camp AND THE PACK IS DIMINISHED BY WAR (dog in camp)


☼ Hell had truly come to drag them out of their cosy home, delivering a stark reminder that against such large beasts no level of defence would ever protect them forever. It made Shiningpaw's heart sink knowing that the wall had been breached, though at least the destruction had been loud enough to alert them to the danger. A minor yet possibly saving grace.

The older apprentice hurried forth to join the others, immediately aiming to nip at the heels of the dog whilst running around in in a zig-zag pattern. He didn't want to risk meeting the sharp teeth at the other end but he wanted to keep the dog moving in the throng of confusion. Though as the reinforcements arrived he made the choice to divert his usefulness to other areas. That's when he formed up with Wildpaw by the nursery. He pressed himself in beside the other apprentice and flared out his fur in a far more imposing manner than his smaller companion. He immediately joined in with slamming his paws down upon the ground to add to the collective noise. "THUNDER! THUNDER! THUNDER!"
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Fear made Cloudypaw's mind go blank as she clung desperately to the dogs tail. Around her she heard the sounds of commotion; the thud of paws against the ground as they rushed to the dog, the battlecries of her clanmates, and above it all the angry barks and yips of the massive beast she had attached herself too. She didn't dare move, didn't dare open her eyes, she just dug her teeth in harder and hoped that cats stronger than her could handle the rest.

Eventually though, as the dog whipped around to face attacker after attacker, her grips slipped. With a startled cry, the apprentice was sent tumbling across the ground. Amidst it, her head slammed against the ground and her mind went hazy.

For a moment, she lay still.

Then, slowly, Cloudypaw staggered to her paws. She opened her eyes to find her vision blurry. She shook her head. Once, twice, then three times she blinked. The whole world seemed like meaningless noise and blurry shapes.

"APPRENTICES, TO ME!"

Wildpaw's cry rose above the din, and cut through her daze. Clumsily, she followed the sound. She stumbled to his side, and followed his example. Puffing up her chest and slamming all her weight into the ground to add to the noise, and chanting along with him.

"THUNDER! THUNDER! THUNDER!" Cloudypaw cried out, though she might have laughed were she not so dazed and afraid. It seemed so silly.​
 
What a disappointment! She didn't even get a chance to taste her meal within the bramble den. She felt talons prick her, swipe across her back, her legs, her ears, her face. Her head is given a mighty shake, likely flinging off any who clung to it. There is a blue-furred feline on her back, she cranes her head around, struggling to gain purchase with slobbering fangs. If successful, she'd take his scruff in her mouth and pull him off, tossing him in the air like a chew toy. Another furball clings to a heel, and she does the same, trying to whip them off with a pained howl.

She wants her meal. Kill. Kill. To feed her pack, she must kill. She is hungry, her companions are hungry. Jaws snap at anything that moves, at a cat darting beneath her, and then at a cat trying to leap on her back. She's desperate and angry, black eyes wild with desire. If she could just sink her teeth into any one of these...

There is a loud noise that catches her attention, and with pricked ears she whips her massive skull around to see. A line of them, meals, standing still and pounding their paws as if to play. Her tail wags furiously. Food. Food. She lunges forward with another howl after giving her hulking body another shake. Giant paws pound against the ground as she makes her way towards a little gray feline, one of the many in a line. If she wanted to gain her attention, it worked. The black dog lunges, aiming to snap her jaws around any part of the small she-cat.

