pafp YOU DON'T SMILE ANYMORE (twoleg kidnapping)

[LIGHTNINGSTONE]

// TLDR: Buckgait has been captured by twolegs while out on a family outing; Lightningstone has been kicked trying to save her and is on the ground catching his breath
Public after all three kits post @brookpaw @BRIGHTPAW @meadowpaw

The morning is cooler than most greenleaf sunrises, and with the permission of Lichentail and Smokethroat, the small family has taken to the riverside. Lightningstone is smart - he does not take them too close to the campgrounds that seem to teem with twolegs in the warmer moons. It is rare the tom spends much time at all with his daughters, and though he'd never admit it, it's nice. He pads with Meadowpaw and Buckgait on either side, but his half-lidded eyes watch Brookpaw as she complains about her mentor. He remains silent, knowing all too well his job of watching her. He despises the fact his daughter has been pulled into it, but he knows his role. She won't get in the way - he won't allow it. Meadowpaw, on the other hand, chatters on endlessly about the lessons Lightningstone has taught him, their more advanced swimming lessons and how he is perfecting his hunting crouch. The warrior does not miss Brookpaw's subtle remarks, and he can recognize envy in her voice. He imagines it must be hard for siblings when one is given a parent as a mentor...

What happens next is a blur, too fast for even the keen-eyes warrior to understand fully. Twoleg scent, far too south than they would have expected. "Hide!" He hisses in the direction of his kits before swinging his head around to locate his mate. But he is too late. In the chaos, he spots her thrashing russet pelt in the claws of one of the beasts. It grips her scruff in an attempt to keep her still as it carries her away. A screech leaves Lightningstone, raging and pained. Without thinking he lunges forward, making a mad dash for the twoleg, but its companion sees him. It seems frightened, uttering a sharp sound of shock before swinging a heavy leather paw at him, a blow that hits him right in the ribs. He is knocked aside, breath leaving him in a gust as he lays on the ground. He can do nothing. He is paralyzed as his love his carried away, gasping for breath on the soft ground.​

 

[brookstorm]

Under what sky of stars would Brookpaw have predicted the oncoming tragedy? The lights in the sky could've twinkled so specifically, could've spelled the morning's events so clearly - but the kitten still wouldn't know much better. The terror they are to face is not avoidable; fate cannot be unwritten.

The she-cat falls easily in step with her family - namely Buckgait - as she has her back and forth with Meadowpaw. It seems her brother is a little more oblivious to her frustrations, listing off the many accomplishments shared by him and their father. It almost makes her rue Lichentail more, if not for the coy behavior of her brother. She's seconds from tackling him beneath the guise of playfulness when she hears her father's sudden and frightened hiss.

Ever obedient, Brookpaw doesn't hesitate. Eyes find a bit of flourishing brush, and she rushes to hide beneath the branches. Like with her father, the scene is too quick to process. Her mother is hoisted into the air by the hairless beasts, yowling and screeching, and her father is sent skidding away from the scene. Her voice is lost in her throat, fern green eyes wide and pupils pinpointed - and she helplessly watches as Buckgait is taken away.​

 

[meadowheart]

There has been little tragedy to cast ripples in Meadowpaw's life; there have been deaths, wins and losses, and of course the river has been fickle for as long as he has been alive, but never tragedy outright. Perhaps StarClan has decided it is his turn to face it now, but why? Would it make him a better RiverClanner? Would it push him to work more diligently, to fight harder, to learn quicker so that he might prevent this ever happening again? Would it turn him, jaded, against the stars entirely? He doesn't know-- he can't know what's about to happen. He's just excited to see his siblings; to be on an outing as a family for what feels like the first time.

"...and then I caught a giant bluegill!" Meadowpaw surmises, a wide grin on his face. "It was super cool. And really tasty, actually." Pride swells his haze-heather chest and he turns to face Brookpaw and Brightpaw, trying to gauge their reactions. Even Buckgait hums a small note of approval. Sunlight sparkles on the water beside him and reflects the small family in its ripples. Cicadas buzz; the air is thick with blooming nectar; he thinks not of Brookpaw's unfortunate situation with her mentor, or of the receding banks of the river, or of the fact that his sisters do not see his father as much as he does. He just feels his excitement full-force. He's finally gotten his chance to hang out with his family again. The thought that it could end when they get back to camp doesn't cross his mind-- the fact that the outing could be cut short entirely phases him even less. It's just not something to worry about. Right?

Meadowpaw still wears his grin wide when branches bend and snap nearby. He doesn't know what's happening. How could he know? He assumes it, at first, to be another RiverClan patrol, despite the sound being much too big for a cat to make-- and when he turns his verdant gaze to the twoleg, he isn't sure how to process it. Hide! Did Lightningstone issue that command? The fawn-pelted boy's smile drops, but he is frozen in pace as two large paws (are they paws? they are far too extended, fare too bare, far too distorted to be paws) reach down and encircle Buckgait like hawk's talons around a kit. She looks so small. How could she be made to look so small?

