Private ThunderClan Camp Until Both Of Us Drop Dead - Juniper

[GravelPath]

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indent In the past few days, the slow tide of change in Gravel's peaceful life had turned into a powerful, raging tidal wave. The dissent had finaly boiled up and over the bounds of their little group, and the resulting battle had all but turned the forest upside down. It was a mistake, on Gravel's part. They had assumed, at first, that Hawthornes detractors would soon turn on Sable as well, and would return to a formless, kvetching mass before long. Instead, they stood strong besides him, and brought up their own little 'rebellion' to boot. And with that, the stable life that Gravel had earned for themself had once again been thrown into upheaval.

indent "What a pain... we should have put them all in their place earlier, and avoided all of this mess."

indent At least it wasn't a total loss. A new order meant a new chance to situate themselves higher in the pecking order. Juniper, it seems, had taken to placing herself at the very top in Hawthorne's absence, but she was delicate, for the time being. An soft wind could easily blow her- and the rest of 'Thunderclan'- off course and into disarray. It would take a firm but gentle paw to steady her, and guide her onto the most favorable path.

indent "Juniperstar?," they call softly, pushing into the entrance of the small den. They carried a squirrel in their mouth - it was scrawny, but still an impressive enough offering, considering the ongoing leafbare. "I saw you didn't get anything to eat, today. I understand you want your clan to be fed, but we can't let our leader waste away in her den without any food." They place the squirrel in front of Juniperstar, gently, before sitting and wrapping their tail around their paws. It was clear they didn't intend to leave until their leader had finished her meal.

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[juniperstar]

juniper

round eyes scan the ground in aimless patterns, scrying for meaning in the shape of dirt, the placement of random pebbles. seeking some sort of sign, inspiration for how to continue. the daily tasks grow as blurry as the time itself does, passing with inconsistent speed and little attention to the details of whether it had been a single day or three. lashes flutter to blink, realizing the dryness that came from her staring as if her body had been searching out of habit but retaining nothing within.

a name new rings out as a source of startling grounding- it sounds wrong, to affix heavenly light to her name like she is something special. I'm just Juniper... but fate would not allow that to be the case anymore. what would Thornstar have decided to call her? Juniper... his Junebug... laid to rest beside him the moment the stars had dug like burrs into her spine.

the offering of a squirrel makes her stomach stir, awoken by the smell of something to eat like it had not seen prey in moons- and had it not? so careful and reserved, even when Serpent had pressed her to eat more. the spotted cat's gaze lifts to Gravel's face, searching for the same seething features that Sable had with every mention of Fray. wasting away... was she already crawling into his pelt to die nine times to complacency?

"Thank you... I wish I could say it was so selflessly motivated," she murmurs, delicately reaching to pull it closer. "I've just... forgotten. There's much to do." to summon up the right words to describe her clan-mates and honor them each.

"Do you...." she thinks to bite her tongue, to show some spine in not asking such a baited question but can't help the pining for some reassurance. "Do you trust me...?"

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• juniperstar leader of thunderclan nine lives remain

  ignore me

 

[GravelPath]

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indent Gravel closes their eyes, humming in thought. "As a new leader, trust is what you need more than ever. Without it, there's not much 'leading' you can really do. These cats from 'Starclan' seem to have vouched for you, which im sure will do some of the heavy lifting." The ghosts from the skies were real as could be, or else a vivid mass hallucination. Still, nobody had been there to see them deliver the traditions of the clans or role of leadership onto Juniperstar. All of Thunderclan was relying on her word. "Hawthorne vouched for you too, you know. Being named the 'deputy' of such a well-respected cat must surely come as a boon."

indent Gravel begins inspecting their claws, seemingly out of idle habit, before they continue. "There is that one thing, though. The one who started this whole mess, driving us to wild violence, is your mate. Some cats may question your loyalties. Who's to say you wont run back to him, leaving the rest of the clan to their own devices? The more astute members of the clan, however, surely only see it as a testament to your loyalty - standing against your own mate, in order to defend truth and goodness. It's quite noble. As for how I feel..." Gravel looks up from their paw, showering Juniperstar, for the first time, with the honeyed warmth of their gaze. "I hold a great amount of trust in you. Not because the stars have chosen you, but because of your heart, and your actions. Despite the wounds upon your heart, you push forward, leading us into the future. I just hope you know you won't have to lead alone."

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[juniperstar]

juniper

it isn't the most direct answer to start... a round about explanation of its necessity rather than just being outright with it. the dissection of the clan's needs, of where she'd earned her title from makes her wary of the conversation before it has truly begun- Hawthorne's name stings like teeth snapped into the sensitive flesh of her scuff. "It's Thornstar now," she protests softly, unwilling to truly lean into the lecture... it was just another thing they had to believe her on. it wasn't as if he'd appeared before them like Coffeestar to proclaim his change after death. but what... what sort of flattery was that meant to be? was it even meant to be flattery?

if Hawthorne had not chosen her... his childhood best friend then-

whether or not Gravel is truly invested in the inspection of their claws hardly matters as their teeth clack together a careful exception. one thing.... just one...

