[Fate Admin]

The marsh squelched underpaw with every step Ravenstar took. It would have been rather unpleasant had it not meant that the weather was warming up enough to melt the snow and allow the ground below to be seen once more. Where she was going, she couldn’t quite remember… every time she tried to recall it slipped through her paws like water, but she was compelled to keep moving forward. As she kept moving, she noticed the ground becoming wetter, sucking at her paws, but she could not bring herself to turn back. Soon she was up to her belly fur in muck and barely able to move. It was then she was finally able to yowl for help and woke from her dream with a start.

It took a few moments to realize it wasn’t just in her dream she had felt wet…. She leapt to her paws and felt her moss bedding squelch beneath her paws just like the ground in her dreams had, and for a moment wondered if she was really awake. Her belly fur was wet, her nest soaked…. She took a tentative step out of her nest only for her paw to splash down in freezing water that had pooled in her den, covering the whole floor of her small cavern in paw-deep water. Her ears shot forward as she realized what was happening.

She bounded from her den and into the center of camp, where the cavern would echo her words quite well to the rest of the Clan, if they hadn’t already woken in similar states of wetness and also realized what was happening. She glanced toward the entrance to the camp, where a slope led up and out of the earth and water was streaming in, before calling out to the Clan, “The camp is flooding! Everyone awake and alert!” Though her voice was raised, it was commanding and calm rather than alarmed. Yes water was streaming into camp, but they had plenty of time to get out before anything bad would happen. It wasn’t like in RainClan, where their camp could be swept away at a moment’s notice when the stream broke its banks.

Oakpaw scrambled out from the apprentices den at the call. He had been awoken by the wetness in his nest and fur as well, and had been staring about the apprentices’ den bewildered at the water that covered the ground and not at all understanding what was going on. After all, the camp had never flooded before in his lifetime. He saw Ravenstar standing in the middle of camp with her tail raised as she watched her Clanmates emerge from their dens in various stages of bedraggled wetness. As soon as Ravenstar saw him, as the first apprentice to emerge, she waved him over and he plodded unhappily through the shallow water toward her.

“Oakpaw, you and your siblings go help Smokefur carry out any herbs you can. Her den is higher than the rest of camp, it might not even be wet there yet. Tell Thornpaw and Ashpaw and make sure they go with you. It is very important that she is able to take as many herbs with her as she can, do you understand?” Sure it was new-leaf and things would be growing again, but it was very EARLY new-leaf and the thaw was only just beginning… there were very few new herbs to gather just yet.

Oakpaw nodded affirmatively, his tail raising in importance. Their first mission! And it was VERY important. Ravenstar said so herself! He bounded across the camp back to the warriors den, making huge splashes of water as he went and probably soaking anyone within a fox-length of him without realizing it, “Thornpaw, Ashpaw! We have a mission!” As soon as he found his siblings he would explain to them exactly what that was before dashing off to Smokefur’s den without even waiting for them to follow. It was too important to wait! “Smokefur! Ravenstar we’re s’pose to help you carry out herbs. The camp is flooding!”

Ravenstar turned back to the warriors and older apprentices, speaking quickly but clearly. It would not due to incite panic when there was no reason for it, “The camp has flooded before, everyone stay calm and we’ll all be fine. As you can see,” her tail flicked toward the camp entrance, where water was still steadily streaming in, slowly raising the water level as she spoke, “The water is coming fairly quickly and in no small amount. We must evacuate before the water gets too deep. See to that the kits get out first and help the elders out, the water is bound to make the slope to the entrance slippery and harder to climb for them. Roughthroat.”

She turned to look at her deputy, pushing away the pang of grief that Boneshadow was not here to help her guide NightClan through this, “After the elders, queens, and kits are all evacuated, start leading everyone toward the Pineneedle Clearing. I will stay here to make sure every cat is out before joining you.” She gave him a slight nod and whipped her tail urgently, looking over the rest of her cats, “Now hurry and help your Clanmates out!” She has wasted enough time talking. The water was already climbing up past her paws and farther up her legs. Of course for most of the warriors in the Clan it was probably barely above their paws.

[Fawn]

“Thornpaw, Ashpaw! We have a mission!”

That was the last thing he had expected to hear whilst standing in the soaked apprentices' den, his buff-colored ears flattening against his skull at all the unpleasant wetness. "So Ravenstar wants the three of us to go save some stupid herbs? You know, maybe it's just me but I'm starting to get the feeling that she doesn't like us all that much." Thornpaw grumbled bitterly, but dashing off towards Smokefur's den and wading through the rising water levels after Oakpaw, with Ashpaw right in his wake. First his clumsy brother had been assigned to the worst warrior in the Clan, and then they got stuck with trying not to drown all for the sake of saving a couple of stupid plants?

