When the Patrol Came Back

[Runfast]

Longfur, alone in the elder's den, woke from his sleep. "I got a bad feeling," he mewed to the emptiness.

Outside, Blizzardgaze was talking to Frostshine about a crazy loner she once encountered. "...And his name was - hmm... I never can remember his name - something like... Ronnie? Ollie? Omni? Oh, never mind." She sighed. "He kept going on and on and on - " She mimicked a slightly-crazy voice. "'You gotta watch your step on the hills, the mounds, mesa-mesas - look out for a little purple flower. They're cursed by the sun. They are - heliotropes'." The pale she-cat shrugged, her clouded eye glinting in the sunlight. "Crazy tom."

OOC: Yo, check me out.

[Runfast]

OOC: Sigh...

IC: Goldpaw, with a battered looking Redstar (the two and Hollowstripe had caught up with the wounded of the Gathering patrol that fought against Mudblood), wearily padded into Darkclan camp.
Blizzardgaze spotted them with her good eye, and her jaw dropped. "What happened," she demanded.
"Mudblood happened," spat Goldpaw, sitting with a 'thump'.
Redstar lay down in the sunlight, taking deep breaths.

[NKninja]

OOC: I expected someone else to post because I'm just lazy

IC: " They attacked us with fire and burned most of the territory" Hollowstripe added, flicking her notched ear dried with blood.

Sorestare padded forward from the warrior's den " Those clay head's actually made a come back?!" He growled, remembering the small activity of the rogue group.

[Longstorm]

Silverpaw, eyes filled with worry, bounded over to her brother and uncle. "How are your wounds?" She wasn't a medicine cat, and neither was Frostshine, the tom she'd been listening talk about herbs he'd learned when he'd wanted to be a medicine cat many years ago.

[Meany]

Smokepelt led his sister Lightningpelt into the camp. "Help her," he muttered as he directed her towards the Healer's Den.
Lightningpelt, at this point, had a very blackened face with eyes that were, essentially, out of sight. She said nothing as she felt herself being led away from the voices, just shivering at the feeling of dampness from (what she presumed to be) her brother's leg wound that was, even now, gushing blood.

[Longstorm]

Gorseclaw and Silverpaw were with the siblings in an instant, worrying over the yellow she-cat.
Funny how it took a tragedy to bring the two kits of Thornstar together.

"We must strike back," snarled Sunmist. "Take a the best warriors and attack the heart of Mudblood's territory!"
Some of the cats around mewed in a agreement. "We can hit them were it hurts!"

[NKninja]

" I saw the other clans territories set ablaze as well when finding Redstar. If they have enough cats to attack all the clans at once, it's practical suicide!" Hollowstripe retorted, remembering the hills even beyond Tawnyclan engulfed in fire.
Sorestare took split glances over to Lightningpelt before turning his attention to Sunmist. He anticipated a fight to break out again to the two.

[Longstorm]

Sunmist flattened her ears, hissing at the younger she-cat, "They won't all be in their camp right now if so many are out and wreaking havoc, deputy - it's the ideal time to attack!"

[NKninja]

" And what? Leave the rest of our injured clanmates vulnerable? There may not be enough in their own camp, but there are more in our territory already." She snapped, her tail drooped slightly as she spoke. " If we do that, we are more likely to be interrupted by the cats in Darkclan before we get a whisker in their territory!"

[Runfast]

Redstar stood, "Alright, I may be injured but I'm still Clan leader," he snapped. "Shut up, the pair of you."
He looked out over the rocky
(OOC: There's never been a description of this place: round, trees and rocks enclosing the camp, the dens are stone, one is a hollow tree-stump (medicine cat's den) - the stone the leader addressed cats from looks like it's fused with the stump, his den.)
wall and over the trees that surrounded their camp, seeing the faint smoke. The fires everywhere else must have been as bad as Darkclan's.
The red tom fixed his gaze on his gathered Clan. "We will strike back," he nodded slightly to Sunmist. "But not today - nor tomorrow, nor the next day. We must heal, gather our strengths, any allies we may have. We cannot take Mudblood on alone."
"You're talking about teaming up with the other Clans," remarked Longfur.
Redstar nodded to the pale tom. "Yes... I know it's outside our traditions, but as my deputy pointed out, they outnumber us. This Clan?" He looked at everyone. "Alone? We'd never survive."
"But it's suicide either way," mewed Blizzardgaze.
Redstar looked at her. "Frankly, Blizzardgaze, you weren't there." He wasn't being snippy, just pointing it out. "You didn't see the surprise when Darkclan rose against them and took many of their numbers, killed their 'platoon' leader. They may expect us to react, but not to act."

[Meany]

Bronzepaw, who'd been out roaming the territory for some unknown reason, was listening with interest to what his uncle was saying.

Cloudfeet sighed, licking at one of his wounds. "Well," he mewed, "it'd be nice to give some of those cats a what-for after what they've done." There was a tinge of malice to his voice.

[Runfast]

Goldpaw stood. "Let them get what they gave," the golden tom growled quietly. Something about the fight had changed him. He didn't know what it was, but it was different.

Redstar looked at his nephew and knew this; Goldpaw had grown up. As much as I want to make him a warrior, it would be unfair to his siblings.
He looked back to his Clan and mewed, "Three days we'll rest. On the fourth we head to the Clans. Agreed?"
It wasn't often the leader of a warrior Clan asked his Clan for their opinion on his choices - 'The word of Clan leader is law,' so said the warrior Code.

[NKninja]

Hollowstripe heard the clan muttering their words. After a few moments, she drooped her head down to Redstar "Agreed," she mewed silently. Even though she didn't like the idea of fighting in the war, or being second-hand at leading, she urged the others to reply the same.

[Longstorm]

Sunmist was practically preening. "Agreed," she mewed. She cast a glance over Hollowstripe's way, an almost 'so there' in her eyes.

OOC: DOOOOD - I totally got three roles for a voice over on YouTube!

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