Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic]

Mothpaw tried very, very hard to ignore the sudden stench of the bodies Flurryshine was carrying over to them, and instead focused on the kit who had spoken - Dapplekit. "I'm the Magnificent Mothpaw," she introduced herself, standing up tall as soon as she was sure Rowankit wouldn't fall. "I'm from ShadowClan," she added with pride, gesturing to Thornbriar (and by extension Crowfur) with her tail. Though she missed Poppyheart more than ever now (which was part of why she held on so tightly to the title he'd given her as an apprentice), Thornbriar was just as special to her, just in a different way.

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[Only mods are allowed to see this link]
[character pages]
Leopardstar ~ Nightdancer ~ Lightningbreeze ~ Mistflower ~ Scarletflare ~ Muse
ShadowClan ~ ThunderClan ~ SkyClan ~ SkyClan ~ RiverClan ~ Nomad
Leader ~ Warrior ~ Warrior ~ Warrior ~ Warrior ~ Scout
Tier 5 ~ Tier 5 ~ Tier 3 ~ Tier 3 ~ Tier 1 ~ Tier 3

Quirking her brow at the quickly approaching army of cats, Thornbriar offhandedly wondered if they all had super hearing before looking Scorchclaw over again. She had to admit that he was an impressive tom, clearly restraining himself from cuffing the rival clan cats over their ears at their abrupt interruption. Amusement and respect swirled in her piercing green gaze.

They weren't so different she supposed.

Though he was far more patient than her. She was certain she'd have snapped by now, between the she-cat lugging around two rotting corpses to the burden of a sudden flood of kits. He was resilient, and surprisingly gentle with the kits, something that Thornbriar could only now appreciate after becoming a queen herself. A pang struck her heart at the cold reminder of her newfound grief, and she unsheathed her claws to grip the pebbles below her paws in order to steady herself. She had to stay focused, now wasn't the time. Turning her focus back to the Riverclan deputy, she could tell by his sharp words towards the white... ish she-cat and the other cats that he was at the end of his rope... which was probably not a good sign.

Looking to Mintwhisker, Thornbriar narrowed her eye on the medicine cat. "What would be foolish, is to drag five, starving, agitated, grieving clans up a cliffside when clan relations at the moment aren't exactly..." She paused, searching for the nicest possible word she could come up with as she recalled her and Goldeneye accusing each other viciously at the most recent gathering. Clan drama wasn't something she typically paid too much attention to, but they had pretty much made sure every single thing breathing in the forest that day knew exactly what kind of dirt they had on each other. She was tempted to call it how it was, but the thought of antagonizing an entire clan didn't really appeal to her at the moment. She had enough on her plate.

"... optimal, at the moment."

Meeting the Thunderclan leader's eyes, she nodded to the tom. Unlike Mintwhisker, he seemed relatively tolerable considering the circumstances, and she couldn't entirely disagree with him. "Even so, more able bodies mean more prey wherever we're going." She flicked her eye to Scorchclaw, motioning with her tail towards the gathered apprentices and the kits they each carried. "And we do in fact have a few new little mouths to feed."

Looking back to the Thunderclan and Skyclan representatives, Thornbriar continued. "If you two think you can handle any potential conflict in your clans, as well as Windclan, before it sprouts, then I personally don't have a problem with you coming with us. That being said, I agree with Scorchclaw. The cliffs will likely provide the most shelter. Not to mention, the higher vantage point will give us a better view of the surrounding area and could contribute to deciding what our next steps will be."

The approach of heavy pawsteps drew her attention as a familiar voice spoke up from nearby. Crowfur stood tall, meeting the she-cat's gaze with determined golden eyes. Another tom she tolerated well enough. She nodded her head in confirmation to the large black tom. "Shadowclan and Riverclan will be leaving soon, towards the cliffs before the storm gets worse." She flicked her tail towards their other nearby clanmates. "Let them know for me... and don't worry about your brother, I'll be bringing Wildstrike myself."

Wasppaw listened intently to the exchange between her mentor and the other cats, ears pricked forward. It didn't sound like it was going all that well, but she wasn't too sure. Honestly, she didn't really want the Shadowclan cats to come with them. The big ugly she-cat standing beside Scorchclaw scared her... but those thoughts scattered when a disgustingly sickening stench invaded her sensitive nose. She cringed internally as Flurryshine approached, bringing closer the things she wanted to see the least right now. She tried to turn away, after all Dapplekit shouldn't have to see that. However, she froze mid-motion when the kit spoke.

"Why do they smell so bad?... When is momma going to wake up?..."

Tears pricked her eyes at the kit's innocent question, and a warped memory of Brookpaw tore violently over her mind's eye. The reek of death made the image all the more vivid and Wasppaw had to fight to not empty the contents of her stomach right then and there in front of everyone.