Those herbs are important, a voice in the back of his mind chided, but Thornpaw still couldn't help but feel disappointed, as though Ravenstar was deliberately picking on the three of them. Only later would he realize how important their job was, but while Roughthroat - the Clan deputy and his mentor - was busy issuing orders and helping to evacuate the others, he would basically be grabbing a mouthful of herbs and roots and other dumb stuff and carrying it out of camp somewhere safe. They had a whole forest! Couldn't they just collect more? Yeah he knew it was leafbare (ish), but in case anyone hadn't noticed, the snow was melting.

~*~

It was only the fact that he was too busy escorting the queens and kits out of the nursery that Blackwolf didn't say anything to Ravenstar. Despite her being a pillar of strength and wisdom for the Clan, she was still a short pillar, no matter how large her resolve was. The fluffy black and white she-cat could drown in more than her chivalry if she stayed back and waited until everyone else had evacuated. It's not your job to worry about her anymore. Leave that to Roughthroat. Though the solid gray tom had been deputy for a while now, Blackwolf was still having a bit of difficulty adjusting out of temp-deputy-mode, as seen by his sprint towards the nursery the second Ravenstar had announced the flooding. He had neither offspring or siblings to worry about in here, and as such his actions were guided by loyalty and - surprisingly - kindness.

Catching sight of Ratfur slinking out of camp, Blackwolf spat at him with contempt;
"Get your sorry carcass over here, Ratfur, and help me get the kits to safety." Well, he probably should've given the skinny brown tom the benefit of the doubt rather than just automatically assume he was sneaking off like a coward... But then again, when had Ratfur ever shown anything resembling bravery?
If he couldn't even count the instances with his tail, then there was a serious problem.

Nose wrinkling with disgust, the ebony warrior turned back, forcing his facial expression to soften slightly at a set of orphaned twins looking up at him with wide, scared eyes. "Don't panic," he mewed in something almost like a soothing purr, "I'll get you both out safely, I promise."

It was about time Poisonleaf, Silverfox, Hollowcry, Harepaw and Shadepaw showed up to make themselves useful. What was the point of a posse if they weren't there when you needed them?

[BlooRey DVD]

Echobreeze
~~~~~~

The timid calico sprung to her paws suddenly at a feeling of wetness creeping around her. Her green eyes were stretched wide as she looked around the den, her small size making it so the water was reaching her faster than it might right others. Upon hearing Ravenstar's words, the she-cat pushed herself into motion, eyes still wide in confusion. She glanced around desperately trying to figure out what she should do. She began to move towards the medicine cat den, Smokefur being one of the only cats in the Clan she might be willing to draw incredibly near to. However, her leader's words ordered for a bunch of apprentices to go and assist the NightClan medicine cat. The small calico was left in the center of the flooding camp, lost and confused. Her heart beating wildly and frantically in her chest, she couldn't help but think of a certain RainClan tom. She wanted nothing more than to run to him, but she forced her small, wet paws to move through the deepening water, towards the elders' den.

Strawberrypaw
~~~~~~

Strawberrypaw was already awake for some reason she couldn't comprehend. She felt a little on the cold side, and wet, for a reason she couldn't explain. She'd been having a nasty dream, she was aware of that... But why- Ravenstar's call cleared all question from her mind. The large apprentice was on her paws immediately, exiting the den in a matter of moments. Her off-green eyes glanced at her black and white furred leader as the she-cat began to call out orders. She couldn't see her mentor anywhere, but she figured that she should listen to Ravenstar. Glancing towards the nursery, she noticed Blackwolf, one of the warriors, already there. She bounded with ease through the water, her muscles not complaining once with the adrenaline rushing over her already. She passed by a small calico she-cat, whom she vaguely knew as Echobreeze, but kept going. She pulled to a stop beside Blackwolf, glancing at him. "What can I do to help?"

[Deleted]

. : p o i s o n l e a f : .

They say pride comes before the fall...

The calico she-cat had woken before most others, her nest wet. Naturally, the she-cat sat up and cleaned off her fur as best she could, staying in her nest so as not to disturb anyone. When Ravenstar's voice echoed across the camp, venomous green eyes flicked up, gazing around the crowded den. She hadn't dreamed the situation of a wet nest warranted an evacuation, but then, she didn't know what was going on beyond the den walls.

"Well, you heard her. Get up, get out." Poisonleaf stood and flicked a bit of water off her tail, striding toward the den entrance, not caring if she stepped on anyone. They should be up and going already. The black, white, and orange she-cat stepped out into the open, seeing the water flowing in through the camp entrance. The proud cat strode across the camp, gazing about to see where she was needed.

Catching sight of a dark figure near the nursery, she turned and headed in that direction. Blackwolf. Lean legs carried her body across the camp, green gaze softening as she overheard Blackwolf speaking to the kits. "Don't panic. I'll get you both out safely, I promise." Poisonleaf flicked her tail lightly against Blackwolf's shoulder, offering the tom a smile. "Don't worry, little ones. We'll keep you safe." Poisonleaf was a proud cat, yes, but NightClan was important, and the future of NightClan lay in the nursery, with every single kit there.

