Washed Away RPG

Rosepaw tucked herself way at the base of a tree near the edge of the clearing. It had only been her second gathering and she was still not quite sure where she was expected to be or if there was anything she was supposed to do, so instead she sought shelter from the rain. Why does it have to rain now? I hate the rain... She gave her pelt a few swift licks when Streamstar suddenly ended the gathering.

Rosepaw was relieved when she stood up and shook the clinging drops from her pelt. As she began to head back towards the other SkyClan members she had the idea to walk along the roots of the trees to avoid the mud but as she move further along, they became treacherously slick and her front paw slid out from under her topping the small apprentice into the current.

Fighting as hard as she could to stay above the water and find dry ground that would mean she was safe, Rosepaw instead found herself topping and rolling under the surface of the water as the current carried her away. All she could feel now was the burning of her lungs as she struggled for air.

Snowlark listened quietly, sitting in the rain. She didn't seek for shelter, for the rain was settling for her. Rain droplets strolled off her thick pelt quickly. She was pawing at the mud puddle infront of her when Streamstat suddenly called an end to the ceremony. She looked up noticing the now covered moon. Nothing much interesting happened this gathering... she sighed sitting up and shaking some water off her pelt.

She was gathered with the rest of riverclan and glanced at the ground. I have never seen this much mud before. she thought to herself, lifting her fore paw out of the mud and shaking it. She stepped away further from the mud and watched the group. She noticed streams tat was no longer with the crowd. Twisting around she saw the branch knock her leader and an apprentice into the rushing river.

"Streamstar!" She screeched running after the riverclan leader. She haunted at the edge of the slippery mud and tried to look down into the river. She couldn't see no cat. It took all of her courage for her to step into the mud slip and slid the the shore of the river. However her thoughts weren't correct. The mud took her further down until she crashed into the water. She fought endlessly to stay above the water. Every time she went up for air she would be welcomed with a wave within a couple of seconds and toppled back under, into the murky waters below.

Ghostfur got up from his spot under a bush feeling slightly disgruntled. He hadn't minded the rain earlier but this sudden downpour would create a lot of mud, and he hated getting too much mud on his paws. And with how little had happened at this gathering Ghostfur might have preferred to stay at camp and sleep, but such thoughts were quickly swept from his mind as he saw an apprentice fall into and get swept away by the river.

Shortly thereafter he noticed the Riverclan leader go in after the apprentice, but he didn't think much of it. Ghostfur figured with Riverclan that the river shouldn't pose too much of a problem and so he began trudging his way toward where his own clan was gathering to leave, however he underestimated how muddy his paws had gotten and slipped on the hillside before losing his balance.

Ghostfur scrabbled at the ground as he slid toward the river trying to get a grip, but while his pads were ideal for getting a grip on ice, once they were clogged up with mud he couldn't get a hold and the hill itself was muddy enough that his claws did nothing but leave little grooves as he slid. Finally Ghostfur felt his shoulder slam into a rock protruding from the ground and he was sent spinning into the river with a splash. He struggled as best he could but only ever managed to keep his head above water long enough for a quick breath as his mud-covered fur dragged him down and the current pushed him relentlessly.

Shortly after hearing Streamstar's call to end the meeting, Roguestar climbed her way down the tree and began gathering the ThunderClan cats together. She purred a bit at the thought of her nice, dry den and grew eager to get back; however, she couldn't just leave her Clan standing in the clearing while she raced home, so she began calling out to all of those who may have been scattered away from the group. She stopped, closing her mouth as she heard a snap. Her gaze snapped towards the river, just in time to see two figures disappear into the waters. Concerned for the cats because of the flooding rains, she called out to the group she had already gathered together, "Stay here. I'll be right back."

She neared the river, making her way to the river just in time to see a few more splashes from the river and began looking and see who fell in the river. As it would make sense for RiverClan to be near the river, she began checking the RiverClan cats, starting with the leader. As she searched among the faces, she began taking steps away from the death trap. If that had been a RiverClan cat, more specifically Streamstar, then that meant that the current would sweep her away in mere moments should she fall in.

It happened to be just her luck that the pad of her paw landed on a sharp rock.

