[Hellion]

RAINCLAN

GULLSWOOP WILLOWBREEZE OWLFROST TROUTsplash

- sleek of coat and mind -

The warning came, and dread filled Gullswoop beyond his core. It shook him, the resolve hard-won through years of dedication and loyalty to RainClan, and their way of life started to crack. The foundation was determined to sink out from under him. The instruction is given to gather in family groups and leave the camp lit a fire within Gullswoop. Yet he feared the blaze could not keep his heart steady, but he had to try.

He did not wait to gather his family; he focused on the task through the buzz of the camp and a sense of impending doom. Lotuswhisker was at his side almost instantly. He purred, touching his nose to her cheek. They had faced so much together; what was on more trial to prove to StarClan his family could not shake them.

“I’ll look for Willowbreeze; you got to Swanflight,” He told her, and she accepted the task and disappeared toward the nursery. Gullswoop spotted Willowbreeze, her eyes were wide and barely contained fear, but with as much cheer he managed to scrape together, he smiled in her direction and greeted her warmly. “Let us gather the others and meet outside the nursery; we will need to find a way to get her and the kits to safety. Have you seen Troutsplash or Stormwind?” Gullswoop questioned after his niece and nephew; Willowbreeze pointed with her tail toward Troutsplash, who had been called away to gather herbs.

“He will travel with the other apprentices and his mentor. Stormwind, I don’t know, I can’t imagine she will want us to wait for her,” Willowbreeze explained; Gullswoop nodded in agreement.

“Let us meet the others,” He asked again, and this time Willowbreeze followed after him, greeting her sister with a hard press of her head into the crook of her sister’s neck. Lotuswhisker didn’t seem bothered and seemed to appreciate the pressure. “Falconheart, Owlfrost, you two will carry the kits. Lotuswhisker will walk with your sister and lead us. She will set the pace, Willowbreeze and I will walk behind. Troutsplash will be with the apprentices; Stormwind will go on her own,” Gullswoop brought his family up to speed, no one seemed bothered by his suggestion, but therein Lotuswhisker was a flicker of concern seemingly for Troutsplash and Stormwind. Perhaps a bit curious why Willowbreeze would love them to go so quickly. The thought had already occurred to Gullswoop, but he did not find the words to express his concern to his mate.

Willowbreeze had grown weak, exhausted by some sickness she refused to acknowledge or even accommodate for by retiring to the elder’s den. Gullswoop knew it wasn’t his place to insist, but it was his duty to do his best to keep her safe and see to it that she survived.

“Mama!” It was Troutsplash’s voice that cut through the humming of the camp. He appeared licking his mother’s cheek and purring despite the dire situations they were all facing. “I asked to travel with you,” He explained, glancing toward Gullswoop; the taller silver-tabby smiled wide toward his nephew to soothe the evergrowing dread in his chest. Another cat is under his care. Gullswoop’s green eyes shifted from young tom to his older mother than his mate; an unspoken promise was made between the three older warriors. If it came down to it, the kits would survive.

“Let’s go; we should travel the long way toward StarClan’s claws and maybe into StoneClan territory,” The idea to go outside the norm of their territory was met with an expression of confusion from those gathered. “I know it’s not what Silverstar wanted, but the last time it flooded, we were chased to LightningClan. We should keep our paws dry and the kits warm,” Gullswoop explained further; it wasn’t the most accessible plan. Swanflight was already tired from kitting and with both Drakekit and Cranekit barely opening their eyes. The journey would be difficult and slow going. They had little time to waste.

However, before they departed entirely, Gullswoop excused himself one last time to seek out his sister. Bitternwing busies helping the others, a bit more focused on the Clan as a whole instead of his one-track mind of keeping his grandkits safe. “Bitternwing,” He spoke her name to gain her attention, and it took several heartbeats before her eyes met his, and she greeted him with a press of her nose to his shoulder. “I’m leaving with my kits; we would be happy to have you join us,” Gullswoop asked, flicking his tail to touch his sister’s flank. He could feel her head shake now from where it was still touching his shoulder.

“I can’t, Gullswoop; I want to help the others,” She told him, a reply he expected.

“I had to ask,” Gullswoop was the one to break contact, taking half a step back to meet his sister’s eyes better. “We are traveling into StoneClan then up toward the mountain. Swanflight is too tired to swim, and we have two kits to tend to; I wanted you to know in case -,” Gullswoop felt his words catch in his throat, BItternwing sensed her brother’s fear and rubbed her head against his to soothe.

“I will see you in the mountains,” She insisted; the conviction in her voice empowered him and furthered his trust in the plan.

“See you in the mountains,” He promised, pressing her nose to her ear one more time before turning back and looking upon his family. They had to stay together and trust each other; he had faith they could.

