Autophobia[OPEN]

OOC: He gotta be dead by Sunday, just a heads-up if anyone wants to interact with living him lol

The sun was high in the pristine sky, casting a rather flattering light on Wasppaw. He trotted through the forest in the dappled light, relishing how glowy it made his fur look and not really caring that he was scaring all the prey away. He wasn't here to hunt, else he would've brought someone with him to gloat to. No, he was just stretching his legs and admiring the weather. And himself, of course, but that was a given. He looked up at the trees, squinting in the sunlight. They were so lovely this time of year: Just turning orange, not a hint of brown. He'd never seen a full Leaf-fall, but he imagined it would go very well with his pelt.

Suddenly, among the leaves above him, he noticed an odd shape. It was a big grey oval, almost papery in texture. He'd never seen anything like it... He had to get a closer look. Unsheathing his claws, he leapt at the oak it hung from and effortlessly (okay, maybe with a bit of effort) pulled himself up to its level. Up close, he could see something moving in there. Was it some kind of hive? But he'd never seen a beehive this ugly. As if taking offence from his thoughts, a huge yellow insect remarkably scarier than a honeybee shot out of the nest. Yelping, Wasppaw let go of the tree and came tumbling to the ground. He rolled a few paces before stopping, losing the wasp but also his beautifully groomed fur. He groaned, flattening back the worst of the damage, before looking back at the nest. He'd get his revenge on that horrid striped menace. He just needed an audience.

Wasppaw rushed back into camp from the forest, face displaying a proud grin. It didn't take long to find what he was looking for: camp was pretty busy at this time of day, giving him an ample audience to show his discovery to. He hastily straightened out his neck ruff before approaching a group of cats, tail high in the air. He didn't care who he was talking to, the important part was them watching him be awesome. "Hey, guys! You'll never guess what I found in the forest. I'm gonna go destroy it." His invitation stayed unspoken: obviously they'd come, he was amazing and they couldn't resist an offer like that. Taking this as a given, he turned back towards the forest and waited for anyone to join him.

Waterlily didn't have much to do around camp, so she mostly just stayed to herself.  She easily entertained herself with the thoughts that buzzed through her mind about her life.  She could keep herself busy for hours just thinking.  She liked keeping to herself when she could, not liking huge nosy crowds or anything.

She heard Wasppaw and came out to see what was going on.  She hadn't spent as much time with her kits recently and he seemed to be pretty excited, so to be kind she followed him.  "What did you find?"  She asked.

Patchpaw was getting ready to go out for a hunt, grooming her fur even though it was pointless as it was just going to get messy again in the forest. She was meant to look somewhat presentable, though, she thought with a sigh, before being interrupted by the voice of her much more put together and aesthetically pleasing brother, Wasppaw.

"You're right, we'll never guess without some kind of a description," she pointed out, getting to her paws and padding over, "But you already know I'm down for some destruction." Her claws unsheathed and dug into the dirt for a second, as she grinned, although she quickly tried to appear more in order as her mother joined them.

"Hi, mom," she purred.

"What's all the hustle? All I heard was that Wasp found something and he was going to destroy it and I'm down to see him do it. Should be interesting." Harrierpaw meowed nonchalantly as he strolled over to the gathering cats, eyes lazily tracing his brother's eager face. He raised a brow and flicked his tail in mild interest. "So? What scheme have you come up with this time? Somethin' to boost your ego? It better be worth all this ruckus and not just some lame attention-seeking ruse." he drawled as he looked away from Wasppaw and focused his attention elsewhere, specifically at his sister and mother. "Hey mom, Patch. Come to bathe Wasp in attention too? He's a real sucker for it." He shrugged and offered them a lopsided smirk. "I ain't blaming ya. He's pretty good at getting our attention. Even I'm interested in seeing what's got him all riled."

"Destroy... what, exactly?" Minkstar popped in to the group curiously, looking at his apprentice with a vaguely incredulous expression, mostly aimed at the way his fur was unusually unkempt. "Weren't you meant to be doing something that isn't destroying... whatever it is you've found?" A hint of dry humour touched his voice - though he honestly couldn't remember if Wasp had finished his apprentice duties yet, he had a feeling he was probably up to no good anyway.

