Desperate Times

[Mutant]

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[atrb=background,http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j420/ImpressivePhoenix/littleheart22.png][atrb=width,600,true] [scrolly:h(300),w(350),sy,c()][style=margin-left: 10pt; margin-right: 10pt] "The rest of RiverClan is on the border, Russetstar," Littleheart put in, sitting calmly next to Whitestar. He wrapped his tail around his paws, more at ease now that he was in his own camp. "The flooding is horrendous, I could see it from our territory. It could affect all of the Clans. I don't think we should be allowing apprentices out of camp alone right now; if they fell into that water, they would not survive. It's moving swiftly. I haven't seen such a flood in a long time." Privately, he felt a seed of worry work its way into his mind for ThunderClan. Did they know of the danger? Silentvoice was there- but she would be all right, she had to be. She wasn't stupid; she knew to stay away from the water. His claws flexed as he thought about ShadowClan in the same situation; they could all drown, for all he cared- especially their rat leader, Whirlstar. He had taken one of the fox-hearted criminal's lives, and his claws itched to take more of them; he was the cat responsible for Silentvoice's injuries, and Littleheart would never forget that. He forced his claws to retract and swallowed his anger. Now wasn't the time. WindClan knew nothing of the little tom's grudge against the ShadowClan leader; if they did, he would have to explain it to them, and he never would have been named deputy if his Clanmates knew about him and Silentvoice. He flicked his ears and looked at his leader. "It makes me a bit nervous," he explained. "I don't want to see anyone hurt in these floods." [/scrolly] Word Count: Not a lot, sorry XP Tagged: Russetstar, Whitestar, the RiverClan patrol

[Night]

Hawkpaw, Birchkit and Russetstar

Hawkpaw twitched his ears when Lynxpaw asked how they were. "I'm okay." He told the other apprentice, his icy eyes studying him carefully. He respected Lynxpaw as another apprentice, and the tom was a lot more mature than most apprentices, much like himself. He had thought that the tom would be stuck up, being the deputy's son and all, but Lynxpaw wasn't like that. And for that, he respected him more. Hawkpaw turned to Featherpaw, his eyes warm. "How are you feeling? Are you too cold?" He asked his sister, a small smile on his maw. He loved his sister very much. After all, she was the only kin he had left. They didn't look much alike, but Hawkpaw didn't care.

Birchkit began to feel much more calm when Redblotch comforted him and he snuggled deeper into the she-cat's fur, beginning to warm up a lot more. Soon his shivering stopped, but he was still cold. He looked up at the elder, his fur fluffed out against the wind. "Why did the river get so deep? Is Starclan angry with us?" He mewled quietly, his ice-blue eyes wide in fright.

~

Russetstar gasped when he listened to Whitestar's explanation of what had happened at their camp. He was glad that Windclan didn't live very close to the river, but now wasn't the time to think about that. He turned to Littleheart and acknowledged his deputy's addition to the story with a nod. "You're right, Littleheart. I'll be sure to tell the clan of the river." He meowed, then looked at Whitestar. "I'm terribly sorry to hear of your medicine cat's disappearance. Hopefully she will return." He said warmly, concern in his eyes. "And yes, Riverclan is allowed to stay in our territory for as long as needed. We are still grateful for Riverclan's generosity before during our prey shortage." Russetstar meowed respectfully, his yellow eyes glowing. "Queens and their kits can come to stay in the nursery here in the Windclan camp, and your sick and hurt can come to the medicine cat. Make sure to tell the medicine cat apprentice that she can come here as well with our medicine cat. If the weather gets bad, you may take shelter here in the camp. And, if necessary, some apprentices may come to stay in the apprentices den." The ginger tabby stated, then turned back to Littleheart. "I need to hold a clan announcement to update everyone of what is going on. For now, you may escort Whitestar and her warriors back to the rest of Riverclan." He meowed to the tom, a small smile on his face. Inwardly, he knew that he was doing the right thing. Who wouldn't take in a stranded clan?

[♥ LEAFY ♥]

Everything was going to be fine now that the Clan was away from the water and they were all starting to dry out. Featherpaw started to groom her spotted-sliver fur. Then she heard Hawkpaw meowed something to her. She smiled up at her older brother. "I'm fine now. Thanks. I'm just glad my fur is drying. Its making me warm up now." She laughed looking around at the cats in her group. Her gaze settled on Lynxpaw. She smiled briefly, then turned away back to Hawkpaw. Lynxpaw was such a handsome tom, but what would he want with her. She was nothing but a loner-abandoned kit while RiverClan had a lot of excellent warriors and apprentices. She would give her life for RiverClan, she just wish she was appreciated more.

