Warrior Cat Clans 2 (WCC2 aka Classic) is a roleplay site inspired by the Warrior series by Erin Hunter. Whether you are a fan of the books or new to the Warrior cats world, WCC2 offers a diverse environment with over a decade’s worth of lore for you - and your characters - to explore. Join us today and become a part of our ongoing story!
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Hours had turned into a day. A day had turned into a week.
What a terrible, terrible thing.
Slowly, uncertainty began to fill the NightClan camp like a poisonous grey mist, settling into the bones of even the most steadfast loyalist. She hadn't come home. They were vulnerable. Kier had let them stay like that for three days. Once it was certain that Aspenstar wasn't going to return, he let them sit with it. For three days, he let them marinate in their fear. And while they sank deeper and deeper into that terror of lost, foggy confusion, he himself had been busy: drawing together loyalists with honeyed words of privilege and favour, arranging a series of accidents for his most vocal dissenters aside from Moonblight and his little hussy of a mate, studying and re-studying plans with Snowblister, quietly drilling his army into line. And that only drove NightClan deeper into their terror, like rabbits sensing the foxes closing in on them in the dark; they couldn't see them, they couldn't even smell them — but they knew something was there. They knew something was happening. One by one, their ranks were bring picked off. Growing smaller. Smaller. Smaller. Friends, there one day and gone the next. Eventually, all you could smell when you walked into the camp was fear, pure and absolute and so horribly, wonderfully addictive.
But finally, it was time for the curtain to go up.
Kier sat on the stone pillar that rose from the cave floor, tail curled around his paws and expression perfectly, pleasantly calm, like he was going to be addressing children. The only thing off was the glow of absolute triumph in his eyes; it was taking everything to repress the tremble that wanted to quiver through his body. NightClan was herded from their nests, bewildered and half-asleep; and this was the first sign that something was wrong, because what gives a new tyrant more of a power trip than being able to inflict indignity on others, on being able to force them awake just because he wants them to be? Now crushed into the central cavern, they sat and stood surrounded by shadowy figures half-hidden in the gloom, a melting pot of NightClan turncoats and cats enticed from beyond their borders by the promise of indulgence. A row of cats stood behind him on the cave floor, their eyes cruel and empty and their claws sharp; the League bred very fine torturers, many of them eager for employment beyond the joyless structure of their home, eager for a place in which a blind eye could be turned to their fun. The cavern was silent, save for anxious whispers. And finally, after revelling in it for a few long, long moments, Kier broke it.
"How nice to see so many smiling faces," he greeted the hushed, staring crowd, his voice friendly and warm. "I expect by now you've realised Aspenstar is not coming home. Nor, I regret to say, is Phantomfox." He sounded truly, mockingly pitying. "And so, we enter a new age. I won't say a brighter one, because I imagine it's going to be quite dreadful for most of you. Very dark, in fact. Things are going to change. Terribly so, I'm afraid. Number ONE,” his voice suddenly crashed around the cave, and it was brutal. "Mothers are nothing to their kits."
The loyalists in the shadows suddenly forced their way into the crowd, parting avenues through them, and tore kits forcibly from their mothers. The cavern came alive with cries and pleads and screams of protest; any cats who tried to interfere were forced back and thrown to the ground. The stench of fear intensified, joined now by blood, but as chaos began to descend over the audience and one or two broke for freedom, the waiting supporters herded them back in. Paws slipped in the slick of blood on the cave floor.
"Number two," Kier continued over the desperate clamour of violence, and there was a shriek of glee in his voice, his claws gripping the edge of the stone and his eyes flicking to and fro excitedly. He was in love with this power. He raised his voice to be heard. "You are meaningless. You are not owed food, or comfort, or safety. Those are privileges you have not earned. If you want to eat, you will bring information - about your mothers, about your fathers, about your sisters and brothers and friends. About your mates. If you bring nothing, you will starve.” He spoke like he was explaining himself to a gaggle of idiots, slow and triumphant. "If you lie, you will starve. If you disobey, you will starve. And if are content to starve, if you are content to resist, then you will be tortured. If you withhold information, you will be tortured. Am I—" Kier suddenly laughed, looking out over the crowd herded together like fearful, quivering sheep, "ah-am I making myself quite clear?"
