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Post by Frisby on Nov 4, 2011 18:58:00 GMT -5
Phoenix's ears flicked at the sound of a voice, amusingly clueless as he asked into the void of darkness. He glanced towards Jaggedshadows as the other tom rose to investigate, and then back to Ash-heart. The silver tom sulked angrily at the farthest edge of the clearing, hunkered under the shadowy boughs of a bush. "Watch her..." the orange tom growled slowly. He paused a moment, trying to judge whether Ash-heart would actually care to listen, then, realizing he didn't particularly care, Phoenix turned and dashed after Jaggedshadows. He wouldn't let their insolent "leader" get all the excitement.
He stepped lightly through the trees and sidled to the wild-looking tom's side, closer than he would have stood under normal situations. Phoenix's eye flickered across the newcomer's face. "Fancy seeing you here," he murmured quietly, pretending to recognize Dragontooth. He tilted his head slightly to see Jaggedshadows, looking for some cue. What did the tom have up his sleeve? Would he be impulsive enough to simply attack Dragontooth right there and claim the body? Phoenix tensed, prepared to fight for the opportunity.
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Post by froscogo on Nov 11, 2011 20:21:54 GMT -5
"wh-what?" gasped Dragontooth. He spooked as her saw Phoenix. He didn't see Jaggedshadows yet. "Who are you? What happened to you and to Starclan territory? Why did you almost kill us with your meteor shower? Wh-..." Stammered the fluffy orange tom. His strength seemed to fade away like the light was. A chilled mist began to clump along the ground...
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Jaggedshadows flicked his tail approvingly at Phoenix. The young tom slid his claws a few times and stepped stiffly out of the bracken. He acted more tired and hurt than he was. "My friend, ..." he began, " I cannot tell you how happy we are to have you with us, Starclan needs your help." Jaggedshadows was careful to maintain his false voice and appear harmless to Dragontooth.
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The fluffy orange warrior stepped forward and gazed down upon the badly scarred apprentice and spoke clearly, "My name is Dragontooth. I come representing my Clan, Dayclan. What has happened to you?"
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Post by froscogo on Nov 11, 2011 20:35:38 GMT -5
SinkingSun shook with the grief and fury that gripped her. Every now and then something would spark her memories and misery. The episode was over within a few panicky heartbeat and she was the same as before, cold and fuming. She followed the scents of Jaggedshadows and Phoenix. She clicked her teeth quietly to let them know that she was there and slunk deep into the shadows for a good pretend ambush site. Lostfire would meet her soon.
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Lostfire cackled with immense delight. Before him was a hole. He dug it and it was still there. He knew that he and Ash-heart had to be somewhere, but that kit would escape again.... His sanity left for a moment and he called to her in his real voice. The comforting voice of an elder. "You! Newcomer, I need you to help me for a moment..." He kept his focus on the hole while waiting Ethre's reply.
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Post by Frisby on Dec 25, 2011 15:08:36 GMT -5
ooc: Merry Christmas! I'm not sure what you meant by the "badly scarred apprentice" part, so I'm gonna ignore that. bic: A warm smile spread naturally over Phoenix's face. He had spent most of his moons a liar, an actor, and it as easy now. After Jaggedshadows, he chimed in with pleasant, joking tones. "Does death look good on anyone?" He chuckled lightly. "But don't let it bother you much; there will be all the time you require to settle those questions. Right now though, as," he decided Jaggedshadow's name was a bit too dark sounding and replaced it with something less intimidating, "Briarstripe has mentioned, there are more pressing matters that must be sorted out between us." He glanced Jaggedshadow's way and amusedly wondered how much his new name would irritate the tom, and whether he'd have the mettle to contain whatever anger it might stir up. --x "...Mm?" Ethre was slow to respond the old tom's words. His pelt was frazzled and the tom stood crookedly with an odd and perturbing glint in his eyes. She wasn't sure what to make of him, besides the fact that he was just as deranged and dangerous as all the other cats she'd met in the forest so far. Hesitantly, the young she-cat cast a glance to Ash-heart, hoping he wouldn't mind her approaching Lostfire. Ash-heart's gaze was hollow, indifferent, and after brief indecision, Ethre decided to risk moving. /I'm not trying to escape.../ she thought defensively. /Though I should be. But how to get out of this forest?/ She inched closer to Lostfire, but still hung back about half a fox-length, reluctant to come within attacking range of him. "What do you need?" he meowed in a dulled, reserved voice. Her eyes flickered between him and the hole, perplexed and unnerved.