[Tygerz]

Smokecloud padded through her Clan's territory, concern clouding her gaze. It had seemed like StarClan had been trying to send her a message, so she had gone to the Moonpool. Water. Water was all she got in her dream. Was RiverClan going to flood? That was what she had concluded so far- it seemed the most possible answer. Though she didn't expect it to come soon, she needed to warn Whitestar as soon as possible. Or so she thought, but then she smelled heard and smelled what seemed like all of RiverClan nearby, nowhere near camp. Oh no, was she too late? Quickly coming into the group of cats, it appeared so. Her tail drooped and she sighed. She had been too late. What if Spottedpaw couldn't get the stores? Obviously she couldn't of gotten it all anyway, but some of the herbs were hard to find. Was anyone hurt? Where was Spottedpaw and Whitestar? She quickly turned to the nearest cat. "Is everyone okay? Where is Whitestar? And Spottedpaw?" the female meowed, concerned.

[Semper]

Lynxpaw nodded, glad that his two companions were fine as well, if not a little wet. Calmly, he met Hawkpaw's assessing gaze as the other tom spoke, flicking his tail lightly. He did not know Hawkpaw or his sister very well; they were not good friends or anything. His only relationship to them was that of a fellow apprentice, and even that relation did not warrant an immediate friendship. However, from times when he had interacted with one or both of them, he remembered that they seemed like very decent cats. Of course, that was to be expected since they were RiverClan cats, and everyone knew that RiverClan cats were the best. Hawkpaw turned away now, and with the action, removed his calculating gaze. Lynxpaw was not quite sure how the other apprentice's opinion of himself had changed, be it for better or for worse, but he did not let it worry him for now. Instead, he found himself following the other apprentice's gaze to his sister. From looks, one would not think that Featherpaw and Hawkpaw were siblings. He had a large build and broad shoulders covered in brown fur, a stark contrast compared to her slender form with silver fur. Her voice was quiet, too, but overall, not that unpleasant to listen to. Lynxpaw nodded at her and gave her a small smile when she turned her blue eyed gaze on him. "Yeah, this breeze is already chilly enough," He agreed, "with wet fur, it's even worse..." He let his voice trail off into silence as he cast his mind about for a new topic. The tom did not want to continue talking about the flood; he assumed that most, if not all, of the other conversations around it focused on the recent occurance, and while that was understandable, it was also depressing. Lingering on their flooded camp only heightened their loss as he kept remembering more and more things they had lost. "How has your training been going?" Abrupt and random, but perhaps it would keep the conversation going in a direction away from the flood.

[dogtagxo]

EGGPELT, YELLOWEYE, TIGERKIT

[/i] He meowed as he watched the young cats gather. Hawkpaw also confirmed their well being and he gave a smile. "Of course. You're both young, strong apprentices. Perhaps when this chaos has ended, Tawnypelt and I can take you two out on some training sessions." Meowed Eggpelt before he glanced at Bramblepelt. The older warrior would suggest Bramblepelt come along too, but without an apprentice, Eggpelt saw little point. However the more there the better. So he let the thoughts roll around in his head for a while before he turned all attention to Lynxpaw. "I'm well, as I hope others all. After all-" The tom stopped midsentence as a voiced reached his ears.

"Smokecloud!" Eggpelt said in delight and relief as the tom dashed over to the medicine cat. He gave her a quick friendly swipe over her head. "You had the clan worried sick. Yes, we're alright, even more so with you here. Whitestar and Spottedpaw went to the Riverclan camp with some other warriors to request stay on Windclan territory until the water has left our own. Spottedpaw did a great job of getting the herbs to safety." Meowed the warrior, happy to see their medicine cat made it out alive. He turned his head and dipped in apology to the apprentices, who he'd ran from to greet Smokecloud. It was rude to say the least, but with reason, so he hoped they weren't too offended.

Tigerkit fluffed up his fur and waddled in a circle. "Starclan can't be angry with us, we're the best clan! Right Redblotch?" The kit asked.

