Graceful as the River
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MAIN CLEARING
Snakepaw-
Snakepaw walked over to the prey pile and selected a fish, then went over to the apprentices den to eat.
Shellfeather-
Walking out of the nursery, she padded over to the fresh-kill pile and chose a water vole. She found a weak spot of sunlight and sat there to eat. Everything felt so…empty with out her kits. They were all she had to care for,and she failed. The lack of prey had caused Shellfeather to stop producing milk,and Lightkit and Troutkit were too young for fresh-kill-not like they had any. Even thought she was starving,Shellfeather didn’t touch her food. Her eyes were blank as she stared at it,before eventually taking it to the elders. She could eat later,but the older cats may not have a chance of survival if they weren’t fed. And she couldn’t take the weight of another death,not so soon.
Silverpaw padded after her, “It’s my job to worry Shellfeather, you know that.” Silverpaw glanced over the slim pickings and grabbed a minnow. “Will you split this with me?” She asked.
Shellfeather-
Shellfehater stared at the minnow for a while before sighing,”Ok,but I’m not very hungry.” Shellfeather knew Silverpaw could see through the lie,but she didn’t care.
Silverpaw-
Silverpaw settled on the ground next to Shellfeather and took a bite before looking at her expectantly.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather took a small bite of the minnow to please the medicine cat apprentice. Hopefully after their meal Silverpaw would let her be,but for now it seemed the she-cat was breathing down her neck.
Silverpaw-
Silverpaw sent her a look, taking barely a nibble. “I will eat as much as you do, do you want me to starve along with you?” she questioned.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather sighed again,but smiled slightly. Silverpaw would be a wonderful medicine cat,and RiverClan could use someone who knows how to heal. Taking a full bite of the fish,she looked over at the she-cat,”RiverClan needs you,and I’m not planning on being the cause of your death.”
Silverpaw-
Silverpaw smiled to herself as she bent down to take another bite. “And people say it is blackmailing when I do something like that,”a purr of amusement slipping out.
Shellfeather-
“I suppose it is.” she took another bite and then swiped her tongue around her lips. “You can have to last piece,if you’d like.”
Silverpaw-
She got up, “I’m not hungry anymore actually. Thank you for sharing with me Shellfeather,” she murmured to the thin she-cat.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather nodded,”Thank you for forcing me to eat. If you ever need help around the medicine den,I’m willing. I think distracting myself from…everything that’s happening works the best.”
Silverpaw-
She nodded, knowing what it was like wanting to escape from grief. “You can come collect herbs with me if you like. I didn’t check what they have by the river.” She offered.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather stood up,”I’ll come. I haven’t been out of camp in a while,it’ll be nice to walk around.”
Silverpaw-
She nodded and flicked her tail as she led the way out of camp.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather walked along with Silverpaw,breathing in the scent of the forest and river. “Is there anything we’re looking for in particular?”
(I switched to the river tab down below btw).
Silverpaw-
She padded back into camp, looking for their leader. “I’ll put this in my den and then tell the others. Minnowstar will want to call everyone back to camp.”
(ignore this)
Rainspirit-
Heaving herself from her nest, at last, Rainspirit padded into the clearing with her head hung low.
Where is everyone? She looked around in alarm. Next to nobody seemed to remain in camp, and she was unnerved by the eery quietness that filled the air.
“Hello?” She called uncertainly, her fur prickling with unease.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw padded into camp, their leg beginning to ache from running through Riverclan territory.
The camp was alarmingly empty, which sent a shiver up his spine. If Boneclan attacked before the other cats got back to camp, they wouldn’t stand a chance. “Hi,” Hickorypaw mewed to Rainspirit, setting their mouse down on the small fresh kill pile. “I don’t know if you’ve heard the news, but apparently we might be under attack soon.”
Silverpaw-
She rushed into camp with Hickorypaw, almost running into Rainspirit. “BoneClan’s planning an attack! Minnowstar wants everyone to prepare.”
Rainpaw-
He barreled into camp after Silverpaw. “What should I do? Where’s Minnowstar?”
Silverpaw-
“Minnowstar is out of camp, we need to prepare while she is gone. I’ll organize my herbs, you and Hickorypaw can check the edges of camp and make sure there aren’t any holes in the brambles, Rainspirit can work the rest out.” She said, trying to keep her voice calm.
Rainpaw-
“Okay,” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. Can we survive a BoneClan attack? He left his fish on the fresh-kill pile and padded to the camp wall, examining it closely.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather looked around,alarmed to see how few cats were in camp. “There are no other queens or kits in the nursery,but I’m not sure about the elders.” she murmured,trying to calm down. “And I can fight if necessary.”
Silverpaw-
“I have some training,” she murmured as she finished setting up the herbs from her den.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw joined Rainpaw at the camp wall, his pelt prickling with agitation. They had a bad feeling about the approaching battle, like they had eaten a bad piece of prey.
“At least we’ll finally get a chance to claw those foxhearts,” Hickorypaw said, trying to appear more confident than he felt. He could resist shooting another glance around camp, hoping that more Riverclan cats would arrive.
Silverpaw-
“I hope Minnowstar will be back soon,” she whispered, pacing. “The waiting is the worse part.”
Hickorypaw-
“I think the worst part will be when cats start dying,” Hickorypaw muttered under his breath. They wove a bit of frayed brambles back together, struggling to keep their paws from shaking.
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw shivered, tucking a bramble back into the camp wall. “Both parts are horrible. Battles are horrible,” he whispered. “We won’t be able to beat them with just force. Maybe we should try using our surroundings to our advantage?”
Silverpaw-
She looked up at Hickorypaw’s words. “I’ll try to keep that from happening.” She murmurred. Minnowstar should’ve been back by now she thought, looking up as the first star began to glow.
Hickorypaw-
“We could….” they paused mid-sentence, grimacing slightly at what they had to suggest. It makes sense, Hickorypaw reminded himself, It could save lives. “What if we took the fight by the river?” he suggest finally. “I bet most of those Boneclan cats can’t swim. We’ll be better at navigating the rocks, better at fighting in the water, and we can use it as an escape route if necessary.”
Rainpaw-
“That’s a good idea… We could attack when they reach the streams surrounding our camp. Where is Minnowstar?” he asked. “Should we go look for her? She might need help…”
Silverpaw-
“We shouldn’t leave the territory. The river idea is good. I can set up in the hollow tree by the water with my herbs. If we are going to leave, we need to go now.”
(Oof, RiverClan is like, three apprentices right now 😛 Don’t worry, WindClan is coming, I think)
Rainpaw-
He hunched his shoulders with embarrassment. “Okay. Can I help with anything?”
Silverpaw-
“We need to go now, you will have to fight.” She said, voice trembling as she turned to face the entrance to camp. “Until then, you can help me carry my herbs.
Rainpaw-
He followed her into the medicine den, his pelt prickling anxiously along his spine.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather was shaking. Memories of RiverClan’s previous encounters with BoneClan flashed in her mind,each on of them terrifying. “S-silverpaw,what if we don’t win? What if WindClan doesn’t come,w-we’ll be killed.” she faced the medicine cat apprentice,her eyes wide and her breathing shallow. “I don’t know if I can do this. I haven’t been in a fight for moons,I’m going to fail my clan.”
(Three ‘paws vs Boneclan 😛 I’m sure it’ll go great!)
Hickorypaw-
“Yes, let’s go, while we still have the chance,” Hickorypaw agreed, scooping up a bundle of herbs. He then turned and limped out of the camp, following the sound of the dreaded river.
(I’m switching them to the river section now!)
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw padded into camp and slowly lowered Hickorypaw to the ground. “We’re baaack,” he said, forcing enthusiasm into his voice. “Yaaay? Oh, look, the fresh-kill pile’s still intact! Do you want me to get you something?”
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw folded their paws neatly in front of them, then rested their chin gingerly on them. He smiled weakly at Rainpaw’s attempt at enthusiasm, trying to summon up a bit of enthusiasm as well. “Home sweet home,” he murmured. “Maybe something small,” they added, wincing slightly at the idea of trying to swallow.
Rainpaw-
Nodding, Rainpaw sifted through the fresh-kill pile, picked out a mouse, and dropped it in front of Hickorypaw. “How many extra nests do you think we’ll need?” he asked, glancing around the camp. “Enough for the injured WindClan warriors… about five or six… oh, and some for those BoneClan warriors, too.” He lashed his tail, which was aching with a dull fire. “I want to claw off their ears, the evil fox-hearts…”
Fernpaw- “Boneclan’s not coming here are they?” Fernpaw asked anxiously, clawing up clods of dirt. Those jerks terrify me. “Are there any herbs we’re running low on that we’ll need? I ca- I can collect some.” I need to do something other than sit here acting terrified. (This comment fits what’s going on right? I just joined.)
Shrikekit- “Whatza goin on?” Shrikekit asked in confusion, waddling into the clearing. “Why do you all look sad instead of mad at me? I dug a big hole in the nursery as a twap again… Did no one fall in it yet? Why aren’t any of you mwad at me? Usually I get yelled at when I do thwat…?” Shrikekit glanced around once more, expression turning more somber. “Did something… bad happen while I twas napping?”
Rainpaw-
“Oh, hi, Fernpaw,” Rainpaw replied with a sigh. “We lost a battle to BoneClan, and they’re coming here along with several injured WindClan cats. I’ll need to collect more moss for bedding- would you like to come with me?” He jerked his gaze to Shrikekit. “You, uh, dug a big hole in the nursery? We can fill it in later, I guess, or put moss in it?”
Shrikekit- Shrikekit sprang at his leaf, but a breeze blew it over towards Hickorypaw, causing Shrikekit to accidentally pounce on Hickorypaw’s tail. “Oops,” He murmured apologetically, looking up from the leaf. “EEEEEEK!” He wailed. “YOU’RE ALL BOOTED UP!!!” Shrikekit wobbled on his feet, becoming nauseous. “And now everythin’s a spinnin…” Shrikekit fainted on Hickorypaw’s tail.
Hickorypaw-
“Get off of me,” Hickorypaw grumbled, wincing as the kit bumped their leg. Then, their eyes widened with alarm as Shrikekit topped over, unconscious. “Hey, are you okay? Wake up!” he yelped, struggling to twist around to examine the kit.
(I dunno why Fernpaw didn’t do this before I guess I was just confused when I joined the roleplay and also being dumb.)
Fernpaw- Fernpaw ran into camp, stopping in front of Hickorypaw, dropping a bundle of herbs at his feet. “Burdock root and marigold,” They explained. “Should stop any infections in your wound. After you apply the poultice put some cobwebs over it to hold it on and staunch the bleeding.” Fernpaw dashed out of camp again.
Rainpaw-
“Erm… what do you mean, Shrikekit?” Rainpaw asked, dumping a load of moss near the medicine den. “I’ll have to run this by Silverpaw and maybe Icegaze first, obviously, but maybe we could temporarily clear out the nursery for the injured cats? And then you could sleep in the elders’ den or the apprentices’ den, Shrikekit…” Because StarClan knows that the medicine den alone won’t be enough, he added silently.
(Um can you tell me what any of that has to do with Shrikekit besides him possibly moving out of the nursery? What does Rainpaw mean by ‘What do you mean, Shrikekit?’ If you’re talking about him saying that Hickorypaw ‘Is all booted up’ he is referring to the fact that Hickorypaw is half dead right now. Also, Shrikekit just fainted so he’s a little indisposed of right now.)
(I can’t read any of the more recent comments, so I’m starting a new thread here. Sorry, I misread the part where Shrikekit fainted…)
Rainpaw-
“Shrikekit?” Rainpaw yelped with a jolt as he was yanked out of his train of thoughts on reorganizing the camp. “Oh, StarClan… Fernpaw!” he yowled, haring after her. “Fernpaw, Shrikekit needs help!”
(Sparkpaw Fernpaw’s non-binary.)
Fernpaw- Fernpaw dashed back into the camp. “Uhhhh,” They stuttered. “I’ve never, er, had to deal with a cat that just fainted? And there are a lot of cats back at the battle that need my help more? Um, I guess just drag him to a stream and splash him with cold water. He’ll wake up. Probably…?” Fernpaw dashed back out of camp.
Hickorypaw-
“Is he breathing?” Hickorypaw demanded, letting out a soft hiss of pain as he painfully turned around, his injured hindleg dragging agonizingly across the ground.
Ignoring the soft tickle of blood dripping through their fur, Hickorypaw pressed a paw against the kit’s neck. They let out a sight of relief at the quick beat of a pulse against their paw. “He’s still alive, I think the mousebrain just fainted,” they said.
(Okay, I’ll keep that in mind from now on! Sorry…)
Rainpaw-
“O-okay,” Rainpaw mewed, staring after Fernpaw. “I can bring water here, though- that might be more convenient?” Grabbing some moss between his jaws, he hared out of camp.
Rainpaw-
“Water,” he panted, racing back into camp with a dripping bundle of moss in his jaws. “Here we go!” He held the moss above Shrikekit’s face and squeezed out the liquid inside, splashing the kit’s face with water.
Shrikekit- Shrikekit jumped up as water fell on his face. “Eeek!” He mewed, shaking out his pelt and sending water droplets splashing everywhere. “You splasheded water on me! I guess I fell asweep… I had this terrible dream that Hickowypaw was all booted up and then the camp started spinning around and around and around… Shrikekit turned around, noticing Hickorypaw. “Oh no…” He mewed. “I’m still asweep… I must have dreameded that I woke up…” Shrikekit poked himself. “That felt real… I’m confused can someone tell me whether I’m asleep or awake?”
WARRIOR’S DEN
Rainspirit-
~~~
“C’mon, Rainpaw!” The lithe she-cat lifted her head at the sound of her sister’s voice, and she raced forward excitedly. “Race you to the BoneClan border- last one there’s a spoiled minnow!” The silver she-cat purred, taking off in the direction of the forest. Rainpaw grinned and chased after her, her paws pounding a steady rhythm on the well-worn path out of camp.
“No fair, Drizzlepaw- you got a head start,” she giggled as she skidded to a halt next to her sister at the border. Drizzlepaw let out a purr and rubbed her cheek against Rainpaw’s, but quickly looked down at her paws.
“Hey, I- I wanted to tell you something. You just can’t tell anyone, okay?” She whispered. Rainpaw blinked, confused.
“Er- sure, what is it? I promise I won’t tell.” She tilted her head quizzically, sitting back and wrapping her tail around her paws. Drizzlepaw shifted her paws awkwardly, turning to peer into ThunderClan territory.
“Lizardpaw? You can come out now.” Rainpaw’s eyes went wide as a brown-and-white apprentice padded out from the bushes, a nervous look in his eyes. Rainpaw’s head reeled, and she lurched to her feet again.
“What in the name of StarClan are you doing with a BoneClan cat, you fish-brain?!” The silver-blue she-cat hissed, her paws shaking. The BoneClan apprentice looked down uncomfortably.
“I told you it wouldn’t be a good idea, Drizzlepaw,” he mewed, his voice soft and anxious. Drizzlepaw’s only response was to twine her tail in his and shoot a furious glare at her sister, who returned it evenly.
“Lizardpaw is my friend, furball- I wanted you to meet him. He’s different! He’s not like the rest of BoneClan- he’s kind and generous, and funny, and-“
“Don’t tell me you’re falling for a BoneClan tom, Drizzlepaw. You know that none of those fox-hearts can be trusted- Loststar ruined them! Your little friend is no different,” Rainpaw snarled. Lizardpaw flinched, rising to his visibly trembling paws and moving back to his side of the border.
“I… I need to go.” He raced away, not giving Drizzlepaw a chance to answer as he disappeared into the trees. The silver apprentice called after him, then spun around to glare at her sister, her eyes filled with furious tears.
“I thought I could trust you, Rainpaw. Why can’t you just let me have friends? Why do you have to chase off everyone I like? I don’t belong to you like some… some kittypet!” She spat, turning and racing back towards camp.
“I’m trying to protect you, Drizzlepaw!” She called after her, letting out a sigh.
~~~
Rainspirit awoke with a start, blinking groggily. With a sigh, she laid her head on her paws, wrapping her tail tightly around her flank. It was the same dream as always- the first time she had seen Lizardstar. The first encounter she’d ever had with the tom who had gotten her sister killed. She shook her head- it wasn’t a day to be angry. She didn’t have time to be angry, not with BoneClan’s rise to tyranny. She couldn’t bring herself to her paws just yet, though- despair seemed to adhere her to her nest at the memory of her sister.
APPRENTICE’S DEN
NURSERY
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather woke to the growling of her belly. She immediately looked for her two kits, Troutkit and Lightkit,only to be hit with the memory that they were dead. She buried her nose in her paws for a while before her hunger forced her up. Her fur was ruffled,but she didn’t care,all she could think about were the two small lives she had lost.
Silverpaw-
Silverpaw padded into the nursery and flinched at the sight of Shellfeather. She was skin and bones at this point. “Shellfeather, it’s Silverpaw. Have you eaten anything yet? I know you don’t have extra stomachs to feed anymore, but you are just as important.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather smiled weakly,walking past Silverpaw to go into the clearing. “I’ll eat something soon,don’t worry.”
(I switched to the river tab down below btw)
(ignore that comment pls)
MEDICINE DEN
Silverpaw-
Silverpaw padded into the medicine den and put the meager amount of herbs into their depleting stockpile and sighed. All of this had forced her to grow up fast and be faced with deaths she couldn’t prevent. Like the kits, less than a moon ago. Silverpaw turned and padded out of the den to make her rounds.
LEADER’S DEN
Minnowstar-
Emerging from her den, Minnowstar surveyed her camp carefully; something felt wrong. Prey was running well, the Clan’s spirits were up, and they hadn’t suffered a real attack in about a moon; not even the Dark Forest had been a threat! It’s been too long…
She padded out of camp, noting the absence of Shellfeather, who had been despondent since the loss of her kits. Why would she be out of camp..?
Immediately, her thoughts jumped to the worst conclusion. BoneClan took her, a Dark forest cat killed her, she left on her own to die somewhere, she-
No. She couldn’t think like that. taking a deep breath, Minnowstar glanced at the camp behind her. Silverpaw is gone to… they might have gone together. Her spirits lifted at the thought of the Medicine cat apprentice helping the grief-stricken queen with her loss. Yes… That must be it. She closed her eyes, searching for the scent trails of Shellfeather and Silverpaw. Finding them mingled together, she relaxed slightly, but the air of tension she felt upon waking that morning was still present. Maybe I’ll go for a walk, see if I find anything out of the ordinary, just to make sure…
Minnowstar crept deeper into RiverClan territory, feeling like a mouse does when it knows that it’s hunter is there…
But can’t find it in time…
ELDER’S DEN
FOREST/RIVER
Whitetail-
“Attack me” Whitetail mewed.
Snakepaw-
“Ok,” lightning fast, Snakepaw launched herself at Whitetail, bawling him over. “That was too easy,” Snakepaw mewed.
Whitetail-
Whitetail gasped, “I wasn’t ready” he mewed.
Snakepaw-
“Will your enemies give you the chance to get ready?” She mewed
Whitetail-
“Ok ok, but can you get of me? That hurts.
Snakepaw-
“Ok, maybe we could do some hunting instead,” she suggested.
Whitetail-
“Good idea,” He mewed.
Silverpaw-
Silverpaw padded through the forest, mouth open as she scanned the ground looking for herbs. Ever since BoneClan arrived, they were always short. As she was distracted with her eyes on the ground, she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and barreled straight into Snakepaw, one of the apprentices.
Snakepaw-
“Watch were you’re going,” Snakepaw growled. Than she realized who it was, and saw the concerned look in her eyes. “What are you so worried about?” Snakepaw asked.