Camp duties had been abundant for him this day. It was almost starring to get a bit boring and repetitive but weirdly enough, his day was saved  by the most unlikely cat.

Kestrelswoop sighed in silent relief as he gathered with the rest of the cats who'd been around at the time of Wasppaw's little announcement. He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't even the tiniest bit curious to see what the troublesome apprentice had found out in his little territory outing. He was a bit hesitant, as he should be. This was Wasppaw, for StarClan's sake. He and his family, specifically his siblings, were notorious for causing mischief.

The brown and white tom greeted the rest of the clan with a nod accompanied by a grin and a simple yet friendly 'hello' before turning to address the apprentice, "Show us. I want to see what's been keeping you occupied."

Woah. Wasppaw had to hold back a grin. Of course this many cats surrounded him, his idea was brilliant and cool, but it was still surprising that so many others were interested. He grinned through Harrier's taunts. "Well, Harrier, I'll have you know that this is the coolest thing you'll see all day. Or year. And Patchpaw... It's better if I show you." To be completely honest, he neglected naming the object mostly because he was worried Waterlily or Minkstar(wait, MINKSTAR was coming? He practically levitated with excitement) would stop him. He didn't want adults to get in the way of his plan, besides they'd be impressed when it was over.

"Don't worry, Minkstar, you'll find out soon! I promise it's worth it. Follow me, everyone!" He trotted off in the direction he was facing, heart beating in a quick rhythm. He wasn't sure why he was so excited about this, but he was- Maybe it was the fact that everyone's eyes were on him. Eat your dumb warrior heart out, Starling! He took note of all the trees he passed, making sure he was heading in the right direction. After about a minute or two, he started having doubts. Was he going the wrong way? No, he couldn't be... Could he?

His fears were squashed as soon as they appeared, however, when he spotted the out-of-place shape among the leaves. "Ha! Yes, I found it! Observe, my discovery." He puffed his chest out proudly, as if he'd just invented a cure for Yellowcough. This wasn't it just yet though- it was time for the main event. ThunderClan would talk about this for moons!

Suddenly, he broke into a sprint and jumped onto the tree. He climbed up it adeptly- are you watching, Minkstar?- and soon reached the nest's level. There was no going back now. Claws unsheathed, he carefully raised one paw high above his head and gave it as strong a slap as he could muster. It would fall in one hit, he reckoned. The wasps inside would die under its weight, or at worst fly away. No biggie, and it would look cool as heck.

He was, as it turned out, partially right- the nest fell to the ground and broke apart with a satisfying crack. The wasps seemed unharmed though, much to his chagrin. He hopped down from the tree (landing on all fours this time, thank-you-very-much), and turned back towards his peers. "Told ya it'd be- OW!" He suddenly became aware of a sharp pain in his neck. Did one of them sting him? His heartbeat quickened. Out of surprise, no doubt. Who thought the little dark forest-spawns would sting him? Suddenly, another wasp stung him in the paw. Ow ow ow owowow. This was... decidedly less cool. Was he supposed to feel this itchy? Everything was burning. His heart quickened some more. He looked at his mother with uncharacteristically panicked eyes and opened his mouth to speak, only to find he couldn't get any air out.

Bigger problem: He couldn't take any in. He began to wheeze. Rational thought was quickly leaving him, giving way to desperation. Dovefrost. He needed Dovefrost. He tried to take a step, but his swollen paw was on fire and he couldn't muster up the energy to take the step. Instead he fell onto his haunches, trying desperately to breathe. Or cough, or talk- anything. His eyes began to water and his vision blurred. Partially because of the tears, but mostly because he hadn't taken in oxygen in the past 15 seconds. He teetered, dizzy, before collapsing to the ground. He was far from a pretty sight at this point- his chest heaved fruitlessly trying to get air, and his limbs kicked out in all sorts of directions before finally slowing to a dying twitch.

Wasppaw was unconscious by this point. Or was he dead? He couldn't quite tell- but everything was so painless all of a sudden. Air. He needed air, or he'd-

Oh.

