Posts by Thornfang

[size=9pt]Thornfang dragged himself out of the elders' den. Why did he even have to attend this meeting? What was the point? He had nothing now, and he had never felt more alone. He was half Clan. He had killed his Dark Forest mentor. He had lost ShadowClan. So much had gone wrong recently, and the elderly tom knew things would only get worse. In a way, he hoped things got out of control very quickly. He wanted to die. The old brown tom slumped to the ground, barely outside of his den - he didn't appear comfortable or interested at all.[/size]

[size=9pt]is it just me or did a squad of kits suddenly appear in shadowclan overnight? lol[/size]

[size=9pt]Oh, for StarClan's sake - of course a cat had to peer in! It wasn't someone that Thornfang knew well, either. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? The dark elder couldn't be sure. Too bad their first impression of him would be this sobbing mess, even if that was all he was now. His very existence went against what he had been fighting for, and Thornfang knew it now - he was going to the Dark Forest. He was a murderer, a traitor, and a disgrace to the code. Crying wouldn't save him now, and he wouldn't pretend that it was. "Why are you here?"he gasped out shakily. "This is the elders den. Let me guess - you heard me, didn't you?"No point in hiding things.[/size]

[size=9pt]Like pretty much every cat he knew, Thornfang was already beginning to dislike Softstep. But at least he knew when to keep his distance rather than barging into the den - that was at least one good thing, one positive. Maybe that was all Thornfang needed to do, start looking at the positives rather than the negatives. But if he did that, the dark furred tom was afraid he would return to his old self, and that someone would kill him, and off he would go, straight to the Dark Forest. So how did he reply to this question? "Yes, but I'm warning you - you probably don't want to hear it. If you do though, feel free to ask."/size]

[size=9pt]Softlight. The last time the old tom had seen her, she had ran away from ShadowClan - a traitor to him, or had he been a traitor to her? If she wanted to come back for Badgerclaw, she couldn't. He was dead. Thornfang had been the one to retrieve his dead body from across the Thunderpath. Hilarious, really. That warrior had died just before ShadowClan had been raided by their own former leader. And now Raggedface was Raggedstar, and she was in charge again. Along with that, the dark furred tom had found out that he was half Clan, and no longer knew what his life meant.

"So it's you, Softpaw. You left here, and now you're back?"His tone was a slightly hostile one, but apart from that, he sounded emotionless - broken, as if he didn't care anymore.[/size]

[size=9pt]Rudeness, of course. What had Thornfang expected to be greeted with? And he deserved it. Thornfang was thinking back to Fallendust - StarClan, why? Why had things ended up this way? No wonder everything the elderly tom did ended so badly, it was because he wasn't pure ShadowClan! Maybe that, and he should've listened to StarClan's warnings to start with rather than becoming more aggressive because of them. The old tom narrowed his eyes. "Haha... remember how there's the whole respect your elders thing? I guess I'll just bring attention to it now. And when did you become Softlight? You can't just rename yourself, and don't tell me some other leader did it for you,"laughter? Far from it. His laughter was forced, his voice dull and unhappy. As Softlight faced Snakehiss, the elderly tom moved over, hoping that the she cat would tear him to shreds in a way. He should have let Raggedstar kill him, or his Dark Forest mentor. Softlight was another option though - his first ally, the first cat he had deceived. "Well, I'm certain that she'll let you in."His blunt words referred to Raggedstar.[/size]

[size=9pt]Great. He'd been hoping to discuss this with a cat he knew more personally, but then again, most the cats he knew personally hated him now. He'd probably be stuck chatting to Littlenewt, and whilst Thornfang had been there when Littlenewt had been sad, he had been there to collect information, not to comfort. Should he really be telling Softstep this? Oh well, what was there to lose? "Almost all of the Clan hates me because I took over the Clan because I thought it was StarClan's will, and now I've found out that I'm not pure ShadowClan."It was brief, but Thornfang didn't intend on sharing his entire life story - yet.[/size]