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Post by froscogo on Dec 25, 2011 22:01:55 GMT -5
ooc- my plan was to have Ethre pushed in the hole, so then ash-heart and lostfire can go join Jaggedshadows, then Newflight can rescue Ethre and Dayclan can start to group in the DF. is this Ok? And the badly scarred apprentice is Jaggedshadows.
bic- Jaggedshadows merely flicked his ears at Phoenix. He would not be unsettled by his ... creativeness. He faked a pronounced limp and approached Dragontooth, allowing a made-up fear to cloud his eyes. "Dragontooth, the warriors of the Dark Forest have waged a war upon us, upon Starclan. Their presence alone has our once beautiful forest turn into what you see before you now. Those asteroids were Starclan warriors falling, I'm afraid that the dark winds that chill the hearts of the Darkforest cats, it seems that it also makes them stronger, we no longer have the strength to fight this war on our own, we need Dayclan!"
ooc: pause until lostfire and ash-heart are in position.
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Post by froscogo on Jan 15, 2012 22:23:58 GMT -5
"My vision has gone blank and--is that an acorn at the bottom of my hole? Or maybe it's a squirrel," Lostfire warbled in his nasally voice.
Ethre pricked up her ears and tilted her head to the side, perplexed by the old tom's bizarre logic. Despite how it frightened her, he seemed too deluded to be planning any attack on her that she wouldn't be able to dodge away from. Her curiosity drew her forward, and she stepped towards the edge of the pit, an uneasy tail-length from the white-furred tom's mangy pelt. "What...what do you mean? It just looks like dirt from here, and why in StarClan's name does it matter, anyway?" Her eyes flashed up to him, frustrated and fearful, annoyed that she'd risked this much for some stupid whim of the mad cat's invention.
As quick as lightning, Lostfire struck out at Ethre's back legs, shoving her into the hole. She barely had time to get her head above ground level before the earth closed in around her and she was buried. Lostfire showed all of his cracked, yellow teeth as he laughed insanely. "Have fun, apprentice, wriggling with the worms. Ash-heart and I have an appointment to keep." With a flick of his broken and furless tail, Lostfire hobbled away, snarling at Ash-heart to follow.
The grey tom growled uneasily, but heaved himself to his paws and drifted after the other cat, swiping a paw over his muzzle to itch at the drying blood there.
Lostfire followed along the path until he found the scent of Sinkingsun, then turned to follow her scent-trail, clicking his teeth to alert her that he was behind her. Ash-heart followed, then hesitated as he caught the scents of the newcomers, circling around with the utmost stealth to stand opposite Lostfire and Sinkingsun, with the "unsuspecting" Phoenix, Jaggedshadows, and living cats between them.
Jaggedshadows, realizing that his clan had gathered around them, sneezed to begin the prepared ambush. Hearing the signal Ash-heart snarled and leapt from hiding, barely restraining himself as he collided with the "leader" of their troupe. He lowered his jaws over the other tom's face, exhaling heavily into his "shocked" gaze before slicing his glare across to the living cats and baring his teeth in a feral growl. Jaggedshadows barely contained his desire to spit found insults in Ash-heart's crusted face. Instead he wriggled free under Ash-heart's weight and wailed at Dragontooth, "Run, leader of DayClan! Run and gather your cats! You must fight for us, or else there will be no StarClan left! Don't let the Dark Forest triumph!"
Sinkingsun and Lostfire jumped out of the bushes and bowled over Phoenix. Lostfire displayed his full horror towards the gaping Dragontooth with a cackle that summarized his full insanity. Dragontooth tripped over his heels as he made haste to run away. Suddenly the orange tom seemed to disappear in the cold haze that pervaded the dark realm of undergrowth.
