Savages (OPEN CLAN TOPIC)

OOC: Silkkit's death topic
THIS TOPIC HAPPENS BEFORE THE GATHERING


Gently setting the bloodied kit down at his paws, Valerianroot looked around as his clanmates began to gather, their gasps and whispers filling the once calm air. "Lightningstar!" the usually soft voiced tom called out.

Earlier that morning, Valerianroot had come across Silkkit dead in the forest. Around her had been the undeniable scent of rogues; rogues who had most likely killed her in cold blood. Now, he stood in the center of the clearing with Silkkit's lifeless body waiting to be mourned. His expression as blank as ever, although deep down, his heart hurt for the young she-kit. A needless death of an innocent kit by the paws those savages of cats... something would need to be done. The warrior wasn't someone who sought vengeance nor did he want grief and turmoil to fall upon the clan, but even so, he would seek justice.

Roseeye stared out from the warriors den, but she couldn't see what was happening at the moment from inside. But she knew it was bad... She walked out cautiously before drawing in a gasp. Well, she tried to gasp, but it turned to a gag as a lump formed in her throat. The scene of Valerianroot with a dead, bloody kit. Her legs trembled at the mere sight of her lifeless corpse. Her narrow eyes that tried their best to hold back tears of horror looked directly at Valerianroot's, "StarClan, what happened?!"

Silverpaw had heard the whispers and the gasps. Curious, she climbed out of her den, yawning. What she saw next was something that would carve itself into her head forever. A rose-brown kit, covered in blood, lay dead in the middle of camp. She tried to breathe, but it ended up as a choke. “What...what happened?”

Ferretpaw saw her brother standing by...something. She hurried out, her little tabby legs rushing to get her to a sight she wanted to see. What was it? Soon she saw it. A dead cat. It looked young as a kit, but it could be a new apprentice! Was it Firepaw? Alarmed, Ferretpaw silently prayed it wasn’t her niece
or one of her nephews.”Who is it?” she asked, unable to identify the young mass of blood. Please not them, please not them! she silently prayed, although it was still horrible, no matter who it was.

BadgerStorm padded out when everyone else did and looked down at the young kit. He recognized the kit immediately and a lump went to his throat. Silkkit was barely even 6 moons old and yet she was now dead, never to find out what being an apprentice or warrior was like. He padded up to Ferretpaw after hearing his sister’s question. “That’s Silkkit, I have seen her around camp before I went training with you guys.” He mewed and than notice Firepaw running out. He quickly ran after her and made sure she couldn’t see the view of the kit. “Don’t see, it’s too awful for your young eyes.” He mewed and Firepaw complained until he glared at her. She stayed behind him for the rest of it.


Firepaw heard there had been a death and was really curious to see but before she could her father stopped her. She was an apprentice and her father just straight up called her too young! She started complaining until her dad glared at her. She never was so scared in her whole life. She stayed behind him as she still wanted to hear everything even if she couldn’t see.

OOC: Hope you don’t mind, Frostfur, but I’m gonna put Silverpae as a friend of Silkkit’s.

Breaking out of her shocked daze, Silverpaw suddenly thought of something. This was Silkkit, her friend. Her first ever friend that she had met. Though she was barely six moons old yet, Silkkit had played with Silverpaw in the nursery when they were both kits. A wail escaped her throat, etched with grief. She trembled, shaking slightly. The sadness and grief turned into anger. “I will find out who did this. And I will get my revenge.”

Sandbreeze had been grooming himself in the sun even he noticed Valerianroot carrying the limp body of a kit. He recognized Silkkit immediately and stood to join the growing number of cats, stopping beside his apprentice and former apprentice. His face was masked by his usual calm and dignified gaze. The only sign of the rage boiling within was the constant twitching of his tail tip. "Badgerstorm, let her look. Death is a part of a warrior's life. It's not pretty and it's hard, but it's necessary. Better she learn here than during a battle," he said, then glanced briefly at Firepaw. "If you do, don't look away. Silkkit died a warrior and deserves respect."

Honeypaw heard Roseeye's strangled noise of distress from where he had been lazing in the shadow of a tree after a meal. StarClan, he had been so hungry lately, but when his teal gaze fell upon the crimson mass of fur and flesh that lay at Valerianroot's paws, Honeypaw was positive that he'd never be hungry ever, ever again. He padded towards the growing group of cats, eyes misty, and laid down a tail length away from the kit, resting his head on his paws. Raw, burning conviction swelled within the young tom, filling him with a determination that he'd never known otherwise. "Whoever did this will pay dearly," he murmured, normally kind voice dripping with cold venom. His shyness was forgotten entirely, swallowed whole by his sorrow for the lost she-cat and his rage for those who savaged her tiny frame. He was barely a moon older than her-- that could be him lying there in a pool of his own lifeblood. No other cat in ThunderClan would face the same fate, not if he had anything to do with it.

