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Post by absurdjinx on Mar 16, 2023 14:30:40 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/mFB4YCp/mushroom~jpg | mushroomstar, "and the world's gonna know your name
cause you burn with the brightest flame"
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Mushroomstar had collected those attending the Gathering tonight and was now guiding his clanmates toward the fallen tree that would take them into PrairieClan territory. From there, they’d travel along the river’s edge, toward the mountains, until they reached the gathering place. There was a truce during the full moon that allowed RidgeClan cats to make their way to the gathering place without any confrontation, though Mushroomstar couldn’t deny that he didn’t like how they had to rely on the kindness of a rival clan. What if, one day, PrairieClan stopped being so generous? Deep down, he believed StarClan wouldn’t approve of one clan not allowing another to participate in a Gathering, but he couldn’t help feeling cynical - especially so soon after losing one of his lives to a warrior he’d once trusted. When they reached the fallen tree, Mushroomstar was the first to cross. There was no need to warn his clanmates to be cautious, not with how often they made this journey, but as soon as he dropped down on the opposite side of the river, he spun around to make sure everyone else crossed safely. After the last cat to walk across the fallen tree made their way over, Mushroomstar continued onward, toward the gathering place. He wanted to get there as soon as possible, as if the Gathering would begin once RidgeClan arrived, but he managed to keep a steady pace. He wanted nothing more than to confront MistClan regarding the altercation at the border. The code stated that an honorable warrior didn’t need to kill another clan cat to win a battle. How honorable was MistClan if killing was how they claimed victory? Before he led his clanmates into the clearing, Mushroomstar halted and turned to face his warriors. “ RidgeClan is stronger than ever - do not let the other clans think otherwise. I trust you all to maintain this truth.” With that, he whirled around and ushered his clanmates into the rocky glade. He made his way toward the massive, protruding rock near the outskirts of the gathering place and settled down beneath it as he waited for the other clans to arrive. On the side of the clearing closest to RidgeClan territory, a bramble wall stood at the edge of a crag, protecting the more daring cats from tumbling into the river at the base of the cliff. The sound of the river below was faint enough for everyone present to hear the leaders’ announcements, but loud enough to block out the voices of those standing directly beside the bramble wall. Before they leapt atop the boulder to address all the clans, the leaders spoke under it and even at a moderate volume, only the other leaders would be able to hear each other over the sound of the river. No cat could eavesdrop on them without getting caught. |
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Post by wurm on Mar 16, 2023 15:23:48 GMT -6
#s://i~gyazo~com/969106f223e89a810b81614dc286530d~jpg The walk to the gathering across the plains of Prairieclan was both her favorite and least favorite part of being their leader. On one paw, the walk was beautiful: a sweep of their territory that took them from their camp, through copses and meadows, then within hearing distance of the river. Littlestar always made sure to take them overland, both out of respect for the cats who didn't like the tunnels, and to remind all of them, herself included, of the beauty of this part of the valley. When they arrived on the edge of the gathering place, Littlestar raised her tail to call a halt. Turning to look at those who would attend the gathering tonight, her whiskers twitched into a soft smile. " Prairieclan. We deserve havin' fun tonight. Meet your friends and keep that happy spirit I know you all have." Dipping her head, she allowed herself to grow more serious. " I trust you all to use your good judgement. Be kind, but don't allow kindness to make your tongues loose. Now -- go on." Eyes bright, she took up her place at their head again and led them on. Littlestar padded into the nook behind the boulders with a soft smile on her face. Though she was happy, of course -- when her clan was happy, so was she -- Littlestar knew the stereotypes of Prairieclan well. It was to everyone's benefit that she played into them, for the time being. Her clan had far too many angry eyes on them already. " Mushroomstar," Littlestar greeted, taking a place to the side of him beneath the bramble wall. " How are you'n Ridgeclan?" She'd heard the rumors, of course -- a spat at the border, a life lost -- but she didn't plan to push for information until Hailstar had arrived. Still, his answer might be quite telling in its own right. |
