Username:vriska serket
name:hollowgaze
gender:male
rank:deputy
clan:sunclanage:57 moons
prompt:"Can you tell us the story about how you and mom took the clan over, Hollowgaze!" A ginger kit meows, her wide blue eyes staring up at him, enraptured by the large deputy. Sparkkit was always so excitable, huh?
Nearby, Petalpaw sit's grooming her fur, pausing only to pry open an eye to look at him curiously. Lifting her head, eyes both open now, she grins. "Oh yeah! I wanna hear it, too!"
"Pleeeaaase!" Jaykit chimes in from between Softstream's paws as he got groomed by the blue pelted mother.
Hollowgaze glances to Tinderstar, amused despite how little his usually neutral expression gave off. Sighing, he lowers his chin, a small smile quirking over his hefty maw. "I suppose I can."
"Yay!" The young cats cheers, Sparkkit above all.
xxx"It had started before my time within the clan, many, many moon ago. I had been a mere traveler who hailed from far away. I had been on paw for many days after my last settlement in the east. In the early hours of the day, I had come to rest near the tree line when I heard voices," Hollowgaze began.
xxx"This is when Shiverstar comes in-!" Sparkkit whispers excitedly.
xxx"Sparkkit, be quiet!" Jaykit tutted, flicking a paw to bop their sibling lightly on the head, earning a soft chuckle from Softstream.
xxxThe deputy chuffs, a sparkling in his eye. "It had clearly been some sort of fight, as a voice was loud and commanding and the responses distressed. When I stalked to the edge, hiding behind the undergrowth, I had saw him-"
xxx"Shiverstar and mom!"
xxx"Spaaaarkkit!"
xxx"Yes. I saw the infamous Shiverstar," Hollowgaze would meow, closing his eyes as he tilts his head to the warm sun rays above.
---
Hollowgaze was once a wild born traveller, named Hollow then, from the northern mountains, he had always been a wanderer, from birth right up until he decided to go farther than he had ever had before. What lie beyond the ridges in the valley floor below off towards that endless blue expanse of water? When he had arrived at the forest's edge he had never expected to find more cats, let lone a rather hostile one. The tom was grey and near big as him with a hulking form of solid muscle, and cold grey eyes that were narrowed to slits as he stared vehemently down at a ginger pelted she-cat.
He was bewildered by the sight, but he had no tolerance for such things, finding the actions of the stranger tom to be unacceptable. Darting in, he shoved the tom cat aside, snarling. It had been an action that could change the life of him AND Sunclan. A fight ensued, but the tom, whose name was Shiverstar, ended up retreating, calling for the she-cat to follow him. Before she slunk off, she had bowed her head to him and said her name; Tindershine.
From here on out he stuck around the area, suspicious of the domineering cat he had met and furthermore worried for the flame-pelted female. He managed to meet in secret with her and eventually with a pair of cats named Softstream and Ivystrike. They had called themselves warriors, with Ivystrike being a young, recently promoted deputy after the untimely death of a cat named Thornfrost. He learned that the leader, Shiverstar, was a tyrant and that he was mean He made kids train as 'apprentices' at young ages, he killed kittypets and loners with reckless abandon, and he harassed the neighboring clans and was towing the line of starting a war. Over the course of three moons he began to learn more and more deplorable things from these cats - all reluctant to act on their leader's whims and all shamed that they had to sometimes.
At long last, on the dawn of the fourth moon, Tindershine approached his hidden den near their territory, behind her her friends and a young apprentice named Moltenpaw. They wished to have an uprising and they wanted his help. He had encouraged them to leave or fight back in the past, but nary had he ever got sparks to show in their eyes. But then, on that day, their resolved was as bright as the hottest flame and it glowed brightly. Without hesitation he had agreed.
Hollow waited two sunrises for the his retrieval, as the small group of cats planned on recruiting others. It was a civil war, afterall. There were going to be cats the agreed with the teachings of the treacherous Shiverstar, and they couldn't risk not touches all of their bases. Moltenpaw approached him that morning, telling him they were ready. Her bright eyes were excited, but even she knew the severity and importance of what was to come. Onwards they walked through the territory, meeting Tindershine and pair of cats named Eveningglow and Lionstrike. The time was now.
The fight was hard won, long and grueling, but in the end it was Hollow and Tindershine against the formidable Shiverstar. He was hard to fight, but with one fell swipe, Hollow did what no clan cat could do to their own leader - he stole away all of his lives. The remaining supporters, upon seeing this, fled the camp, leaving behind the battered and bruised clan - but none the less...morality was saves and Sunclan had been freed.
Ivystike ended up stepping down from deputy, nominating Tindershine to advance to Leader over her and then, turning to Hollow, urged him to become deputy with Tindershine's - now Tinderstar - own blessing. While he was surprised and felt it undeserved, the clan behind them rejoiced and agreed, their spirits lifted and elated. So, with little reservations going forward, he'd accepted.
Clan life was a far cry from the life of a wandering vagabond. The freedoms of doing what he wished might have been gone, but he did not miss it. Here he had friends, he had history. He had a home. And Hollowgaze would not trade that for the world.
- Fin -
[ 998 words ]
