༺ 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙡𝙮 – wc rp

[TheClockmaker]

Gullsplash
Warrior | 25 M | Male | Tags: Hopperpaw | Mentions: N/A

Gullsplash checked himself for injuries and was surprised when he saw that there were a lot of scratches all over his body. "I'm okay, I think," Gullsplash mewed hesitantly to Hopperpaw. "I can still keep going." Gullsplash still wanted to go down the cliff and hunt a little, so he has something to show to the leader. "I know a way down the cliff that isn't as dangerous, but it is also a bit far away from camp." Gullsplash decided to try to find some cobwebs at the bottom of the cliff for his scratches, then start hunting.

Snakepaw
App | 7 M | Female | Tags: Mantispaw | Mentions: Mothgaze

Jolting at the sound of a voice, Snakepaw burrowed deeper under the moss. "The mudslide is scary... Mothgaze is scary... I-I don't want to leave the den ever again!" Snakepaw mewed shakily. However, she recognized Mantispaw's voice, and resolved to poke her head out to see him. She felt safer with the gentle apprentice's presence. She felt the hair on her back lay flat, and her tail became less puffed up. Mantispaw's soothing voice calmed her down. Maybe... maybe she should finally help the clan in this terrifying time. "Mantispaw? Do you think I could help with anything?" she meowed, her voice stronger.

Gorgefang
Warrior | 48 M | Male | Tags: Patchpaw, Wildfleck | Mentions: Rabbitsong

Gorgefang heard Wildfleck's request. He began digging under the apprentice's shoulder, pushing aside the mud and rocks. Feeling the she-cat's weight on him, he planted his legs to hold strong for the both of them. Gorgefang noticed Rabbitsong now, but he was too occupied with Patchpaw to make any sign of respect for the deputy. Clamping down on Patchpaw's scruff, Gorgefang was finally able to pull the apprentice out of the mud. He flung himself backwards with the force of his final effort. "He's out,", Gorgefang rasped, gasping for breath.

[selasphorys]

𝗦𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧
(warrior) (40 mns) (she/her) (appr: goosepaw) (x)
(location: mudslide) (tags: rabbitsong, starlingflight, kyanitepaw, wildfleck, lemmingpaw, patchpaw) (mentions: gorgefang, russetnose, stormpaw)

A tense silence drew out between Swallowsight and Rabbitsong, undecorated by the soft warmth that usually enveloped the pair. For the first time, she could hear a roughness in his lilting voice. Worry traced her face, her gaze lingering on him long after he disappeared into the woods. Perhaps Starlingflight noticed. Her blue eyes grazed his, but she left any unspoken words unanswered. Springing off of her haunches, she shot after the deputy.

Nothing could have prepared her for the devastation ahead. Ancient paths walked by many paws, ancient trees home to many seasons of prey, all crushed and contorted in moments. Hadn't she hunted there just yesterday? Now the land itself had reshaped, wiped away in a clean slate. But there was nothing clean about it. Though the ground had long since ceased shaking, a low rumble droned on. It was the creaking of trees, the clacking of stone, the snapping of branches. The mud shuddered and squelched, gurgling, gurgling, creeping ever onward down the slope to the river. Its momentum may have slowed, but its horror continued. Were there any cats trapped in this nightmare? Were there any cats left to save? A new sound slashed through the air, a yowl. Shrill as it was, Swallowsight had never heard a more welcome voice. Living cats. She raced in the direction of the sound, eyes finally discerning the shapes of warriors amidst the sea of earth.

Heeding the deputy's orders, Swallowsight dove into the muck. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. There were apprentices trapped below. Claws scraped stone in a desperate attempt to dig Patchpaw out. She could see the young one's sodden face, twisted with pain. His limbs stuck out at odd angles. As she worked furiously beside the other warriors, she heard Wildfleck's report as if it came from another world. Cutting through the blur, one thought remained--- hadn't she seen Lemmingpaw leave with this patrol too? "What about Lemmingpaw?" she asked, her voice just above whisper. As if on cue, her ear flicked to pick up a frail cry. There, a flash of orange behind a wall of branches.

Gorgefang and the others had a good grasp on Patchpaw now. He would be okay. New urgency flooding her nerves, Swallowsight wrenched herself upward and made for the pile of debris in the distance. The small warrior sunk deeper with every heavy step, sludge curling around her legs, splashing up past her belly. Something churned within her belly too, anxiety seething in her stomach. For a moment she was drowning, memories resurfacing of long-ago floods. She couldn't lose another cat. She couldn't. Hauling herself over fallen tree trunks, scrambling over branches, Swallowsight finally stumbled to a halt. "Lemmingpaw!" she cried, voice hoarse. Examining the jumble of mud and sticks, she found what looked to be an opening. The warrior pointed her tail at the spot, meowing, "Are you hurt? Can you move? I'll try to pull these branches apart. Crawl out from here if you can."

𝗛𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗣𝗔𝗪
(apprentice) (9 mns) (he/him) (mentor: spottedfeather) (x)
(location: fallsclan territory) (tags: gullsplash) (mentions: none)

Hopperpaw winced at the sight of the scratches on Gullsplash's flanks. "Well, if you say so..." he murmured, voice soft. The young tom looked down at his paws, seeing them dark with mud and flecks of blood. The triumph he felt began to ebb away. They won, and it was incredible, but it was still a mistake. He found his voice again and mewed, "Hey, um. Thanks for helping me out back there." He tried to touch his tailtip to Gullsplash's shoulder but thought better of it.

Keeping his body close to the damp stone, Hopperpaw crawled down the cliffside one mouse-length at a time. For once, he followed after a warrior without breaking off on his own path. As his paws hit FallsClan soil, he couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief. The unruly apprentice had never been happier to see boring old forest again. He still wasn't ready to go to camp and face the music, not until he had a catch to show for it. "Guess I'll start hunting now. You oughta get yourself patched up first," Hopperpaw meowed to Gullsplash, trying to keep his voice nonchalant. But his quivering tail betrayed him. He scared off a squirrel, then leapt too late as a bird flew away. After a few failed attempts, he padded back to Gullsplash with a scrawny shrew in his jaws.

[oceanz]

𝙾𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚑
◦ 24 moons ◦ she-cat ◦ warrior ◦ tags: Pumpkinpatch
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Olivebranch could only imagine the horrors her clan mates must have endured on their patrols. It left the she-cat feeling guilty. She was unharmed in camp and her clan mates had been suffering through a horrifying mudslide. The thought made a shiver run down Olivebranch’s spine. Out of all the things she thought would betray the clan, Olivebranch never considered the land would be the first. She couldn’t help but wonder where Starclan was at these times. Olivebranch shook her head, this was not the time to get lost in thought; she had to do something to help the clan. The Oriental perked her ears up at Sykestar’s announcement. Finally, something she could help with. Olivebranch had obsessed over herb identification as an apprentice. Not for any particular reason besides the feeling she may need the knowledge later on in life. Now was her time to shine and be even a fraction of help to the clan.

Olive green eyes scanned the area, her gaze falling on Pumpkinpatch. Perhaps the other she-cat was going to go out looking for herbs as well. If so, it may be safer for them to stick together. “Pumpkinpatch!” Olivebranch called, quickly padding over to the orange and white she-cat. “Are you going out to search for herbs as well? Perhaps we could go together? Considering…” The young warrior trailed off, looking around the now chaotic camp. With a worried expression, she turned back to face Pumpkinpatch. “Well I was thinking it may just be safer in numbers.” The cinnamon she-cat continued, shuffling her paws nervously. She wouldn’t exactly be devastated if Pumpkinpatch refused her offer to go together, but she would definitely feel more comfortable with at least one other cat tagging along.

𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚠
◦ 9 moons ◦ tom ◦ apprentice ◦ tags: Snakepaw
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Mantispaw tried not to frown, feeling bad for the other apprentice. He moved a little closer, close enough that he could comfortingly rest his tail on her shoulder. “It is scary.” He agreed, wanting her to know her feelings were valid. “I’m scared too, but now’s the time to help the clan even if we’re scared.” The cream colored Bengal continued, forcing a sheepish smile on his face. “We don’t have to do something huge, we can fix up the Elders den and make sure they’re okay during this time.” Mantispaw suggested, happy to hear Snakepaw’s strength returning in her voice.

[Queen of flames]

Neritebloom
Female Gueen, former loner, 21 moons, crush is open, mate was Jinx
tags: Rumblespout, Lightpaw, Lynxspring, open
__
She listened to the others around the injured warrior and there was so much going on at the same time that she kind of lost track there, even if she did know what had happened she was rather confused. She took notice of the look the elder gave to her, which made her feel a little angry as well, was those lands so holy to the elder that the cat's lives who were likely lost to those horrible accidents didn't matter? She sighed when the elder spoke to her "If you say so, but like everything else, gifts don't stay gifts forever... things do change and this gift which served you for a long life, is changing..." she meowed "Why is this gift is killing and hurting us? we just mourned the dead of our deputy Coyoteleap and now we may need to mourn for some others cats as well..." she said as she turned around to walk away from the medicine cats den "I sure hope that mudslide is the last one, if not...then who wants to live here with fear and Uncertain terrain which may kill us all with one shot" she meowed. She didn't really say it but thought about leaving this place she just started to call home scared her a little bit, she was pregnant too so moving to who knows where was not very pleasable either, but staying here if those lands keep doing their tricks didn't feel safe. Her ears perked as the Mistback spoke.


Perchwood
male warrior, 62 moons, crush is open, apprentice is none, mate was Flintflower
tags: Aspencurrent, Firefly
__
He searched the area for a bit but soon found out that the path he chose was a dead end. The muddy path was too slippery for him to even try to get to the other side, so he decided to take another path, moving toward the falls. He stayed alert for anything, but the forest was abnormally quiet, almost like all the birds and other creatures were shocked by the sudden mudslide. Of course, it could not be only the Fallclan who faced the mudslide there were likely many prey animals being buried or their home was destroyed, as the mudslide was in a large area. When the smell of the mud and earth fainted away from his nose, he started to scent other things. He was pretty sure he found a track of one of their warriors Aspencurrent, but he also scented a smell of a stranger, was the warrior in trouble, he decided to check and followed the trait toward the young male and the female he did not see before "Aspencurrent? What are you doing in here and who is she?" he meowed to him as he showed up to look at the two.

Cinnamonthorn
female warrior, 30 moons, crush on Rabbitsong & Aspencurrent, an apprentice is open
tags: Owlsong, others
__
She sat there just watching as the others were running around, she felt rather bad that she had no clue what she was supposed to do now. Of course, she could go to the mudslide where the leader and others did go too, but could she be only in a way there? She shook her fur a little bit as her ears perked toward the voice of the elder there, which was loud enough for her to hear 'Milktuft? Was she with Mistback earlier, during the slide?' she thought to herself as she noticed the injured warrior Mistback coming back to her senses. She walked to Owlsong and the others around the Mistback "Can I help you with anything?" she asked them.

Yarrowpaw
male apprentice, 7 moons. crush on Hopperpaw, a mentor is Rabbitsong
tags: Goosepaw
__
He thought for a moment "It's too late to go with our mentors as they already left and we're here now..." he meowed his tail flicking side to side "Normally I could want to do a risk and just go to look for him...but for now I think it's better than we don't stress the clan more than it is already..." he meowed his eyes turned to look around the camp. He then looked back to Goosepaw "He was with Gullsplash earlier, and he is not here so maybe they're together still, we could ask if someone has seen them or overheared some of their plans" he meowed to the other apprentice.

[rey skywalker]

❝ 𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 ！
( ＷＡＲＲＩＯＲ | ＭＯLLY | 23 ＭＯＯＮＳ )

apprentice: none
setting | camp
tags | pikecrest
￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

✦


━━Water pooled around the molly’s paws. The warriors den was saturated with water. Bed material was floating over a small shein of water. With a sharp gasp, she jolted forward, as if zapped by the ground but it was only the sharp sensation of a branch, hanging loose from the roof, that was raking along her back thigh that unsettled the molly. With a sharp huff, Eeleyes looked around to determine if any other cat had witnessed her freight. Too occupied with the flurry after Sykestar’s announcement, it appeared no other cat was present in the den or had had noticed Eeleyes.

━━Thankful for the coverage of the darkened den, Eeleyes peered out towards the clearing, seeking out a dark furred molly among the variety of colors of her clan mates. She reached high, straining above others. Ah-ha. There. Just past a few apprentices, Eeleyes emerald gaze found the dark fur of Sykestar’s sibling, Pikecrest in the distance.

━━Dragging her wet paws over a small patch of grass, she did her best to keep them dry as she approached the molly. From what Eeleyes could determine, past a stare of stone, Pikecrest was impassive to the words of her sister.

━━“Pikecrest.” Worry sounded in Eeleyes voice. “W-what should we do?” Nerves gnawed at Eeleye’s stomach. “Fallsclan…What’s going to happen to us? What can we do? What should I do?” The black molly’s voice trembled. She glanced around, her heart heavy at the destruction of her clan. “What are we going to do?” She echoed, voice faint. Unable to find somewhere she could belong, she peered hopefully at their leader’s sister. She wasn’t the cat that others went to for comfort, but she was just as dependable as her sister. If any cat would know what to do, it would be the cat raised by Skyestar.

❝ 𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 ！
( ＷＡＲＲＩＯＲ |ＴＯＭ | ２８ ＭＯＯＮＳ )

apprentice: northpaw
setting | in the trees of the surrounding forest, close to the falls
tags | firefly, perchwood
￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

✦


━━A flicker of leaves sounded to Aspencurrent’s flank. Quickly, the handsome tom spun on his paws, hackles raised in warning. As the sight of perchwood emerged, the tom let out a small scoff, fur lying flat as the older tom’s scent drifted towards him. “Oh Perchwood.” He chided softly, gaze flicking back to Firefly. He caught the suspicious nature in the tom’s eyes. In an attempt to soften the scene, which easily could have been misunderstood, Aspencurrent flicked his tail over the tom’s shoulder.

━━“Perchwood,” he explained, nodding at Firefly. “This is Firefly. She’s a rogue loner. Um, Skystar wanted me to touch base with her. She lives outside our borders but helps report what is happening with the rogues out here.” Aspencurrent motioned off into the darkening throng of the forest. “I was telling her that we can get all the help we need, and that..." Aspencurrent looked uncertain as he glanced back towards the molly, "..Well, we'd like her to join the clan." The air felt heavy after the tom confessed. He couldn't anticipate how the tom would take the news.

❝ 𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐏𝐀𝐖 ！
( APPRENTICE | TOM | 10 ＭＯＯＮＳ |

mentor: olivebranch
setting | mudslide
tags | swallowsight
￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

✦

━━ Throat raw with his cries, Lemmingpaw strained to hear above the rushing heartbeat swallowing all sound within his ears. The wet texture of the muddy land was caked between his toe pads, and caught in his claws. The weight of the land against him made him heave for every breath, a great effort that felt too much to bear for long, every effort stung in the depths of his lugs. As he belted out one more cry, which chirped softly against the echo of the event, a rustle of movement caught within his gaze towards the distance. Through the weaving tendrils of branches sprouting around him from fallen trees, he could faintly make out the voice of someone familiar. A flash of white seemed to brush against his blue gaze. S-swallowsight? A cry of joy croaked from the apprentice’s rough voice. “Swallowsight!” A heavy set of coughs tumbled past his muzzle. “I-I’m stuck.” He wailed, feeling pressure on his lower back. “I can’t move.”

