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Post by niftyshark on Apr 11, 2019 15:53:29 GMT -6
Haypaw followed Dark and Beanpaw out of camp, barely able to contain his excitement and curiosity. After hinting at the excursion for half a moon, Dark finally planned a meeting with their father. Their cover story was surveying prey density by the border, and luckily, they escaped the camp without question. Dark didn’t describe where they were meeting him, but as they walked, it dawned on Haypaw that it was probably over the border. They already had an adventure across it, and they couldn’t very well meet an enemy warrior on either of their territories. It made perfect sense to meet him in the outlands.
They stopped to mask their scent in a patch of wild garlic, and he wrinkled his nose at the scent. He paused to consider his family once he was done rolling, a warm smile on his face. As much as he loved his clanmates, there was something special and irreplaceable about being with his family. They were his rock, and he didn’t know what he would do without them. He straightened. “I think our scents are masked enough. No one should be able to know that we crossed the border.” It was hard to not just run off across the border, but he was sorely tempted.
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Post by darkwolf45 on May 18, 2019 14:27:47 GMT -6
Dark chuckled in amusement, sitting up from her roll, regarding her sons before she got to her paws. “Alright let’s go.” She said, beckoning with her tail for them to follow along with her. The choice to finally have them meet Coyotestorm hadn’t been hard. At least not mostly. She had always wanted them to meet him, it was just deciding when would be best because of the cross clan relationship it would mean. She would leave it to her sons though to decide their own fates, and if they chose to go with their father’s clan she would support them in that.
-
Beanpaw trotted along after Haypaw and Dark, the stench of garlic stuck in his nose after they had rolled in it. It was probably better than rolling in mud though. The purpose in Dark’s step had him nearly bouncing after her and he shot Haypaw a grin. The first time Dark had hinted at this he hadn’t believed his ears, but when she had confirmed they would be meeting their father he had spent the next day barely able to pay attention to his mentor. He wondered what his father was like, and his mind buzzed with ideas of a wild rogue who had charmed his mother, or a stoic tom who commanded the respect of those around him with his wisdom from his travels.
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Post by niftyshark on May 18, 2019 15:23:09 GMT -6
Haypaw tried not to imagine too deeply what their father was like, since he didn’t want to be disappointed. But if he was enough to attract Dark and have kits like him and Beanpaw, could his expectations really be too high? He thought about it as he followed his family across the border. He looked to Dark curiously, wondering how far they would go. She never even revealed if he was an outsider, but he supposed the likelihood was quite high. But what if he wasn’t? What if he was a clan cat? The following thoughts were hard to consider, so he shook his head to focus on the present. “Where are we meeting him?” he asked, figuring that was the most direct question at the current moment.
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Post by darkwolf45 on May 18, 2019 15:33:03 GMT -6
Beanpaw remained rather silent, ears pricking as they crossed the border into the outsider lands, remembering fondly the last time they had crossed the border. That night had been good, a special memory with his mother and brother he would never forget. His eyes darted to Dark when Haypaw asked his question, curious himself about the answer.
-
Crossing the border was never something she had issues with, so there wasn't much thought as she did so once again in her life, her paws following along a trail she had already mapped. It would lead them to a small clearing, one where she had arranged with Coyotestorm to meet her at when they had spoken at the last gathering. She caught Haypaw's question, noticing the way Beanpaw's wide eyes swiveled to look from the surrounding area to her. "Just ahead, there is an area that I picked out one of the times I went walking. We aren't too far away now."
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Post by niftyshark on May 18, 2019 15:40:39 GMT -6
Just ahead. Haypaw turned to look ahead of them, though the few standing trees and underbrush. He couldn’t see the clearing, but he trusted that it would be safe. The mixture of pine and cedar trees with a few willows turned into mostly pine trees spaced out in the distance along rolling hills. They were following a thick copse, and the small trail their paws walked along did indeed lead to a small, sheltered clearing. The air was heavy with the smell of sap, and something else under it. It was a little musky and unpleasant, but maybe it was a usual scent to those that lived among pines forests. He strode to the far side of the clearing and sniffed around, trying to get his bearings. It seemed like as good a place ad any to have a secret meeting.