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Post by shy on Mar 16, 2023 17:44:45 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/28/06/a4/2806a44c062e380780351db734b7e242~jpg Hailstar, The gathering. A time of peace. Comradery between the clans. And this one was sure to be neither. Mushroomstar had lost a life and Hailstar had agreed to let his killer come to the gathering. The last time he'd been this anxious about a gathering, Ridgeclan had just attacked. But he couldn't let his clan or anyone else see his nerves. He kept a calm, stoic demeanor as he lead his clan through their lands. The misty forests that kept his clan from prying eyes gave way to the gathering place. " I trust you will keep your wits about you. Stay calm, mingle, be smart about it." He glanced at his clan, knowing they were not the ones to worry about. He walked where he knew the other leaders would be, his head held high. He sat near them both, keeping Mushroomstar in the corner of his eye. He would determine how this gathering would go. " Greetings, I hope prey has been running well for both of you." |
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Post by absurdjinx on Mar 17, 2023 11:17:47 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/mFB4YCp/mushroom~jpg | mushroomstar, "and the world's gonna know your name
cause you burn with the brightest flame"
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With a content expression, he was watching his clanmates interact with each other when he caught a whiff of PrairieClan scent and Mushroomstar glanced over just in time to see Littlestar lead her clanmates into the clearing. His gaze hardened and he squared his shoulders, as if he were preparing for battle. There would be no fighting tonight, not when StarClan had declared a period of peace, but he couldn’t help feeling angry. It hadn’t been long since the altercation with MistClan and his memory of it was still quite fresh, as were the emotions that came with losing a life to someone he would’ve once died for, but who had since betrayed the entirety of RidgeClan when they were at their most vulnerable. “ Fine,” Mushroomstar tried to keep his tone neutral, but a bit of the anger he’d been harboring slipped out. He quickly continued talking in an attempt to distract Littlestar from thinking too much of the sentiment in his voice and this time, he was extra careful to sound calm. “ And how is PrairieClan? I hope you and your cats are staying warm and well-fed.” He had little to discuss with the other leaders, leaving him to ask about prey and weather. Most of what he wanted to share, he wanted to announce to all the clans - let the warriors decide who was right and who was wrong; it was only fair that way. But before Mushroomstar could address all the clans, he had to greet Littlestar and Hailstar first. Oh, how he was dreading MistClan’s arrival. And then MistClan cats streamed into the gathering place. Hailstar approached them, his head held high, and Mushroomstar felt his wrath increase. How dare Hailstar behave as if he had dignity! But he managed to refrain from speaking his mind, instead responding to Hailstar with only a touch of anger. “ Yes, prey is plentiful in RidgeClan. We’re taking advantage of the abundance while we can.” Mushroomstar stopped speaking then, preventing the emotion in his voice from growing more and more prominent. He didn’t want to argue with Hailstar, but above all, he didn’t want to be known for his fury. It was just challenging to remain civil when he still had so many feelings about losing his first life. |
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Post by wurm on Mar 17, 2023 11:37:23 GMT -6
#s://i~gyazo~com/969106f223e89a810b81614dc286530d~jpg Mushroomstar's gambit worked well enough. Without enough time to dwell, Littlestar answered simply: " We're doin' well, thank you. These cold nights in Leaf-fall are somethin' else, but that's what a warm nest is for," she answered, with a mimed sigh and a half-earnest smile. The scent of Mistclan -- thick forests and damp fur -- swept into the clearing just as she finished. Littlestar's own gut clenched at the shift of tension, noting the way Mushroomstar held his head high. The anger he had bit back earlier seemed to pool on his tongue, bit back by prudence. Littlestar said nothing for a moment, only glancing at the clear sky overhead. No remonstrations, yet. With that in mind, she fixed both toms with a casual, openly curious look, before she interrupted. " I'm thinking maybe we should get to our purpose here," she states. Before either of you two claw each other and cover the moon. With a nod to Hailstar, Littlestar curled her tail around her paws to listen. |
