WindClan Camp

Dipping his head shortly as Larkstar seemed satisfied and left, he let the pups wander in and out for once, not grousing at them to leave him alone. They had their mother to grieve, after all. Noticing Eclipsepup leaving, he stayed where he was, ignoring the call to the meeting. He had a fair idea what it would be about, and he could hear just fine from his den. Movement at the entrance alerted him and he looked up in time to see Dappledpup walking in. Giving a sigh, the old medicine wolf very gently brushed his nose over the young pup’s head. He’d been particularly close to his mum, and it was showing. The baby’s cries seemed to have brought his brother in as well, and Ashfrost glanced about. Spotting one of the empty nests, he nosed it closer to Lilacsplash and picked up each boy gently. Placing them both in the nest so they could comfort each other, he didn’t try to get them to leave their mother’s side. Getting back to his herbs sorting, he kept the little pups company, wondering if or when the other tree would come in. Darkpup already knew, and that was likely how Eclipsepup had known, and the intelligent young pup had been oddly unmoved. Making a note to keep an eye on the black male, Ashfrost considered the two other females of the litter. They’d come in to see their mum, he was sure of it. Darkpup would just have to be watched carefully for when he did let his grief out.

Bouncing up at the promise of a story, Blackpup pranced in place, managing to sit down. Tilting her big ears forwards, she focused on Honeybadger very seriously. The wise old female had such good stories, and it was so important to listen to the elders. They had all the knowledge of course. Absently wondering if she’d become a wise elder when she grew up, the leggy pup yipped excitedly. “Yes please!” The cranky male was fascianating, but too scary to go and talk to. But if Honeybadger knew where he’d come from, then it was sure to be an interesting story. Honeybadger only ever had interesting stories, after all. Flicking a glance to the other pups, she wagged her brown and cream tail happily in welcome. “Where did he come from, Honeybadger? Another clan? Why would he leave another clan for this one?” Getting distracted from her question at the soft cries from the medicine de, she turned her head, frowning a little. What was wrong? Did she need to go and see if her friends were okay? Hesitating, her ears lowered a bit and her tail stopped wagging. She wasn’t sure what to do, and turned her gaze to Honeybadger, hoping that the elder would know. “Honeybadger?”

Watching his little sister go, Darkpup stayed where he was, curling his black tail around his feet. His mind was whirring, making sense of everything that had happened. He was sad that his ma was gone. Of course he was sad, she’d been his ma. But for some reason he was just numb, with nothing that he was really feeling. Absently paying attention to the clan meeting that was being held, he padded out to find a different shadowy corner where he could sit and watch the clan do its thing. Unsure why he wasn’t as bouncy and curious as usual, he pondered it for a long while, no longer noticing what everyone else was doing as he got lost in his thoughts. Why had his ma died? Why had Eclipsepup been so big and the rest of them so much smaller? Why hadn’t she grown up since she was born – they were all the same size now, he’d noticed. Would his ma be in Starclan now? Hopefully, though he’d managed to wheedle some information out of Honeybadger about things other than Starclan. He was going to ignore that, and just hope his ma was okay. They’d see her again surely.

