i could wreck it (OPEN to ThunderClan)

As the sun began to head towards the horizon, long shadows began to fall over the forest. Trees seemed taller in the fading light of day; distances seemed farther, noises sounded closer. The chilly breeze that had been blowing all day had strengthened to a howling, icy wind by the time that Perchfall made it to the border, running at full speed. The journey from RiverClan camp to ThunderClan was not a short one, for all intents and purposes. She was not used to exerting such effort, going so fast for so long a distance. And yet, she would have run to Highstones and back if that would have spared Poppypaw the hurt she had experienced at the claws of that hypocritical tom. That reminder of why she was here-- her apprentice, bloodied with a gaping wound from shoulder to stomach, attacked to hurt the deputy herself-- only made the ice in her veins freeze even colder. This had to be taken care of. For once, she was not even thinking about how to speak. All she knew was that this had to be solved. Now.

Crossing the border with a single leap felt odd, but as the deputy of another Clan, hopefully she would be allowed a chance to explain herself before being immediately attacked. Depending on who she ran into. Either way, Perchfall managed to wander fairly far into ThunderClan territory, in the direction she believed their camp would be, until she finally encountered another cat. "I need to speak to Stoatstar," she told them firmly. Her voice and expression were calm, despite the unfamiliar anger that raged through her. They would recognize her as RiverClan's deputy, and take her to him. Right?

The member 'Ash' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Invasion Dice' :

"I'm going out to hunt for a little while."

Enjoying the feeling of ground beneath his paws, listening to a chorus of birds, and... scenting Riverclan? He had put some distance between himself and camp, but what could a Riverclan cat be doing all the way out here? Surely they would have realized the border had been crossed by now? Paws carried him with light steps towards the scent, and he found that it was a scent he sort of knew. "Perchfall...?" he realized, and his gaze landing on her pelt confirmed it. Her words came out as calm, although he could tell it was also rather urgent. Could he trust her word? What if it was some kind of distraction. Allowing himself a moment of hesitation, he then turned in the direction of camp. "Alright."

Softfall was just about to go on a hunting patrol when he heard footsteps approaching the clan entrence. Stopping and listening he also sniffed at the air.... Riverclan!!? what were they doing so close to camp!?

He always knew they would do this! They were coming to finish off Thunderclan once and for all. his lips formed into a snarl... let them come he would fight them all if he had to in order to protect his clan.

As they got closer he was able to distinguish it was actually just one riverclan cat... and he knew that one! "Perchfall!" he hissed under his breath... Minnowfin was with her leading her into camp.

As she arrived he boldly padded over to her. "What in starclan's name do ya think you are doing here??" he hissed glaring daggers at her.

If minnowfin were not escorting her, he would have attacked her on sight if she was so bold as to think she could just stroll into the heart of thunderclan camp. Even so his body was tense his back fur raised in aggression. For the sake of peace it was indeed a very good thing that Minnowfin had found her first.

He glanced at minnowfin raising an eyebrow... "she can't be trusted... this could be some sort of trick" he hissed. He didn't really care that she was right there listening, if he provoked her into doing something he would welcome that.

Honestly expecting a harsher greeting, Perchfall was relieved to see a somewhat friendly face. The neutral, almost stern look on her face relaxed somewhat when her eyes met the young tom's. She knew that Stoatstar had no love for her. However, Minnowfin was an even newer deputy than she, but the few interactions they'd had were relatively friendly. The tom seemed nice. At a better time, she would want to try making casual conversation with him. However, her mind was still mostly consumed by the urgency she felt. So, she settled for a nod and a simple sentence before allowing him to lead her onwards. "Thank you, Minnowfin."

They were surprisingly close to camp. A few brambles stuck in her pelt as she made her way through the entrance behind the ThunderClan deputy, and she shook them off. Entering the walls of a camp that did not belong to her Clan seemed strange, almost wrong, but her feelings were second to the justice that needed to be served. Hopefully, this could all be solved without any more unsheathed claws. Glancing around through camp, Perchfall didn't immediately see anyone that she recognized-- but that changed once she saw the tom who had caused all this trouble. Of course, at the sight of her, his hackles were raised immediately. Softpaw. Though, he looks older now. Probably has a warrior name. I thought that was supposed to come with common sense. Her neutral, authoritative face returned at his angry words. At the reminder of why exactly she was here, there was a sudden iciness to her blue eyes as they narrowed in his direction. "Good to see you again, Softpaw," she meowed coolly, professionally, not caring that it was likely no longer his name. "Trust me, I have good reason to be here. I will explain everything when Stoatstar arrives. No battle patrol comes with me; no blood need be shed." As much as some primal corner of her brain screamed to unsheathe her claws and attack the gray tom for what he had done.

