[Fate Admin]

The day began with the light pitter-patter of raindrops on the earth, nourishing the soil and giving life to the valley. Prey darted to and fro, drinking droplets of water from fallen leaves on the ground. It was a good day for a patrol.

Smokestar herself was longing to get out in StoneClan's territory and bring back a bountiful catch for her clan to feast on. Dipping her head outside of her den, Smokestar looked to the entrance of the camp to see a patrol of warriors already assembling.

"Mind if your leader joins you on this one?" Smokestar didn't wait for a reply, walking past the patrol leader and through the exit of the camp. "I have a good feeling about today's hunt!"

StarClan, was she right.

The patrol, consisting of Sedgefoot, Pigeonsky, Rowanleaf, Foxtrot, and Alderfrost, was struggling to keep hold of their prey by midday. "I bet that those loner-borns are going to eat the majority of this," Alderfrost hissed to himself.

"Oh, lighten up, Alderfrost," Sedgefoot retorted, his mouth clamped around a rather chunky squirrel.

Smokestar fell in line beside Alderfrost, turning a stern gaze to his. "They're StoneClanners now, and you had better treat them as such." The leader's light scolding seemed to shut Alderfrost up, and the grumbling tom walked slower until he was lagging far behind the rest of the patrol.

And that's when the rain began to pick up.

No longer was this a light drizzle to encourage the prey to come out and get caught. No, this was a full-on storm with water droplets the size of a full-grown warrior's paw.

"We need to get back to camp!" Smokestar's yowl was nearly drowned out by the roar of the rain, but the rest of the patrol understood what to do.

Pigeonsky spoke up this time, his yellow eyes strong and determined. "Follow me! I know a way that will get us back quicker!"

No one could complain with getting back to camp quicker, so each cat fell in line behind Pigeonsky, who led them under the edge of a towering cliff. The cliff overshadowed the patrol, momentarily protecting its members from the rain. Smokestar thanked StarClan for the brief respite from the rain provided by the cliff.

The cliff seemed to hear Smokestar's thanks, and replied with a sickening groan.

"Did you hear that?" Rowanleaf's voice was excited. "The land is speaking to us!"

Oh yes, Smokestar heard that. And she knew exactly what it meant. "Run!" Her command was nothing compared to the increasing volume of the creaking and rumbling noises coming from directly above them. The noise became increasingly louder and louder until it was upon them. Dark, sludgy, and dangerous earth cascaded down the cliffside to drown the patrol in muck.

Smokestar's eyes widened in fear as she realized there was no escape for her. But I will save my warriors. The determined leader sprinted up to Pigeonsky, the smallest warrior in the group who also happened to be the closest to the approaching mud, scruffed him, and flung him as far away as she could, praying to StarClan that it was enough.

But it wasn't enough for her. The mud overtook Smokestar first, crushing her body under its weight. Foxtrot yelped in a manner unbecoming of a tom such as himself as did his best to run from the mudslide. But he was no longer young and spry, and the black earth overtook him next. Rowanleaf, the youngest among them, squealed as she ran alongside Sedgefoot to escape the mud rushing towards them. "Come on, Rowanleaf, keep up, we're almost free of it" came Sedgefoot's reassuring voice. But the tabby tom was not ignorant, and he knew his words were only spoken to give the younger warrior a false sense of security before they met oblivion.

It worked. Her eyes lit up for the slightest moment before the mud reached both warriors.

All that was left was Pigeonsky, running as fast as he could from where his leader threw him to. And where in StarClan was Alderfrost?

"Alderfrost!" His cries were feeble. Pigeonsky was tired, and he knew he didn't stand a chance. "Alderfrost!" Louder this time. Hopefully in time to save them all. His cries for the massive brown warrior were the last words he uttered before he too fell victim to the mudslide.

-
-
"Alderfrost!"

The sullen brown tom pricked his ears at the sound of Pigeonsky's incredibly loud yowl and sighed. The tom had stayed behind the patrol because he was sick of their attitudes towards outsiders.

He hadn't been listening to the loud rumbling noises ahead of him, assuming they were thunder. That usually came with storms of this magnitude. But Pigeonsky's annoying little voice calling out for Alderfrost was more than just a summoning: it was a guttural and primal cry for help. This was serious.

The brown warrior rushed towards where he had heard Pigeonsky's voice, picking up the pace when he realized that Pigeonsky was no longer calling his name.

As he ran, the rumbling came to a rough halt, and Alderfrost realized in that moment just what atrocity had befallen his patrol. His leader.

When he came to the site of the mudslide, Alderfrost, for the first time in his life, felt his heart drop. There was no sign of his clanmates. Just mud. Just darkness.

Alderfrost tore through the clearing, searching for something. A paw, a tail, a head. He saw nothing. Frustrated, the tom began to frantically dig into the earth. "Smokestar? Sedgefoot? Pigeonsky? Rowanleaf? Foxtrot?"

