Dawnhawk Reveal, The Sequel [OPEN]

He'd taken time after his meeting with Lilactsar to go roll in some grass and try to get more of this stars-forsaken black fur off of him. Now that he was actually trying to get it off, it was coming out in clumps, like a snake having a hard time shedding it's skin. It wasn't as much as he would have liked, but he looked like a very dirty Dawnhawk now and maybe only forty percent of him was actually Nightwind. It was enough to get the point across that he wasn't who he said he was. And with that, it wouldn't be long before the clan was awake and doing their daily routine anyway, so Dawnhawk headed back to Windclan Camp. The splint on his leg prevented him from moving as fast as he would like, but he managed it fine. With determination, he made his way to the top of Tallrock and stared down on the moor. Somehow, this was far more satisfying than just standing on top of a leader's den. He felt bigger and stronger up here. He knew it was just the height, but it still held a power status nonetheless. He liked it.

"Let all cats old enough to run the moor gather beneath the Tallrock for a Clan meeting!" He had a feeling that a lot of Windclan cats might not like the fact that it was him calling the clan meeting and neither the deputy nor the leader was instead, but Lilacstar had told him it was his responsibility to tell the clan. This was the best and fastest way to get it over and done with, and he doubted Lilacstar herself would take offense. The patchy black, white and gold tom sat down calmly and waited for the clan to gather. He had dealt with looks of contempt before, so as far as he was concerned, they could bring it on. "Lilacstar has given me permission to call this meeting, for those who may be concerned." He still wasn't interested in being tackled off of the Tallrock, especially not with his leg in a splint. No thanks.

Being an early riser, Silverpaw was one of the first up and out of his nest at the... rather strange meeting summon. He was still a bit drowsy so he didn't really process that the voice calling the meeting was neither Lilacstar nor Dayspring. He... thought nothing of it. That was until he looked.

Once he arrived at the Tallrock, he let out a little yawn as he plopped himself down in a random spot. He looked up a bit tiredly at the figure but then jolted fully awake as he stared up at them with confusion. He squinted then shook his head as if he were trying to set his vision straight. The certainly wasn't the leader or deputy. Who is StarClan's name...?

He strained his neck up to try and get a better look. Wait... is that... Nightwind? No. That can't be him. He looks so different! The more he stared, the worse his confusion got. It was as if the tom's dark fur was slowly fading away in patches. This... was not what he expected to wake to.

"N-Nightwind? Is that you? What happened? What's going on?" He couldn't help but sputter out the questions that have been circling his head since the moment he laid eyes on this... peculiar scene.

Ashpaw had slept fitfully, taking the time to go over the information given to her by Copperfox again, and again, and again. Her father wasn't who he said he was, that's all she knew for sure. Yet the spiel about cats not liking the code, resenting Starclan, was her father that too? She had been planning on confronting him soon, while his leg was still healing. He wouldn't be able to escape her questioning, and she could have more concrete answers. Ashpaw didn't want to tell her mother, or Ryepaw...not yet. She needed to know more.

Nightwind's call woke her, startling her from the sleep she had been in for a short time. For a moment, she questioned whose voice it was before realizing it was her father. Her blood froze in her veins as she padded carefully from her nest, witnessing Nightwind atop the Tallrock. He didn't look like the cat that raised her, rather his fur was now a pale golden where it was no longer black, looking patchy and unnatural.

She continued approaching the Tallrock, now seeing Silverpaw had arrived first, hearing his shouts of confusion. Ashpaw attempted to maintain her composure, she wasn't about to show weakness now, not when there were so many questions to ask. She was suspicious of all this, and she needed information before she did anything rash. Looking up, blue eyes still wide, Ashpaw began to speak. "What are you doing, and what's going on?" Her words came out carefully, measured. After her question was asked she began looking for her mother, and Ryepaw, she wanted them close. Whatever was about to go down, she wanted to be near them.

The unusual call caught Goldenpaw’s attention. She’d been up late the night before, her racing thoughts keeping her from sleep. Her eyes hurt to open, however, she needed to know what this was all about; taking a seat near the other apprentices, her full interest wasn’t captured until Silverpaw called out Nightwind’s name. ”Uncle Nightwind?” she meowed, quickly becoming more alert. She moved to sit closer to the gray apprentice. Her supposed uncle had told others that he was Hollyhock’s brother, and Goldenpaw didn’t bother to question it. She didn’t have much time to stick around camp and ask questions.

