tw: blood, mild gore, death.
Curled up against Eveningstorm’s back, she awoke to the sound of fighting outside. In an instant, her eyes shot open and she raced out of the leader’s den, ignoring Quiethawk’s shouting for her. She just ran outside into the cold, wintry night. Upon exiting her den, her stomach dropped when she saw that her camp was under attack— but by who? The answer to her question came in the form of something heavy slamming into her, knocking her off balance. The ground felt hard against her bones as she fell forward into the freezing snow, stumbling.
“Sleep well, my dear?” came the taunting voice of Sandadder, a sly grin spreading across his face.
Leaning into her fall, she rolled out of reach and back onto her paws, gritting her teeth in frustration. While it wasn’t necessarily a surprise to see her father here, as he had promised to return one day, she still felt annoyed to see him again so soon. “I would sleep much better if you’d just die already,” she growled, then lunged forward, her head ramming into her father’s chest as she shoved him backwards with all her might.
The force of the blow knocked him off of his feet and stole the breath from his lungs. Desertstar was well trained— exceptionally trained, really —and fast, but she was unfortunately no match for Sandadder’s bloodlust. Unlike her, he no longer followed the warrior code, so he did not have the same moral obligations as she did. As the two rolled on the ground together, he drove his claws into his daughter’s throat, hot blood spilling from the wound and coating his fur.
Desertstar let out a wet gasp, spitting up blood. Her face was a myriad of emotions. Surprise turned to anger, then horror as he realized how much blood was leaving her body.
Sandadder’s eyes glittered with excitement as he watched her convulse beneath him, knowing now that he’d definitely just taken one of her lives. "The only one of us dying will be you, and it looks like I’ll be taking all of your lives one-by-one since you still refuse to cooperate,” he told her, watching as her eyes burned with sudden rage and she tried to speak, spilling blood rather than words as she slowly slipped into unconsciousness.
“But I don’t mind. Killing you this way will be such a pleasure, Desertstar.”
Sandadder
Sitting down now, he stroked his daughter’s face, his paw delicately caressing her cheek. While he could have finished her off right then-and-there by inflicting a wound not even Starclan could heal, he instead chose to wait. After all, there was no satisfaction in killing her while she was unconscious. It was too easy. He wanted to savor killing Desertstar by stripping all her lives away while she was awake. Now that everything was finally going his way, he felt more powerful than he ever had before, and took in a deep, shaky breath in order to contain himself. He couldn’t help but to begin fantasizing about his first new order as leader. That is, until his legs folded beneath him and he was dragged away.
When he picked himself up, his brow arched as he took in the warrior that had gotten passed his guards. “Orion,” he said curtly, his tone thick with irritation. Regret wasn’t something Sandadder often struggled with, but oh, did he regret not killing Desertstar before Orion had so rudely intervened. When Cometchaser lunged at him, he tried to move away, but the warrior was quicker than Sandadder gave him credit for. In a flash of black fur and green eyes, and a hard hit to his shoulder, Sandadder was slammed against the ground. Pain gnawed at his bones, and blood began to trickle down his sides. As much as he wanted to retaliate, he knew that he didn’t have the time or the extra lives to spare, and suddenly became painfully aware of his own mortality. If he were to take on both Orion and Desertstar, he’d more than likely lose, and he couldn’t be so reckless as to bite off more than he could chew. Not when he was so close to victory.
There was a tremor to his limbs that betrayed his fear, but it did not show on his face. ‘I can’t kill Desertstar if I’m having to constantly dodge her warriors. I’ll have to find a way to separate her from her clan,’ he told himself, his heart racing as his desperation grew. Then, like a beacon of hope, he saw one of his grandkits running towards Desertstar’s side and thought of an idea. Thrashing wildly, he turned to one of his warriors. “Get him off me!” he commanded, watching as they barreled into Cometchaser to free himself of his grip. Sandadder quickly scrambled to his paws and ran towards his grandkits, pinning Cactuspaw to the ground. “Grab these two,” he ordered his warriors, gesturing to Desertpaw and Cactuspaw. “We’re taking them with us.”