Green eyes flicked back up to Blackwolf momentarily, before she dipped her head, scooping up one of the parentless kits by the scruff. Poisonleaf lifted her head, hoisting the kit above the rising water levels. The calico she-cat spared another glance at Blackwolf before moving toward the camp entrance, intending to get the kit to the Pineneedle clearing as quickly as possible to turn back and help the Clan more. As she started to move through the entrance, an elder in front of her stumbled. Poisonleaf took a quick step forward, lining her shoulder up with the elder's haunch, pushing the retired warrior up the slope and out into the territory. Once outside of camp, Poisonleaf strode forward with long, confident strides, kit hoisted high into the air, headed for the training clearing.

...but I am pride, and I am the fall

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[Deleted]

O X P A W

While the sleep had been dreamless, Oxpaw resisted the unknown force trying to pull him out of it all the same. Eventually, however, the pull became too great, and light blue eyes opened in annoyance. What a way to start the day off… the apprentice grumbled in his head before realizing the reason he was dragged from sleep. Water had seeped into the apprentice’s den somehow. The tabby tom’s nose wrinkled at the feeling of wet fur, and he finally hauled himself into sitting in order to lick it clean. Unfortunately, the den still had water in it, so he would have to leave to dry off. It’s too early for this… Wait, why was there water in the den in the first place?

Just as the sleepy cat tried puzzling out the answer, Ravenstar’s yowl answered it for him. Flooding? The camp was… The cogs finally clicked into place, and the ungainly tom was never quicker onto his four paws. Seeing his sister was still asleep, Oxpaw dashed over and nudged her awake. “Patchpaw, wake up,” he hissed, only stopping pawing at her when green eyes finally opened. “The camp’s flooding; we have to get out of here.” The two scampered out of the apprentice’s den, nowhere near the first to do so but not the last either.

The tom had started towards the entrance, but his sister stopped his escape. “C’mon, we have to help them!” she insisted, striding over to the nursery instead. Reluctant to stay but even more reluctant to separate from Patchpaw and then get lost in the chaos, Oxpaw trodded after his sister, whisper-arguing “No, we have to help us!”. There were plenty of other cats on the Clan to help carry kits out, and a few warriors were already at the nursery; surely Ravenstar, standing in the middle of the camp like she was, wouldn’t mind and/or notice two apprentices evacuating? “It’s not like we’re going to die if we help them out, Oxpaw.” Said cat frowned and flicked his tail in annoyance, but continued after Patchpaw without another complaint.

And of course Strawberrypaw would be at the nursery. Why wouldn’t she be? Before Oxpaw could even look at her, however, one of the queens was nosing her two kits over to the siblings before heading back into the nursery to help one of the newer queens. Light blue eyes stared down at this white and black kit. Surely he had been this small at one point, but it seemed like ages ago… A hiss brought him out of his thoughts, and the apprentice had to strongly fight the urge to bat this little brat over the ear. Instead, he settled for picking her up by the scruff of her neck and finally leaving camp, Patchpaw beside him carrying the brat’s littermate. What if their mother didn’t make it out? He had been only a moon or two older than these kits surely had to be when his mother died, although she had been sick for a while.

The strange and mostly unwelcome feeling in his chest vanished when the mostly white kit took a swipe at him. Alright you brat… As soon as he was outside of the camp and the floodwater, Oxpaw nearly spat the kit out. She was old enough to walk on her own, clearly. Besides, the apprentice had no idea where to go. A calico warrior, carrying other kit, seemed to have a direction in mind. The darker tabby watched impatiently as his sister set the other kit down and then nudged them both off in the direction the other cats were heading. “We should go back,” the lighter cat commented. Oxpaw’s tail twitched. “Why? We got these brats out, isn’t that enough?” The siblings began a staring contest off to the side of the entrance, far enough away so they would go mostly unnoticed by cats trying to leave. While usually his sister won such battle of wills, Oxpaw was adamant about this.

[Deleted]

Smokefur had been in the middle of a rather poor session of sleep when she was awoken by the call from her sister. She was awoken instantly and shook her head trying to wrap her head around what he she was saying, stumbling over to the entrance of her den she peeked out to see that the camp was flooding and she instantly awake all thoughts of sleep that consumed her just moments before were forgotten. Running back into the depths of her den she uncovered her private store of herbs, or what was left of it and started pulling it all out as fast as she could. She tossed bits that out that weren’t worth saving if it meant the better parts could be soaked or lost in the flooding, she probably would have tossed them out anyway it just had been a while since she had sorted through what was too stale to even use. She hadn’t even finished her sorting when three apprentices showed up and she silently thanked Starclan that Ravenstar had the forethought to send her help, honestly she wasn’t sure how often she crossed her sisters mind but at the moment she hoped it wasn’t much because she was getting tired of her unfair and overbearing sister. “Okay.” She said as she pushed a big pile of herbs she knew was good towards the trio, “Take these out of the camp, try not to let them get wet and for the love of starclan don’t drop any!” She said as she sorted through the much larger pile that was still left continuing to issue orders. “After you get out of camp, STAY out of camp!” She said raising her voice in a very serious tone, and if they tried to protest she would repeat herself as many times as she had to before it sunk in. She had seen the entrance of the camp and it wasn’t the first time it had flooded in her lifetime, the entrance became slippery as the water rose and she knew it could easily be the death of an apprentice.