Actually, she didn’t even speak to her father, Briarthorn, or her brother, Fuzzykit. Perhaps that’s why she felt oddly connected to the cat up on the Tallrock. Her ‘uncle’ was not what he appeared. Could it be that her mother was more than a rogue, too? Could Nightwind bring her to WindClan? She stared up at the tricolored tom, her bright blue eyes shining with intensity.

Spotlake yawned as she lifted her head at the call for a meeting. It wasn't Lilacstar and Dayspring who seemed to call the meeting. Instead it seemed to be Nightwind. Spotlake hadn't really talked to Nightwinf that often, but she definitly knew that he didn't have a lot cream and golden fur. In fact he was named after his dark pelt. How bizarre. She thought, as she got out of her nest and into the clearing.

The rest of the clan had more confused reactions as they padded towards Tallrock. Shrikestorm was confused too, but his confusion immediately became suspicion as he saw Nightwind standing there instead of Lilacstar. The dark fur of Nightwind was gone, replaced with a much different black, white, and gold pelt. Whatever was going on, that right there confirmed that Nightwind had been lying. About what, Shrikestorm didn't know. He couldn't say, but there would be no reason to hide beneath a pure black coat unless there was something for him to hide.

"It's not your place to be there," he hissed, stepping forward to stand at the front of the gathered throng of WindClan cats. Only Lilacstar should be standing there, or their deputy if the need arised. Nightwind, however, had no business being there. "Get down from there, or I will remove you myself."

Ryepaw blinked. He rubbed his eyes. His lips curled up as he tried to rid the glare of the sun from his vision, to look closer upon the strange, sunshine colored tom who was now ascending the Tallrock. In a moment of instincts, upon hearing Shrikestorm's vile threat, the apprentice unsheathed his claws and came to the enigmatic warrior's side, prepared to defend the sanctity of the clan's most important meeting space. A halfhearted hiss fizzled from between his teeth; at last his vision cleared, and the eyes of this mystery tom were unmistakable.

An invisible arrow pierced Ryepaw's ribcage, rupturing his internal compass. He spun out of control, flickering between the strange body his father now inhabited and the shock and awe of his clanmates around him. There was no way to make sense of this version of Nightwind, except in the tufts of black that still clung to his body, showing signs of having been rubbed off. He was a patchwork creature, built from lies. A liar. Ryepaw looked around for support.

Can't go to Sunnyskip, she probably knew. Can't go to Ashpaw, she's gonna get weepy. Can't go to anybody. Can't be helped. I don't want help.

Instead, he fell backwards into ire, his hackles prickling. Ryepaw began to scoot towards Fawnstep, watching the tom's impenetrable expression with deep interest. There was one cat whose approval mattered more than anything, and it was his mentor's, on whose shoulders rested Ryepaw's future and warriorhood. He waited dutifully for command. "He shouldn't be up there," he managed, though his voice was strained and raspy, and speaking felt as prickly as thorns in the back of his throat.

A voice calling for the clan to gather near the tallrock was quick to catch Swiftspirit's attention, but the voice belonging to Nightwind wasn't what drew her interest. Rather, that was his pelt, which was stained and dirty... And very much not the dark fur that she had known him for. Mixed with the dark patches was pale golden and white fur, very much the opposite of what Windclan had named him for.

She padded towards the tallrock, settling not far from Silverpaw and Ashpaw, piercing blue gaze watching Nightwind curiously. She'd known that he was hiding something, it had been obvious to her from the moment she'd smelled his greasy, unkempt fur and it was clear in his fighting style when they had sparred on multiple occasions. It had never been her place to pry, he wasn't the only outsider with a past, after all, and anyone who would go to such lengths to disguise their pelt must have had a very good reason to do so.

"If Lilacstar told him to make this meeting, clearly it's important. I think the reasoning for calling us here seems rather obvious." She mewed, a more measured approach than some of her gathered clanmates. Maybe if she'd been born a Windclanner, she would have been as outraged as Shrikestorm seemed to be. Maybe if she'd been related to the tom and led to believe one story, she would have been as angry as Ryepaw seemed. Swiftspirit was neither of those things however, and Nightwind, or whatever his real name happened to be, had never been anything but cordial with her.

"'Nightwind' has been nothing but a loyal clanmate, we can do him the courtesy of hearing him out, at least."

Dayspring had never gotten the chance to get to know Nightwind personally. All she knew was that Lilacstar had made the decision to take him in shortly after the Clans had put an end to the frosty reign of the Asylum. Since then, he had done absolutely nothing but prove his loyalty towards WindClan by being a strong warrior. The she-cat hadn't had any suspicions towards him or problems with him, so seeing him on top of the Tallrock only brought her mild confusion instead of direct hostility. No matter how confused Dayspring was, she trusted Lilacstar, and if she had asked him to speak then whatever was about to be said was clearly worth hearing.

