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Post by <Raintalon> on Feb 20, 2020 21:20:06 GMT -5
As soon as they were a good distance from the warriors' den, far from prying eyes and ears, Cowstar rounded on the two of them, wasting no time. "Catchpaw is missing from his nest," she said simply. Her voice was calm, and her ears were forward - in other words, her features betrayed no emotion to tell a cat how she felt about the situation. "I don't know for how long - I make my morning rounds in camp at dawn, and he was gone then. I couldn't catch his scent, which may mean he snuck out, or that he was taken somehow."
She flicked her tail, glancing into the trees. "I need you two to go search for him. This situation is still fairly new for our Clan, and rather not cause a panic until we know whether or not there's anything worth panicking about."
Lionstrike flicked her ears back in surprise, feeling partially annoyed with her apprentice, and partly guilty for not having noticed his absence earlier. She liked Catchpaw, but it didn't exactly shock her that he'd gone off somewhere - he'd never seemed particularly...enthusiastic about being mentored. She suspected he'd probably gone to hunt alone. She just hoped he'd taken her warnings about forest predators to heart.
"I understand," she said, dipping her head to Cowstar as she processed all this. "I apologize for all this. I'll find him."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 23, 2020 15:36:50 GMT -5
Rabbitsong listened, showing nothing to suggest how they felt about the situation. Like Cowstar, they were purely professional, and though internally they were a bit worried, they didn’t show it. “Understood.” They echoed Lionstrike, dipping their head. “We’ll find him.” they promised, and glanced at Lionstrike, analyzing the warrior’s apologetic features with curiosity. So she felt it was her fault. Well, it probably was in a way, but they didn’t really see how she could have known enough to find out he was gone before Cowstar did. Maybe if they’d all been luckier, it would have been an early training day, but they had to take what they could get. “We should go.” Thy added to Lionstrike, inclining their head towards the forest. “He might need help.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Feb 24, 2020 21:42:24 GMT -5
Lionstrike started off into the forest, slipping easily through the branches, sticking about a tail length from Rabbitsong as she scented the air, hoping to catch a trail.
"Wow, been a while," she said after a few minutes of silent searching had passed between them. "Hasn't it? Since it was just the two of us out here like this, I mean." The distraction attempt was obvious - she was tired of worrying silently - but still, it was true. A lot had changed since the RoseClan warriors had arrived at their camp, and that seemed especially clear now, with just the furless scout she'd called her only real friend for so long at her side again.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 24, 2020 22:25:52 GMT -5
Rabbitsong followed, letting Lionstrike take the lead. It seemed fair, him being her apprentice and all, and she probably had a better idea of where he might have gone if he had gone willingly. They glanced at their friend as she spoke, and their features lit up. Because it was true, and though it was painfully obvious that this was a distraction attempt - making polite conversation under the circumstances couldn’t be anything else - they were pleased to have some time with Lionstrike again. “It has.” They agreed, eyes still searching as they spoke. It was likely Lionstrike would see Catchpaw first when they found him, but not impossible that Rabbitsong might spot something their friend had missed. “It’s...different, being part of a clan. Part of something bigger that yourself, you know? Having responsibilities other than staying alive however possible.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Feb 24, 2020 22:29:15 GMT -5
"I know," said Lionstrike, catching the thread of conversation easily. "We haven't really talked about it much. About before. I guess the transition just seemed...easy. Natural. These are good cats, I think..."
She trailed off, stopping suddenly, and put her nose to the ground, frowning. "I smell him," she said, ears flicking back as her concern grew. "I...think. There are a lot of other scents here, too. Something rank...like a dog, but stronger...do you smell it?"
