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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 13:29:48 GMT -5
Riverstar, a tall silver tabby tom, sat in the leaders' den. He turned his head as the tom approached. "Welcome back." he said warmly. "Were you successful?"
Marblekit ran inside the medicine cat den, anxiously twisting his tail between his paws and watching their work.
Fernleaf was, quite clearly, taking her last breaths. Blood stained the ground all around her.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 5, 2016 13:37:15 GMT -5
Inside were two tall, skinny cats with swirly black stripes on their silver pelts. Once Fernleaf was inside, they both looked at the wound for only a minute before all options faded. "Marblekit, I'm sorry." Said the first one. "There's nothing we can do."
"You should say goodbye." The second one added softly.
"Fernleaf will be dead soon." Flintfoot answered Riverstar darkly. "The spirit is gone, but I didn't destroy it, it just disappeared."
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 13:41:50 GMT -5
Marblekit's eyes widened. "No." he said softly. "You have to save her. I can't take care of Mintkit on my own, I can't."
Riverstar flattened his ears sadly. "I'm sorry. She was a good hunter." He paused. "Do you know why that would happen?"
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 5, 2016 13:50:01 GMT -5
"I'm sorry, Marblekit." The first one, Quickstrike, reached his tail forward to touch the kit. "You know you're not alone. You know we're all here for you and Mintkit. But you have to be strong for her, okay?"
"You have to say goodbye now, Marblekit." Quickstrike's twin sister, Falconstep, pressed.
"I've never seen anything like it." Flintfoot growled. "It isn't good Riverstar, I know that much."
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 13:55:03 GMT -5
Marblekit shook his head and backed up, overwhelmed.
Suddenly, Fernleaf choked, gasped, and opened her eyes. Her claws scrambled on the hard rock, revealing a freshly-healed, ragged scar where her deadly wound should've been.
Riverstar nodded slowly. "I'll tell whoever's on watch to leave a salt line at the entrances. Just in case."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 5, 2016 14:02:47 GMT -5
Flintfoot nodded. "You might want to talk to Marblekit. He isn't going to take this well." He added in an almost reluctant tone, shaking his head.
Both medicine cats spun around, claws unsheathing in shock. "Fernleaf?" Falconstep exclaimed, eyes wide. "That's impossible."
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 14:04:53 GMT -5
Fernleaf scrambled to her feet. "Flint! Salt! Hurry!" she shouted, before she realized her surroundings had changed. "What happened?" she demanded. "Where's Flintfoot?"
Marblekit just stood there in shocked silence.
Riverstar nodded sadly. "And Mintkit. I fear it will upset her more than she can handle."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 5, 2016 14:07:24 GMT -5
"A deal." Falconstep growled after a moment of silence. "It must have been."
"But who?" Quickstrike asked, glancing at Marblekit. "Not him. And Flintfoot wouldn't be that stupid."
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 14:13:28 GMT -5
Fernleaf glanced between them. "Was I dead?" she asked after a moment.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 5, 2016 14:14:56 GMT -5
"No, but you were about to be." Falconstep said grimly. "What do you remember?"
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 14:20:58 GMT -5
"Um...". Fernleaf paused, trying to recall. "Nothing. One minute I was laying a salt circle, the next I was here. Is Flintfoot okay?"
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 5, 2016 14:24:39 GMT -5
"Yeah, I think he's talking to Riverstar." Quickstrike answered, glancing out of the den. "He thinks your dead...come on." The medicine stepped outside, leading the way towards the leader's den.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 14:28:50 GMT -5
Fernleaf followed. Marblekit trailed behind.
Riverstar turned, shocked to see them climbing the cliff. "Flintfoot." he said, pointing with his tail.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 5, 2016 14:30:59 GMT -5
Flintfoot turned, then froze, every muscle in his body stiffening with shock. A mistrustful look came into his eye, and he backed away. "Marblekit, get away. That isn't your mother."
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 14:37:07 GMT -5
Marblekit scrambled back, startled.
"No, it's me." said Fernleaf, promptly cutting her paw on the jagged piece of metal that was in the corner of the cave. She then dipped her other paw in the water that sat in a small indent nearby. "I don't know how, but it is." She narrowed her eyes at Flintfoot, clearly suspecting he wasn't telling her something.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 5, 2016 14:39:52 GMT -5
Flintfoot blinked, clearly feeling very wrong-footed. "Fernleaf there's no way you could have survived that wound." He protested. "I saw it, you were dead."
