The Liberation of Riverclan [Clan Plot Topic]

OOC: very bad pls don't read, I am here to heal if anyone needs/wants it

Dennis wasn't sleeping. He had been, until recently, but now he found himself so full of adrenaline that he couldn't imagine himself ever settling down to sleep again. Asylum was gone. For good, judging how triumphant the bringer of this news had been. His heart hammered in his chest. He didn't know why he was so affected by this, given that he'd barely known the horrors of Asylum, but seeing the others so defeated and scared during their reign was enough to make his heart jump for joy at this news. He tried to still his breathing as he grabbed the essentials: cobwebs, some poppy seeds, goldenrod and a big wad of wet moss. He expected the returning cats would be injured, though he tried not to think about it for fear he would freeze up. Ivystar would be coming home, he realised. Unless... No. No unless. His mother was not dead. She couldn't die while he still didn't remember her, only had the smallest slivers of a life with her. Shivering with anxiety and residual excitement, he stood outside of his den in waiting.

While Honeytongue's nest still held Stormbringer...It wasn't the same without Ivystar. It had been hard to grapple with her mate's disappearance but she had held on strong - RiverClan needed her, she had to help guide the cats who were lost from their leader's disappearance. She had embraced the fact that she would one day lose her mates or she would die first - it wasn't an easy truth, and it still hurt but... Her ears twitched - the sound of joyous cries catching her ears. ...Eris was dead? Asylum was...Gone? She raised her head from where she had been resting it on Stormbringer's side, quickly pushing herself to her paws and out of the den. She could see Spid...Dennis stepping outside of his den with herbs, and her eyes remained locked on the entrance. "...Ivystar?" she whispered, a plead in her voice. Please let her mate be returning to them...

Flashlight didn't want to go back to RiverClan's camp - not when she looked like this, bloody and battered and bruised, fur matted in ways that would take days to fix - but given that their camp was where their medicine cat resided she hadn't had much of a choice. Likewise, she didn't want to accept assistance from any Asylum rats, but the fact that when the adrenaline started to fade she could hardly remain on her own four paws made it a necessity.

Her fury had faded into a blur of tiredness and frustration, the lingering anger she felt at having allowed Raisha, the rat responsible for Shrikefrost's death, to escape - carried away by some other Clan cat, and yet her being out of sight did nothing to make her feel any better - still pricked at her paws like stepping on broken ice, but there was nothing to be done for now.

She would not let herself falter or fall, now that she was finally home, settling somewhere away from the Asylum cats and close to the water. Oh, the water, how she'd missed it - she was RiverClan through, only really home when her fur was well and truly soaked, but that (like so many other things) would have to wait.

More pressing, she wondered where her brother was - how he and RiverClan had fared, in Ivystar's absence.

Dewlight's head popped up as joyous calls reached her ears. She saw Honeytongue leave the den, and she stood to follow, ears perked and eyes wide in anticipation as she waited for the source of the sounds. Finally, one clanmate appeared in the tunnel's entrance, and her tail lifted in greeting at a familiar face, one that she hadn't seen in a while. "Flashlight!" The she-cat exclaimed, joy lighting her features. Things hadn't been the same in RiverClan since the fight, and Ivystar and Flashlight had left to share their side of the story. They had never returned, but now here was one of them! Was Ivystar with her? It was only then that Dewlight realized the state the other she-cat was in, and faltered for only a moment. She was bloody, battered and clearly in pain... Quickly stepping forward to offer the she-cat a shoulder she mewed quickly. "Welcome home. What can I get to help? Dennis has some herbs, or I can fetch you water or fresh-kill, or make you a fresh nest. Whatever you need."

Dewlight's welcome filled her with relief, and Flashlight sighed deeply. It would be alright, she thought, to not worry too much about how she was perceived by her fellow RiverClan cats - just this once. There wasn't any way to hide her current state, so what did it matter if she showed a hint of weakness? She might not look or feel like herself just yet, but she had survived. "It's... It's good to see you, Dewlight. I think... Fresh-kill would be nice," she spoke, her voice still softer than usual. Whether from letting emotion she rarely expressed slip through or solely from feeling weak, it was hard to say. "They certainly didn't treat us with the respect we deserved."

