SURFACE PRESSURE [skyclan rescue attempt/OPEN]

[Johnnyflame]

LIVE AS IF YOU WERE TO DIE TOMORROW​

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OOC- This is a rescue attempt! If you are a shelter cat awaiting rescue feel free to follow along, but please do not post in this thread until the patrol is inside and the title changes to Open <3 wish us luck! @TALLULAHWING @WYRM @Pigeonsong @spiderpaw @MOMOWHISKER @SHRIMPY BOY @ThistleBack

This was it. Tonight they got their clanmates back.

Okay, to be fair, Johnny had no way of absolutely knowing that, but what was it they said? Manifest it into existence?

He'd spent every night since the shelter patrols return practicing in his twolegs garage, fiddling with his carrier cage until he could open and close the cage with enough confidence to feel like he really had a shot of doing some good. He'd been trying his best to remain an island of optimism in a churning sea of turmoil for his clanmates, but he knew there was nothing that would truly ease their suffering outside of bringing back the cats they lost.

Thistleback...

Everytime he saw the other tom it felt like claws digging into his chest. Such an amazing cat, torn apart by the loss of his loved ones. If there was one thing that Johnny had learned about the piebald tom it was how much his clan and family meant to him, and his suffering was a demon that the patchwork bobtail couldn't help but long to vanquish. He would have gone on the patrol either way, would have worked his paws until they bled learning to open that cage even if it hadn't affected his friend so much, but the fact that it did made it all the more necessary.

He would free Thistles loved ones for him, and finally the piebald warrior would be able to rest easy..

Under the cover of night the patrol slunk toward the shelter, the building looming ahead of them ominously. Johnny and his patrol had made the trek through twoleg place and had reached their destination without issue, but that was the easy part of things. Now the true battle begun, but it wasn't a war they would wage with a stormy, thunderous bang.

No, clever and quiet, Skyclan would strike like a thief in the night.

"Alright everyone, listen up." he called, the words hushed but not unkind as he rallied the patrol to him. "This only works if we stick to the plan. Each of us has a job to do, so no matter what you can't let yourself be distracted by what you see in there."

He knew it would be a shock to some of them, especially the wild cats who had never seen the rows upon rows of scared, imprisoned cats- especially when some of those cats were friends they might be tempted to rush to. But they couldn't break rank.

"Thanks to Momo and Wyrms intels, our point of entrance is the window Banansplash broke last time a patrol was here. Spiderpaw, your on the ground out here. When cats start coming through the window you direct them into cover and keep them safe and quiet- we dont need anyone causing a fuss out here and drawing attention to us. . Thistleback, your up in the window Your job is to direct the freed cats out and make sure they're safely outside. Don't let them wander or try to help, just get them out. " They needed to do this as streamlined as possible, no wildcards.

"Pigeonsong, I want you inside and standing guard near that door the twoleg came through last time. You keep your ear on that door and the second you hear something you sound the alarm. You'll be our only line of defense to get out before we're seen." His job would be of utmost importance, and could mean the difference between this being a disaster and a success.

"Daylight warriors, your with me on cage duty. We go for our own first, and once they're clear if things are still in our favor we can work on getting anyone whose left out." Maybe it was a harsh order to prioritize their own when there were pleanty of helpless cats locked away in there, but it was the right move. Not only was the entire purpose of this to get their cats out, but the Skyclan cats could be trusted to follow orders, to not panic and blow the whole operation the second their cage door was opened. He would not risk their freedom.

"If Pigeonsong sounds the alarm, we all bail through the window- no hesitating. If we get out unseen we can always try again once the twoleg leaves, but only if we don't raise suspicion."

If they were seen and the twolegs got wise to the fact that they were coming in through the broken window, it might not stay broken.
​

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[Pigeonsong]

The tom listens intently, using all of his strength to keep his paws from quivering. There were so many things that could go wrong here. They were risking their own lives, but he wondered what punishments the cats inside may face if they fail tonight.
His heart aches without his friend back at camp, he misses her smiles and her laughs, her jokes and teasing. There is a pit in him that grows deeper every moment that they are apart and even he can no longer deny his feelings.

"We won't let you down, Johnny. You can count on us to keep our ears open." The tom would mew to the chimera, giving him a firm nod. Those feelings had to wait, there were more lives at stake than just Bananasong and her littermate. It seemed to him that nearly half his clan had been taken by now. Everybody in that 'Shelter' were counting on this patrol to save them. He wasn't going to let anyone down, his clanmates were going to be saved.