[Fate Admin]

Oakpaw shifted on his paws impatiently as Smokefur spoke, nodding to her words but only half listening, just excited to be doing something IMPORTANT. Ravenstar had said it was anyway, so it must be true. He grabbed up a big mouthful of herbs, wincing slightly as he bit down a little harder than he’d meant and a bitter taste spread over his tongue. ECH! He did his best not to spit the herbs everywhere in attempt to get rid of the taste, shaking his head as if he could shake out the memory of the bitterness that had yet to leave his mouth.

Don’t drop any, Smokefur had said. Oh…. Oakpaw paused as he turned to leave. He was vaguely aware of how clumsy he was and a flicker of worry that he might drop even one precious leaf went through him. He raised his chin, puffed out his chest, and pushed past the negative feeling. He had to try anyway! He took each step carefully, feeling around with his paw to be certain the ground would be solid beneath his paw, slowly making his way out camp. Once he got to the entrance he stared up at the slick surface, water streaming in steadily, and almost yowled in despair. How would he ever get to the top without slipping and dropping the herbs!?

Silverfox, who had made a beeline for the elders after Ravenstar was done speaking, was helping old Olivegaze to the entrance when they were stalled behind one of the newest apprentices who was… just standing there. Her tail lashed once in annoyance before she recognized the young tom. She moved her tail in front of the elder, barring her way briefly to indicate that she should wait there a moment. Olivegaze was well known for being almost completely deaf and Silverfox didn’t particularly wish to shout at the moment. She older she-cat huffed her impatience to be gone, but stayed where she was as Silverfox moved forward to the apprentice.

“Hey there… what’s the hold up, tiger?” She pressed rather close to the young tom, her tone playful. She noticed the herbs stuffed in his mouth and realized he was one of the apprentices that Ravenstar had sent to help Smokefur.

Oakpaw looked up at the warrior, dismayed. He couldn’t really answer her with these herbs in his mouth! His jerked his head upward, toward the entrance, trying to talk with his body rather than with words. Placing one paw on the slope up, he slid it down with emphasis, hoping she would get that he was worried about slipping and falling as he tried to get out. “MMMF!” He shook his head, making the herbs rustle, trying to indicate them, and dipped his head just above the water, looking up at the she-cat, trying to indicate that he didn’t want to drop them in the water.

Silverfox stared at the young tom with an incredulous look on her face. What in the name of StarClan!? Her patience was wearing thin. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down. “Well, if you won’t go up on your own, I guess I’ll have to help you. You’re blocking the way for everyone else you know.” Without another word she grabbed the young cat by his scruff and began to half drag him up the slope, finding pawholds in the stone beneath her as she went. Oakpaw did his best to help push them upward, but it wasn’t working for him very well. Silverfox thrust him up before her and shoved his hind quarters the rest of the way out of the entrance, “Now get going to the clearing!” Oakpaw nodded briefly and began his careful walk toward the Pineneedle Clearing… or where he thought it was anyway. He hadn’t actually been there with Ratfur yet, though they had passed it when he’d toured the territory. There were other cats heading that way, anyway, so he tried to follow them.

With that she half slid back down into camp, landing with a bit of a splash, accompanied by a familiar hiss. She turned, bristling slightly, to see Goldeneagle standing just in front of Night-tail, one of the other elders. Apparently she’d gotten her golden-furred sister wet. Oh she was SO sorry….

Goldeneagle looked smugly at her, “You look like a half drown rat!” She glanced up to where Oakpaw had disappeared, “You going for younger toms now? So glad I’ll have Blackwolf all to myself now~”

Silverfox spat outright at her sister, claws unsheathing instinctively as she tried to claim Blackwolf for herself, “I was helping a Clanmate you stinking piece of crowfood! Like Blackwolf would ever choose a frogface like you-”

Night-tail thrust himself forward then, half hopping with his bad foreleg, between the two sisters, fur fluffed up and teeth bared angrily, “Can’t you two frog-brains see the camp is flooding! If you two wanna sit here and drown be my guest and I pity StarClan when you join them, but get outta the way cuz I’m. Not. Dying. Here.” He punctuated each word by poking Silverfox with his bad paw, his teeth still bared in a snarl, “Listening to you two bicker like… like… me and the old bat!” With that he shoved past her and attempted to scale the slope out of camp on his own, which only got him a couple steps up before he slid back down, splashing them all with icy water.

