Bloodstained Roots [Post War Topic]

((OOC: Directly follows the War Topic.))

The sunlight was fading by the time Wolfblossom heard the heavy sets of paws approaching the camp. Foxtrot had found her just returning from a hunting patrol on the great ridge, bloodstained and battered, requesting warriors to help take their clanmates home. The battle was over, he had stressed, and there were injuries.

Wolfblossom had sent several warriors toward the river, and had turned to find the medicine cats in preparation for their arrival. The battle may have been over, but the deputy's heart was lodged in her throat even still. They all knew why Perchstar had rallied her troops, and why Thunderclan had sided with them. There would be injuries, and while Thymelight was good, she was not the only medicine cat Skyclan had. They needed to be prepared when the patrol finally arrived.

And arrive they did, bringing with them the scent of blood and death. The sight of her injured clanmates filled her with fury, and the sight of too-still bodies made her claws itch. Familiar silvery and white pelts stained dark with blood were the first to catch her attention. Mother... Perchstar had gotten her wish. Beechfang had known, had been accepting of the consequences, but Wolfblossom's chest felt tight and constricted as she gazed at the form of her mother carried by Skyclan warriors. A second form next to her was more shocking than the first however. Her sister, pelt just as marred by injuries as the others, but her body unnaturally still. If Wolfblossom had never seen it before, she would have mistaken her for being dead too. Even if she wasn't, it still filled the deputy with a deep sense of anger and sadness. She should not have had to lose a life, none of them should have to lose a life over this.

Birdstar at least, would have six lives left when she awoke. What was more alarming were the injured. None of the warriors had escaped without some form of injury. Honeydew and Sunfire, Briarthorn, Falconmoon and Stormwatcher... The deputy sucked in a breath, a growl bubbling in her throat that she tried to force down. Thymelight looked... The medicine cat looked like she had been through a war, which she had.

"Get the injured to the medicine den, quickly." She ordered, "Birdstar too." She still had lives, she would resurrect now that she was safe and out of danger. Her death would only be a temporary one, just like the situation with Trufflesnap.

Making sure that the injured were tended to was top priority. If any more of them should die for Riverclan's vengeance... Wolfblossom's claws flexed, the worry that had gnawed at her stomach now showing on her face.

"Foxtrot told me it was bad... Stars, what happened out there?"  The deputy asked, paws restlessly kneading the ground as she addressed some of the more coherent-looking warriors that had returned to camp.

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It hadn't been easy, being left behind.

There was no simple way to state Creamsky's feelings on the trouble that had found SkyClan - the knowledge that they had been harboring a murderer even if Beechfang regretted her actions and it has been moons ago. His only solace in the situation was that he trusted Birdstar - if she thought this was the right action to take, to protect Beechfang...Then so be it.

But when RiverClan and ThunderClan had been reported sighted by the river and a battle patrol had been summoned... It stung, his name being skipped over but in a wave of bitterness, he wasn't surprised. He couldn't breathe right - his lungs burned and ached on the colder days and the herbs that could be spared only helped so much. He was a liability at this point - he couldn't run like he used to without struggling to catch his breath. Something was wrong, and he wasn't sure how to fix it even with the help of the medicine cats.

So he waited, eyes fixed nervously on the camp's entrance - hearing raised voices at one point before Wolfblossom, fresh from a hunting patrol, raced in to gather warriors to help the injured back and stress for Smokepetal and Hemlockfox to prepare. Another patrol he was skipped over, making his heart sink as he curled in on himself and waited...And waited until finally, the war patrol was back. His eyes flickered up, expecting to see Birdstar at the head but no, it was Wolfblossom still as the rest followed in. His heart leapt into his throat at the sight of bodies draped over the warriors.

The sight of Beechfang made him wince, but it wasn't unexpected. He all knew that she had been the life that Perchstar had been after, that her death would be the only thing that would end the battle but her still body wasn't the only thing being carried. His eyes widen at the sight of Birdstar, like-wise unmoving but Wolfblossom still ushered the still leader be put in the medicine cat den. Right, she had...She had lives left still, didn't she? But... Surely she would have woken up by now? Not that he knew the average time it took for a life to be taken and breath to be returned.