━━ As the warrior assembled before him, her blue eyes bright against the stormy mask that drew around her iris’, Swallowsight felt the land closing in on him, desperation rising into a scared wail. “I can’t move!” Lessons in the forest with Olivebranch that made him spin on his paws and turn over on his back, moments with Briarseed going over seeds and herbs and their purposes, the scent of fresh kill being delivered before him from other apprentices, all those moments flashed across his eyes uselessly.

━━ He imagined what Olivebranch would say, ‘Kick with your back paws’ but Lemmingpaw could barely feel them except for a small tingle at the tip of his paws. ‘Kick harder’ He imagined is what the cinnamon she-cat would repeat. In Swallowsight’s presence, the annoyance he held towards his elder, and fear that gripped at his bones, clashed into one. With what little energy he had left, he planted his front paws into the sinking earth and pushed hard, claws leaving ragged marks in the mud at his struggle. A growling shout sounded from his parted maw as he cursed towards the cyan sky, the only part of the terrain undisturbed as the earth attempted to swallow him whole.

━━ Branches raked along his side, but provided the opportunity he needed as he grasped onto one with his teeth and used the momentum to help him crawl forward, even if the effort made his fur burn and muscles ache. He growls and withered with the effort, but didn't let go. Not for the fear of being swallowed again.

━━ Pressure built around his body, it was growing, growing, growing…Until it became faint. His hips cleared the mud, and soon, his back legs emerged, the weight stained with the color of the earth, and a dull ache to remind him how finite his efforts were against the elements. Only a shred of energy remained, and Lemmingpaw spent it by reaching his tired paws forward, and sinking his claws into Swallowsight’s available fur. As he drew himself against her, shaking and panting, frame trembling from shock and fear, he muttered wordlessly, eyes squeezed shut against her fur.

━━ “Thank starclan you were h-here..S-swallowsight.” He heaved out. “H-how i-is e-everyone else?” He glanced around, feeling dizzy as he did so. “We have to go. We don’t know how…how secure…the land is…” Lemmingpaw was too weak and worn to care about how close he was to drooling over the warrior, he pressed harder into her fur to keep the world from tilting again.

❝ 𝐊𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐖 ！
( APPRENTICE | MOLLY | 10 ＭＯＯＮＳ |

mentor: starlingflight
setting | mudslide patrol
tags | starlingflight, swallowsight, spottedfeather, lyxnspring

━━ Suppressing the rising curl of her lip that seemed to edge along her teeth, took a lot of the apprentice's energy and focus. To not let Starlingflight see how much she hated being treated like a kit, even if she deserved it more than any other apprentice for how much she talked back -- her tail lashed with frustration and malice, but she pressed down the inferior feeling tingling under her skin. "I get it." She grit out, eyes sharp and voice clipped. Her siblings faces flashed across her field of vision, their cruel claws a memory raking through her fur till she gave in. Even now, she hated allowing Starlingflight to speak to her with authority.

━━ Even if she hated the tom sometimes and found him deeply unbearable and unlikable, Kyanitepaw easily sidled his feelings towards Rabbitsong and Swallowsight's attraction towards each other. Inappropriate, was the kindest words she could use to describe the scene that lingered between them. This was no time for the romantics between two cats who couldn't see straight.

━━ Kyanitepaw pretended she was above other cats, in her minds eye, she had abilities that surpassed many of the greatest warriors in the clan. It was easy to imagine being better than everyone else, it hid everything she felt inside from the sun. But days of her head in the clouds, and attitude in her voice, were knocked loose as she chased after Starlingflight and into the disarrayed landscape that was her home. A gasp fell sharply from her maw. The pale molly felt her body lurch forward as her claws dug into the choppy ground. She nearly tumbled forward from the effort to keep herself upright after maintaining the momentum necessary to prove herself worth the risk of letting her join. Only by a hair, did she keep herself from crashing into her mentor's dark toned frame.

━━ The stench of the disturbed ground threatened to make her turn up the mouse she ate earlier. Casting her face to the right, she maintained the sharp composure along her features, in comforting touch of her own lavender scented fur. Within a flash, Starlingflight's brown fur was a blur as he raced down to meet Wildfleck in the distance. Scrambling quickly, Kyanitepaw managed to trip over her own paw and jam her shoulder along the ground. She nearly cried out but clamped her jaw tight around the pain, silencing that threatened to make her sound like an incapable apprentice. Swiftly, she regained her footing, charging after Starlingflight's shadow as if she had never fallen behind. Thankfully, the blood thrumming in her ears beat away the sound of her heart screaming in her chest. Kyanite hated water. She didn't like mud, and she didn't like rain. A glance at clouds gathering at the edges of the cyan sky threatened the possibility of another storm, making her creamy fur to crawl.

━━ In the face of destruction, prioritizes were shifting and Kyanitepaw felt her place among them shift as well. It was the sound of Starlingflight's voice, hard against the tremble in her frame, that positioned her among the disarray, granting her purpose and motivation. Matching his strides, Kyanitepaw flung herself down the length of the land slide, careful to engage her claws where she could, and not bury herself in the uneven land. Fear gripped at her every thought, and it was only the threat of getting stuck that kept her upright and light on her paws. Kyanitepaw was not brave. She was stubborn, and that fact was surfacing faster than the apprentices could.

━━ "Stormpaw!" She cried out, echoing the stoic tone of Starlingflight's voice. "Stormpaw, where are you!?" If what she feared was true, and he was buried beneath the ground, she doubted that their shouts would reach him. "Starlingflight, here!" She called to the tom, as she raced up what appeared to be a short bank. Her claws scrambled over a high rock jutting from the earth. "We can see from here." And what she saw, felt like fox-lengths upon fox-lengths facing down the terrain, of land churned over on itself.

[Nunavik]

𝐥𝐲𝐧𝐱𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠
35 moons / ♂ / apprentice, Finchpaw / location: medicine cat den, then camp clearing
tagged: Cinnamonthorn, Neritebloom, Rumblespout

The return of Mistback's dead weight knocked the breath out of Lynxspring. He was grateful for the added support of his clanmate at his side as the pair brought Mistback beneath the cover of the cave and into the medicine cat den. The sudden change from the overcast weather to the dimly-lit den caused the tom-cat's pupils to dilate, enhancing the green of his irises. Those colored eyes glanced sideways to Neritebloom, the strength of the queen's words hitting him in the gut similar to the elder just behind them. Although Lynxspring held similar views on the recent events for the clan, Neritebloom's words did have a ring of truth to them. The warrior, however, elected to take the devil's advocate approach.

With his clanmate's help, Lynxspring eased Mistback's limp form into one of the mossy beds along the length of the den. The smell of herbs washed over the time of his tongue, forcing him to take a steadying breath. He had spent moons in this den under the watchful eye of Fogfern and the medicine cat apprentice, Briarseed. He had lost valuable time from his warrior duties in his youth to his condition and spent so much time amongst the medicine cats that he often wondered what his life would have been had he elected to walk the pawsteps of his healers. Despite the other path his pawsteps walked, Lynxspring found this place to be more of his home than anywhere else in the territory.

With Mistback left to sleep away the unconsciousness she had fallen into, Lynxspring allowed his gaze to take in the cover of the medicine cat den one more time before exiting again to join Rumblespout, Neritebloom, and Cinnamonthorn. Collecting his breath in an attempt to stabilize his thundering heart, Lynxspring turned around to face the pregnant queen. "Now is not the time to sit in despair over the new events nor debate it." He said, his breath coming in heavy waves as he continued collection of his heart. "We have clanmates in need of help and I'm sure more that will need help when Rabbitsong and Skyestar return so let's focus on what we can do now."