Within a flash, the pair of apprentices were snatched up and dragged away, and Sandadder stopped to look back at Orion. As the rest of Sandadder’s group disappeared into the night, he flashed the warrior a cheeky grin. “Sorry to disappoint you, Orion,” he apologized in a blisteringly cheerful voice, “Perhaps another time.” Then, with that, he ran off, leaving Orion, Desertstar, and all of Windclan to deal with the aftermath of what had just happened.
tw: blood
Nightfire strode towards the nursery on powerful legs, her large frame disappearing into the mouth of the den. “Is everyone okay in here?” she asked, her amber gaze sliding over to Dandelionstem, who was standing next to a very pregnant Goldenrose. The older queen had her claws out, her pale yellow fur bristling with fury. At that, Nightfire sighed in relief. A large part of her had worried that Sandadder would have attacked the nursery first. After Dandelionstem, his former mate, chose to remain in Windclan instead of siding with him, she feared he wouldn’t take that kind of rejection kindly, and after seeing the fear in Dandelionstem’s eyes, she knew that the queen likely thought the same.
Dandelionstem relaxed when she realized it was her friend and not an enemy, and walked over to her. “Nightfire,” she purred, licking the top of her friend’s head affectionately. “We’ll be fine, dear. Startledcrow and I will keep the other queens and kits safe from harm,” she reassured her, glancing over at Startledcrow with a cheeky grin, and then back to Nightfire. “They need you more out there than we do in here.”
Nightfire eyed Dandelionstem for a moment, watching her carefully to search for any sign of false pretense. When she was sure that Dandelionstem was being sincere, though, she nodded. “Alright,” she finally relented, then rolled her shoulders in preparation for the fight outside before exiting the den, “Just shout if you need me. I’ll be within earshot.”
Meanwhile, in camp, Desertpaw was cowering behind her sister, her eyes darting around frantically. Unlike her parents, who were brave and skilled fighters, she was neither of those things and felt very out of place. As afraid as she was, though, she couldn’t help but search for Pinepaw’s face amongst the fur flying. She still couldn’t believe that he’d join Sandadder and his group— and he didn’t even say goodbye to her before he left!
At the call of her name, she instinctively turned her head and smiled upon seeing her mentor. Knowing he was there to fight for Windclan brought her comfort. However, it was the flash of something crimson along the edge of her vision that caught her eye, momentarily pulling her attention away from Orion. Eyes wide with fear, the apprentice began to tremble like a little leaf. She had looked just in time to see her mother fall to the ground in a spray of blood, and before she could fully comprehend what was going on, her mentor had thrown himself onto Sandadder. Everything was happening so fast, and she felt absolutely helpless. Trembling with fear as she watched the fight unfold, it was the medicine cat’s voice that snapped her out of it. ‘Breathe,‘ she pleaded to herself, ‘just breathe and pull yourself together.‘ “H-how can I help?” she shifted uncomfortably, trying to think of anything other than her mother bleeding all over the place.
Littlewoods
Windclan Medicine Cat
The small tom had been antsy all morning, it was unusual for him to be so restless, but he had just had a feeling something was going to happen. He couldn't explain it, it was different than a sign from Starclan, it was different to simply knowing. It was a feeling that nagged the very pit of his stomach ever since he woke. And still, he had tried to continue on with his daily tasks. Today he had been aiming to collect herbs, to keep himself more at ease, to know he would be prepared if an attack would happen.
But the apprentice sized tom wouldn't have a chance to prepare his herbs. In fact, as he neared the camp, the niggling feeling that had been pestering him all morning dropped into pure dread. He had to get back to camp now. The closer he got, the more his worry increased, until he was greeted by the sound of yowling and angry voices, along with the sight of Desertstar, injured, with Tumblestride and Cactuspaw beside her. Blood spraying the ground around her, he knew he was needed ASAP.
Hearing his name, his ears pricked as he yowled, "I'm here!"
His herb wraps mostly forgotten, he grabbed some of the moss that was holding them together, and hurried to his leader's side. Examining the wound carefully, sniffing at it, he let out a horrified huff, pressing the moss to the wound and applying pressure. With Tumblestride dealing with Falconscar, he felt safe enough to continue with treatment where they were. Moving Desertstar right now could put her life in even more danger.
