Danger Draws Near (Burning Horizon Plot Patrol)

This was so dumb. Why in StarClan's name would Scorchstar arrange a border patrol to check the scent markers at Carrionplace? He already forbade hunting there during the entirety of leaf-bare. While it was still reasonable why he made such a decree, sending warriors over there was now such a waste of time. They'd never have to come back here anyway! And visiting such a place after prohibiting anyone hunted the rats and occasional crow here would just tempt rebellious apprentices and stupid warriors to test their luck and disobey their leader's direct order.

Asterspark had tried reasoning this to Scorchstar, but alas, his father told him the place still needed to be check to make sure no outsiders tried to sneak their way in through Carrionplace, or that any predators were rummaging through the Twoleg rubbish only to learn of a group of healthy cats living deeper in the marshes and try to prey on them instead. ...Okay, sure, that did sound reasonable now that he thought more about it, but what doesn't sound reasonable was Scorchstar choosing Frogmash to accompany them on the patrol. Firestone was mature, experienced, and level-headed, and Redwing knew better than to disobey her leader's command. Heck, even he had enough common sense to know that the warrior code states that the Clan leader's word is law. But his former apprentice has done some... questionable things in the past, both as an apprentice and as a warrior. He remembered finding out she deliberately trespassed into WindClan territory and beat up an apprentice on his own territory! Worst of all, there wasn't a single hair of WindClan scent on their side of the border!

I don't think Frogmarsh deserves to be a warrior just yet... Asterspark thought grouchily, looking behind him, past Firestone's and Redwing's fiery-russet pelts to glare at the black molly bringing up the rear. Out loud, he spoke to her, but made it sound as though he were addressing the entire patrol, "Remember, we have been ordered by Scorchstar not to hunt by Carrionplace. We're just to check the scent markers and make sure no trespassers slipped through, and if they did we need to drive them out. After that, we'll head home. Does everyone understand?"

It was good to be out on patrol- the routine helped her to relax. Rest was something she'd been getting very little of, these past few days. Not only because of her mate's disappearance, but strange bouts of nausea and insomnia were overtaking her at inopportune times. For example, her stomach was aching as she padded behind Asterspark, but she decided to ignore it. It couldn't possibly be more important than her warrior duties.

Speaking of which, it was good to be with her father and, um, friend? She wasn't quite sure what Asterspark was to her, anymore, but at least they weren't quite as estranged as they had been. However, they weren't as close as they had once been, either... and trying to talk to him was still awkward. So she walked beside Firestone in silence, barely remembering that the new warrior Frog... Frog-something was on the patrol too. She nodded at the blue-furred tom's words when he spoke, recalling Scorchstar's recent command. "Got it," she responded simply, ignoring the twinge of constant nausea in her belly.

Frog hadn't expressly told anyone that she disagreed with her leader's new rule that they were not allowed to hunt at the Carrionplace, but she certainly hadn't expressed approval. The newly named warrior ducked out of conversations when it came up or simply rolled her eyes and snappily changed the subject. Frog wanted to be a good warrior - she really did! - and that was the only thing that had forced her into compliance for the first few days after her Clan leader's proclamation. She was both surprised and suspicious when she was assigned to patrol by the Carrionplace, the place that her Clan was no longer allowed to hunt, but she agreed to go knowing that was what a warrior was for. Can't always go off alone, the she-cat thought.

When the time of the patrol came and she saw who else was going, Frog was even less excited to be assigned. Asterspark was leading the patrol with Firestone and Redwing. Frog hung a bit back from them all, keeping pace but visibly moping. When her former mentor's voice rang out, the young she-cat glared at him. You may as well have just called me out by name, Frog thought bitterly. After a moment of defiance, she growled, "Yeah, we get it. We aren't deaf." However, as they drew nearer to the Carrionplace, all Frog could think of was how easy it would be to sink her claws into a rat or two and slip back without anyone noticing.

The oldest of the group just took a glance at the younger warrior, flicking his tail a little annoyed by how bosy he was being. These young warriors these days knew nothing about life or respect to the more experienced cats in the clan. Just because he was Scorchstar's son it meant he had to act so mighty around his fellow clanmates and it was obvious that he was not the only one annoyed by this. "Relax, kit. I've been a warrior for longer than you and there's no need to be so strict on your own clanmates, you know?" He mewed trying to relieve the tension in the air between Frogmarsh and Asterspark.