"Spiderpaw, I trust you. I know you'll do SkyClan proud tonight." A less faithful mentor might've slipped these words in as a lie to try and encourage her but he genuinely did. He knew that even though she might not take their training seriously, there was a strong willed, incredibly brave warrior buried under her snarky attitude. He trusted that she was a good cat and that she'd help him save their clanmates.

He gave her a warm dip of his head, giving his attention back to Johnny.
"We can do this, I trust this patrol to bring our family home."

 

[MOMOWHISKER]

He did not feel ready. He had shown up in his twoleg nest to quell suspicion of his nightly outings, he had lied his way through multiple scenarios to stop himself from taking any heat, he had tried to memorise what the latches on his cage looked like, but nothing could prepare him for the real thing. It was the difference between dreaming of hunting a mouse and actually hunting one, in the former, everything seemed possible (Stars, he was even sure he had wings in them sometimes), in the other, he was at the mercy of a foggy brain and exhausted limbs. Belly flat to the earth as he prowled along, Momowhisker's paws felt twitchy when the patrol finally came to a halt. If he didn't move them, they burned, if he did move them, he feared that even the quietest crinkle of fresh grass would somehow ruin their entire plan. Johnny mentioned not being distracted and he smiled grimly to himself. 'Too late for that.' It was his eyes that had first graced the inside of the shelter, there were no words he could've said to SkyClan that would've eased that burden.

"Um." His ears twitched forwards, his eyes wide as he struggled to say what he needed to. His story was getting as thick as mud and just as consistent, but faced with the overarching walls and sterile air of the shelter again, he found his senses coming back to him. "Some cats might not want to leave, they've just given up. If we have time after our own are free, I don't think we should waste time with them, they're more likely to draw attention with their protests than anyone else. You... You can tell which cats they are without them even speaking." Their eyes had been hemlock to his soul, even if they undid the latches, there was no guarantee that the long-term residents would leave. It was best to focus on clanmates and young first, though he figured that Johnny might've already figured that out in his big old head of his. He was a fountain of good ideas that the point was more than happy to follow. The corners of his mouth curled upwards in a pacifying grin as he reached the chimera's side, his head bobbing between his shoulders, his whiskers twitching. "Just a suggestion. You're the boss and I wouldn't want to impose."

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[spiderpaw ✧]

[ ♱ ] Spiderpaw reluctantly circles up at Johnny's hushed command, heavy tail lifted to keep it off the ground; she expects that her bones will feel the ache of holding the weighty appendage up tomorrow, but it would be embarassing for her tail to be the thing that spoils the mission. StarClan, she can't imagine anything more humiliating—her thought is interrupted; Johnny (Is that what his name is? Really?) is dishing out commands. If anyone were to look at Spiderpaw, they would see a stark departure from her usual posture; the apprentice's ears are angled forward attentively, and she stands so tensely on her gangly limbs that she looks as though she might simply take off from the earth like a bird. And while no cat can read minds, if they could, hers is interrupted; while her demeanour and inner narrative are as poisonously self-centered as ever, something seems to set her off her usual balance.

The black smoke is no idiot; the same perceptiveness that lets her make snarky remarks where it hurts allows her to shrewdly notice how Pigeonsong's usual irritatingly boisterous demeanour has dampened in recent days—specifically since Bananasplash vanished from camp. It's honestly kind of pathetic to watch, it's embarassing, she wouldn't be caught dead doing it & she'll probably gossip about it, but ... she feels bad (Bad?) for her mentor. While she's outwardly been as flippant as ever about his repeated remarks about trust, the weight of it feels like a cold bristle under her fur, a fish joining another in causing ripples in her usually simple thoughts. Spiderpaw shakes away the thought, as if she'd ever become a softhearted, softbellied kittypet like seemingly half their Clan; even the usually intimidating Thistleback has seemed subdued by the whole shelter issue.

Spiderpaw does manage to intake Johnny's assignment of her job; on the ground outside, shepherding the rescues into cover. She much prefers this to fumbling around a bunch of cages with some basically-kittypets and risking her tail; after all, there's no way in hell she's letting herself get abducted for the sake of these cats. Maybe Johnny does have a brain rattling around somewhere in that giant head. Spiderpaw suppresses a snicker at the thought; still, as much as she shirks any duty, the job certainly suits her. Pigeonsong hasn't been wrong in his glimpses of a stronger core under her adolescent venom, and the black cat's naturally assertive demeanour and (oft-misused) way with words should serve to shepherd (or verbally abuse) any cat into the brush.

