Rise Summer Event: Dark Skies

[Oceanfosh]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Oceanfosh
Clan Thread: Cats of the Whispering Wood
Prompt Writing: here

Art Prompt!
Username: Oceanfosh
Clan Thread: Cats of the Whispering Wood
Prompt Art: here

[emblo]

Writing Prompt!
Username: emblo
Clan Thread: adderclan
Prompt Writing: 420 words

the slender tom's tail swished in annoyance as he eyed the two intruders, his attention moving steadily over their forms. sleep still hung heavily on his senses, though his drooped eyelids were shielded by an intentional narrowing of his gaze. he was evidently annoyed, although this feeling was more so directed at the situation, not hecate and the oracle. still, they had no right to barge into his territory, much less his own sleeping quarters, to pass on this information. their worry must have consumed them, and this touched on krait's own sense of protection over his clan. whatever this threat was, he would deal with it, and he knew that he had his clanmates to back him up in whatever his choice would be.

"speak quickly, it's clearly urgent." he eyed hecate as he spoke, recalling his past interactions with the she-cat. krait had an immense dislike towards her, and couldn't help but deliberate if this was some sort of elaborate ruse to stir further trouble. even while this was a possibility, it was also possible that his clan was in danger, and he could not risk that. he would hear them out, and share the information with the others, and decide how to proceed from there.

but what could this great danger be? they were well off in their current situation, warm weather, sufficient prey, and healthy cats. adderlcan had no enemies, their reclusive behavior sure of that. were it another clan, there would be no justifiable motive. the two-legs were not in close proximity, so he could not fathom more than a few stragglers being an issue. his assumption fell on a natural disaster, whether that be a tsunami, flood, landslide, whatever the angry earth could throw their way. the sky had been holding an unusual aura in it lately. while krait's thoughts were cluttered with possibilities, his features remained a steady calm.

he caught sight of a dark figure moving at the entrance to his den, and krait shifted his attention towards it. he was not surprised to see wasabi poking her head around the corner, a sheepish worry displayed across her features. after meeting her gaze, he nodded his head to the side, indicating that she should leave. with a sense of hesitation, she slowly departed, no doubt to wait until the two others left. the tom wouldn't worry her with the situation until he had all possible information. once sure that she was gone, krait turned his gaze back to hecate and the oracle.

[Yellow.]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Yellow.
Clan Thread: Ridgeclan
Prompt Writing:
It wasn’t often that Kestrelstar was woken up in the middle of the night, not since Doepaw had become an apprentice at least. This wasn’t some simple slow wake up though either, it was a eyes snapping open and muscles tensing for a fight.

“Who’s there?” The tom called out before slowly rising from his nest, eyes adjusting to the darkness to catch the figure of a cat lite up by the moonlight seeping into the cave. It was a quick interaction from there with the strange cat, foretelling of unknown danger coming to the clan. While Kestrelstar was skeptic he didn’t voice his thoughts yet. He wasn’t going to just ignore the warning either.

It was only after the oracle left that Kestrelstar realized how tense his muscles really where, letting out a shaky breath the tom slowly moved to the opening of the cave. He wasn’t used to having an encounter like this, as it was the ancestors didn’t come to him when things were going down. No that was Emberheart’s job and to say Kestrelstar was not prepared to hear something like that was an understatement.

On shaky legs the tom made his way out of his den, taking a deep breath to try and control his body and show a strong front to the pair he was about to retrieve. While it was probably a better idea to wait until morning to talk to them, Kestrelstar knew there was no way he was going back to sleep. The morning sun was trying to light up the sky as it was and he needed to know if Emberheart had received word from the ancestors about something coming.

The tom in question was woken from his nest first, shh’ed by the leader to keep from waking others before doing the same to his deputy Fallenstone. Leading the pair back to his den was a quiet affair, both still trying to shake the sleep from there mind and wondering just why their leader was waking them up at such a time.

Once back in the safety of the cave, or the den that had once felt safe, Kestrelstar settled and turned to the pair having them circle around them as he recounted his encounter with the oracle. Their reactions varied but it was expected, while Emberheart just sat and listened Fallenstone became more agitated looking.

“You’re telling me this thing just came in here and told you something was coming and then left? He said nothing else other than to be prepared for anything?” The deputy asked clearly irritated with the situation.