Snakepaw-
“Watch were you’re going,” she growled, then realized who it was and saw the concerned look in her eyes. What are you so worried about? Snakepaw asked
(Is it a he or a her? 😛 )
(Sorry I didn’t know I rote two of them 🙁 )
(It’s okay)
(My other comment isn’t getting moderated. Her btw.)
Silverpaw-
Silverpaw jumped back and froze before she realized who the she-cat was. “Sorry Snakepaw, I didn’t see you there. We are just short on herbs and I’m having trouble finding them. I thought you were a Dark Forest cat for a second,” she mewed, forcing a light note into her tone, trying to hide the panic from a moment ago. “Leafbare is almost here and without prey or herbs, ThunderClan might not make it.” She murmured before freezing. “I shouldn’t have said that,” she muttered.
We got busy and comments piled up. Sorry about that!
Silverpaw-
“I need to get back to camp, nice seeing you Snakepaw.” Silverpaw murmured before padding off. On her way, she picked up the small, measly pieces of herbs she had gathered.
Snakepaw-
Snakepaw sat next to the river, watching. A moment later she scooped her paw into the water and brought a fish squirming out onto the shore, then finished it of with a blow to the neck. “Nice catch” her mentor Whitetail mewed, lets go bring it back to camp.
Hickorypaw- (doesn’t currently have a mentor)
Hickorypaw stretched, sniffing at the air. The sun was warm on their pelt, but he was in no mood to enjoy it. Once again, they had caught themself looking for Darksight, but it was past time that he accepted that she wasn’t coming back.
Get your head out of the clouds, they instructed themself, dropping into a hunting crouch as they scented mouse. The sound of the river made their pelt prickle, but it would also hide his approach from their prey.
They sprang, then let out a hiss of frustration as their bad leg wobbled slightly on the landing, slowing him down enough for the mouse to dart away. With a growl, Hickorypaw shot a paw forward, just barely managing to snag the mouse’s tail. He finished the mouse off with a quick bite, tail lashing in annoyance over almost losing it entirely.
Rainpaw-
“Hi, Hickorypaw!” Rainpaw said around the minnow in his jaws. It had been the only fish he had seen in the stream all day.
What’s happening? RiverClan almost never has prey shortages, even in leaf-bare!
He spotted the mouse lying at Hickorypaw’s feet. “Oh, great catch!”
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw narrowed their eyes at Rainpaw, trying to gauge whether the other apprentice was being genuine or not. If he had seen the catch, he would know it had been a sloppy kill. But food was scarce, so maybe Hickorypaw was just overthinking. “Thanks,” he replied, stretching his leg, which was aching from the awkward landing. “Looks like you did pretty well also.”
Rainpaw-
“Thanks,” Rainpaw replied. “Do you think we should take this straight back to camp, or keep hunting? I’m a little scared that a Dark Forest cat might find our kill and turn it into crowfood if we leave it here,” he finished.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw glanced down at their kill, and frowned. At this point, he had only caught enough to feed one cat, which meant he wasn’t really contributing anything unless he didn’t eat. “Maybe it would be better to quit while we’re ahead,” Hickorypaw admitted, tail twitching in anger that they wouldn’t be bringing back more for their clan. “We can always come back out again, but I don’t think we should leave it unguarded.”
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw nodded. “Okay. Do you want to fish by the river with me later? We might get something there.”
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw hesitated, pelt prickling. The last thing they wanted was to go by the river, especially with another cat present. They opened their mouth, about to tell Rainpaw no, then rethought it. It might seem unfriendly to decline the invitation, but Hickorypaw wasn’t exactly known for his friendliness. But the clan needed to be fed, and maybe their were less Dark Forest cats that could catch fish. “Sure,” they mumbled, scooping up their prey and turning towards the camp.
Rainpaw-
“Great!” he said, picking up his fish and turning to follow the other apprentice. “Between the two of us, we’re sure to get something.” I wonder why they’re so tense…
Silverpaw-
“Rainpaw! Hickorypaw! Minnowstar needs everyone to go back to camp, we think BoneClan is planning an attack!”
Hickorypaw-
To their great annoyance, Hickorypaw’s first reaction was a burst of relief that he’d probably get out a fishing now. Mousebrain, we’re about to be attacked! he scolded himself.
“See you in camp,” they mewed to Rainpaw, then trotted off, carefully avoiding any lose sticks that could get in the way of their leg.
Silverpaw-
She nodded, and headed back to camp with Hickorypaw
Silverpaw-
“With leafbare approaching we need to be on the lookout for catmint and yarrow, I can usually find catmint by the river so let’s head there first. I think there are some patrols around.” She said, scanning the ground for the precious herbs.
Lynxshard-
Trees! Finally. After WindClan’s bare moor.
She jumped into the trees at the edge of RiverClan territory and began climbing. Tasting the air, she spotted a cat down below, smelling of herbs. The RiverClan medicine cat or medicine cat apprentice, then. Why does she look so upset? Don’t say that the Dark Forest has been destroying herbs, too… Is that something that they would do?
Silverpaw-
She glanced up, hearing something in the trees. She froze at the sight of a she-cat sitting there and let out a yowl of shock.
Shellfeather-
Shelfeather followed Silverpaw’s gaze and jumped a bit as she saw the she-cat. “Who are you?” she questioned,not exactly sure how they would protect themselves if the cat attacked.
Lynxshard-
She rolled her eyes internally. Great StarClan! I need to spend a day back in the Dark Forest re-learning stealth. What’s up with me? This morning I could move silently in the treetops- I literally dropped a bird behind Lizardstar without getting caught. With a twitch of her whiskers, she dropped down next to the she-cat. “Greetings,” she said, a bit awkwardly.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather reluctantly dipped her head to the unfamiliar cat. “Hello…” the she-cat paused for a moment,thinking of who she could be other than a Dark Forest cat. “Are you from one of the other clans. Has something happened?”
Lynxshard-
“No, I’m not from the other Clans,” she replied. “I’m from the Dark Forest, and before you start freaking out, no, I’m not going to slit your throat.” She paused. “Actually, forget that last part. Don’t trust a Dark Forest cat unless they can prove without question that they are trustworthy. In case you run into a certain Dark Forest she-cat who is quite good at what she does.”
Silverpaw-
“Wait! I think I’ve heard of you. Lynxshard? Right?” She asked, relaxing slightly.
Windmist-
He let out a purr of amusement at the living cats fear. “Right you are young medicine cat.” He replied, leaping up from the ground to join Lynxshard on the branches. He flicked mud off his paws and gave the river a scathing look.
Lynxshard-
“Oh, hi, Windmist,” she said, blinking at the gray tom. “I completely didn’t hear you coming. You’re obviously doing a lot better in the stealth department than me today.” Turning to the medicine cat, she added, “And, um, yeah, I’m Lynxshard, although how you heard of me, I have no idea.” Her brain spun. I shouldn’t be that well known in the living clans… have they talked to another Dark Forest cat? Windmist? Has Windmist talked to these cats? Someone else?
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather’s fur spiked up as the she-cat mentioned the Dark Forest. Then she was hit with a wave of braveness. Perhaps the cat wasn’t evil,but instead someone who could help them.
“Well,my kits starved because of the Dark Forest killing prey,but I don’t think you’re apart of it. Still,you need to prove that you won’t hurt RiverClan. Start by telling us your name.”
Silverpaw-
She pressed up against Shellfeather’s side, not sure whether it was to comfort her or herself.
Lynxshard-
Her eyes rounded. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, suddenly acutely aware of Windmist’s presence beside her. He already thinks I’m soft. It’ll be fine. She couldn’t completely get rid of the nagging feeling in her belly, though. The medicine cat apprentice’s reveal that she had heard of Lynxshard had unsettled her. Guess that means I’m not as inconspicuous as I thought I was. Not that I was that inconspicuous before, as one of the few Dark Forest cats not actively supporting BoneClan. But… still a little less forgettable than I hoped.
Silverpaw-
She remembered Lynxshard from stories, it was before the shattering she had disappeared, it had caused a stir at the gathering. She glanced at the pale tom beside Lynxshard. “Lynxshard called you Windmist, right?”
Windmist-
“You’ve heard of her and not of me?” he questioned, “Your elders must of had better storytelling days.” He sighed. When he was on the way here, he had passed on the edges on BoneClan territory and heard some interesting news. Because of this latest slight, he decided he wouldn’t share it. “Gather your herbs little medicine cat, you’ll need them.” He warned.
Silverpaw-
“What! What do you mean?” She questioned, but the tom had fallen silent, simply observing the situation.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather eyes widened. “Is BoneClan planning something? StarClan knows we don’t need another fight.”
Windmist-
He said nothing, just observed their panic with a smirk.
Lynxshard-
She groaned internally. Windmist didn’t seem like the type of cat who said random things for fun, so he was probably implying a BoneClan attack. How big is their attack force? She didn’t dare question Windmist further, though. Besides, he seemed more interested in scaring the RiverClan cats than helping them. Would Windmist lie? No, probably not. Will they be attacking all the Clans at once, or just RiverClan?
Lynxshard-
This is too much. “I should go now, and you should too,” she said to the RiverClan cats. Turning her green gaze to the medicine cat apprentice, she added, “Especially you. BoneClan would love to get their paws on someone as defenseless and important as a medicine cat. RiverClan will fall without you, and they know it.”
Silverpaw-
She looked at the Dark Forest cats curiously but decided to heed their advice. She grabbed the small bundle of herbs she had gathered so far and turned to go. “Maybe we should head back Shellfeather.” She said softly, beginning to pad off.
Windmist-
He glanced over at Lynxshard, she always had to ruin the fun. He rolled his eyes and jumped down from the tree. “I think I’ll go check in on someone else.” He said and padded off away from the river.
Lynxshard-
Sighing, she turned and vanished into the treetops.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather nodded,turning away from the Dark Forest cats. “It’s getting dark,anyways.” she commented,pressing against SIlverpaw.
Silverpaw-
She nodded, padding off into the forest. “We need to warn the others.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather walked along with Silverpaw for a while before coming across Minnowstar. She was surprised the leader’s appearance,as she hadn’t heard her coming. “Oh,hello Minnowstar. We need to tell you something.” she nudged Silverpaw,hoping to get help explaining their encounter with the Dark Forest cats.
Minnowstar-
Relief flooded through Minnowstar as she spotted Shellfeather and Silverpaw. “I was worried about you two!” She exclaimed, catching up to her clanmates. “I thought BoneClan might have taken you in the night, but it appears that no such thing has happened. I’m glad you’re safe.” She meowed warmly
Upon hearing that they had news, Minnowstar tilted her head in curiosity. “Really? What is it?” StarClan knows we could use some good news…
Shellfeather-
Shellfeahter took a deep breath,the weight of the situation finally sinking in. “We encountered two cats,Lynxshard and Windmist. Windmist implied that another clan was going to attack,a-and we think it’s BoneClan.”
Minnowstar-
Minnowstar went quiet for a few seconds, letting Shellfeather’s words sink in. If these were just the words of some Dark Forest cats, I wouldn’t believe it, but… It makes sense. I’ve been on edge all day; could this be why..?
“Then there’s no time to waste.” She decided. “Get back to camp and tell the Clan to prepare for invasion; I’ll see if WindClan will help us.” She turned towards the WindClan border, but glanced back one more time. “If I’m not back by the time the first star is visible, assume help isn’t coming. In that case, I should return soon afterwards; in time for RiverClan’s final stand.”
She doped her head gravely, then she spun around and left without another word.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather watched Minnowstar run off numbly, terrified of what was to come. She turned to Silverpaw,”Can you me warn everyone?”
I meant to write ‘can you help me warn everyone’
Silverpaw-
“Of course,” she murmured, “I’ll search the woods and then go back to camp to prepare.”
Silverpaw-
She padded through their territory, ears pricked. She felt tense and scared as she dropped her bundle of herbs by the Hollow Tree, just in sight of the river.
Rainpaw-
He padded after Silverpaw, dumping his bundle besides hers. “Shellfeather said something about WindClan coming to help?” he asked Silverpaw.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw set the bundle of herbs they were carrying down, their pelt prickling with tension. He’d been in border scuffles before, but never a battle like this, and the river wasn’t helping.
The rest of the clan will fight better here, Hickorypaw reminded themself. You don’t have to go in the river if you can avoid it.
Lilyfang-
Lilyfang led the patrol of BoneClan and Dark Forest cats into RverClan territory,eagr to fight. Just as the group was about to make their was across the stepping stones,she saw them. A few RiverClan cats,most looking like apprentices. She raised her tail in the air and flicked it in the direction of the opposing cats. “It looks like our RiverClan friends have come to greet us.” she whispered,amused. Raising her voice,she spoke. “We attack now. They don’t stand a chance.” with that,she lunged across the damp stones,teeth bared and claws out.
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw whirled around. “They’re here!” he screeched, unsheathing his claws and leaping at the patrol. He rammed into a black tom, sending them both crashing into the river.
Fallenwing-
Fallenwing hissed irritably as an apprentice pushed him into the river, plunging them into the shadowy water. Fortunately, they weren’t in very deep; and though the water was fast-flowing, he was still able to fight. As soon as he was on his paws, he launched several rapid strikes at the smaller cat’s head, hoping to scare them away so he could get out of the cold water.
Skipflight-
Skipflight paused as he followed Lilyfang into Riverclan territory, startled to see that most of his possible opponents were apprentices. He would have felt better fighting fully trained warriors, but the younger cats looked like they were prepared to fight anyway. “Let’s go help Fallenwing,” he suggested to Lilypaw, nodding towards the river, “Looks like he decided to go swimming.”
How do Riverclan cats stand all this river? Skipflight wondered, shivering as his pelt soaked through with icy water. He waded awkwardly forwards, and tried to pull the apprentice away from his clanmate.
Rainpaw-
Pelt bristling with fury and fear, he hissed as the black tom- Fallenwing?– raked his ears, kicking water wildly as a second BoneClan warrior tried to pull him away. Rainpaw desperately swept his paws forward, trying to knock Fallenwing’s paws out from under him. “Get out of our territory, you foxhearts!” he screeched.
Fallenwing-
Fallenwing turned his head away as Rainpaw splashed water everywhere, protecting his eyes. Then the splashing stopped and Rainpaw’s legs slammed into his, making him stagger sideways.
“I tire of this foolishness.” Fallenwing spat, just managing to keep his head above water. He dragged himself back to Rainpaw and Skipflight, this time rearing up to push the apprentice underwater.
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw managed to catch a breath before Fallenwing shoved him underwater, but it wasn’t very deep. No! He kicked and squirmed underneath the BoneClan cat’s hold, trying to claw his underbelly. What should I do? he thought, beginning to panic.
Moving around makes you lose air faster, you mousebrain!
He let himself go limp, his vision darkening at the edges.
Honeyblaze-
“No fearless leader to protect you now, kittens,” she snarled wildly, spotting a small silver apprentice and grinning. “Come and see StarClan!” The apprentice wasn’t built like a warrior- perhaps a medicine cat? She slammed into her side, sinking her claws in and dragging them through her flesh.
Rainpaw-
Through the rushing river and his oxygen-deprived mind, Rainpaw thought he heard a BoneClan cat snarl “no fearless leader to protect you now”.
What? How did they know Minnowstar wasn’t in camp? A horrible idea flashed in his head like a bolt of lightning. Did they do something to her?
(I hadn’t noticed this comment when I wrote my other one down below, you can ignore the parts with Silverpaw and Lillypaw in it)
Silverpaw-
She cried out as the terrifying she-cat clawed her. “I won’t be seeing them any time soon!” She yelled, spinning to claw her good eye.
Rainpaw-
Let me go! Rainpaw wanted to scream at the BoneClan cat pressing his shoulders down to the riverbed. I thought this “go limp” trick was supposed to work! Let me go, you BoneClan cat! I need to help the others! His vision flickered, and it was getting increasingly difficult not to thrash with fear. If he holds me down here for much longer, I’m going to drown, RiverClan cat or not…
Honeyblaze-
“We’ll just see about that,” she snarled, hissing in pain as the she-cat’s claws caught her in the side of the face. The blow had been hauntingly close to her one working eye- a jolt of fear flashed through her mind. What if she was blinded completely in this battle?
She shook the thought from her head. She wouldn’t let that happen. With a fearsome growl, she lashed out at the apprentice’s shoulder.
Rainspirit-
The silver she-cat skidded to a halt, her eyes wide with terror. No, no, no, not again! BoneClan had lain dormant for too long, and now they were here again. She caught sight of a black tom pinning somecat beneath the water.
“Rainpaw!” She leaped at the tom’s side, desperately scrabbling her claws through his pelt in an attempt to get his powerful frame off of the apprentice.
Fallenwing-
Fallenwing put his full weight on the drowning apprentice, his green eyes alight with malicious mirth. He could tell that the apprentice was still awake- he had gone limp far to soon to be dead- and he planned on waiting until they began struggling again to let them breath.
(ahhhhh Needletail flashbackssss)After that, maybe he’d put them back under. Or maybe he’d let them live as a BoneClan prisoner. So many options; so little time.A silver she-cat scored her claws through his side.
The sudden attack drove Fallenwing farther into the river, his head just above the surface. Momentary panic shot through him as a wave lapped at his nose, then he lurched back into the shallows. He growled in rage and pain; the apprentice would have to wait his turn to die. Shaking the water out of his shadowy pelt, Fallenwing charged at the silver warrior, aiming to knock her over and get out of the river.
He wanted to fight on his terms now.
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw burst through the surface of the river, gasping for air. “Thank you, Rainspirit…!” Oh no! He clambered onto one of the stepping stones and leapt at Fallenwing’s back, landing with a thud. Rainpaw clung on as tight as he could, raking his claws down the black warrior’s spine.
Rainspirit-
Eyes wide, Rainspirit froze for a moment. He was terrifying- huge and powerful, with hatred in his eyes. She wasn’t going to die, not to a cat like this. Narrowing her eyes, she charged back, throwing her full weight against him and ramming her shoulder into his chest. If she could keep him in the water, surely he’d give up? BoneClan cats barely knew how to swim.
Except for Lizardstar. Her eyes darkened as she was reminded of the ThunderClan leader. Once a BoneClan cat, always a BoneClan cat. She didn’t doubt that her sister had taught him to swim- Drizzlepaw had told her all about climbing trees near the border. Rainspirit wasn’t stupid. She knew what that meant, and she hated it. Focus! She shook her head, letting out a quiet hiss of annoyance as she turned her full attention back to her assailant, determined to either drown him or chase him away from the rest of her Clanmates.
Skipflight-
Skipflight grimaced as the water crept up to his shoulder, his paws slipping on the slick rocks of the riverbed.
The apprentice Fallenwing had been fighting had gone limp. Is he dead? Skipflight wondered, a wave of uncertainty making him hesitate. The apprentice had looked to be around Lilypaw’s age, too young to really be an enemy. Surly he could be of more use to us alive? Either way, Fallenwing didn’t let go, at least until another Riverclan cat attacked him, reminding Skipflight that he still had a battle to fight.
He darted for the silver tabby and white cat, trying to get a grip on her scruff. If he could drag her closer to shore, or even better, out of the water, the fight would become so much easier.
Rainpaw-
Desperate and furious, he clawed at Fallenwing’s ears and back. We’re losing! he thought, panicking. What should I do…
A new scent hit his nose. At first he tensed, fearing for the worst- more BoneClan reinforcements, perhaps- before realizing that the scent was WindClan’s.
Icegaze-
Icegaze leapt away from the she-cat and over to where another apprentice was stuck. The cat he was fighting reeked of BoneClan scent,and he was ruthless. Icegaze raked his claws through the opposing cats pelt,barely hitting his flesh. The tom kept going though,a mix of anger and fear pushing him on.