Roguestar jerked her leg back in surprise, unfortunately unbalancing her and sending her sliding through the mud. She scrabbled around, hoping to catch a hold on a stray branch, rock, of even a patch of grass, but nothing prevented her fall into the river. She tumbled through the waters, flailing her limbs in hoped to somehow fight the current and return to not-very-dry land. She felt herself being pushed towards the sides of the river, even along the bottom at one point, but she did manage to bob above the waves every so often. It was only for a brief second though, giving her just enough time to gulp down a breath of air before a wave would crash into her head and force her back below the water's surface.

Scarlett watched from the tops of the branches. She had declined speaking at the meeting and only resentful declared their presence by showing her presence here at the gathering. Most others would probably have been surprised at her indifference as the she cat watched the other clans member succumb to the raging waters, then she jumped casually from one branch to the next until she landed on the ground with a slight splash. The tabby padded over towards the rest of her clan, "We will keep our distance from the river. We cannot afford to lose any of our members to the waters. Even RiverClan cannot out swim that." As she made her way up to her clan mates she continued in a hushed tone, "This will be our chance to get information from the other clans about their items and where we can strike first begin our return."

~ooc:I figured I would keep this short and see if any other ice clan members joined in before getting to far into it. I also thought it might make a better transition from the old rp to this new one.~

As the rain poured down harder, Phasma stepped back towards the trees, hoping for a chance to dry off a little. She made sure she stayed well away from the river; several cats had fallen in already. Trying to help seemed pointless; the currents were too strong for even Riverclan to swim through, and the riverbank was too muddy to stand on without slipping in. She looked towards the river as she heard another splash. Thunderclan's leader had fallen in too. She turned to Scarlett as the leader padded up to the group. "This may not be the best time to start talking to them about their items," she said, "They'll be panicked after so many cats have fallen in, and it may seem suspicious to ask about that when this is going on."

Specter yawned and stretched after being woken up abruptly by the clap of thunder. He had dozed off while in the branch of a tree as soon as the leaders had started talking, having little interest in the minor events going on in each camp, and now he was glad he had stayed in that branch. Looking around the clearing he saw that the rain was really coming down now and from other cats' reactions it seemed some cats had been pulled away by the river, though he didn't care much. It would be too much trouble to try and rescue some cat with that current, and after his nap was interrupted Specter wasn't really in the helping mood.

"I agree, and even spying on the would be pointless in this downpour. I imagine they'll all head right to their nests and dry off, a sentiment I sympathize with." Specter said to his clanmates below from up on his branch as a drop of rain came down through the leaves of the tree and dropped on his nose. "And you can bet as soon as the weather lightens up the only thing on their minds will be searching for the cats who fell in the river, undoubtedly being swept who knows where. They'll not be in the talking mood, though we could spy on their camps after the weather improves." Specter noted, empathizing the 'after'.

A pale grey she-cat padded towards the muddy slope that ended at the river bed where so many had now been swept away by the currents. "This is not good..." she mewed quietly. With one swift movement, Silverstream headed back to meet with the rest of ThunderClan. "Roguestar and Ghostfur have both gone into the water. What are we going to do now that there is no leader or deputy with us?" The she-cat sounded as casual as she could but anxiety was evident in her voice. She shook out her pelt trying to free some of the droplet that clung to her flank in a vain attempt to warm herself up as she looked from one face to the next.

"Should we be sending out a search party? Maybe they will make it down river somewhere safe and we could meet up with them," she tried remaining optimistic even though Silverstream was aware there was not actually a lot of hope they would make it out of that.What will happen to ThunderClan now if the other clans notice that we are missing our Deputy and our leader. There could be risk of an attack...

Blackstone watched with surprise as cats were falling into the raging waters of the river and being swept away. He couldn't just stand there and let cats possibly drown, even if they were of a different clan. He made his way quickly and carefully towards the water, trying not to slip and fall off the bank. The rain lashed against his fur, which wasn't as thick as a RiverClan-born cat because of his non-clan origins, making him shiver. He saw what looked like a small brown cat float past him, and it didn't seem to be moving. He jumped into the river to rescue it, but his paws slipped in the mud of tha bank and he tumbled face-first into the freezing cold water. He fought his way back to the surface and just managed to take a breath before he was swept back under. He was thrown around by the current when he tried to swim so he concentrated on trying to get air. The current carried him towards the little cat he saw earlier. He caught the cat with his claws, only to find that it was a lump of dead plants. Blackstone loosened his grip on the plants, stopping his paws churning in the water in the process, and got pulled under the water again without warning. He clawed his way to the surface, got one tiny gulp of wet air and was swept back under.

