A Call For Help[Open]

Cinderfall limped his way into camp, bleeding. "[color:793e=0099cc]Help..." he croaked before dropping to the ground. His tail was crooked and broken in the middle. His left ear was torn off and that nasty scratch went down to his eye. His shoulder was dislocated and a nasty gash in his belly emitted most of the blood, though there were rivers of it running down his face.

Featherpaw's alert ears instantly pricked up, picking up the distressed moan. Her initial instinct was to immediately bolt up, but as she was still recovering from her own wounds from Shade, she forced herself to move steadily and slowly. She stretched her head to glimpse outside the medicine den, and the powerful reek of blood that she was greeted by made her wary. A barely audible gasp escaped her mouth as she caught sight of the dreadful, unsettling scene.
"G-Goldeneye...!" she breathed, her voice full of distress and panic as she attempted to stand. Her healing wounds made this action difficult, and, with a soft hiss of frustration, she had no choice but to collapse down again. She shuffled closer to the entrance, her eyes brimmed with fear and worry. Please, please help Cinderfall, StarClan, she prayed desperately. Was this of Shade's doing, once again?

Stormstrike watched with narrowed eyes as Cinderfall dragged himself into camp. Perhaps, long ago, he would've felt a flicker of pity for his older brother. However, years of bullying, envy, and silence had removed all respect he had had for his brother. When Sunfish... well, Cinderfall did nothing to comfort him. He hardly acknowledged him, for Starclan's sake!
The tall tom slowly padded towards Cinderfall, his tail-tip twitching. He slowly lowered his muzzle to the tom's ear. "It seem's you've finally got what's coming to you, brother." He whispered.

OOC: I'll post with Jaystar later

IC: Unlike Stormstrike, Hailsong didn't have those type of feelings for her brother. When her nostrils caught the scent of blood mixed with the familiar smell of her littermates, she immediately dropped the fresh-kill she was carrying and rushed to Cinderfall with concerned green eyes.

She didn't hear her older brother's words to Cinderfall but she did notice that he wasn't helping. Without hesitation, she bumped him gently to one side and glanced at him. "Stormstrike! Don't stand up there without doing anything! Come and help me to carry him to mom... I mean, Goldeneye's den!" She said with fierce passion and determination. She was smaller than both of them but that didn't mean she couldn't be intimidating when she wanted to.

Hailsong turned her attention to Cinderfall and she offered her body as support. "Come on, bro. I can't carry you all the way alone but you can lean on me. I can do most of the work. Just hold on." She mewed.

dang, storm
your emotions are showing

Colors flashed about in Cinderfall's head. Worried faces... and a familiar not-so worried face appeared. Stormstrike almost looked satisfied, glad that he was basically dying. "It seems you've finally got what's coming to you, brother." What? What had he done? Had Stormstrike possibly sent Shade in to do this? Surely no cat in Riverclan could be that mad at him! He'd done nothing mean for a long time! As kits, he was striving to be just as good as Stormkit, who probably should have been firstborn. He'd fit it better. He was always faster, stronger, cleverer... Cinderkit had quickly learned that the only way to be better than Stormkit was to be kinder. They were so young... His younger self was constantly trying to basically bully Stormstrike, because that's how his brother rose to the top. Perhaps, he had thought, if he was better, he might be loved. He might gain praise and acceptance from both him and their father. But he grew mean again during his apprenticeship... thank Starclan they got him out of that. But Stormpaw was too busy with training and things then. The two toms had both gone their separate ways and Stormstrike got a mate. Who... died.
Wait, wait, wait.
Was Stormstrike blaming Cinderfall of all cats for his mate's demise? That was insane! No, surely it was something else... But now he couldn't put away the nagging feeling that he had done something. Something bad to Stormstrike. If he lived through this, it might be worth asking. To die without making amends, would be unthinkable. Through the chaos of his mind, his sister's voice rang loud and clear. Hailsong. Following her instructions best he could, he struggled to his feet and leaned on her. Her fur would get bloodstained... Blinded by pain, he took steps and let her guide him.

Goldeneye rushed out of her den, her fur bristling as she looked at the injured warrior before her. Her son. Goldeneye stopped, her teeth bared as her claws unsheathed, her very being shaking with rage. That monster, had done this to her baby? The kit that was not her own but she felt as if he was her own son? "Get me Jaystar, Hailsong." She growled, though to no cat in particular as she approached her son. Settling down next to him, she was quick to reset his dislocated shoulder, though he would have a small limp he would be fine.

Then, sparing her other son a glance she meowed, "Get me some cobwebs and some marigold, Stormstrike. Marigold is a yellow and red flower, be quick." She ordered, pressing her paws against his belly wound seeing as it was the worst of them all.

The cries of the cats caught his attention and Jaystar already feared that another one of his clanmates was attacked by that monster called Shade. But when his own daughter came in running into his den, he knew this time it was worse... but he could have never imagined what Hailsong told him.