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Post by shy on Mar 17, 2023 16:24:37 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/28/06/a4/2806a44c062e380780351db734b7e242~jpg Hailstar, At the very least Mushroomstar hadn't attacked Hailstar on sight. There was venom in his words as he spoke. But Hailstar could handle the wrath of a leader, as long as it stayed focused on him and not his clan. " I agree." Thankfully Littlestar was there, a relief to the tension. Better to get the formalities over and the gathering done before tension boiled over. " There is much to discuss." Too much, in all honesty. " Mistclan is well. We are still searching for our missing kits." While he was tempted to discuss the fight first, he doubted it would be a productive conversation. And it might prevent any further news from being shared. But still, he should address it before Mushroomstar would have a chance to twist the truth and turn Littlestar against him. " But there was a skirmish recently with Ridgeclan." He looked at Littlestar, the sentence had been mainly for her beenfit. He turned to face Mushroomstar for his next words " Ideally this can be resolved without further bloodshed." |
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Post by absurdjinx on Mar 18, 2023 4:39:52 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/mFB4YCp/mushroom~jpg | mushroomstar, "and the world's gonna know your name
cause you burn with the brightest flame"
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Littlestar suggested they tackle the issue causing so much tension and, like it was an invitation to let himself erupt, Mushroomstar didn’t even attempt to refrain from showing his anger. He scowled and glared at Hailstar, his tail-tip twitching with barely-contained fury. His mind was clouded by his rage and if he could think clearly, he’d understand that there was nothing personal about this entire situation, but he felt much too strongly. He thought of Dawnclaw as unreliable. Only cowards would abandon their clanmates when they were at their most vulnerable for an easier life elsewhere. And when Dawnclaw took one of his lives from him, Mushroomstar did not see it as the accident it truly was, but as the ultimate betrayal. “ Ideally, the skirmish would’ve never happened, but when you let a traitor join your ranks…” Mushroomstar trailed off after implying that Dawnclaw was nothing but trouble. Having been part of the border altercation, he was aware that Dawnclaw didn’t start the conflict. Both himself and Dawnclaw had tried to keep the peace, but the she-cats they’d been with had provoked each other. Still, Mushroomstar wasn’t certain which molly had sprung first, but he was more upset about Dawnclaw taking one of his lives than who was to blame for starting the fight. “ Have you considered that maybe Dawnclaw stole those missing kits? Just you wait, I bet he’ll ‘find’ them soon, earning MistClan’s trust and securing his place in your clan.” |
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Post by wurm on Mar 18, 2023 15:14:44 GMT -6
#s://64~media~tumblr~com/895d0254da84fa3896cf94f57e604e83/tumblr_njunituuaH1u34fyoo1_1280~png " I get your anger, Mushroomstar," Littlestar interrupted, turning her amber gaze on the raging tom. " Claws and teeth don't have a place in border meetings." Now she looked at Hailstar, with a nod to drive home her point. " But we don't have place for accusations of kit-thieves and traitors, either," she stated, her voice soft. " We can stand here until Starclan covers the sky, throwin' accusations. But none of us should be itchin' for another war. What Wolfstar --" Littlestar cringed, then shook herself off. " What the last war did took time, time we need to spend elsewhere. Speaking of," she continued, raising a tail to ward off any interruptions. " The kits. Hailstar, rumors have reached my ears about Shadowpaw." It was disappointing to hear accusations like that: in whispers, in half-truths and outright lies. " I questioned him myself. He's got nothing to do with it." A flick of her tail followed, as if to challenge the other leader to question her assertions. " That said, our clans have shared a good alliance." Even if it was straining at its seams lately, threatening to shred itself apart, much like the peace between Ridgeclan and Mistclan. " In good faith, I'll be sendin' out special patrols to see if we can catch any kit-scent." She frowned. " Maybe you and yours have noticed the loner presence on Prarieclan land. I'm not pointin' paws at them, but some have been... aggressive with our patrols. But we're handlin' it." Littlestar pondered for a moment. " We're gonna keep trying to establish diplomacy that ways, an' if we're lucky, maybe they'll tell us somethin' we don't know. Anything we learn about those kits goes straight to your ears, Hailstar." Littlestar nodded, having said her peace. With luck, it might be enough to reach between the two other leaders' ears. |
