Refuge and Warnings [O]

There was a trail of red that stained the snow-covered moor as Theron struggled through the snow piles, head whipping in every direction as she tried to gather her bearings. Perhaps running straight into the cold, leaf-bare air had been a bit foolish when she was injured but it wasn't like she had a safe haven anymore now that she had been driven from the barn. She closed her eyes with a growl, forcing herself onward despite the pain and how light-headed she was becoming from the blood lost knowing it would be a terrible idea to even try to rest for a moment. There was only one nearby group that would perhaps take mercy on her, but even now she was starting to have regrets and doubts. It had been moons since she had seen the one friendly WindClan cat and the moment she spoke her name... How would they treat her? With disdain, distrust, outright violence? ...She wouldn't blame them, not for what her namesake had done to them. The cause that had drawn her to the land seemed so much simpler when she had left Oasis - it wasn't like she was planning to turn to them like this! She would take her time, easing them in, not like...

One of her paws nailed something hard beneath the snow, sending her rolling forward with a huff. She struggled to her paws, her body quaking with the effort. She closed her eyes as a shaky breath escaped her, a pitiful laugh that sounded nearly broken. How stupid it would be, to die out here before she could get help - at least give the Clans a warning. But even then, what was she doing? It wasn't like she was looking for the WindClan camp as that would just be a poor idea with her name being what it was. Was she truly hoping to just scourer the entire moor until she ran into a patrol? What was she even thinking... She just wanted to do something good, she just... Her ears twitched at the sound of crunching snow, pausing as she felt her fur start to stand on edge as her eyes slowly opened once more and she started to look around for the source.

The member 'Honey Badger' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Invasion Dice' :

Batpaw walked along the open landscape smelling for food... but the harsh scent of blood hit her nose and she wrinkled it ... hmm someone was hurt nearby.  She did her best to track the scent but was also going slow being very cautious in case danger was lurking who knows where.  Going over the top of one more hill she spotted a trail of red through the snow and the tracks of what appeared to be a limping cat trudging along.  Worry filled her... was this one of her clanmates... sniffing at the tracks she was actually able to pick up rouge scents... hmm had there been a battle or border skirmish??

Following the trail she walked along glancing over her shoulder every so often to ensure she was not being followed, the last thing she needed was to be walking into a trap.

As she traversed the land she finally spotted the source... oof this poor cat looked really beat up.  Batpaw was glad she found her when she did... much later and ... well best not to think about such things. She cautiously approached and gave out a call as she did so as not to startle the injured she cat .

You there! she called out ... what exactly was she supposed to do? As a rouge she knew that she was probably supposed to chase her out but... she looked so hurt... it would be a death sentence if she chased her away... Batpaw could not bring herself to do that she knew what it was like to lose parents or loved ones and maybe this cat had kittens or others that cared about her.  Batpaw would not become the reason why those possible kits lost their mother.

She ran over to the she cat stranger and knelt down beside her.  Hey you are gonna be okay... stay awake and I will get you someplace warmer ... and hopefully Berrypaw is arround and we can get you patched up. she said quietly with a bit of a stutter.

She helped the stranger to her paws and offered a shoulder to lean on.

Please... let me h-h-h... h she struggled alot with talking and took a deep breath

help you. she finally managed to say as she did her best to half drag half carry her back towards camp. She spotted Muddyleap a distance away and called for him.

Muddyleap! can you help me carry her towards camp?? she called out to him it would be alot easier with the two of them supporting her.

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As they got close enough to be in earshot of camp she yelled as loud as she could.... not something she ever would normally do it was normal for her not to say a word at all for days on end... if a clanmate heard her yelling they would know something was very off normal

SOMEONE HELP !! she cried out as loud as she could.

GET BERRYPAW! she added on

Finally Theron's eyes landed on a black shape lurking towards her, a growl starting to rise in her throat but it soon cut off as she realized that it was a child - an...Apprentice, she believed was what the Clans called them. Her ears slicked back as the young she-cat raced up to her only to start trying to utter words of comfort. A...Friendly face. She took in a shaky breath, barely catching the fresh hint of WindClan beneath the overwhelming scent of her own blood. She knew at this point, it was the cold that was the most dangerous part of her situation. Her injuries ached and they weren't pleasant but the snow and cold would seal the bleeding in short time - but if she fell asleep... She... A shaky breath escaped her as she pushed herself to her paws, happily leaning on the smaller she-cat as her ears twitched at the idea of getting somewhere warmer. It...It would be nice. She stumbled forward, at least until she heard her savior call out towards somebody else, asking for help. Her eyes focused on a tan tom with a mottled brown pelt staring back at her with wide eyes.

