Another One [Trial prt. 2] [Closed]

Finally Crowstar was out of camp. He was tired of others freaking out over his health even though he just only got well enough to again to stand for a decent amount of time. He was pretty sure that healing after losing a life wasn't supposed ot take that long but it seemed Starclan wasn't in a rush to help him. He understood why.. after what he had done..

The wind blew harshly pushing the weak leader of his path slightly, and sweeping his long black fur to the side. Why did it have to be so windy today? The black leader looked up at the trees as they creaked and groaned in protest against the harsh wind. He wasn't used to this. Is this what it felt like in Windclan? He didn't like it one bit, he was used to the trees blocking the wind, but it seemed that even the trees had to give way to strong wind sometimes. The leader let out a sigh and forced his weak legs to continue to keep going to wherever he was going.

Finally the black tom reached the fallen oak. The border between Skyclan and Thunderclan. He didn't know why he ended up here exactly but he should have know he would have ended up at a border eventually with just walking.. The leader looked around at the different territories noting that no one had been in the area for a while. He took one last look around before turning to head back. Someone would probably be worried about him if he didn't return soon.

A strong gust of wind stirred up, and the leader crouched down slightly and closed his eyes as he waited for the gust to pass. Though as soon as he heard a large crack he flung his eyes open to try and find the source but it was too late. A large tree branch came crashing down, crushing the leader under it's weight. Crowstar let out a sharp gasp as his breath was taken away, and the branch crushed his back. The leader stared out at the border in front of him as the shapes twisted and changed and soon everything went black.

Blizzardshine lowered her ears as she walked against the strong wind that assaulted the forest, this weather had taken the white warrior completely off-guard. The day had started quite normally, if not a bit too lazy in camp, reason why she decided to go out on one of her usual lone walks across the territory. With leaf-fall over the territories, wind didn’t surprised her that much, but this strong winds were extremely rare, and it was the first time she had to face one.

Digging her claws on the dirt under her, she kept walking, trying to look for a safe place where she could stay until walking could be easier, not even noticing how close she was to the border until she raised her head, which she had been keeping down in an attempt to endure the assault of winds somewhat better, and noticed the black cat not that far from her current position. It didn’t took her too long to recognize Crowstar, the leader of SkyClan. Her first thought was that of turning around, not wanting to risk a misunderstanding with her being this close to the border, especially with how tense everything had been between ThunderClan and SkyClan for the past several moons, tension that has been there even before she came to this world and the reason why she was born at the barn instead of the camp. Unlike many other cats she held no grudges against the cats of the rival clan, and instead couldn’t help but feel sincerely curious, as she had heard many stories of why and how things started to get so bad between them, but all of them twisted versions told by the older cats of the clan that inhabited her side of the forest, giving SkyClan the role of fox-hearted villains. What would be the version of the story, if told by a SkyClan cat?

She was forced out of her thoughts by a sudden increase on the strength of the wind, forcing her to stay almost completely still, crouched against the green grass, to not get knocked over. The crack made her look up, noticing the large branch that was ripped apart from the tree and it didn’t took her long to guess where it was going to fall “Watch out!” Her yowl was drowned by the strong wind, not allowing her words to reach the black leader’s ears. She could only see how the branch fell on Crowstar, her heart skipping a beat and feeling a lump on her throat.

No longer caring about borders and dragged by her kind personality, as soon as walking became possible again she rushed towards the place where the leader was, and, aided by the same wind that had caused this tragedy, she managed to move the branch just enough to reveal the now dead leader. At the beginning she was afraid to move him, not wanting to interfere with StarClan’s healing, but another strong wind and loud crack quickly forced her to make up her mind. Staying there was definitely not safe, but she wasn’t willing to leave the leader behind, and she couldn’t take him to ThunderClan’s camp, as many cats there still felt resentful for his previous actions, both against ThunderClan and StarClan, and probably wouldn’t allow him in or he would be treated more like an intruder than an injured cat in need of help. Taking a deep breath, Blizzardshine picked up the leader the best she could, carrying him over her back while trying to not move him too much to not make whatever injury he could have worse. He was heavy, and the wind that constantly tried to push him off her back wasn’t helping, but the she-cat had already made up her mind and nothing was going to make her go back now.

This was her first time in SkyCan’s territory, and she had no idea of where the camp was, but hopefully her paws would know the way, or another cat would help her somehow.