Unlike the other warriors, Firestone had little to no interest in the future of the Carrionplace. As long as they had food in their lands, it was enough. The dark ginger tabby pressed his fur's against his daughter's when he noticed how sick she looked. Just by looking at her, he could easily recall the days Violetshine was like that... maybe she didn't know yet but for Firestone, it was clear what was going on with her. "If you feel too sick, don't be afraid to tell me. I'll carry you myself back to camp if it's needed, my little flower." The large tom purred softly to her as he made his way with the rest of the patrol.

Asterspark's ear flicked irritably at Frogmarsh's rather rude retort, which then began to grow warm with embarrassment at Firestone's comment. He hadn't tried to sound like he knew better than the senior warrior. "Er, okay, then, good. Let's go ahead and get this done so we can hunt a little for the Clan before returning back to camp."

(OOC: After everyone else posts with whatever thoughts or actions they may be thinking or doing, Frog will then be allowed to deviate from the patrol to enter Carrionplace, and I will initiate the sudden blaze that will engulf the place. Once that happens, sumashira will post immediately after that, even though it will break up the order of posting. :3)

Redwing sighed at the tension flaring up between the two warriors, wishing they could just get along. Was it really so hard to just follow their leader's orders? When her father leaned into her, she leaned back, enjoying the closeness of his warmth. Their dark red pelts merged, and it was hard to see where father ended and daughter began. It was nice to get to be with him... normally he was so busy. His offer was kind, but it made her feel self conscious. Had it really been that obvious she was feeling under the weather? "I'm sure I'll be fine, Dad," she purred, nuzzling his shoulder. "But thanks."

Not a moment after Frog had snapped her annoyance at her former mentor, another voice broke in to lightly chastise him. Frog looked gratefully at Firestone for a moment before giving Asterspark a smug look from her place at the back of the patrol. The tom looked a bit embarrassed by Firestone's rebuke, and Frog was thrilled about it. They carried on, Redwing and Firestone shoulder to shoulder and speaking softly to each other while Asterspark led them. The Carrionplace was much closer now, and Frog began to realize that soon she would have the perfect cover to separate from the group while they went on the mark the borders. They wouldn't even notice I'm gone, right? she thought.

Then the newly named warrior shook her head fiercely, as if to get rid of the idea. Firestone just stood up for me, Frog told herself, do I really want to make him look bad by doing what Asterspark - and Scorchstar - told me not to? The nearer they drew to the Carrionplace, however, her resolve to obey orders became weaker and weaker. Her striking green eyes sought out the piles and piles of compost and wreckage, hidden behind unreliable cold mesh that often got holes or was at least high enough off the ground for a cat to easily climb under. As the patrol continued on, Frog began to slow, searching harder for somewhere she could escape.

And then her opportunity came: the patrol slipped just out of sight and Frog took her change to dash soundlessly into a gap between some bushes. The gray warrior made her way as quickly and quietly as she could towards the growing stench of the Carrionplace, and the hints of rat and other vermin became more common, and she felt her claws itching in anticipation to sink into any of them. I've never eaten a rat that made me sick, Frog thought stubbornly. I bet it's easy to tell and everyone has just been too lazy to look. I'll make sure I only bring back good things - and a lot of it! Then Scorchstar will have to see there's no point banning hunting here.

Frog finally found a gap in the fence which she could squeeze under. I wonder how far the patrol has gotten, she thought. She tried to calculate where they might be based on where they were and how fast they'd been moving when she'd left them, but it was hard to think when the promise of prey was just right under her whiskers! I have plenty of time to catch stuff before they realize I'm gone, she told herself, and they'll be so impressed they won't be able to say anything! She knew that wasn't how it would go down, but she couldn't go through life asking questions like "is this a good idea" or "do they want me to do this"! She had to act! Frog found a promising heap of debris and began skirting it, slightly rummaging through the edges in hopes of finding something easy.