Yelloweye looked around the Windclan camp cautiously and in somewhat hidden disgust. He wasn't fond of the camp but he had to be there and it was an honor to have been chosen to go with Whitestar to ask Russetstar for stay on the land. When Russetstar made his appearance and greeted Whitestar, Yelloweye held his tongue. Surely the Windclan cats could see from their camp the water that had taken over Riverclan's home? Was he just making Whitestar admit that they had a problem? However as the conversation went on it seemed the Windclan leader was truly shocked, so Yelloweye let the previous suspicious go. The tom looked at Whitestar expectantly and waited for the patrol to turn and head back to inform the clan of the good news. Hopefully Smokecloid had caught up by then as well.[/ul][/blockquote]

[Shizuka]

Russetpaw, Tawnypelt and Bramblepelt.

Russetpaw smiled shyly back and was touched when the other apprentices moved to make room to include her too. Amongst her clanmates, she was beginning to warm up, and her fluffy pelt was drying. Her pelt was now beginning to look ruffled, and she knew she would need to give herself a thorough grooming as soon as possibly before her thick fluffy pelt began matting. But at the moment, in this situation, she didn't care. She was cold, wet, and absolutely unreasonable right now! Her home was flooded, and here they were, running to the safety of high ground, and awaiting hoped for mercy and kindness from the new leader of Windclan in anticipation. Russetpaw nodded in agreement with Hawkpaw. "Mhmm...except for Smokecloud." She mewed, however, her voice full of anxiety. Where was Smokecloud? Where was the medicine cat? Was she even alive? Was she somewhere safe?

---

Swiftheart jumped in surprise, unable to hold back her puffed up tail, when Russetstar suddenly appeared just as she had asked if she needed to get him. But in front of Riverclan, she quickly tried to relax the fur on her tail. She was always known for being a warrior of electric reflexes. She quickly dipped her head respectfully and stepped back for Russetstar to step in front of Whitestar. From the side, she watched and listened curiously. What business did Riverclan have in Windclan, she wondered? For certainly the appearance of Whitestar herself meant that the matter at paw was indeed an important one, one that could not wait for the next Gathering.

Swiftheart nodded and whispered in reply to Greyheart as the she-cat passed her by to meet with Sandpaw, Swiftheart's own apprentice, and Greyheart's adopted kit, the only surviving member of her own litter. Swiftheart padded over with Greyheart to Sandpaw, guessing that they were just going to have to leave Russetstar and Whitestar alone and patiently await the news. But then Whitestar simply answered with startling news. Flooding!? Swiftheart hadn't been near Riverclan's border recently, but she had never noticed either. Neither had her clan mates said anything about any such natural disasters happening over in the Riverclan territory. The sudden and desperate appearance of Whitestar, and aparently her entire clan, must have meant that the flood was a surprising disaster to them all.

Swiftheart simply nodded her approval, as Russetstar complied with Whitestar's desperate request, remembering how Riverclan had once been so kind as to allow Windclan to hunt in their territory during the terrible famine last green-leaf. Being so close and sharing her home with the Riverclanners made her feel uneasy, but she kept reminding herself of how kind Whitestar had been to them.

---

Russetpaw, Bramblepelt and Tawnypelt almost yowled in joy, seeing their medicine cat returning to them unharmed. Smokecloud! You're okay!" Russetpaw mewed happily. Bramblepelt and Tawnypelt trotted over to greet Smokecloud. "Where've you been!? We thought you got caught up in the flooding! You won't believe it, but the river's flooded the camp! We had to evacuate, and now Whitestar and Yelloweye are going to ask Russetstar to grand us a bit of shelter until the river is normal again!" The twins meowed all at once, but in their perfect synchonicity.

[Mutant]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding:0; margin: 0; background-image:url(http://oi55.tinypic.com/2ey999j.jpg);background-repeat:repeat-y;width: 600px;height:400px;] "Smokecloud!" Spottedpaw cried, flinging herself through her Clanmates to greet her mentor. There had been so much relief in the realization that her Clan was going to be given a place to stay; this made it complete. She butted her head against the medicine cat's shoulder, purring madly. There were floods, yes, and they had been forced from their home, and they would probably have to rebuild the entire camp- but everyone was safe, nobody had been lost to the rushing water. RiverClan was going to survive. Even the ill-tempered deputy of WindClan seemed heroic when things had turned out this well; he had contributed to them getting the help they needed. Things would be odd for a while, but it would be okay as long as they were together. And there was more- something in Spottedpaw had changed, some small shift in her that meant more than she could know at this point. This morning, she had been an apprentice- independent and intelligent, but still a student, just following in her mentor's pawsteps and learning the ways of her Clan. Today, she had felt for the first time as though she could handle the burden of being a medicine cat. It was what she was most nervous about- having a position of authority in the Clan, being responsible for the lives of other cats. But today, she had been level-headed and sure of herself. She had done well in the face of danger, and she knew it. She didn't feel the same crippling fear when she thought of taking on her full position, but she was still glad that her mentor had come back. She didn't know what she'd do without Smokecloud- he had been there for her throughout her entire life, since she decided at six moons old that she wanted to be a medicine cat. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