Lynxspring turned his gaze to Rumblespout, who had returned to a state of panic at the realization that Milktuft was still unaccounted for. "Mistback is sleeping. The majority of the warriors are out assisting those injured and the medicine cats. Perhaps you two," The orange-and-white tabby glanced towards Neritebloom, indicating he wanted to include the queen. "should get some rest." There was alot to do still and given Neritebloom was expecting and Rumblespout had done his share of duties in his long life, Lynxspring felt obligated to assure them that, if inclined, they can relax. Their clanmates to see to them when able.

The orange-and-white tabby then turned to Cinnamonthorn. "If you're free, I can use another set of eyes to see if we can find Milktuft." Lynxspring could not recall seeing any evidence that Milktuft had been with Mistback, but StarClan only knew what occurred before their patrol had found her. Although there was numerous things going on, Lynxspring knew it was important to atleast try to figure out what happened to the two she-cats.

𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
29 moons / ♂ / apprentice, Kyanitepaw / location: mudslide patrol
tagged: Kyanitepaw

The weather was overcast, with peaks of sunshine managing to peak through every once in a while to spread light across the destruction. It threatened to pour more water upon them although he prayed their ancestors would spare them further disaster. The mud between Starlingflight's toes made an obscene sound as he drove them against the terrian, quickening and slowing at a moment's notice. There was not much left over the land post-mudslide. Many of the unique markers he had come to learn had vanished beneath upturned soil and roots. Now, only the smell of moist earth coated his tongue although with the faint scent of lavender nearby.

His apprentice, not surprisingly, kept up with the speed he had set. Together, the two waded across the upturned clearing, calling for the fallen apprentice. Starlingflight tried his best to remain a constant beacon of strength, not only for those around him but for himself too; However, the mudslide had certainly rattled his nerves more than he would have liked to admit. Deaths were apart of life. He had known this from early on, having witnessed his brother's repeated brushes with the afterlife. So much tragic death, however, had swore the clan and this diseaster seemed like the icing on the cake. Just their luck, they would once again be burying other clanmates by the time the sun set and the moon rose to its peak in the sky.

Summoning his strength, nearly spent with the wade through upturnt roots and mud, Starlingflight followed the snowy she-cat along the bank she had called out and then up. His scramble to find purchase in the soil took him more effort than Kynaitepaw but finally, he managed and crouched beside her. His dark fur blended naturally in the gloom and it brushed up in alarm with each passing eye sweep Starlingflight allowed himself to make. The slide went on for what seemed like forever and to his horror, he found less hope they would find Stormpaw.

Collecting the despair he felt rising in his chest, Starlingflight rose to his full height. "Stay close to me." Starlingflight instructed and casted his green gaze towards Kynaitepaw. His neutral features revealed nothing as he pondered her for a moment. Without another word of order or praise, he led the way down amongst the other side. Mud caked along his fur, dragging him down as he half slid and walked in no particular fashion. They had to find Stormpaw and quickly.

[TheClockmaker]

Gullsplash
Warrior | 25 M | Male | Tags: Hopperpaw | Mentions: Stormpaw

Deciding to heed Hopperpaw's advice, Gullsplash tried to find some cobwebs to patch his wounds. Seeing a web under some roots, he clumped it up and asked Hopperpaw to come help. "Could you put this on my scratches?" he murmured, pointing his tail at the long gashes on his flank. He sniffed at the apprentice's measly catch. It didn't feel worth it right now. He considered hunting himself, but he wanted to check on his clanmates and his apprentice. He wondered what the noise he heard was and if any cats were hurt. What was Stormpaw doing right now? His injuries began to ache more and more. Feeling weaker than usual, Gullsplash decided not to hunt. "I don't think I can hunt, Hopperpaw," the warrior meowed through gritted teeth. "We should go back to camp to check on our clanmates."

Snakepaw
App | 7 M | Female | Tags: Mantispaw | Mentions: N/A

Snakepaw felt comforted by Mantispaw's words and the soft touch of his tail. "Okay, I'll help," she mewed shakily, ready to finally get out of the den. "Thank you for giving me something to do," Snakepaw murmured to Mantispaw. It made her feel more powerful. She went to the elder's den to fix it up. When she got there, she decided to first get some of the dirtier moss out of the den. Snakepaw thought that the mudslide and the thunderstorm could be very frightening to the elders, so she should do something to make their nests more comfortable.

Gorgefang
Warrior | 48 M | Male | Tags: Patchpaw, Wildfleck | Mentions: Rabbitsong

Gorgefang heard Wildfleck's request. He began digging under the apprentice's shoulder, pushing aside the mud and rocks. Feeling the she-cat's weight on him, he planted his legs to hold strong for the both of them. Gorgefang noticed Rabbitsong now, but he was too occupied with Patchpaw to make any sign of respect for the deputy. Clamping down on Patchpaw's scruff, Gorgefang was finally able to pull the apprentice out of the mud. He flung himself backwards with the force of his final effort. "He's out,", Gorgefang rasped, gasping for breath.

[selasphorys]

𝗣𝗜𝗞𝗘𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧
(warrior) (30 mns) (she/her) (x)
(location: fallsclan camp) (tags: eeleyes) (mentions: sykestar)

While the lavender pall of grief still shrouded the sleeping camp, Pikecrest slipped out of the warriors den to begin her pre-dawn hunt. No storm could deter her. She returned with two fat squirrels for the fresh-kill pile, only to find the clan in shambles. The destruction of the garden had left camp a mess of burnt debris and rotting herbs. And of course Briarseed ran wailing into the medicine den. What could anyone expect from a cat with the heart and brain of a mouse? Disgraceful. Pikecrest would certainly never abandon her clan like that. The dark-striped warrior got to work removing the charred stump from the cliff side.

From this high vantage point, Pikecrest could only see fog-smeared shapes below. The cats down there looked like ants. Indistinct and ignorant. Still, one shape in particular stood out. Her sister was unmistakable, even from this height. Sykestar vanished into the medicine den, no doubt to deal with her old apprentice. Pikecrest felt her lip draw back into a scowl out the thought. She redoubled her efforts, locking her focus on her task.

The ants down in camp ran amok in yet another flurry of chaos as a patrol returned with an injured warrior. Pikecrest alighted in time to see the useless medicine cat fumble again with her herbs. Green eyes keen, Pikecrest watched her sister take the lead. She listened at rapt attention as Sykestar addressed the clan. Even the shuddering boom of the mudslide could not shake her. This just another challenge to overcome.

Her gray-tipped ear flicked toward the sound of scraping by the warriors den. It was the miserable squelch of paws over grass, skulking slowly but surely in her direction. Eyes narrowed like splintered jade, Pikecrest sent a withering glance at the approaching cat. She recognized the young warrior Eeleyes, looking so frazzled she could be her own personal thundercloud. Or perhaps a wet rat. A short, joyless laugh tumbled from Pikecrest’s jaws, sharp like falling scree. "Look who's finally awake," the warrior drawled. "Did you sleep well?" She had seen the young molly slip like a shadow into the warriors den after Sykestar’s announcement. Truly a grand time for a sun-high nap.

No sooner had Eeleyes said her name before she dissolved into a burbling stream of questions. Pikecrest had to unsheath her claws into the moss just to sit through it. Her jaw set in a rigid line, a pale fang glinting at the edge. The unending wavering, murmuring, echoing of the same useless question ground down on her last nerves.

“What can we do?” Pikecrest repeated like a mockingbird. “Well, I believe Sykestar was quite clear in her address. Were you even listening?” The warrior flicked her tail, annoyance written across her pointed muzzle. Pikecrest rose to her paws, tiring of this farce. She had tasks to do for the clan. Whipping her head around to stare Eeleyes square in the face, she closed the distance between them in one stride.

