CLOSED Daystar's Secret Meeting

[Longstorm]

Daystar, leader of DewClan, was seated in a small grove of berry bushes. This place was well shielded and the stifling scent of berries almost completely masked his scent.
The tom was currently waiting for those who listened to Coalstripe and would join this meeting. The fate of the Clan relied on those who attended.
We will flee from the Mudbloods - if needed, we will kill as many as possible - and we will drive AbyssClan from their own camp. AbyssClan is all talk. No one's threatened them in seasons upon seasons. It's all just nursery tales.
Daystar flicked his ear as a raindrop threatened to slide past the soft fur there. The rain had been non-stop these past few days.
The tom sighed heavily. Such dark times these were...

[Runfast]

Shadowspot looked at the clump of bushes, rain sliding off of his thin, yet slick fur. He shivered in the cold; his half-Clan blood was always obvious whenever he was wet.
What is Daystar gonna talk about?...Does he know!? Mistpaw hasn't come back yet - she was a part of it, too.
The tom mentally smacked himself. Snap out of it, Shadowspot. You're a warrior now. You gotta get used to making hard choices and keeping secrets for the greater good.
The black warrior took a steadying breath then pushed into the berry bushes. When he saw his leader, he dipped his head respectfully.

[Loki]

OOC: Can I squeeze in?
IC:
Maplejay sat there. She was so tired and confused. Why couldn't she have just one boring day?

[Guest]

Through the thick bushes slid a slight form, the whitish grey tabby fluid and calm. Frostsong looked around slowly, as if checking for eavesdroppers. "You called us together, Daystar?" The she-cat whispered, her gaze wavering from the leader to the warrior that entered before her, Shadowspot.

[Rainpelt]

A gray tabby she-cat took her place beside Maplejay. "What's up?" Rainheart questioned softly, eyes scanning the cats and their expressions.

[Runfast]

Foxclaw soon followed, pushing through the bushes and taking dipping his head to Daystar.
It's all so mysterious, he thought conspiratorially.

Shadowspot nodded to Foxclaw, though he didn't pay much attention to him; the two had never really spoken, regardless of their training.

[Longstorm]

Firefoot, trailed by Tigerpaw, and his father, Coalstripe,
The dark striped tom seemed pleased that he'd managed to get so many of his Clanmates to this meeting in such a discreet manner.
The three dipped their heads to their leader and took their seats.
Tigerpaw fidgeted nervously; the Mudbloods could find him at any moment - this was life or death!... Which is what makes it somewhat amazing.

Daystar nodded cooly to his warriors; he was still waiting for his deputy.


OOC: The only other cats missing from this meeting (who didn't decide to come and aren't absent/missing are: Ravenswift, played by NK, and Rayclaw, played by RP...oh, and Switch's cats.

[Rainpelt]

A flash of startling bright fur peeked from the bushes, and out strode its proud owner. The tom glanced this way and that, and with a satisfied grunt, took his rightful place next to his mate, Skysoar.

[Guest]

OOC: Sorry!

IC: Dewdrop suddenly appeared from the bushes, sitting down smoothly nearest to Daystar, mewing an apology for taking time to arrive.

Last, and perhaps a bit least, Grimclaw bounded through the bushes, shaking his dark pelt free of berry stickers (OOC: thorn-like nasties). He offered a sheepish to grin to Daystar as he dipped his head and took his seat with the other warriors.

Dewdrop looked at Daystar expectantly.

[Rainpelt]

Skysoar glanced over at Rayclaw, dipping her head slightly to acknowledge his presence. Rainheart, on the other paw, looked slightly downcasted, wondering why her mate Creekheart wasn't here yet.



OOC: By the way, since Creekheart was played by Oak, who's going to RP him now?

[Longstorm]

OOC: He's up for adoption, so anyone who wants to play him as an NPC - or whoever wants to adopt him...
...This is like being an Airbender trying to fake being a Firebender...

IC: Daystar nodded to the present warriors. "This is enough," he mewed softly to himself. The tom didn't bother to stand up, simply sitting with a solemn expression. He began to speak;
"We are leaving." Straight to the point. "My mind's made up; we won't stay with these Mudbloods. Not after what they've done to us. Not after what they did to Bramblepaw. Not after what they did to Jayleaf."

Tigerpaw, Bramblepaw's brother, bowed his head sadly.

Daystar noticed the apprentice's reaction. "I won't let us be forced into mourning anymore. We'll run from our territory - yes, we will run - though we'll take out any Mudbloods who hit bad luck and get in our way. We'll run through No-Clan's. From there, we'll go West into AbyssClan's territory, and there we'll drive those Nursery-Tales from their lands and take over. In their camp we'll be able to protect ourselves."

Coalstripe looked at Daystar in shock, swallowing sharply. ...What do I say to that? ...

[Guest]

Grimclaw spoke. "Daystar - what are you thinking?!"

Dewdrop glared at Grimclaw, snarling, "How dare you question your leader?!"

