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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 15, 2020 21:15:24 GMT -5
Firepaw finally looked at Rainpaw, searching his expression. He seemed so sure...had Redwhisker messed up somehow? If he had, then why hadn’t he threatened Rainpaw like he had her? Or had he? No, wouldn’t Rainpaw say so if he had? This was making her feel close to panic and she didn’t like that, “How do we even know that whoever sent the vision wasn’t warning us about themself?” She asked, because she had to say something to get them off this track. At this rate they would try to prove whether Redwhisker was innocent or not, and then he would kill them. All of them except for her. No. No. “I think we should stop.” She blurted out. “Stop all of this. I think we should stop looking, because...because it already got Catchpaw killed and maybe everything would be fine if we just didn’t mess around with it.” She was lying about Catchpaw’s death to help his killer. I’m so sorry.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 15, 2020 21:33:00 GMT -5
Sootpaw's eyes widened, and he moved a little closer to his sister. "Hey," he said quietly, glancing between her and Rainpaw. "It wasn't us that got Catchpaw killed. It was whoever did this. Maybe Redwhisker, but...whoever it was needs to be stopped, right?"
Rainpaw almost couldn't disguise the triumph in his expression as the poor cat broke.
Got you.
"Alright," he said at last, his ears drawn neutrally forward. "We're done, then. You can go."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 15, 2020 21:51:46 GMT -5
Firepaw glanced at Sootpaw, her eyes wide. She hadn’t meant to blurt all that out, she had just... Panicked. She closed her eyes. Hopefully she had convinced them, but she had a bad feeling that she’d done something very wrong. If she had failed... “What?” She said, opening her eyes to look at Rainpaw. “What do you mean, we can go? What are you going to do?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 16, 2020 8:34:19 GMT -5
"Listen, I..." Rainpaw dipped his head, letting a look of sadness wash over him. "You might be right. I...I just don't want anything to happen to anyone else, but if Redwhisker's innocent, that includes him. I'm sorry I dragged you all out here."
Sootpaw's eyes widened, caught off guard by Rainpaw's sudden display of emotion. He was under a lot of pressure, he realized - he was effectively the leader of their little group and he wasn't the most popular one, either. Though he didn't usually show it, he was probably struggling as much as the rest of them.
Spiderpaw, from the corner, narrowed his eyes in an expression of sharp interest. Ohoho...what's this, Rainpaw? What are you up to?
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 16, 2020 8:53:18 GMT -5
Nightpaw froze, then turned towards his brother, eyes narrowing. It didn’t take a genius to work out that Rainpaw was not acting like himself. And a Nightpaw was his brother. He knew something was wrong, then, he just had no idea what it was. He wasn’t normally suspicious, but here he was, staring at his brother. What was this really about? Why was he lying? “Can I talk to you for a second?” He asked suddenly, unable to stop himself. “Over there?”
Firepaw narrowed her eyes. Where had that come from? She was suddenly, painfully aware that she didn’t really know anyone but Sootpaw here. She didn’t really know whether Rainpaw was likely to act this way under stress. So, she wasn’t looking at him. She was looking at Nightpaw. The other tom looked...just as confused as she was. She looked back at Rainpaw, and suddenly she was angry, really angry. “No, Nightpaw.” She said steadily, barely controlled rage in her tone. “Why don’t you ask Rainpaw why he’s lying to us where we can all here his answer?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 16, 2020 12:24:55 GMT -5
Oh my...what’s this? Spiderpaw recognized the second voice as one of the new apprentices - one he hadn’t interacted with much. But he had to admit she’d seen through Rainpaw’s ruse when Sootpaw most likely hadn’t yet. Sootpaw was....maybe not the best indicator, though.
“What?” Sootpaw jerked his head around to stare at Firepaw, eyes even wider now. “Firepaw! Why would you say that?”
Rainpaw stared at the little apprentice, completely caught off guard by how easily she’d seen through him. He’d known she was bright, but he’d also thought he wasn’t being *that* transparent.
“You’re right,” he said at last, dipping his head to her in acknowledgement. “But you already gave yourself away too, Firepaw. You go away with Redwhisker for only a few minutes, and then the moment you slip back into camp, you’re advocating for him as if your life depended on it?” He narrowed his eyes. “What did he threaten you with that’s got you so scared?”
