visitation of a ghost [C]

ooc: read this topic for more info <3

"I don't think we've looked this way yet." Cloverheart called as she guided the patrol along the riverbank. They hadn't seen anything that hinted to Ivystar yet, no scent left behind, not a shred of grey fur… The mission was starting to feel pointless. The pale blue sky hadn't given away to the dusty orange of evening, but the sun was getting lower. Worry pricked at her fur as she trotted on. Time was running out.

We'll find her, she quietly assured herself, pausing where she stood to pull in a deep breath. The only scents that came to her were those of prey, the crisp, leaf-fall air and the churning water beside them. They were coming up on a cluster of stones, a log caught in the rush of the river. Eyes narrowing, Cloverheart raised her voice to call again, "Turtlefur, Egretstorm. Look… look over there, by those rocks. Bearspirit, Swanmist, look a little further inland? I'll be… I'll be here, I'll be helping where I'm needed."

Turtlefur’s fur clung to his legs and chest. Water perpetually dripped from his belly fur, and his white paws were brown with bits of mud stuck between his webbed toes. He had been wading in shallows and pressing through flooded reed beds in an effort to find any trace of Ivystar’s body in the murkier, obscured parts of the river. Unfortunately his search goal had decreased from “finding Ivystar” to “finding Ivystar’s scent” and finally to “finding Ivystar’s picked-clean bones.” His efforts had yielded several soggy branches, an unusually long and shiny rock, and several leeches that probably hadn’t all been dug out of his long pelt. It was demoralizing to say the least.

He lifted his eyes from the dark waters to find the rocks Cloverheart had pointed out. Turtlefur climbed up the bank and onto the rock pile, looking out over the swirling waters. “The current’s strong here. Keep an eye out for slippery moss on the rocks,” He advised loudly to the rest of the patrol. The log seemed to be anchored on a single stone closer to the other side of the water, and he didn’t think much of it except it might have once been a useful bridge. Now that he was out of the water, he was beginning to shiver from the cold.

Bearspirit's heart felt like it was clutched between icy claws the entire day that they searched. Cold leaf-fall air chilled him to the bone with clouds in the sky becoming thicker as the day wore on. It was as if the sun was losing hope of finding Ivystar too... He kept his worries to himself. The usually bright-eyed and optimistic warrior had been painfully silent during their mission. No typical pep in his step. No words of encouragement. Nothing.

He turned to go further inland as Cloverheart had asked, inhaling the air around him slowly and swinging his head methodically. But after awhile... even the most sensitive of noses get fatigued. After awhile air just started to smell like overwhelming amounts of just more air. He needed a break from inhaling so much. It was beginning to chill the insides of his nose and make scent impossible to find.

"Where could she have gone.... and why?" He muttered very quietly, his words no louder than a whisper. The river was behind him... and to be honest he didn't want to look there. He had lost family to the river before... if she was there, he wasn't sure he could handle seeing her dead there too.

Swanmist didn't know how to feel. About Ivystar going missing, about anything. She was confused on why Ivystar would just get up and leave... and she was beginning to loose hope that her leader was even still alive. Her white fur was beginning to look orange as the sun set which only decreased her hopes in finding Ivystar even more. Her thoughts went from: Please don't be dead... Where are you, Ivystar? to: We just need a sign, dead or alive, a sign on where you could be... She felt a sickly feeling turn in her stomach and with each step, a bit of hope was lost.

Finally, Cloverheart decided to split the group up, and she could get away from from river, from the fish. She didn't want to be the victim of twolegs, what if they saw them near the river and tried to chase them away with their dogs? No, Swanmist, don't think about that, think about finding Ivystar... But what if she was taken by twolegs? No matter how much she tried to shake away the horrible thoughts, they just came back, even worse. Her tail flicked uncomfortably as she followed Bearspirit, her eyes big and filled with worry.

Egretstorm was trying her best to ignore the twisting feeling in her gut. By her own experience, cats gone this long without any explanation most likely didn’t want to be found, or… they’d left for StarClan. She wanted Ivystar in neither of those situations. Cold mud squelched under her paws, the chill seeping through her fur and numbing her toes. Not a single thing had appeared out of place on this patrol, despite their desperate search. Why was it that prey practically jumped out when you weren’t looking for it? If this were any other day, on a patrol that wasn’t made for this purpose, it would’ve been the perfect outing.