Silverfox simply stared with wide-eyes at the elder’s rebuke until water splashed over her. She shook herself, shot a glare at Goldeneagle as her sister pushed past to help the old tom, and went back to Olivegaze, who seemed to be ignoring her after her childish spat with her sister. Whatever. She was SO done talking right now anyway. She seethed in silence as she waited for Goldeneagle and Night-tail to reach the top and get out of the way before helping Olivegaze up ahead of her, half pushing the older she-cat up the slope.

[Phoenix]

The instant he woke up he knew that it would be a bad day. A very bad day. It was bad enough having to wake up cold every single day, despite his idea nest placement toward the center of the den - one of the perks of following Blackwolf - but he had become used to the numbing cold a few weeks into leaf-bare. Waking up cold and wet, however, was completely uncalled for, and with his paws drenched before even stepping out of the den, he found himself mentally cursing whatever starry idiots might have up there in the sky. No doubt they were laughing at the mere mortals down in the forest, staggering, half-awake, through rising water and freezing their fur off. Had he been warm and dry, he probably would be laughing too. But he wasn't; therefore, they had no right to laugh at him. Those jerks.

Shaking like a leaf in the wind, the thin tom stumbled out of the den, shoved to the side by the onslaught of warriors attempting to do the same as him. For the first time in his life - or the first time that he could immediately remember - he was perfectly fine with being cast off to the side, discarded like a bird's bone after it had been picked clean of meat. What with his natural ability and Ravenstar's convenient decision to call a clan meeting to announce the flood - honestly, anyone who doesn't know is worth leaving behind - lurking in the shadows was so easy that it was almost painful. Almost. Yellow-green eyes glittered as they watched the last straggler sheepishly run toward the meeting, no doubt hoping that no one had noticed his absence. Only after the bushy tail had disappeared did he remove himself from the wall and begin to slink forward, keeping low to the ground.

Ears flicked as he kept tabs on Ravenstar's orders, though it was not out of any interest in following them. He felt no loyalty, no love for any of these cats who were foolish enough to believe that such sentiments existed. The world existed in debts and powerplays. Nothing more. Nothing less. A kit followed its mother because it was dependent on her to teach it how to survive, not because of love or loyalty. To think that skilled - and he used the word liberaly - cats would waste their time spinning facts that simply did not exist. It was disgusting-- But that was for a different time, when he did not need to concentrate on remaining out of sight and out of mind. His clan mates could choose to stay behind and drown if they wished to do so; he was not about to stop them. However, he was going to save his own hide and escape camp while he still could. He was so close. And then--

Freezing, he closed his eyes and forced himself to count to ten, taking deep breaths as he did so. Claws itched to unsheathe themselves and dig into the black warrior's own sorry carcass, though he knew that that endeavor would end badly for multiple reasons. Before turning slowly, he willed his jaw to unclench and transformed his murderous look into something more befitting of a cat scared out of his wits. He could not pretend to lie about sneaking out of camp, but he could change the motivation behind it. Blinded by fear was far more acceptable than a conscious decision.

Ignoring the small voice in his head that urged him to turn around and run, regardless of the consequences, he strode rather grudgingly toward the larger warrior. Yellow-green eyes were kept wide, and it was not hard to force his breaths to come in rapid, shallow pants. Nervous kneading of the paws, a general skittish attitude, a swallow here or there and he was all set. By the time he had reached the nursery, a handful of other cats were already there. More than enough to handle a few petrified kits. Surely his prescence was unnecessary. Only the threat of Blackwolf's ire and the knowledge that he was supposed to be the mindless, obedient minion kept his paws firmly planted where they were in the rising water. "How can I help?" The words, spoken with a slight quiver of fear that was not completely faked, forced their way out of his maw as he instinctively turned a questioning gaze on Blackwolf.

[Fawn]

“Take these out of the camp, try not to let them get wet and for the love of starclan don’t drop any!”[...]“After you get out of camp, STAY out of camp!”

It was a good thing Thornpaw already has his mouth full of herbs, otherwise he would have protested loudly at Smokefur's orders to stay out of camp. But I want to help Roughthroat! I'm his apprentice, for Dark Forest's Sake! She couldn't force him to stay out of camp! ....could she?

Expression mutinous - though it could've been disguised as distaste thanks to the unusual and likely somewhat bitter herbs in his mouth - Thornpaw charged ahead with his reckless pride up in flames, sloshing through the muddy waters in front of Oakpaw and Ashpaw. Though it was rather slippery, Thornpaw had to admit, and he grunted through the herbs and roots with effort as he took a few painstakingly slow minutes to find his footing. Once he found his stride, however, he was back to agitated strutting, tail lashing as he practically forgot about Oakpaw and his clumsiness in the wake of his own indignation.

