Rise Summer Event: Dark Skies

[/nyx.]

Writing Prompt!
Username: bmkmb
Clan Thread: SeaClan
Prompt Writing:
Chriafol watched as the two den-invaders left his den. How did they even get in there without waking him up? He wasn't exactly a light sleeper, but he wasn't that deep, either. He sighed. And he probably wouldn't be dozing off anytime soon with that information curled up in his head. Well, since he couldn't change the past and being woken up in the middle of the night now seemed to be a common occurrence, all in all, he didn't mind the invasion as much as he probably should have.

The leader laid back down and closed his eyes. He should at least try to get some rest. But dangerous thoughts kept flying through his mind. What was this 'great danger' supposed to be? The rogues had been more active than usual. Was that it? Were rogues going to try to reclaim the land? And if that wasn't it, hadn't the lake seemed restless today? Was it a sign for a flood? Or maybe it was something new altogether?

The Guardians, unlike StarClan, were not the types of ancestors who usually kept information to themselves. They always prided themselves on being close with SeaClan instead of keeping their distance, hence the Day of the Guardians' Wings. Why had they not warned him, Jayclaw, or Meadowsky? Did they not know of the danger, either? Were they not trying to worry them by first double-checking if everything was really safe? Maybe the stars were refusing to obey them.

Chriafol growled in frustration. Maybe, maybe, maybe. He hated it when this happened, when he didn't know how to keep his clan safe. What had the previous leader been thinking, making him leader at eighteen moons of age? Surely there was a better choice at the time. But no. He and his mousebrained, irresistible ego.

Eventually, Chriafol got up and left his den. He wouldn't be getting any sleep like this and there was much work for him to do. It would only be a few more hours until dawn, anyways, so he could get a day's head start. He let his eyes rest as he scaled the small cliff to get to his favorite part of the camp. Yes, he would need to call a meeting with his advisers later this day. Maybe they knew something or what to do. No matter what, this news could not get out of the inner circle. They didn't need false gossip to spread about. The refugees were just starting to settle in and he wanted them to feel welcome. Wait, the refugees! He knew it was wild speculation, but what if they weren't refugees at all? Was the 'great danger' related to them? He needed to ask their leader about that, also. Whatever it was, he knew they could defeat it. They had to. Or else SeaClan might be doomed.
[474/600]

[denja]

Writing Prompt!
username: denja
clan thread: fickleclan

yarrowstar had awoken to the light commotion on ron'ae's deep bark, a warning, as the two strangers made their way into her den. eyes thick with sleep, she rose to her feet as steadily as her tired frame would allow her. thus far, the group of cats had not returned and were actively sticking to the decisions they made in their past... situation. why would this change now? the thought curdled in her stomach, especially when she noticed the disgruntled and somewhat disturbed faces of the two cats in front of her.
hecate, of course, she remembered in fondness, in a strange way. such a young cat with great power and authority, albeit with lack of control when it comes to her own impulses. the other made her draw her lip slightly. ah. the.. oracle, was it? yarrowstar ponded, trying to keep her features as neutral as possible. judging by the oracle's matching demeanor, she made a mental note to try to mask her distaste better next time. surprised he's still kicking. behind the cats, stood ron'ae, a solid weight of a very angry dog. with a quick dismissive not from yarrowstar, her clear agitation froze. safe? ron'ae asked, mentally. safe. yarrow responded with no words. what damage could these two cats surely do?

her internal monologue fell short at the oracle's warning. a dark, forboding feeling fell over the cats. this is just what we need right now. yarrowstar's tail flicked back and forth in immediate frustration. what more could be thrown at us this time?
"my healer hasn't had any word of such a thing," she said in a steady tone, eyebrow raised in question. as much as she tried not to sound overly suspicious, she had a familiar feeling that she had failed. even so, the short molly in front of her remained tense.
yarrow listened to hecate's words carefully. she hummed in agreement, raising her head.
"and i commend you for that, you have my thanks." she mewed in response to hecate's explaination. it was genuine thanks she gave.
"i did not mean to offend." yarrowstar finished, huffing lightly.
this was going to be a long night.

yarrow looked over hecate and oracle's shoulders, catching ron'ae's intent eyes. she did not mean to intrude - her protective nature from heart. she was concerned. "ron'ae, wake aspenstream and fawnheart."
with no hesitation, the large canine moved off to do so.
hell, if she was going to be up at this hour, they may as well be too.
"what is the issue here?"

