buried alive ::ALL RIVERCLAN::

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: transparent, width: 400px; height: 300px;] Finchstar you're just like your father|buried deep under the water|you're resting on your laurels|and stepping on my toes|whose side are you on?|what side is this anyway?|put down your sword and crown|come lay with me on the ground "Morningstreak, deputy of WindClan, is dead." It was a long, hard journey for him, and presumably all the cats that went to the gathering the previous night. His unexpected mental breakdown from the prior anxiety of being around so many cats as well as being in the center of attention, piled up with how chaotic the gathering had become, set his mental health ablaze. And, weak from his outbreak and leaning on his deputy for comfort, the only thing he was physically able to do was crawl in his nest and sleep under the in-and-out supervision of the medicine cat. Finchstar went into an uneasy sleep last night, but at least his last thought was how lucky he was to have such caring and loyal friends and clan-mates throughout all this scary atmosphere. When, he woke up, however, opposite thoughts occupied his mind. Negative emotions swirled in his head, reminding him of how neglecting he was to his Clan and, ironically, how every single cat in RiverClan must hate him. The brown-and-white tom rushed into wakefulness as soon as panic rose in him, his body uncontrollably pacing back and forth in his head as he yet again put himself down and tried to think of techniques to cover up the fact that his real, vulnerable self was only a minor setback and that he was back in the game, ready to take control and be the leader this Clan deserved. And as his pace slowed, as well as his mental processes, he began to really, sincerely think about how guilty he was and what this Clan really needed. Maybe not a masked hero, but maybe a friend repaying for all the times the other carried him and leaned on him for comfort. Yes, Finchstar still felt like a horrible piece of shit for not being as confident and as strong as he needed to be for his cats, but he at least knew how (getting past a little social awkwardness) to show his appreciation for others. Maybe he could transfer that energy into some good ole' leadership duties. At least, to the best of his ability, anyway. Still a little unsteady on his feet, he did his best concentrating on just exiting the den instead of the eyes who would follow him, and called a meeting with the formal 'let all cats old enough...' blah. He unintentionally started off a little dramatic, retracing the important events the Clan would need to know about, (and although decently early in the morning, considering all the cats were awake it was probably safe to assume the news probably got passed on), he continued anyway to give himself time on thinking of what he should do to comfort his Clan, and take tactics on protecting themselves from whatever invisible threat they faced. "If you haven't heard already, she died for unknown reasons at the gathering last night...she was...a very good warrior, and will be missed by every cat around the lake." he shuttered, remembering the disturbing scene that unfolded in front of every Clan cat's gaze. "And although, from what StarClan seemed to be warning all of us last night, there might be...trouble for not only this Clan, but all the Clans...we must not only move on, but be on alert." He continued as seriously as he could, even though his belly churned with uncertainty of how to properly execute not only comforting his Clan, but preparing them, especially when he needed comfort himself. Scanning the clearing, he took a pause to regain his voice, for it faltered just slightly before finishing his last word. Raising his tail more confidently he called, "We will continue with our lives, not letting anything scare us or weakened us in any way, but we also must take this seriously and not completely let it trail away from our minds. I want a patrol to scout any abandoned dens or any bare spots that might have anything hidden underneath the ground," he ordered, referencing Morningstreak's dying words. Finchstar paused again, not sure what else to do, but determined not to let it show in the depths of his green eyes. He flicked his tail, "And...for now, that's all we can really do. If you see any, any sign of trouble, even the most miniscule, please report it to me..." Noticing too late he sounded weak at that last statement, he redeemed himself by added, "RiverClan can go through anything. I believe that," he said, his fur prickling at the thought that his clan-mates might disbelieve him due to his obvious in-confident nature. "Is there anything else that anyone can suggest doing, or any other information about the incident that someone can contribute?" (ew sorry for the bad post. this break really made me even more rusty than i was)

