Murderers in Riverclan V.3 [welcome back!]

[flightoftheowl]

Votes
Sunnybreeze: |||

(Votes will close when I have one from each person, or tomorrow at 5 PM (EST) if I haven't gotten a vote from everyone by then.)

[shimmerstream]

Nightwatcher shook himself, today was the final day. With four cats left, they could barely call themselves a clan and they all knew one of them was a murderer. He considered just getting up and leaving before the vote was even called, of going to find his daughters and leaving this life behind foever. But he owed it to Blastclaws, and to Jadestar to stop the killer once and for all. So, he stayed put for whatever the vote would bring.

(Sunnybreeze)

[SpiritKitty]

Sunnybreeze gracefully got up and stretched, before letting out a small purr at seeing all the other cats up and about. He was about the say something when he noticed the marks on the floor of the den. He felt his neck fur prickle a bit before trotted out of his let, his fur still a bit fluffed out.

((Nightwatcher, and sorry for not replying sooner))

[flightoftheowl]

Votes
Sunnybreeze: |||
Nightwatcher: |

(Votes are now closed. Stand by for the exile. You may continue to RP while you wait for it.
Sorry that I reposted this! Accidentally deleted my previous post while not looking >.>)

[flightoftheowl]

ＲＩＶＥＲＣＬＡＮ

The "clan"'s situation was bad enough, even if Firefeather had been the murderer who was exiled correctly. But as those two cats who had been asleep last night realized that the murderer was still afoot, a feeling of despair descended in the camp. Another innocent clanmate, exiled, and while for some reason the killer had struck unsuccessfully last night, if they didn't get it right this time...

Twistedblaze felt no need to go in front of the leader's den, as tradition commanded. Why be formal, when you're addressing all of three clanmates? What was the point? They weren't even really a clan, anymore. So skipping the formal words and simply coming to the front of the group, he cut to the chase. "The murderer attempted to strike again last night, as we all know," he said simply. "If we examine the evidence, it looks like perhaps the murderer was going to attempt to kill one of us last night, but the intended victim fought back. Would that intended victim like to speak up...?" He was faced with silence; Nightwatcher did not trust his clanmates enough to speak up. He had encountered the killer, yes, and he had avoided his own death, but he didn't know for sure who it was; if he voiced his suspicions, they all might turn against him! So the tuxedo tom said not a word, yellow eyes wary as he glanced around at the little family.

"Alright... That's fine. I understand that whoever it is might be nervous about the killer," said Twistedblaze quickly, to fill the silence. "But we all know what's next. We must, we must get it right this time; if not, well... No, we have to, and we will!" the gray tabby amended, trying to sound as confident as he could. He then dipped his head to the three. "Let's begin discussion."

Pumpkinmask immediately came to his side as he finished speaking. Glancing over her shoulder, green eyes nervous, she quickly whispered in her mate's ear, "Dearest... I know it's not you. I know that in my heart of hearts. And I truly don't believe that Nightwatcher would ever kill his brother, not when Blastclaws was his only family left. But that leaves..." Our only son...? the leader thought in horror, as said son, Sunnybreeze, came to their side, face open and concerned. But then he began to think about things. He, too, knew that his beloved mate was not a killer. How could she ever kill her brother, or her mother? Nightwatcher, though he did not know the paranoid tom very well, wouldn't have killed his brother either- Pumpkinmask was right. And, well... The only family member of Sunnybreeze's that had died was Jadestar, who was his grandmother; but the two had had practically no relationship, other than a vague friendly acquaintance. Yes, Blastclaws, his mentor, had died, but they weren't too close, merely having a congenial teacher-student relationship. And hadn't he been closed off, lately? Twistedblaze had thought it sprung from fear or suspicion... but what if it came from secretiveness? What if he'd been trying to hide his deeds...?

Twistedblaze stepped away from his mate and the approaching Sunnybreeze, the latter of whom looked confused. "Have we all decided?" Nightwatcher nodded carefully, glancing quickly at Sunnybreeze and then away, clearly suspecting him the most; both Pumpkinmask and Sunnybreeze nodded as well, though their son began to look suspiciously at all of them. "It's Sunnybreeze," Nightwatcher meowed angrily. "I know it is! It's not in either of your characters-" he waved a paw at the mates- "-to hold grudges, to get angry, or to hate at all. But him... I saw how he looked, when Pumpkinkit died. I saw his face when Cali was exiled. There was sorrow, there was grief, but there was also rage. There was anger, and hatred. I always suspected him... although," the black and white cat admitted, "I suspected everyone. But it's got to be him!"