"Cactuspaw?" He started, turning to the apprentice. "I need some cobwebs to help bind this wound, and some burdock root- it's a long root with a sharp scent, big leaves!" He had to feel a little guilty barking orders at the poor apprentice, who was likely traumatised by witnessing her mother suffering. Glancing over his shoulder, he narrowed his eyes, as if to ensure that Cometchaser had Sandadder pinned to the floor properly.
A warrior stepped in front of himself and Cactuspaw, and he recognised Oatpelt, who ordered Lavenderpaw to guard the nursery alongside Palepaw, the latter snarling and snapping at the attacking cats who came too close, her fur bristled.
T U M B L E
tumblepaw -- apprentice of windclan
Give them no reason to stare
No slipping up if you slip away
So I got nothing to share
No, I got nothing to say
The rosette tabby's initial response to the sudden attack is to run, adrenaline chasing common sense out, paving a clear course for fear. Trembling, the apprentice shakily rises to his paws, darting out of the Apprentice's Den yet clinging to the edges of the battle. A set of golden eyes glided past the clamor of bodies colliding together, ignoring the shine of bloodlust and cries of rage splitting his world in two, searching for his mother's familiar pelt. Tumblepaw froze, spotting rosette markings-- like his because they were hers-- and dashed through the swarm of clanmates, traitors and all.
As though summoned, Orion emerged from the direction of the Nursery, flashing teeth and bristling fur, a touch of controlled fire in his snarl. Tumblepaw's legs trembled, attention darting to his sister, who dashed to their mother's side and refocused on the massive Maine Coon currently grappling with Sandadder. He's bigger than Sandadder, and he's got him on the ground-- Orion's got the advantage. The young tom couldn't help the trickle of paranoia crawling up his spine, though, as he eyed the surrounding fight for outliers.
Sandadder took Desertstar on himself. He never hid the fact that this civil dispute was personal. He isn't exactly the sharpest peak in the range because he didn't plant spies or try to grow power from within-- he just up and declared civil war. He's arrogant, thinks he's alpha, and isn't afraid to prove it-- which means he's reckless. Overconfident? Tumblepaw slips beside Cactuspaw, pressing close to her side yet keeping his gaze on Orion. So, Sandadder's arrogant and overconfident. Between mom and Sandadder, Sandadder has experience and immorality-- he fights dirty because he himself is dirty. He knows Mom has nine lives, so he's willing to keep fighting, but he didn't think about others coming to defend her-- overconfidence again? It makes him sloppy. Sloppy enough to launch an attack without someone flanking him?
"Cactuspaw, you g-gotta stick with- with Mom. Y-you, I don't think we- we should move her, but- but I'm going to go and- uh- fight." He pries the words off his tongue, shaking limbs stiffening as he prepares to launch himself into the fray. "I don't- I don't know where Littlewoods is, but- but I'll send them this way if I find them!" Steeling his nerves, Tumblepaw leaps forward, only to run headlong into a pelt like liquid silver.
--- pov switch to falconscar ---
Falconscar did not make the conscious decision to support Sandadder. Loyalty bleeds in his veins so strongly that the silver tabby would not hesitate to snuff lives and burn worlds for Windclan's glory. No, he did not make the pre-determined choice to fight for Sandadder's cause because he fought for Windclan. Desertstar's pandering with other clans was distasteful and garnered a seed of distrust in the warrior, who hated the idea of a leader weak enough to accept the friendship and lies of other clans. He hated the idea only slightly less than he despised Shadowclan. He bowed to know causes other than furthering Windclan's might and perhaps tearing Shadowclan to shreds in the process, and he found Sandadder's poorly concealed envy pathetic. But he wasn't about to stop the other from ending what he finished or let others stop him.
Poor kit, Falconscar thought for one fleeting second as he wove through the crowd, zeroing in on Tumblepaw's shaking movements. A coward fighting in a warrior's battle. I'll go easy on the kit. He thought of his own kits, the opportunity for a family stolen like his mate's life was stolen. He was not cruel-- he would not aim to kill, though he could (had).