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Post by froscogo on Jul 13, 2012 10:16:30 GMT -5
As the mortal warrior fled from the dark forest a crooked smile crept upon Jaggedshadow's lips. The murky mist crept around the open space the shadowed tom let loose a merciless laughter that sent shivers into the chilled air. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newflight was padding amid the murk and mist and utter blackness. His whiskers drooped with his gripping depression. //Why am I here? Am I doomed to be lost in the Dark Forest forever?// The deep light seemed to make his white pelt melt into the fog that rolled over the ground and along the trunks of blackness. He sat carefully and closed his eyes, letting a deep breath fill his lungs. His ears flicked at the memories and emotions that clouded his scent glands. //Did I smell Ethre?//
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Post by froscogo on Jul 31, 2012 14:08:54 GMT -5
The scent wafted over his nose again... but it angered him and the warrior dismissed it. Newflight got up and continued his searching for anything that could give him answers. /I must be really depressed and close to insane if all I can scent is Ethre../ he wondered grimly. Then, the scent of thyme washed over his mouth and made him sway with angst. Ether smelled faintly of thyme, so faintly that you can only smell it when you brush against her soft fur. He opened his eyes to see that he was leaning against the stalky fronds of a bush. He scented the air again and noticed the stank scents of other Darkforest cats. /They have Ethre!/ Newflight quickly dropped to his haunches and crept along the ground, the scents of all of the cats steadily growing stronger. Pushing through an embankment of stalky and wilted plants, Newflight found himself quite suddenly in a sort of clearing. He could clearly smell Ethre now, and called out softly for her, his voice gingerly tight. /Curse it Newflight! Have you forgotten that Ethre can't speak out!/ He lowered his head, not expecting any reply.
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Post by Frisby on Jul 31, 2012 14:23:12 GMT -5
Ethre opened her mouth in surprise at Newflight's voice. She had scented him before, but thought it had just been some remnant of the other world, slipping through with her into this dark reality. For a moment she feared he might also be trapped by the Dark Forest cats, but maybe not. She tried to squirm, but the heavy earth held her fast. Her eyes flickered about the clearing, wondering how far the Dark Forest cats had wandered off, and if it was safe responding to Newflight's whisper. Even if they were close, perhaps they could both escape in the commotion...In any case, she wasn't going to escape from this trap on her own any time soon. The warrior vaguely wondered if it ever rain in the Dark Forest, enough to loosen the earth.
"Newflight," she hissed back. "Help me quick." Her eyes flashed around the clearing one more time. "But be careful!"
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Post by froscogo on Jul 31, 2012 21:31:41 GMT -5
Newflight heart stopped when he heard Ethre's voice. He crawled quickly across the clearing not pausing to look around, his entire body focused on where he heard her voice. "Gah!!" gasped the tom as his heart stopped again. Ethre was entombed in the ground with only her head barely above the ground. "Ethre! I... What happened? Why are you in the Dark Forest? Where are we? I.. I've missed you, and I'm so confused, but ... We have to get you out of here, we need to get far away from these cats Ethre." Newflight continued to speak in a hushed voice as he dug away at the hard dark dirt. "I can't even think of something bad happening to you and I have to protect you from these cats or else I'd never forgive myself..." The dirt scraped over his claws, straining his paws and wrists painfully. Newflight was digging as fast as he could. He was crying, overjoyed that he had found Ethre, that she was alright, but also finding her broke his heart for it meant that she was also doomed to remain in this hellish forest /forever/. "...and you have such a beautiful voice Ether and..." Newflight had reached her shoulders now, Newflight's shoulder's ached and his pelt felt damp and heavy.
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Post by Frisby on Jul 31, 2012 22:00:26 GMT -5
"I...don't know," Ethre meowed quietly, overwhelmed by Newflight's words. They seemed to take on different significance when she was capable of replying to them, and after so long silent, she struggled to think of anything worthwhile to say. As the soil loosened around her, she squirmed to the side and painfully freed one leg. Her whiskers flattened against her face as she grimaced, but the extra space in the hole where her leg had been allowed her to squirm freer and work her way out. After a few moments the young warrior managed to kick her way from the pit and lay panting on the earth, fur ruffed up with dirt. She tried to speak, but there was too much air escaping her lungs. Frustrated, she tried again and only ended up spluttering. "L--Let's," she heaved a breath, "--go." The she-cat stood, wobbling slightly, and shook her pelt, sending dirt everywhere, and into Newflight's pelt. "Oh, ooh, oops." She grinned, air bursting through her teeth in a laugh. "Sorry."
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Post by Frisby on Aug 17, 2013 13:12:14 GMT -5
"Let's hurry," panted Newflight as he got to his feet and started fleeing the Dark Forest camp. Ethre stumbled at his heels. "If we can make it back to my tree, we'll be safe there."
