Shadows fall, Hope is lost [SC Flood Topic]

Crowfur awoke with a jolt as he felt water beginning to wet his coat. The sounds of Thornbriar's yowling also helped with waking him. The camp was flooding?! He jumped up and began to run out. "Everyone! The camp's flooding! Help the elders and kits!" His voice boomed more that Thornbriar's so he had decided to help call out to everyone. The tom saw the she-cat race to the nursery. He decided to go to the elder's den.

"Father! Curlyfeather! Wake up you two! The camp's flooding! I need to get you both to saftey!" The tom knew Curly couldn't hear him but he couldn't help but cry out her name as well. He then began to nudge them up. Curly would figure out what was happening as soon as she was fully awake.

Having been fast asleep, the sudden yowls sent Slatestrike's head to shoot up. What in the world... Looking around, cats began to arise and race out of the den and the panic in their voices told him something interesting was happening. Jumping up, the abnormally large warrior looked down to his paws, which were now under water. A flood?

Following the cats out of the warrior's den at a slower pace, he looked around to see that the rest of the camp had been flooded as well. Rain poured down onto the clan and a bolt of lighting momentarily lit up the night sky. Turning back to gaze at the den, he waited for Burntstag, wondering what to do, besides panic, which the rest of the clan seemed to have handled.

”H-Huh?... Wha...?” Dazed and incredibly tired, Asterspark lifted up his head, blinking slowly. It only took him a few moments to recognize the strange coldness surrounding him. Looking down and pawing at the rising water for a few moments, the gravity of the situation finally him him like a tackling badger.

With a shrill help, the tom leaped up from his nest, which was now soggy and halfway underwater. ”What in StarClan’s name is going on?!” he cried. Looking up at Thornbriar, he quickly realized just why she was there: she needed help saving the kits. Stars above, Redwing would need help escaping, too. He couldn’t let either of them or their children die! ”L-Let’s hurry.” was all he said before sloshing out of the den past Thornbriar towards the nursery.

---

”Cats of ShadowClan!” Scorchstar yowled from the top of the Jaggedrock. He had awoken to a submerged nest and a soggy pelt from the legs down, and he had a good idea of just what was going on. It was StarClan’s prophecy; it was coming true! The camp was flooding, threatening to drown and trap every last cat. But he wasn’t going to let that happen! Not while he was standing!

”Cats of ShadowClan! Evacuate the camp!” he yowled again so that the sleeping cats would be awoken by his booming voice. He then began giving out orders to any cat he saw. ”Asterspark, Thornbriar, help the rest of the queens evacuate the kits. Wildstrike, Burntstag, help Morningpaw salvage and carry as many of her herbs as you can. Get more warriors to help you if you need it. Warriors, round up your apprentices. Crowfur and I will handle the elders. Evacuate the territory and head towards WindClan; they have higher ground.”

With that, he leaped down from Jaggedrock, splashing into the freezing water below, and waded as quickly as he could towards the elders’ den to meet up with his older brother. ”Rowantalon!” he called out to his father.

Mothpaw woke to find herself half-soaked, her sister's also soaking-wet paw having just slammed into her face. "I'm awake, I swear! Please don't hurt... Silentpaw? What's goin' on?" she asked sleepily, lifting herself up. It felt like she was standing in the marsh, almost, but less... Marsh-y, and more like a very large, very deep puddle. Had they somehow wound up floating into the river while asleep? She looked around, finding that it seemed more like the river had somehow found its way into the camp, and her mind finally registered Silentpaw's words. "A flood...?" Suddenly, she could hear Thornbriar's yowl, and if she was only partially awake before she was certainly wide awake after that. "A flood?" she asked again, now more concerned and less confused. "Where's Dad? Does he know? He's gotta know what to do, right?"

Laurel paw woke to a thoroughly soaked pelt her curly fur limo and heavy as the apprentice pulled herself to her paws hearing her great grandfather's voice. It stirred the young apprentice into motion as she stumbled from the apprentices den fur heavy with water as she attempted to shake some out at first but to no avail.

Littlepaw stumbled to her paws each time she moved water splashed and soaked her under-belly, blinking her eyes rapidly she looked around the apprentice den, fear slowly filling her as water continued to rush into camp. They didn't have much time. Water sloshed just a little past her ankles as she rushed to hear Scorchstars orders. What could she do? Her brother was told to help Morningpaw, while her mentor was told to help the kits and queens. There were seven kittens, two queens, and two warriors helping, they would be fine and she didn't want to get under paw. Then there was Morningpaw, Burntstag, and Wildstrike, they were helping salvage the herbs, and with leaf-bare just coming to an end, there wouldn't be much to grab. Crowfur and Scorchstar were escorting the elders, one each. Was there really nowhere she was needed? A whine escaped her throat as she set her eyes on the camp entrance, her green eyes narrowing. The camp entrance was too narrow for large parties to get through easily. Puffing out her fur she charged towards the entrance, pressing her body against it and pushing forwards, moving fragile but dense brush to the side like a small monster.