Lilyfang-
Lilyfang hissed in outrage as a white tom clawed her back. His weight knocked her over,but before she could retaliate,he was gone. She spotted him attacking Fallenwing and ran over to defend her previous clanmate. She bit down on his leg,hoping to distract him.
Fogdapple-
Fogdapple was scared. She didn’t know what to do. River water sprayed against their legs,and the stepping stones were dangerously slick. Still,she managed to get across and started to attack a BoneClan cat (Skipflight).
Rainpaw-
“Icegaze!” he said, relieved that RiverClan wouldn’t be alone against the might of BoneClan. He held on even harder to Fallenwing’s back and dug his claws in, determined to teach at least one BoneClan warrior that attacking RiverClan was a bad idea. “I can deal with Fallenwing now, and, um, not die, hopefully, now that he’s not drowning me…” This leap-and-hold trick is working really well- a lot better than flailing around wildly, attempting to trip warriors two times my size, and drowning, he reflected, lashing out at the BoneClan warrior’s shoulders. Now stay away from my clanmates, BoneClan cat!
(anbdfgweh so much just happened ahh-)
(Also it’s raining now, I guess 😛 )
Fallenwing-
Blood rain. Thrashing claws. Red water. Crimson screams. Everything was a blur.
Fallenwing clashed with Rainspirit, furiously trying to push her out of the water. Skipflight joined in, and they almost managed to get to land when Rainpaw leaped onto his back, the impact causing him to stagger sideways. The apprentice’s claws scored painfully across his back and ears, making his vision blur with a violent rage.
Pure hatred took up every thought; this cat had to die! Fallenwing let out a terrifying roar, crouched suddenly so Rainpaw lost his balance, then threw himself sideways; slamming the apprentice into the water with great force. The claws in his back vanished, and he scrambled to his paws, breathing hard.
“You should not have done that, young one…” Fallenwing’s voice dripped with malice, his malevolence descending like the raindrops crashing down on the waring Clans. “WindClan cannot save you now; nothing can save you from me!” then he charged, his claws flashing dangerously with each slash as he drove Rainpaw deeper into the river.
Rainpaw-
He yelped with fear as Fallenwing smashed him into the river, jerking his head up so he wouldn’t get a concussion onto the rocky riverbed. If I can get him away from the battle, that’ll be one less warrior my clan has to fight. Panting, Rainpaw whirled to face him. “If you want to kill me,” he hissed, backing away from the BoneClan warrior’s claws, “you’ll have to catch me first!” Turning, he swam into the deepest part of the river, where the water was several tail lengths deep. Taking a breath (a deep one this time,) Rainpaw vanished beneath the dark surface, waiting to see if the black warrior would follow him. I have the advantage here. Catch me if you can, you evil fox-heart!
Fallenwing-
“You take me for a fool?” Fallenwing muttered under his breath. “Well, I’ll take one of your leader’s lives for this, child.” He knew Rainpaw couldn’t hear his threat, but he didn’t so much care.
Fallenwing whipped around, dragging himself out of the river. Rainpaw wasn’t worth his time; WindClan was here. He approached a tortoiseshell she-cat (Glowsong) and a silvery tom (Steelclaw) who had not yet joined the battle, hoping to even out the fight a little.
“You hesitate.” Fallenwing smiled, his green eyes flashing. “Do I frighten you?”
Glowsong-
Glowsong narrowed her eyes at the BoneClan tom, but said nothing in return. She might be anxious about her first fight, but she didn’t think she was afraid. Besides, Steelclaw was with her. Between the two of them, this cat didn’t stand much of a chance anyway.
Glowsong exchanged glances with Steelclaw, then they charged at Fallenwing with unsheathed claws.
Rainpaw-
Drat, I was hoping that would work, he thought irritably as Fallenwing turned away. Well, that gives me a chance to do a few more attacks, doesn’t it? Rainpaw slid through the water, watching as Fallenwing faced off with two WindClan cats. He leaped out of the river, sending droplets splashing everywhere, and jabbed Fallenwing in the back of the legs.
(so many cats 😛 😛 )
Skipflight-
“Windclan?” he gasped, almost swallowing a mouthful of water in the process. That was not good, not good at all. At least Windclan would be just as unhappy about getting wet as they were, but now Boneclan was probably outnumbered.
Lilypaw, he thought with a jolt of panic, Were’d she get to?
Skipflight ducked away from Fogdapple’s claws, wincing as they nicked his pelt. He’d have to find his apprentice later, because right now he had his own problems to deal with.
With a hiss, he lunged for her, snapping at her front leg.
Honeyblaze-
Leaving Lilyfang to deal with the medicine cat, Honeyblaze spun around.
Fox-dung. WindClan was here, which meant that they were most definitely outnumbered. With a snarl, she flung herself at a silver tabby on the riverbank, digging her claws into the other she-cat’s flank and dragging them backward.
Rainspirit-
She let out a screech of agony as she felt claws dig into her side, spinning around to face a fearsome Dark Forest warrior. Her heart raced with fear, and then something clicked.
Missing eye. BoneClan. Dark Forest.
“You!” Her voice was filled with rage, and she lunged for the she-cat’s throat in a blind fury. When Lizardstar- curse him- had told her about Drizzlepaw’s death, he had told her about the killer. Honeyblaze. A traitor, a scarred fool, a horrible treacherous murderer. She lunged again and again, furious.
Havenflight-
“Yipe!” He skidded to the side as two battle-locked cats charged past him, his eyes wide with terror. His breathing quickened- he hated this so much, all of it!
“Brindlepaw! Brindlepaw?!” He looked wildly around for his apprentice, heart pounding.
Lilyfang-
Lilyfang smiled,the tom she was fighting going still. Blood stained the fur around her mouth,and her eyes were wild with the feel of battle. She turned away from the WindClan cat,spotting Honeyblaze being attacked by a cat that reeked of fish. She lunged,putting her full weight against the she-cat’s side,hoping to pull her off the Dark Forest warrior.
“I’d stop now,love.” Lilyfang hissed,tearing a large wound on the opposing cat’s shoulder. “Honeyblaze isn’t one to be messed with.” Suddenly,a searing pain went through her tail. She whipped around to see another WIndclan cat,a grey and white she-cat,biting down on her tail-tip. “Get off,mouse-heart.” Lilyfang kicked the soft flesh of the she-cat’s stomach, making her fall to the side.
Lilypaw-
She looked around wildly for her mentor and darted for the cat he was fighting before getting knocked off her feet by a RiverClan apprentice.
Silverpaw-
She jumped onto the back of the tabby and white she-cat she noticed. Something about her was familiar but she couldn’t hesitate. The cat was young, her age. Shaking off her misgivings she raked her claws down the cats side.
Lilypaw-
She shook to get the silver tabby off her and spun, glaring at the petite apprentice. “You picked the wrong cat to attack,” she snarled and lunged, ignoring the prickling pain along her side. She wrestled with the silver cat and Silverpaw lost her footing, her head slamming onto the ground. “I’ve got the medicine cat!” She called, to anyone on her side listening. “What do you want me to do with her?”
Silverpaw-
She gasped for breath as everything went dark (she’s unconscious)
(They are sisters btw)
Rainpaw-
No! He rushed up the slope, deciding to leave Fallenwing for the WindClan cats to fight. “Get away from her, you foxheart!” he screeched, launching himself at Lilypaw. Lashing his claws across her ears, he kicked her front legs as hard as he could.
Lilypaw-
She cried out as her front leg buckled under her. “At least I’m not a fish brain” she called, launching herself at him, wincing at the pain in her leg. She leapt onto his back and dug her claws in, planning on staying on. She glanced at the prone silver tabby on the ground, why did she feel so guilty at the thought of hurting her?
Rainpaw-
“And at least I’m not a bloodthirsty monster!” he yowled back, dropping to the ground and rolling over. He whirled back on his paws, placing himself between Lilypaw and Silverpaw. “It would be nice if you could fight with even a shred of honor, BoneClan cat!”
Silverpaw-
She fought back a flinch at his words. “Even if I am not honorable, at least I’m smart! I don’t fight losing battles.” She snarled, striking at his face.
(Do you mean Lilypaw?)
Rainpaw-
“In case you haven’t noticed,” Rainpaw told her coldly, hissing as her claws raked his muzzle, “you’re the one fighting the losing battle. Since WindClan is on our side, you’re currently outnumbered.” Hopefully, anyway, he thought worriedly. BoneClan’s so vicious, they might be able to defeat us all. Turning, Rainpaw rammed into her side and flipped the she-cat onto her back.
(Yes, sorry, it was late)
Lillypaw-
She cried out and kicked her legs up into his belly, claws unsheathed.
Rainpaw-
He fell back, gasping, and whirled between Lilypaw and Silverpaw again. Don’t leave her undefended. he told himself. Silverpaw, wake up, wake up!
Lilypaw-
She glared at the apprentice, eyes flickering to the prone body behind him. “Why do you care so much about her anyway?” She questioned, tail flicking as she paced.
Silverpaw-
Everything hurts, what’s going on? She couldn’t make her body work to move and let her Clanmates know she was alive.
Rainpaw-
“She’s our medicine cat and our clanmate, you heartless mousebrain!” he snarled. “Of course I care about her.”
Lilypaw-
She clawed out at him in an effort to not let it show how much the insult had gotten to her. “I may be heartless but if heartless is what it takes to win, so be it.” She began a flurry of swipes and kicks and claws, determined to beat him.
Rainpaw-
Seriously? These BoneClan cats really don’t care about anyone but themselves and their endless greed, do they? Rainpaw matched Lilypaw’s blows with his own, slashing and ducking and kicking in an attempt to drive the BoneClan she-cat back toward the river. Stay away from Silverpaw! He managed to rake his claws down the wound that Silverpaw had inflicted before, opening it a little wider.
Lilypaw-
She stumbled slightly when her feet hit the cold water of the river but she managed to regain her footing rather quickly. As she was pushed into the deeper sections, her feet managed to move in the water in a way that kept her above it. Am I swimming? She let out a slight laugh and dove under the water, wrapping her paws around Rainpaw’s legs and pulling him under. A RiverClan cat is drowned by his own ‘element.’ How ironic is that?
(Aaaa I didn’t see this, sorry)
Rainpaw-
Another drowning attempt? he thought irritably as Lilypaw dragged him underwater. Unlike Fallenwing, you’re not doing it right, though… He kicked her underbelly with his hind legs and yanked his paws free when her hold slipped. A powerful desire to drown the other apprentice surged in him. She tried to kill or capture our medicine cat! Whirling, he was about to plant his paws on her shoulders and hold her underwater…
Oh wait, that would leave Silverpaw undefended, wouldn’t it? Turning, he burst out of the water and returned to his position between Silverpaw and the BoneClan cats.
Basiltail-
Boneclan’s going after the medicine cat? Basiltail thought with disgust, dashing towards the fighting. They were feeling a little out of breath already, which wasn’t a good sign, but it was thrilling to be in a battle again, as if they were still a warrior.
“It’s sad to see how they’ve brainwashed you,” they hissed to Lilypaw, slashing at her side.
Rainpaw-
I thought Basiltail retired? Rainpaw thought, his eyes rounding. Oh well- that doesn’t really matter. At least I have help now. “Go home, Lilypaw!” he snarled. “Go back to your territory, and leave Silverpaw alone!”
so much is happening ahhhhh-Frostbite
Frostbite awkwardly balanced on the slippery rocks, trying not to tip over into the river. How do these cats live like this? he thought scornfully. Glancing around him, it was clear that his clannmates were starting to falter-many of them were getting backed up against the river. He spotted a she-cat-Lilypaw-being cornered by two other cats that reeked of Riverclan. Pushing through the crowd, Frostbite managed to reach the 3 other cats and stand beside Lilypaw, his amber eyes glinting with malice.
Lilypaw-
She cried out at the sudden pain in her other side, brought on by the older cat. Someone help she thought, not wanting to back away but scared she’d be killed if she continued. What kind of a BoneClan warrior are you? Needing another cat to fight your battles. As they pressed her up against a nearby tree, her mind scanned through the moves she had used on Flightpaw that morning. She used the tree as leverage to flip over the two attacking cats and get on their other side, closer to the silver she-cat.
Rainpaw-
Another BoneClan cat? Rainpaw groaned. Turning around, he jumped on Lillypaw’s back, raked his claws across her spine, and then leaped over her head, putting himself between Silverpaw and the BoneClan cats again. His eyes flickered over the other apprentice. I’m fast on my feet, but so is she… we’re also about the same size, so that won’t be an advantage for either of us. He glanced at Frostbite. For him, though, that’s a different story. How well can Basiltail fight? If they can deal with Frostbite, I can probably deal with Lilypaw…
Lilypaw-
She let out a yelp and spun to face Rainpaw, surveying the situation. He will be weaker than me with less food. I just have to keep him fighting until Frostbite is done with Basiltail. She leapt at the other apprentice, scoring her claws down his side and simultaneously knocking his feet out from under him with her back paws.
Rainpaw-
Ow! Rainpaw yelped as Lilypaw scored her claws through his side and rammed into his legs, causing them to buckle. He rolled over and leaped back onto his feet, regaining his balance. I won’t be able to beat her using sheer force alone… Keeping his gaze firmly fixed on her face, he darted forward, ducking down at the last moment to bite down as hard as he could on one of her front legs, and darted away again.
Lilypaw-
Her front leg buckled and everything went black for a moment. Is that bone? We didn’t even hurt Minnowstar that badly. Favoring her front leg, she moved forward, slightly off balance and dug her teeth into Rainpaw’s tail.
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw yanked his tail away from Lilypaw, sending crimson drops flying everywhere and a red-hot stab of pain shooting up his tail to his spine. Whirling around, he turned to face her again… and then noticed the wound he had inflicted on her leg.
At first, he thought Oh, that’s pretty deep- why isn’t she already retreating? If I can ram her injured leg into the ground, that might make it even worse, forcing her to retreat or at least leaving her unable to continue fighting… As he prepared to leap, however, his fury and adrenaline ebbed away from him, to be replaced with guilt. But it would be hypocritical to call her a bloodthirsty monster, and then lame her for life. That wound doesn’t look like it something that would permanently impend her, but ramming it into the ground definitely will change it to become one. Also, Lilypaw’s just an apprentice like me… another cat, with feelings, and family, and the capability to feel pain… maybe…
FOCUS, Rainpaw! She is the enemy! She and BoneClan are trying to destroy my Clan! She was going to kill Silverpaw, who was just a medicine cat and whom she had knocked unconscious!
Lilypaw-
She felt everything go weak with relief at the sight of her mentor but hesitated to continue fighting. Haven’t all of us hurt one another enough? No. You shouldn’t think things like that, BoneClan cats don’t think things like that. He won’t feel guilty for hurting a blood thirsty monster like you, why should you feel guilty for hurting him? As she prepared to leap though, she paused at the flicker of guilt she could of sworn she saw in his eyes. Maybe I’ll let Skipflight handle him and I’ll wait with the medicine cat?
Lilypaw-
She breathed out a sigh of relief at the appearance of Frostbite and steeled herself to continue fighting.
(ignore this comment ^^)
Basiltail-
Basiltail hesitated at the slight flicker of fear on the apprentice’s face as they clawed her side, almost startled that Boneclan cats felt fear. They turned to Frostbite, and leaped, clawing at his back while trying to balance.
-Frostbite
Frostbite grunted as Basiltail jumped on him, feeling their sharp claws dig into his back. He thrashed, trying to throw the other warrior off of him.
Skipflight-
“Hey, fish face, get away from her!” Skipflight yowled, spotting his apprentice. He didn’t like the look of the bite on her leg, and wished he had never let her out of his sight.
Being a mentor is trickier than i thought it would be, he thought grudgingly, sloshing out of the river. Skipflight sprang up beside Rainpaw, balancing on his back legs as he lunged forwards, throwing his weight against the apprentice.
Basiltail-
Basiltail lost their grip on Frostbite’s back, and tumbled to the ground. They gasped for air, the breath knocked out of them for a moment before they scrambled to their feet.
Basiltail had to admit, they were a little out of practice, but the launched themself right back into the fight, aiming a swipe at Frostbite’s face.
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw yelped and jumped backwards as Skipflight suddenly showed up in front of him, the BoneClan cat towering up threateningly. “I’ll leave Lilypaw alone if you leave RiverClan alone,” he growled.
Lilypaw-
She laughed slightly, “Because that’s a fair trade,” and hooked her claws into the medicine cats fur, hissing at the pain that shot through her leg. She began to pull the silver tabby away from the battle and towards the border.
Rainpaw-
Hissing, he leapt onto her back, clawing her shoulders, blood from his wounded tail splattering her pelt. “It’s a fair trade to me,” he snarled. “If you leave us alone, we’ll do the same for you.” Leave Silverpaw alone- I’m not letting you take her prisoner, or kill her, or whatever you’re planning on doing!
Lilypaw-
Her leg gave out again and she cried out, jerking back. I don’t think I can keep fighting. She gingerly tested her leg and hissed at the pain. It won’t support my weight. She glanced to her mentor for help.
Skipflight-
“Sorry kid, but we’re not leaving without a victory,” Skipflight replied, digging his claws into Rainpaw’s pelt as he tried to pull him off of his apprentice. He had to admit, he felt a little bad for the younger clan cats. Hopefully, if they got the medicine cat back to camp, Cloudsight would have a different plan for her other than breaking her legs.
Lilypaw-
She quickly gripped the silver cats scruff in her teeth and began to pull, her awkward gait making her slower.
Rainpaw-
“That’s all you care about, isn’t it? Victory,” Rainpaw hissed, falling off of Lilypaw with a thud. He scrambled to his paws, his flanks heaving. “You’re not taking our medicine cat from us. You’re not taking any of our clanmates from us.” Hickorypaw, he wailed silently. Help me!
Lilypaw-
She dropped the medicine cat for a moment to respond, “Who doesn’t care about victory? Don’t all of you want to be known as the ones that defeated the mighty BoneClan?” She questioned, picking Silverpaw back up.
Rainpaw-
“Well, sure, but what I really care about is survival,” Rainpaw replied, narrowing his eyes. He turned and rammed into Lilypaw’s shoulder. “Why are you trying to kidnap our medicine cat? Leave her alone!”
Skipflight-
“Then you’d switch to the winning side,” Skipflight snarled, swiping at Rainpaw’s face.
Lilypaw-
She stumbled, falling on to her side and struggling to stand. She ignored his question and dug her teeth back into Silverpaw’s scruff and desperately dragging her away. I’ve always seemed weaker than the rest of my Clan. I need to do this to prove myself.
Rainpaw-
His muzzle stinging from the scratches, Rainpaw spat, “I also care about my clanmates, too. Do any BoneClan cats ever do that? Can you even understand that concept? Is the word loyalty in your vocabulary list? Just asking.” He nudged Silverpaw back by a few pawsteps and bushed out his fur, trying to look threatening, but he knew how small he must look next to Frostbite and Skipflight.
Skipflight-
“Loyalty’s a lovely thing, but sadly ideals aren’t going to help you win,” Skipflight shot back, but there was little venom in his voice. The clans fight each other all the time, we’re just the strongest, he reminded himself.
Basiltail-
Basiltail wiggled away from Frostbite, and dashed over to help the Riverclan apprentice. “We’ll see about that,” they growled, leaping onto Lilypaw’s back, hoping to pin her down. They wanted to win, but they didn’t want to hurt the young cat. It wasn’t her fault she’d been brainwashed.
Rainpaw-
Well, that worked really well, he thought angrily as Lilypaw picked Silverpaw back up and started dragging the medicine cat apprentice towards the border. If they want to do that, they’ll have to carry her across the stepping stones. That’ll be difficult on Lilypaw’s leg. But I can’t intercept them there- Silverpaw might fall in the river and drown. He raced in front of Lilypaw’s path. “You’re not leaving with Silverpaw,” he hissed.