His fur bristled and not thinking at all, he ran out of his den straight to the medicine cat den. "WHERE IS MY SON?" He cried the moment he entered but the answer soon came when the strong scent of blood reached his nostrils and his eyes gazed at the immobilized body next to Goldeneye. There, he saw one of his worst nightmares...

Cindefall

His pale, blue-grey fur was soaked in blood and he couldn't see one of his eyes. The red liquid came out of his belly just like the time the medicine cat was attacked by a Windclan cat. The leader did not use any formalities and he just walked to the young cat. He didn't mind if he pushed one of the cats gathered here. His whole attention was on the warrior bleeding out... "Goldeneye! Is he breathing, is he going to survive this?!" He mewed desperately to the cat beside him. He didn't mean to shout to her in a mean way but he couldn't help it. Fear and desperation filled his mind as he tried to do something... anything to change this mess.

The cries transformed into hisses as he looked around at the other cats. The kind and calm Jaystar was gone. His fur bristled and his claws were dug into the dirt as he lashed his tail violently... just like his mother used to do when she was angered. "Who. Did. This?!" The leader hissed... even though deep inside he knew the answer but the tom didn't want to admit it.

Stormstrike blinked, not daring to disobey Goldeneye. He flashed Cinderfall another look of contempt as Jaystar brushed past him impatiently. "Yes, mother." He flicked his tail, padding towards the Medicine Cat den (the one that had served as his nursery, all those moons ago...) and grabbing a mouthful of marigold. He took as much time as he dared 'searching' for the cobwebs before he trotted back to Goldeneye's side, dropping the herbs near her before retreating back towards Hailsong.
"He'll be fine." The tall gray warrior grunted dismissively, nudging his sister gently. "We should go. There's nothing we can do to help now." Starclan, he'd learned from experience that it wasn't good for the mind to witness any of the dirty work Goldeneye did.
The death of Sunfish haunted him, and he didn't want to see her bend over another cat, the deep look of desperate concentration in her eyes...
He shook himself roughly, nudging Hailsong once again. He had to get away from this. Now."All we're doing is adding to the crowd. You heard me!" He raised his voice, turning to look at the gathering crowd. "Get out of here; Goldeneye needs space to work!"

With all the commotion, there was no way Scorchclaw hadn't been alerted of the situation.

Yet again, another one of his clanmates lay dying at Goldeneye's paws. Yet again, the coppery scent of blood permeated the air, thick and suffocating. Why did this keep happening, even though he and Jaystar had taken measures to protect the RiverClan cats? The crowd of cats around the Medicine Den was only growing. He heard the patter of hasty pawsteps behind him, and then Jaystar swept past. The fluffy deputy had never seen his leader look so panicked before. At that moment, it was as if the gray tabby tom could see nothing other than the Medicine Den where his son lay. Scorchclaw's long fur bristled with the unmistakable tension in the air. He heard Stormstrike's shout and stepped forward. "It's as he says. Unless you think you can save Cinderfall, don't stand here gawking." His eyes were narrowed as he spoke in a commanding tone.

Shouldering his way past the crowd, Scorchclaw approached the wounded warrior. He didn't go too close, almost afraid of distracting Goldeneye. He grit his teeth at the bloodstained sight he saw. It was obvious that a cat had caused these wounds. The wounds fit the size of a cat's claws. Even without asking, he had a pretty good idea who the culprit was. "Jaystar." He said in a low voice. "As his father and the leader of this clan, you need to stay calm." Scorchclaw couldn't understand the emotions Jaystar felt upon seeing his kit so badly injured. However, he did know that responding like that wouldn't help anyone.

It hurt. Everything hurt. His belly hurt, his face hurt, even his shoulder and his tail hurt. But what hurt the most was everyone else. Goldeneye, desperate and concentrated. Most of his siblings and classmates were worried and disgusted. And then there was Stormstrike. The second oldest, who should have been first. Cinderfall should have known that he was more fit to be first. Even Cinderfall wanted to be like him when he was younger. Stormstrike was mad at him, but enough to wish possible death on him? Could Stormstrike be working with shade!?

His thoughts were cut short when his father burst into the den, roaring. "Shade." He coughed out. He turned to look at his belly wound and fear filled him. It looked a lot, lot worse than it felt. The tom looked up at Goldeneye, then Jaystar to find comfort. None was found. Cinderfall took a deep breath. "I did everything you taught me. I held my head up high." He rasped slowly. "I... tried, but I failed.... He barely got a scratch..." The crowds had begun to cleat. Tears began to fall. And maybe, just maybe,
He had begun to die.

Jaystar noticed that his other son, Stormstrike, was making the curious crowd go away. When he was close enough, the leader touched his shoulder. "Thank you..." He whispered only for him to hear before turning his whole attention back to Cinderfall.

Although Scorchclaw's words put some sense in his head, the anger kept rising and his hisses didn't lower. He gave him a severe look. He did not know what this was like. Seeing your son in this state... and because of you and your bad decisions.

