Judgement Day [TC CLAN MEETING]

Starlinglfare sighed, looking deflated.. defeated. His heart was racing, he looked panicked. "This is a safe space right..?" His words came out, they were soft but still audible to everyone. He appeared scared, but on the inside he was somewhat excited. The attention was on him, his glorious creations were getting noticed. If only they could all see his glorious work for what it was, but he knew they would never understand.

He looked up at Mottlestar with sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't come forward earlier.. but I was scared. I was threatened.. I admit I killed two warriors, but I was forced to do so by the dark forest. The warriors were trying to escape, and Smokefang told me to kill them or she would hurt me and my family.. My precious kits.. I couldn't risk them getting hurt. So I did what they asked of me.. I hated every second of it." The tom turned his eyes to the ground, the words getting stuck in his throat, acting choked up.

"I was going to come forward with the truth but things turned even worse.." An empty yellow eye turned from the ground to Darkspirit. "You know how the prophecy mentions a 'Dark Starling'? Well I witnessed our deputy kill Dovefrost.. He threatened me to keep silent. It's the reason he has always hated me. Look at him now.. acting like he is. He is almost getting what he wanted.. but I'm done hiding the truth. Even if it means admitting my own guilt from the paws of the dark forest."

His dull yellow eye turned back to Mottlestar, keeping his defeated look. "I will take whatever punishment you deem appropriate, but I ask that Darkspirit be punished too.. Don't let him get away with it.. Please."

There was only one moment... one flickering moment where Darkspirit wondered about his own perception of Starlingflare. Had he been so horrible because of the situation they were all trapped in at one point because of his father? The gray tom's performance was good, good enough that he might have had Darkspirit taking a step back to reconsider what he'd been believing all of this time. Of course, it had been very short lived. The instant Starlingflare accused him of killing Dovefrost, Darkspirit's fury surged back to life with a vengeance.

"YOU FILTHY CARRION-BREATHED FOX-HEARTED STAIN OF CROWFOOD LIAR!" He bellowed, spit flying from his mouth like a rabid dog and his face contorting into an expression of primal rage. He lurched forward, seeing only Starlingflare and red framing the gray tom's form. There was no one else.

As his teeth sought to bury themselves into Starlingflare's throat, he barely... barely managed to halt himself from committing. Threads of saliva flew from the tips of his fangs and splashed against the gray tom's fur and Darkspirit held that position for several moments, panting, as if he'd ran from camp to Highstones non-stop. Slowly... shakily, he closed his jaws, his teeth clenching together in a furious growl.

He had to wait. He had to wait.

He stomped two steps backward, his fur fluffed out to maximum length and his claws buried deep into the earth to the point the whites of his claw sheathes were visible. His body held a tension like a barely contained loaded spring. His eyes snapped furiously toward his leader, a growl in his voice that wouldn't go away and a feral look in his gaze.

"You couldn't possibly believe this, this pile of rat droppings over me!" His tone didn't sound like a question. His tail lashed back and forth, clearing the ground in it's range of all leaves and sticks with it's force. He felt hot. He felt like he was one lousy excuse from ripping someone's throat out.

Nightdancer had been about to speak up in defense of the deputy, as she'd only ever had positive interactions with him, but the tom in question leapt forward without a second thought to attack his own Clanmate. Starlingflare himself had confessed to murder in this very conversation (at the Dark Forest's will, he claimed, but still with his own teeth and claws), and now even their own deputy had swiftly proven himself untrustworthy-

Frankly, neither of these cats had her respect. What was the forest coming to?

To think she shared her camp with both of these cats, even slept within striking distance. How was anyone meant to feel safe?

For StarClan's sake, calm down! This isn't the time or place to make a scene!

But she stayed silent, watching instead of speaking. She would step in if she felt she needed to, but she respected her leader enough not to interrupt her without just cause.

Burdockroot's eyes narrowed as the tom spoke his mauling of her prophecy. With a very clear and precise voice, pronouncing the appropriate phrases as clearly as she could, Burdockroot resaid both prophecies to the clan under Mottlestar's request. Then, the Leader asked their opinions as medicine cats. "As the cat who saw these prophecies first hand from StarClan, I can confidently say that they gave no indication of a second cat being involved. The prophecy of the sparrow was a full on vision and if StarClan was so adament about the discovery of these actions they would give such clear imagery, I highly doubt that they would exclude the proclaimed mastermind of the attacks. Especially if said mastermind was a Deputy. StarClan would have shown the portrayal of two cats, not one. Starlings typically have dark feathers, to say that is referencing Darkspirit is false. It is a descriptor of a bird, a starling, with a clear connotation. If anything, the 'dark' would be referring to his work with the Dark Forest he himself claimed to have worked with." It felt weird to Burdockroot that she was now turning the fact a cat worked with the spirits against another cat. It hit her in that moment just how much she had changed since being Frostednight. Before, she would have defended this murderer possibly, simply due to her allegiance to her ghastly mother. Now, she stood in the camp of another clan condemning him to hopefully execution.