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 24, 2020 22:40:17 GMT -5
“I know what you mean.” Rabbitsong agreed, letting the distraction take hold even though they doubted either of them were actually distracted. They certainly weren’t. They stopped, nose to the ground, at the same moment Lionstrike spoke up. “Foxes.” He confirmed, and any trace of relaxation in their tone vanished like mist in sunlight. They were completely serious now, and as focused as a dog on the scent of prey. “Catchpaw was here. I can track him. Let me take the lead.” They moved ahead, their stride confident, their ears forward as their tail streamed out behind them. They were about to break into a run when it happened. They stumbled and cursed, looking down at the offending stick that had gotten under their paws. It wasn’t a stick. And Rabbitsong found themself staring directly into the cold, very dead eye of half of Catchpaw’s face. ... They were aware of their heart beating. The air seemed to have turned to ice, sending chills through them and freezing them in place as they noticed more and more about their surroundings. They couldn’t quite understand what they were seeing. All they could see was red.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Feb 25, 2020 8:06:15 GMT -5
Lionstrike's eyes widened as Rabbitsong told her what the scent was, and she put her nose to the ground again, trying to sniff out how recently they'd been here compared to her apprentice.
Catchpaw, why couldn't you just listen...
She loped after Rabbitsong, ears swiveling, pelt prickling as she listened for any sign of the foxes the ground had indicated. Her heart was pounding in her throat, and it seemed like every leaf flashed red with blood, only to turn green again when she whipped around to look directly at it. Please be alive, please be okay...
Then, she stopped short, nearly colliding with Rabbitsong as the older scout stopped in their tracks. "What is it?" she asked, craning her neck to see what had stopped them. "Did you find - " Then, she froze, blood running cold, bile in her throat as she saw the horrific sight that had made Rabbitsong stop. A horrible, strangled wail ripped from her throat, and she stepped backwards, clawing at her eyes as if it might erase what she'd just seen. It didn't.
"No, no, no, no, no..." she muttered to herself, crouching on the ground and rocking her head back and forth. "Rabbit, it's not him. It's not him, right? Tell me it's not Catchpaw."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 25, 2020 8:42:17 GMT -5
Rabbitsong slowly returned to their body Well, it was actually fairly quickly, but it felt slow. It felt like they were climbing back into their own skin, forcibly restarting their brain and hitting it until it worked again. And I’m the end, not even that worked. It was Lionstrike that ended up bringing them back. They turned slightly, pale blue eyes darting to their friend. She needed them. She needed them right now . “Don’t look, Lion.” They murmured, and turned to block the other cat’s view with their body. “Don’t look.” She hadn’t seen the head yet, that was good. They glanced back, this time shoving their horror down their own throat and focusing on the objective facts of the situation. 1: it was Catchpaw. There could be no doubt about that. 2: there was no evidence that he had come willingly, or that he had been forced. There was little proof of anything at all, actually. The smell of foxes was everywhere, it was clear that they had done this, and there had probably been more than one. There was something there worth thinking about, but later, later when they were alone. “Lionstrike...” they trailed off. They weren’t good at this. This...this was for other cats, this way of muting your voice so it was comforting instead of, well, not. So they turned and looked Lionstrike in the eye. “I...can’t tell you that. I’m sorry.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 23, 2020 19:49:14 GMT -5
(Later that morning)
Cowstar made her way up to the edge of her den, and then slowly climbed down to her ledge, her age, for the first time, beginning to show in her stiff movements as she made her way, heart heavy with what she was about to say, up to the edge where everyone could see her.
She could see the whole Clan from here. Most of them were just getting up, and a few of them shot her puzzled glances, clearly wondering what she was doing making an announcement so early in the morning. What could be so important that it couldn't wait until dusk.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here," she rasped, pulling herself up straight despite the weight in her chest. Mintheart...I wish you were with me now.
Blazeclaw sat in the crowd, silent, solemn, as she watched the proceedings. She was the only one, aside from their leader, and of course, Rabbitsong and Lionstrike, who knew what had happened last night. That wouldn't be the case for much longer. She glanced around for the others, and noticed, with a pang of sadness, that Lionstrike was not among them. She didn't blame her. If her apprentice had been gutted by a fox, she wouldn't want to hear it announced so soon, either.