She gracefully padded forward to join the rest of the Clan for the untraditional meeting, flicking her ears in subtle agreement as Swiftspirit spoke. The deputy found herself silently hoping that Nightwind would only be the bearer of good news. The Clan didn't need any despair right now. However, judging by the tom's tone, her optimistic wishes were highly likely of being extinguished.

Smallbean tossed and turned in his nest, his restless sleep riddled with various terrors and horrors. From his mouth came mumbled words and fractions of sentences, the sounds similar to normal speaking, but when put together creating nonsense statements and exclamations. Almost every night for the past half moon he was haunted by these nightmares. Stuck in unimaginably frightening situations only to forget them no sooner than he opened his eyes.

His eyes shot open and he sat upright in his nest, his body trembling as if he had woken up in the midst of a harsh leaf-bare. His throat burned and his chest heaved as he fought for air, he felt as if he'd been running all night. Try as he might, he failed to recall anything that had happened in his dream, all it left behind were lingering feelings of dread and fear- it was the same as it had been since they started. He sighed. It wouldn't be as bad if he knew what they were about, maybe he could but a stop to them. Suddenly, a shadow cast across the den floor, interrupting his thoughts before disappearing. Looking toward the den entrance, he just barely saw the the tip of a tail disappear as a cat walked past. Then another cat walked by. Was there something going on? At first, he assumed that it was his nightmare that had woken him, but now he vaguely recalled hearing a voice ring across camp. There must be a clan meeting going on. That was the moment when he also realized that Nightwind was missing from his nest. Surely he had just exited the den before he woke up, he would probably be out in the camp somewhere.

Shaking out his pelt, he drug himself from his nest, not bothering to groom his fur- that could be done later. He stepped out into camp, raising his gaze to the Tallrock, expecting Lilacstar or maybe Dayspring there. It was Nightwind, but not Nightwind. "What?" He mumbled in confusion. It was so odd to him that he almost believed that he was still dreaming. Was that even Nightwind? It had to be, the splint was still tied to his leg. He looked at Spotlake from across the clearing, casting her a worried glance.

As complaints and threats began to rise from approaching clanmates, Smallbean simply watched. It wasn't his job to interfere- not that he would throw himself in front of an angry cat even if it was. Even so, he couldn't restrain himself from calling out to his former apprentice. "Shrikestorm." He stared at the tom, his tail flicking with agitation. He said nothing more than his name, hoping that would be enough to catch his attention. He saw no reason why Shrikestorm would be so upset, especially when Lilacstar had specifically given Nightwind permission to call a clan meeting. he had no clue what it was about, all he knew was that it had to be important.

Sunnyskip heard a voice calling for the clan, and her ears flicked as she registered it was not Lilacstar's or Dayspring's. She shook her pelt out, as she looked up, staring at the white and gold-furred tom that stood above them. Her breath caught as patches of dark black stood out against the fur, and she saw the splint on the tom's leg. Could that be?... No. Turning her attention to finding her kits, she spotted Ryepaw recoiling to stand near Fawnstep (something she noted with a frown), and Ashpaw. Quickly, she moved to be next to her daughter, curling her tail around her protectively. Looking back up, she was certain the tom standing before them was her mate.... But what had happened to his black pelt? What was going on? Her eyes searched his expression for answers, begging for them silently as she tried to stay calm and soothe her daughter.

One by one they piled in... and even Dayspring too. She wasn't protesting him being up there, though he heard Shrikestorm's complaint loud and clear. Contempt and confusion... all staring up at him with a multitude of colors. This was very familiar... Yep... I'm back to being Dawnhawk alright. He managed not to gouge the rock with his claws as familiar, but long dead emotions stirred within him from the past when cats looked at him like this. The Asylum had stared at him with contempt and confusion too... and his own family. He noted that Ryepaw was none too happy about him standing there, but that was fine. Dawnhawk took a breath to calm himself down. There were no guards this time to pin whoever he wished, or execute or imprison anyone he didn't approve of. It was just himself and his words now, though having the approval of the clan leader was at least something that he might be able to use as an additional shield.

"I'll start off by thanking you all for responding to this meeting, I know it is unusual for a clanmate to call for one. I wouldn't have done this if it wasn't important. Everything I am about to tell you, Lilacstar is already aware of, as we have spoken in private already. While she has accepted me into Windclan, she also made it clear that your reactions to this news will vary wildly, and that is understandable." Dawnhawk's eyes scanned the crowd for reactions, noting very carefully who might become hostile even after he made it clear that he was allowed to be where he was.