That faith was not enough.

They traveled through the night and even into the early light of dawn. Swanflight had forced the pace to slow, her body in pain and discomfort from having to move so much. Not to mention her kits helpless as they were cried and wailed for their mother. She was forcing the group to stop several times to allow her to nurse them. Troutsplash did his best; he would build small makeshift nests for them in the time spent resting. Gullswoop kept awareness of the area around them, sense danger or the destruction that StarClan foretold. Willowbreeze, with her pounding heart and shaky limbs, tried to do the same but rested just as often Swanflight did. Owlfrost, his daughter who wanted to travel with Waverunner. It wasn’t a secret the relationship the two had budding, but even if she was unhappy having gone this way. Gullswoop was grateful for her presence. She could keep Troutsplash occupied with puzzles and riddles. Falconheart, ever the diligent brother, offered to sit with his sister while the others sought out snacks. But perhaps the mice and water voles had heard the warnings just as they had, for there was nothing nearby to eat or even scent.

Then it started.

The earth rumbled and tore open.

Water filled in the gap, and they were caught in the middle.

Swanflight screamed a terrible sound that set Gullswoop into such a panic he felt ice run in his veins. But he wouldn’t let it stay; he rushed for her. The water came from all directions; the earth seemed to gain lungs and roared as it shifted about. Gullswoop felt his stomach twist and tighten. Then, unsure of where his paws were, he used his claws to make his way forward. Falconheart was there to hoist Swanflight up to stand on her worn-out legs. Owlfrost went for Cranekit, pushed Drakekit toward Troutsplash to carry.

“Run! To the mountains, don’t look back!” Gullswoop commanded, Owlfrost saw it in her father’s eyes, and she almost opened her mouth to protest, but Lotuswhisker was there. She was pushing her daughter toward the direction of safety. Troutsplash followed after his cousin, Lotuswhisker, watched for a moment as they scrambled toward the direction of security. The distance they had traveled was favorable, but the ground continued to crumble, and the earth kept shifting. How long they could stay where they were was slipping away.

“Willowbreeze, lean on me, and we will follow Troutsplash,” Gullswoop called out to her without looking and watching as Lotuswhisker aided Falconheart in getting Swanflight between the two of them to find their way up. Gullswoop turned to look at his mate’s sister after releasing she hadn’t responded. He was surprised to see her slumped over. At first, he thought she had hurt something; the destruction all around them came quickly. Anything could have happened. He rushed to her side, ‘Willowbreeze!” He called, but she did not reply. Water started to gather at his paws, rising quickly that it was near his elbows by the time he reached her. “Wllowbreeze,” He called again. Nudging her harshly to wake her but found no movement in her body. She was gone—there one minute, gone the next. What happened was a mystery to him, but he hadn’t the time to find out. “StarClan, guide her home,” He whispered the prayer, pressing forehead to her cheek one final time.

He couldn’t linger any longer and determined to get to his mate and other kits; Gullswoop took off in the direction they had traveled, narrowly avoiding falling trees and moving rocks. But, unfortunately, the water kept rising, and by the time he had caught up with them, they were all swimming toward the high ground.

“Lout-s-whisker!” He called between splashes of water to his face, the water aggressive and almost impossible to navigate.

“Gullswoop!” His mate called back; he followed the sound of her voice to see Swanflight clinging to a floating log, Falconheart trying to pull her up onto it. Lotuswhisker treading water to push her daughter upward. Gullswoop joined them and managed to push her the rest of the way up. He went next, hoisting himself up and turning to Lotuswhisker but found her not behind him.

“She went under!” Falconheart shouted in his father’s direction. Gullswoop did not hesitate and dove claws first into the water. Swimming despite his exhaustion to grab at his mate’s scruff and pull her back toward the surface. Once they broke water, the log his other two kits had got themselves on had drifted away. The water grew murky, with mud mixing to cloud his vision. Gullswoop couldn’t give up; he fought hard in the water to another broken log. Finally, despite almost losing his grip several moments, he managed to put Lotuswhisker and himself on the floating wood. He wasted little time, pushing hard on her stomach to pump the water out of her lungs, and once she started to cough, he sighed in relief.

“Lotuswhisker,” He whispered her name; she managed to look up at him and stare. “You scared me,” She didn’t reply but relaxed against the log.

“Dad!” Gullswoop turned his head toward the title, spotting Falconheart and Swanflight on the only slice of high ground. Both he and Lotuswhisker managed to swim the distance to shore. “Owlfrost and Troutsplash made it,” Falconheart told him, his tail pointing to a series of carefully made claw marks on one of the few trees that remained. Gullswoop smiled, despite the exhaustion. There was hope, small given the circumstance but enough to keep him going. They could make it.

