East Shore Gathering [Swept Away Topic]

It seemed that Sunpaw had noticed the corpse at about the same time as Lightstep had. He thought little of it when she tried to maneuver to see it better, but when suddenly she let out a heart-wrenching wail he jumped, startled. The sound was strange to him; it was so... dissonant to how he felt. Though Stormstrike was Lightstep's father, they had never spent any time together. No hunting, no sharing tongues, no patrolling or training as father and kit. The only time Lightstep remembered having any kind of real interaction with him was when the tom had proclaimed Jaystar a fool and disowned his brother, Cinderfall. Though he had only been an apprentice at the time, that interaction had rubbed Lightstep's fur the wrong way. Stormstrike had never made an effort in their relationship, always off somewhere being bitter or aggressive. Lightstep still respected his father, but he hadn't loved him. Somehow the thought of not loving his kin caused him to feel more pain than to have lost his kin at all.

With that said, Sunpaw's mournful cry made Lightstep's fur bristle with surprise and self-consciousness. As Lightstep continued to look between Sunpaw and his father's corpse with a blank expression, Mosspaw beside him stammered, "He... was your father?" The white RiverClan tom made one small nod. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

Lightstep had no time to respond, for suddenly Sunpaw was lurching forward off of the pedestal upon which they sat and dragging herself across the dirt, scrambling towards Stormstrike. "Sunpaw, stop!" he hissed with anger and terror, fearing that she would cause herself even greater injury with her constant dragging and moving around. He leaped to the ground after her, but she had already reached her goal, shaking from the effort and from grief and mourning. The large white tom stood beside Sunpaw, watching the she-cat mourn a stranger he was supposed to love.

ooc; holding off on burntstag's post her for now

Ever since they had found each other at the mud-coated shore, pelts nearly blending in with those surroundings, Brookclover had stayed by Elmskip's side. The tom needed someone with him and she was determined to care for her clanmate. Her heart longed to abandon any clanmates at this shore and seek out Finchbreeze but the impossibility of that ideal kept her paws steady. Eventually, they would be reunited. Her love, her deputy, her brave warrior, he had to still be fighting. It would take more than water to take down her beloved and that thought kept her going. For a while, she had groomed Elmskip's coat just out of the clutches of the waves that pressed up against the shore relentlessly. Then it dawned on her that perhaps they needed more to survive than simply being out of the reach of the lake. With the red lights that flashed across the sky, Brookclover took it as a sign to get both of them to their paws.

Several cats gathered together in one of the abandoned twoleg nests. A shudder ran through her coat at the distasteful thought of being holed up inside of that. But it was needed for now. Survival would have to be prioritized over her personal preferences. The russet she-cat helped to guide her clanmate towards the nest with her. As they made their way over, a sigh left her maw. Barleytuft was there. He was alive. That was a relief. Her whiskers twitched as she noted Graybriar's attendance but the warrior gave no notion of her disdain for their supposed clanmate and set to settle down. The scents of all the clans mixing together through the air caused her nose to twitch. Nothing about this circumstance was pleasant. Even if they had all been afflicted by flood, Brookclover did not trust any of the other clans more than the distance between her nose and whiskers. A sharp inhalation of air through her nostrils mocked something of a snort.

Her teeth clenched together as the Scorchstar began to address the lot of them. While Starclan may have given him dominion over the marshes, that did not give the black tom right to take her leader's place. Brindlestar would not stand for any Windclan cat being dictated by an ally of Riverclan. Although she said nothing for a long time, her tail lashed in agitation. She acknowledged the sense in waiting until the wounded had been treated and some rest had been restored. Saying nothing but watching through blank eyes, the warrior suppressed her agitation. After the mock gathering had ended, Brookclover muttered her disdain to her clanmate, "Brindlestar wouldn't stand for us allowing ourselves to be lead by any cat who considers themselves friends of Riverclan. Besides, Windclan cats can care for their own... Windclan! Over here!" Towards the end, her voice raised, calling over the rest of their clanmates to gather in a corner of the enclosure. Together they could discuss the best course of action, as a clan, and not just as one of the mere numbers of forest cats who gathered under the instruction of another clan's leader.
____

