Rise Summer Event: Dark Skies | Path 2

[Shadowflight13]

Summer Event ‡ Archive ‡ Store

Answer writing prompts and drawing prompts for a chance to gain reputation points, which can be put to use buying fun items from our store.

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Each writing prompt you finish you will earn reputation points! For writing prompts to count they must answer the prompt in a relevant way and be between 400 and 600 words.

Completed writing prompt = 5 reputation points


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Drawing prompts are an extra way to earn reputation points. They are not necessary for participating in the event, but they're an extra challenge and something you are able to do throughout the whole event.

Finished, colored piece (fullbody) = 4 reputation points {X}
Finished piece PLUS partial background = 5 reputation points {X} (1-3 distint and unique objects.)
Finished piece PLUS full background = 7 reputation points {X} (4+ distint and unique objects.)

As per last year, objects will be counted in threes. Each extra cat will be counted as its own object. Don't abuse the 3 similar objects like 3 trees to boost your point count by making a background of only 12 trees. Detailed ground will be counted as its own object.

Just filling the space around the cat does not count as a background.

xx

Prompt 1 Story, Prompt 2 Story, Prompt 3A Story, Prompt 3B story, Prompt 4 Story, Prompt 5 Story

[Shadowflight13]

1. All site and Rise rules apply during this event.
2. Once you choose a path you can't go back; choose wisely.
3. All prompt answers are to be submitted via their respective form on their respective thread.
4. Once a new writing prompt it opened up, you can't go back and answer a previous one. You can jump in on a current prompt even if you haven't participated in previous ones.
5. Art prompts are open for the entire event.
6. You may only answer each prompt once.
7. You aren't required to do both the art and writing prompts; do what you're able.
8. It's suggested that you post your art prompt in a separate post if you don't do the art and the writing prompt at the same time. Editing your post with previous writing prompts will likely end up with the art not counted as it will be missed. On the last day of each writing prompt, any edits after the stated end time will disqualify your writing prompt in that post (at the time of judging).

[Shadowflight13]

»»———— • ————««

Hecate sits taller as you agree to hear what she has to say, seemingly relieved. Whatever news they bring, it must be serious if she is so clearly telegraphing her unease. She sends another look back to The Oracle, but he merely blinks at her, apparently as unforthcoming as always with information. Rolling her eyes she turns back to you, the twitch of her tail tip betraying her nervousness. "I repeat only what they told us. It is not my place to tell you what it means."

She seems adamant that you understand this, and after a moment you dip your head in agreement.

The she-cat assesses you briefly, before nodding in return. "Very well."

"A terror you have yet to face
takes the due it thinks owed.

Darkness shrouds your given place
as cats fall to the unknown.

The world crumbles at your paws
as pestilence roams the land.

Two become one is the price it bids
if you so wish to make your stand."

Hecate finishes with a searching look, clearly trying to gauge your reaction. You can only stare at her in shock, a mix of confusion and horror making your head spin. Pestilence roaming the land? Your clan had faced sickness before, as all did, and it was an enemy much more deadly than any war. An outbreak of greencough could decimate an unprepared clan. But you had never been warned of those. If this warranted intervention it must be so much worse. After many long moments, you can only get out, "This is all they said?"

The she-cat in front of you offers a sympathetic look, seemingly understanding of your predicament. Perhaps she is if she had known about this before you. "I won't tell you what to do with it or attempt to unravel their riddles. But," here she pauses, gaze locking with yours, and you can tell she means what she says next, "I would be blind to pretend I did not know what was meant by 'two become one'. As I said, I won't force your paw. Talk to your advisors, your healers. Perhaps they will receive their own message soon." She gets to her paws, shaking out her fur and flicking her tail to usher The Oracle out of your den. She turns to follow, and as she leaves, adds over her shoulder, "I'll give you two days to think before returning for my answer. I hope you make the one that keeps both our groups alive." She pairs the last words with a searing stare, and you can't help but shudder at the intensity of it.