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 16, 2020 14:08:31 GMT -5
Nightpaw stared at Firepaw as she spoke up, startled to say the least. He hadn’t expected her to realize, let alone be so blunt about it, he glanced at his brother, puzzlement in his eyes as he tried to figure out what was going on here. He didn’t understand what was happening and he didn’t like it. “Rainpaw, what are you taking about?” He asked finally. “You can’t accuse her of things like that. Come on, this has to be a misunderstanding.”
Firepaw didn’t look at Sootpaw, didn’t even acknowledge him, she was so focused on Rainpaw now. She was mad now. What did he think he was doing, lying to all of them? Yes, she was doing the exact same thing, but she was trying to safe their lives. What was his excuse? She froze as he continued. He had seen her. He knew. But he didn’t know. “I don’t know what you’re taking about.” She said steadily, staring at him with huge eyes. “You’re the only one lying here.”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 16, 2020 20:46:58 GMT -5
Rainpaw shot his brother a hard glance without moving his head, hoping he'd somehow get the message. Just trust me. Just for a second.
So she wasn't going to give up that easily...he must have threatened her pretty badly if she wasn't breaking even in the middle of all this.
"Firepaw," he said, returning her hard gaze with his own. "I am going to go after Redwhisker today no matter what you say next. Is there anything I should know before I do?" Come on. Break. He's not worth all this - we can beat him.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 17, 2020 9:10:53 GMT -5
Nightpaw stared at his brother, trying to understand what he was doing. Accusing a member of their group of...what? Betraying them? Working with the enemy? It was absurd. He wanted to tell him that just because this was more than personal for the two of them, didn’t excuse this. He wanted to tell him he was going too far. What did he do? He glared at Rainpaw for a long moment, then looked away and said nothing. He trusted Rainpaw, even though he thought that was probably a mistake this time. Or maybe he was just a coward.
Firepaw gritted her teeth, her eyes flicking from face to face as though entreating someone to help her. “This is insane.” She growled finally, and this time she couldn’t keep the desperation out of her tone or off her face. “You’re insane. It’s not him. Even if it was him, going after him alone is just stupid. I know this is about your sister, but don’t you think that might be clouding you’re judgment here?”
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 20, 2020 11:17:04 GMT -5
Rainpaw flattened his ears in frustration, and for a moment, several unsavory ideas for how to force the truth out of her darted through his mind.
Then, he took a breath, and closed his eyes, calming himself. There was no sense getting carried away and doing something he might regret. He had this under control.
"I'm not asking for your permission, so there's no point arguing," he said, his tone even but not giving her any edge of compassion. "I am going. Whoever else wants to go can go as well. If you don't want to tell the truth, you can stay behind or come along anyway, I won't stop you as long as you don't try to interfere."
He turned to the others, his eyes giving nothing away. "Sootpaw. Nightpaw. Spiderpaw. I know I haven't yet done much to earn it, but I am asking you to trust that I have good reason for everything I'm saying, and help me find Redwhisker. I don't know how much time we have, and I am willing to go alone if needed, but I...would appreciate the support."
"I will go with you," said Spiderpaw, his tone dismissive. "I don't know whether or not I believe you, and I certainly don't trust you, but I am interested to see where this goes."
Sootpaw was very nervous now. He glanced between Firepaw, noticing the anger - and fear - in her eyes, and then at Rainpaw, who he could not read. And then at Nightpaw, who looked just as conflicted.
"I'll go if Firepaw does," he said at last, padding over to sit next to her. "And if she stays, so do I."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 20, 2020 15:09:43 GMT -5
For a moment, just a moment, Firepaw was afraid of someone other than Redwhisker. For just a moment, looking at Rainpaw, she thought about telling him everything, becuase she didn’t like the look in his eye at all. Then he closed his eyes and she could breathe again. “Don’t listen to him.” She begged the others as he continued, forcing the fear to twist itself into anger instead. She could handle anger. Anger meant she wasn’t out of control here. Spiderpaw. She didn’t know him that well. She still didn’t want to see what Redwhisker would do to him... Sootpaw. Sootpaw. Maybe whoever stayed behind would be spared. Maybe Redwhisker would understand that she hadn’t betrayed him, that she had kept her end of the bargain, and he would only kill the cats that he had to. She looked at her brother for a very long moment, and then her jaw set. “This is insane.” She said flatly. “I’m not going to go attack an innocent cat just because you have a revenge fantasy and a death wish.”
