don't look down [semi-open]

Once the dust had settled leaving Leopardsun to rest her exhausted form against the old, hard rocks- she realized something that hadn't quite sunk in. She had never been to Highstones before. It was tradition, it was ceremony, it was old; an apprentice would journey to Highstones before receiving their warrior name.

It wasn't that she felt all too bitter about having missed out on that particular rite of passage (though the circumstances were another story entirely), given her own feelings on their ancestors, but... It was strange, wasn't it? That she had lived her entire life without walking this path.

She had thought, distantly, that she might never see it; or else only if something were to befall Nightstar and she'd eventually be badgered into going to get her nine lives.

(She'd served ShadowClan just fine so far with only the one, thank you, and nine hadn't helped Froststar any; but she doubted any cat would listen to that. So they'd badger her about it, and she would go, and if they bothered to answer her call she'd have the chance to complain to them directly for once.)

Narrowed eyes shot a glance that was more like a glare toward the cavern known as Mothermouth. Somewhere therein lied the Moonstone, a rock that glittered in the moonlight and connected the dead to the living.

But the dead were dead at the end of the day, and the living were not. What need did either have for an anchor to the other?

Better for each to mind themselves, as far as she was concerned: the stars could deal amongst themselves, instead of stealing the living for their own, and the living could worry about things that mattered more than the grace of their ancestors. Wasn't it enough, that they lived by the same code and that they lived honorably?

"...Someday," she murmured, eyes still fixed on the cavern; words meant only for herself to hear. "Someday, you and I will be having a long conversation. None of this is fair, or just, or right; and I don't see any of you lifting a paw to help. Only when it suits you, I suppose. Sounds about right. What will you steal from us this time, I wonder?"

It was safe to say that she wasn't exactly expecting company.

Sablestrike hadn't left his spot in Highstones, he had just continued to stare at nothing. Time felt like it was crawling, each second stretching into minutes as he pondered the future of his clan. He wanted to hold out hope that Nightstar would come back, defy the odds set against him like he had before, but was there any coming back from wherever the twolegs had taken him? The same could be said about Harrierpaw, a cat that he hadn't been able to approach for some odd reason. If he was being honest with himself, they weren't coming back. They had both been taken and that would be the end of it, Shadowclan would just have to move on.

Sablestrike turned to see his deputy talking to the air, or Mothermouth, he wasn't sure or possibly just didn't care at this point. It seemed to the young tom that losing Nightstar and Harrierpaw had broken her, and he couldn't really fault her for that. Losing both of them was a crushing experience, but Leopardsun had known Nightstar longer than he did, she had a deeper bond with their previous leader. On top of that, she had lost Harrierpaw, the outsider that she had so adamantly accepted into the clan and cared after. Sablestrike didn't blame her for losing it, but they still had a clan to look after, and this was not the right image to spread to them. Slowly, the tom rose from his seat before padding over to Leopardsun. "Leopardsun, I think we need to talk about the future of Shadowclan."

"Sablestrike," she greeted, tail waving slightly. She hoped he hadn't heard too much of her quiet complaining. "To what do I owe the pleasure, exactly?"

Though it had been nice to lose herself in her annoyance at the stars for a little while, such peace was never meant to last. Still, Sablestrike's voice wasn't the one she'd expected to break through the otherwise-silent air; though she might have guessed the things he said. It just sounded so very Sablestrike; that his immediate concern once everything started to settle would be ShadowClan's well-being.

"The future of ShadowClan," she repeated. "What about it? The forest is still too dangerous to return, Nightstar is still missing. Is there something else I'm missing?"

This had better not be going where I think it's going, she thought to herself, as one of the numerous reasons Sablestrike might have approached occurred to her.

To the best of her knowledge, no new cats had vanished- temporarily distancing themselves from the forest territories had been a clever idea on Nightstar's part, and something she would remember if (when) disaster struck again.