Suddenly, Kier's eyes flicked to Moonblight, and for a long moment he held his gaze, a nasty little grin spreading across his face. All of this was for his benefit. Moonblight was his obsession, his greatest conquest repeatedly denied him, his white whale; if anything was to be his downfall, it would be this Guard and how he completely blinded kier with a fanatical need to break his spirit and own him, body and soul. Beyond the obvious drug of power that was dilating his pupils, this little extravaganza had been arranged solely for him — so he could see what he had done to his beloved Clan, so he could see just how powerful Kier was, so he could see what else he could do to him and those he cared about. Still, Kier held his gaze. Would you like to hear number three? It said. I think you'll like it.
☆★☆
NEW RULES FOR NIGHTCLAN: - All former Loyal Guards who refuse to swear fealty will remain in camp under threat of force. The longer they resist, the less food they will receive. Eventually, they will not be granted food at all. Until they submit, they are little better than prisoners. - Each night all kits and apprentices must partake in Snowblister’s compulsory teachings; for a while, until the sermons and preachings have adequately begun the indoctrination process, these will stand in lieu of warrior training. - Any and all infractions to the new order are to be reported to Kier or Snowblister. There is no longer such a concept as NightClan; loyalty is not to your friends and neighbours, but to your leader. - Feel free to attack Kier. He deserves it. - Anyone can join! <3
Sagebristle had been tried enough in the last few months. All her life, really, she'd been tried. Her abandonment as a kit had come back to haunt her twice now- once with Rosethorn and Foxpaw, once again with Aspenstar and Phantomfox. It seemed as if everyone she admired and loved meant to leave her behind, and the foundation of her world was cracking apart beneath her feet.
That, plus the pregnancy she was now sure had taken root, made for a very fragile state of mind indeed. So when the little bat-eared freak started talking about the new Nightclan, the only true home Sagebristle had chosen for herself... when he started prying mothers and kits apart, when he began sneering down at them, she lost it.
With Phantomfox's disappearance, she supposed she was the new Captain of the Loyal Guard, though it had never been confirmed. Whatever her rank, it was her duty as a self-respecting member of society to grind Kier's face into the dirt. The small russet tabby bounded forward quickly, dodging his groupie's attempts to stop her, and ascended his stone pillar. These newcomers may have been vicious, but Kier had made potential enemies out of the most highly-trained cats in Nightclan.
Sagebristle threw Kier forward, off his pillar and onto the ground below. She followed a second later, slamming her paw into the top of his head and smearing his face along the ground. "You nasty little piece of carrion," she spat, unable to take the wiser path of submitting to the new regime. "I should drown you in the river." Already his loyalists were bounding towards her, and she was forced to release Kier, backing up to rock pillar and keeping he claws extended as she stared his forces down, awaiting their next move.
Snowblister had taken her place just beside the pillar, standing tall and menacing, head held eye and eyes downturned so she could watch the gathering Nightclan cat's with a slight grin. She had found a new liking for the chaos that Aspenstar and her little guard dog's disappearance had brought along, and perhaps it was because she already had an established role in the game they didn't even know about, she was already on top and, by that point, none of them had a clue. She was secure. She sat back, sent a quick look up towards Kier as he began to speak, but it only lasted a second before she turned her eyes back towards her clan. Her clan; possessively. She watched, pleased, as the kits were torn away, sending a toothy, wider grin towards them as they passed, off to their own secluded space. High-pitched cries could be heard. She wanted to start on them immediately. Young and impressionable, it would not be difficult to instil in them unwavering, unfaltering loyalty, a fear of those above them and a distaste of those below them.