Swanmist was resting in the warrior's den, she was comfortable there now, especially since Mintpool had moved in there so she wasn't near so many hostile cats.

Laying on her back, stomach to the roof, she was quite glad Softfall wasn't there at the time. Maybe I'll have a little nap? She thought to herself, rolling back onto her side.

Then, her ears picked up pawsteps, and then... Softfall's voice, of course. Head still groggy from sleep, she didn't hear the exact words that the tom was saying, but it certainly wasn't at all friendly.

She slowly made her way out of the warriors den...

Then froze.

That was... That was Perchfall. Swanmist's fur would've been so much cleaner, softer, and she would've been a little more healthy looking, but she was definitely still recognisable. I need to find the kits! Her motherly instinct kicked in immediately. No, she'd see me, then... She finally backed back into the warriors den, heartbeat quickening as she sat back down in her nest, trying to slow her thoughts.

What if she saw me? Is she here to hurt me? Take me back? Or something else?

The sound of gathering cats awoke Fawnpaw from her slumber— and fur bristling, she stood up. Oh stars, please, please don't be like last time... She stepped outside of the medicine den, her eyes suddenly widening as she spotted an unfamiliar she-cat. Who..? Her ears pinned back. Her clanmates' chatters were more than enough to warn her this wasn't something expected. And through the chatters, she somehow managed to sort out the she-cat's name— or at least, that's what she thought the molly's identity was. Perchfall. That was— That was RiverClan's deputy, was she not? Why was she here?

Making her way towards the she-cat, Fawnpaw offered Perchfall a small inclination of her head, deciding it was best for Stoatstar to decide what to do this time... like what had happened the previous event, too. "You must be Perchfall, as heard from my clanmates. I'm Fawnpaw. What has happened that made you tread all the way here?" The apprentice made sure her voice sounded soft. Innocent, almost. She needed to introduce herself in a non-hostile way— at least, that was the safest bet for now.

Comfreypaw was alerted at the smell of intruders- and not the ones that were already here. The molly exited her den and hurried toward the entrance with her claws ready. Another invasion? The strangers were definitely Clan cats, she had learned the smell at the gathering and on border patrols. Riverclan. Comfreypaw certainly wasn't fond of the sunningrocks thieves, and was a bit eager to teach them a lesson, but the camp hadn't broken into a fight yet, so this must be a so far peaceful interaction. The molly considered fetching Stoatstar first, but since she wasn't sure where he was she opted to investigate further. Why did Minnowfin let them come here? What do they want? More of our territory?

"Riverclan? Are we just letting anyone in here now?" she commented, clearly annoyed Riverclan had been led directly to her home address. It turned out there was only one guest, and it was the deputy herself. Perchfall, a name and face she had learned at the gathering. Perchfall claimed no battle-patrol was with her, but Comfreypaw quickly went through the entrance tunnel just to check. Outside the camp there was no sign of anything other than Thunderclan and Perchfall tracks. She took a deep breath, but still no fishy scents other than Perchfall's. That's good, she guessed, but still maybe wishing for a tussle. The apprentice wanted to show those fish-kissers who's boss. Ducking back inside she nodded to Minnowfin, confirming that indeed no one had followed. But that didn't mean Comfreypaw wasn't still suspicious. She didn't know Riverclan like she knew Thunderclan. But they clearly weren't the nicest if they insisted on claiming the land that was obviously Thunderclan's.

The route they took was carefully chosen, but before they had arrived, yet another familiar face showed up. Already expecting a harsh welcome, Softfall's remarks did not haze the deputy, unlike the first time the grey tom had interacted with him. "She is here to talk to Stoatstar, and please remember that I can reason with logic, just as well as you." he firmly replied, confirming that he had considered the possibility of the visitor to be a trap.