Muddyleap, was very thrown by this turn of events. It was suppose to be a simple hunting patrol - he had been padding not far behind Batpaw before the apprentice had suddenly scurried off without much of a word. He hadn't put much thought into it, figuring she had scented a prey and had paused to wait for her... And now was watching her return with a rather injured she-cat leaning on her. "Uh..." he started, mouth gaping as he tried to come up with something to say before Batpaw called out to him to help.

Well... He couldn't really say no could he? He didn't know who Batpaw had found but it was clear she was hurt and tired and he had heard how dangerous the cold could be - not that he ever felt the biting pain it caused that his Clanmates would grumble about. He rushed forward, pressing himself to the other side of the stranger as her weight shifted to lean more on him. There was a long silence in the air as the group slowly made their way to the camp, before they finally arrived and Batpaw started to call out for help. The she-cat that had been walking with them slowly sank to the ground now that they were more or less in safety. Muddyleap shifted on his paws, unsure of what to do before the she-cat cracked open an eye and looked up at him.

"Snow," she breathed, causing him to pause.

His ear twitched, glancing around uncertainty at the large pile of snow around them. "Uh...Ye-Yeah, there sure is a lot of snow."

A huff escaped the she-cat, a hint of annoyance but also amusement within."My...Injuries. Snow will slow the bleeding... Perhaps...Even stop it," she explained as she started to wiggle a little deeper into the snow beneath her.

At that, Muddyleap's eyes widen with understanding and started to slowly pile snow onto what injuries he could see, waiting for the rest of his Clanmates to gather and make out what to do with this stranger.


Hayglow had been curled up in a corner of the camp, struggling to remain as warm as she could as she rested. Things had been rather peaceful - at least until Batpaw cried out. Her eyes quickly snapped open, knowing that the apprentice had gone out with her son. Muddyleap wasn't hurt, was he? If Batpaw didn't know how bad it was for him to be hurt, it... She could smell the blood, pushing herself to her paws as she raced towards the source only to come to a stop at the sight. Muddyleap wasn't injured but there was a stranger - and Hayglow felt her throat close up at the sight. The first thing she was the brown mask, legs and tail - the way it reminded her so much of... She could catch hints of other colors - a white pelt, orange and gray spots but already she could feel her pelt start to prickle at the memories as she gave a nervous look between her son and the apprentice. "What... W-Who is this?" she questioned, her voice shaking as she couldn't get the memories out of her mind of when she had been pinned by Theron, of watching her mentor get... She took a small step back, waiting for an answer.

Swiftspirit leapt to her paws in alarm at the sound of Batpaw's yell. For the normally quiet she-cat, that was unusual, something must've been wrong.

...Yes, something was definitely wrong. The scent of blood in the air had the she-cat's hackles lifting, as did the sight of the patchy loner that Batpaw and Muddyleap had dragged into camp. Swiftspirit stared, a disbelieving hiss escaping her upon recognition of the rogue. She'd been nice to Theron, but apparently she hadn't made herself clear enough about staying off of clan territory. And with the harsh season as terrible as it was, Swiftspirit was in no mood to be forgiving. Windclan came first now.

"Goldenstar!" She called out to the leader, though she'd probably heard the yowling already. Her gaze remained on the trio of cats, however. "Theron... I recognize you. Couldn't stay off our territory?" She asked, tone sharp. "Clearly she's injured, but why did you drag her all the way back here, Batpaw? Muddyleap?" A look of clear disapproval remained fixed on her expression as she regarded both of her clanmates. They didn't have a medicine cat capable of treating their own wounds, let alone one that could provide care for a non-Windclan cat. And with prey and sickness already running rampart, they did not need to be focusing their attention on caring for strangers.

The fur along Goldenstar’s spine was raised as she hurried from her den to the source of the calls. Her concern was quickly replaced by confusion at the sight of the strange molly and then it morphed into anger. The leader scowled at Batpaw and Muddyleap as the realization finished setting in. They’d brought a stranger into the camp less than a half-moon after she announced that it was to be avoided! Even worse, this stranger was bleeding. Swiftspirit’s rebuke was greatly appreciated.

