wasn't evil, I could feel it. I turned away from her, and gave her one final look. I was disappointed, and I told her that standing by while this happened made her much worse than the others, since she knew this was wrong. Galestar was stunned, and I think that's what made her truly realize the evil they were doing."

"A Righteous Few cat named Larchneedle was taunting the medicine cats, and then attacked Spiderquill. I was enraged. I attempted to attack him, but I fell and could do little more than grab his ankle. Galestar picked me by the scruff, and it was these words she told me that I will never forget. 'Stand tall, chin up'. I don't know why, but it encouraged me, brought me back from the blink of a panic attack after Lavenderbreeze killed Morningpaw. At least, we thought she was dead. I was grief stricken and couldn't leave her side, but Ivystar and Flintstar both lost a life, as did Oakstar. Spottedstar ordered SkyClan to retreat and all but four did. Two ThunderClanners betrayed ThunderClan. Rainstrike and Dawngaze. Eventually, Galestar broke down the StarClan barrier, and freed them. Cobaltfire healed Morningpaw as best she could, she was in a coma for moons, named Morningdove, and it was over. The clans had won. All of the Righteous Few were dead, except Galestar. She was banished to the Mist, but not before I could tell her that she was forgiven and that I'd never forget her." Softbreeze finished, eyes squeezing desu briefly.

"I-I'm... I'm telling you this because there is a cat in WindClan now who has the same beliefs as the Righteous Few. I cannot let what happened before happen again." Softbreeze meowed firmly, eyes glaring open. Never again.

It was true. She had heard the stories from her mothers. How terrible things had happened because of StarClan themselves. But to this extent, she had never known. It was......terrifying, to say the least. And it took a moment to process just how bad it truly was. Cats being punished, and for what? Having hearts? She did not know the cats who had died, but she knew enough. They were good cats. And if anyone had asked her what these cats had done wrong, her answer would have been nothing at all. They were innocent.

And there is someone in their Clan who has these beliefs. Who was actually twisted enough to believe that all of this senseless killing was [ijustified[/i]. She had not even been there, and yet the thought of it happening again still sickened her. It took a moment before Lilacstar could meet her medicine cat's gaze. If Softbreeze trusted the word of Rookfire, then so would she. Her voice was barely a whisper, hoarse with shock and despair, when she finally spoke.

"Who?"

"I can't tell you which cat, because I don't know but.. Well, I think I've narrowed it down. No cat here who was alive during their terror would ever support what they did. And I don't think cats with loved ones who'd be harmed by the Righteous Few, were they around today, would support them, either. So I've... I've got three primary.. Well, I don't want to say suspects, but I don't have any other term for it." She sighed, adverting her gaze for a moment.

If she was wrong... Stars, she'd be risking these cats their respect from their leader. "Lilacstar. Before I say any names, you must promise me something. Until we know for certain which cat it is, you won't treat any of them any differently than any of our Clanmates. I have no doubt each of them are great warriors, so you must promise me you won't do anything irrational without consulting me or Smallbean." Softbreeze mewed firmly. She'd made Olivestar promise to not exile Smallbean when she'd found out he'd had a Forbidden romance. She'd make sure she did the same for all her Clanmates, even if she regrettably didn't know them as well as she had Smallbean.

She cared for each of them, and while if one of them agreed with the Righteous Few, she strongly disagreed, she'd never let any harm come to them.

"Softbreeze, I think you know me better than that. My Clan is like my family. I will not punish any cat for something they may not even be guilt of. But you must understand the importance of me knowing these names. For all we know, it could be the difference between life and death.

She kneaded her paws against the ground. Who in the Clan would be so willing to betray them?

Softbreeze nodded. "I do, but I needed to know for certain. I made Olivestar promise something similar once, heh." Shaking her head, she reminded herself not to get distracted. "I know you won't like one of these names being here. But I've thought this over. Many, many times. I've reasoned out each cat, and I'm left with these three names. Arguably, I don't know them quite well enough to but.."

She was hesitating. Why was she hesitating? Softbreeze knew she had to do this, and Lilacstar had promised she'd do nothing to them yet... No. Snap out of it. Stand tall, chin up. Raising her muzzle, and drawing herself to her full height (which, arguably, was not very much), she looked Lilacstar in the eye. "Snowbriar. Shrikestorm. And... Amberfluff. They're the only cats who I couldn't reason out of not having this.. Belief."

"No, not Amberfluff. Not any of them. They are good warriors. Everyone in the Clan are good warriors. There must be a mistake. I refuse to believe that any cat in my Clan will betray us." When Lilacstar stood, her fur was bristling, and she was clearly aggravated. As a leader, she had to trust her Clan. Who was she supposed to trust, though? Her medicine cat, or her warriors?

"I will keep on watch for any odd behavior, and I thank you for bringing this to my attention, Softbreeze. But I will be honest, I cannot believe that any cat in the Clan would be involved in such treachery. And I cannot help but wonder, if StarClan had made those poor choices before, how do we know the cats who had spoken to Rookfire did not have malicious intent to drive the Clan apart?"

That had to be it. It was StarClan in the wrong, not her Clan. Still, as she turned to leave, she found herself unsatisfied with this explanation. It still did not make sense.

"Softbreeze, if you find anymore concrete evidence against one of my warriors, come speak with me."

And then she left.

As Lilacstar stood to leave, Softbreeze couldn't help the bristling of her shoulders. Lilacstar had all but begged for her to say the names, it wasn't her fault she couldn't reason off Amberfluff. "Don't make any foolish decisions, Lilacstar. If StarClan had any malicious intent, they wouldn't have told Rookfire anything about this. They wouldn't have given us a chance to stop it before it becomes anything worse than innocent."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold thought ran through her head. Olivestar wouldn't have dismissed this so easily. She gritted her teeth, angry at herself for thinking something so cruel. Lilacstar was a good leader, she was just blinded by her love for her Clan. "This... Mindset.. doesn't mean they're traitors, Lilacstar. It just means they don't properly understand what the Righteous Few did and how cataclysmic their actions were! I have no doubts they're good warriors, and good cats but--"

She stopped as Lilacstar turned around and looked at her, and found herself angry at what she had to say. Concrete? Softbreeze herself wasn't one to rely on StarClan for every little thing, but they'd never flat out lie. If the words of a medicine cat meant so little, how was she supposed to do her job? With sinking despair she watched the tabby leave, and she couldn't help but feel a flicker of anger towards her.

Was this how Aspenheart felt, when she'd spoke out against Owlstar? No, Owlstar had been evil, and yet he hadn't lied, either. If Lilacstar hadn't believed her now, she wouldn't believe her no matter what. Fine. She thought, bitterly. I'm fine by myself anyways. Deciding to clear her head, Softbreeze left her den, off to gather herbs, as always