In moments she and her star reader are gone, the only proof of their presence the lingering scent in your den and your heavy mind. You can't even begin to work out what to do with your new knowledge, and with a sinking heart realize you'll likely not be getting back to sleep tonight. You and your advisors will have much to speak about in the morning.

»»———— • ————««

Prompt 2: How does your leader interpret the riddle? Who do they trust to ask for advice? This should be a personalized response about how your leader is feeling and what they are thinking.

Art Prompt 2: Draw your interpretation of the dream that went with this riddle. Whether you draw the ancestors giving the message or the imagery that appeared alongside it is up to you.

Hecate | Oracle

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End Date: This writing prompt closes at 11:59 pm EST on the 8th. The art prompt does not close.

Code: Select all

[b]Writing Prompt![/b]
Username:
Clan Thread:
Prompt Writing:

Code: Select all

[b]Art Prompt![/b]
Username:
Clan Thread:
Prompt Art:

[Cinxer]

Writing Prompt!
Username: babypizza
Clan Thread: oakclan
Prompt Writing:

[EchoVoyd]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Faededfyre
Clan Thread: GoopClan
Prompt Writing:

Fernstar blinked her eyes open, her fur standing on end. The words of the prophecy the rogues delivered to her bounced around her skull. “...takes the due it thinks owed… ...cats fall to the unknown… ...the world crumbles… ...pestilence… ...two become one…” The echoey voices hissed, repeating those phrases over and over, increasing and decreasing in volume as if it were moving round her head, filling her head with the warning. She tried to drown it out with happy thoughts, her clan was perfect. Her clan was fine. The voice grew louder, angrier, “...cats… ...pestilence…” She whimpered, curling into a tight wall as the world around her darkened. There was nothing to worry about. Her clan is fine. Everything is fine. In one last attempt, the voice seemed to scream, “...the world crumbles at your paws…”

Fernstar woke up screaming, her eyes wide with fear. Seeing the pale light of dawn filtering in through the entrance to her den, she calmed down and took a glance at her surroundings. Her nest was a mess. A complete and utter mess, as were her paws. She sighed, hauling herself to her feet with the prophecy etched firmly into her mind. She knew she had to speak to her healers and commander, Lilywhisper, Hollypaw, and Stormrunner. She silently padded out of her den, flattening her fearful fur. A quick glance around the camp later and she slipped into the deputy’s den to wake her faithful second in command.

She prodded his pale blue-grey side gently. “Stormrunner, Stormrunner…” She mewed quietly, watching as her commander stirred awake. “I’ll give you time to wake up, but meet me in my den soon.” After his tired nod in response, she slipped back into the camp and over to the healer hole. Both Lilywhisper and her apprentice, Hollypaw, were awake. As usual. “Lilywhisper, Hollypaw, I need to speak with you in my den as soon as possible,” she mewed. Without even waiting for a response, she left the den, heading back to her own.

It didn’t take long, soon the trio she summoned had arrived in her den, though Stormrunner still looked tired. “There’s no time to waste on formalities, time is of the essence right now. The rogues, Hecate and Oracle, visited my dreams. They spoke of a prophecy and the prophecy spoke of pestilence…” She mewed, glancing at their confused gazes. She quickly repeated the prophecy word for word to fill them in. “I… I believe the cause will be Sneezeroach. What other plague carriers do we have in the clan? He’s a wonderful cat but he must be watched over the coming days. At least until we understand more. Stormrunner, please keep him on patrols with his sister and her apprentice. Cats he won’t be suspicious of. Lilywhisper, Hollypaw, you better increase your stores,” She meowed, running through steps to prevent a tragedy in her head.

With respectful nods, her healers and commander turned and left her den. It was time to be cautious, but oh did she not want to be alone.

[509 words]

[/nyx.]