No reply. His digging became more and more erratic until his paws made contact with something soft and unmoving. Alderfrost's eyes widened as he viewed the gray tabby corpse of Rowanleaf. The tom knew then that there was little chance that any of the patrol had survived. But he had to find them.

"I'll be back with more warriors!" Alderfrost didn't know if anyone was alive to hear him say it, but it turned the situation into something he could handle: a potential rescue mission. Stumbling over himself, his paws covered in mud, Alderfrost made his way back to StoneClan's camp to bring back a patrol of warriors to dig out those who had been crushed by the mud.

Newleaf 18 A morning of continued heavy rain makes the cool earth sludgy for the remainder of the day.

OOC: anyone may post in this thread trying to rescue one of their buried Clanmates. Smokestar will be found last, but not even StarClan has the power to shift an entire mudslide in time to spare even one of her lives.

Smokestar's body must be brought back to camp. Ghost the Undead Goddess, Ebonyheart will be needed to confirm that Smokestar will not be coming back to life.

Hellion, after a few posts in this thread, feel free to start a thread of Valiantstride making an announcement of the transition.

Per Taxx's choice in the auditions, the new leader of StoneClan is Birdtalon (congratulations KARAZHAL!).

Post written by Ginger.

Side Note: all NPCs mentioned (Sedgefoot, Rowanleaf, Pigeonsky, Foxtrot) are fated to die, but maybe one could be saved if you act quickly enough. Be careful of the mud and the rocks, lest you find yourself drowning in the earth as well.

[KARAZHAL]

Normally he'd be out at this time of day, but a grim day rolled on from a morning of continued heavy rain. It saturated the ground until it churned into mud. Wind whistled through the gaps in the towering stones that all the StoneClanners called home. Birdtalon couldn't sleep through it. With a soft grumble, he rolled over and pushed himself upright off the damp ground. He shuffled slowly to the elder's den. He stood before their lofty entryway. He quickly gave himself a grooming so he looked presentable, like a cut greywacke block than an unpolished geode, before stepping into the midsts of the oldest cats in his clan.

Duskflower was standing over another fragile-looking cat. Birdtalon remembered a much more muscular tom when he was a kit, much more intimidating, that it nearly brought tears to his eyes seeing a proud creature in its descent. Swallowing thickly, he stepped forward. "What's going on here?" he asked.

"Birdtalon? Oh, thank StarClan," Duskflower sighed in relief. The elder queen licked her denmate over the ear; the elder's leumy eyes slowly met Birdtalon's. "He isn't really with it. He hissed at us when we suggested he go to the medicine cat," she explained, giving Birdtalon a desperate look.

"We don't have time for his stubborness," Rabbitfur remarked curtly. "Take him to my daughter. It may very well be his time."

The frail elder was bony and light as a sparrow. Birdtalon pressed against him, purring in his attempts to soothe the stubborn old tom. "Would you like to walk alongside me to the fresh-kill pile? I know the rain makes it really uncomfortable to move, but it will do you good to take a few steps," he said gently. Like a creaky door, the elder slowly bobbed his head and took steps at a glacial pace out of the doorway. Patiently, Birdtalon supported him to the clan's food stores and called out to Ebonyheart, who he saw was giving some parting words to a limping Meadowflight.

With the finch in his mouth to occupy him, the elder allowed himself to be guided in the direction of Ebonyheart's dens. However, Birdtalon did not follow them in once they crossed the threshold. His own paw had healed long ago--he looked down at it and curled his claws--and so he decided to lay at the entryway. He saw Rabbitfur staring expectantly after him from across camp, and he nodded respectfully to her. She simply gave him a quick jerk of her chin before turning and disappearing within the elder's den. Birdtalon's shoulders slumped as he relaxed and turned his head to face the interior of Ebonyheart's den. He was content--fascinated, even--to watch her while she worked. So engrossed was he that the initial yowl was missed, muffled by the rain battering the stone ceilings.

Then it sounded again, followed by the heavy mud-slapping footfalls of a cat bursting through the camp entrance, the alarmed camp sentries on his heels. Alderfrost! Birdtalon's head jerked to attention. It seemed the scarred tom had a flair for bringing bad news. Wait a minute, hadn't he seen Alderfrost leave on a patrol with Smokestar? Birdtalon's ears pinned back. He shoved his worries aside, refusing to let a mounting situation paralyze him the same way it'd done when that badger had killed his sister. As Alderfrost's yowl for assistance echoed throughout camp, Birdtalon stepped forward, his emerald eyes looking first at his clanmate's mud-caked feet and then up at his face.

"I'm with you," he stated firmly. "We're"--Birdtalon looked to the other volunteers and nodded before turning back to Alderfrost--"with you. Show us where they are."