Since meeting up with the Skyclan cats upon being washed ashore with Berrykit, or Berrycloud, Sparkfrost had found himself more inclined to hang about the friendly cats he had met. Of course, he made sure to keep close enough to his kin. Even so, he barely knew this grown version of Berrykit. It was strange knowing that this was his blood relative, and always had been, despite not having met the tom beyond fuzzy, early kithood memories. No cat had explained his affliction to him, but the dilute blue cream calico had begun to piece together that something must have happened. Time had passed without his knowledge. While the idea puzzled him, it did not affect the young warrior that much. He was contented to fill the present with the cats that were around him. If there had been more time between his awakening and the flood, the connections would have likely started to rebuild withing Riverclan. But that had been cut short by the unforeseen circumstances.

So Sparkfrost was rendered a directionless soul. For now, he had chosen to be a companion to Sagepaw. The seemed to be less duty-bound than Amberdawn, who appeared to be the caretaker for the other clan. There had been similar cats within his short time in Riverclan. Every step he took was shaky and wavered, a nod towards their lack of use for some time. His body was not used to the motion, and even the trek to this enclosure had been an arduous one. But as he settled down next to Sagepaw, the tom found himself just as contented as the previous moment. There wasn't much to do other than lean into the fact that he was oblivious to most everything. Concerning himself with the lack of knowledge wouldn't change the circumstance. Leaning against the Skyclan apprentice, he looked around and heard himself ask, "Who are all these cats? Is everyone from different clans? I'm assuming that one's a leader." His trail of thought subsided as he listened to Scorchstar speak. There wasn't much else to do right now. So Sparkfrost settled for blissful ignorance as he tried to ignore the ache that seemed to sweep through his entire body, starting in his chest.

Swanpaw came in with the others, relieved to have ended up with cats she knew. The long scratch in her side still throbbed, but luckily it hadn't turned out to be as bad as she thought it was, and just a shallow scratch encrusted with blood. The crowd of cats in the abandoned twoleg den reminded her of a gathering, but unlike a usual gathering there was only one leader, and there were many injured cats as well as kits milling around. The scent and sight of it all almost overwhelmed her as she padded in beside the others. I wonder why StarClan summoned us here...? Is it so we could find our way back to the Clans? She stuck close to Sparkfrost and Sagepaw, settling down beside the spot they'd chosen and trying to take it all in.

The slightly odd RiverClan tom spoke from where he was leaning against her Clanmate, and she turned to regard him with puzzlement. "I... think this is what's left of the Clans...." She flicked an ear uncomfortably as she glanced around before spotting some others who looked similar to the tom in build and appearance. "Um, see those cats over there? I think they're from your Clan. And the leaner ones will be from WindClan. SkyClan doesn't have very many cats, but I think there are some others here.... The others though... I'm not really sure how to tell them apart except by smell...."

Ever since Copperheart had awoken on a dirty, murky shore after being swept away by the massive floods and torrents that corrupted the Clan territories, he had stuck with Scorchstar and trekked with him and other cats alike as they all attempted to reunite with their family, Clan, friends, or all. When the red, popping lights flooded the sky with their brightness and sound, it was a massive relief to the ginger tom that hope was far from lost. 

As the black, fluffy tom led him and others along to the location of the lights and started what seemed to be a make-do Gathering, Copperheart only sat down and listened quietly to what the other cats around spoke about, deciding he would follow what Scorchstar said and assist in the fields he was good at. 

Normally, Copperheart was a lively tom. That was the persona he created for himself. But right now, Copperheart felt anything but lively. StarClan was following them and that was great and a reassurance, but he still had no idea where half of his Clan was. Batpaw, Lynxtail, and Leopardstar were all nowhere to be found, and any ThunderClan cats he did recognize were ones he scarcely knew. 

As Copperheart gave anyone who glanced at him a nod of the head, he slumped away to go hunt for himself and the other cats, his golden eyes becoming dull and glossy at the edges as he disappeared into the mess the floods created.