Writing Prompt!
Username: bmkmb
Clan Thread: SeaClan
Prompt Writing:
aaaaa"A terror you have yet to face takes the due it thinks owed. Darkness shrouds your given place as cats fall to the unknown. The world crumbles at your paws as pestilence roams the land. Two become one is the price it bids if you so wish to make your stand." Though Hectate and the Oracle have already left, the words seem to have implanted into his brain. Chriafol sighs. Why couldn't SeaClan just have peace? And again, now he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. Too bad. At this rate, he'd be too tired to do anything.
aaaaaChriafol wasn't particularly concerned about the prophecy. SeaClan hard existed long enough, what could a little warning do now? Besides, they had faced worse before.
aaaaaThe leader growls quietly to himself. Mouse-brained Hectate and her Oracle. Why did he have to come up with the answer himself? And only two days to do it, too! Well, since he's already awake, he might as well get to decoding the riddle. Riddles. Was this what it was like to live with StarClan? Now he felt bad for the other Clans. At least the Guardians were direct.
aaaaaAlright, starting with the first part. Obviously, the "terror" was something dangerous, "yet to face" meaning that it would be something new. "Cats fall to the unknown" meaning cats will die, "pestilence roams the land." So cats would die from a new, terrifying disease. And for "two becomes one" SeaClan and another would have to work together with another to find a cure.
aaaaaHe frowns. That was easier than he had thought. So, he could speak with Meadowsky later in the morning to have her on alert and call a meeting to warn the rest of the clan. Yes, that would work. And maybe their visitors would know something about it, too.
aaaaaStretching, he pads around the den. His deputy, Jayclaw, is still asleep. That's odd. He should have wakened during some point of that. Oh well. Was it bright enough yet? Stepping outside, the red-pelted tom takes a look at the sky. He's not the best at time guessing, but it should be dawn in a few more hours. So yes, he decides it's bright enough despite the pitch-black lighting in the sky. He walks back inside, then shakes Jayclaw up roughly. "Wake up, Deputy. Time to start your day. Oh, and wake up Meadowsky and Darkmoon, too."
aaaaaJayclaw mutters, "Why? What time is it?"
aaaaa"Only a few more hours to dawn. We're calling a secret meeting before everyone else wakes, too."
[421/600]

Art Prompt!
Username: bmkmb
Clan Thread: SeaClan
Prompt Art: Not exactly sure if this counts, but

[NightWolf950]

Writing Prompt!
Username: NightWolf950
Clan Thread: WolfClan
Prompt Writing:

Left alone once again, Wolfstar sat in his empty den, a lost look on the gray tabby's face. With a heavy sigh, he gave his head a shake before rising to his paws. Of course StarClan had to peak in riddles, they could never just get to the point could they. Hecate's last words echoed in his ears as he exited his den. Was the fate of both groups really up to him? On one paw if he chose not to work with Hecate he could risk a war breaking out between them. On the other, if they did work together could he truly trust Hecate to keep her word and not turn on WolfClan in the end. With another frustrated sigh, Wolfstar found that his paws had carried him to the warriors' den. Standing there, the large gray tabby hesitated to enter, but knew that there was only one cat he could truly trust with his thoughts. Sparkfeather. The calico she-cat had a way with calming his emotions, but also sending his emotions into a chaotic spiral.

Wolfstar gently padded inside, carefully moving about the cats that lied sleeping in their nests. He would hate to wake them as they all had been pulling their weight and more in their normal duties. "Wolfstar?" a faint voice meowed, echoing in the silence. Freezing in his tracks, the tom looked to see Violetpetal looking up from her nest. "Is... Is everything okay?" the blue point she-cat asked. Wolfstar gave her a small smile and a nod. "Yes... I just have to speak to Sparkfeather real quick. Don't worry Violetpetal. Go back to sleep." he purred softly. Violetpetal smiled back a bit and gave a small nod before resting her head on her paws and quickly drifting off to sleep once more. Letting out a sigh of relief Wolfstar eventually found himself standing in front of Sparkfeather's body, there she lied peacefully sleeping. A wave of guilt washed over Wolfstar as he stood there questioning if he should really wake the calico she-cat or if he should just let her sleep. However knowing if she found out he had something important to tell her, but decided to wait she would indeed rip him a new one. Giving a small shake of his head, Wolfstar gently poked Sparkfeather's side. "Sparkfeather... Hey Sparkfeather wake up." Wolfstar whispered in the she-cats ears. Sparkfeather's ears twitched a few times before the sleepy she-cat lifted her head and let out a small grumble. "What?" she mumbled. Holding back a small laugh, Wolfstar smiled at her. "Come on... Let's talk outside. It's important." he meowed.

