Re: CLOSED The Survivors of a Catastrophe

[Guest]

Suddenly - GRIMCLAW!
The black tom looked around blearily for a few moments until his gaze focused on Dewdrop and the other DewClanners. "Oh," he exhaled sharply and with much relief. He quickly padded towards Dewdrop and got down to business. "I can't find Duskpaw," he said quite seriously, "Or Tigerpaw - and I haven't seen Firefoot or Shadowspot anywhere. I'm not even sure if Daystar survived at all, and I think when he fell it was from a different side of this StarClan forsaken hill entirely." He paused. "Have you found any dead?"
Dewdrop shook her head. "No. Not yet."
Some of the tension left Grimclaw's broad shoulders though he was still stoney-faced.
Dewdrop pressed on, "Have you caught any scent of Frostfire or Coalstripe?"
"Nothing of Frostfire," Grimclaw said promptly. "But Coalstripe..." He shook his head. "No. Coalstripe is dead."
Something inside of Dewdrop jerked to a halt and caught her breath in her chest. Only a moment passed before she could breathe again and she was saying to Grimclaw in hushed, stern tones, "Are you certain? Are you absolutely certain that he's dead?"
Grimclaw nodded sadly. "Died in an instant, Dewdrop. Died when that tree fell on him. It was quick. Very quick." His voice faded as his breath ran out, stolen by grief for his Clanmate.
Dewdrop set her jaw. "Alright. Alright."
"He died way back...wherever we were. I don't think we-"
"We're leaving him. His body. We can't retrieve it when there's living cats that need out of here."
Grimclaw nodded in sad agreement. "Yes, Dewdrop."
Dewdrop nodded again then looked back to the rest of her Clanmates. All of them had heard the conversation. "We need to keep moving," she said to them. Dewdrop looked back at the black tom. "Fall in," she said not unkindly. "We're out of here by sunfall, with or without the others." The tom opened his mouth to protest - "Sunfall," Dewdrop hissed in a voice that brooked no argument.
Grimclaw stared at her in disbelief, but he said nothing else and he joined the others.

Dewdrop opened her mouth and scented the air again, hoping for something more than pine and rain and dark and damp. So far she smelled Grimclaw - a decent change, sure, but not what she was looking for. Being able to faintly smell that path that Grimclaw came from as it faded in the rain, Dewdrop turned in a different direction. Grimclaw hadn't been this way yet - hadn't padded this way across the hill - so DewClan would go this way.
The dark gray she-cat took off at a silent, brisk pace, and DewClan followed her.

[Longstorm]

The flock of murderous birds had since dispersed, filtering into different parts of AbyssClan territory, forming a deadly efficient search pattern as the birds of prey flew low under the canopy of trees.
Various birds going solo dove through trees all over AbyssClan's cliffs, some pulling up abruptly to perch, their claws digging savagely into tree bark.
A bird spotted the group from a thick branch metres above the cats. The small hawk all but grinned, its frightening eyes narrowing into malicious slits. Gotcha. The small hawk took to the air, flapping its impressive wings then gliding up into the sodden skies. It let loose a terrifying, deep-throated shriek to alert the others.
Suddenly what had been a few birds here and there for a while was suddenly a flock back up in full force, shrieking and screaming to the skies for a long moment before it fell eeriely silent... And the murder of birds flew silently towards the unsuspecting cats of DewClan, closing in fast...

[Loki]

Creekheart kept his mouth shut. He had a heavy frown drawn across as he noted Dewdrop's order.
Sunfall..
He looked up into the heavy clouds and sighed softly.
"Maybe we could pair up Dewdrop, meet back here?"
He thought that they would cover more area and quicker, if Abbysclan suddenly turned up then they would be literal sitting ducks. Not only that harrowing thought but he wasn't sure he could deal with smugness at the moment.

[Longstorm]

Sarok was pleased that the flock he was presently a part of was behaving so very very well. It would make Master Despairingcall very very pleased to know that his loyal servants had learned so very well from him!
But then - that stupid STUPID WORM BRAINED HAWK! The large red-tailed hawk let out a wild screech as it tore its claws through a smaller hawk's tail feathers. The smaller screamed in pain and rage and wheeled in a tight circle and was upon the red-tailed hawk in a second. The rest of the flock flew away from the fight in all directions, most letting loose cries of encouragement or annoyance.
Sarok was surrounded by idiots.
He couldn't do anything to stop the stupid fight, so he kept on course towards whatever cats it was that had been seen. But where was the bird that had seen them/it? The robin didn't know, but he was going to keep on course and find the trespassers and kill them! And so, all by himself, Sarok flew towards the location he believed he would find some Dewy-cats.

OOC: Sarok's theme.