Perchfall's calm reply to the young warrior's comments was admired by Minnowfin as they entered camp. Two apprentices of Waterlily's litter immediately crowded the group. Again, the deputy's decision to take this Riverclanner into camp was questioned. Did any of his clanmates have faith in him? "Like Perchfall has stated, she is here to talk to Stoatstar. Fawnpaw, would you please assure your clanmates that there is no need for a commotion? I will escort Perchfall to Stoatstar's den." Comfreypaw's nod did not go unnoticed and the deputy acknowledged her help with a smile and a flick of the tail. Motioning to the Riverclan deputy, he led her towards Highrock.

Hearing the chatter of clanmates, he drug himself from the mild comfort of his den. It wasn't a shock - with Dark Forest cats lingering about there was always some sort of commotion. At the edges of the leader's eyes was a weary sleep. He emerged right as Minnowfin approached with the Riverclan cat. Stoatstar blinked several times to make sure that what he had seen before him was indeed there. Apparently, that was the case; Riverclan's deputy had chosen to grace their camp with her presence. Between the exhaustion and an already sour mood, the brown and white tom longed to do anything other than play the nice leader.

Stoatstar nodded towards his deputy and peered behind her, looking for any sign of other Riverclan warriors. There wasn't any. Shrugging slightly, he turned to the deputy and meowed, "I suppose you haven't come for a friendly visit, Perchfall. What is it?"

Many things caught Perchfall's gaze as she wandered through the camp. A glimpse of a familiar ragged white pelt-- slightly less ragged now-- made her pause for just a moment, before shaking off what little attachment she still felt to her former Clanmate. That occasion had passed long ago. She was certainly not here to bother whatever little plans the delusional queen had. Several apprentices walked up to them, some more friendly than others. Glancing down at Fawnpaw, who was at least enquiring with a semblance of kindness, she offered a few passing words. "I will explain." She nodded thankfully to Minnowfin for his helpful words. He had been so trusting of her to let her in; the deputy felt a warmth toward the other tom that almost broke through the cold anger for a moment. One day, they would have to try and have a conversation uncluttered by their high ranks, if it was possible.

It was so hard to keep track of everything-- passing pelts, faces, names. Inwardly, her focus was on only one thing. Every time she remembered the bloody gash on calico, the fearful whimpers from her apprentice, the ice entered her veins once more. She breathed in, out, remembering what she had to do. Finally, Stoatstar himself arrived. Her initial rage had certainly calmed from her run over. However, she was not going to abandon her purpose. If this got her in trouble somehow, so be it.

"I would not bother you for no reason, Stoatstar," Perchfall meowed simply, keeping her tone neutral and professional. She sat down, letting her tail sweep over her paws. "I apologize for arriving in such a fashion. As much as I would like to be on friendly terms, that is not why I have come. Unfortunately, I have to report an incident that happened. Rest assured that I am not here to start any trouble or cause any fighting. This is simply a response, and a request for justice, after an action taken by another cat." For one moment, her eyes slid to the side, noting where the tom in question stood bristling. How to state this? How to not let her anger take control? None of her fury showed on her face, other than a slight narrowing of the light blue eyes. "I trust you remember the time when Softpaw crossed the RiverClan border and attempted to steal prey. Rather than attack, as other cats might have done, I attempted to reason with him until you arrived to bring him away. At the time, I had believed that altercation had been solved, and all parties had gone away the wiser. I did not believe I would ever need to bring it up again. And yet, here we are."

For a moment, all was quiet. She heard her slight, shallow breaths. She heard the rustling of the bushes at ThunderClan's camp entrance. She saw the pricking of ears towards her, the attention of cats who were not her Clanmates. She had to be very careful. "Earlier today," Perchfall continued, raising her voice only slightly so that it would be easily heard, "my apprentice made a mistake. On accident, she went over the border between RiverClan and ThunderClan. That was wrong of her, and she has been reprimanded. I am ashamed that she would make such a mistake." While her language was harsher than the truth, she knew this was necessary to not come off as too lenient towards Poppypaw. Once the calico had recovered, she certainly would have a few words with her. But this matter had been more pressing. "She was met by none other than Softpaw-- who I assume has a new name that I do not have the pleasure of knowing. When confronted by an enemy cat on the border, a loyal warrior has two options. One is to talk and deliver a warning; the option that I chose when I was in the same position. The other is to attack and warn them off with claws; a reasonable option as well. However, Softpaw did not attack my apprentice to warn her. She reports that he attacked with intent to kill, and even stated as much himself."