Sucking in a sharp breath as if she'd just received a sharp blow to the softest spot on her underbelly, the tortoiseshell swallowed back the stinging bile. Why her? Why did she have to feel these things?

Then she realized, the tiny furball clinging to her shoulders would soon know the same pain.

She felt a sort of morbid kinship with the unfortunate kitten. They were in the same boat right now... weren't they? Voice soft and weak from battling the onslaught of grief, panic, and agony, she responded to the kit with a wavering voice.

"Momma will wake up whenever Brookpaw does, little sis."

Rainpaw lifted her head at the thrashing winds, watching the water slam aggressively against the shore. Leopardstar currently seemed to be speaking with the other clan leaders at the moment. The faded calico frowned slightly at his agitated body language. Was something wrong? She couldn't hear anything with the wind buffeting against her ears so hard...

Hauling herself to her paws, she winced at the lance of pain along her hind leg and nearly fell again. Gritting her teeth, she held her balance and began to limp forward, nearing the gathering of cats to try and get an idea of what was being discussed.

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^{_{★☆★ Take what you can ★☆★}}

Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic] - Page 2 QNTjwT2

The wind blew harsh and cold through her fur, and the panic and hustle around her was deafening.
Otterkit, dangling from the bi-coloured tom's jaws, glanced around frantically, trying to keep track of the things happening around her. Dapplekit was.. fine. She was with some silver she-cat. Rowankit was okay as well, and the black-and-white tom she had grown more accustomed to after their first meeting was holding her; Magpiepaw.
She tried to look for more familiar faces - Scorchclaw, mostly - when a foul odour met her nose. Her muzzle wrinkled, teeth bared in disgust; it smelled rancid, of decay and rot, a little bit like a dead fish she had found washed up on the shore once. She searched for the source for a few moments before spotting Flurryshine carrying Gingerstripe and Dewshine; were those two really making such a stench? Well, she supposed, they definitely hadn't been awake for a while... maybe they just hadn't been groomed. Still, the sight and smell of her mother, dangling limp and filthy, gave even the little kit the feeling that something wasn't right.
She tried to ignore the scene in front of her, and instead focused on Magpiepaw; he was shaking like a twig in the breeze! Was he blowing away? Otterkit didn't quite believe him when he said things would be okay; from his body language and the surrounding events, even she could sense that he didn't believe a word he was saying.
"Don't worry, Magpiepaw!" she squeaked, trying to act confident, "Just dig your claws in the ground and the wind won't carry you away!"

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Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic] - Page 2 Giphy

otterpaw ~ riverclan ~ she-cat ~ #660033

foamkit ~ windclan ~ tom ~ #9966ff

Wildstrike slowly awoke, after the flood he'd fallen sick, at first he had tried to keep going and leading Shadowclan but he'd quickly become too weak and Thornbriar had taken command. He'd now gotten stronger the past weeks but he still wasn't quite strong enough to lead Shadowclan.

He got up onto his paws with a low groan and looked around. When he saw Thornbriar he quickly limped over to her, his left back leg had gotten hurt during the flood, it still hurt a little but it wasn't as bad anymore. His usually muscular body was now very thin, his ribs were showing and his fluffy pelt now looked dull and were tangled, he no longer looked nor did he feel like a deputy but he was sure that he'd get better soon.

He stopped by Thornbriar and Scorchclaw, managing to hear what the she-cat told his brother "What's happening? Where will we be bringing me?" he asked with a small grin on his face, his tired pale green eyes shifted from the two cats as he waited for a reply.

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~~Shadowclan Deputy~~

Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic] - Page 2 Tworc110

☾Coldgaze☽ Warrior Of Riverclan [Tier 2]
☾Wildstrike☽ Deputy Of Shadowclan
☾Birdkit☽ Unborn

Guest

Untamed winds had once danced lightly across the backs of all the gathered clan refugees. Their exposed position on the sheer, rocky outcropping had made for little shelter as it picked up. What had once merely tampered with the idea of strong gusts quickly transformed into a wild gale. For once, even if he did not directly connect the thought with the circumstance, Beartooth was grateful for his bulky mass and abnormal claws that kept him grounded to the impenetrable earth. He still faltered, as they all did, but managed to keep a grasp on where he stood. Without hesitation, his head swung to check for the scattered remains of his clan. But the breeze dried out his eyes, making it difficult to pinpoint where any cat was. His dulled senses were rendered even more useless as the battering breeze snuffed out any chance of picking apart individual senses. Although not one for panic, the tabby tom felt something almost akin to fear budding in his chest.

