[S0V0L0] Nuvole bianche. [PoppyxDove]

[Pyro]

Of course he'd be in the patrol. Dovepaw was right--someone would need to be there to help coax the rest of the patrol away. And of course if anything went wrong...well, he'd be there to make sure she didn't get the bad end of things. "I'll be there every step of the way. And perhaps, while I steer the patrol back toward camp, I can see if if there's anyone else who might be swayed. It wouldn't hurt to have someone higher up that's on our side." It was very possibly a futile hope. He didn't speak with council members or their supporters very much, but from what he'd seen there were few who were more conservative in nature. Whether it was because they were too scared to act differently or because they wholeheartedly believed in what they were doing he couldn't say, but either way convincing someone to go against the tide would be difficult. The seeds of doubt would have to be planted planted slowly, and they had to come to terms with things on their own. He and Dove could nudge others along, certainly, but as with 'spiritual enlightenment' they'd be alone in their final decision. Was he thinking too far into things? Probably. Afterall, he and Dove had yet to even set the plan in motion. They were still in the planning stages, and so they would be until Dove went on her quest. nothing could be said for certain until they knew exactly what they had. It could be that Dovepaw would come back having found no healers and no one else willing to help them with the sinwounds. In that case, they'd have to find a way to pick up knowledge of the healing arts and heal the sinwounds themselves. That might even be the easiest thing to do. Brightnose and Finchpaw might not be opposed to help in the medicine den, or to extra sets of eyes and noses on the prowl for herbs. "While you're on your quest for the oh-so-glorious heavens I might see about learning some helpful herbs. That way we can be more than just an underground transport. And it would probably be good to know a little something just in case a punishment goes too far and a cat can't make the journey." [bg=2b2827][atrb=width,500,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Glowy]

Dovepaw's mind recoiled in a vicious snap. What did they think they were trying to do here? What would they accomplish with all this furious planning that went nowhere? Did they honestly presume to wrest power away from those who had taken it for themselves? A foe such as that was formidable indeed, one with the power to take power away from those rightfully in place. She and Poppythroat, two conspirators with foolhardy dreams, honestly sought to pursue these visions? What, were they deluded? It would never happen. The Council had already won so many, and it would continue to win others until their power was complete and they could eradicate their enemies at complete and perfect leisure. All it took was fear and inaction. All it took... By the heavens and the powers of the earth, would the entire process be like this? Why could she not simply make a decision and stick with it? She knew in some part of herself that these things she and Poppythroat were thinking were not wrong. But in other parts of herself, she was battling these revolutionary notions and attempting to subdue them. She couldn't draw attention to herself. That would bring pain, and pain was not desirable in any circumstance. Pain was something she feared. Pain. Punishment. Lack of acceptance. These worries compounded and fed each other to produce a wall that threatened to block any action or any growth on her part. They were like a virus, invaders that had bypassed her cellular defenses and were now a part of her DNA. She had to defeat them. They were not a part of who she was. She couldn't let them be. Oh, but they were there, and they were so loud... Poppythroat spoke. She silenced her fears and focused all her attentions on what he said. Poppythroat knew what was right. He had such wonderful ideas. "But... if they're higher up, doesn't that mean they've already become one of them? Is there any hope for..."

[/b] she asked, trying to process his idea. Having supporters in the framework of the Council would be awesome, she couldn't deny that. But how to find them? How to gain said support? It couldn't be done by her. She was just... her. She wasn't more than herself yet, and who would follow who she was: a scarred, shaken, confused she-cat?

"Mmm,"[/b] she whispered in response to his comment about the herbs. "We have to get them to trust us first, though."[/b] Her voice quavered and her eyes lowered, as if she were frightened of the implications of what she had said. Gaining their trust... that would require actual action. Action could be discovered much more easily than words being thrown about. Actions could have actions taken against them. She could get hurt. Poppythroat could get hurt. She could get hurt by him being hurt. Surely the Council must have discovered by now that her weakness, the button that they could exploit to their utmost advantage, was making her feel responsible for the pain of others. I don't want to do this. Not unless I can keep you from being hurt in the process.

speaking
[/center][/size][/color][/sup][bg=e0e0e0][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[Pyro]