“The two of you are in so much trouble! You both know that outsiders are not allowed in our camp, where our most vulnerable members stay, and where we’ve been ambushed in the past; you should remember that at least, Muddyleap. Explain to me who this is at once.” Goldenstar’s tail lashed angrily.

Batpaw tucked her tail low to the ground ashamed, first Swiftspirit had called her out on this decision and then even worse Goldenstar herself agreed and said the similar thing that this was a bad idea.

She could not meet either of their eyes and looked at her front paws, ears laid back in a total ashamed submissive look.

i-i... it --- it's my f-f-ff... fault she stammered barely able to get the words out as she teetered on the verge of crying she held the tears in her eyes luckily enough, she was not going to do that in front of Goldenstar she told herself.

p-p... please dont blame Muddyleap I am the one who helped her...

I-I ... I d-didnt know what t-to do for her she was in s-so much p-p-pain and I couldnt ma-make myself chase her away...I k-kknow what you said Golden and Im sowwy... I just didnt know what t-to do... I d-d-dint want to k-k...ki... ki hmm that last word was not going so well but she knew they could guess what she meant.

She shuddered and shifted back and forth on her paws uncomfortably, it was true. Batpaw was not one to stand by and watch someone suffer, no matter who they were.  Losing her parents at such a young age had made her sensitive to death and she could not imagine causing someone else that much pain... what if this stranger had kits? She couldnt chase her away in the state she was in ... and not helping her would lead to the same result... right?  She closed her eyes tight knowing that Goldenstar and Swiftspirit were both staring at her she could feel their glares like claw daggers... she wished so much she could just dissappear , to be invisible.  Hmm but no she had made her choice and it had consequences, she would face them head on best she could.

w-w... what would you have had me do? she asked quietly, it was not at all meant in an angry or snarky way.  The tone was genuine and earnest like that of a lost student not sure of an answer.

She glanced down at the stranger who had gotten her in all this trouble... she had not even asked for her name and was willing to risk punishment for her... she sighed stupid batpaw she scolded herself in her mind

who was she anyways.... wait a second... hold up...
....
did Swiftspirit say what she thought she said... it had not registered until just now... Theron??? ... the villian from the ghost stories her parents used to tell her when she was a kit... Theron had tormented her clan. As a kit she was not really sure how exaturated the stories about Theron were... but they were scary and used by the older apprentices to tease the kits a little if they were getting to roudy... had she just helped Theron???... and not only that but taken Theron back to camp??... she shuddered even worse.  She backed away from the stranger very uncomfortable to be so close to such a vile monster... her look turned from one of sympathy to one of horror and fear in a split second as she cowered a little backing away getting closer to Muddyleap wanting to be close to a warrior in case Theron cast some powerful spell or lashed out at her.

T-t..t-t... ther- her voice cut out refusing to work and finish that name...

Not only was she in trouble for bending and possibly even breaking the rules that Goldenstar had laid out... she had just rescued the boogyman from a nightmare story!

Theron was a living legend villain and basically the El Cucuy or Baba Yaga of ghost stories in windclan... she was real?? she always thought Theron was kinda a myth used as a practical joke to get kittens like her to quiet up... maybe thats why she had such bad speaking issues? ... hmm anyways thats a rabbit trail.

She stared in disbelieve at Theron her jaw dropping as she quivered in fear... oh today was so not her day.

... maybe she had made the wrong decision after all if this was Theron, the amount of pain Theron had caused her clan... but even so looking at her she still could not remove all sympathy from herself as much as she wanted to... her innocents still lingered as much as she wanted it gone.

maybe she should have left her to die?... if she had not taken her back to camp that surly would have happened if she was left to the cold... but , if she did that was she really any better than Theron.

Her head spun and she felt woozy/light headed.  She knew other warriors who would kill without question or even pausing, but she was not like that even if she sometimes wished she could be.  

She shuddered wondering to herself if she would have kept to her morals if she had known who this cat was at the time of finding her.  She hoped she would have made the same decision but didn't know for sure, because at her deepest level Batpaw held the highest level of compassion as she could.

She sometimes wondered to herself if she would be a better medicine cat than warrior.