sleep in your defense (OPEN;; Cloverheart vigil)

Stars... what a Gathering. Thankfully, once Perchstar had hurriedly ushered her Clanmates away from the clearing, the hail had not followed them. Clearly, they were not the problem. She did all she could have. But if that was the case, then why did shame threaten to burn through her pelt? Why did she feel as guilty as if she had not even bothered to address the awful crime that was committed? Why did Bloodstar's insults worm into her mind, threatening to dig up her old burdens of self-loathing and self-consciousness? The outward pelting of hail would have been preferable to the familiar inner turmoil that slowly began seeping into her bones once more. Walking at the head of her Clan, she tried her best to put those thoughts out of her head. And yet, it was with a notably dejected air that the leader crossed the shallow river and onto the sandy banks of RiverClan camp. Though the gray and white she-cat kept a straight face, her torn ear drooped slightly, and her tail was lowered as she trudged up to the base of the Willow Branch... where the corpse of Cloverheart, slowly drying, still lay. She did not bother leaping to the top. "Let all cats gather for a Clan meeting," she called, her voice lower than usual, but still just loud enough to wake any who may have been sleeping.

The leader waited for a moment for Clanmates to gather, and the rest who had gone to the Gathering to make it into camp, before speaking again. "The Gathering has concluded," she began. "I have some good news, and some bad news. The good news is that we now know who has killed Cloverheart; the SkyClan she-cat, Beechfang, admitted it herself." The complete lack of care or self-awareness in the she-cat's eyes still haunted Perchstar a little bit. She shook her head. "The bad news is that Bloodstar has, so far, refused to cooperate. He dismissed my call to justice, claimed that it was Cloverheart's own fault for getting killed, and denied me the respect of a leader. He ignored my attempt at responding, and instead chose to focus on the other chaos happening at the Gathering. A SkyClan queen gave birth, and some cats-- SkyClan and WindClan-- began fighting. StarClan warned us twice that the Gathering was to end, so we left before all had given their announcements." She let out a deep sigh. What a mess, what an exhausting night it had been... and yet it was still not over. But this was not about her. It never had been. It never would be. Her foolish emotions would not get in the way again. "I will not let this stand. There will be justice for Cloverheart. However... it will not come tonight. That time has passed, torn unwillingly from my claws with the disdain of a tom that I thought might at least have the decency to apologize. For now, we will have a vigil. Tonight we will honor Cloverheart for her life, her deeds, and the important services that she gave to this Clan. But, most of all, we will remember her as a friend."

Exhaustion trailing from her like a visible cloud, Perchstar bowed her head in respect towards the still body of the former medicine cat. It was still so hard to believe.. just a day or two ago, Cloverheart had been alive. Breathing. But now, she was reduced to this undignified corpse. There was so much that still needed to be done... So much that still needed to be said. And yet, they would have to wait until a reunion in the stars to do so. "I am sorry," she murmured, her ice-blue eyes squeezing shut so that no one could see the anguish that had finally begun to surface. No one needed to see how much this was shaking her, now that she finally allowed herself to realize that Cloverheart was gone. Her voice was hushed, quiet, barely more than a whisper. "I never got to thank you. I never truly knew you, but...  your advice meant a lot to me. If you had not come with me to the Moonstone, I might never have gone. You did me an unrepayable favor when you healed Ashflight after he was mauled by that fox. If not for you... well. I am forever in your debt, Cloverheart. Please, rest well in the stars. Continue to watch over us." The words she had never truly let herself say were almost too much. Perchstar took a deep, shaky breath, attempting to control her voice. The last few words were hardly audible. "I will avenge you, I promise. I will not fail a second time." Gently, she licked Cloverheart's forehead, grooming the thick tuft of fur away from her peacefully closed eyes. Then, the leader stepped back, so that others could offer their own parting words. SkyClan would not get away with inflicting such pain on her Clan.

The hail that had pelted them as they left the gathering did little to quench the fury under his pelt. Owlshriek stalked back to camp just behind Perchstar, though keeping a close eye on his apprentice through the trip back home.

Plenty of thoughts ran through his mind at the time. Bloodstar's behavior towards RiverClan's grievances, as well as respect for fellow leader Perchstar made the fur on his spine prickle. Was SkyClan asking for trouble? Any decent cat would see that the solution would be proper punishment, such as exile. What clan would want to keep a medicine cat killer within their walls? Owlshriek wasn't sure. Though, the outrage felt by the other clans, such as the WindClan elders that rushed Beechfang, was a small consolation that RiverClan wasn't crazy for demanding justice. Even if it caused the ire of StarClan. There is something to be said about their issues being brushed off, but other cats caring helped a lot.

As they neared the camp, Owlshriek let out a long sigh. Cloverheart's body lay unmoving, and Owlshriek felt the rage flare up once more. For Perchstar, he had held his tongue, he had refrained from joining the elders in their furious attack. Yet the anger only felt more pent up over time. He had never been close to Cloverheart, thankfully only getting minor scratches as an apprentice. But, he had seen the help and the care that the medicine cat had given to the clan. Losing that was something to morn in itself.

After Perchstar's recap of the gathering, Owlshriek approached his fallen clanmate's body. He didn't have a right to spend the night watching over her as he had with Hollyleaf. Instead, he pressed his nose into her fur and muttered; "I promise, we will set things right, Cloverheart. You have my word." Then, gingerly, he backed up to make room for others to pay their respects. His yellow eyes flicked over to Perchstar, delivering a nod. Perhaps it didn't need to be said-- Owlshriek wanted in on paying SkyClan a visit.

It didn't even feel real. Cloverheart, RiverClan's medicine cat, who had healed many after the battle against the Dark Forest... she was dead. It had only been a few sunrises ago when she saw the medicine cat, alive and well. Why would Beechfang even want to kill her, and more importantly, why would Bloodstar say that she deserved it? The Cloverheart she knew was kind and compassionate, who eager to help her clanmates whenever she could. There wasn't any good reason why Beechface would want to kill someone like that. "May StarClan light your path, Cloverheart," she mumbled under her breath, gazing at Cloverheart's lifeless body.