Soon they were lost. Ethre stared around at the tall dark trees that encircled them, spreading uniformly in every direction. She could feel hopelessness pooling in her stomach at the deep darkness that merely extended around them, wherever they tried to flee. Just as she was about to phrase her fears to Newflight, a lazy breeze turned her way and she detected a familiar scent.
"Mudd!" she exclaimed, unsure whether her senses were deceiving her or not. "Do you smell her?" Ethre hesitated and then nodded, unable to discard the bit of hope she'd found. "Yeah, I think...I think it's this way, to the left..." She glanced at Newflight, looking for his approval. Newflight nodded at Ethre and charged off in the direction she had directed.
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Mudd awoke to confusion. All about her was a darkness, but...the more she stared at it, the more unfamiliar it seemed. This was not the shapeless darkness she had seen for so many moons. This was...vision? She padded slowly through the trees, eyes tracing the curving forms of the roots and paws stepping carefully around them, astonished by this development. After a few heartbeats she paused, raising a paw and turning it over, trying to comprehend the colors and textures she had never visualized. In the half-light everything seemed vivid to her.
Suddenly her musing was interrupted by voices, vaguely familiar, yet at the same time, perplexing. Heartbeats passed before she recognized Newflight's voice--but who was the other? And where were they, anyway?
"Hello?" she called cautiously into the night.
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Thunderpaw awoke with his muscles cold and stiff. Getting up, he gazed around him, confused. What was this place? Everything was dark, and the trees were all the same, seeming to scrape the endless black sky above. Fear gripped at his belly, and with no clear thought or direction, he bolted deeper into the dark forest.
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Nightingale peering into the darkness, mouth opened slightly as she tried to detect some sign of moisture that could lead her to the waterfall and river. From there she was confident the setting would fit back into her memories and the frightening emptiness in her mind would dissolve. She shivered and took a first step, heading downhill. After a few moments the ground rose again and leveled off. All seemed dry and bland, but she was growing more aware of the cat scents in the air. Suddenly there came a crumpling and rustling in the trees nearby and she spun about, fangs bared.
Thunderpaw felt better running. It gave him something to do, and he enjoyed the speed that he was picking up. There was nothing unexpected in the forest where all the trees were equally spaced. A slight wavering feeling of peace seemed to settle in himself as he rushed through the stale air. He closed his eyes briefly, clinging to that peace...Smack!
Nightingale yowled in alarm as something crashed into her. She caught a glimpse of another black pelt as they both tumbled backwards down the slight slope. Leaves scattered and then settled all to quickly back into the uniform texture of the forest floor. She sat back on her haunches, blinking in confusion, and then remembering to snarl at the potential danger. Claws unsheathing, the she-cat rose to her paws and stood defensively. Now that they had come to a halt, she could tell the other cat was smaller than she, and perhaps less dangerous, but this was strange land. Was he defending it? Was that his intent in their collision? She hissed and eyed him warily. "If you think I have wronged you, you are mistaken. I am simply passing through here and mean no harm." She hesitated, her hostility faltering, countered by a desire to ask, Where is 'here'?
Thunderpaw licked his paw and rubbed it over his aching head. "Aw cat, I must've hit my head hard, I'm seeing double now!" However, when Nightingale's scent reached him, he instantly crouched down, ready to defend himself from the much bigger cat, which he now realized was not an illusion. "I should be apologizing to you! I'm sorry for running into you." The presence of this other cat seemed to dissolve all the fear that he had previously felt. "I'm lost too! Don't leave me!" After living so long on his own, just recently being included in the clan, he couldn't bear the thought of being on his own again.
Nightingale's growl dropped as the tom demonstrated an obvious helplessness. She watched him silently, aware that she now held the upper hand. If she took him with her, he would be a liability. Clearly he was not the most clever cat, running into people and such, but a friend in these strange parts was better than an enemy. She hesitated, tail flicking slightly, and then nodded. "What is your name, tom? I am Nightingale." She paused, staring around at the trees once more. "Do you know this place at all? I have never met a forest like this."
Relief pooled amongst the fear that was still dampening Thunderpaw's heart. Then embarrassment joined it. He shook his head, choosing to remain quiet after his informal outburst. He padded over to her, and mumbled, "My name's Thunderpaw."