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[atrb=background,http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j420/ImpressivePhoenix/littleheart22.png][atrb=width,600,true] [scrolly:h(300),w(350),sy,c()][style=margin-left: 10pt; margin-right: 10pt] Littleheart padded up behind Spottedpaw, head held high. "Russetstar has given RiverClan permission to stay on our territory," he announced, raising his voice above the general chatter. "You may hunt to feed yourselves, and make use of our other resources. If you need help figuring out the territory, you are welcomed to request it. WindClan remembers how RiverClan helped us in our time of need, and now we return the favor. There are places throughout the territory that would be suitable to build temporary shelter; I imagine some of our warriors could lend a paw to help make it quickly. If there are kits, elders, or pregnant queens who need good shelter immediately, they are welcome to stay in our camp." They would have trouble hunting, he thought. The heavily built RiverClan warriors were not made for chasing rabbits over the moors; they would certainly need help. These floods would harm the fish, washing them up on shores and killing them. Even after the waters went down, these cats would have problems. WindClan certainly shouldn't expect trouble any time soon- in fact, it seemed that an alliance had formed between the two Clans. The only Clan that Littleheart really expected trouble from at all lately was ShadowClan; he was grateful that WindClan and ThunderClan had no quarrel for the moment. How could he raise a claw against Silentvoice, if it came to a battle? He pushed the thoughts out of his head for now and addressed RiverClan again. "I will lend help myself. I know places that provide good shelter and can house a Clan, and I can take out a hunting party to start a fresh-kill pile if you so desire. They prey here is different, and it may take some getting used to if you want to catch anything." [/scrolly] Word Count: 299 for Littleheart. Tagged: RiverClan

[Tygerz]

Smokecloud's eyes widened at the three kits explanation. So she had been too late, and the whole camp had been evacuated. It didn't appear that anyone was hurt though, from her first glimpse anyway, so that was good. Now if she could just find Spottedpaw she was sure she could figure out the rest of what was going on. But as she began to turn around, the medicine was greeted by a loud cry and was butted into, attacked both by the force of the furry head hitting her shoulder and the roaring purr that hit her sensitive ears, she gasped in surprise but quickly joined in purring for her apprentice. "There you are! I was worried when I didn't see you. Are you alright? How about the rest of the Clan? Did we save our herbs?" she bombarded the apprentice with questions, her voice laced with worry. After the words were out of her mouth, she noticed a small WindClan warrior behind her. No wait- the Deputy. A sigh of relief escaped her maw as she learned they would have safe shelter for the time being, even if it was on another Clan's land.

[♥ LEAFY ♥]

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[atrb=background,http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad342/Shizuka_Hyuga/TSN/Feathercloudmiddle.png] Featherpaw smiled at Lynxpaw. "Training is going very well, I think. I haven't heard Eggpelt say otherwise." She joked with her fellow apprentice keeping the conversation in a light tone. She glanced over at Hawkpaw. "Do you not agree, Hawkpaw? Training is going well?" She meowed to her brother. Hawkpaw wasn't always very talkative with everyone so she liked to keep him in the loop with everything. ooc || low muse... don't kill me. words || 67 tags || Everyone!

[Shizuka]

The cats immediately hushed and looked up at Littleheart's return. At his words, Bramblepelt and Tawnypelt smiled. Russetpaw gave a sigh of relief. So Windclan had remembered! Thank Starclan! She was truly grateful for Windclan's kindness and generosity. Maybe everything would be alright after all...for now, it seemed that the two Clans had formed a sort of bond, deeper than an alliance.

Bramblepelt licked his lips and meowed. "I still don't like the idea of us having to eat some skinny rabbit, but this is amazing!" Tawnypelt nodded. "Windclan has been so generous." he agreed. But even so, he knew that the rest of the clan still felt the same. Anxiety. Never before had any cat known of a time when a clan lived on another clan's territory.