// Her attacks can be targeting any cat! Only specifics I was thinking of are @Flycatcher as the blue-furred cat clinging to her back and @Cloudypaw as the small gray she-cat she's currently lunging for. The plan seems to have backfired, the sound is only riling her up more and getting her attention! ​
 
THERE'S A WORLD THAT WAS MEANT FOR OUR EYES TO SEE​
Just barely fox-lengths behind Rabbitnose, his apprentice came dashing forwards through the camp's entrance with a powerful caterwaul to declare a personal war against the dogs. While she was not as fast as her mentor, it was still startling to see her pelt through the undergrowth effortlessly as though the very brambles and branches that scraped against her pelt did not slow her down in the slightest. It seems as though her realization was, at the same time, shared with the rest of her clanmates--the third dog had vanished, and now, it breached camp with its slobbering jaws and eyes full of black hatred.
The fury within only grew--her gut feeling had been right, something had gone terribly wrong, and now both Nightbird and Sunfreckle were in agony as the others distracted it.
Wildpaw. The stronghearted fool was attempting to scare it away from the nursery alongside Shiningpaw, chanting with pride ringing in his voice--but he was injured!
... And yet, she wasn't exactly shocked to find him still fighting, even after losing his tail.

The injured have to be moved away!

Within seconds of surveying the chaos in front of her, Patchpaw leaves the dog to her mentor and her brother--oh, StarClan, please watch over us all--as she bounds towards Sunfreckle first. The adrenaline rushing through her veins only just barely keeps her from fainting, though the streak of blood on the dusty ground certainly made her nauseous.
”Come on, Sunfreckle—I can’t leave you on the ground like this! You-you have to get away from the dogs, I ain’t leaving you like a sack of mice!”

As the vile stench of blood and dog mixed together and filled her nostrils, Patchpaw digs her claws into the ground to keep herself from sliding as she begins to push. Bit by bit, with sheer adrenaline pumping through her veins and the howl of the dog reaching her flattened ears, she attempts to force Sunfreckle’s body mouse-tail by mouse-tail towards the camp’s edge and away from the fighting. I have to keep going— keep going— KEEP GOING—

If she succeeds, it was hardly half a fox’s length away! But it was enough, and Patchpaw tears down some nearby bramble of a shrub tucked between two dens, using as much of it as she can to cover Sunfreckle.
”Stay still, please—stay still! Just stay under here and don’t make a sound, a-and hopefully the dog won’t notice—"

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the dog rile up—no—and the unmistakeable cold waters of horror floods into her chest. It had lunged towards Cloudypaw, Shiningpaw, and—and Wildpaw.
”NO!” Her screech radiates through the air and Patchpaw puts on a burst of speed, dust and sand flung up below her paws. She will not let it kill another friend! Not another apprentice, not another warrior, not ANYONE—even if it costs her something in return. She screams a battle cry as she launches herself up into the air with her hind legs, claws unsheathed, and attaches herself to the side of the dog’s neck, digging in deep in hope that the dog’s foul attention will fixate on her instead and her claws might tear through as much of the dog’s thick skin as she could. One of her paws had caught the dog's nose, which could only threaten to enrage the dog further.​
 
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He's scared.

The beast that invades their camp is huge. It must be almost as big as the trees, compared to Toadpaw's small stance. And Toadpaw is frightened, upset.

The warriors lied. The warriors said this wouldn't happen. Though it's perhaps not the case, it's what the brown tabby believes as fear-filled eyes take in the scene before him, as Stonepool orders him to fight.

Toadpaw would rather hide in the deepest depths of the nursery. He wants to run to the comfort of his mother - wherever she may be - and pretend this was all some scary dream that shook him from his slumber as he curled into the warmth of grey fur. But, instead, he's here, and the dog is far too close to his liking.

He's going to die.

He hears Wildpaw's call, and hurries to stand with the apprentices. Perhaps he'll be safer here, making noise to scare the dog away. The tom slams his paws on the ground, following the lead of his denmates around him.

"Thunder! Thunder! Thunder!" he shouts with them as loud as he can, hoping, praying, that the dog will turn and run - that they're scary enough to the beast.

It doesn't seem to work. The dog turns towards the noise, and Toadpaw feels himself cowarding back, bracing himself for what may come.

He doesn't want to die.
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Shit, shit, shit.

The tom races back to camp behind Flycatcher, Covecatcher, and Rabbitnose with panic coursing through him. A missing dog was bad news, and stars only know where it could be.

