A flaming sword of burning righteousness and also fire!
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Post by ♏aple♢ on Sept 26, 2015 19:22:38 GMT
Red burning behind the eyes, searing pain after pain after pain shooting through the body. Iron hanging like a veil in the air, blood staining her paws. It was excruciating. In all her battles, all her wars, Scorpionstorm had never felt a pain so intense. So horrible. So draining. Scorpionstorm had never even expected to feel something like this. Not in all her talks with Honeyheart, not through all of the ignored sessions of advice from Eveningblaze. She wasn't meant for this. She wasn't meant for this. She wasn't-
"GET. THEM. OUT."
Two kits already lay by her side, but Scorpionstorm was in such great pain that she could barely be bothered to notice. Golden eyes were stretched wide and glazed as she spasmed in her nest, digging her claws into the moss. Into Duskblaze's legs. Into anything she could get her paws on. Her vision swerved. She could see the blood on her own paws, feel the wrenching jerks in her stomach that sent shocks throughout her entire body. But seeing things was so hard. Her eyes wouldn't focus. Her heart felt like it would beat out of her chest. And her pulse in her ears was loud loud loud. She could barely hear the world around her. Barely feel anything but the pain that took her over.
It had started when the sun was still high and the day was young, but now all that she could see was darkness. Night. Pain. She didn't know how long it had been going on. It felt like years. Scorpionstorm was afraid of nothing. She'd never been- until now. She barely registered the muffled cursing a short ways away. Eveningblaze worked furiously, and the scent of bitter herbs mingled with that of blood. What was he doing, what was- golden eyes shot to Duskblaze, furious and raging with fire. Why had he done this to her!? WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT THIS?! AND WHY WASN'T HE HELPING?!
"She's losing too much blood." Scorpionstorm could barely hear. But she yowled out all the same.
"THEN DO YOUR JOB." Were she in a right state of mind, Scorpionstorm would have expected a sharp retort or a claw for that. Eveningblaze was a sharp cat. But he was too busy, too focused, too angry to even care about her remarks. He'd delivered kits before. But this litter wasn't coming out right. Taking too long. Being born paws first. He had told her- told her to go to the nursery a moon ago. But as much as they'd listened during the gathering, these idiots seemed to have turned their back on him now. And they would pay the price. Eveningblaze shot Duskblaze a deadly glare. A knowing glare. The kind of look that conveyed more than any string of words ever could.
She was going to die.
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Post by Kibbles on Sept 27, 2015 0:08:59 GMT
Duskblaze ignored the pain in his legs and paws. Blood trickled down them from Scorpionstorm's claws, landing in the already bloody nest. He watched with alert, wide, and every scared green eyes. His ears flattened as he heard his mate screaming at the medicine cat. Or was that his heart screaming at him? He couldn't tell.
He had never experienced a kitting before, but he was fairly sure that it wasn't like this. There was so much blood! And no kits. Where were their kits? Where were they? Why weren't they here?
He ignored Eveningblaze's look, although he knew what it meant. No, Scorpionstorm was stronger than that. She was a warrior. She would pull through, like she always did. Right?
"Get them out, Eveningblaze! Save my family! Save them! Save her! Save the kits!" he snapped.
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A flaming sword of burning righteousness and also fire!
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Post by ♏aple♢ on Sept 27, 2015 0:32:32 GMT
Fire burned in the medicine cat's chest and blazed in his one remaining eye. He was working as quickly as he could, but Scorpionstorm's body was unresponsive. The kits were twisted inside her. Her body was too rought with exhaustion to do it's own job properly. And her kitting had been going on for nearly seven hours. Far, far longer than any kittings he'd delivered previous. And to his fury, the healer was running out of options.
"Thats what I'm trying to do" he snapped, not even looking back to Duskblaze as he pressed on the queen's stomach. There were two left. They needed to be gotten out now. But first-
"If you have the energy to wail, help with the kits." Two of them already lay at Scorpionstorm's side. One black, one tortoiseshell. One tom, one she-cat. Even if their mother and two siblings were in danger, these two were out. These two were safe. These two were alive. So long as they were tended to. "Lick the two that you already have." he instructed gruffly, moving back to his pile of herbs. He'd already formed an elixer of broom, comfrey, and fennel on a flat stone. He had to prevent bloodloss, ease pain in the hips, and slow any internal bleeding that may have occurred. And judging by the thick pool of blood soaking into her moss, 'may have occurred' seemed more like a 'continued to occur'.