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Post by darkwolf45 on May 18, 2019 16:01:54 GMT -6
They had just made it to the edge of the clearing when the fur along her spine stood on end, and dread filled her body like flood waters. For a moment she wasn't sure what she was smelling until she saw them, eyes glistening as they laid eyes on Haypaw first, the furthest into the clearing with Beanpaw not far behind him. In the past, she might have frozen, she might have run away, because her fear for her life had always driven her to run and seek a place to hide. But now, that fear, that burst of adrenaline that surged through her wasn't for herself, it was for Haypaw and Beanpaw. It seemed like her world slowed down as the first coyote lunged forward out of the brush towards the young toms, and without hesitation she darted forward into it's path, pelt bushed up and a wild screech tearing itself from her chest. "RUN!" The dark she-cat didn't turn to see if her kits had heeded her single word, instead she lashed out her claws at the muzzle of the first coyote, the second one snarling and growling as it came up beside and snapped at her. She managed a few moments where she could fight back, wildly scratching and snapping at whatever she could before all too quickly she felt the sharp pain of teeth meeting her tail when they pinned her between them. Her hissing and spitting cut off into a scream as she was yanked by her tail, and as she turned to claw at the smaller coyote the larger one sunk its teeth into her shoulder.
The adrenaline and fear pulsed in her veins and as she wailed and tried to wiggle free of the jaws she was trapped in, the snapping teeth crunching bone and sending blood flying. Her gaze finally flickered away from the bloody muzzles and wicked gleaming eyes to stare in horror as she locked eyes with Haypaw, seeing her own fear reflected in his frozen form. She opened her jaws to scream for him to run again but only a strange gurgling came from her jaws.
---
Beanpaw had been calm, happy, ready to meet his father, this day was supposed to be among his top best memories. But the sudden screech from his mother, the sight of the coyotes, of her putting herself between the threat and her kits, it crushed any dreams of a happy memory. He didn't hesitate, he ran, pulse thumping in his chest, air rushing in his ears as he streaked away. 'Get help, get help, get help.' His mind chanted, and when he saw a figure ahead he almost wailed, stumbling as he ran towards them. "Help, help, please help." He babbled.
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Post by niftyshark on May 18, 2019 16:28:21 GMT -6
He felt the zing of electricity race down his spine in warning, but he realized too late that he was staring face to face with something he never saw before. White teeth stood out in the shadows, and he was close enough to see a mixture of hatred and a predatory gleam in its eyes. Before he could screech, before he could do anything, a black blur rushed past him, into the jaws that lunged for him. The force of his flinch sent him stumbling backwards into the grass, and what his eyes saw froze him to his core.
Dark was twisting wildly in the jaws of two creatures that he realized were coyotes, and in that moment he understood that she was sacrificing herself. Haypaw begged himself to move, to do anything, but he was trapped and rooted to the spot, as if the ice that filled his heart and chest also froze his paws to the ground. He tried to breath in, but his mouth only opened in a silent scream, chest constricted. Dark’s gaze met his for half a moment, and it was like time slowed just enough for him to see the terrified expression she wore. A heartbeat later and the coyotes ripped her apart. The spray of blood and the sickening crack of bones and tearing skin reached him, and he couldn’t close his eyes against it.
—
Coyotestorm stood a few paces outside of RavenClan’s border, lost in thought as he considered what he was about to do. He never really thought of himself as a father even though he technically was one. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to act? What if they didn’t like him? He was annoyed that he even debated the last question. Who cared if they liked him? He didn’t know them. But his mind unwillingly drifted to Nightflower and he clenched his jaw. Maybe it mattered to him more than he wanted it to, but he knew he couldn’t control how they felt.
Steeling himself, he started towards the meeting place, but a cat zooming right for him stopped him in his tracks. He crouched and unsheathed his claws, but their words reached him first. He was about to chase the cat off until he remembered he wasn’t on clan territory. He was then about to say he didn’t help strangers, but the cat was young and looked so much like himself that Coyotestorm felt a strange lump in his throat. The cat was so frantic that he didn’t question them, he just stood up with an expectant expression.
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Post by darkwolf45 on May 18, 2019 16:40:24 GMT -6
Heaving as he skidded to a halt in front of the tom, his babbling choked off as he stared open mouthed at an older version of himself. If the day had gone well, he'd have probably laughed about it, but all it did was make him want to cry, and suddenly he realized that it was only the two of them and he spun around to stare back the way he came in horror. "Haypaw." The panic hit him all over again as his chest constricted and the fear hit him harder than before, was he about to lose them both? "Coyotes. Help her please." He begged, turning back on the tom, itching to race away and then giving in, not bothering to wait on the tom, his mind too filled with the agony of wanting to get back to his mother and brother that he couldn't find it in himself to find a shred of happiness that this was most likely his father.