She knew what this was about, why was she acting like she didn't? Shaking his head, Sablestrike replied with nothing but the truth. "Quit playing around Leopardsun, you know I'm not talking about the forest. Nightstar's gone, and you're deputy. We can't wait around for someone that's not coming back." Dull eyes traveled to Mothermouth as he finished. "It's about time you think about receiving your nine lives." Shadowclan couldn't follow a ghost and his living deputy forever, at some point Leopardsun would just have to deal with the fact that they were gone. "You've got a clan to lead, and I suggest you take your position as leader before it gets taken from you." He hoped the empty threat was enough to shock some sense into the she-cat. The longer Shadowclan went without a proper leader to provide stability, the worse off they would be.

Leopardsun let out a deep sigh at Sablestrike's words. Honestly, it wasn't entirely unsound advice; they couldn't allow themselves to wallow in grief- if not for the fact that they hadn't been here long, that she was already trying to form a plan to bring their lost warriors back, and that Nightstar in particular had nine lives.

(Well. Eight, she supposed; she'd seen the proof of that with her own two eyes. A recent addition to the nightmares that circled in her sleep.)

"They are coming back," she countered. "Weren't you listening when we arrived? We'll stay here for a while and allow ourselves to recover, and then we'll organize a proper search party. I meant what I said, Sablestrike: we will bring them home."

She scratched at the stone, worn as it was from countless paws treading it before.

"It's rare, but it's not entirely unheard of for Clan cats to escape from Twolegs. The elders sometimes tell stories about it. If any cat could manage, it would be Nightstar- he's still got eight lives to spare, and I seriously doubt he'd give up on ShadowClan without a fight. He placed his trust in me when he made me his deputy, and I'm placing mine in him now."

The younger warrior's thinly-veiled threat made her narrow her eyes.

"I'll act as leader in his absence, but that is not the same as taking his place."

"You're gonna have us all sit here and then send us out on a futile search party, I heard that. I don't know if you closed your eyes when the twolegs came, but the cats they caught were thrown into the monsters, Leopardsun. Do you personally know any cat that came back after being swallowed by a monster? We lost members of Shadowclan, simple as that." Though his voice remained steady, Sablestrike could feel his irritation rising. What was so hard to understand about their situation? Nightstar was gone, swallowed whole by a monster and removed from the forest entirely. Why wasn't Leopardsun accepting the truth of their situation, why was she being so stubborn about this? "If you have to say it's rare then you should already know the outcome. I'm not arguing that Nightstar would try to come back to us, but it's just a useless thought at this point. There's no way he's coming back from that." What a fool. "Act? You haven't been acting like a leader Leopardsun, you've been the leader. You just never noticed it." This conversation was a waste, he wouldn't be able to change her mind, Leopardsun was clearly stuck in her own imagination. "You can continue living in your fantasy, but I'll be doing something about our current situation."

Swiftheart had returned from a hunting trip. It had not gone well at all. She hadnt been able to catch anything at all in this rough terrain. What a terrible place to live she though upset. She was glad this was only temporary.

She caught the tail end of the conversation but it was easy enough to figure out what was going on even from this.

She sighed with a little frown. Her brother was still missing. Of all cats to keep holding out for hope it was her, she knew that he was alive and hoped so much he would return. But sablestrike had a decent point... until he got back they needed stability in the clan more than ever.

She supported Nightstar so much and as soon as he came back he would be leader again but until then... Sable was right, Leopardsun would have to take the temporary name of leader... and going with that, she would need a temporary deputy until things could return to a more normal state.

The white furred warrior knew that this was a very hard situation leopardsun was in.

"Leopardsun? ... I know that one day Nightstar will return she said quietly, and she did truly believe that, the warrior couldnt keep going without beliving that, but she knew it might be a long while before she got to see him again.

"But sablestrike is right. ... Until his return you need to claim a temporary emergency leadership title to keep the clan together and as stable as possible." she purred trying to pick her words carefully and with a tone that was meant to be taken as advise.

"And to go with it... You will need to appoint a new Temporary deputy as well." she added on glancing to sablestrike.