Unknown whereabouts leave them racing against time, leave them hoping they have time to prepare for an invasion. But, as the patrol nears camp, it's undeniable - time has run out.

The smell of dog fills Finchcatcher's senses, leaves panic to twist into dread as he emerges into ThunderClan's base. A large, shadow-furred form takes up space in the midst of it all, a threat to each and everyone of them that calls this place home.

It's hard to take in what's happening - hard to know this beast's next move - but, it's the sound of chanting that Finchcatcher zones in on. The sound of apprentices, trying their best to be loud, to pose a threat to the dog. Finchcatcher hardly has the time to relish in whether or not such an action is a good idea.

Dread surges on as he sees the dog turn towards the noises. The dog's spotted its next target, he fears.

The scarred warrior races forwards, claws extended as he lunges at the dog. It's an attack he hopes he lands, hopes to dig in deep to the creature's skin, cause it harm as it'd done to Emberstar. Pain that Finchcatcher wants to serves as a distraction to give the noisy apprentices some time to disperse themselves, a movement he hopes redirects the dog away from them.
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( ☘ ) Shook off by the dog, Lichenpaw tumbles across the ground. They're quick to rise, though, breaths coming heavy. Blood seeps from their hind leg where the dog sunk its teeth in. The apprentice surveys the battle with a concentration that can only be afforded by sheer adrenaline; Wildpaw's words ring out and they're moving once again. He can do the strategizing, that's fine. Just point Lichenpaw in a direction and they'll go.

Lichenpaw wedges himself in among the line of apprentices, slams his paw into the ground again and again, adding to the cacophony of noise. His voice is loud and hoarse as he chants, "THUNDER! THUNDER! THUNDER!" He doesn't quite understand the plan, admittedly. The chanting seems strange. But, well, Wildpaw certainly acts like he knows what he's doing, so who are they to question it?

When the dog turns towards the apprentices, he flinches full-body, yet his voice does not waver. The dog lunges, and Lichenpaw squeezes their eyes shut -- but it's not him it's coming for.​
 
Flea-bitten RiverClanners. No choice but to mobilize themselves. The bulk of the clan was off and away, marching forward to a battle unimaginable. It sounded like the beginning of some shitty joke. How many cats does it take to drive a dog away? She can only hope they all make it back safely.

And she can barely stand bein' here. Waitin'. Brought it upon herself, really. An uneasiness had prickled her spine, at the mass of warriors that had flooded to Sunningrocks. She'd hung back for a reason, so why did she still feel awful for it? Pacing, pacing. It's more she's moved in this lifetime– the time after Morningpaw's death. Her eyes were still sunken, but they flared, alert, still.

And then the bramble rips.

She's too slow, too slow, not the warrior she used to be. Nightbird is thrown across the ground, and she ain't moving. Nightbird was many things, but she wasn't fragile. What the hell?

Frenzy, immediately. ThunderClan launches themselves at the dogs, and anyone who didn't sure did once Wildpaw yowled atop highrock. That place was for leaders, not lousy apprentices too big for their own skin. But, she clenches her jay. Semantics, it didn't matter right now. Like hell she was gonna take orders from him, but Sunfreckle, she could follow. Alongside her clan, she would dart forward, aiming blows at any part that hadn't been slashed at before. The chest, the legs, maybe with enough it'd trip over it's own feet and leave them to pile on top of 'em.

Can't all be smooth sailing, f'course it can't. Sunfreckle himself goes flying. Too much all at once. Suddenly it was more noise than anything; the cries of apprentices and kits alike. And Wildpaw is screeching again. "What the hell–?" Not totally stupid, not completely. Prioritizing the nursery like any warrior should. But did they have to be so damn loud about it? Wolfwind chews her lip.

Distracted, she pays for it. The dog is all flailing limbs and angry howls. The snap of a jaw gets dangerously close, misses the eye, thank the stars but pain flashes sudden, a knick at her ear. Wolfwind jerks away with a pained hiss. And for a moment, there's fear, that she'd be the next to fly across camp. It's attention is fleeting, though; nevermind her, just look at the loud, distracting morsels presenting themselves to it! Fucks' sake. Smarter than it looks, of course cloudy paw would be the most appetizing of the bunch. Wolfwind yowls, "MOVE IT, KITTYPET!"