She was growing bored now, as Kier continued to speak. He had yet to say the words, the ones she wanted to ring throughout the clearing — Snowblister is my deputy, Snowblister is in control of you — but the only outward sign of her restlessness was a few flicks of her tail. It dissipated the moment Sagebristle moved, the second she sneered and ran towards Kier, and Snowblister let her. She almost laughed as they both landed on the ground just before the pillar. It was quite entertaining, seeing the little brat get his ass handed to him, but she got up, moved towards a now corner Sagebristle in a swift, watery motion, like she was being carried by the air instead of walking. She looked down on her, for there weren't many that were bigger than Snowblister, with a strange smile on her face, torn between mocking and sincerity. She waved the loyalists away with a quick motion.
"I would put those claws away if I were you," she kept her voice low, leaning in only slightly. She didn't feel the need to use violence on her just yet, "back down, dear, we wouldn't want something unfortunate to happen." Her gaze flickered outwards to find Moonblight in the crowd, her head bent upwards only for a moment before she met Sagebristle’s eyes again. She had seen the way Kier watched him, seen the way Moonblight returned the intensity, how much they clashed. Perhaps she could get a few good hits in there, just for a point.
It was suffocating, being surrounded by the jostling bodies and cries, watching the pieces of the clan fall apart around her. Already despair was visibly sinking into the cats around her, shoulders drawing tight, heads lowering; the weak were already trying to fade into the background to be forgotten in the chaos. But wasn't she a coward as well, shouldn't she be joining them in this retreat to obscurity. Biting her lip she let her pales eyes shift towards Kier, Sagebristle, and Snowblister where a pitiful attempt at an uprising started and died all in the same moment.
She puffed out a breath, and glanced towards the terrified mothers that could have very well been her if things had gone differently. Already shame curled inside her but she refused to let it blossom here. She would let it overtake her later, when she was not in danger of others seeing her waver will and exploit it. There was been whispers of-course before Kier took the stage so boldly, hints towards the play that was about to start. And with it Tigerlily had scrambled together some semblance of a plan, a desperate bit to avoid her own fate.
The moment to put it into action was now, though her throat was tight and she felt choked for air. Her tail flicked with agitation and she pulled her shoulders back. Just a moon ago this wouldn't have been her, a moon ago she would have been on Sagebristle's tail helping speak against a tyrant. Now her insides were carved out and she was empty of all former pride. In front of her now was a road to survival and it seemed the only path she could possibly walk. Wild eyes swung back to look towards Kier once more then to Snowblister.
"All hail Kier!" She cried out, disgusted with herself, but it didn't dim the cry that cut over the cries of dismay. She left her pride behind and set out on a journey of becoming on of Kiers many sycophants.
Post by achromatic on Jan 27, 2022 18:22:00 GMT -5
There were certain moments in his life when Moonblight felt like he was in two places at once.
He was in a dark forest, the one he was born in; even if it fully escaped his conscious memory, he was standing in a pool with his image reflected, the night so dark the faint luminescence shone in only pale silvers of a black and white photograph. He would stare into a reflection, expecting his mismatched coat, a reflection of his stained-glass patchwork of a personality in the water, and yet, the face that looked back to him wasn't his own. He'd recognize himself within the ripples, but where his eyes were amber, the upside-down's was like ice.
Who are you? it asked. What do you stand for?
He'd open his mouth to speak, and realize that whatever creature that was in the pond was gone, only for it to have its claws reach into his throat, grabbing his vocal cords like strings and tearing it from him. He'd be frozen to his paws, feeling as small as a kit in that dark, haunted forest, without a voice, only an open mouth, and a sinking feeling that he was lost in a land where the only sound was the whisper of a breeze.
Helpless. He was so helpless.
Then all of a sudden, he'd be standing in reality. It wasn't a dark forest, but a camp in which he was stood, frozen like the rabbit who found itself unable to flight nor fight. Deer in the headlights, they'd call it. To Moonblight, this feeling was rare. He had always been the cat to flee; the everchanging chameleon, and find himself a safe crevice to crawl in. Perhaps even now, he would've ducked his head and pretended to fall in order.
