Open Backwritten Camp HEAVEN KNOWS I'M MISERABLE NOW ☼ ] return to camp / name reveal [

[GOLDENSTAR]

x

He is weary.

There is a part of him genuinely surprised that it took so much out of him. That he feels like he's unraveling from the inside out. He feels no different, yet there's some kind of awareness that there is more. Hush read the doubt in his eyes. Molewhisker greeted him like an old friend. And the son of- he shook his head, turning his eyes away from the Highstones as they moved. He is silent. He does not remark to Dimmingsun, despite the wary eyes of his medicine cat on his flank. He had, of course, let the other know that it had gone well enough. He is empty, though. Missing something.

Aqua eyes turn towards where the sun rises. He heads along the path back, his left flank to the sunlight as it brushes him. He is crowned, now. The very thing he dreaded and let drag behind him is set upon his head, if only a bit askew. He carries himself as so, too, even if he does not realize it. Shoulders squared and stance stronger with the knowledge of more. The crowned lion of a pack of wolves, perhaps is how he felt. The bloodshed called for alongside those who demanded peace. He heads back to them their leader, stronger for the things he had been gifted. Doubt still tasted bitter in his maw, but he ignores that feeling.

The moorlands welcome him. It's a feeling that calms him, the breeze soothing despite it's gnawing chill. Aqua eyes are set on camp. It's close, now. He thinks he will rest when he returns, this new and great burden dragging him down despite the way he moves with might. He thinks about how Wheatwhistle cleared her nest from the den where he will rest tonight. Alone. It's a harrowing thought.

He steps into camp with the brightness of a new morning washing over him. He will be fine, they had promised. He isn't sure he believes Starclan, that he will survive and make Windclan better, to lead them into the lightness of peace, but he must have faith in something, right? He chooses himself. He chooses Dimmingsun, his littermate and siblings. He chooses those that surround him, that he trusts. He will have faith in them.

"Windclan." He rumbles out, voice settling like a weighted blanket upon them. Calling to them. "I left you as Goldenroar. I return to you as Goldenstar." He speaks, aqua eyes turning and looking for acceptance from them. For steadiness. For patience. For he is as much a part of them, as them a part of him. "All went well." He says, giving a glance to Dimmingsun, then back to camp. He steps into the crowd, not expecting them to part or stay. That is their own choice. "... I need a nap." He finally pipes up. There's the shadow of Goldy standing behind Goldenstar, an imprint of who he used to be peering over at who he has become's shoulder. The charisma, and kindness, it never left.

He just needed a reminder of what was most important. Starclan has done this.

OOC // This is backwritten to after Goldy gets his lives, but before January! Tagging @DIMMINGSUN as his companion on the journey.

GOLDENSTAR

LEADER OF WINDCLAN
he / him, cis male
45 moons old, ages on the 1st.
npc x npc, littermate to LUCKYSTRIKE, older sibling to MERRYSTALK and SUNNYSPRING
mentor to RUBBLEPAW

SPEECH // THOUGHTS // INTERACTION

penned by LAEVATEIN

 

[Rubblepaw]

Everything was happening quickly. Just a week ago Goldenroar had been the deputy of the clan, following in Dustystar's pawsteps to make sure that things were going well within the clan, and only a few days ago had things changed, had Dustystar went plummeting into the gorge in an attempt to reconcile the death that had taken place within the clan. They had left to take foot in response to what many called murder and come back with one cat less than they had left the camp with. Quickly then came today where the now-leader had called a meeting to promote those that needed it, to hand out apprentices to the warriors that were willing to teach and to make warriors of those that had come before her, and then he was gone, off to get the lives that were now his for the taking and the now apprentice didn't know how to feel.

The initial excitement of getting him as her mentor though still buzzing within her head had worn off slightly, the small fear of something happening ticking within her as soon as he had left, leaving his new apprentice behind despite her want to go with. The mix of frustration and worry had caused her to not sleep well, though she tried. She had been told that it would take all night before he would even be expected to be back by those who had done this once before with Dustystar, and so she tried to sleep, tried to rest so that she would be able to see him when he got back well rested and ready to start the day, but when she woke up and waited she realized how little sleep she had actually gotten, how little rest, and when he finally pushed through the entrance of camp looking as tired as she felt the apprentice couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. He was back, he was safe, and he was clearly not ready to go out into the territory once more, which would give her time to wake up properly.

Despite the tiredness that coursed through her she couldn't help but bound over to the other, a happy smile plastered on her maw as she looked towards him, "You're back!" It was obvious that he was, and when he announced to the clan that everything went fine, that he was now Goldenstar, she couldn't help but widen her eyes slightly in awe. She opened her maw to ask questions before snapping it shut as he moved into the crowd, announcing that he needed a nap, and so silently she watched as he walked towards the new place he would sleep, deciding that the questions were best left to ask when he was awake once more.

​

RUBBLEPAW she/her, WindClan 6 moons old.
innocence and obliviousness
mentored by Goldenstar // mentoring none
NPC x NPC / sibling to Peonykit
peaceful powerplay permitted
"speech" // "thoughts"
penned by tikki ↛ rabbitcake on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[DIMMINGSUN]

Like a loyal dog following its owner, Dimmingsun walks in the same line that Goldenstar does, putting his paws right in his wake.

Few words have been needed between them. There is nothing physically different about the tom before him, but Dimmingsun supposes that his affinity with StarClan may have granted him the ability to see through what is obvious. He sees the way Goldenstar carries himself a little differently. His shoulders slump initially, like he had just fought battle after battle, but then there is something prouder in his stance... something fiercer.

Dimmingsun supposes that's what happens when the very stars come down to greet you.

