A small, matted ginger cat lay in the mud, her swollen belly drenched in mud. Her once lovely pelt was covered in burrs and twigs, making her look all the more pitiful.
She looked as if she were dead, but she was, in fact, alive. Breathing was shallow, and her muzzle was flecked with blood, but she was alive.

Slowly and shakily, a massive white head rose from muddied and blood smeared paws. A harsh pain swelled in his flank as he willed himself to stand.

The small but rotund cat let out a weak call for help, her voice faltering from weakness.

A silvery tom caked in mud and his own wounds' blood trekked up to the ginger heap and heaved softly, "Sweetfur, please...Iceclan needs your help...Starclan must have a-abandoned...Abandoned us..."

"Papa...?" she mewed, opening her eyes. No, her father was dead, and had brown fur. It was Frostedstar, her leader. He shared many similarities with her father... including the voice.

Frostedstar coughed harshly and sat in an attempt to ease his shaking body.

The large white tom sought out the bodies of his clanmates and his gaze latched onto his leader and the rumpled bundle of orange and brown beside his paws. Retching, he hoarsly meowed, "Sweetfur..." and he began clambering over to the two with imense pain shooting up his back leg.

(Hey Ra!nbow! c:)

"Where are we?" Sweetfur asked, too weak to raise herself to her paws. She still lay on her side, her chest heaving with each labored breath.

( @Rainbow: WET US WITH UR DEW!!1!)

Frostedstar looked around at the wreckage of the forest, attempting to give a location. "We must be somewhere between the camp and the river..." he meowed breathlessly. "Sweetfur...I've lost..." he stopped as he noticed the white, heterochromatic tom called Lightningstrike huffing over.

Sweetfur sighed softly, faintly enjoying the rain pattering onto her pelt. "So how many are left...?" she rasped, taking in a deep, shaky breath. She hadn't noticed Lightningstrike approaching.

With a grunt, Redmoth hauled himself through the marshy ground, his paws sucked in, squelching the mud and leaves. His muscular frame now looked weak as his dark ginger pelt hung on his tired, old frame.

A silver-pointed siamese opened his eyes groggily, his pelt was hardly visible under the thick black mud smeared on it.His warm, pain filled eyes scanned his surroundings. All there was left of the forest he called home was mud, and splintered trees. Steamfur wanted to clamp his eyes shut, and pretend it wasn't true... but he could only stare in shock. The tom stumbled to his paws tiredly, to get a better look around.

A ginger she cat struggled underneath a fallen tree. Finally squeezing out from underneath the debri. She shivered as frigid droplets of rain came down, soaking into her pelt. Riverstone looked around only to see a demolished forest surrounding her.

Frostedstar sadly shook his head. "I can't tell..." he admitted.

Lightningstrike finally reached the medicine cat and Iceclan leader with the mud still sucking at his paws. "Sweetfur," he breathed,

"Dewpelt...? Is that you? Please help..." a feminine voice croaked from the undergrowth.

"Darkpaw? Darkpaw!" Redmoth yowled trying his best to follow his apprentice's voice.

Summoning a lung-full of damp air, Frostedstar yowled as loudly as his raw throat would allow, "LET ALL ICECLAN CATS GATHER AROUND ME!!" he realized their gathering tree must be demolished as well...

Sweetfur smiled weakly, "Lightning... can you... can you help me up? I believe I've broken a leg... the leg..." she meowed, grimacing.

Sunpaw finally stirred up from her daze, but the world was still spinning around her. /What happened?/ she thought, then realized by seeing the large stick on the ground, that it fell and knocked her out. Gazing around at the wrecked camp, she said "how could Starclan let this happen?" She tried to stand, but a sharp pain shot up her leg, she stumbled over and fell. /I guess this might be the end.../ she thought.

Steamfur flicked his ears up at the of his clanmates yowling in fear. Steamfur took deliberate steps, in fear of finding a sink hole in the mud. "I'm over here!" He said, in a pitch slightly higher than his usual. /I hope everyone is alright./

(brb)

Riverstone heard a familiar yowl. "Frostedstar"?! Riverstone meowed frantically. She ran towards his voice stumbling through the mud. Her lungs burned as she called out loudly "Frostedstar is that you"? She continued to run until Frostedstar was in sight. She leapt at him her voice quavering "Oh Frostedstar I'm so glad to see you" She looked over to see sweetfur and lightingstrike "You guys are here too thank starclan"!

Lightningstrike gingerly, yet firmly grasped (XD) the once sweet-smelling she-cat's scruff and struggled as he delicately helped her to stand.

Sweetfur whimpered, sighing a thanks and burying herself in the tom's fur.

