ESCAPE THE NIGHT | Stars

[I Like Bees]

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"Well," Bramblethorn began, her lawyer lecture voice ready, "the most appropriate course of action during a volcanic eruption is to listen to the authorities' directions. Evacuation orders, road closures, shelter-in-place or what have you. Always evacuate as soon as possible if you should, especially if you're warned before the event occurs, and you should head for high ground away from the situation and avoid valleys, as mudslides, rockslides, and flooding events can occur as side effects of the eruption. Toxic gases can also gather in low-lying areas.

"If you're not under an evacuation order and it's safe to do so, stay inside as much as possible. Seal doorways, windows, ventilation systems, and any other openings in the building to prevent ash and fumes from irritating your respiratory system. Turn off ventilation and heating/cooling systems too, so they're not damaged by the ash or bringing it inside. If you absolutely must go outside, wear a suitable covering over your mouth and nose and cover yourself in case of debris and hot ash.

"After the eruption, hire a professional to clean fallen ash off your roof if possible. Ash can make the surface slippery and your added weight could cause the roof to collapse, so this is not a task to do on your own lightly. Be aware that water supplies may be contaminated and unsafe for the time being, so stay informed and buy packaged water if needed. If you're injured, burned, or having trouble breathing, always seek medical treatment as soon as it is safe to do so, before your condition worsens."

Mentions of the government aside, Bonesmasher's not sure that really covers lava, but at least he's nice and informed in case of a normal volcanic eruption!

Word Count: 289 words

[lichenfeather]

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Peppertooth's fur prickled up at Bonesmasher's accusation. “The CIA?” He spits back to the other tom, mannerless in his offence. “Look here, Bonesplinter,” he snarls, tail lashing. “I don't know what Cats Instigating Arguments has to do with lava, but I'll not be spoken to in such a manner! I'm a member of The Strike, I'll have you know.” Snorting, the ebony tom sits inelegantly upon his haunches, bringing a gold taloned forepaw up to clean as he deliberately ignores Bonesplinter, acting for all the world as if definitely knows what the CIA is. Finally, after a long stretch of silence he sighs, relenting.

“Look, I don't know much about lava - it's not really a problem where I live. There's a story where I'm from, whispers of the world ending in smoke that steals your breath and a great red river flowing over the land, devouring everything it touches until it reaches the ocean… I don't know if that's true though- I've never seen any lava and I've lived there my whole life! I'm sure if you asked The Contessa she'd have a better answer for you - that's who The Shine chose to lead us cats of The Last Bastion. But if it was just me? I guess I'd run. As far and as fast as my paws could take me, and know The Shine would protect me. Once I got too tired to run? Well, I guess I'd climb. A tall tree, something thick and strong, and hope I could hold on long enough for the flood to end.”

A little more settled, Peppertooth suddenly turned an inquiring gaze to the other cat. “Why do you ask? Is lava a common issue here?” His golden bracers shifted as he dug his claws into the soil, peering suspiciously into shadowy woods. “Or am I supposed to say I'd save you to prove myself?” He raked his gaze over the tabby, before shaking his head. “If you want me to say I'd save you, I won't - you're neither my kin nor clan, and unless there's something you could offer me that would guarantee safety, it's ever cat for himself when the lava comes rolling in - and I've got to tell you, I'm pretty good at surviving just about anything.” The smile that splits his face is less than reassuring, instead casting darkness across his pointed features.

“So, lead the way?”

Word Count: 250+

[Aizaka]

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Darian looks at Bonesmasher a moment, "Wait, I thought you said this was your bunker? Who is Firebreather? Do they actually breathe fire? What even is the CIA?" Darian just gets a narrow-eyed look in return. "Okay, I'll answer your question first." He ponders just a moment before dead panning, "If the world was flooded with lava, like everywhere.. I would probably just die. 'Cause like, what am I supposed to do? If the Entire World is flooded, there is no getting to higher ground on a tree or even a mountain. Any magic I have would not be strong enough to hold back that kind of force, at least not for very long. I could only hope it would go quickly and I would not suffer." He looks over at his companion, "Does that answer your question?"

They walk a few moments before Darian starts up again. "You mentioned you believed it to be the end of days with the sun being gone right now. Is that what you think will happen? The lava and stuff? Wait, does Firebreather actually breathe lave and 'firebreather' just sounds better than 'lavabreath'? Do they like spicy foods? And you still haven't explained the CIA stuff. Is that like Cat Industry Academy? Cat Igniters Anonymous?" He mutters under his breath, "Which sounds like one that Firebreather needs to go to.." "Or maybe Cat Intelligence Agency?" He glances over and sees a look in Bonesmashers eye. "What would they even need this far out? You seem nice enough."

