Everlasting Love (Stormwind)

(Yeah, sure. He can pretend Eagle committed suicide rather than be kept prisoner (Peach wouldn’t believe it, obviously, because she knew Eagle, but no one would believe her if she said anything) and Willowheart can eventually have a vision, a sign, a StarClan cat telling her, or something about it.

Wouldn’t it be a bit... to make myself deputy when I’m already leader and medicine cat?)

Eagle eventually opened his muzzle, choking as he tried to gasp for air, glaring up at Sterlingflight.

(He’s going to do his best to cover it up, if you don’t want to pick a replacement for him yet we can just have it be a while before someone discovers the truth. And as for that question, it’s up to Rainstar, and it being tough choice with no obvious good answer is part of the point. )

Sterlingflight pressed his paw down harder, knowing eventually the tom would be forced to open his mouth in an attempt to breathe.

Eagle snarled wordlessly with anger and hidden fear, struggling against the calico’s grip.

(This is gonna make him lose his deputyship and be put on watch for a while lol. It’s cold-blooded murder. But who would be deputy now? Because it’s a big no to choose yourself for that, Duststorm is practically blind now, Honeypelt doesn’t seem like she’d make a good deputy, and all the others are too young)

Sterlingflight’s gaze was unflinching as he placed a forepaw on Eagle’s throat when the tom rolled over, holding him in place. “These,” he growled, showing the tom his leaf bundle, “I was keeping in case you foxhearts overran our camp.” The Tom’s bundle contained a half dozen distinctive red deathberries. “But since that won’t be a problem now, I have a better idea for what to do with them.”

He unwrapped the bundle and clawed cruelly at Eagle’s face again, keeping the other forepaw on the brown Tom’s neck. Something within the deputy seemed to have snapped.

(Ahurvfhlu)

The brown-furred rogue jerked awake with a hiss of surprised pain, amber eyes shooting open.

(Sterly is just going to force-feed him some deathberries, so you might RP Eagle reacting to him as he says what he’s going to do and then struggling a bit when it happens?)

Sterlingflight glared daggers at Eagle as he stood back up, padding over to a corner of the small alcove where it seemed the earth had been disturbed recently. The deputy then dug up a leaf bundle and set it off to the side, in view of the other tom. “Eagle,” Came the calico’s growl, showing a threatening, cold side of him that anyone else hadn’t seen before. He lashed out, slashing the helpless prisoner across the muzzle in a very un-warriorlike way.

(..I don’t know what to do)

Sterlingflight’s eyes narrowed as he reached Eagle, who was being kept in a sheltered part of the camp’s bramble barrier. He sat down facing the bound rogue, his tail twitching as he leveled a glare at the other tom.

(Mmkay, sure)

Rainstar stayed awake until she was certain that she could go to sleep without anyone needing her.

(Sterly can kill him with poison here.  It actually fits into the idea I had. >:3 )

The rest of my cats returned to their nests, some having more success in getting to sleep than others.

(*stares at Eagle* You were supposed to die in the battle. What am I supposed to do with you now?)

Willowheart quickly ate the mouse she’d found before retreating to her den for some sleep.

Peach sighed softly, laying her weary head on her paws and soon drifting off. There was far less space between the warrior’s nests than there had been around each individual rogue’s, and she could see why this was smarter as the den filled up, every cat contributing their individual body heat to ensure the warmth of their clanmates. Sighing softly, the kittypet thought about how right it felt to be here before falling asleep.

As much as Sterlingflight wanted to sleep he sat at Eagle’s side, out of range for the rogue’s claws.

Blossomsnow curled up in her nest gratefully, falling into the sleep of the exhausted.

Sterlingflight held Rainstar’s gaze evenly as she spoke, then snorted softly as she padded away. The grief-stricken tom then looked out over the clearing again before beginning to assign warriors to duties. While he let most go to sleep after the battle and long vigil, he had to assign somebody to keep an eye on Peach and Eagle. He decided on taking Eagle to himself, then had Peach build a nest next to Blossomsnow’s.

Rainstar frowned at her mate. “You think I can’t tell when someone is lying to me?” She asked coldly. “Every word she said to me was the truth, and it is my decision whether to let her stay or not, not yours.” She rose to her paws and padded away from Sterlingflight.

Sterlingflight narrowed his eyes, his distrust evident. “And how do we know that she’s telling the truth?” The tom huffed, aggravated. “I’m shocked you let her in in the first place.” He wouldn’t normally speak to Rainstar his mate like this, but as a father who had lost his sister, and stood to potentially lose a daughter as well to the same group of rogues, he was displeased, and let Rainstar the leader know this.

(Sure)

Rainstar followed his gaze. “Ah,” she murmured. “That’s Peach. She wanted to leave the rogues and the only fighting she did was to help Duststorm. I’m letting her join. Of course, she will have a guard until she proves her loyalty.”

Peach pinned her ears back in sadness after being rebuffed by Willowheart. She watched The other she-cat walk over to the fresh-kill pile for a moment before turning her head back to the knot of cats still in the clearing. Everyone but her was grieving with someone, or so it seemed, and it just made the bengal feel even more alone.

The only other cat in the clearing who was alone was Honeypelt. She looked down between her paws sadly, clawing idly at the earth beneath.

(Would it be alright if it turns out Brackenspots got her pregnant before the battle? )

Sterlingflight felt the first rumblings of a purr start in his chest as Rainstar pressed close to him. However, he looked up and his eyes instantly spotted an unfamiliar pelt in the crowd. The Tom lifted his head completely, murmuring to Rainstar “Who is that?” His tail gestured to Peach.

Willowheart eyed the former kittypet for a moment before continuing on her way towards the fresh-kill pile, not bothering to answer. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone, mich less a cat she didn’t know.

Rainstar rested her muzzle in between his ears.

“I know,” Sterlingflight huffed, lifting his head to look into his mate’s eyes. The Tom was grateful for her comforting presence in this moment, and showed as much by nuzzling into her fur once more.

Worriedly, Peach went over to Willowheart. The best she knew was that this was a special cat who didn’t fight like the other warriors, but healed them instead. “Are you... alright?” The kittypet asked, uncertainty rife in her mew.

Rainstar rasped her tongue over his ear, gently, soothingly. “She’s with StarClan now.”

Willowheart padded out of the medicine cat den, tail drooping. She looked exhausted.

Sterlingflight leaned against Rainstar heavily, shaking his head from side to side slowly and looking down at the ground.

Peach had stayed up all night with the rest of the clan cats, joining the vigil though she hardly knew the dead. As the elders began to carry away their bodies, the pretty bengal she-cat glanced around the clearing, hoping to find somebody to talk to, and maybe even to start teaching her the things she needed to know. While she had been there all night, she had been getting suspicious looks the whole time, seeing as Rainstar hadn’t made it known to all that the former kittypet was with them now.

Rainstar brushed her pelt against her mate’s, trying to comfort him.

Echoewhisper finally laid her head down, exhausted, and went to sleep, having stayed up almost all night to comfort the lone remaining medicine cat.

Sterlingflight felt fresh tears falling as he watched the clan’s elders carry away Silverwish’s body.

Willowheart’s smiled weakly, not believing her at all. Besides, Silverwish had been the one to do most of the work on Echowhisper.