Nightpaw hated this. He didn’t like the look in Rainpaw’s eye, and he didn’t like the group splitting up, and he didn’t like the thought that one of them could be a traitor, “Come on guys, we don’t have to split up.” He said desperately. “We’re safer together, and we can figure this out. Rainpaw, do you have any proof of what you’re saying?” He hesitated. Just for a moment. Then he walked over and stood by his brother. “I’m with you.” He said simply, his tone sad but resigned.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 27, 2020 20:41:54 GMT -5
"That's your perogative," said Rainpaw, dipping his head briefly to Firepaw, although he was fairly disappointed. Things would have wrapped up more smoothly if she'd just listened...but he didn't know what Redwhisker had on her, so it was hard to properly force her hand if she wouldn't cooperate.
He then turned to Nightpaw and Spiderpaw. "Think about it," he said, his tail flicking slowly from side to side as he spoke. "We have no leads except for the fact that Redwhisker is the only cat new to the clan. That's not enough to go on, but add in the fact that he took Firepaw into the woods by herself, and then minutes after she returns, she starts desperately trying to get us off his tail? Almost as if her life depended on it?"
Or, our lives.
"Shh," said Spiderpaw suddenly, one ear flicking back towards the forest. "I hear someone coming."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 28, 2020 10:23:49 GMT -5
Firepaw opened her mouth to contradict him, but words failed her. She didn’t want to do this. She wanted to help, she wanted to find justice for Catchpaw, and it wasn’t fair that she had to play for Redwhisker’s team instead. She had stopped expecting anything to be fair a long time ago, but still...this seemed extreme. She couldn’t help thinking that if they’d never come to this stupid Clan in the first place, then Catch would still be alive. If they hadn’t trusted these cats, then none of this would have happened. She wanted to cry. It wasn’t fair, this whole stupid thing was so unfair. She turned away from the others and let out a muffled shriek of frustration, unable to stop herself to letting it out one way or another. “Just believe me.” She muttered, her voice broken and laced with terror. “Why can’t you just believe me?” She fell silent as Spiderpaw spoke, her heart freezing. If someone found them all out here...
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 28, 2020 10:52:10 GMT -5
Rainpaw craned his neck to look, turning where Spiderpaw had indicated. Sootpaw followed, distracted from his sister's distress by this new information.
And it wasn't just *anyone* walking through the woods, either. Rainpaw's eyes widened as he spotted the black and white, longhaired form of the Clan leader herself padding through the woods, slinking quietly across the fallen leaves, her tail swishing through them as she looked around, ears craned to try and catch whatever she was looking for.
Oh.
Oh no.
As she disappeared around the corner, Rainpaw turned to the others - even Firepaw, hoping to Silverpelt she'd actually decide to cooperate.
"Redwhisker might've lured her out here," he said, his tail lashing impatiently. "Firepaw. Do you think he'd make his move so soon?"
"She already said she didn't know anything," hissed Sootpaw, angry now as he moved between the two of them, facing off the much larger tom. "I...I don't know what's going on, or why Cowstar's out here, but leave her out of it. If she says she doesn't know anything, that's the truth, alright?"
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 28, 2020 19:10:22 GMT -5
Firepaw stared, trying to figure out what...oh. oh. Firepaw jumped when Rainpaw addressed her, flinching back and refusing to meet his gaze as her heart thumped wildly in her chest. This was bad, this was really, really bad. Everything in her screamed at her to confess everything, and at the same time all she could see was Redwhisker’s expression as he told her what he would do if she did. She couldn’t. She had to. She couldn’t. She had to. It was all so wrong. “I…” she tried to speak, then fell silent again as words failed her. She winced as a Sootpaw defended her, biting her tongue hard to stop herself from telling him he was wrong to believe in her. But she didn’t say anything at all. The lies felt alive in her stomach, writhing and trying to break free, but she didn’t let them go. She didn’t look at anyone, her gaze turned down at her paws and he face expressionless.
