CLOSED The Next Day

[Runfast]

He woke suddenly, sitting up abruptly.
What happened? Was it all just a dream?
His head turned and turned as the sleep faded from his eyes, revealing a cave he was not used to.
He looked down at the small, dried spots of blood and realized: It wasn't a dream. I am Scourge of Abyssclan, King.
Scourge let out a long, ragged sigh. He stood and stretched for a long moment then looked out of his new den to the camp.
Morning's first light... Well, sort of - it was still raining as it would be for many, many days. And just in time, too. Scourge knew there were many things that needed to be dealt with - the Warriors, the Servants, the newcomers, the new Protectors. All of them.
He had a long, wet day ahead of him.
The black tom groomed himself then padded out of the den.

In the Mender's Den, Loveless was coming out of a deep sleep.
"What..." He coughed.

[Longstorm]

Bitter rose from his sleep.
"Good -- you're not dead. Thought you'd be on the way to the Above part way through the night. And yet." He spoke with a mild sarcastic tinge to his voice. He didn't have the best bed-side manner you could hope for.
The pale tom looked down at the Prince in silent amusement. "Right..." He turned away, flicking his tail at Boneless.
For now, they had to take up the roles of Mender. A she-cat and a tom working together - but then, I suppose their cunning makes it a bit easier.

Outside of that den and in the Nursery, Terra shifted in her sleep, subconsciously pulling the kits closer to her soft belly fur.

[Loki]

While Torn and Bark snuggled closely up to their mother, Thistle watched as the rain poured, the dark smell in the distance died away and he was sure that there was something odd of the atmosphere, he stood and looked out into the camp, cautiously.

Fresh was awake too. He looked out and scented the vast scents of this new world, suddenly wondering why he was not with mother but at the sight of the King he trotted (waddled) over most ungainly.

[Runfast]

Loveless sighed and shifted his chin on the edge of the nest he had been set in.
"...is it raining?" He winced as he shifted slightly again.

Scourge looked down at Fresh and blinked. "Ah - hello, Fresh." He flicked his ears as rain drops tried to slid in.

[Loki]

"Morning king!" Fresh mewed happily, "I have come to protect you."
The large kit puffed out his chest, "that weak warrior must be shivering in fear now that I'm here, Your lucky I was there at the right time or..." He trailed off as a rain drop hit his pink nose.

[Longstorm]

From her own private den, Cunningheart opened her eyes. Her ears turned towards the soft sounds of life and the faint rolling of thunder.
The large she-cat stretched and padded out of her den, blinking the sleep from her eyes.
She saw Fresh and the King speaking - her whiskers twitched in amusement as she caught the last of the kit's words. Cunningheart didn't go up to them but went to the Warrior's den.
"Paleclaw - Snarlgag - Razorclaw - Tigerfrost - get your sorry tails out of your nests," she hissed. "There are things to be done."
Tigerfrost cracked open a pale eyes and hissed in annoyance. "It's too early," he protested.
Paleclaw tried to pretend he hadn't heard her.
Cunningheart flattened her ears and snarled, "We are the last Warriors in this Clan - suppose we become occupied because of your lethargy?"
She left that hanging and padded away.

Tigerfrost groaned and rolled out of his nest, dragging himself out of the den. He yelped as he was pelted with cold raindrops. "You could have least have mentioned the rain," he growled.

Paleclaw smiled in his nest. "Way to be obvious," he commented as he stretched luxuriously.

Cunningheart rolled her eyes and she went to the Nursery, many things on her mind.

OOC: Only 9 cats have ever been to the Abyssclan camp - OCCUPY ABYSSCLAN!!!
+Political Joke For Ya.+

[Runfast]

OOC: Oh god, don't tell me - it's my fault nothing;s been happening in Abyssclan... NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Oh god I'M SORRY.

IC: Scourge looked at the little kit, a smirk at the edge of his mouth. "Indeed," he mewed back in what could be interpreted at a friendly tone, but there was the ever-present air of authority to it.

In the Nursery...

Grace was already awake. She'd seen the Fresh-kit leave and knew that the King would treat the small one with care, just as he'd always treated his own brother with care. She sighed, thinking of her own kits that would be coming soon.
Dauntless snored while the older she-cat was thinking, and Grace whapped her soundly. The she-cat wole with a start, hissing in anger. "What-what-what-" she fell silent when she saw Grace. "..oh..."
Grace looked somewhat amused. "Everyone else is waking - there are many things to be done today, if you didn't know. Many things will be changing." She leaned close to Dauntless. "Be a shame to miss it all."
Dauntless nodded solemnly and rose, shaking the sleep from her pelt. She went to nudging the other ex-Servants, remembering that some of them still wore claws...

[NKninja]

Corrupt after a few heartbeats opened her eyes slowly, the morning light burning them for a moment. When her eyes had adjusted, she stood upright and stretched, her heavy pelt fluffing up around her figure. To her suspicions, she didn't remember where she was for a moment. Everything looked so much different in daytime then it did before last night. Maybe because it was too dark?
With kit-like curiosity, she stared blankly at the opening in the den.

OOC: Will Corrupt join the servants?

[Runfast]

OOC: The Servants are probably going to be disbanded, or what it means to be a Servant will change entirely, along with other things.
The Circle will open to others (a teacher/spiritual/linguistic/history-teaching position - but only the Powerfuls and the Ember - Switchblade - will have contact with Those Above in that little group), a being a Warrior won't be for just toms.

Dauntless looked relieved the big she-cat was awake. "Oh, good," she mewed happily. "I didn't know how you'd react to being woken up."

[NKninja]

Corrupt's gaze softly rested on Dauntless " I've been woken up to worse things then here" she simply mewed, a smile streaking across her face.