Lilypaw-
“Of course I care about my Clanmates,” she snapped, clenching her claws tighter into the silvery pelt. “I am loyal to all of them and that is why I’m doing this. I don’t need to explain myself to you,” she muttered through the pain clouding her thoughts. I can’t let him get to me.
Rainpaw-
BoneClan cats feel loyalty? Wow. “Well, okay, you don’t have to. But you’re not leaving with Silverpaw,” Rainpaw said, for what felt like the millionth time. You know, doing the exact same thing over and over again isn’t going to miraculously bring different results…but maybe I can wear her down? “If you’re loyal to your own Clan, then you should be able to understand my loyalty to mine,” he added, turning his round blue gaze to Skipflight before facing Lilypaw again.
Lilypaw-
She collapsed under Basiltail’s weight and lost her hold on Silverpaw. She cried out and sent a desperate glance around the clearing for somebody, anybody.
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw ran to Silverpaw’s side and picked her up by the scruff. I’ve got to get her back to camp, or at least away from the fighting. He finally lifted his gaze to glance around the battlefield, and immediately regretted it. Oh, StarClan help us…
Hickorypaw was lying on the riverbank, blood gushing from his wounds. The WindClan cats looked knocked out, or dead. Rainspirit was nowhere to be seen, and the BoneClan and Dark Forest cats looked a little scratched up, but otherwise as strong as ever.
We’ve got to get everyone injured back to camp and chase out BoneClan. Welcome to the impossible.
He swallowed down a moan of terror. No, don’t think like that. One step at a time. Get Silverpaw out of here first. Turning, he started dragging Silverpaw towards the hollow tree. Where’s Nightpool? Embershade? Minnowstar?
Skipflight-
Don’t give me that look, Skipflight thought as the enemy apprentice gazed up at him with wide blue eyes. I’m having a hard enough time fighting you as it is…
At the sight of the Windclan elder sitting on top of his apprentice, he leaped away from Rainpaw. Defending Lilypaw was a lot easier on his conscience than trying to kidnap an apprentice.
He shoved his head against Basiltail’s chest, intending to send them tumbling, but instead found their claws digging into his shoulder. Skipflight managed to drag them off of Lilypaw, but found himself pinned down instead.
Basiltail-
“C’mon, a young fellow like you getting bested by an elder?” Basiltail taunted, raking their claws over Skipflight’s ears. “Surly you can do better than that.”
They glanced at Rainpaw over their shoulder, hoping that they could keep the Boneclan cats long distracted long enough for him to get Silverpaw out of the way.
Rainpaw-
He caught Basiltail’s glance. The BoneClan cats are busy- let’s hurry! He dragged Silverpaw up the hill, gasping. Come on… almost there… into the hollow tree, and she’ll be safe. Well, hopefully, anyway… Hurry!
Flightpaw-
He ran across the clearing, leaping onto the cat (Rainpaw) that he had seen attacking Lilypaw and knocking him off the silver cat.
Rainpaw-
“Hey!” Rainpaw yelped as a cat crashed into his side, sending him tumbling. He whirled to his feet and ran between the BoneClan apprentice and Silverpaw, nudging the silver she-cat under a bramble bush. It was poor protection, but at least it would be something. “You’re not taking our medicine cat!”
Flightpaw-
He glared at the tom, so that’s who that is. No wonder Lilypaw wanted her. “And your not hurting my…friend.” He snapped back, darting forward to lash out at the cat’s scratched face.
Rainpaw-
You’re one to speak. “Well, you and your bloodthirsty Clan are hurting my Clanmates,” Rainpaw snarled, wincing as the other apprentice’s claws raked his muzzle. You hypocrite. Leaping at Flightpaw, he raked his claws across the BoneClan cat’s chest and rammed his back legs into his paws at the same time. I learned that from Lilypaw, he thought with a grin, jumping back.
Flightpaw-
He stumbled and hissed. “I’m the bloodthirsty one? Look what you did to her!” He leapt at the other tom and dug his claws into Rainpaw’s tail.
Rainpaw-
Hissing, Rainpaw yanked his tail away, leaving clumps of fur in between the other apprentice’s claws and sending a bolt of pain up his spine as his tail began bleeding again in earnest. “She was trying to kidnap our Clanmate!” I didn’t mean to cause a wound that deep… Guilt gnawed at him, but he shoved it away. Our Clanmates’ safety comes first. BoneClan invaded us- they should have expected consequences.
Flightpaw… hadn’t he been fighting Hickorypaw before? He glanced over at the riverbank, where Hickorypaw still hadn’t gotten up. Hickorypaw? Is he okay? he worried.
Focus, Rainpaw. He darted behind Flightpaw and jabbed him sharply in the back legs before jumping onto his back, raking his claws down the BoneClan apprentice’s spine and across his ears.
Flightpaw-
He gave a cry at the jolt of pain that crossed his back and began bucking to get the other apprentice off of him, trying to ignore the guilt at what he had helped do to Hickorypaw. I’m trying to kidnap the only cat that can save him?
Silverpaw-
She woke up to an aching head and she tried to shake off the blur. When she looked around she tried to fight off the flinch at what had happened while she was unconcious. Rainpaw was still fighting but his tail was almost unrecognizable. Hickorypaw was lying on the floor in a puddle of blood, WindClan had shone up and RiverClan was still losing. What am I going to do? She tried to crawl out of the bramble bush she had been shoved under but a vine was wrapped around her foot, trapping her. If she tried to pull it out then she would claw up her leg in the process. I’m trapped, I need to get out of here to help my Clanmates. She tried to ignore the look of the she-cat’s leg. She’s BoneClan and she tried to kill you numbskull, You can’t be thinking about helping her. Oh StarClan what I would give for a numb skull.
Rainpaw-
“Silverpaw!” he yelped excitedly. “You’re awake!” He lost his grip on Flightpaw and crashed to the ground with a thud. Scrambling to his paws, he ran over to her side. Oh… oops, I tangled up her paw… He carefully untangled the vine around Silverpaw’s leg, simultaneously shooting anxious glances at the BoneClan apprentice. Please go away, Flightpaw…
Silverpaw-
She went limp with relief when the bramble was untangled and crawled out from under the bush. She gave a quick nod of thanks to Rainpaw, “I need to check on Hickorypaw!” She called over her shoulder and took off.
Flightpaw-
“She seems thankful,” Flightpaw teased before darting over to him and shoving him into the bush he had just freed the she-cat from.
Rainpaw-
“Be careful!” Rainpaw yowled after her. Please let Hickorypaw be all right… please, StarClan, don’t let any of our Clanmates die…
He yelped with shock as Flightpaw shoved him into the bramble bush. “I don’t even know what you meant by that,” he muttered as he wriggled free, leaving clumps of gray fur on the bush and scratches along his side. A thorn caught on his mangled tail, and he hissed with pain.
Basiltail-
Basiltail sprang off of Skipflight, kicking him in the gut in the process. They caught sight of Hickorypaw’s limp form, their stomach lurching at all the blood.
“You murderers,” Basiltail growled, leaping to pull Flightpaw away from Rainpaw.
Flightpaw-
He cried out as he was pinned to the ground by the older cat. “Fight someone your own size harebrain!” He managed to get out from beneath him.
Lilypaw-
She struggled to her feet from her spot on the ground and dragged her bleeding leg across the earth, black spots appeared in her peripheral. “I’m not going to let you hurt him,” she muttered through gritted teeth. Drawing on every ounce of strength she had left in her body, she launched herself at the older cat. If I die today, at least I die with honor, protecting my friends. That is more then they can say with dead and dying cats covering the clearing. Even if we survive this, I’ll be useless to my Clan and who knows what will happen.
(Btw, the older cat is Basiltail)
Rainpaw-
“Thanks, Basiltail!” Rainpaw gasped. Now what? Should I defend Silverpaw? But… will Basiltail be able to fight off three BoneClan cats on their own? They’re a good fighter, but they’re an elder now…
-Frostbite
Frostbite felt Basiltail’s claws score his face and the cut stung. Blood welled from his forehead, dripping into his eyes. He backed away from the elder, shaking his head to get rid of the red haze. What is wrong with you? Are you really going to be beaten by an elder? Looking up, Frostbite realized that in the moment when he was temporarily blinded, Flightpaw and Skipflight had joined the fray.
Basiltail-
“Get back to your own territory and you have yourself a deal,” Basiltail growled, spinning around to swipe at Flightpaw as the apprentice slipped away from them.
They winced as Lilypaw’s claws dug into their pelt, but hesitated at the sight of her leg. “Y’know, there’s no shame in retreating when you’re injured,” they warned, swatting at her face with sheathed claws in a half-hearted attempt to drive her back.
Skipflight-
“The rabbit brain might have a point,” Skipflight called out to Lilypaw as he climbed to his feet. “Be careful, okay?” He rammed his shoulder against the elder’s flank, making them stumble.
Lilypaw-
“There isn’t any honor in leaving your friends to die either,” she muttered under her breath but nodded to her mentor and backed away slightly, torn at what to do.
Rainpaw-
Please go home, Lilypaw… Rainpaw thought, shooting her a glance. Turning, he leapt at Skipflight and knocked out his legs from under him, quickly darting away again.
Lilypaw-
She froze on her last step backwards, I can’t just leave them, can I? “I’ll go and help Wolfstrike at camp,” She called to her mentor, hesitating only a moment longer before limping off. Be safe.
(I’m switching Lilypaw to the BoneClan tab btw, I’ll still be active here for Flightpaw and Silverpaw. What do you think will make things more interesting? Silverpaw staying or getting captured?)
(On one paw, it would be interesting to have a captive. On the other, with Silverpaw gone Riverclan will be even smaller :P)
Skipflight-
Skipflight let out a hiss of frustration as Rainpaw tipped him over, and swiped out at him only to find that the apprentice had already slipped out of reach.
“Have Cloudsight look at that leg,” he called after his apprentice, rolling back onto his paws.
As Skipflight glanced around for his nimble opponent, he caught sight of a familiar spotted coat flashing among the fighting cats.
Dashfoot? he wondered, surprised that the ghost had joined the attack. Xe’d always seemed like a bit of a coward.
Basiltail-
“Maybe you should go home as well,” Basiltail suggested, eyeing the Boneclan cats warily as they braced for the next attack. “You’ve made your point and shown your strength, why not quit while you’re ahead? I’m sure we’d all love the chance to tend to our wounded.”
Rainpaw-
Oh yes, please, he thought, leaping at Flightpaw and scrambling onto the tom’s back. Go home- we get that you’re great at fighting! As if we didn’t know that before. “What are you even looking for in this attack? You’ve shown that you’re great and mighty and all,” he asked, poking Flightpaw’s ears.
Flightpaw-
“Does the reason really matter?” He questioned, ducking.
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw scrabbled up Flightpaw’s neck, hooked his back paws into the other apprentice’s scruff, and hung upside-down so that he could look the BoneClan cat in the eyes. “Um, yes? Like, hello, I’m not a BoneClan cat, so I don’t know what goes on in your brain.”
You can be reasoned with, I’m sure. Skipflight sent his apprentice home because she was injured- he didn’t make her keep fighting. Lilypaw said that she’s loyal to her Clan, not just a greedy, bloodthirsty monster out for violence. What makes you BoneClan cats tick? Perhaps your whole Clan was just brainwashed by Loststar? All the elders said that BoneClan was once better than this. Maybe you can change.
And, well, if BoneClan cats can’t be reasoned with… what’s wrong with a bit more information in our paws?
Basiltail-
“Of course it matters,” Basiltail said, gazing at the apprentice with narrowed eyes. “Cats could die over this fight, on either side. If you don’t think your reasoning matters, then maybe this fight isn’t worth having.”
Skipflight-
Skipflight glanced over at where Fallenwing and Honeyblaze were, reminding himself that he wasn’t the one in charge here. Besides, it wasn’t as if he was going to kill Rainpaw or Basiltail, given that he was having a hard enough time just defeating them.
“Maybe you should save your long winded stories for the kits,” he suggested, springing onto the elder’s back.
Flightpaw-
He nodded at Skipflight’s words and darted towards Rainpaw. This is a cause worth fighting for, it has to be.
Rainpaw-
Looks like I’m not getting any more down that road, Rainpaw thought, making a face. He backflipped off of Flightpaw’s head, whirled around, and took all of his weight on his front paws, lashing with his back paws in an explosive kick.
Flightpaw-
He landed on the ground with a thump. I can’t breathe. Why can’t I breath! The panic set in at the realization he had had his breath knocked out of him and he started gasping, trying to take in whatever air he could find.
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw jerked around, claws unsheathed, ready to face Flightpaw’s next attack, and realized that the other apprentice was lying winded on the ground.
I didn’t mean to-
The rage inside of him bubbled up again. This is my chance! I can kill him now- get him away from my Clanmates-
He dug his claws into the ground. No. An honorable warrior does not kill. If I kill him now, I’m no better than BoneClan.
Rainpaw scampered over to Flightpaw, poking him in the side. “Sorry,” he mumbled, wondering if he was making a huge mistake. “Also, you know that it’s better to stand up when you’re winded, right?” He held his breath, waiting for Flightpaw to rear up and knock him out. Please don’t let this be a mistake… please don’t let this be a mistake…
Flightpaw-
He stared at the other apprentice in shock. Why is he helping me? He tentatively stood, and his gasps lessened and after a few moments he could breathe. He glanced at Rainpaw and hesitated, wondering what to do.
Rainpaw-
So… he’s up… now what happens? Rainpaw blinked up at Flightpaw. Um…
Flightpaw might go home, or keep fighting. If he leaves, that’s great. If he doesn’t… well, there’s not really anything I can do to stop him, is there? It’s his choice. But for me… hearts or not, I can’t let BoneClan tear RiverClan and WindClan to shreds.
He dipped his head to the other apprentice, wondering what Flightpaw would do, and then turned and sprinted up the hill back to where Basiltail and the two BoneClan warriors were.
Flightpaw-
He watched the other apprentice leave, confused. Is it wrong to keep fighting him now? What if I just finish what Lillypaw started and take the medicine cat. Maybe I’ll get to take my assessment if I do that? He gave a slight decisive nod to himself, This way I am not really fighting anyone. The medicine cat already helped Hickorypaw so I won’t be hurting them either. He spun around and darted off towards Silverpaw.
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw was about to jump on Frostbite’s back when he realized where Flightpaw was headed. Not to BoneClan territory… to Silverpaw and Hickorypaw!
NO WAY are you getting to them.
He wondered briefly if Hickorypaw could hold off Flightpaw. Hickorypaw is a good fighter… but he just got seriously injured. I’m not taking that risk.
You just destroyed any sympathy I had for you, BoneClan cat. And when I get my paws on you this time… I’m not letting you get away easily like I did before. I’m such a naive mouse-brained idiot. He hurtled down the slope, down toward the riverbank. Stay away from them!
(Do whatever would be fun for you 🙂 )
Lillypaw-
She splashed through the water towards him and helped claw the other apprentice away.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw turned as they smelled Boneclan, heart sinking. They looked heavily outnumbered, as well as outmatched. That didn’t mean Hickorypaw was going down without a fight.
“Get out of our territory!” he hissed, leaping to meet Lilyfang. Distantly, he heard a splash and Rainpaw took his fight to the river, but Hickorypaw wasn’t going to do that unless they had to.
Silverpaw-
Abandoning the hollow tree, she ran outside, jumping onto the first cat she saw.
Lilypaw-
She grunted as the cat jumped on top of her, whirling to face her attacker, she froze. This is just a medicine cat apprentice, maybe they will want to keep her? She leaped and pinned the silver cat down and called out to her mentor, “I caught the medicine cat! Do you have anything special planned for her?”
Silverpaw-
She writhed and twisted under the she-cat to no avail.
Flightpaw-
He leaped at Hickorypaw and knocked them away from Lilyfang. “What are you going to do against all of us!” He taunted.
Lilyfang-
Lilyfang leaped across one of the stones,coming closer to the cat Honeyblaze was fighting. She jumped on the apprentice,hoping to knock her over. “Hello,love.” she growled to the smaller she-cat,clawing her flesh. “Would you like to surrender now-and perhaps be useful-or get killed?”
Silverpaw-
She cried out and went limp. She wouldn’t be any use to her clan if she was dead.
Icegaze-
Icegaze shot across the stepping stones,rushing to help whoever was closest. “WindClan,help be careful!” he yowled,looking back to his clanmates. “I know none of us like water,but we must help.” The tom saw an apprentice pinned by a see-through calico she-cat,and slashed his claws along her spine. “Get away from her,you fox-heart!” he growled.
Silverpaw-
She breathed out a sigh of relief and looked around for someone else she could help.
(I don’t mind if you want to capture Silverpaw btw)
(nice)
(Minnowstar could use the company 😛 )
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw hissed as they were sent tumbling, but scrambled quickly back to his feet. “I’m going to fight, mousebrain,” he growled, lashing out at the other apprentice’s face.
Flightpaw-
He yowled and scored his claws down the other apprentices side.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw winced as the Boneclan apprentice’s claws found his pelt, raking a row of stinging scratches. They dove forwards and to the side, twisting so that they could kick at Flightpaw’s side with his good hind leg.
Flightpaw-
He was knocked off the apprentice but leaped again, “I’m not about to give up, foxheart.” He shouted, ducking under Hickorypaw to knock them off balance.
Hickorypaw-
“I’m the foxheart?” Hickorypaw yelped, stumbling as their paws slipped on a wet rock. He managed to keep his balance, but just barely. “You’re the one that’s invading my clan, I’m just trying to keep you from killing my clanmates!”
Flightpaw-
He dug his paws into the ground and snarled at the other apprentice. “Your obviously an arrogant fox heart! Thinking a few apprentices will be able to stop us!” His claws shot out again, aiming for the apprentices face again but he slipped on the wet earth.
Lilyfang-
With so many cats now at the river,Lilyfang was going back and forth,making sure to leave any opposing cat with at least a few nasty wounds. She licked the WindClan cat’s blood of her jaws and rushed to help Flightpaw. “You’re nothing against us,apprentice. Even with your little friends helping you.” the she-cat growled,slamming her paw into their muzzle. She helped steady Flightpaw before leaping around the RiverClan cat.
Lilyfang landed another blow on them,glaring through narrowed eyes. She saw Skipflight being attacked by another WindClan cat and hissed. Even though the BoneClan cats were powerful,they were outnumbered. It just meant she would have to fight harder. She would have to target the more powerful cats. That meant not wasting her time on apprentices. She ran over to the white tom that seemed to be leading the WindClan cats. The she-cat skidded slightly when she cat to a stop,but stayed upright. Her claws dug into his side,raking his flesh,making blood pool at her feet. Lilyfang decided to target this cat first,making it her mission to kill him
Icegaze-
Icegaze yowled in agony as a she-cat bit his back leg. He lifted his foot up and turned around to attack her,but the calico had already left. He tried again to claw the bigger BoneClan cat,but to no avail. The tom realized that he now had a apprentice pinned under him,but before he could help,another wave of pain ripped through his body.
Icegaze looked back,bile rising in his throat when he saw the damage. Blood poured from his side,long claw marks clawing across his skin. It felt as is the anger of every Dark Forest cat was being dealt to him instead of just one. He had to try hard to keep himself from collapsing. His blows were getting weaker,and black spots danced in his vision. Even though more cats were aiding RiverClan,it seemed like BoneClan was winning.
Fogdapple-
Fogdapple hissed as teeth sunk into her leg,she aimed at the tom’s face this time,hoping to hit his eyes. It didn’t work. Her claws raked his muzzle,but he barely reacted. The she-cat’s stomach sunk. This isn’t going well.