“Rainpaw, we don’t have time for that.” Nightpaw begged his brother, his eyes moving to Cowstar as the leader moved. “She’s in danger, now. We don’t have time to question anyone right now. He paused. But there was only one thing he could do. Nightpaw broke away and made a run for his leader. He had to get to her, now, before it was too late. He would never forgive himself if he watched her die.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 30, 2020 21:17:06 GMT -5
"Night - "
Rainpaw cursed under his breath and raced after his brother, trying to catch up to him before he got close enough to tip off either cat.
"Think!" he hissed, his ears flat against his skull. "This is you versus a warrior with potentially hundreds of moons of experience behind him. If he was the one who killed Catch, you saw what he did. We need to be careful, and we need to be quiet."
Sootpaw danced on his front paws, glancing between Firepaw and the departing brothers. "Firepaw, I - we should go after them, right?"
Spiderpaw followed close behind, staring intently at the other apprentices and keeping pace through the trees, careful to stay out of sight of the two adult cats he had heard earlier. How would this end....
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 30, 2020 21:26:18 GMT -5
Nightpaw skidded to a halt as Rainpaw caught up to him, his own ears flat, too. “She could die!” He hissed, barely keeping his voice from rising uncontrollably. “She could die, Rainpaw, we have to warm her, we have to do something!” He couldn’t watch his leader die. He couldn’t do nothing. If that was what Rainpaw asked of him....
“I...” Firepaw began, then broke off. This was all so messed up. She gritted her teeth and tried again. “I hate this.” She swallowed, then glanced the way the brothers had gone. Following them wasn’t breaking the rules, was it? Redwhisker hadn’t said anything about it. And she couldn’t keep them from going, anyway. Maybe it was better to be there in case there was anything she could do to throw them off the trail. “Yeah, let’s go.” She agreed at last.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 30, 2020 21:37:10 GMT -5
"Yes, but - " Rainpaw shook his head, impatient. "Come on. Quietly."
He darted past his brother and crept forward, belly low to the ground in an effort to make as little noise as possible. It was a little slower than he would've liked it to be, but finally, he spotted a flash of black and white through the undergrowth and crouched down, signaling with his tail for the others behind him to get down. "There."
--
"I see," said Cowstar, her voice oddly stiff as she sat, her tail curled tightly around her paws. "So you brought me out here to...what, kill me? So why are you still sitting around here?"
"It was him," hissed Sootpaw, crouching as low to the ground as he could manage, his eyes wide. "I..."
"I didn't bring you all the way out here to gloat," said Crowfur, flicking his long ears back at the accusation. "I just need to stall for a few minutes. Makes the whole 'alibi' thing a bit easier to manage. And, you know, they might not buy the fox thing twice."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 30, 2020 21:47:07 GMT -5
Nightpaw followed, staying close to the ground, even though he wanted to run at them. He wanted to run out and scream at Cowstar to run, but he didn’t do that, because Rainpaw seemed to know what he was doing and Nightpaw trusted him. In the end, he trusted him completely. He watched wide eyed, as the exchange took place. His heart beat fast and he had to stifle a cry as the two cats faced off. “We have to do something!” He hissed urgently, turning on Rainpaw. “Now!”
Firepaw watched, feeling herself shatter as he gave himself away. He would blame her now, for not doing her job. He would blame her for failing, and they were all going to die, and it was her fault, entirely her fault. She stayed where she was, flattened against the ground. It was over. She had lost.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 30, 2020 21:57:27 GMT -5
"But," continued Crowfur, glancing up at the trees with narrowed eyes as he watched the shadows, "I think that's enough time."
He stood up, and unsheathed his claws. "Goodbye, Cowstar."
"St - "
Rainpaw moved to get in between them, his own claws unsheathed, but found himself blocked by a larger, lighter mass of fur, frantically hissing as it pushed all three apprentices into the ground.
"Shhhhhhhhh," said Adderleaf, his teeth gritted as he struggled to keep a hold on all of them. "Don't. Move."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 30, 2020 22:11:45 GMT -5
Nightpaw was about to throw himself forward. He was about to make this stop, and then a mass of fur was between him and Redwhisker and he was down, flattened against the ground and unable to get up. He struggled, panting, and then he realized who was holding him down and froze. “You’re with him?” He managed in a breathless gasp. He hadn’t seen that coming, but...it made sense. Of course Redwhisker needed an inside cat. Of course he did. Nightpaw struggled, trying to get to Cowstar, and he opened his mouth to shout a warning to her, but he knew it was pointless to warn her of what she already knew.