Drawn to the light of the flare, a two cats came towards the gathering assembly of other cats.

Ridgelight bounded across the shore. The sight of a mottled pelt gave her hope as she pushed forward and was rewarded with the sight of many cats. All of them gathered together as though it was a traditional gathering, if not a bit scattered among each clan. Relief shone in her gaze as she darted down to try and figure out who was there.

She could see Mosspaw at least. That must have been her pelt that she had seen from afar. Flintfang's grey pelt. The older warrior seemed to be relatively unharmed, as did Copperheart. Despite her relief however, she noted with alarm that Marshstorm and Leopardstar were nowhere to be seen. Neither were Pricklebush, or Beartooth... Hailpaw... She shook her head firmly. They had to be somewhere.

---

Grousepaw padded into the throng of gathering cats with laboured breaths. He had been running the shoreline on the opposite side until he saw the flare. He pelted back as quick as his legs could carry him despite their exhaustion. It felt like the mud was permanently embedded into his pelt.

The sight of at least Brookclover had him relieved as he padded towards her immediately.
"Brookclover!" He called as he approached his mentor and sat down on weary paws with a small wince of discomfort. "Have you seen my mother?"

Though Ridgelight bounded towards the clans at top speed, Night hung much farther back, keeping at a steady walk and using the shadows cast from tree trunks and bushes to hide his presence as much as possible.  When he and his traveling companion had witnessed the vivid red stars that crackled and sparked rise into the sky, he knew that it was a summons, a gathering call.  So it was no surprise to see many cats gathered within the walls of half-broken Twoleg Nest...clan cats, of course.  Once he came to point where he had to choose whether to enter or remain outside, he chose the latter, crouching down beneath an old piece of rotting wood.  He watched through narrowed green eyes as the younger calico molly entered the crowd, considering internally why he had even come in the first place.  Even if the clans found their way home, he would not be going with them; this lake was the place destiny had chosen for him.  He should be out, exploring the land and finding the best places for hunting and sleeping...his logic though battled with the much too powerful emotion of loneliness.  He might be a traveler, but he had never traveled, or lived, alone.  The concept was foreign and unappealing...but what other choice did he have?  From simple observation, it seemed he and Ridgelight had arrived a bit late.  Scorchstar on the rock had seemed to finish talking, and - with a pang of melancholy recognition - noticed Amberdawn wandering among the crowd.  Surely other SkyClanners were there too... StarClan, what a path you have set before me...

---

"...Yes, it's them!"  Fernpetal's murky eyes strained ahead through the darkness, walking a little bit ahead of Silentwhisper.  They had been walking for what felt like ages; they had seen the odd red stars shoot up into the sky from the other end of the shore, and decided to follow them.  With a sneer, she assumed that most cats would claim they came from StarClan, but for once had put aside her calling for the sake of safety.  As much as she didn't particularly like SkyClan, especially at the current time, the more cats around the more defense against predators there would be; and the last thing she wanted was for herself or Silentwhisper to be hurt, or worse.  Entering the old Twoleg nest almost right after the ShadowClan leader had finished talking, she glanced over her shoulder at her best friend and purred, though her tone was a notably a bit forced.  "So...shall we go find our friends?"  Well I mean, that would seem obvious...but I almost don't want to.  Honestly, I'm fine with just being with Silentwhisper...

Though she hadn't found much warmth in the harsh SkyClan warrior, Egretpaw felt a twinge of comfort as she travelled with Hawkstrike. He knew what to do out here, he had the experience to improvise in this mess of a situation. When the lights had appeared in the sky, he didn't seem all too keen on following them, but after a long and arduous trek, eventually the RiverClan apprentice found herself below where they'd been. Cats of different clans everywhere, all with a grim undertone to their faces. With her tail low she crept around and between the unfamiliar pelts. Her eyes kept landing on what she thought was her mother's pelt, yet every time it was just a trick of the light. She couldn't find any of her siblings either, not a single one. Again, a wave of grief hit her. 'Are they dead? Oh great StarClan, please let them be alive somewhere else.' This was the longest she'd been without seeing any of them. Especially Finchstream. She shook out her fur to dispel that train of thought. Now that she looked, there were a few RiverClan cats milling about here and there, all as haggard-looking as she was. Littlestream, Heronflight, Lightstep, Sunpaw, and Stormstrike, cats she knew, but weren't very close to. Though Stormstrike wasn't moving. Great StarClan, he was dead! Her empty stomach churned as she quickly looked away, wide, dark eyes focused on anything other than her dead Clanmate. How many others had grown cold beneath their skin?