Starlingflare scoffed. "It seems you would rather take the word of Shadowclan cats over your own warrior who has done nothing but work his tail off for all of you. Need I remind you these are the same Shadowclan cats that took my eye. So I wouldn't doubt it for a second that they are lying to you. Medicine Cat or not they are still Shadowclan. Stinky, filthy, liars. Always have been always will be." The tom said, looking at the clan around him before turning his attention to Mottlestar.. Star.. she didn't deserve that name anymore. She would rather trust the word of an outsider over her own clan. Not a leader worth respecting anymore.

"I would never kill Dovefrost. I spoke the truth when I shared what I said. That is how the events occured. If you would rather trust the word of Shadowclan over Thunderclan, then maybe Thunderclan isn't the prideful, wonderful clan I thought it was. That I worked my tail off for nothing. That you, as our leader, will pick Shadowclan over your own clan. Shows how fit to be leader you are. Your so called deputy even less so." Starlingflare said changing his yellow gaze from the leader down to Darkspirit.

"All of you watched as this tom almost killed me. Exactly what I said he would do if I revealed the truth. I think his actions speak rather clearly about who Dovefrost's murderer is. After all I wouldn't put it past a cat who disappeared for moons around the same time Dovefrost died. The same cat that is the son of Dark Forest Spawn himself.. what was it now? Was it Dawnhawk or Morningstar? Or Klaus? Does it matter? Either way he is the son of a murderer, the son of the Dark Forest. He showed his claws, and has received no punishment while I stand here still questioned, after I spoke the truth." Starlingflare scoffed again. The gray tom stood up straight, yellow gaze staring right into Darkspirit's own. "Need I remind you of his name? The name that Stoatstar had given him? Another cat that saw the deputy's true nature? His name is Darkspirit for a reason, and if none of you can see the truth then you all are doomed." The senior tom said not once breaking his gaze from the deputy.

Other cats may have tried to guide Darkspirit away, but they would find it very hard to move the tom's stone strong legs and iron will. He never budged. Any attempt to lead him away from Starlingflare was met with unyielding resistance. His eyes stayed fixed on the gray tom as he spoke, one eye burning like fire and the other as cold as ice. His fury had his lip twitching and his claws gouged so deep into the earth it hurt.

Starlingflare began to speak again, the venom in his words for every Thunderclan cat here sent Darkspirit's rage into new heights. "Stop. Touching. Me." He warned Murkyripple, his voice a deep, menacing growl. A voice that was nearly not his own. Starlingflare turned his one eye on him... and his words...

That was all it took. Darkspirit's insecurities and all of his pent up rage that he'd had for almost his entire life bubbled up onto the surface. Thunderclan was gone. The forest was gone. The cats around him were gone. There was only Starlingflare in a sea of red.

Darkspirit launched forward with an uncanny, nearly ethereal swiftness. His claws buried into both shoulders of the gray tom, not even thinking about how exposed his chest and stomach was to claws in that moment. A stupid move. A feral move.

Darkspirit's fangs plunged deep into Starlingflare's throat, aiming his fangs for the sweet jugular vein pulsing beneath his skin. An explosion of hot iron coated Darkspirit's mouth and flooded down his chin. He'd hit his mark... He had finally done it! Darkspirit wrenched his teeth this way and that way, his jaws even aching with the effort and ferocity he put into every motion. He wanted to make darn sure that Starlingflare would not survive this, that no medicine cat stood a single chance of helping him.

Whatever thrashing he received, whatever pain there may have been from other cats trying to stop him or Starlingflare fighting for his own life, Darkspirit took no notice. The euphoria and triumph that crashed over him like an ocean wave made him immune to all pain.

All strife was gone.

All anger was gone.

All insecurities were gone.

Starlingflare's pulse was gone.

Darkspirit wrenched his head to the side a final time, severing flesh and sinew and muscle from the corpse and flicking blood into the air. He pressed a clawed forepaw over the head of his vanquished foe as if to keep him there and panted like a crazed dog as thick, sticky red strings of blood seeped from his smiling maw. His eyes were wild, still unseeing and oblivious to the world around him.

If this was how his father felt every time he took the life of an enemy...