Fascinating. He had all but taken Dustystar and the rest of WindClan's words at face value, back when they had told him how she is supposedly gifted with multiple lives. Only the appearance of Creampaw and Deadwood's presence lingering behind Merrystalk had really solidified it for him. These things are true, not make-believes that the kits within the nursery had crafted to cull boredom. Perhaps the ground underneath everybody's paws is sacred- or perhaps just the sky that they all walk under. Spirits that pass from the living gain immense power in the dead. They use them to bless those who still draw breath.

And some use them for less grand purposes, Dimmingsun knows. There is simply no way that only the noble and the pure-hearted wield the power of the stars.

In the wake of Dustystar's sudden death, Dimmingsun finds himself attached to Goldenstar. This is the start of something new. Dimmingsun gets to actually be here for this, and he can't wait to witness with his own eyes what the grand new leader of WindClan will do—this, too, is unimaginable power, just like StarClan itself.

The walk back home is pleasant. Dimmingsun's heart beats steadily in his chest; it truly feels like everything is going to go right for them. He knows that train of thought is impossibly and foolishly idealistic, but he will allow himself to feel giddy with the promise of their future. Dawn chases away the night on the horizon, paints the sky yellow and golden. Is that anything but poetic? The grief that lingers within camp will glue itself back to him soon enough, but for the time being, with leaf-bare's cold winds caressing his face, Dimmingsun blocks it all out.

For once, Dimmingsun doesn't feel the need to talk. His gaze sweeps over his Clanmates; some of them are rousing now, and some of them have not been able to sleep until Goldenstar's return. Will any of them object? Will any of them scorn Goldenstar for taking Dustystar's place so soon, even though they would not operate without a stable leader at a time like this? He only tears his gaze away when he feels aqua eyes burn him. This is right. Dimmingsun can be Goldenstar's rock, in a way he had never been for Dustystar—she already had cats she trusted, a council she had appointed. She had laid the red carpet for him to waltz in on, and he will never feel like he has repaid the debt he owes—certainly not now, when he can presumably only reach her in dreams and visions. This, however... this is real, this is now.

Dimmingsun itches with the need to make history.

NOTES
N/A

 

[Weaselchirp Weaselchirp]

I'm a young soul in this very strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit 'bout what is true and fake
But why all this hate? Try to communicate
Finding trust and love is not always easy to make

.

Weaselchirp sat in stillness, bright wide eyes fixed upon the star-dusted sky. If the heavens held answers, they were tucked just out of reach, glittering like secrets. So much had happened already, and more would roll toward them like wind over the moor. Life refused to pause, it moved onward, relentless and alive. As the earth shifted and deepened, so too would WindClan. A life had been taken from them, cruelly and far too soon, full of unspent promise. Yet they would grow from here, whether they felt ready or not. With Goldenroar... No, Goldenstar soon enough, the path ahead waited to be walked, and she would do her part to see WindClan's future not just survive, but breathe.

She hoped that future would not demand more blood. Whether such gentleness was possible, she could not say. Perhaps this was the nature of the ground beneath their paws: it offered and it claimed, it cradled and it swallowed. A soft sigh left her as her scrunkly whiskers trembled, and she turned at the sound of pawsteps. There he was, Goldenroar returned from Highstones, carrying the weight of new names and new lives in his tired shoulders. Goldenstar now. She dipped her head with quiet respect, a sliver of a smile curving her muzzle.

" Rest, you must. A long day waits already. " she murmured, eyes brightening. " Bellies to fill, tunnels to keep safe, patrols to send humming across the moor! " The list unfurled in her mind, suddenly very large. Once, two cats had shared that burden. Now it rested on one set of shoulders, crowned and newly named. She wondered, heart fluttering like dust in sunlight, when Goldenstar would choose the cat to stand beside him.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

72 MOONS

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WINDCLANNER

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SONG

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bio

 

[Cricketpaw Cricketpaw]

'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head, a sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread

.

Cricketpaw moved forward as Goldenroar returned to them as Goldenstar, her one good eye wide and bright at the sight of the once deputy standing like a leader would. And then, a shine of the Goldenroar she knew as he admitted to needing a nap. She scrunched her nose a tiny bit, a deep breath releasing from her. So much had happened! The barn fire, the confession, the floodwater, the fights, a vanishing leader, empty nests that still smelled like laughter... Vigils where pebbles turned into prayers and kits without answers... WindClan had been burnt, bent, soaked, cracked, scared and yet here they stood again. Stitched together by stubborn breath.

For a moment, grief choked her like the floodwater she had nearly drowned in. But then, the familiar spark pushed through. For she was still here... They were still here. A thing she thanked Silentstep endlessly for. As the other may have noticed by the consistent amount of gifts she had kept giving the other warrior. They still had each other... The wind had not blown them all apart. Despite arguements, despite everything... Her tail lifted as she slipped forward.

He looked different now... Radiating a certain weight behind the name. But he was also still Goldenroar to her, the cat who had seen her grow. " Goldenstar. " she meowed, letting the new name ring warmly. " Congratulations. " Despite the dire way the name had been passed onto him... It was still his by right now. She started fishing into her neck fur, tongue poking out as she concentrated and finally... Tugging free a tiny thing. Two smooth stones, bound with a thin strand of dried grass. One pale as morning frost, one gold-tinged. She had picked and tied them as the other had left for his trek to Highstones.

" It's for you. " she spoke, feeling a certain burn in her ears, suddenly feeling just a tiny bit shy. " A luck-stone. One for strength, one for calm. For when everything gets loud... " she sputtered out before looking almost like that mischievous kit who tended to yank stones out from nests she should not have been in. " Also excellent for naps. " she purred, setting the stone gently at his paws.

" We've been through a lot... But we keep going. And that has to mean something. "

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

11 MOONS

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WINDCLANNER

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