The moment he stepped outside, rain slapped at his face and the wind buffeted his fur into stormy waves. Birdtalon's gleaming emerald eyes squinted across the territory. He saw Alderfrost's footprints. The huge tom left deep ones where he'd ran, and Birdtalon followed those when he occasionally lost contact in the pouring rain. He hated this weather, but there was hardly room to complain here, not when his clanmates' lives were at stake. Ahead, the terrain elevated, thankfully cutting the wind short but not the rain. Birdtalon sighed at the rising cliffs ahead. Every StoneClanner knew the horrors of the high rocks. "Nooooo...," he croaked. "Ohhhh, StarClan, no, not this."

With a desperate groan, Birdtalon ran past Alderfrost and threw himself to work, shoving his front legs into mud and dragging them out. This wasn't digging; this was swimming, and he'd never been a RainClan cat. It was hard to move the mud. It threatened to suck him into it everytime he shoved his paws in. He couldn't hear himself yelling. With rain smashing hard on everything, including his own skull, it was all buzzing. Birdtalon wanted to save them all, no matter how impossible it was.

"Here!" he sputtered through the water streaming down his face, then louder again. "Here! Somebody grab her!" He'd come across Rowanleaf's body, her paws and head escavated once more from the mud. Birdtalon unsheathed his claws and dug into her in attempts to pull her free.

tags Ghost the Undead Goddess for ebony + rabbit mentions. Ginger for alderfrost mention
notes superbird rises to the occasion.

( this table coding is copyright of my friend hata )

[Amber]

[googlefont=Parisienne][googlefont=Jost]

Orioleflight

The day was quiet, despite the heavy rains. Orioleflight had been hunting early that morning, so was taking a deserved nap in the warriors' den. Her sleep was interrupted by a desperate yowl, causing the ginger-and-black warrior to practically leap out of her nest. She raced out of the den, amber eyes quickly scanning the camp to assess the situation. Alderfrost was in the middle of the camp, sides heaving, and Orioleflight quickly joined in the group of warriors surrounding him.

They were off in a flash, following Alderfrost through rain-sodden territory. Their path took them closer and closer to the mountainous slope of the valley, and Orioleflight's breath hitched with every step closer. Even a cat as young as she knew the dangers of the cliffs. StarClan, even her parents had a story of a cave collapse where her father fought to dig her mother out of the mountain.

Orioleflight raced ahead with Birdtalon, her slim paws flying over the ground. She took up position a few tail-lengths away and began clawing through the mud and debris. The rain had picked up again, causing her short, dense fur to stick close to her small frame. It made it difficult to work, dampening her vision, but her paws never wavered. She fought the mud, the rain, the burning in her limbs.

Her paw hit fur, and her fervor doubled. "I've found someone!" She ripped at the mud, feeling her claws slipping, and slowly unearthed a brown tabby pelt. "I've got--" Her call cut off into a scream of horror as the all-too-familiar head of Sedgefoot rolled on his shoulders to face her. Her mentor's yellow eyes were open, but all the light was gone. "Sedgefoot...Sedgefoot! Nooooo!" Orioleflight gritted her teeth, driving herself again into the task of digging him out. She had to at least make sure he got home. Tears tracked unnoticed down her face, mixed in with the rain, and splattered the mud and the fur beneath her.

Sometimes.. The world finds it necessary to remind you of the good that it can hold, even when the bad seems to be taking hold all around you.

[Fawn]

39 Moons StoneClan Tom

Kestrelclaw

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others.
And if you can't help them, at least don't harm them."

_{-Dalai Lama}

The mud churned black beneath Kestrelclaw's paws as he scooped and dug and flung any spare bit of debris that he could. His heart was in his throat, that same rising panic that could drive him to insanity if he let it. His thoughts were disjointed and reduced to basic words. Family. Trapped. Help. The presence of Dawnchaser and Cicadasong digging beside him were comforts he desperately needed. But when Kestrelclaw's gaze flitted to the cats desperately plucking their Clanmates out of the mud, they were all painted in the same shade of black, consuming brown. It dripped off their whiskers and muddled the patterns of their coats.

It was as if they had all turned into the same cat. Searching. Terrified of what felt like a situation too dire to recover from.

Smokestar's body was small, the colors of her pelt muted shades of blue and cream. Please. Stay alive. Please. If he could only just hurry. Kestrelclaw dug and dug and dug until even his claws ached. The mudslide seemed to go on forever. It felt like trying to sift through the thick, congealed blood of some massive dead beast.

Tags & Words

BeetlejaW

Will you be my breath through the deep, deep water

One of the last to arrive, desperately trying to blink rain out of his eyes, was Beetlejaw. The muddy, treacherous terrainn was especially difficult for him, and he audibly cursed, frustrated with his body, his legs, his paws as he tried to reach his closest clanmate. It was Birdtalon standing over the barely-unearthed form of - Beetlejaw had to stare for a few heartbeats to realize who it was - Rowanleaf. Beetlejaw hurried as quickly as he dared, and attempted to sink his teeth into her scruff to help pull her out. "Clear the mud from her nose and mouth!"