Upon waking Sparkfeather and exiting the den, the duo padded over to the highrock and sat down. "So what is it that couldn't wait till tomorrow?" Sparkfeather asked. With a very heavy sigh Wolfstar explained what Hecate and Oracle told him earlier that night. "By the sounds of it, we have to work together or we risk losing not only ourselves, but also the peace we have between us and Hecate's group. I... I don't know how to feel about this... I want to trust her, but again I have always been unsure about them. Sparkfeather... What do I do?"

Word Count: 537

[legolas the elf]

Writing Prompt!
Username: lucifer morningstar.
Clan Thread: gullclan
Prompt Writing:
snowstar let the words of the prophecy march around in his head. hecate and the oracle had already ran off somewhere, and snowstar shut his eyes tight to block out the world.

the world decided it did not want to be left out.

'so...no wolves then?'

snowstar knew heronstep was trying to be positive, but her fears were an underlying current on her word.

opening his eyes again, the leader let out a deep breath. 'i'm not going to pretend some of the meaning of that wasn't obvious.' he mewed, locking gazes with his deputy then medicine cat in return. 'pestilence...sickness then?'

greystorm and heronstep both nodded, looking at their paws.

snowstar hissed. 'but what kind? why does starclan always have to be so vague!?'.

the other two cats in the den looked at him, uncertainty sparkling in their eyes. 'i can try to speak with starclan.' heronstep suggested. 'they haven't been answering recently, but now...who knows?'

she edged out of the den when neither greystorm or snowstar said anything, and bounded off.

snowstar sat in silent contemplation for a moment. gullclan was small - too small for snowstar's liking. if sickness hit...how many would die?

and why warn the clan and the rogues? they had never been warned of greencough or the strange sickness that had hit the fish long ago. whatever the sickness was, it must have been serious for starclan to tell them about it.

and the rogues! he understood they wanted to find their leader - they wanted to find hook - but why were they still on the island when they could be running back to the mainland? unless...

'you've come up with something, haven't you?' greystorm asked snowstar, noticing the spark in his eyes.

'yes, but it's not anything positive.'

'well, some ideas are better then none, am i right?'

'not always. but i was thinking - the rogues - we - could take one of the boats back to the mainland. so why didn't the rogues go running as soon as they heard this?'

greystorm got it just as snowstar said it: 'the boat left. early.'

greystorm sucked in a breath. 'so you're thinking...the twolegs might have something to do with this? or they might know about it? and that's why they left?'

'it's my guess.' admitted snowstar, sighing. 'but we don't know for sure the boat is gone. when you take the dawn patrol out, check to see if it is still there - and if you see any castaways on our territory, make sure they know their rightful place - not in our territory.'

snowstar left the last word of his thought silent. yet.

greystorm dipped his head and touched his nose to his leader's - his mate's - cheek before hurrying out to catch up on a little rest before dawn. snowstar curled up as well.

in order to survive this, it sounds like we need the help of the rogues. i think - i think two will have to become one.

and with that, snowstar fell into an uneasy dose, the words of the prophecy circling around in his head like buzzards circling carrion.

[532 words]

[SurgeFire]

Writing Prompt!
Username: SurgeFire
Clan Thread: AsterClan
Prompt Writing:

"As pestilence roams the land."

Minkstar could hardly process these words before the resulting conversation ensued and the two left their den.
Indeed, they didn't get the sleep they wanted. Minkstar's fears kept them up through the night; his unease incredibly apparent, but limited by the fact that, well, you can't exactly just wake up your most trusted cats up in the dead of night, unless it was incredibly dire.
Well, that was their code anyway, and they were sticking to it.

No progress was made on their sleep, and they decided - perhaps a walk would do best for the nerves?
Their mind raced as they slowly walked out of their "den"; pestilence... the world crumbling on their paws? They already saw glimpses of fire at the corner of their vision in nightmares; what did the world have against their Clan? They had suffered enough with the war...