Spoiler:

IC: Duskpaw cocked an ear at the sound of distant birds. It sounded as though a fight had broken out - but what had really caught her attention were the bird calls she didn't recognize. The birds didn't sound very friendly, whatever and wherever they were.
The young she-cat picked up her paws and hopped through the odd undergrowth. She hoped that heading downwards was the best direction. She didn't want to have to face any large birds like some warriors did out in the bare marshes. The trees are thicker down this way, she reasoned. No way any hunter-like birds will see me down there.
A short while later she froze in place. Duskpaw had heard something! Someone! Something! What was it? What could it be? She couldn't smell anything clearly, not really, so it could have been anything and boy oh boy did that seem ever scary to her! (OOC: Everything! Is very exciting! Exclamation marks!) The she-cat dropped low to the ground, whiskers forward and ears laid back. She slowly crept sideways into a little clump of some bush or another and hoped that whatever (whomever) was out there was a nice something-someone-or-other.

OOC: It's the DewClan cats. Or a bird (Sarok?). OR ONE OF THE NOT YET FOUND DEWCLAN CATS! This could be exciting if it's not the first thing!!! I'M EXCITED.  Mostly because I'm listening to Flight of the Valkyries. It's SO GOOD.

[Loki]

Carr could have broken up the fight. He was a raven, a mottled one but if he really wanted to he could lock claws wih that redtail and make him scream but Carr had orders from his beloved master, master cannot be disapointed in Carr! And a more sane cell in his brain told him that the hawk's claws may be sharper and the beak more pointed. So he crept past on the haunting wind that made the trees chatter aimlessly.
Sarok was in sight, clearly as faithful as Carr to their master. In Carr's mind he imagined his masters disappointed face at their petty sqauble. He imagined Despairingcall had the power to have their wings all snap midflight, the time from their decent to the earth enough for them to beg for forgiveness for their abd judgement.
He liked that thought, he was never impartial to the taste of othr birds of course.

ooc: dem birds, on the samsung tab so grammatical failure should be expected.

[Longstorm]

OOC:

Spoiler:

IC: The great red hawk hissed as the smaller breed of hawk gouged at its throat and responded in kind by, in a moment where the hawk's guard was down, latching its talons into the other hawk's chest and digging in. The smaller hawk died with a shriek, and the red hawk screamed in victory. (OOC: I love RPing hawks.)

Meanwhile, Sarok lightly landed on a thin branch, not minding at all how it swayed in the storm's breeze. He tilted his head downwards and narrowed his dark eyes, glaring at the far ground as he would glare for a worm (though not hopping - he felt like it, since it was raining and all, but he mostly resisted the urge.) Hmm...

[Runfast]

Shadowspot stared at Duskpaw in surprise. Okay, he thought, not what I was expecting...
"Duskpaw," he whisper-hissed, "good, yes. It's okay, it's just me!" He limped closer to the young she-cat. "Are you alright," he asked even as he was wincing.

[Longstorm]

OOC: YAAAAAAY, SHADOWSPOT

IC: Duskpaw felt a lot of the tension she had go right out of her. She found she couldn't say a word, but she nodded quickly; she was pretty much okay. But she didn't think that Shadowspot seemed to be doing alright...
She looked around nervously, then stepped closer to the warrior. She was glad she wasn't alone anymore...

Meanwhile...

Sarok the little robin hopped from skinny branch to skinny branch, fluttering a little bit in the wind sometimes as he did so. He looked left and right, up and down, in the trees and on the ground, but still no Dewy-Cats!
And he - wait - wait!
Sarok trilled in excitement. "DEWY-CATS," he screeched, abandoning robin-speak, as he sometimes would. He swore that he'd just seen a kitty-tale, and he alighted a little closer to make sure, even as he screamed, "DEWY-CATS, DEWY-CATS!" And there they were. He stared down at the large group of cats in anticipation. "YESSSS, DEWY-CATS!"

[Loki]

It must have been a comical sight of course, as the mottled raven took quickly to the side of the little robin, looking to where he thought Sarok was seeing these cats.
He chattered un-happily, his large size buffeted by the wind, making it impossible to do less than circle.
If one of those cats were small enough, maybe he could... eat it and maybe he'd share with Sarok, wince Sarok had found the cats.

"Master, won't like this," he grumbled spotting movement, swooping lower for inspection, "master says they should be dead, they're not dead. Sarok, Sarok, do they look dead? Are they dying?"
He felt the south wind pick up and used it to climb higher in the sky, "I should kill them, but master says it is not to be. I won't kill them if he doesn't want me to. I won't."

Bellow...

Creekheart, kept quiet. he looked around himself and felt utterly useless.