Icegaze-
Icegaze’s legs gave out from under him,and when he tried to stand up the she-cat forced him down. He managed to land a few more blows,but it wasn’t helping much. Icegaze thought of his clanmates fighting,how brave they were. The tom raked his claws across her muzzle,gritting his teeth.
But as his vision blurred,Icegaze knew he couldn’t last much longer. I’m failing my clan. I’m failing RiverClan too. He collapsed on the damp ground once again,his feeble attempts to get up failing. The last thing he saw was the calico in front of him, sinking her teeth into his neck. (Icegaze is now unconscious)
Fogdapple-
Fogdapple heard Icegaze’s pained voice and looked away from the cat she was fighting for a moment. What they saw filled them with rage. A Dark Forest cat had her brother on the ground,it looked like he had passed out. “No!” she cried,eyes dark Fogdapple felt as if she was stuck. Their brother may be dead,and she couldn’t force herself to move. Eventually,she regained control of her movement and rushed away from the cat she was fighting.
Her teeth sunk into the she-cat’s tail,biting with all her force. But claws dug into her stomach and she was pushed away,the slick earth making it hard to stay upright. Her head hit a sharp stone and a loud ringing went through her ears. How would they be able to defeat BoneClan at this rate?
Hickorypaw-
“A few apprentices and Windclan!” Hickorypaw growled, darting forward as the other apprentice slipped, slamming his shoulder against Flightpaw’s in hopes of tipping him over.
Flightpaw-
He slammed into the water and struggled to get back into his feet. “Cowards and fishpelts, big competition.” He taunted before lunging at the other cat.
Hickorypaw-
“Competition? Is this some sort of game to you?” Hickorypaw hissed, swatting at Flightpaw’s face with unsheathed claws. “Call me a fishpelt or a foxheart, but I just want to stay alive!”
Flightpaw-
“That’s exactly why we are here,” he said, ducking, “You are staying alive too well.” He kicked out at the other apprentices legs.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw tumbled to the ground as Flightpaw kicked out their legs, letting out a howl of pain. Stupid leg, he thought, his weak leg throbbing as he struggled to he feet, balancing on three legs.
This was not going well. Hickorypaw glanced over their shoulder at the river, wondering if they should try fighting in water. It would help get their weight off his leg, but if he froze up…
“Why does the idea of me staying alive bother you so much?” Hickorypaw demanded, trying to stall as he backed away towards the river.
Flightpaw-
“I am here to win. If you stay alive, it means I lost.” He padded closer to Hickorypaw, pausing at the sight of the river. “Retreating?” He questioned, “I didn’t take you for a coward.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw shook his head, whiskers twitching with rueful amusement. Was winning really all this cat cared about? It was hard for them to imagine how someone their age had ended up so cruel. “I get it. I’m a threat to your petty ego,” they snorted, then darted forwards, digging their claws into the other cat’s pelt, trying to drag both of them backwards into the water.
I can do this, they thought, gritting their teeth as the water brushed their tail.
Flightpaw-
A wave of panic hit him as the water grew closer and he dug his claws into the earth beneath him and braced himself. I can’t die like this. I won’t die like this. With a yowl, he flung himself backwards onto the ground and away from the water. That was how his mother had died, taken by the river when he was still a kit. He couldn’t die like she did.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw’s backlegs splashed in the water, the chilly liquid soaking through their fur as they scrambled frantically back onto the shore. There was no way he was going swimming if he couldn’t even take the other apprentice with him.
“Not a fan of water?” Hickorypaw asked, more curious than taunting at the panic on Flightpaw’s face. At least there’s one thing we can agree on, he thought, taking the moment to catch his breath.
Tentatively, he tested out a bit of pressure on his injured leg, and hissed at the stab of paint that resulted.
Flightpaw-
“I’m no more scared then you are,” he responded, trying to hide the tremble in his voice. Thank StarClan we aren’t going in there. He padded forward slightly, preparing to leap, his eyes focused on the their uninjured leg.
what are Hickorypaw’s pronouns?(He/him and they/them!)
Hickorypaw-
That’s still plenty scared, Hickorypaw thought, but there was no way they were going to tell the other apprentice that.
Shifting sideways so that his bad leg was facing towards the river instead of Flightpaw, he swiped out with one of his front legs, trying to fend him away from their injury.
(thanks!)
Flightpaw-
He jumped back from the other cat before darting forward, leaping onto his back and digging his claws into their pelt.
Lilyfang-
Lilyfang slashed her claws down the back of the cat attacking Honeyblaze. “I’m sure you can handle it from here,now-if you don’t mind-I’m off to show more fish-breaths their place. Have fun.” she purred the last bit,ignoring the pain the came from her tail.
She spotted Flightpaw and slunk over to help him,having to avoid another pair of cats fighting. “How are you fairing,love?” she asked calmly before raking her claws across the RiverClan apprentice’s ears.
Flightpaw-
He smiled slightly at the faded she-cat. “I’m doing all right,” he said through gritted teeth, digging his claws in.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw’s legs gave out as Flightpaw jumped on their back, letting out a hiss of pain as their injured leg was caught beneath themself.
Great Starclan, not anotherone, he thought, struggling to wiggle away from the other apprentice as the Dark Forest cat raked his ears.
Unable to free himself from their enemy’s claws, he gave up on squirming, and attempted to twist around to snap at Flightpaw’s chest.
Flightpaw-
He lunged backwards, narrowly avoiding Hickorypaw’s teeth and he kicked out at their injured leg as he did so.
Honeyblaze-
“I’ll join you in just a moment once I have this fish-brain dead on the bottom of the river,” Honeyblaze hissed as Lilyfang passed, twisting around and taking the RiverClan she-cat’s foreleg in her jaws. She bit and tore, feeling a large chunk of flesh come away from the bone as she pulled away. The warrior fell from her back and Honeyblaze lunged, pinning her to the riverbank. Lightning split the sky, and thunder roared through the clouds as the torrential rain continued.
For a moment, she hesitated. As the lightning flashed, she saw her brother’s face in place of the silver she-cat’s.
Rookpaw. She’d killed him so long ago, before the Shattering, before everything- he had been a part of the beginning. He had been one of the weak ones that she had plucked like a weed. She grinned.
“Nighty night, darling,” she purred. She struck, lunging for the warrior’s throat.
Rainspirit-
“No!” As the one-eyed she-cat lurched forward, she pushed against her chest, the pain in her foreleg sending hot needles of agony blazing through her. She scrambled to her paws and backed into the water, paddling as fast as she could.
ThunderClan. I need to go to ThunderClan. Even with WindClan, they were losing- as much as she hated to admit it, ThunderClan was the only other last hope that they had. She pulled herself ashore and staggered across the ThunderClan border, dragging herself towards their camp.
Lilyfang-
Lilyfang noticed the pain Flightpaw caused by hitting the apprentices leg,and smiled sickly. “Oh,does our little friend have an injury?” she purred. “Perhaps we could do something with that information.” quick as lightning,the she-cat dug her claws into his leg and drove them through the flesh,pleased a waves of crimson splashed her paws.
Hickorypaw-
Vision swimming, Hickorpaw howled in pain as Lilypang’s claws found his old wound. They flailed, frantically trying to shove the Dark forest cat and Boneclan apprentice away from.
Starclan help me, Hickorypaw begged, gritting their teeth against the pain. He’d just started figuring out how to live with his damaged leg, and now it was injured all over again. How can I be a warrior if I can’t walk?
“You’re crazy,” he hissed through gasping breaths, their ears flattened against their head. “if you think you’re going to win.”
Fallenwing-
First one fell.
Then the other.
It had been easy enough, defeating the two WindClan warriors. It had only taken a few exchanges to understand their weaknesses; the she-cat was inexperienced- he could tell by the way she hesitated before launching an attack- and though he was powerful, the tom was unfocused and tactless.
Both flaws were easy to exploit.
If they were one cat with each other’s strengths, they may have posed more of a threat to me. Fallenwing mused, licking the blood off of his claws. How unfortunate that they are two; though I suppose numbers are an advantage. He flashed a glance at his opponents, whose bloodstained forms lay strewn over the grassy marshland. That is, if used correctly.
Fallenwing rose to his paws, wincing as he upset an injury in his left flank. For all of his tactlessness, the tom had landed a few good hits. He briefly touched a paw to his forehead, pulling it away to find blood coating his fur. The she-cat had almost blinded him; proving that, even with their flaws, they were still effective warriors with undeniable strengths.
“Well then…” Fallenwing smiled at the defeated WindClan cats, resting his claws on the nearest of the two. “I’d end your lives here, but killing you like this… Has no meaning.” He sheathed his claws, but kept the warrior pinned down. The other warrior- the she-cat- was unconscious, her head resting on a bloodied rock. He guessed that she’d live, but it would take time for all three cats to fully recover.
Satisfied that his fight had been won, Fallenwing scanned over the warring cats, noting with satisfaction that almost none of his clanmates had been defeated. The other Clans, however, were not faring as well. There were hardly any left, just apprentices and a few warriors remained.
“The battle nears it’s conclusion.” Fallenwing observed, casting his cold green gaze at the WindClan tom. “Your fate will be decided then.”
(I’m assuming you were interacting with Icegaze and Fogdapple. If not,ignore this comment.)
Icegaze-
Icegaze’s eyes were still closed,he couldn’t muster the strength to open them. He heard the cat in front of him speaking,and wanted desperately to get up and attack him. “The battle nears it’s conclusion.” he heard the tom say. Did that mean that BoneClan was winning? “Your fate will be decided then.” the last words sent a chill through Icegaze,making him terrified. BoneClan was taking over,and he couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t even move.
Fogdapple-
Fogdapple’e head hurt. She felt blood pulse from the wound on her skull,and knew that the Dark Forest she-cat did more damage then she thought. They were frozen,they could hear the battle continuing around them,and couldn’t do anything. Even breathing took too much effort. She was failing,she couldn’t save RiverClan or her brother. Letting themselves die seemed easier than trying to face the rest of the world.
(It was Glowsong and Steelclaw, but I guess we can change it if you want 😛 Sorry, I should’ve specified somewhere.)
(Ahh,sorry. Let’s pretend I didn’t mess up and post that comment.)
Flightpaw-
He glared at the tom and twisted his claws deeper into the injury. “And you’re crazy if you think we’re going to lose. All of you are weaker than us. It’d be a mercy if we ended you now.”
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw winced, struggling to think around the pain. He had to get away somehow, but with only three legs he wouldn’t be strong enough to throw Flightpaw off.
“Is that what you’re going to do?” he asked through a haze of pain, “Kill me? I hate to break it to you, but killing a half starved apprentice with a bad leg isn’t very impressive.”
Lilyfang-
“No,but RiverClan is weak and unstable. Even with your little WindClan friends,BoneClan outnumbers you. When your dead,there’s one less cat to kill,one less cat in the way of taking over.” Lilyfang sunk her teeth into the apprentice throat, more blood filling her mouth. As the she-cat let go,she knew the battle was practically won.
“Now,Flightpaw,you’ve done well in this fight. Your training has paid off,good job.” Lilyfang nodded to the BoneClan cat before padding away. She was pleased to see Fallenwing near the WindClan cat the two of them had taken down. “I haven’t had this much fun in a while.”she commented,then laughed as blood dripped from her flank. “Though I suppose it comes with a few consequences.”
Flightpaw-
He flinched at the taunt. “Losing isn’t very impressive either,” he managed to say through gritted teeth.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw whimpered and went limp as Lilyfang bit their throat, warm blood seeping through their chest fur as she stepped away.
“Well, congrats,” Hickorypaw gurgled to Flightpaw, choking on his own blood when he tried to talk. “Hope you’re happy.” He wanted to slit the dumb apprentice’s throat, but he barely had the strength to press his paws against the cut at his own throat, desperately trying to staunch the bleeding.
Flightpaw-
He backed away slowly, eyes wide at the sight of the slowly dying apprentice. I hadn’t wanted to kill anyone. We were just supposed to scare them. He glanced around, needing to get away from him and noticed Lilypaw being pinned down. He ran off to help her.
Silverpaw-
She ran up to Hickorypaw, praying to StarClan that he would make it. She quickly pressed her paws onto their throat and her mind raced with desperate ideas of what she could do.
Hickorpaw-
Hickorypaw blinked, startled to find another cat trying to help them. “Silverpaw?” they asked, the world spinning dizzily as he tried to twist to look at her, “Am I going to die?”
Silverpaw-
“Not if I can help it.” She murmured, taking one of her paws off of their throat for a moment to grab a clump of moss off of the rocks and press it on his throat. “I don’t have cobwebs with me so this will have to do for now,” she said, trying to soothe him.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw closed their eyes, trying to ignore the pain. “What about my leg, will it heal?” he mumbled, spitting out a mouthful of blood as they talked.
Silverpaw-
She hesitated but gave a quick nod. I can’t promise anything but I will do my best. She didn’t say what she was thinking, “Of course,” she hooked another clump in her claws and pressed them onto his throat. “You’re going to stay with me, alright? You have to,” she tried to ignore the catch in her voice on the last word.
Hickorypaw-
“I’m not going anywhere,” Hickorypaw replied, trying to focus on the sound of her voice. The blood was coming slower now, but his paws were still coated in plenty of it.
Dashfoot-
Invisible, Dashfoot crept through Riverclan territory. Xe drifting undetected around the edge of the battle, trying to spot Nightpool.
Might be helpful if I remembered what they looked like, xe thought, the scent of blood making them feel a little sick. It had been a while since xe’d been alive, but surly xe had seen the Riverclan deputy at some point.
Dashfoot recoiled slightly at the sight of an apprentice bleeding out across the rocks, before focussing on the cat beside them. A medicine cat, presumably.
Still out of sight, xe picked xyr way around the battle to Silverpaw, and dropped xyr bundle of foxglove and cobwebs beside her.
“Good evening, I’m just your average friendly disembodied voice,” Dashfoot murmured in her ear, “I have a message from Lizardstar. If you see Blackpool, pass it on. Thunderclan and Shadowclan are coming to help.”
Without waiting for a reply, xe sped off, wanting to get away from all the blood as fast as xe could.
Silverpaw-
She jumped at xer voice but relaxed slightly at the herbs and mention of help. “I’m going to get you through this Hickorypaw, you’re going to be okay.” She let out a sigh of relief at the familar supplies and went for the Foxglove first. She quickly crushed it and pressed it onto his wound, wrapping it up in layers of cobwebs next. They are going to be okay, all of us are going to be okay. She scanned the clearing for her deputy and fought the urge to scream with frustration when she didn’t spot them.
Flightpaw-
He jumped over Hickorypaw and knocked the silver she-cat to the ground. She smells familiar. He hesitated, snap out of it, her scent doesn’t matter right now. He quickly gripped her scruff between his teeth and started dragging her thrashing body away.
Rainpaw-
“What is UP with BoneClan cats and kidnapping medicine cats?” he yelled, hurtling down the slope and crashing into Flightpaw. “Can’t you leave her ALONE for ONCE?!”
(this is the last kidnapping attempt lol)
Silverpaw-
She breathed out a quick sigh of relief. “There’s your answer,” she called to Hickorypaw. Remind me to ask for fighting lessons after this. She ran over to Hickorypaw, forcing herself to ignore the battle surrounding her. We are losing, WindClan is retreating. I can’t let anyone else die. She pasted on a quick smile for Hickorypaw.
(just realized i left Flightpaw out of my comment just now.)
Flightpaw-
He wrestled with Rainpaw, trying to pin the other cat to the ground. “It isn’t about HER. It is about us and our Clan and our future.” He yelled back, digging his claws into him.
Rainpaw-
The wall of fury that had rebuilt itself around Rainpaw’s mind shuddered a bit at the words “about us and our Clan and our future.” No, no sympathy, never again! They are in the wrong, not us. I can be an honorable warrior and still teach this mange-pelt a lesson. “How in the name of StarClan will kidnapping Silverpaw get your Clan anywhere, other than just providing you with another cat to kill like the monsters you are?” he demanded, hissing with pain as Flightpaw’s claws tore into his pelt. “We’re not your prey for you to throw around and manipulate just for your own good. Silverpaw’s our Clanmate, our friend, not your plaything.” He raked his claws across Flightpaw’s underbelly, trying to stand up so he could force the BoneClan apprentice toward the river. I’ll have the advantage there…
Flightpaw-
“She isn’t a plaything. I don’t want anyone to die! I need to accomplish something with my life though! Even if you die here it will have been in bravery but if I die today, it will be in weakness.” He glared at the other cat, stifling a cry of pain at the sharp sting radiating from his underbelly. He took a step backwards and away from Rainpaw.
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw’s blue eyes rounded in a silent oh.
Wait, really? “Even if you die here it will have been in bravery but if I die today, it will be in weakness.” “Why do you fight for a Clan that acts like that?” he asked, pacing up the riverbank, positioning himself between Flightpaw and his friends. Clan first, always, Clan first, Rainpaw. “Whatever else I think about you, you are definitely a loyal BoneClan cat, you and your… friend,” Rainpaw turned to face Flightpaw, ready to spring and knock him into the river if the other apprentice made a wrong move. “And if you died, they’d be like that?”
Flightpaw-
“It doesn’t matter if I am loyal or not. The only thing that matters is bringing honor to my Clan and there is no honor in death. Surely you can understand that?” He spat, tone as sharp as shards of glass.
Rainpaw-
“I wouldn’t say this brings your Clan honor,” Rainpaw replied, shrugging. “I wouldn’t say this attack gives you very much in general. You can’t fish, can’t swim…” “It doesn’t matter if I am loyal or not,” does that mean you’re not loyal? Hmm…
“There is honor in death, if you died for your Clan,” he said instead. “For us, anyway… you said it so yourself, didn’t you? ‘Even if you die here it will have been in bravery…’ Shouldn’t your Clan just be proud of you for trying your best?” His wide blue eyes met Flightpaw’s. “You say you fight for honor for your Clan, honor that everyone else sees as simple bloodthirstiness. You say that you fight for honor for yourself, honor that will instantly shatter in the eyes of your Clanmates the moment you breathe your last breath. You don’t need extra territory, you aren’t fighting to survive… what are you fighting for, Flightpaw?”
Flightpaw-
He hesitated, taking another step back. What do I fight for? He wondered, a moment of panic hitting him when he realized he didn’t know. “I fight because I want to make an impact and I want to be remembered,” He ended up snapping, taking another step back, wanting to escape this cat and his quesions.
Rainpaw-
He’s worried about his legacy? Rainpaw thought, surprised. “Wow, it’s kind of sad that you’re afraid your Clan will forget you when you’re gone,” he commented, keeping his eyes carefully fixed on Flightpaw and the river behind him.
Flightpaw-
He tried to hold back the flinch Rainpaw’s words brought on, taking another step back, close enough that the water almost brushed his paws. “At least in this battle, my Clan will be remembered as the winners,” He snarled, glancing pointedly at the WindClan warriors. “All of your allies are either dead or dying,” He taunted.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw raised his head up slightly, just enough so that he could see Flightpaw and Rainpaw. “This doesn’t feel like dying in bravery,” he muttered, gazing at the river behind them.
They remembered the way Flightpaw had reacted to the river earlier, feeling oddly sad. They seemed to have a lot in common with the tom. Both were desperate to prove themselves, and both had a bad past with the river.
But thanks to Flightpaw, Hickorypaw might never get another chance to prove themself.
Basiltail-
Basiltail followed Flightpaw’s glance, their fur bristling with fury. “You will be remembered as monsters,” they growled, glaring at the apprentice. They didn’t blame the young cats for being brainwashed, but their words were still infuriating. “And the only impact you’ll be making is synonyms for murder.”