Wasppaw has died! also I'm a lazy writer pls forgib

Patchpaw was also pleased with the group who had gathered. Everything felt more important and official if the leader were also there! And it was a bit of a family outing, too. She blinked a greeting at Harrierpaw as he joined them. Since the group gathered so quickly, it wasn't long before Wasppaw was leading them off. She followed after her brother, pondering for a moment if he even remembered where his discovery was. She was about to ask him, when he pointed out the strange object. That wasn't a beehive was it? It was so...ugly looking. She was surprised Wasppaw was interested in it at all.

"Wait, are you sure you should-" Patchpaw couldn't even finish her sentence before her brother was halfway up the tree. Everything happened so quickly at first, but then seemed to slow down. It felt incredibly difficult to move, and the only thing she could hear was the buzzing. That sound would surely haunt her dreams for the rest of time.

"Wasp!" she screeched out, in the most undignified tone. She wasn't entirely sure if she meant her brother or the swarming insects. Finally movement returned to her, and she rushed over to his still twitching form. Horror was etched into her face, and without any real plan, she flopped her body over his to protect him from more stings. She felt a searing pain as one of the evil creatures stung her, and then another one.

"Help!" she howled.

Minkstar felt a wry smile touch his maw as what seemed like half the Clan gathered around Wasppaw. It seemed like even the apprentice hadn't been expecting it. His tail twitched as Wasppaw's grin widened and the young tom addressed him directly, an obvious sense of drama hiding there. He smiled, though, mentally rolling his eyes and wondering distantly that he'd somehow become the cat everybody looked up to and tried to impress. I wonder if the others ever felt like this.

A sense of curiosity propelled his paws as well as the duty to make sure his apprentice didn't somehow kill himself, all of them trotting off after Wasppaw. Minkstar eyed the terrain around them, trying to figure out just what had gotten the apprentice so excited, but it wasn't until they'd gotten a ways in that Wasppaw halted, and he finally got to see the mysterious destructible object.

And his mouth went dry. Isn't that a- is that a bee's nest? Little insects buzzed around it, but their bodies were pointier and somehow more hostile-looking. His eyes widened, a sudden premonition abruptly bristling at his fur just as Wasppaw darted up the trunk. "Wasppaw, wait!"

His yowl came too late, and the apprentice didn't seem to hear it, either. He reared back, the nest crashing to the ground and releasing a swarm of angry buzzing and stingers, the unaware apprentice landing right next to it with a proud proclamation as the whole thing erupted.

Oh stars.

The kit's sister leapt forward before he could as the apprentice collapsed with a horrible choking noise. What was her name what was her name- His heart thundered in his flattened ears, claws out as if to swipe at the hornets. Something starting with a 'p' - Prickpaw?

Stars foxdung you fish-brained splasher-

Stings pricked at whatever skin the little insects could reach as he pushed the little molly - Patchpaw, her name was Patchpaw - off her brother. "Get out! Get to the river!" He yanked the limp form of his apprentice by the scruff, feeling heat radiating off the choking tom's body, trying to get him away from the wasps and somewhere the infuriated critters couldn't get him. "Somebody get Dovefrost!"

Waterlily followed Wasppaw, walking towards the thing he apparently discovered, with multiple other cats.  She didn't think as many cats would follow, the only reason she was going was to make sure it wasn't anything bad.  She walked with him calmly, not too nervous.  Well, at least not as nervous as she should have been.  She stopped when he did and her eyes followed him up the tree.

She finally realized what he was going up there to do.  "Wasppaw, no!"  Her words sounded as though they were angry, but in was more just filled with concern.  But no matter what, it was to late.  She watch as he dropped to the ground in horror.  She felt completely frozen for a minute.  All she could do was stare.  She couldn't even move.  It felt like she was completely frozen while the rest of the world went on around her.  She couldn't even hear anything.

When her mind allowed her to come back to reality, she found Minkstar pulling Wasppaw out from the wasps.  She didn't care that the wasps were around.  She ran up to her kit with Minkstar there.  The wasps stung her as well, but she didn't feel a thing.  "It's okay, Wasppaw." She whispered to him, to shocked for tears to even be trying to come into her eyes.  "I'm here.  I promise your going to be okay.  I love you so much, you know that right?"  She was trying to get him to say something, but no words came out.

