Lavender Town [O]

Falconpaw found himself racing through the forest trees in near darkness. Hundreds of pairs of eyes were upon him, and he had the feeling many many pawsteps were slapping the ground beneath him too. He should have felt afraid, but he didn't. He was furious. Falconpaw was racing toward one cat in particular, though she was not in sight yet. The forest's trees were suddenly too thin to run on and he dropped to the ground to close the distance on foot. His eyes landed on the she-cat he had been after once the forest turned into a clearing. He couldn't quite tell in the darkness, but she was some kind of dark gray or black with white. Hundreds of eyes were around her too, watching. Waiting. He growled something at her, his own words fuzzy and incoherent. She growled something back... then attacked.

Falconpaw bolted upright in his nest in the apprentice den with a gasp. His unsheathed claws landed on an apprentice nearby in a panic, which inevitably woke him up. Falconpaw had a strong hindpaw right into his gut before he could say anything, which caused him to release a rush of air from his lungs. He tumbled out of the apprentice's den with his clanmate hissing and spitting at him. Falconpaw's ears pinned back, but his eyes were apologetic. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He mewed pitifully. The other apprentice wasn't having it. He rolled back over with a growl and turned his back to Falconpaw.

Well... he was awake now. The white and gold apprentice got to his feet after having been tossed out so unceremoniously onto his rump. The moon was still in the sky... He shouldn't be awake for hours. He sighed with frustration and began to walk out of camp. Once he was safely away from it, anger overtook him. It's not my fault that I dream. It's not my fault that I jump awake. But he couldn't blame the other apprentices for being angry when he woke them up either. He walked up to one of the night guards on duty tonight. "I need to go for a walk again." He didn't have to explain why. His dreams had been giving him trouble since he was born. The night guard was kind enough to go with him.

Falconpaw would walk around the territory for just a bit. Just a little while and not very far. He needed to wear himself out again to relax and then he would go back to bed. The night seemed very calm tonight anyway, hardly a sound. His paws traveled over the same hunting trails that the patrols used so that they could easily find their way back again. Over roots and small hills and between trees they went. Stupid dreams. The night guard's nose caught the scent of something... something he wanted to hunt. "Go for it. I'll just wait here." He wasn't in the mood to hunt. The night guard hunkered down and disappeared into the brush. The apprentice lost track of time as frustration still burned within him.

His ears picked the sound of twigs snapping and he froze, all thoughts banished from his mind as his heart began to race. That wasn't coming from the direction that the night guard had gone. He didn't dare move right now. The moonlight helped him see, but only just. A fox was prowling. It hadn't spotted him yet... but it was walking across the path that he was on and slowly cutting off his route back to camp. Falconpaw swallowed hard and convinced his stone heavy limb to obey him.

He had to climb or he was going to die.

The apprentice bolted up the nearest tree, causing the fox to yelp in surprise once it realized he was there. Falconpaw took advantage of the fox's surprise and was well out of reach in no time. He pulled himself up onto a high branch and panted, adrenaline causing his body to shake. That had been way too close... where did the night guard go?? He looked around... only to have his eyes land on an owl perched right below him. Falconpaw gasped and bolted, immediately leaping from tree limb to tree limb as new waves of terror overwhelmed him.

This was far worse than the dreams. This was real. The owl gave chase.

Falconpaw began to leap lower and lower, trying to lose the owl in pine needles, but the bird was relentless. It was no time at all before the apprentice was back on the ground running for his life from an aerial threat. He couldn't find it in him to scream, as terror choked off his voice. A shadow burst from the brush to his right... the fox was still here. It ran at him, cutting him off, and it's jaws snapped just over ears and enclosed around the owl.

Falconpaw swerved around the fox and ran through the forest in a blind panic. Shadows blurred around him. The cold of the ground below didn't even register like it normally would have. There was only his heart hammering in his ears. Finally, the apprentice found himself sliding to a stop at the edge of the river, panting. His legs felt like jelly beneath him. He looked over his shoulder, fearing he'd see yellow eyes and teeth or black eyes and a beak. He saw only the forest at night.

Falconpaw sank to the ground onto his belly and tried to catch his breath. His sides heaved with the effort and his fur stood on end. It was all he could do to not start crying from his burst of terror.

Sprucebark was out near the river late into the night. He hadnt been able to sleep at all ever since getting back from the twolegplace.

He felt so much different and not in a great way ever since his return. Felt frustrated and easier to anger than he ever had been before. Those twolegs were monsters what they had done to him and his clanmates.

He stared at his own reflection disappointed at what he was becoming. Shorter tempered and less agreeable than ever before and he didn't know why.


A sound made him duck behind tall reeds that grew along the river bank hidden entierly he spotted a small cat traveling from skyclans direction. The fur along his spine rose instintivly. What was he doing here?