With startling suddenness, Sunnybreeze whipped around. He was still young for a warrior- too young, really- but the hatred on his face... "Shut up, you paranoid idiot!" snarled the orange tabby wrathfully, tail whipping back and forth. "You don't know what you're talking about. Actually, you know what I think? I think it's you, and that you're trying to pass the blame to me! You were always paranoid! You never trusted anyone but yourself. And one day, I bet you got so scared of nothing that you decided to do something about it! Didn't you? Huh?" The older warrior stepped back, flattening his ears but not breaking eye contact with the younger. "No," he growled, fur beginning to fluff up. "You're the one trying to pass blame. Trying to get rid of me. Because you came for me last night, to kill me in my sleep like the coward you are! But I was awake! I had a feeling I was next. And I was right! And you knew you couldn't take me, child, so you fled, once again revealing yourself as a snake-hearted coward!" Nightwatcher was spitting his words out in anger at this point. His claws dug into the ground, and Sunnybreeze unsheathed his in kind, rage twisting his face into something ugly, something terrifying-

But before the situation escalated, Twistedblaze stepped between them. "Stop that right now, both of you!" he yowled, and both looked away from each other, startled out of their anger. "Sunnybreeze. Even before Nightwatcher began to speak... your mother and I came to the same conclusion he did. Wait," the leader warned, holding up his tail to silence his son before he could say a word. "Listen to me. I knew it wasn't her. We know each other, and we have for most of our lives; we both know that neither of us are killers. And Nightwatcher, though paranoid, has never been malicious. He may not have trusted his clanmates, but he loved his brother, even if they weren't close! He wouldn't have murdered him. But we know you weren't very close to Jadestar... and for all we know, you may have resented Blastclaws. We're... so sorry, Sunnybreeze," Twistedblaze said softly, eyes sorrowful; Pumpkinmask stood at his side in solidarity, though she couldn't meet her son's eyes, and her tail drooped low.

At this, Sunnybreeze's pupils rapidly turned into needle-thin slits. His ears flattened all the way back; his claws slid out. "You..." he breathed. But his voice rapidly began to rise. "You're... siding... with him? Against me? Against your own son?" Both nodded slowly. "Please leave, Sunnybreeze. Don't make us drive you out," Pumpkinmask pleaded. But he turned on her with a snarl, baring his teeth. His lashing tail whipped at his legs again and again; he was clawing deep gouges into the dirt. "Don't you see what he did?" the young warrior growled. "Don't you see what they ALL did?! I've never done ANYTHING but bring JUSTICE to cats who thought they got away with what they did! They thought they could just pretend none of it happened! That the world would forget! That Starclan would forgive them! HA!" Suddenly, he was shouting, that terrifying look of rage once again in place on his face. He bore no resemblance to the innocent cat he had seemed only minutes ago. He looked... completely insane. "STARCLAN! Don't make me LAUGH! You told me that Pumpkinkit would be safe there! That she wasn't suffering anymore! But you don't know the FIRST THING about death! YOU DON'T KNOW! When a cat dies, they DIE! That's IT! I've SEEN it! I've CAUSED it! And ALL that happens is that they DIE! They turn cold! They rot! They fall apart and there's NOTHING... LEFT.... but blood and grief and anger and rage and blame and COMFORTING LIES!"

Sunnybreeze turned on them all, panting like a dog out of pure hatred and rage. "You lie to yourselves. You lie to ME! And whehn you watched Pumpkinkit slowly die, you did NOTHING! No one did! Breezefire LET her die! I wish I could have killed her myself," he snarled with a mad grin. "She would have suffered. Oh, but Jadestar did! Jadestar got what was coming to her. They ALL did! Because Jadestar exiled Cali, and again, NO ONE tried to stop her! NO ONE but me! All because she loved another cat. That's... all." The young warrior looked down suddenly, eyes brimming with tears of sorrow and bitterness and pain, oh, a pain so deep it had poisoned him to the core. "I... couldn't... protect ANY of them. I couldn't save them. But at least I tried. At least I tried, instead of praying to an empty sky with empty wishes you did nothing to follow through with them! It's all of your faults. All of them. And I WILL have justice!" And without warning, he sprang on his father, cunningly knowing even in his whirl of emotions that his father was the worst fighter of the three.

All three had been transfixed by Sunnybreeze's mad rant, but at this sudden movement, they all sprang to life. Twistedblaze unsheathed his claws, alarmed, and terrified of his own son. The apprentice-aged warrior bit and tore without strategy at the leader; great chunks of fur had already been ripped out, and he raked deep, bloody scores across his father's stomach with a vengeance while the grey tabby struggled to get out from under him, suddenly shrieking in pain. Then Nightwatcher sprang into action, as did Pumpkinmask; with a dash and a lunge, the guard knocked Sunnybreeze away from his father, pinning him down, and landed a series of powerful cuffs on the side of his head. Pumpkinmask rushed over and grabbed the young warrior's lower half, helping to pin him down, as Sunnybreeze flailed wildly, attempting to escape, with his murderous intent clear on his bloodstained face.

