Copperstorm
and in the storm of life, there was you
and in the storm of life, there was you

ThunderClan
Ranger
Council Member
You walk along the edge of danger
AND IT WILL CHANGE YOU
AND IT WILL CHANGE YOU
.
Everything happened too fast. One moment, Copperstorm was speaking calmly with Peachtrot. The next, she was racing off, swallowed by the sea of cats—and then chaos erupted like lightning across the clearing. SkyClan had found their target. Voices rose, claws unsheathed, and now... Now he stood frozen. Wide-eyed. Silent. Shaken. Near his clan, but feeling further from it than ever. He thought he knew them. Thought he understood what they stood for. That they were building something better, something different. But now? Doubt slithered through his chest like a snake, cold and hissing.
And across the clearing, those familiar amber eyes stared at him. Coalstrike. Locked on him like a predator. There was something in those eyes, something that made his heart plummet to the pit of his stomach. Satisfaction. A cruel, quiet satisfaction. See, son. See that I was right. The strong always triumph over the weak. Blood always calls for more blood. And there are killers in everyone. Even you.
No... No.
That was not what he stood for. That was not who he was. He was not his father. He never wanted to become that. Never wanted Boarpaw, or his apprentice Thistlepaw to believe that strength meant cruelty. That violence was virtue. That survival demanded death. His breath caught in his throat, chest tightening as Owlbark spoke. He understood, Stars, he understood. He didn't think Owlbark was evil. But a warrior was dead. A young warrior. A child, barely into his moons.
Survival? Is that what this was? Could Owlbark not have knocked the intruder back? Shoved him away from the border? Fought him off without ending him? Why was death always the answer? His head swam. His ears were ringing. His paws felt rooted and weightless all at once. Where was Boarpaw? Where was Thistlepaw? His golden eyes darted across the clearing in a panic, but there were too many bodies, too many voices, too much noise. They were just apprentices, they should not be here for this. He stepped forward, chest heaving with the effort not to scream.
And then Hawkstar spoke of a code. A warrior code. As if it was a guiding light in all of this. Was there really a code to being a warrior? Could they learn it? Could they be better? His eyes found the SkyClan leader, searching her face, trying to understand what they had walked into, what they were supposed to take from this. Then Juniperstar's voice. Clear. Steady. Final. Offering her life for the life of the warrior. Shock punched the air from his lungs. No. She couldn't. She couldn't do that. Not for this. Not like this. He looked at Owlbark, saw the heaviness in the tom's eyes. Then back to the leaders, his mouth opening, yet no words came out. Nothing. Only shocked silence and bitten back words.
Won't this blood only spill more blood?
A whirlwind of emotion... His eyes wide in horror as Hawkstar agreed to the deal. The debt that would be paid... Juni's life for their warrior's....
This... this warrior code SkyClan spoke of... we don't know it. But we could get to know it. Couldn't we?
Blood tainted the fur of their leader, tainted the leader of SkyClan... And then it was done... It was over... Just like that?! And they had to be okay with this outcome... This horrible red that dripped to the ground... Their leader, motionless...
Nobody wanted a child to receive such a horrible end. Not even him, I don't believe that. I don't believe any of us wanted this.
So many words, unspoken... Gone... Useless.... And in the back of his mind, he swore he could feel the burning stare of his father as he stood there, staring at the scenario before him. He felt miserable, he felt sick... Where... Where were the kits... The apprentices... They needed to.... They needed to regroup... This Gathering was a f a i l u r e... What was meant to be peaceful became so much worse... Blood hung thick in the air, clinging to his fur. Nauseating.... He felt like he would lose his dinner...
Boarpaw... Thistlepaw... He needed to... He needed to find them.
Taking a few steps back, he frowned, swallowing a few times before slowly looking toward Owlbark. Is this ... Is this what we need? Things he wanted to shout would not come out. Juniperstar had lost a life before... He had seen it happen... Now it would happen again. " Someone... " he started, looking back to Juniperstar's body before scowling, body tensing up. " Call... Call together the clan, Owlbark... I think it's safe to say... Once Juniperstar returns to us, we will return home... " he uttered out. A life for a life... A debt is repaid...
He hated it...
Speech, thoughts/emphasis