bloodstained silhouettes [SkC Clan Meeting]

The silence was almost oppressive as SkyClan made their way home from the Gathering, no one wanting to say too much, or too little, so no one said anything. Wolfstar hadn't pried, not Bloodstrike, not Beechface, not Ravenclaw. Though, clearly, they knew something, and it was driving Wolfstar nuts not to know, it was best for SkyClan if they gave the other clans a wide berth, first. So he'd shaken his head as they approached to tell him whatever it was, and started for home, sticking close to Blossomstep's side. The sky was lightening ever so faintly to the east as the camp's walls came into view, and with a heavy sigh, Wolfstar led SkyClan into camp, breaking away from the crowd and heading for his den. He knew he didn't even have to ask, and that the deputy and medicine cat would follow him, so he didn't. He just climbed up to wait for them.

When they'd joined, finally, Wolfstar fixed them both, in turn, with a serious expression. "I take it there's news I should know?"

Sitting through the rest of the gathering had been a true struggle for Beechface. She hadn't heard a thing the leaders had said, and her fur remained fluffed and she couldn't seem to keep her claws sheathed for long. Her expression remained thunderous, and the second Wolfstar leapt off the great rock she approached, only to be met with a shake of the leader's head. So it was that the medicine cat had been left to seethe in silence as they made the long, torturous trek back to Skyclan territory. She understood the need to wait. Ravenclaw was a sensible cat (though one could argue that sticking this close to Beechface probably wasn't sensible at the moment), and she was right. That didn't make it any easier however, and as they drew closer to Skyclan's camp, Beechface found her patience thinning.

Wolfstar headed towards his den, and Beechface stalked after him, tail lashing from side to side, not bothering to check if Ravenclaw and Bloodstrike were following. She didn't need to, Ravenclaw was loyal and Bloodstrike had been just as furious as she was.

"Windclan." She spat the name as if it were poison. "Of course those filthy liars would be the ones to shelter him." Her tone left no doubt as to which 'him' was being discussed, as if there could have been any shred of doubt, anyways. Speaking was the last thing she wanted to do right now. She wanted to march back to Windclan territory and strip the fur off of Dawnhawk's carcass just like he'd tried to do to her. She wanted to sink her claws into Windclan's leadership and shake sense into them. How could they have sheltered him? They had been warned! All the clans had been warned!

Bloodstrike seethed on the way home from the gathering, a smoldering silence that threatened to char the deputy alive from the inside out. He followed Wolfstar and Beechface, his silence more ominous than any rolling thunder or approaching storm. Once Wolfstar asked what news there was, Beechface beat him to it. Bloodstrike sat. He was still.... too still... as he stared at Wolfstar. He scarcely even breathed as the fire inside him was sucking all of the oxygen from his being. For several heartbeats he seemed almost lifeless like a statue, but the moment he lost control of his smoldering fury...

Bloodstrike was going to explode.

"He hurt the clan. He hurt me. He hurt our medicine cat. He permanently wounded his own mother..." A flash of memory of what Smokefeather had said to Dawnhawk went through his mind, and a small instance of sympathy for his son was there.... until rage burned it away. "He killed one of his sisters, he killed his brother in law... who else has he killed? Can we even keep track?" Bloodstrike's growl swelled in his throat and a strand of drool seeped it's way out of the hole in his lip.

"If Windclan was in full knowledge of what he's done... I want them all dead. Every. Last. One of them." To The Dark Forest with the warrior code and not killing your enemies. Bloodstrike was perfectly content in letting Starclan send him to the Place of No Stars if it meant he would get the satisfaction of bathing in foolish Windclan blood. He wasn't sure he wanted to be with Starclan if they would advocate protecting Dawnhawk after what he'd done... and how little remorse he had for doing it.

"So... what are we going to do now, Wolfstar? Are we going to let Windclan slide? Skyclan are already seen as cowards thanks to Spottedstar." He physically spat at the mention of the previous leader. "I'm not the leader at the end of the day so I don't make final decisions, but I strongly encourage retaliation for this. If we let this go Skyclan will be seen as weak forever."

So, that was fun. It was humorous how Ravenclaw was the calmest of the cats 'in the know' heading back to SkyClan camp. Maybe it was because she was feeling surprisingly idealistic. They knew where Dawnhawk was, thanks to that WindClan cat. It was clear not every WindClan was in agreement that Dawnhawk was on their territory, which... well, duh, but it should have been every single cat feeling that way. It didn't matter for the moment, though. Knowing Dawnhawk was there, they had every right to march onto WindClan territory and take him back for his just punishment. If he ran, she would be willing to run every inch of the moors until she brought him back herself.