"As soon as Nightstar returns everything will go back to normal... Leopardsun will go back to deputy and the temporary deputy you picked would go back to being a warrior she suggested.

She tapped her paw on the ground a little thinking... "as a member of the council... I would advise this ... and I would advise Sablestrike to be your temporary deputy. He has shown great loyalty to Shadowclan, has impressed me as a warrior and although young I see much potential in him.

She dipped her head in respect to Leopardsun, this was solely the decision of Leopardsun after all. All swiftheart could do now was try to give her advise and maybe tell her what she would do. But she hoped that she would agree to it, shadowclan needed the stability now more than ever it felt like.

"Sablestrike? you understand that if ... when Nightstar returns you will go back to being warrior again

Burdockpaw initially wasn't going to get involved. She laid nestled against a rock, picking at her class a few tail-lengths from the deputy and then the ever going group. With her ears angled towards the conversation, she just listened to the bickering. Anger arose in her chest when Sablestrike spoke, but still she did nothing. When Swiftheart spoke and waived her position on the council as any type of meaningful leadership position, she got angrier. And then furious she would suggest Sablestrike after his thinly veiled power grab and threats. Slowly she stood. How dare those cats toss Nightstar to the side? Did they not know who he was? The kind of cat he was? That tom was the only cat she felt a sense of responsibility and loyalty too. He saw that she was special. Burdockpaw emerged from the rock, only for Iceheart to beat her to it. As she slowly stalked closer she listened.

"How dare you, Sablestrike, push Nightstar to the side? You're lucky I'm a medicine cat or you'd be pushed off a cliff for your thinly veiled power grab and threats. That's treason you're threatening. And Swiftheart?" She turned to face the cat she just healed. "Supporting this too?" Her fur raised under her pelt and her anger was exploding with every word. For the first time in her life, she was raising her voice. She stalked forward towards Sablestrike, tail lashing and bristling. "You're a traitor, Sablestrike. A treasonous traitor." The medicine cat apprentice, former warrior, was face to face with him now. Her scarred face, as grizzly and gruesome from her former life, in his. "And when Nightstar returns, I will tell him... oF. yoUR. TREASON!"

The quiet, few-words-less-emotions, she-cat not only had a whole monologue, filled with emotions and full sentences, but she yelled surprising even herself. Her eyes didn't portray this, however, and the two mismatched colors were fired with anger. She did take a step back though, and collect herself slightly, before clearing her throat. Screaming hurt. Turning towards Leapordsun her eyes were less furious but still wild. "When the moon is right, Fuzzybelly and I will find the truth. I refuse to let this insanity go further until I know for sure he's gone." With another growl thrown in Sablestrike direction, she retreated to near Iceheart.

Sablestrike snapped back at her, outright stating rather than just insinuating Nightstar's incompetence, and then it seemed that half of ShadowClan had something to say. Leopardsun let herself listen and think as they spoke, knowing she would need to address each of them in turn. Sablestrike's lack of respect for her and his missing leader, Swiftheart's misguided optimism and defense, Iceheart's justified anger (and frankly unexpected theory; she'd never spared the dealings of StarClan such detailed thought)- and Burdockpaw's unrestrained anger.

Curse the stars! Leopardsun thought, not for the first time that day. Just how long have we had an audience?

Speaking aloud, she was more composed; if only out of necessity and the particularly nagging knowledge that WindClan was occupying the same space. "Well. I suppose we've formed an informal Clan meeting," she began. "As ShadowClan's acting leader, I would like to begin by calling all of you to order."

Though she did her best to sound professional, there was a solemn seriousness to her voice. "Sablestrike. I'll be addressing you last. First- Swiftheart," she nodded to her old friend. "I understand your position on the council and appreciate your advice, but I must respectfully disagree with your judgment. However, you and Sablestrike have raised one good point: we don't know when Nightstar will return to us, and it would be a mistake not to appoint a temporary second. I can't give my best to ShadowClan if I'm working myself to death just to keep on top of things. As such, I will be appointing a second so I can focus on what is most necessary at any given moment in the meantime, but it will most certainly not be Sablestrike."