Word Count: 256 Words

[Ricocheted]

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Whitestem blinks, confusion muddling her features "Lava?" She furrowed her brows, staring at him with a questioning look. He didn't answer her unspoken query, instead deciding to glare. Whitestem puffed up feeling a tad defensive at his fierce scowl.

What a strange cat, grumbling in thought she answers "Well I'd get to higher ground, a cliff, if possible. Something with no trees and sparse foliage. Or I'd run in the opposite direction of the source, the lava has to stop flowing eventually."

Side eyeing Bonesmasher she continues now feeling a flash of amusement, surely this poor stranger isn't the greenest grass in the field. For him to ask such a ridiculous question, about a such a nonsensical and fantastical scenario. Whitestem hadn't heard anything so "kit-esque" since she was, well, a kit!

"Of course if Lava was already flowing against my paws, I'm probably already dead.....or incapable of movement, so just as good as dead."

Under his steady intense stare, she gave a questioning flick of her tail, frowning at his still accusatory gaze. "And I have no clue who these "CIA" cats are. I'm apart of The Rooted. I've never been to this-" Whitstem gestures around to their grim, dark, and quite frankly depressing surroundings. "-awful place before." Glancing halfheartedly around, her eyes narrowed in suspicion at the stranger.

"For the Matriis's sake, why would you ask such a question? And who is this FireBreather, you speak off?" She huffed in irritation.

"I appreciate your help, really, I do. But I'd rather know ahead of time what I'm being dragged into."

Word Count: 263

[craig?]

Username: Craig?
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Cyclonepaw's ears flattened. "...Lava? What... What's lava?"

The stranger rolled his eyes. "Molten rock. Superheated, until it's a thick liquid, like honey."

Oh.

"LIQUID rock?!" The tabby apprentice gaped. "Like- like ice melts into water?"

"If that helps you understand it, yes."

"Wow."

He had never considered that a possibility at all- the asphalt on the roads got super hot during the summer and would burn your paws if you stood on it too long, and even that was still solid... Just how hot would it have to get to melt like ice?!

"Um- I'd probably start climbing the nearest building-" he paused, eyes glancing around the surrounding nature. "You guys don't really have buildings here though? So maybe I'd climb up a tree.... They aren't very high though, but at least I'd be out of the lava."

"Trees are flammable."

"...So?"

"The lava would burn it up."

"It WOULD? Like- just like that? Because it's so hot, it just makes things catch on fire?"

"Yes? That's how fire works? Do you seriously not know that?"

"No, I know fire spreads! But- but lava is rock, why would it be able to make things catch on fire?! That's like saying that if you make a stick cold enough it can turn things into ice!"

"Well, I'm sure you could make a stick cold enough that touching it to cold enough water would freeze it-"

"You're crazy. Where are you taking me again? You're like- youre really weird. You want to make sure I'M not evil when you're talking about- about rocks catching things on fire?!"

The stranger sighed. This was going to be a long walk.
Word Count: 276

[Whovian5EVA]

Username: Whovian5eva 328762
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Answer: His mind wandered to this hypothetical world where lava could flood right on up from below his paws… At first it was almost beautiful, glowing golden streams began to roll down the hill, ebbing and flowing in a beautiful bright dance, however as it began to grow closer to his paws the gravity of the situation began to sink in. His heart raced as he watched it burn through the grasses of the forest floor and char the bottoms of trunks. Flame began to dance around the bark of the trunks of trees. Although this liquid flowed slower than any other he had seen before, it also filled him with more panic than any other. A slow creeping death, threatening and unstoppable. Not only did it threaten his life directly, it also threatened his home and his family, everything he had ever known… Despite being the polar opposite of wintery cold it still caused the same long term issues, no prey, no hunting, illnesses and sickness.

Sootfang let out a heavy sigh “I… I’m not sure what I would do… It all just seems so big… I think I would want to save my family and those I love, I’d want to warn them and save the kits too!” He paused trying to think of anything better than im scared... “Maybe depending on the heat of the lava, what if I made a boat out of something special? I think I heard of a guy doing that in a book one time, but he put a bunch of animals on there for some reason…”

Word Count: 264 words

[Thani]

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“Oh gosh thats a uhh…thjats a really difficult question, huh? Do you always start them off this hard?” Bugsnacks asked in return, taking a moment to think about the question that this stranger had asked them.

“I guess If I need to answer this for you to trust me I'll do my best ... .If the world starts to fill up with lava I guess the first thing I would do would be to try and get myself and my loved ones to safety.” Bugsnacks looked a little worried as he imagined the fate of the world in his head.