Beetlejaw flinched at Sandblaze's seemingly sudden appearance, the ginger tom's pelt slick with rain and dirt as he rushed to the scene.

A mere heartbeat later, Beetlejaw heard Orioleflight's wail of grief. He pivoted, stumbling on the soft, wet earth, cutting his paw pad on a rock hidden in the mess. Beetlejaw hissed and forced himself to keep his three remaining feet on the ground. He couldn't afford to limp. He didn't have enough paws left to limp. Beetlejaw left Rowanleaf to Sandblaze and Birdtalon, and wincingly made the trek to Orioleflight, silently trying to help her dig out another fallen Clanmate.

Who else had gone out on patrol? What other bodies would they find just beneath the surface? As he continued to scrape away at the earth, Beetlejaw wished he'd paid more attention to the cats in camp before rushing out. Only StarClan knew what the next twenty-four hours had in store for StoneClan.

Can't stay in the shallows, please tell me I won't wash away

Tags || 30 Moons || StoneClan || Words

[KARAZHAL]

Although everything around him was so chaotic, Birdtalon's heart pounded so fiercely in his ears, sending adrenaline to every ounce of him. StarClan themselves seemed to be feeding power into his veins in order to save his comrades. To the side of him, he heard Orioleflight's cries through the rain crashing down all around them. He glanced over, glimpsing the muddy head of Sedgefoot lying at Orioleflight's paws. However, as much as he grieved with her, he didn't dare abandon the cat he was digging out.

"Thank you, Beetlejaw," he said gratefully to the other tom. Sandblaze's voice abruptly cut through the rain like a clap of thunder. The medicine cat immediately commanded the scene wherever clanmates were being unearthed. "Go help Orioleflight. I've got this," he said reassuringly. Following Sandblaze's orders, he manipulated Rowanleaf's young body over. He flung mud from his paws, dipping them in a nearby puddle before moving them all over Rowanleaf's muzzle. He pushed layers off her nose. Grateful she was still for this but hoping she wasn't dead, Birdtalon unsheathed his namesake claws and hooked a single toe into her nostrils to unblock it. He leaned down and bit Rowanleaf's lower jaw to force it open.

"Come on," he mumbled, more to himself than anything. Pulling Rowanleaf's dead weight against his chest, Birdtalon bit gently onto the skin behind her ear and jostled her head. He hoped it would be able to clear anything out of her mouth.

tags Fawn with beetle and Amber with oriole
notes tryin to save rowanleaf!!

( this table coding is copyright of my friend hata )

[Abyss]

Whitehawk

The day had been pretty dreadful, truthfully. Rain fell in a constant shower throughout the whole day, causing puddles in every groove in the ground the water could find and making the land beneath slippery and easier to slip across. Many cats were avoiding leaving camp due to the conditions, though there were some that dared too. Surprisingly, a patrol, Smokestar among them, had chosen to head out. While it didn’t seem like the best of ideas, there was nothing anyone could say that would cause Smokestar to change her mind.

A single yellow-green eye watched out of the entrance of the Warriors den, gaze catching raindrops as they fell passed. He didn’t envy those that had challenged the weather this day. That didn’t stop his inner thoughts from taking over, though.

No one should be out in this weather. It’s way too dangerous, even for full-grown cats. A territory full of steep climbs and lots of spots to fall from is not a good place to be during a storm like this. Everybody knows how stable this land is when we get these heavy rains, yet they still wanted to go out. And Smokestar of all cats! She should know that-

White ears perked when there was a sound, somewhat loud in pitch but dampened by the sound of the rain. Were there kits making a ruckus in the Nursery? Or had he been right? Had something happened?

The heart stuck within that white chest began to beat faster, negative and worrisome thoughts starting to fill his mind. Then again, these thoughts always came to him in times like these. Cats leaving when they very clearly shouldn’t, kits heading out of the camp as Apprentices for the first time, Queens leaving camp. All of them caused the large white tom’s anxiety to spike, and now was no different. He attempted to push these thoughts aside when he felt his body beginning to heat up.

But they quickly returned when the sound was heard again, louder and much more desperate this time. Singular eye widening, the white tom jumped to his feet, emerging from the den into the rain. Just as he made his exit, a figure came bursting into camp, fur soaked to the bone and lower half caked in mud. Whitehawk, along with many others, ran to Alderfrost as quickly as they could.

Just as fast as the brown tom came in, the group of cats left, following the tom’s trail. His heart was beating so quickly in his chest that adrenaline flowed right through, causing flashbacks to the last times that he felt this. Multiple times during his mentorship of Whitecry, once or twice before then, and the day that he lost his eye all those moons ago. He hated this feeling, but there was no way to prevent it. He merely had to accept it and move forward.

As the group reached the giant avalanche of mud, everyone jumped straight in without a second thought, digging furiously for their clanmates. Even though the mud would be difficult to groom out later, especially with a pure white coat, this didn’t stop the white tom from leaping straight in, paws tossing mud as quickly as they could. As he was digging, he couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed, for his anxious thoughts had been right. Something did happen, and it was not good in the slightest.

