BAD GUYS & BAD LAND || ThunderClan Evacuation Thread #2

[meadowflame]

A stinging gray fog hangs over ThunderClan's territory. Heat presses against Meadowflame's cream flanks from odd angles, lukewarm in some places and searing in others. She'd been afraid of this happening, of the fire reaching their camp and beginning to devour their home whole like some wicked fanged beast, but to see it and smell it and feel it happening - she'd been almost petrified.

But, no. She refuses to die in a forest fire. Emberstar and Howling Wind had screeched at them all to evacuate, to leave, and Meadowflame had been the first, her paws hitting the ground outside camp before she could think twice. She can hear pawsteps behind her, but she dares not look. She has an irrational fear that the creature behind her is cloaked in flames, that the pawsteps are eating the forest alive in an attempt to come for her.

Meadowflame comes to a shaky halt on the riverbank, wheezing. Her fur is spotted with loose ash, and her throat is closed and painful, but she's alive. She's alive and unsinged, and she couldn't be more thankful.

But what of the others? The camp had been going up in flames, and Meadowflame had not stopped long enough to see who might still be trapped. In her panic, her frazzled nerves scream at her to forget them, dunk herself in the river and swim to the nearest Clan. See if they'll take her. Change her name.

But the pelt, glossy and wet, of a RiverClan warrior catches her eye. Her ragged voice is desperate; she speaks without thinking. "Help me!" She stamps her paws against the riverbank. "Help us! ThunderClan's camp is on fire! There's..." She chokes, wheezes, and spits, "There's still cats trapped in there!"

// This thread takes place directly after the first evacuation thread! Those that escaped in a panic are just now arriving at the river after narrowly fleeing camp, but would now realize that many of their clanmates are not with them. This thread is open for RiverClanners across the river to notice and ask what’s going on. There will be a third thread where the RiverClan volunteers (warriors only!) and able ThunderClanners return to camp to help save the rest of their clanmates who are trapped!
​

PENNED BY MARQUETTE​

 

[willowroot]

( ☾ ) there's an odd feeling in the air, one that presses deep against the lead warrior's chest as they lead their patrol along the rocky shore of the river. across the rushing water, a deep haze lies thick and dark over the tall trees that mark the forest dwellers' home, the fog spreading fast across the rest of the pale blue sky. the sun, just days ago brilliant and shining is snuffed out in a matter of minutes, and the sky takes on a burning hue. it's unsettling - it feels dangerous to be outside.

still, patrols must be dealt with, and willowroot will not forsake her clan for a bit of an odd feeling in her gut. her paws crunch over damp pebbles, feeling them roll comfortingly beneath. her pelt is glossy and dripping, still wet from a recent dip in the river. the borders are fine, she convinces herself. everything's fine. the smell of smoke is because of the twolegs. nothing else.

oh how wrong she is.

across the river, the brush trembles and then a feline shape bursts through, panting, streaked with ash and soot. immedietly, willow clocks the thunderclanner, ears flicking towards her with interest. her patrol is somewhere behind her, busy marking the border, but she'll make her way down to the bank anyway, verdant eyes squinting with worry. the hoarse voice that echoes over the rapids is pained and choking, and immediately wil snaps to attention. "stars above," they breathe softly before raising their voice, hoping to be heard. "great starclan, i'm so sorry! can riverclan do anything to help?" briefly she ponders whether cicadastar will have her pelt for her next decision but finds she hardly cares. "i'll send a clanmate to fetch cicadastar and beesong. we'll help as many of you as possible get out of there! are there others coming?" cicadastar is a reasonable man. he'll understand, otherwise he's more heartless than willowroot thinks he is.
​

( THE LIGHT YOU GAVE ME )

 

[SMOKESTAR]