Rainpaw was already at the base of the ledge, watching Cowstar with wary eyes. Had she found out about them? He glanced around for Nightpaw, trying to share his confusion with a glance.
Sootpaw climbed out from the apprentices' den, trying not to look as exhausted as he felt. He yawned, and stretched, then looked around, narrowing his eyes in annoyance as he realized Catchpaw was nowhere to be found. Couldn't he at least show up for a meeting, however he felt about all this Clan stuff?
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 23, 2020 21:40:47 GMT -5
Rabbitsong was in the crowd. Well, not in it exactly. More to the side of it, near the back, where there were few others. Their usually bright expression was darkened and serious, and their tail was wrapped tightly around them as though they were cold, which wouldn’t have been hard to believe, considering the coming leafbare. They gazed up at Cowstar, pale blue eyes watchful and silent. They were one of four who knew that was happening, and it showed in the way the clan milled around, unconcerned and simply curious about what their leader was going to say. The scout lowered their head silently and waited for the words to fall.
Firepaw looked up, blinking her wide eyes as Cowstar called for a meeting. At this hour, no less. She frowned, puzzled but not much concerned, as she took her place in the crowd next to Sootpaw and sat down. “Do you think she knows? About us?” She whispered, raising her eyes to her older brother’s face. “She wouldn’t announce that without talking to us first, would she?”
Nightpaw exchanged the look with his own puzzled one, shrugging slightly to indicate he didn’t know. It wasn’t like Cowstar to make an announcement this early, and he really couldn’t think what it could be about. The only thing important enough that had happened to his knowledge was a prophecy she didn’t know about, so....this was something he didn’t know about. Hopefully nothing too bad had happened. He looked up, suddenly apprehensive, at his leader.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 24, 2020 7:53:23 GMT -5
"Don't know," said Sootpaw, flicking his tail in unease as Cowstar took her place, preparing to speak. "If she does, she didn't talk to us about it, which means she's already decided what to do with us." He took a deep breath, then flicked his tail over Firepaw's paws comfortingly. "It'll be fine. Even if they kick us out, we'll still be together."
"Cats of RoseClan," began Cowstar, her voice soft, but carrying well across the clearing. "It is with great sadness that I have to announce this to you. Before sunrise, Rabbitsong and Lionstrike, sent out after I found that he was missing, found Catchpaw's body in the forest."
Shock ripples through the Clan like lightning, and Cowstar paused, head bowed, silent as she allowed them all to take in the news.
"It was clear that he had been killed by foxes," she continued, voice strong despite the din of voices from the cats below. "Rabbitsong isn't sure how many, but he's tracked them to a fox den near where the creek meets the river. Catchpaw was found close to camp, so unfortunately..." She paused, taking a breath. "We cannot rule out that we are all still in danger from these foxes. As of this moment, no one is to leave camp, not to hunt, not to patrol our borders, until myself, Blazeclaw, and Rabbitsong have deliberated and worked out a plan for how to drive these cat killers out of our forest."
Sootpaw sat rooted for the ground, watching his leader in silent, frozen horror as her words seemed to bounce off his skull and echo uselessly around in his brain. The cats around him seemed to fade out and disappear, and all he could hear was his own breathing, growing faster, shallower. Catchpaw. Dead. Killed by foxes. Out in the woods at night. Nothing was registering.
Rainpaw's ears flicked back in blatantly displayed shock, and his mouth fell open as the leader made her announcement. For cats who knew him, this was as rattled as he'd been in a long, long time - and it showed in the shiver of his tail, and his widened eyes. Whatever he'd been expecting, it hadn't been that.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 26, 2020 7:37:19 GMT -5
Firepaw nodded, comforted by Sootpaw’s gesture. She glanced around her Catchpaw - weren’t the three of them supposed to stick together? - but she didn’t see him. Strange, but not completely unheard of for him. He was probably passed out somewhere and completely unaware that there was even a meeting happening. She shook her head, amused. And then her world shattered. She didn’t even understand at first. Meaningless words swam lazily around her as if taunting her, but when she reached a claw out to touch them they scattered like fish. Her mind was blocking it out, maybe trying to protect her, but she didn’t even understand from what. “Hey.” She said slowly, turning and gazing up at Sootpaw. “Hey. What’s...what’s that expression for?”