Angrily, they turned back to Skipflight, ducking a blow. Their time spent out hunting had kept them in decent shape, but they were starting to grow tired. “What’s your excuse?” they asked under their breath.
Skipflight-
Skipflight glanced around the battle, feeling sick. This wasn’t what he had expected. Somehow, he’d thought there would be more glory to it, that his opponents would somehow be different than the cats he’d known throughout his life.
He shook his head slightly, turning back to the old cat. “Even if I’m not on the right side, at least I’m on the winning one,” he growled, swiping his claws along their spine.
Silverpaw-
“You aren’t going to die,” she muttered, a hint of desperation breaking her voice.
Rainpaw-
“Your Clan will also be remembered as the bloodthirsty monsters who decided to attack a Clan that had done practically nothing to provoke them,” Rainpaw said, swallowing back the fear that threatened to bubble up in his throat. If there’s anyone left to remember this. “…your allies are either dead or dying…” Basiltail… oh, StarClan, no… I left them to fight off two BoneClan warriors by themself… He jerked his thoughts away. No, Basiltail’s fine, elder or not, they’re a good fighter…
Rainpaw followed Flightpaw’s gaze. He’s right, WindClan won’t be able to support us for much longer, he realized with a jolt of panic. They’re retreating.
No, stop! I can’t keep thinking like this. One step at a time… remember, three of their cats have gone back to their camp to do who-knows-what, leaving Fallenwing as the only leader of this patrol…wait.
“What’s Fallenwing doing, anyway?” he asked, wrenching his gaze back to Flightpaw. Ah, just a few pawlengths away from the river. If something goes badly, I’ll push him in. “It looks like he’s staring at the sky, and I’m just going to assume that… he’s not hunting for birds or anything,” Rainpaw finished, deciding not to say what he had originally planned for: that he doesn’t expect birds to just hop into his mouth. An enraged Flightpaw as enough- he didn’t need to simultaneously fend off Fallenwing as well.
Flightpaw-
His eyes narrowed, “Who knows and who cares,” he rasped, throat tight with fear. He glanced between the four cats around him and his heart began to pound rapidly. He shot a glance at Hickorypaw and a wave of nausea hit him. I did that. He realized, I am the reason that a cat might die here today. And instead of feeling pride in his Clan’s strength, all he felt was revulsion. He took another step back, I need to get out of here. Away from their faces. Away from what I’ve done. A small whimper escaped him and something similar to shame washed over him. He spun on his heel, planning to run but toppled into the rapids. Almost immediately the water flooded him and panic set in. He began thrashing and screaming under the water. The water threw him every which way. I am going to die. I am going to die. I am going to die. The words chanted in his pounding head. A fitting symphony to accompany his death. His lungs were beginning to burn. A steady and constant pain that rose and fell with the notes thrumming in his head.
Rainpaw-
Oh dear, Rainpaw realized as the BoneClan apprentice thrashed underwater. He can’t swim!
Should I go after him? he thought, hesitating. Remember, the last time I let him go, he decided to go straight for my friends as if nothing had happened.
No… I’m no better than BoneClan if I let him die… I can’t accuse him of being bloodthirsty if I don’t do something…
He almost killed Hickorypaw, though… I’m just a dumb little apprentice who’s been in training for less than a year…
Rainpaw shook the voices out of his head. Get him out, decide what to do later- maybe Basiltail can do that, they’re the most experienced. I can’t let him die in there, RiverClan tradition. No one lets a cat die in the river because of honor and also because they would pollute the fish.
Taking a deep breath, he leaped into the rapids after the BoneClan apprentice, sank his teeth into Flightpaw’s scruff, and kicked up toward the surface as hard as he could. When he broke the surface, though, came problem number two…
Now what… Flightpaw’s too heavy for me to reach the shore by myself… and, oh, drat, we’re drifting down the river toward Fallenwing.
Flightpaw-
Before the song in his mind could crescendo, his eyes flew open as air flooded his aching lungs. “Why are you doing this,” he rasped through a hoarse throat.
(I replied, it’s just a little bit down ;))
Skipflight-
Skipflight shoved Basiltail over, then sprung to pin the elder down, but was distracted by the sound of a splash.
He spun around, his eyes widening in horror at the sight of Flightpaw disappearing into the river. “No!” he yelped, racing to the bank.
As desperate as Skipflight was to save the apprentice, he couldn’t swim well either. If he dove in, he’d probably just end up drowning himself. He glanced sideways at the riverclan cats, waiting desperately to see if they would do anything.
Basiltail-
Basiltail scrambled to their feet, following Skipflight’s gaze to the river. “Can you help him?” they called to Rainpaw, their voice ragged with weariness. “I know he’s an enemy, but if we let him drown we’re just as bad as them.”
Fallenwing-
Fallenwing waited for the black cloud to drift away, for his constellation to be revealed, but when Hydra’s head was nearly visible, a familiar cry pierced his focus.
Flightpaw!
His pale green eyes ripped themselves from the sky, glaring down at the river in search of his drowning apprentice. Through the dark, rain, and water, he thought he caught a glimpse of Flightpaw’s pelt; and with it, another familiar bundle of fur.
Rainpaw. Of course.
The two cats were drifting down the river towards him, but it looked like they were struggling to stay afloat. Fallenwing rose to his paws, glanced at the broken WindClan cats around him, then shot into the churning black water.
Cold bit into his skin, and he clenched his teeth against the freezing water. The writhing mass of fur was drifting closer. they were almost within his reach. When they were within his reach, Fallenwing braced himself against the force of the river, went even deeper into the water, and snagged Rainpaw’s scruff with his claws. For one terrifying moment, he swayed against the momentum of the rapids, struggling with the weight of the apprentices; then, with massive effort, he heaved himself to shore with Flightpaw and Rainpaw in tow.
Once they were on solid ground again, Fallenwing unhooked his claws from Rainpaw’s scruff, then immediately pinned the RiverClan apprentice onto his side.
“Flightpaw, are you alright?” His apprentice was still breathing, which was good, but he wanted to make sure nothing had happened to him during the battle.
He glared down at Rainpaw next, his claws at the apprentice’s belly and throat. “Your Clan has lost; surrender now, and I will spare your lives.”
(My other comment is outdated- if you see it, please ignore it. Thanks!)
Rainpaw-
“Oh, good evening, sir,” Rainpaw growled, his flanks heaving and his blue eyes flashing with defiance. Wow, I risked my life in an attempt to save your apprentice, and this is how you react. “No, our Clan hasn’t lost, not until we surrender, which we won’t and never will. For sparing our lives- since when was a BoneClan cat ever honorable and kept their promises, exactly? In any case, I’d rather die than join your ranks of brainwashed slaves.” I’m going to die I’m going to die I’m going to die…
Fine. This is it. This is the end.
Make it count. If I can stop Fallenwing, or slow him, at least… the last remaining leader of this BoneClan battle patrol… my Clan might be able to survive this. They might be able to emerge victorious.
Rainpaw steeled his heart, jerked his head forward, and sank his teeth into Fallenwing’s leg. The tang of blood filled his mouth, but he clamped his jaws shut even tighter.
Make it count.
Flightpaw-
He stumbled back, drawing in a ragged breath and his eyes widened at the sight of Rainpaw’s jaw locked around his mentor’s leg. He let out a hoarse cry and darted forward, digging his teeth into Rainpaw’s scruff and trying to pull him away. He saved me. Fallenwing wouldn’t have killed him if he tried to save me, right? The question flew through his tired mind as the waves of adrenaline that had been relentlessly pounding him suddenly disappeared. It took every ounce of strength he had left to keep pulling. Where will I end up when I die? He thought for a split second before shaking his head, forcing it away.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw flinched at the sight of Fallenwing’s claws at Rainpaw’s throat. “Leave him alone!” he yowled, his throat burning in protest. Wincing, they gritted their teeth, their mouth tasting warm with blood.
Was this how it was going to end? Fallenwing was right, the battle was practically over.
And I’ve just gotten in the way, they thought, pelt prickling with frustration.
Skipflight-
Skipflight let out a sigh of relief as Fallenwing fished the apprentices out of the river, then turned back to Basiltail. “Yield,” he demanded, fixing them in a challenging stare. “You’ve fought well, but it’s time that you admit the inevitable. I don’t want to have to kill you.”
He really, really didn’t want to have to kill them, but he wasn’t about to beg the elder to surrender.
Skipflight glanced over his shoulder at Rainpaw and Fallenwing, frowning when he was that the apprentice was still trying to fight.
Basiltail-
Basiltail took a step back from Skipflight, their gaze darting frantically around the battlefield.
The others weren’t even fighting anymore. Rainpaw was pinned down, and Basiltail was running out of steam.
“Starclan help us,” Basiltail muttered under their breath, closing their eyes. If it were just them left standing, they would have been set to go down fighting. But even though Rainpaw had his jaws on Fallenwing, the apprentice was still at the monster’s mercy.
Basiltail swallowed hard, then sheathed their claws. They tried to open their mouth to say the words, but they caught in their throat.
I surrender.
“Rainpaw,” they called, struggling to keep their voice steady, “It’s over.”
Rainpaw-
“No,” Rainpaw hissed softly. “Never.”
Do you really think that you, Basiltail, Silverpaw, and Hickorypaw can fight off four BoneClan cats? One of which defeated three WindClan cats all by himself and forced them into surrender?
What will they do to us if we do give up?
But if we don’t, we’ll all die, for sure. If I want my Clanmates to survive… I’ll have to surrender. That’s the only chance.
Wait… where’s our leader? She’s the one who would typically make these decisions… when to give in, when to fight to the end. And she’s not here. That’s not like her- she’d do anything for us. And BoneClan knew.
Rainpaw stared up into Fallenwing’s cold eyes. “I’ll surrender,” he spat, “but before I do… you’re involved in this, I’m sure… where is Minnowstar?“
Silverpaw-
She pressed down harder on Hickorypaw’s throat. Trying to disguise her shaking. “Shhh, don’t make it worse,” she managed to stammer out. “It is hard enough to keep you breathing as it is.”
Rainpaw-
“Ow!” Rainpaw yelped as Flightpaw jerked his head away from Fallenwing’s leg. “Let me go!” A jolt of fear shot through him as some previously dormant part of his mind woke up and realized that he still wanted to live. “What in the name of StarClan are you trying to do, Flightpaw?” he demanded, writhing under the BoneClan cats’ grip. “Pull me to death?” You won’t be able to drag me anywhere until you get Fallenwing off of me first…
His gaze flicked to Fallenwing’s leg. It looks moderately deep, but I didn’t break the bone, I’m sure. Hopefully, that’ll be able to slow him…
Oh, who am I kidding? When did I ever manage to do anything right?
Flightpaw-
He glared down at him but dropped his scruff. I just needed to do something. Anything. Just be helpful. But he couldn’t say any of that in front of his mentor. He glanced over at Basiltail and felt a wave of pity at the utter defeat in their eyes.
Rainpaw-
“So?” Rainpaw demanded, staring at Fallenwing. “I gave up, let me go! What did you want from this attack, anyway?” Flightpaw didn’t know, but maybe Fallenwing will…
Don’t die, Hickorypaw… he thought nervously. A few more minutes and we’ll be back at camp…
Hickorypaw-
“Sorry,” Hickorypaw muttered to Silverpaw, making sure to keep their voice soft. They closed their eyes, wishing they could block out the words his fellow clan cats were saying. How could they have lost?
Basiltail-
Basiltail caught the flash of pity across Flightpaw’s face and looked away. They didn’t want the apprentice’s pity, they wanted to win. But that wasn’t going to happen.
“What happens now?” they called to Fallenwing.
Silverpaw-
She lowered her tone to match his, “It’s okay,” she murmurred.
(fallenwing talked at the bottom of the replies btw)
Rainpaw-
Wrapping his front paws around the other apprentice, Rainpaw tried to swim back to shore without getting dragged downstream, where the WindClan cats and Fallenwing were. Come on… almost there… He was tempted to let go of Flightpaw, so, so much, to just let the other apprentice drown, and get to safety… can’t do that… Basiltail’s right… almost there… a few more tail-lengths to go…
A wave of water splashed over his head, sending them both under for a moment. Flightpaw’s weight wasn’t helping one bit. Silverpaw… Hickorypaw… help me…
I won’t drown! Not today, not ever! He resurfaced, gripping Flightpaw’s scruff in his teeth, and kept swimming against the current, back to the shore. Almost there…
(please ignore this one…thanks!)
Hickorypaw-
“Alright,” Hickorypaw replied, twitching an ear in the direction of the strange voice. Moving their head hurt, but even in their peripheral vision it seemed like the speaker hadn’t been visible. “How’s the rest of the battle?” he added, talking to keep his mind from drifting. “Is Rainpaw okay?”
Silverpaw-
“The battle is going…okay. Rainpaw is doing…okay. Right now, I’m focused on you.”
Honeyblaze-
“Fallenwing,” she mewed, padding over and glaring down her nose at the battered WindClan cats, “don’t you think you should just… kill them? I have a feeling the battle isn’t as close to over as we’d like to imagine.” Her expression grew grim. “That she-cat who attacked me- she’s started off towards ThunderClan. We can’t afford to chase after her, but we also can’t afford to have a third wave of warriors come up on our tails.”
Havenflight-
“G-Glowsong? Steelclaw?” His voice shook as he stumbled in front of the two BoneClan warriors, staring down in horror at the battered forms of his Clanmates. Heart pounding, he fell into a shivering crouch.
Don’t kill me, don’t kill me, don’t kill me-
“C-can I please take t-them away to t-treat their wounds?”
Please don’t kill me, I can’t die, not now, have mercy…
(Is is okay if Honeyblaze and Fallenwing attacked Glow, Icegaze, Fogdapple and Steelclaw together for cohesion purposes 😛 )
Fallenwing-
Fallenwing stared blankly at the cats before him, still keeping Steelclaw pinned below him. “I’m afraid I can’t let either of you have what you want. At least… Not completely.”
His eyes flashed as he turned his head to Havenflight, a look of scrutiny and malice strewn across his face. “You may take… Half… Of your clanmates. I’ll let you choose which ones. The remainder of your clan will stay here until further notice.”
To Honeyblaze, Fallenwing added, “We can use RiverClan’s camp to hold them, and they will die if WindClan does not learn their place. As for your fleeing warrior… If she succeeds, ThunderClan will have to cross our territory to fight us. We… Left our camp unguarded.” He looked in the direction of their territory, remembering how few BoneClan warriors remained there. “This does not bode well for us…”
Lilyfang-
Lilyfang smiled at Fallenwing’s response to the WindClan warrior. Making him choose only a few cats to take home would be a twisted situation to watch. She thought for a moment before speaking. “I could get back to BoneClan territory and help defend camp. And we could threaten to kill Minnowstar if ThunderClan attacks us. “
(I’ll be inactive for a day or so after this comment 🙂 )
Fallenwing-
Fallenwing nodded at Lilyfang’s suggestion. “If that’s what it comes to. Take care.”
(that’s fine)
Lilyfang-
Lilyfang nodded back,”I’ll be waiting for the patrol’s return. Show the rest of our little friends who’s in charge.” With that,she started quickly walking across the stepping stones.
Havenflight-
The knot of dread in his belly twisted as he looked around at his Clanmates. How could they choose just a few to spare? Their paws shook.
“I’ll… I’ll take Glowsong, Icegaze, Basiltail, and Brindlepaw,” he mewed shakily, blinking fearfully up at the dark warrior. “Myself included, that’s about h-half, right?” They swallowed against the lump that had formed in their throat, shivering.
Honeyblaze-
She was conflicted as she watched Lilyfand pad away over the stepping stones. She desperately wanted to follow- Lizardstar would likely be there. She had been waiting to sink her claws into that traitor once more, but could she really afford to leave the current battle? She lashed her tail in frustration.
“Do you suppose you can hold it down here if I go with her?” She glanced up at Fallenwing. “I have a few personal debts that need settling.”
Fallenwing-
“Go ahead, fallen one. I have no need for you here.” Fallenwing smiled slightly at Honeyblaze, guessing he knew what her personal debts were. If she was still after Lizardstar, then that proved him right. She truly hadn’t changed. “Show our ThunderClan friends some hospitality.” He mewed, deciding not to taunt the ghostly she-cat.
With the ThunderClan situation sorted, Fallenwing lifted his paw off of Steelclaw, stepping over the silver tom and closing the distance between him and Havenflight. “I suppose it is. However…” He unsheathed his claws and lunged forward, slashing at the WindClan tom’s face twice in one fluid motion. “I can’t let you walk away unscathed. You’d look like a coward if I did that; a coward who avoided battle then left half of his Clan in enemy paws.”
Fallenwing sheathed his claws and glanced at the cats by the river. “Looks like some of your clanmates haven’t given up. I’ll give you until I find the snake in the stars to convince them to stop. After that, I’ll put an end to this my way.” With that, he sat down and turned his head towards the sky, searching intently for the sprawling constellation somewhere above.
(I just realized Shellfeather hasn’t been in this battle 😛)
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather cowered behind a willow tree. Why had she thought she could fight? It was too much. Too much death,too much pain inflicted on her clanmates. The WindClan cats as well. She opened her tear filled eyes to see a horrifying scene. Cats lay dead and bleeding out,and ground stained with their blood. Th she-cat felt bile rise in her throat,and she swallowed hard to keep it down. StarClan,help us.
Honeyblaze-
“Oh, I will,” she purred, whirling around and racing off towards BoneClan territory.
This would be glorious.
Havenflight-
He cried out in pain and terror as he felt Fallenwing’s claws rake across his muzzle, barely missing his eye by a whisker. They cringed backwards, trembling.
“T-the what? I- I have to… Can I…” They stumbled over their words, staring at the battling WindClan cats near the river. Still shaking, he stumbled over to them, desperation glittering in his eyes.
“Please, stop- they’ll kill me, you, all of us!” They cried. “They won’t let me take the others to safety if I can’t convince you to stop. Please- we’ll find another way, I promise!”
Fogdapple-
Fogdapple tried to raise her head at Havenflight’s voice,only causing her to become very dizzy. The tom was screaming-and it made their head hurt worse-but they understood his words. She needed to get up and get back to WindClan-back to safety. Slowly,the she-cat shifted so they were sitting upright. Her legs were wobbly,and she could barely stand. Yet one step at a time,she managed to half walk half crawl over to Havenflight,blood still seeping out of her wounds. “What…what can I do to help?” she rasped,not ever hearing his earlier words over the ringing in their ears. Not knowing she wouldn’t be going home with him.
(oooh drama 😀 )Sandcloud-
Sandcloud had just finished a battle against Darksaber- in which both cats had been severely injured, but no cat had won- when she spotted Havenflight and Fogdapple. She hesitated, squinting to see them better, but a red haze started to cloud her vision. Annoyed, she shook her head, sending droplets of blood flying from a cut above her eye. When she could see clearly, it almost looked like… Wait, that couldn’t be right. Adrenaline surged through her as a daunting possibility struck her, and she half scrambled, half limped to her clanmates, numbly guessing why Havenflight looked so distraught.
“Havenflight- we aren’t giving up, are we? Please tell me we aren’t losing hope now!” Sandcloud hissed, leaning slightly to one side due to a slash on her shoulder.
Steelclaw-
Steelclaw stared after Havenflight, his eyes dull. He had a hard time processing what had happened- the stuttering hadn’t helped- but he was starting to piece things together.
My own clanmate… Leaving me behind… Surrendering… Did we lose? Steelclaw closed his eyes, panic rising in his throat, making it impossibly hard to breathe. No, this wasn’t supposed to happen! Why… Why couldn’t Havenflight have helped us? Glowsong and I needed him! We could’ve…
I could’ve…
Steelclaw opened his eyes, seeing Fallenwing sitting just two tail-lengths away from him, green eyes fixed on the sky. Remembering how easily the BoneClan warrior had defeated so many WindClan cats….