“Willowbreeze is gone; I don’t know if it was fear or sickness,” Gullswoop wanted to soften the news but could not find the words. Too much continued to go on, trees continued to crack around them, the earth felt like it would never move softly. Lotuswhisker let out a whimper, having learned of her sister’s death. “We can’t say here, the ground isn’t safe we need to keep going,”

“I don’t even know where we are,” Falconheart voiced his concern.

Gullswoop pointed toward the mountain. “We go that way, no question, and stay together,” Gullswoop knew he couldn’t let them rest too long; the ground and water both equal dangers. So he picked a path and headed in that direction, determined to reunite with Owlfrost, see his sister, and nuzzle his grandkits. Finally, he met the eyes of his kits and settled on his mate, exhausted and worn as they were; he forced a smile and led them on.

They tried to keep a decent pace, navigating the shifting terrain and rising waters. Scent markers were pointless now, and Gullswoop was forced to rely on old knowledge of visiting his elder brother Hawkfall to create a flawed mental map of StoneClan. Even then, he doubted himself. He felt the weight of reality, his family threatened. He did his best to keep his eyes on everyone, checking back behind him to ensure they were keeping close. Pride warmed his chest, Swanflight and Falconheart walking side by side, Lotuswhisker behind her daughter to keep her steady. In his mind’s eye, Owlfrost and Troutsplash were nestled in the same rocky outcrop near the mountains, Drakekit and Cranekit meowing but alive. He could almost hear their cries; he knew it was just his imagination, for they reminded him too much of his kits when they were small. Owlfrost’s persistent questions, Swanflight's almost dangerous curiosity, and Falconheart, so much the web that kept them together. He couldn’t ask for better kits and considered them a blessing each day, but their gift could not compare to their mother's. Without her, they would not exist; the version of himself now would not exist. Everything Gullswoop had become quickly credited to Lotuswhisker for bringing out the best in him.

Another rumble that seemed to crack like a broken tree filled his ears and gave little warning. Then, finally, the ground below them gave way, and all four cats fell into the darkness. His eyes adjusted upon landing, body aching from the fall.

“Sound off!” He called, each member did and gradually made their way over to him. They seemed uninjured, shaken but not hurt. Only his forepaw hurt from having tried to cling to the slipping earth in the sudden loss of it.

“We are in some sort of hole,” Falconheart commented; the others glanced around it was impossible to see just how wide it was. Falconheart settled beside his sister, who, after joining her parents, laid down. “I think I hit my head; my eyes hurt,” He complained; Swanflight muttered a similar complaint. Lotuswhisker settled beside them, checking them over.

“We can rest here and try to find our way out in a little while,” Gullswoop told them, his eyes half-closed. He curled himself opposite of Lotuwhisker, just as they had done when the kits were small. Despite their full size, Swanflight and Falconheart managed to curl up tightly to allow their parents to circle them. Swanflight dozed first, beyond tired. Falconheart then Lotuswhisker, Gullswoop had fought sleep the longest, but he too relaxed fully and rested.

When he woke, it was the most unusual of places. Starlight seemed to exist beside him as opposed to high up in the sky. He felt lighter on his feet, the earth unbroken and trees upright as expected.

“Gullswoop!” A voice called to him, one that filled his heart with a plethora of kitten-like joy.

“Mother!” He called back, turning to see her and his father, even his older siblings behind her. The realization came a second later; this wasn’t the land of the living anymore. “Am I in StarClan?” He asked her once she grew closer, beautiful as she was the first day he opened his eyes to see her for the first time. She nodded, greeting him with a series of licks to his forehead, just as she did when he was young.

“You did your best; I am proud of you,” Her words were kind and eased the tightness in his chest.

“What about the others,” Gullswoop's question came with a hint of a plea; Falconleap directed his attention to where another small group gathered. Falconheart, Swanflight, Willowbreeze, and Lotuswhisker. He couldn’t help but sigh his relief upon seeing them there, appearing well. There was a strange sense of peace that settled over him. There was what he had worked toward, to be reunited with his family when StarClan called him. A hint of frustration threatened to cloud him upon realizing that Swanflight would not be permitted to be a mother and watch her kits grow, but by StarClan’s grace, he knew they would be well in the land of the living. With Owlfrost to watch over them and tell them of their sacrifice.

“I’ve missed you, my sweet Gullswoop,” Falconleap purred, “Let us walk the rest of the way and find ourselves what we’ve been promised. The joys of reuniting with those lost and looking over those loved,”

[Swanflight, Falconheart, Lotuswhisker, and Gullswoop die from carbon monoxide poisoning, the gas having been trapped in the tunnel.]

Fawn @ide

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