Whatever It Takes [Closed]

OCC: those in the patrol-- wait till I PM you to post :)

Artemis had taken to mostly sicking to Thunderclan territory. Of course, he had not stopped his frequents to the edges of other clan's territory, it would be a waste of precious time and knowledge. He needed to study the ways of these cats. Their groups were much larger and certainly unique. No Oasis cat had journeyed to this particular place before, at least not as he was aware of in his own families collective tales and knowledge. But, the only thing ingrained deeper than his head than the desire for freedom and adventure, was the values of justice he had learned in his kithood. Witnessing the war over these particular rocks had stirred something in him, something that could not be forgotten. For the time being, something kept pulling him back to Thunderclan, and back to here.

The fluffy white tom flicked his tail as his blue eyes scanned over this side of the Riverclan through the creeping darkness. The stench of the other clan caused his nose to twitch. He didn't really mind the taste of fish, in fact he rather liked it, but the smell was unbearable. Artemis wasn't quite sure why he kept coming back. How the battle had ended had made his stomach churn. He had fought as hard as he could, but on his own, he hadn't been able to do much. A bit of frustration caused his claws to unsheathe into the snow. We'll have to just fight harder next time... The tom found himself wondering, tipping his head slightly at the thought he was one of them now. It was only temporary, though, just until this was over.

Nutfur had no idea why she had decided to go back another time. Each time she felt more and more guilty and sorrowful, but yet she kept coming back. Maybe because every time she admitted how wrong she was, she discovered something that would help her to be a better cat. And Sunningrocks had stolen the gorge's former title of the place where the most bad things had happened to her. But also a small part of her wanted to find the golden tom that she had fought. He had made her question her morals, and it was then that she had realized just how much wrong she had done. Ivystar had twisted the warrior code so that it was no longer something she felt the need to follow. Of course, the not war related stuff still applied. Now she had the chance to do the right thing, even though it meant breaking the code. Well, technically nothing ever said not to do this. But she knew this was something no cat in her clan would approve of. As it turned out, the cat she had been looking for was already there, as if fate had made them come at the same time. But knowing StarClan wouldn't approve of this, it couldn't be so. But Redfur had said to follow her heart, and this was what her heart was telling her to do. Trying to seem calm and professional, she padded over the rocks and faced him.
"I've thought about what you told me last time," she stated simply, "And I no longer believe that Ivystar's cause is worth fighting for. I have lived by the code my whole life, and now she has bent it against my beliefs. It is my fault Lionspark is a prisoner of my clan. I know how to free her, and I want to help do so."

Artemis was shocked to see the brown she-cat he had fought not too long before. She had seemed like a halfway decent cat, but had seemingly proven to be unshaken in her blind following of Riverclan's leadership, along with the rest of the clan. His claws unsheathed into the snow. He was ready to re-sheathe them in a moment if it meant a fight, given he did not want to harm her and seldom used his claws unless necessary, but his instincts kicked in with a natural defense. His eyes narrowed as she padded closer. Without hesitation, and in a very matter-of-fact way, she spoke. As understanding of her words his him, his ears perked and head cocked slightly. So, she had changed her mind. In response, he merely asked lowly, "What made you come to your senses?"

In that moment, so many things ran through his head. Was this a trap? Another excuse to get more cats in Riverclan's paws? While all of this went through his mind, a flicker far off in the distance disturbing the stillness of the dark night, just at the edge of his vision caught his attention. A patrol! Without thinking too much into it, he darted forwards to grasp Nutfur's scruff and pull her into the bushes. If the warrior's intentions were true, there was no reason to have her get in trouble with her own clan. Asking her to leave her entire life behind in the clan would be too much. Thankfully, the Riverclan cats didn't appear to notice much of anything before heading off in the opposite direction. He had studied the clans enough for the past moon to know it would be the final patrol out.