Nightpaw stared, and stared, and stared, but it made no difference. Cowstar continued on. He turned and looked around the clan. Shock. Horror. His eyes found Rainpaw and he actually flinched away, because seeing his brother give such a violent display of shock was almost worse than what he felt himself. Catchpaw. Dead. And in his mind, over and over. Because of you. Because of the prophecy.
Rabbitsong heard the murmurs, echoing around them like icy rain. They couldn’t take it. They couldn’t just sit there and take the questioning stares, not after the image of Catchpaw’s mutilated remains kept flashing thought their head, threatening draw them into a nightmare they didn’t know how to escape. They got up and turned without meeting anyone’s eyes, and fled the camp, rat like tail streaming behind them.
There were others. But their reactions twisted into the horror of the camp as a whole. Otterfrost was staring at Cowstar as though expecting her to break into a grin and scream a harsh “got you!” At the cats below her. Splashpelt, sitting at the edge of his den, bowed his head. He wasn’t as shaken as many of the others, but only because he had lived through more than enough horrors already. And the others began to speak, carrying whispers, wails, and everything in between. The camp was threatening to get out of hand.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 26, 2020 7:57:31 GMT -5
Rainpaw sat still for several minutes longer, but the shock and horror in his face was fading to something else. Now, his eyes were narrowed, and he seemed deep in thought. Rolling it all over in his head.
Then, abruptly, he turned and slinked towards the medicine cat den, stopping impatiently in front of Splashpaw. “I need to get in there,” he said sharply. “I need to see Catchpaw.”
“ENOUGH!”
Cowstar’s voice, sharp and harsh now, echoed through the camp, so loud that several of the cats stopped in shock and stared up at her, distracted momentarily from their panic.
“Otterfrost, Brackenstep, Blazeclaw, Lionstrike, Adderleaf. I am sending you to the fox’s den as soon as you’ve eaten and allowed Splashpelt time to prepare poultices. Your mission is to drive the foxes across the river, and barring that, to kill them.”
Silence. No one responded immediately.
“NOW!” she snapped, and Blazeclaw snapped to attention just as quickly, turning to rally the others. “You heard her,” she said seriously. “We won’t ignore this. Everyone, prepare for battle, and meet me at the front of the camp as soon as you’re ready.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 27, 2020 16:02:00 GMT -5
Splashpelt looked down, startled, as Rainpaw made his request. If it could really be called that, anyway. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He answered gently. This was hard, he knew, but it wasn’t going to be any better for Rainpaw seeing the remains. “Catchpaw was...in very bad shape. No one is supposed to go in there right now.”
Otterfrost looked up at his leader, eyes huge, as she called on him. Him? Why him? He looked at Blazeclaw as the deputy spoke, then turned and headed for the fresh kill pile, grabbing a fat mouse and taking it to a corner of the camp. He ate in ravenous bites, though it might have mostly been to distract himself from what was happening. Then he began to groom himself, half watching the front of camp to see who would get there first.
Brackenstep had bowed his head, but now he looked up, eyeing Cowstar. She seemed agitated. He wondered whether she knew what she was doing, or whether she might be acting off her emotions right now. To retaliate against foxes was...well. Maybe not the best idea. There were so many ways this could go sideways. He headed for Blazeclaw, ignoring everyone else. “I’m ready now.” He said simply. “But are you sure she knows what she’s doing? Foxes aren’t cats. Retaliating is as likely to cause them to kill more of us as it is to solve the problem.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 27, 2020 17:25:39 GMT -5
Rainpaw stopped, feeling ready to claw his own ears off with impatience as Splashpelt blocked his way, tone dripping with sympathy he didn't need. He kneaded the ground under his paws, and sat down, tail shivering in barely contained frustration as he tried to come up with a story that would satisfy the older medicine cat.
