Helping the Innocent

[pidgeon]

After checking the camp and rounding up any kits that needed saving, Owlfeather hurried to the Waterbarn. There they would be safe and sheltered. WindClan wouldn't dare destroy their only backup camp, right?

Wrong.

The elder's heart lurched in her chest when she scented the smoke. She stopped as soon as the flaming barn came into sight. Her jaw dropped. The other kits and queens were already there! Citrusflower! She set Applekit down gently, sheltered by the roots of a pine tree.
"Ashkit, I need you to stay right here and protect Applekit until he wakes up, okay? You'll be safe if you hide here. I'm going to help the others." She knew that was a lot to ask of such a young cat, but in times of distress even the kits must learn to look out for one another. It was the safest thing she could think to do in this moment.

The tortoiseshell then bounded off closer to the barn, in the direction of the group of cats gathered outside it. She could already smell the scent of death, and her panic rose. Singed fur, thick smoke...and...No...

"No!" That was all the old lady could manage to choke out as she was overcome with the most overwhelming sense of dread. She saw a familiar body lying motionless. Her precious kit, her youngest daughter, and the kindest cat she knew. Citrusflower was dead. The grief was too much for her to bear as she buried her muzzle into her kit's fur and sobbed, shaking in anguish. How could this have happened?

@Rainquail @Sparkling Flower @RedHead @mellifluentCurator @TroubleandTsunami

[-Ash-]

(Now I'm gonna cry!)
Ashkit nodded and sat in front of Applekit. She began to shake him. "Applekit, wake up!" @mellifluentCurator @Cas

[ciitrus--fruitz]

Applekit stirs, calm for two seconds until he bolts up to his feet, looking around wildly. Is Bro waking him up for another training session? But he sees the kit in front of him and remembers he lives in ShadowClan now. The second thing that hits him is the scent. He sees the shape of a barn, ablaze anc crackling, smoke furling into the air. He has never seen fire in person before, but he has more important things to worry about. "Wh-where are we," he asks the other kit. @TroubleandTsunami @Cas

[Madelaine]

[ @Cas; @Rainquail; @SorrrelFang; ]

Oakkit pressed his fur into Citrusflower's, not wanting to leave her side again. He didn't understand death at all and was thinking his adopted mother was sleeping. He bumped her lightly with his head to get her to wake up. "How come ahe won't wake up?", asked Oakkit. His ears were down and he was almost on the brink of tears.

he glanced around for his sister, hoping she was alright.

[RedHead]

Flintspirit's ears flicked up as he heard the sudden quiet but clear noises of other cats. He looked around, until he spotted the shapes of some cats near a small stream, illuminated by the blazing of the barn, but still shrouded in smoke. It seemed they were still far too close to the burning structure.

Bounding over, Flintspirit slowed as he neared, seeing two she-cats and a tom gathered around.... a body? Oh no. There had been cats in the barn. And taking a look around at the others, mostly kits, he realized who had been in there. It didn't take a lot of thinking for him to infer that the queens and kits had probably escaped to the barn, what they had seen as a second shelter, and then it had been set on fire. Flintspirit knew this was no natural fire, there was no way that the barn would blaze up in the middle of a swamp. Twolegs might've been near or something.... but wouldn't their scent still be around? Even with the smoke, Twolegs stunk badly.

This was no time to think about how this all happened though, he had to help these cats. These kits who were once again, in harms way because of the other clan's stupid decisions. Who raided them this time? Riverclan again? He couldn't smell any scents of any other clans, but the sounds of battle in the distance were enough for him to know Shadowclan was getting pummeled once again.

Padding up to the three grown cats gently, Flintspirit lowered his head, trying to make himself appear small and nonthreatening. He wasn't going to give these cats more of a fright than they already had. "I'm here to help." He murmured, waving his tail around at the kits gathered around, soot covered and most likely scared out of their minds. "We need to get away from here in case the fire spreads. There's a place just outside the borders that we can go for now." Flintspirit was planning to go back to the place of the battle and see if they needed any help, but for now his focus was on these cats, the kits, the queens, the innocent ones that didn't know how to defend themselves and had no right to be traumatized in this way. "If you would like, I can carry her, take her with us so you can mourn properly." He pointed his ears towards the feline on the ground, clearly dead as he could tell, and could only imagine her connection to these cats. It was hard losing a clanmate, and Flintspirit's gut twisted just seeing the anguish on these cat's faces at their loss. Just a cherry on top of all this torture and terrible things that were happening to them. But right now, he had to try to be strong enough, sturdy enough to help them and give them something to aim for. Getting away from this fire.