At one large paw finding something relatively solid, the adrenaline-rushed tom felt his heart skip a beat. Another few tosses of mud and he uncovered a paw sticking from the mud.

“I found someone!”

The more he dug, the more it became clear who it was. Although his fur was completely soiled with mud and was hard to decipher the color of other than brown, bits of red fur began to pop out.

“Foxtrot!”

Slowly but surely more of the red tom’s body began to be uncovered, though he didn’t move. When at last a front leg, a chest, and a head were revealed, the one-eyed tom shoved his face into the mud, jaws clamping around whatever he could and pulling as hard as he could. With strange squelching sounds, he pulled Foxtrot’s body from his muddy grave, body still drenched in rain and mud.

He didn’t know what to do. It was very clear just from a glance that the red tom hadn’t survived the incident, so there wasn’t much further he could do. For Foxtrot, at least. He ran a single paw over the side of his face, pushing away what mud had stuck to his good side with an equally wet and muddy leg. With his vision mostly cleared, his head turned, attempting to see how the others were fairing.

He looked back and forth between Foxtrot and the others, unsure of whether to start taking the deceased tom back to camp or to help uncover the rest. Remembering that Smokestar was still among those who had been in the patrol, he jumped straight back in to the mud, not going far from the body he had already unearthed. He had to keep digging. He had to find the others, if they hadn’t been found already. He had to. Even though he had already uncovered one soul whose body could be taken home, he felt as though he had no choice but to try and find the others. They couldn’t just abandon anyone, dead or not. He had to keep going. He had to keep digging.