[Guest]

Dewdrop paused and glanced upwards in Sarok and Carr's direction, and indeed was it a strange sight to see the two perched together. Stranger still how the robin was screeching the way it was. For some reason, Dewdrop thought, I have a bad feeling about this... Something she may have heard about AbyssClan territory and the birds there - what was it she had heard? Something about the birds being their friends? That had to be nonsense. But still...
Dewdrop shook her head and padded again, Grimclaw falling in beside her.

[Loki]

Creekheart thought he saw movement out 8f the corner of his eye.
"I think I see someone," he called to Dewdrop from the back of the feline rescue exhibition.
He didnt wait to see if she'd answer, he wasn't the bravest but to get to that patch of grey fur he'd need to jump across a few logs stuck in the mud, he could do that.

So he did. He took across several logs.
As he got closer, he realised with a sinking heart that it wasnt a cat he had seen but a decomposed rabbit that had been half eaten by the mud.

Carr cawed in excitement, "Sarok, Sarok, lòok at that! Thos is our chance!"

[Longstorm]

"Hiiiiiiii," Sarok chirped happily. He looked side-faced at Carr. "Say, now, Carr," he called to the flying bird, "What if some bird were to dive down at the Dewy-Dewy Cat and push him into the mud? I bet you could bite and kill the Dewy-Dewy-kitty real quick!" His dark eyes glittered mischievously as he spread his wings and fluttered into the air.
Sarok quietly dove down at Creekheart. He struck the cat from the back, putting all of his weight against the cat's momentum, to push it down into the mud.

[Loki]

Creekheart howled in panic as he lost his footing. The large tom fell into the mud.
He was stuck, he pulled against the mud in vain

"Dewdrop!" He yelled helplessly, seeing the vague silhouette of a large black bird in his peripheral vision. Terror gripped him as the shape dove, he was stuck to the elbows. The mud glueing his thick fur down.

Carr was excited. He landed on the cat, holding him with great scaly talons and pecked at the toms face, looking for the soft, squishy eyes. Creekheart screamed in terror. He realised with dread that he was completely and utterly defenceless.

[Guest]

Dewdrop's head whipped around at the sudden scream. "Creekheart, NO!" She turned and ran towards the stuck cat, ready to leap at the diving raven - I knew it, I knew it, I knew IT!

Grimclaw looked up and saw the large bird diving down and knew what was happening. No, no, no! A robin fluttered off somewhere, and Grimclaw went towards the raven...

[Longstorm]

Duskpaw quickly followed him, worried about what the source of the yowling was. The closeness of the AbyssClan trees twisted the sound of the yowl to the point that she wasn't sure if she recognized it or not...

Sarok landed on a low-hanging branch and watched the spectacle with glee, cheering on Carr with enthusiasm.

[Loki]

Carr lost his sense of awareness getting stuck in on the currently defenceless cat. The adrenaline pumped through the raven's veins, his wings cracking furiously against the air. The yowls of his victim had died into white noise within the haze of the bird's current attack.

Whatever time it took, The cat was surely lifeless by the time the bottle tailed, white she-cat could do anything to interrupt the attack.
Carr took to the air crowing madly and losing a few inky feathers on the way. Creekheart's body was left limp and sinking within the mud.

[Longstorm]

Dewdrop took this as a sign. A sign that the remaining cats of DewClan couldn't stay in AbyssClan territory for another second, lest they all lose their lives.
"Retreat," Dewdrop commanded. "Follow me!" She turned and ran in the direction of the distant border, and the rest of the cats, forgetting their injuries, ran hot at her heels.

Sarok shrieked in anger, "Get-them-get-them-get-them-get-them-GETTHEMGETTHEMGETTHEMGETTHEM - " but the blasted birds were still distracted by the fights breaking out in the flock, and the birds just spread out more.

The cats of DewClan kept running and running, not daring to stop until they later crossed the border, and kept running even then....

Meanwhile...

Shadowspot and Duskpaw were a few minutes away from the bottom of the hill. Along the way they had found the fleet-footed young warrior, Firefoot, crumpled on the ground in pain, barely able to walk. For a time they had helped him walk, and all three of them made it to the bottom of the hill, where they found themselves in the area of flatland that AbyssClan also claimed as their own.
It was there that they found trouble.
The great flock of birds had managed to partly form up again, and they knew where the three cats were. Though the trio were unaware of what had happened to Creekheart they knew that the flock was coming for them. And Firefoot knew that he would only slow them down. "GO," he yowled at them, "GO ON WITHOUT ME!" Shadowspot and Duskpaw could hardly bear to, but they ran, they ran fast and they ran hard with a great weight in their hearts.

They wondered if they would ever see him again as they crossed the border out of AbyssClan territory.

Later, they were reunited with Dewdrop and the others, and both groups shared their tales as they continued the trek to the Moonfall.
They were changed cats.

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