(This was a vulnerability she was, for the most part, unfamiliar with.)

Slowly, she assessed the state of the camp. Despite Asylum's occupancy, it was still standing. "It would probably be best to let... Dennis... Deal with those who were left in worse shape. I'm inclined to believe that it looks worse than it is. In the meantime... I see RiverClan is still standing, despite everything. Of all the things, I never expected... Well, I never expected a lot of things that happened, to tell you the truth." There was more than a hint of pride in her voice as she continued, "But it seems that Loonwhisper - and the rest of you - managed just fine."

Shambling steps were taken taken in a careful synchronous procession of hurt-fueled movements, muscles stiff and adorned with the chipped crown of vicious warfare; droplets of blood left simmering upon the gold-wreathed earth, dark and irregular tears against the trammeled laurel of the freshly-dawning morning sky. White-hot agony blossomed with each and every step taken by Jayshriek, a tumultuous throbbing that wreathed across his exhausted nervous system with restless flutter of his natural circadian rhythm, and even the shared weight blossoming between the notches of Ivystar's shoulder and his own did little to quell the grinding ache. It was a tremendous relief to finally be within sight of the camp, spindly reed barrier gently framed with the warm halo of the rosy dawn, a tremendous relief to hear the the great shrieks and howls of joy and unending excitement, the subtle taste of victory and relief faint upon his bloodied tongue.

The finality brought forth by the rapidly approaching barrier to the camp did little to soothe a certain frenetic energy coiling low and insistent within Jayshriek's ragged form, one that had been perpetually brewing and sleuthing since his initial encounter with Beecloud. Perhaps even longer. How long had it been since they'd seen each other? The gently hooked talons of the reed-barrier curled gently around his spine and wounded ribcage as the pair carefully passed into the confines of the camp, a faint ghost of sensation wracking through his unpleasantly tight muscles, long enough to successfully overthrow unwanted overlords. Long enough for the seasons to practically change once again. There was an odd fracture opening up within Jayshriek's brain, two newfound chasms of emotional commitment welling deep and imposing-  a part of him fretting over ruining the apparent, and tedious, ceasefire to the frigid flames of indifference with his mother, the other twisted up inside at the prospect of going another moment without seeing Kitefire.

It was probably foolish, he attempt to cajole himself as he and Ivystar took another few uncertain steps forward into the lively clearing, to continue worrying about her so. When his initial fears of encountering her within that miserable Asylum prison was the direct pathway to his own broken bones, when he was so overcome with fear at the thought of never seeing her again that his wit and strength all but fled him. It was probably foolish; Kitefire was likely safely tucked away within the forest, untouched by the frenzy of the battle and waking only to hear of the ensuing victory. Seeing her was not a priority, not a priority like the tending of his mother or his own wounds. But it was a night underscored by reckless decisions, so what was one final poor choice to add to the list? At least this decision lacked the potential recourse of his death at the fangs of a terrible fate.

"Honeytongue! Stormbringer!" Jayshriek eventually drolled out, low voice raspy and rough following the terribly long events of the night, "Ivystar is here." The reclamation for his mother's mates respective attentions was marked with the gentle departure of his presence, weight carefully peeling away from the newfound comfortability offered by his mother's side. Slipping back into the familiar embrace of the rapidly dwindling shadows, the young tom's unusually bright gaze was shaded with an unfamiliar emotion as he practically turned tail in the next heartbeat, vanishing within the parameters of the crowd with hardly another sound.

"Of course. Why don't you sit down, I'll be right back! I think the fish I caught last night is still there, the scales were really sparkly!" Dewlight exclaimed, choosing not to pushed seeing Dennis on Flashlight quite yet. Darting off, it wasn't long before she returned, a decent sized fish dangling from her jaws. Setting it down in front of Flashlight, she settled next to the other she-cat. "Eat as much as you like, I'll ask Loonwhisper to go on another hunting patrol so we can get you all back to normal!"

