Warriors RPG (V2)

[Murloc Tyrannus]

Gallows lied in his discreet and sinister lair of a den, which was spotted with the bones of several different animals; foxes, raccoons, even the bones of a few young coyotes were scattered around the place. Almost everywhere something would look, there was at least one bone somewhere. The haunting gaze of Gallows appeared from inside of the den, greeting anyone who entered with a set of claws and an eerie stare...

[C S]

Over the course of their journey, the two brothers found their way to the gigantic plant that was the Great Sycamore, mostly on accident. Wandering without a set destination after leaving Thunderclan, the iconic tree stood out to them due to its incredible size, towering above the other trees around it. Despite the spectacle, Tiberium and Ferallion spent little time there, heading south through the forest until the ground became bare, devoid of grasses or shrubs. Far ahead was a fence, tall, wooden and behind it were rows of pine trees. The arrangement and positioning was clearly not natural. "Didn't we hear about this place before?" Tiberium asked to which Ferallion nodded. "The Tallpines and the Treecutplace" the gray cat replied with a mew. "No wonder were told to steer clear from here. It smells...off" Tiberium went on to say after pointing his nose up and inhaling sharply. "We were warned of twolegs, brother. Of course wherever they go will smell...off" Ferallion mewed. "And of course, you want to go see what they have behind that wall" he added, eying his white furred brother as he advanced towards it. "...Just a peek" Tiberium replied after glancing back to his brother, a small grin on his face.
"Cats have lost their heads 'peeking' out on the Thunderpath" Ferallion said flatly, keeping pace with Tiberium.
"Because they chose the wrong time to peek!" Tiberium retorted. "I suppose you know now is the time when its safe to meddle with the twolegs?" Ferallion asked.
"We're not meddling..." Tiberium said, leg muscles rippling as he jumped up onto the fence, balancing nimbly at the narrow top. "That wasn't my question" Ferallion growled jokingly, already knowing his brother's impulsiveness. He'd investigate the unfamiliar area, daring though cautious; and once his curiosity was sated, they'd be on their way. The gray tom also leapt onto the fence, following his brother when he jumped down into the line of planted trees.

[Hopeflower]

Shadowstar wasn't entirely sure how this had happened. One moment she'd been enjoying a hunt with her sister, and the next...they were standing face-to-face with Twistedjaw, one of ShadowClan's senior warriors. He was a big, light brown tabby. His lower jaw was, as his name implied, twisted, as the bones in it had once been broken and the injury had healed badly. In the moons since his jaw had been broken and ShadowClan's previous medicine cat had been unable to do more for him, he had never shown any shame in his appearance, and in fact, it had intimidated many a warrior. His pale amber eyes met hers with a steady, confident gaze. His shoulders were relaxed, his claws sheathed. As Shadowstar tasted the air, she could pick up no other scents....Twistedjaw was alone. "Shadowstar," he meowed coolly. He was standing on the very edge of the Thunderpath, not quite inside the scent markers. Shadowstar got the impression he'd been waiting for a ThunderClan patrol.

"Twistedjaw," she replied neutrally, giving a tiny nod. "What do you want?"

"I'm not looking for trouble," he meowed. "I came alone - Littlefern sent me." Swanfeather's ears pricked at the mention of ShadowClan's medicine cat. "She couldn't be here herself, but she needs to...ask a favor of your medicine cat." Shadowstar glanced at Swanfeather and asked slowly, "What kind of favor?"

Twistedjaw's expression darkened seriously. "...Cedarstar is very ill," he growled reluctantly after a moment's hesitation, his voice tight as if he disliked revealing the information to the leader of another Clan. "Littlefern can do no more for him - but she feels, since Mistpool has more experience in healing, that there may be something she's missed. She wants me to bring Mistpool to him, as quickly as can be managed." Shadowstar glanced at Swanfeather again, who nodded to the unspoken question and murmured, "I'll find her." The white she-cat slipped away, leaving her sister alone with the ShadowClan cat.

"...Are many more of your Clan sick?" Shadowstar asked carefully. Twistedjaw eyed her with cold wariness, then replied shortly, "Not many." Shadowstar wasn't sure she believed him, and he looked away, showing without words that he would say no more on the subject.

[Murloc Tyrannus]

Gallows stretched, walking out of his bone-filled den, looking for food. The ghostly cat's fright-filled gaze was intimidating for several of his victims, cat or others. He licked his left paw as he prepared for his next hunt...