the dark stripe of their spine stands on end- her ears make out the implication, heart hammering defensively as the accusation resonates like a gong to overwhelm her senses. Sable's name goes unsaid but it is plenty clear... her lips pull back in a grimace, swallowing back the urge to hiss at them to stop. she didn't ask for this answer. shame burns like hot coals down her throat to be complimented for running from her mate- could she afford to be honest with any of ThunderClan, to admit that she still just thought him misguided? that she could convince him to let this all go and come home to her? that she still loved him and held hope that his frigid heart would melt come green-leaf...?

sunlit gaze stares at her through their lashes, a gentle thing that does not match the barbs of their honesty. her fur lies flat, insisting that her clan-mates are not her enemies... that the mirror placed in front of her is not a threat but an opportunity. "I don't expect anyone to forgive Sable... But I don't think everyone that followed him was not blinded by fear and hunger." her nose scrunches with consideration, giving Gravel the space to stand as a representative amongst their peers. "What do you think? I think more bloodshed is a waste... There are families split between our two halves..."

selfishly, her tail tucks closer to her. her own family was among them now...

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• juniperstar leader of thunderclan nine lives remain

  ignore me

 

[GravelPath]

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indent Gravel curses themself, internally. Their words, which had been meant to soothe, seem to have run Juniperstar's fur the wrong way. 'If she can't handle the truth, then I'll just give her convenient lies.' The notion does sour Gravel's idea of Juniperstar, by just a fraction. Really, they shouldn't be surprised. Cats were often far happier to live under a rock, sheltered from the unpleasant truths of the world by their own ignorance, then they were to look upon the filth and learn to rise above it. 'If she wants to continue wallowing in the muck, let her. She'll come too eventually.'

indent"What do I think?" Gravel does their best to soothe the annoyance in the voice. "Warfare is usually more trouble than it's worth. This, at least, wasn't a lie. Battle was tiring, and dirty, and unpleasant. Although Gravel did concede that it was often necessary, It was often in their best interest to squash the problem before it came to bloodshed - something they had failed to do when they first smelled dissent. "I'm sure much of the clan agrees. They are tired, and hungry, and mourning. All they want now is to live in peace. I'm sure, if given the chance to reunite with family and live together, they'll jump at the opportunity." This time, Gravel leaves out the obvious other side - that many of the cats here no longer have any family to reunite with, because of the actions of Sable and his lot. Wounds like those ran deeper than simple claws along flesh, and took far longer to heal. It's possible they may never come to forgive those who had bereaved them. 'But even if they don't like it - the may come to accept a reunification if a strong enough leader makes it so.'

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[juniperstar]

juniper

at least they seem to have a mutual understanding to this end... there has been plenty of copper-reds spilled to nourish those hollow oaks for a lifetime. any more might stain it permanently, drown what new growth hopes to grow from the carnage. their own claws itch like they have been rubbed through poison ivy, a reminder of what bloodshed may yet remain. what could've been had their willingness to spill it been stronger than their desperation to preserve.

could it have been delayed? or would it be have been worse had Sable been given the inspiration of a litter to motivate his ambitions?

peace was all they had ever really wanted but how quickly the idea came apart when met with a challenge. those that stood with her now had exhibited a stronger moral back bone but how long could that go pushed before another branch snapped?

"The first two will be repaired with time... trying to undo the cracks will be a lot harder," the spotted cat responds, searching some empty middle distance like there were answers to by scried from it. "As long as we don't stoop to their lows when things get difficult, we'll be fine. For now it's a matter of distributing prey I guess." her whiskers twitch, a pressing concern creeping to the forefront, "Serpent won't be able to hunt for herself for at least a few moons... which mean we have to provide for her in the meantime. You any good at kit-sitting?" maybe she could move that timeline up a little bit if someone else could watch them when they were napping- kittens did a lot of that, right?

──✩°｡⋆⸜ ✮

• juniperstar leader of thunderclan nine lives remain

  ignore me

 

[GravelPath]

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indent "I'm sure I can manage. Kits aren't that difficult, really. Despite their stated aptitude, Gravel can't help but wrinkle their nose a little bit. Watching kits was easy, sure, but it isn't always pleasant. Kits are smelly, and dirty and always manage to get into something or other. Just a few days ago, Gravel spotted one of the little hellions rolling in the fresh kill pile! They shuddered with the thought of having to clean the thing after that.

indentIf being nasty isn't bad enough, kittens are also awfully hard to control. Grown cats have thoughts, and ideals, and things they want to achieve. All of those aspects could be skillfully pulled on to direct them to the desired outcome. Kits, on the other hand, are blank slates. They care about little other than the warmth of their mother, and batting around feathers and bits of fuzz. Such simple desires can only lead them on so much. They best you could do was bribe them with a toy. Other than that, they really have no reason to listen to you.

indent Gravel sighs, scratching an itch behind their ear. "If it needs to be done, though, it will." Besides, Serpent is well respected and well liked by the clan, and has an extensive knowledge of healing and herb usage. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get friendly with her, start forming a relationship. "The headache of dealing with a few unruly kits is more than worth the wellbeing of the clan, Isn't it?"

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