Nightwatcher bent down to stare into Sunnybreeze's eyes. He hoped to see... some shred of a decent cat left; some tiny piece remaining of the silly, happy kit he'd once been. Had it really only been a few moons ago? It felt like lifetimes. The clan had numbered more than four... indeed, more than nine... there was no fear (although he was still paranoid at the time)... he had his daughters, and his brother. But there was nothing remaining of the cat that had once been. All that looked back at Nightwatcher was a heart blackened and destroyed by hate, sorrow, and blame. This darkness had been festering in Sunnybreeze for a long time, it seemed. Though he had never shown it, he had been stewing in it; he clearly had passed the point of redemption long ago. And the tuxedo cat shook his head, heart laden with sorrow. He hated Sunnybreeze, but... he could not help but pity the Sunnypaw and the Sunnypaw who had been. Yet the warrior made up his mind. "You are outside the warrior code," Nightwatcher murmured to the still-struggling murderer. "And I know you will never, ever stop. Not until we're all dead. Even them. Perhaps even all the clans. So... I cannot let you live." And in an instant, he slashed Sunnybreeze's throat and stepped aside.

The murderer's eyes bulged with surprise; he tried to yowl, but gurgled in pain instead. Pumpkinmask jumped back in horror as Twistedblaze limped up, clearly equally horrified. "Nightwatcher! How could you?!" whispered the deputy, eyes brimming with tears. "He is outside the warrior code. This is the justice he deserves," the tuxedo tom said calmly. "That is for my daughters. For Blastclaws. For all of our clanmates who died. Punish me if you wish; but I do not, and will not, regret it." Twistedblaze, too, looked stricken. But, wobbling, he had to sit down, coughing up a little blood. He looked into Sunnybreeze's dying eyes, as did Pumpkinmask. "I'm... so sorry, son," the tom said in a wobbly voice. "We... failed you. I failed you. I wish... I wish things had turned out differently." "I forgive you," sobbed Pumpkinmask. "My son, oh, my son! I forgive you! I love you still, despite it all! I wish... I wish I had known..." Her tears mingled with the blood on the ground as their dying son looked up with confusion. He could barely speak, but painfully, he gurgled, "You... do? B-but... why?" "Because you'll always be our son," Twistedblaze said, even softer than before. "Always."

In his last moments, Sunnybreeze would see. He was wrong. He was wrong about it all. His parents had cared, about his siblings too. But they were looking out for him, as well. They had tried to help Pumpkinkit. But nothing could have been done. And... as everything went blurry, he saw the faint shapes of his fallen clanmates around him. And his sister, oh, his sister! Starclan was real. But... that's not where his destiny lay. Not anymore.

How ironic, to learn the truth, only to be ripped away from it. How ironic, that he'd damned himself. With his last breath, he laughed bitterly as the cats of the Dark Forest surrounded him. And then he expired, his soul dragged away to those woods, where he'd never see the stars again.

Or would he...?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Riverclan was only three, now. And three cats wasn't a clan. They all knew it. So they buried Sunnybreeze, and his parents prayed that eventually, the stars would forgive him. That eventually, he could rejoin his loved ones in the stars. And then they went to the Gathering on the next night, where they told the three other astonished clans exactly what had happened. Of course, there was a great uproar; cats from every clan had different ideas as to what should happen, and some from every clan wanted to carve up Riverclan's territory and drive out the three remaining cats. But after a long night of debate, it was agreed that instead, Riverclan should be rebuilt with a few cats from every clan in a show of goodwill. Volunteers were asked for, and a few cats from every clan did indeed step forward, though not many (mostly those discontent with their lives in their respective clans); however, in the days following the gathering, a few more cats came to join, including a medicine cat apprentice who had earned his full name, and some loners and rogues who heard of the events also rejoined. Soon, they were more the size of a proper clan again, and Twistedblaze became Twistedstar, as befit his position.

One night, a few moons after the almost-destruction of Riverclan, Twistedstar lay by the river alongside Pumpkinmask. The leader sighed, shaking his head, as he recalled all that happened. "Our son... I still feel as though I failed him," he murmured sorrowfully, looking up at the stars. "And our other clanmates, too... And will this clan hold together? It's made of cats from everywhere but here. They don't really understand what it means to be Riverclan. They might decide that they don't want to stay. What if Starclan meant for Riverclan to disappear? What if...?" "Oh, hush, you great furry lump," Pumpkinmask teased, gently headbutting him before becoming serious. "Sunnybreeze... he chose his own path. He decided to shut his darkness inside. I wish every night that things could have turned out differently. Every night, I grieve that I wasn't good enough a mother that he felt he could trust me with his pain. But if wishes were fishes, we'd never need to hunt again. And... if Starclan didn't want this clan to continue, I don't think I'd be expecting."