His knowledge of two-legs was limited but he felt at times they had a tendency of wandering off when bored of certain things and he hoped their recent upwalking trespassers would gradually go somewhere else. It had turned into a tense waiting game that he despised participating in but there was nothing else to do but tread carefully and wait. Being left to feel like cornered prey put Smokethroat in a sore mood more often than normal but he had taken to mentoring with an ease of distraction and a rare interest in teaching he was not aware he'd had before. Certainly his two rambunctious young wards rubbed his fur the wrong way often and gave him no end of grief, but he would be lying if he did not have high expectations for their futures. At the very least, neither of his apprentices would be the sort of cat to let someone walk all over them if their backtalk to him was any indication.
The black and white-speckled tom is not part of Willowroot's patrol but they pass one another while he's out with said two menaces so he opts to follow along the riverside to find a proper fishing spot and resist the urge to push one of the young molly's in for their sass.
The blur of pale fur and frantic crying has him barring his teeth and whirling to face the source of the outburst. He's on immediate alert the moment he sees the ginger cat shouting across the river, ears flattened and eyes narrowed before her words register fully. ThunderClan was on fire? His orange gaze drifts upward, what at first he thought at a glance were storm clouds forming is the obvious signs of smoke rising up over the treeline in a great rolling fog of dreary gray and dappled with black not too unsimilar to their leader's own pelt in color.
Within that forest they had built themselves a pyre, a den of wood and place where flames caught on each brittle bit of nature that so came across it. They would all be devoured by the fire in seconds if it spreads out further toward the edge of the territory, he frowns and glances down the river as he comes to a stop alongside the smoke form of his fellow lead warrior. In moments she is speaking, offering assistance and he turns with a sharpness behind him.
The dark tom feels his shoulder's tense with unease as he addresses @FROSTDROP. and @iciclepaw at his side, echoing Willowroot's statement with a firmer order, "One of you. Go, fetch Cicadastar and Beesong then come back here. I've a feeling we'll need all paws on deck."
The ThunderClanners would not be able to cross the river except in certain places if they were unable to swim, and the river itself had been cruel as of late. This was going to be disasterous. He wanted a clearer picture of what was happening so with a nod to Willowroot he steps into the water and walks forward until he reaches the steep dropoff where the shore ends and the river's depths begin; with sure footed kicks he is swimming forward to the opposite shore to get a better idea of what just is going on rather than scream back and forth across the river. He is not one for comfort and he is currently drenched from head to toe as the water rolls off him in miniscule currents of their own, but he dips his head to not tower over Meadowflame.
"Slow breathes." The tom's voice is a hushed graveling tone, "Can you swim?" His eyes are watching the edge of the wood as he speaks, curious if this is some kind of trap or not but there is a wild panic in the she-cat's eyes that tell otherwise and her pelt is layered with a fine ash. He glances back across the river to Willowroot with eyes wide and a nod. No, this is actually a fire. There's the two-leg bridge if...it it's not blocked off that can work for cats but he has a feeling it may come down to the river alone.
​

 

[Flycatcher]

Flycatcher's eyes watered and his throat burned. The evacuation from camp had been hectic and full of panic. He had been among one of the first cats to lead others out of ThunderClan's burning camp but had fallen back to search for his apprentice, Smolderpaw, to no avail. He had wanted to stay for longer, to be certain Smolderpaw was coming, or to go back for him if he had called out. But no such luck - he could only hope Smolderpaw would join up with the rest of the fleeing cats.

Eventually he makes it to the shore, standing amongst the rest of his exhausted and fearful clanmates. He manages to weave through some of them to stand closer to the edge of the water, gaze flicking between Meadowflame and the RiverClan cats on the otherside. "Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated!" Flycatcher calls out, voice already hoarse from his earlier yelling. "We have apprentices and queens that need help." And more cats further back that need more help, he added on in thought. His mind drifted to the faces of his friends and clanmates: Howling Wind, Flame, Berryheart, Emberstar, Rockyridge...he didn't see them among the gathered cats and could only hope they were safe. Or safe as could be with fire raging around them.​

 

[Frostdrop.]

GOT A HEAD FULL OF SPIDERS​

---

Frostpaw had stayed close to both Smokethroat and Iciclepaw her tail swishing in calm motion as they stuck close to the lead warrior thinking none of today as anything else. Her mentor had said it might rain and at a quick look the dark clouds of smoke did indeed make it off as it'll be raining but, to their surprised upon the shore's end and once again running into Willowroot and her patrol were that of Thunderclanners, their fur covered in soot and ashes while a warm yet deadly smell of smoke and fire clung to their sooty furs. Majority coughing due to how much smoke they had inhaled and her heart sank as she began scanning the growing numbers of cat appearing at their border.

Clearly today was not going to be calm, in fact it would be the opposite and her ears flattened on her skull as she moved closer to Smokethroat, but before she knew it the tom was instructing one of them to grab Beesong and Cicadastar and her gaze flickered towards Iciclepaw silently before slipping next to the apprentice "Stay close to Smokethroat, I'll be back before you know it" she said in a hushed tone before nodding towards her mentor. Eyes flicking back as more appeared at the shore, their mentor taking the initiative to cross over.

Frostpaw had already ran off before she heard the words of Flycatcher calling over and she wondered if it was best to alert the whole camp since they're going to need all the help they could get to help the Thunderclanner pass over and she silently wondered had the two-legs caused such a thing to Thunderclan that their own home had been ruined? Or was Starclan punishing them? But for what reason?​

"speak""Thoughts"​

Fetching @CICADASTAR and @BEESONG ))

 

[Kelpie.]

AS FAR AS I'VE HEARD, THE FIGHT'S STILL ON​

---

The sounds of screams catches Kelpie's attention easily from her basking spot by the riverbed, the scent of soke and fire an all to familiar scent. Eyes blown wide, the molly is swift on her paws as she follows the commotion, met with the sight of unfamiliar faces begging and pleading for help. She only catches the last of the conversation, but it's enough to set her hackles on edge, her pelt bristling in worry. She easily slips into the water, strong limbs keeping her afloat as she edges closer to the thunderclan side of the border, following smokethroat's lead without a second thought. "Are there kits still in your camp?" she asks worriedly - there's nothing she loathes more than the thought of children in danger. She's seen the damage smoke can cause, memories of wheezing breaths and crying mothers fresh in her mind. She hopes cicada will let them help - for if he doesn't she fears she'll take matters into her own paws, and she's frightened of being forced to choose between the siblings she's only just reunited with and what her heart says is right.