"Sorry," Artemis meowed quickly and softly, "there was a patrol who would have probably been less than thrilled to see you talking to an enemy cat." A low sigh left his maw. There were so many thoughts churning through his head. The thought of being able to rescue one of Blizzardstar's cats was certainly appealing. That poor warrior had been held away from home far too long already. But, he was faced with the decision of acting alone. There was a risk here. However, unlike Thunderclan, he was not under Blizzardstar's orders. Artemis would still need their help. A plan began to formulate in his mind. Even if it was possible to get to the held she-cat, how easy would it be to sneak her away? After another moment, thoughts finally in what seemed like a decent order, his gaze met the warrior's, "Are you sure about this?"

OCC: After this post, he is going to grab the patrol and bring them back and we can wrap up this thread before starting one in the cavern

"You. My friends. Ivystar's actions," Nutfur mewed in reply to his first question, staring the tom straight in the eye. She could tell he was suspicious, and she knew she would be even more so if she were his position. She wondered if he could see past the layer of calmness she had put around herself and into the fear that was eating away at her stomach. This was treachery. But it was the right thing to do. She was just fixing a mistake, and going against the words of a horrible leader shouldn't be something to be ashamed of. But she still felt like it went against the code, no matter what her own judgement said. Plus, there was always the fear she would be caught by her clanmates. Though she knew that Sweetheart and Vixenstep would agree with her, the rest of her clan would definitely not. But those were the dangers of doing the right thing. Her claws automatically unsheathed as she felt herself being pulled roughly into the bushes, but she didn't fight back. At first she wondered if he didn't believe her and was attacking, but quickly realized that throwing her into bushes would not be a good first move in battle. His words clarified everything, and she nodded in response. It made sense, and it strengthened her trust in him. At his next question, her eyes narrowed in determination before answering. "I'm sure."

I'm sure. As soon as the words left her mouth, Artemis was ready. The idea that had formed in his mind was soon about to be put into action. With Nutfur's help, along with a few others, they could rescue the lost cat and reunite her with her clanmates. He had gotten himself involved in some wild adventures before, but this was certainly going to be at the top of the list, even above the time he had dared go into a walker's den for another cat. In a moment, he found himself meowing, "Okay then, wait here. Stay hidden." The white tom darted out of the bush with his nose in the air. It did not take long for him to find what he was looking for. Thunderclan scent was strong just ahead of here.

He burst through the sparse undergrowth to come face to face with a warrior he recognized, "Leaf Storm! You need to come with me. It's your clanmate. There is no time. We're going to rescue her." His sentences were broken apart by his pants. Between his heavy fur and how quickly he had charged to meet them before they returned to camp for the night, Artemis was short of breath. There was no time for formalities, though. His eyes quickly scanned the confused faces of the rest of Thunderclan's night patrol. There was no time for further explanation. If they all waited too long, the night would fade into daylight and there would be no way they could recover the she-cat in the light of the sun. Hopefully the warrior trusted him, they had to get back to Nutfur immediately to discuss how things would happen there. Without waiting for an answer, Artemis turned tail and sprinted back towards Nutfur.

The fluffy brown tom couldn't have seen it coming. Even as he nodded, his claws tensing, he pondered how he had anticipated this. It seemed so... simple. His whiskers twitched and Leafstorm turned towards his clanmates, his vivid green eyes burning with a new light. "There's no time to go get Blizzardstar. I'm not asking you to die for me. I'm just asking you to trust me. C'mon!" With that, the large tom turned and leapt after the white warrior, his ears ringing slightly. There wasn't time to process this. There wasn't time to question Artemis. There wasn't time to risk Lionspark, not now. The tom kept his head down as he ran, his tufted ears flat against his head as his large paws beat the ground silently. All his aches, pains and wounds seemed to disappear and suddenly he was Leafpaw, running through the city, running towards Specklefang. He had a goal, a single mission, and by Starclan, he was going to complete it.

