CW: Animal violence, child endangerment, character death, car accident
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MOON 10
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The winter wind blew coldly as Turtlestar got her leaders name. Ferntail would be named her deputy.
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She decided to go on patrol with Silver and their apprentices. It was best she keep Bloompaw and Ferretpaw away from each other. Bloompaw seemed liable to tear her apprentice eyes out, and stopped sleeping in the apprentice's den all together, staying with Alderpaw in the medicine den instead.
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Besides that, she wanted to get to know Silver better and see how he'd been settling in. Ferretpaw was being surprisingly quiet, Tornpaw and Cloverpaw were whispering amongst themselves, so the leader too a moment aside to talk with the newcomer.
"So uh, that was a crazy first day for you wasn't it?" Turtlestar chuckles awkwardly.
The silver tom meets her with an easy smile. "Sure was. Lightning said to expect some excitement... but I would have never anticipated a coup." Though he still seemed relaxed, she sensed the same uneasiness she felt when he glanced at Ferretpaw.
"Er well.. it wasn't exactly a coup. It really is tradition in our clan to have these tournaments once the first snow falls." Turtlestar couldn't tell what angle he was approaching this from, and chooses her next words carefully. "They aren't exactly.. intended to be lethal matches. But if a leader falls, they weren't meant to lead and will fade away like the frost."
"Hm... Cold, but makes sense." It was strange, Silver didn't sound judgmental, but... "Convenient you were second in command then." The tom continues.
He had a gentler approach of accusing her of death than Lightning did.
Turtlestar puffs, not sure why she was feeling so defensive. Its not like she told Ferretpaw to fight Hickorystar. She'd been training to fight her herself. It wasn't any secret that she'd rather she die than her. "Yeah well, I've earned my place. Anyone who feels differently can challenge me."
"Ah, good to know..." Silver averts his eyes. Turtlestar settles down, it was clear that wasn't his intention now. "I am curious what made you pick Ferntail though."
"He's more experienced than you or Lightning," Turtlestar explains, not having much a better reason. Against better judgement she also says, "And it'd be a bit careless to thrust that kind of position on you on your first day!" She chuckles, trying to play it off as teasing than her serious thought on the matter.
Silver smiles. "I don't think I would have minded." Before Turtlestar can stop to think if he was joking or not, Cloverpaw overhears them and jumps to a conclusion before her.
"Why, so you c..can kill to become leader?" The calico flattens her ears and spits.
"No- er... but if the position.. happened to become available.."
Turtlestar bristles again. "T..that's not how any of this is supposed to go."
She jumped at Ferretpaw's voice suddenly behind her. "Yeah, if anyone's deciding the new leader, it'll be me~"
The other cats flatten their ears at her words. They glance to Turtlestar wondering how she'd defend against that challenge.
Turtlestar tried to force herself to think of Ferretpaw as the silly young apprentice she knew she was, but could only think about her sitting over Hickorystar's corpse.
"T..thrashClan's leader isn't just the strongest cat who wins all the challenges. T..they also have to be willing to protec-" Her lesson is interrupted by a barking in the distance.
A dog?
With all the patrol's arguing she hadn't noticed at all.
Cloverpaw screams. Turtlestar covers her mouth with her paw. "Shh- maybe it hasn't heard us."
Tornpaw ducks behind Silver, who flattens himself to the ground.
Ferretpaw instead barreled herself at the dog, barking and cackling. The dog yelps, snapping at her and looking confused. She hops out of the way and laughs.
"Ferretpaw!" Turtlestar hisses, letting go of Cloverpaw and running to jump on the dog's back.
It barks and tries to bite her, whining when Ferretpaw headbutts it in the chin.
"Come on guys, we outnumber it!" Turtlestar calls over to the others.
The rest of the patrol easily beat the dog in submission. There were a few close calls where Turtlestar had to pull Ferretpaw out of the way of being bitten, but overall the patrol escaped unharmed and the dog turned tail and ran.
Cloverpaw laughs nervously. "W..wow, we did it!" Tornpaw smiles too. Turtlestar grins at the younger apprentices' boost of confidence.
It falters at Ferretpaw licking blood from her muzzle, staring right at her.
She didn't want to know what was going through her head.
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Bloompaw and Alderpaw had been talking about Hickorystar when a gray apprentice poked their head in.
Bloompaw bristles, "What do you want?"
A little too late she realized it was Honeypaw, not his awful sister. "U..uh..."
Alderpaw huffs and swats her tail in Bloompaw's face. "Its alright, you can come in. Did you want some herbs again..?"