Meadowpaw's heart drops to his stomach; icy snakes encircle each organ and constrict. He can hardly breathe, and yet he still stands frozen before the beast. Hide, he thinks again. Listen to Lightningstone. Hide. But he has inherited some sort of bravery, and perhaps he has picked up stupidity along the way, too, because his limbs ache to bolt towards the beast that holds Buckgait by the scruff and take her home. Lightningstone screams louder and harsher than he's ever heard a cat scream before. His mentor-- his father --leaps desperately to save his mate, and Meadowpaw finally moves one pawstep to do the same, only freezing again when the stone-furred warrior is kicked away with ease.

If Lightningstone can't save her, who can?

Meadowpaw bounds forward to his winded father. "Lightningstone!" he murmurs, too stunned to form real words, ears pinning at the sound of each shallow breath. His attention whips back to the place where Buckgait had been. The twoleg disappears through the foliage like it hadn't just stolen a piece of him. "B-Buckgait! Mom!" Tears burn the corners of his green eyes. He needs to run after her, to see where she's being taken so that they can track her down and find her, and yet he can't move. "We have to... Brookpaw!" he calls, looking to the bush that she'd disappeared into, "we have to... to track her! Right?" And then he looks for Brightpaw, wondering where his sister had hidden. "We have to...."

But his conviction dies in his throat as sobs rise instead. Meadowpaw sits, crouched at his father's side, tears streaming silently down his heather cheeks.​

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[☆ Brightpaw ☆]

It is a very rare treat to spend time with her family anymore. Brightpaw loves training with Smokethroat, more than she ever expected, and her apprenticeship has been just as exciting as she always imagined. It would be a lie, however, to deny that she often finds herself missing the comfort of the nursery. Especially with all this chatter of Smokethroat and Cicadastar's soon-to-be litter, the youth's thoughts drift constantly toward fuzzy memories of the thundering of Buckgait's heart and the warm press of her siblings and the calm, comforting tone of her father speaking softly in the background. Being grown up is great, but it does make her feel a little sad sometimes.

While her siblings converse back and forth, Brightpaw finds herself in an oddly quiet mood, overtaken by nostalgia as she traces the lines of Buckgait's face with her eyes and memorizes the way the sunlight transforms Lightningstone's cool grey pelt into a soft bluish grey. Time keeps passing by so quickly...when would they be able to do something like this again? "That's pretty cool," she says in response to her brother's humble boasting. "I haven't got to do much of anything since Smokethroat moved into the nursery." Not that she's complaining. There isn't ever much for her to complain about. It's fun to tag along with other mentors and their apprentices. They all have different ways of teaching from her own mentor and she doesn't have to worry about being a grumpy curmudgeon all the time.

"Mom, why don't you and Smo--" Brightpaw begins, but a flurry of movement cuts her question short. "Mom!" She says again, voice rising into a frightened yowl. She doesn't listen to her father's command, nor does she follow Brookpaw into hiding. Like her brother, Brightpaw is overtaken by a force somewhere in between stupidity and bravery. She is undeterred by the kick which sends her father flying. Her youth blinds her to the true danger of the two-legs. All she knows is that her mother is in danger and she needs to save her! With a mighty leap, she springs forward, trying to sink her claws into the soft flesh of the hairless paws clutching Buckgait. For a second, her claws find purchase. Not in the two-leg's skin, but her mother's fur. There is a split second where their blue eyes meet before she feels a paw kick her in the gut and she tumbles to the ground below.

Brightpaw is forced to scramble into the grass in order to avoid getting stepped on. "Mama!" she cries again, stepping forward to give chase one more. She glances over her shoulder and seems shocked to see Lightningstone laying defeated on the path. She glances at Meadowpaw then back at their father. "We have to save her!" she demands tempestuously--a mixture of terror and rage. Then, softer, sadder, she pleads, "We have to help her..."​

 

[Petalnose]

Screeches in the territory sounded in the territory around them, ears perking and fur pricking at the sound. It meant danger. Someone was in danger. Quickly, paws made her most fast throughout the territory to the source. Claws unsheathed, she was ready for battle. Windclan was it? Another fox? A dog? Whatever it was, the she-cat was ready. The scent came apperant it was twoleg and the various of calls of young familiar voices for their mother had made her catch on before she explodes from the underbrush. Buckgait was gone, Lightningstone was on the ground catching the wind that was knocked out of him, and the kits were whimpering in grief and fear. She glanced around frantically for the twolegs, looking to battle. "Where did it go!" She demanded, her teeth held in a snarl, "Someone go inform Cicadastar or Smokethroat!" Petalnose shouted, booming and firm with urgency, getting prepared to bound towards the scent.

She scanned the family and then Lightningstone again on the ground, helpless. "Ravensong as well, go!" Petalnose herself felt helpless in the situation, unable to battle the hairless monsters within the heat of the moment and make everything okay. "I'll track it down." She announced, turning her body in direction of the scent to begin to follow it. Yet another victim to the unpredictable beings, she doubted Buckgait would get much of a chance to escape the large and strong creatures. She doubted she would win in a fight with them as well, either ending up in Lightningstone or Buckgait's position- but she was prepared to fight for her clan. To live by her vow. Despite the queen's reputation, she was prepared to throw herself into danger.