Except this was Sagebristle. Sagebristle, who he had grown up with. Sagebristle, the first cat to talk to him, however much they argued. Sagebristle, his partner in training, his partner in crime, the cat who had first offered to help him find his family. The first cat to ever truly see who he was behind every masquerade, the one who had accepted him even when now, he had yet to accept himself...
His gaze didn't shift from Kier's, focused sharply at the tom, but even that was a facade. He couldn't think. He wasn't really there; the fierce expression was another mask, one that hid the terror he felt at the idea of his mate getting hurt. He felt...he felt...
Helpless.
He was never good at that. He could hold his emotions tightly within rein, because at the end of the day, he had removed himself from the moment. There was never anything at risk, he had nothing to fight for, until now. With an almost inhuman roar, he was as quick as a whip, immediately launching himself at Snowblister. The large tom had matched the other cat in height, and with a snarl, he pummeled the other cat, pushing everyone away from Sagebristle.
He was getting predictable, Moonblight knew this as a sinking fact in his stomach, but he'd never let anything happen to his partner. The tom turned to Kier with a sneer. "What, too afraid to fight us yourself?" his grin was full of teeth, glinting in the moonlight, "come on, I know you want to do it. Get revenge because I had the upper hand? Maybe I'll rip your throat out first, and this time, it won't be temporary."
She almost expected it, his rashness, how he found strength in his poor damsel in distress, despite how much of a firecracker she was on her own. They rolled for a moment, a confusing tangle of limbs and fighting, and with every hit he gave, Snowblister matched with one of her own. What, too afraid to fight us yourself? She would be laughing, because of course he was, a cat like Kier couldn't hold his ground in any physical alteration — it was why he played mind games, it was why he used his words. Snowblister could, though. She let him have his moment, backed out and away, She wouldn't have hurt her anyway, and she thought she had made that clear. She smiled, the same mocking one she had used on Sagebristle. There was nearly the thought that she should wait for Kier, but she had proven time and time again that he didn't control her, that she was deputy now because she had things he needed, that he could get her what she wanted. She leapt again, pulling all her weight onto Moonblight's back until, after moments of struggling and tussling, her teeth found his scruff, pulled and twisted until she was sure her grip was tight. It was hard enough to hurt, but she wouldn't kill him.
Snowblister turned to Kier, her back paw trampling on the tom's tail, and looked at him with expecting eyes. She relied on her own brutish strength, how quickly she could overpower someone, how long she could stay on top, and not particularly on any real, thoughtful skill, and perhaps she fell short there, but none of that mattered to her now. She felt exhilarated.
"Settle down there, boy," she purred around his fur, hardly audible, "she was fine." Him, on the other hand — well, it depended on how Kier wanted him handled, though the cave water was calling his name.
There was an annoyed flick in her tail now, though she was still preoccupied with his struggle. "But if you keep going like this she won't be," there was a growl in her voice, now, and she was only slightly offended that he preferred the company of Kier over herself, especially when she was willing and capable, unlike the scrap that sat atop his pillar.
When Sagebristle came tearing through the crowd and tackled him down the ground, all Kier could do was laugh, delighted and unhinged; the second she let him go and backed against the stone, he rolled onto his back and, propping himself up slightly, grinned up at her. "There's that fire!" he acclaimed, like he'd been proven right. "Good girl!" His eyes had never looked so alive, despite the grazes on his cheek and ache in his side from the fall. As soon as he had his bearings back and, still lying in the ground, realised Snowblister had done nothing to help him, he shot her a look; it was the only thing that interrupted his laughter, and when she finally got Sagebristle under control, he pushed himself up more and snapped, "some deputy you are." But though he was annoyed and his voice was angry, there was no real reproach in it; firstly because he knew his disapproval of her would be meaningless, and because he hadn't expected anything less. Already the strength of their partnership came not from a liking for each other, but from the power of mutual repulsion.
