Thunder crashes [TC Flood Topic]

Falconwing shot awake, water pooling around her paws. What? This is more than rain, for sure. Cold chilled through her short tabby pelt, along with an instinct rippling along her spine. Something very bad is about to happen. My kits! Flintfang! I have to warn them! The leader, too! I have long legs and a quick body. Rising to her paws, she yowled at the top of her deep lungs. "Everyone! Wake up!" After nudging her mate firmly and affirming that everyone was at least beginning to wake, she sped to the middle of camp to call out again. "Everyone! Wake up! Get OUT!" Crawling into the apprentices' den, she wasted no time in attempting to wake up the young cats. "Water's everywhere!"

Mosspaw was enjoying a dream, stalking through the forest after the scent of a mouse. As she drew close to the critter, she crouched, but right before her leap she suddenly felt…. Water? There’s no reason for water to be here… Slowly blinking her eyes open with a yawn, she heard her mother's voice and shot up, realizing that the water was still present at her paws.
"...Mom?.. Why is there... water?... A quiver of fear wobbled in the apprentice's voice as she nudged her sister awake before pushing her way out of the den. A gasp escaped her throat as she looked around the camp, seeing that the water stretched across it as even more crashed down the sides of the gorge. Pushing back the wail of terror that rose in her throat, she looked around for her father and Emberheart. As she looked, her eyes caught sight of the medicine den. She looked to her mother and flicked her tail towards the medicine den, water droplets flying from it as she did. "I'll go see if Pricklebush needs help!" She then charged through the water towards it, poking her head in.
"Pricklebush, the camp is full of water. Is there anything I can do to help you?" She offered to the medicine cat, trying to steady her voice and ignore the cold pull of the water at her belly.

Flintfang awoke to a nudge, and blearily made out Falconwing's panicked face in the gloom. The young warrior blinked twice and came to a realization. Water? It swarmed around his paws, washing his moss nest away and tugging at the tom's fur. Flintfang's sleep had been replaced with a cold, hard fear. "Falconwing!" The tom shouted, splashing out of the warrior's den in pursuit of his mate. The sight of the clearing horrified the tom, the usual sandy floor was now submerged under a rushing river, it lapped at the walls of the nursery, bubbled at the bases of trees and surged over bumps and ripples. It felt like a fever dream, was this even real?
With a sigh of relief, Flintfang noticed his daughter, Mosspaw, running off to the medicine den. You better stay safe, kit... The tom spoke silently, fear for the apprentice rising in his heart. Fighting back denial, Flintfang ran to Falconwing's side, gray tabby fur slicked against his frame. "You look for Lilypaw! I need to find Dewpaw!" The tom's shout was barely heard over the rushing water. His green eyes grew wide in horror as he thought of the countless other cats still in their dens. What did Thunderclan do to deserve this? "WAKE UP!" Flintfang shouted across the clearing, blood roaring in his ears. Starclan, you foxhearts.

Leopardstar.....wake up...it's time to go...

Jolting upright in his nest with a sharp gasp, Leopardstar could instantly feel the weight of...something cold tugging at his fur, sapping away at the limited warmth his curled body still held.  He could hear a she-cat's voice in the distance, her alarm resonating deep within his chest.  "Everyone! Wake up! Get OUT!"

"Water's everywhere!"

"Wha-!"  It was true; the golden tom's den was quickly filling with muddy, foul-smelling water, and his nest was almost completely absorbed.  The Highrock's cave was carved out by a stream current during the time their Gorge home had been a part of the river, and thus it was lowered a bit compared to the ground outside, making it a prime place for water to gather, as he was now learning.  Realizing that it was now or never, his mossy nest beginning to flatten and drift apart, Leopardstar crouched down and leaped halfway across the den, landing in the water with a splash but with a much more solid footing.  How...is this happening?  The river must've flooded because of all the rain, but...oh no.  Heart racing against time, the leader waded as quickly as he could out into the clearing and looked up towards the camp entrance.  Water flowed down their path out like a calm waterfall, trying to reclaim what was once it's own.