In one clean leap, the older warrior met Tumblepaw in the air, teeth finding his throat and claws finding holds on his head and shoulder.
notes: all of Tumble's speculations are, of course, mine-- so they may be incorrect. -- YES, Falcon is kinda the bad/morally-grey guy? right now he's bad, but he's more like... quiethawk who never learned how to Chill. Hazel, his mate, died- and his kids also died. Angst, yay.
Cometchaser
Windclan Warrior
As of late, the massive Maine Coon had found himself curled up against Goldenrose in the nursery. His breathing rising and falling slowly as Orion’s feathery tail was covering his mate’s body as a blanket, mostly covering the small rose-gold’s molly swollen stomach. Since Goldenrose announced that they were expecting kits, the two had been more inseparable than usual. The two were preparing for parenthood together, and Cometchaser was quite excited for starting this new chapter with his Rose. It wasn’t until the sound of screeching caused him to jolt awake, his dark green gaze looking at the front entrance for a moment before realizing that the Windclan camp was being attacked. Cometchaser could make out the silhouettes of figures fighting in the clearing, the overbearing amount of screeching from others.
Cometchaser soon felt Goldenrose shifting in the nest, it wasn’t until he looked down that he noticed that the pregnant molly was looking back at him with a worried glance. He knew that she didn’t really want him going out there, but he had to. Resting his forehead on hers, Cometchaser’s eyes closed for a moment “I’ll come back to you, I swear” The black tom promised her, before leaning forward to leave her a sweet kiss on the lips. Opening his eyes, he could see Startledcrow moving until he was hovering over Heatherpetal who was moving their newborn kits until they were curled against her. Although Startledcrow was blind, he would give his life to protect his little family. Knowing that his friend would protect Goldenrose and Heatherpetal, Cometchaser knew that the girls would be fine.
Turning his head to look back at his mate, Orion began leaving gentle kisses around her face. A soft smile appeared on his face “I love you my beautiful Rose, I’ll see you in a bit” He promised her before finally getting up, and quickly moving to the entrance of the nursery. Dark green gaze focused on protecting his family, they came first. The massive Maine Coon was greeted with the view of battle, he needed to know where his apprentice was. “Desertpaw?!” Orion called, not seeing the small molly for a moment. It wasn’t until he saw her with Cactuspaw, the older sister was hovering over Desertpaw in order to protect her. He knew that Cactuspaw and Desertpaw would look after each other.
Watching as Sandadder’s claws connected with Desertstar’s throat, his eyebrows furrowed for a moment as he could see the amount of blood that was coming up the Windclan leader’s mouth and gushing through her throat. It wasn’t until it hit him, Desertstar was losing a life and Sandadder would keep taking her lives until she was fully dead. The massive Maine Coon suddenly lowered himself and began moving quietly, keeping himself light on his feet. Growing up a Viper and being trained by his sister had perks, he learned to move within the shadows and others. Moving around the battling cats, Orion’s gaze focused on Sandadder as he knew Desertstar needed backup. The two had became friends ever since his journey during the oil spill and soon training his daughter. They had trust within each other. It wasn’t until a low growl escaped him when he was behind the rebel leader, and suddenly pounced until he was on Sandadder’s back and pinning him face first. His size was an advantage, as he began dragging Sandadder away from Desertstar’s body and into the battlefield of cats of surrounding them.
“You wanna have a go at someone? Let’s go, I’m here” Orion challenged him, his nostrils flared and dark green gaze lit up. The massive Maine Coon charged at Sandadder, lunging forward and his curved claws connecting with Sandadder’s right shoulder. His dark claws pierced through the other tom’s shoulder, causing a piece of flesh to come off. It was simple, let Desertstar have enough time to recover from losing her life and she could take care of her daddy issues. Yanking Sandadder’s shoulder until he was on the ground, one paw was pressed against his face while the other was on his back. It wasn’t until Cactuspaw had yelled her mother’s name and Orion had saw the small gray Bengal running towards the body of her mother with tears in her eyes.