She looked around at her Clanmates to take in their responses, looking for any signs of argument, before carrying on. Her attention turned next to Iceheart, who had taken a spot by her side. "Iceheart raises some good points I hadn't considered, as well. Let it be known that I have no desire to claim nine lives while Nightstar's fate is still unknown-" (or at all, truthfully) "-and the thought that they might be stolen away from him only strengthens my resolve. That said... I should hope I don't need to hold my age or position, regardless of what it is, over anyone's heads to earn their respect- any title is worth less than nothing if the cat who holds it acts irresponsibly. I should hope I've earned your respect through my actions, and my dedication to ShadowClan."

Dark Forest, this was difficult. Not as difficult as the next on her list, however.

"Burdockpaw," she began, trying to keep her tone even rather than exasperated. "I appreciate your counsel as medicine cat, and would like to encourage you to speak your mind- but I would also encourage you to refrain from threatening the lives of your Clanmates, however frog-brained whatever they're saying happens to be. And, if you would, to mind your surroundings," she gestured vaguely in the direction she thought the WindClan cats had set up their camp in. "We do not need to jeopardize a new and delicate arrangement- if anything, I would welcome the stability. That means do not start shouting about treason, for any reason- and if you must accuse the cats around you of treason, I ask that you do so quietly."

Where was Fuzzybelly when she needed him?

Leopardsun could feel her professional resolve melting away as she spoke, but couldn't quite recapture it. She could only maintain so much composure for so long, given the stress she was under, and it was taking far more effort than it probably should have to keep herself from raising her own volume.

"Whatever you have to say to Nightstar, Burdockpaw, I can assure you I will be delivering my own report- and I doubt it will be considered flattering. I have been sympathetic to your struggles, Sablestrike, and to your grievances with Nightstar. But to state, not just insinuate, that he has not been fulfilling his duty as leader? I wouldn't call it treason, necessarily- that's too formal a word for something so baseless and unintelligent. I thought you would know better: a cat who would turn their back on a Clanmate before even a single moon has passed isn't one that can be trusted in leadership, even less so one who would turn so quickly on their leader. Why would I accept you as deputy, temporary or otherwise, if I can't trust you won't turn on myself or the rest of ShadowClan just as quickly? As punishment, Sablestrike: you will remain within our settlement here until either Nightstar returns or I say so, and you will be handling apprentice duties for the next moon."

She sighed, a sound that lingered in the air. "Lastly, that leaves the matter of someone to assist me with our day-to-day. Not a deputy, something less formal. Having thought over this choice-" (well, she had, if only for the past few minutes; and she was nonetheless confident in her decision) "-and understanding that this is a temporary measure and only until we know Nightstar's situation, I would like to ask Honeylight to support me in keeping things in order. As one of my oldest and closest friends, I have always been able to rely on him; and I trust him as well as his dedication to ShadowClan implicitly."

Satisfied that she'd addressed each major grievance in some way, she looked over the cats around her again.

"Is that everything? Is there something I've missed?"

Please, have mercy.

"And, if we can consider this matter settled, does anyone else have concerns to raise? I'm willing to listen, so long as you can manage basic respect and a moderate volume."

Swiftheart listened to Iceheart and Burdock's concerns. "I am not at all looking to replace Nightstar, only to give Leopardsun a second while he is still captured by the twolegs, it is not fair that we ask of leopardsun the job of two cats under these times that are even harder than normal. she purred quietly after a minute. Leopardsun had asked them to keep quite and she would do so.

"all I was saying is that I want someone to help her. Just as a temporary thing she explained better.

She listened and it sounded like ice and burdock both had many concerns about sable. Swiftheart sat down thinking more about it... she knew that at times she could overlook cats ambitions, could write off flaws as things they didnt mean... she had not heard at all that sable called Night a bad leader and assumed he did not mean such things. She gave others many benifits of doubts and always saw the good in people even if that view was incorrect or out of touch with the reality of situations.