The stranger must have noticed the look on his face because he spoke up again.
“This is only hypothetically speaking, of course.”

“Of course. Um..I don’t know what I would do, if I am honest. I think I would feel pretty helpless. Lava is scary and it consumes everything in its wake. We could only get so high to get away from it..” He then pulls out a small bug from his pouch and gives it a small squeeze, and you see as it produces a small little flame from its mouth.

“You see this little guy here helps me build fire when I'm away from the clan and out exploring. He helps me because to be honest, I'm a little afraid of fire and anything hot. But like anyone I’ve got to stay warm of course. So the idea of lava flooding the world, which is basically just a worse version of fire, is a little scary.”

Bugsnacks puts his little beetle friend back in his pouch and turns back to the stranger and shrugs his shoulders, trying to calm himself from his thoughts of the world ending scenario he posed him with.

“What would you do?”

Word Count: 298

[kyeza]

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delphi squints at the strange cat leading her deeper and deeper into the woods, the shadows growing with every step. "... huh?" she mumbles at the rather odd inquiry. "well that's a silly question... it wouldn't. lava doesn't just come out of nowhere, you know—unless there's magic involved, that is." she raises an eyebrow at the shadowed figure she'd found herself following, before posing a question in return: "is it magical lava we're talking about?"

he blinks at her, evidently confounded. "what on earth are you talking about? it's lava. just regular old lava. what would you do if it flooded this forest and enveloped us all right now?" she blinks back at him, a blank stare painting her features. "i would burn to death, of course," delphi speaks plainly, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. she was having fun giving irritatingly obtuse answers to this odd fellow's queries. and really, what kind of names were bonesmasher and firebreather..? just who were these guys? what business did they have announcing the end times anyways?

it seems this stranger is not satisfied with her answer. "no, but like, if the world was made of lava and you had to do something besides simply die, what would you do?" he throws her a triumphant look, as if he's finally outsmarted her.

"well i would... get out of it? not burn to death? not drown in lava? i don't know bro. i simply wouldn't be in this situation in the first place because it's statistically IMPOSSIBLE if you aren't talking about magical lava. where's the volcano anyways?!"

Word Count: 267 words

[Zentropy]

Username: Zentropy
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Answer: 169 words
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Zephyrpad shrinks against the ground with the sudden turn of their guide. They aren't used to being alone and in a threatening situation, already quite rattled from the sudden appearance of this aggressive cat. If only Waxingleap was here, he'd know what to do or say to such a brute.
"Huh? Lava?" Unable to hide their shaking voice. "I think I would look for the nearest tree, and then try to find a boulder. The trees won't last long against such intense heat...and my spells aren't exactly prepared for such a scenario. I can use Shape Water, but I'd need a preexisting water source to start with. I haven't had the chance to use it outside of practice, but I've been informed that it can pack quite a punch."

The caped tortie pauses as a calm settles over them. Tilting their head and staring wide-eyed at Bonesmasher, Zephyr retorts with "What would you do if I grabbed water and dumped it over you before freezing it around your feet?"

[crexmii]

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sirius stares at bonesmasher for a few moments, unblinking.

"lava...
well. it can't be as awful as the void, so..."
she can feel bonesmasher's eyes boring into her, but she pays no mind to his hostility.

"what difference would it make to me?" she mews apathetically.
bonesmasher's face scrunches up in a mixture of confusion and suspicion. "wha- what do you mean? it's lava. one touch and your paws will burn right off. you'll be toasted to a crisp - unless you're some sort of divine being, heh."

sirius twitches, then raises her head to meet bonesmasher's sage irises. "everything i touch dies. do you really think I'd be scared of a little lava? honestly, i think the lava should be scared of me." she mews bitterly.

taken aback, bonesmasher unconsciously glances at her paws, skeptical but wary at the same time.
in response, sirius unhappily meets his gaze and sets one paw down on the grass, causing it to shrivel up in a heartbeat.

the brown tabby coughs awkwardly. "okay. but... you can die, can't you? just because you have a few...otherworldly powers doesn't mean you're immune to death." sirius tilts her head as if he's speaking in a foreign language. "i wish. the lava wouldn't be able to hurt me in any way. i mean it."
bonesmasher blinks in confusion. it seems he's not used to this.

then, he rolls his eyes, still unconvinced.
"yeah, yeah. nice bluff. next you're gonna tell me you come from some magical land where cats have wings."

"one cat. and they're awful."

bonesmasher seems to have given in to his bewilderment, for he just blurts, "what- what are you?"

"death's representative deity."

Word Count: # 279 words