A Long Awaited Reunion (East Shore)

Everything had changed so rapidly. One minute, ShadowClan and the cats that made up the Clan were doing just fine, going along their merry way -- well, as well as they could have managed anyway with the Carrionplace catching fire, the territory becoming infested with rats, and Scorchstar losing his first life. Then all of a sudden, the camp began to flood, and the cats were all washed out of their own home, becoming separated by the harsh muddy waves. Many of Asterspark's Clanmates have gone missing. While some have managed to escape the flooding and fled to Highstones, others that were caught by the strong currents were nowhere to be found. Hopefully none of them perished.... Well, besides his poor grandfather Rowantalon anyway.

Some of ShadowClan's warriors have been separated and are now mingled with a few cats from the other four Clans as well in a strange place that seemed close to a Twolegplace. Was the territory they were now in the Twolegplace, the one near SkyClan territory? If so, then their home wouldn't be too far off from there. But somehow, Asterspark doubted that this Twolegplace and SkyClan's Twolegplace were the same Twolegplace. Which probably means I won't be able to find Poppyheart at this rate.... Stars, I hope he survived the flood wherever he is now. Please, StarClan, don't let my brother be dead.

Now, Asterspark was padding along the upper ground next to a rather large mass of flood water with drifting debris bobbing along the murky surface. He had offered to hunt for what little prey he could find around here after the flood — though in reality he was mainly hoping to somehow come across his brother who had been missing for nearly a moon and a half now. Hunting did seem like the best excuse to separate himself from his father, who had also been found nearby — thankfully not dead — but was also trying to keep a very close eye on him. After all, he had been separated by his lifetime mate Minnowcall during the flood. He couldn’t help but feel empathetic for his father; he knew just what it was like to lose a loved one. Not only that ... but as much as he disliked Minnowcall after what she had done, he didn’t want her to die. And of course, the same went for his true mother Blazeflight. He didn’t know where she had gone either, but if luck was on everyone’s side after this whole ordeal, she was already safe and well at Highstones.

Shaking his head quite vigorously, Asterspark forced the thoughts to the back of his mind. Right now, he needed to focus on finding Poppyheart — and yes, he needed to find some prey as well to live up to the excuse he had made to his father. Hearing a noise and scenting something familiar, the half-blinded tom turned his head to find a rather large rat nestled on top of one of the floating pieces of wood bobbing along the dirty water. He grimaced. Yeah, I don’t think so. I remember what you and your ‘Clan’ did to Scorchstar. I’m not gonna risk getting anyone sick again, not if I can help it. Shooting the rat a hostile, murderous glare, as if that one single rat had been the cause of Scorchstar losing his first life to its disease, Asterspark padded on in search of something else.

What he found instead made him wish he had settled with the rat instead.

A large brown-and-black dog with long limbs and pointed ears lifted up its head once it caught Asterspark’s scent and stared at him for only a couple heartbeats before it began rushing towards him, barking wildly. It bared its teeth, and its black eyes blazed with hunger. It was apparent this dog saw Asterspark to be his next meal.

With a furious hiss, Asterspark crouched into a battle position, knowing it would be futile to try and run. Once the dog was practically on top of him, he reared up on his hind legs and slashed his claws against the brute’s muzzle as hard as he could.

With a quick yelp that turned into a furious growl, having not expected its prey to fight back, the dog countered the paw attack with one of its own, slamming its large paw and blunted black claws into Asterspark’s side and sending him flying a few tail lengths away, leaving the bluish-gray tom dazed.

Asterspark used Rear-Up to Strike on Dog, dealing 13 damage and costing 15 stamina.

Dog used Heavy Blow on Asterspark, dealing 25 damage and costing 20 stamina.