"Not this time," He mews, "Ferntail wants us to patrol together."
Bloompaw pokes her head up from behind her. "Oh, okay, I'll be there!" She smiles, trying to brush off the fact she'd snapped at him. Bloompaw wasn't sure exactly how she felt about Honeypaw. He was.. friends with Alderpaw right? And she didn't want to base her feelings of him on that brat.
"See ya later Alderpaw~" She purrs, darting out, not giving her much of a chance to say anything but "Mhm".
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But what seemed like a nice patrol at first quickly fell into an argument between. Lightning and Ferntail.
"Don't give me that crap- I know you were in on it." The golden and white tom hisses.
"No really- I hardly knew what a deputy was supposed to do before Turtleh-star explained it to me." Ferntail blinks, eyes round.
Lightning flexes his claws. "Then why didn't you try and stop them?"
"W..what could I do? They went up that pile so fast," The tabby flattens his ears adding, "Too fast for you too."
"I would have went faster if I knew she was planning to murder her!" Lightning snaps.
Bloompaw puffs up, irritated they were both giving Hickorystar so little credit.
"Enough! Don't you bozos know anything?"
Lightning blinks in bewilderment.
"It was a Thrash. She wouldn't have wanted anyone to interrupted." Bloompaw continues.
"Aren't you her little fangirl..? Why are you defending her murder?" Lightning snorts.
"I still think she should have won that fight, its true... But it wasn't murder. Hickorystar was doing her duty."
"I didn't sign up for any of this shit..." Lightning grumbles.
"And that's fine! Not every ThrashClan cat has to be a Thrasher. Only cats who have really proven themselves in battle... like from getting a scar!"
Lightning twitches his tail, still doubtful, but looking somewhat comforted by the clarification.
Ferntail seemed, more bothered, but smiles, wanting to move on with the patrol. "Let's try and catch something tasty, huh?"
"I know a good ratting spot!" Bloompaw grins, "Alderpaw showed me!"
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Nectarpaw and Badgersky's patrol was the only patrol to escape drama and arguments it seemed. Neither of them were up to socializing with a big group, and thankful it was just them.
"I..I'm glad Ferretpaw didn't die.. but I'm not happy that Hickorystar did..." Nectarpaw murmurs.
Badgersky nods in understanding. "I'm... happy Turtlestar got what she wanted... but I am scared for her. If it turns out not what she really wants."
Nectarpaw goes quiet and sighs, leaning into his soft fur. "Its not what you want."
"...I don't want to lose her."
"Me too."
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And so the night of the Thrash fell again. Ferretpaw had gone off on her own for some time after the dog attack, making cats wonder if she'd come back in time to repeat her stunt from last night or not.
"There she is." Mumbleleaf chuckles, seeing the grey apprentice stride back into camp.
There was no doubt about who she was looking for.
"I challenge you, mentor~" Ferretpaw smirks, tossing her head back.
Turtlestar glares at her, flexing her claws, knowing she wasn't kidding.
Bloompaw bristles too.
Teach that brat a lesson! She thinks.
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Vote 'Smile Face With Devil Horns' to cheer on Ferretpaw OR vote 'Turtle' to cheer on Turtlestar!
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Badgersky comes out of the nursery with Palekit to watch, tail curled around the ginger tom in apprehension.
Before the fight even started, Mumbleleaf was already cheering.
"Give her hell, Ferretpaw!"
Turtlestar shot the tabby elder a withering look. "Really? You're encouraging this?"
"What can I say? She's made things more exciting." He guffaws.
Ferretpaw laughs too until Turtlestar speaks again.
"Fine. Let's get this over with." Turtlestar growled. Ferretpaw blinks, startled from the malice in her voice.
The crowd became tense when the ginger and white leader leapt down and Ferretpaw yelped, a whisker away from rolling out of the way.
"B..be careful Ferretpaw!" Nectarpaw whimpers.
Don't underestimate her. Bloompaw urged silently. The dark apprentice wanted to call out to Turtlestar too, but didn't want to distract her. By the look on her face she was thinking the same thing.
Turtlestar wasn't playing around anymore, she would put an end to this.
Ferretpaw scampered away from several more of her mentors attacks, looking more shaken than her Thrash with Hickorystar. Eventually Turtlestar halted.
"I'm not chasing you." Turtlestar snarls, her piercing eyes like blue flames.
Ferretpaw swishes her tail, catching her breath.
"Come on, hit her where it counts!" Mumbleleaf wheezes.
