Ripples to Rapids [RiverClan Sitewide Topic]

The scene was set. The moon was starting to reach the horizon, and on the opposite side of the sky the lines of colorful light announced the dawn. Birds on the far side of the river chattered endlessly, heralding the sun's arrival for a new, glorious day. Shadows stretched across the marshy landscape, and a keen eye could barely notice the shadows within the long ones, shadows that moved silently, meticulously, towards an already decided destination. The landscape around seemed untouched otherwise, the tranquility of another breathtaking morning, though cold as the claws of leaf-bare started to find their hold, had a lulling effect. It brought peace to the hearts and minds of not only those that passed through, but also those that made their home among the reeds, sleeping and waking to the constant sound of trickling water. A peace that seemed would never end, though the area was still healing from the recent times that had shattered that fragile peace. Leaf-bare was drawing closer, stalking the river and surrounding territories with cold calculation, never slowing, never stopping. It was inevitable, after all.

Just like the events that were about to occur.

As the slowly, silently moving shadows reached their final positions, a single figure stood out among the rest. Her eyes flashed with excitement as she held her breath, waiting for the perfect moment. Her tortoiseshell pelt was still dripping slowly, she had been fighting every urge to shake off the cold water to avoid revealing their position. The cats of this so-called RiverClan would be awaking soon, after all, but it would be on her terms. As she scoped the area, she spotted a golden opportunity. There he lay, eyes searching the other way. His expression betrayed his tiredness, and also Loonwhisper's lack of experience. Flicking her tail to her companions, in an instant they made their move. The astonishing number of figures that had hid in the shadows on all sides of the quiet camp moved as a whole, and Lyralei's attention was focused solely on this young tom. As her companions surrounded the camp and it's members, she slipped up to the young cat's side, rendering him helpless with a paw to his throat, claws extended threateningly as she smiled down at him sweetly. "Apologies, dearest, as long as you and your clan play nice no harm will come to you. Well, further harm that is." She purred, noting the blood welling at a wound in his left shoulder, shining against the black fur. Her head tilted slightly before she raised her head to see that her companions had gotten into position just as planned. Her tail flicked as her group moved in tighter, encircling the camp in an impenetrable wall of living, breathing cats.

Once everyone and everything was in place, Lyralei raised her voice to address the rapidly awakening clan. Their confused and concerned mews only heightened her excitement, and she made a conscious effort to relieve the extra pressure she had been inadvertently placing onto the black and white tom's throat. "I extend my most sincere welcome to Asylum, RiverClan. Although you are more than welcome to try to resist, I must insist that it is heavily frowned upon, and your consequences will be swift and merciless. You are outnumbered, and all it would do is cause unnecessary bloodshed." She purred, her claws barely pricking the skin under the tom's neck fur. Looking to where she had been informed the RiverClan leader, Ivystar, slept, her eyes narrowed slightly, the hint of a threat dancing in their depths. "Come, Ivystar, we have much to discuss, first and foremost being your imminent surrender - unless you wish to be responsible for the deaths of your little ‘clanmate’ here." She pressed a little harder on the tom's throat, her tail swishing back and forth as she waited for her answer.

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OOC: RiverClan has fallen, please see this announcement for more details!

The vigil was lovely so far.

Loonwhisper, Loonwhisper, Loonwhisper. The name echoed in his head. Names were such sacred things, and his name was the object of his utmost affection. It was, in a way, a promise kept by his mentor. She saw what lay beneath the surface of his alien exterior, at the gentle loon’s call, so very low and quiet. The night sky was tinged with starlight. Though his body ached to rest, he had to keep looking at the stars. He watched the little silver fish swim in his vision, and thanked Fallowlight among Silverpelt’s ranks for all that she told him. For a moment, life was simple, and the frightening beauty of the unknown was all he knew. Loonwhisper did not mind silence.

Until the silence stopped. There was a crack behind him, and as soon as his ear could flit off in the direction of the noise, there was a swipe to his throat, rending his head into the ground with an awful crack. Loonwhisper gasped in pain, and he heard the zipper-like noise of his flesh being torn on his narrow shoulder by a set of mighty claws. He could hardly lift his head to witness his assailant, but he knew that the voice and scent of the she-cat was nothing he had ever smelt before, not on any cat. ”H-hoo, oo!” the newly appointed warrior gasped, mortified at himself for breaking his vow of silence. ”I am… Loonwhisp-per! You h-have very… sharp -- g-g-hack -- claws!”