Then, a spark. One pelt she knew. Sparkfrost, her brother. Her legs ached with exhaustion, yet she still dashed over to the tom like her life depended on it. Though she was sure he didn't know her - he couldn't remember anything from much of his life, why, she didn't know - but she pressed her face into his flank, trembling. Neither of their terrible scents registered in that moment. He was no Finchstream or Magpiepaw, just a brother who didn't even know her name. She had no one else right now. He didn't know that either.

Lilypaw sat beside her sister as she bowed her head to the fallen warrior. She lent on Mosspaw to keep herself upright, thoughts buzzing through her head. What if that had been Mosspaw? Or Falconwing? Or Flintfang? Shaking her head, she tried to clear her thoughts. They were all safe. They may have been lost, but they were safe all the same. Who she did feel for though, was Stormstrike's clanmates, his family and the cats who knew him well.

Sunpaw sniffled around cry and burried her face into the muddy fur. She looked up, to stare at Leafpaw, her eyes full of love and pain. ”Thank you.” She whispered horsely. She lapped the toms rough ears to clean him up before looking at Lightstep. Wasn’t He your father? She wondered but went back to grooming. He must look good when he sees Sootcloud in Starclan.

"Only if you want to..." Silentwhisper replied quietly after Fernpetal asked him if they should go look for their friends. As much as he liked his friends and clan-mates, he wanted to be alone with Fernpetal. She was all the company he really needed. He shot her a sweet smile as he awaited her response.

Despite the weakness that wracked his muscles and made for an unstable existence, the dilute blue cream calico coated tom's mind was one of a pure wonder instead of the immense desperation that seemed to wrack those around him. Each seemed desperate for something lost but to him all of it had already been lost and he did not even understand that fact. The comfort of the cats around him dissipated any of the discomfort that had wormed itself into the pit of his stomach. Sparkfrost could barely grasp what had just happened and everything before was a simple blur, every relationship that he had in Riverclan was merely left over memories of a life that he had not lived. It confused him more than anything, and at times he almost felt bad for the forgotten times. Either way, he had found himself solace in ignorance. Nothing came from dwelling on the past and all that could be done was look into the future. There was so much potential with all of these new cats around him. Sparkfrost nodded with a broad grin to the cat who spoke up after him, one of the ones from another clan.

Before he could say a word, another, smaller warm body was pressed up against him. Expression crossed his face in and instance and his eyes widened for a second before recognizing one of the Riverclan apprentices. A flicker of a smile tugged at the edges of his maw as he remembered a name: Egretpaw. All of it fell away when the trembling sensation echoed though his coat and into his chest. A light wavering that seemed to ripple through the fiber of his being and after a moment brought a softness to his gaze. This was what he was trying to forget. Whoever this little cat was seemed to need him and it was something he couldn't quite ignore. Sparkfrost dipped his head to set it on hers, and for once the flighty enthusiasm was dropped from his tone, "It'll be okay, Egretpaw."

Fernpetal's gaze shot between her clan, to her best friend, and back again...muzzle twisting into a conflicted grimace, the she-cat sighed.  "I guess we should...although..."  Falling silent, it only took her a moment to brighten back up, murky green eyes sparkling mischievously as she moved to stand beside Silentwhisper, pressing her flank against his fluffy side.  "Let's wait and see how long it'll take for them to notice we're here."  Sitting down, her cheek brushed against his chest fur, making her smile.  Their time alone had been something to cherish, but she knew that eventually, they'd have to return back to their clan, to their old lives.  With him there though, she knew it wouldn't really feel quite as 'old'.