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As soon as the clan had returned home from the gathering Blackfur had gone immediately to check on Finchstar to make sure he got the sleep he need. When Finchstar finally was asleep he tried to get some sleep as well no matter how long he lied in silence he couldn't find any sleep only ending up being left with his own thoughts about the gathering. Blackfur soon gave up on trying to find any sleep and started to work on his herbs thinking that it might help take distract his mind but sadly it didn't. His worries were only compounded as he realized that he was starting to run low on herbs as well. Blackfur found no rest all night lost in him thoughts of the gathering and what he was going to do about the herb storage. When morning finally came Blackfur felt dead tired but still could find no sleep. he was about to go out and see if he could find any herbs to add to his storage when Finchstar called a clan gathering so instead he went over to join. Blackfur sat close to Finchstar and silently listened to him as he spoke nodding his head in agreement. When he was finished Blackfur got to his paws and spoke his voice clearly showing how tired he was "I think this goes with out saying but I would be best to avoid any unnecessary injuries with the cold days finally here the herbs are limited so I would like to keep them as long as possible." he stops for a moment giving a large yawn "On that note if any one finds some herbs please leave them be and just tell me about it and I can go collect what I need when I find the time. Thank you." with that Blackfur finished and sat again

[/dBlackfur iv]

Fawnstep's nights were spent in agony. Her dreams were painted with the bloody faces of her clanmates, and every morning she woke up screaming as they tore into her pelt - ripping her to shreds. She couldn't process anything anymore, every thought was littered with bright, burning fire, and the white she-cat's smoky gaze. She could feel them piercing through her flesh, even when the sun glittered across the blanketing snow. She was hallucinating on a regular basis and her mind was deteriorating at a frightening pace. In order to keep peace, the she-cat began to ostracize herself from her clan. She permanently moved into the elder's den and spent her hours fighting her demons. She hadn't been selected to attend the gathering but during Morningstreak's death she could feel something tighten across her chest. Fawnstep sobbed silently into the night and awoke to the sound of Finchstar's voice gathering them for a meeting.

For a moment she could feel clarity overcome her, the darkness parted in a sea of light, pulling her forward on puppet strings - she had to tell them what she's seen. Since her retirement she hasn't done anything for her clan. Her mind's been stuck, trapped in an ocean of insanity. With nimble steps she weaved through the crowd and crept toward her former mentor's familiar pelt. She staid behind him, observing quietly as her leader addressed the clan. Slowly the constant pain embed away, and for the first time in days her eyes felt bright. For whatever reasons, the demons were leaving her alone. At least for a little while. When Finchstar finished speaking, she opened her mouth, ready to call attention to the black and white tom before her, but instead he beat her to it.

Fawnstep closed her mouth and chose to say silent. Interrupting Blackfur would only draw attention to herself. Everyone knew there was something off about her. Fawnstep was reluctant to have their eyes on her, she was reluctant to feel their snide. She didn't know what her clanmates thought of her, but it was never good to begin with. When the medicine cat finished speaking, Fawnstep drew herself closer, her breath hot on his neck. Her voice barely above a whisper, she meowed, "Blackfur." The words almost flew away with the wind.

"I need to tell you what happened that night. You and Finchstar." What did happen that night? Fawnstep closed her eyes, trying to remember the moments before her insanity. The calico remembered pressing her nose into the moonstone and then immediately being surrounded by darkness. When the lights begin to flicker she knew something was off. Lights didn't dance the way these lights didn't. She knew that it was fire. Fawnstep could taste it in the air, she could feel the warmth seep through her pelt. And suddenly they were on her. A group of cats, led by a vixen clothed in white, she laughed maliciously as the cats began to chant, "Non-believer! Non-believer!" And then they tore into her - biting and ripping until she fell apart. She remembers waking up with tears on her cheeks and a tightness in her chest.

The she-cat began to tremble. This meeting had to go quickly; quickly before they came back for her.

Blackfur's ears perked up hearing Fawnstep surprised she suddenly needed to speak to them both. He turned to face her for a moment but when he took a look at her she was shaking worse then a leaf in leaf fall and he instantly felt worried about her. "Of course. As soon as this meeting is over we can all talk. Until then try your best to calm down a little alright? We don't want the others to worry about you as well after every thing else that has happened." He whispered back to her giving a little nod hoping she was going to be alright. Even know he did want to know what Fawnstep had to say this was nether the time nor the place so he forced his attention back to Finchstar and the clan not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to either of them. He gave a sudden shake of his fur as if from the cold and adjusted how he sat then looked back to the clan doing his best to show no sign that anything was bothering him the only tell tail sign he gave was his tail that rapped a little to tightly around his paws. He hoped the meeting would end quickly what ever Fawnstep had to say was clearly important.