Honeydew was also thrown over a cat's back but he could see the faint rise and falls of her chest, causing him to sigh in relief - she was far too young to die and a wave of guilt prickled over him, that perhaps if he had been healthy, he would have taken her place in the fight. Sunfire like-wise was in poor condition but alive as well which would no doubt be a relief to his kits. The others however seemed well enough to stand for the most part but as Wolfblossom finally questioned those still standing on what had transpired, the warrior's gaze was focused on scanning the nearby gathered cats until he spotted one of his dearest friends.

He pushed himself to his paws, slipping around the crowd until he came to a rest at Rainfrost's flank, quietly pressing her shoulder against his friend for support. He knew that Rainfrost and Birdstar were family and that...Rainfrost had also lost enough. The two toms had both their share of losses and he could feel a glimpse of what his friend had to be sharing - but at least Birdstar would... Birdstar would be okay, wouldn't she? Creamsky draped his tail over Rainfrost's back as he stood with his friend without a word, eyes focused on Wolfblossom as he waited to hear how the battle had gone so poorly for them.

Somewhere in between the field of battle, and home, Sunfire had woken up. Someone had fetched reinforcements while he was out, and several additional warriors now accompanied the patrol as they limped back towards SkyClan’s camp. After disengaging from the cats that had been helping him, Sunfire pulled back, towards the rear of the group, and walked there, partially because now that he was walking on his own paws, he was slower, and partially because he didn’t trust their enemies not to follow them home.

But they didn’t, and eventually the battered warriors were pushing through the tunnel and into the camp. Sunfire shouldered through them, immediately observing the nursery, where several sets of curious eyes peered out. Everything seemed okay, and that gave him enough relief to turn back towards his mother as she approached, giving orders for the injured to retreat to the medicine den. He managed to remove the murderous look on his face long enough to meet his mother’s eyes, but didn’t move towards her as he usually would have. There would be time for reunion and recovery… but there were things that needed to be said sooner rather than later, but… not to Wolfblossom, as it was the rest of the returning patrol that Sunfire turned to.

“The next time you leave this camp to fight for SkyClan, make sure you mean it,” he addressed them all with a guttural snarl, snapping his jaws together angrily. Sunfire’s gaze landed first on Falconmoon, then Thymelight, then Foxtrot, and Stormwatcher... all of those who had stopped fighting, who had called for him to stop. “You aided the enemy. You plead for mercy on the behalf of a cat who joined an invasion set on the death of one of our own. One of us. Why? Because some code says so? Perchstar wasn’t following your precious code when she tore out Beechfang’s throat - or Birdstar’s,” he snarled. “And you all sat back and let her.”    

“They claimed the only one they wanted was Beechfang, but for all the talk, for all their righteousness, did they sheathe their claws once the deed had been done? When our clanmate’s was the first body that lay bleeding in the sand?” His eyes were wild with accusation and frenzy as he looked at each and every cat that had been there. He knew the answer, but he demanded, again: “Did they?!” He roared so loudly, so harshly, that he tasted fresh blood on the back of his tongue. Sunfire’s head pounded, and his claws in the earth were sometimes the only thing that kept him standing, but he wasn’t leaving until he made his point known.

“Every single one of you who gave up, who didn’t fight until there was nothing left, who fled like cowards as Perchstar and Mottlestar murdered our leader… you’re a disappointment to SkyClan, and you’re the reason she’s dead. If it were up to me, you’d all be apprentices again until you re-established where your loyalties lie - not with some ridiculous code! Forget your code. Forget your mercy. It’s them or us, and it’s about time we chose us.”

Knowing that a battle patrol had been sent out worsened Bubblebeam's mental state greatly. She'd tried to go about the day normally, tried to act like a good little warrior, but the pit in her stomach grew and grew and grew until she was afraid it gaped so wide that she would fall into it completely. Her great-aunt Bird was on that patrol. Her best friend Honeydew was on that patrol. Her father was on that patrol. As much as she'd felt neglected by him recently, the kit inside her still loved and hero-worshipped him, and the thought of anything bad happening to him made her insides twist so tightly she felt about to scream. Her sister Thymelight had gone with them and if anything else happened to her siblings she would fall apart completely. So she paced back and forth in camp whenever she wasn't actively busy, wearing the fur off her pawpads in her repetitive and frantic movements. They had to come back safe. They all had to come back safe. Why couldn't they just have avoided this war? Why couldn't they have all just stayed home? They only wanted Beechfang, right? She didn't want Beechfang to die either, but she would rather lose Beechfang than her friend and her great-aunt and her father. The thought felt traitorous and sharp, so she swallowed it down, letting out nothing but a whimper as she continued to pace.