Nightingale frowned as they walked along, uneasy to have another at her side after an entire life in solitude. She tried to think back again, remembering the way the water had closed its jaws about her...The black feline shivered. "You haven't seen a river around these parts, have you? That is what I remember last...the river pulling me under. It must be somewhere near here, but I can't hear it, or smell it."
"...Before the meteor shower, I remember a border patrol had discovered a dead cat that had been washed up by the falls."
Nightingale looked at him strangely. "Meteor shower? What is that?" The coldness in her mind twisted its tendrils deeper.
"It was like StarClan warriors were falling out of the sky, pelting the forest below." Thunderpaw gasped as he realized he was healed now. "The last place I was was in the curer's den, 'cause I was covered with burns from the asteroids, but there gone now."
"This is all very strange." Nightingale frowned, trying to comprehend all the foreign concepts he described. "I too woke unharmed, dry from the river and removed from it by who knows how far. And you--you also did not wake where you slept." She frowned. "You don't suppose. Could those wounds have...killed you? Could we both be dead?" She stopped walking and watched the forest. It seemed to be staring intently back at them. "This place is certainly...unearthly."
Nightingale's words sunk deeply into Thunderpaw's mind. Blackness covered his eyesight as he continued walking, a fear gripping him tighter. He barely noticed Nightingale when he bumped into her. "I...I need to sit down." He thought for a moment of the last moments in the curer's den before he fell asleep. Marbleclaw had seemed so devastated. Was that because she had recognized that his wounds were fatal? "I don't want to be dead," he spluttered without thought.
Nightingale jumped slightly when Thunderpaw bumped into him a second time. She held her tongue, watching cautiously as he sat and thought. To no surprise, his response was only mildly useful. She shrugged. "Well for all they make of death, that did not seem so bad. I am however, a little concerned by this place."
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Post by Frisby on Aug 17, 2013 13:45:38 GMT -5
~~~~timelapse~~~~
Ash-heart sat upon a rock, tail curled delicately over his paws. A purr rumbled in is throat. "It has begun." His gaze drifted over to Silence, who nodded wordlessly. "The clancats have been located...they are scattered, wandering. All that remains is to strike and claim their lives our own, before they discover our little ruse."
Jaggedshadows walked in front of Ash-heart before he had finished speaking. He addressed /his/ cats. "We must be careful with this delicate situation. If we attack them one at a time, they will soon realize we are the enemy, and not their precious /StarClan/." He addressed Silence and Phoenix. "Have they all gathered together?"
Phoenix cleared his throat, smiling at Silence and his evident silence. "They have joined in small alliances. The clancats under the leader we scared off remain together, and some of the younger cats have formed a group of three. The rest are alone or in pairs, easily found with all the noise they make." Silence rumbled in amusement.
Ash-heart clear his throat. "Perhaps we should divide the lives among us now. There are five males, if I am not mistaken...and six of us." He tilted his head at Lostfire. "Do we have a volunteer to remain here? Or would you rather take one of the females?"
Lostfire glared at the insult, splitting with rage. "I will give every tooth and claw to see that it is you that remains behind!"
Ash-heart smiled coldly. "So the fight will determine it then. But not now...let us wait for the attack and the stars will fall where they may."
Jaggedshadows smiled to himself. With Ash-heart and Lostfire fighting amongst themselves, his way was wide open to pick off the most suitable cat for himself. "I'll lead the patrol to the clan cats, and you can pick off the scattered remains for yourself." With his eyes glaring he turned to slink into the shadows, letting the tip of his tail flick over the scars on Ash-heart's neck.
Silence growled slightly, sensing that the running trouble with Jaggedshadows would boil over soon. Ash-heart shook his head. "Nevermind him. Lostfire, Mudface, Singkingsun, follow me. We will give Jaggedshadows some company. The rest of you--track down the others and strike. Do not let them escape and give warning."
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Post by Frisby on Jan 7, 2014 15:09:35 GMT -5
Dragontooth felt the presence of the ground underpaw and he knew that he had returned to 'StarClan' territory. "Wake up DayClan! We are here to aid our ancestors!" Wolfecho narrowed his eyes at the forest around them, overrun with snakey tendrils of shadow. "This isn't my vision of paradise." He growled quietly and cast a look back at the others. No stars peeked through the trees above. It unsettled him, but, if this was StarClan, perhaps it made sense. "Where are the ancestors, Dragontooth?"
