Otterpaw rushed up to the patrol, concern on her face. She opted not to swarm the group, instead calling out that "It can't have been them! Why would they want to start more war?" However, remembering what Sharppaw had said to her at the Gathering, she had a sinking feeling that the other clans may not have the same desire to avoid conflict that she did. She just really hoped Sharppaw wasn't involved, she did not want to have to deal with knowing a friend was a murderer.

That was why she gave a huge exhale of relief as one of the cats explained that neither clan's scent was found nearby. "Alright, thank goodness..." She murmured to no one in particular, then went up to the patrol. The somber mood was not something she liked, and she hoped to break that up.

"Hey-At least Streamflower's with the stream now, yeah?" Otterpaw attempted to crack a joke at the situation, which is predictably not going to end too well for her.

Russetleaf immediately rushed over, standing in front of Otterpaw protectively. ”There’s no need for that! She’s still an apprentice and your clan mate, minnowbrain, so back off!” he hissed. He didn’t like being this angry, or being upset at all, but it seemed someone needed to set the record straight. He turned to Otterpaw sternly, ”There is a time and a place for jokes, and this is not the time. Show some respect, alright?”

Talis
Thorne

Of course the bastards would blame the mess on DarkClan.

Frostwhisper kept his distance from the arguing cats, his body language tense to communicate the obvious offense he felt. Sometimes, he wished he had abandoned RiverClan long ago and joined DarkClan like all the rest of the fed-up dark elements, but he would miss the sound of the rivers far too much. And he still had his pride- his family had lived in RiverClan for generations, and it would be dishonorable of him to leave the clan that his family had called home. At least, that was what he believed. His parents never stepped forward to claim the dark element kitten as their own.

"Why the hell would DarkClan even bother with us? Why- because they're your boogie man with their 'scary' and 'new' dark element? Are you a bunch of elders?" He couldn't hold back his seething rage, eyes narrowing into a pair of judgmental slits as he sprang to his own defense. "They have the entirety of ThunderClan to pick fights with. WindClan has beef with us- if any clan, it would be them. Their diplomacy has to be a façade- I'm sure one of their arrogant warriors finally snapped. Lest they sicked their mangy wolves onto our territory." The silver-and-charcoal warrior allowed his cold and unwelcoming gaze to dart between the warriors, as if prepared to enter a skirmish for defending his own StarClan-cursed element.

Thorne
Talis
Blaze

Otterpaw started as the clan turned to discussing who to blame. They all seemed pretty cool at the Gathering. If not for the recent fight maybe I could have made friends with them. She thought to herself. "Guys, maybe we should consider that it wasn't a clan cat? Might be a rogue, might be a twoleg, miht be some predator..." She called out, not wanting to turn blame towards either DarkClannor WindClan. She didn't want more war!

She wasn't one who thought much before speaking, as always, and had already forgotten about the earlier dispute over her lack of respect for Streamflower. She only knew she didn't want to dislike either other clan.

He tore up the dried, semi-brown grass at his paws as his fellow warrior had the audacity to shoot back a retort. Of course- DarkClan was always the bad guy. Anything with a dark element was evil. The platinum-furred warrior bit his lip, leaning forward to fire a line of sour words Pebblefoot before Bumblepelt decided to speak. Through it all, Frostwhisper kept a cold glare on the warrior who dared to go against his opinion. I will make you eat those words.

The warrior listened only absent-mindedly to the clan's representative, with his anger getting the best of him as per usual. How dare Pebblefoot judge cats on their element. How dare he continue to pain Frostwhisper's kind as evil, despite fire elements being the most recent cause of disaster via the burning of ThunderClan and ShadowClan's land. He couldn't let it go, he wouldn't let it go because he didn't have it in him.

He found himself disagreeing with Bumblepelt's orders as well, although he didn't vocalize it at the time. It didn't help that the young tom was already in one of his "moods" since his minor verbal scuffle with Pebblefoot. Food? Staying healthy? Frostwhisper scrunched up his nose in a mixture of disgust and disagreement. Why- so we can die at the claws of a secret murderer while feeling content with our full bellies? At least starvation doesn't kill immediately.

---

Sandwhisker avoided the arguments, since she saw no real value in them. Every cat could've been wrong, and every cat could've been right in some twisted and unusual scenario. It was unlikely, but that didn't mean it wasn't impossible. Maybe DarkClan and WindClan had teamed up together? Who knew.

But one thing was for certain: if they sat around and debated the likely and unlikely, they weren't going to get anywhere, not anytime soon. What was more important was action, and ensuring that the fallen had her proper burial so that she could ascend to the stars. Above all other things, Sandwhisker was more concerned about the vigil and seeing that all things went smoothly. After all, she was likely the most religious in RiverClan. Then again, it wasn't exactly a topic most cats debated among one and other. She just chose to accept it.

"I volunteer to help with the burial," the seal-pointed warrior called in her typical laid-back voice, waving her feathered tail from where she rested in the shade. "...And I can help with the WindClan border if we're finished in time." Sandwhisker added in a lower tone of voice, her mind escaping to her interactions with Beetlerunner once more. I got to make sure they don't find his scent.

---

Hm. This was an interesting situation.

The storm element found her mind drifting to the concept of elements and remnants, and whether or not every individual type would be the same. Water would surely wash away with water overtime- this they had covered before. But less explored were the more uncommon elements, those who were hybrids like herself: ice and storm. However, she wouldn't go prodding. Ashsong had a reputation to uphold in order to ensure her position in RiverClan, and her situation would only worsen if she attempted to pick fights and debate with her clanmates.

Duty came before mere theories in the world of Ashsong, anyways.

If something had gone awry, the warrior needed to see it with her own eyes. However, she wanted to keep her distance from WindClan, in the event that her curious, experimental father came looking for her again. While confident in her own abilities, she still found it difficult to be in the presence of her father. How could she not be abused, when the tom had wanted to create nothing more than a hybrid element? Most kittens were born out of love. Ashsong and her littermates? They had been born as promising weapons- and only she had been the desirable outcome.

Not to mention, her brother, Swanstep...

She pushed the thought from her mind. Another time.

"I'll attend the DarkClan patrol." The mouse-brown warrior stepped forward, her disposition calm and collected, almost robotic. If WindClan had truly done this...it might make RiverClan think poorly of her. She could only hope that the cats she'd once called family weren't that foolish. "If I'm needed for other duties, I'll be happy to tend to them afterwards."

Thorne
Talis
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