Laetificat wrote:Darkpaw
He stood atop a hill, his fur plastered down with thick globs of mud. It was questionable if anyone would even recognize him as he was, but Darkpaw hardly seemed to realize that. His mind was too focused on finding someone - anyone really, that had survived the storm. He was colder and hungrier than he had ever been before, having only managed to find a soggy mouse a few days prior, drowned by the storm. Darkpaw had searched between his restless naps and fruitless hunts for any of his clanmates, but had only found the lifeless bodies of Pebblestep and Stonekit, the warrior still holding his kit tightly in his jaws. It had been terrifying to see such a strong warrior crumpled up and discarded like a wet scrap of fur, but even more so to see that the storm had not even spared the young life of a kit.
Once he had gotten past his initial terror, Darkpaw had groomed them and sat vigil for them, spending the rest of the day digging in the mud so that he could bury them. That had been yesterday. An abrupt cry in the distance caught his attention and he quickly hurried down the slope, the ground squelching around his paws. Perhaps it was a bird, or maybe even a clanmate. Either way, he ran towards where he believed the sound had come from, though he saw no sign of what made it. βHello? Is anyone there?β he called out. Darkpaw tried wiping off some of the mud obscuring his face so that he could see a bit better, but only managed to smear it more. Reedpaw too was covered in mud, and as such, Darkpaw failed to spot the other tom.
Grassleap
Grassleap frowned as her clanmates bickered in front of her. There was really no reason for them to be arguing, but tensions were still high after they had reunited and clanmates remained missing. Her mate was one of the missing cats, though Grassleap was confident he would be fine. It certainly was comforting to see that Shatteredmoon had survived. Even if they werenβt mates anymore, she still regarded him as a close friend. Watching as patrols were organized, Grassleap got to her paws. No one beside her mate and the two medicine cats knew that she was pregnant yet, but she was determined to help as long as possible, especially after all that had happened. βFoxpond, what can I do to help? I can go hunting or look for survivors if you want? Or should I get started on building shelter for everyone?β
Dust Bunny (Dusty)
She looked up in surprise as another cat talked to her, and unable to turn around and see who it was, believed it to be her mother. Dusty was carefully extracted from the mud and nearly cried out in relief as she was freed. Now her and her mother could go home to their warm den and lay on the soft nest that their twolegs gave them. She was carried away from the mud and set down, purring as she was groomed and her pelt freed from the icky mud. Already she could feel herself beginning to warm up and the scent of milk quickly lured her in and she began eagerly nursing. The only thing missing now was her siblings wriggling beside her, though she didnβt think much of it. It wasnβt until her belly was full for the first time in days that she noticed that it was in fact not her mother. Dusty blinked in confusion. βWho are you?β she asked, clearly not afraid but still unsure.
Wolfheart
His paws ached from having been searching all night and into the day, but he refused to give up now. There were still clanmates missing. Lagoonstar was one of them. Wolfheart shook himself, uncaring of the mud clumping up his paws and belly fur. He couldnβt just stop now when his clan was still so fragmented and missing so many. Cloudsniffle would have a fit for sure when he saw him. Pushing himself onward, he noticed movement in the distance and quickly lifted his head to scent the air. They were cats, though their scent was too obscured to tell much. Likely from the mud and water clinging to everything. Wolfheart ignored his aching muscles and sprang forward, running towards them as only countless moons of running through the territory kept him on his paws as he splashed through puddles of water and slippery mud alike. He slowed to a stop in front of two loners and felt disappointment wash through him as he stared at them, panting at the exertion. These two scrawny cats certainly werenβt his clanmates. βThis is Slateclan territory, though the rain likely washed the markers away,β he said after catching his breath. βAre you lost?β Wolfheart sat down, trying to will his limbs to stop shaking. It had only been a little run, yet the sickness still lingered after all these moons. He could only hope that it didnβt return this leaf-bare or else he may not live to see newleaf.