Once out on the other side, she ran towards Windclan, she would be no help in camp, the only way she could be of any use is if she followed her leader's orders and ran to Windclan like she was told. She'll help any cats that stumbled or needed her aid along the way, she'll do her best because that's all that she could do for Shadowclan.

"Thornbriar?!" Tanglekit shouted, fear rising in his throat. He had awoken to a soaked pelt in the darkened nursery. What's happening? The tall kit took note of his siblings beside him, equally soaked and wet. "Come on Sablekit!" The tom mewed, grabbing her scruff in an effort to hoist his sister from the nursery. It was no easy task, as Sablekit was almost as big as Tanglekit himself. "Where's Thornbriar!?" The ginger kit mewed in panic, diving back into the nursery to help the rest of his siblings. The rushing current seemed to lap at his paws and threaten to sweep him away, and, while Tanglekit was almost apprentice-aged himself, he didn't have the size to show for it. Tears begun to fall from the kit's eyes as he swung his head around, looking for his brother and sisters. "Come on guys! We need to go! Come on!" His voice cracked and his legs began to shake, the fear was too much for the poor kit. "Help!" He wailed, terrified.

"Mama!"
Brackenkit awoke with a start, floundering in the darkness. "Mama, help me! I can't-" She suddenly inhaled a mouthful of water and lapsed into spluttering silence, fear making her vision blurry. She didn't like this. Stifling a sob of fear, the pointed she-kit crawled to the back of the den, where she was certain nobody would find her. Let this be over soon...

More water washed over her small body and she coughed, her small lungs working to force the water out of them.

---

Rowantalon stumbled to his feet, his murky hazel eyes wide. "Crowfur? I- what's going on?" He turned just as his second son burst into the den.
There was water everywhere. The spotted tom shook his head as wails from the nursery reached his ears. "Don't waste your time with an old badger like me- I'll help Curlyfeather, you two go!" He nudged the she-cat to her feet, half-carrying her outside the den. "Get to high ground- I'll be right back." He nudged her before running towards the nursery, propelling himself forward with strength he didn't know he still possessed. "The kits! Did you get all the kits?" Without waiting for a response the dark tom pushed into the den.
A small, white scrap of fur was curled up at the back of the den. Wheezing, the elder half-swam to her side, grabbing her in his jaws and struggling to escape the now-flooded nursery. He couldn't tell if the kit was breathing...

Two trees had fallen, creating a sort of river- shallow, but still dangerous, especially for a weaker cat. With a strangled cry, the elder launched himself into the stream. It came up to his elbows, but the current was strong- in his prime, he could've braved it easily. Now, it was a struggle to even reach halfway across. "S-someone!" He yelped. "Help the kit!" Was she breathing? It was hard to tell. With a grunt, he forced his legs onward, his claws scrabbling against stones for purchase. He was nearly there now...
He reached higher ground, but something was wrong. His legs were growing numb. The bank carved by the torrential floodwater was steep. "Take her." He mewed, passing the she-kit to a concerned cat standing on the bank. He tried desperately to clamber onto the bank after the cat but only made it halfway before sliding back into the water, slipping as the current pulled him eagerly away from his clanmates.
He wasn't going to make it.

He peered around, his front legs still on the riverbank. The elder suppressed an affectionate smile as he saw that his clanmates were working together, even in the face of danger. Shadowclan was strong- they would rebuild. The only thing that pained him now was that he wouldn't get to see it.
His paws began to slip.
"Goodbye," He mewed. He wasn't even sure anybody heard it.
The old tom lost his purchase and cascaded down the current, ending up pinned between a mountain of water and a boulder. Even as his lungs filled with water, he swore he saw his mentor reaching for him.

Mosskit jumped up cold and wet. He let out a gasp and his best flowed apart and merely washed out of the den beneath him. He looked around the dim nursery and dig his thorn sharp kitten claws into the muddy ground. He let out a shrill squeal and looked around. Kits and Warrior were dashing all around him. He found himself paddling and fear made him freeze. Water splashed into his face and he spat out some mud and shook his head to clear the mukry water out of his eyes before he felt the current shifting. His back legs fell and he tried to jump up into the air, closing his eyes right and wishing this was just a dream. Then he landed with a splash.