"T-ThunderClan, THUNDERCLAN!  WAKE UP!  The camp is flooding, we must leave now!"  Hazel eyes wide as full moons, he saw out of the corner of his eye Falconwing, who was ducking into the apprentice's den.  "Falconwing, make sure they get up and out!  I'll wake the others!"  By now he could hear the shocked sounds of cats waking in the warrior's den, so Leopardstar turned his attention elsewhere, dashing towards the nursery and shoving his head through the bramble-lined entrance.  "Wake up, the camp is flooding!  Grab the kits and go, before the water gets any stonger!"  Backing out once again, he raced towards his last destination, water spraying in his wake.  Oh StarClan, please let her be okay, please, give her strength!  "LICHENFANG!"  His voice rang out, as loud as possible, as he glanced into the solitary elder's den, seeking out the form of his beloved half-deaf mate.  "GET OUT, NOW!"  He knew she could swim, but with her bum leg, she was definitely out of practice.  Chest rising and falling rapidly, he could feel the familiar sensation of crushing anxiety begin to press down upon him, and he stumbled out of the elder's den back into the main clearing.  "Wh-where is Marshstorm!?"  He needed his deputy, his judgement...he couldn't do this alone.

Emberheart was woken by Falconwing's yowl, confused as to what could possibly be going on. Were they being attacked? Rising to her paws, she looked around at her Clanmates to find them half-soaked by the rising water. The camp was flooding. "Oh, StarClan," she whispered, staring at the sky. She wasn't sure if she was praying to them or asking why they'd let something like this happen: quite possibly both. Then, suddenly, she realized: the nursery. She moved in that direction, hoping that at least some of the kits and queens were already awake. "Wake up!" she yowled as she raced to the nursery as fast as her paws would carry her.

As she grabbed the kit closest to her, Leopardstar's voice rang through the camp. She didn't need to be told twice, moving away from the water. She wanted to turn back, to make sure her own kits and Mosspaw were alright, but she knew better than to try. This was dangerous, they had to run.
~
"Water's everywhere!"

Batpaw jolted awake, and found that Falconwing was right: it was everywhere. She'd never seen anything like it, and she raced out of the den, looking around for her brothers. Where were they? She missed sharing a den, now she had to actually search for them. "Lynxtail! Copperheart!" Then, a few moments later: "Dad... No... Leopardstar!" She spotted her father then, as he was dashing into the nursery and shouting that they needed to leave immediately, before the water rose any further, but even as she followed his instructions as best she could - her small size proved to be a disadvantage when it came to trying to traverse the floodwater - she was still searching for her siblings.

Pricklebush had a dream. He was traversing the territory, scanning the ground for herbs, enjoying the newleaf sunlight, when suddenly his paws felt wet. He looked down, and river water was lapping at him, rising from the banks to reach his territory. He tried to run, but the water rose steadily and swallowed him up, sending him tumbling down into its endless expanses...

He awoke, breathing heavily, to find his dream a reality. Water flowed into his den, and across the whole camp from what he could see in one panicked second. One of the apprentices, Mosspaw, ran in to wake him up, offering her help. He glanced around at the stores of herbs that had taken so long to collect, then shook his head violently. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine! Get the kits and other apprentices. Get out and save yourself!" His voice was terse, urgent, as he shoved her desperately out of his overflowing den and splashed out into camp, with one look behind him at his herbs flowing away in the flood. Narrowing his eyes in concentration, he ran into the nursery and grabbed two random kits by their scuffs before running back out. He had to go. They had to go. Now. "Everyone, run! Get the kitth!" he yowled, around the two scraps of precious fur in his mouth.

Birdflight stumbled out of the warrior's den. Everything was chaotic. Cats were running around in panic. Their camp was flooding! The warrior felt fear rise in her throat. She rushed to the nursery to help evacuate the kits.

Lynxtail awoke to the sound of chaos. Heart racing, he instinctively reached for his brother with one paw, searching in the darkness for the tom's now-sodden pelt. "Copperheart! Wake up!" He tried to keep his voice calm, but couldn't stop it from rising in volume. "Listen! You find Batpaw, a-and the others!"
By now, Lynxtail was on his feet. He stumbled around the den, shaking much older warriors by the shoulder. "Beartooth! Wake up," He pawed at his mentor's side. By Starclan, why are you such a heavy sleeper..."

Suddenly, Lynxtail's large ears snapped into focus. It was as if he had been hearing everything from far away- but no longer. The screams and cries from the clearing were evident, and Pricklebush's voice rang clear. Get the kits!"
There were kits in the nursery.
Without another thought, the young warrior launched himself out of the den. He raced towards the nursery, his eyes wide with relief as he saw a steady stream of warriors now leaving their nests.
Eyes narrowing, he searched the den for any remaining kits. Spying one huddled near the back of the den, he plunged into the deep water at the back of the nursery. Grabbing their scruff proved difficult, but a few moments later the tabby warrior emerged from the nursery with the small, sodden scrap of fur in tow.