Sprucebark was all about the warrior code and rules, very by the book usually and this little one was dangerously close to crossing the border.

Sprucebarks eyes narrowed not able to make out who it was not that he knew alot of skyclanner anyways.

He stalked forward eyes locked on the little thing trying to figure out if there was more of them. His heart pounded in his ears... was skyclan trying to launch some form of attack here?


He stayed hidden just observing for now. Then he saw the cat flop over and... was he crying?? it was hard to tell in this crappy lighting but it looked to be either that or he was having a quick nap?? Sprucebark had never been so confused in his life.


However, soon after something even worse came. Behind the mysterious warrior flashed a red pelt that Sprucebark knew all too well.

A fox was closing in, Sprucebark ducked even lower in his hiding spot his heart pounding more and more in his ears.

The skyclanner was still on their side of the border and Sprucebark knew the rules... no one was supposed to cross borders and he was a very close rule follower to the point of even annoying his fellow clanmates by how by the book he was.


The fox was closing in though... Sprucebark had no idea what to do, Perchstar and Poppyshine wouldnt appreciate a fight right? They didnt like it when their own warriors got involved in each others battles yet alone in some skyclan afair thing.

But this cat was about to be diner if he didnt do something. He knew he probably should do something but he froze up in fear just watching. His eyes glued to the fox closing in stalking this cat who was completly unaware of it.


Sprucebark was worried to give away his own position... he wasnt sure if other foxes were around and if they were he could be next.


He for now did nothing and just hoped this cat laying there crying would scent the fox soon... but as the fox got within dangerously close of the oblivious skyclanner he couldnt just watch as this cat got toasted.


"Run you idiot! Get over here!" he called out. The fox knew about him now too and the red tail of the fox lowered as it broke out into a sprint towards Falconpaw (punch)


"Into the river! ITs your only chance mousebrain!" he cried watching the whole thing unfold before him.

Could skyclanners swim? He wondered. Well better to swallow some river water than get turned into lunch meat he supposed.

Falconpaw needed a minute to catch his breath, but it seemed the fox was already done mauling the owl. The white and gold young tom turned his head to see the yellow eyes coming at him. His heart sank and his eyes widened with panic. Was this how it ended? Was he about to be a fox's meal?

"Run you idiot! Get over here!"

A voice yowled at him. A cat's voice. A cat's voice he didn't recognize. Falconpaw couldn't move or take his eyes off of the fox. He didn't dare to. The russet beast drew closer.

"Into the river! Its your only chance mousebrain!"

Falconpaw rolled to the side as the fox's jaws came near... and into the river the tom went. He was immediately whisked away by it, the shock of the cold water being the worst thing he'd ever experienced. He kicked his legs, fighting the current as an untrained Skyclan cat stuck in the river might. His head burst out of the water just in time to suck in a breath, but only to be forced back down again.

The fox was no longer a problem...

But he wasn't sure the river would have any more mercy for him. He kicked and kicked, noting that his strength was fading fast and his limbs were beginning to disobey. They wouldn't move. His body temperature was falling fast.

Sprucebark leaned in intently as the skyclan cat rolled nearly missing the foxs jaws and with a splash the cat found himself in the river… Sprucebark looked carefully expecting him to swim on over… but the cat was floundering around … did they really not teach even the basics of swimming in other clans.  Sprucebark couldn’t help but to roll his eyes a bit … this Tom was sinking fast and Sprucebark felt a tinge of guilt for getting him into this but this was still better than getting mauled alive and then eaten he figured.  He hesitated looking at the river as the skyclanner was getting washed towards him… it was cold! And if this guy panicked he could drag them both under even if by accident.

The riverclan cat took a deep breath fluffed out his fur and dove in after the floundering cat.  Even though falconpaw was an apprentice they were about equal size spruce being a small warrior.  


The more experienced swimmer still found the freezing cold water a shock and he forced his eyes open to see the other cat floundering even worse their limbs twitching with the panic.  Sprucebark dove after them further and bit out at them.  The current tugged him away and spruce again had to swim after the cold water sapping both their energy.  He finally managed to get to falcons location and bit into his the only thing he could… falcons tail and pulled upward.  He managed to break the surface and took a deep breath of fresh air witch let falcon fall again for a second before he could again get a better grip into his scruff yanking falcon up the skyclanner was practically a sack of rocks at this point and it took all of spruces remaining energy to drag him over to the bank.  He managed to haul him up and shivering he dropped the skyclan cat out of the water.  

Stars he was freezing and shaking like a leaf… they both were.  Spruce let out a whimper before coughing up water.  This was gonna be the death of them both if they couldn’t get warm soon.  He still had some will to not flop over and curl up and close his eyes, he knew if he did that they’d both be found later frozen dead.