”First, stop worrying in circles. You’ll tie your tongue in knots, if my ears don’t fall off first,” she snapped. Her words were harsh but genuine. “Second, listen to Sykestar after she returns from surveying the area. Stop imagining things without even knowing the scale of it. Only afterward can you make a plan.” Pikecrest laid everything out the way she saw it, methodical and from a birds eye view. This was the closest she could get to consoling a panicked cat.

”Here’s what you can do for now. Like Sykestar said, start preparing for the arrival of injured cats from the mudslide. You can gather herbs and supplies, or stay in camp and prepare nests. I’ll be searching for sticks and ivy to bind broken limbs. At the small stand of trees just north of camp, of course.” The dark-furred warrior tilted her head in that direction, then began padding that way. “You can come along if you want,” Pikecrest mewed as an afterthought, with a backward glance at Eeleyes. She melted into the fog of the falls, the grays of her fur blending with the grays of the vapor. Only her smoky tail tip was visible when she tossed out one last meow: "I won't be waiting."

𝗦𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧
(warrior) (40 mns) (she/her) (appr: goosepaw) (x)
(location: mudslide) (tags: lemmingpaw) (mentions: stormpaw, dapplepaw, patchpaw)

At the sound of Lemmingpaw’s coughing fit, Swallowsight felt her heart seize in her chest. The young tom couldn’t bear this much for long. She gave an encouraging mew, trying not to let her voice betray her fears: “You’ve got to move, even just a little...” It clearly hadn’t worked, as his rasp rose to a wail. Swallowsight waded deeper into the muddy debris. “Shhh… save your breath and focus,” she pleaded, but her words were lost to the rumbling river of muck.

The small molly could only find purchase for brief moments before drifting sticks threatened to drag her under. Whenever a foot connected with something solid, she launched herself upward enough to latch her jaws on a branch. Then she would tug with all her might until a twig snapped and she fell into mud once more. Though she was never the strongest cat, she could pull this pile apart. Little… by… little…! Whatever it took.

When his head and legs emerged from the ragged opening, Swallowsight scrambled back until she found a relatively dry spot to stand in. The blue molly yowled her head off encouraging him until he had freed himself at last. Planting her legs into the mud, she let the exhausted apprentice find strength in her. They stood there for a few moments as he sank into her fur. Feeling the young tom’s trembling form against her flank, she couldn’t help but be reminded of her brother when he was small. She had to be a pillar for him. She had to be an island of stability, even when she could barely stop herself from sinking.

”Thank StarClan you’re safe,” she murmured softly. “Let’s get you to solid ground first, and then we can talk. I’ll support you.” Solid ground? After this, could she ever place her trust in any part of this land again? Her blue gaze swam and she had to pull herself together. Taking in a deep breath and steeling herself, Swallowsight half-carried the apprentice back to the others. She guided Lemmingpaw past the deeper pools of sludge toward the dry patch where Dapplepaw and Patchpaw rested. Knowing the tom had questions, she chose her words carefully so as to not worry him into a frenzy. “The warriors are alright, but the apprentices were hit hard by the mudslide. Dapplepaw and Patchpaw were rescued. We… we haven’t found Stormpaw yet.” She trailed off. There really was no easy way to put it. “I’ll join the search for her now, but please stay with the other apprentices and regain your strength. Clean the mud off your hind legs and get the blood circulating through them again. Don’t try to be a hero. Please.” Leaving Lemmingpaw with a string of instructions, Swallowsight dove headlong into the fractured earth.

𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗨𝗧
(elder) (121 mns) (he/him) (x)
(location: camp —> medicine den) (tags: neritebloom, lynxspring) (mentions: mistback, milktuft)

“Like everything else, gifts won’t stay gifts forever.”
Neritebloom’s words lodged deep in his mind, in a part he could never truly reach. A part that he had often tried to ignore, but could bury no longer. Some things should never change. Some things must be held tight with tooth and claw, because letting go would erase the foundations he had built his life upon. The paths he had followed, that their ancestors had left behind to guide them. The home he would lay down his life for. What power did he have left, but this? Why couldn’t it last forever?

Rumblespot bit back a thorny retort. He could bark on and on about how carelessly and irreverently the loner spoke. FallsClan had lost many good cats to disaster over the years, and now the deputy Coyoteleap joined their starry ranks. But the survivors banded together and returned stronger each time. Mouse-hearted rogues and loners fled from their territory, leaving FallsClan safe in the fog. Maybe Neritebloom would soon become another one of them.

The elder only grumbled to himself as Neritebloom walked away from their conversation. Although it killed him to do it, he had to let the loner have the last word this time. He couldn’t make a fuss while his daughter needed care. Yellow eyes never blinking, Rumblespout watched the warriors carry Mistback into the den. They had set her down gently; he made sure of it. The old tom snapped his tattered tail back and forth while he worried over Milktuft and the mudslide and the mouse-hearted nature of loners.

Lynxspring returned to calm the bad air between the elder and queen. Rumblespout supposed the advice had merit— after all, he had always been a warrior who favored actions over words. Debating was wasted breath when there were clanmates in need. Still, a heavy stone sunk in his belly at the mention of rest. “How can I rest while my clan is suffering?” he muttered, more as a challenge to himself than the warrior. He turned his large yellow eyes on Lynxspring, expression at once plaintive and powerless.

”Let me help,” he began, voice low at first. The words tumbled out of his mouth in desperation. Searching for Milktuft, pulling cats from the mud, even collecting bedding from the woods. He arched his spine to rise to his full height, limbs splayed, joints cracking in protest. “Let me help—!“ the words came out again, with an echo of the commanding tone from his senior warrior days. This time it was cut off abruptly by a wheezing cough. His body failed him. Out there he would be less reliable than an apprentice, even less than a kit. Deflating, Rumblespout slumped into a tired crouch. The elder had never felt so small, so pitiful. He spoke these last words in a breathy whisper: “I’ll help… I’ll help watch over the medicine den until Briarseed returns. I will be ready if there are any changes to my daughter’s condition.” Head bowed, he let the warriors discuss their search while he crept into the medicine den. That was not his world anymore. Would this land remain his home?

𝗛𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗣𝗔𝗪
(apprentice) (9 mns) (he/him) (mentor: spottedfeather) (x)
(location: fallsclan territory) (tags: gullsplash) (mentions: none)

When Gullsplash didn’t return his enthusiasm, Hopperpaw could no longer deny his misgivings. His ears pulled back as he approached the injured warrior. Those scratches looked more serious than he remembered. He felt a prickling twinge in his belly, perhaps the closest the young cat had ever felt to remorse.

“Sure, I can do it,” Hopperpaw mewed with a lump in his throat. He hurried over, dropping the prey beside Gullsplash. The reckless apprentice had been in his fair share of scrapes, so he thought he knew a thing or two about first aid. His tail dropped. He’d never seen anything like this. He scraped off a few wads of moss, trying his best to clean the area. Then he layered a mess of cobwebs over the warrior’s flanks. It wasn’t pretty, but it was functional? He hoped.

Gullsplash still didn’t sound too good, so maybe they had to cut their hunt short. “You’re right, we should get you to Briarseed,” Hopperpaw sighed. “And probably figure out what that noise was too.” The golden tom paused for a moment before getting to his feet. He stared up at the gaps of blue between the storm clouds. This was probably the last time he’d see the sky in moons. He would be trapped in that bland, gray camp, choked with heavy mist. But even Hopperpaw could recognize that he had been selfish. He picked up the shrew and began padding back with his tail between his legs.