There was no way to wiggle free. His vision began to blur with anxiety as his clanmates woke up. Desperately, he reached out at them, as if they might be able to free him from Lyralei’s grip. He saw Ivystar begin to approach, and heard the Asylum cat address her. When their gazes met for the first time, he turned away, shame flushing in his ears and cheeks. ”I’m sorry Ivyst-t-t-ar,” he sputtered. ”I broke my vow of s-silence.”

Out of the corner of his deep green eye, he saw Flashpaw. He knew his sister very well, and he knew that his current predicament was stirring up a great dust storm within her. He feared what her rage might wrought for the clan. There was no way out, was there? Loonwhisper squeezed his eyes shut as the pressure around his throat tightened. ”Please don’t surrender, Ivyst-t-tar. Let h-her do it. I saw the silver fish. It’s okay. I know how to swim -- hnggh -- with them.”

Flashpaw kept herself perfectly still, though only just; her self-control threatened to fail her with every breath. Loonwhisper! she wanted to shout, wanted to fight - but with her brother at their mercy, and her own skills far from enough to defend him, she could only watch and wait. Helpless to act, struggling to stay still, as her thoughts raced faster than any cat could follow. Thoughts marked by a desperation she would never let herself show on her face or in her voice, her deepest fears were kept quite strictly between herself and her ancestors.

Stars, I know I'm not the most altrustic of cats... But StarClan, if you have any kind of mercy, Loonwhisper has done nothing wrong... Please...!

Having been fast asleep in the elder's den, the sudden sound of panicked mews awoke him sooner rather than later. In all his days of living and being leader, he knew exactly what it sounded like when their clan was being invaded and unfortunately, it was happening.

Pushing himself up from his nest and trying his best not to wince at the aching pain in his joints, the little legged tom began to waddle out into the clearing. Cats flooded into the dens like waves from the river and one of them ushered for Ivystar to "chat" with her, saying something about surrendering to them. By the amount of shadows that seemed to surround the clearing, it was obvious that the stranger had come prepared, but she had to be crazy if she thought that RiverClan was going to just give up without at least some sort of fight. Of course, he wouldn't be the one on the front lines, but even with his age, Tinylegs was no pushover and the fire that drove him those many moons ago was still ablaze deep down.

Standing at the entrance to the elders den, he watched as his clanmates were one by one immobilized by the intruders and his blood began to boil even more than before. "If you think RiverClan would surrender that easily, you clearly didn't do your research," the tiny elder mewed from where stood, his voice raspy but still audible over the clearing.

Honeytongue was thrown over Stormbringer's and Ivystar's back, a soft purr rumbling in her chest and a soft snore escaping her muzzle. That was, at least, until the sound of voices and rustling caught her ear. She blinked as she stirred awake, taking in a deep breath...And seeing pelts of cats that she didn't recognize. "I-Ivystar," she murmured as she shifted, not removing herself from her mates' backs but making it so that the leader and deputy could more easily slide free. Just barely visable was a she-cat pinning down the newly named Loonwhisper. "O-Oh no... What do we do?" she questioned, a terrified hiccup escaping her. This she-cat wanted them to...Surrender? But...They couldn't risk Loonwhisper's life, could they? Her breath quickened, more hiccups escaping her as she drew back, ears slicking back. But it...It wasn't her choice to make. Her mates were the ones in charge, they would make the right choice....

Right?

Bluepaw had been having a lovely dream, once full of the warmth of greenleaf and the plentiful prey that came with, all by a babbling brook full with fish for the catching, when she was forcibly awakened by paws pressing down on her neck. The gray apprentice struggled for a moment in fear, and her efforts were met by claws beginning to dig into her skin. Tears immediately sprung to her eyes and she sobbed,
"P-pleas- se d-don't hu- urt me!"

Her plea for mercy was actually met with such, and she cowered in her nest as the intruder padded away, leaving the large she-cat shivering in her nest, paws over her head in attempted protection of herself.

This had to be the worst possible way to wake up, waking up with someone practically sitting on top of her. Shimmerdust growled out loud and used her tail to thwack whoever was on top of her-really? What kind of cat was so careless in their sleep that they rolled on top of her?-but then realised this was not a clanmate. The peculiar scent stung her nose, and…was it an animal pelt this cat was wearing?

Blue eyes blinked in confusion, before Shimmerdust realised that the clan was surrounded by foreign cats. Most if not all seemed to have some sort of animal pelt on them. She made a face and nearly puked at the sight.

