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One-shot; Reddawn and the Rogue Fight |
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I've been role playing in a Warriors guild for a while. And I made a StarClan cat and so I wrote about how he, well, died ^^; And here it is!:
I jerked awake, suddenly alert in the darkness of my den. ‘That dream, it came again.’ I thought, my eyes darting around the den, taking in the dark corners the most before I sighed. ‘A falling claw in nothing by shadows, I don’t understand StarClan, what do you mean?’
My name is Reddawn, I am the ThunderClan medicine cat. And lately I have been having the same dream over and over again. StarClan has sent me this dream, warning me of some event to come, but I don’t understand.
Suddenly, the quiet night was disturbed by a sudden yowling. I jumped up, racing out of my den at the cry as did my apprentice, Dewpaw. We emerged from the medicine cat den to find one of our warriors sprinting into camp, being met by Talonstar who had already launched out of his den and had sprinted toward the entrance.
“Talonstar, rogues, in the forest! They’re everywhere! There are too many for just us!” She cried and I recognized the white pelt of Bloompetal, the deputy.
Talonstar quickly took action, calling out names of warriors to run back to the fight with Bloompetal and for others to stay in camp, protecting it from any possible sneak attack.
I raced out after him, Dewpaw by my side as we chased after our leader who followed his deputy.
The large brown tom leapt over the crest of a hill and didn’t even hesitate as we all came to see the horror on the other side. The few warriors and one apprentice that had been on the patrol Bloompetal had come from were no match for the large group of rogues that seemed to swarm around them.
Talonstar had already begun his descent on the other side, not having even paused to take in the scene for he knew that every second counted in saving the lives of his warriors.
Giving a loud, fierce battle cry, our leader launched himself straight into the fray, followed closely by Bloompetal, Wolffur, Rainshadow, and the others. Dewpaw was by my side, staring with sadness and horror on the scene.
With a cry of dismay, she had launched herself down the side of the hill, coming to a staggered halt at the base.
I followed after my apprentice and spotted ginger. I felt my heart plummet as I realized that the she-cat whom Dewpaw stood over was unmoving, blood matting her fur together into clumps, dying it red and leaving her wet. Too late, I knew, she was dead already.
Dewpaw continued to cry out. “Hazelcry! Mother!” She shouted, bending over the deceased she-cat.
I rested my tail on her shoulders for a moment before scanning the area. I spotted a flash of white and brown as Rainshadow slashed at one of the rogues, hissing fiercely for a warrior so young.
Wolffur, his black pelt bristling, lashed his tail angrily as he launched himself at a brown rogue.
They were so young and yet they were giving their lives for this. I prayed to StarClan that they wouldn’t die.
A cry from nearby drew my attention over to Songstream, a ginger and white striped she-cat, swiping and slashing as she was ganged up on by two much larger rogues. One of them lunged at her and she sidestepped, but the other came bowling into her.
I left Dewpaw and raced across to the she-cat and jumped, landing on the back of the other rogue. Digging my claws in, I bit down on his neck, listening to his cry as he tried to shake me off.
Letting go, I hopped away, just in time for him to try and roll me off. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Songstream holding her own against the other rogue. Her smaller and slender body giving her the speed she needed over his strength.
Another young warrior.
The rogue I was against lunged again and I jumped, landing behind him before I bit into his tail. I watched as he ran away, yowling loudly.
We were fighting so hard, I could see, but it appeared to do nothing. It was almost as though the rogues just kept coming and coming. Was there no end?
A cry of dismay brought my attention to Bloompetal and Wolffur. Both stared with horror at something and I found my eyes trailing to where they looked, widening as I took in the sight. Everything around me seemed to slow down, almost stop altogether, as I watched in silence.
Talonstar, brave and strong, was covered in wounds and blood as he raced across the ground, his tail streaming behind him. Our leader was always courageous, but he was also very protective of his Clan. He would put himself in immediate danger if it meant saving the life of a comrade. Talonstar never seemed to care for himself in situations like that even though he was needed in order to lead us.
But our leader, I saw, had just gone and thrown himself in the line of danger in order to protect his Clan once again, putting his last life on the line.
The leader of the rogues, this I could tell for he was the one calling out the orders, was positioned over the limp body of a russet brown apprentice; Bloodpaw. The rogue was about to give the finishing bite when Talonstar launched himself straight at the larger tom. And I watched as if in slow motion, my leader, claws unsheathed and front paws extended, meet the side of the rogue.
They met and suddenly the rogue and my leader were in the air, seemingly suspended in time for a moment. And only until they had begun to make their descend, falling down the highest point of the side of ThunderClan camp, did I realize what my dream had meant.
It wasn’t just any claw that was falling in the darkness, it was a talon. And I watched in dismay as my knowledge came too late to me and I heard a yowl of surprise, anger, but mostly of fear ripped from the mouth of the rogue as both he and my leader plummeted to the bottom.
Everything around me began to speed back up again and I heard a yowl of some rogue nearby but I couldn’t get myself to care. And then, everything happened so fast I’m not even sure what happened. All I could tell was that the rogues were fleeing, the warriors and apprentices of ThunderClan yowling after them, chasing the rogues as far off as they dared before returning.