As Steampaw was hurrying to his leader, he saw Sunpaw lying beside a large stick. "Sunpaw!" His tail fluffed up, and he sniffed the apprentice. "Sunpaw, everything will be alright." Steamfur said, trying his best to comfort the other cat. He picked up the apprentice by the scruff, and leaned her against him. "We can make it to Hailstar."

Frostedstar couldn't repress a purr of relief and a choking sadness that rose high into his heart. "What a relief...Some cats still managed to survive..."

A strong, mud splatered and soaked Loudstorm grunted, "Thank Starclan you're alive." as he pulled himself from a tangle of fallen trees.

(I was like, "HOW STEAMFUR KNOW SUNPAW?!" but now I'm like, "Oh yeah gatherings lel")

(lolol Gatherings are such a convinient plot device .D.)

Lightningstrike leaned into Sweetfur's cold fur and mumbled something meant for only her ears.

It was Snowtail. "Dewpelt... I-I'm under here...." A tree had fallen over the she-cat's hiding place, in a hole, and was now blocked by a web of thorn covered branches and vines.

Sweetfur replied quietly, his white pelt muffling her small voice.

Loudstorm (I hope this is his name XD) joined the other cats, his paws sinking into the slurping soup of mud and water.

Lightningstrike furrowed his brows and turned his head slightly to the side and sighed deeply. "When will this end...?" he thought aloud.

"StarClan hasn't spoken to me for moons... is this..." she swallowed, her face grim, "some sort of punishment?" Sweetfur meowed, staring at the ground blankly.

Lightningstrike half snarled and hissed quietly, "Starclan is full of dead cats. They have no power."

Rivertail was slumped down a few foxtails away from Hailstar. He let out a mrrow of frustration, the medicine cat's fur was matted and all his muscles screamed from the battering they'd recieved. He shook as he rose to his paws, and his white flank flinched from pain. He sat there, staring at where Silverpelt usually was. /How could you attempt to destroy all the clans?/

A pair of hungry green eyes watched the Iceclan cats from a safe, undetected distance, waiting for the right moment to make a move.

Sunpaw leaned agaisn't Steamfur. "Thanks, but I hurt my leg in the storm, is there any medicine cats around?" she asked.

Riverstones lungs burned as she began to speak " What in the world would star clan be punishing us for"? she glanced at her surroundings "What could we have possibly done to deserve this"? Riverstone coughed as she moved slightly to prevent from sinking deeper into the mud.

Sweetfur tensed, but said nothing.

Redmoth sighed, "A storm... the tunnels collapsed... we're lucky we're alive. Hopefully we can find the others... or any living creature for that matter." He coughed, it quaking his chest, it sounded hollow, and that it may worsen.

Frostedstar sighed and looked through Riverstone almost as if she weren't there, and he meowed, "We haven't been gathering with Auroraclan...Starclan must be angry and didn't warn Sweetfur of this disaster...No. Something must have prevented Starclan from contacting her. They wouldn't just leave so many cats to perish..."

Steamfur nodded to Sunpaw. "I think Sweetfur might be where Hailstar is... If not, I'll do my best to find one." He smiled reasurredly, though he didn't feel so. The smile faded quickly, to a solemn frown. Steamfur began to walk, supporting Sunpaw's weight.

Loudstorm grumbled, "Well what are we suppose to do now? At this rate Starclan will be the only clan..."

(Who is Hailstar. o-o)

"How do you know that?" Sweetfur rasped, anger filling her eyes, "What if they don't care? They took my family away... /everyone/. All I have left is Lightningstrike and you...." Her voice choked up, and she buried her face in Lightningstrike's fur.

(** It's Frostedstar! Sorry, I've been reading to much Crookedstar's Promise)

(I'm reading Yellowfang's Secret x3 )

Redmoth tasted the air, "Well, the rain's covered most of the scents... at least we can see in the darkness here..." he paused, "Let's head this way... maybe we'll find someone...."

Snowtail watched Dewpelt work, unable to move from the water-logged hole.

Riverstone ignored Frostedstar and continued to stare off into the distance. *What could we have done to deserve star clans wrath?!* Her tail flicked back and forth as she thought to herself.

(XD)
Frostedstar's hackles raised and his fur was sp!ked and coated with mud. "You're the medicine cat! Starclan guides your paws! How can you say that! I-I," he stopped, his voice faltering as he began to cough v!olinely.

(Awesome! I love that book. It made me cry a bit... All the super editions seem to, lol)
Rivertail blinked slowly at Sweetfur, acknowleding her pain. He whipped around, and decided to leave. He padded carefully, but quickly. His tail easily provided the necessary balance to traverse this terrain. The tom's paws burned, but there was no doubt his clan needed him.