Grimclaw hissed back at her, "I'm NOT!" He looked around at the other warriors. "It's just...We haven't always been warriors. We were rogues first. Loners. Kittypets. We lived in or near the City, and we've heard the stories of their cunning, of their cruelty. They drove MoonClan away - they could send the Mudbloods running with a single look!"

"And when's the last time you've seen a demonstration of their 'strength', Grimclaw?" Dewdrop was taking strength in her words. "When have any of us ever seen an AbyssClannian raise a single claw to anyone?"

Grimclaw stood. The tom was usually the type to look for the good in any situation, but he was young and had had nightmares since he heard the tales of AbyssClan. "I've been to Gatherings, Dewdrop. We've all seen their Claws..."

Dewdrop sighed softly. "Together we can be stronger," she meowed encouragingly.

Grimclaw didn't contradict her; and though he still looked uncertain, he meowed, "I will not break the Warrior Code. Your word is law, Daystar." The young warrior dipped his head.

Dewdrop looked around at the others. "Who else?"

[Guest]

Disbelief flashed in Frostsong's luminescent blue eyes. It was impossible.... "Sir, are you sure about this? It seems... well, ridiculous. You're talking about a mass migration to another clan, leaving our camp, our home up for grabs by those bastards." She mewed, with a tinge of aggression present in her silky tone, like poisonous honey. A slight pause, then the she-cat boldly pressed on. "Why don't we bring Abyssclan here to help fight them off?"

OOC: Pardon my language.

[Longstorm]

Daystar met the she-cat's gaze evenly. "We gave up our home the moment we welcomed Mudblood past our borders like kin, Frostsong." The tom held his head high. "And to say the least, DewClan territory is an unideal place of defense; Mudblood's slopes lead into our forests. If you want to stay behind and wait on the non-defendable front lines to be killed, so be it then. It's the same thinking that would have us go mewling to AbyssClan for help." Daystar looked away from the she-cat.
He didn't like swatting down the thoughts of his Clanmates, but he disliked being publicly reprimanded by a lesser Clanmate even less.

Coalstripe stepped forward. "Daystar," he dipped his head. "Maybe we haven't seen AbyssClan's strength - but what if the stories are true?"

Daystar looked at the striped tom. "My decision is final."

Tigerpaw looked around at his bristling Clanmates. Wasn't Daystar right? Wasn't the word of the Clan leader law?
Why is everyone arguing with Daystar?
Truthfully, Tigerpaw was a little scared of AbyssClan, too. But they'd been nice to him and his brother, and even Brownhowl! The nice black tom with blue eyes had brought them nice things to eat and promised that he'd tell them how to get home, so long as they didn't tell anybody where they'd been.
They can't be that bad...

Coalstripe took a step back, the shock still evident in his eyes.

Daystar stayed sitting, his expression calm. This wasn't something he'd come up with spur of the moment; he knew what he was doing. (OOC: Or so we hope! Mwhahah...)

OOC: For those just joining us, it's true that Bramblepaw, Tigerpaw, and Brownhowl spent some time in AbyssClan, but this was when they were kits. Bramblepaw's and Tigerpaw's DewClan mother, Flowerfur, was killed just inside of the AbyssClan border.

Firefoot was thinking hard. As far as he'd heard, no one had been to the AbyssClan camp in seasons upon seasons. How would they even get there? How hard would it be to drive AbyssClan from their own camp?
"It'd be a feat that would be told in stories for generations to come," the young warrior mused aloud.

[Loki]

"That's ridiculous!" Maplejay burst out. She couldn't hold in her agitation any longer.
"Abbysclan would laugh and we would all die. That is if we ever found their camp after miraculously getting across their border," She rolled her eyes sarcastically.
"Has anyone seen their camp anyway?" She glowered around at them all. Taking their stunned silence as a fact that she'd made a point. Shocked? You should be. Maplejay was shy yes but it was about time to harden her resolve. Until now she'd never spoken her thought during clan gatherings. She watched from the sidelines, Preferred not to fight and to add insult to injury: She'd never spoked against Daystar. Secretly she used to admire him but seeing him under this light... he came across to the she-cat as loopy, dark and most definitely not the cat that had convinced her to leave her two-legs behind. No she was not thinking about going back but the point is merely that: to her, this wasn't her leader.
"As far as I know no-one here has been to Abbysclan's camp. We don't know how many cats they have over there either. Why run from our home?"
Then her amber eyes travelled to Daystar as she mewed sincerely, "I think we should stay put."

[Guest]

"Maybe we should have a choice." Frostsong added on. "Stay here, and defend what we can, or go to the clan that lies somewhere we don't know."

[Longstorm]

Daystar looked at each of the present cats. "If you aren't with us," he gestured to Dewdrop, "Then you're allied with Mudblood, and have no place in my Clan. If any of you really want to stay here, then I wish you and your allies all the best when we meet in battle."

Coalstripe opened his mouth then closed it again, shaking his head. "But Daystar - that isn't fair."
Daystar slowly looked at the him as he continued. "These choices - stay here, in our home, or go try to fight a Clan that hardly anyone sees? This can't be what StarClan wants."