Larkstar's summons worked like a miracle for Thornfur, directing Windpup's attention away from him almost instantly as he abandoned him to hear watch the leader had to say. He followed suit shortly after, taking a place next to Lilysong so as to be as far away from the energetic pups as possible. It was a difficult job to rid yourself of a pup completely, and whilst he could hear the voices of his siblings elsewhere, they were mercifully quite some distance away, leaving him with the opportunity to fully absorb himself with Larkstar's announcements.
He listened patiently as Foxpup's ceremony commenced, a faint smile brushing his muzzle as the new apprentice touched his nose to Cyrpessrunner's. Thornfur had never found Foxpup to be particularly bothersome, but with age and training came maturity, and Thornfur couldn't wait to see an increase in well-trained warriors in the Clan, especially with the recent influx of pups.
Larkstar's next announcement spiked the male's interest, his posture visibly straightening as he engaged his full attention. WindClan had been without a deputy for far too long, and he had been anxious to hear when Larkstar would make a decision. Usually, this decision was made with much haste after the delivery of the new leader's nine lives, but Larkstar had made the rather curious decision to delay the process. He often wondered how wise this was - leading a Clan was an excessively arduous task, and something that shouldn't be done alone. However, Larkstar had done more than adequately so far, and he considered that maybe she had merely been indecisive about who would be best fit for the role.  
Hearing Lilysong's name only came as a slight surprise to Thornfur. He knew his sister well and knew that she would do everything she could to keep peace both between the Clans and inside it, but he wondered whether she would have the strength to take physical action when necessary. Sometimes, there was just no reasoning with some wolves, and an iron fist was required rather than a shield. He supposed Larkstar more fit that description - in his eyes he considered her more like a dagger, her ferocity always concealed from view but ever present, only ever visible in the odd, impulsive moment. He did, however, have no doubt in his mind that the two worked to achieve the same goal, and believed that the two would work well together for the benefit of the Clan. He cheered the names of the newly promoted proudly, casting broad smiles - broad by his terms at least - towards both Lilysong and Foxpaw.
The revels, however, weren't to last long. The whole Clan knew that this outcome was inevitable, but the confirmation of Lilacsplash's passing was still a mournful topic, least of all for the motherless pups who were wailing in disbelief. Their wounded voices were almost physically painful to listen to, and Thornfur pinned his ears back against his skull to muffle the cries that racked their small bodies. It wasn't fair on them, but there was very little to be done. No one could be brought back from the dead, no matter what injustice sent them there. Honeybadger had her paws full dealing with some of the pups, and Ashfrost was certainly keeping an eye on those who had gone to be with their mother. Thornfur didn't know what to do to comfort them, and so settled to do nothing. They were being tended to as best they could be. The best he could do now was sit vigil for Lilacsplash, honouring her as they honoured every warrior passing into the realm of StarClan.

Wrenclaw had numbly stopped his carving and moping for a moment as Larkstar called a clan meeting. With a sigh he got up and padded over to where the others already had gathered, preferring to stay at the back of the crowd. Observing quietly, he watched as Foxpup was made an apprentice and Lilysong was made deputy. Truth be told, he wasn't exactly sure who Lark would choose for the job. He honestly thought that she would have chosen Embershard or Thornfur before the gentle she-wolf. Yet Lilysong was probably a better choice since her pacifist nature suited his sister's somewhat fiery temper. Wrenclaw didn't feel any disappointment at not being chosen, and was rather relieved that Lark didn't try and put him in charge. He knew well that he was hardly the wolf for such a job, and would prefer the life of a normal warrior instead.
The next announcement came as no surprise, but was sad nonetheless. "I guess she finally passed huh?" While Wrenclaw didn't feel too mournful for the queen, he did feel grief for her poor pups who were now left without a mother. He also hadn't seen Kaispirit for a while either and a part of him guessed that the pups were orphans. "Just like me and Lark were..." The sudden crying and disbelief among the pups did not help to make the situation any less grim. The male was already mourning the loss of someone close to him, and the sound of others in the same state did little to ease his mind. A new wave of grief washed over him, and he found it hard to stay in the camp. Clenching his teeth together, he fought the urge to leave camp and hide away from the others. "No... I have to stay. Loyal warriors don't runaway just because they feel sad. I... I can do something for the clan I'm sure." He gazed his head around, looking for some sort of job that would suit him. The last thing he wanted to do was to comfort the pups however, as he knew he was horrible when it came to others' emotional needs.

Every ceremony was a joyous occasion and the promotion of Foxpup came as no exception. A larger mix of feelings followed Larkstar's second announcement, the main constituent starting off as confusion, moving onto anxiety, but eventually transforming into an innate sense of determination. She was incomprehensible grateful that Larkstar put so much trust in her and had given her this opportunity., and she hoped that her face conveyed as much as she cheered Foxpaw's name along with the rest of the Clan.
Lilysong's features froze over as Larkstar confirmed Lilacsplash's passing, but the gentle female strived not to shed a tear. She had  expected this announcement and did her best to steal her feelings away as the stormy arrival of Silverfern took her attention. She wondered what could have riled the typically laid back female so much and she nudged her side gently as she settled down next to her, pressing against her slightly so that their fur intertwined. The warmth it provided helped to calm her own nerves that had resulted from her own promotion, and she hoped that it would go some way to quell the storm inside Silverfern too. Lilysong had no reason to suspect that her mood was caused by anything other than Lilacsplash's death, but she felt the need to inquire about her wellbeing, nonetheless. "How are you doing?" she asked gently, flinching at the coarse sound of the pups' cries acted like sandpaper against her ears. It was a truly awful sound, but she had no right to complain. She desperately hoped that Kiaspirit would return to offer his pups some comfort soon. "Did you find anything on your patrol?"