Loudstorm waded through the muck and nudged Riverstone. "Let's try to find what remains of Iceclan..."

Sweetfur turned and glared at her leader, "I didn't /CHOOSE/ to be a medicine cat!" Her gaze darkened in sorrow as she remembered that horrible day so many moons ago.

Frostedstar was about to retort something rude, but he was drowned out by a loud crack of thunder imeadiately following a blinding flash of lightning.

Sunpaw, still walking with Steamfur, looked around at the wreakage. /Is anyone still here?/ she though. She yelled "Hello! Anyone out there?!"

Lightningstrike meowed, "We should do something..." (So halpful Lightning. -A-)

Riverstone stared at the both of them. She whispered something inaudible before turning away. She stared at her paws doubt was starting to consume her. She twitched slightly as her worries swirled around her mind.

Sweetfur cleared her throat and nodded, "But what? It's night now and the clouds are so thick I can't see a thing."

Redmoth noticed a white tom in the darkness, "Hey, aren't those IceClan warriors? We can ask them if they've seen anyone."

Lightningstrike swiveled his head to the sound of voices. "Did you hear that...?" he asked no one in particular.

Frostedstar meowed distantly to Loudstorm, "Stay close...we can'y afford to lose any more cats..."

Snowtail struggled out, wriggling through the hole and leaning against Dewpelt.

Loudstorm glanced at the young warrior wading through the mud closely behind him and he meowed quietly, "What are you thinking?"

"Hey! It's us! Redmoth and Darkpaw! We need-" he broke off into a coughing fit, before starting toward the group once more.

Frostedstar grunted and yowled, "Iceclan cats gather here...please" he whispered

Frostedstar hopped to his paws and stamped through the mud as fast as he could and meowed, "Where is your clan?"

(I'll be back in a minute...)

Redmoth gasped several times before responding, "We don't know... as far as we know, we're the only survivors...."

Riverstone glanced at Lightningstrike and Sweetfur before following Frostedstar. The mud covering her paws was cold and slowing her down. She halted to a stop and began to cough.

Sweetfur turned and limped away, following a scent that she could smell.

Steamfur could see his leader a long way away. He was beginning to leave... "Frostedstar!" He yowled, not picking up his pace despite the urge.

Hearing a faint, desperate voice, Loudstorm belted out, "OVER HERE!"

(Sorry guys, I have to go to bed soon. DX)

Sweetfur ignored everyone, blindly following a path that was lit. The grass glittered with starlight, despite the thick coverage of clouds. -StarClan...? Where are you taking me?- she thought numbly.
The path seemed long, but only because of how slowly she was walking.

(I'm here! Fill me in on the details.)

Cheetahblaze stood in shock at the now destryoed forest. Fright engulfed his mind, causing him to question the authority of StarClan. *Why would they do this?* he thought, *This has to be a dream...*

Lightningstrike followed closely behind Sweetfur and whispered, "Where are you going?"

Steamfur heard a voice sound from near where Frostedstar was. He looked at Sunpaw, they were so close to help. "I think it's Loudstorm!" He said to the apprentice. /He'll help us.../

Rivertail emerged from a load of broken branches to see Snowtail and Dewpelt. He looked them over, before asking gently, "Are you to ok?" /It's hard to see injuries with all this mud!/

Sweetfur didn't respond. She merely followed the starlit path.
However, what awaited her at the end would affect her forever.

Loudstorm headed in the direction of the tiny voices and called, "It's Loudstorm, I'm over here."

Snowtail sighed, "I'm fine... but Dewpelt's mouth is bleeding from the thorns...."

Lightningstrike aided Sweetfur as she followed some sort of invisable path into the darkened desolation of the forest.

A deep ginger she-cat walked through the disaster. Beside her was a young yet skittish apprentice. "Are we lost, Solarheart?" He mewed with fright. "Um, I don't think so, Clearpaw."

Riverstone followed Frostedstar as they neared the other cats. She stopped along the way to cough every now and then. * At least we found other cats*.

Sweetfur began to smell a metallic scent- blood. It felt sticky on her paws, but she didn't care, she /needed/ to know what she was heading toward.

Rivertail looked at Dewpelt's jaws. "Well, we need to get that fixed. But... due to the nature of this injury, I can only temporarily soothe the pain." He said, a little dissappointed he could not do much else. "Don't swallow your blood either- It'll give you a nasty stomachache." Rivertail began to look around. "Do you know of any other cats in need of help?"

Frostedstar stopped a few tail-lengths from the cats. "What clan do you come from? I don't believe we've met..." he meowed cautiously.