The wind had been battering against the frame of the warrior's den since the morning sun had risen. Poppysong, trying her best to sleep off her worry for their weakened leader, was disturbed with every gust. She buried her face in the moss of her nest, and folded her ears down with her paws, but nothing could stop the loud roaring that filled camp. The trees shook and threatened to fall around them, only increasing the she-cat's worry.

She couldn't help but wonder why the weather was so poor. Her mind drifted to Crowstar's first death. Was StarClan punishing them? Was something going to happen to their clan during this wind storm?

Tired, anxious, and paranoid, the dilute she-cat dropped her head onto her paws and stared out of the entrance. There was barely any movement outside in the camp. Of course no cat would want to venture out into that storm. Even the patrols were hesitant. Even so, Poppysong watched for any sign of a cat who could distract her from her worries.

Not even a few seconds into her watch, the familiar black legs of her leader crossed by the entrance, towards the camp's exit. Her ears pricked up and she pulled herself out of her rest. Shaking straw and moss from her long fur, she padded to the opening in the den and peaked out, her eyes glued to the black tom. Without warning he walked straight to the entrance and disappeared. The warrior's chest tightened. What in StarClan's name would be so important that he, a sick and recovering cat, would need to go out into the heart of the storm. No cat was around to join her but she knew she couldn't leave the fluffy leader alone. With her teeth clenched and grinding, she ran out into the camp clearing and followed after Crowstar.

As soon as she had entered the forest, a cool gush of wind nearly knocked her over. Her claws dug into the hard, cold ground as she waited for the air to calm. Her fur fluffed out even more against the cold. For once she thanked her father and mother for giving her such a heavy coat before continuing on.

Part of her wondered if approaching the leader was the best choice as she followed a safe distance behind. He seemed dazed and lost as his feet carried him in no particular direction. Although she wanted to reassure him that he wasn't alone and that she was there to watch over the tom, she felt too awkward. Something had been amiss with them ever since his first death. For some strange and unknown reason, a pity inside her lead her to console the leader in a way she never imagined she would. It came as a surprise to most, and especially Snowstorm when Poppysong revealed she was with kits. Her two sons, now Thornpaw and Breezepaw, were always a sensitive topic for her to speak of. Although she loved them more than anything in the world, she never expected them to be a part of her life. Not so soon, at least. She couldn't figure out the reason why she felt so sorry towards Crowstar that she would mate with him. Just what were her feelings towards the leader?

The time she took to mull over her own emotional strife was enough to distract her from her watch over the fluffy black tom. When her hazel eyes looked up and forward, she saw no sign of her target. Panic filled her legs as she attempted to sniff out his scent. Unfortunately, the winds were too strong and washed away any remaining scents. A gust buffeted against her and the trees, knocking her off of her paws and cracking branches above her. The she-cat curled in fear as a few trees cracked and creaked around her, but nothing seemed like it would cave just yet. Not too far from her, she heard one tree snap under the pressure and begin to fall. As she lifted her ears to hear better through the gust, the fainted sound of a cat's yowl forced her back onto her paws.

The forest echoed as trees came crashing down. Frantically glancing around, she noticed a flash of white fur against the dark trees. The cat, one she did not recognize, was crouched down and pushing away one of the fallen branches. Poppysong approached, her neck fur raised and her eyes wary. As she grew closer, the scent of blood filled her nose. A few moments later, the white cat was making their way towards the warrior, a black, fluffy mound on their back. The she-cat froze and stood straight. It was Crowstar, laying limp on the cat's back. Leaves and twigs dotted his fur, but it didn't seem like there were any claw marks.

The tri-coloured warrior closed the distance between herself and Blizzardshine. "W-What happened?!" she growled through the rush of the wind.

Blizzardshine lowered her head, ears going flat against her head as yet another strong wind threatened to make her fall or throw off Crowstar off her back, having to dig her claws in the dirt under her and quickly grab the dark leader to avoid any of those outcomes. As soon as it became possible to walk again she forced her paws to keep moving, keeping her head down. However, an unknown voice made her look up immediately, her blue eyes meeting with the dilute calico’s, which carried the scent of SkyClan even if it was hard to notice thanks to the strong winds. Under normal circumstances she would’ve apologized and tried to return to ThunderClan’s territory without starting a fight or increasing the tension between clans, but this time she had more important things to do, and maybe she would be able to help her.

Nodding respectfully, knowing that she was the trespasser and not wanting to start a fight, she decided to try to explain things the best she could “I was near the border, I saw a branch falling over your leader and I couldn’t just leave him there. My only intention was to carry him back to your camp so he could be treated, as many cats of my own clan are still resentful of his previous actions and I did not want to risk his safety” Her voice was polite and calm, hoping that the cat of the rival clan would understand and that she wouldn’t be misjudged when her intentions were never wicked.

