The Sky is Falling [SITEWIDE PLOT]

OOC: Holy bad writing, Batman! This is mostly here just cause I don't wanna ignore the sitewide this time around lol
Adderflare's eye was open wide, a heavy weight on her injured half. This... mangy creature had the audacity to pin her down? She hissed weakly, though her claws remained within their sheaths. She wasn't exactly in a position to fight back, plus she didn't exactly oppose these cats. To be honest, the pelts looked pretty alright. Her Clanmates all seemed to be disgusted by them, but Adderflare couldn't help but picture herself in one. Anyway, she was getting bored of the way this place was being run. Maybe a change was exactly what this dull place needed.

The other cats in the den pinned Primroselight down, and Beechface renewed her struggling with furious claws scrabbling at the cats above her. One of them told her not to make things harder, well, that cat was an absolute mousebrain. Beechface spat at the cat in response.

The five cats holding her down dragged her toward the den entrance, and Beechface became aware of voices in the clearing. She landed on the floor of the den with a thud, managing to twist so that she could view the rest of camp through the den's entrance.

Her blood turned to ice in her veins, finally paralyzing her into being still where the rogue cats hadn't been able to. The clearing was overrun with strange cats, every single clanmate she could make out had claws and fangs pressed to throats and bellies...

Except.

For.

Dawnhawk.

"RESIST!" Bloodstrike's yowl. Movement exploded in the clearing then, she could make out Bloodstrike's massive frame as he began to fight. Of course he wouldn't just let whatever this was happen without a fight. Her father didn't submit. Ever. The way he had exploded to his feet and started fighting had startled even the cats pinning Beechface down. A mistake if she'd ever known one.

Beechface surged to her paws once more, jaws catching one of the nameless, faceless cats that had pinned her by throat. Another two stepped in to take their place, and she was pinned once more, thrashing furiously beneath their paws.

The commotion in the clearing was all she could see, now. Her father, leaping for a tree in true Skyclan fashion as he fought.

"No! Dad!" She choked out, struggling in vain beneath their grips. But she could only watch as Dawnhawk leapt onto their father from above, sending him plummeting into the swarm of cats below.

Dawnhawk's voice rang out just as quickly as the commotion in the clearing had began, and the cats that had swarmed Bloodstrike obediently stepped back. Beechface felt her blood turn to ice.

---

The voice of Vulturepaw made Smokefeather struggle against the cat pinning her, wanting desperately to see to the safety of her kits. A leaner cat wearing some sort of animal skin had stepped in, teeth and claws at her vitals, and all she could do was hiss in frustration, face pressed into the ground below as she watched Bloodstrike, Dawnhawk and the calico tom... Iniko, apparently.

Smokefeather listened in growing anger as Bloodstrike and Dawnhawk spoke, ears flat against her head. The cat that had been pinning against Smokefeather had the absence of mind to take their eyes off of her the second Bloodstrike exploded to his feet. She'd anticipated it as soon as he'd mentioned Starclan, gaze sliding back to her jailer with malicious intent.

She didn't enjoy the blood that flowed between her fangs as she struck out at the strange cat, but this one deserved it. They all did, yet Smokefeather was just one cat. The others would pay in due time.

She was immediately pinned down before she could make it fully to her feet, the rogues... Asylum, they seemed to call themselves? Truly did have the numbers. Smokefeather watched in growing horror as Bloodstrike made his way into the trees, the horde of rogues trying and failing to get to him. One cat could hold out a while when fighting only one foe at a time and attacking from above... But deep down she knew he couldn't hold out forever. She and the rest of the clan were pinned, unable to assist.

And then the unthinkable happened. Was it truly unthinkable, though? Dawnhawk hadn't been pinned like the rest of them, but still, Smokefeather hadn't thought him capable of attacking his own father. Of sending him into the swarming rogues below.

Smokefeather struggled beneath the paws holding her, fear for her mate and family obvious. All she could do was watch as Bloodstrike was ripped into, horrified. They'd fought dogs and foxes together, and the fear that he might not actually survive then was nothing compared to her fear for him now.

Then Dawnhawk spoke, and the rogues stepped back. Bloodstrike's crumpled form might not have been recognizable if she hadn't seen him go down at their claws, such was the bloodshed. There was no way he could survive that much damage, right? Panicked eyes stayed locked on his form, silently praying to Starclan that this wasn't it.