Snowtail shook her head, "No. You're the only cats I've seen... but I did here several cats pass by while I was stuck in that dreaded hole," she spat at the hole that had held her prisoner for days.

He began to hear voices, familiar voices. Carefully Cheetahblaze placed each paw on the ground as he headed toward the sounds. "Ugh, I hate mud." He grumbled. He continued to head through the wreckage with hopes of finding his Clan.

Redmoth twitched his tail, "CelestialClan. We live- er, lived- underground, only coming out to go to gatherings. I'm relieved to have found you, Frostedstar," the red tom said, dipping his head politely.

Rivertail nodded at the she-cat. "Ah... well, that's extremely unfortunate." He said sadly. He wasn't sure where anyone was, let alone if they were in as much trouble as Snowtail was. "Let's go to what's left of camp... maybe we can find herbs, and if we are lucky, cats." He sighed. /My clan is all that matters to me... and it may not even be a clan soon.../

Frostedstar tipped his head slightly to the side to return the respectful gesture. "Are you aware of any Iceclan cats nearby? We're missing several among the ranks."

Redmoth shook his head, "I'm sorry. You're the first cats we've seen."

Steamfur and Sunpaw reached Loudstorm in due time, Steamfur wasn't sure how much more Sunpaw could handle. "Hello..." The siamese said tiredly. "Do you... know where Frostedstar is? He called a clan meeting..."

Riverstone stared at the cat , she stayed behind Frostedstar. She whisperred under her breathe "Celestial clan?" She stood behind Frostedstar cautiousley staring at the cat.

Frostedstar thought for a moment. "You're quite a ways from your camp, aren't you? I wonder how far cats are spread..." he pondered.

Loudstorm huffed and meowed "He's back this way, here. Follow me." He turned and went back the way he had just come from.

Cheetahblaze felt his throat dry up and tears in his eyes. *Calm down, calm down! I'll do this for Thunderheart...* He continued on his way, struggling in the mud.

The she-cat groaned with annoyance as she headed toward her leader's call. "My fur! Ugh!" She scowled at the ground. "I just hope Pinefur's okay..."

Lightningstrike picked up the scent of blood as he padded beside Sweetfur. "Do you smell that too?" he hissed cautiously.

Loudbelly started yowling to any cats nearby hoping to attract them.

Sweetfur nodded numbly, then halted. The fur on her hackles rose and her ears flattened.

Lightningstrike squinted in the darkness, trying to get a clear image of what stopped Sweetfur in her tracks.

A yowl rang in his ears, catching his attention. *Loudstorm!* He picked up the pace of his search. It was only a matter of time before he saw a familiar shape. "Loudstorm!"

Loudstorm chuckled and meowed warmly at the sound of Cheetahblaze, "I knew you would make it."

He immediately skidded to a hault as he stopped to catch his breath. "Heh, why wouldn't I?" The warrior looked around, as if he were searching for something. "Have you seen Sylphapaw?"

Laying before Sweetfur and Lightningstrike were the bodies of two familiar cats. They were in unnatural positions, lying on their backs with their limbs splayed out to the side.
The most scarring thing was the fact that their ears and eyes were torn out, and their scalps torn off. Their mouths were open in a silent scream of agony, with their throats slashed open. Another disturbing thing was that their was no scent of who- or /what/- had done this.
Sweetfur was trembling in horror at the bodies of the two older toms, another thing she noticed was that their members had been cleanly severed off as well.

Lightningstrike stared blankly at the scene before him. He blinked several times trying to piece a puzzle together, but there were no pieces, just two mangled corpses.

Loudstorm shook his muscular head and sighed. "That runt isn't the only one I haven't heard or seen since this dam.ned flood."

(Dang... I've gtg guys. I'll see you guys in the next rp u.u)

"F-Foxclaw?! And... that CelestialClan elder... er... Wetcloud! Why...? Who would do something like this? It's... horrible...." Sweetfur felt a lump form in her throat, before she turned and retched. The stench of death, blood, and vomlt was horrid.

His heart suddenly sha.ttered, breaking into many sharp pieces. "No..." He sat down, trying to pull himself together. "She has to be okay. She's my apprentice, she's /got/ to be!"

Lightningstrike stood there like a stone. Cold, unfeeling, still, silent. He just stared at the two bodies lost in his own mindless world.

(Oh nooooooo Riverstones dad foxclaw is dead noooooooo)

Loudstorm gently nuzzled Cheetahblaze and pulled him close with his tail. "We still don't know all cats' fates. Don't give up hope...Starclan knows we need it..."

"Why did StarClan lead me to this?!" she yowled loudly, thrashing her tail, "Why...? Just... why..." she slumped to the ground, suddenly feeling fatigued.