Now, Perchfall turned to face the gray tom fully. Her eyes met his, piercing through, carrying for a moment the full weight of her anger and disdain. "My apprentice tried to run from him, but he pursued her. She barely managed to get away and run back to camp, bleeding heavily from a wound far greater than should be sustained in any mere border skirmish." Though her voice was still calm, level, there was an almost-underlying growl that could barely be heard through the clearness of her tone. "Under any circumstances, this would be bad enough. The warrior code states that no honorable warrior should kill. However, taken in light of Softpaw's own transgressions, this becomes hypocrisy of the sort that I thought any cat would be incapable. When he crossed the border and attempted to steal RiverClan prey, and would not back down when warned, he barely avoided a skirmish due to Stoatstar's arrival."

Her gaze flickered back to the leader momentarily, before returning to the bloodthirsty tom's. "However, when confronted by a situation in which a cat younger than him has made a similar mistake, without even the added attempt to steal, what does he do? Does he take into account his own follies and respond accordingly, with understanding and kindness? Does he even take the more extreme route and attack only to drive her away? No." Again, Perchfall turned to the leader, and her voice rose again slightly from her normal quiet tone. A hint of her anger broke through-- nothing as much as a yowl or a snarl, but a curdling fury at the pain that had barely been avoided. "Stoatstar, this tom attempted to murder my apprentice. How do you answer for this atrocity?"

Softfall glared at Perchfall the whole time she spoke but did not stop or interrupt her.  When she was done he rolled his eyes in disrespect at the deputy of his hated rival clan and even let out a scoff of unbelieve.  Turning to her he said coldly  "Its Softfall... It appears Stoatstar has a sense of humor and gave me the same suffix as you the day after we had the..."pleasure" of meeting the first time as you mentioned." He said "pleasure" full of sarcasm.

He stood up and faced his clanmates and their unwelcomed guest. "Hear me!" he said loudly his cold glace scanning over each and every one of them. He talked loud for all to hear and wanted their full attention.

"What she says is all true... although saying that I would have killed her hmm a bit of a stretch... she certainly was able to run away just fine so I doubt she was that close to death as miss dramatic here makes it seem." he thought to himself that this was a real shame that she had gotten away but did not say that little bit.

"As for the rest of your jib jab... I fail to see any point in this. Your cat is the one in the wrong here! She crossed into our land mistake or not! Has riverclan not stolen enough land from us of late? How much more is it that you want from us!"  he hissed eyes burning with hatred staring into Perchfall's.

"As you mentioned, I had 2 choices and I choose to defend what little land we have left!" he growled stepping closer to Perchfall. "If minnowfin had not been escorting you here now I would have done the same to you. It is my duty to defend my clan."

"As for your comments about what you did when I was in the wrong and how that makes me a terrible person... well lahh dee dahhh look who comes riding into OUR camp on their high horse.  Parading around like you own the forest and how noble you are!  He flicked his tail at the elders den and the nursery who housed very skinny cats indeed from the disadvantage stats of having no land

(This took place before we got the land from sky clan)

"Easy for you to give nice little warnings. You do not have to defend your land with tooth and claw when you already have so much to spare and go around.  Some of us are not so lucky!  I saw an intruder who was hunting and I attacked... and now you have the nerve to come here and ask for an apology? " He flicked his tail back and forth shaking his head.

He looked at his clanmates he knew at least some of them had to agree with him that this was ridiculous. He needed to get them railed up and actively speaking out against the absurdness of this.

Soon he vowed silently to himself he would make riverclan realize their sins, they would soon wonder how they thought they could live so nice and large and leave so little for anyone else.

Even as the leader emerged from his den, Minnowfin had absolute certainty that right now was not the best of times. Perhaps his mentor's exhaustion was not as obvious as it seemed in his view. However obvious it was, he made a mental note that when all this was over, he'd take some prey to him and just be there to listen, if the leader felt like it.