Scrambling, scrambling. The moment of stillness leaves a further gap than she'd like. She lunges, puts as much power into her legs as she possibly could. She's nothing to a hulking beast like this, but she has to try. Frantically, she would try her best to be a nuisance, making close cuts around its legs and lashing out with claws, hoping it would stumble before it could get a good lock on an apprentice's head.​
 
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Keeping his movements as deft as he could manage, unpredictability his only predictability, Berryheart managed to use his strategy and the collective efforts toward confusion and overwhelming to avoid any grievous blow. Noise of quickened footsteps, a flowing of encroaching scents, all caught his attention- sparing the quickest glance whilst continuing his skipping movements, the flecked tom caught sight of the reinforcements. Thankfully- they had noticed the missing dog whilst locked in a battle of their own, had thought of those left behind to watch camp and mind the injured.

Cacophony was soon to descend, however- a torrential storm of noise, clattering down on the earth like hailstones and frenzying the beast that had still failed to turn tail. Though he kept up his deft strikes and unpredictable movements, it seemed Thunderstorm and a whole host of other apprentices had decided it was a good idea to start screaming at the thing. Perhaps to other cats it would work as a tactic to intimidate, some sort of wailing warcry- but canids did not exist on the same wavelength as felines. It likely understood nothing but noise, and dogs loved noise. For all it knew they were calling it.

Eyes steely with disapproval, face as stony as ever, between his strikes he let his gaze fall upon the shouting apprentices. “Stop.” Rare to raise his voice, the medicine cat did not yell above the din but kept his voice firm and assertive. They needed to carry on a flurry, not shatter their flow of attacks. He wasted not a moment before continuing, hopping side to side as he periodically helped in slashing the creature.​
PENNED BY PIN ☾​
 
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Little Wolf's belly is swollen with the promise of kits soon to come. It is the reason she is not out right now alongside her mother, alongside her son. She is stuck in her nest with nightmares of losing yet another child dancing behind her eyes. Howlingstar is there, she'll protect him. She reassures herself of it over and over again but who would protect Howlingstar? She wishes she was there to watch her back, fighting side by side with Hollow Tree to defend their mother. She could not lose a single one of them.

She is interrupted from her thoughts by the large crash that echoes through the camp and the screams that come after. She sees her denmates orange pelt dart out the den and she does try to follow, she does, but her belly is a painful reminder of why she cannot. The sight of the dog here in camp terrifies her, it makes her blood run cold. They were supposed to be safe here. Even more terrifying it is coming for them. For the kits. Her green eyes find @FALCONKIT and @STORMKIT cowering in the back of the nursery and she goes to them immediately. "Shh kits it's okay, I'm here" she says in as soothing of a voice as she can muster. She is terrified but she cannot let it show lest she panic them more. "Get behind me, I'll protect you" and she would. If the dog somehow managed to get through the throng of warriors she would die to defend these kits. She uses her body not only to hide them in the shadows but to shield their young eyes from what was going on outside. They did not need to see this. "ThunderClan has the strongest warriors, your mom and dad included it'll be okay" she hopes for all their sakes that she is right.
​
 
Her brother is next to her.

Thank the stars for that. He had not been by her side when she rushed in at first. Stormkit blinked at Falconkit. His mouth was moving, but his words somehow sound slow and unintelligible. "What...?" Stormkit opened her mouth to mew. Sweat was gathering under her paw pads, staining the moss with the scent of fear.

It was so easy to feel brave when the screams and cries of her Clanmates were not around them. The dog's howls are unholy, ringing in her ears. Stormkit remained frozen and suddenly the presence of Little Wolf brushes over her. Stormkit shook her head—it felt like it was stuffed with cotton. She glanced up at Little Wolf without really seeing her. She knew the queen was speaking too, but her words are difficult to hear as well.

