in the air tonight [closed]

Anxiety licked a molten streak of ice through Coalspark's chest. Her kits were just old enough to scramble around on their own outside of the nursery, and it filled the queen with joy to see them playing amongst themselves, but she knew her time here was limited. She did not miss the cold, judging stares from her clanmates, nor the constant eyes of suspicion from Magpiewing, and now that the soon-to-be-leader was asking to speak with her, alone, she was rightfully terrified. Her kits granted her strength, though, and as long as she was able to be with them, she did not care where she ended up. If push came to shove, though... she wasn't sure where she would go.

The black warrior padded into the leader's den, standing tall despite the fear making each step harder than the last. "You asked for me?" she meowed, looking the tom in the eye resolutely.

"Coalspark..."

His tone was gruff. Magpiewing sat in the den, the nest at his paws torn, feathers and furs were strewn across the den's floor. What was once Firestar's den was no longer hers. Yet, it seemed the new leader to be had no intention of keeping any memory of his leader alive in this new den of his.

Brushing away some of the mess with his tail, he turned to the queen with a joyless and disappointed expression. "I think it's beyond clear to see exactly what's happened behind ShadowClan's back." The black tom stood, padding towards the younger she-cat, his gaze colder than ever before. Though there was no right for him to ask who her kits' father might be, it was clear no tom from ShadowClan could be her mate. Some of those kits stood out too much for the darker pelts of his clanmates.

He was beyond disappointed. To be frank, he was livid.

"We both know I cannot ask who, but we both know you've outsourced for attention." His ears were flat against his head and his tail lashed violently. "Be honest and I might be merciful in regards to your punishment."

The coldness in Magpiewing's eyes only made the lick of anxiety in Coalspark's chest sting even more, but still, she stared stubbornly right back at the much larger tom. At the mention of what she had done 'behind the Clan's back', the she-cat realized something that made the fear dissipate from her mind entirely: she didn't actually give a rat's tail what ShadowClan thought. As long as she had Lionflame and her kits behind her, nothing really mattered.

"So what if I did?" she replied venomously, head held high. "I won't deny my so-called crimes, but loyalty to the Clan is all that's mentioned in the code, and that requires facing him in battle, right? I'm pretty sure we have bigger things to worry about right now, like naming a deputy and teaching some mangy rogues a lesson." Her long black tail twitched with frustration; once again, ShadowClan cats were too worried about image to focus on solving their actual problems.

"Do what you want with me," Coalspark spat, eyes blazing. "Anywhere I'm going, I'm taking my kits with me."

As Coalspark spoke, anger rose in the tom's chest. She really had so little respect for the clan that raised and nurtured her? For the leader they just lost?

"And can you guarantee you wouldn't hesitate to attack him if the time comes? Your reaction doesn't show me any remorse for this betrayal." He rose to his full height, the fur on his back raised as frustration rose in his voice. "You seem much more concerned with the choices I must make about ShadowClan, the clan you so clearly seem eager to leave, than what will come to you and your half-blooded kits," he growled. His claws dug deep into the ground, his mouth itching to visibly show his anger.

"Since you seem so willing to forsake your kits to the danger of the forest, I will grant you your wish. You are exiled from ShadowClan from now on. As the new leader of ShadowClan, I strip you of your warrior name. From here on out, your name is Coal." Magpiewing's tail lashed violently. Standing a hair's length away from the she-cat, he lowered his voice to a vicious whisper. "Leave now. If I ever see your face on my territory, I will not hesitate to kill you. You will be treated as an enemy until the day you die. And if you attempt to contact any one of my warriors, you can blame yourself if they receive punishment."

"I will, however, give your kits the option to stay, forget their mother, and live with all the comfort and warmth we can provide. If not, they can join you and your hopeless venture into the wilds. They must also leave behind their titles as 'kits'. You will all be no better than common rogues, and you and I both know we need to teach some mangy rogues a lesson."

The tom padded out of the den, headed straight for the nursery to confront these kits with their new choice.