Pushing himself to his paws, not bothering to shake off the trophy of dust, he padded over to Sagebristle and his deputy and circled around them, stopping on the Loyal Guard's other side. "No, no, don't hurt her," he told Snowblister as he did so, eyes never leaving Sagebristle's, "wouldn't want to ruin her looks. Where will a she-cat be in our fine future without them?" He grinned at her, the intensity of their unblinking, hateful eye contact still never wavering. It was then that Tigerlily's praise cut through the chaos. Kier's ears perked up and he turned his head away from Sagebristle, still standing close beside her, to seek out the voice in the crowd, dilated pupils flicking here and there. When he found her, he struggled in the drunken triumph, though his memory was so fine, to put a name to her face. She'd never been of any importance, always just been a background player. But as soon as his gaze found her, a grin spread across his face. How nice it was, to have a few surprises thrown into the drudgery of a chess game where he knew all the moves. "Thank you, Tigerlily," he called to her, then turned back to Sagebristle, voice turning to a gleeful hiss. "Someone has some common sense," he hissed, leaning in close until their noses were almost touching and neither of their eyes could focus on the other, like a king leaning into a shackled lion held back by its trainer. He ignored Snowblister entirely; she was just a fixture, like a very useful lamp, and you don't say thank you to a lamp. She was excellent at her job, a true asset above any others, but she was still just doing her job; no matter how impressed he might have been, with her cold, quiet brutality and her strength, he was never going to comment on it, or even give it a second thought.
When Moonblight attacked, Kier betrayed himself by flinching back behind Snowblister. But he needn't have worried. When he sneered in his face, Kier just stood there, smiling back at him calmly; Moonblight was like a wild animal on a leash, and Kier was standing an inch out of reach. That old, renewed grin spreading back across his face as the wild animal was put down, he flicked his eyes to his deputy for a second, the closest he would come to approval, before padding closer to Moonblight. He could tell Snowblister was dying to put some of their new torture doctrines into practice on such an auspicious first subject, but though he relished the fact she wouldn't act without his permission, he wasn't ready for that yet. So, instead, without a word to Moonblight, he stopped in front of him and placed a flexed paw across the side of his face, claws digging in around his temple and eye until he could feel the skin snapping away beneath. And from there, he addressed the Clan. "Number three," he continued, and there was a distinct tremor in his voice and madness in the pushed-up undersides of his eyes; he could no longer hold back his intoxicated excitement, not with Moonblight held at bay beneath him. "The Loyal Guard is dissolved. They are nothing more than the dirt we walk on, and within one generation they will be forgotten."
When he flicked his tail — and, oh, he loved the instantaneous obedience — a rush of loyalists descended on Sagebristle and began to drag her away from her mate, with claws and teeth and no respect for the tearing of flesh. "Number four," Kier went on, stepping off of Moonblight. "Snowblister is our new deputy — god help us all." He flashed a grin at her, a little inside joke amid the screaming bloodshed. "And for her first grand event in office," his eyes wandered down to meet Moonblight's, and for the first time, they were cold. All the humour was gone. Though he addressed Snowblister in an icy, quiet voice, his gaze never left Moonblight's. "Give our finest soldier a drowning."
Then, ignoring Sagebristle's struggles behind him, he whirled around to find Tigerlily in the crowd once again, the smile back on his face. "My dear," he addressed her cheerfully. "Perhaps you'd like to help your deputy teach Moonblight a little respect. Respect is the foundation of any great empire, you know." He grinned at her charmingly, his head tilted and his eyes unblinkingly, forcefully clear, and it was clear that it wasn't a question.
Moonblight felt nothing for them. His loyalty for Aspenstar had already began to crumble after what had happened in SummerClan. He had hidden it well enough, the questions and queries, the fact that his sister had been in SummerClan all along and he had nearly killed her in his rage, and...and...