The tom just responded with a kind smile before Asterspark gave the final order for them to start doing their job. The diligent, senior warrior nodded, a little more relaxed now that it seemed that the younger tom didn't come out as too aggressive like last time. He stepped away from Redwing since they would cover more ground separated but always tried to keep her on sight while he marked the borders. Because of his sole focus on her, he didn't notice Frogmarsh disappearing in the marshes and just assumed she was with them.

After spraying his scent on one of the pine trees near the Carrionplace, Asterspark turned his head to do a quick headcount of his patrol. He spotted Redwing depositing her own scent by a large rock and Firestone much further back, but the black pelt of his former apprentice wasn't seen anywhere. With a long, exasperated groan, the young warrior turned and padded over to the father-and-daughter duo. "Firestone, Redwing, have either of you seen--?"

Unrecognizable shouts were suddenly heard from within the wire-bramble walls of Carrionplace, sounding much like Twolegs, and Asterspark flinched back in alarm. He hadn't expected Twolegs to come to a place like this. The shouting seemed to grow more and more desperate, and suddenly three adult Twolegs with messy pelts and long hair on their faces raced out through the entrance. Asterspark ran to and collided into Redwing, who was closer to him, shoving her aside before she could be trampled by the creatures' clumsy hind paws. He lashed his tail irritably and stood up, helping Redwing back up to her paws, glaring at the direction the Twolegs ran. Thankfully, they didn't run deeper into ShadowClan territory, but rather skirted around the marshes back into the direction of Twolegplace. I will never understand those creatures and their ridiculous antics...

He rather quickly caught a powerful scent. It smelled very smokey. He looked up and saw large, thick clouds of black smoke rising from within the Twoleg rubbish site. Within the nearly overpowering scent of smoke, he also caught a whiff of Frogmarsh's scent, and it led into Carrionplace. He growled and turned, ready to stalk right into Carrionplace to retrieve the disobedient warrior. He was sure Scorchstar was going to demote her back to apprentice status for an entire moon for deliberately disobeying him.

BOOM!

One minute, Asterspark had turned to begin walking into Carrionplace to retrieve Frogmarsh. Then there was a sudden white light followed by an explosion and a deafening explosion, the sheer force of the combustion sending him flying several tail-lengths back. Crashing into the ground on his side, he lay there completely stunned, his eyes tightly shut and his ears ringing. After what seemed like an eternity, he slowly opened his eyes and started breathing heavily, sluggishly stumbling back to his paws.

And with the shock of what had just happened fading away, with his senses flooding back to him, he could feel the excruciating burning pain in his right eye. Yet he couldn't see out of it!

With a howl of agony when his mind finally registered the pain, Asterspark collapsed to the ground again and covered his eye with both forepaws, kicking his hind legs out and thumping his tail hard against the ground. Whatever had caused that explosion of fire within Carrionplace, a piece of burning debris must have ricocheted right into his eye.

Wait! Frogmarsh is in there! Oh, StarClan, no!

Forcing himself to bear through the pain in his yellow eye, keeping it shut closed as his blue one squinted in pain, Asterspark stumbled back to his paws once again and turned to face the inferno that was now engulfing the entirety of Twolegplace. The place absolutely reeked with burning rubbish, and the terrified squeals of rats and screeches of crows filled the air, the stench of fear nearly making him pass out. Stumbling forward, tripping over his own uneven paws and the occasional rat that shoved passed him, he blindly made his way towards the burning entrance of Carrionplace. At that moment, nothing else mattered to him. He just needed to find his apprentice! "Frogmarsh! Frog! FROG! Answer me, Frog! Tell me you're alive! Oh, great StarClan, I can't lose you, too, please!"

Frog's ears listened attentively for the sounds of prey nearby as she skirted the piles of debris, hungry eyes scanning for signs of movement. She could scent them all around, but they seemed to know all the hiding places. It made sense; they lived there, after all. The warrior let out a grumble of frustration. Why is everything so close, yet so hard to find? she thought. The ShadowClan warrior continued to weave her way through the Carrionplace in hopes of finding prey when suddenly a stranger smell than prey began to grab her attention. The she-cat paused nearsome deposited Twoleg garbage to sniff the air when she realized that she could hear the sounds of shouting.