Daystar visibly bristled, the first physical reaction he'd had throughout the entire meeting. Instead of defending himself he said tightly, "My descision is final. I'm leaving before dawn. Any who are still loyal are welcome to join me." The tom finally stood up, the leader's pride evident in his eyes and stance as he stood in the dark and rain. He looked at his Clanmates once more then turned to go.

Tigerpaw looked up at his mentor. "Will we go with him?"

[Guest]

"I'm staying. I'm not a traitor, I'm taking my final stand here, in the one place I would want to go down." The she-cat calmly, yet defiantly replied. "I don't care if I'll be the only one fighting, I'm going to take some of those Mudbloods down with me, even if it's the last thing I do."

[Guest]

Dewdrop glowered at Frostsong and Maplejay. "Then you may as well be a Mudblood," she mewed icily. She looked at the others and said, "Make your choice. I'm going with Daystar. There's no way we can fight it out here."

Grimclaw looked at his apprentice. "Yes we will," he meowed firmly. "We're only as strong as our commitment."

Dewdrop nodded in approval.

[Runfast]

OOC: I'm not even sure if I was here... HAHAHHA.

IC: Foxclaw looked down at Tigerpaw, worry in his eyes. "Who are we without a leader," he mewed quietly as he looked away. The orange and black warrior wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He loved his Clan - Daystar, Coalstripe - everyone. He didn't want to lose standing with the other warriors, those he was close to. But he didn't want to break the Warrior Code by letting Daystar leave without him.
StarClan help me.

Shadowspot looked at the others; Ever since he and Mistpaw had done what they had, he'd been looking at everything in life differently. Would it be so bad to leave? The black tom sighed, his tail twitching slightly.
"I...I'll go with Daystar," the tom mewed.

Foxclaw looked over at Shadowspot, not really surprised. Foxclaw looked at his cousin, also Shadowspot's training-mate, and mewed, "What about you, Firefoot?"

[Loki]

Maplejay sat back with a heavy frown, "I guess, I'm staying."

[Guest]

Somebody had to take charge at this point. "Until we are once more united, I suppose we are not of the same clan. I wish you luck on the battlefield, and I pray to see you all return home safely." A slight pause, then the she-cat continued. "Anybody else who wishes to stay and fight, stand with us. Then, one more statement. "Maplejay, you are my leader until this threat has passed."

[Longstorm]

OOC: I'm just playing it how the RPer Daystar set it up to be...but seeing a Clan break up like this makes me sad, especially when this Clan only just re-formed a few seasons back.

IC: Firefoot looked at Shadowspot, shock and hurt in his eyes. He'd never been close to Shadowspot, but he completed the trio along with Brownhowl!
"But - ..." The fleet-footed tom looked away, thorns in his heart. "But - but..." The tom shook his head violently. "Aaargh, there's equal chance of dying! Here, there - it doesn't matter! Why do we all have to split up? It feels like I've only just met all of you! I don't want the Clan to break apart!!!" Firefoot took a few unsteady steps back before sitting down abruptly, his head bowed so low that his whiskers were brushing the ground. He didn't want to go where Grimclaw was going (and not without Oakclaw, but Oakclaw wasn't DewClan anymore!), but could he just abandon something he'd dedicated his entire life to?

Tigerpaw looked back and forth, feeling more and more confused. What should he say? Did he even have a say in anything at all?
The young tom sighed heavily, the heavy hearts of his older Clanmates weighing on him.

[Loki]

Maplejay looked at the she-cat beside her in astonishment. She couln't help but think: Maplestar.
No, that's never to be! , She colded her self, I am a Dewclan warrior!
"I-"
She couldn't continue to the distraction of Firefoot. Still a young warrior...
"Daystar please re-think of your options!" She pleaded, "Why travel to die, why run and die, why don't we just stay and tell the Mudbloods to leave? There are only nine of them and they know nothing of our land! Think of the young clan members, are you seriously contemplating this as the right course of action?"

[Longstorm]

Daystar paused. He spoke while turned away. The tom spoke in a muted tone; "I didn't come here to be questioned, Maplejay... But we live on the border of Mudblood's territory. *Their patrols grow by the day. If we were to challenge them directly and hope to survive...Well.. I'd think the fact we hold only the lower ground would be a good enough reason to find a better place to defend...For now." He looked partly over his shoulder. "My decision is final. I can only hope my Clanmates choose to follow me."
Daystar pushed his way through the berry bushes and left.

Firefoot watched despairingly after Daystar, his legs trembling. The tom swallowed hard as all of his mental protests were cast aside as the fact of his own character became apparent; I cannot break the Warrior Code.
"I'll go with Daystar," he whispered.

Tigerpaw looked at each and every warrior then up at his mentor, then to where Daystar vanished to.
"..."

OOC: *Just throwing that in there.
Anywho, pointing out that DewClan DOES live at the bottom of the cliffs/hills that Mudblood occupies. It would be kinda dumb to try to face them from the DewClan territory side...yeah...

WOW, for all of his eagerness, Firefoot is very delicate. Should have been Softfoot. Or Petalheart. Something.

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