Oakpaw! Wheeling around, a grimace was painted all over his muzzle as he accidentally bit into a particularly potent-tasting herb, the flavor exceptionally unpleasant - but at least Oakpaw was getting some much needed help. Was that that she-cat from before? Silverfur or something. He would've said thanks if he'd been in a better mood, and when Oakpaw attempted to wander after a couple of cats heading StarClan knows where, Thornpaw was quick to auto-correct his movements, nudging him after Snowlark who was actually headed for the Pine Needle clearing.

~*~

"What can I do to help?"

"Get this kit to the Pine Needle Clearing - it's got a sibling, Poisonleaf is carrying it." He mewed quickly, having set the kitten down and nudged it over to Strawberrypaw, entrusting the feisty she-cat to carry her own weight and the kitten's up the unpleasantly steep slope out of here. "Ratfur, grab that last one, and be careful going up the slope." Though it might've come off as concern for one of his 'cronies' it was more concern for the remaining NightClan kit, which was a tortoiseshell tom that had not moved from his place at the back of the den. Padding forward, Blackwolf's brawny shoulders brushed thickly against the entrance as he approached the brightly patterned kitten. Nudging it with his paw, he expected it to wake up immediately, his tone gruff and impatient as he called out,
"Wake up! Now's not the time to be sleeping, slowslug!" He hissed, not able to use a heavier insult than that, considering he WAS still dealing with a kit.

Blackwolf felt his innards suddenly ice over as though struck by a cold spell. The kitten didn't wake up, even with his hissing. He could see the little flanks rising and falling, the bundle curled up and utterly snug in a little ball, but something felt off. Nudging it again, Blackwolf's whiskers twitched in sudden worry.
Was something wrong with it?
"Wake. UP. NOW!" He barked, this time not so much impatient as he was frightened of the little thing dying or something equally as unpredicted as this.

To the ebony warrior's relief, the tortoiseshell tom woke right up, fur fluffed up and eyes staring wide as it scampered out of Blackwolf's way, mewling in shock and pelting right into Ratfur, cowering against the older tom's legs. Blackwolf's jaw fell open, realizing the kit was either the slow one or that little weird one that kept falling asleep at inopportune times (Like now), either one was probably going to come back to bite them later, but they could worry about that some other time.
"Get it out of here, and for StarClan's sake, don't drop it!"

Mad at them both for different reasons - Ratfur for looking so pathetic and the kitten for scaring him in the first place - Blackwolf turned and looked around the rest of camp, intending to collect any stragglers he saw falling behind the rest of the evacuating cats.

[Deleted]

I will go down with this ship 
And I won't put my hands up and surrender 
There will be no white flag above my door 
I'm in love and always will be  



R O U G H T H R O A T;; 
Gray fur the color of angry clouds rose and fell along with the body of the unconscious deputy. Placed just behind the entrance to the warrior's den, Roughthroat acted as a guard, his slate toned body like a stone guardian. The appointed deputy would give up anything for his clan's health: his bone, his heart, his head. The tom would readily auction these off for the safety of others. The tom's guilty pleasure was unnoticeable, wavering and boiling just beneath the skin his fur lined. Roughthroat lived vicariously through the lives of his clan mates. To see their happiness and laughter brought him joy. The NightClan tom could not deny missing simpler times upon occasion. Resting his sore limbs, letting his mind go free -- these were all times of the past. The tom could not engage in normal clan lifestyle. Or, so he felt, his personal life at all.

The evening had been like all before him; the glow of the growing moon, blue glow of tired eyes, the late night planning for the next day's work. Though only in the position of deputy for a short few weeks now, time seemed to stretch on before him like a haunting shadow. Minutes stretched on for hours and every choice he made for his clan -- from choosing to take his apprentice out for a hunt, to send out his patrol -- all proved to be one more step along the rim of safety and danger. One wrong move; flick of his slender limbs in the wrong direction, and the clan could tumble. Today was one of those days that Roughthroat could put under his increasing list of failures as a deputy. 

Roughthroat's luminescent blue eyes had finally closed and his breath was no longer plagued by the raggedness of consciousness. The only escape from his duties the tom felt were in sleep. The NightClan tom's dreams did not give him relief today. Roughthroat had spent a good portion of the evening planning to send a patrol of warriors down to any body of standing water to check to see if the ice had melted in those areas or not. In Leafbare, the coat of ice atop of marshes and lakes had been, what he considered, strong enough to stand on. While the tom had not tested such a thing [such would be childish and definitely not deputy-like], the tom had figured that it might mean the ice would take a particular time to melt. Because the melting snow had made NightClan damp under paw, the melting of unwatched ice would be worrisome -- particularly if the lakes were already relatively full of Newleaf rain. Reality and dreams had mingled and mixed into something not quite reality but not quite fiction. His dreams were full of water -- gushing, leaking, swishing. Everywhere. Everywhere.