"I need to get in there," he said firmly, ears pinned flat to his head as he allowed a shudder to run through his body. "Catchpaw was my friend. I need....I need to see it. You've lost cats, right?" He looked up into Splashpelt's blue eyes, willing his own blue-gray ones not to betray him. "You've been through stuff like this. You get it, right?" Come on. Fall for it.
--
Blazeclaw's ears flicked back as Brackenstep addressed her, but from respect for the battered warrior rather than irritation. The cats who had given RoseClan this land were still new to the Clan, relatively speaking, and there were few cats bold enough to openly question a leader at that stage of things.
"I didn't ask," she said honestly, with a small shrug. "I didn't feel the need to question it. But if you feel it would be wrong to leave without knowing why she gave the order, go ask her yourself. I'll wait for you."
"Otterfrost."
Lionstrike weaved her way through the crowded camp, coming to a stop near her comrade. Her eyes burned with determination as she sat down, looking over the group of cats assembling nearby. "You haven't had much battle experience yet," she said bluntly, flicking her tail as a sliver of her old leadership role made its way back into her tone. "Cowstar thinks it's best we fight the foxes. What do you think?" Knowing Otterfrost's penchant for trying to blend with whoever he was speaking to, she was careful not to include her own opinion. She wanted to know what he really thought, first.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 27, 2020 17:45:19 GMT -5
Splashpelt was torn, and it was written all over his face. Because course he understood. He knew what it was like to need to see it for yourself, and he knew what it was like to grieve and he also knew what it was like to need to be told no. He wanted to let Rainpaw through. He really wanted to just step aside and let him through, but he didn’t want Rainpaw to never sleep through the night again, which is what they were looking at. He looked into Rainpaw’s blue-gray eyes. He could see Silverwasp there, shining as clear as the stars, and he felt himself beginning to melt at his expression. “Alright.” He agreed quietly, looking away. “But only for a couple minutes. Go.”
Brackenstep nodded, and though he didn’t show it, he was relieved that Blazeclaw didn’t seem annoyed with him for asking. He would have asked either way, but that didn’t mean he wanted to get on anyone’s bad side. “Thanks, I think I will. It shouldn’t take long.” He agreed, and dipped his head respectfully to her before heading for Cowstar, ignoring anyone who glanced at him and where he was goingL “May I talk to you?” He asked her when he was close enough to stop and look her over. She looked a bit tired. He could relate.
Otterfrost stopped what he was doing as Lionstrike ended up next to him, his tongue out of his mouth and halfway to his pelt. He carefully returned it to his mouth and looked at her. It was her apprentice, he remembered, who had been killed. He almost apologized for it, thought better of bringing it up at the last second and didn’t. “I don’t know.” He answered truthfully, watching her expression. She’d always been difficult to read, and she seemed even more so now, somehow. “I mean...you’re right, I haven’t had much battle experience, and neither have most of us. It seems a little risky I guess. What do you think?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 28, 2020 11:03:36 GMT -5
Cowstar glanced up to see who was spoken, and was surprised to see Brackenfrost padding up the slope, tangled fur blending with the cliff face as he came.
"Yes," she said simply, flicking her tail. "What is it?"
--
"It is risky," conceded Lionstrike, glancing at Otterfrost as he deftly avoided answering the question directly. Just sometimes, she wondered about him. Wondered if his blood had been more suited to kittypet life than this place's trials. "But that's not an answer. You don't know, but what do you think?"
--
Trying to conceal the triumph on his face, Rainpaw suppressed the arch of his whiskers and dipped his head. "Thank you."