The apprentice casts a heavy-lidded glare at Pigeonsong as he speaks to her; again with the trust, really? She could barely be trusted to show up for hunting practice, given that it was such a waste of her time; she doesn't even know why she's bothered actually going on this patrol. While that's what Spiderpaw thinks to herself, it's not entirely true; for some reason she has yet to understand, there's an iron core behind her eagerness to go on the patrol, something that puts a shine to her poisonous gaze and an almost worried cast to her thoughts. She rolls her eyes, doesn't even bother acknowledging what Momowhisker (Ew.) says, mewing to her mentor, " ... Yeah, whatever." Spiderpaw is sorely tempted to tack a remark about Bananasplash onto that sentence, but she refrains. Barely.

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tl;dr -> spiderpaw is outwardly flippant about the importance of this, but it stirs up deeper feelings in her
// all opinions are purely ic lol <3

 

[TALLULAHWING]

Soon the needle-carpeted forest floor becomes asphalt under their paw pads once more. Tallulahwing maintains a perky demeanor -- lifted tail, bright, twinkling yellow eyes, a smile creasing her muzzle -- but she is watchful. Wary. She had seen how quickly Grizzlyridge had disappeared into the rogue Twoleg's trapping pelt. All of them are in danger, but especially those without housefolk to come rescue them. She knows she has the privilege of spending very little time in this shelter, and she casts a glance at the forest-dwelling cats with a pang. Pigeonsong, Thistleback, and Spiderpaw are risking much to be here.

Just as Grizzlyridge had.

"Understood," she murmurs to Johnny, their patrol lead. Tallulahwing's focus swivels to Momowhisker, who says he had seen some of the cats inside the shelter, dead-eyed and angry at the intrusion. Some who may not wish to leave.

Tallulahwing's whiskers tremble. "Hopefully it's easy to tell those who wish to be free from those who don't," she says softly. She hadn't seen the inside of the nest; in this area, Momowhisker is more knowledgable than she. "If they hiss at us or tell us to back off, we'll have to respect that."

She hates the idea of leaving any cat inside to rot away in those cages. It's a purgatory worse than most deaths, a place where dogs and Twolegs with harsh voices and cats who have given up all hope go to languish.

But their own must come first. Johnny is right about that.

The window that had been the cause of the first patrol's departure comes in to view. Harsh light spills onto the street, illuminating shards of broken glass that had not been swept away. Tallulahwing's breath catches in her throat as the familiar scent of filth and anguish chokes her senses. The distant, tinny barking of the hounds haunts her.

"This is it," she murmurs, and every hair on her pelt begins to tingle, electrified. She looks to Johnny for the signal to begin. She will move as soon as he does... for better or worse.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

​

 

[Johnnyflame]

LIVE AS IF YOU WERE TO DIE TOMORROW​

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OOC- This thread is now open!

It was time.

Despite knowing that the mission ahead of them was deadly serious, there was a sense of thrill that settled into him as he nodded to his patrol and signaled for them to move out. Johnny had always been like that, the kind of tom who believed that the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. Sure, he loved the little daily challenges like trying to catch prey or sparring with his clanmates, but something like this, it satisfied that deep itch for purpose that lived in him.

Determination thrummed through his veins, shone in amber eyes that glinted in the low light as he led the stalk toward the broken window. It was exactly where the others had said it would be, and with one last glance to his patrol to make sure they were with him, he lept up onto the ledge.

The room within was dark, the twolegs probably having turned it off for the night in an attempt to keep the animals calm and quiet, a sense of routine that most were probably used to whether it was the sun going down or their former humans heading to bed for the night. And it seemed to work, because while there was the typical noise one would expect from a building housings dozens upon dozens of animals, it was fairly subdued.

Johnny did not call out. He made no noise at all as he slipped through the broken glass and dropped silently to the floor below. Addreniline was coursing through his veins, and despite the natural nerves that came with a situation like this, he found himself focused. He at once began slinking forward to search for a familiar scent or face, trusting that Pigeonsong and the others would be right behind him taking up their own positions. He paused to raise his paw to his lips in a 'shh' sign when one of the shelter cats notice him and opened their mouth to speak, and at once they closed it, nodding along as they watched Johnny slink farther into the room.

Finally.

The familiar grey pelt set him to work immediately, and to his undeniable satisfaction the latch tot he cage opened easily beneath his skilled paws. He could have fucking purred as the cage door gentle swung open to reveal Ashenclaw.

"Down the row, right to the window." he instructed in a hushed tone without missing a beat, though there was a wide grin on his muzzle, something mischevious. He'd bet an entire mouse the other tom wasn't expecting to see them here, let alone Johnny. " Thistlebacks there, he'll get you out. Go on." he said as he backed away from the cage, already making his way toward another.