"I am sorry to inform you that the cat known as Nightwind was a complete lie. My real name is Dawnhawk. I was born and raised in Skyclan before I joined the Asylum. After Asylum's defeat, Wolfstar exiled me and has a Kill On Sight order for me. The reason for this is because I have killed two Skyclan cats. The first warrior I killed I only killed to prove my loyalty to the Asylum. Before that they had already showed me where their headquarters were and I knew the names and scents of their top leaders. Even if I had wanted to back out, I couldn't have. I am very sure they would have killed me to keep their location and identities secret, so yes, I murdered a clanmate for them.

After that, I rose very quickly in their ranks and was even named Deputy in Skyclan, despite my betrayal. The Asylum rewarded me by giving me the Standard Captain rank after their previous Captain had died, so I wasn't just a grunt. So now you can imagine what happened when the Asylum was destroyed and chased out of the forest. Wolfstar demoted and exiled me immediately. Bloodstrike, the current deputy of Skyclan and my own father, called for a hunting patrol specifically for me and even beyond the scope of Skyclan's territory. I killed one of the warriors that he sent after me in self defense, so now I have incurred even more of Skyclan's wrath upon my name."

He paused a moment to let all of this sink in before he moved on to the next part of his speech. Whatever scowls or threats he may have received up to this point, he was going to ignore. He could answer questions or call bluffs after he was finished speaking.

"So after that I met Hollyhock, who is not my sister as I claimed. She was a rogue sympathetic to my situation and helped me out. I stained my fur in a substance she called machine grease and it killed my scent, made my fur dark and basically gave me a new identity. She was the one who told me to come to Windclan and only knew of it from Briarthorn. I didn't want to tell anyone who I was for fear of being rejected without being given a chance to change. Although I would have understood the hesitation and fear or anger from others especially after what the Asylum had done to Windclan, it was something I desperately needed, so I lied. I lied to all of you." Dawnhawk's eyes now rested solely on Sunnyskip's.

"I am very sorry. I didn't expect to keep my disguise as long as I had... and I certainly didn't expect to make the connections with you cats as much as I have. Skyclan doesn't have many nice things to say about Windclan... or.... any clan really... So I was surprised when everyone here was so welcoming and compassionate toward not only each other, but to outsiders as well. My former clan isn't like that. They're fairly hostile, as you may have gathered from Wolfstar at gatherings. Even before I joined the Asylum they weren't even very nice to me, which is part of the reason why I betrayed them to begin with, but that's not something I want to go into detail with with anyone else but my family. I hope you understand."

His tail tip twitched as he tried to think of anything he may have missed, but he didn't think so.

"I will do my best to repair the damage and emotional scarring this reveal has probably caused some of you. I hope you will understand that I am telling you this because I want to be accepted as Dawnhawk and not Nightwind. I have no intention of going to gatherings, as I know that might cause hostility that Windclan doesn't need. If Lilacstar requests that I go, then I will, but I don't think it's a good idea. If anyone has questions for me, I will do my best to answer them. Thank you again for answering my call and being so willing to listen. I will now listen to you, my clan, and hopefully even after all of this we can call eachother friends."

And with that he went silent. Dawnhawk braced himself for whatever jeers and sneers that may be about to come his way. He especially watched Shrikestorm and Ryepaw. It hurt him more than he expected it to that his own son was part of the hostility crowd, but he would deal with it. Pain was something he had become very accustomed to.

Dayspring had been willing to listen from the beginning, but as Nightwind, or... Dawnhawk, began to reveal the truth behind his past, her expression seemed to change from somewhat neutral to somewhat afraid. Surely the Clan would begin to look to both her and Lilacstar for reassurance, but the deputy had been just as in the dark about all of this as the rest of WindClan was. Standing on top of the Tallrock was a cat that had killed that many former Clanmates to the point that his own father had to attempt to hunt him down. Dayspring knew that she couldn't sit there and remain silent. This wasn't some small issue that she could simply glance over and ignore.

The thought of knowing that Dawnhawk would continue to sleep in the warriors' den after today only sent a harsh chill down her spine. Dayspring was just like any other cat. She felt emotions, she felt anger, but she was never the type to specifically show that. Today, however, an uncharacteristic scowl seemed to cross her face as she quietly took a step forward.
"I'd like to speak first, if I may." Her voice seemed flat and almost eerily emotionless.