Dragontooth felt his fur prick uncomfortably as he saw the questioning glances among his clanmates. "I know this isn't the perfect vision of StarClan, but it's at war! It's being destroyed, unless we stop it."
Wolfecho grunted. "Very well."
Asterfire kept her doubt to herself. This place was unfamiliar and disturbed her deeply--but Dragontooth must be right. They were here to vanquish the disruption and restore it to the way it should be. "What must we do now, Dragontooth?"
"We must find our StarClan ancestors." He held his tail high as he started padding off in one direction, trying to remember the clearing where he had visited before. Wolfecho followed submissively, but cast wary glances at either side as they progressed onwards.
"Is this forest full of the enemy too, Dragontooth? The ones we are here to fight?"
Dragontooth paused and looked at Wolfecho's face, seeing the fear reflected in Foxwit and Marbleclaw's eyes. He nodded solemnly. "Keep a sharp eye out. The warriors I met were a ginger tom with an eye injury and a small apprentice named Briarstripe."
After some time of wandering they came upon familiar scents. Wolfecho stiffened in surprise. "Do you smell that Dragontooth?"
Foxwit stepped forward. "I think it's coming from these trees over here."
*
Mudd was perched in a tree with Ethre and Newflight, peering down into the shadows below, which seemed like daylight to her, illuminated by a sense of vision that still astounded her. "Guys, here they come! The dark forest cats!" She fell silent as they neared their tree.
Reacting to Mudd's whisper, Newflight leapt from his branch, arcing himself towards a strangely familiar pelt of brown with black and white tabby stripes. Newflight's claws jammed into the she-cat's shoulder, crushing her into the dank dirt. Marbleclaw spit with rage as sharp claws pierced her pelt and her legs crumpled beneath her. She rolled over with the fall and arcs a massive blow with claws unsheathed onto her attacker.
Newflight gasped as stars popped in his eyes as the paw of Marbleclaw smacked his face flat against the ground.
As Ethre braced herself to jump from the tree, she shrieking in alarm. The cat had overcome Newflight so easily! But wait--Off balanced, she tumbled after him and recognized the attacked. Clumsily avoiding a direct collision, she staggered to the side, blinking at her clanmates. The scene had not resolved for the others yet, and so she pounced over Newflight, standing between her and Marbleclaw and drawing back her mouth into a snarl.
Marbleclaw spooked again when Ethre suddenly appeared between her and her attacker. Foxwit was looking at the new cats. "Is this some kind of trick?!"
Mudd, cowering off to the side, straightened at this and approached the group. She wasn't sure, but the voice of Foxwit was familiar, and now she could scent the others too--She guessed his namesake, for the tom had a narrow muzzle that set him apart from the others in the group. "No, F-Foxwit, it's--us!"
Foxwit narrowed his eyes looking between the small tabbies. "Bless the name of StarClan, we thought you had died!" Newflight stood up and touched noses with Marbleclaw. "Boy am I grateful you're on my side! That was a nasty swipe." Marbleclaw purred. "Your namesake suits you. I didn't notice until you were on top of me."
Wolfecho flicked his tail nervously. "Let's stay on guard. There are enemies afoot, and we need to find the StarClan cats." He glanced sharply to Dragontooth. "Perhaps these younglings have seen them!"
Ethre blinked uncertainly at the two. "StarClan cats? We have only found sly, demonic creatures, fallen warriors." She shuddered involuntarily. Newflight pressed against her to comfort her. "We'll face them together this time," he encouraged.
"She can speak!" Wolfecho suddenly remarked, forsaking his own advisement, and glancing swiftly to Mudd. "And you can see. Though this place is fell, no doubt, but it has miracles yet to give!" He shook himself. "But we must stay alert."
Dragontooth stepped up to Mudd. "Do you remember seeing two StarClan cats? One was an orange tom with an injured eye, and the other, a small apprentice with black stripes."
Mudd shook her head, but was cut off by Ethre's interjection.
"Pheonix and Jaggedshadows?! Surely you did not take them to be /StarClan/ cats!" She lashed her tail angrily. "There is no StarClan here."
Newflight glared at Dragontooth. "We are trapped in the Dark Forest. This is not StarClan."
Dragontooth felt his pelt grow hot as part of his mind wondered if had made such a grave mistake.