[424 words]

Art Prompt!

[wolfpack12]

Writing Prompt!
Username: wolfpack12
Clan Thread: Crescentclan
Prompt Writing:

To say that Dawnstar was surprised to find herself coming face to face with Hecate once more would have been an understatement.

" Hecate? Oracle?", she asked. Her voice barely above a whisper and heavy with sleep. Her green eyes struggling to stay open as she stared at the two unexpected visitors in tired confusion. Surely, she was dreaming. There was no way these two rogues could have gotten past her camp's sentries.

And yet. Here they stood. Just as real as the ground that lay beneath her.

She didn't know whether to feel impressed or annoyed.

Before the tortoiseshell could even form a single sentence, she found herself listening to Oracle's words. At the mere mention of danger, the she-cat was already rising to her paws. All thoughts of sleep were long since forgotten, as she fixed her sharp green gaze on the two intruders. If that was what she could even call them. The truth is, Dawnstar didn't even know where she stood within the frail relationship she had with Hecate and her group.

But that didn't mean she doesn't care for them.

What could possible be threatening both of our groups?, she thought. Her first thought went to her clan's little rogue problem. Maybe those who had been constantly attacking and harassing her clan, were about to turn their sights onto Hecate's group next?. It seemed plausible, but unlikely. The rogues who had been harassing them were far and few between, not to mention cowardly.

Her next guess was her clan's river, which had started to become more and more flooded with each passing day. She wasn't quite sure on how Hecate's group would react to a flooded valley, but she wasn't keen on finding out. Especially with the recent increase in storms lately.

Her green gaze then lifted up towards the night sky beyond her late nigh visitors. An involuntary shiver ran down her back as another thought came to mind. Her father had told her about it once, when she had still been a kit. About how the stars in the sky suddenly came crashing down to earth, leaving nothing but charred holes in the earth's surface. Maybe that was what the great danger was, as crazy as it sounded. She hoped she was wrong with that one. She really did.

Whatever it was, Dawnstar had a feeling it wasn't going to be incredibly pleasant.

Which brought her back to her current situation. While she did appreciate Hecate and Oracle coming to her, she didn't like the idea of being left alone with the two. Especially at a time when she is at her most vulnerable. Don't get her wrong, she appreciated Hecate's kind gesture. Especially after everything the two of them went through to find peace between their two groups. But she just simply wished that the she-cat had at least waited till daylight to talk to her.

In fact, all of her instincts were practically screaming at her to move into a defensive position. To not let her guard down around those who had once threatened to wage war on her clan. But she didn't move. Instead she forced herself to remain eerily still and calm. All while a small part of her was telling her to trust Hecate and Oracle.

She didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit. But if their truce was to continue, she had to meet Hecate half way. With a deep breath, Dawnstar met the she-cat's gaze once more. She'll share whatever she hears with Leopardclaw and Mistflight in the morning.

" Fine, let's hear it"

[598/600]

[sforzando.]

Writing Prompt!
Username: vos.
Clan Thread: snowclan (link is in signature, I don't have it right now since I'm on mobile, I will edit the link in later)
Prompt Writing: apologies for dumb spelling errors, i did all of this on mobile

He snapped awake, finding himself in his den still. It was pitch black, but in the darkness he could feel the soft coat of his mate Rosesplash curled up against him, keeping him warm. Her belly moved with each slow breath, trying to lure him back to sleep.

But he couldn't.

Out of the darkness, he could feel eyes. Burning into his coat. He looked behind him, found darkness, and flipped his head to look ahead again.

Yellow eyes glowed in the dark, and Coldstar jumped.
"Who's there?"

They got closer, and with each step, brightened into full view. But their coats were not of any SnowClan cat.

Coldstar bared his fangs, his fur bristling warningly. "Who are you? How did you find us?"

There were no cats in this territory besides the Clan cats.

"Your aggressive posture does not scare us. You're still dreaming. You cannot harm us." It was a calm, male voice, almost monotone. No emotion.

