[Katara]

DARKSTAR

LEADER OF NIGHTCLAN

It had been raining for days, and getting steadily worse. She knew her warriors well, and they were not the nervous, skittish things one found on the moors of LightningClan. Her warriors would never admit they were afraid, but the last couple hours she had seen more fluffed up tails and wide eyes than she’d seen in a good few moons. All of them had been sloshing through a mouse-length of water outside the cave for the past couple moonrises, but today had been much worse. The water had begun to flood into the cave. It happened every time it rained for more than a day or two, but they usually just ignored the back of the cave—where their camp made the deepest dip in the earth—until it stopped raining and eventually it dried out, the water slowly draining through invisible cracks they couldn’t see.

But this time it wasn’t just a couple mouse-lengths of water—it was a steady downpour, and the water level had just scraped the edge of the warriors’ den.

Darkstar leaped on the Boulder Ledge, though she probably didn’t need to, most of the Clan was gathered in front of her already. “It’s time to leave,” she declared. “We must seek shelter elsewhere. I want four warriors to scout ahead near the back of our territory, toward higher ground, where we can stay until the rain stops.” She flicked her tail at the warriors who volunteered at once. “Go now. The rest of you, finish off the fresh-kill pile. You’ll need your strength, and it’ll be sodden and useless if we leave it behind.”

She descended from the ledge, pausing when Clovermask hurried over to her. The deputy’s voice was calm, but Darkstar could see something like anxiety in the restless flick of her tail. “We should make sure the kits and elders leave the cave first,” she said, “so they’re out of immediate danger while we wait for the scouts to return.”

Darkstar could tell she was only thinking of her loner kits, but couldn’t argue with her reasoning. “Take care of it,” she ordered, brushing past Clovermask before she could respond. She could hear a strange rushing sound outside—almost like thunder, but they hadn’t seen a thunderstorm during this entire downpour, so why would it start now? She moved away from the cave entrance as the elders left, the kits bundled after them coaxed by Bluecloud. Clovermask reappeared, murmuring something about helping Shadowchaser.

When the scouts returned, reporting a sheltered area on much higher ground, NightClan began to file out. Darkstar moved around camp, sloshing through a tail-length of water in the back and moving through remains of the warriors den, where nests were floating about. “What’re you still doing here?” she hissed at Ashfang, who made a startled noise and quickly left.

She checked the elders’ den and nursery next—both empty—and now only Shadowchaser, Newtstripe, and most of the apprentices remained, along with Clovermask. All of them had herbs clamped in their jaws.

The rushing sound she heard earlier suddenly grew louder—alarmingly louder. Darkstar hurried to the cave entrance, peering through the darkness, and that’s when she started to hear the snaps of branches and the thunderous sound of whatever was coming. Something was moving, far ahead, but it was going to get here any second. She whipped around. “Run!” she screeched. “Get out of the cave! NOW!”

She felt a couple pelts whisk past her, and then she turned and something heavy crashed into her, knocking her backwards with the force of it. She unsheathed her claws, digging them into the stone to hurry her back to her paws, and was faced with the sight of what seemed like the entire river trying to surge into the cave. A deafening crack split the air, bringing her attention to a massive, uprooted tree lodged directly in front of the cave entrance—the only thing holding the force of the water back from flooding the cave and killing them all. And if the crack meant anything, it was that it wouldn’t hold for long.

Without hesitating, Darkstar threw herself against the tree that was threatening to split, pushing herself against it with all the force in her body. She strained to look at Shadowchaser and the few who remained—Newtstripe, Wolfpaw, Icepaw, and Ebonypaw. “GO!” she snarled at them. “I’ll—I’ll hold it!”

All of their eyes were wide with horror, but they immediately began working to find a way out of the cave. Quickly, Wolfpaw was able to find a gap in the topmost corner of the cave mouth, and he leaned down at once to help up his sister. Darkstar’s vision nearly went black before she could see whether or not Icepaw had made it—maybe it had gone black, for she suddenly felt a new rush of power course through her when she regained her vision. Now she could see Ebonypaw clawing up the mangled tree, helped by both Wolfpaw and Shadowchaser.

Darkstar didn’t have time to wonder if these were the last few moments of her life. She’d known it since she’d thrown herself against the tree, and when she’d somehow—impossibly—managed to keep it from snapping and killing her Clanmates. She knew it was her StarClan-given lives that were giving her the strength to stop this flood. But it had to be temporary.

She heard her name, faintly, knew it was Shadowchaser calling for her. “LEAVE!” she shrieked at him.