[ColonelHamster]

ＦＩＲＥＦＬＹ
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
➼ age: 30 moons ➼ gender: female ➼ rank: rogue ➼ tags: Aspencurrent, Perchwood

Firefly looked at Aspencurrent when he suggested clan life. Her? Suited for clan life? Ha. Yeah right. They barely tolerated her as is. Though… they might treat her better than the rogues. Aspencurrent appears to already be treating her better than most of the rogues in her group. No one had offered any aid after Smokey had snagged her ear, or when he had been overly harsh with her. Firefly’s gaze fixed on the tom approached. Her whole body had stiffened, prepared to have her claws out just in case he tried to do anything. Was he insulting her? She knew she wasn’t the most intimidating cat out there, but she was no helpless mouse. She’d have to think about it more, if he was truly being sincere.

Normally not liking the being so close to others, she found herself moving in closer to Aspencurrent, he sounded just as unsure as she did about this. His words were almost a blur as fear began to grow in her belly. So much for showing how well she could handle herself. She had to refrain from crouching down beside him like a frightened kitten. Other clan cats out there? Maybe they should help… but she had no idea where to start. Even if she did, she was ashamed to admit she wanted to just find a place to hide. Firefly shook her head. “I don’t know your territory that well. Unless I come to bring news I try to keep off so your clan mates won’t bite my tail off.”

Firefly’s pelt bristled when another cat approached. The ginger molly moved backward, her back arched as the older tom made himself known. He smelled like a clan cat, but she had never spoken to him before. She had seen him from afar, but she had always kept her distance. When Aspencurrent introduced her, Firefly gave a brief nod, the fur along her back flattening once again, though still giving the unknown tom a watchful gaze. As Aspencurrent spoke, Firefly’s eyes widened as her gaze shifted to meet his. He hadn’t been joking earlier? Firefly looked back at the other tom to see how he would react. There was a pang in her heart. Did they actually want her? Or would she be just another set of claws for them to use?

[rey skywalker]

𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓
dark faced siamese, with blue eyes
━━━━━━━━ warrior | tom | 28 moons | panromantic | apprentice: northpaw ━━━━━━━━
▷ setting / trail outside camp | tags / perchwood, firefly

aspencurrent's ears flickered at the discomfort appearing in firefly's voice. he knew she was fighting every day to survive in the wild on her own, and if getting nicked so cleanly in the ear was an indication of her chances, it made his heart to pang to recognize the distrust and uncertainty in her tone. "we won't hurt you." he explained quickly, shooting perchwood a sharp glare. the top didn't appear friendly, and if anything, was eagerly reproached by the thought of a rogue abandoning survival in the wild for a morsel of mouse from within their clan walls.

no, aspencurrent didn't appreciate the tom's thoughts at all. making efforts to let his fur lie down flat along his shoulders, aspencurrent turned back to the flame striped molly. "we have food, land, security." he did his best to push away thoughts of danger in their terrain, but that the was the elements, unpredictable. he decided to keep out the mention of the prophecy from their medicine cat. firefly didn't need more to worry about when it looked like she might make the biggest decision of her life.

"look." the dark faced tom gently pressed his black nose to her shoulder, a gesture offering comfort. "i get it. you've been out here for so long, it feels natural. but it doesn't have to be like this. i mean, look at how shiny my pelt is." demonstrating, the tom spun around to demonstrate a small gleam gliding over his pale body. "see? the only scars i have are for my own stupid decisions, not because i upset anyone." aspencurrent's gaze flickered to her ear. "this decision wasn't sykestar's alone. briarseed wants you there too. clan life doesn't have to be as scary as the outside. please." he brushed his tail tip over her ear gently. "we chose you." he stared deeply into her eye, empathy shining over his light orbs. "now choose us."

𝐊𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐖
━━━━━━━━ apprentice | molly | 11 moons | panromantic | mentor: starlingflight ━━━━━━━━
▷ setting / mudslide area | tags / starlingflight, rabbitsong

a sharp wail distracted kyanitepaw who felt her paws slipping over the uneven terrain as she echoed after her mentor. muddy water clung to her fur, forcing a grimace along her muzzle as she struggled against the element's strength. "we have to find them." she grit through her fangs, fiercely hiding the shake in her voice with a rumbling hiss. her tail at her mentor's dark pelt. deep down, underneathe the feathery coat of fur, any cat could see how fast her heart raced, threatening to leave the cage around it.

"we have to find them." she repeated, chasing the words with the bleakest of hopes. as far as her eyes could reach, she found the land in a state of tear and disarray, this no longer resembled the meadows and forest and clearings she once pranced around at younger moons, it was now a pitfall trap threatening to swallow them whole.

fur bristling at the sound of someone's constant fearful yowls, kyanitepaw snapped her head back over her shoulder and growled for the poor soul to silence itself. her effort was futile, she could barley move around with careless steps without risking a visit to starclan, so she kept pressing on closer to starlingflight, sometimes brushing against him more heavily she intended to.

kyanitepaw was scared and she knew it. she just...couldn't be honest right now. be honest and let starlingflight see how weak she was? how she couldn't judge a situation properly and played chances with seeing day rise again? no. she grit her teeth again, feeling her paws sinking into the muddy earth. no. she had to play into her strength, into her unbeatable core, she had to remind starlingflight she was a worthy apprentice.

"stormpaw!" she cried out, panic rising in his voice again as she felt despair crawl up her throat, slowly squeezing the life from her voice. out in the open, so exposed, there was very little she could hide against the tide of terror that crawled over her frame.

"s-sta-arlingflight?" she whispered out softly, voice catching on the wind. a breeze shook the trees nearby, causing the branches to rattle together. she swore she could hear the wail of a dead tree somewhere nearby scraping against another. "i'm....i'm scared. what if...what if we don't find him?" kyanitepaw's azurian orbs shone with a trembling shine. "she c-can't...be gone." she wanted to take the words back, banish them, but as her eyes scourged across the land, she found nothing distinct appearing under her gaze.

so she pressed back against starlingflight, if only to press her face against his fur and close her eyes against him, steal a breath of his familiar scent and bury herself in a brighter memory. "this can't be it..." the thought that stormpaw might not appear, that the might not locate the apprentice, scared kyanitepaw worse than she expected. rabbitsong was right. she didn't have the life experience to inform what a dumb decision to join the rescue patrol. her maw acted before her paws did, but not even she was fast enough to streak her insecurities past the deputy’s knowing eyes.

"what if it was me?" her voice was barely there, "what if you couldn't fine me?" kyanitepaw forgot about saving face, her body shook with the shake in her voice. she forgot what strength her voice could take, as it only vibrated in a fractured tremble mingled with breathy exhales.

kyanitepaw wanted to be the bravest apprentice in all the clan, but she could barely open her eyes from starlingflight's pelt to keep searching for an apprentice who could easily have been her, had she been able to bully her way into getting what she desired from her mentor. her breaths fell ragged from her parted maw, gasps separating every draw of what tasted like moist and earthy air.

𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐏𝐀𝐖
pale, with fading amber markings with glacial blue eyes
━━━━━━━━ apprentice | tom | 8 moons | panromantic | mentor: olivebranch ━━━━━━━━
▷ setting / mudslide area | tags / swallowsight, dapplepaw, patchpaw

lemmingpaw's senses didn't stretch farther than the warmth of swallowsight's fur pressed against his features. he shook uncontrollably against the molly, no amount of words of encouragement and pride would enable him to unfurl from her touch. he could barely register that he had been removed from the land. the weight pressing him all sides was too memorized for him to rise. "no...no!" he cried out, claws wishing to find purchase but struggling to cling to swallowsight's frame. "don't leave." he stared up at her hopelessly.

lemmingpaw didn't recall every step to it's finest of detail from when he was pulled from the earth, he just could feel secure grass prickling at his paw pads, and the fading presence of his rescuer retreating to tend to other cats. "p-patchpaww?" he mewed softly, "dapplepaw?" eyes round, he could weakly find them beside him, and savored their warmth. too weak for more words, he pressed against their sides, trembling from the effort to push the horrible sound of the land crashing around him from his ears. they would make it back to camp, and everything would be okay, he willed himself to believe.

beyond the rich scent of the earth infused in his nose, he faintly determined the scent of the deputy nearby and relief fell over him in powerful waves, draining him of any residual energy or fight that he could be asked to collect. the way he slumped significantly into the ground, thankful for purchase, any cat could imagine his legs were too weak to carry him back to camp.