And then a voice broke into Smokefeather's thoughts, the soft-furred tortoiseshell slowly managing to turn her head to stare up at the tom in disbelief.

"are 'ou f--" She snarled, the words lost as the rogue pinning her down pressed her head into the earth. The disbelieving fury in her voice was clear as daylight despite the muffled words.

"Tha's m' mate, you bas-" She spat up at him. The tom was larger even than Bloodstrike and Beechface, but that didn't seem to give the she-cat any pause as she continued swearing up at him, gray-green eyes blazing.

No Moonstones, no Gatherings, no lone patrols.... The leader of these strange cats laid out rules meant to keep them isolated, but surrounded. She watched Bloodstrike's reaction as he was allowed to stand, but as his expression changed she grew suddenly horrified. "No!" She screeched, struggling against the Asylum cat who held her down. She was scrambling to get to her paws, but as another joined the one already holding her she was forced to watch in terror as her son was overwhelmed, and defeated soundly. One stood with a portion of his tail held in his jaws like a prize, and Blossomstep's terror shifted suddenly into fury. Blood roared in her ears and she turned to glare coldly at her suppressors. "Let me up, now." When they didn't immediately react, she rose her voice to the leader, who had been addressed as Iniko she believed. "Iniko, or whatever your name is, order your cats to let me up. With your companions having brutally assaulted Bloodstrike, I will speak on behalf of SkyClan. I am Blossomstep, Wolfstar's mate, and Bloodstrike's mother. You will let me up." She growled, eyes filled with fury as she glared at the tom, ignoring Dawnhawk's words entirely.

Flowerthorn stood at the entrance of the nursery she doesn't know how she had missed the start of all of this but as soon as the slightest bit of fighting had started, she had scrambled out of her nest ready to join the fray within a second only to be reminded of her swollen kit filled belly when her weight was on her paws. Wide blue eyes taking in the scene before her. Who were these cats? What in stars name was going on here?

Blue eyes narrowed as soon as she caught site of Foxfire pinned to the ground by these strangers. Anger flared through her like a fire ripping through her body. She pushed it aside as she looked around the clearing more. Bloodstrike.. The deputy beaten within an inch of his life... Others pinned... Her mate was in danger. Her clan was in danger. Her kits.. Stars her kits future was in danger.. And she couldn't do a fox tails thing about it.. A low rumbling growl left the small warrior as she stepped further into the clearing. "What in Star's name is going on here?" She didn't care if it was clear she was a queen. She was a warrior first and she would always act like it.

Another fire like pain seared through her body and this time she knew it wasn't her anger. It was something else. She paused in her steps to get closer to Blossomstep, her narrowed ice cold eyes going wide. Her kits.. No.. no no no.. Not now.. Her head shook around the clear, her whole body wincing as another wave of pain passed over her body. "Stars not now.." She muttered softly. Beechface was pinned by five different cats but she needed help.. Despite the pain she is in, she gave them the best glare she had managed. "Unless you want my claws up your throats in the next fives seconds as my cushion while I give birth to my kits you will let my medicine cat up so she can help me bring my kits into this world safely. You got that?" She didn't give them time to responded before turning her head to look over to the one that was holding her mate too, a sharp hiss escaping her as another pain followed but she ignored it as best as she could. "And you will let him up too unless you want your tail to be the thing I sink my teeth into while this happens."

♢ Worry overcame him as he sought to find his apprentices and daughter, surveying about to see if his clanmates were doing alright. Wrenspring's eyes darkened and his tail tip twitched back and forth with concern making his paws feel light. If the less reckless part of his brain hadn't reigned him in, the tom might have lunged forward. But if there was a possibility he could protect Graypaw and the others by not resisting... he would do that. Things could be figured out later but what he valued more than even freedom and clan identity was devotion to the care of his clanmates; it seemed to have only grown stronger with the birth of his daughter.