“Calm down Fallenstone,” Emberheart started before turning back to their leader. “I haven’t heard anything from the ancestors or the gods, they’ve been quiet lately.”

Kestrelstar nodded to Emberheart for his help in calming the deputy, his words, however, worried him. The ancestors had always been helpful in telling the star reader when something big was going to happen, for them to be silent was a worrisome affair. “Then we will wait and watch, we’ll tell a few to keep an eye out and we’ll be ready for whatever might come out way.”

[persona]

Writing Prompt!
Username: persona
Clan Thread: SkyClan
Prompt Writing: The wind was silent, brushing not a leaf or blade of grass on the mountainside. Two warriors watched over the camp from opposite sides to keep an eye out for any danger that may approach under the guise of night. The rest of the clan rested under the bushes, snoozing away the cool night. The stars twinkled down, as if gleefully winking at the clan cats for what's to come.

One cat on watch duty, closest to the camp entrance, perked up and trotted over to the large gap in the trees. They bowed their head, just visible under the moonlight with their bright red fur, to an unseen persons, and backed up. They turned around and following after them were two other cats, clearly not a part of the clan. One was thin and white, while the other was short and multi colored.

The two strangers departed from the warrior's side and kept walking to a definite target: the lumps of cats sleeping backs poking through the bushes. They shuffled around the bodies looking for a specific one. When they did, they roughly shook the brown cat multiple times to get them to wake up.

Acornstar let out a warning growl, clearly unhappy about being woken up so rudely. He rolled onto his belly from his side, and tucked his legs under him. He pried his eyes open to blearily look at wide eyes right in front of his face. Acornstar jerked, fur bristling with shock. He raised his head above the bushes, sleep completely gone from his system with the scare.

To his surprise, it was Hecate and the Oracle. He hadn't seen them in some odd moons, and hadn't really expected to see them again.

"Hello, Hecate, Oracle. A bit late to be doing this, eh?" Acornstar greeted, a tight smile on his face. He had to be nice because it would leave a nasty mark on his reputation and his clan.

"No time. We're here to talk." Hecate said, obviously expecting Acornstar to be Up And At 'Em to converse. The leader rose to his paws, and stretched. If he had to do this, they'll go somewhere private. There was no need to wake everyone else up.

* * *

Hearing news of a prophecy from StarClan that wasn't shared with SkyClan was greatly worrying. Acornstar flicked his tail every which way as an outlet for his anxiety about this issue. Not to mention the Oracle said StarClan specified danger. The only danger around here was the ocean cliffside and keeping apprentices away from it, or that rogue colony Orion came from but any danger from them dissipated moons ago.

As leader, Acornstar had to contemplate any potential things they overlooked because it was deemed miniscule or unimportant. StarClan, what could they have missed? Was it even a physical thing? Was StarClan telling them of a danger like the storms that came through when the weather got hot and produced typhoons? All this and much more flashed through his mind at light speed.

Why wouldn't Mooncaller or even Silverflower have been told? Acornstar forced himself to rationalize it: if it's not as bad for SkyClan, StarClan wouldn't have approached, which they didn't. Whatever danger is going to happen must hit Oracle and Hecate harder, which Acornstar wouldn't allow. They were allies of some sort, and he'll be damned if he doesn't provide all the help he can. StarClan better have a good reason for their silence...

[Bayfire213]

Writing Prompt!
Username: klovesugar2
Clan Thread: Ternclan
Prompt Writing:

Tired blue eyes blinked blearily at the two cats before her, unfamiliar, though perhaps they had known the previous leader? They were clearly familiar with the clan, and it wasn't like her own leadership was truly planned, wasn't like Crowstar had time to fill her in on much beyond the duties of a deputy before his untimely passing. He was supposed to still have two more lives left to go. He was supposed to stick around a little longer. He... didn't. There was a sinking feeling in her chest as her mind began to race. Of all times, right when she was finally getting the clan back to its paws, when the queens were finally having kits again, the elders no longer so frail, warriors no longer ghosts of skin and bone and broken spirits, but actually looking like the strong, proud cats she knows them to be. The prey pile kept toped up, more than enough for everyone to share, the camp fortified, and dangerous areas blocked off so no adventurous kits or clumsy apprentices would find themselves taking a short lesson on why cats don't fly. They still didn't have a medicine cat, Starclan not very forthcoming on the matter, but they were persevering well enough until their ancestors saw fit to enlighten them. They were surviving, and given a little more time to recover, she could see them thriving. Yet, apparently it wasn't meant to be, another catastrophe approaching right as soon as she'd managed to convince her clan of the hardest thing of all, to have hope again. To believe that things could and would get better.