His paws threw up dirt as he ran back the way he came, ears pinning back to his head as he begging and prayed to StarClan that he hadn't gotten help too late.
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Post by niftyshark on May 18, 2019 16:58:33 GMT -6
Coyotestorm could barely understand the rush of words that came from the young tom’s mouth, but he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. What could have possibly gone wrong? What happened to Dark in the timespan that he was going to meet her? He quickly followed after the cat that must have been his son, gaining and then staying on his heels as they raced towards the meeting place. As they drew close, he could immediately tell something was wrong. The sound of crying and baying filled the air, and the smell of blood nearly slapped him in the face. He could feel pricks of fear in himself, and he had to wonder what could be possibly do to help? They exploded into the clearing, leaves and bush branches scattering, and his heart picked up into overdrive when he saw the coyotes in the clearing, faces and paws stained red. He nudged the young tom behind him as he stared, and it was then he could see the carnage peeking through the grass. His stomach rolled, and he knew it would be a death sentence for him to take on the two coyotes alone. He couldn’t be sure, but he felt that Dark must have already paid that price.
The pale tom took a few steps forward, and he snarled a warning, surprising himself. Hadn’t he just decided it was a death sentence? The excited yips quieted for a heartbeat as they both turned to look at him. He saw remanents of black fur at their paws, and his mind catapulted back to the numb feeling he felt when he was surrounded by flames.
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Post by darkwolf45 on May 18, 2019 17:18:28 GMT -6
The sight, the scents, that greeted Beanpaw upon re-entering the clearing were nightmare fuel, and he couldn't stop the whimper that left him. He hovered behind the tom as he stepped forward to face off with the coyote's as well, but Beanpaw couldn't take his eyes off the black fur, the blood, and he couldn't drag his gaze away from the carnage that could only be the mother that he had just been laughing with that morning, the mother who had raised him and given him and his brother such a good life. Brother. Haypaw. His head snapped around searching for the black pelt that belonged to his brother and felt a small relief to see him alive, frozen staring at the destruction before him. He was about to move toward Haypaw, to huddle down with his last piece of family, when the bushes shivered on the other side of his brother. The white and black cat that stepped out seemed tense, eyes immediately training on the coyotes, ears flattening and a growl rumbling in their chest.
--
Everything that had happened in the camp she called home with her mate, all that Angel had caused, the threat of death. It was a thing that haunted her, made her restless, leaving camp at all times of the day with itching paws and the drive to track the coyotes that had caused so much fear. She felt that old drive to chase out the danger, like she had done to Dark so long ago. But this was different, this was actual danger, not a scared she-cat that, at night when she couldn't sleep, hoped was alive and well and happy. So when she had been out on one of her patrols, and the scent of the coyotes had filled her nose she hadn't hesitated to track it, ready to follow them and then once she was sure where their den was, she would go home and work out a plan with Elektra to get rid of the beasts forever. But the screams, the screams had her running, losing her careful tracking and quiet moves to the feeling of panic and a worry about who had been caught. She knew from Pitch, from Kitsa, from Honey, from Elektra, and from Angel, how vicious these demons were. She only hoped she could get there in time. As she burst through the bushes, she had to stop herself from falling over a young black tom, the scent of blood invading her nostrils as she swung her gaze toward the danger. Horror filled her body. This was different than when she had watched Angel die. There had been satisfaction then, but now, she only hoped that whoever was laying there, torn to pieces had died quick.
Stepping forward she unsheathed her claws, a growl rumbling in her throat as she put herself between the black tom and coyotes. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye, registering two ginger toms, the larger one in a fighting stance as well.
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Post by niftyshark on May 18, 2019 17:36:23 GMT -6
He almost didn’t register the stranger in the clearing, but the way the coyotes turned to look away from him had him following their gazes. The cat was squaring off against them, and he didn’t waste the opportunity. He took a step closer, fur fluffed out and hackles raised. Coyotestorm watched as something seemed to flit through their gazes, and something unspoken seemed to pass between them. Was it because they were outnumbered that they started to turn away? He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t wait to find out. He lunged at their legs as he closed the gap, enforcing their retreat. He waited, stiff-legged, until he was certain they were gone. Coyotestorm turned back and immediately looked away. The carnage must have once been Dark, but it was hard to determine. He felt like he had a thousand stones in his stomach as he forced himself to look back. Dark...