"i'm sorry." he whispered with a low raspy voice. let them take him away, return him as weak and incapable. let the sun burn along his fur and illuminate the true weakling that he was, a forever apprentice.

𝐒𝐘𝐊𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑
dark grey shorthair with green eyes
━━━━ leader | molly | 41 moons | 8 7 moons left | biromantic | apprentice: ━━━━
▷ setting / arrived at mudslide area, found the lost patrols | tags / briarseed, ripplestream, rabbitsong, wildfleck, russetnose, gorgefang, patchpaw, stormpaw, lemmingpaw, swallowsight,

thoughts raced through the fallsclan leader's mind. everything paled within an instant as the forest broke into a open streaking blue sky over a clearing that was not familiar to sykestar's paws. the molly clawed at the ground before the momentum of sprinting could have sent her over the edge. what she found, panning out on either sides, caused her heart to lurch forward. she felt briarseed's frame brush behind her, the molly forced to come to a premature stop. ripplestream appeared at the corner of her eye, surveying what laid before them.

there was sharp brown earth where there should have been emerald meadows and forests, trails that the dark molly had been raised along, trees that had her claw marks in it, burrows she knew she could rely on for prey. saffron clay, wet and muddied, teased at the edges of the destruction, jutting unceremoniously from the ground beneath her feet. the destruction stretched everywhere. sykestar's eyes moved freshly over what she could reach, and nothing her emerald gaze sought, lessened the tightness winding through underneath her dark fur. "no." the words fell softly from her maw. she could hear the pain in briarseed's sharp gasp as the medicine cat recovered and materialized beside her, absorbing the destruction before them, a light shaking radiating along her frame. sykestar didn't need to find briarseed's honeyed orbs to know there was pain echoing through them. she had found it too often, to hold her gaze anymore.

red fur flashed before sykestar's eyes from a memory, then white; coyoteleap, and fogfern. their loss burrowed into sykestar's core. looking out at what remained of her clan, only worsened any feelings she had buried down low. with little storage of the vital greens after the herb garden's destuction, sykestar steeled herself by gripping at the ground with unsheathed claws, and pinned her emotional medicine cat with a piercing look, feeling the bi-colored molly peering at her with the horror shining in hee eyes. "you can wail later." steel entranced sykestar's vocal chords, sharpening with each second. "not now." she was never quite soft with her words. hardened by challenges in her apprenticehood, sykestar continued to find distance with other cats when it came to tragedy, they ran from it but she weathered the store with annoyance for their actions. it was unfair, but sykestar couldn't coddle anyone.

with a lash of her sleek tail, sykestar disappeared from ripplestream and briarseed's side, her dark frame a streak descending down the ridge that jut out above where the ground had fallen and sunk deep below. with each quickly laid paw step, the opposite ascended rapidly over broken land. an empty canyon, was now filled with land and mud, trees, water and earthy debris as far as the eye could see. against the fierce reputation sykestar veiled along her person, not even she could deny how hard her legs wobbled in the face of such damage. her clan was everywhere. fallsclan was in pieces, scattered everywhere beneath a calm sky that betrayed the terrible nature of the day cast onto them.

quick steps made swift work of the broken valley. sykestar fastened her claws to the earth beside gorgefang, who had just revealed patchpaw from the earth. she sniffed along his dark frame before she could acknowledge how his health left her shoulders torelax. "good work gorgefang." she brushed her tail over his back for a moment. "please rest now, and collect your party. briarseed will see to those who are injured." she held the tom's eyes for a long time. "we're here now. we will head home when we recover ours."

peering over her shoulder, sykestar found briarseed tending to rabbitsong, and shortly after, making her way to starlingflight and kyanitepaw. the apprentice's wails softened upon recognizing the medicine cat, relief shining in her aquamarine eyes. with briarseed there to heal and hold the clan together, sykestar took score of the cats absent from her tally.

all that remained, and were repeated by the recovered warriors: stormpaw. the young molly was no where to be seen. sykestar looked back at briarseed and caught her eye, the pair trading an anxious look. where briarseed held herself together with hope, sykestar treated her own heart with iron, sharpening it against uncertainty and the worst.

sykestar watched the land before her with care, she needed to locate the apprentice. judging by the trail of destruction, it would have swept her further than the warriors could search. sykestar closed her eyes and let the wind guide her further down the canyon, until she reached the edge and sniffed along the earth. if stormpaw had broken through the surface, sykestar would smell her. nose close to the ground, sykestar tread with care, following the way the earth streaked this and that way, tree tops brushing just beneath the surface of the clay earth.

it felt like moons before sykestar located a fallen log pressing against a crack in the debris. not even she could prevent how hope blossomed through her, and so sykestar called out. her voice echoed, and it returned to her before she hear a faint mew. she sprung forward, searching along hard mud teasing along the length of the log.

sykestar dug with swift action, her limbs moving forward in short bursts as she raked her claws into the earth, embedding the tips into the hard earth until it gave way and eventually, a shock of grey appeared faintly among the color of rust. "stormpaw!" sykestar called, unable to keep the relief from breathing into her voice as she began to un-earthen the young molly with haste.

the weak edges of the small burrow sykestar had carved shook around her,and it was only the faintest of unnatural tremors beneath her back paws that raced forward to where her other paw bent down to stabilize her digging efforts, that the dark leader was issued a waring before the sides of the small burrow rushed at her sides. she found herself falling into it's horrid depths with stormpaw. with one last look up, sykestar found earth eclipsing the sky, and darkness veiling on every side.

sykestar couldn't describe the way the earth pressed at her chest, stole her last gasp of air. all she knew, was that there was darkness, and what softness she felt near her paw, she prayed was stormpaw's pelt within reach. she wanted to split her maw and shout but at the attempt, she found earth pressing against her nose, unable to breathe. the darkness of being earthened, was replaced by the a chill of darkness she could only align to her memories as starclan.

"sykestar." an echoed voice called.

when the jade of sykestar's gaze opened, she found herself placed at the base of a large redwood, the tree spiraling up into high reaches before she spied the faint fawn pelt, streaming of starlight along their frame, of a starclan member emerging from behind the tree. she did not recognize his features, or his smooth voice. he approached her headless to the confusion surfacing in her eyes. sykestar became keenly aware of other eyes upon her, pale moons from every angle amassing along the edges of the forest to gave after her.

"you have lost your second life, sykestar." the tom meowed calmly, having come to sit before her while licking at her paws , as if to remind her starclan was no different from the living. despite everything within her, all the hatred she had for all her early moons, sykestar looked around, sought a pelt of night with suns for eyes among the flickering of stars around her.

"your mother is not here sykestar. no matter how much you wish her to be."

anger boiled beneath sykestar's fur. she lashed her tail and snarled at the accusation. "don't talk to me, dead cat. you don't know me." the leader felt the fur rise along her back.

"come now sykestar," called a gentle voice softly, one that reached sykestar's ears, allowing warmth to spread through her fur. she turned to her right, and found blazing iris' of gold watching her. coyoteleap. his fur was exactly as she had remembered it, bright and dusky, resembling that of the canine who's name he took after, with white fading down his muzzle and chest. "i taught you better than that." a grumble with a small chuckle couldn't help but rustle over his tongue. "dead cat?" he repeated humored where the cat of grey that spoke to her appeared un-amused. "as if you aren't one yourself right now." his eyes stared at her hard, before softening. "you must correct yourself sykestar, his name is silverheart."

sykestar's emerald gaze flickered back to silverheart, acknowledging momentarily before returning eagerly to embrace the sight of her recently fallen deputy. oceans of doubt that circled sykestar and left her on an island of her own, the image of coyoteleap, bathed in stars, parted the waves that kept her trapped.

