by Laetificat » Wed Jan 30, 2019 5:28 am
Darkpaw
He rushed towards the sound, but by the time he had pinpointed the exact location, Reedpaw was hardly breathing. βNo!β Darkpaw cried out, tugging frantically at the older tomβs scruff to drag him to a drier patch of grass. It took a while and by the time the ground was no longer sucking his paws into it, Reedpaw had fallen still. βStarclan, please, donβt let me be alone...β he sobbed, burying his face into the other tomβs pelt. Darkpaw scarcely knew what to do. Cloudsniffle had only covered basic life-saving tricks before the storm, and whatever had caused Reedpawβs death was beyond his minuscule knowledge. A cold chill swept through him as he numbly fell to the ground. This was the third dead clanmate now. Hope that the rest of his clan had survived quickly began to fade. How was it possible that anyone had survived something so terrible? After a hesitant moment, he began cleaning the other tomβs pelt. The earthy taste in his mouth hardly bothered him - it had been in his mouth for days.
A long while later, Darkpaw looked up wearily as a foul smell hit his nose. Vultures were landing nearby, attracted by the smell of his recently deceased clanmate. Reedpaw had only just been cleaned of the mud gunking his pelt. Letting out an anguished battle cry, the medicine cat apprentice charged forward, sending the birds fluttering into the air. They flew over him, landing around Reedpawβs body. βLeave him alone!β he shouted, turning around and charging the vultures again. A few turned with an irritated squawk and stabbed at him with their beaks, tearing open fresh wounds. Seeing that the only option would be to die defending his already dead clanmate, Darkpaw jerkingly backed away before turning tail and fleeing. All he wanted was to be in the warm safety of his nest with Cloudsniffle snoring loudly in his sleep beside him, Lightpaw and their mother safe in their own dens across the clearing.
Grassleap
Baffled by Foxpondβs words and actions, she stood and stared in confusion as he raced out of the clearing. Perhaps she could instead plan the layout of camp while the patrol sent out earlier collected materials. Ignoring the hunger gnawing at her slowly growing belly - it hardly seemed to have grown any, if at all due to the lack of prey that had been caught recently. Nearly everything appeared to have fled or died in the storm, and Grassleap was reluctant to admit she had eaten crowfood at one point to stave off her hunger. This storm had robbed them of their home, their food, and their clanmates. The only thing that would be worse would be if Smallsky and Shatteredmoon had died, though she was worried over where her mate had been swept off to. He had to have survived though. Their kits deserved to know their father and grow up in a safe, loving clan. She shook her pelt out and began padding around, scanning the clearing for the signs of what could make a good den.
Dust Bunny (Dusty)
She nestled into the queenβs side, exhausted beyond belief. After so long without food or a safe place to rest, it was relieving to finally have both. βMy momma calls me Dusty...β the kit yawned widely, already halfway off to sleep. βI donβt know where she is. A big tree fell and I couldnβt find her. I think it fell on our nest.β Dusty didnβt seem too concerned about that as death wasnβt a concept for her considering she had been pampered all her very short life. For all she knew, her mother was asleep or had gone exploring like her. She began to drift off to sleep, unable to stay awake much longer. A new voice began talking and she murmured uncomfortably, pressing herself closer to Brackenfoot.
Wolfheart
His ears perked in interest as he learned they likely werenβt near their own home. Wolfheart ignored the jab at his condition - heβd heard far worse before. βIβm fine,β he said, dipping his head in thanks for the tomβs concern. βJust not as young as I would like.β Wolfheart forced himself to his paws, willing his limbs to cooperate. Since they were lost, he would have taken them back to camp to see if Lagoonstar would be willing to possibly send a patrol out to help them find their home, or at least point them in the right direction. The old tom forced himself to remember he was no longer deputy, and his best friend and leader was still missing after the storm. Not to mention how vulnerable his clan was after the storm and they would not take kindly to strangers, especially ones interested in staying longer than a few moments. Shelter and prey was scarce enough and few would be willing to give up what few dry spots they had found for loners. βWhere do you live? Iβve ventured outside of the territory before. I might be able to point you in the right direction.β
Quickclaw
He lay on the damp ground, tail lashing as he watched Foxpond be as much of a failure that a deputy could be. Had he been able to stand, he wouldβve done more than given him the βgentleβ tongue-lashing that Thistlepaw had given him. His claws itched to rake across the pompous tomβs face and teach him some humility, but Foxpond fled camp and Quickclaw was left to stew in his irritation. By some miracle he had managed to reunite with his clanmates, though the storm had left him barely capable of walking. A deep pit of mud had wrenched one of his paws when he had tried fleeing with the rest of his clan and had he been in any worse pain, heβd have believed his paw to be broken. A low grumbling growl left him. He itched to be back on his paws. Being confined to camp had no benefits, especially not now when he was left to lay on the waterlogged grass. Quickclaw shifted uncomfortably, hissing softly in pain as his sensitive paw brushed over the ground.