Words: ###

Tags: tags

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

Lightningflash STONECLAN WARRIOR not a yes, sir. not a follower. “You look like a wet deer.” Lightningflash snickered, his eyes brimming with amusement as Dustclaw attempted to shake out his dangling fur. The black and white warrior ducked his head as raindrops flew everywhere, letting out a yelp. “At least I don’t look like a wet rat.” Dustclaw retorted, his green eyes sparking with annoyance. He wasn’t exactly wrong. With his black and white pelt slicked tight to his body from the unforgiving weather, Lightningflash did look like a sopping rodent. This only made him chuckle to himself, much to Dustclaw’s frustration. Lightningflash had discovered by now that this tom in particular couldn’t handle all that much teasing, and had a fuse as short as a mouse’s tail. But that made the urge to ruffle his feathers all the more tempting. It was clear a lot of cats in StoneClan were too serious for their own good, and the formerarily named Flash was single-minded on teaching them all to lighten up a little bit. “Come on, Dustclaw. It was only a joke, not an insult.” He meowed lightly, slapping a wet tail on the tom’s side, which had the surprising effect of making the other tom finally laugh a subdued laugh. “Maybe you’re right.” He said quietly. “I probably do look like a wet deer.” Mission success. Lightningflash thought, pleased with himself as Dustclaw made quick progress back towards the warrior’s den. Lightningflash shook the rain from his whiskers, blinking the water from his yellow eyes. Those same eyes landed on a group of cats preparing to leave camp, and the black and white tom trotted over to join them, his eyes bright despite the gloomy weather. “Hey!” He waved his drenched tail. “Room for one more?” He could pick out Smokestar, Sedgefoot and Alderfrost from the cats there, but the others, he hadn’t yet learned their names. He felt more than a little stung when one or two of the patrol cast him suspicious frowns. He’d been in the Clan for several moons now, some of these cats had better get used to seeing him and his brother around. Smokestar looked thoughtful, her cream and grey pelt almost blending in with the downpour. Then she shook her head. “I think six is plenty for a hunt, thank you, Lightningflash.” StoneClan’s leader told him, and though the disappointment was sour on his tongue, Lightningflash knew better than to argue with the proud she-cat that had given him his new name. “Alright, don’t drown out there.” He joked, gesturing to the increasing onslaught of rain. He mulled through his own thoughts as he watched the patrol leave, trying to decide what he would occupy himself with if he wasn’t to join a hunting patrol. Go have a chat with someone in one of the dens, probably. He wanted to get out of this stupid rain. The freshkill pile that had attracted Tumbleheart’s eyes from the first moment they stepped into StoneClan’s camp looked quite depressing now, resting in a small dip at the edge of camp, that was slowly seeping full of water. Gingerly sifting through the soaked prey, Lightningflash chose the wettest and most miserable looking magpie he had ever seen (but at least it looked less miserable than the other barely recognisable choices) and plodded on his way to the nursery. The nursery was a subtle crag in the rock face, well-sheltered from the rain and any stray winds. Lightningflash poked his head inside, the magpie dangling from his mouth. The fluffy grey and white tabby form inside the nursery let out a startled mrrow, her pelt bristling. He dropped the bird, yellow eyes apologetic. “Sorry, Mistcloud!” He ducked his head. “I came to visit the little demons, and I thought I’d bring you a bite to eat.” Mistcloud relaxed, her muzzle breaking out into a smile. “Tumbleheart, you’re such a dear, looking out for your kits.” The StoneClan queen purred loudly, while Yewkit’s face poked up from her nest. Lightningflash felt his face heating up beneath his fur. “Uh- actually- well… It’s Lightningflash.” He meowed, barely managing to stop himself from laughing. It was both embarrassing and hilarious to be mistaken for his brother sometimes, but it didn’t feel good to be correcting Mistcloud, especially when she had been so nice to him and his brother ever since they joined. Mistcloud looked abashed. “Oh! Lightningflash! I’m so sorry!” She gushed, seeming a bit ashamed. He insisted he really didn’t mind, and settled down in the nursery to share the magpie with the permanent queen. The conversation rose and fell like the wind, mostly Mistcloud asking about his life as a loner and telling him how Yewkit, Bonekit and Tumbleheart were faring. It wasn’t that Lightningflash didn’t spend time with his brother, he saw him often enough, but his twin now seemed to live this distant other life that he couldn’t even touch… especially now he was a father, which Lightningflash definitely hadn’t seen coming. He couldn’t imagine ever becoming a father himself. He’d settle for the role of “funny uncle” happily enough. “It really is kind of you to keep us company, especially on a day like-” Mistcloud was murmuring, when suddenly her voice came to a choked halt. A yowling had gone up from the sentries by the camp entrance, and though Lightningflash was new he knew that could only mean trouble. Shoving his head outside the nursery entrance, he saw Alderfrost bursting into camp, his eyes as wild as a cornered rabbit. Any joke Lightningflash had been about to make died in his heart the moment he saw the look on Alderfrost’s face. Carnal, pure terror, like Ashtail’s eyes when he and his family had found him in the clutches of that fox. Feeling suddenly weak, Lightningflash ran up to the swiftly accumulating group at the camp entrance. The word “mudslide” was new to him, but he already had a vague idea of just what it meant. His mind whirled as he tried to remember who he had seen going out on the patrol. Tumbleheart hadn’t been among them, had he? He glanced back at the nursery, where Mistcloud was peering out with an expression of pure horror. “Stay with the kits!” He called, as though Mistcloud planned on doing anything else, and he turned to charge out with the rest of the rescue patrol, his mind reeling with clumsy, terrified thoughts. Birdtalon took the lead, his solid blue pelt slick with rain. And out they went, into Hell itself. The mudslide looked like a great sleeping cat, curled against the mountainside, rocks poking out from its slick surface. There was no time to organise, no time to joke, no time to discuss who would dig where. They just started digging. Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. Claws heaved heaps of mud and rock into piles behind them, the cries for the missing rising in the throats of the diggers. Scrape. Scrape. Lightningflash was coated in brown, his black and white pelt disappearing beneath the filthy layer. Mistcloud would mistake him for anyone now, not just his brother. Scrape. It was impossible to imagine that beneath this heaving, unstable mess were cats that had been cheerfully speaking to him not even an hour before. Or was it two hours? He had lost track of time in the nursery. Could Tumbleheart be crushed beneath these rocks and this dirt, unable to breathe, unable to move? Immobile, blind, unable to hear with his ears stuffed full of- Lightningflash shook his head fiercely. He couldn’t lose himself to his fear right now, he had to dig. Just dig. And so the scrape, scrape, scraping… continued at an agonisingly slow pace, no matter how fast or how fierce the patrol dug. In some places the mud was so unstable that upon shifting some aside, more viscous liquid would pour into the opened wound. Birdtalon had uncovered who may or may not be Rowanleaf. Sandblaze’s voice rose above the chaos, instructing, trying to save lives. If there were any lives left to save. Rowanleaf looked as pathetic as that magpie he had eaten earlier, her fur slicked with muck, her body still as carrion. The world spun around him as he continued to dig, his limbs growing weak and shaking with exertion. A screech split the air, laced with grief, as another body was uncovered. Lightningflash squinted through the mud and rain to see Sedgefoot’s head poking up out of the dirt, limbless and lifeless. He swallowed back the bile rising in his throat as he forced himself to continue digging, claws unsheathed until it felt like they were about to drop out of his paws. Another dead body dragged from the wreckage, another life to mourn the loss of. Every time another cat announced they had found someone, Lightningflash felt certain it would be Tumbleheart or Ashtail. He couldn’t lose them, not now. He couldn’t. And Tumbleheart had Yewkit and Bonekit to worry about- they could not lose her father. His toes brushed against something soft. Fur? Lightningflash scraped more muck aside, uncertain. The mud-caked pelt beneath his feet didn’t so much as twitch. The gunky-furred warrior continued desperately digging, using all four paws in an attempt to heave mud away from whoever he had found. A tuft of orange fur emerged. “I found someone!” He yowled, digging more furiously, his yellow eyes blazing from a brown-coated face, his whiskers dripping with sludge. “Help! Help me!” He didn’t know who he was talking to exactly, most of the cats around him looked nearly identical at this stage. The cat nearest him was as brown as he was, dirt dripping from every hair on their pelt. They dug together, paws erratically scratching at the mud heap. “If you can hear us, hold on!” Lightningflash shouted, but he knew in his heart that it had been too long. It had been too long, no cat could survive this amount of time beneath the dirt. It was like drowning, but worse, Lightningflash realised. The dirt must hold you completely still, unable to fight against the current, unable to pull yourself to the surface. It was the most horrifying way to die Lightningflash had ever imagined. He choked on imaginary dirt as he continued to dig, denying reality and submitting himself to the fantasy that if he just dug hard enough, this cat would not die. But it was no cat. A slender face was unearthed beneath his paws, a long canine snout with lips still pulled back in a pained snarl. The fox had evidently been caught up in the mudslide, and now glared from its fresh grave with lifeless eyes. A pink tongue poked between fierce fangs, bloodied, it had bitten its tongue as it suffocated. There was dirt between its teeth, in its ears. It looked as though it had swallowed dirt to full capacity, going under with mouth opened to make a soundless yelp. Lightningflash didn’t know whether to be furious or horrified, that he had been wasting his time unearthing a mangy fox when he could have been digging up the cats- no, his clanmates. Letting out a furious sound, he launched back at the pile of earth and resumed digging, ears flat, dirt between his own teeth, just like the fox. Scrape, scrape, scrape. It went on and on forever, until it felt like all that had ever been was this mudslide, trying to dig up trapped cats. “Ratdung, ratdung.” It was startling to himself to hear himself swear so passionately. Lightningflash had always found it hard to take much seriously. But it seemed today, this horror, this tragedy, this was what would change him. Had he gone out hunting with the patrol, he would be dead now, buried beneath the earth forever. Survivor’s guilt kept him digging, digging, for as long and as hard he could. Suddenly, the earth began to give away beneath him, and Lightningflash let out an alarmed cry as his paws sank into the dirt, a small wave of it shoving him somewhat down the slope. He half expected to be ducked under the earth, to find himself buried. But he came to a stop at the bottom of the mudslide, his leg and rump submerged in dirt. He scrabbled to free himself from it, his claws leaving deep scores in the earth as he heaved himself up from the muck. When he freed himself, he was breathing hard, alarmed by the realisation that the mud was still unstable, still ready to slip and slide at any moment and claim another cat into it’s dark maw. He coughed, spitting mud from his mouth. “Be careful, it’s still unstable!” He called to Birdtalon, or at least who he thought was Birdtalon beneath all that dirt. Birdtalon had subconsciously stepped forward to take control of this rescue mission, something that was silently accepted by everyone present, even the more argumentative and bossy cats. Each of them were united in their shared purpose of saving their clanmates… except, it was all useless, pointless. “Th-they’re all dead.” He announced hopelessly. “All of them… they can’t still be alive by now.” He scrambled back up the mudslide, his paws seeping into the still-liquid parts but finding firm footholds where he could. Smokestar’s body was laying among the collected dead, her cream and grey pelt battered, bleeding where she had likely been crushed by rocks. He shook. He’d never seen something so terrible before. Never. i was lightning before the thunder