The warrior stood near the mouth of the den, taking each step in a tentative pace so as to not alert the cats that seemed to be watching closely over the shoulder of each cat. He'd begun to pad towards where the apprentices were, a fleeting glance towards the medicine cat's den. But Bloodstrike's yowl stopped him in his tracks. A order from the deputy who stood in place of Wolfstar. Before he could even move a muscle, the scene played out. What once had been the dark-pelted tom was a crimson mess of a creature. Sand dried his throat and made swallowing impossible. Blossomstep started speaking to what appeared to be the leader of the group, Dawnhawk at his side. Any words from his own maw would be meaningless in this situation, he simply willed it to be over, for the moment to pass away and leave behind whatever was to come next.

Wrenspring gritted his teeth and padded to Blossomstep's side despite his longing to seek out Graypaw. He looked to the Asylum cat pinning her and meowed, "Let her up, we won't do anything. Our clan is outnumbered and defeated. We don't want to make things worse." The words rang with sincerity and he dipped his head slightly. While he wasn't directly disobeying leadership, it felt strange to speak his own desires in an attempt to breathe safety into this hazardous scenario. Once Iniko nodded, the warrior pressed to his clanmate's side. He couldn't imagine the grief and horror of the scene she had just witnessed. That was her kit, just like Graypaw was to him, Bloodstrike was to her. Fury and anguish was clear in her gaze. Regardless, they would sort through this and bring the clan to safety. She had defied Spottedstar's orders all those moons ago and stripped him of faith, but Blossomstep was his clanmate and united against this enemy... he put his trust in her now. ♢

† Iniko watched as Bloodstrike spoke, vowing peace, and then twisting into a whirl of claws and teeth. Admittedly, the tom hadn't expected much better from the warrior. His own claws slid from their sheathes but he hardly move, waiting for the moment to be over. The surrounding Asylum cats were prepared and a bloody battle played out before his eyes. He wouldn't stop it, resistance was futile, they had been warned. As much as he sought to use fighting as a last resort, Bloodstrike knew what was to come and entered willingly into the agreement.

Finally, when the deputy was halted, there was nothing but a bloodied mess left behind. Dawnhawk yowled a command to stop and he nodded along. This needed to end. Shadowclan had been far simpler and the cats there had been spared any sort of fate comparable to this. A she-cat spoke up and he turned his head slightly, attention to her. One ear flicked at the idea that his cats had merely brutalized her son but he spoke nothing of it. Instead, he nodded for her to be let up at the prompting of another Skyclan cat. Her clanmate, he seemed honest enough, spared of anger and lust for blood despite what they all had just witness.

Before he could speak, there was a commotion at the entrance of the where it seemed the kits were kept. He mulled over the words and tested them on his tongue, "Tend to your wounds and care for your kit mother. I will withdraw for now and speak with Wolfstar when he returns. But it remains you are under the rule of Asylum. Like I said, we will still be here, our cats around. Stationed throughout the territory and at the edges of the wall. Some will stay in camp here as well. They will not attack unless ordered or in self defense." His tail flickered and he nodded to Dawnhawk. The other tom could handle it. For now he would retreat to Shadowclan. Muttered words to a scout marked his leave. Should there be any more issues to arise, he would be back. †

Flowerthorn's words only heightened Blossomstep's anger at these Asylum cats, and the traitor that stood with them. The cats that had been holding her down released her and stepped back, and Blossomstep got to her paws swiftly but gracefully, casting a grateful glance towards Wrenspring before stalking forward to stand in front of Iniko and looking squarely at him. She passed Dawnhawk as she did, and refused to even spare the tom a glance. Once she stood before Iniko, she narrowed her eyes. "I am unable to voice just how much I despise the fact that you are here, along with all of your pawns. I also want to be honest with you, so I will tell you that I want nothing more than to rip out your throat along with the others that raised their claws to Bloodstrike." It was unspoken, but her previous apprentice was included in that sentiment. "However, you've made your point very clear. On behalf of SkyClan, we stand down." Her gaze left Iniko's as she looked around, meeting her clanmate's gazes levelly before returning her attention to the Asylum cat. "We will follow your rules.... For now. However, know that this is a temporary agreement. I am not SkyClan's leader, nor am I it's deputy. The final choice is for Wolfstar to make, and we will wait for him until he returns for him to fully discuss the... Intricacies of any agreement, one way or the other. As long as that is clear, I request that my clanmates be allowed to stand, and go about their days as scheduled. Additionally, I want my son's tail back, and as you can see our one medicine cat now has to try to heal her father who is bleeding out and also assist in a kitting. Thanks for the assistance." She growled, dark eyes burning through the tom in front of her as she tried to resist the urge to unsheathe her claws.