Asterspark
30/55 HP
155/170 SP

Dog
137/150 HP
330/350 SP

Poppyheart hadn’t expected to see what he had when he finally returned back home to ShadowClan during his time with Carat in Twolegplace — there was no longer any home to return to. Actually, that was just his assumption. On his way back home, he had been suddenly bombarded by a huge tidal wave that he knew would’ve also affected the territories. He had been swept away by the strong currents, forced to hang on for dear life to a piece of driftwood. Now he realized why Carat’s housefolk had been so anxious for him to return when he fled; she must have somehow known of the incoming flood, and she had been trying to protect him from it. He hoped Carat and her house folk were faring well after the flood....

Now, the warrior with the orange kittypet collar still around his neck was padding along the shore, his usually beautifully sleek and shiny coat muddy, matted and sticking to his skin quite uncomfortably. He would’ve groomed himself to clear off the mud, but it tasted absolutely foul, so he decided to leave it be as much as he disliked it. Besides, he had a mission: a mission to find any survivors. If he had been swept away, he was more than certain some Clan cats had to have been swept away as well. Perhaps some of them were nearby.

Poppyheart heard the sudden flurry of barks before he saw the large black-and-brown dog racing right past him just as he was about to round a corner around the large trunk of a fallen tree. Fearing the dog had targeted a Clan cat, Poppyheart leaped up onto the trunk to see where it was headed.

He saw the dog rushing towards a muddy cat. The cat reared up to slash at the dog’s muzzle, and Poppyheart instantly recognized the attack to be a Clan move. It was a surviving Clan cat, and they needed his help!

Launching himself from the trunk, Poppyheart raced to the dog as quickly as his long legs would carry him, the bell and tag of his collar tinkling and chiming loudly, giving away his position to the dog, who whipped around to stare at him. Cursed Twoleg thing!

Skidding to a sudden halt when he saw the dog trying to bite down at him, he leaped back, the brute’s jaws snapping in air. He then whipped around behind the dog and grasped its tail tightly, yanking as hard as he could to unbalance it and send it crashing down into the mud. With the dog distracted, leaving it to struggle back to its paws again, Poppyheart rushed past it to the cat, who was struggling to stand back up. Looking down at him, he immediately recognized the cat by his mismatched eyes.

”Asterspark?” Poppyheart pressed his shoulder into his brother’s, helping him up to his paws, then pressed his muzzle into his. ”Oh, Asterspark! Asterspark! I’ve missed you so much!”

Poppyheart used Tail Yank on Dog, dealing 6 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Dog is Stunned for one turn.

Poppyheart
60/60 HP
190/200 SP

Asterspark
30/55 HP
155/170 SP

Dog
131/150 HP
330/350 SP

Having expected the dog to finish him off, knowing no one would be nearby to hear the fight, Asterspark braced himself for the killing bite, resigning himself to cruel fate. He would never get to see his brother again. He would never be able to apologize to him. He had really screwed up, and now he would never be able to make things right. Tears slid down his cheeks, churning and mixing with the mud in his fur. I’m so sorry, Poppyheart. I tried....

... ... ...

The killing blow never came. Instead, Asterspark heard the dog suddenly let out a wail of pain. Opening his eyes, he saw that the dog had fallen over into the mud and was squirming around, sending mud flying, trying to climb back up on its paws. Someone had intentionally knocked it off balance.

But who?

”Asterspark?”

Wait, he recognized that voice! Asterspark looked up to see the cat standing over him, able to recognize those warm, magnificent amber eyes from anywhere.

Stumbling to his paws with Poppyheart’s help, he stood in stunned silence as his brother pressed his muzzle against his own, crying about how badly he had missed him. He ... He missed me? He thought his brother hated him and everything he stood for after what he had done.

Oh, it didn’t matter! Poppyheart was here! He was alive! And he was happy to see him again! With a whimpering mewl, Asterspark nuzzled his beloved littermate back, fresh tears falling freely from his arched eyes. ”Poppyheart! Oh, Poppyheart, I was so scared I’d never see you again! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done! I never should’ve shielded you from the truth to protect you, I was only hurting you! Oh, Poppyheart....” Legs weak from everything he had to bear through within the past few days, Asterspark felt as though he would collapse right then and there.

His brother was home. His brother was safe.