His eyes traveled to the she-cat as she stood in front of the young black tom that he now noticed. It took him a moment, but he realized it was the same tom from when the WillowClan medicine cat came looking for herbs on their territory. He oozed confidence then, but now he looked like a scrap of black fur, a small kit, and he was so still that Coyotestorm wasn’t even sure if he was alive. The faintest rise and fall from his chest was the only indication. Instead of approaching, he faced the strange she-cat. “Do you know what happened here?” he asked quietly, pointedly keeping his gaze off of Dark’s remains.
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Post by darkwolf45 on May 18, 2019 17:48:18 GMT -6
She was tense as the coyote's finally left, her limbs stiff as she turned toward the tom, pulling her gaze from Elektra...no this wasn't Elektra. Her mate was safe at home with their daughter. Mentally shaking off the dark thoughts she loosened her stance, trying to not seem like a threat. With a shake of her head she replied, "No. I heard the scre....I heard the noise and came to help." The screams, ones she knew would haunt her sleep, even as she didn't know who it was. "Do you know who they were?" She paused and glanced towards the young toms, the ginger one now moving to press himself against the black tom's side, gaze flickering from the carnage to what must have been his brother. She shifted forward, hoping she might block his view of the remains if even a little. "Do you know them?"
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Post by niftyshark on May 18, 2019 18:00:47 GMT -6
Did he know them? Coyotestorm struggled with a response. He didn’t, not really, but he knew who they were. And he knew what loss they just suffered... He wasn’t sure how to feel. Emberstreak’s loss changed him forever, and it wasn’t something he wanted to happen to others. Yet here it was, happening to his own kits. The realization was a hard blow, and he could barely overcome it. He almost didn’t, but the way the she-cat was looking at him reminded him he needed to answer. “Yes.” It was curt, but he followed it with, “These cats just lost their mother.” He was quiet after that, once again drowning in the weight of what it meant. Was no cat safe around him? It was a pitiful thought, especially coming from him, but now he was starting to wonder if he had something to do with it. Dark was now another cat that he lost, and even though he didn’t know her well, her loss struck him deeply.
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Post by darkwolf45 on May 18, 2019 18:15:58 GMT -6
Lady nodded slowly, her mind briefly bringing up an image of Kitsa as she looked toward the two young toms again, sorrow filling her heart for them. Her turned her gaze back toward the tom, noting the similar features he shared with the two young cats, how the one was an almost carbon copy of him. "I don't mean to presume, but are you the father?" She was prepared right now to take the two toms home to Elektra if they had no one else, because she couldn't imagine leaving them out here alone.
She felt drawn to look again, hating that her mind kept seeing her mate there, feeling trapped as she felt her pelt prickle, but the shorter hair didn't belong to her mate and neither were those blank blue and green eyes. And suddenly she felt like the ground had swallowed her whole and she jerked her head away a breath shuddering out of her. Dark. Her gaze flickered back toward the young toms, and she realized that they were Dark's kits, and her heart sank because now, she had lost her chance to apologize to the black she-cat, to wish her well with her new family.
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Post by niftyshark on May 18, 2019 18:26:16 GMT -6
Coyotestorm’s gaze grew hard, but it wasn’t as forceful as he could make it. He was still trying to fight back waves of memories and paranoia, and now that his adrenaline was fading to a dull ache, he was aware just how much of a stranger the she-cat was. She wasn’t a clan cat, since he was old enough to know most faces, but her appearance seemed too convenient. “Yes,” he said again, tone just as clipped as before. His tongue threatened to get in the way upon admitting it, but he moved past it to focus on the obvious. “Why are you here? Any cat with sense would run in the opposite direction if they heard what... what just happened.” He noticed the way she was staring at Dark’s body, and he had the sense that maybe the stranger knew Dark. He didn’t bother asking though, since it didn’t serve him any purpose to know.