It was time for Ashen to go home. Ora was waiting for him.

@Ashenclaw
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[MOMOWHISKER]

Go time.

Momowhisker followed after the chimera, nervousness rolling off of the point tom in waves. He cleared the window with relative ease, running up the side of it the building like he'd been born to do so. There was a breadth of hesitation as he peered inside the dimly lit room, his breath caught on the memories of his first look into what a human might call 'hell'. It hadn't changed much since his first visit, only, there were fewer lights than he remembered, and his pupils adjusted quickly to the new setting. He jumped down, landing silently on a floor that almost made him spring back up there with how cool it was on his pads. He skirted away from where his paws first landed so the other Daylight Warriors could fall behind him, their expectations both a terrible vice and a wonderful motivator. This was the furthest he'd ever gone into this depraved place, tomorrow, he would be cheering for joy amidst his free comrades from the mission. Right now, however, the only thought repeating over and over in his head was 'don't mess up, you can't mess up'.

The smell of SkyClan was stale and he was blinded by a myriad of stenches he didn't think his large nose would ever forget. Momowhisker crawled like he was hunting prey, a familiar face lurking on the other side of cold metal bars. He stared at them for a moment, trying to hide the conflict in his eyes, before shuffling right up to the door. They latched their teeth around the clasp and slowly wriggled it free, the rust of the hinge making less than a whisper's worth of noise. He reached a lanky paw between the bar and pulled at the cage door until it opened completely. StarClan, that felt satisfying. Momowhisker's wide eyes settled on who was inside, a creature with fur as dark as their shadowed nest and a prominent scar that pierced it. He didn't look at their yellow eyes for long, knowing he was likely to find either disdain or appreciation. "Hey big guy." he whispered to @SLATE, shuffling out of the way so that the burly tom could bolt. "Down the row, there's a window. Clanmates are waiting outside." It was not the clanmate he'd have wanted to save first, but a SkyClanner was a SkyClanner, regardless of what they thought of kittypets.

[ edit: rolled a 4 ]
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[SHRIMPY BOY]

His heart weighs heavy, like a stone sinking into the stillness of pondwater. With every leaden thump is a pulse of chasmic dread throughout his veins, and the hectic rhythm at which it paced only magnified the burden he bore. He hadn't ever fathomed, not even in the ghastliest of his nightmares, the idea of returning to a shelter. With the added load of responsibility for his clanmates' well-being, the task before him was nothing less than immense and overwhelming. The fear he harbours is enunciated by his gait, by his fidgeting pawsteps and the muteness he'd adopted for the trek beyond SkyClan's borders. For Shrimpy Boy, the night ahead was an abyss of danger and uncertainty, and that made his fur stand on end.

When Johnny calls the troop to a standstill, the ginger-pelted tom can only hold his breath throughout the bobtail's instruction. Every syllable flung forth from the leader's maw absorbs some of the doubts lingering in his mind, yet his attention remains bisected between Johnny's words and his own apprehension. Silently, internally, he reminds himself of his familiarity with twoleg contraptions. The shelter's locks couldn't be too dissimilar from that of his old carrier, now could they? This reassurance, in tandem with the set-in-stone plan, injects a modicum of hope into Shrimpy Boy's being.

"In through the window, right to the cages," he reiterates, while skimming over the faces of those who'd accompany him inside. By no means was he the most agile on the patrol, packing more bounce to the ounce than the average cat. But, knowing that Momowhisker, Wyrm, Tallulahwing, and, of course, Johnny would be at his side once they breached the building's window, Shrimpy Boy feels ever-bolstered by their solidarity.

The signal is given, and everyone starts to hotfoot toward the shelter's window with a synchronised grace; save for him, mind you, because with grace he'd always come up short. Johnny is the first to infiltrate, and slips through the opening with a remarkable degree of agility. A brief look-see to his group informs him that he's next in line—thus, with an anxious huff, the tom takes a leap of faith and propels his entire form through the window. His paws outstretched, body twisting mid-air, and he lands inside with a thud as quiet as possible.

There's minimal light within the shelter, and it takes a moment before he can ascertain what was a cage and what was a wall. When his vision adapts, though, he mimicks Johnny's initiative and swiftly moves forward. He finds that the air is rank with the smell of unfamiliar cats, and quite a lot of them. However, amongst them is the notable twang of pine needles and dirt, the daylight warrior allows his schnozz to guide him towards one of the metallic grids.