His life had purpose once again.

Poppyheart stood still and listened in silence as Asterspark mewled apology after apology to him. He hadn't forgotten what his brother had done, but ... at a time like this, all of that felt trivial to him now. He didn't care about all of that. All he cared about was that he was home with his best friend. He gently shushed the bluish-gray tom, rasping a tongue along his muddied cheek, ignoring the rather foul taste, wanting nothing more than to comfort him. "I forgive you, Asterspark. You weren't the only one in the wrong. I should have tried to consider your stance in the situation. You were only trying to do what you thought was best for me as a brother. You weren't trying to belittle me or insult my capability to handle the truth. I see that now. I'm sorry for abandoning you for so long. But now, I will never let anything like that happen again, as I'm sure you won't. From now on, whatever may happen between the two of us, we will get through it together, as brothers should. I will never leave you again, Asterspark. I promise."

A harsh snarl sounded from behind him, and he gasped and whipped around to stare in fear at the large dog, who had struggled up to its paws now and glared murderously at both toms. Stars, he had totally forgotten about this brute! Well, at this point, they couldn't run; it would be too risky, and the dog would surely catch up to them. There was only one thing to do. "I suppose now's as good a time as any to make good on my promise. Let's drive this beast away together. Ready, Asterspark?" He crouched down into a battle stance, not taking his eyes off the dog, preparing himself to fight alongside his littermate.

Poppyheart forgave him. Poppyheart forgave him for his sins. Asterspark didn't think his tears would ever stop now. He softly sobbed with relief as he listened to his brother. He forgave him. He wanted to be his brother again. All truly was right in the world once again. Nothing would ever split them apart again. He was going to make sure of that. From now on, he wouldn't keep anything from Poppyheart. He would be honest and open to him, as brothers should be. "Poppyheart...." he began softly between soft, sobby hiccups. "I....--"

The sounds of furious snarling startled Asterspark so badly he jumped. Staring up at the large brute in fear, he took a subtle step back; his fur would have bushed out to three times its size if it weren't stuck to his pelt and weighed down with mud and sand. Great StarClan above, he wasn't ready for this. He didn't want to die. He didn't want his brother to die. He considered fleeing from the scene with Poppyheart, but he didn't know if either one of them would make it. It was almost a risk he was willing to take.

"Let's drive this beast away together. Ready, Asterspark?"

Asterspark's mindset stopped in its tracks at this statement, filled with much confidence and determination, with a hint of affection tucked away. Poppyheart wasn't ready to back down. He would never back down from a fight if the life of his loved ones depended on it. It was just like him.

Asterspark wouldn't back down, either. He would never run from a fight. He would fight until his last dying breath for his brother, with his brother.

Grinning rather furiously at the dog, shooting it a look that clearly read, you're in for a bad time now, he responded, "Muttin' to it, bro. Let's teach this brute a new trick: play dead and stay dead." Getting a running start, Asterspark launched himself at the dog and dug his claws into its face, managing a quick swipe or two before being thrown off.

Asterspark used Jumping Strike on Dog, dealing 12 damage and costing 20 stamina.

Asterspark
30/55 HP
135/170 SP

Poppyheart
60/60 HP
190/200 SP

Dog
119/150 HP
330/350 SP

Right as soon as Asterspark had been flung off from the dog's face, Poppyheart was right there to replace the empty space. Racing up to the large predator, the russet-and-white tom reared up on his hind legs and struck the dog's large brown muzzle multiple times in quick succession with his two forepaws, claws unsheathed and scoring into the skin, sending clumps of brown fur flying. He felt a wave of satisfaction when it whimpered and shook its muzzle, pawing at it for a few moments, and he leaped away to widen the space between his opponent. See, Carat? I told you dogs were horrible brutes! You'd better be careful of that large one living in your home....

Poppyheart used Upright Front Paws on Dog, dealing 13 damage and costing 20 stamina.