Featherpaw had been startled to see Artemis rush through the bushes. He blinked in concern at how anxious the cat seemed, but the words made it very clear why. A chance. Their chance... for Lionspark. He looked to Leafstorm immediately and nodded at his words, tail twitching excitedly. A mission, a very dangerous mission, but one none the less. Featherpaw rushed after the brown warrior. His paws carefully navigating the ice and snow as he kept close to the warriors for protection. He glanced at Artemis while he ran. Why was this rogue sticking around, risking his life? Not that he wasn't grateful, especially now, but the question did cling to his mind the entire way.

Emberheart looked up to Leafstorm. An older, capable and more experienced warrior. Sp when Leafstorm called for them to follow, to trust him, Emberheart listened. Beyond that, she trusted Artemis, the rogue that had chosen to fight by their side at the Sunningrocks battle. There was a chance to save Lionspark, the warrior RiverClan had taken - a chance they would take and make work in their favor, somehow. She wasn't sure how just yet, but they would.

There was no time to lose. She ran after the leader of her patrol.

Weedblaze came with the patrol, quiet, curious, grim. He had been enraged about the kidnapping of his Clanmates, and even more so when only their medicine cat was returned to them. he did not particularly like Artemis, a rogue, or following his orders, but this was a different matter entirely. One that could result in life or death. He also trusted Leafstorm, a warrior older than him. If he thought the proposition was worth following, surely Weedblaze should too.

And there was another thing.

Artemis had fought for ThunderClan, and how he was risking his hide to save their Clanmate. What kind of dishonorable filth would do such a thing?

He chased after Emberheart with a new fire.

The Oasis tom stopped suddenly. He poked his head through the frosted thicket of dead brush. In the midst was Nutfur, exactly where he had left her. Artemis pushed away some of the worst to allow space for the patrol. From this angle, and with the snow piled up around them, there was no way the patrol could be seen from the Riverclan side, and also barely from the forest. His sides heaved from the quick sprint he had just finished. As he breathed, the cold air fogged up. He nodded to the she-cat as he waited for the rest of the patrol to catch up. Once the three warriors and apprentice stood next to him, the tom started speaking, borderline sending out orders. An image of his father standing before their home flashed through his time. How many times had he been on the other side of this situation. But, there was certainly no time to waste.

"This Riverclan cat has agreed to take us to your clanmate. She knows the location of her captivity." Artemis meowed quickly, any bit of his kind demeanor disappearing under the seriousness of the moment. Without hesitation, he launched into a plan, "You three will follow us in case of any disturbances along the way, I'm sure Riverclan has not left them unguarded. Young tom, you will stand guard here. If we do not come back, or if anything goes wrong, you are to alert Blizzardstar immediately." As he spoke, he nodded to the warriors and Featherpaw in turn. They could not take any risks. Going into enemy territory was risk enough. For a split second, his head tilted the slightest bit as he thought of himself as one of them. His tail flicked towards a spot towards the front of their hiding place where Featherpaw would wait for them.

"We need to roll in the snow," He started, flicking up a few flakes of snow with his forepaw, "Not only will it mask our scent, but cover our pelts and we can blend in to the snow." His ear flicked as he glanced back at his already pure white fur. Once more he thanked the ancestors for blessing his family with such lovely coats, especially for the winter months. Artemis' face seemed to become stone as assessed the seriousness of the moment. It had all happened so quickly. One moment he was simply wasting the night away near the border, the next, they would be fighting their way to rescue Thunderclan's missing warrior. His father would have been proud to finally leading somewhere for once, fulfilling the role he had, abandoned to become an adventurer.

As soon as they were all prepared, he grimaced, "Lead on."