Then, he slipped into the medicine den, and came face to face with two things: Catchpaw's mangled corpse, still and stiff on the ground, and Spiderpaw, holding Catchpaw's disconnected eyeball casually between his front fangs.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 28, 2020 13:21:00 GMT -5
“I’m not sure attacking the foxes is a good idea.” Brackenstep replied, jumping straight to the point. “They aren’t like cats. They won’t understand this as retaliation, it’s as likely to cause a war as it is to end one.” He looked straight into Cowstar’s eyes. “Are you thinking with your head or your heart right now?” - Otterfrost flattened his ears, clearly uncomfortable. “Since when does it matter what I think? It’s not like Cowstar is going to end the mission because I’m a coward.” He shot back, then shut his mouth and looked away. He wasn’t supposed to let her get to him. He wasn’t supposed to let anyone get to him. “Catchpaw died.” He said finally, still refusing to look at her. “And he wasn’t even doing anything. What’s going to happen to us?”
Splash nodded guiltily, already angry with himself. “If you’re not back in fifty heartbeats, I’m coming in.” He told the apprentice firmly. No arguing allowed on that point.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 29, 2020 18:49:48 GMT -5
Cowstar's ears were pricked forward, and she stared at Brackenstep, feeling an unexpected surge of emotion as the older warrior confronted her head on.
Mintheart...your spirit shines so brightly in this cat...
"My head," she answered simply, drawing herself up a little as she defended her decision without irritation or offense. "These foxes killed one of our own, less than half a morning's journey from camp. That means they have a taste for cat's blood, and that they more than likely know where our camp is. We're all going to be in danger as long as they're here, and every cat I'm sending is willing to give their life to make sure no more of our apprentices die." She held Brackenstep's gaze with her own steady one, her green eyes dull with tiredness, but level and determined all the same. "That is my reasoning. Do you wish to question it?"
--
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 29, 2020 20:00:34 GMT -5
Brackenstep stared back at her, listening silently to her reasoning. He was surprised she hadn’t gotten angry with him for asking. He had assumed she would, but of course it wasn’t like he could simply not ask, so he’d prepared himself to be snapped at and tried to just ask what he needed to ask without beating around the bush. I seemed he needn’t have worried. He met her eyes, and there was new respect in his, shining bright and clear. “No,” he decided simply, breaking eye contact first. He dipped his head and took a step back. “But you understand I had to ask. We may have joined your clan, and we are one of you now, but for a very long time I was the one who looked out for those cats, and their lives were in my paws.” He glanced at the others, then back at Cowstar. His expression was now purely determined. “I’ll fight and, if necessary, die for this clan.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Apr 5, 2020 14:30:46 GMT -5
"I'm going, too," came a voice, as the others all gathered around Blazeclaw. Redwhisker padded up to the group and dipped his head respectfully to the cats around him. "If you'll have me. I've spoken with Cowstar, and I do have some experience battling foxes, so I think I could be an asset."
Blazeclaw blinked, but then nodded, and stood up, flicking her tail to summon the others to her side. "Alright, we can use all the extra muscle we can get. Let's move out."
She began to walk through the underbrush, keeping her tail low out of caution since she didn't have a clear idea of the territory yet. "Foxes are strong, and clever," she said, speaking loudly enough so the group could hear her. "Don't think of them as dogs. Think of them as large, strong cats, because they'll act like it. Your best chance is not to get ganged up on - do not try to fight more than one at a time. There should be enough of us to break them up, but if not, some of us may need to keep a few of them busy while we take them out one by one. Otterfrost, you're the fastest cat here, and the least battle trained, so if it comes to it, you'll be our runner. If we're outnumbered, call attention to yourself. Get them to chase you, but don't get caught. And everyone - watch out for their teeth, not their claws. Foxes can't scratch, but their jaws can snap a cat's neck." She craned her neck as she walked, glancing back. "Got all that?"
"Got it," said Lionstrike, her eyes narrowed in determination.