"Hey, hey, I got the information first, I want to tell Wolfstar," she whined as she worked her way near the den, trying to get between Beechface and Bloodstrike. That was... quite petty, but hey, she was the one that tom had told, so she should be the one to explain it, right? "Dawnhawk is on WindClan territory," saying what everyone else was already saying, just without saying it outright. "A WindClan tom told me, and that he would direct us to where he is. Tomorrow night. You have to take me, Wolfstar. He'll remember me, and I want to help bring that traitor back to camp." Her eyes were shining: a stark contrast to the other cats around her. The thirst for battle nearly had her drooling. It had been too long since they defeated Asylum where she had given her claws a true workout. She could do with a round two.

As the others went on, Wolfstar forced himself to show no emotion, though it took every single bit of willpower he had left. His fur begged to stand on-end, his teeth to bare and his tail to lash, but he was still, for a long time - after Beechface started, until after Ravenclaw had finished. So he was in WindClan... this whole time? Despite Wolfstar's multiple warnings to the other leaders, and pleas for help bringing a killer to justice, Lilacstar had spat in his face and taken in the traitor.

He closed his eyes.

You knew as much, fool, he told himself. You knew someone was harboring him... and now you know who.

Against his eyelids, the faces of cats flashed before his face. Swansong, Featherkit, Smokefeather, Tigersong, Flowerthorn... all lives who had been taken, or irreparably damaged, by Dawnhawk or his actions. And he was sure those only scratched the surface. When Wolfstar's eyes opened, they weren't plagued by doubt, or uncertainty, or reluctance to fight - only cold, hard fury. He fixed them momentarily on Bloodstrike, his deputy... a cat he trusted more than almost any other. And a cat who spoke such vitriol about Wolfstar's father that it was difficult not to believe what he'd been told about his plot to murder Spottedstar... but that information had been revealed to him by the very cat they now spoke of. The one who was, for all intents and purposes, the catalyst of what was sure to be immense bloodshed.

"SkyClan is not weak," he said icily. "It has not been during my reign, and it will not be during yours." His nostrils flared, and as he rose to stand, Wolfstar exhaled heavily through them. "Tonight, if the coward hasn't cut and run already, Dawnhawk dies. And any cat who agreed to shelter him despite my warnings..." his voice trailed off darkly, and he slid his gaze to Ravenclaw. "We will meet your informant tonight, so rest, prepare yourselves - Beechface, some herbs, in advance, just in case."

"You've done good tonight. All of you. Thank you." And with that he brushed past them, to the mouth of his den to look down at where the majority of SkyClan were preparing to rest and sleep after the Gathering. He was loathe to interrupt them, but this couldn't wait.

"Let all able-bodied warriors and apprentices of SkyClan gather before me for a clan meeting!"

Juniperlight had stuck around. He’d been one the few to be told what to look for at the gathering, but he’d uncovered nothing and thus left the others to their meeting in Wolfstar’s den. It was obvious that something had been learned, though, so he waited patiently in the clearing, crouched low against the ground with his black tail flicking restlessly. Now his brother made an appearance and he sat up to listen intently. His eye shone brightly in the moonlight - not with malice, but with a silent question of what will we do?

Nightpaw, upon arriving from the gathering, had went to his nest. Just as he was finally putting his head down to rest, Wolfstar's call echoed through the camp. With a vaguely annoyed grunt, the lanky apprentice strode quickly out into the clearing, sitting with an exasperated thud. As he did so, he looked over his shoulder, trying to spot Bumblepaw. His brother had been near him the whole gathering, it was likely he'd be out soon. Despite his annoyance at having to stay up, Nightpaw was worried. An announcement at this time? Something must have happened at the gathering, something unknown to him.

The mottled warrior had a pretty good idea of what was going on. As they traveled back to camp, he stalked and glowered, bright eyes flashing with emotion. His stomach churned, both with anger and with fear. Dawnhawk was still out there somewhere, he could feel it. And his father and sisters knew where.

When they returned to camp, Lichenblaze watched the higher ups pad into the leader's den out of the corner of his eye. Tail lashing, the stocky tom began to pace back and forth in the clearing nearby Juniperlight. He looked so calm...how? Lichenblaze had half a mind to snap at his granduncle, but Wolfstar's call came before he could. Silently, he took a seat beside the black tom, eyes narrowed and hard.