The thought of his family grieving and not being able to see them again made him get up and bite back into falcons scruff dragging him along back towards river clans camp.  

H-help!! he called out weakly when they got closer ish

Falconpaw struggled against the current as it tumbled him over and over. He didn't feel like he could get enough air. He pushed himself up, gasped, and went right back down. Something was coming after him. The fox? Would it really be so desperate to jump into the water after him? The apprentice was forced under the surface again... then was stopped abruptly by his tail. A sharp pain. He winced.

And then a log or something solid found his head. With a thunk Falconpaw lost consciousness. Darkness enveloped him, chasing away the feeling of icy water for a moment. His unconscious state was not to be peaceful however...

He was by the river again, sinking low onto his belly. The world around him was blurry, but he could just make out... some kind of tri-colored cat. He made a pitiful mew toward the cat... and they snaked out a paw toward him. Falconpaw couldn't move. The claws peeled a layer of fur away from him and it was bright red. Apparently that wasn't enough.... there was teeth in his scruff by another cat that he never noticed. He turned his head to look and panic overwhelmed him. A large gray cat was now dragging him toward the water. Falconpaw kicked and panicked, trying to stop them from drowning him. The gray cat said something to him, but all he could think was... What???
And just like that... he was yanked off of his feet and sent into the icy river. Again he was tumbling, end over end. His head hit something hard... and then he was awake.

Falconpaw felt teeth in his scruff even still... and a full blown panic caused him to cough up the water that he'd swallowed... only to gasp and kick in a blind terror.

"Wait! Let me go! No! Not at those temperatures! The water!" Then it occurred to him that he was... speaking plainly and breathing. He wasn't in the water anymore. Falconpaw looked up to see a calico cat... but it wasn't the same cat that had taken a swipe at him. Who was this???

Falconpaw's bright blue eyes flicked around, wide with fear. Where was he????

"I'm Falconpaw. I'm a Skyclan cat! My mother is Wolfblossom, the deputy! Let me go! Let me go home!" He didn't even remember coming to these lands. The cat dragging him smelled strongly of fish and... good Stars was he greasy...

A Riverclan cat??? It finally dawned on him. This cat wasn't trying to drown him... this cat had saved him. But what was going to happen now?

At this time of the evening, very few cats would be awake, if any. It was probably closer to morning than anything, though the complete lack of sunlight made it difficult to tell just how long it would be until dawn. However, Perchstar lay half-awake in her nest, staring with heavily lidded eyes at the corner of her den. At the dusty nest opposite her that had once lain far closer. The nest that should have been occupied by a large, fluffy gray tom. For a moment, she thought she saw him--curled up, resting peacefully, bright green eyes open with that soft look he used to direct at her--then she blinked, hard, and it was gone. He was gone. A deep huff left her as she rolled over, wishing that the stars would have let her keep her happiness for longer. After the Dark Forest left, everything had been wonderful... for a few days. Maybe a week. She'd had not one friend, but two... and a mate. Something she'd thought that a cat like her could never have achieved. For a little while she had allowed herself to feel some kind of hope. Something the life from Hollyleaf had instilled in her, perhaps. But it faded too soon. It was over and gone, and Cloverheart was dead, and soon he was... well. She tried to believe he wasn't dead. But she had no way of knowing. It wasn't like the knowledge he was alive out there and had just chosen to leave her would make her heart twist any less painfully. She tried not to think of him at all. But it was on late nights or early mornings like this, when sleep escaped her but floated around her eyes just enough to drag her into half-dreams of the few times her heart had been alive and warm, that she couldn't get his gentle gaze out of her head.

Where are you?

A sudden, gasping cry from outside of her den made her half-closed eyes fly open wide, shaking off the quiet desire that had stirred unbidden in her chest. That sound hadn't come from her. What had happened? Was something wrong? Were the Twolegs returning? Fear spiked through her veins for a moment as she disentangled herself from her undecorated nest and raced out of the leader's den. Adjusting to the moonlight above, her eyes scanned camp, finding two waterlogged forms stumbling in through the entrance... one familiar, and one she didn't recognize. His scent was masked by the water and silt of the river, but it was there. SkyClan. Her shoulders tensed. Walking up to the two, she met Sprucebark's eyes, managing barely to conceal the distressing thoughts that had begun to race through her awakened mind. What had happened? Why would a SkyClan cat be here? What was wrong with Sprucebark, and why had he been out alone at night? He looked distressed. Why? "What is a SkyClan cat doing in our camp?" she managed to say, the words falling stilted and uncomfortable from her mouth. The other tom stirred. Her eyes moved to him, seeing the realization of his surroundings take hold. Had he been... asleep? Unconscious? How, and why? The words "SkyClan" and "deputy" only caused her form to tighten more. This could get very bad very quickly. "Sprucebark, explain. Now."