Somehow, he didn’t think Havenflight would’ve changed anything.
Fallenwing-
Hunter. Twins. Cancer. Corvus. Crater.
Hydra.
She was right. The stars never change, just spiral across the sky, hiding from sight.
Fallenwing scanned across the line of StarClan warriors where the water snake should be, making sure the constellation was correct. He found its tail, midsection, and was nearly at the water snake’s head when a black cloud drifted across the sky, obstructing the pattern.
Fallenwing sighed, but kept his eyes fixed on the spot the cloud had passed over. He would stay true to his word and wait until he had found Hydra to act. He smiled. That WindClan tom was lucky- StarClan seemed to be watching over him.
For now.
Havenflight-
He stared down at Fogdapple, his heart cracking slightly.
“I just need you… to rest, okay? You’re too wounded to…” he swallowed. “Y-you’re too wounded to come back with me,” he mewed softly, crouching and touching his nose to her cheek. “But I’ll come back for you. I’ll come back with ThunderClan, and maybe ShadowClan- Sablewind and Oakmoth should be able to help heal you.” His head jerked upwards at Sandcloud’s hiss, and he quickly averted his eyes.
“Sandcloud… we can’t keep going on like this, don’t you understand? We’re all going to die!” He looked up at her pleadingly, begging her to understand. “I’m going to take half of our warriors back to camp. The rest of you have to lie low here until we can get help from the other Clans. Please,” he mewed, his voice breaking, “I need you to stop fighting. I just… I can’t watch all of you get slaughtered like rabbits. I can’t find Brindlepaw, and I don’t know where Icegaze is, and we don’t have a fully trained medicine cat- this isn’t a battle that can be won.” He got to his paws, padding over to Steelclaw and Glowsong. He sniffed each of their wounds, wincing- they already smelled slightly sour. The filthy river water wasn’t doing them any favors. He let out a shaky sigh, glancing desperately between Sandcloud and Fogdapple.
Fogdapple-
Fogdapple stared at Havenflight,her eyes dull. “I…I’m not going home yet?” They rasped,trying to comprehend his words. “I don’t want to be here much longer,my head hurts,and there’s so much blood.” She trailed off as the tom mentioned their brother. “Icegaze is over there,” the she-cat flicked her tail to where he laid,half hidden by a rise in the ground. “But he’s not doing well,I-I couldn’t save him…”
Sandcloud-
Sandcloud stood frozen in disbelief at Havenflight’s words, unable to accept this outcome. “No, you aren’t making any sense…” She glanced at Steelclaw and Glowsong, her stomach lurching at the sight of her former apprentice’s unconscious form. I couldn’t save her… I wasn’t there when she needed me… She closed her eyes in a long blink, angry that she hadn’t been there to stand with her. “If you’re going to leave me here, then… At least take Glowsong with you.” She opened her eyes, pools of green set ablaze with indignance, “Promise me that you’ll keep her safe, no matter what happens!”
Havenflight-
“I know,” he murmured, resting his tail on Fogdapple’s flank. Would they bleed out while he took the others back to camp? “I have to do this. There’s no other way.” With a sigh, he met Sandcloud’s resentful gaze. “I’m taking Glowsong, Basiltail, Brindlepaw, and Icegaze. Fallenwing told me that I could only take half of you,” he mewed, voice breaking. “I’ll try my best to keep them all safe- I promise. I don’t want to leave any of you behind, but…”
A wave of that old, cold hatred that he’d gotten from his parents spiked through him.
He didn’t want to. He never wanted to do any of the things that he’d been forced to do throughout his life! He didn’t want any of this to happen! He knew he was being selfish, but he deserved to be selfish for a little while. He was trying to save their lives- why couldn’t they just be grateful?
“But that’s how it has to be,” He mewed sharply. His voice was dark and cold, and he looked away. “Please help the other injured warriors as best you can. Get them out of the river and put pressure on any heavily bleeding wounds. After Icegaze is in better condition, I’m taking him to the Moonpool- we’ve gone without a leader for too long. And, hopefully, StarClan will accept me as a medicine cat.” Giving Sandcloud a cold look, he turned, facing Fallenwing with a look of anticipation.
Fogdapple-
A drop of blood fell into Fogdapple’s eye’causing her to wince slightly. “I believe in you. Just…please be careful. You-you’d make a good medicine cat,and we’ll need one after this is over.” They lowered their head onto their paws,feeling too weak to hold it up.
“And Icegaze will make a good leader,he’s always been commanding.” Her eyes slowly closed,but kept talking. “I-i hope Glowsong’s okay,and Steelclaw-he can by annoying some…sometimes,but he’s a good warrior.” Fogdapple’s breath was come in shallow spurts,but they kept talking.
“And I know you’re not leaving us behind. It’s a matter of life and death,you don’t have a choice. You’re braver than you thi-think,Havenflight. Please make it back safe.” She was panting at this point. It felt like there wasn’t enough air. In the back of their mind,she realized she had used too much of her energy crawling to Havenflight. There wasn’t enough left to keep her conscious. She kept talking.
“I’ll…I’ll stay here with Sandcloud and Steel… Steelclaw. I’ll keep them safe. And when we can go home,I’ll help you he-heal everyone. But the first thing I’m doing when I get home is sleep,and e-eat something if the elders and queens have been fed first. I can go hu-hunting once I feel better…”
Sandcloud-
Sandcloud felt a rush of respect for Havenflight at his sudden change of attitude. “If there’s no other way, then… May StarClan light your path.” She meowed, crouching next to Fogdapple. “Take it easy; you need to save your strength.” She glanced at Fallenwing apprehensively, uncertain of what would happen next. “Stay close to me, and try to stay awake.” Sandcloud meowed comfortingly to her clanmate.
Fallenwing-
Fallenwing nodded in satisfaction as Rainpaw finally surrendered. “Your leader is being held somewhere on our territory, if you must know.” He removed his paws from the apprentice’s side and turned towards the WindClan cats, “With her gone, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to attack, and look at what we have now: control over two other Clans.” He addressed the defeated warriors with a solemn tone, “Only Havenflight’s group is allowed to leave this territory, the rest of you will be staying in RiverClan’s camp until further notice. We will not harm any of you unless BoneClan is threatened, you have my word on that.” He rested his gaze on Havenflight, noting the more determined demeanor the WindClan cat held himself with. “I trust that you have everyone? You can leave, if you do.”
Silverpaw-
“Does that mean that you are staying?” She asked, boldly for once, the question directed at the BoneClan cats.
Flightpaw-
He padded over to his mentor’s side.
Havenflight-
“Just rest, Fogdapple- you’ve done so much already. It’s okay,” he mewed, touching his nose to her cheek. He glanced at Sandcloud, blinking gratefully. They understood now- Thank StarClan.
Turning to Fallenwing, his eyes flashed with uncertain contempt.
“I believe I do.” He glanced around- where was Brindlepaw? Surely, the apprentice would have sought safety somewhere by now? He was torn as he realized- with the condition that the others were in, he had no time to look for her. He hid the wave of terror that swept through him and looked up at Fallenwing again.
“I will never understand you. I’ll never understand how corrupt you have to be to think that this is an accomplishment. Victory and control aren’t what make life worth living. I hope that your next generation-” he nodded to the apprentice that stood beside the dark warrior- “learns that. WindClan will return, and we will be stronger. We’ll take back the peace that used to exist here. Know that you fight alone, Fallenwing- you and all of BoneClan.”
Taking a breath, he leaned down and nudged Glowsong’s side. “Hey,” he murmured. “We’re going home, okay? Do you think you can walk?” His eyes scanned the crowd anxiously. “Basiltail? I need your help- I think you’re the least injured. Can you support Glowsong? I need to go get Icegaze.” He turned and raced to the small rise, his breath catching in his throat as he saw the condition that the deputy was in.
“Icegaze- can you hear me?”
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw scrambled to his feet, his eyes flashing. They have Minnowstar!?
Of course they have Minnowstar, he thought with a sigh, the adrenaline that had been coursing through him fading away into mist. And what can I do about it- attack Fallenwing? That would do more harm than good. He turned away from the BoneClan cats and padded to Silverpaw and Hickorypaw. “I’ll help get everyone back to camp,” he said, his voice dull, “unless you have other plans.”
Silverpaw-
“Take Hickorypaw first,” she whispered, voice hoarse with defeat. “I’ll gather my supplies and begin working on treatments,” she added as an afterthought. How did we lose this badly?
Basiltail-
Unless Boneclan is threatened? Basiltail wondered, staring at Fallenwing. Whether or not the Boneclan cat’s word was worth anything, it didn’t really matter. There was no way the other two clans were going to go down without a fight.
“Wait, what?” they asked, voice bordering on a whimper, turning to look after Havenflight. They glanced between him and Fallenwing, trying to figure out what they had missed while they were fighting.
They glanced around at their wounded clanmates, then at the battered Riverclan apprentices.
It wasn’t as if Basiltail wanted to be a hostage, but they couldn’t leave the others behind.
Basiltail shook their head, then called after Havenflight. “Take someone else! Anyone else, please. If you have to leave some of us behind, I should stay. You should take one of the ‘paws, not an elder. I’ll be more use here.”
They wouldn’t, and couldn’t, abandon their clanmates and a bunch of apprentices, especially when they were taking a spot someone else could have.
Rainpaw-
Rainpaw slipped underneath Hickorypaw and stood up, trying to balance with the other RiverClan apprentice on his back. “Wait, BoneClan is taking WindClan hostages too?” They tried to help us… and it just got them trapped under BoneClan’s control along with us. Tail drooping, he padded off to the RiverClan camp with Hickorypaw.
Hickorypaw-
Hickorypaw winced as Rainpaw slipped underneath him and stood, the movement irritating his wound. Carefully, he tried his best to hold on, watching the Boneclan cats grow smaller as they headed towards the camp.
“Looks like we’re not going to get out for our fishing trip any time soon,” Hickorypaw muttered. Before the fight, that had been their biggest worry. Now, they were just nervous about whether or not they were going to stay alive.
(who all is injured and staying in the camp so I know who I need to ‘help’)
Silverpaw-
She glanced around the camp, mind racing as she tried to plan for how many injured cats there were.
Windmist-
He padded out of the shadows with a slight smile, “Fallenwing,” he called, padding into the camp, “Loststar sent me,” he glanced around the clearing at the battered and bruised cats and his smile became slightly more twisted. “The StarClan cats are back and fighting with Thunder and ShadowClan. They are all there,” he said to the tom, not bothering to lower his voice.
Rainpaw-
“Yeah,” he said, with a little laugh. That had seemed like ages ago, even though it had just been last afternoon. “Maybe when this madness is over, perhaps…”
(I’ve moved to the Main Clearing page- do you want to go there, or would you like to stay here? Thanks!)
Icegaze-
Icegaze heard a voice above him,a familiar voice. Was that…Havenflight? What was he saying? The tom tried to speak,but all that came out was a low groan. He tried again,this time a strange gurgling noise came from his throat
Slowly opening his eyes,the first thing he saw was stars. Glittering stars,shining down on the clearing. “StarClan is w-watching over us.” he whispered,a sad smile on his face. “I am…I am close to joining them.” Icegaze took a deep,ragged breath. “I’m sorry.” were the last words that slipped from his mouth as the tom’s eyes closed again.
Silverpaw-
She spun at Icegaze’s weak voice. “No, no, no, no, no…” she whispered to herself, the words coming out in a rush. She ran over to the tom, “Don’t leave Icegaze,” she whispered. “WindClan needs you to lead them,” she added a note of panic entering her voice.
Havenflight-
He turned his head to answer Basiltail, jerking back around as Icegaze spoke. His eyes widened, then squeezed shut.
“Lotus root and skullcap seeds. Quickly, Silverpaw, do you have any? If I can keep him awake long enough to get to the Moonpool, he’ll only lose a life.” He slipped into a daze of focus, placing an ear to Icegaze’s chest.
Halfsky-
Two starry-pelted cats, one ginger, one black, padded in tandem from the stars. Slowly, they merged, becoming one- a tom with a split-color pelt and separate colored eyes.
“I strongly advise that you don’t take his medicine,” Halfsky mewed, casually flicking his claws. “You’re better off in StarClan than in a Clan where he exists. Trust me…” he paused, stars slowly fading from his pelt.
“I was the one who taught him.”
With that, he melted into the darkness, eyes flashing menacingly before he disappeared from view.
Silverpaw-
She hesitated, her mind running through the list of herbs in her head. “Maybe ragwort too,” she suggested, trying to push off the ominous warning from the StarClan tom. Skullcap and lotus root aren’t dangerous herbs, she reminded herself.
(Icegaze isn’t dead yet,but I’m considering killing him off for the fun of it 😛. Maybe if he gets to the moonpool quick enough he’ll stay alive.)
(okay 🙂 )
Shellfeather-
Tears streamed down Shellfeather’s face,small sobs escaping her mouth. The queen was shaking hard,so much so that she could barley stand up. Opening her eyes again,her gaze met a bloody white tom, Silverpaw and another cat she didn’t recognize sitting next to him. Then it clicked,that cat was Icegaze! The deputy didn’t look like he was alive,which left WindClan without any cats in positions of power.
They came to help us,but just got caught up in BoneClan’s schemes. She slowly crept out from behind the tree,hunching down as she felt eyes burn into her side,making her fur spike. Looking up,she saw a huge black tom was the one staring at her.
Shellfeather shivered as BoneClan scent hit her nose. The stench seemed to cover everything that once smelled of her clan,that once belonged to her clan. Now everything was menacing,everything was dangerous.
Everything was ruled by blood and bone.
Havenflight-
“Wait.”
He’d felt some kind of disturbance in the air, something watching him, but nothing seemed to really be there. But that disturbance forced a thought into his head- an idea that made him stop dead.
“I believe it’s too late,” he mewed, forcing a heavy tone of sorrow into his voice. “Icegaze… walks with StarClan now.” He dipped his head. A faint heartbeat remained in the deputy’s chest-
But not for long.
He leaned over, hiding Icegaze’s face from Silverpaw’s view and pretending to listen for breath. Carefully, he pressed a pawful of mud into the tom’s mouth and nose, then brushed away the excess as he stepped back. It didn’t look like anything had changed, but it should be enough to suffocate him the rest of the way.
“Until StarClan gives us a sign,” he mewed, lifting his head, “I will lead WindClan.” He glanced at a sobbing she-cat a few tail-lengths away, half-hidden behind a tree. She changed suddenly to tortoiseshell, her head snapping around to glare at him with heather-colored eyes.
Petalbird? Mom? His mind spun, eyes widening. The she-cat’s mouth moved, hideous and unnatural.
You are no leader yet, Havenkit. Prove yourself.
He blinked, and it was the silver queen again, her eyes wide with terror. He shook his head.
He would prove himself, alright.
And he knew just how to do it,
(just remembered that I couldn’t see the starclan cat, oops)
Silverpaw-
“Are you sure,” she asked, voice breaking. So much was changing due to BoneClan and here was yet another loss. “I can check again,” she offered, heart thudding. I don’t want to give up on someone again, she thought for a mere moment. She glanced over at Shellfeather, she’ll need poppy seeds for shock.
Havenflight-
“No, I’m certain he’s passed,” he mewed softly, touching his tail-tip to her flank. “We were too late. May he find good hunting, swift running, and shelter where he sleeps.” He dipped his head, closing his eyes to hide the eagerness that shone there like green fire.
He opened his eyes, staring at his reflection in a puddle of reddish water at his paws. Fallenwing’s claws had left four deep scores diagonally across his muzzle. Dried blood streaked his pale fur.
I look… Powerful, for once.
Keeping his expression somber, he touched his nose to Silverpaw’s as he passed by, padding to the top of the rise and lifting his head.
“WindClan, it’s too dangerous for us to move from RiverClan’s territory,” he called. “We’ll stay here for now, and treat the wounded cats. Show no disrespect to the BoneClan warriors- we need to keep our situation de-escalated. We can’t afford any more injuries.”
It felt strange to talk like this- he’d never had any semblance of power, and now he had all of the power he could possibly ask for.
Are you proud of me, Halfsky?
He stared up at the stars, wondering which one could be his former friend- the supposedly cursed medicine cat who taught him in secret. The tom with a voice like rain. The father that he’d never had.
Clearing his head, he looked over to Fallenwing, flicking his tail and making his way over to the dark warrior.
“I have… A proposition. Interested?”
(Oh my goodness D: Havenflight has a dark sideeeeee)
(Also yes, I’ll move Hickorypaw to the main clearing!)
Basiltail-
Basiltail’s eyes widened in horror, they’re stomach tightening into knots as they padded slowly over. They stared at the deputy’s body, whiskers drooping.
“May Starclan light your path, my friend,” they murmured softly, closing their eyes. Basiltail had seen too many cats come and go in their lifetime, and now another one was gone. They were tired of it.
Sadness making their paws feel like boulders, they glanced over at Havenflight, confused.
“Wait, why can’t you leave?” Basiltail asked, their brow furrowing. “Fallenwing was going to let you go safely, what changed? Surly it would be best to get as many cats as possible away from here?”
They shook their head, too overwhelmed with the defeat and sorrow from the battle to question it farther. What mattered was that they had lost, and Icegaze was dead.
“Just let me know what I can do to help,” they murmured, not to anyone in particular.
(I’M SHOOK. I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT BUT I LOVE IT.)
(Wh–? Oh, good. Why, that’s very good! Yes, I like that. :))
Fallenwing-
Fallenwing broke eye contact with the RiverClan queen as Havenflight approached, their green eyes locking like claws scoring across flesh. In the emerald pools engraved in the WindClan coward’s face, he saw something… different… from before. He smiled, pupils narrowing, as he realized that it was hunger in the other cat’s eyes; a hunger they both clung to.
Hunger… for power.
Their motivation; the fire in their eyes was identical. They had killed Icegaze together — at least, that’s what Fallenwing guessed he had been doing — and besides, life… was getting a bit too easy. Even if Havenflight was hadn’t killed his own deputy, even if the offer was a lie, and the fire a mere imitation…
“I am… intrigued.”
Havenflight-
He glanced over his shoulder, flicking his tail to Basiltail.
“There are resources here. We’ll leave once we have poultices on everyone’s wounds- please. Help Silverpaw get everyone treated.” He blinked, a look of exhaustion in his eyes that quickly disappeared as he turned back to face Fallenwing.
“I’m glad,” he mewed quietly, eyes flashing. “WindClan is… without leadership. Official leadership, that is. I’ve taken the position, but I doubt StarClan would grant me nine lives.” He glanced away, then back up at the dark warrior with a small smile. “In return for WindClan’s safety, I will work alongside BoneClan. I’ll form a relationship with the other Clans, make them believe I am trusted, and then give you their secrets as soon as I am able. I will offer the service of my warriors whenever they are needed. Just as long as WindClan gets a share of healthy prey and is guaranteed safe haven from any BoneClan attack, we will be your allies.” Exhilaration flooded his senses as he spoke- this was leadership! Power! Choice! Everything he’d wanted and never had. An entire Clan of weakened warriors lay under his control.
Petalbird was wrong. Fennelsong was wrong. Whiskertuft…
Well, Whiskertuft didn’t matter anymore.
He was fulfilling Halfsky’s vision for him.
“I respect you. Admire you. BoneClan has risen to absolute power, and I see that your way of life is the only way that truly works,” he mewed, staring up at the sky. “I want to stand beside BoneClan. WindClan will prove that we are no weak rabbits like the other Clans perceive us. All I ask is that our warriors are fed and safe.”