"Why do you suppose Rosesplash hasn't awoken to your voice?" the other asked. It was a female voice this time. He could see her multicolor coat shining, which was odd as there was almost no light in the den.

"How do you know her name?"

"We know all, Coldstar, including what is to come."

"I have heard nothing from our medicine cat. She is the one who gets to know what is to come."

"Your ancestors seldom speak to me, but they have let me know that there is a great danger that will befall both your Clan and our own group."

Coldstar gave a mocking scoff. "Unless you're a medicine cat, I have nothing to hear from you. StarClan doesn't talk to anyone but her."

"Do you wish to hear the prophecy they gave us or debate the mechanisms behind it?"

He decided to let the cat entertain him. "What is it I need to see?"

The multicolor she-cat turned around and gestured for him to follow with a flick of her ear, and he carefully peeled himself from Rosesplash, then looked back at her dark body. He still laid next to her.

But how could that be? He was staring at himself through his own eyes.

"You're dreaming, tom," the she-cat reminded, and he looked back at her before following. The tom followed behind, at least until the entrance, where the she-cat sat down and the tom sat beside her, leaving a gap for Coldstar, who reluctantly joined them.

Outside was bright and shiny, and had he not gotten a look at his two companions before, he could see them clearly now.

It started snowing. Recognizable Clan cats were emerging from their dens and starting to do daily tasks. This was what the Clan looked like every day.

"This is my Clan, yes. You didn't have to show me that," he said, impatience lining his voice.

"Wait," the she-cat snapped, and he was quiet.
The snow grew thicker. Thicker and thicker, until he almost couldn't see without squinting.

It went dark and gray with the amount of snow falling, although he noted the snow on the ground wasn't collecting.

Then the winds picked up. They grew in speed faster than the snow did, and although he couldn't feel it himself, he could hear cats yowling for help. This was a blizzard worse than any other. All of the cats had lived though blizzards, but never once had one been so bad cats were dying without him even seeing them.
His mouth went dry.

"We've had blizzards before," he said, trying to stay strong. "How could this be any different?"

But his two companions were gone, leaving him to stare into the blizzard alone, until Rosesplash forced him awake. Back into the real world. Out of his dreams.

[dimi.]

Writing Prompt!

Username: Dimi.
Clan Thread: Silvercrest Roamers

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Prompt Writing: 590 words.

The sun had began to retreat beneath the horizons, oranges and purples tossed across the sky in beautiful, but unpredictable patterns. The clouds, however, clashed with this vibrant sky, each cloud a dark gray and looming over the mountains. Dove, a chocolate pointed she-cat stood beside Junior, a fawn sepia with piercing eyes. They had finished listening to Hecate's words, and after exchanging a glance, declared they needed some time to discuss these manners before deciding on a course of action.

The pair of leaders, Dove and Junior, then retreated to the back of the cavern, their silhouettes hidden by the darkness. Hecate and Oracle had been ordered to exit the den momentarily, escorted by the older warriors Hemlock and Maverick. Once they were out of ear shot, the fawn tom turned his head in Dove's direction, studying her gaze before breaking the silence.

"What do you make of all of this, Dove?" Junior began. He was meant with an unrelenting silence, his ears pinning back as he sipped in some air. "...Do you really even believe her? I heard she caused trouble for Amberstar many moons ago. You would be better off just sending her away." As he spoke, his eyes began to narrow, laced with suspicion and equal annoyance.

Dove remained silent for a moment, taking in a deep breath before looking away, furrowing her brows. Her front right paw tapped against the ground anxiously, her blue eyes darting object to object as she struggled to form words. Her eyes then lit up, her gaze meeting his once more.

"No. They have stayed out of our territory since Amber's time. I have no choice but to take this.. prophecy seriously." Dove explained to the tom, who simply rolled his eyes. "Defying the stars died alongside the rule of Oren and Mercury. I will not return to their harsh mentalities." Junior nodded his head sympathetically, but then continued on in a harsh tone.

"You avoided my question. What do you make of this prophecy? What could be so grand, so dangerous, that it can affect both of our packs?"