---

Shadewing rose from her nest when the Gathering cats returned home, whiskers twitching. Something was wrong, she could smell it and see it in their postures. Beechface and Bloodstrike looked positively murderous...Frowning, she padded out of the warriors' den to see what was up. Not long after, Wolfstar yowled for a clan meeting, so the young warrior took her place near the others. Light green eyes watched the leader intently, her tail sweeping back and forth on the ground.

Beechface said nothing further, merely nodded at Wolfstar, though her claws dug into the ground for a heartbeat longer than they perhaps should have. She spun on her heel, striding towards her den. Prepare herbs, right, she could do that. It would keep her paws busy, though she still wanted nothing more than for them to tear through golden fur without remorse. Dawnhawk was in Windclan, and he wouldn't slip through their grasp this time.

---

Birdsong had made a beeline for her nest the second she stepped into camp, but worry gnawed at her. Tornshadow hadn't returned, and Birdsong wondered where she'd gone off to as she struggled to fall asleep. A yowl splitting the air had the fluffy tabby lifting her head with a sigh, reluctantly pulling herself from her nest and padding over to where cats were gathering. Wolfstar didn't usually call meetings at this time, especially not after having just returned from a gathering, so it must have been important. Her mind flashed back to the tension that had permeated the air at the gathering, and Birdsong felt her heart sink, dread churning in her stomach. Beechface was striding towards her den, and the medicine cat looked no less murderous than she had before when she'd attempted to approach the leaders at the gathering. This couldn't be good.

Newtpaw had hung out in camp once SkyClan arrived home, hoping he could bother one of the older warriors into talking to him until he was truly tired. But, something more interesting caught his attention– Wolfstar seemed to be having his own little Gathering. Newtpaw watched them curiously, ears angled towards the group, but their voices were too hushed to pick up.

He huffed, about to try and sneak closer, but soon enough the leader was calling the Clan together. Getting up to properly join the Clan as they gathered, the tom kept his bright eyes focused on Wolfstar, eager to hear the news.

The sheer excitement of the Gathering had left Bearpaw wide awake, and the last thing she wanted to do after returning back to camp was head back to her nest to sleep. Therefore, Wolfstar's call for the Clan to band together caused her eyes to shimmer with joy as she swiftly padded over. She couldn't imagine what this meeting would be about considering the fact that it was so late, but that could only mean that it was extremely important to SkyClan.

She let out the smallest of huffs as she accidentally bumped into Newtpaw while heading over to sit down.
"Sorry." She muttered, her eyes widening as she scooted over to sit beside her brother.

Spottedpaw was near the back of the pack after returning from the Gathering, having stayed there to make sure they weren't being followed, or ambushed, you know... responsible, warrior-y things. Driven to wide-awakeness by the sheer tension that had been the Gathering, she, too, was boycotting bedtime, and as she noticed Bearpaw and Newtpaw sitting together, Spottedpaw bounced over towards them, stopping just shy and falling to her belly with a huff. Now that she was off her paws, she had to admit that they were a little sore... it had been a long trek. But she didn't mention that, simply began grooming her shoulder nonchalantly as her excited breathing finally slowed.

Wolfstar's voice made her glance upward, at her grandfather, and her ears perked curiously. "What do you think this is about?" she said in a hushed tone to her siblings.

Blossomstep could tell something was off, and she had lingered nearby as Wolfstar stepped away with Beechface, Bloodstrike, and Ravenclaw. The atmosphere at the Gathering had suddenly shifted not long after SkyClan had arrived, so she had a feeling she knew what it was.... Finally, Wolfstar called the words she had been expecting to hear, and she looked up at him and gave him a small smile. Hopefully he could feel her silent reassurances from here.

Both Dawnkit and Stagkit lay sleeping in their nest when everyone returned from the Gathering. Primroselight had decided not to go, even if there were plenty of warriors and queens who would be willing to watch over sleeping kits. However, the look on Wolfstar's face when he called an impromptu clan meeting made her wish she had been there, just so she knew whatever in Starclan's name was going on.

- 

Muddythorn had missed out on the meeting at Fourtrees, despite the fact that it would be his first one since becoming a medicine cat apprentice. Anyways, the only difference it would make was meeting his fellow healers, but that could just as easily happen at the upcoming half-moon meeting. Instead he stayed in the medicine den, brushing away stray plant debris and continuing the never-ending cycle of herb sorting. When their leader's summon called out across the clearing, Muddythorn joined the rest of the clan, and was put at ease when he saw that clearly, he wasn't the only one confused at the situation.

The walk back from the gathering had been rather tense, for her taste. She had a feeling something was wrong, but what? Maybe Quietstep will find out during Wolfstar's announcement, but until then she was unsure. She walked over to where all the other cats were gathering, and sat down, looking up in confusion.