"Yeah," said Adderleaf, with an uneasy flick of his tail.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 6, 2020 12:33:33 GMT -5
Brackenfrost nodded appreciatively at Redwhisker, acknowledging the other cat with a twitch of his ear. He didn’t say anything, just followed the other cats out. As Blazeclaw finished explaining what she knew, he nodded, face set in determination. “Understood.” He said simply, taking up the rear of the group so he could watch for danger.
Otterfrost nodded, ears back and tail low. What was he doing? What did he think he was doing here? He swallowed and hung back, then glanced at Brackenstep and sped up near the front of the group. “Hey, Blazeclaw?” He asked, quiet for only her ears. “How um...dangerous is this?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Apr 14, 2020 17:08:52 GMT -5
"Dangerous," said Blazeclaw simply, flicking an ear. "Some of us might not be coming back." She turned to glance at him, an appraising expression on her features as she looked him over. "Is that something you can deal with? Because if not - "
"FOX!"
Adderleaf's sharp cry broke through the woods, and the patrol scrambled in all directions as a large russet shape streaked through, jaws snapping at tails and paws as it tried to snag one of the fleeing cats.
Blazeclaw's eyes widened, and she cursed, twisting to avoid the fox's teeth as it went for her. "Don't panic!" she called, desperately trying to rally the panicking cats around her. "Remember the plan! One on one - I'll take this one, everyone else keep going under Lionstrike - "
She ducked again, then flew at the fox as it turned on Adderleaf, tumbling into the underbrush in a flurry of screeching and flying fur.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 14, 2020 17:30:24 GMT -5
Otterfrost nodded, looking away as he walked. Surprised? No. No, he wasn’t surprised. He looked back at Blazeclaw, eyes wide in something unreadable, and opened his mouth to reply. But there was no time. The fox sprung out of nowhere, and his eyes went huge with shock as the creature tore towards him, jaws snapping and paws thumping the ground as it ran. Everyone scattered, but he was rooted to the spot, terror freezing his limbs in place. He watched in horror as it came at Blazeclaw, then Adderleaf, jaws snapping, and closed his eyes, claws unsheathing without him telling them to.
Brackenstep snarled as the fox appeared, and threw himself out of the way, landing in his feet and spinning towards the others. He watched as they darted away, panic threatening to crush him. He did not want to see anyone get ripped to shreds today, he really didn’t. His eyes followed the russet monster as it moved, and then he turned, then turned back, agonizing over what to do, struggling to remember Blazeclaw’s instructions. Avoid the teeth. Fight it like a cat? Or a dog! He couldn’t remember, dammit.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Apr 14, 2020 18:09:41 GMT -5
Adderleaf froze, then leapt at the same fox that Blazeclaw had just tackled, landing squarely on its back and biting down at the back of its neck. The creature howled, twisting and turning, and Blazeclaw leapt at it again, barely avoiding the snapping jaws once again as the fox fought furiously to catch one of the cats harassing it.
Lionstrike stood rooted to the ground in terror for a long moment, fur standing up along her spine as she watched the doglike creature tear through the cats, nearly catching some.
Then, she closed her eyes and turned, opening her mouth in a yowl to match the noise of the scene. "ROSECLAN, TO ME!"
And then, she ran, barreling through the forest at top speed towards where they had said the fox den was. The others would hear the commotion soon...and if they all came, away from the cliffs, and ended up running into camp...
No. They had to end this now.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Apr 14, 2020 18:20:49 GMT -5
It was hard to tell what would have happened if Lionstrike hadn’t called. Otterfrost might have stayed where he was, rooted to the ground and waiting to be attacked. He might have fought back when he was grabbed. Or he might simply have waited for it to end. But when he heard Lionstrike, his head turned and he seemed to wake up. He felt his heart beating hard and fast in his chest, and then he realized that he really, really didn’t want it to stop. Not yet. Then he was moving, running after Lionstrike with long leaps, his ears pinned back but his eyes forward. “Where are they?” He called, unable to keep the tremble out of his tone as he spoke.