The tree groaned, much more loudly, against her shoulder. The flood was inevitable, but she had saved her Clan. They would be safe because of her.

She opened her eyes and thought she could see stars on the cave walls around her, and knew it was time to let go.

---

TAGGED: Everyone.
NOTES: TLDR; NightClan's cave floods, and Darkstar uses the power of her remaining lives to keep a tree trunk from breaking, which is blocking the cave entrance and preventing the flood from washing everyone out. After everyone escapes, she lets go and loses the rest of her lives drowning in the flood.

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

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Bramblesnow was no snivelling coward. Whatever her peers had to say about her recklessness and impulsiveness, they could admit that much. She could take on danger with the same courage as any other NightClan warrior and sometimes even stretching the bounds of that courage beyond what would be considered sensible. Yet here she was, distressed by a bit of rain. Her heart thudded in her cream and brown chest as she waited for daytime to slip by, unable to sleep. Memories of being a tiny kit as water poured down into the cavern and swept away NightClan's sturdy home surged in her mind as the heavy rain thundered down outside.[break][break]

Not wanting to let anyone else see how perturbed she was, she decided to seek out the one cat that'd understand her plight. "Cricketchirp?" She whispered into the shadows of the warrior's den. It felt like she didn't even really need to explain. Her golden eyes swam with fear as the sound of rain thrummed above their heads. She felt the other molly would know right away why this, in particular, frightened Bramblesnow so much. She wasn't tiny Bramblekit anymore. Greywolf couldn't bundle her out of the cave by the scruff of her neck any longer. She wordlessly lay down next to the black and white warrior, drawing comfort from the imperceptible touch of her pelt.[break][break]

Others were not so disconcerted by the weather. Wolfpaw disliked that every time he left the cavern, he would be doused with wet, his thick pelt absorbing it like a spoonge. But other than that, he was less than bothered about how much rain came down from the sky. He had not been around when the flood had driven them from their home, and NightClan camp seemed impossibly sturdy for a little liquid to be of any concern.[break][break]

It was only when the water started to fill his home that he even understood that anything was wrong. The surface lapped and churned around his paws, the imperfections in the walls of the underground camp creating small swirling currents as the water continued to roar into their home. His paws made "thunk, thunk" sounds as he plunged them into the water, disgust and alarm flitting across his face. Was StarClan trying to drive them from the cave?[break][break]

Bramblesnow let out a sharp hiss as she finally evacuated the Warrior's den, a shudder running down her spine as her pads made contact with the cold water. "Get out!" She turned back to the other warriors that remained in the den, her dark brown ears flattened to her head. "It's up too high!" This was so incredibly surreal that it felt distant, like a dream. When Darkstar spoke up from the ledge, her gaze travelling across her Clan, it felt as though she were speaking through a sheet of water herself. Bramblesnow couldn't help but swallow back disgust as Darkstar ordered them to finish off the fresh-kill pile. She looked over at the sodden little sad collection of prey. Why not just evacuate? The water could start flooding in at greater speed any moment. Her golden eyes flicked towards the entrance, claws digging into the earth beneath her paws.[break][break]

Wolfpaw narrowed his eyes as his mother leapt down from the ledge. His silver tabby pelt felt heavy with wet as he waded towards the fresh-kill pile, not wanting the greedier idiots in the Clan to rob food from the cats who needed it more. "Stop!" He snapped at Puddlepaw, who'd picked up a plump frog. The lop-eared tom dropped the creature with a start, wide-eyed at being addressed by the larger apprentice. "Let the elders eat first." He lashed his tail in annoyance. Was his head full of frogspawn? Obviously, the weakest cats in the Clan needed all the strength they could get. Although, Puddlepaw himself wasn't much stronger than even frail old Ratfur... but still. He found himself watching Dawnpaw closely, concerned that his brother would become confused and potentially get himself hurt.[break][break]

Bramblesnow sloshed through the water towards the entrance, making sure she kept her denmates, Cricketchirp and Hawkeye, in her view. She nodded to Darkstar and swallowed back her fear of the water sloshing at her stomach, frustrated with herself for being so affected by the water. She was a warrior, and this was ridiculous. She started to herd some of the elders towards the entrance, helping Rookshade, who was up to his chin in water. The paralysed tom would be the most at risk out of all the elders, seeing as he had only two paws to swim with. He had refused to budge until all the kits and queens had been evacuated, so he was one of the last high-risk cats being moved away from the floods. "I'll help you climb out the entrance." She promised, her voice free of the playfulness with which she usually approached everything in life. Her promise to help the tom made her feel more in control of the situation like the murky water wasn't sucking at her fur as if it wanted to pull her down beneath the surface. Rookshade's ears flattened. He clearly didn't like the idea that he needed to be helped, but the tom was smart enough to bite back his injured pride. This was no time to nurse wounded egos.[break][break]