Then, she heard a cat-Lyralei-begin to call out. It finally dawned upon the she-cat that his was, in fact, a hostile invasion. And, with what little fighting skills she had, there was no way she could get out of this. She specialised more in agility, and this cat pinning her down was obviously strong.

The momentary thought passed through her mind that if the clan fought, they might have a chance at getting free. Loonwhisper would die, but it was just a life to save many, right?

Shimmerdust immediately felt angry to even think about it. The opposing cats haven’t even named their conditions yet and she was thinking of sacrificing someone whom she had no right to decide the fate of? What kind of Warrior was she? And besides, the only reason this sounded bad was because words like “Surrender” were used, and everyone was pinned down one way or another except for some Queens, Elders, and Kits. Maybe these cats won’t have some atrocious condition after all?

Sleeping with his good ear to his nest had never bitten Snowflight in the tail quite so thoroughly before. He woke to the feeling of being dragged out of the warriors’ den; a set of claws, sharpened to perfection, balanced precisely against his neck; and the sight of most of his Clanmates in a similar situation. Loonwhisper had it worst of all, pinned by the intruders’ apparent leader. Given his current predicament, Snowflight only had so much energy to spare on sympathy, but stars, what a thing to happen during Loonwhisper's first vigil.

Fortunately, his head was angled in such a way that he could hear at least some of what the lead intruder was saying, something about “Asylum” and “surrender.” Despite the terror pooling in Snowflight’s gut, the idea of just giving up only made his stomach clench further. Surrender was no better. How many cats had died the last time they’d sat by waiting for a threat to pass? (Nobody important to him, but now his family had dwindled to two, and his friends to less. He couldn’t afford to lose even one of them.)

…But what could he do? Dislodging the paw at his throat was a lost cause; if he so much as twitched in the wrong direction, the Asylum cat above him followed. But he was closer to being on his back than on his stomach. That, he could work with. He held his breath for a half-second, thinking and rethinking—then kicked outward with all his might toward the cat pinning him down.

Shrikefrost was up at the first prick of claws. He didn’t realize what was going on around him, only that he was clearly in danger with an unfamiliar cat with claws to his throat. When he gained awareness of his den, it was pretty funny to see a whole other layer of cats on top of their warriors - or it would have been, since they were probably about to die.

So are Flashpaw, Splashpaw, and Loonwhisper at least safe? They’re in other dens... He tilted his head as much as possible towards the camp and saw them. Everyone was pinned. He had to get out and help. Somehow. He was on his side, so if he rolled over as fast as he could and kicked at the intruder’s face, maybe...?

Shrikefrost didn’t look at the negatives. He could hear the sound of someone fighting back, and took the chance. Hopefully the cat pinning him would be slightly distracted by that. The tabby rolled to the side so he was fully on his back and kicked out with hindlegs strong from swimming at the intruder’s face. Even if it didn’t work, it wouldn’t feel good.

A she-cat slipped into the camp of RiverClan, wearing the pelt of a raccoon adorned with viper fangs. Following behind Lyralei, her shoulders were slouched, clearly a bit grumpy. She truly wished she did not have to swim as her pelt, both her own and that of the predator she wore, weighed down upon her, and her movements became slightly sluggish. But she trudged on.

At the silent command of the scout, she circled the camp, grabbing hold of one of the smaller cats, an apprentice, with surprising strength as she placed her paw on the young cat's head. "Hold still, young one." She bent low, whispering in the apprentice's ear. "My name is Raisha. I will not harm you if I do not need to. There is no need for bloodshed today. I am sure your leader is a sensible one. She will make the correct choice, and I will be able to set you free."

Although her words were very sweet, there was a hint of mirth as she began to dig her claws in. While she did not want to actually kill any cats, she was rather annoyed at the moment, so it seemed this cat was going to feel her wrath for now.

If there was one thing that Wisteriabloom hated, it was being pinned down. She was a large cat, so she should always be the one on top, the one with the advantage. A growl escaped her, but was quickly cut off by the position of her attacker's claws. One tiny movement, and well... the end wouldn't be pretty. But the cat hold her down was strange, to say the least. He wore the pelt of a fox like a covering, almost similar to how Twolegs wore pelts to cover their hairless skin.

Don't you dare surrender, Ivystar. She thought. Unless... They have something to do with Snakekit's disappearance. If so, she would be happy to kill each and every one of them, even if she died trying. But it would be stupid to try and attack now. No, she would wait. Maybe for a while, depending on how things went, but eventually, she would get answers from them.