Egretstorm glanced at Cloverheart and gave a mute nod, tiredness sapping her will to speak. The stocky warrior moved towards the rocks, eyes and ears open and mouth agape. She doubted they’d find any trace of Ivystar here too. Judging by the log and large stones about this area, the river certainly took this path when its banks overflowed, dropping the debris as it went. A dangerous place to find themselves. She followed after Turtlefur, giving a low sound to acknowledge his warning. The slimy algae tried playing its joke on her front paws and her claws scrabbled against the rocks to regain her footing. One bad slip and she might hit her head, then that would be it. Once she had regained her balance on the small vantage point she gazed about, noting the deep cut the water made into the banks, power limited only by the firmly anchored tree roots along them. “You’re right, it’s unusually strong. We should keep an eye on this place just in case.” There was something else that bothered her with the water’s flow, but she just couldn’t put her paw on it as to why. She glanced to her friend, who looked decidedly rather chilly. “Are you sure you aren’t about to shiver yourself off the rocks, Turtlefur?” She had to try and lighten the mood a tiny bit. Otherwise reality would have to set in.

Slowly, the patrol spread out in the directions Cloverheart had sent them. Tails were low and heads were bowed as the four warriors nosed picked their way in search of... something. Cloverheart watched them with an anxiously twitching tail; she had a feeling that whatever they were looking for, they were going to find it. The worrisome feeling had crept into her chest and under her fur, it made her paws itch as she shifted her weight. It was a feeling of dread, heavy against her shoulders. She wasn't sure if it would be Ivystar they found, but she knew something waited for them by the river.

At the sound of Egretstorm's attempt at a joke, the medicine cat decided to join the pair she had sent to the water's edge. She gave the algae-covered, water-slicked rocks a sizable look before sighing and skirting around them. "Can you guys see anything?" She called, angling her head to look up at the two. Or maybe Bearspirit and Swanmist had already dug something over and she was about to hear one of their voices, or maybe she was about to stumble over something right now. Please, right now. Please, let this be over with. she silently begged.

Hopping her way onto a smaller rock with a grimace, Cloverheart stretched herself out to try and get a better look at the log, at the stones it was pinned between. Tattered ears flattened, and her expression twisted into a grimace. It looked like there was a scrap of... something, caught there. Slowly lowering herself from her perch, she moved closer. The river rumbled beside her, a sickly murmur bubbling under the roar. Her whiskers twitched, and she picked her way closer. The wind picked up, and what she'd saw stirred with it; a little bolt of golden fur. Before she could look any closer, or open her mouth to say anything, the beating of wings drew her attention.

Turning her head towards the sound, the medicine cat blinked slowly. A slim, pale bird was just beside her, its black-tipped wings wavering as it found its balance on its perch. Talons tapped against stone as it hopped forward, seemed to think better of it, then bounced back to its original landing spot. "T-Turtlefur? Egrestorm?" Cloverheart called out hesitantly, slowly taking her attention away from the jay.

"I think- uhm, I think there might be something over here. Maybe." Her mew faltered as that creeping feeling settled deeper in her chest. Was this what she thought they would find? No, it couldn't be- she was just anxious, she was inventing things to worry about. This was just a bird, and Ivystar would return to the Clan soon. Things would be right again. "But why would you land so close to me?" She wondered aloud, returning her attention to the jay. It quirked its head at her, glassy black eyes blinking twice as it took her in. It hopped closer to her again, gave its feathers a little ruffle, and tapped its beak against the stone. It looked like it was actually thinking, mulling over an answer to her question.

It's just a bird. Cloverheart corrected quickly. Her tail lashed once, and sharp green eyes narrowed. The jay blinked back.

Then, with a little wave of its wings, it squawked at her. One short, grating noise. Sighing, the medicine cat started to step away, angling herself towards the log again. Determined to hold her attention, the bird split its beak in a cry.

And again. And again. It screamed and cried, wings beating with a sudden fervor as it lighted off the stone. A short, chirruping whistle, then it took up the same piercing noise. With a particularly harsh flap, it pushed itself forward into actual flight, circling above the medicine cat before rising. It coasted in the air above the patrol, crying away as it wheeled above them. Cloverheart, who had recoiled against the ground at the sharp sound, straightened herself out to search for the faces of the four cats she had gathered.

She took a moment to gather her breath and her thoughts, then focused her attention inland. "Bearspirit? Sw-Swanmist, can you both come here? I'm sorry, I-I know I just told you to go over there, but there's that, and- and I think I saw something. Oh," she paused, swallowing, then turned to the other two. "Right, I saw something. It- it looks like there's some fur, by that log there. Can you check that out? I want to- I want to talk about that. And I want to get back to camp." Her voice was strained, her mind already starting to reel as she tried to address her patrol.

It wasn't just a bird. It was intentional, it had to be. Tipping her head back, she narrowed her eyes as she glared into the sky. The jay still circled, its cries distant from the height.