Half asleep and half awake, blue slivers deeper than the sky stared without watching the world unfold around him. Had the stormy tom been more caught up on his sleep, he would have felt the particularly cold, once-ice leak into the warrior's den. It was not until a drifting twig jabbed him in the side that Roughthroat sleepily clawed his way in to conscious. Blearily stumbling and splashing through the inches of water, Roughthroat struggled out of the warrior's den. He was lucky not to fall on his face. 

The resounding sound of calmness in Ravenstar's voice made Roughthroat still. His heart, once pounding in his ear, was a whisper. The stone colored tom pawed his way up to Ravenstar and turned to face the she-cat as she addressed the clan. Once he had received his orders, the dark gray tom moved, first toward the nursery, strong limbs like pillars pumping up and down, high to avoid getting stuck in the debris and twisting water. The deputy got about halfway there before he spied Blackwolf already on the case, along with Ratfur. The bright blue eyes of the tom watched Blackwolf for a second stretching on for an eternity before moving at an even quicker speed towards the elder's den. While assigned the task technically, the dark gray tom trusted Blackwolf as a clan cat. He had temporarily been deputy, after all. The NightClanner had every intention of returning back to the nursery once he had tended to the elder's -- of which he noted no one had come to the rescue of.


Swishing his long tail urgently the moment his paws hit their mark, the NightClanner cast his vivid blue gaze from elder to elder. "We need to get out of here and get to Pineneedle Clearing. It's urgent," the deputy meowed breathlessly, whiskers twitching to a different tempo than his tail. The NightClanner hoped that the elders would not complain as they often do. It was important to the stone gray tom to care for them; they were, after all, the history of the clan and what had supported NightClan generations before him. Not only did the deputy want their safety, but he wanted to make sure he did things right. The NightClan tom had been assigned a task and would not give up until he did what he was set out for. Even if he had to drag each elder out of the den individually by the scruff, all the way to Pineneedle Clearing.

IWILLGODOWNWITHTHISSHIP

[Deleted]

*T I N Y K I T

Tinykit had been closing her hunter green orbs, and only seconds later it seemed that an alarmed yowl sent Tiny to her feet. Squeaking indignantly, very tired, and hungry, Tinykit got to her paws just getting ready to yell outside at the others that she was sleeping. Then something wet trickled through her pads, startling Tinykit from her tired daze. The orphan's eyes widened slightly as she caught on to what the others were yelling. A flood!

Confused, drowsy, and scared, Tinykit stumbled her way outside, squeaking indignantly and helplessly. " Help! " the ginger and white kitten yelled unhappily. They were in a flood, and she wasn't very happy about being left behind.

[Phoenix]

Wide eyes watched as Blackwolf assigned some other cat - he did not care enough to pay attention - a kit to carrying, and he found hope bubbling up through him at the mention of a sibling. Were all the kits taken, perhaps? It would be irritating enough struggling up that slope himself, and he would jump at the chance to do so without the added burden of a kit, who would either be struggling or frozen in terror. Already the words were on the tip of his tongue and his weight was shifted backward in his eageriness to escape the instant the opportunity showed itself. No more kits? What a shame... I'll just be going now.

But it was not to be, and since the world did not make a habit of granting him his wishes, he could not bring himself to be surprised. With a resigned air, he flicked an ear as Blackwolf addressed him, attention shifting over to the final kit, who was huddled in the corner. Keen eyes curiously noted the steady rising and falling of its sides, and he idly wondered how a kit could sleep through all of the cold, the wet, and the noise. The dense thing would not have much of a future ahead of it if it was always as oblivious, and though his slight disgust at its ineptitude - like he was one to talk - he did feel some pity for it. Not only was life as a failure more challenging than the life of a competent warrior, but the first thing the kit would seen when it woke up was Blackwolf's face. Even now, as a warrior, Ratfur was traumatized almost every time he saw that ugly maw; he did not want to imagine the effect it would have on a kit so young. But perhaps it would be spared the torture, as it was probably too unintelligent to even realize that that was a cat growling at it. Then again, anyone could make that mistake.

Thoroughly amused by his commentary on the older warrior's countenance, he shifted expectantly to take the kit a few moments after he heard the rather hostile hiss. The kit, however, remained sound asleep, and he could not hide the ghost of a smirk that flitted over his face at the apparent confusion on Blackwolf's face. Sure, he was just as clueless about the dense creature - he spent even less time in the nursery than the ebony warrior - but that did not mean he could not derive joy from the other tom's consternation. After a louder bark that had Ratfur pitying the small thing once more, the kit was startled awake.