She took a deep breath, knowing what she would need to ask next and how it could affect certain cats “I never had been in this place before, and I find myself in the need to ask guidance to your camp so your medicine cat can treat him correctly” To be taken to another clan’s camp was a touchy and probably risky thing to ask, it wasn’t for nothing that most clans preferred to keep their camps location secret “I’ll swear to not tell anybody of its location once we reach to the place, if that makes you feel safer” Another crack not too far from the location made the white she-cat get even more tense, she usually was patient, however, the trees and wind wouldn’t wait for them to finish their talk calmly, they had to move unless they wanted to risk be crushed under a tree or another branch.

A lump caught in Poppysong's throat as Blizzardshine explained the special circumstances. The leader had only just recovered, but now here he was again, broken and beaten by a falling tree. Her earlier fear became apparently true. This was punishment.

Despite her clear wariness of the ThunderClan warrior, the she-cat nodded in response. Crowstar was her first priority, but she knew carrying him alone would be a dangerous task. She wasn't a large cat at all behind the copious amount of fur that clung to her skin. This stranger was her only hope in this moment. They could deal with her later, if their situation became a problem.

Whipping around, she gestured with her tail for the white she-cat to follow. It would be hard traversing the territory with a newcomer behind her and the harsh winds pushing against her at every moment. Yet she managed to step over new fallen logs and branches as she made her way down the familiar path towards camp. Every few moments, since her smell and hearing was all but drowned out by the storm, the tabby calico looked back to make sure Blizzardshine kept close.

...

After a few close calls and a rather long walk, they finally came upon the entrance to SkyClan's camp. Poppysong stared at the opening before glancing at the white warrior. Was it okay to just invite her in? She was carrying their leader, so she assumed no cat would object. Swallowing loudly, she bowed her head. "Keep your head low and let me explain, okay?" With that she slipped into camp and called out for a medicine cat.

When Crowstar came too, he didn't know what was going on. Everything was fuzzy. Nothing in his sight was clear. Everything was twisting and turning, and hurting the leader's head. No one showed up to him this time.. But it wasn't nearly as long of a wait as last time... He supposed that was a good thing... He wasn't too sure..

The black fluffy leader closed his eyes again and let out a small groan, and opened his yellow eyes hoping to see the terrain clearer, but it didn't work. Everything blurred together and it was hard to him to get a sense of where he was. He could just feel the wind in his fur and being carried. He heard a voice that sounded familiar saying a warning of sort but he couldn't make it out. "W.... Where..?" That was all Crowstar could muster for the moment, his voice weak and cracking as he spoke, but at least it was something to signal he was still alive.

Blizzardshine smiled and followed Poppysong without asking questions. The walk wasn’t easy with the wind constantly trying to stop them in one way or another, and though she hadn’t seen them, she had heard the sound of trees and branches falling, as well as other noises she couldn’t recognize as easily, some close, some far. Under normal circumstances she would’ve tried to start a conversation with the SkyClan cat, but with the current weather, her being in another clan’s territory and also carrying Crowstar on her back she opted to stay quiet, not wanting to risk angering the she-cat that was clearly wary of her presence and didn’t trust her. It wasn’t like if she could blame her though, she had appeared with her dead leader and a story about a branch falling on him and nothing to back it up with besides the fallen branch itself, which sincerely wasn’t that much, she would be just as wary in her place.

As soon as they arrived to the camp she felt tempted to raise her head and look around, curious of how it would look like, but in the end opted to follow Poppysong’s instructions, keeping her head down and mouth tightly shut. She almost jumped as soon as the voice of the dark leader, somewhat muffled by the still strong winds, reached her ears.

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Moonlight was inside the warrior’s den when she heard the muffled voice of Poppysong outside, she had been worried since she had noticed that she wasn’t with the rest of the warriors, as this storm was in no way a safe weather to decide to go anywhere, she had even started to severely consider trying to gather a small search party and go after her.

She bolted out, wanting to make sure that the wind wasn’t playing tricks on her and smiled with relief when she noticed she was right…however, the smile vanished as soon as she saw the stranger and Crowstar lying limp on her back “What happened?!” She almost had to yell to be heard clearly above the wind, and wasn’t sure of how to feel, should she be wary of the stranger? Was Crowstar ok? Should she fetch the medicine cat?