"Little Wolf—" Stormkit whimpered, unable to move at all. She is confused. How can she be in pain without anything biting at her? What is this? "M-my heart hurts. I ca-can't breathe."

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Claws digging into the dog's back, Flycatcher does his best to cause as much damage as possible. Claws dig in deep, cutting through fur and flesh. With a hold on this beast, he feels confident to try and nip its back. But the dog is starting to lash back in return now, clearly having grown wary of so many cats biting and clawing at it. The dog tries to shake them off, and for a moment Flycatcher dares to think he is safe until he sees slobbering jaws come into view. He manages to shift to avoid getting bitten on the neck or head, but the dog's teeth find purchase around his scruff. Flycatcher yowls in discomfort and tries to hold on but the dog is stronger and manages to pull him off before tossing him in the air like he was nothing.

He lands with a small thud and slumps to the ground, winded from the sudden strike against him, and feeling a surge of pain beginning to form along his neck.​
 
"THUNDER! THUNDER! THUN-" Cloudypaw's voice faltered, caught in her throat as in the moment before its the monsters jaws closed around him her gaze finds her uncle, clinging valiantly to the dogs back. Then he was in the air, flying, until he landed with a small thud. She stared, terrified. She wanted to cry out to him, scream at him to get up. Before she could muster the courage to, another howl from the beast caught her attention.

It had turned toward her, lunging with open jaws. It was so close that she could see the point of its teeth, the slobber dripping from its jaws, and the hunger in its eyes. The same horrifying image she had seen in all her nightmares realized in full.

Her mind went blank.

She couldn't move.

For a moment, time slowed down, and the whole world seemed to still around her.

In that moment, Cloudypaw was convinced that she was going to die.

Then her clanmates descended upon it; Patchpaw launching herself toward its outstretched neck and face, Finchcatcher lunging toward it, and Wolfwind slashing at its legs. The chaos around her returned as she watched them battle it, stopping it from reaching her and distracting it for just a moment.

"MOVE IT, KITTYPET!"

The yowl from Wolfwind brought Cloudypaw back to reality, and she scrambled backward, breaking rank with the other apprentices. There was no more plan, no more bravery, for now her only priority was getting as far from the dog as she could. Then she caught sight of Flycatcher slumped on the ground again. She rushed toward him.

"Uncle! Uncle!" Cloudypaw cried, pressing her paws against his side in her panic.​
 

"LITTLE HELLIONS, KIDS FEELIN' REBELLIOUS"​
So many of the apprentices end up flocking to his side and follow his lead, even copying his chant. The plan seemed sound and he felt confident that it would work. That is-... Until the dog instead turns towards them instead with no sign of fear. Fuck! The bitch even looks excited about them! The fear that had been coursing through his veins turned to that of cold terror, especially when he saw the beast go for Cloudypaw. What happens next almost seems to blur together, a blend of saviours and chaos, but through it all he registers that Cloudypaw had eluded death's maw.

There was a choice now; scatter and hope some escape, or stay unified.

"GO FOR THE EYES AND NOSE! ALL AT ONCE!" The dog was going to learn a painful lesson in a second, Wildpaw was going to see to it! So many warriors had been hurt and so many were going down, so they needed to keep pushing. At least Shiningpaw moved with him, and the pair reared up in unison with claws raised and war cry thundering from their lungs as they aimed to slash at the dog's eyes in synchrony. "BLEED YOU BASTARD!"
"Language, Wildpaw! We're still next to the nursery."
"CRAM IT!"​
★ ​
 

Time had flipped the outcome of the fight in mere moments. There's a cry from another clanmate that causes amber eyes to lurch away from the dog's back, then, before he can even register what had happened, Pebblepaw's back collided with the earth. A noise like crinkling leaves marred his tail as the dog stepped on it, the tom's gasp cut off by the white-hot pain that shot up his entire spine. The hound didn't even realise what it had done, its attention rabidly fixated on whatever little cats were in front of it (including his family, he thought he could make them out through the stars in the corners of his eyes). Scrambling away when the beast raised its paw again, Pebblepaw took a split second of respite to assess the damage, choking on a sob as he noticed the awkward way the lower half of his tail slumped to the earth. He tried to raise it, only to be met with another bolt of agony that caused him to lurch forwards, threatening to lose his lunch. Shoulders slouched, he looked up, abject hopelessness in his orange eyes as they settled upon Flycatcher and Cloudypaw. 'No no no no. Please be alright. Please...'