[The Kingpin]

"Let me-" started Dust as Wraith approached the tree. "-Guess. And yes" growled Wraith calmly, Dustpelt cocking his head. "I didn't even say-" he started, Wraith cutting him off "You guessed correctly" hissed the black bengal simply. "How do you even-" stuttered Dust again, only to be cut off "-Know what it was you were thinking? You're predictable, Dust, that's why. Yes, I found the female and her kitten. No I did not attempt to woo her, no, I was not out in the rain all night, and no, I did not run into any trouble save a briefly wet pelt. I believe that covers all your questions, unless there are more?" growled Wraith calmly, Dustpelt simply stuttering frustratedly, finally managing to blurt out "You're-", only to be cut off again. "Unbelievable, yes, I know" hissed Wraith with a smirk, Dustpelt making something between a sigh and a snarl of frustration. "I'm hungry. Coming?" growled Wraith, his brother simply shaking his head. "Already eaten. And I need some time to...figure things out. Go ahead" meowed Dustpelt simply, Wraith shrugging as he turned away, heading into the undergrowth once more, inwardly chuckling at his confused, stunned brother...

[Hopeflower]

Swanfeather soon returned, having run into Mistpool by chance halfway back to camp. The blue-gray tabby looked puzzled. Twistedjaw dipped his head to the medicine cat, meowing, "I know you must be confused, but there is little time to waste. Please, come with me. I'll explain on the way to my camp." Shadowstar stepped forward and meowed, "Swanfeather will accompany you." Twistedjaw's eyes flashed, as if he were going to protest, but he merely dipped his head again and led the two ThunderClan cats away. Shadowstar was left wondering what had just happened - and if she'd made the right decision.

[C S]

Ferallion squinted his green eyes when he stared into a puddle, the water dark and muddled from a cause otherworldly to him. He would investigate the sludge further if he didn't already hear the stories and rumors about this place. The smell was bad enough as well. Naturally,stories wouldn't be enough for Tiberium. It was only a matter of time before he wanted to see such things for himself. He ran down the row of trees and caught up with his brother who was pressing on ahead to the wooden complex in the distance. While it was far from them, the grating noise from its operations bombarded the two cats' ears. A mist of splinters and saw dust rained out of one side of the building, one the other were pile upon pile of logs. "Twoleg monsters eat a lot of trees, don't they?" Tiberium growled, somewhat awed by the sight. "They don't bother burying their droppings. Nor do they care where they drop them; remember not to drink or eat anything you find here" Ferallion mewed, to which his brother scoffed. "Like I was told many times before, brother" the white tom replied frankly. "Ah, but words, like birds, nest in your head for only so long before flying off Tiberium" Ferallion said before gesturing back toward the fence. "You've had your fill of sightseeing. Lets get out of here before that pelt of yours turns as black as the puddles"
"...Right" Tiberium agreed, pausing to envision his brother's words before he replied.

With that, the two darted back along the artificial forest and vaulted over the wooden barrier that separated it from the rest of the forest, perhaps for the better.

[Murloc Tyrannus]

Gallows eyed a small raccoon that had wandered into his territory. The fog seemed to make all but his eyes disappear, which was quite an advantage for combat. The eerie cat leaped onto the raccoon's back, slamming his jaws into the side of the animal's neck as his claws started to dig into its ribs...

[Hopeflower]

Twistedjaw led Mistpool on in silence. As they drew further from the Thunderpath, he sighed softly and turned to the young tabby. "I'm not going to lie to you," he meowed, seriousness darkening his tone, "it's bad. Cedarstar has already lost a life to the illness...he's very weak. Mudsplash insists on carrying out her duties even though she's beginning to show symptoms...we thought at first that it might be sickness from the rats at Carrionplace, but this is different. I must ask you not to lick your paws if you're going to be touching the sick cats....and don't groom them. I'll show you where you can wash them." Mistpool nodded, completely confused. As soon as they reached ShadowClan's camp, though, she understood.

Blood. She smelled blood everywhere. The reek of it almost made her feel sick herself - with mounting horror, she asked, "Where is Cedarstar?" Wordlessly, Twistedjaw showed her to the leader's den. Here, the stench of death mingled with the odor of the illness. Weak, rasping breaths sounded from within the den. Cautiously, Mistpool went inside. The gray tabby leader was sprawled on one side, his flanks barely rising and falling as he took shallow, painful breaths. His fur was matted, as if he was unable to groom himself properly. "Cedarstar...?" Mistpool called, creeping closer. One of his ears twitched and he opened his eyes, and as he struggled to turn his head and the light hit his face, Mistpool almost recoiled in horror, blue eyes going very wide.

Cedarstar was bleeding. Not from any wound she could see, but from his nose. And his eyes. and his mouth. A bubble of blood formed as he opened his jaws to speak, and burst as he rasped, "Don't...come...closer...." Slowly, the blue-gray tabby backed out of the ShadowClan leader's den and sat down quickly, feeling unsteady on her paws. Twistedjaw sat beside her, not quite close enough to touch, and wrapped his tail over his paws. His steady gaze met her shocked one, the ShadowClan cat offering indirect, wordless comfort. "W-what could make a cat bleed like that?" she asked after she found her voice again.