Wind suddenly rushed by me and I looked over my shoulder, spotting Wolffur and Bloompetal race over the crest of the hill, their tails streaming behind them as they headed back to camp.
The others didn’t know what had happened and I didn’t dare say yet as they began to pick up their fallen comrades and slowly drag them back to camp with them. I could see all the exhaustion shining clearly in their eyes and in the way they held themselves, but I could also see pride and excitement at their victory. It would be short lived, I knew.
Turning, I padded over to where I had left Dewpaw, only to find that she was missing. Fear and desperation over took my senses as I whipped around. Hazelcry lay lifeless beside me, her claws unsheathed and a look of fierce determination and defiance on her face.
“Dewpaw? Dewpaw!” I cried, looking around quickly.
Songstream was crouched by the edge of a ditch as she glanced over to me, waving her tail quickly. “Reddawn! Hurry! I found Dewpaw!” She cried, anguish in her eyes and I felt myself run faster than I ever have, racing to where my apprentice was. I feared that I may lose her as well.
At the bottom of the ditch, in the dark shadows, I could see a body. My heart sank until I saw movement and Dewpaw raised her head slightly before she tried to get up. “Quickly, help me Songstream.” I ordered, turning and racing to the easiest way down there.
Together, we made it down to the bottom and I felt my stomach churn in disgust at the sight of blood. It was everywhere it seemed; on my apprentice, pooling around her, and shining thickly on the side and tip of a sharp rock. Her stomach seemed to be the source of all the red liquid, but she was so covered in it, it was hard to tell.
Gripping one of her shoulders, Songstream the other, we hauled her back to the slope we had come down from. I ignored her protests, glad to know that if she could cry out then she had enough strength to hopefully live.
In silence, we carried her back to the camp, and I could already begin to hear the cries of dismay and mourning. Picking up the pace, we came into camp and set Dewpaw down by the other wounded.
A crowd had formed around where, I’m sure, Talonstar laid. With ever growing guilt, I padded forward, the cats around our leader parting for me. Laid before me were my leader and the large black rogue whom I was sure was the shadows in my dream.
I didn’t even need to check, though I did anyway. I already knew, even as I placed my paw on his side, leaned my ear against his chest and then his mouth. Standing back up, meeting the eyes of our deputy and of Wolffur, I shook me head very gently.
Bloompetal cried out and Wolffur sagged to the ground. I heard a noise and watched as Fernsky, Talonstar’s mate, walk forward. The way she walked was stilted and stiff. Her eyes were cold and somehow calm as she walked toward the body of her dead mate. She merely paused there, standing over him. “You stupid, stupid furball!” She spat angrily, though I knew it was her way of mourning.
Not too long later, I watched as the dead were piled together and others began to crouch, pressing their noses into the pelts of their loved ones and family.
Though we hadn’t lost too many, it was still a huge blow to us. And with a heavy heart, I padded forward, pressing my nose into Talonstar’s side. “I’m sorry. I should have known, I could have stopped you. This didn’t have to happen.” I murmured softly to myself.
A gentle presence wreathed around me and I felt a soft touch on my shoulder. Though I didn’t wish to look up, for I knew what I would see, I did anyways, just to see him as I remembered him; strong, brave, proud, and still loving and caring. He smiled at me, his fur coated in starshine. All the wounds that covered his body were not there, the blood gone. “Do not blame yourself, Reddawn. It was my time to go and join StarClan, that’s all there is to it. They sent you that message, not to have you try and stop me, but to tell you that no matter what, it was my time. I must leave now, they call to me, welcoming me. We shall meet again in your dreams. Goodbye Reddawn, my friend.” He murmured gently before disappearing, his outline remaining for a moment before that, too, disappeared. The starshine lingered for a moment before eventually that went away as well.
With a heavy heart, I stood, knowing that there were wounded to take care of. But before I went over to them, I paused beside Bloompetal who had buried her head into the pelt of Talonstar. “Bloompetal, I will take you to the Moonpool in two sunrises. That will be enough time for you to rest up. And you must declare a deputy.” I murmured to her before padding over to the wounded cats.
After a few moments of me patching up all the warriors and apprentices that needed it, I heard a call from behind me.
“Let all cats old enough join here beneath High Rock for a Clan meeting.” Bloompetal called out, though her voice was heavy with guilt and sadness, I could see nervousness and resignation in her eyes.
The cats around me stopped what they were doing and turned their eyes up to Bloompetal.
“I say this before StarClan and Talonstar, so that the spirits of our ancestors may hear and approve my choice. Rainshadow will be the new deputy of ThunderClan.”
Rainshadow, I noticed, seemed surprised. But the cats called out her name, though they were all exhausted and saddened, they still called enthusiastically, welcoming their new deputy.
Bloompetal met my gaze and I nodded my head encouragingly. ‘Soon, I will be calling her Bloomstar.’ I thought tiredly, returning to my work of mending the wounded. ‘Even though we’re tired and heartbroken, despite the fact that we have just lost a great leader and some great comrades, we have also gained a new leader and Clan life will continue on, just like you wanted Talonstar.’
 angels_dance · Fri Jul 04, 2008 @ 04:40am · 3 Comments |
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