This had been the final straw. Snowblister had fallen on him and he had immediately been slammed down, his claws had reached for the other cat–he hadn't been made a loyal guard for naught–but then he had seen Sagebristle out of the corner of his eye and gods, he didn't care if he was hurt. He didn't care if the stupid bat-like creature hurt him, but gods, why did she have to be here? They should've run. They had spoken about it almost immediately after Kier had been appointed deputy. SummerClan might hate his guts, but he'd rather take his chances there even if everyone hated his kind. His sister would be there. He'd find some sort of solace anywhere else; he had lived as a rogue before this, he could've gone and done the same. Maybe he could've looked for his father instead...
The conversation had gotten nowhere and now he only wished he had been more insistent. If anything happened to her, he'd...he'd...
His attention was once again returned to Kier by the sting of the claws on his temple, his golden eyes returning to the tom. He stood still as the cat spoke, as if he had been quieted, turned into a ball of submission and shame, but as he turned, as he spoke of a drowning, Moonblight's claws lashed out once more, catching the tom across the jaw as a final show of defiance, Moonblight spitting upon the cat's face with a laugh. "You can drown me all you want, bootlicker, but you can't make us respect you."
Sure, they could take him down, but he was going to humiliate this so-called self-titled dictator first.
She didn't pay a second thought to Kier's words, and neither did she heed them. Snowblister knew what she was doing, almost snapped the fact right back in his ugly face, but withheld, focused on the task at hand. She held Moonblight towards Kier like he was a prize, some big toy she'd won from the fair. Really, she admired his fight, the fact he thought he could get the last laugh, be the winner, be anything other than the dirt they walked on. He had grovelled at Aspenstar's feet, and now he would learn to grovel at theirs. One way or another. Despite how easily he subdued, she didn't relax her grip, almost fearful that it would give him motivation to fight back once more. Give our finest soldier a drowning. Her tail lashed in a mix of acknowledgement and something akin to excitement, something almost, but not quiet. Perhaps it was the powertrip. Not a second was wasted as she hauled him off, dragging his body across the dusty floor of the cave until, finally, she had reached the salty water on the other end, watched as loyalists and regular cats parted or jumped out of her way, fearful that they were next.
At the edge of the still underground stream, she released her grip on his neck, making an effort to spit excess fur and whatever skin she had worn away out onto the cave floor, and it wasn't long before she had a paw to his neck, claws beginning to draw specks of blood. Her teeth glinted, "it's nothing personal, I promise you. Not to me, at least," she pushed him forward, let the tips of his ears hang and touch the water below, allowing the anticipation sink in. She stopped for a moment to usher Tigerlily closer with a nod of her head.
Snowblister's smile fell, suddenly, and she gave Moonblight a final sneer, shoving him forward until his head was submerged and she could hold him there, pushing her weight onto him to stop any squirming. She waited, and waited, and waited as long as she could until she was sure he had run out of air, watching as the bubbles floated to the surface around him until she planted her claws onto the top of his head and pulled him up, face as close to his as she could get it, face devoid of her previous unnerving joy, "will you be loyal to us Moonblight? Will you respect us like we deserve? I can do this all day." She sank her claws a little deeper, hung on a little tighter.
Irisblossom was startled awake by the call to gather and pushed herself to her paws to discover other cats gathered around the queens of the nursery to herd them into the meeting area. Irisblossom felt her fur bristle as the energy in the air crackled with a mixture of maliciousness and fear. Her heart pounded as she pawed each of her kits awake and tried to ignore the glares that seemed to stay fixated on her from all sides.
Buttercupkit groaned as her mother stirred her awake and pushed her forward. "Moooommm, I was having the best dream." The calico she-kit yawned and rubbed at her sleep crusted eyes. Her eyes still slits as she tried to fight off the feeling of falling back asleep. Irisblossom's other three kits had similar reactions as they protested being woken up in the middle of their nap.