WORDs: 2,243 / tags: KARAZHAL  Amber  Fawn  Abyss

[Jos]

CLOUDTAIL

Cloudtail did not mind the rain like many other cats. Yes, it soaked through his pelt down to his skin and yes, it made mud spray up on his white pelt as he walked around the territory. But the grayness, the cool fresh scent of earth and grass, and the patter of the rain as it fell on stone, soothed him. It was on days like this one where Cloudtail was a bit more tolerable than usual—one could even accuse him of being pleasant. 

He had already been out on one patrol early that morning, and had seen the storm clouds rolling in even then. It had made for a very quiet and efficient patrol, and quiet efficiency was among one of Cloudtail’s favorite things. Today looked like it was shaping up to be a fine day indeed.

Then that little scrap of pelt, Squirrelpaw, had the audacity to stumbled into his path. “Oh—Cloudtail—hi!” the plucky young tome dipped his head to Cloudtail, although Cloudtail knew that Squirrelpaw was terrified of him. The white tom gave an almost indiscernible nod to Squirrelpaw,

“Apprentice. I trust your training is going well with Beetlejaw? He is a fine warrior. You should consider yourself lucky.” 

Squirrelpaw stiffened up, “Oh—oh yes I do!” 

Cloudtail sniffed, “See that you do. What are you doing, then?” 

“I’m going to find some more moss for the elder’s den.” 

“Hm. It will rain today,” Cloudtail muttered, “I would make sure the elder’s den is leak-proof before fussing about with bedding that will only get wet later.” 