Foxtrot was the first to return. Bloodied, beaten, frantic, he said very little--and soon the rest came back as well. Bubblebeam halted her pacing, eyes wide and full of a desperate hope as she watched the camp entrance. Quietly, unconsciously, she counted them. One, two, three, four... three carried. Beechfang. Birdstar. Honeydew. Honeydew?! She could not speak, she could not make any sound as she dashed forward. Silently her thoughts ran in circles, begging her to open her eyes, to open her eyes, to breathe. Once she got closer, pressed her nose up to her friend's flank, she felt the rise and fall of lungs--however weak, however staggered. Honeydew was alive. Bubblebeam let out a choked gasp of relief and regained control of her senses. "Thank the stars. Thank the stars you're alive... thank the stars."

Then, as the initial panic faded, it hit her. Blood. So much blood. Blood on the living, blood on the dead. Its thick, heavy reek pervaded camp, settling like a noxious cloud. Blood all over Honeydew. Blood all over her father. And there, the two cats that did not move, set down in the center, each having their throats coated in scarlet--one in a clean, easy bite like a piece of fresh-kill, and one mangled like the work of a predator. Bubblebeam was not aware of the tears streaming down her face until she saw them dripping down onto Honeydew's crimson-stained fur. So much violence. Instinctively, the gray-furred she-cat turned around with wide pale green eyes, started to look towards her father for comfort.

But she did not recognize him.

The murderous look in his eyes. The gnashing of fangs, snapping of teeth, the guttural snarls that emitted from his throat. Coated in blood--even his teeth were coated in blood. What had he done? Why was he hissing, spitting at his Clanmates? Bubblebeam flinched back instinctively, witnessing the rage that rolled off of him in waves. The sheer hatred in his voice... something she had never heard before. He looked unfamiliar, like a nightmarish ghost. Who was there to turn to? Honeydew lay half-comatose on the ground, Thymelight busy trying to heal her and the others. Rainfrost looked pale, as if leaning on Creamsky was the only thing that kept him standing. Gramma Wolf was angry, tired, busy. Auntie Graywind, Bearbear, all her siblings nowhere to be found. Great-aunt Bird lay unmoving, throat mangled, and though some part of the young warrior remembered tales of multiple lives it certainly did not look that way. With no way to turn, Bubblebeam just shrunk in on herself, shying away in fear from the crazed tom who somehow resembled her father, from the vicious words he growled into the camp. She had to bury her face in someone's fur, in something, she couldn't look at this blood spilling onto the grass, couldn't look at her father's red fangs--

In a sense of blind panic, Bubblebeam sprinted behind Crookedlight, using the tall leanness of his form to hide from Sunfire as if he were a nighttime terror come to life. Her face she pressed into his back, deep into black and white fur, hiding the wide eyes she could not close and the weak tears that streamed blubbering down her face. Her father wouldn't want to see her like this anyway. If he saw that she was weak, that she was crying, maybe those red fangs and snappish words would be directed at her, too.

Falconmoon waited to see if anyone else was going to answer Wolfblossom. Sunfire spouted some nonsense, had the gall to look in his direction, then continued to speak. Falconmoon flicked an ear at him in mild annoyance. He'd address those accusations in a moment. "Mother," He spoke, loud enough to get her attention, but still calm overall. This would not be easy for anyone. The last thing he needed was to add to Sunfire's kit-like mewling by being an emotional jackdaw himself.