While the leaders barked out orders and bickered over decisions, the warrior set off on his own coarse, ignorant to the aforementioned events. He some how managed to find Dawnpaw. With that simple peace of mind, the tom found himself grounded in a way he hadn't before. Another pelt, nearby, flashed before his vision. It was a familiar one: Rainpaw. Beartooth pressed against the wind and made it to her side, bracing against the worst of it in some futile attempt to take the brunt of it aay from her. He had never interacted with the kits much, even less than the sparse relationships he had built with his apprentices. But it had never changed the deeply seeded connection to them that was created by the frailty he had witnessed in their youth and memory of the shared blood that ran through their veins. He pressed up against her and meowed in a rough tone that was likely far to soft to have not been swept away with the air currents, "I'm going to get you to safety. Don't worry about what is happening there."

Strom awoke to the babble of talking, along with a whistling wind that drowned out any distinct words. As he opened his eyes, the first thing that greeted them was a leaf on the muzzle. Gah! Wha-? He clawed it off his face, staring in complete confusion at the thing before it was whipped away from his paw by another wild gust. Distant grumbles from cats and slightly more panicked cries came to his ears, and he lifted his head. Others were gathering around the leaders, tails twitching and fur fluffed up against the howling gale as they presumably inquired about what was going on.

With a flick of his tail, Strom stood and shook out his pelt before wandering over. "What's going on?"
***

Murkpaw was abruptly and frustratingly woken up by what felt like an entire pile of leaves slapping into him along with a chilling gust of wind that seemed determined to rip his pelt off. "AARRGH!"

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They took our lives... and then they didn't use them!

pics of me cats:

The vicious thundering of wind howled in Marshstorm's ears. It cut through his pelt like the claws of the fiercest warrior as he looked over to Leopardstar and the clan representatives. Despite the surging winds, he padded towards them, pausing only when a piece of dirt was tossed in his face by a particularly strong gust. Clearing the obstruction to his vision took a moment, but it wasn't much longer until he was at Leopardstar's side with Scorchclaw. Listening to the other tom's comment about unity.

Mintwhisker's words seemed to at least make Scorchclaw see sense as he nodded supportively to her. His eyes narrowed as Scorchclaw snarled at her and he stepped forward calmly to push the issue of moving along before the storm somehow got worse. He glanced back towards the other cats having difficulty, then moved away. Trusting Leopardstar, given that they knew little about the place they were in, and settling instead next to the small group of Rainpaw, Beartooth and Dawnpaw.

"Are you all alright?" He asked, angling his side to block out some of the wind. Concerned deep in his chest about the cats who weren't here. Duskpaw, Dustcloud... he forced the thoughts away as he shielded his former apprentice, his daughter, and Rainpaw from the onslaught. Despite the chill that seemed to slice into his ribs and numb his side. "We'll be moving on soon. Stay close." His gaze turned to the sky for a moment. The dark clouds blocked out any vision of StarClan... but he hoped they could see them. That they would help.

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Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic] - Page 2 Marshk12

Kestrelpaw ♀ Marshkit ♂

He couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't anymore.

Poppypaw's face held an oddly blank expression, his olive eyes giving a thousand-yard stare down the shore. His pelt hadn't improved much in cleanliness since he'd washed up along with Lynxtail and those RiverClan apprentices. Bits of dried muck matted his usually well-kept red fur until he looked more like a rotting log than a cat. Leaves and grit carried by the harsh winds hit him, but he couldn't feel much of it. His mouth felt dry and sticky, and the past few days had been characterized by a dull headache from his dehydration. Very little of the water was safe to drink around here. Yet he felt as if he were underwater, where up and down meant little. The wind hid the fact that he swayed from side to side, too tired to even think. He registered that cats were gathering, all looking uneasy, and that Leopardstar and Marshstorm were among them. 'What..?' He didn't move from his spot, confused as the wind carried their voices away from him. He could barely string two words together in one cohesive thought.

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{help me update the wcc family tree!}
Harebounce | Redsun | Snaildance | Ramone

Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic] - Page 2 Jan20210

Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic] - Page 2 Wccpun10

"Close your eyes, I'll be here in the mornin'."

It took all of Leopardstar's self-control to not yowl his frustration to the heavens, to say to the stubborn RiverClan deputy that the only cat not willing to be unified was himself, but with a deep breath, he simply nodded, submitting to Scorchclaw's recommendation. "Let's move inland then. Is everyone accounted for?" Glancing over towards Marshstorm, who was with Beartooth and Dawnpaw, his mind raced as he tried to remember who all was in this place. His heart raced as the winds grew even stronger, pawing a dead leaf off of his nose. Where were his kits, Birdflight and Lynxtail? Catching sight of both of them, he felt a bit of the pressure within him release, and he forced his paws to move. "C'mon, there's no use in standing around!"