The exchange of icy staredowns and glares of hatred sent shivers down his spine. These two had a whole history, did they not? As the Riverclan deputy reported of a violent incident, he couldn't help feeling sympathy for the deputy and the apprentice. If Sweetpaw had been the one attacked-- Just the thought made his blood boil. At the same time, this was his clanmate being talked about. Softfall had to have some reason for doing this.

The sassy remark, rude comment on naming, and proud, yet convincing speech left him wanting to simply curl up in a nest and sleep it over. With a heavy sigh, the tom realized that this was probably how Stoatstar felt as well. Even though he had not mentored Softfall himself, he felt responsible still for the mouthy warrior's actions. Thinking things through in his head, the deputy observed in quiet, heart filled with a silent sympathy for his leader.

"Justice?" A voice echoed from the camp entrance.

Starlingflare stood just behind the group. He had been out patrolling but the scent of Riverclan had him heading back to the camp in an instant. Even when it mingled with another Thunderclan scent he still couldn't trust it. As he approached the camp, he heard the voices rise from the camp, hearing the story as it progressed.

"You want justice? For what? A simple little wound from a border skirmish?" The one eyed warrior stared the deputy down. His dark gaze not leaving her form. The tom snorted as thoughts filled his head. "Before you open your mouth to speak to spit out that stupid story again, let me go ahead and ask. Where was our justice when one of your warriors nearly drowned Appledapple? Where was our justice when your warriors stole one of Minkstar's lives when he was the only cat standing?" He growled out.  His anger flaring in chest and in his tone.

[color=gold]"Where was our justice when your warriors killed our very own Wolfblaze huh? You talk of following the code, but all of your warriors remained unpunished for breaking the code. Thorns! Your warriors even attacked our medicine cat! He didn't even fight back merely just trying to prevent Minkstar's death yet your warriors were unrelenting!"[/gold] His tail was lashing behind him now. All the rage from the sunning rocks battle finally coming forth.

"You are just wasting your and our time here Perchfall. Save your pointless words for someone else." He didn't care what Stoatstar said at this point. If Softfall was punished for defending the border, then Starlingflare was going to have some serious words for the leader, especially after everything Riverclan had done to them. So if what they did was just because of a mere border skirmish, then her apprentices wounds was just a result of the border skirmish and nothing more.

Stoatstar listened, a fire burning in his stomach with each passing word. It was Softfall. Of course it was Softfall. He wanted to tear apart the dirt under his claws and yowl at the skies. The clan leader had no desire to deal with any of this. After taking a chance on the younger tom, granting warriorhood, this was the thanks he got? Cats fought at the borders all the time - it was merely their way of life. Perchfall, however, had been reasonable before and his faith in Softfall had dwindled rapidly.

Starlingflare spoke up first. Despite the rather irrational side, outspoken at times as he always had been, the warrior was right in some ways. But, Starclan, did he wish that any of his clanmates knew how to hold their tongues. If only they understood how much he wanted to screech over everything as well, to let loose this torrent of emotions. It wasn't an option. His head turned to Softfall with a glare as he let out a mild hiss, "Shut your maw, Softfall."

His mind churned, longing to seek out the most rational answer possible. It was hard to come to a conclusion with half the clan breathing down their necks. Between the Dark Forest cats and his own clanmates, Stoatstar felt a prickle up his spine. He needed to get away, "Perchfall, Softfall, follow me. We will discuss this in my den." With a whisk of his tail, he summoned Minnowfin as well. The young deputy was rational and would surely keep him in check, right? As he padded away, the little brown and white tom dipped his head slightly to Starlingflare, an acknowledgement of the warrior's input and hopefully a reassurance that he'd handle it.

The sooner this was over - the better. Once slipping into the den, he settled down on his nest, finding a frail comfort in that action. For a brief moment, he considered how nice it would be to simply have Appledapple drive off Riverclan's deputy and they could deal with it later. Thunderclan had grown stronger - but how strong were Jaystar's forces? Stoatstar shook his head slightly to focus on the task at paw, "I want an explanation from Softfall. A calm and reasonable one. As my other warrior pointed out, this is our way of life, Perchfall. I'd like to hear what my clanmate has to say for himself. If I have any reason to believe he intended to break the code, I will handle it. Fair enough?"