Was it his fault if something had happened? Should he have been better? He shook his head, there was still time to make amends. There was still time to be a worthwhile apprentice. They watched Shinepaw and Wildpaw charge at the dog's face and shadowed behind them. Though slower before, the wind was not entirely taken out of the tom's sails. Pain wanted to slow him down, it almost did, until he remembered the hopelessness of the others injured by the canine. His own body and wellbeing didn't matter until they were all safe. A cat weaves through its legs, another aims randomly for whatever piece of flesh they could. Through fear and stinging, it's difficult to know who they are, Lilacpaw tries to avoid accidentally intercepting their attacks with one of his own. Teeth hope to dig into the dog's hind leg, pulling and tearing like trying to get particularly tough meat off of a bone. The second it moved in a way to acknowledge him, or looked to kick him, he would try and leap away, adrenaline staving off the worst of what his fractured tail had to offer... for now.



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Terror shot through his veins as he saw Sunfreckle thrown like he was nothing by the dog in it's frenzy. He couldn't cry out, he was clamped too tightly on the dogs neck. He dug his claws in deeper.

This bitch wasn't getting out of here alive. He swore by the stars, she would die.

He would have to wait to keep that promise, however. The dog whipped her head around and grabbed his scruff, pulling him free regardless of the damage his fangs and claws did. With a vicious growl she shook him, slamming him against the ground at least three times before he was left in the ground, dazed.

The dog gave him no quarter, and seeing it's gaping maw striking out at him made him yowl in anger and terror.

He thought of his family as he grappled with the dogs jaws. Spruce and Pine, his adopted fathers, Badger and Sweetybee, his sisters who were as different as night and day, Fish, his best friend..... He hoped they would be well.

He thought of Sunfreckle and their kits. The clan. Was he truly about to leave them?

He felt jaws clamp onto his chest. Not much had been caught, but that was enough. He wasn't dying today. This dog wanted a meal? It wasn't getting it.

"I'LL KILL YOU!! I'LL RIP THE FLESH FROM YOUR BONES!!!" He shrieked. He was left without both parents as a kit, he would not leave his own.

With a powerful kick, he socked the dog in the eye causing it to let go. It struck again, tearing his ear. But he was free, and he scrambled to his feet to face the dog.

He would not die here. He refused to.
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Closer, closer she comes to the soft-looking cat, as chants fall into yowls of terror. She’s about to get her meal, and oh she can’t stop drooling! That is, until a weight slams into her neck, knocking her off course with its momentum. Snarling, she whips her head around to try and gain purchase in Patchpaw’s leg; if successful, she’d tear her off of her with a pained whimper. But these cats don’t stop! A tom lands on her back, scratching and biting, a gray she-cat and mottled tom lash at her legs. Ultimately, she’s forced to give up her ascent on Cloudypaw and turn around just as a group of cats batter her face.

Yelps escape her as she whirls around, blood seeping from scratches and bites all across her. And finally, it is an excruciating bite to her hind leg that causes her to flop in pain, an agonizing howl escaping her as she feels Pebblepaw’s teeth tear through the vulnerable muscle on her thigh.

This isn’t worth it! She just wanted a meal! But the barrage of attacks is unyielding and she no longer sees the fun in this hunt. She clambers to her paws and gives one last look around with wild black eyes before fleeing the way she came. She will run towards the loner lands, and beyond that, back to the Twolegplace. At least there she can find easy scraps. ​
 
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