Without a moment's worth of hesitation, he gets to work on dismantling the lock with his paws; and merely moments later, the mechanism comes undone. Teeth grip onto the fine bars and pull backward, revealing the shadowy form of—

"Oh my days, Howlpaw!" expels the tom in a harsh whisper. She's alive! Holy moly, just wait until everyone back in camp sees her fit as a fiddle, and not dead like that damned rogue had said! "Come on," he continues, "there's a way out just down the row. A window. Let's get you home."

His job wasn't done yet, and while he may have gotten lucky on the first try, Shrimpy Boy does his darnedest to keep his guard up. Only the stars knew what dangers lay ahead.

// @Howlpaw
// rolled a perfect score! no noise was made :3 ​

 

[TALLULAHWING]

Johnny gives the signal, and one by one, the daylight warriors scramble inside. Tallulahwing gives one last fearful look over her shoulder, to Pigeonsong, Spiderpaw, and Thistleback, before disappearing inside with the rest of her patrol. The room they wrestle their way into is dim, noises bouncing off the walls in strange ways. Tallulahwing is behind Shrimpy Boy, concentrating on keeping her pawsteps quiet, her whiskers stiff, tail erect. She will not be caught off-guard; not this time.

It's not hard to tell when they've come upon the caged cats, even if one couldn't see their trembling, shadowy forms. The scent of fear and despair is overwhelming, almost making the torbie sick to her stomach. Her Clanmates are quick to get to work, and their successes cheer her on. She hears whispers: "Ashenclaw! Slate! Howlpaw!"

Her heart cheers, relief flooding her body as she stiffens next to a crate. Her paws, despite their clumsy practice the night prior, are deft. She has just enough light to see a patchwork brown and ivory pelt.

"Be free, little darlin'," she whispers, yellow eyes gleaming with her success as the hatch swings open. "We'll get your boyfriend out too, no doubt about it."

// @TWITCHBOLT
rolled a 4, no bonuses :)​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

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[Howlfire]

For the longest time Howlpaw had given up on rescue or seeing her home and family again. She would be forever stuck in one of these damnable cages, doomed to a life of solitude, or that of a kittypet. And then things changed, familiar faces began to appear alongside her in cage - first Ashenclaw and then many more after him. For the first time in days, hope had bloomed in heart and the dream of getting out of here returned. It had waned a little as more days passed and there was no sign of SkyClan cats staging an audacious rescue despite some of her clanmates saying they knew about the shelter. Had they forgotten? No, she doubted that was the case but given what this place was like it didn't seem like somewhere cats came willingly of their own volition. Her spirits - and that of all of her clanmates here with her - had been dampened yet again when Daisyflight had been taken away. Howlpaw was still curious if she would return, but based on the whisperings of some of the kittypets trapped here she never would.

Things had changed when SkyClan cats had attempted to break in recently. Howlpaw didn't actually know much about that as she had slept through their attempt to get inside, but she had heard whispers of it from her clanmates and the other shelter cats, the latter of which seemed less excited by the event. The news of what had happened had once again sparked that hopeful fire in her heart. They were going home. She was going home.

When the SkyClan cats finally do make their rescue, Howlpaw's practically right at the bars of her cage from the moment Johnny dropped into the room. When more cats drop into view, the scent of pine and the forest clinging to their pelts, Howlpaw's heart practically soars out of her chest. She watches as Ashenclaw and Slate are rescued first before Shrimpy Boy's face appears and lets her out of her cage. For a moment, she hesitates as though almost uncertain whether it was safe to leave. And then, quick as a flash, she's out a hurried 'thank you' whispered to Shrimpy Boy as she brushes past the tom. Free from her cage she looks around at the cats getting freed, eyes quickly finding Slate and Ashenclaw before adhering to Shrimpy Boy's direction to the window.

Home awaited her soon.​

 

[Ashenclaw]

"You'll Never Be Unloved By Me"​

That wretched cone had been removed from his neck days prior and he was no longer in any pain. Ashenclaw had ate the food they gave them in hope it would lighten their spirits and keep the twolegs off his back. Still, the grey tomcat laid there quietly in the darkness of the shelter for a long moment before lifting his head at the sound of pawsteps. Faint and soft, and he furrowed his brow in confusion before getting up onto his paws. Before he could even speak out of the cages' walls, there was Johnny! The bi-colored cat had expert paws as they unlocked the cage door with ease, and he blinked a few times- why hadn't he thought of that?

Regardless, the tabby tomcat headbutted Johnny in a great fit of thanks before spotting Howlpaw and Slate also being freed. With instructions in hand, the tabby cat moved across the tile floor of the shelter with his head low and eyes flicking around him. What about the others'? Did they need help too? Could they help? Ashenclaw though didn't want to risk not seeing Orangeblossom again, seeing Skyclan again- so he kept moving past the cages.