OCC: Sweetheart is going to post an interruption next and then we leaf :)

(OOC: I hope I do this right. If I'm supposed to do it a certain way just let me know. :3)

The air was filled with a new strong scent of RiverClan, and before long Sweetheart pushed her way through the snowy undergrowth. Her eyes widened in surprise and bemusement at the sight of Nutfur with a bunch of mysterious cats, but standing so close to them and after studying them for a few moments she was able to recognize Emberheart as the flame-colored apprentice who fought in the Sunningrocks war; her vibrant pelt was unmistakable. She came to the conclusion rather quickly: these were ThunderClan cats.

"Nutfur, what in the name of StarClan is going on?" she asked her Clanmate, sounding far from angry. If anything, she was desperately hoping they were here to rescue their trapped Clanmate that Ivystar so cruelly continued to keep in the cavern. If that turned out to be the case, she swore right then and there that she would do anything to help them.

Nutfur watched, trying to keep all her anxiety hidden as the ThunderClanners returned. She listened to the tom's instructions, and nodded, taking a shaky deep breath. That was the first sign of the fear she was feeling that she had shown all evening, and now she felt even more exposed and her pounding heart just beat faster. She wondered if she should roll in the snow along with the ThunderClan cats, but that would just make her seem more suspicious in the eyes of her clanmates. Her scent would hardly catch anyone's attention among the scents of all of RiverClan. She had just started to feel confident about this plan when a certain brown furred she-cat stepped through the bushes. At the sight of Sweetheart, the young warrior almost fainted on the spot. She knew that his particular clanmate wouldn't expose her, but just the fact that they had already been found was what terrified her. But this was for the sake of righteousness, and she had to face this with courage.
"Sweetheart, I've decided what side I'm on," she started, trying to not let her voice tremble. "And it isn't RiverClan. Not ThunderClan either. I'm fighting for honor and righteousness. Ironically, I'm fighting for peace. No one would have made a fuss if we had never taken Lionspark captive, so returning her won't do our clan any harm, and what's one more warrior going to do for them? You saw how the battle went. I'm going to help destroy at least a little bit of injustice. It's MY fault she got captured, and it's going to be my fault that she escapes. Are you with me or against me?" She knew her clanmate well enough to know the answer, but was ready to tackle her if she said the other answer. They were too close to get exposed. And she couldn't get exiled. She turned the ThunderClan warriors, a solemn expression plastered on her face. They were going to do this. She turned towards the river and sighed. This was really happening. "I hope you guys can swim. Follow me."

Sweetheart listened to Nutfur's plan, and the more she spoke the more she wanted to join their cause. She too would rather have peace than war. At the last question, she nodded resolutely, and she proceeded to follow her Clanmates and the ThunderClan warriors.

Featherpaw took his order seriously. He paused when Sweetheart appeared, apprehension siezing him as he felt concern that Ivystar would follow. When she didn't appear after a moment, he sighed with relief then turned to his clanmates and Artemis.
"Good luck, may Starclan watch over all of you." He murmured seriously before he walked away to the spot that had been gestured with Artemis' tail. He made sure to appear calm, but was equally ready in case he heard or saw any sign of trouble.

Leafstorm flicked his tail, his eyes widening. "Nutpaw." He mewed hoarsely,
offering her a half-smile. "My old friend." The warrior flexed his claws as she spoke, his tufted ears swiveling constantly for any sign of attackers. They were really doing this, and Nutpaw was going to help them.
Leafstorm took a shaky breath and squared his shoulders, staring determinedly ahead. He was nervous, but he couldn't lose his nerve now. Not when he was so close to Lionspark. With a grunt, he rested his chin on Featherpaw's head. "Be safe."
The warrior let Nutpaw and Artemis take the lead, but stayed close on their tails. As they moved towards the river, the tom cursed himself inwardly. Anything could happen- this could be a trap, a trick. Artemisodan was rouge, after all. Was it really that easy to believe that these two Riverclanners were on his side?
But by then it was too late, and they were approaching the river. The fluffy tom did a quick head-count, his eyes traveling over the three young, inexperienced warriors gathered around them. He swallowed nervously.