A part of her was terrified at the progress that could be lost, the morale broken yet again, this time so much harder to heal. Yet, there wasn't much of a choice, was there? To pretend a threat didn't exist, wouldn't make it go away. It would only make them more vulnerable, unprepared for whatever the stars had in store for them. So with a heavy heart, she pulled herself to her paws, padding silently after her untimely visitors to ensure they left the camp unharmed, pondering the situation. Would it be the mountains, the rocky areas particularly prone to rockslides after the earth trembles, or quivers, or shakes? Would they be patrolling one day, only to have boulders crashing down upon them, cats in a mad scramble to escape, the stone beneath them giving way where once it was solid? Illness was a possibility, too, especially without a true healer in the clan yet. Perhaps it would be two-leg season, it wouldn't be long now, the furless creatures coming out in droves, some relatively innocent, poking around in their strange, traveling dens, disrupting the prey and patrols around them, some of the two-legs cooing over the cats who wandered too close, babbling in their strange way, attempting to tempt apprentices closer, occasionally warriors too, though the kits were far more susceptible. Others... Others were chaos and fire and traps in the dark of the woods, burning trees that had fallen, or were soon to fall, ageless pines toppled in mere moments, crashing to the ground below, uncaring of any cats who might be in the area. Noisy monsters roaring in the once tranquil forest, scattering prey, reshaping the land. Even where they were not, others were, with their thunder-sticks, hunting deer and cougars and turkey and pheasant, amongst other things. Nowhere was truly safe, during two-leg season, and the young leader dreaded it with a passion, as well as whatever new catastrophe was coming.

[597/600 words]

[monsolo]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Strawberry Milk
Clan Thread: Graniteclan
Prompt Writing:
Morningstar woke to find two cats standing above you, in your den. Who had let them into the cave? Let alone her den??
Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she stood, thoughts beginning to appear in her mind, soon turning into a whirlwind of questions.

Although Hecate and the Oracle were technically not welcome in Graniteclan’s territory, their relationship was amicable enough that Morningstar wasn’t fearing for her safety, nor would she ask them to leave before discussing their visit’s purpose. Their territories were far enough apart that the two groups had only had a couple of encounters. Morningstar’s personal relationship with Hecate and the Oracle was pretty good, and they actually got along well. However, the previous leader hadn’t gotten along so well with the outsiders. They were still mending what had been a pretty terrible relationship. It pleased Morningstar quite a bit that they trusted her and Graniteclan enough to make the trek to warn her.

On the topic of the prophecy, she hadn’t heard anything from Dawnpelt or Cricketfeather, nor from the ancestors themselves. That was so weird, were they keeping something from the clan? There was nothing Morningstar could think of that might be worth keeping back. If there was some disaster coming, why would they not give a warning, so they could prepare for it? It was all too confusing.

It could be something personal, either about one of the medicine cats, or perhaps her. Maybe some cat close to them would turn on the clan? That would make sense for Starclan to keep closer to their chests.
Best case scenario, they would speak with one of the medicine cats soon about whatever this prophecy was. Surely they were just waiting for a better time to let Graniteclan know, and had only accidentally let it slip to the Oracle. Morningstar wasn’t one to think badly of those above her, nor the dead, but it did seem a little suspicious to her that they would tell these strange cats before her clan.

The most important part seemed to be the joint warning, that it would affect both of their groups. There wasn’t much that could really do that, short of a natural disaster, so that must be it. Morningstar supposed there could be more, but nothing else came to her. That made her nervous, she hadn’t really had to deal with anything of that magnitude in her short time as leader. She hoped with all her heart that she would be able to protect her clan, to keep her loved ones safe.
[426/600]

[hawkfire102]

Writing Prompt!
Username: hawkfire102
Clan Thread: SycamoreClan
Prompt Writing:

Sycamorestar was very startled when he was awakened from his slumber. He could feel his mate and their adopted son on either side of him so momentary terror filled him as he woke up to find the visiter in his den. The small she-cat seemed irritated, and seeing that the moon was still high in the sky, Sycamorestar could understand why. She flicked her tail at him and he detangled himself from his fluffy prison, his fur puffing up at the lack of heat.
He felt a second wave of the fluffing up as he saw another cat behind her. Feeling very vulnerable, he flicked his mate in the ear with his tail. Birchheart snaps up at the sudden contact and is immediately on his paws beside him. There were heavy moments of silence as the cat behind her came forward, Birchheart squared himself at his approach. The silence was awkward as all the cats waited for his response. The cat made a noise before speaking.