(Loudstorm is being a dad to everyone right now. ;-;)

The hungry green-eyed beast brought shadows down to the bloodied bodies and onlooking cats. "Lightningstrike?" The deep voice called.

(Everycat'll need him. D: -Tak)

He reluctantly nodded, trying to soak it in. "Y-yeah. W-we'll find out." He leaned in, resting his head on Loudstorm's shoulder. "Thanks, pop."

Frostedstar sighed dully and meowed, "You can stay with Iceclan through til dawn when we can search better."

Riverstone looked out from behind Frostedstar to see a dark colored apprentice. She moved closer to the apprentice and spoke kindly though with a slight crack " H-hello who are you?" she paused for a moment " I'm Riverstone".

Redmoth locked eyes with Frostedstar, "Sir, we need to leave and find a temporary camp. If we're to stay here, the rain will get worse and trees will be uprooted. So, unless we want more dead warriors, I suggest we get a move on," he meowed, concerned for the safety of the young cats.

Loudstorm closed his eyes and meowed sternly and definately, "Iceclan is strong. We survive. We conquer."

Frostedstar considdered, then decided, "There is a high peak just beyond Star oak. We can make it there and wait out the rain. You can come with us, but you will have to help gather as many cats as possible. I-We can't lose any more lives..."

Grimly he nodded. The tom sat back up straight, eyes dull. "Yeah..." *First Thunderheart, now Sylphapaw could be gone, too...*

Bumblewhisker sighed with huge relief once she saw her IceClan Clanmates. "Oh, thank StarClan!"

Redmoth nodded, "You lead. But first,[lemme take a selfie jk] we'll need to find the two cats of yours that wandered off."

Riverstone sat there shyly. /What do I say now?/ She slinked back behind Frostedstar "C-cool name". She sighed and sat behind Frostedstar. She gazed at the mud beneath her paws. She muttered to herself "I hope Cheetahblaze and Sylphapaw are okay......" she squished the mud underneath her paws "and Dad but I'm sure he's fine, he can handle even the toughest of situations".

Loudstorm straightened then stood. "Come now. We're not too useful just sitting here now, are we?"

Lightningstrike hissed, "Hickoryfrost, this really isn't the time."

"Lightning... we need to tell the others what we've found... but... not in detail. Who's calling you?" she asked wearily.

Lightningstrike huffed irritably as a huge dark tom padded forward "Sweetfur, this...is Hickoryfrost. He's how we're going to avoid a heap of trouble with the...you know..."

Sweetfur nodded, "We should get back to the others... but it hurts to walk...." She furrowed her brow and held back a sob.

"Yeah, yeah! Let's gather with the others." Cheetahblaze immediately stood up, bursting with energy.

Lightningstrike craned his neck and hissed into Hickoryfrost's ear a long order (Stahp Lightning, this isn't McDonnalds XD), then he pressed himself against Sweetfur. Hickoryfrost bounded away and vanished back into the shadows.

Loudstorm trudged over to Bumblewhisker and meowed, "Let's see what Frostedstar's plan is."

"Loudstorm, it's so good to see you're okay." She mewed. "Have you seen my beloved son?"

Sweetfur slowly began to limp toward the others.

Redmoth cleared his throat, "I don't mean to sound rude everyone, but I recommend that I lead the way. There's no cat here that can see in complete darkness as well as a CelestialClan cat."

Loudstorm shook his head. "He's another missing cat. We're very small in numbers..."

Frostedstar flared his nostrils feeling agitated. "Actually, I'd like to lead what's left of my clan." (Sa.ss master Frosty. XD)

"My Pinefur is missing!" She screeched. "That has to be a mistake! He wouldn't get lost like that, he wouldn't!" Cheetahblaze rolled his eyes. "Calm down, Hazel."

Redmoth suppressed amused laughter, "Well, you can help. Obviously the path isn't going to look the same, now is it?" he mrrowed, swishing his thick tail.

"Why don't you both lead?" Riverstone said quietly. /Frostedstar is so stubborn/ She continued to law at the mud, lost in her own dismal world.

(Foxclaw's her son too QmQ )

*Paw

(Bumblewhisker is Riverstones Grandma, so now Riverstone has lost her mother, father , mentor (Thunderheart) and most likely her best friend (Sylphapaw).

Sweetfur approached the group, breathing heavily and trying to catch her breath. She still looked terrified from the sight of the corpses.

( @Hallow: Now another cat knows how Sweetfur feels. Well, Sweetfur lost her life as a warrior, too.)