What she had seen as ambition and willing to try hard for the clan in sablestrike others were seeing a greed for power. She sighed not really knowing then.

Luckily, Leopardsun soon after named someone that she would be very happy with being the temp deputy as well

(she would be happy with just about anyone really liking all her clanmates. As long as she didnt have to take deputy she would be fine. She was never much for wanting power or longing for any high rank position. Being a warrior was great for her)

She grinned seeing honeylight accept the position. He would do great with this, and she would help him and leopardsun out however they needed as well.

"Honeys a great choise Leo she supported this pick alot and ice and burdock hopefully would as well.


"anything you need, I got your back Honey she said quietly to her friend

He had been too loud, that much was clear by the cats butting their way into his conversation. Though Swiftheart was on his side, Sablestrike could tell that she wasn't fully understanding what he had proposed. "Not temporary, permanent." He mewed to Swiftheart. Still, he listened patiently as the senior warrior went on, finally getting to the point where she suggested him as temporary deputy. That... Felt wrong. Of course Sablestrike wanted to become deputy, but as he was now there was no way he would be a suitable fit for the position. Shaking his head, Sablestrike opened his mouth to voice his concerns, but was promptly cut off by Iceheart.

Had he even called Nightstar a bad leader? He couldn't remember saying anything like that over the course of their conversation but he supposed it was possible. Too much was happening in this moment, it was becoming hard to think, hard to process the words coming out of Iceheart's mouth, especially that bit about "buttering up" Leopardsun, what was that even supposed to mean? "I-I didn't know that's what I was... I never would have said anything if I knew that, Iceheart." Even while knowing that Nightstar wouldn't return, Sablestrike didn't want to strip the leader of his lives. "Stars, I didn't know. I'm so-" Yet another cat wandered into their conversation, at this point it could be considered a full blown meeting.

Again, the young warrior had to sit through another rant about what he had said. The threats hadn't bothered him, it had been one word. Traitor. The word drew a growl from the warrior as he regarded the medicine cat. "You're the lucky one, Burdockpaw. If not for your status, I wouldn't let you calling me a traitor slide, regardless of if you're my clanmate or not." Sablestrike buried his claws in the earth of Highstones, trying desperately to hold himself back from leaping at the she-cat. Everything he had done, everything he had said, it had all been with Shadowclan's best interest in mind. To have this cat announcing him as a treasonous traitor, not just in front of his clan but within earshot of the filth that occupied Highstones alongside them had the warrior trembling in anger. Another word out of Burdockpaw's mouth and he would... Do something about it. He wasn't quite sure what, but the fury burning away at his insides would take care of it, he was sure.

Sablestrike stared at Burdockpaw, not hearing anything else said until his name was spoken. Leopardsun had begun to speak once more. Willing himself to calm down as much as he could with the accusations hanging over him, Sablestrike focused all of his attention on the deputy and her responses to the cats that had joined their conversation. Sitting through all of it was extremely dull. After what felt like an eternity, Leopardsun addressed him. I thought you would know better. From that point on, everything Leopardsun said felt a claw to his gut. It was true. How could he be trusted when he had so quickly given up on Nightstar and the other missing cats of Shadowclan? Knowing that they weren't coming back was one thing, but actively giving up on them was different. He deserved whatever was coming to him, he knew it. Leopardsun continued, and the punishment that she outlined just seemed... Ridiculous. He had apparently called Nightstar a bad leader, turned his back on the missing cats of his clan, and unwittingly tried forcing Leopardsun to take Nightstar's lives away, and he was getting away with such a simple punishment? It seemed unfair, but if she really believed that Nightstar was coming back then he supposed she also assumed that he would deal with Sablestrike more harshly.

Half-listening to the rest of Leopardsun's speech, Sablestrike let everything that she had said to him sink in. The feeling of hollowness set back in, and the warrior just couldn't remain in this little group that they had all formed any longer. As the others began to speak up, Sablestrike stalked off further into Shadowclan's encampment, seeking some place that might offer even the slightest bit of peace.