Wolfpaw helped his uncle Shadowchaser silently without complaint, as many herbs as he could carry gripped tightly in his jaws. The bitter flavour spread across his tongue, making the bridge of his nose wrinkle with disgust. The long-furred apprentice waded through the camp until he was lined up behind Darkstar, his identical dark orange gaze meeting hers for just a moment. If she was worried for the safety of her offspring, he couldn't tell. She was stoic in the face of danger, her body language exuding concentration as she kept her emotions coolly under control.[break][break]

Suddenly, the hungry water decided it could wait no longer. Bramblesnow was already free of the camp when she saw the surge of branches and water roaring towards them. Her body leaped into action before her brain even had time to register what was happening. She let out a caterwaul to warn the cats below of what was coming for them. Then, grabbing Rookshade by the scruff, she attempted to drag him up into a hollow fallen log that was slightly upraised in the hare-brained hope that it would save them both. Rookshade tried to help her as best as he could, but the already flooding marshes were slippery and treacherous. Digging their claws into the wood, water sloshed up past their stomachs as both felines yowled in alarm inside the dead tree. Debris knocked against the side of the wood, threatening to sweep them along, but the log was too heavy. Their breathing came in harsh gasps that sounded far too loud in the tiny, enclosed space. "StarClan help them!" Another yowl went up from outside, some cat that had managed to climb into a tree to escape the waters. Darkstar and the others are still down there! Bramblesnow thought in desperation, her sodden fur making her look more like a drowned rat than a warrior.[break][break]

Crawling to the top of the upraised log, Bramblesnow peered out so she could see the camp entrance. A huge tree was lodged in the entrance to camp, barely holding back the flood. Her mind whirled at the sight, helplessness and fury raging in her heart. She braced herself to jump down into the flood, but Rookshade shouted at her that she would be no use, and would probably drown herself in the process. Frustrated, she dug her claws into the rooting wood. Down below, Wolfpaw had been knocked back against the side of the cavern, the herbs spewing from his mouth and ending up swirling in the swiftly moving waters. For the first time in his life, Wolfpaw knew what it felt like to be faced by something too powerful for him to take on. He struggled to keep his head above the water, claws flailing to get a grip on anything that could save him. He could see the roots of the tree lodged in the camp entrance, like some great beast sent from the Dark Forest. He choked on water, his thick pelt absorbing every bit of it and weighing him down. It was rising so high now that it lapped at his chin.[break][break]

Darkstar's shout roused him from the first swarming panic he had ever felt in his short life. He sloshed through the water towards her, wanting to help, hoping his large bulk would assist in holding the tree. But Darkstar bared her teeth with the effort of supporting the wood and snarled at him that he had to get out. She didn't need to say it. Wolfpaw knew that tree wouldn't hold. And he knew what would happen when it gave way.[break][break]

Trembling with both cold and the conflicting emotions he felt towards the molly that had brought him into this world, he had neither the time nor the ability to say goodbye. All he did was nod, his body numb with an odd blend of horror and acceptance. Knowing that he was one of the largest of the apprentices, Wolfpaw made the split-second decision that he would be most useful helping the others to escape. Hauling himself up through the gaps in the roots, his fur snagging on small pointed twigs, he positioned himself and shouted for his sisters to move faster. "Come on, Icepaw! Ebonypaw, grab my paw!" He shouted, leaning down with a wide grey tabby paw outstretched. When every last sodding cat had existed the cave, Wolfpaw turned to pull himself out, feeling the tree giving way underneath him. He could hear Shadowchaser shouting for Darkstar. Darkstar shouting for them to go. With one final, horrible crack the tree surged into the cave, bringing with it all the fury of the water. Wolfpaw felt it dragging at his fur, and thought for a moment that it would take him with it. But he launched himself up and grabbed onto a branch, digging his claws in and scrabbling for purchase.[break][break]

Clinging to the branch like a pathetic little squirrel, Wolfpaw stared back at the cave, whose entrance was disappearing under the water. "Maybe she made it." Puddlepaw whispered beside him, his voice cracking with terror. But Wolfpaw knew that was foolish hoping. She was gone.[break][break]

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Abyss, Katara, Fawn, @jen, @sable

1,744 words

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