Bloompaw glared at him. Silver rolls his eyes a bit and Lightning relaxes a bit. The older cats were starting to feel there wasn't anything Ferretpaw could do to win this one.
But then Ferretpaw's hopeless looking around stops with her eyes locked on to a fixed point.
"Even if I do.. this?" She smirks, darting past Turtlestar. The queen lands a glancing blow at her ear, but it doesn't stop her running past.
She keeps going an swipes right at Badgersky, who yelps and flinches back right before her paw can hit him.
Turtlestar snaps around and panic now, "H..hey-! This isn't his fight!" She screams.
Ferretpaw laughs and grabs Palekit by the scruff as Badgersky was cowering. She runs off with him as fast as she can manage with the extra weight.
"Foxdung!" Turtlestar hisses under her breath and begins her pursuit. Turtlestar shoves Silver out of the way, having to push past the crowd to follow. The rest of the crowd is a bit quicker to get out of the way before following and keeping their eyes on the action.
"G..go Ferretpaw, go!" Nectarpaw shouts, Lostkit echoing. "Go go!"
Ferretpaw didn't have long to get away before Turtlestar would catch up to her. Palekit wasn't so small an easy to carry as she thought. Spotting a metal fence, she quickly wriggles under, pulling Palekit with her.
Turtlestar launches at the fence, climbing over instead. This proves to be a huge mistake, wire at the top cutting into her skin as she tries to squeeze past.
She lands ungracefully on the other side with a bloody thud. She unsteadily looks up, seeing Ferretpaw watching her with Palekit at her side. She was catching her breath too, on the edge of the Thunderpath.
"S..stars sake- don't sit there..." Turtlestar hisses, more of a plea than a threat. A low rumble grows closer.
Ferretpaw's eyes go round, grabbing Palekit again and backing up as Turtlestar got to her paws.
There wasn't any more time to think as the yellow beam from the monster's eyes illuminates the two young cats.
Turtlestar jumps, pushing them out of the way as the car hits her.
Her dying thought was thankful it was her and not anyone else.
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Palekit wails, hurrying over to his mother's side, not caring that Ferretpaw was looming around, poking at the body.
"Hey.. hey uh- get up? Unless I won?"
There's a snap in the chain link fence as Silver loses his grip holding open the gap to let Ferntail through.
Ferretpaw tilts her head at the older tabby storming over to her. "Did I win?"
"You don't win anything!" Ferntail snaps. "Y..you're banned from these challenges!"
Ferretpaw flattens her ears.
There's a sudden, almost deafening howl in the wind. Palekit ducks, anticipating another monster, but it truly was just the wind. An unnatural, devastating wind.
And old tree limb falls, nearly crushing Ferntail if another gust hadn't blown him off his paws in time.
"Wha- what in tarnation?!" He gasps, green eyes stricken with fright.
Alderpaw flattens her ears, shaking her head and calling out. "I..I- I don't think StarClan likes that!"
"Fine-!" Ferntail gasps, thrown to the ground. The wind stops just as suddenly as it had started. "Ferretpaw, you're not banned."
The apprentice stopped poking at Turtlestar, looking up as if she hadn't noticed any of it.
"What does it matter," Ferretpaw says, staring at him intensely, "If cats die so easily anyway?"
Ferntail doesn't have an answer for her. He didn't want to look at her. He didn't want to think about her. The tabby turns to address the rest of the clan with as much dignity as he can muster.
"B..but as long as I'm leader, kits are banned from watching these things from now on!"
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"So... Who's next?" Lightning asks numbly. Someone had to ask.
Ferntail takes a shaky breath, looking at the young golden and white tom. He knew from their last conversation he probably didn't want to be chosen.
He looked at Silver, who he knew little about. The speckled tabby wasn't as torn up as Badgersky of course, but looked uncomfortable. Nobody wanted this.
Ferretpaw flicks her ear as Badgersky crawling over to his mate, blubbering and wrapping his tail around Palekit.
"Kinda want to play with him next." Ferretpaw smirks.
Badgersky hiccups shakily and shivers as he buried his face in Turtlestar's bloody pelt. Palekit and Bloompaw glare at her.
"Shut up Ferretpaw!" Bloompaw snaps.
Ferntail sighs, "Alright... Our deputy will be..."
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DEPUTY ELECTION! Vote "Badger" for Badgersky, "Lightning Bolt" for Lightning, OR "Silver Medal" for Silver.
also 2/13 on the failure charge for hard mode (no scarred leader)
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"Silver."
"Aw..." Ferretpaw pouts.