As soon as she had jumped down, Silverfern approached and gave her the news that Kaispirit had left the clan. "What?!" Bristling her fur, Lark stiffened as she registered what the silvery fay had just told her. "He left?!" Anger flashed through her eyes, but she managed to control the sudden rage before it got the best of her. "He was her mate! Why on earth did he not stay and look after the pups?!" The thought only made her more furious, and she pushed it to the back of her mind so that she could control her temper. "Thanks for telling me." She replied, her voice curt. With all the ceremonies in place, Lark wanted nothing more than to curl up in her den and sleep. But the news of Kaispirit's leaving left her with some fire in her heart. Scanning the camp wearily, she watched as her clanmates hung about somberly, their disposition no doubt from Lilacsplash's passing. The cries of Dapplepup in the Medicine Den did little to ease the situation, and only made her feel heavy and weighed down from grief. "We'll need to sit vigil and bury her. How long should I leave the pups to mourn for her?" In her eyes, the longer they waited, the more agonizing it would become, and the more her poor pups would have to spend around their mother's dead body. "It's better that they remember her while she was alive. But then again, perhaps it's better for them if they grieve in front of her?" Larkstar had lost her own mother when she was a pup, however she had been too young to remember how she felt or even what her mother had looked like. Feeling bitter from both the loss of the queen and Kaispirit, Larkstar padded into the Medicine Den. Inside, both Dapplepup and Windpup sat by their mother grieving, their anguished expressions sending more stabs of pain through the she-wolf's heart. She didn't say anything to them, not knowing what she could say to make anything better. Instead, she turned to Ashfrost, her gaze clouded with grief. "How long do you think we should wait until..?" She trailed off, her voice a quiet murmur that only the Medicine Wolf could hear. Lark wanted the older wolf's advice on how long they should allow the pups and the clan to grieve in front of Lilacsplash's body and when they should bury her.

Keeping an eye on the pups, the old wolf's gaze flicked to the leader when she padded in. Taking in her question, he glanced back at the pups curled together in the nest. “Not too long,” he said firmly, finished with checking over his herb stocks. “They'll grieve no matter when she's buried. Best let her body rest now.” Studying the leader, he tilted his head a little. “Kaispirit is gone too?” It was the logical conclusion to come to, the strange male hadn't been seen in camp for a while, and he'd never seemed too interested in the pups anyway. “Honeybadger will likely comfort the young ones if they go to her.”

Larkstar listened to the older male's advice, her eyes trailing on the young pups as they grieved their mother. Guilt coursed through her, even though logically there was nothing the leader could have done to save the queen from her fate. Still, the thought of Lilacsplash, the sweet and kind she-wolf, forever stuck in the dark forest was almost too much to bear. Lark felt some bitterness at Starclan for being unable to save her, and it was hard to understand that the eclipse even put their power on hold. "Can we do anything at all...?" There was nothing the fay hated more then sitting idle, watching as someone else was either hurt or slowly dying in front of her. And this was an even greater agony to the Windclan leader.
At Ashfrost's inquiry on Kaispirit, the she-wolf nodded in reply with a somber gaze. The male's leaving would probably be even more of a hardship on the pups, besides the fact that it meant Windclan was now one more warrior short. And with Leaf-fall settling in and Leaf-bare on the way, the lack of a wolf and the influx of pups would mean that there may be little prey to go around the clan.
Larkstar turned her gaze back to the Medicine Wolf as he mentioned that Honeybadger would comfort the pups if they sought her. "Thank you Ashfrost...I know you did a lot for Lilacsplash and the pups." Keeping the queen alive long enough for the pups to be weaned was no easy matter indeed. Lark didn't want to appear ungrateful for all the Medicine wolf had done, so she dipped her head politely.

The shadow hoovered outside the camp for a short time watching as wolves left and the camp sounded to be in mourning. Flittering around the edges it found a spot to ooze through the barrier of thorns and it looked around the open clearing. Gleaming eyes studied each wolf with care as it ears dropped on the conversations that were happening around the camp. A smirk appeared as it came to understand that they had lost a queen leaving behind pups and who knew what could happen if that possibility. It was a piece of information that ranked high in its list of importance.