Slowly the world around him faded into existence again. His panting slowed and his eyes refocused on those around him. He should have felt... something... but all he could feel was the giddiness from his adrenaline. He had finally done some real good in the world. He finally killed a cat. There was nothing to say, as far as he was concerned, and he wasn't sure his power drunk state of mind would allow him to do anything more than slur his words and cackle maniacally anyway.

Starlingflare is dead.

Part of Starlingflare knew what was coming, and he accepted it with open paws. He knew what awaited him after all was said and done but this chance... This moment, it was too perfect to pass up. As soon as Darkspirit grabbed him he knew it was a blind rage. Despite the pain Starling moved. His left paw slash at the area around the tom's throat, not deep enough to kill him but enough to deal some real damage. Maybe steal his voice. The gray tom flinched, and gasped as teeth dug in harder. He didn't have much time left. He needed to do this.

His other paw, his right, lifted up, using what energy he had left, and dove right in for the tom's left eye, digging into the tom's face and socket. Darkspirit would never use that eye again, just like Starlingflare had to, leaving the single yellow one remaining. Every time the deputy looked into his reflection, he would be reminded of who did that to him, of who stole part of his vision from him. Others would even see it as well.

Starlingflare smiled, even as he laid dying, he smiled. Darkspirit had shown his true nature to Thunderclan, his reputation would be in ruins, and would always be a walking reminder of the tom he killed. As his single remaining eye dulled, his voice wheezed out a single.. "There is the truth..." Before he finally accepted his fate, and walked into the Dark Forest's embrace.

"ENOUGH!"

Mottlestar's voice bellowed out from the highrock, but it was too late. She could only watch in stunned horror as her deputy surged forth, beyond her daughter to go straight for the throat of the tom on trial. Part of her had already been reaching the conclusion of an execution of Starlingflare - his actions simply were far too much to handle. But this? This? There was no way she could have justified this. None whatsoever, especially as the now-dead tom seemed keen on taking something from Darkspirit in turn.

Still. This was far from acceptable of her deputy, and the words of a particular Starclan tom floated in her mind for just a moment. As did the words of a few concerned clanmates.

She had no choice but to at least take one action.

"Darkspirit!" She snapped from her position upon the rock. She had no clue if her words were even reaching him. Likely, they weren't. But she had to keep it short.

"You. Are. Demoted."

There was no other way for her to keep it as short as she could. Truth be told, she half expected the tom to pass out at any moment given his wounds. Her gaze snapped to Fawnshine, and Echopaw. "Fawnshine, Echopaw, take him to the medicine den. If you need an escort, Murkyripple -go with them for their safety." Her daughter simply nodded - too stunned as she moved in simple command.

"Thunderclan... we will appoint a new deputy once camp has been cleaned. For now... Burdockroot, Leopardsun, we thank you for your information. One of our warriors will guide you home."

She roiled with anger. Frustration. Uncertainty. She had to hear what her clan had to say about this... stars, she didn't even know what she was going to do.

Nodding in acknowledgement to Firefly, Curlyfluff watched on as the gathering's events unfolded. Mottlestar began to speak and his curiosity was peaked as well as worried. A trial? Turning his gaze over to the ShadowClan, he listened intently as she began to explain the prophecy. It certainly was odd that another clan's medicine cat had gotten a prophecy for them, but he realized that it seemed to be a common theme as of late, and StarClan must've known what they were doing. "There was a starling..." Did they mean Starlingflare? There was no way one of their own clanmates could be accused of something such as this, right?

To make things even more confusing, the tom then began to accuse Darkspirit, who of course quickly combated such an accusation. His pelt shivered at the deputy's voice that boomed over the camp clearing. Cats went back and forth across the gathered crowd, accusations and questions flew left and right above his head like a flight of angry swallows. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst and his attention to any words being spoken was gone.

Helplessly, he watched from the crowd as the two tom's sprung into action. It was a quick fight and the outcome was most unwanted; with the now injured Darkspirit taking Starlingflar's life as if he'd been a piece of common prey. As blood poured from the lifeless body, the curly-coated tom's heart sank into his chest. The forest around him grew silent and still as he stared in shock at what had just happened. Their own deputy had killed a clanmate with what seemed to be without a second thought. Had Starlingflare's accusations been true?

Unsure of what to think, Mottlestar's call over the clearing snapped him back to reality. Looking up at their leader with wide eyes, the warrior jumped up from Firefly's side at her last statement. "I-I'll bring them to the border," Curlyfluff called out, not quite knowing why he'd offered to do so. All he knew was that he wanted to get away from the stench of death than began to waft throughout the camp.