Sprucebark had dragged Falconpaw back to camp and had managed to awaken Perchstar as well it looked like.   Well good, she would need to know about this anyways.

Falconpaw woke up sputtering soon after introducing himself and his mother.  Sprucebark shivered a bit and wondered how this Falconpaw wasnt freezing cold as well.  Spruce's greasy coat was more adapt for water anyways. And based on how poor Falconpaw had been at swimming it sure looked like he wasnt even bothered by it... maybe he would have been fine to go back home?

No, surely not this was just the shock settting in ont he apprentice for sure Spcurebark figured to himself. Besides, if Sprucebark had saved him from the river just to send him back to become fox's dinner that would have been no good either.

Hmm so this guy was the deputy's son? What a coincidence: he was too.  He shot Falconpaw a bit of an annoyed look.  He wasnt angry at the skyclan cat but he had certainly just thrown a big problem at Sprucebark and now was complaining he couldnt be home again.  Maybe it was true what they said that skyclanners had egos as high as the trees they climbed.

"quiet! he hissed a bit annoyed.  Perchstar was already awake sure but the rest of his clan didnt also have to be awoken as well from this mess. "Dont you know most cats sleep at night?" he scoffed in a quieter tone.  Well then what was this falconpaw doing out alone then he wondered...

"We will.  We will let you go home right after a med cat takes a look over you and you get some rest" he panted.  He had to drag this soaking lump all the way from the river and of course just now he woke up, perfect timing Skyclan.

"or would you rather I tossed you back over to the fox?  I'm sure he wouldn't mind if he had to eat frozen food tonight"

he said rather bluntly.

"besides what was an apprentice doing out without their mentor?  That's against the rules you know"
he said shaking his head with a bit of an eye glance upward in a half eye roll.

Perchstar didn't exactly look pleased and he understood his gaze submissively turning downward to her paws.  

He had always been a good warrior, that never ever broke any rule of any sort.  He was the most rule following cat there was to the point of sometimes even causing his clanmates a little bit of annoyance over how to the letter he was.

She probably was not happy that he had, one snuck out of camp alone, and two brought back some soaked half drowned Skyclan cat.  

Well for the first answer he couldnt sleep and just needed to be alone for a bit but he didnt wanna get into any of that.

It was actually easier to talk about the sputtering apprentice than that so he began with:

"Sorry Perchstar.  There was a fox hunting him and I told him to jump into the river to get away.  I sorta thought.... well I just thought since they are so good at climbing trees that they could sorta transfer that leg strength into swimming.  But I was wrong and he got into alot of trouble with the river.  I couldnt stand there and do nothing so uhh... here we are

He was pretty sure he summarized that fairly.  Sprucebark was of course the noble truth telling sort so he tried to remember any other things that had happed but nothing too much else stood out. He also wasn't the type to directly say that Falconpaw had nearly drown, that could be embarassing for their guest and Sprucebark already felt conscious that he had been a bit harsh on him already (he hadnt really been but this is spruce we are talking about)


His tone softened but also stayed in its business style as always.
erm he probably needs a med cat, both actually.  Thats why I brough him back here


As for what HE had been doing out of camp alone he hoped Perchstar would choose not to dig into that right now. In truth, he had been having nightmares of twolegs and the terrible cages they locked him up in. Ever since he got back sleeping in the warriors den no longer felt the same. It felt trapped in there. The nightmares of the cutter too were haunting to the point of making even the most rule following cat sneak out of camp....

But that was not something easy to share and that would not be spoken about ever. Warriors couldn't let things like that bother them and so he would bury that, surely that wouldnt cause any issues later or anything

Falconpaw sank low when Perchstar approached. It didn't help that Sprucebark kept reprimanding him for... speaking basically. Falconpaw's eyes went to the trees and he debated trying to bolt, but wouldn't that make him look guilty? He was cold, but given the adrenaline in his veins he didn't notice it as much as he should have in that moment.

"I was with another cat on patrol. He wanted to hunt something and told me to stay put. That's when the fox found me." He couldn't help but argue a little bit on that front. He wasn't a codebreaker or a rule breaker! He wouldn't stand to be accused of such things.

When Sprucebark finally addressed the gray and white she-cat, Falconpaw felt his heart drop to his stomach. Perch...star??? Oh foxdung he really stepped in it this time. "I'm not trespassing on purpose." His voice was small and he hated it. Thankfully Sprucebark admitted to kidnapping him, more or less. He wanted nothing more than to get out of here. If Perchstar told him to leave, he would. He'd brave the river again alone, as it seemed far less threatening than the Riverclan cats did at this point.

His soaked fur clung to his tiny frame and his now rat-like looking tail as he curled it around his body. Stars the wind was really biting into him now... Still, he didn't dare start grooming and get caught off guard. What if Perchstar was going to kill him?