Frostedstar growled and a certain fire burned in his icey blue eyes as he spoke, "Not even your 'superior' night vision can lead you through a forest you've never traveled. This is /my/ home. I know where I'm leading my family." he spun and faced the direction of the tiny bundle of cats and loudly meowed, "Every cat, follow me to higher grounds."

Riverstone mumbled under her breathe "Exactly stop being so stubborn". She pretended to not notice Frostedstar waiting for a retort of some kind.

"Darkpaw's right," Redmoth nodded, "And we'll set off-" Sweetfur caught his eye, "What's wrong lass?" he asked, green eyes narrowing in concern, and from the acrid stench wafting off of her.

Frostedstar grumbled to himself as he began through the thick mud with things like, "No Celestialclan cat will lead my clan...If we go down it'll be because of my mistakes as a leader, not a follower...blah blah"

Redmoth blinked at Frostedstar, "I didn't mean to sound rude, I just want what's best for the safety of what cats are left."

(Bumble's son-in-law! D:)

Solarheart spotted a group of cats: One panicking, two quiet, two bickering, and two just sitting there. "Clearpaw, there's Redmoth and Darkpaw!" *But where's Legendstar?* Her face immediately went to sorrow. "Um, Solarheart, are you okay?" Snapping out of her trance she mewed, "Yes, I'm alright, Clearpaw."

(G'night Midnight! :3 )

Lightningstrike draped his tail posessively over Sweetfur's back and narrowed his eyes at the tom.

Sweetfur whimpered, trying to get everyone's attention, "Pardon... excuse me... may I please have your attention..." nothing worked. She was too quiet.

Lightningstrike heard Sweetfur's quiet plea, and he amplified it by yowling hoarsly, "Excuse me!"

Riverstone walked over to Sweetfur and smiled gently. "W-what is it?" Riverstone said in a hushed tone. She looked at Sweetfur her gaze meeting hers.

Loudstorm turned his attention to Lightningstrike and meowed, "That cat's got a set of lungs, and they call /me/ 'Loud'."

Redmoth winced, turning toward the boisterous tom, "Yes...?"

Sweetfur, trembling, meowed, "Lightningstrike and I have found two deceased toms..." she was a bit louder, "One was a CelestialClan elder, the other... an IceClan warrior." She stopped waiting for the news to sink in.

Bumblewhisker's heart began to race at the news of the death. "An IceClan tom?"

Solarheart sat within earshot of the cats, Clearpaw beside her. "A CelestialClan tom?" She muttered.

"W-who was the Ice clan warrior?" Riverstones voice cracked she could barely speak. Her tail swishing back and forth.

Frostedstar's heart skipped a beat as he anxiously awaited to hear the name of the dead Iceclan cat found. *Starclan...please...no...*

"The CelestialClan tom was Wetcloud..." she said, looking down sadly.

Redmoth sat down, sorrow overcoming him... his own brother... dead....

Shrewberry pulled herself from the mud and she achily sat up. "Oohh...My neck is so stiff...what happened...?"

Loudstorm dreaded the news of who hadn't survived. *Don't be Pinefur...Don't be Foxclaw...Don't be anyone...*

Her heart skipped a beat as she heard Wetcloud's name. *Wetcloud's dead?!* "Wet cloud's dead?" Clearpaw mewed nervously.

Sweetfur then opened her mouth to speak, "And the IceClan warrior," she whimpered, "was Foxclaw..." she finally broke down into sobs, unable to take the pressure.

Loudstorm stood still, his jaw falling and his head spinning.

Frostedstar silently stared into the distance thinking of how horribly he had failed to keep his clan safe.

Redmoth shook his head sadly. Who did he have now? His son had died in the tunnels, and who knows where his daughter went... his mate had gotten lost in the tunnels many moons ago, so was he alone...?

Riverstones ears perked up at her fathers name. She whispered quietly "F-Foxclaw?". Her eyes widened and her body began to twitch. /Dads dead? Mom, Dad, Thunderheart.../ Riverstone sat there in a shocked state twitching nervousley.

Redmoth lay his tail on Frostedstar's back, "It's not your fault, lad..."

Bumblewhisker didn't kniw what to believe. "No, that has to be a lie, it has to be!" *At least it wasn't Pinefur...*

Loudstorm thought of how selfish he was being. *He's in Starclan...and he wouldn't have wanted me to grieve...* He slowly sloshed over to Riverstone and gently layed his tail on her back.

Frostedstar just shook his head and whispered, "Starclan is punishing me..."

( #DogepawIsBestApprentice I added that one. XD -MCR)

Stiffly the warrior walked over to her grand-daughter. "Oh, honey..." She rested her chin on Riverstone's head.