Silver blinks, chuckling and muttering under his breath faintly. "Well, careful what you wish for..."
Ferntail flattens his ears, wondering if he should change his mind. But Silver smiles.
"Sure, I'll be the deputy."
Lightning looks at his mate nervously but says nothing.
"Great- I mean.. thanks?" Ferntail shuffles his paw. "Come with me, I'll let you know what Turtlestar told me when I was chosen."
MOON 10 ALLEGIANCES
THRASHCLAN
LEADER
TURTLESTAR - White she cat with bright blue eyes and ginger tabby patches. Empathetic, excellent fighter. APPRENTICES: FERRETPAW, TORNPAW
DEPUTY
FERNTAIL - Golden tabby tom with dark blue eyes. Altruistic. Formerly a loner. APPRENTICE: BLOOMPAW
KITS: LOSTKIT, PALEKIT (2)
MEDICINE CAT
ALDERPAW - Amber eyed tortishell molly. Altruistic.
WARRIORS
BADGERSKY - Plump, longhair tom with cream colored fur and golden eyes. Compassionate, very smart. APPRENTICE: NECTARPAW
KITS: PALEKIT
LIGHTNING - Golden and white tom with hazel eyes. Confident. Formerly a loner. APPRENTICE: HONEYPAW
SILVER - Silver speckled tom with amber eyes. Confident. Formerly a loner. APPRENTICE: CLOVERPAW
APPRENTICES
ALDERPAW - Amber eyed tortishell molly. Altruistic. FORMER MENTOR: HICKORYSTAR
BLOOMPAW - Black molly with furless patches on her muzzle and paws, golden eyes. Strange. MENTOR: FERNTAIL
HONEYPAW - Pale gray longhair tom with a lighter muzzle and amber eyes. Responsible. MENTOR: LIGHTNING
NECTARPAW - Cream tom with dark blue eyes. Bold. MENTOR: BADGERSKY
FERRETPAW - Pale gray molly with hazel eyes. Fierce. MENTOR: TURTLESTAR
CLOVERPAW - Black and white molly with ginger tabby patches and green eyes. Clever. MENTOR: SILVER
TORNPAW - Cream tom with a black nose and green eyes. Careful. MENTOR: TURTLESTAR
KIT
LOSTKIT - Tortishell molly with dark blue eyes. Troublesome.
PALEKIT - Ginger tabby tom with a pale muzzle and pale green eyes. Daring
PALEKIT (2) - Snowy white tom with a brown 'mask' marking and striped tail. Green eyes. Daring.
ELDERS
MUMBLELEAF - Light brown tabby with green eyes and white chest and paws.
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STARCLAN
STARCLAN GUIDE
IVYGORSE - (I never made note of their appearance unfortunately.)
DIED IN MOON 1
ASHSTAR - Lean, pale gray molly with furless patches on her snout and paws. Golden eyes. Bloodthirsty, fantastic teacher. Thrashed by Hickorystar. (Bled out)
HAREFUR - Shorthair white tom with a red nose, a brown patch on one ear, and dark blue eyes. Troublesome, strong connection to StarClan. Thrashed by Hickorystar. (Neck wound)
DIED IN MOON 3
FLOWERPATCH - Plump calico molly with green eyes and a brown tail. Compassionate, great storyteller. Died of old age. 181 moons.
CLOVERBLINK - Eldery tom with dark gray, almost black fur, furless patches on his face and paws, and green eyes. Fierce, excellent hunter. Died of old age. 197 moons.
DIED IN MOON 5
SNIPKIT - White molly with ginger tipped ears and tail. Dark blue eyes. Insecure. Died of contagious disease.
BRIGHTMOON - Shorthair cream molly with hazel eyes. Strange. Formerly a loner. Died of contagious disease.
DIED IN MOON 7
BUZZARDFUR - Pale gray molly with a lighter muzzle, notch in her ear, and dark blue eyes. Cold. Formerly a loner. Unexplained death.
DIED IN MOON 9
HICKORYSTAR - Large gray furred molly with white speckles, green eyes, and a sizable scar across her back, and a fresher one across her face. Lonesome, smart. Thrashed by Ferretpaw. (Drowned)
DIED IN MOON 10
TURTLESTAR - White she cat with bright blue eyes and ginger tabby patches. Empathetic, excellent fighter. Thrashed by Ferretpaw. (Hit by car)
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Original Vote Counts
Ferretpaw VS Turtlestar
3:0
Deputy Election
1 Vote for Silver : 0 For all other canidates