@Cas @Rainquail @Sparkling Flower @Fawnhearted @TroubleandTsunami @Mentallyunstable @mellifluentCurator

[-Ash-]

"I don't know." @mellifluentCurator @Cas

[ciitrus--fruitz]

Applekit starts. Beyond the borders? Maybe he can find his old den, be away from these Clans. He was right, all they do is fight. He can't believe he was foolish enough to believe he'd actually be safe here. Applekit nods. He secretly plans to go back to his old den and go back to his old plan, waiting for Bro to come back and eating whatever Crow-food he can find. He's eager to leave this horrible place. @RedHead

[Abyssopelagic]

Whiskernose looked up as Owlfeather came charging, he stood and back away from Citrusflower's body to let her mother mourn her.
His claws dug into the ground. His tail brushed against the mourning mother's shoulder to show support, and.... comfort her?
How could a strangers touch be comforting at a time like this?
"I'm sorry. She-she was trying to get Deerpetal and kits out once the barn set on fire. I don't know much more than she collapsed once we got here and- she collapsed and she wasn't breathing anymore."
His voice shook, still raw with emotion.
When Oakkit tried to curl into his adopted mother, Whiskernose almost broke.
This was too much all at once.....
@Sparkling Flower @Cas @RedHead



Crowskip eventually quieted, letting off nothing more than hiccuping sobs, face pressed into her kit's body and feeling the warmth of her life still into the cold of death.
She eventually looked up as Flintspirit offered help.
She looked for those of hers still left..... and only saw 3.
"Where..... where is Vulturekit?"
Please, no. Please tell me I didn't leave him....
@soot @Nightbound @BreadTurtle

[pidgeon]

Owlfeather was forced back into the realm of reality when the warriors approached and she was reminded of the danger they were in. She lifted her head to see an unfamiliar face, with a scent she couldn't quite catch due to the smoke. Who was this again...? Oh, that's right. The old ThunderClan leader. Is ThunderClan helping us? Why? She didn't know he'd left that Clan. But she also was not going to waste time questioning him when he was offering to take them to safety. Surely he couldn't have ill intent, if he could clearly see what was going on.

The old she-cat looked to Oakkit as another tear fell down her muzzle. One of her daughter's adopted kits who she didn't know very well. And Whiskernose, who seemed so close to her. How much of her daughter's life had she forgotten? Or missed? The consequences of her head injury had only continued to grow, and so much had been blocked out of her mind. But she still had the feelings, the emotions behind the events. She still felt the gravity and weight of the situations of the past, even if she could not see it in her mind's eye.

Stop it, pay attention! she scolded herself for getting lost in thought. She looked to Flintspirit and nodded solemnly, getting up to gather the kits.
"Stay close, little ones. You'll be safe very soon," she purred, trying to force her voice to sound calm and collected as not to frighten them further. But her voice shook with each word, each breath. Every moment felt like agony. The grief, the loss...

"I'll help you carry her," she told the ThunderClanner, moving to lift her daughter by the scruff. She was old and feeble, but she felt as if this was something that she herself needed to do. "Lead the way."

@RedHead @Sparkling Flower @Rainquail @mellifluentCurator @TroubleandTsunami @Mentallyunstable

[Madelaine]

[ @Cas; @RedHead; @Rainquail; ]

Ebonypaw had manged to get over to see if Citrusflower was alright. He saw the barn on fire and then the scent of death. What he wasn't expecting was his mother was one of the scents. The apprentice saw the body of his mother and ran over with a yowl. No. no. no. She can't be dead. For the first time he felt an emotion. Tears fell from his eyes as he ran over to her. "Winclan did this and their gonna pay.", he growled to himself. Ebonypaw ran over to owlfeather. "I want to help carry her.", he meowed. The apprentice grabbed her back legs and helped his grandmother carry her off.

Oakkit looked up at Ebonypaw as he ran over. He hadn't met him yet, so this was the first time, but now really isn't the time. The young tom followed behind everyone, his tail dropped in sadness.