[Mutant]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding:0; margin: 0; background-image:url(http://oi55.tinypic.com/2ey999j.jpg);background-repeat:repeat-y;width: 600px;height:400px;] The young she-cat nodded towards the pile of herb bundles sitting nearby. "I saved as much as I could, going for things that I knew we couldn't find around WindClan territory. I brought a lot of the herbs that grow by the water- the flood will probably wipe them out for the rest of the season." It was a bigger issue than any cat seemed to notice; the fact that fish were going to die was most of RiverClan's concern, but Spottedpaw wondered just how many of them realized that they depended on the water for their medicines, too. So much grew along the banks, and now that they were underwater, they would not survive. Most were probably uprooted. She looked around at the Clan. "No injuries to report, the evacuation went surprisingly well- and a good thing; we have no cobwebs right now, no poppy seeds, no marigold, and no chamomile. The willow trees grow close to water, so I brought as much bark as I could; I couldn't bring mouse bile or honey, there was just no way to transport liquid. There's a lot there though, considering the amount of time we had. A lot of the apprentices and warriors helped to carry bundles, so we have something to work off of-" she stopped short as Littleheart raised his voice again. "If you'll all follow me, I will bring you to where we'll have you make a temporary camp," he called. After you've settled in, I will bring Russetstar to speak to you- I imagine he'll have some things to say. We're going to the abandoned badger set. There has been no badger there for generations; we do not intend to put you in harm's way- it's simply the best-sheltered place we can think to bring you. I don't imagine you're used to sleeping out in the open, or watching for hawks out in the open." Spottedpaw padded after the little tom, her pawsteps uncertain on the unfamiliar ground. It felt hot and hard, baked by the sun. They were going to be here for a while, and there was a lot to learn about the territory- new dangers, new herb sources, new prey. It was sudden and staggering, but she reminded herself one more time- at least the Clan was together. And Smokecloud, her treasured mentor, had returned. It would be difficult, but they would get through it. They had to.

[Night]

Hawkpaw stayed silent as Lynxpaw asked how him and Featherpaw's training was going, his ears twitching as he listened for oncoming pawsteps. Honestly, he wanted to lay down and sleep, and didn't really care where. As much as he hated the thought of having to stay on another clan's territory, he decided to make an exception this time. Riverclan needed a place to stay, and he wasn't going to object. The dark tabby nodded when his sister had him agree about training. "Yeah, training is going good. Tawnypelt says I'm doing just fine. I'm getting stronger by the day, though I don't think I'll ever be too great at hunting." He said, and looked at Lynxpaw with a small smirk. "One of these days, you and me'll have to do battle practice with each other. I think you'll be an opponent worthy of fighting me." Hawkpaw said with a laugh, his eyes sparkling playfully. Suddenly hearing approaching pawsteps, he turned to see Smokecloud walk into the group of Riverclan cats. Unlike most of the others around him, Hawkpaw simply stayed where he was and sighed in relief as everyone else crowded around the medicine cat. He then watched with curious eyes as Whitestar and the group came back, and stood up impatiently as Windclan's deputy began to lead the way to the place where they would be staying. The thought of living in a badger set made him feel uneasy, even if it had been abandoned for many moons. As everyone else began to follow, Hawkpaw turned to his companions, his icy eyes friendly. "Shall we be going?" He asked, his long claws kneading the ground.

[♥ LEAFY ♥]

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[atrb=background,http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad342/Shizuka_Hyuga/TSN/Feathercloudmiddle.png] Featherpaw's spirit grew when Smokecloud arrived. And the fact she was safe. "Now, the Clan is together again." She meowed to the others. Then a small tom from WindClan walked through the RiverClan cats toward behind Spottedpaw. She had to strain her ears to what he was saying, but it sounded like good news. WindClan would let RiverClan stay on their territory. She purred softly. WindClan is merciful." She looked over at the others beside her. "WindClan is going to let us stay here until RiverClan dries out." She was just glad that everything was going to be OK, then when everything is better they will go home to their own camp and territory. ooc || My muse is getting better. words || 114 tags || Everyone here.

[Bluemelons]

whitestar - nightfur - redblotch - greyheart - sandkit.

the leader dipped her head to russetstar, 'i thank you for your generosity, if you ever need help, patrols, hunting parties, my clan will help.' she the turned and followed littleheart in silence. when they came to her clan, she padded over to her kits, redblotch hushed the kits, standing up and perking her ears as if she was waiting for her to talk. 'follow littleheart.' she purred to her clan, nudging her kits with her paws, 'come on.' she pushed them along, walking behind them, watching their every move, they all reminded whitestar of her deceased mate. nightfur followed littleheart, with redblotch beside him, 'they are kind for letting us rest here.' he whispered, redblotch ignored him. everyone was saying the same thing windclan are so nice! she didn't like resting on another clans territory, but was thankful for surviving the floods.