"I can only tell you what I know from my point of view. Others may chime in if they like. The battle started, I fought with my own opponent and won, but Beechfang had already been slain by Perchstar. I focused on taking a life from both Mottlestar and Perchstar, as penance. I also took a potentially fatal blow away from Sunfire," Now, Falconmoon held his brother's gaze for a moment, reminding him that he was only alive because of Falconmoon and that he could, quite frankly, shut his foxing mouth. His eyes went back to Wolfblossom and continued. "Mottlestar seemed it was fit to kill him as well I suppose. Mottlestar came after me again once she resurrected. We fought for awhile... but I willingly surrendered once one of our own attacked a medicine cat. I understand this was war, but medicine cats are protected by Starclan. Hopefully misfortune doesn't fall upon us for that. If you see this as a betrayal to my clan, I apologize. I did what I thought was best at the time. Punish me as you will and I will accept it graciously." He wouldn't say who that warrior was unless Wolfblossom asked. But more than likely... Sunfire would end up outing himself anyway.

"After that though..." His eyes dropped, now approaching the subject he didn't want to. He took in a deep breath to prepare for Wolfblossom's reactions. "Birdstar took Mottlestar's final life. Perchstar, in retaliation, has taken all of Birdstar's." He went quiet then. This was the one time that if Wolfblossom wanted to use him as a scratching post, he would take it and not react. Even he did not know that Birdstar would be permanently dead, or he probably would have done something more than just let things play out. "I'm sorry." It was all he could offer, given the circumstances. He sat down on his haunches, his eyes on the ground. "I didn't know..."

The sight of Honeydew, carried in on the shoulders of one of the warriors, made Wolfblossom's heart skip a beat. Blue eyes watched her, alarmed. The clan was quick to rally, and movement, however small gave Wolfblossom hope. She prayed that the young warrior would not succumb to her injuries.

That she had been brought into battle was a mistake. That any of them had needed to battle today was a mistake.

Birdstar was unnaturally still, even now, but Wolfblossom held out hope for her too. How could Sunfire be so sure she was truly gone? And Falconmoon? Rainfrost seemed to have the same thought she did, and if she hadn't been focused on the returning warriors she would have stepped over to him, offering a shoulder in silent comfort. "Birdstar left this camp with seven lives. She will wake. The camp is a safer place than a battlefield." For her to lose all of her lives at once, to be truly dead... No. It was impossible. Because if it were true that would mean...

Wolfblossom shook her head.

"Sunfire." Wolfblossom's tail lashed once at the tom's ranting, "Enough. Do you not see how injured your clanmates are? Is this really the for a rant? I understand your anger, that we lost a clanmate today is unforgivable. But do not blame the clanmates who fought alongside you for that. Unless you intend to share it and take your own offered punishment?" He would not, she knew. He would back down. It was just the shock of seeing cats die that had inspired this. "What happened out there? What do you mean aiding an enemy?" She had echoed Crookedlight's question. Her heart lurched to hear that Beechfang had been the first to go down in the fighting. Riverclan, she thought, might have stopped, or at least Perchstar might have claimed it. But Thunderclan? No. Thunderclan's grief with Skyclan was not her mother. And the warriors under Perchstar were not beholden to her claims. That battle would never have stopped for just one cat. And certainly not because one old medicine cat's death had been avenged. She knew better, they all knew better than to believe that.

Perchstar hadn't stopped at Beechfang, she had claimed one of Birdstar's lives. She was nothing more than a liar. One blessed by the stars, but a liar. Still, Birdstar would resurrect. A leader's life that was not their last was not one to be avenged, as much as her claws itched with simmering anger at the offense. And her mother... Her mother had been accepting of her fate. She had warned them. Repeatedly, that this would happen. For her sake Wolfblossom would try to listen.

Falconmoon spoke, and Wolfblossom's tail lifted, demanding silence from her warriors to hear his testimony. The other clans had come to them seeking death, and had gotten it, it would seem. Falconmoon had done well to defend his clanmates. "Are you certain it was Mottlestar's last life? I cannot imagine a leader would resurrect in the face of immediate danger." They would find out soon enough, she knew, but the two toms seemed awfully certain about things. Sunfire, she knew, was out of a lack of belief. "If she fought with intent to kill, then it is what she deserved. It is unfortunate, but we all saw how Sunfire was disfigured for a skirmish at the border. Mottlestar would like to claim us murderers, but she is of the same stripes." And if she were truly dead, at least they knew her deputy for a coward who couldn't even stomach disciplining her own warrior at a gathering without being told to. But Thunderclan's leadership was of no concern right now, not when Perchstar had taken a life from Birdstar as well as that of their mother, and her clanmates were so heavily injured. "...You seem very certain it was her final life." She was unsure of that herself.