She sat there staring at her paws wide eyed and twitching. She didn't even notice loudstorm. She quietly mumbled to herself "No , no,no,no,no,no". /Why starclan?! Why must you take everyone from me?!/

Shrewberry stood and tried clensing her fur of the mud, but she coughed and spat out a mouthfull of mud. She frowned and yowled, "Is anyone there? Please!"

Sweetfur stood tall now, "Well? What are we going to do? Stand around 'til we're kiIled too, or find a safe place to camp?"

Redmoth smiled weakly, "The lass is right, we have to stay strong if anyone here's going to survive."

Loudstorm drew Riverstone close to him and he mumbled partially to himself and he looked at Bumblewhisker with sadness in his once hardened yellow eyes.

Cheetahblaze felt sympathy and empathy for Riverstone. He could relate, after all, he lost Bramblefoot too.

Solarheart finally decided to walk closer to the group. "We should be in a safer place." She mewed with agreement. Clearpaw shyly walked next to her.

Riverstone stood up shaking off Loudstorms tail and bumblewhiskers chin. She stood up and walked over to Frostedstar. "Sweetfur's right we have to move on" her voice was loud and full of anger " now you can stay there moping about how your clan mates di.ed or avenge them like a leader would, like you would".

Frostedstar shook his head softly and lightly sighed to Starclan, "Then let me stay...I'll stay 8 more times...8 lives spared..."

Frostedstar didn't hear anything, he just kept walking forward, the same broken, partially smiling look plastered on his silver face.

Redmoth stood, gazing at the small group of vagabonds, "Well, sir, get to leading the way. I'll let you know if there's any dangers blocking the path."

Loudstorm sighed and followed Frostedstar.

Lightningstrike removed his tail from Sweetfur's back and he breathed out heavily as he waited.

Sweetfur leaned against Lightningstrike for support as they travelled. They kept a fast pace, easily avoiding fallen trees with Redmoth's help. But as they neared their destination, Sweetfur began feeling stomach pangs.

(Had to do a time skip sorry xD )

Shrewberry frantically pranced through the mud calling, "Darkpaw?! Clearpaw?! Redmoth?! ANYONE?!"

Riverstone followed Frostedstar mumbling inaudible things. Memories flooded within her mind , memories of her parents and her beloved mentor. She stared at the ground as she walked.

(Shrew is still frantically running around like an idiot. XD)

Redmoth was tired, but heard his daughter and yowled to her so she could meet up with the group.
He had another coughing fit, and had to lay down for a few moments.

Sweetfur whispered something to Lightningstrike and the two moved away from the group.

Lightningstrike felt Sweetfur's sides heave and he became anxious. "What is it?" he said under his breath.

(XD Yeah. -Tak)

Clearpaw flicked his ear. "Did you hear something, Solarheart?" Solarheart shrugged. Frowning, he lingered behind. He reluctantly walked behind. "H-hello? Someone there?"

"Just come on... I hope your friend is here..." she murmured.

To Shrewberry's relief, she heard the familiar sound of her father's voice, and she clambered in the direction it came from.

Frostedstar meowed dimly, "We're almost there..."

Cheetahblaze rushed up to Riverstone's side. "Hey, you okay?" He asked, "I-I mean, I've been through the same. Honeydew and Windfur are missing, and my pop is dead..."

Redmoth sighed in relief, getting to his paws. The rain was merely a mist now, but the low temperature made is feel like claws gripping his pelt.

"I-is anyone even there?" He hasn't been this nervous ever since the punishment of StarClan has happened. *I got to do this!*

(*it)

Riverstone didn't look at Cheetahblaze but replied coldly "I'm fine , have you seen sylphapaw?" She continued to walk waiting for a response.

Lightningstrike watched as the dark shapes of cats moved past and meowed quietly, "He should be here in a heartbeat..."

Hickoryfrost slunk from the trunk of a fallen tree with a small bit of fluff dangling from his jaws. "Hiss ehs Chellhit."

A stranger watched from nearby, but managed to stay hidden. She narrowed her eyes and went off to her mother.

Sweetfur grunted and lay down, the pangs getting worse. "Just... help...."

(Not going into detail there yo :P )

Shrewberry heard her kit's meow and made a mad dash through the sloppy mess, the mud sucking her legs deep into the ground, but she didn't let it stop her and she could see his and other cats' outlines through the broken trees. "Clearpaw!!" she meowed as she neared the group.

Hickoryfrost jerked his head back in suprise. "Yhue neher saed I'd helh wih hiss! I wahs suhposta helh wheh therh wher hits alreahy!"

The stranger approached a tabby, "Ma, there's a group of cats coming. They don't seem hostile. Should I help them here...?" the calico queried, twitching her tail tip.