"Now, let us care for my son and queen. I'm still grieving over the loss of two of my kits in the fire, and the disappearance of my son from the nursery, I refuse to lose any other kits to the likes of you." With a flick of her tail, she turned her back on Iniko, finding herself looking in Dawnhawk's direction. Padding up to him, she stared silently at him for a heartbeat before turning away, disappointment and anger burning in her eyes. She then made her way to Bloodstrike's beaten and bloody form, crouching near his head. Though he was unconscious, she began to lick the top of his head. "That was squirrel-brained and reckless, son. I'm so proud of you. We'll get you taken care of." Looking to Beechface and Smokefeather, she gestured with head, glaring at the Asylum cats around them. "Beechface, take whoever you need to carry whatever you need to help him. Smokefeather, come here, if we can groom some of the blood away it will help show where each wound is to tend to it. Flowerthorn, I'll get Foxfire, please go back to the nursery so we can prepare for your kits. No cats, Asylum or SkyClan, are to enter the nursery unless specifically requested, am I clear?" Her gray eyes roamed over clanmate and Asylum cat alike, daring any of them to speak up before moving towards Foxfire and offering him her shoulder as he stood. She then turned to Beechface, waiting for directions from the young medicine cat on how she could help.

If any of these Asylum cats think that they could stop them, they have another think coming. She thought as she waited, glancing between where Flowerthorn and Bloodstrike were. That goes for Dawnhawk too.

Smokefeather heard Blossomstep's anger clearly enough, though her words won a newfound respect for the silver tabby from the still-pinned she-cat. Smokefeather had to admit, her ability to remain so collected in the face of this waking nightmare was beyond impressive.

Flowerthorn stepped out of the nursery, and Smokefeather closed her eyes for a moment. The poor queen shouldn't have had to deal with this, especially when she was so close to giving birth... Or was going to do so here and now, it seemed.

She hardly heard Iniko's words, but finally, finally the pressure on her back and neck let up, allowing Smokefeather to her paws. She shook herself roughly, bounding over to where her mate lay in a bloody heap. She refused to look at Dawnhawk as she passed him, anger burning in her chest.

"You feather-brained fool." She whispered, "Don't you dare leave us here."

---

Beechface stopped writhing beneath her captors as Blossomstep's voice rose above the crowd. The details of the conversation were irrelevant to her, all she needed to know what that these fox-hearted animals were going to get their filthy paws off of her and her clanmates. Then she could get to the bloody heap on the ground that passed for her father. Please don't let him be dead...

And then Flowerthorn appeared from the nursery, spitting venom at the rogues and--

--Well, foxdung. She was going to give birth. Now. Why now? Starclan must have been laughing at their misfortune and panic, it was the only way.

The pregnant she-cat approached Beechface, still pinned, and Beechface offered her a smile, more of a grimace, at her words. The small warrior was feisty, Beechface thought she'd like her. They'd never really interacted before, but her words were enough to get the filthy vermin pinning her to let up.

"Out! Now! And take your dead with you!" Beechface barked orders, baring her teeth at the nearest rogue before darting quickly into the depths of the medicine den.

Raspberry leaves, a few sticks for Flowerthorn (though the rogue's tails would serve just as well, Beechface thought) and wet moss.

Cobwebs, oak leaves, marigold and goldenrod for Bloodstrike. The bundles were quickly snatched up, and Beechface bounded over to where her parents and grandmother were as if her tail had been set in fire.

On second thought, wet moss for Bloodstrike, too.

"The wet moss will help get the blood off of him faster. Chew the plants into a poultice and press them to his wounds. Cobwebs over the poultice." She wanted to stay and help, she didn't want to just leave her father laying there at all. But she could trust her mother and grandmother to this, at least.

Smokefeather didn't hesitate, taking the wet moss and doing as instructed. Beechface hesitated a moment, staring down at her parents for a heartbeat longer before picking up the rest of her herb bundle and moving toward the nursery. None of the rogues were foolish enough to get in her way, at least.