Irisblossom bit her lower lip as guards seemed to close in on her with a look of impatience in many of their eyes. Irisblossom tried to hide the fear in her eyes from her confused children. "I know, darling, but it is only temporary. A meeting has been called." Irisblossom purred as she used her tail to guide her kits towards the meeting area. Maybe this meeting is just to let everyone know that Aspenstar and Phantomfox has returned. She thought hopefully to herself. The hope was fleeting as she noticed another cat, Kier, sitting where Aspenstar would normally sit. She felt dread rise in her chest at the sight of the tom who seemed to hungrily stare down at the crowd of cats starting to form. She led her kittens through the sea of cats, her gaze shifting from side to side as she desperately searched for her mate. The relief was instant when she finally located Snapdragon and led their children towards him. "Do you know what is going on?" She whispered into her mate's ear. The question had barely left her muzzle when Kier announced that the kits would be separated from their mothers and the guards who was sitting close to the couple violently latched onto the scruffs of their children. "Wait! Hey! Where are you taking them?!" the mother screeched as she went to leap forward towards the guards who had taken their kits.
---
It was thanks to Kier that Midnightgarden had been allowed to join Nightclan. The she-cat having almost died after accidentally falling into the turquoise pool located inside the Nightclan cavern. Kier could have forbid her from being treated, could have sent her to the Nightclan prison, or even worse he could have had her killed, but he hadn't. He had let her live as long as she promised him her loyalty, and considering why Midnightgarden had ran away from home in the first place she didn't really think that promising her loyalty to the tom would amount to much. Now though she felt guilt rise up in her throat and her claws dug into the dirt as kits were ripped away from their wailing mother. She hadn't expected Kier's reign to be this brutal, but her memories flashed back to her mom and how she had gone days without food at times because of her inability to catch a meal for herself right after her sister had passed away. If she hadn't eventually taught herself to catch mice in the alleyway she would have starved. The kits need tough training to survive. She thought to herself in an attempt to rid herself of the guilt. Kier wanted to make Nightclan strong. He wanted to mend what was broken. That's what Kier did. He fixed broken things, right? That's why he saved her, after all. She straightened her posture and kept her head raised with confidence. "All hail Kier!" She shouted out in unison with Tigerlily.
----
Tenderwrath had noticed the change in the clan the past few days. It seemed that half the clan was on edge, jumping at the sight of their own shadows, while the other half was waiting eagerly for some surprise that was right around the corner with enthusiastic grins plastered on their faces. Tenderwrath had decided to be ignorant to the difference though and chose the neutral route of ignoring it. He wasn't particularly close to anyone in Nightclan after all, and thus wasn't included in whatever knowledge they had all seemed to be privileged to. Tenderwrath just wanted to live his life as he normal. At night he would hunt and patrol on behalf of his clan. Then he would stargaze right before he slept throughout the day. The tom didn't appreciate the change in his routine and if anything the disappearance of Aspenstar and Phantomfox was more annoying to him than it was concerning. The tom had lost his composure more times than he could count because the other warriors in the clan seemed to have grown lazy since Aspenstar had left. Many of them neglected going hunting or patrolling the territory in preference of gossiping in terror about who would be the new leader. Tenderwrath was infuriated by the behavior of his clanmates and although Tenderwrath yelling at some poor sap was considered the norm, it had become much more frequent since the change in his clanmates etiquette. Now though he realized he truly had been ignorant to it all. He may have noticed the change in expectations, but he hadn't noticed that their entire way of living was about to be uprooted right from under most of their noses. At first there was just shock as the kits were viciously snatched from their mothers. He felt his body freeze in place, which was abnormal for him. He was used to his body filling with rage and automatically launching itself at what it perceived as the cause of that anger. This time though his heart pounded against his chest and his body shivered. Fear. This was a new emotion for the tom. Something he hadn't experienced before, and he loathed it. Loathed it more then his usual outbursts of anger. As he stood frozen in place, shivering like a terrified kitten, Sagebristle launched herself past him and towards Kier only to be violently stopped by Snowblister. This sight brought Tenderwrath back to his usual roots. The fear vanished and was quickly overcome with pure rage. The scottish fold tom gritted his teeth and lashed his tail furiously behind him. "Who died and made you king?!" He yowled out, his claws extending. "You act as if we can't just hunt for ourselves! You can't stop us from eating what we catch ourselves."