The old fay's harsh tone made Larkstar snap her head. Meeting Honeybadger's gaze, the leader listened to the other wolf's jarring but sincere directions, and said that she was going to watch over Lilacsplash's pup while the queen was buried. After, the elder proceeded to gather the remaining pups together for a story.
Looking on gratefully, Lark waited until the others had gone before turning back to Ashfrost again. "I'll ask a couple of warriors to bury her once you have all of the herbs ready." With that Larkstar sighed and exited the den, her mind heavy from exhaustion. She had noticed Honeybadger seemingly chewing out Thornfur from the corner of her eye while in the Medicine Den, and the fay could guess that the male had been ordered to bury the queen once the mourning period was over. Stopping briefly to observe her clanmates, she couldn't help her eyes from straying onto Lilacsplash's still form. "It's so unfair," she thought bitterly, eyeing the once beautiful queen's ragged body. Of all wolves, Lilacsplash had been the kindest and gentlest being she had ever met, not at all deserving her horrible fate. Lark padded somberly over to the corpse of the fay, restraining her emotions as to not break down and cry. She could cry in her den when no one else was around, but as for now she needed to be strong.
Stooping down, the she-wolf pressed her nose into Lilac's fur close to her right ear. Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper, too low for anyone else to hear. "I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve this." Her throat felt tight from her sorrow, and her body ached from both the stress of the day and the trauma of fighting. Taking a shaky breath, she continued, "I'll look after the pups...They'll be alright." Feeling that she couldn't bear being around the queen anymore, the leader stepped back. She let out another sigh, trying to regain her composure. She then turned back to the few wolves who were standing around. "Thornfur, Wrenclaw, once Ashfrost is done with the herbs and everyone has grieved over her, take Lilacsplash outside camp and bury her." Lark hesitated a moment longer before turning away, padding steadily to her den. She did not notice the lingering shadow hanging around the side of the camp. Perhaps if she had been more alert she could have took note of it's ominous presence. But fatigue and grief made her weary, and she entered the cave without a second look. The she-wolf then slowly sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws. Tears that she had been holding back made their way down her cheeks, but she kept her grief silent as to not disturb the others mourning outside. Lark eventually laid down, covering her face with her tail. The fay let out a few small gasps and sobs into her fur, muffling the sound. Eventually her sorrow faded as sleep overtook her, but her slumber was restless and unpleasant.

Wrenclaw snapped his head up when he heard Larkstar giving him and the other male orders. Although burying was probably the least pleasant of duties, the brute held his tongue and decided to comply. "Don't the elders usually do that sort of job?" He thought, frowning and scanning the camp for Honeybadger. "Then again, I doubt Honeybadger could handle that task anyways." The clan had one elder, and she was well along in years and quite feeble. Wren could hardly believe that she still was around in the first place. He supposed that any wolf that somehow made it up in age like her probably deserved all the rest and prey in the world. Though admittedly, elders were the least useful wolves in the clan as far as hunting and fighting went.
The male continued to think to himself as he waited for the Medicine Wolf to come out and give him orders or whatever he was supposed to do. The pang of grief still tugged at him, but he did his best to ignore it, trying to shove such sorrowful thoughts out of his mind. At the very least, having jobs and tasks helped keep him distracted, and he knew doing such things would affirm his loyalty to the clan. While he lingered in the clearing, something on the side of the camp caught his eye. "What in Starclan's name...?" There was something hanging around the edge of the camp. Something or someone that had a strange shadowy appearance. Wrenclaw stiffened but continued to look on, narrowing his eyes. The being had no scent, and he couldn't tell if what he was seeing was a real wolf or not. "Is this an illusion?" He was hesitant to approach, yet curiosity got the better of him. Taking a few steps forward, it soon became clear that the being had the appearance of a wolf, but not one that was recognizable. Wren tried once again to catch the intruder's scent, yet he was surprised that there still was none. "This can't be real can it? Is it something from Starclan?" The closer he got the more unsettled he became, and his fur puffed out of instinct. "No, this wolf can't be from Starclan." Wrenclaw stopped a couple steps in front of the stranger and paused, trying to figure out what he could about this wolf. He was perplexed and a bit frightened, yet he kept his insecurities hidden under a mask of aloofness. Hiding his emotions was something the male had grown quite used to. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?" His voice was cold and devoid of feeling as were his eyes. The male had an idea of where this wolf was from, and the thought of it was unnerving.