Lilacstar had approved of Dawnhawk staying in the Clan, so how unprofessional would it be if the two highest ranks in the Clan openly disagreed with each other in front of their Clanmates? Truthfully, that wasn't at the front of Dayspring's mind. She cared about her safety... and the safety of the rest of WindClan.

"I have my own reserves about SkyClan, trust me, but how am I supposed to feel safe or even have an ounce of trust for you after what you've shared? A few moons ago, I gave you an apprentice to mentor. How am I ever supposed to do that again knowing that you're willing to kill your own so easily...? And for the Asylum of all things?"
The she-cat tilted her head to the side, clenching her jaw. Dayspring always made an attempt to see the good in others. She believed that cats could change, and she loved to see growth, but this wasn't something that she could move past.

"If Lilacstar says that you can stay, then I suppose that's the final verdict, but just know that you won't be getting my support. You're lucky I don't march over to SkyClan myself and rat you out."
The bi-colored deputy quickly bit her tongue to prevent herself from saying anything else. She didn't care if the rest of the Clan were willing to welcome Dawnhawk with open paws. This was a situtation that she couldn't accept.

'Nightwind' started to speak, and Swiftspirit curled her tail over her paws, pale blue eyes watching the tom's body language as he spoke. Nightwind had been a carefully crafted lie... And his real name was Dawnhawk. Of Skyclan... And the Asylum. There wasn't so much as a twitch of recognition in Swiftspirit's gaze, her paws remaining still and her shoulders remaining at ease. Her breathing remained steady as Dawnhawk revealed his actions to the clan.

So he'd been Tawnyflare's Captain, she'd been a Standard, too. And Windclan had simply been clueless this entire time? She certainly wouldn't have thought the cream-colored cat with black staining his fur was the dark, messy-furred tom she had known, and gods only knew that Tawnyflare was about as observant as a blade of grass to begin with. Yet nobody had thought to ask about his crafted story, or his lack of hygiene and the strange scent that clung to his fur?

Swiftspirit supposed it made sense, given how readily most of them had accepted her, after all. That willingness to blindly accept outsiders was foolish, very foolish, and it seems as though Dayspring was deeply unhappy. Were Swiftspirit in her paws, she supposed she would be angry too... But she hadn't made the mistake of blind faith, either.

Dawnhawk had all but jumped out of his skin at Swiftspirit's warrior ceremony, when Tawnyflare had worn that fox pelt. His reaction had certainly been strong, but most would have simply attributed that to not liking foxes, as he'd claimed. Dawnhawk being an Asylum member certainly put that reaction into a new light, looking back.

One warrior killed to prove himself, another killed in self-defense, if Dawnhawk was being truthful. How could anyone blame him for the latter? The former was what was more concerning, but that also hadn't occurred recently, either. And self-preservation wasn't a cardinal sin, as far as Swiftspirit was concerned. So long as he hadn't killed a Windclanner, and the deaths hadn't been anyone Swiftspirit knew, she couldn't quite bring herself to care one way or the other.

Swiftspirit was going to stay silent for the moment, watching the reactions of her clanmates. Tawnyflare and Shrikestorm's should be interesting at the very least... And she wondered how poor Sunnyskip was going to take this news about her mate. She wasn't sure what to say that wouldn't result in scrutiny or having a cat leap down her proverbial throat, and while she couldn't say she approved of killing others, she understood why he had chosen to stay hidden if there was a kill-on-sight order out for him. All cats had a past and Dawnhawk was no different in that regard. She was sure some of the less open-minded cats would see it that way... But maybe this would be the lesson Windclan needed to not blindly trust every outsider that came their way.

Shrikestorm was shocked into silence with what Nightwind - no, Dawnhawk - was revealing. Each point made was more unbelievable than the last, but he could believe. Oh, he could believe it. This was worse than any other cat WindClan had allowed into their ranks. This was no rogue, but a former cat of another clan. Worse, he was a murderer. Two cats had died under his paws, and the reaction was much more muted than he expected. Dayspring's reaction made the most sense, but where was the anger? No, worse... How could Lilacstar accept him after all of that? There must have been some mistake. Even if this clan had become known as accepting of all, this was surely a line too far.

"Disgusting," he spat, his claws coming out and digging into the earth. "There is no place for murderers in WindClan. Your fate should lie with the clan you betrayed. How can we accept him in our clan after what he did? Something he knowingly lied about to us! Let's take him back to SkyClan and let them deal with this traitor." Like Dayspring, he could not put any trust into such a cat, but he also couldn't imagine him being anywhere near other WindClan cats. His mere existence there was an affront to StarClan themselves.