"...Attacking a medicine cat. I can't say I approve of defending one from a clan actively at war with us... But they are outside the lines of battle. Was there no warrior to focus your ire on instead?" She asked, tone sharp with disapproval. "I will not punish you for stopping it. Two wrongs will only lead us down a path of further bloodshed." She added to Falconmoon. Thymelight and he were right to be wary of the consequences.

The battle war over, the war... Wolfblossom could not say. Skyclan would have plenty to do in the meantime, though. The deputy turned to address the clan, voice lifting to be heard.

"We must keep our borders with Thunderclan and Riverclan patrolled. I would hope they aren't so lost to their hate to come looking for more trouble... Especially if those lives have truly been ended. No cat is to patrol them alone, and you all will stay high in the trees, do you understand?" She began, "Our camp defenses must be kept up with as well. Not that they will get anywhere near us with our sky patrols."

"For now... Medicine cats, help the injured as best you can. They fought hard and paid the price in blood today. Perchstar has achieved her goal of vengeance,, and regardless of anyone's opinion of the matter... Beechfang was a clanmate. A friend, our mother. A mentor." Her gaze searched for Mintglade and Harepaw, the two apprentices she had trained diligently. "May the stars light her path."

She would mourn the loss of Beechfang, and sit with Birdstar. Her sister would wake, she would be the most upset out of all of them, Wolfblossom knew... She would be there for her.

As Crookedlight spoke up, Sunfire's blazing eyes turned to the black and white tom. What was wrong with him? What was wrong with them? He sucked in a breath, mouth open to snap back an angry retort, but then Falconmoon spoke up, giving a quick summary of the battle to Wolfblossom when she requested. As he finished, the yellow tom turned and spat angrily at Falconmoon, baring his teeth. "Willingly surrendered? In the middle of a battle? Listen to yourself, brother. Perhaps next time you can lead them all in here to tear out our throats while we sleep? Would you have stood by and watched if it were mother, instead of Birdstar? Or would that have been enough to make you rethink your nobility?"

Disgusted, he turned away from the golden tom, only to see that Firekit had snuck away from the nursery to welcome him home. The young tom's little eyes were round with worry and confusion, and it caused, for the first time, a flicker of doubt to shine in Sunfire's own gaze. But he banished that thought with a shake of his head, refusing to let the outrage leave him because if it did, so too would the rest of his strength, and already it took enough effort just to stay on his paws.

"Beechfang and Birdstar aren't sleeping, they're dead." His voice was flat as he told Firekit this. "They're not coming back, because ThunderClan and RiverClan murdered them." Sunfire suppressed a flinch as the kit nestled against his battered ribcage, but couldn't stop the short hiss of pain that squeezed between his clenched fangs. He looked down as his son continued, but the latter part of Firekit's plea wouldn't get a response - not here, at least... not now. But he was right, and one glance around the camp confirmed it: frightened faces, too many of them, looking at him like he was the enemy.

He heard his mother's response to Falconmoon: Birdstar left this camp with seven lives. She will wake. Throughout the camp, others were repeating that same ridiculous line of thought. She'll wake up. Birdstar will wake up and we'll be here when she does. How could they all be so delusional? Four bodies had fallen on that battlefield, and not a single one had risen again. What was there about her body being dragged back to SkyClan's camp that would - or could - change a thing?

Sunfire found Mintglade in the crowd, finally, pressed against Bubblebeam, who was sobbing into Crookedlight's fur. He looked away, slicking his ears back against his head in a display that could have been guilt, but passed too quickly to say for sure before he was focused on Wolfblossom's speech. When she was done, he turned to her, making no effort to whisper, though his voice didn't hold the same volume or sharpness it had, now that he was speaking to her directly. "They would have killed every single one of us," he said. "They're not playing by the same rules that you demand of SkyClan. I think Birdstar realized that, at the end." His eyes flicked up to meet hers, for the first time tonight holding on to something other than blind rage. "Don't wait that long to realize it, too. Please."

Now completely spent, the tom nudged Firekit towards Mintglade. "Off to your mother. I need to rest." He would see the rest of them, later... until then, he'd find a secluded spot in the clearing where he could lick his own wounds, away from all these incompetent cowards.