Upon reaching the window, familiar pale grey eyes welcomed him and he gave a soft breath of relief he hadn't know he'd been holding. He was going home.

Speech
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✦ ★ ✦​

 

[ThistleBack]

Cursed, life had always felt as such. A never-ending carousel, only its on fire and he’s getting terribly used to it. An eerie patience swollen and numb like the new calluses on his pads. If not for the ones in his life he loved so dearly, for his children, mate, and- well, Johnny. A diamond among rhinestones, plucked by fate from a garden. A curious boy on his fence, guarding his upwalker gardens and never living in one place long enough to call home. Now, leading a patrol of Skyclanners to handle a Starclan given prophecy. Walking like he was born for this moment. Thistleback couldn’t keep his eyes of him. Not now, probably never again.

His orders are given, he nods affirmatively like the soldier he is and wonders idly when the last time it was he had been on a window ledge just as uninvited. Momowhisker’s suggestion earns his approval, it had a sober truth.

Following the patrol, the broken window gleams with hope and menacing promise like a set of badger teeth. He pauses as they each leap into the abyss of the building belly. His breath particularly pausing as Johnny is swallowed into the practically unknown. Once his post is clear, Thistleback springs next. The barbs of his spine grazing the shards but silent as a mouse he lands. He shuffles stiffly on the edge and peers, crouched- low, and waiting.

The sight of patched brown, nearly sends an electric bolt through his chest. His eyes widen round, his jaw slacks and he can’t breath. It’s Howlpaw. " come… come dear… Howlpaw….oh dear " he whispers, signals for her to leap, readies to steady her with a grip on the scruff before guiding her out to where Spiderpaw waits on the grass below.

" keep going, quietly. Spiderpaw is waiting.… " next came a familiar grey tabby, Thistleback’s maw twists into a grin. " She’s waiting for you at home, go on. " he whispers, peering outside before signalling for Ashenclaw to move.

Thistleback’s smile fades as he turns back to the darkness, swallowing hard and processing the fact Howlpaw was alive. He waves the tip of his tail gently to the next cat, desperately peering through the veil of darkness hoping to see Quillstrike next.

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OOC INFO REF

• —
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  Thirty-seven moons EVENT TRACKER | IMPORTANT INFO
  — Lead warrior of Skyclan since 12.22.22
  — Devoted to Deersong 9.29.22 | polyamorous
  — Father of Coyotepaw, Pricklepaw, and Eveningpaw.
  — mentoring Snowpaw graduate(s) Quillstrike
  — very muscular piebald black and white tom with spiky fur and cold silver-grey eyes.
  — voice & accent
  — biography･ﾟ✧​
  OPEN for Dice battles | stine#3004
  
• 
  
  

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[Snowpath]

Snowpaw lifted his head for the first time since he'd settled into the corner, days after his mother was taken and killed and her cries of farewell still echoing in his head. They had faded, but they would never leave fully, he would hear her call out to him in his sleep until the day he got to see her again in StarClan. The blue tabby heard the commotion, but had not paid it much mind until the sound of a cage opening finally reached his ears and he wandered over to the edge of the steel box to peer out; their clanmates!
Immediately he is filled with relief and dread, if only...if only they had come sooner, did he even deserve to be saved when his mother was unable to be. How was this fair-how was any of it fair.
He spots Howlpaw's tortie pelt slip down onto the ground out of the corner of his eye and he's happy at least one family reunion will not be tarnished with grief upon their return. Realizing now he would need to tell his siblings what had happened almost made him shrink back into the cage but he pushed his muzzle between the bars to cry out; knowing Daisyflight would not want him trapped here forever if anything and he had to make sure Butterflytuft got home safely too. He had to. She had asked him to do this and so he would, for his sister. He'd be strong.
"Th-Thistleback!" The piebald figure of his mentor immediately apparent, Snowpaw's cry was sharp but silent, "Please...me and Butterflytuft are over here...mom...Daisyflight.....she's...." Don't cry, don't cry, it was just more noise, it would do him no good right now, "....she's gone."
It was something he knew he had to force out or they would waste time, waste precious time trying to find her, to save her. The cats still alive had to be rescued now as much as he wished they could at least find where her body was and bring her home.
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[Johnnyflame]

LIVE AS IF YOU WERE TO DIE TOMORROW​

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He accepted the headbutt with a soft chuckle, good-naturedly pushing his friend in the direction of the window before his head snapped in the direction of a young, desperate voice a bit farther down the lane.