Firepaw froze, her whole body stiffening as she was held down. She didn’t move a muscle, and her breath came in quick and hard to manage. She didn’t speak. She didn’t move, She just closed her eyes because she knew what happened next.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 30, 2020 22:19:40 GMT -5
"No!" hissed Adderleaf, still struggling to keep all of them pinned down. "I'm trying to save your lives. Stay still. It's too late for Cowstar, but not for all of you."
Crowfur leapt at Cowstar, who snarled and jumped forward, her own claws unsheathed as they met in the air, their two forms combining in a whirlwind of hissing, snarling, and flying chunks of fur.
Adderleaf closed his eyes. He knew how Crowfur could fight, and he knew Redwhisker was young and strong on top of that. He also knew Cowstar was old, very old for a leader - maybe five years ago she was an excellent fighter, the best of the best, but now...
It would be over very quickly.
He flinched as her body landed with a thud on the packed soil. Sootpaw let out a tiny, strangled squeak, his ears flat against his skull.
Crowfur sat down, regarding the body with a kind of idle satisfaction, then brought his paw to his mouth, giving it a short lick to free the black and white fur tangled between his claws.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 30, 2020 22:30:41 GMT -5
Nightpaw let our a small, agonized squeal as the body hit the ground. It was over before it had really began. She had fought, and she had failed, and she was dead. And for got first time in his life, Nightpaw was really, really angry. He could have stopped this, he knew he could have stopped it if Adderleaf had let him. And all of them against Redwhisker? They could have succeeded. He knew they could have succeeded. “You just killed her,” he managed in a strangled whisper. “You just killed her.”
Firepaw flinched at the thump, her eyes squeezed shut, her heart thumping painfully in her chest. She knew they would have run out there if Adderleaf hadn’t stopped them, and she knew that it wasn’t fair to blame him. And she didn’t blame him. That didn’t mean she knew what to do now,
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Post by <Raintalon> on Nov 11, 2020 11:01:15 GMT -5
"You can come out now, Adderpaw."
At Crowfur's words, Adderleaf's whole body went rigid, his one amber eye narrowed in determination as he stepped out in front of the three apprentices, his body at an angle so he was blocking the much larger cat's shot at all of them.
"Run," he said quietly, his voice carefully even as his eye didn't leave Redwhisker's form for even a moment. "Get back to camp. Tell the others."
"But - " began Sootpaw, his eyes wide as he stared up at the warrior.
"GO!"
Rainpaw and Sootpaw both flinched as Adderleaf turned around, his eyes wild, and screamed at them, his ears flat against his skull.
"No, I - " began Sootpaw again, ready to argue that they should stay, that they should try to help. Try to fight. Try to do something.
"Come on."
Rainpaw had stood up, his belly almost flat to the ground, and gestured to the others. "Hurry. We need to get back to camp."
"Very touching," said Crowfur, his lip curled at Adderleaf as he watched the group of them. "Very touching, Adderpaw. When did you get so brave and so stupid?"
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Nov 11, 2020 11:22:24 GMT -5
Nightpaw stiffened, his heart thumping wildly in his chest as he stared. No...no, this was all so wrong, he couldn’t be...it couldn’t be... “No!” He tried to tell Adderleaf, tried desperately to catch his eye, but he knew that the older can was looking at nothing but Redwhisker. He glanced at Rainpaw and shook his head rapidly. “No.” He said again, but he knew it was over. He knew it was pointless to keep fighting this. This wasn’t their fight anymore. In a way, it never had been. Maybe it had always really been the two cats facing off now. Maybe the rest were just...casualties. “Come on.” He hissed, making up his mind. “Come on, Sootpaw, Firepaw, we have to go.”