As Flashlight continued, Dewlight started to slowly groom the blood and dirt out of the she-cat's fur. Her tail flicked slightly and she paused to shake her head. "We're still standing, yes, but... You all were missed, terribly. It was weird without everyone here, and I'm glad you're back!" Resuming her careful grooming, Dewlight subconsciously began to purr contentedly.

Shimmerdust raced out of the den as the call echoed through the air. She stayed back, not wanting to get in the way of others who are actually helping. Staying to the side, she trotted forwards to peer into the group of returning cats. Ivystar was there, thank the stars. Well, she guessed she shouldn't be too surprised-Ivystar still had a couple of lives left after all. Dewlight seemed more than capable of taking care of the cats, so instead Shimmerdust went to the corner of camp, watching everyone move about. Her eyes trailed over Flashlight for a moment, and she felt the familiar prick of dislike-but at the same time there was lingering anxiety for if she was okay. She was definitely more concerned for Jayshriek, whom she had went hunting with and enjoyed the company of.

Speaking of which, what would happen to the Asylum guards now? Shimmerdust eyed the shadows with trepidation, retreating slightly towards the center of camp.

Fear was a sensation that was certainly not foreign to the ancient tom; he'd felt it in many sporadic spurts throughout his long history. But there was something quite literally crippling about age that had rendered him feeling far more helpless than ever before. This particular time, the occupation of their sacred camp, had struck a cord in Carpsplash's chest. With this aching bones that creaked at every opportunity, the once great warrior was little more than a helpless mess. The realization was an agonizing one and certainly something he would have been better off coming to terms with moons before ever hearing of Asylum. Because of this, he'd spent a lot of time with his pelt pressed near the reeds of the elder's den.

The news of Asylum falling reached his ears from a spot just inside the Elder's Den. He hadn't been sleeping soundly in anyway and his head quickly raised to see the stirring in the center of camp. Rising to his paws was a slow endeavor, truly betraying the stiffness of his limbs. While the sky was mostly a still heavy-laden with hues of navy, there were streaks of vibrant orange that seemed to make the sunrise that much sweeter. Tasting the air, the elder determined it to be decidedly more pleasant. His clanmates seemed to bustle with excitement as the Asylum stragglers were chased away and replaced with returning kin. He settled back on his haunches with a sigh and watched silently.

After a moment, a broad smile touched Carpsplash's maw. There was no fiery spirit or spite in that moment but rather a holistic sense of peace that briefly dimmed the flare of his limbs. Riverclan had gone through every challenge possible throughout the seasons and there had been flicker of doubts in these most trying times but they have overcome of course. Regardless the things that happened, the lives that were lost, their clan overcame.

It had taken Wisteriabloom a while to make her journey back to camp, mostly busy helping the ex-prisoners, some of which were still a little unstable on their feet after so long of being mistreated. She herself was in alright shape, all things considered. A scratch or two here or there, but she had barely been involved in the actual fight, since Asylum was so outnumbered.

The warrior knew she should feel triumphant, but all that was on her mind was dull exhaustion. Beecloud was gone. He was their leader. He had brought them all together. He should have been celebrating with his clanmates. I hope you're enjoying yourself in Starclan. Say hi to Shrikefrost if you see him. Wisteriabloom didn't even realise how hard she had taken the loss of her mate until now. Her end goal was reached, Moonpaw was safe, yet his father was far away. Maybe that dull numbness was grief. Feelings were difficult sometimes.

Despite being caught up in her emotions, a small smile still flicked across her face as she saw the fear in the eyes of fleeing Asylum cats. At least they knew how it felt now.

Moonpaw wasn't hurt at all...his mother had been in the back lines and he had been ordered to stay back at camp to help of the cats that were too injured to walk. His father was in Starclan and his siblings had dissapeard a long time ago but he still had his mother and mentor. He ran up to his mother and nuzzled her glad that she was still alive.

Although he was a bit confused by all of the triumph among the clan cats that they had driven out their fellow clanmates and the one's who where taking care of them...."Mother?"