"Your ancestors have spoken to me once again. They warn of great danger that will befall both your clan and our own group."

Confusion swept over Sycamorestar. Who were these cats and why would StarClan come to them instead of him. While he had conversed with them before, he feared it wasn't sent to him because they lacked a medicine cat.

"What is he talking about? I haven't heard word of any danger." He replied. He was still trying to grasp who these cats were and why they were here. He was thankful they came to warn him but he had to admit it was disconcerting that they managed to get into his den. Birchheart slowly swayed his tail tip so that why it brushed against his mate, trying to comfort and calm him. Every cat here was uncomfortable. All except Owlpaw sleeping this encounter away.

The small cat rolled her shoulder, "Your ancestors seldom speak to me. They offer me no more than the vaguest sense of what they are trying to say. Nothing nearly as detailed as they show him," she flicked her ear at her companion who turned his nose up. "This is me paying you back for you letting my group live peacefully beside you even after the trouble I caused. Do you wish to hear the prophecy they gave us or debate the mechanisms behind it."

Even more confusion swept over him. He knew GoopClan had been in the area longer than his Clan. Did they move and think they were the same Clan? If there was danger coming would they be affected as well? Would Stormrunner be alright? Would he be able to go against it with their small numbers? The hair on the back of his neck started raising as he internally worried about all of the outcomes. It wasn't until Birchheart wrapped his tail around his did he snapped out of his thinking. He looked back at the cats in front of them.

"What did they say?"

[501/600 words]

[SHARKGVTS]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Altoviireo
Clan Thread: Voyagerclan
Prompt Writing:

Rosestar, still groggy, stared at the two intruders and his Rhea Cinderflurry who had accompanied them in. "Neither The Forest of Stars nor Weaselstride warned me about any danger to us or any of the clans nearby." He flicked his tail in annoyance. The tom didn't appreciate being woken from the dead of sleep, let alone the first full night of sleep since Crowstar's exile, but he knew it had to be something serious for Hecate and The Oracle to visit him at this time.

His mind immediately went to the Wayward Wanderers, a group that had always caused Voyagerclan trouble since he could remember. They were the type of cats to launch a full-blown raid on Voyagerclan when they least expected it. The only thing that prevented that from being the case was the Wayward Wanderers only targeted Voyagerclan- They never bothered the other nearby clans. What was it? Fire? An illness? Prey shortage? Rosestar didn't think it was any of those, though. It was never dry enough in the valley for a fire. Prey could be short, but Hunter's Hollow always had prey, even in the worst shortages in the rest of the territory. An illness could devastate a clan, maybe others. During the summer, though, it seemed unlikely.

His thoughts then went to disasters. Droughts, floods, and hurricanes could have all been feasible. Downpour season was just beginning, and the humidity had been worse than usual as of recent. Maybe a large storm was threatening them? The more he thought about the large disasters that could plague the clan, the more uneasy he felt. He had just become a Titan after being an Iapetus for so long, so he still wasn't very certain about what to do, especially in this situation. Crowstar was a threat, albeit not one to the surrounding clans. What if he was returning with a vengeance? That made his fur stand on end. But then again, he thought, it could be something that isn't as big of a threat as they're making it seem.

Weaselstride hadn't said anything to him. But, maybe The Forest had said something to Weaselstride. What if The Forest of Stars had sent him a sign and he didn't know how to interpret it or worse yet was too afraid to tell him?

What if Weaselstride knew and was keeping it because he was a part of the danger?

Roseshade growled softly and shook his head, standing up and beginning to pace. His brother wouldn't do that to him... He hated that he thought of that as a possibility. Finally, he stopped pacing and stared at the three cats, eyes full of concern. "So, what is this prophecy you speak of?"