His head went under water and he took seemingly the whole river. He chocked and gasped for air and his paws flew churning despretly in the water but it was too strong. The river carried him out of the den and he stopped rowing. He let out one more cough before everything went black.

Wildstrike woke up, his fur was wet and he quickly jumped to his feet and rushed out just as Scorchstar yelled out orders, once his brother were done he rushed to the medicine den to help out with the herbs, he looked at Morningpaw quickly before he picked up a pile of herbs and turned to follow the clan towards Windclans territory when he saw his fathers body dissappearing with the flood "Father, no!" he cried out with the herbs still in his mouth, as he took a step forward to follow after the old tom he slipped. He gulped as he realized that his father was beyond saving, if he tried to save him he himself could end up dead, as tears began streaming down his face he yelled out after the tom "I love you." hoping that his father had heared him he turned away and began making his way out of camp while he kept looking around for Thornbriar, he wanted to help her with the kits but Scorchstar had told him to help out with saving the herbs so he'd do just that...



Minnowcall looked around the den as she woke up, she let out a cough and slowly forced herself up in a sitting position, the camp was filled of paniced screams, she coughed once more and looked around. "Scorchstar?" she called out, her eyes searching for her mate, she had already realized that she were gonna die here, shortly after her mate had lost a life to the sickness she had gotten worse, she were so weak now "Scorchstar?" she called out once again, her voice hoarse. She tried to stand up but quickly slipped and fell onto the ground, her mouth and nose filled with water, she forced herself to sit back up again and coughed loudly. Where was he? Where was her mate?

Silverpaw twitched his ears, his face screwed up in the midst of a dream. He was in a giant cave of ice, the giant crystal-like structures above casting a glowing light across the floor. It was perhaps the most beautiful place he'd ever seen. Drawing in a breath of the crisp, cold air, he choked, coughing instead of breathing. It was as if there was no air to breath. All of a sudden screeches and yowled echoed around the cave, rattling the crystals. He coughed again, this time a bright white light interrupting his dream. He sat up with a jolt. Why was his pelt wet? Looking around, he saw the den almost empty, a few apprentices reaming. Then realization hit him in the face. "OH MY STARCLAN!" He screeched, feeling a strong surge of water almost knock him off his feet. Getting up, he raced over to the other apprentices, desperately nudging them awake. "Wake up!" He yowled, hoping his voice was loud enough.

He ran outside and saw the many pelts of the other Shadowclan cats fleeing the camp. Where would they go!? Not thinking, Silverpaw rushed into the midst, shoving cats out of the way. He pointed his head as he heard Scorchstar yowling from the JaggedRock that Shadowclan cats were to evacuate the camp. " Thornbrair? Thornbriar where are you?" Silverpaw called, finally stopping when he saw his mentor helping Asterspark with the kits and queens. Knowing he would be more of a nuisance then a help, he fled with the remaining cats in the camp.

It wasn't long until he was swept under the current, being pushed along with the strong surges of water. "He-help!" He screeched, his voice stuttering. Once again, he was wept under the water. He struggled under the restraining current. He felt his body hitting rocks and trees, and maybe even the bodies of other cats before he hit his head off a rock. It was then he knew he wouldn't make it. He could feel the blood seeping from his wound, and he stopped struggling. He felt himself drifting into unconsciousness, the edges of his vision eventually fading to black.

Ravenmist shot awake at the cold feeling of water swirling around her paws, and leaped to her feet in a panic, as Thornbirar began to call. Very quickly more cats joined in, as she sped out of the warriors' den. The cries reached a din that pierced her sensitive ear fur, causing her to shake her head and try to orient herself to the way out of camp. Pausing for a moment as her father's voice rose to call out to the camp, she listened to his orders to evacuate. I don't have an apprentice. I'm blind and can't swim. I can't even see cats who need help. StarClan, I hate feeling helpless. Rushing towards the entrance to the camp, she worried for a moment. ShadowClan's territory is low. We will have to leave the territory to escape the waters. I've never been outside of it save trips to Gatherings. Letting out a heavy sigh, she stopped, realizing she had become disoriented while in her thoughts. The water's messing with my sense of how camp feels! Which way is the exit? The water was nearly brushing her stomach fur, as the swung her head around, trying to get a sense of where everything was. Her tail hit Jaggedrock, and she breathed out, relieved. Confidence renewed, she waded out of camp, finding a higher lump of ground and waiting. The most I can do is survive.