Milkycloud gazed off into the hazy distance as the everlasting downpour drenched everything. "Will this rain ever stop?" She mewed quietly to herself. She shook the droplets that clung to her pelt and groomed it with her rough tounge, though it did no good to even attempt to smooth her fur down in this heavy rain. It wouldn't make a difference either way. Milkycloud sighed heavily as she eventually gave up on grooming her thick fur coat. After a little while, she decided she would walk around a bit to keep her mind off her deep frustration regarding her matted fur. She padded over to the muddy slope by the river bed, her paws so light they didn't sink much into the mud thankfully.

She watched the enraged splashes of the river water in amusement until a glimpse of what seemed like a cat caught her eye as she peered into the distance. She watched with a certain uneasiness as the cat was swept away by the rushing river. Then she noticed not one, but several other cats were also being swept away by the river. "They must've fallen in! There's only a matter of time before they're swept under. Not even a Riverclan cat can swim in this condition. I can't just leave them there....I have to do something!" Her first instinct was to jump in after them, but then she held herself back. Surely doing something like that would be a rash decision and she'd end up in the same position as them. What help would she have been then? Milkycloud decided she couldn't do it alone and that it would be best if she had other cats help her out. One cat alone couldn't do it. She scurried back to her other Thunderclan cats as quickly as she could. Surely she could ask them to help her.

With the uproar of the storm, Oakheart awakened from a catnap. He jolted out into the pouring rain and noticed the storm was powerful. Oakheart then overheard word that a couple cats may have fallen into the waters rip current. As selfish as he could be, he could only think of Silverstream. Is she alright? he thought I have to check on her! He began to sprint toward the location of the Thunderclan

The she - cat stood for a moment while the other Iceclan members offered their input. After a slight pause she glanced around the clearing at the other clans, trying to pinpoint exact members of the clans that were missing. From what she could tell, the obvious ones were Roguestar of ThunderClan and Streamstar of RiverClan. From what she could tell there were others missing from ThunderClan, RiverClan and SkyClan because the other members of those clans appeared so terribly confused by what has happened.

"For now we will head back to the fortress to dry off and prepare for our next step. But when we are rested and ready we will do a bit of exploring of the other clans territories and gain a little more knowledge about them and their items. We should always know what we are up against." Scarlett me we'd in a hushed tone checking around the outside of where their group had collected, to be sure no one had overheard them. "This will be our time to strike the clans while they are missing their ranks."

Dusk let out a slight purr as he lightly brushed up against Scarlett. "That sounds like a wonderful plan." He then rub his face up against his mate and stood in front of her. "What am I suppose to do?"

"Now that's a plan I can get behind. Go home and rest, then come back later while the kitties are hopefully still missing their clanmates." Specter said happily before hopping down from his branch. Already he was planning on taking a nice long nap as soon as he dried off back at the fortress. Specter just hoped it wasn't too muddy on the way back, or too muddy when they returned to spy on the clans.

Tangleclaw felt a branch barrel into her as she fell into the raging waters of the river. Water surged around her as screams and cries from other cats rose around her. The pale and ginger she-cat was a horrible swimmer and had no experience with water. "Help!" she wailed as her head bobbed on the surface for a few moments. Tangleclaw recognized the scent of her good friend Blackstone as her face was submerged once again. Water swallowed her form until all she could see or smell was darkness.

Scarlett turned to Dusk and offered an affectionate nudge, "For now we will head back to the fortress. Once we are back we will discuss the next course of action." The she cat rolled her eyes at Specters comment and shook her head solemnly. "If only we could get you to put as much effort into your fighting skills as you do your sleeping skills..." she trailed off when she had thought that another nearby warrior was listening in on their conversation.

"Let get moving. We are starting to attract some unwanted attention." She turned quickly and padded off in the direction of the snowy mountain peaks, her pace quickening as they moved onward. The light of the full moon and the way her muscles moved made her fur glow and dance against the rest of the scenery. As the IceClan cats made it to the base of the mountain, she began jumping from one ledge to the next, extending her claws to make sure she had a safe grip on the ice. Scarlett checked behind her to make sure the others had kept up alright.

Snowlark was carried through a wave. The wave smashed against a wall and vanished. Snowlark dug her nails into a muddy root that was peaking out of the wall. She hung around with all her might. The root very slowly ripped as the waves tried to take her. I won't let go not now. If I am taken away, Riverclan will be missing another member. I can't allow it. She continued to hang on to the root and searched around for any other cats that might have fallen in as well.