Squirrelpaw’s young mind whirled as it tried to comprehend Cloudtail’s suggestion. Cloudtail waited, his tail flicking impatiently, for the information to register. Great Starclan, he wondered, how I do not envy Beetlejaw on this one! 

Finally Squirrelpaw’s eyes lit up and he nodded enthusiastically, “Oh yes! That makes sense, I will do that!” he was about to run off into the bush when the young tom stopped and nodded to Cloudtail, “Thank you Cloudtail!” then he was off. 

Cloudtail sighed and shook his head. Apprentices, he thought as he went towards the fresh kill pile to see if anything new had appeared while he was out. Nothing yet. Where was the hunting patrol? He wondered, pushing around a soggy mouse with one claw. They should be back by now, surely? 

Suddenly the sound of soggy paws thrummed into camp, and the strong smell of fear-scent along with it. Cloudtail’s fur rose along his shoulders and spine—something was terribly wrong. Silently, he volunteered to go with the search party. The terrible realization of what had happened hit him as they reached the high rocks. He dove into the mud with the others, frantically digging for any scrap of pelt he could find. He went to Birdtalon to help with Rowanleaf, heeding Beetlejaw’s instructions to get the mud out of her mouth.

“Birdtalon, put her down, I’ll hold open her jaws and you stick your paw in! Scoop out the earth!” 

It was the first time in a long time he had opted to work alongside his brother since they were apprentices. He made eye contact and nodded, encouraging Birdtalon as though to say ‘I’m with you, brother’. 

KARAZHAL

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Made by Riley at THQ!

[Katara]

IVYFLARE STONECLAN WARRIOR Usually, Ivyflare was the first cat to show up when cries of horror erupted around the camp, and it was no different this time either. Her morbid curiosity often pulled her like a magnet toward scenes that could be disgusting or horrifying to others, whether it was a rabbit with a belly full of maggots or gruesome injury, she didn't care. So when she heard the thrum of heavy, panic-striken paws through the camp entrance, she knew she had to be a part of it. She sprang out of the warriors' den along with what seemed to be most of her Clanmates, and quickly learned what had taken place. A mudslide. She tilted her head, able to acknowledge the horror of it, but still had to resist saying something the smallest bit inappropriate at a time like this, and besides she really did want to help her Clanmates. Not even knowing who she was running along with, she charged out of camp with her fellow warriors and it didn't take long for them to find the scene of the mudslide - the sticky, enormous mass was still churning, still moving slowly with the ever-persisting downpour. Ivyflare shook out her thick coat, knowing it would probably be the last time in a couple sunrises that it would be free of mud. Though she didn't mind getting her paws dirty, she didn't think any cat liked to be filthy. Without further ado, she leaped into the mud, digging furiously alongside her Clanmates. The work was much more difficult than she thought it would be, the mud constantly shifting as she dug, sometimes moving back to the hole she'd just dug it out of. The key seemed to be to work quickly, so she did, diving in with even more vigor, and several minutes later her heart leaped when she saw the shape of something that wasn't brown and wet. It was brown and... solid. Ivyflare dug harder, but it didn't take long to unearth the broken corpse of a rabbit. What a perfectly good waste of prey. Without so much as a sigh, she tossed the prey over her shoulder and resumed her digging. She found other things too among it all - a couple of mice, and something hard and black like a mineral. "I found someone!" She heard the cry a couple different times, and immediately leaped out of the dent she'd made in the mudslide, bounding over to the nearest cat she'd heard it from. His white pelt, usually so spotless, was coated brown, but he wasn't nearly as badly off as the StoneClan warrior he'd just unearthed. Foxtrot. It took only one look to confirm the tom hadn't made it. His body was utterly lifeless, and the mud was stuck to him like a second coat of fur. For a moment, Ivyflare was kind of fascinated at the stillness of death and what it made of them all. Whitehawk, apparently, did not share the same sentiment. He leaped right back into the mud without another word, and Ivyflare knew she should join him. But it was still pouring rain, and the mud was continuing to spread - she had to get Foxtrot's body out of the way before he was buried again. She leaned down and, ignoring the mud that flooded her mouth, grabbed the warrior's scruff and began to heave. She thanked StarClan for her burlier frame in that moment, knowing other she-cats might not be able to fare as well as she did dragging a full-grown warrior's body by herself. Once she determined he was far enough away from the mudslide, she returned to Whitehawk and the others, plunging back into the digging. "Let me help," she mewed. "Two sets of paws are better than one. I pulled Foxtrot's body away from the mud so he wouldn't get buried again." She started heaving mud away from the hole Whitehawk had created, hoping that with both their efforts, they might recover another body more quickly. She wasn't sure who all had been found yet, and supposed they should check to see who else had found success. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, everyone on the patrol was dead right now. Not even Smokestar with all her nine lives could have survived this. At this point, it was about recovering the bodies and giving their Clanmates the burial they deserved. TAGGED: Abyss & ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 maybe? NOTES: --

JUST BREATHE DON'T DROWN YOUR HEART