Nightwolf peered out of the warriors den when he saw some new cats. New friends? He thought as he padded out towards them a smile on his face. "Hi I'm Nightwolf nice to meet youuuuuu." His voice the grew quiet when he saw Loonwhisper's body, limp. He looked up, his voice drooping. "Did-did you kill him?" He whispered, his body now trembling.

Eosphoros prowled alongside her fellow scouts, calmly watching the camp as she'd be instructed. Soon enough the signal was given, and the nightstrikers flooded into the camp. She remained where she was for a few moments longer among the reeds, soft brown eyes assessing the struggles of the cats with a mild curiosity. They had been conquered, but some still attempted to fight back. Their efforts were in vain.

Eos slipped toward the camp now, the white rabbit pelt she wore had already dried, as had her own fur. Proof of how long the scout had been silently watching the camp. White paws trailed silently through the reeds, making their way toward where she had picked out the clan's nursery.

Her entrance into the den was just as silent as her approach had been. Kits mewled, though most of the queens were asleep for the moment.

Almost gently, she prodded the queen closest to her awake.

"Shhh, it's alright. I mean you and the little ones no harm." Eos' voice was soft and sweet, gentle, meant to soothe the frightened creatures before her. They had no need to be frightened of her. Truly.

"Your clan is under Asylum's protection, now. There is no need to resist. We have the numbers to overwhelm every cat here thrice over. You will be safe with us." Still, Eos' tone kept it's gentle, soothing nature. The queens before her were nursing kits, they would not put their lives in danger by attempting to fight back. Gently almost, Eos raised a white forepaw, fully extending her claws so that they glinted in the soft light of the moon that managed to make it's way through the woven reeds of the den.

Carpsplash had been sleeping away soundly. His old bones ached with each small shift in the nest. Leaf-Fall and Leaf-Bare never never kind to the weary pelt of an elder. While most cats had begun to stir, it took the former warrior some time for his lids to flicker open. With such commotion, a protest wanted to bubble up from behind his and he began to slowly stand on creaking limbs. It took a moment for him to stretch out enough to feel comfortable limping over to the den entrance. What he saw there stopped him in his tracks.

The tom's jaw dropped and all he could do for a moment was stare. He had followed a fair distance behind Tinylegs. Since the Skyclanner had taken up permanent residence, the Riverclanner had retreated further into the den. He wasn't thrilled about Ivystar's decision to let the former leader stay. Regardless of all the unpleasant thoughts that normally ran through his head about the other tom, that was the last thing on his mind, in fact he hardly heard the words of the elderly stump-legged cat. Instead, he was engrossed by the sight of beasts littering the camp. Talks of surrender became a whisper through camp and various hisses and snarls echoed despite much genuine fighting breaking out.

His gaze sought their leader, Ivystar. As sure as he was their clan would never accept defeat, the sheer overwhelming force halted any thoughts of attempting to relive his glory days. The youngest warrior was pinned beneath unforgiving claws. Loonwhisper was quite the character but a decidedly good soul. Carpsplash took only a step forward before his paws froze and he looked at Lyralei with an uncharacteristically soft gaze, "Don't hurt 'im anymore. Don't." Such a blatant attack on their camp and with such overwhelming force. It made the old cat swallow. Unsure of what else to do, he simply settled back on his haunches and waited for Ivystar to speak.

The last time Addershade had been suddenly awoken, it had been his daughter, coming to tell him she was leaving forever to go to another clan, that he would be losing another child. For a half-second his still sleep-ridden brain thought perhaps it was her again, coming back to tell him she had changed her mind and would stay in RiverClan. That his remaining family would be reunited again.

But then his eyes flew fully open and he felt something pressing down against him, hard, as if he were being pinned to the ground. And then it dawned on him: he was being pinned to the ground.

So much for hoping.

He didn't struggle. He immediately realized that that would be futile. But he did try to lift his head up  to see if his family members were doing alright. The unknown paw pressing against his head pressed harder and further restricted the little mobility he had before.

"Snowflight! Nightwolf! Streamtail!" he called out the names of his two children and his late son's mate. Not being able to see them wasn't going to stop him from trying to figure out if they were alright. "Are you all okay?"

And Willowbreeze... he thought desperately I hope your decision to leave RiverClan at least spared you from this. Is this happening where you are, too? Are you safe?