The gray warrior immediately hunkered down and climbed underneath a piece of debris as she realized that the Twolegs were coming right towards her, yowling things she couldn't understand. Frog's heart was pounding as they scrambled past her. As soon as they were out of sight she emerged, looking with a worried frown in the direction from which they had come. Not nearly enough distance away Frog saw a billowing plume of thick, black smoke beginning to ascend into the air. Though the source of the smoke wasn't visible from her point of low elevation, Frog knew exactly what smoke meant: fire. At least Twolegs have enough sense to stay away from fire, Frog thought.

And she was, too. Even rats weren't stupid enough to stay around something so dangerous. The gray warrior lifted her paw to head back towards the entrance, already trying to come up with an excuse for why she'd disappeared.

BOOM!

Frog had no time to think or react. One moment she had been turning away from the billowing smoke and the next a luminous wave of burning fumes and debris encased her, sending her sprawling several fox-lengths from where she had been with a choked and frightened cry. The initial burst only relented to hundreds of chaotic maws of flame. Cinders burned her throat and the fire burned all the oxygen out of the air while embers. Within moments, Frog's writhing and gagged cries of pain ceased. Her death was a few short moments of horrible pain - a direct consequence of her decision to disobey her leader that cost her the greatest price.

Redwing glanced up from where she was marking the border, surprised at Asterspark's tone. She shook her head- she hadn't seen the other warrior since they'd walked over to Carrionplace. Should they be concerned? She knew nothing about Frogmarsh... Was she the kind of cat to disobey their leader's direct order?

Then, strange noises coming from the pile of old debris startled her. What could be making those sounds? The second she saw the odd, scruffy-looking Twolegs scampering out, she noticed that she was in their path and it was too late to run. The warrior screwed her eyes shut, bracing for impact- then, something else tackled her to the side. Asterspark had pushed her out of the way. Though her body was racked with pain from her irregular landing, and her nausea immediately returned, Redwing was grateful for the tom's assistance when he helped her get back up. She opened her mouth to thank him- and then, she saw the smoke. Sensing the urgency of the moment, and realizing that Frogmarsh must have gone in, the young she-cat was right behind her friend as he ran to Carrionplace, hoping against hope that the she-cat in there saw the smoke.

BOOM!

With no warning whatsoever and only a split-second of blinding light, Carrionplace erupted in blazing flames. Smoke filled the air, and the heat was instantly oppressive. Since she'd been in the process of running towards it when the fire appeared,  a spark landed on her front paw and immediately caught fire. Screeching in panic, the long-furred warrior stamped her paw and waves it around a couple of times before remembering to roll it on the ground, snuffing out the worst of the flames. Her tail has caught fire as well, like a dry reed in the fire, but she managed to stop it before it got too bad. Once she'd stopped being on fire, Redwing caught sight of her friend running into the fire, screaming Frogmarsh's name. Oh, no.... If the she cat had been on there, there was no way she would have survived. But if she didn't get to him, the tom would die too!

Her mind made up, ignoring her charred-black paw, the young warrior scampered into the flaming piles of debris, keeping her eyes trained on the retreating tail in front of her. "Asterspark! Asterspark, come back!" Her voice was panicked and pleading as she raced through the fire, feeling her whiskers catch on the sparks but not caring. She had to save him. She couldn't let them both die. Not... after Poppyheart... She ran until she couldn't run anymore inhaling breath after breath of black, choking smoke, searching desperately for her friend. He couldn't die! Finally, she landed wrong on her burnt paw and toppled onto the ground, too nauseous and weak to run any further. The smoke had made her lungs weak, and she was struggling to breathe. It felt like something was squirming in her belly. "Please... Asterspark..." she begged hoarsely, eyes filling with tears from the stinging smoke and the pain and the thought of losing her last friend. "Please..."

Just like Redwing, the dark ginger tom shook his head. He had been so focused on marking the territory and on his daughter that he didn't catch a glimpse of the younger warrior. Asterspark seemed extremely worried and the tom couldn't get why since he wasn't sure about the kind of personality that Frogmarsh had. Firestone wanted to reach the grey tom's side and tell him that he didn't have to worry too much but before he could even give one step, a blinding light came from the Carrionplace accompanied with an explosion that made the ground underneath his paws trembled.