"Chew on these but don't eat them." Beechface said, shoving the raspberry leaves toward Flowerthorn. She didn't need to be told when to bite down on the stick. The medicine cat took a breath. Stress wouldn't help the queen give birth, and she didn't need to add to it.

Despite the pain she was feeling, she stood in the clearing of the camp for a little longer watching one who seemed to be leading it all leave the camp. Smokefeather and Blossomstep stepping up to take care of Bloodstrike. She looked towards Foxfire to see he was free and he would join soon enough. Her eyes went soft for a single moment sending him a pleading look before steeling herself once again for what she was about to go through. With how this was going right now.. She didn't think she would want to go through this again.

She stepped inside of the nursery once again before she settled back into the nest. Picking up the raspberry leaves to chew on like Beechface had instructed her. "Stars.. these little ones have the worst timing.." She muttered out between chews. Hopefully this didn't reflect over these next few moons.. But in truth she would rather deal with bad timing than deal with dead kits. She was fully afraid of losing them or being a terrible mother... She was terrified.

OOC: so late omf

Hearing Willowdance's yowl of fear and rage ring through the air sent a shiver down his spine and as he laid smooshed under the cat that viscously held him down, he wondered if SkyClan was done for. Would they all be swiftly killed and would the clan cease to exist? Maybe this was happening in other clans to... but if so, how'd they get so many cats? Questions raced through the cowardly tom's mind as he laid there, not daring to move from the fear of surely perishing.

OOC: oops, late late late, here I am

Lichenpaw was woken by yowls and a paw against his neck, pressing just enough to allow him to still breathe. A choke of alarm left his throat and he instinctively writhed against the intruder, eyes flashing against the dark of the apprentices' den. He craned his head just enough to be able to see out of the entrance to the den out at the center of camp and watched in horror as events akin to nightmares transpired. Dawnhawk...his brother, a mangy, flea-bitten traitor. "No!" he cried, doing his best to squirm out underneath the larger cat that had him pinned. He didn't entirely hear what was said amongst the cats in the clearing; he only saw his poor father sliced and clawed until he was a bloody heap on the ground. Tears welled in the apprentice's eyes. Finally, the pressure on his spine let up and he shot to his paws, bolting out of the den towards the center of camp. Towards Bloodstrike and his mother.

"Dad! C'mon, Dad, get up, please..." Much like a younger kit, Lichenpaw pressed up against Smokefeather's flank, seeking her comfort. His tears of shock soon turned to blinding rage, however, and he spun on Dawnhawk, a snarl escaping his maw. He was smaller than his older brother, but that didn't stop him from getting right up in the warrior's face, eyes blazing. "How DARE you? And you call yourself a warrior of SkyClan... Dawnhawk, I HATE you. How could you?! You better get your flea-bitten, foxhearted pelt out of our camp before I skin you alive!! You're no brother of mine!"

OOC: Yeah, late here too...

In the apprentice den, before the events of the night transpired, Tuftpaw had been sound asleep in her nest. The large apprentice was having a rough go of her training, but she was determined to make up for lost time. Then, all of a sudden, she heard shouting and her eyes shot open. With cats she didn't know all around them threatening lives, Tuftpaw tried to get up, only to find that her body was pinned down. She was never scared, never daunted, but she looked to Lichenpaw with terror. To the other apprentices. Then her eyes fell upon the horrific sight in front of her, of her Clan falling to outsiders that had no right being in Clan land. They made ridiculous, sacrilegious demands. No Gatherings, no Moonstone visits, no patrols without their filth among them. It made her furious. Yet there was little they could do. She almost yowled for Lichenpaw not to be so stupid, but that was his father laying near death. What was the difference between Clan and rogue if not honor? If not loyalty?

Her eyes screwed shut. She couldn't watch this. The denial of death, the seeking of comfort. This was a nightmare. This was the Dark Forest fallen and descended upon SkyClan. Many, many cats were holding them hostage in their own territory. One of their warriors had betrayed not just his Clan, but his father in turn. Poor Lichenpaw couldn't even get justice for it without risking his own life. Tuftpaw bit down, trying to suppress screeches of woe, but there was one thing she could not stop herself from saying. "Lichenpaw, it's over! He will kill you if you keep insulting him! We can't lose you too!"