"We don't know. We've lost two cats to it so far, and we fear Cedarstar and Mudsplash may be the next to succumb." Twistedjaw gave a long sigh, turning to look at Littlefern's den. "Littlefern is doing all she can... We've done our best to quarantine the sick cats, in the hope that no more of our Clan will fall ill before she finds a cure."

"I've never seen anything like this," Mistpool whispered. "What made you think that I knew what to do?"

Twistedjaw replied, "I didn't. But I was hoping you could help Littlefern...her apprentice, Shadepaw, was one of the first to catch the disease, and the first to die. The loss was a hard blow to all of us...but she's taking it badly. It will do her good to have another medicine cat to help." Mistpool took in the camp and gave a tiny nod. "I'll try," she mewed. "But I don't know how much of a difference I can make..."

[The Kingpin]

Wraith meanwhile, had been exploring along the edges of Clan borders, checking for the scents of rogues, among other things. Since the incident that had gripped Windclan in the past few days, he had been on alert, watching for rogue activities. As detached as he was from the Clans, he still felt it his duty to watch over them Though admittedly, his home clan took slight priority over others, despite his dislike for some of their beliefs. It was no surprise then, that when the scent of death and disease wafted just within their borders, concern began to breed within him. He couldn't risk going further in, since he lacked the medical skill to care for himself in the case of an illness, but it did not change the fact that he felt fearful for their condition. It was with some regret that he departed the borders, his senses focused on the surroundings, the occasional roar of a monster on the Thunderpath overhead breaking the peace of his walk...

[Murloc Tyrannus]

The raccoon snarled as it thrashed about, attempting to remove Gallows from his back. However, the ghostly cat proceeded to dig his teeth deeper and deeper, fangs greeting muscles with sharp pains and blood loss. This made the raccoon bark and growl, flailing like a crazed man trying to escape a straight jacket, Gallows holding on tightly, trying to cut off the windpipe as he snapped at the side of the raccoon's neck, blood on the ground...

[The Kingpin]

A short while of walking saw Wraith re-entering wooded territory. He was certain the Clan border was a ways off yet, but the smell of blood...and a rogue, drew his attention. Another place of interest, it seemed. The shadow-pelted Tom leapt into one of the wide-branched trees, disappearing into the canopy as he moved to investigate...

[Murloc Tyrannus]

Gallows finally got a good bite on the raccoon's spinal cord, paralyzing the rabid creature slowly as the grip got tighter and tighter. Save for a few twitches, the raccoon was motionless. Gallows decided to let nature take its course. He would enjoy watching the raccoon breathe its last...

[The Kingpin]

deep amber eyes watched Gallows from the trees as Wraith swerved in and out of the branches, as much at home in the canopy as he was on the ground, the shadows concealing him almost perfectly. The tom below seemed, from the smell of things, to be alone. He didn't seem to do a good job of keeping his chosen living space clean, as the stench of blood and decay seemed to linger faintly on the air, most likely only so faint due to the fact food was scarce in recent days due to the imminent arrival of leaf-bare. The tom seemed to take a disproportionate amount of joy in the killing of his chosen prey...or perhaps, judging by the size, attacker. This one would have to be watched. It would be risky to ignore him...

[Murloc Tyrannus]

The raccoon finally let out its last dying breath, although it was still as stiff as a statue at death. Gallows grabbed the raccoon by the nape of the neck, dragging his paralyzed victim into his den, preparing to consume the animal...

[The Kingpin]

Once the tom had slipped into his den amidst a few rocks, Wraith descended until he was only a few feet off the forest floor, checking for other scents. None...this one is alone thought Wraith as he leapt to the floor, landing on silent pitch black paws, deciding a better vantage point was needed. He would have to find somewhere isolated....something that was less of a risk. Just because there were no other scents in the area, it wasn't a guarantee that others would not come. With the Rogue group that attacked Windclan earlier, there was no telling what could unfold next...

[Murloc Tyrannus]

Bones were scattered across this territory, ranging from rats to fish to even a few other cats, and the skull of a fawn could be seen from about five yards away. This area was surprisingly foggy as well, and the puddles of blood from the raccoon were in a specific spot, rather than splattered about the land...

[The Kingpin]

It wasn't long until Wraith had a good position amidst several ferns that gave him a perfect view of the inside of the den. the mess this place was in was horrendous. Now he knew why he had picked up the scents of scavengers and vermin around the area. He guessed it wouldn't be too long before the build up eventually drove this rogue out of the area. He knew better than most what kind of threats vermin such as rats posed when they began to build up in numbers...

[Murloc Tyrannus]

Gallows's seemingly glowing eyes were visible in the distance, along with a fanged sneer. The cat's appearance was somewhat... creepy...

[The Kingpin]

"Elegant homekeeping skills, I must say. I'll bet you get throngs of eager visitors to this quaint little nook of yours" purred Wraith's voice just beyond the entrance of Gallows's den, though the specific location was unclear...