- - -
Nightingale pricked up her ears, peering into trees nearby. "Do you hear that, kit, or am I mad? Voices."
Thunderpaw scuffed his paws but didn't complain about being called a kit. He pricked his ears in the direction of the faint yowling. "Something is definitely happening over there." Nightingale swished her tail. "I am going to investigate. Come if you must." "Don't leave me!" Thunderpaw cried. He bumbled after her. Nightingale flicked her ears in slight annoyance, hoping they weren't going to stumbled blinding into some formidable enemy. The voices settled into gentler tones of conversation, and she lowered herself into the brush, just within sight of the others.
"Marbleclaw!" Thunderpaw burst out of the undergrowth and tumbled up to Marbleclaw who stood warily as the apprentice smothered her. Her annoyance soon melted into humble amusement. "I'm glad you're okay Thunderpaw. I was really worried about you."
Wolfecho swished his tail. "So many of our ranks!" He would not admit it, but felt slightly encouraged. If there were only a few dark forest warriors and so much of their own clan, perhaps they could stay well defended. Yet how could they return home? He shook his head, and as he did he spotted the glimmer of eyes in the trees beyond. His hackles rose immediately and a hiss escaped his mouth. "We are being watched!"
"Oh her--don't worry--I made a friend!"
Nightingale flicked her ears in embarrassment and stepped from the shadows, surveying the clan cats with skepticism.
Dragontooth froze, his heart clasped in his chest. "How could this be?" The words tumbled out of his mouth. His fur was no longer hot with the embarrassment for his clan, but hot with something else! It was the dead cat he had found. The beautiful dead cat, that he could not have saved.
Nightingale stared blankly at the stranger and his apparent awe. "How could what be, stranger?"
Dragontooth stepped forward, fluffing up his pelt to look as presentable as possible. His deep voice rumbled, "How could it be that we finally meet? I found your--body in our territory."
"Indeed?" Nightingale flicked her tail. "I suppose that confirms my death, then. I had been a little uncertain on that matter." She hesitated. "And you, are you all deceased as well? You seem a little more purposeful than I would expect of passed souls."
Marbleclaw glanced worriedly up at the senior warriors. "Are we really dead, Dragontooth? Did you kill us by bringing us here?"
Dragontooth turned away from the question, not wanting to think about the answer. "Ethre, describe to me the dark forest cats you encountered. Tell me everything."
Ethre shivered. "I--arrived here--and Phoenix, the orange tom, a thick-furred tabby with a grown-shut left eye brought me to a group of the others. They were awful. There was this mad cat. They smelled terrible, and were all beaten as if they had been through lifetimes of battle. The mad cat tried to bury me, but Newflight saved me when the small tabby you described, Jaggedshadows, was fighting another. They are evil, Dragontooth! There is no way they are StarClan cats. They took me captive."
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Post by Frisby on Jan 7, 2014 15:36:08 GMT -5
Charcoalstar took a shuddering gasp and felt earth solidifying under his feet. He had arrived. The forest was unfamiliar around him, but he identified a lingering scent. Dragontooth, and the others! He wondered for a moment if it could be the linger scents from the world above, but decided to follow the whim. After padding briskly onwards for a short while, he heard cries up ahead and broke into a run, bursting into the then diffused scene and glancing back and forth among his clanmates. He opened his mouth, about to curse Dragontooth for leading the others to this forsaken forest, but instead gave a quick lick to straighten his fur before speaking. "I have spoken with Silverpelt. We are in grave danger. We must defend our lives from the fiends that inhabit this place and drive them to the border with StarClan where they can be destroyed." He shivered and added morosely, "If any of us die, it opens a path for the souls of dark forest cats to possess our bodies and enter the waking world."
Charcoalstar flicked his tail at Dragontooth. /Did the dark forest cats appoint you Dragonstar?/ he mockingly thought. But there was no time for fighting. They had to survive.
Marbleclaw looked up from where she had been flicking her tail for Thunderpaw to play with. She hoped that he had been listening as well. "It's good to have you back, Charcoalstar. But what did you do with Mistedstar?"
A coldness churned in Charcoalstar. "She-she is here somewhere." He shook his head. "But we must find the StarClan border first and prepare for battle. We will meet Willowrain there." He raised his head and blinked, spotting a glimmer of light in the previously dark sky. "Look, it must be this way!" He lead on.
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