Firepaw stared, her body frozen in horror as it all seemed to unravel in front of her. This was all so wrong. It was all so wrong and she couldn’t stop it, she couldn’t do anything, she... She was a kit, damn it. And for the first time, she felt like one. She felt small and weak and like she just wanted someone to protect her again, and it was too late for that now. It was too late to go back. Home was gone. Safety was gone. All she had now were her claws and a decision to make. “I can’t.” She said, her voice tiny, broken. She shook her head. “No...that’s not true. But I won’t.’ Firepaw dug her claws into the ground and glared at the two cats, at the much bigger cat. He scared her, still. But when she spoke, her voice was a low growl, still small but also very, very angry. “His name is Adderleaf.” She shouted, baring her teeth. “And he isn’t alone.” And with that, she dove forward, trying to get to the two cats.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Nov 11, 2020 11:31:20 GMT -5
"NO!"
Sootpaw's screech merged with Adderleaf's as the older cat leapt forward, and so did Redwhisker, meeting in the middle of the clearing just ahead of the apprentices. Instantly, they both went down, swept into a violent hurricane of blood, fur, and screeching as they tumbled into the bushes, locked together in deadly combat.
"Firepaw!" shouted Rainpaw, struggling to pin Sootpaw down with his claws to keep him from joining his sister. "Think about what you're doing! He is going to die. Don't let him have died for no reason - is that what you would want?"
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Nov 11, 2020 13:49:26 GMT -5
Firepaw flinched back as the care met in the air. She didn’t want to watch this, she didn’t, but what choice did she have? It was this or run away. She didn’t want to run this time. She wanted to stop this, somehow, she wanted to make it end. She couldn’t really do that, though. She knew that, deep down. She stared, agony in her heart as she tried to fight back, to stay. “Just go!” She snarled over her shoulder, whipping around to glare at Rainpaw. “Just go! You have to warn the others, you don’t have time to wait for me!” She turned, digging her claws into the ground. This was stupid and crazy and she didn’t care, she didn’t care at all, she just wanted to stop this.
Nightpaw hissed, trying to think. This was bad, really bad. He knew Adderleaf wouldn’t survive this...he knew that, but he couldn’t accept it. “Can you grab her?” He asked his brother desperately. They didn’t have any time left. They just needed to go, now, before Adderleaf was dead and they were next.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Nov 11, 2020 14:18:56 GMT -5
Rainpaw didn't answer, but he darted forward and grabbed Firepaw by the scruff, probably hard enough to draw blood, but he didn't think that really mattered right now.
"Got her! Go!" he shouted, his voice muffled through her fur as he took off, dragging her as fast as he could through the thick undergrowth. They just had to get within view of the others...just so they would have witnesses...
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Nov 11, 2020 14:56:48 GMT -5
Firepaw shrieked as Rainpaw grabbed her, and she tried to thrash but her body froze and curled up instead. She tried to struggle, but it didn’t work. She couldn’t do it.
Nightpaw turned and ran, glancing behind him to make sure that the rest were following too. He couldn’t leave them behind. He wouldn’t. “Just a little closer...” he begged the air. They had to make it. They just needed to make it.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Nov 11, 2020 15:10:56 GMT -5
Sootpaw, being unencumbered by any other cat, made it into camp first, streaking into the center and nearly sliding claws-first into the fresh kill pile in his haste.
"What in Silverpelt - " Lionstrike turned, ears flicked back, and took a step back, her tail lashing in confusion. "Sootpaw? Where have you been? We've been looking - "
"Redwhisker isn't who he says he is," said Sootpaw, his belly on the ground as he panted and wheezed, trying to catch his breath. "He's...he...he killed Cowstar."
"He what?" Alarm replaced some of the confusion in Lionstrike's tone, and that only grew as the other apprentices arrived, looking just as exhausted and haunted as Sootpaw. "Sootpaw, slow down. What are you talking about?"
"We have to go!" shouted Sootpaw, on the verge of hysteria now. "They - Adderleaf - it's all falling apart, I-I-I need to talk to Cow - no, to Blaze - "
Rainpaw dropped Firepaw unceremoniously in the dirt, not out of any disrespect, but simply out of urgency, and turned to Nightpaw. "Don't let her run off. She'll go back," he said breathlessly, and then trotted quickly over to Lionstrike, his own tail lashing. "We need to speak to Blazeclaw," he said firmly. "Where is she?"
"I..." Lionstrike looked from cat to cat, her eyes wide. Cats had started to poke their heads out of their dens now, muttering and tilting their heads in confusion as to what was causing so much noise and chaos in the center of camp.
"Okay," she said at last, shaking her head. "She's up in Cowstar's den, I think."
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