Leaving the nursery, Lnxtail saw a small black figure being battered to and fro by the current. "Batpaw! Don' move! I'm right here!" He didn't dare run for fear of dropping the kit, but he hurried as best he could to his sister's side nonetheless. "Copperheart... where's Copperheart?" This was bad... In the chaos, he didn't remember his brother stirring...

He looked around. The water was rising- he and Batpaw were standing on a boulder that was quickly becoming an island. He feared that Batpaw wouldn't be able to survive the current, but he couldn't support her and risk losing the kit...
A familiar golden pelt flashed in the corner of Lynxtail's eye. Instinctively, the brown tom called out to him. "Father!" He cried. "Where's Copperheart?"

The feeling of a soaked pelt wasn't new to Marshstorm these past few nights. The biting chill sunk into his pelt as he curled up tighter in his sleep in an attempt to ward off the cold. A sense of unease made his muscles tense as cold washed over him. With a startled jolt, his head lifted only to see water pouring into the den. His amber eyes widened in shock as he spent only a second processing the current event before leaping to his paws. Falconwing's yowl ringing in his ears as he padded around shoving his denmates into wakefulness. Once or twice using a very hard shove to wake the heaviest sleepers before he padded to the den entrance.

"THUNDERCLAN! Get up the gorge, NOW!" He yowled behind him. Forcing his voice through a clenched chest as his mind raced towards the medicine den. Dustcloud. At the same time, he thought about his kits. They are apprentices, healthy and strong, but Dustcloud... The thought alarmed him as he dashed towards the medicine den. He looked at Pricklepaw's stores with concern as he nuzzled his mate. "Pricklebush, we'll have to find more herbs elsewhere." He felt awful for the realisation as he struggled to get the she-cat onto his back in such a way that he could carry her at least part of the way. The herbs could save cats... but the flood waters would kill them all if they waited around to grab them.

He paused only when he heard Leopardstar calling for him. His ears pinned back against the pouring rain as he looked to awakening cats.
"Over here!" He yowled out to Leopardstar over the din of water and voices. Eyes narrowed against the falling water to see... Leopardstar at the elders den? Of course! Lichenfang! He padded, though it felt more like wading now towards Leopardstar. "I've got Dustcloud, Pricklebush is gathering the kits!" He called, despite being fairly close to the golden tom. The noise of water drowning out most of the sound. "I've roused the warriors den! Falconwing has the apprentice den!" Amber eyes flicked upwards towards the sky. He couldn't tell what time it was, if it was morning or too far into the night. The darkness of the sky was unyielding as he tried to figure out the patrols. "The morning patrol hadn't been assigned yet, the evening patrol should have been back before this." He concluded with confidence. He had been sound asleep at first, which meant the last of warriors would have hopefully settled.

The weight of Dustcloud's body on his began to feel heavier as her pelt became as soaked as his own. He'd need help getting her up the gorge path, but dragging her in the rain wasn't an option. It would be too easy for his grip to be lost.
"Leopardstar, we must go!" He looked towards fleeing cats. "Some cat help Leopardstar with Lichenfang!"

Mosspaw nodded quickly towards Pricklebush, casting a quick glance at the herbs behind him before letting herself be pushed back out of the den. Already many of the others had woken up, and she froze as she looked between the other cats. She picked out Emberheart and some others helping the kits, and she sighed in relief that they were all okay. She ran up to Flintfang and pressed her head into his shoulder briefly. That's when she noticed Lynxtail with Batpaw and a kit, and she forced her way through the current to them. Choking back a cry as the current surged, threatening to rip her off her feet, she finally reached the three on the boulder. Laying her tail on the young warriors shoulder, she mewed.

"Batpaw and I can support each other so you can focus on the kit. Looking to Batpaw, she gestured with her tail in the direction the others were heading. "Let's go together! After waiting for Batpaw to be ready, she begins to walk against the current with her.

When Lynxtail and Copperheart got their warrior names, Ferretpaw knew hers wasn't far behind. She was days away from a trip to the Moonstone with Pricklebush. After that, she would join the warrior den. She was joyful about the entire ordeal. She felt like she had finally earned her place after moons of hard work, despite how little she felt her clanmates thought of her. There was nothing she could do but wait for her time to come. She dreamt of old souls whispering the secrets of moons past to her. She wondered what they said... she leaned in to listen...

YOWL!

"THUNDERCLAN, WAKE UP!"