BOOM

The large warrior stumbled and lost his balance. He heard nothing but a buzzing in his large ears and his vision was blurry because of the sudden heat and smoke that started coming from the piles and piles crowfood. However, despite all that, the old warrior saw how the ginger fur of his daughter disappeared in those walls of smoke, leaving him alone. The senior warrior forced himself to push forward and stand up regardless of how unstable was he. Redwing was his only family left... he had to save her! Firestone started walking, at first slowly, but won strength as he entered the Carrionplace. "Redwing! Asterspark!" He yowled, not caring about the smoke that was entering his lungs. However, the only reply he got was the cries of pain and agony of a she-cat. Could it be his daughter or Frogmarsh? Firestone merely shook his head and kept walking. He couldn't start panicking now or all of them would die.

Running and avoiding the flames, the tom finally found Redwing, laying on the ground, calling for their lost patrol leader. With his big jaws, the tom grabbed her by the scruff and forced her to stand up on her four legs. "Redwing! You need to get out of here now or not only your life will be lost today!" He said not referring to only Asterspark and Frogmarsh, but to the kits that she was carrying in her belly. The tom carried her as fast as he could and when they were a few paw steps away from the exit, he let go of her and pushed her to go on. "Go and run away from the smoke. I'll go and find Asterspark. You're wounded and you're too young to die here, unlike me. I won't give up until I find him."

Not letting the she-cat complain, the dappled warrior rushed once again into the burning Carrionplace, thinking that he would find Asterspark as fast as he did with Redwing. But the smoke was burning his lungs and each step was getting harder and harder to do. His vision was getting both blurred by the dark air and his dizzy mind but the senior warrior kept going. It was not the first time he dealt with fire... Making his way through the flames and smoke, he finally heard the voice of a cat. Following it, he finally found Asterspark, who was searching for Frogmarsh. Did he not hear her cries of pure pain fading away? The she-cat was most likely dead... but they weren't. The large warrior closed his jaws around the scruff of the younger warrior and shoved back, not noticing for a few seconds that in that swing, his paw was burning. The tom let out a yelp and waved his paw desperately until the fire was over, yet there was no more ginger hair around but burned black one. Letting out a hiss, he faced the other warrior. "Asterspark! We must come back before you get us both killed! Frogmarsh is gone! I heard her voice before it disappeared in the flames... she died but we're not going to die here!"

Asterspark could've sworn he had heard Redwing and Firestone call out for him, but if they had, he ignored them. He couldn't leave Frog here to die! He needed to rescue her and bring her back home where he could care for her and apologize to her for being such a rotten mentor and cat to her. He needed to make things right! He was such a fool for waiting so long to do it, but he needed to make things right with his apprentice!

It wasn't until he felt teeth in his scruff pulling him back that he was broken by his own trance of despair and desperation to find the molly. He stared up helplessly at Firestone from where he lay on the ground, looking completely broken, both physically and emotionally. He wanted to shake his head no, to tell Firestone that he was wrong and that Frog was still out there. But from the moment he was released from his mindset and clarity finally found an opening to wash over him, he knew in his heart that it was already too late. Frog was gone.

Tears started streaming down Asterspark's cheeks, both from his burnt, blinded one and his remaining good one, the tears mixing with the ashes that blanketed over his fur. He had lost yet another loved one. Yes, he had loved Frog with all his heart. He was just too sour and grouchy to ever treat her the way he was supposed to have treated her. Maybe, if the two of them were closer than they had been, he wouldn't feel nearly as guilty.

But now, what was done was done. The two toms couldn't afford to stay here any longer, or else they would both perish as well. That would do ShadowClan no favors. He stumbled back up to his paws, beginning to cough heavily as he finally realized all the smoke that was being inhaled into his lungs, and, after mustering all the rest of the strength he had, raced out of the blazing Carrionplace alongside Firestone as quickly as he could.

The remaining members of the patrol had to tell Scorchstar about this once they returned back to camp.