She wouldn't want to live without a mother in her youth, she had already been faced with it many moons ago. No father. No mother. It was just her in the colony. The personal experience she had made her desperate to solve the issue for the youth that stood in shock and fear. Although, she had doubts she could do much about it. Something told her it was too late. Atleast she would try.

Tags​

 

[willowroot]

( ☾ ) her heart pounds in her chest as the yowls reach her ears. too soon- it's too soon for more tragedy, for anguish to call from yet another corner of the territory. as she follows petalnose at a rapid pace, some ugly feeling in her gut sending waves of nausea throughout her body. bursting into the clearing after the patched woman, willowroot gazes around in horror. in the brief second it takes her to realize the situation, horror has already flooded her stomach. buckgait, snatched from the trail- lightningstone, helpless on the ground, his children hissing and spitting around him. her children. buck's vibrant, strong litter, who have so much of their mother's heart within them. a flood of emotion rips from willowroot's chest as she howls, fur on end, verdant eyes poison bright. petalnose charges off, furious, idiotic, desperate, and the former lead breaks.

her legs churn beneath her as she races after the other warrior, screaming for her best friend, for her sister. "buck, bucky!" the nickname floats out on the wind as the twoleg moves further and further away. its pink skin and bright pelts begin to vanish into the undergrowth. this is worse than clearsight, worse than ashpaw. this is worse than leaving her mother and father for her life on the water. it's worse than raccoonpaw disappearing, worse than spider and frost. buck is gone, buck is gone and not coming back. "petalnose!" she calls, and her eyes are bloodshot, her face is disheveled. she knows how this goes- has heard of it from iciclefang, about the last cat who had vanished. ashpaw had made her way back. somethingin willowroot's gut says buckgait won't.

"petalnose, there's nothing-" her voice breaks, her breathing heavy. "there's nothing we can do. please." she's begging, and she's not sure to whom. to the stars, for taking away the only reminder of a time past? to petal, to make her stop chasing the impossible. or, to buckgait herself, begging her to make her way home. the dark smoke chokes on a sob, tufted ears pinned to her head, tail tucked low. she turns, and walks back to the clearing. pushing back towards her sister's family, she can only look at lightningstone. "i'm so sorry, i'm so-" her voice trembles, and she closes her mouth. ​

( THE LIGHT YOU GAVE ME )

 

[Cindershade]

"Petalnose!" A booming shout above the calamity, a fierceness to it akin to rolling thunder that echoes after it escapes her. She heard the petrified wails of Buckgait's children, the roaring of their father ordering them to hide away and like the others—she bounds head first into the onslaught. The overwhelming stench of Two-Leg permeates her nostrils, stinging her eyes and catching in her throat. She wants to hack and wretch, but the lead swallows it down to focus. Buckgait was been captured—Buckgait, the secluded queen and once deputy now gone by the hands of fur-less beasts. Not again—please, StarClan no! She wants to scream to the Heavens, to curse the name of her ancestors and spit in their faces. Why do they continually let this happen? If they were as powerful as granting none lives into their leaders, why were they not powerful enough to stop their clan mates from being taken or killed? It was like a chain reaction—Ashpaw, Beesong, and now Buckgait. When would it end?
The earthen woman that Cindershade had looked up to, a peer to her and a friend—had now vanished. There was nothing they could do—no matter how much they willed it. Sometimes things happen that we cannot control. Those words fill her ears, words she shared with Iciclefang only a day ago. They ring true, and despite her speaking of it—she hates it all the same. Now Meadowpaw, Brightpaw, and Brookpaw were devoid of a mother. And unbeknownst to her, she shared the same stomach wrenching feeling that Willowroot had.
"Dammit!" A snarl that threatens to rip her own vocal chords asunder, her paw slamming into the ground below. She could not share that same grief her family did, only a defeated anger that was as chilling as ice crystals on her skin. She hated being helpless—hated having to watch as Buckgait's children have to watch their mother yanked away from them. But there was nothing to do. Even if they did track it, where would it lead? Two-Leg Place was large—larger than all of the clan's territory combined. They'd never reach her. "Petalnose—come back now! That is an order!" She may be a lead warrior now, but Cindershade was still her senior. There was no use in chasing the impossible. Buckgait was gone—no matter how much she wish she could be as reckless and resilient as Petalnose was. She knew better. RiverClan could not lose even more warriors.
Cindershade turns in her heel, moving to Willowroot's side. She is living and defeated all in one, but her features hide behind a steely mask as she moves to Lightningstone's side. Her paw guides over his flank gently, an attempt to rouse him from disorientation. "Can you stand? Come on, Lightningstone." She moves under him, aiming to help him back onto his paws. "Someone take his other side. We need to get everyone back home. We can't do much here. We can not follow them less we lose more warriors." As she speaks it, a pained grimace reaches her. She feels like a traitor—she feels as if she is betraying Buckgait and she can do nothing about it. Please, Buckgait—please keep safe.
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[ SILENCE IS DEAFENING ]​