[Runfast]

Dauntless's smile went from nervous to genuine, and she grinned for a few seconds more before mewing, "Well, this place used to be much worse than it is - since last moon..." She offered a slight shrug as a shadow crossed her face then went to waking up the other she-cats.

[Loki]

Fresh looked warily up at the tom he was intent to please and settled for smiling in a menacing way.
He fluffed up his pelt, causing his fur to look... odd, as the rain came down.

[Runfast]

Scourge seemed ... not too sure what to do, so he nodded to the kit and mewed, "Well - right now I have no need of protection. Eat, get to know your Clanmates. Then, later, there will be a meeting." His gaze was far away. "Things will be changing..." He slowly turned and padded away.

[Meany]

In the Nursery, Charmless and Luckless were being woken up by Dauntless.
Luckless hissed in annoyance at being woken, but she stopped short when she remembered the events of the previous day.
"Above..."
Charmless was silent as she woke, mulling over what may or may happen today.
The two friends, one dark the other pale, looked at each other and stood, wondering for the day.

Now out of the Warrior's Den, Snarlgag and Razorclaw were looking around the camp. The bodies of the previous night were gone, and the rains had washed away all of the scents of death.
Razorclaw sighed and Snarlgag looked at him.
"It's... gonna be... weird without him."
Snarlgag nodded. "Yeah. It is." The older gray tom looked out, feeling furless knowing no one was watching the borders.

[Longstorm]

Paleclaw, now outside, sneezed in the rain. "Hate the rain," he muttered. He spotted his black-pelted cousin, the new leader of their Clan. "Hey," he mewed, nodding instead of bowing (he wasn't ready to do that). "What's happening now?"

Hopeless slunk past the she-cats in the Nursery out into the open. She saw the kit that had taken the position of Protector and smirked somewhat sadly.
See how long he'll last.

Cunningheart saw Fresh and strolled his way.
Tigerfrost had been her previous Choosing, and these days she knew it was only a matter of seasons until she would be retiring. It'd be fun to have the longest record of Choosings any Warrior ever had in the history of this Clan, she mused. In truth, though, she missed being a teacher, missed passing along knowledge.
"Hello, Fresh," she greeted the young tom. "Excited for today?"

Tigerfrost, with Snarlgag and Razorclaw, hissed, "I'd feel better if someone was watching the border..."

[NKninja]

Corrupt padded softly out of he nursery, being woken up more by the droplets of rain that landed on her scarred face. Her gaze turned first to Scourge, still a bit confused why Fresh was always near him. She griped a bit as her stomach partly gurgled in it's annoying agony.

[Longstorm]

Cunningheart saw Corrpupt and mewed a greeting.
Paleclaw, hearing, looked at the large she-cat. Has she met these cats before somewhere?
The white she-cat padded up to Corrupt with Fresh at her heels. "There isn't any fresh-kill - but I'm thinking of getting a few cats up and heading out to hunt. I'm inviting you two," she looked back at Fresh and did a half-smile, "to come with. Feel up to it?"

[NKninja]

Corrupt nodded gleefully in reply, sharing glances to Fresh for a moment, and back to Cunningheart.

[Runfast]

Scourge looked over at Paleclaw and mewed, "Change, naturally." He looked towards the dark pine forest that surrounded their camp, towards where he knew the City lay. "Say," he mewed conversationally to rather, everyone. "How long has it been, do you think, since we've been in contact with our Sister Clan?"

[Longstorm]

Paleclaw looked at his cousin. "A while," he mewed in the same tone, "too long, perhaps."

Cunningheart nodded shortly and waved her tail. "Then follow me, Choosings." She turned and left the camp at a brisk pace, Fresh following with his small tail waving, beaming with delight.

[Runfast]

Scourge nodded. "Indeed... The full moon is nigh, Paleclaw," he looked to the rainy skies. "Perhaps we should pay them a visit?"

[Meany]

Snarlgag and Razorclaw approached the King, dipping their heads low. Snarlgag was the first to raise his head. "King," he mewed, "Razorclaw and I would like to take on more Warrior and patrol the borders."

[Runfast]

Scourge nodded, flicking his tail dismissively. "Take Luckless." There was no request in his voice, it was an order.
He turned back to his cousin and mewed, "Walk with me, cousin. We've never really talked."

[Meany]

Luckless, Snarlgag, and Razorclaw looked at each other in shock. Razorclaw opened his mouth and closed it.
"Well," Snarlgag broke the silence, "we may as well get a move on. Come on... Luckless."
Luckless was surprised to hear the Warrior use her name - but then, many things were changing in the Clan, that much was obvious. Maybe they'll let me become a Warrior, she mused. The dark pelted she-cat mewed a quick 'goodbye' to Charmless then followed the two large toms as fast as her paws would let her.
The trio left the camp to keep the Clan safe for another day.

[Runfast]

Dauntless looked around and found herself looking at Grace. "What should I do now," she asked almost timidly, looking at the reinforced claws that were still on her paws.
Grace cocked her head. "We could always hunt," she suggested. "Or look around the camp, see if there's anything we can do to help, but..." She looked around. "I'm not seeing that many things to do. The Clan really doesn't have that much to move (aside from the fabled herb storage.)" She shrugged.
Dauntless perked up. "Hunting! Or..." She looked around. "What about Loveless? Can't we see how he's doing?" She missed the only male ex-Servant. She was worried about him.
Grace nodded. "Yeah. Let's visit him before hunting."
"And we'll bring him back a great piece of fresh-kill," Dauntless added. Grace nodded approvingly.
The two padded towards the Mender's Den.

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