Cries of the Lost [Sitewide Finale]

The member 'Kitty' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Effect Dice' : 1

It seemed every place these twolegs brought her had its own version of pandemonium. Early this morning - and she couldn't believe her eyes - they'd brought her and many other cats to Fourtrees, of all places. For a while things were quiet as twolegs flitted about, chattering to each other, before others came trickling in, followed by their kits and their dogs. Soon enough, the sounds and smells became so overwhelming that the tortoiseshell warrior shrunk back to the rear end of her box. What in the world was going on? Was she being shown off as a piece of prey to trade? Were they going to turn her into a little pelt for one of their kits to wear?

For a while she stuck back there, fur fluffed out as much as possible to ward against the chill sneaking into her bones. Still, at some point she realized that the sounds outside had shifted from bumbling twoleg nonsense to confusion, caterwauling, and the yipping of excited and/or frightened dogs. Curiosity won over fear as she crept forward, until Harebounce had her muzzle pressed against the hard, weaved metal at the mouth of her cage. The noises hadn't lied, as she was delighted to find clanborn cats causing mayhem and freeing her imprisoned compatriots. So fascinated was she by the bravery even the young apprentices showed that the RiverClan she-cat had completely forgotten that she too was supposed to be freed at some point.

At first it was a calico from WindClan that appeared before her, teeth scraping against the latch. When she failed, two more cats came forward, a little SkyClan apprentice and a ShadowClan cat that looked like she'd traipsed through the snow. Neither of them could trip the lock either. "Thank you! Sorry." Why was she saying sorry? She didn't know, but it was about all she could think to say to these three strangers all taking turns trying to free her. Why did it feel so embarrassing to be in this sort of situation? All she could do was sit there and watch, really.

[Please actually roll the dice Mistpelt]

The member 'xaandiir' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Effect Dice' : 3, 6

The cats in cages were all freed. The dogs were all running with their tails between their legs. It was a sound victory, but there was one dog on the run attempting to take a cat down with it. In horror, he realized that cat was Coyotegrin. His mate was in trouble. How could he just stand there? Shrikestar's paws were moving on their own, racing to reach Coyotegrin in time. Just as the dog was about to take a bite out of her, Shrikestar raced in and slammed her out of the way. Unfortunately, that still left him in the direct path, and the dog's teeth sank into his body, getting deep beneath his fur. He let out a sputtering cough, then it was suddenly night.

Shrikestar stood up, frowning slightly as he realized he was standing. There was no pain at all. The sky was so shiny, bright and full of stars. 'Oh no...' He had died. One of his lives was officially gone. He watched as one of the stars in the sky started to descend, falling to the ground and turning into a cat before his eyes.

"Falconstar," he breathed, recognizing the former WindClan leader from his leader ceremony.

"It is unfortunate that we must meet each other under these circumstances, but alas, all lives are meant to be lost eventually." Falconstar padded over to Shrikestar, tail gently moving. "I can sense you have more on your mind than just a lost life, though." Apparently StarClan could see right through him, and he wasn't the one with translucent fur.

"I... I must confess, Falconstar, I am at a loss with some of my clanmates. It feels like they do not respect me, and the constant rulebreaking... I wish I knew what to do."

Falconstar smiled sympathetically. "I understand. Not all of my clan respected me all the time either. Unfortunately, it's not possible to cater to every cat in your clan, no matter how hard you try. The best you can do is be a leader that WindClan can be proud of. The rest will fall in line. Of course, I'm sure my son would say you need to keep them in line, but just remember that you are the leader. If they don't respect you, that's one thing. If they go against your law, however, then you must make them respect you." Shrikestar nodded slowly, knowing he still had a lot to think on. "I'll see you again, Shrikestar. Hopefully not too soon, though." He laughed softly, waving his tail in farewell. Then the stars began to disappear, and the night turned to day.

The caged cats had been freed, the dogs had fled. It was chaos still; humans all around and cats fleeing. Her eyes scanned for her own clanmates as she tried to see if they had left yet or if they were still here. Most importantly, she wanted to find Shrikestar again. A fleeing cat shoved into her, causing her to stumble. Hissing at the already fleeing cat, she stopped and peeked her head above the crowd. Shrikestar was running towards her, fear and worry in his eyes. Immediately, her blood turned cold and she looked behind herself to see a dog charging straight to her. Eyes wide she tried to scramble, her paws hitting an upturned root and sending her crashing to the ground with a cry. Shoving herself up, it was too late. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. The dog's maw was snapping at her, her paw was swiping, and then a mass of brown fur shoved her out of the way. Once more she collided with the dirt and scrambled up once more just in time to see the dog grip onto her mate's throat and thrash about. Screeching, she lunged for the dog and let out Foxblood. With her fury of attacks, the dog had enough and dropped Shrikestar with a thud and fleeing.

Choking back sobs, Coyotegrin immediately turned to her mate's side. "Shrikestar!" She sobbed, pressing her paws into the wound. She knew this day would come - the first day where Shrikestar lost a life - but no amount of preperation could one mentally have to see your mate die in front of your eyes. Logically, she knew that Shrikestar would rise in moments, but the elders have told stories of leaders losing their lives all at once. Her own mother was one of those. What if those nine lives were meaningless, and this was the last time? "Shrikestar, please wake up!" She sobbed into his fur.

Shrikestar gasped, motor functions returning to his body. He was awake. He was still in the clearing, but the dogs had long since run off. He felt something pressing against his fur. Craning his head, he could see Coyotegrin. She was alright! Well, she was crying for him, but she was physically alright. "Coyotegrin," he whispered, slowly moving his body. He could move again, thank StarClan. Resting his tail on his mate, he tried his best to comfort her. "It's okay, I'm back." Losing a life was scary, but he had them for a reason: to protect his clan, and that's what he did. It was a worthy life to lose. He looked around then, seeing that the twolegs were still there. The dogs had vanished, but the clearing wasn't safe anymore.

"We have to go," he murmured to his mate, standing up and waiting for her before leaving Fourtrees. Could they even come back? Would the twolegs stay, or would they leave them alone for good? He didn't know those answers.

The gasp nearly startled her, but the sound and his movements were comforting. He was back, he was alive. She would have to go through this 7 more times, with the last one being the final goodbye. Choking back more sobs she stood slowly, glancing where Shrikestar was. "You're right. We need to make sure Kestrelpaw, Jaypaw, Eaglepaw, Sparrowpaw, Vulturepaw, Sleepyhollow, Fuzzface, and Whisperear are okay." She whispered back, joining him for a brief second. Glancing at Shrikestar she nodded. They would run. Knowing he was there to follow, Coyotegrin took off.

Just as the other tom began to speak, a dog came crashing their direction. "Come over this way. Quick." The words were urgent, passed over his shoulder as he dove behind a tree on the edge of the clearing, tail lingering on Forest's shoulder. Once the two were out of danger's way, Astershine cast a spare glance over the clearing. "Oh- I'm from Skyclan, by the way." It was when he was trying to figure out where Forest was from that he caught whiff of smells unfamiliar to him. "You don't smell like you're from a clan. Are you a rogue?" His tone was even without a hint of sharpness. As much as rogues weren't really welcome in the clans, his father had been one, along with Astraeus. If they were good, surely not all rogues were bad.

Calls broke the air and, after letting his gaze return to the clearing, he noticed how sparse clan cats were. The dogs were bloodied and no cats remained in any cages. A relief. Now, though, it was time for him to go home. With an almost sorrowful expression, he returned to his new friend, muttering a small apology. "Oh... Um. Sorry, i've got to go... Maybe I'll see if I can talk to you soon! Yeah?"