"There's always hope." he said matter-of-factly. "It just takes some cats a little longer to see it than others." Poppythroat walked to Dovepaw's side, leaning against her in a comforting sort of way. Was she having second thoughts? She was Volepelt's apprentice after all. He didn't think he could blame her if she decided it wasn't her best interests to be insubordinate...even on the sly. But...she couldn't be wishy-washy. She was either in or out. If he had to, Poppythroat would go at it alone. "Buck up Dove, you gotta have strength to lend it, and I know you have it. You just need to find it, grab it, hold on to it, and never let it go. Strength is like hope, hell, strength is hope. And hope is strength. They're both the same and separate. Each feeds the other, and each is the other." He gave a crooked smile, nudging her teasingly. "So quit your quivering, slick. Things will only be as hard as you make them out to be." The task of getting the devoted to trust them though, was a hard task indeed. No matter how you looked at it, it was a veritable mountain that had to be climbed. No flying, just straight up dirty climbing. And what a climb it would be. Devotees always seemed so...mind-numbingly devoted. There was no other word for it. It was as though they needed to be devoted, that any other existence was inferior, impossible. Poppythroat could understand that...After all, if they allowed themselves to think outside the box, allowed it to enter their heads that maybe what they were doing was wrong, then they'd have to admit they'd made a mistake. And let's be honest here, people didn't like to admit they'd made a mistake. Still, not everyone in Fogclan was beyond convincing. Just look at him and Dovepaw, Frostpaw and Otterclaw, Stormfur...And of course, that was not to mention the silent rebels. Those who went against the tide only in thought. Why if he and Dovepaw could just convince them to take action, they'd be halfway there. As for those who truly believed in what they were doing...Well, they'd have to be shown that what they were doing was wrong. He wasn't sure how they'd do it, but somehow he and Dove would change their mindset. The Ancestors wanted prosperity, not strife. Was there anything redeeming about Fogclan anymore? Starving apprentices, code-breaking warriors, star-crazed nuts...Surely no one was thick-headed enough to mistake all that for progress. No, they'd fallen into dark times. And they needed to open everyone's eyes so they could see that they couldn't see. "Well, we may just have to become respectable. Scary, I know, but it's the easiest way to gain trust around here. If we became, in appearance, what they wanted us to be, we could push them toward what we want them to be. They'll accept it from a fellow more than from an outsider." he sighed. "Which is why we need them. Like it or lump it, they're our clanmates. We can't work around them forever. At some point, we have to come together again." Speaking [bg=2b2827][atrb=width,500,true] [atrb=border,0,true]

[Glowy]

Dovepaw's lip quivered. Couldn't he see how completely terrified she was? The rush of the thoughts had been enough to sustain her before, but now that she was stepping back and taking a second look at what they were planning, it was madness. It was absolute, complete, utter madness. To... to change the entire clan. Poppythroat did not seem to fully grasp the significance of what they were proposing to do. They would change everything if they succeeded. If not, they would go to the Dark Forest for plotting against StarClan's will. That was what everybody said, anyway. They said that if anybody opposed them, they would go to the Dark Forest. Eternal darkness and solitude and torture awaited those who opposed them. But, try as she might, she couldn't shake that little voice inside her head that told her that the Council was wrong. The voice spoke to her with Willowpaw's voice, supposedly the only cat in the clans who had ever given a rat's tail about her. Mousenose had left, Smokefur surely didn't care now (if he did, it probably wasn't in a positive manner anyway), and Poppythroat... well, she couldn't tell if he actually cared about her or if he just thought that she was strong for some reason. Maybe he was deluded like everybody else, just in a different way. Yes, that was probably it. Dovepaw would never be able to do anything significant, and Poppythroat was mad to think otherwise. Maybe, he sees part of what I saw, Willowpaw whispered. She faced Poppythroat, emboldened by Willowpaw's words. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am stronger than I think I am. But still, why me? Why not somebody else? Why not Frostpaw, or you, or Otterclaw, or even Smokefur? Why me? What do I have that they don't?" She had never been strong enough to stand before. What made Poppythroat think that anything would be different this time around? And really, why her instead of Frostpaw? Frostpaw had... everything. She was bright and already a symbol of hope, in her own way. It certainly was not Dovepaw's name that was whispered in camp between conspiring souls and criticizing souls alike. Cats did not look to Dovepaw, Volepelt's apprentice, any more than they would to a PineClanner or a rogue for hope. How would that change? What made Poppythroat think that Dovepaw was the one? How could she be the Dove, the harbinger of change and, potentially, peace? Obviously, Dovepaw was taking this into very heavy consideration. She wanted to do something. Anything she could do to help, she would. But... Poppythroat was suggesting... he was almost suggesting that she lead the thing! He proposed to turn her into a living image of hope. "And how exactly do you propose that we remain respectable whilst having our names tossed about amongst the rebels as their rallying banners? I fully understand that we need their support, eventually. But how do I make my image into something acceptable to both groups? All the ideas are very nice, but the practicality of it... just. How? I'm going to need a lot of help. Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into here?" Her tone at the end was light and teasing, but her worries were very serious indeed. Did Poppythroat know what he was signing up for, choosing her as the symbol for his movement? He would have to help her change as much as the rest of the clan. The thing was, though, that she wanted it. She was sick of being terrified of the Council and what they could do, sick of doubting herself, sick of feeling so blasted inferior to everything because everything she tried failed. She even failed at conforming because what she had to conform to was so wrong. Just for once in her life, she wanted to do the right thing and stick with it. speaking [bg=e0e0e0][atrb=width,469,true] [atrb=border,0,true]