Tears began coming into her eyes.  "Right?"  She said once more, trying to get an answer, but again nothing came.  She put her head on the side of her kit, trying to make sure he was still breathing.  He wasn't.

Her entire world came crashing down.  Water began to fall down her face when she turned to Minkstar.  "There... There's no use calling for Dovefrost.  He's gone."  Then she put her head down, the wasps still around her. Water dropped from her face to the ground. Who know that the thing Wasppaw would be allergic to was wasps.

From the start of the journey to Wasppaw's chosen destination, Kestrel had begun to feel a prickle of uneasiness forming within his gut. His fur crawled but he tried to brush these feelings off. He didn't want to dampen the young tom's mood with his nervous energy. That's why he walked near the back of the party but what followed next made him wish he'd been much closer.

"Wasppaw come back here!" was his call to the unhearing apprentice as he stood with the others while they watched the eager tom race up the trunk of a tree and toward what looked like a bee's hive. The warrior tensed in alarm, claws unsheathing on their own, as Wasp knocked the hive down from the tree where it released a large swarm of enraged insects, which after further inspection appeared to not be bees but instead wasps. Unfortunately for the apprentice, he'd landed right next to it, face portraying pride at his 'accomplishment' yet he was also unsuspecting of the danger he had gotten himself into, had gotten them all into. This was not going to have a good ending.

Horror flashed across their faces as the bugs began to sting the young tom furiously and that in turn began to cause him to finally panic. Wasppaw began to gasp then soon after collapsed, writhing on the ground as if he were suffocating. As if a spell had been broken, everyone unfroze and began to take action immediately. Patchpaw was the first to jump right over to her brother's still form and began to protect his body with her own, her bravery getting her stung in the process. Minkstar was next to get over to them and began to haul Wasppaw's unmoving body to the river after pushing Patch away. The river was the safest place to be when there was a swarm after all. Waterlily raced over in a panicked state and joined Mink to check on her son. Kestrel finally shook away from his stupor and rushed to Patchpaw's side with the intent to grab her by the scruff and begin to carry her over to the river. Before doing so, he called Harrierpaw over to get him away from the swarm. They needed to get away fast. Even if Patch was perfectly able to walk on her own paws, he didn't want her getting anymore stung or injured another way. He made haste in snatching up the she-cat and urged his legs to move quicker so he'd get them to safety sooner. He hoped that Harrier had gotten the memo and wasn't too far behind. He didn't have the time to stop and check.

Once they'd arrived, he gently placed her down he began to check her over. "Sorry for doing that but I saw you get stung by those little monsters. Tell me where they hurt you so we can get you to Dovefrost." Despite his want to tend to the she-cat, his mind was elsewhere. He looked over his shoulder at where Minkstar, Waterlily, and Wasppaw were, eyes trying to read the older cats' expressions. The fur on his neck and back rose as he watched pained tears fall from dear Waterlily's face. Oh dear StarClan no! His shoulders sagged with grief, expression clearly crestfallen. He turned back to Patchpaw and nudged her with sorrow. "I... I think it's best if you go over there... your mother needs you now... I-I'm sorry... Wasppaw was so young. StarClan has gained a new star..." He couldn't say anything more as he sat down, head bowed as he prayed to the starry cats above that the rest of Waterlily's kits stay safe.

Patchpaw barely comprehended what was happening, but she did her best to make the trek to the river as easy as possible for Kestrelswoop. She was grateful for him, because the thought of purposely leaving Wasppaw behind was...painful to say the least. Surely he would be ok, though? This was not the way her brother was going to go!

She shook her head, trying to focus on Kestrelswoop's words. Where had she been stung? She could feel her shoulders throbbing, and her side hurt. That was ok, though, because the real pain only hit when she followed the warrior's gaze over to her mother and leader.

No.

"Th-thank you for getting me out of there," she mumbled, before managing to get her paws under her and make her way over to her mother. She just pressed her face into her fur, unsure who was giving who comfort.