The atmosphere suddenly became quite uneasy at ThunderClan camp. A crowd was gathering around Valerianroot, and it looked like something terrible had happened. Stormpaw quietly walked to his father and sister, trying to figure out what was going on.
But it did not take long.
The small bloodied corpse of Silkkit lay silently at the paws of Valerianroot. His first encounter with the death of his own kind. At one moment he seemed to have forgotten to breathe. His mind went blank and his blood ran cold.

Hearing her brother call out her father's name most certainly alerted the deputy. It wasn't often a cat came in yowling in such distress, and the air was one that she picked up on instantly. She was one of the first cats out there - seeing the obviously changed composure of her regal brother. Her gaze immediately set upon the bloodied body, and every bone in her body froze. Her heart sank, and she found her spot closest to the kit. At Sandbreeze's comment she nodded. "This is a tragedy. We will hear what Lightningstar has to say." As deputy, it was her responsibility to fill in her fathers' shoes until he appeared.

"Silkkit deserves the respect of a warrior. She was a precious life taken before the world had shown her life. May she walk with StarClan and learn their wisdom that even we don't know. But I will tell you now - no matter what Lightningstar has to say, I will do everything in my power as deputy to ensure that we keep our Clan safe."

Laying in his nest, the sudden commotion of mews followed by his son's call sent his head to shoot up from where it had been laying on his paws. Pushing himself up, the abnormally large leader made his way out of the den and almost instantly, the scent of blood seeped through his nose and maw.

Making his way over to the growing clowder of clanmates, he pushed his way through the crowd and what he saw sent his neck fur to rise. A dead kit laid at Valerianroot's paws, her pelt mangled and stained with blood.

"What is the meaning of this," Lightningstar hissed through bared teeth as he locked eyes with his son. This was obviously not his fault, for Valerianroot would never do something of the sort nor let anything such as this happen, but the longer that he stood there, the more anger began to boil in his veins.

~~~~~~~~~~

The chatter of his clanmate's questions and concerns for what had happened soon filled the air after he'd called for his father, which was expected. Before he could open his maw to explain, Cloudbreeze approached and began to speak. Her words flowed off her tongue like the ripples in a river and she spoke like a true deputy. He could never lose respect for such a strong and noble cat such as her, he was sure of it.

Nodding along to her words, Valerianroot's ears perked when a voice boomed over the crowd. The voice was undeniably his father's, another strong and courageous cat. With both him and Cloudbreeze leading the clan, he was sure that the rogues would be dealt with accordingly, and before they could do any damage.

Looking from Lightningstar and down to the kit, the fluffy, silver and white tom let out a huff before turning his gaze back to his leader's.

"I found Silkkit like this in the forest. She was killed by a rogue, their scent was all around the area," the stoic tom mewed. His father would not take such news lightly and while he knew that the leader has ThunderClan's best interest at heart, part of him feared what he might do to take action against the mongrels who did this...

Stormpaw turned his gaze to Lightningstar, his grandfather, also Leader of his clan. And at the words of Valerianroot his heart twitched. Shouldn't he feel afraid? He had just become an apprentice. This heartless savage might as well hurt him and kill him- or his family. His dear siblings might as well lay lifeless on the ground one day; his clan would be in unpredictable danger if this murderer kept haunting ThunderClan territory. When will I be strong enough to fight? He gnashed his teeth and unsheathed his claws. Instead of fear his heart was stormed by outrage.

Listening as his son spoke of what had happened, rage began to boil through his veins; an anger he hadn't felt in a long while. Those beasts dared to touch one of his clan's kits... they had another thing coming, that was for sure. No one, not even those filthy excuses for cats would get away with such a heinous crime.

"ThunderClan..." the large leader mewed before taking a deep breath to try his best at collecting himself once more. "Today, we mourn an innocent life lost," he voiced boomed over the clearing as he glanced around the crowd. "But mark my words; those rogues will not get away with such an act against our clan. I will warn the other leaders of the savages that now prowl deeper into our forest and if anyone sees a rogue in our territory, you have my permission to attack," Lightningstar finished, his teeth bared into a snarl.