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Post by shy on Mar 18, 2023 16:13:48 GMT -6
#s://i~pinimg~com/564x/28/06/a4/2806a44c062e380780351db734b7e242~jpg Hailstar, Hailstar had expected anger, frustration, rage and blame from Mushroomstar. He hadn't expected the leader to accuse Dawnclaw of kitnaping. It was almost amusing, he resisted to urge to retort that if Dawnclaw had stolen the kits, surely it would have been on behalf of his old clan. " Littlestar is right. There is no need to throw out baseless and biased accusations Mushroomstar, kits lives are at stake." He wouldn't tell Mushroomstar that Dawnclaw had actually asked to expand the search, that would only fuel his little theory further. "Dawnclaw has nothing to prove to Mistclan. Nor is he a suspect in the disappearance." Thankfully Littlestar was there to keep the conversation civil and flowing. " Thank you for offering to search for the kits, Mistclan is in your debt." He couldn't say much more, he feared Littlestar even muttering the word 'alliance' might cause Mushroomstar to accuse them of working together. " We wish you luck in dealing with the loners. Hopefully they do not pose risk to the clans. Please keep us updated if they seem aggressive." He was glad to see Littlestar trying to maintain peace and mend barriers. Hopefully she'd understand his words today as him agreeing. And maybe she'd piece together his mention of debt and request for updates on the loners to mean that Priareclan could rely on Mistclan if the loners turned aggressive. And hopefully Mushroomstar wouldn't. He hated having the balance the two, not able to be officially allies with Priareclan without risking anger from Ridgeclan. |
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Post by absurdjinx on Mar 20, 2023 7:31:54 GMT -6
#s://i~ibb~co/mFB4YCp/mushroom~jpg | mushroomstar, "and the world's gonna know your name
cause you burn with the brightest flame"
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Deep down, Mushroomstar knew he was letting his rage blind him, but anger was an overwhelming force. When Littlestar told him she agreed that there had been no need for bloodshed at the border, the sharp glare he directed at Hailstar still did not weaken. And when Littlestar said his accusations were inappropriate, he couldn’t help removing his gaze from Hailstar to look at the she-cat in disbelief. With an annoyed scoff, Mushroomstar looked away from the both of them to study the bramble wall nearby. He couldn’t even look at them anymore or else he’d lose what control he had over his temper. As he tried appreciating the work that went into building the bramble wall, he listened to Littlestar speak. The sound of her voice alone infuriated him and he attempted to remind himself that she was doing her best to stay impartial, but then she mentioned an alliance and Mushroomstar nearly erupted, though he somehow managed to bite his tongue. There’d been rumors that PrairieClan and MistClan were allies, and to hear that the rumors were correct was shocking and terrifying. He knew right then and there that he should be worried for RidgeClan. During the war, MistClan hadn’t been able to defeat RidgeClan alone, but with PrairieClan’s help, they’d succeeded in chasing off their attackers. If the two clans chose to attack RidgeClan, they’d surely lose the battle - he and his clanmates wouldn’t stand a chance. Mushroomstar’s anger did not dissipate at this realization, but only increased. Sure, Littlestar claimed nobody should be looking for a fight, but was her desire for peace an act? Was she trying to get him to lower his guard so she and Hailstar could lead their warriors right into the heart of RidgeClan’s home? Mushroomstar suddenly felt incredibly anxious, like the worst thought in his mind was coming true - and it was. PrairieClan and MistClan were allies. And then Hailstar responded to Littlestar and Mushroomstar’s anxiety intensified. MistClan was in PrairieClan’s debt? Keep MistClan updated on PrairieClan’s loner situation? They were already working together - and for how long have they been doing so? Why only now did they feel comfortable to bring up their alliance in front of him? His heart threatened to leap out of his chest, his breaths became uneven, and his unsheathed claws drilled into the earth beneath him as he tensed. He needed to get away before he said or did something he’d later regret. Mushroomstar abruptly jumped to his paws and he avoided meeting Littlestar and Hailstar’s gazes, though he did stare at the space between their eyes so as to not appear weak. “ We should make our announcements now.” With that, he quickly spun around and made his way out from beneath the rock, wanting nothing more than to wrap up tonight’s Gathering and go home. His climb to the top of the rock was clumsy, but Mushroomstar had too much on his mind to care. |
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