[size=9pt]So true - Thornfang hadn't known, and now felt like a naïve fool. Clever? To think that he had ever believed he was that. What he had done wasn't the will of StarClan, and he doubted his father approved either, as kindly as Fallendust may be. The dark tom still found it hard to believe that his father had fallen for someone who wasn't in ShadowClan. No wonder he had become so obsessed with the code after that. "I believed so strongly that what I was doing was right. After I became leader, I started feeling a little doubtful, and realised my plans wouldn't even work. I just wanted to be respected after that, but then the one everyone thinks should be leader came back, and I had no choice but to retreat,"one more blow from Raggedstar, and he would've been killed. The next comment made Thornfang a little cross. He hated anyone who wasn't pure Clan - that was a rule, meaning that he hated himself. Huh - that suddenly made a lot of sense. "I didn't believe that, but now I'm a little confused. I always thought that not being pure Clan was wrong, and that such a birth went against the code."[/size]

[size=9pt]Butterflysong was going to be exiled. Yes, thank StarClan! She was nothing more than a whiny, unwanted foxheart. This wasn't to say that Thornfang supported any of the medicine cats, but at least they weren't quite as messed up as Butterflysong. So, what now? If he tried speaking to her, the Clan would automatically turn on him more than they were turned on him already. But he had to say something to her. The brown tom made his way over. "So, what do you plan on doing now?"He asked the she cat.[/size]

[size=9pt]Thornfang snorted as he felt himself being shoved to the side. "You want to break my bones, don't you?"he grunted at Goldenlight. That would be fun - maybe he could just shatter to pieces or something. Thornfang really was contemplating whether there was any point in staying alive anymore. His dreams had been destroyed, and he now hated himself, as well as the whole Clan. If anyone was going to save this mentally fragile cat, it wouldn't be Thornfang himself. Though he may not realise it, he would need to rely a lot on other cats in the moons to come, but who was going to help him? The old tom rolled his eyes. "Do you lot realise that she wanted your leader dead because apparently it was her fault her mother died? It never was."Why not call Softlight out on that? Thornfang had nothing to lose.[/size]

[size=9pt]Thornfang listened. Maybe he would pay RiverClan or SkyClan a visit someday. Not very likely, really. He didn't really see that happening. And then, just like that, Butterflysong was gone. Should that have been Thornfang as well? Was he really any better than Butterflysong? As soon as the she cat was gone though, there was a small smile on his face. A weak one, a wobbly one, but it was there. He didn't have to deny his hatred now that the white she cat wasn't around to witness it. "Thank StarClan she's gone. Was she mousebrained? Killing everybody? Good luck there. Nobody supported her."[/size]

[size=9pt]"If I remember correctly, it was a certain tom who called himself Badgerclaw that was prepared to spare your leader. You were always the more violent one."However, Badgerclaw had been the one training in the Dark Forest. But what did it matter? He was dead, and Thornfang's plans were ruined. Everything he had been fighting for all this time was skies away, and the old tom had never felt more alone.[/size]

[size=9pt]What Softstep said did make sense, but Thornfang wasn't going to give in yet. "But why are cats only meant to take cats of their own Clan for a mate, then? If that rule didn't mean something, and wasn't meant to be followed, then it wouldn't exist. But it does."Yes, there was the whole 'rules are meant to be broken' thing, but as far as the old tom was concerned, rules were meant to be followed. They were guidelines, and a good warrior followed them.[/size]

[size=9pt]Kits were attempting to escape the camp? Now that was certainly against the Warrior Code! Then again, the two leaving kits were both not pure ShadowClan, so should he just let them go? Hope they got killed? That sounded like a good idea, only Thornfang had recently found out that he wasn't pure ShadowClan himself. That had changed a fair bit about Thornfang, and left him lost, confused and alone. So the old tom reluctantly heaved himself over, standing by Cottonwood. "Kits aren't meant to leave the camp. Of course, two outsiders wouldn't know the Warrior Code."As broken as Thornfang may be, the tom was still grumpy, and couldn't resist making that comment.[/size]

[size=9pt]What Softstep said actually made sense to him, and also pleased him. Was he really going to change his mind on half Clan cats? No - not yet. It was clear that something bigger would need to happen before that, and he was rather worried over what it would be. Thornfang's life had gone down a dangerous path, and he still found himself not wanting to live anymore, but like the coward he was, he stayed alive, living in a world that he hated. "I have to admit, that does actually make just a whiskerlength of sense. Don't expect me to go changing my mind overnight, though,"the elderly tom told Softstep.