Intruders in the camp! In a terrified flurry of fur and claws, Ferretpaw leaped up, watching the other apprentices dash out of the den, water spraying up into her face. Water..? She looked down, her heart swallowing her throat and taking over her mind. It was up to her mid-legs. It was up to her short, muscular legs that never learned to swim. She heard the roar of the water cascading over the walls of the camp, misting her vision. How did this happen?! What could have possibly happened! The river was only covering Sunningrocks just yesterday! She was alone in the den, frozen, face whipping around the brambles. Her funny eye didn't help. Disoriented, she looked for an opening in the brambles. She was going to drown in the apprentice den, never see beyond Fourtrees, never fight in a real attack, never hear her warrior title.

I am going to die.

I am going to drown.

I am all alone.

... No.

Ferretpaw yowled ferociously and clawed through the wall, cutting up her paws as she squeezed through. Her pelt was shredded by the time she climbed out. Panting, she ran towards Pricklebush, the only face she could find in the fray. She bopped his side to get his attention. "We need to stick together, or we'll all drown in here!" she yelled above the panic, "You need help! Come on, we're getting the kits out of here!"

Poppypaw's sleep was becoming more and more disturbed as his apprenticeship dragged on. Dreams of himself being deemed too weak for ThunderClan taunted the tom as he twisted and turned in his nest, watching those stupid kits his father had with that kittypet Emberheart gain their warrior names before him. In one flip, he was jolted awake as he flopped into a puddle. Before he could register what was going on, he spat, "What is this? RiverClan?" He looked around, expecting to see a bunch of fish-faces in yet another dream, but instead, his panicked Clanmates were wading through the flooded camp. Unresponsive to the yowls around him, he pushed his way out of the den. The red-brown tom watched in silence as the water crept up his legs. For a few moments he didn't move.

How... How was this happening? Poppypaw moved up and through the camp's entrance, the brambles being washed free of their roots. They couldn't stay here. He turned and called down to the cats still in camp, gaze directed towards Leopardstar and Marshstorm. "Where do we go?" He kept his voice firm and free of fear, though the water at his paws made him sick to his stomach. They needed somewhere to shelter, somewhere far away from the foul-scented water. He couldn't let himself bow to the trembling heart in his chest, nor feed the desire to run and abandon his clan. Even if many of them were absolutely infuriating.

"I don't know Lynxtail, I haven't seen him!"  Though he tried to make his voice even and calm, panic still rang clearly from the golden tom's statement, and he began to look around for any sign of his other adopted son.  He could see Birdflight, thank StarClan, and Batpaw, who was getting help from Mosspaw.  I need to think of the whole clan...but please Grasswhisker, let him be safe!  Finally, to his utmost relief, he heard Marshstorm's voice sound through the din, and turned to see the brown tabby tom with his mate Dustcloud slung over his back.  "Oh, you're safe!"  Despite the circumstances, Leopardstar smiled for a moment, before returning to his normal serious expression as he listened to Marshstorm's report.  "Okay, good.  I think then...we're all warned."  As help was requested for Lichenfang's sake, Leopardstar felt a twinge in his heart as a warrior stepped forward to guide her; he should've been the one to help her, but he had other responsibilities right now.  He needed to put the clan first.  "THUNDERCLAN!  Follow Marshstorm to the top of the Gorge, we need to hurry!  I'll remain here and make sure no one is left behind!"  His voice rang around the camp, an order for all.  "I'll meet you at the top."

Spotting her apprentice's pale pelt among the chaos, Falconwing called out once again. "Lilypaw! Hurry up, follow the others!" She paused for a moment, yellow eyes sweeping over the camp to see if there were any other cats that needed assistance. She wasn't a strong swimmer, but she was tall and swifter than many of her Clanmates. I should stay behind and help Leopardstar. If there are multiple cats that need help he can't save them all at once. Darting to Leopardstar's side, the quickly rising water near her belly, she spotted a (NPC) kit, flailing around in the water. Plunging forward, fighting the current with claws extended to try to find some purchase in the soaked ground, she grabbed the kit's scruff, lifting him above the small waves. The water's getting too high. I have to make it. She had overestimated her ability to fight through the water. Her legs were long but designed for running on the dry ground, not wading through waves. Her breath caught as a paw slipped, but she quickly regained grip and continued fighting for the entrance, the water near her chin and the roaring from the sides of the gorge ringing in her ears.

(OOC: Heh, Falconwing's just going to casually almost drown, she'll manage to get out on her own but if anyone wants to jump in and help you're welcome to. Also NPC kit death for character development)