And now with a plague their Clan could completely crumble.
There had to be some way to prevent this calamity, they assured themself as they slowly padded off into the forest that surrounded their camp. Something pricked at them to watch out for the strangers - er, Hecate and the Oracle, had it? - but they knew their fears were unfounded.

Still.


"Minkstar?"
The familiar voice set a jolt of fear running down their body for a moment; and for a second, their fur stood on end.
It was only the medicine cat, Yarrowleaf.
"Are.. are you alright? You're never up this early..."

Without asking how one would know these things (oh, whatever), they explained everything.


"A pestilence? Like-- like a plague? Oh, that's..." the tom clearly was incredibly uneasy, knowing how much of a role he had to play in this.
Minkstar understood that if this amount of death were to happen... he clearly wouldn't know what to do with himself.
Minkstar gave him a reassuring look, however. "I trust you to take this and interpret it as you always do, Yarrowleaf. I trust you."
"...I don't understand why you do after all this, Minkstar. I'm just..." he dipped his head and slowed down. "...afraid."
"Don't let fear take you over. I trust you for a reason. Now, Yarrowleaf," they stopped ahead, turning back at the tom. "Calm down - now, what do you think we should do with this... information?"
"We should... stop it before it happens," he blinked slowly, trying to think. "Staying away from anything that could sicken us; stock up on herbs... and.. not be afraid of working together."
"Working together?"
"Not in our own Clan. 'Two become one' suggests something bigger than that," he stopped, looking back up at the other cat like he discovered something quite important.
"Maybe we should work together with them. The other cats; the strange group this 'Hecate' and 'Oracle' mentioned. Maybe they're the key to all this..."

Minkstar paused, and while they knew they didn't want to think it... he was right.
If they made their stand, two must become one.

[498]

[weegeestar5]

Writing Prompt!
Username: weegeestar5
Clan Thread: duskclan
Prompt Writing:
Stormstar's eyes widened. A disease? With a Clan full of kits that was...
He couldn't even consider it. His heart was beating faster then it ever had before.
Sickness took his sister. He knew that it was cruel. His mouth felt dry and his fur was fluffed up in terror.
The moonlight washed softly into the cavern den. It turned the dusty brown into a silver sheen. It was almost like they stood on the moon itself. If only that was true, then they could distance themselves from the problem that was before them. But, alas, teir paws were all firmly on earth, and so the problems they would soon face were very real.
He looked at his deputy. Peachblossom's eyes were wide and for once, she was speechless. Swiftpaw looked calm, but Stormstar knew their terror was tightly controlled - he could see it swirling in their eyes.
"A terror we have yet to face..." Stormstar murmured.
"Must be a new illness we haven't come across," Swiftpaw meowed; their voice barely controlled.
"If the world crumbles at our paws, will prey fall ill too?" Peachblossom wondered; quickly darting her gaze around.
Stormstar sighed and took in a deep breath. He had to control his emotions. He had to. For the good of the Clan.
He looked back at Swiftpaw. Though their only medicine cat, they had been mentored by StarClan themselves, and had not yet received their full name, even though their skills matched a full medicine cat's.
"What do you think we should do?" He asked.
"We can do our best to prevent it." Swiftpaw meowed, "we will have to be wary with prey, making sure it always looks healthy."
"We probably shouldn't let other cats cross our borders until the threat passes - not even our mates and friends from other Clans," Peachblossom put in, with a nod from Swiftpaw in response.
"We should probably wash in the streams as well." Swiftpaw suggested, pacing up and down as they tried to think of more ideas, "and gather a lot of herbs."
Stormstar looked at Hecate and Oracle, who's eyes were serious. Taking another deep breath, he turned to face them formerly. "I swear that we will do whatever is necessary to protect both of our groups," he meowed solemnly.
Hecate bowed her head back to him. "We, too, swear that we will do whatever is necessary to protect both of our groups." She replied; her tone serious.
Stormstar closed his eyes briefly and sat down. "Now, if only we knew what we had to do..." He murmured, mostly to himself.

[431 words]