Dove eyed Junior for a moment before signing softly. "You're right. It's a huge threat if it can take down all of us and then some. Frankly, I'm more worried about my own pack. My loyalties lay here. The pact, in my eyes, was made by Amberstar when she was still in her youth, and it was foolish. However, I do have an.. Idea, as to what the threat may be."

"Let's hear it, then. I'm as clueless as a kittypet with no food in their dish." Junior spat, receiving a brief moment of laughter from Dove.

"Have you ever heard of an earthquake? It's basically when the ground shakes aggressively. What if that knocks our mountain off balance? It sounds crazy, but according to Carys, they can get very powerful." Dove closed her eyes, picturing the scenario briefly before waking herself with a shudder.

"You're crazy! The entire earth shaking? But... The concerns about the mountain are right. Should we retreat into the forest a season early?" Junior asked slowly. "Wait.. No. That wouldn't make sense. How would Hecate's pack be affected?"

"I do not know. But we will need to move our clan out of the mountains and closer to Hecate's pack for the duration of this crisis. An earthquake would really be the only way to affect us this season." Dove rose to her paws, moving towards the cave entrance. "Come, Junior. We have much to do."

Art Prompt!
Username: Dimi.
Clan Thread: Silvercrest Roamers

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Prompt Art: Attached , tell me if you can't see it.

[Cinxer]

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

[Saltkinq]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Saltkinq
Clan Thread: The Clan of the Palms
Prompt Writing: Prompt 1

[Elliad.]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Elliad.
Clan Thread: Thornclan
Prompt Writing:

The darkness of the leader’s den cast shadows across the cave as Thistlestar watched the leader of the rogues cautiously. He didn’t forget the trouble they caused, but the group weren’t the worst to affect the clan, especially not recently. The light pattering of the rain ruined that echoed through the cave.

Thistlestar pulled himself up from his bed of fur and moss, careful not to disturb the cats that were resting against him. He stepped over the she-cat lying to his other side, trying to get closer to the empty space so he could begin pacing as his mind starting whirling through thoughts over what the ancestors were warning them for. The clan had faced great danger before, but they were only just recovering from the wreckage that was Stormchaser and Duskstar’s betrayal; they couldn’t handle another war, not yet. ‘they aren’t warning them of their return, right?’ was the first thought that went through Thistlestar’s head. While that thought remained, Duskstar’s rogues had been laying low so it was lower on the list of possibilities, especially since the rogues have no vendetta against Hecate’s group and wouldn’t waste their time on a pointless endeavour.

As the storm continued overhead, Thistlestar’s ears pricked. ‘Was it to do with the storm that was raising hell across the territory?’ Thistlestar let out a low sigh. ‘The water levels have been getting higher… maybe that was the cause? But then, why wouldn’t our ancestors tell our medicine cats – or at least Cherrycrest, since the ancestors barely talk to Bluemoon on the best of days.’

Thistlestar stopped pacing for a second to let his thoughts slow down as he felt his head filling with the ‘what ifs’. The tom looked at his family that were still asleep, before looking at the two rogues in his den. He hadn’t even had a moment to stop and think about how the two had even gotten into his den as he looked at the two warriors that were sat outside guarding the entrance to his den, but he noticed that the tom outside was asleep. Thistlestar took note of that to talk about tomorrow with the sleeping warrior and his duties. There were warriors posted throughout every entrance to the camp. “How…no wait, I don’t want to know,” he mutters as he continues pacing.

The tom’s thoughts sped up as the ‘what if’s returned. ‘what if there is a sickness to come? Another rogue group? A rockslide?’ The longer that Thistlestar thought about the possibilities, the worse the thoughts become, sounding less realistic by the second. So, Thistlestar stopped pacing, turning towards Hecate, flicking his tail against the ground as he nervously waited for the she-cat to continue.

[440 Words]

[Firedancer77]

Writing Prompt!
Username: Firedancer77
Clan Thread: Underclan
Prompt Writing:

Raggedstar was not fond of being awoken in the night, especially by a rogue group leader and her ancestor. He was often running himself ragged - no pun intended - with his own small clan. In fact, he had been reluctant to even allow them to stay nearby. If the clan was bigger, he might have decided to fight back against Hecate and her group, but as it stood they simply didn't have the forces.