Poppyheart
60/60 HP
170/200 SP

Asterspark
30/55 HP
135/170 SP

Dog
106/150 HP
330/350 SP

Asterspark grinned rather widely as he watched his brother pummel the dog's muzzle with his paws. Even after being away from the Clans for so long, it was clear he hadn't lost his skills in battle, which was definitely a plus for the two of them given the circumstances. Yowling, Asterspark launched himself right back into battle, rearing up to slash at the dog's throat. The large dark blue thing wrapped around its neck prevented him from gouging out its throat unfortunately, but he was still able to land a pretty hearty blow.

Snarling and barking ferociously, its teeth bared with drool dripping from its widened mouth, the dog furiously lashed out at Asterspark, who was unable to flee quick enough. It bit down hard on his scruff and began to thrash him around, causing the tom in its grasp to yowl in pain. Asterspark tried with all his might to claw at the dog's face to make it let go, but all his claws were able to swipe at was empty air.

Asterspark used Rear-Up to Slash on Dog, dealing 13 damage and costing 15 stamina.

Dog used Thrash on Asterspark, dealing 20 damage and costing 20 stamina.

Asterspark is Stunned for one turn.

Asterspark
10/55 HP
120/170 SP

Poppyheart
60/60 HP
170/200 SP

Dog
93/150 HP
310/350 SP

The member 'Yoshachu Scorchachu' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Effect Dice' : 2

"Oh, no, Asterspark!" Poppyheart yowled in terror, watching as the dog thrashed his brother around like he was a nothing more than a chew toy, much like those strangely colored bones he would see Carat's dog chew and shake around back in the Twoleg den he stayed at. Except while that semi-domesticated dog was only wanting to play and entertain itself, this dog's full intentions were quite clearly to kill him. He wouldn't let it, though, not while he was still standing! "Let go of my brother, you vile beast!"

With a shrill caterwaul, Poppyheart sprinted towards the dog as fast as he could and leaped, slamming his head into its chest and knocking it off balance. The dog clearly hadn't expected him to attack yet again, as it went back down onto the ground quite easily, letting go of Asterspark and sending him flying a few tail-lengths away, landing on the soft ground with a hard thud. Poppyheart looked away from the dog to his fallen brother, hoping he hadn't been killed. "Asterspark! Are you okay?"

Poppyheart used Run-and-Tackle on Dog, dealing 10 (+3) damage and costing 10 stamina.

Poppyheart
60/60 HP
160/200 SP

Asterspark
10/55 HP
120/170 SP

Dog
80/150 HP
310/350 SP

Asterspark had no idea he was no longer in the dog's unforgiving grasp for several moments. The world still continued to spin, and his scruff ached very badly. Even the hard landing on his shoulder when he was flung out of the dog's grasp hadn't registered for a few moments until it began to creep up on him, causing him to moan lowly. What in StarClan's name happened?...

Steadying itself back on its paws, the dog snarled furiously at Poppyheart, who had costed it its kill. Baring its teeth again, it clamped down hard on his hindquarters, lifting him up in the air before digging its fangs into his back. Its eyes blazed with triumph at the shrill shriek its new victim made.

Dog used Iron Bite on Poppyheart, dealing 30 damage and costing 20 stamina.

Asterspark is no longer Stunned.

Asterspark
10/55 HP
120/170 SP

Poppyheart
30/60 HP
160/200 SP

Dog
80/150 HP
290/350 SP

Having not expected the sneak attack -- which, in hindsight, was his own fault for lowering his guard in the midst of battle -- Poppyheart shrieked loudly in pain at the sudden agony shooting through his hindquarters and back. Spitting with rage, Poppyheart twisted his body around to swipe at its face, managing to nick his claws just under its left eye, seeming to have startled the dog into dropping him back to the ground.