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 15:05:50 GMT -5
Fernleaf nodded, then turned to leave. "Can I talk to you outside?"
Marblekit stepped into the kit den. "Mintkit?" he called. "You here?"
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 5, 2016 15:13:22 GMT -5
Flintfoot nodded, following silently. He had no idea how this was possible, and honestly he hadn't dropped the possibility that this wasn't Fernleaf, so he was still keeping his distance must in case.
A thin black kit was sleeping in her nest, sides rising and falling regularly. As her brother entered, she raised her head and blinked at him. "Marblekit?"
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 15:25:26 GMT -5
"Hi." said Marblekit, sitting down next to her. "Fernleaf's back. She's okay."
"Did you make a deal?" demanded Fernleaf once they were outside. "I thought you knew better than that, Flint."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 5, 2016 15:30:28 GMT -5
"Me?" Flintfoot blinked, eyes widening. "Of course not. Come on Fern, I've been a hunter for how long now? Give me some credit!"
"I knew she would be." Mintkit said instantly, sitting up. "She's such a good hunter, she always gets the monster."
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 15:32:44 GMT -5
"What else could it be?" asked Fernleaf, pacing. "I don't want to suspect you of anything, but I heard Falconstep. I was dead."
"Yeah." agreed Marblekit. "How are you feeling?"
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 5, 2016 15:38:33 GMT -5
"I'm okay." Mintkit's face fell slightly, as if the subject was an uncomfortable one. "How are you?"
"I didn't do anything." Flintfoot pressed, looking her in the eye. "When would I have had time? You were down in the fight, and then..." Suddenly remembering, he continued. "The spirit vanished without me defeating it. I've never seen anything like it."
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 15:42:42 GMT -5
"Wait...you mean you never found the bones?" said Fernleaf, stopping in her tracks.
Marblekit shrugged. "I'm fine."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 5, 2016 15:46:22 GMT -5
"No." Flintfoot confirmed. "The thing just disappeared by itself. Maybe that has something do with you." He added, frowning.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 21:43:46 GMT -5
"What...like I'm possessed?" said Fernleaf, puzzled. "Since when is possession symptomless?"
Death turned with a whoosh of gray smoke, and suddenly both reapers, Mistystep, Weaselstar, Tigertail and Wrenkit all appeared at the spot where Belial and Amriel were talking with Moth. Most of the mortals and angels immediately, instinctively tried to flee, but they couldn't seem to move.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 5, 2016 21:49:34 GMT -5
"No idea." Flintfoot answered helplessly. "But we better keep an eye on you, just in case."
Ianuarius blinked, expression suggesting he was vaguely surprised by this. He glanced at Death, curious.
Weaselstar gasped, Wrenkit shrieked, and the both tried to run but seemed to be frozen.
Amriel's eyes widened as the feeling of death washed over her, flinching back and showing her teeth she too tried to flee.
Moth blinked, staring at Death. "You're Death." She stated.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 5, 2016 22:03:11 GMT -5
Fernleaf nodded her agreement, though she didn't look happy about it. "I guess you won't want me hunting?"
Tigertail hissed and wanted to flee - but found that his paws were rooted to the ground.
Suriel flattened himself to the ground, looking to Amriel for an explaination.
If Death heard Moth's comment, he didn't acknowledge it. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you're all very frightened, but let's skip all the theatrics. I never was much for that." He flicked his tail, surveying the little group. "Now, the chances of this ragtag little attempt at a group ever making it out of here, or even slightly in the right direction, are remote at best. And I really would like to get back to work before the world comes to an end. So you will follow me now." He glanced around again at the group. "Any questions?" he asked pleasantly.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 6, 2016 6:59:36 GMT -5
"It might be best if you take a break." Flintfoot answered, giving her a somewhat apologetic look. "Look at it this way, at least you finally get the day off."
Amriel shook her head hurriedly in Suriel's direction, almost undetectably, to indicate that she had done anything.
"Wh-who are you?" Wrenkit spoke up, shivering.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Oct 6, 2016 7:29:17 GMT -5
"I am the one who marked you the day you arrived at this place." said Death simply. "Every mortal spirit who has passed on was summoned here by me."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Oct 6, 2016 7:35:27 GMT -5
"I....what?" Wrenkit blinked at this vague answer. "What does that mean?"
Amriel shot a fleeting glance at Belial, wondering how she would respond to this.
Ianuarius glanced for half a second at Mistystep, then back at Death, who led far too much awe for him to look away from for long.
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