Otterkit's small mew managed to catch Magpiepaw's narrowed attention amid the chaos, and his eyes crossed awkwardly as he tried to look down at the little kit in his mouth, ears straining to hear clearly above the wind. It seemed the wind though was exactly what she was talking about...and despite how tense with fear every tendon and muscle in his body was, the bicolored tom-cat found himself giggling. Either he was giddy from panic or had taken leave of his senses, but nevertheless, he felt his claws sink into the pebbly sand just as Otterkit had suggested, and he mumbled around her weight; "O-Okay, I h-hope t-this works! W-With your e-extra weight though, I-I think w-we'll be fine!" As soon as he had managed to find a bit of courage though, it simmered away like a puddle in green-leaf as he heard Dapplekit's voice, turning to gaze wide-eyed at the little gray kitten hanging from Wasppaw's shoulders. He knew this was going to happen sooner or later...but that didn't mean it wouldn't break his heart. Wasppaw's vague answer sparked memories of his sister, trying to rush to Brookpaw's aide as she drowned in their den, and he felt violent shivers run down his back. If Egretpaw hadn't escaped...she would've shared the same fate, just like their mother and Cloudstone had. Dewshine and Gingerstripe as well. StarClan...why aren't you helping us? Parents are being taken away from their kits forever...and we have to carry around their bodies like a cruel taunt...why won't Scorchclaw just tell them they're dead? Why won't Flurryshine bury the bodies?! It'll hurt for everyone...but Dapplekit, Otterkit, and Rowankit don't deserve to be treated like this! Surprisingly, even to him, he felt a spark of anger deep within his belly. Now was not the time though to bring up such subjects...he needed to follow Scorchclaw, and keep Otterkit safe. It was his duty.

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Featherpaw of RiverClan
Tigerkit of ShadowClan
Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic] - Page 2 Feathe11

The winds blew harder, tugging at Meadowpaw's pelt, and making her eyes water. The neary full grown apprentice could still stand up straight, but it was getting more difficult by the minuet. She walked around the temporary camp, telling every RiverClan cat she saw that they would leave soon. Meadowpaw found her way back to Flurryshine, who was still holding on to the dead body of her former mentor. Choking back at the stench, she turned to her sister. "I-I'll come back a-and help you soon," She said, knowing that Flurryshine would refuse to leave without the corpse. Meadowpaw padded up to Scorchclaw, who was standing nearby helping Flurryshine by carrying Gingerstripe while she carried Dewshine. "H-hey Scorchclaw, I-I told everyone we were g-going to leave soon... Is there a-anything else I can d-do to help?" She said, partially stuttering from the cold winds and partly because of the deep fear she had been feeling since they were swept away that the worst was yet to come.

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Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic] - Page 2 Shamca12

Crimsonpaw of ThunderClan

Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic] - Page 2 Mi9fm8

Dapplekit blinked at Mothpaw, staring at her intently. "That's an awesome name! I hope my name will be cool like yours someday!" She purred before pressing her face into Wasppaw's neck fur, partly to try to get away from the stench and partly because the wind was now slicing through her fur, regardless of it's thickness. She wasn't sure if the burning sensation at her eyes were tears caused by the wind, or by the feeling of sadness and that something was wrong. Her mother should have woken up a long time ago... Shouldn't she have? She had no memory of her mother, other than those of Flurryshine dragging her around asleep. There was certainly something wrong, and her body started to shake, feeling very small and scared all of a sudden. She didn't want vague answers, she wanted true ones... Sensing that this wasn't the best time, she merely trembled atop Wasppaw's shoulders, peeking out occasionally to look around her as they began to make their way inland. Only a small, quiet mew escaped her, carried swiftly away on the wind. "Is momma gonna wake up?..."

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Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic] - Page 2 25403010

Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic] - Page 2 25403011

Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic] - Page 2 25403012

Stormypaw (♀) ||| Cinderpaw (♀) ||| Quickkit (♀)
ThunderClan Apprentice ~ 20 HP / 60 SP ||| ShadowClan Apprentice ~ 20 HP / 60 SP ||| SkyClan Kit ~ 10 HP / 30 SP

StarClan: Mossbloom, Dappleshine, Goldengale, Blossomstep, Sunnyskip
Other: Murkystar, Dewlight, Anastasia
Dark Forest: None

Thundering Winds [Swept Away Topic] - Page 2 Giphy

Ospreykit felt tired, awful. Ever since the flood everything had been hazy. Ever since everything had gone wrong. The flood had taken everything from him. Everything he had known and everything he had cared for. It had left the young cat utterly and entirely alone. he had clung to his siblings' side, starving and exhausted. He had waited for so long for everything to be okay. Nothing had changed, and the tom hadn't uttered a word since the fate.

So ospreykit sat in silence, not entirely there, and listened.

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