Distracted as he was, Twistedstar almost missed this statement, plainly made as it was. But then what she said penetrated his brain, and his head whipped around, his face lighting up with surprise and joy. "What...!" he breathed, voice filled with excitement. "You are? You really are? We're having more kits? Oh, I'm so happy, dearest!" the leader purred, immediately leaning forward to groom Pumpkinmask's head and chest. "Maybe we can make it, then! Maybe we do have a future after all!"

From the Dark Forest, Sunnybreeze heard these words. He saw the sorrow of his parents, but he also felt the joy in them. He had also heard Nightwatcher's stories, told about him; despite everything, the older warrior... didn't blame him. Sunnybreeze's regret and sorrow had been building, for all this time; and to see this pverwhelmed him. "I'm sorry," he suddenly burst out as he looked up at them. "I'm so sorry. I really am. I forgive you all, and I wish I could take it back!" His eyes glimmered with tears- and as the first one fell, he felt a sudden feeling of unburdening, of lightness. All of a sudden, he rose into the air, drawn irresistibly upward by some unknown force he couldn't free himself of! He twisted and squirmed, terrified that some new punishment was about to be brought down on him; but as he was pulled into the starless sky, numberless stars blossomed into existence around him. The Dark Forest disappeared, and just like that, he was in Starclan. He had regretted, he had forgiven, and in turn he had been forgiven.

Sunnybreeze's tears intensified as his clanmates surrounded him, as his sister rushed to him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for it all," he sobbed, as first Jadestar, then Blastclaws, and finally tiny Pumpkinkit approached him. But none of them were angry; his victims regarded him thoughtfully, but inclined their heads, accepting his apologies. And his sister, oh, his sister! He licked her head over and over, joyful and sorrowful and overflowing with emotions. "I'm so sorry," he whispered to her. "I wish I could have saved you." But she beamed up at him, and mewed joyfully, "I forgive you, brother. We all forgive you!"

And above the happy couple, lying at the river, a new star suddenly blossomed into life in Silverpelt, blazing with fierce joy.

Perhaps there really way hope for Riverclan, after all.

You've caught the killer, Riverclan! Congratulations!

(The longest of all! I'm SO sorry, but I felt I had to give this all a grand conclusion. Thank you so much for letting me host; hope you've enjoyed! I certainly have! ^_^)

Leader --
↳ Jadestar // she-cat // _Pockii
↳ Twistedstar // tomcat // derpiness

Deputy --
↳ Blastclaws // tomcat // Tainted~Wings
↳ Firefeather // tomcat // 22tabby
↳ Pumpkinmask // she-cat // moyashi.

Medicine Cats --
↳ Breezefire // she-cat // b r e e z e

Warriors -
↳ Nightwatcher // tomcat // shimmerstream
↳ Sunnybreeze // tomcat // kitty_cat_meow_face

Apprentices --
↳ Cinderpaw // she-cat // honeystorm.wishes
none

Queens --
↳ none

Kits --
↳ none

Elders --
↳ none

----

round info: here
chatzy: here

toms: 02
she-cats: 01
total: 03

----

families + relationships:
-Jadestar + ?
xx↳ Pumpkinmask, Firefeather
-Twistedstar + Pumpkinmask
xx↳ Sunnybreeze, Cali, Pumpkinkit
-? + ?
xx↳ Nightwatcher, Blastclaws
-Nightwatcher + Graystorm
xx↳ Breezefire, Cinderpaw

[SpiritKitty]

((Ahh wonderful job as always flight! I also like how sunnybreeze was eventually accepted into starclan!

May i host the next round))

[Tainted~Wings]

I cry so much on that. I wish I knew the reasoning behind blastclaws being a victim but I love how in the end he accepted the apology from his apprentice 😭))

[Fading Dreams]

((Ahh wonderful job as always flight! I also like how sunnybreeze was eventually accepted into starclan!

May i host the next round))

you may host.

[22tabby]

Username:: 22tabby
Name:: FireFeather
Gender:: male
Rank:: Warrior
Description:: Orange tabby with grey stripes. He is very soft spoken and doesn't voice his opinion very well unless asked.

[moya]

really nice ending!
and congratulations everyone, I didn't expect us to actually win hah