And the result was nearly comical. Except for the part where he received the full force of a terrified kit on thin legs with little protection between fur and bone. Ow. Perhaps he could use the thing as a weapon. Scare it and it would charge straight toward his opponent, taking down the other cat with the hardness of its skull, which suddenly seemed much larger now that it had connected with his legs.

Still he refrained from snapping at it by somehow unearthing a lingering patience. Admittedly, he had debated sending it scurrying back to Blackwolf and testing out his weapon theory, but after a moment's consideration, he decided that the consequences were too great. In any case, Blackwolf's ire appeared to have risen, and he had no desire to stick around to weather the following storm. Scooping up the kit with a muttered, "Come on, you. Let's get out of here before the idiot blows," he escaped the scene before the other warrior could call him back.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:de0914]Strawberrypaw[/smear:66ccff]
~~~~~~~~~~

The mottled brown she-cat nodded her head to Blackwolf, before moving towards the kit. "Come on now, let's get you to safety." Her voice was slightly softened, but Strawberrypaw was certainly not someone who was used to speaking to kits. Still, she picked it up gently by the scruff and backed out of the den. The water was sucking at her pelt now, creeping up her legs and lapping at her belly fur. Still, she trudged on, holding the kit as high as she could. Her green eyes were angled downwards, doing their best to keep an eye on the terrain. She kept her claws unsheathed, ready to grab hold of anything should she slip. It was considerably harder to breathe with the cold water reaching for her, as well as the kit's fur in her mouth. She was just glad it was not struggling. Finally, she made it to the entrance. There wasn't too much further now. The only thing she had to worry about was the fact that water was all but pouring down the sloped entrance, making it slippery and dangerous. This wouldn't stop Strawberrypaw. With a slightly narrowed gaze, she frowned and pushed herself up the entrance.

It was awkward, there was no denying that. Her neck was in a position that was less than comfortable, doing her best to keep the poor kit out of the icy water, and her claws were desperately trying to cling into mud. There wasn't much to hold on to, but every once in a while, they would get a strong hold and she would propel herself up further than normal. Hooked claws finally grabbed hold of the ground at the top of the entrance. Her fur was plastered to her frame, water having washed over her back on her way up the entrance, but the kit, by some miracle, was dry. As she crested the rise, she spotted Poisonleaf heading off to what appeared to be the training clearing. She also noted Oxpaw (her nose scrunched up at the sight of him) as well as his sister Patchpaw locked in a staring contest. She bounded towards them depositing the kit at their feet. "Patchpaw, take care of this, will you? I'm going back." And with that, she turned and headed back towards the entrance. She stopped at the top, remembering how hard it had been to make it up. She figured she might as well stay up here and offer assistance as they came up. If she tried heading back down, she might simply cause more problems by slipping.

Off-green eyes caught sight of a small calico warrior, whom she placed as Echobreeze, struggling up the tunnel with a kit in her jaws. Firmly planting her hind claws into the root of a nearby tree, she stretched herself as far down the tunnel as she could. The moment the kit was in her reach, she took hold of it in her jaws, lightly hooking her claws into Echobreeze's coat. Her muscles complained as she pulled back, hauling Echobreeze until the she-cat's paws were able to contact the more solid ground above. Once the she-cat managed to scramble up and take the kit from her with a mumbled thank you, Strawberrypaw stretched her aching muscles and turned her gaze back to the tunnel, waiting for someone else to help out.

[smear:66ff66]Echobreeze[/smear:ffffff]
~~~~~~~~~~

The small calico she-cat had been on her way to the elder's den when a call for help grabbed her attention. She bounded to the nursery, quietly slipping by Blackwolf with a mumble apology, and towards a kit she recognized as Tinykit. "I-It's alright... I-I'm here to h-help. L-Let's get you o-out of here..." She whispered quietly, carefully picking up the kit in her jaws. She slipped quietly out of the den, holding the kit as high as she could. She moved as fast as she could out of the cold waters. She was then faced with the steep slope of the entrance. Her little body trembled slightly but she pushed on, desperate to make it out of here. She would see Gorgelight again, this she promised herself.

Moving with little to no confidence, she pulled her way up the slope, water crashing against her small chest. More than once she slipped backwards a little bit. She thought she felt someone stop her fall more that a couple times, but didn't dwell on that. She just kept clawing her way up the slope. The mottled brown coat of Strawberrypaw could just be seen over the rise, and the moment Echobreeze was in reach, the apprentice struck out. Echobreeze froze for a moment, feeling the kit suddenly disappear from her grip, and claws hook into her side. It took a moment, but the calico realized the apprentice was actually helping her. Scrambling as quickly as she could, Echobreeze pulled herself up the rise and turned to take the kit back from Strawberrypaw, to allow the apprentice to collect herself again. She mewed a quiet thank you before moving towards the training clearing, the kit still firmly in her jaws.

OOC - Feel free to have your cat have been the one to stop Echobreeze from slipping backwards, or to have Strawberrypaw help out one of your characters~