Poppyheart used Front Paw Strike on Dog, dealing 11 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Poppyheart
30/60 HP
150/200 SP

Asterspark
10/55 HP
120/170 SP

Dog
69/150 HP
290/350 SP

The world no longer spinning as rapidly or as sickeningly as it had before, Asterspark stumbled back up to his paws and shook himself out with a hiss. Looking up, he saw the dog's jaws were now clamped around his brother. Pure, unfathomable rage at seeing the scene exploded within Asterspark, and he screeched bloody murder as he raced towards the enemy. "Let go of my brother! I'll KILL you!"

The dog had dropped Poppyheart after his brother clawed it just underneath the eye right before Asterspark reached them, so thankfully the russet-and-white tom wouldn't get in the way of his new attack. Launching himself up into the air, Asterspark positioned all four paws to land heavily on the dog's head, using his weight and momentum to knock it off balance and slam its head down hard on the ground.

With a sharp yelp of pain, the dog stumbled back to its paws, wobbling around rather dizzily now, seeming to continuously trip over its own legs and fall back down. Knowing it wouldn't be able to kill one cat without the other attacking, it deemed the battle a guaranteed lose if it continued fighting. Turning, it fled from the scene, racing off into the unknown.

Panting heavily, feeling about ready to collapse back down again, Asterspark limped over to Poppyheart's fallen form, gently nudging him with a forepaw. "P-Poppyheart.... Are you okay?"

Asterspark used Upright Lock on Dog, dealing 14 damage and costing 25 stamina.

Dog fled from battle.

Asterspark
10/55 HP
95/170 SP

Poppyheart
30/60 HP
150/200 SP

Dog
55/150 HP
290/350 SP

Hindquarters and back devastatingly aching and bleeding from the punctured wounds the dog's jaws created in his skin through the thick protection of fur, Poppyheart opened his eyes rather wearily to look up at his brother when he approached and nudged him. The dog seemed to have fled, so it was assumed that Asterspark had managed to chase it off. Wincing at the pain in his back, the fluffy tom pushed himself up to a sit. "Y-Yeah, I'm okay. Stars, I haven't battled like that in at least a moon. Are you okay, Asterspark? You took quite a few hits." He looked into his brother's eyes as he asked his question. It was only just then, with everything calming down finally, that he noticed the cloudiness of Asterspark's right yellow eye. Had he been blinded in that eye at one point? He decided to ask him about that at a later time, as now clearly wasn't appropriate.

More than relieved to see his brother was just fine save for the bite marks along his back and hindquarters, Asterspark flicked his tail and glanced away with a soft snort. "Heh, don't worry 'bout me, bro. I'm just fine. I'm glad you are, too." Looking back at him, his one-eyed gaze was drawn to the strange orange thing wrapped around his neck, much like the blue thing that had been wrapped around that dog's neck. "Whoa. What in StarClan's name is that thing? Doesn't look very comfortable. Oh, it must be those things kittypets wear all the time. ...Wait. Were you ... taken by Twolegs, bro? The night after your fight with Coldgaze.... Had you been taken by them? Is that why you were gone for so long?" That did seem to explain his brother's sudden disappearance after that night. Besides, he did seem to recall Twoleg scent around Fourtrees the night after the fight.

"Huh? Oh, this thing." Poppyheart looked down at the orange collar around his neck. "Yeah, I had been rescued by a female Twoleg. She took me to this strange place where more Twolegs put white things around my wounds where Coldgaze attacked me, and they pricked weird whisker-looking things into me. It hurt a little bit, but not long after my wounds had been completely healed, so I guess those Twolegs were just trying to help. But as soon as I was finally let outside, I took the opportunity to return home ... which I never even reached before that flood came out of absolutely nowhere. I just hope Carat's okay -- that's the kittypet I befriended who lived with the Twoleg who saved me. She was nice, and I'm certainly going to miss her, but hopefully she and her family survived the flooding as well."

Pushing himself up to a stand, gritting his teeth at the pain in his back, Poppyheart gave his pelt a quick, light shake. "I should probably find some way to get this collar off of me, though. I'm no longer a kittypet -- though, really, I was never truly a kittypet to begin with. Maybe if we find some other Clan cats, they'll be able to help me get it off. Do you know where any are, Asterspark?"