Silversteam was a bit startled when she say Milkycloud come bounding up from seemingly nowhere. "What's going on Milkycloud. Are you alright? And do you know who all happens to be missing?" The silver tabby's fur stood up on end in discomfort at the thought of not having their leader there and some of their warriors missing. What are we going to do if they don't come back?... Who will lead ThunderClan then...? She unsheathed her claws and flexed them into the ground anxiously.

(OOC: Sorry this is short. Just trying to move this along.)

"I seem to recall me giving you all plenty of trouble before I joined." Specter grumbled under his breath, feeling just a little insulted, before following Scarlett back toward the mountains. After that he kept pace as they traveled back to their fortress, not too happy about the rain but looking forward to getting to his nice and dry nest. "You know, I may sleep a lot, but at least you can't accuse me of being out of shape." Specter boasted as he nimbly jumped up the ledges to catch up to Scarlett, not having much trouble with ice as he went.

Darkshadow watched the cats fall into the river with slight amusement. "The lack of skill of the other clan warriors these days is embarrassing." He purred in amusement and then turned away looking for the other members of Shadowclan a group of strange cats that were not familiar to him caught his eye and he stopped to watch them for a moment. When he was unable to make out what they had said he stood his head and sat under the cover of a tree to wait for his clan.

Cedarstar was still perched on the branches of the tree. He had seen many of the other warriors fall in the river and his heart sank When Rosepaw also fell in. He looked around quickly for Sunburn but couldn't see much past the thickening blanket of rain. The tom jumped down easily and headed out from under the cover of the branches hoping to spot the deputy. Every few moments h stopped to blink the water out of his eyes, while the search continued. He could vaguely make out silhouettes so he started heading over to each one a bit closer so he could identify them.

*I shouldn't have said "see or smell" because Tangleclaw has anosmia*

The she-cat's limp body drifted through the water. She was awake again but had no energy. Tangleclaw could hear Moonpaw's (if you read the short story, Gone, I wrote then you'll know who she is) voice ring in her ears as the water carried her away.
Power through…please don't join me here…
The feline kicked her legs furiously in effort. She looked around for a branch or rock to grasp but everything was a blur. Pain surged through her side as she rammed into a large rock that blocked half of the river's flow. Tangleclaw struggled to get a grip onto it but finally had her paws firmly placed onto two ridges.
"Hello? Blackstone? Anybody?" she yowled weakly.

The root ripped from the side of the wall and sent her down under water. She padded furiously towards the surface and gasped for air. I just need to remain above water, then I am most likely to survive. She thought keeping her head above water for a short while before being taken under again. She didn't fight against the waves to move forth. The water threw her to the surface and back under constantly. She slammed into many obstacles such as walls, rocks, and very rarely, other cats that have been swept into the current.

(OOC: What the heck is anosmia?)

The small apprentice still tumbled through the water occasionally bobbing to the surface and managing a struggled breath of air before being sucked under again. Rosepaw wanted to cry out for help but knew it would do no good when finally the current began to let up. She took her opportunity to use what little energy she had left to paddle to the surface. When she finally mad it top side, her breath was labored and sounded like a slight wheeze.

Rosepaw headed for nearby shore and sputtered and coughed until she had cleared most of the water from her throat. It still burned and her lungs ached but she could take steady breaths of air. A shiver crept up her spine as the breeze stuck her pelt which was soaked and plastered to her sides. After blinking away a lot of the water that collected near her eyes, she shook out her pelt as best she could and looked around for an idea of where she was now.

None of the surroundings appeared familiar to her. The undergrowth and trees were all foreign to her and she looked at the surface of the water that had taken her captive. it now appeared stagnant and it all collected into a large pool that turned into several smaller streams that went in every direction. Rosepaw stifled a soft sigh and looked around for a place that would provide cover for the night. Then maybe she would make her way home when it wasn't so dark. The apprentice headed for cover under a low hanging bush that appeared to have enough moss beneath it to be reasonable comfortable. At least she would not have to collect something to sleep on.

As she padded closer, clearly exhausted, se saw a small mouse scurry out from under a leaf and though it wasn't the type of food she was used to it still made her belly ache of hunger. But before she could contemplate catching it, it darted into a whole a few tail lengths away. Now hungery, tired and soaked the she-cat plopped into the make shift bed to try to get some rest.