Then, in came Flickerkit. Thornfang seemed to get into arguments with kids a lot, but she seemed to be trying to help. "Don't eavesdrop on my conversations no matter how meaningless they may be, and don't just walk into my den, either. I'm listening, though. Somehow I'm listening."Of course the cats that came to help him wouldn't be pure ShadowClan themselves![/size]

[size=9pt]"For StarClan's sake, you can't tell a cat not to have their own opinions. After all, I actually have the same opinion as the majority, if not all of the Clan this time, and you still complain? I always hated Butterflysong, but she seemed to believe I was some sort of ally, even if she was very rude to me back even when she thought of me that way. I believe that the Clan thinks that I wanted her to be medicine cat, and I just wanted to clear up the confusion and say that I hate her, and that I never believed that stupid sign from StarClan for one second. The fact that she was foxhearted enough to fake a sign from the warrior ancestors is enough for me to want to tear her apart."Thornfang was sick and tired, of Raggedstar, his Clan, other Clans, his fears, his life, everything. He was no more than an old cat who should be dead, who had recently found out his own birth was against the code.[/size]

[size=9pt]"Born in ShadowClan? You won't believe that forever. Trust me, I did the same thing, believing I was a ShadowClanner. Haha, turns out I wasn't pure ShadowClan at least. Now believing that my life has no purpose and that I should just end it is really pleasant. Leave, then. It's not my fault if anything happens,"Thornfang's voice was directed with anger towards both the kit, as well as himself. The elderly had been mousebrained to believe that he'd been worth something for a single moment! Let the kids leave the camp, hope they got themselves killed. At least he would know that he had tried to stop them, but he was Thornfang, and he couldn't do anything.

At Cottonwood's words, Thornfang replied, "I'm agreeing with you, for StarClan's sake!"He tensed a bit at the mention of the Dark Forest. Ten out of ten for bring it up considering Thornfang had been training there up until recently, and in order to escape he had killed his own mentor against the odds.[/size]

[size=9pt]"Goodbye - see you later, maybe,"was Thornfang really saying this to someone? Wow, and his Clan still didn't seem to notice that he'd changed. The dark brown tom wasn't a pure evil monster, he'd always had his reasons for his actions, only to realise now that his reasons weren't valid. At least Softstep seemed to be supporting him though, and so did Flickerkit. He needed that. Perhaps these two cats who didn't even know him were the two cats who might actually save him. Nah. It wasn't enough yet. "This is my den though, not yours. But I understand to an extent. I think it's because I'm half Clan, I've always felt like not being pure Clan blood always leads to problems. Now I'm almost certain of it."Even if Thornfang hadn't turned out half Clan, the mistakes he had made were probably still unforgivable by this Clan.[/size]

[size=9pt]"Well, too bad. You're a kit apparently, and I guess that's something that can't change by anything other than age,"was it possible for there to be a kit aged elder? The many questions of the world - maybe Thornfang should concentrate on them rather than anything else? Wow. It was so easy thinking up solutions, but the dark tom knew it would take a lot more before he put them into action. A lot, lot more for a tom who had once been so determined to take over the Clan, and maybe even the forest. "Fun. I've argued with a lot of fun cats, then. I've hated a lot of fun cats, then."[/size]

[size=9pt]"This goes against everything that I've ever been taught, learned or believed. I thought it'd be easy for someone to understand why I'm finding it difficult to suddenly change my opinions overnight. I guess I had a little too much faith in you. And I'd never give up tradition - it's what I live for!"Too bad tradition had done nothing but ruin the elder's life. He just felt so lied to. The very cat who was teaching him about the code had shattered it himself by being in a relationship with a cat outside of ShadowClan.[/size]