The bird was almost a breaking point for Turtlefur. He held back a frustrated snarl, though his lip curled to reveal gritted teeth. Even Egretstorm’s warm comments couldn’t fend off the anger and exhaustion crowding his mind. Cloverheart timidly pointed out a patch of fur neatly tucked into one of the log’s branches. He hadn’t caught that. Turtlefur nodded before walking back up the shore a few foxlengths, remembering his own warning from earlier about the strong current. He slipped cleanly into the water, paddling with all four of his legs, and launching towards the other side. The current carried him downriver and his powerful paddling pushed him sideways, both bringing him to the log.

Turtlefur grasped the log with his forepaws, allowing his hind legs to be sucked back by the water. He pulled up towards the surface, lifting himself out just enough to snatch the fur in his teeth and sink partially back into the water. It smelled odd. It was dry but with an undetermined scent—like crowfood and blood mixed with definite cat smell. As he pondered the fur, eyes narrowed, he looked back at his Clanmates with uncertainty in his expression.

With a sudden tremble, the log shifted. He gripped even more tightly as the log jerked a couple of tail lengths down the river. His weight had dislodged the part that was anchored deep in the water. Now only the gnarled roots stuck on a few surfaced rocks kept it still, but even that was doomed to fail. Turtlefur’s eyes widened in alarm when the tree jerked again, finally slipping out from the rocks and free-floating down the rapids. The warrior’s head whipped wildly and his hind legs scrabbled for a hold on the branch. It rolled in the water, but he managed to keep his head above the water. On the shore, Cloverheart and Egretstorm were quickly growing smaller. He was silent besides his rapid breathing. He wouldn’t let go of the fur.

Nearby, a bloated, gray shape rose to the surface and followed the warrior and his log down the river.

Bearspirit hadn't had to look long before the sounds of a bird caught his attention. Stars what was that about? He looked over his shoulder and stared as a jay practically screamed at their medicine cat. Bearspirit tilted his head to one side slightly, clearly utterly baffled by the bird's behavior. There was no way the bird was nesting right now, not in leaf-fall. Once it finally took off and wheeled overhead... Bearspirit's ears flattened. What he wouldn't give to be a Skyclan cat right now to knock the noisy creature from the sky. Cloverheart called to him and Swanmist however and pulled Bearspirit's thoughts away from the annoying jay.

He cantered over to Cloverheart's location as she mentioned fur.... His eyes followed Turtlefur as he made his way to the log. Bearspirit trotted along the bank, concerned for his clanmate's safety. The log shuddered and gave way and the marbled tom's heart sank. Turtlefur had some golden strands in his mouth, but at that moment Bearspirit didn't make any connection to them. He ran after Turtlefur alongside him on land.

"Let go of the log! Swim to the side!" He was yelling things that a Riverclan cat ought to already know, but perhaps panic had scrambled Turtlefur's brain. Bearspirit's paws smacked the ground loudly as he bolted downriver after the bob-tailed tom, his muscles flexing under his sleek pelt with every stride.

A rock seemed to bob up beside him all of the sudden... a fuzzy rock...

........ No ............

Bearspirit suddenly lost some of his speed as ice filled his veins where fire had been there before. Ivystar's body floated just behind Turtlefur down the river... and she had been under the water for quite some time, given the state her body was in.

Ivystar had drowned...

Swanmist hadn't gotten far when Bearspirit stopped and a loud chirping noise interrupted them. She turned around, flattening her ears in annoyance. Starclan, her ears hurt. And so did her stomach, she was starving, she knew she was starving, and there was a very good reason why she was glad to get away from the river. She was very, very hungry. She would've loved to get up there and snatch that bird from the sky, not only to keep it quiet, but to also eat something. She was just about to nudge Bearspirit to keep searching when Cloverheart yelled at them to come back.

Fur...? Near the river? Her mind went straight to the twolegs and the dogs, she felt a very overwhelming sense of danger come over her, and when her eyes saw the golden patch of fur, her fear only became stronger. Her paws stayed put, she stayed where she was, watching Bearswift and Turtlefur. Turtlefur was getting washed away, but something else rose to the surface, and soon she was running over there just to see what was there, a grey... thing? She got closer, she wasn't running very fast, but it was now in full view.

When she caught up, she recognised it. And her paws stopped.

There was no way she was going to touch the water from the river now, almost completely convinced a dog had managed to trap Ivystar there- or- or- or a twoleg had helped. She was shaking her head, as if that would get rid of the situation the patrol was in. Her paws felt stuck to the ground, crouched, tail between legs, ears flat, eyes wide, and fur raised. She would've hissed at the sight if she truly wanted to make a noise. But she remained quiet, frozen, as if she was stuck in ice. All of her senses told her to run, just run away, but she was far too weak to last long, and her paws felt stuck to the ground.