[452/600]

[TheSongOfTheStars]

Writing Prompt!
Username: TheSongOfTheStars
Clan Thread: Songclan
Prompt Writing:
441 words
"Well, obviously they haven't been able to get it through their heads that we don't believe the stars have anything to say at all, much less foresight," Bearheart remarked coldly between grooming away the blood underneath his claws. Oracle and Hecate's late night intrusion hadn't been met as peacefully as they had obviously expected.
Now the two harbingers of ill portent were sulking outside the healer's den, being tended to by a bewildered Grayflight and an undeneiably exhausted Moringblaze, who, as her name implied, prefered to work during the daylight hours.
Oracle kept trying to start a conversation with the near asleep calico as she bandaged the scratch on his shoulder, but he was doing it by trying to convince her of the oncoming doom. He got a little ways before she turned those tired but intense eyes on him like twin flames and he'd trail off, for a few minutes before trying again.

"Do you think that, possibly, maybe, they've seen something or heard something from a real living source that scared them, so they turned to their prefered source of information and found out what they already knew?"
Beartheart flicked his shoulder in a half hearted shrug "Maybe."
"Whatever it is, it's big enough for them to come to warn us," Wildeyes sighed "And even if it's just of indigestion, it would probaby be in the best interest of interclan relations to take this seriously."
"Wildeyes," the leader and her mate turned at the new voice and found Songclan's deputy standing behind them, looking like a specter in the fitful moonlight "You're right."
There was a moment of awed silence, then Wildeyes beamed and perked her ears up "I'm sorry could you say that again? A little louder for the entire clan?"
Sandclaw rolled his eyes "They could have heard something and fallen back on their traditions. Let me take several scouts and travel along our borders. See if there's word about any unusual or suspicious goings-on."
"Do it, take whoever you think is best suited," Wildeyes paused and thought for a moment "I'm also going to send Redsparrow to Hollowmoon. He doesn't live on the borders, but he still hears a lot from cats passing through and he isn't as terribly supersticious as other cats are."
Sandclaw smiled wanly, teeth gleaming in the dark "It's a city cat trait."
Wildeyes huffed, but didn't argue the point "Wake up who you need and go, as trust worthy as Hecate has proved, I still don't want to rely on her as our sole source of information."
Sandclaw nodded and bounded away into the shrouded dark to wake up his scouts.

[Lacuna]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Lacuna
Clan Thread: Elden Glaring
Prompt Writing:

Autumn considered how Hecate was small in stature, and how she was in turn lacking in experience. Even though she had been leader for over a year now, and had survived the incursion the previous summer, there was still a lot for her to learn. At least one of them could grow, but maybe both if Hecate was truly offering assistance. She shook out her fur and looked out from under her den's overhang, observing the cool night and the light of the moon that ensured she could see her whole clan where they were meant to be. It was comforting, and she made eye contact with Briar, who had been keeping watch, and looked relaxed. She was glad someone had her back in case this meeting turned out to be another ruse.

After her check of the area and a flick of her ear to make sure no unusual sounds permeated her camp, Autumn finally voiced her thoughts. "Danger can be many things. We have not faced much since what you wrought, and if I look at the horizon I do not see any, if you keep your word. You know I don't hold much stock in the words of ancestors. You claim to listen to mine, but I do not know and cannot name them, so why do they reach out? I trust only the brother of my adviser, who does not speak to you." Autumn looked into Hecate's eyes. "But you also know i am fair, and will hear you."

Hecate nodded, seemingly thankful for Autumn's acquiescence, and said, "The prophecy is as follows: Bright nights are coming."

Autumn considered how immediate the prophecy might be, looking out again at the moon-washed clearing. But the trees just continued to sway gently, and the few clouds looked soft and innocent. There were not enough cats in the area that another clan could threaten them, so if danger was coming for both Hecate's clan and Elden Glaring, she expected a natural disaster. It could also be humans, though, she reasoned to herself. There had been more of them lately, "hiking" through the woods and "camping" in unnatural dens. One had even tried to pet Chess, clearly having no self-preservation. Even unintentionally, they might threaten the cats.

"Well, thank you. i will speak to my clan tomorrow. I remember our treaty... if there is anything I learn I will send a messenger." Hecate thankfully saw her dismissal. Knowing there wasn't anything she could do in that moment, Autumn went back to sleep.

[ 422 words ]