The name of the one who did this did not surprise him but only caused his rage to grow even more. An anger against that rogue... and against himself. This was his fault... all the attacks. He should have killed that monster when he had the chance... at the moment he knew he murdered Duckpuddle. But he was weak and a fool. This was not his son's fault and the tom wanted to make sure that he knew that.

With a concerned look and soft voice, he came to him closer and touched his forehead with his as he lowered his head."Shh, I know, I know... You did everything just right..." He put his paw over one of his and pressed it tightly. "Shh... Save your strength now... Goldeneye will heal you..." After saying those words, he glanced at Goldeneye with an expression that let her know that he trusted that she would help him to get better. After all... she loved him almost as much as he did, even if he wasn't her kit. "I'll back soon..."

He padded away and stopped in front of Scorchclaw with fire in his green eyes. "Scorchclaw! I've had enough of this bloodshed! I've acted like I was fine but I'm not and I'm tired of doing nothing." He hissed, clawing the ground as he spoke with anger. The fur of his back and tail bristled as he let his emotion take control of his body but not of his clearness of mind. "Reinforce the patrols in both day and night. I also want you to form a group of warriors to search for this murderer every day, even if it means leaving our clan's lands. Choose the most experienced and strongest ones. I will go with them every dawn and return when the sun is high." He ordered with fierce passion. "I can't stay calm and wait for another of my clanmates to get attacked. I will not hide inside the walls of the camp. I will avenge with my own claws what this monster has done to my son, to Featherpaw, to Duckpuddle and to Spotfur." Inside his mind, he could repeat that he had failed them. He had failed them all because of his foolishness. Jaystar had to make this right. It was all his fault... but he would fix it and would do everything in his paws to stop a situation like this in the future. He wasn't going to be a compassionate leader... he had to be tougher... like his mother taught him.

Goldeneye flinched, everyone, yelling at her, screaming at her to save him. Save the son that was dying at her paws! Goldeneye struggled to keep her mental clarity, unable to detach herself emotionally from her sons' blood covering her paws. Every single day she seemed to drown in blood, bathe in it, with no moment of release. For once she did not want to be in charge, she did not want to be a medicine cat, had she ever though? Did she really ever want this?

Goldeneye watched as the blood oozed onto the dirt floor, her throat closing and her eyes feeling hot. It was too much, but she had to be strong for them. Taking the marigold into her mouth she chewed quickly, churning the flowering into a thick, pulpy, polituce. Spitting into onto the wound she rubbed it in before wrapping her son's belly with cobweb and turning her attention to her sons eye, she was already able to tell that his vision would not be able to be retained.

Scorchclaw met his leader's glare with his own unflinching gaze. He didn't believe that he had said anything wrong. However, he was also wise enough not to speak up again. The powerful emotions raging within Jaystar's eyes was all the persuasion that he needed to stay silent. As long as Jaystar's mind remained clear, then that was all that mattered.

Shade. It did not come as a surprise. Just as Scorchclaw had expected, he was the one who had done this. Not for the first time since the former warrior's exile, Scorchclaw was filled with a sense of frustration-mingled anger. Each time Shade claimed a new victim, he had rushed out with a patrol to track him down. However, each time, the murderous tom would escape, slipping away between his claws. The large deputy was getting sick of the apprehension--fearing that Shade would attack again; that despite the many measures that had been taken, it was still not enough; that this time another one of his clanmates would die.  

Scorchclaw stepped away as Jaystar lowered his head to Cinderfall. He watched their interaction from a distance, his expression one of brooding. He knew that words were being spoken, but he couldn't hear them. The RiverClan leader had many kits, but it was clear that he loved every single one of them. In contrast, Scorchclaw was his parents' only kit. What was it like to have a father that cared that much? He had stopped being bothered by his parents' indifference a long time ago, but sometimes he couldn't help but ponder over it. It was their loss that the son they had considered unimportant was now RiverClan's deputy.

He stood upon seeing Jaystar heading over. Fury was practically radiating from every strand of fur on Jaystar's gray tabby pelt. Scorchclaw could partly understand why he was so angry. This had gone on for long enough. Shade needed to be stopped no matter what. Jaystar's instructions might have seemed radical, but Shade was the one who had pushed them to this stage. If he had just lived out the rest of his StarClan-forsaken life somewhere else, they would not be hunting him like they were doing now. The kind, approachable cat that Jaystar usually was had disappeared, replaced by someone who resembled his mother closely. For him, Cinderfall must have been the last straw. "I understand." He said simply. The wheels in his mind were already spinning as he began to work out the new order of patrols.  

A monster. Jaystar was right about that. Even for that she-cat's son, Shade was a monster. It was hard to believe that a cat like that had once been a warrior of RiverClan, living in the same camp. If Shade's death could make it up to Duckpuddle even a little, he wanted to be the one to kill Shade. He felt that he owed her that much, for being the cause of her death.