Flightpaw-
He stared at Havenflight in shock and stared back at the tom lying on the floor of the clearing. I didn’t think even BoneClan cats were that vicious. A wave of bile threatened to come up and he clenched his teeth, tail flicking in agitation. He had always dreamed of power, felt the same hunger he now saw reflected in green flames. Was this what power was? I don’t know if I want to win it like this. His thoughts turned back to the injured she-cat with deep green eyes, so similar and yet so different to the ones in front of him, Would she want me to be like this? I want to protect the ones I love, the ones who are loyal to me, the ones who follow me and offer their protection to me. I don’t want to kill them to raise myself higher, I would only destroy myself? His blue eyes turned upward, meeting the other tom’s, the ice to his fire. He glanced towards Fallenwing, “Should we really trust a cat who has already proven that he will kill those who are loyal to him?” He breathed, voice audible only to his mentor. This is what Lillypaw would have wanted, he reminded himself.
Skipflight-
Skipflight stood gawking at the space where the strange two pelted cat had stood, a shiver running up his spine as he ran the cat’s words through his head once more.
Better off in Starclan than taking his medicine? Skipflight thought, glancing at Havenflight. That’s…ominous.
But it didn’t really matter, because Skipflight was fairly certain he was seeing things. The cat hadn’t been anyone he recognized from the Dark Forest, and had vanished as quickly as they had arrived. Besides, two cats in one?
And no one else seemed to have noticed the cat.
Maybe I hit my head during the fight or something, Skipflight reasoned, turning away.
He knew they’d won, but looking at the injured cats and the Windclan’s deputy’s body, it didn’t really feel like much of a victory.
Basiltail-
“Okay,” Basiltail agreed, nodding to Havenflight. They supposed that made sense, but they still would have felt better seeing their clanmates leave. Right now, they all made lovely hostages.
“What should I do?” Basiltail asked Silverpaw, trying to summon up a bit of cheerfulness. “I’m afraid I don’t know too many herbs, but I’m a quick learner.”
Silverpaw-
She pasted on a smile, “I need to get the injured cats back to camp and take the bundles of herbs and cobwebs I have up there as well. We need to determine who is in the worst shape,” she said in an attempt to sound commanding. Glancing away from her tormentors took all of her measly will power.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather glanced around the clearing,grimacing at the state of all the cats. Everyone was injured,how could you decide who needed treatment more?
“T-this she-cat has a wound on her head,it looks deep.” She murmured,motioning to the grey and white cat near her.
(you’re referring to Fogdapple, right? If not then just ignore this 😛 )
Basiltail-
“Fogdapple!” Basiltail yelped, rushing over to their clanmate’s side. They winced at the sight of the wound, anger prickling their pelt.
Boneclan cats fight like badgers, they thought, No honor or mercy.
Which was probably also why Windclan had lost.
They glanced hurriedly over at the medicine cat, awaiting instructions.
(Yep!)
Silverpaw-
“Cobwebs! We need cobwebs! And marigold for infection, poppy seeds for pain and shock!” She stammered, already in motion. She quickly grabbed one of her herb bundles and ran it back to the group. She handed Basiltail the marigold, “Crush this into a pulp with your teeth,” she ordered. I can do this, she reminded herself, shoving the fear to the back of her mind.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather shook her head in an attempt to think straight. “I’ll go find cobwebs.” She said,carefully starting towards a cypress tree.
Basiltail-
“Right,” Basiltail murmured, scooping up a mouthful of marigold. They ignored the bitter taste of the herbs, feeling too distraught to really pay much attention to it.
They spat out the pulp, hoping that they had done it correctly. “There you go,” Basiltail murmured to Silverpaw. They glanced nervously over at Fogdapple, and murmered, “Is she going to be okay?”
Skipflight-
Skipflight hovered awkwardly, unsure what he was supposed to be doing. Fallenwing seemed caught up in a discussion with Havenflight, and his apprentice was already back at camp.
“I’ll supervise the wounded,” he offered, to no one in particular. A little hesitantly, he walked over to the medicine cat apprentice, doing his best to seem cool and collected.
“I can help transport cats back to the camp,” Skipflight offered, avoiding the injured cat the other clan cats were treating. He was relieved to see that Basiltail still seemed in decent shape, at least he hadn’t killed anyone personally.
He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes searching the rippling shore of the river. There was still no sign of the strange cat he’d seen.
Because I didn’t see anything, Skipflight thought forcefully.
Silverpaw-
She turned towards the cream-tabby tom and narrowed her eyes. “I think you’ve done enough,” she snapped, returning her focus to Basiltail. “She should,” she said, scooping up the pulp and placing it on the she-cat’s head. Then, grabbing the cobwebs that Shellfeather had dropped up, she wrapped her head. “Can you tell me your name?” she asked. “Or what Clan you are from?”
Skipflight-
Skipflight felt his pelt prickle at the apprentice’s words, and fought back the urge to apologize to her. “Suit yourself,” he replied lightly, settling down a short distance away so that he could observe without getting involved.
Skipflight flicked his tail around his paws, a shiver running up his spine. He gazed down at his pelt, trying to assess his injuries.
Nothing too serious, he thought, twisting to groom the wounds clean.
So this was what winning felt like. Skipflight had imagined battle as an exhilarating thing, with heroics and excitement. But the clan cats weren’t the villains he’d been hoping to face.
The clans fight all the time, he reminded himself yet again, Boneclan’s just better at it than most.
He sighed, watching the medicine cat apprentice work. The companionship of clanmates was something he appreciated about clan life, but the violence and brutality almost had him missing his twolegs.
Remember when you had the best of both worlds? Skipflight reflected wistfully, thinking back even farther in his past. He’d had a family once, but who knew where they were now? They were probably all dead.
Halfsky-
The tom emerged from the shadows once more, eyes narrowed curiously.
The air tasted of blood and rain and fear, of death and loss. But over that delicious- no, terrible- no, tantalizing- no, nevermind, the word wasn’t important. Over the conflicting taste and smell of the rain-thickened air, Halfsky could sense rolling waves of doubt and wistfulness coming from a lone warrior who sat somewhat away from the other cats.
“Having some doubts about the choices that lead you here?” His pelt seemed to pull away from itself, and soon, a black she-cat and a ginger tom took a seat on either side of the BoneClan warrior. The she-cat’s face seemed to be permanently twisted in an agonized, grieving expression, her pelt glittering faintly with starlight, while the tom wore an almost painfully gleeful grin, his filthy pelt heavily laced with scars.
“I’m sorry for you,” the she-cat mewed softly.
“Why would you be sorry for him? He’s on the winning side! Right, Skippy?” The tom’s already painful grin grew impossibly wider, a bloody tear appearing in the skin at the corner of his mouth. The she-cat winced as the corner of her mouth began to bleed as well, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
Fogdapple-
Fogdapple’s head pounded,it felt like there were rocks on her chest,preventing them from breathing properly. Vaguely,she heard a she-cats voice,and had to focus to make out what they said. Something about her name…
“I…I’m Fogdapple.” They whispered. A wave of nausea went over her body,and she gagged. “What h-happened?” The last thing they could remember was talking to Havenflight,wasn’t he supposed to take their their clanmates home? And what about her brother? “Is Icegaze alright?”
Skipflight-
Skipflight blinked rapidly, frantically trying to make what he was seeing coincide with reality. He swiped a paw over his face, but that didn’t help.
“R-right,” Skipflight stammered to the tom.
Choking down a wail of terror, he glanced sideways at each cat in turn, trying to make sense of it all. One minute he had been alone, and now he seemed to have two halves a strange companion.
They must be Dark Forest cats, Skipflight reasoned, struggling to compose himself.
Dark Forest cats I’ve never met before, who no one else seems to notice, who can combine into one cat and somehow know me, he added, a soft whimper. Surly he would have remembered seeing such a pair, but how did they know his name, let alone his kittypet name?
“Who are you?” Skipflight asked, his eyes darting between the two of them.
Basiltail-
Basiltail closed their eyes at the mention of the deputy, once again having a hard time with the words. They knew, of course, that Icegaze was dead, but saying it was painful.
The shook their head slowly, and flicked their tail in the direction of their fallen clanmate.
Silverpaw-
“He didn’t make it,” she murmured, voice softening. “Take these for me?” She said, offering 2 poppy seeds. “They will help with what your feeling right now, I can get some coltsfoot when we get back to camp to help you breathe a little easier.”
Fogdapple-
The world was crashing down around Fogdapple. She couldn’t breathe,couldn’t think,couldn’t speak. Their heart was beating too fast,their eyes were filled with tears,it felt like everything was in slow motion. Icegaze was…gone.
“No,no,no,…” First it was their mother,a harsh leaf-bare giving her greencough,then it was their sister, trying to outrun that dog. She didn’t know her father, all her friends had either died or abandoned her,she was alone.
“No!” Fogdapple wailed to the stars,wishing she was among them. They sobbed,gritting their teeth in an attempt to stop. “StarClan,no. H-he can’t be dead.”
Silverpaw-
She flinched at the utter despair in Fogdapple’s voice and pressed her silver pelt against the other cat’s side. “You’ll get through it,” she whispered gently to them, “I know you can.”
Fogdapple-
Fogdapple barely felt the warmth of another cat’s pelt at her side,she barely heard the medicine cats words,all she felt was utter pain. Icegaze was dead. Icegaze would never be the leader of WindClan. They would never see his smile again,never hear his voice. What what the point of living if their brother wasn’t by their side?
Icegaze (ghost version)-
Icegaze felt as if he was floating. He heard a gentle voice to his right,telling him everything was okay. He opened his eyes expecting to be greeted by pain,but instead felt nothing. He looked down at his coat, expecting to see wounds,instead he saw stars. His heart felt heavy as he realized what that meant.
“I’m sorry,Fogdapple.” He whispered,slowly turning away and catching a glimpse of his body. His body covered in blood and scratches and mud. He sighed, blinking tears out of his eyes. “Goodbye,” Icegaze pressed himself against his sister one last time before fading into nothingness,following the voice that would lead him to StarClan.
Fernpaw- Fernpaw dashed out of the woods, stopping next to Fogdapple. They’d heard the end of Fogdapple’s lament and though they didn’t really understand it or know what it was about, they thouht, This cat needs a poppy seed or two. “Would you like a poppy seed?” They asked Fogdapple softly.
(Oh wait just realized Silverpaw already gave her some poppy seeds never mind.)
Bleakstem- “I’ve got Coltsfoot,” Bleakstem announced, appearing in front of Silverpaw. “And don’t question why a Dark Forest cat just randomly appeared with herbs because you don’t have time right now.” Bleakstem dropped a bundle of Coltsfoot at Silverpaw’s feet.
Basiltail-
“Well, we wouldn’t make very good hostages dead,” Basiltail muttered, shooting the Dark Forest ghost and tired look.
Turning away from Bleakstem, they looked down at their paws. They didn’t know what to say to Fogdapple.
‘It’ll be all right’ would be a complete lie. They were Boneclan’s captives, how could this turn around?
Bleakstem- “If you want to yell at someone for taking you hostage, I suggest you go talk to your Boneclan friends,” Bleakstem said evenly, trying not to let her irritation show. “I’m here to help.” I’m getting very tired of saying that, She thought.
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather returned,holding a wad of cobwebs in her mouth. She skirted around an unfamiliar cat,eyeing them warily. “W-who is that?” She asked Silverpaw,spitting the bandages out.
(Uh you talking about Bleakstem? If not ignore this comment.)
Bleakstem- “I,” Bleakstem said, digging her claws into the ground in frustration. “Am Bleakstem. And if one more person asks me who I am or what I’m doing here I’m going to claw their face off. I’m here to help you by the way.”
(Fernpaw is being very mobile Fernpaw go vroom again!)
Fernpaw- Fernpaw dashed back into the woods briefly. (Fernpaw will be back they’re just going to give some herbs to Hickorypaw!)
Silverpaw-
She sniffed the herbs suspiciously but nodded her thanks, finding nothing wrong with them. She pushed the leaves in front of Fogdapple, ignoring the ghostly breeze floating through the air.
Bleakstem- “If I wanted any of you dead I’d slit your throat, not poison you,” She told Silverpaw, noticing her caution. “You’re welcome by the way.”
Halfsky-
The she-cat sighed, opening her eyes.
“I don’t know who I am,” she mewed quietly. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve been half of a whole. I’m not me. I’m just a broken piece.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” The tom let out a hideous laugh. “We’re just fine like this. She’s such a put-down, don’t pay her any mind,” he added. Glaring at her, he dug one of his claws into the webbing between one of his own paws. The she-cat let out a whimper of pain and pulled one paw off of the ground, eyes flashing with fear and pain as a few drops of blood dropped to the ground. The tom didn’t even acknowledge the wound he had given himself as the ginger fur of his paws became stained red.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured quietly.
“Good! Don’t do it again. Now, anyway, Skippy, my friend, we are Halfsky! Former WindClan medicine cat and currently your friend!” He smiled widely again, a few more drops of blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. The she-cat didn’t flinch this time, simply swiped her tongue around her jaws and kept her ears flat against her head, staring at the ground. “We’ve been just dying to meet you. We’ve heard quite a bit about you,” he flicked his tail, then darted to Skipflight’s other side. The she-cat opened her mouth to say something, but her mew was cut off as the two became one again. Halfsky smiled politely, lifting his paw to groom the blood from it.
“I do apologize if my appearance is a bit unnerving. Are you familiar with the stories about cats that look like me?” He lifted a paw, gesturing to his split-color pelt and separate colored eyes.
(Mink, my most recent reply went poof with the server issues, did you see it or should I try to rewrite it?)
(I did see it, but my memory is that of a goldfish- do you think you could try and rewrite it? the server issues seem to have poofed a metric ton of comments from this roleplay hhh)
(okey dokey)
Skipflight-
Skipflight flinched as the blood blossom on the cats’ paws, feeling a little sick. Whoever these cats were, they certainly didn’t seem fine.
He watched the tom nervously, more unnerved by his smile than anything else. He wasn’t sure he wanted him as a friend, especially after seeing how he’d hurt his other half, but he supposed it was better than having them as enemies.
They’ve heard quite a bit about me? From who? Skipflight wondered. “Are you dark forest cats?” he asked hesitantly, his eyes widening as they combined back into one cat.
“I’m not, sorry,” he added apologetically, although he was willing to bet he had a decent guess. “I grew up outside of the clans, there’s probably a lot of lore I don’t know.”
Of course, if Halfsky was calling him Skippy, then they probably already knew that.
Skipflight’s gaze drifted back over to the Windclan and Riverclan cats, wondering how crazy he looked from his perspective.
“What in the name of Starclan?” he gasped as he spotted a familiar white pelt. Skipflight swiveled around, glancing frantically between the dead Windclan deputy’s physical corpse and the starry version of him beside Fogstorm. He heard Icegaze murmur something to his sister before fading away.
(Havenboi isn’t as soft as he looks >:3)
(ahhh, i love it)
(Ignore my comment under here)
(unrelated to the RP but we hit 200 comments on this thread! this is the most active RP i’ve seen!)
(What can I say? We’re all rather motivated 😀 )
(We’re up to 317 now!)
Lillypetal had wondered off from the kit’s trail. Now she was wandering so far she had stepped into RiverClan territory. “It’s my fault, it’s my fault he died, I just sat there as quiet as a mouse, it’s all on me” she murmured sitting by the river. They’re totally going to see me here she thought.
Ok um I think all my comments on this part died for some reason.
Bleakstem- “Now I’d better get going,” Bleakstem announced. “Before some Boneclan or Dark Forest idiot sees me giving you herbs and tries to attack me because I don’t particularly feel like murdering anybody today.”
(Oops forgot to include this in my last Bleakstem roleplay.)
Bleakstem- Bleakstem melted out of sight.
(Sorry… I missed the comment where Bleakstem answers Rainpaw’s questions, if she did… could you rewrite it? Thanks!)
Rainpaw-
“So,” Rainpaw mewed, curious and irritated at the same time, “that was… interesting. I’m going to go collect some moss- I’ll be right back.”
(Sure I’ll rewrite it!)
Bleakstem- “I’m Bleakstem,” Bleakstem answered. “I’m not trying to poison you, I’m not evil, and I’m not lying. That covers all the usual questions, doesn’t it? Not all of us Dark Forest folks are evil. In fact, some of us are even nice.” She paused. “Make sure to remember I don’t fall under that category.”
Fernpaw- Yes you do. Fernpaw mentally contradicted the Dark Forest warrior. I think you’ve actually said that to a lot of cats. You certainly said it to me.
(FLASHBACK TIME!!! :D)
“Hello, Fernkit.”
Fernkit glanced around. The shadows of the moss and fungus-filled forest seemed to be closing in on them. Foxes, badgers, snakes, owls- Assasins.
“Fernkit, the shadows can’t hurt you,” Bleakstem told them, poking a claw into one of the ‘badgers’. “See, I poked it. It didn’t eat me.”
“Who are you?”
“Ah, that question. It usually comes with the question ‘Where is this?’ even though they already know. Thank you for sparing me that annoyance. I’m Bleakstem. You don’t need to know why I’m here. The twolegs have this term called PTSD. Stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I believe you’ve got it. I’m here to help you. You’re going to be ok, Fernkit.”
(Um I just realize Fernpaw should probably be at the battlefield helping the wounded so I’m gonna say they went to Riverclan camp to see if there were herbs there they could use so Fernpaw and Bleakstem gonna go vroom now. I’m going to say in my last roleplay they were starting to go vroom so they’re going vroom now.)
Fernpaw- “Rainpaw…” They trailed off. What was I going to say? ‘Don’t get the wrong idea?’ What even is the wrong idea? Whatever it is, saying that will probably only give it to him. “What will I tell him, Bleakstem?”
Bleakstem- Bleakstem positioned herself next to Fernpaw, invisible. “You can tell him the truth- half of it anyways. Just tell him I’m training you to be a medicine cat. It’s true. He doesn’t need to know anything about the rest of it.”
(New comment so things are less squished)
Shellfeather-
Shellfeather hesitantly nodded to Bleakstem,scooting closer to Silverpaw. “What else can I do?” Even though she felt dizzy and somewhat sick,she wasn’t going to bother the medicine cat yet. She would be fine…hopefully.
Fogdapple-
Fogdapple numbly lapped up the poppy seeds,tears still streaming down her face. They felt a breeze go by they,and very very faintly,they thought they heard a soft voice. She blinked,realizing just how bad the wound on her head must be.
Through her blurry vision,she saw Havenflight. But none of his clanmates stood with him. And he was talking to a BoneClan cat,not looking at all scared. “What…what is Havenflight still doing here? Did s-something happen? He was supposed to take some cats home.”
Basiltail-
“He decided that we’re all staying,” Basiltail replied, glancing sideways to where Havenflight was talking to Fallenwing. They weren’t sure why the two would have anything to say to each other, but they were too tired to dwell on it. “At least until everyone’s wounds are treated. I don’t really know why he changed his mind.”
They huffed out a soft sigh, their joints aching as they shifted their weight about. They had their doubts that Boneclan would just let any of them go now, but what were they supposed to do about that?
Basiltail glanced around at their clanmates, and stiffened when they accidentally caught sight of Icegaze’s body again. They’d gotten lucky, they knew, having survived a fierce battle at their old age, but they didn’t really feel lucky. Maybe if they had fought harder, taken more risks, they could have helped more. Dapplenose would never have yielded. That was probably why Basiltail was still alive and he wasn’t.
“Need any other herbs chewed?” Basiltail asked Silverpaw, desperate for something else to do other than think.
Bleakstem- “I’ve got about five tons of burdock root that need to be made into a poultice,” Bleakstem suggested, dropping a bundle. “You can never have too much burdock root.”
(Burdock root for rat bites and infections- Something the Erins have made sure we will never forget.)