"coyoteleap." she whispered, unable to keep the raw emotion from her voice. she lifted her paw to move forward, but found the tom had drifted over the distance in a few leaps, and was already pressing his nose into the fur of her cheek. a purr rumbled deep from within her chest, he smelled just like the day he had left her. she needed his scent closer. just as she felt comfort wash over her, the icy reality of her death crashed back through her at the sound of silverheart clearing his throat.

"you forget yourself sykestar. this is no gift."

"i know this is no gift, old badger." sykestar growled at the tom, fangs flashing and fur bristling. "seeing my deputy once more." her eyes were jade shards, sharp and narrow. "i needn't reminding that sun does not illuminate over fallsclan for very long." silverheart seemed unconvinced by her intimidation, looking rather bored. "i know my losses as i know the scars on my body." she added with a hiss.

"be gentle silverheart." a molly's voice broke through the ringing silence. that was something that sykestar had bothered dreamed of starclan, and feared. a resounding silence. in the depths of night in her den, she often couldn't tell when she drifted between the two realms. as fretful as storms were, they kept her tethered to fallsclan and her warriors.

"my warriors--" sykestar cried loudly and suddenly, remembering her death and the warriors she had left unguarded to the elements. it wasn't safe on their own. she had already let the elements rip away the hope they had needed, that burned weakly against the overwhelming forces that wrecked them of certainty and comfort. she couldn't let the mudslide take any more of them, harm them as it had just ended her life. no. the thought made her chest seized painfully. "my warriors--"

"we cannot let you go back for them yet, sykestar." a familiar face reasoned. a faded face of snow, fur of silken white clouds frost on leaves, frame lined with starlight. fogfern. "you must rest and regain your strength."

"there is no rest, my clan is in danger!" sykestar cried out, composure lost on the she-cat as she faced her fallen clan. "stormpaw..." at the faded memory of the young grey apprentice trapped in the mud returned to her, sykestar whirled around quickly, looking along her paws and along the false forest floor for any sight of the little apprentice. what she found, nearly tore her in half: a fading starry frame of a small cat a hare length away.

"please, let me go to her!" sykestar felt the urge to leap forward, but found her paws glued to the ground. she glared hotly at the cats around her, at silverheart in particular. she had never known starclan to control visiting cats, if this was an unveiled power of the stars, she decided she hated it. fury rose in her voice as she felt herself pushing back against the invisible force. she had to get to stormpaw, before her starry frame became permanent.

"you cannot move, because you have no strength." fogfern explained, voice strained, hoping to reach through the blaze of anger that guarded skyestar.

"i'm fine!" sykestar bit out, claws leaving large marks in the forest ground as she summoned her energy against a tide that wouldn't let her move forward. "I have to get back to my clan. i will not be the leader to just lie down and die." a huff of amusement sounded from coyoteleap. when skyestar looked to the tom, she could feel pride shining in his faded golden eyes.

"trust me, i am in no hurry to be joined by you." silverheart said with a flick of his ear. "if you keep struggling, you'll find yourself with less lives than before, and i recognize a fierce spirit when i see it. so please," sykestar hadn't expected to hear such words from such an arrogant cat, "rest." his voice echoed loudly through the forest.

every fiber within her, told sykestar that she needed to move and take action, but if what the cats said was true, she would never get to stormpaw in time. she laid on her belly with a hiss, a whisk of her tail to display her displeasure with the course of action.

from the stream of stars, made from cats from around them, came a streak of light shooting forward to sykestar. a small cat, she reasoned no older than four moons leaped over her frame, landing on the other side to strike a pose beside her. "you'll get to her, i know you will, you're sykestar!" the kit with faintly flame colored fur said, voice revealing their age with a small squeak.

"adderkit, leave her alone. she's resting." fogfern said.

"no." sykestar said, voice softened as she watched the kit chase her tail. "it's fine. it's better company than the rest of you." the kit laughed, their soft squeals sounding through the valley of stars.

"sykestar," the young kit propped up against her shoulder, curiosity gleaming in their grey stormy orbs, "what's fallsclan like?"

"well adderkit, we're a clan of fighters. we've always been a clan of fighters. it's not easy to live in our territory, i forget how we inherited our home...i just know it hardened us against the challenges thrown at our paws." during the midst of her story, sykestar found adderkit curling up between her paws, chin propped over her claws, as if to soften her rough nature. sykestar didn't mind it. laying with adderkit reminded her of laying with her kin: all the cats that relied on her.

"i am...fortunate to have such a hopeful medicine cat, briarseed--"

"i've seen her, she's pretty!"

"yes, yes she is. she's also kind. she finds understanding where i..." sheepishly, sykestar looks away, "i don't possess the beauty of her patience. i rather live with my choices, which i now recognize is, a flaw in my design." the dark molly chuckled softly. "i suppose i should share that with her." memories of briarseed as a paw flashed through her mind. "i have not always spoken so kindly to her. or to my deputy."

rabbitsong, the guile tom also surfaced in her mind, his gaze sparkling, voice echoing in the depths of her mind. "i don't doubt that he saved our clan at this dark hour in my absence. that, is also a trait of our clan adderkit: confidence and responsiveness. we're quick on our paws, swift in action. we protect our own. he might prickle my fur, and he's no you." she cast her eyes back to coyoteleap who returned a questioning look, "but he has the trust and faith of the clan."

"he sounds really amazing. i wish i could meet him." adderkit praised. " but what about you? don't you do something important too?"

"I'm here." at the spoken words, sykestar felt strength flowing to her paws and claws. adderkit lifted himself from her paws, and padded off towards coyoteleap's side. "i'm still here." sykestar announced gently, rising to her paws. the clan of stars shifted around sykestar, glistened around her like a friendly sea of night. "i dreamed...for a long time, i dreamed about running away. following a shadow i can't find, in hopes that, i'll be free of it all." sykestar shakes her head quietly. "i'm here for my clan."

"and now you can return to them." fogfern added gently, approaching to press their muzzle to sykestar's forehead.

sykestar awoke to darkness, but had strength coursing through her veins. she felt for stormpaw beneath her paw, and found, with a rough breath of relief against the earth around her, the apprentice. with the loss of her life, and the renewal in her veins, sykestar kicked with all her might and called out to her clan, claws ripping at the world around her. light, faintly at first, crumbled beneath her paws until a beam of light pierced through the darkness.

rustling her shoulders around for more space, sykestar clawed a stable grip on the ground above, and pulled forward until her muzzle broke the surface. kicking fiercely, she found enough purchase to twist herself around and grasp stormpaw with her fangs. with a growling aimed at their tragedy, ripping from her throat, sykestar pushed stormpaw forward, her grey face breaking into the air. a few final kicks and scratches at the earth, and sykestar emerged from beside the log with stormpaw limp against her chest.

all the apprentices were now safe.

"i have you stormpaw." sykestar whispered against her fur, eagerly checking the young feline over for any signs of injury. her leg was swollen, the injury concentrated near her hip. sykestar did't deny the relief flooding through her to know no further harm had befallen her. "things are going to be better now, i promise." slipping stormpaw over her back, sykestar carefully nudged the limp and exhausted apprentice's head over hers. once she was secured, sykestar followed a path back to the fallsclan survivors. briarseed swept to her side and took the grey apprentice, quickly fastening a splint for her hindleg.

"it's dislocated." she reported, "but it will heal."

relief flooded sykestar's heart so heavily, she felt as if she had not been free of the earth, for it was hard to breathe through the emotion. "then let's head home."