There weren't many things the rogue could have been told about that would affect Underclan, were there? They were small enough not to have any scuffles in terms of clan positions, beliefs, or traditions. They hadn't made any enemies; the only group that came close to qualifying under that was Hecate's, and her group was the only one - to their knowledge - to know of the entrance to their camp. In all honesty, the only concern Underclan could really suffer from right now was a Deep Shake, something he'd never experienced himself and only heard legends of in his old clan, or a flood-

That's when his heart stopped cold. Floods were dangerous; if an apprentice were to take their warrior test during such a time, they were at risk of dying when the tunnels filled. And those tunnels were some of the lower down ones. If it were a particularly bad flood...

"What was this warning of?" Raggedstar asked, doing his best to keep a straight face as he spoke. "And how could it possibly apply to us?" It sounded cocky, but it was his defense.

He didn't want Hecate to know just how troubled he was. A flood was one of the few things that could affect Underclan; a particularly harsh one could devastate it. Raggedstar wasn't even sure where he'd take his clan if something like that happened. So far, he had been praying to Starclan that it wouldn't.

Oh Starclan, please don't let that be the case. How was he supposed to keep every cat safe if that happened? How would they survive? Would the tunnels even be stable enough to handle that amount of rain? You lead us here. Why, if something like this would happen? I have no way to protect my clanmates from this!

How was he meant to be a capable leader for this clan if he didn't even know what to do in this scenario?

Remain calm. He couldn't show weakness in front of Hecate. Yes, she may be helpful right now, but Raggedstar was still apprehensive. The clan would suffer greatly if she and her rogues launched a full-scale attack to lay claim to their territory instead of having to coincide with the clan cats.

[ 452 words ]

[chaotic creativity]

Writing Prompt!
username ;; sharpiesandhamilton
clan ;; wolverineclan
prompt ;;
— adderstar groaned, narrowing her eyes at the small she-cat. "you better get your tail out of here before i claw your eyes out!" she spat, teeth glinting in the pale moonlight that glittered throughout the cave. her claws extended out as far as they could go, and adderstar hoped she looked menacing. her fluffed her fur out to make her look like twice her size, but slowly laid her fur back as hecate and the oracle explained their presence. "i guess you don't have to leave just yet," adderstar grumbled the wheels in her head already spinning as she thought of what might be the danger. it could be anything! oh stupid starclan! why can they never speak clearly?! ugh!
adderstar drew her paws over her ears, hoping the motion would spark any idea in her brain. the cold reached down to her bones, so she pulled the hare pelt from her nest and draped it over her shoulders in the way cavernshadow had taught the clan. "rogues? bears? wolverines would be ironic, but i wouldn't put it past starclan to push them in the right direction," hecate murmured, her thick pelt keeping her warm. the oracle shivered, and adderstar begrudgingly helped him drape another hare pelt across his back. "cavernshadow sure is a clever tom. i might like to speak with him, if you know what i mean," hecate chuckled, mischief sparking in her eyes as she glanced across the blizzard priestess's burrow.
"stay away from my toms," adderstar mewed, her motherly instincts kicking in. cavernshadow and igneousember may be her only current clanmates, but they were like brothers to her. she would protect them until her dying breath. the toms were below ground in the sleet burrow, probably heaped on top of each other to keep warm. "until starclan sends you a clearer message, may you kindly get away from my clan? we can protect ourselves," adderstar growled, finally gathering the courage to tell the two to go away. trouble followed hecate like flies to a carcass, and adderstar was having a hard enough time gathering members.
"i think we'll stay awhile," hecate yawned and slowly tucked her nose under her paws. the oracle glanced at adderstar, an apology filling his eyes as he mimicked hecate. adderstar threw back her head and yowled in frustration. igneousember leaped into the burrow, the fur along his spine already in the air as he searched for danger. he pulled his back up into an arch and hissed at hecate, but adderstar silenced him.
"go back to sleep. we'll deal with this in the morning when the sun comes out to warm our pelts," adderstar grumbled, clearly upset with how the rogues had settled right in. "starclan will never head the end of this," adderstar swore under her breath, crawling back into her nest and pulling the hare pelt over her flank. she slept with one eye open, not fully trusting the duo who were asleep mere tail-lengths from her muzzle.
(501 words)