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Post by darkwolf45 on May 18, 2019 18:35:32 GMT -6
The knowledge that this was probably Dark's mate helped, because at least the two toms wouldn't be alone, wouldn't be without a family. The clipped tone she heard brought her out of her daze, ears twitching as she looked at the tom in front of her. In the past she'd have been annoyed, angry even as such a tone, but now, she understood that she was a stranger to him, a potential threat to his kits, every outsider knew to be wary of strangers. "I...my camp was attacked not long ago by them." She didn't want to elaborate too much, because too much information could be a problem given that she didn't know this cat, if he might have known Angel and Sea. "My family has been terrorized by these creatures before, and I promised myself I wouldn't let anyone else suffer the way they have." The truth of it hurt, that so many in her camp had suffered because of the animals that had done this. Maybe they weren't the same ones who had hurt Elektra, had killed Pitch's family, but it didn't change the fact that they were all still the same.
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Post by niftyshark on May 18, 2019 19:11:03 GMT -6
Coyotestorm’s suspicion fizzed away. It made enough sense, and he wasn’t in the mood to think too deeply. He had much else to consider now, and this she-cat wasn’t one of them. “I suppose I owe you thanks for your appearance,” he begrudgingly admitted. If she already dealt with tragedy from the coyotes, then she didn’t need to deal with this one too. “You don’t need to clean this up. The clans will handle it since it is their members who have lost.” Most outsiders at least knew of the clans, so he didn’t think he needed to deliberate on that point. He moved close to what was left of Dark’s body and lifted it as gently as he could. He turned to eye his kits next. They were frozen still, pressed together, and he wondered if he would have to make a second trip with them. He nudged the tom that looked just like him, a silent attempt to get them to follow, at least enough so they were out of the area and safe from potential dangers.
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Post by darkwolf45 on May 18, 2019 20:01:32 GMT -6
Lady caught that he said clans, and for a moment she was curious, but she let it drop, now was not the time for her questions. Maybe one day she would ask Dark's sons, but for now, she would let them grieve. Her own heart tore as she looked toward the two toms, the youth in their faces now marred by what they had witnessed. She needed Elektra, she needed to see her alive and breathing more than ever. "I'm sorry for your loss....she was a good cat." With that she pushed her way through the brush and headed back toward home, heart heavy.
---
Beanpaw could feel that the adrenaline of the run had worn off, and the tragedy of the day was catching up to him, shivers wracking his body. If only he had been faster, maybe Dark would be alive. He felt the nudge, and slowly turned his head to look at the face of the cat so similar to him, his mother's body there, so close. He shuffled his paws under him, turning his face away again. "Where are we going?" He croaked. He was shaky to get to his paws, nudging Haypaw, hoping his brother would move with them, hoping the coyotes wouldn't decide to come back. "Haypaw."
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Post by niftyshark on May 18, 2019 20:25:10 GMT -6
He couldn’t respond while he was holding Dark, and he didn’t want to shake his head. He didn’t think the tom would disobey him, so he merely continued on towards the WillowClan border. He kept his pace slow to ensure that the brothers could keep up, though he was surprised at just how slow he had to go. It was as if the black tom was just a shell, being dragged by his other brother more than he was walking himself. There was little he could do to help, especially since he knew he didn’t have that kind of relationship with them; it hurt more than he could have expected.
As the border loomed before them and then past them once they crossed it, Coyotestorm knew it would be tricky to begin to explain what happened. He was a RavenClan warrior, escorting a dead WillowClan warrior and two WillowClan apprentices to WillowClan’s camp? Not to mention he and Dark looked like them. It also didn’t escape his mind that a WillowClan warrior was killed by a RavenClan warrior and presented much in the same way not so long ago. But he wasn’t about to leave them to deal with it alone. He wasn’t even sure if they could.
He didn’t know how he didn’t run into any other WillowClan warriors, but they made it to the camp without any interruption, despite their slow pace. He stopped outside of the clan walls and waited, hesitant to walk in unannounced. Even he wasn’t that stupid.
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Post by theatricals on May 18, 2019 20:37:44 GMT -6
Chirppaw had been fully prepared to leave camp on her own to hunt, but half way through the entrance a sharp scent caught her attention--the smell of blood, quickly followed by another scent that did not belong. "Haypa--" she started as she exited the camp, but came to a sharp halt when the source of the blood scent took over her vision, and she saw three things at once: Haypaw and Beanpaw, Dark's motionless body, and a warrior she did not know helping to carry it. The scent underneath the blood was RavenClan, and she immediately took a step back. She hadn't forgotten that it was a RavenClan warrior that was responsible for her mother's death. "Wha--what happened?" she asked, almost as a whisper.
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