(Translation: You never said I'd help with this! I was suppose to help when there were already kits!)

(I KNEW IT! I knew Clear was Shrew's kit! XD)

Flattening his ears, he thought hard on what to say. "No...I haven't seen her." Cheetahblaze choked on those words. "But I hope she's fine...If you need to talk, this tom's here!"

Clearpaw smiled wide as Shrewberry was with him. "Shrewberry, you're okay!"

(Let's hurry and finish so I can sleep please -u-' xD )

(Yeah, that'd be nice. It's almost midnight here. 8'D -MCR)

Shrewberry threw her paws around her son's neck and began licking his head, and inbetween licks and spitting out mud, she meowed, "My *spit* precious kit! *lick* You're *spit* okay!"

(Almost 2 AM here ene' )

Lightningstrike's eyes widened as he spotted tiny things moving in the mud. He gently picked them up and layed them on Sweetfur's flank and began licking them clean.

(Same @MCR)

(Ghostkiitt, he's just gorgeous. :'D)

"Of course I am! I was with Solarheart!" He giggled as his mother groomed his brown-toned pelt. "Hey, have you seen Legendstar?"

Sweetfur was too weak to speak, but smiled tiredly at the three young kits laying beside her.

(Almost 2am where I live :T)

Riverstone glanced at cheetahblaze but said nothing. She walked further ahead.

(UGH I'M TIRED AND HUNGRY BLAHHHHHHHH)

Cheetahblaze just stood there as Riverstone walked further ahead. "Meh, At least I tried." He sighed.

Shrewberry sighed and meowed, "You're the only cats I've seen. What even happened?"

Lightningstrike looked at the three teeny kits flecked with mud. One naturally white, one an orange hue, and a brown tabby. "What are their names?"

Sweetfur purred, "Scorchkit, Ghostkit, and Dovekit..." she mewed before drifting into sleep.

Clearpaw just shook his head. He looked at his mother, silver eyes gleaming. "I don't know. It all happened so fast! Wetcloud's dead!"

The calico was impatient and left. She padded directly in front of the group, staring down at them from atop the hill.

Shrewberry set her chin on Clearpaw's head and she started to sob softly.

Lightningstrike nudged Hickoryfrost and he set his own kit with the 3 others. "They must have the same scent," he hissed.

Redmoth tilted his head, "Who are you...?" he asked.

Frostedstar stopped and looked at the cat in the way. "Who are you?" He growled half-heartedlu

(heh They said that at the same time XD)

(Now that's just awesome. XD)

"I am Vineslash of SlashClan! And since I'm in a good mood, I'll let you all live. C'mon if you want a safe place to sleep," she meowed loudly.

(Another Clan? You and Tak are making this go awesomely. XD)

Cheetahblaze was nervous at the sight of the warrior. Another Clan?
Solarheart was more confused than ever. *And I thought we were a hidden Clan.*

Frostedstar growled and said, "There is no such clan in this territory."

Crackleblaze appeared next to Vineslash

(LET'S END THIS SOOOOON)

Riverstone walked faster before stopping behind Frostedstar. / who's that?/ She looked up at a strange cat standing atop a hill.

"That's what you think, bees for brains! Now come /on/ you guys are so slow!" With that, Vineslash swished her kinked tail and padded up the hill.

"A-are you sure, Frostedstar? I think there's a lot more of 'em from the looks of it...heh heh." He mewed nervously.

Redmoth followed, feeling that the strangers were safe enough. "Come on everyone, it's alright... they seem kind."

Frostedstar hissed and reluctantly followed the cat.

Loudstorm thought *Frostedstar is really grumpy...*

Riverstone tilted her head confused. She noticed Cheetahblaze talking to Frostedstar. She padded over to Cheetahblaze without even looking at him she blurted out nervousley "I'm sorry". She quietly walked over by Frostedstar narrowing her eyes at him. /What is he thinking?/

(OKAY I'M LEAVINGGGG)

(<XD Night Tak.)

Cheetahblaze jumped up as he heard Riverstone's voice. "Hm? Oh, yeah. It's alright."

The cats settled down at the makeshift camp, no one speaking very much. Small talk could wait. Around dawn Sweetfur, Lightningstrike, and Hickoryfrost snuck into the camp unnoticed.
-End-
(for now...)

IT'S 2:30 AM GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE AND BLESSED BE.

Gooooooooood niiiiiiggggghhhhht

Night!

Ugh.. Sis u know my inet times x'D Im always asleep

Hdydnf. Gosh darn it. I missed it. e-e I'm more active in the morning.

(sorry XD unrelated but im working on that pic 4 u )

EHHHHHHHHH I MISSED IT