(Rose, you also have a tendency to be brusque, as do I. We probably shouldn't be talking. Silverclaw was planned. Smoothpaw was not. Make of that what you will.)
Gathering
Foxflame sat with his eyes closed, letting tears drip from underneath his eyelids. I felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest. Petalsong was gone, he just knew it. His kits would have no mother to care for them, and they would die as well. Anguish filled his soul, and he refused to let Ashfeather comfort him with simple grooming. After a few moments of perpetual heartbreak, he began to feel a strange burning sensation in his chest. What was it? He suddenly found himself blaming DarkClan for murdering his love. How he longed to crush the life out of each and every one of them. His claws began to knead the ground. "Foxflame," a warning came from his sister. He knew she could overpower him if she wanted to, hold him back from actually doing anything he would regret, and he was thankful for that. It made him feel safer, locked up in his misery. His sister would always take care of him. And he would always have her to take care of. But he would not have Petalsong. Grief ripped through him again, feeling like ice and fire at the same time. It would burn him alive and then freeze his remains so that he would never be at peace again. His muscular body shuddered with quiet sobs as he lamented for the she-cat that was his world.
Nightfall glared in Winterfur's direction and pounded on the bars while she sealed it up. If only he was a FireClan cat like his sister! Everyone knew that FireClan was the most powerful clan in the forest. At least there was still plenty of air inside the cage. The black tom had two choices: minimize exertion to save oxygen and wait for rescue, or use all his energy and oxygen to break out immediately. Personally, he found the second choice much more appealing. Summoning all his energy, he threw all his weight into the cage wall, knocking it over. To his dismay, there was only a small crack. But Winterfur's freezing had stopped, and he heard another voice outside. Someone was trying to distract her. Or maybe they were coming to help her. That thought terrified Nightfall, and he began a fresh attempt to break out. He scraped two sets of claws down the wall, jarring his spine. A few ice chips fell away, but that was all. His midnight-blue eyes came to rest on the small crack he had made in knocking the cage over, and he set to work with his claws, scrabbling away at it. The terror of suffocation was smothering, and he felt like the air was already running out.
I just need to calm down and slow my breathing. It's going to take a little while for the cage to break. Taking slow, deep breaths, the tom tried to calm himself while he worked away at his last chance of survival.
(Um, in answer to Fairy's question, I'm going to post briefly for Fawnstar. I just hope Nala doesn't mind. =/)
Fawnstar looked around her after Bloodstar sat down. The only leaders left were Sunstar and herself. It made sense that Sunstar would want to go last. He would have the most to say. The tan she-cat stood and made her way to the edge of the Highbranch where everyone could see her. "RockClan has little to report. We are very thankful for our opportunity to fight against DarkClan and win." Some half-hearted shouts of triumph came from the crowd, so the RockClan leader hurried on with her uneventful report. "Prey is dwindling, but our warriors are finding new ways to seek out enough food for our clan." She dipped her head awkwardly and returned to her seat. It was time for the leader they had all been waiting for.
Sunstar sighed, not really wanting to discuss his clan's weakness in front of every cat in the PowerClans. The golden tom made his way slowly to the front of the Highbranch and was about to open his mouth when a shadow covered him. Gasps erupted from the cats below him. He looked up to see clouds floating silently across the moon. StarClan was disapproving of something.
Skystar stalked to the front of the Highbranch. Someone was up to no good out there, and she wasn't about to let them ruin a perfectly good gathering. "Who is responsible for this?!" she shouted, her ice blue eyes raking across the clearing.
StarClan
Lightheart's brow knit together as she watched the cats below her notice the clouds covering the moon. "I agree, Dovepaw, but can't there be another way? Silverclaw has gone to help, and if Nightfall breaks out they can overpower Winterfur. Silverclaw is a FireClan cat, you know. And after the use of her powers, Winterfur won't have enough left to freeze raw fire." She wasn't sure if Nightfall would be able to break out, but there had to be another way. Maybe she was just trying to think too hard. It had been a long week for her.
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