"Daisyflight... she's gone.."

Ears dropped along with his stomach at the realization. Surely they just meant she'd been taken by a twoleg, right? No distractions. he reminded himself, quickly moving to the cage the call had come from and rearing onto his hind legs to reach the latch.

"Give me just a minute, you two." he said as paws moved to fiddle with the mechanism. This one didn't go quite as quick as the first had, but it was still an overall quick and easy process, the door gentle swinging open to free the pair within.

"Stay quiet and go straight down the row to the window. Thistle will get you out from there." he instructed the pair, amber eyes filled with the regret he felt for them both. Daisyflight had been their mother if he remembered correctly, and while he hadn't been with his own long enough to remember her let alone miss her, he'd seen how close the family in Skyclan were and his heart went out to them.

But there was no time for comfort now.

Nudging them in Thistles direction, he went looking for the next cat.

OOC- Johnny rolled a 4, cage opens with no noise, no extra bonus or negative earned on next roll.

@Snowpaw @butterflytuft
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[BRAMBLEHEART]

જ➶ Since his own capture and being placed in a silver cage the tom has quietly kept to himself. He doesn't know what to say and making a fuss just seems like much too much effort to go through. Aching bones already make him weary as it is and so with all other strays and kittypets he is around the only thing the pink collared tom does is listen. He keeps up with all the talk, some of the cats being a bit more rude. But there is talk of Skyclan, the place he is looking for and that cats from there will come to rescue their own. Oh. He supposes that makes sense. If they all are what he has been told of them then they seem like a loyal bunch. But his own journey he supposes ends here. His face gently presses against his cage and more often times than not the upwalkers leave him alone. They don't talk to him too often but they had examined him. Gave him strange tablets hidden in his food. It seems to dull the ache in his body a considerable amount and is perhaps the only reason why he is more alert now. Eyes searching he looks for, well, he doesn't really know. Wondering if his next door cage mate wants to hold a conversation.

At least that is until he hears voices, not twolegs, but cats. They come in quietly and he peers at them. Angled slightly he watches as they slip to cages, one after another. Helping them escape and it appears to just be those clan cats. His eyes widen and suddenly realization dawns on him. That Skyclan has come and he gently sticks a paw out of his cage to at least try and get their attention. "C-can one of you get me out, please? I...there is someone I need to fine." He hopes his argument is sound enough to earn their help.​

 

[TALLULAHWING]

Tallulahwing's ears flick at a familiar voice. Achingly so. Figfeather's littermate, once so full of fire, reduced to a tearstained gray silhouette. He's pressed against the crosshatching of his cage. "Daisyflight... she's gone."

She feels the ground lurch beneath her, but like Johnny, she does not fully understand Snowpaw's meaning. Gone, as in she'd been adopted by a Twoleg, right? "She'd want you out of here, Mister," she murmurs, giving both him and Butterflytuft a gentle nosing as they are freed from their cages and directed toward the window.

She finds another shape, dark and patched. Quillstrike. Tallulahwing scampers closer, but her paws are clumsy this time, and the metal grates, making a shrill and irritating sound that sends her ears flying back against her skull. Regardless, Quillstrike is free. "Run!" She orders; the noise has sent her heart hammering in her chest. She gives her Clanmates a wild look, afraid of what's to come.

An unfamiliar voice cuts through the murk and through the hammer of her heart in her ears. Tallulahwing turns, startled, to see a thin chimaeric feline pressing their paw through the cage toward her. "Can one of you get me out, please? I... there is someone I need to find."

Tallulahwing hesitates, but she gives him a nod. "Let us make sure we get our Clanmates out, darlin'. I won't leave you behind, though, you can count on that."

// @QUILLSTRIKE
rolled a 3, no modifiers​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

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[spiderpaw ✧]

[ ♱ ] Spiderpaw waits on tense paws on the grass beneath the window, spine coiled like a spring as she waits for the first cats to be ushered over by the spiky figure lurking on the sill. Given SkyClan's general lack of underbrush, this would feel as though she had nowhere to push the escaping cats towards; luckily, some quick scouting led to a plentiful, if sparsely leafed, copse of bushes from which the rescued cats would be able to see the rest of the patrol, she hoped. Much of the apprentice's poisonous atmosphere had temporarily receded in the face of the mission, not to mention the necessary silence; still, something unable to be named glints beneath her hooded lids. She hears murmured mewing and Spiderpaw is tugged from the edge of thought; Thistleback is shepherding cats through the window, one after the other—Ashenclaw, Slate, Howlpaw (What.), Twitchbolt, Snowpaw, Butterflytuft, Quillstrike ... Spiderpaw has to admit she's impressed despite herself. The daylight warriors have managed to free a remarkable number of cats in the time they've had so far.