Brackenstep spun and raced after Lionstrike, covering ground faster as he realized what she was doing. “I’ll go around!” He shouted, swerving to the right to head off any foxes who might have a mind to go towards the camp. Hopefully, none would, but he wasn’t willing to take that chance.
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 12, 2020 19:30:53 GMT -5
(whoops we're skipping around again)
It was midnight, and none of them were back from the fight yet.
Sootpaw sat very still, crouched in the center of camp, his nose pressed into Catchpaw's fur. Splashpelt and Spiderpaw had done a good job cleaning him up - if you didn't look too closely, you couldn't see the wounds. If you didn't look at all, you could think maybe he was just sleeping.
Rainpaw sat tall and still beside him, his head bowed respectfully as he helped the smaller tom and his siblings keep vigil for their lost comrade. Externally, he was quiet, but his mind was churning with theories and questions - if a cat killed him, who was it? And why? Were they rogues, or were they in camp right now? Where could they even start with figuring it out?
Spiderpaw sat in the entrance to the medicine den, his ears angled in Rainpaw's general direction as he considered him. He'd stayed in the medicine den a long time, mourning his friend. He'd seemed agitated, too, the way he'd snapped at the smaller cat to get away. Was that a normal reaction as well? He'd have to ask Splashpelt later.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 22, 2020 10:32:06 GMT -5
I’m aliiiiiiive ))
Firepaw couldn’t bring herself to come near the body. Why? Because it wasn’t Catch anymore. It was an empty shell where Catch had been, and she hated it, she hated it so much she didn’t want to look at it. She wanted it to go away and stop haunting her with those empty eyes. She wanted to go to Soot, and at the same time she wanted to be alone, because she couldn’t get the thought out of her head that this could happen to any of them. She couldn’t stop imagining them all being...empty. So she huddled alone in the corner of camp, not crying, just shaking all over. She felt like a leaf caught in a terrible storm, ripped from the only thing holding her steady.
Nightpaw sat nearby, watching Sootpaw grieve for his brother. He couldn’t help being reminded of Thornpaw. Of the way he had felt when he’d lost her. The way it had changed Rainpaw, the way he was never the same afterward. Would the same fate fall on them? Sootpaw and Firepaw needed each other now more than ever, He knew it from experience. “Hey.” He said quietly to Rainpaw, glancing at his brother, worry creasing his forehead. “Are you okay? You look like you’re thinking about something.”
“Hey there.” Splashpelt padded over to his apprentice and sat down heavily, looking out over camp, then back at Spiderpaw. “How are you holding up?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 22, 2020 14:44:25 GMT -5
“Catchpaw was killed by a cat,” said Rainpaw, his voice quiet and his mouth barely moving. He didn’t glance in Nightpaw’s direction or even twitch an ear towards him, keeping his gaze firmly forward. “Don’t know who.”
Sootpaw slinked slowly over to Firepaw, sitting down next to her and curling his tail around his paws.
“Catchpaw really liked you, y’know,” he said, glancing at her, and then staring up at the starry sky. The vigil would be over soon. “He’s probably cracking jokes up in StarClan by now.”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 22, 2020 18:21:48 GMT -5
Nightpaw held in a gasp, and he quickly looked around, checking to see whether anyone else had heard. They hadn’t. Either that or they were good at pretending. “Okay.” He said, then again, “okay. Do you think it was a rogue?”
Firepaw didn’t look up. She wasn’t sure she could. She wanted to do something, but she had no idea what it was. She didn’t answer at first. Then, finally, she dragged her haunted eyes to Sootpaw’s face, and spoke in a low, shaky voice. “So, you really believe all that stuff about StarClan?” She asked, and there was something in her voice that was hard to describe. “You really believe he’s still...I mean, you think he’s...?”
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