This is perhaps the one situation in which Spiderpaw's noticeable lack of empathy is useful; without any displays of emotion or a pause for feelings, she whisper-shouts to each cat as they stumble out something to the effect of, "All of you keep ya' muzzles shut," She mutters commandingly, "There's cover over there," She motions with her thick tail, "I left a scent-trail, so go hide there. No wanderin', wait for the rest of us, and for StarClan's sake, y'all, stay quiet," The black smoke hisses, the usually-charming accent sour between her teeth, waiting for the first wave of cats to scamper off, choosing to ignore any questions. Her gaze falls to the window above; an outline in spiky fur rests there, waiting for more escapees; Thistleback perplexes Spiderpaw to a degree, having heard tales of his brutal ways but hearing about his apparent nicer side in her time as Briarpaw's friend; weird vibe, that guy. She shook her head—no time for thinking about such dumb shit now, especially as she hears a faint, thin sound rise in the mostly-silent night that sets her pelt bristling—which mousebrain was that?

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// all opinions are purely ic lol <3

 

[Abysspaw]

"Doom...there are cats here." His mewl is pitched, warbling. He squirms out from under the scratchy blanket to wriggle forward to the bars and look around with wide eyes, green orbs lit within the dimly shrouded shelter interior. None of those shapes looked like mama, but mama probably wasn't coming back anyways. She was too cold, too cold. These cats all had funny names and were popping open catches like the two-legs had done! What a neat trick, he wanted to know how to do that so he could open this cage they were in too but it was also too far off the ground so he wouldn't leave it anyways. The drop was scary when you were as small as he was.
"Hey-hey-hey-who are you? Who are all of you? Can we come too?" It seemed like more fun than sitting here all day which is all they had done. Kitten play could only entertain for so long.
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[WYRM]

Wyrm is kind of a mess. He kind of feels like an idiot. He kind of feels like a sucker. He kind of feels like an idiot sucker – sucker idiot? Someone who shouldn't be here, all the same. Whatever he is is hardly a hero, hardly a presence. Wyrm is following along with a blank expression, only perking at that mention of his name – and in a way thats... more than acknowledgement.

Sure, jailbreak. Jailbreak was nice. Fun. Easy. All that stuff.

He casts an eye to Momowhisker as he speaks, and, maybe he has a point. Even if they were in boxes instead of wide upon rooms full of soft feather-stuff, it was still free food, free... friends (?) free. Free things were always good. Depends on your definition of free though, he guesses. If they were lucky, maybe they'd all want to stay, and they could call this mission off.

They all agree with stilted expressions, Pigeonsong taking his position as guard... or whatever. Wyrm wants nothing to do with this. Would they sic their dogs on them? This wasn't worth being sicced by dogs. He slips in all the same, goaded on by something like peer pressure. Glancing wildly at the others who follow and comd before, he simply copies what the due, squinting through the static gloom for any faces that were familiar... ish, he didn't know half of these guys, if he's honest. He does recognize a white - and - cream face, regards them with shock, his eyes practically bulging out of his skull. His head whips to the window, and then back again. " W-weren't you? I mean– Whatever. " he can't be bothered.

Wyrm does his damned best to scrutinize the others paws, damn near giving them death glares so he can attempt to copy however the fuck they were opening these. It takes a small eternity and a good two or three moments where he stops completely to stare blankly at the cage door, considering turning his ass right around, but he manages to get it open, only along with the loudest noise he's ever heard! Wyrm outwardly cringes. " Ugh, just, g-go to the window. "

[ freeing @Bananasplash ; rolled a 1... +1 modifier lol ]​

 

[shrewflight.]

a tiny kitten, his form small and tucked in a lonely corner of his cage. An ear flicked, the kennel seeming to come alive again. But it was too early for that. At night time, it was silent as a mouse, able to hear bodies scuffle, and move. But no, in it's stead there were hushed whispers and clicking...

Clicking of cages opening. Were the no-furs back?? No, if they were, it would be rambunctious. Yowls and the like.

The brown and white cat would open his olive eyes, and fear would strike, his stomach twisting in knots as new strange cats with a strange smell would be inside, unlocking the cages and relieving others of their confinement.

Slate was released, and he knew exactly who these cats were. But he was still scared.

He was also curious, and his tiny form would push up to the bars, and a paw outstretched through them. "Dont leave me here," he added to the hushed tones, olive eyes pleading. "I wanna come with you!"

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