Picking the small stone up quickly, he moved it over to the she-cat's face. "Eat." he ordered. Scorpionstorm continued to wail, but seemed in too much pain to do anything herself. He didn't have time for this! With an impatient sigh, he slammed a paw on the she-cat's open muzzle, forcing the mixture into her mouth and forcibly shutting it. Scorpionstorm struggled, though each of her movements grew weaker. He hadn't given her enough painkiller for that to be a good sign.
Moving back to his position behind the she-cat, he ran his paws along her stomach. Slowly squeezing, forcing a kit out as gently as he could. Or guiding it. Honestly, it was her own damned fault for not listening to what he'd told her. For all they know, these last two kits could already be dead inside her. And she could be next. But Eveningblaze said no such thing aloud as he worked, teeth gritted and eye narrowed.
And finally, that work payed off. One kit, out backwards just like the last, plopped onto the ground. A bloodsoaked calico, its protective sac already torn. Worse and worse signs. Eveningblaze took the kit, eliciting a yowl from Scorpionstorm, and bit the cord himself before placing it somewhat more gently at Duskblaze's paws. There he gave it a few sniffs, before instructing the tom. "Lick. Take care of it, and it will live." Though your mate may not.
"One left."
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Post by Kibbles on Sept 27, 2015 1:04:26 GMT
Duskblaze licked the two kits, nosing them softly. Their mewls weren't as strong as Honeyheart's newborns had been. They were weak and so small. He wasn't sure what he would do if anyone in his family would die today. He nosed them gently before pulling them close to him so that he could share his own warmth. He could hear the pain from his mate and tried to ignore it as he licked the kits.
Then, all of a sudden, there was a third one. He worked his tongue over that one too. He was gentle, surprisingly, yet firm. He kept them close, trying to keep them warm. Trying to keep them alive. He glanced at Petal on the opposite side of the den. The other queen lay with her own kits at her stomach, watching with interest.
He quickly picked up his kits, one by one, and lay them at her belly. "Help me. You have to help me," he said to the queen, whom was now looking at him. His eyes were pleading with her as she seemed to be in a small daze. Then she nodded. He moved the kits closer to her belly, hoping they would start feeding. The other newborn kits squirmed at the additions, yet he knew that they would be able to help keep his young ones warm.
He looked back at Eveningblaze, waiting for the last kit as Petal licked the newest additions.
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A flaming sword of burning righteousness and also fire!
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Post by ♏aple♢ on Sept 27, 2015 15:45:42 GMT
Scorpionstorm's awareness was fading. Or rather, it was being ripped away from her as surely as her insides were being ripped from her body. She struggled to stay awake, eyes glazing and limbs jerking in all directions. Her breathing was heavy and skipped, as though the very effort of staying alive was greater than that of any battle. For Scorpionstorm, it was. She didn't have enough mental processes left to reflect on her state, or what was to come. She didn't have enough mental processes left to realize that she was dying. What she did have enough mental processes left was to see when Duskblaze took her kits, hazy and blurry, from her field of view.
"GIVE THEM BACK. THOSE ARE MINE. MY KITS!" she snarled and howled, snapping up. She could see him now, pawing her kits off to that cream she-cat who had only just gotten here. Why not Honeyheart? Why not her?! Those were hers. She had borne them, not him! Not that she-cat either! HER. Her little brats who she absolutely regretted right now, but who would NOT be taken away from her! "DUSKBLAZE!" she screeched, but before she could move, Eveningblaze shoved her down back into the bloody nest. The liquid squeezed out of it as she hit it with a force, reeling for breath.
"You'll get your damned kits, but there's another one left in you!"
Scorpionstorm's eyes were crazed and wild. Golden eyes were glassy and hazed as she snapped up at Eveningblaze. The tom seemed shocked for half a second, before he slammed her back into the moss. There was no Scorpionstorm left in her eyes. Like a feral dog, she was just a creature fighting for survival and for her young. But she would have neither, and her battle was a futile one. "Duskblaze. Hold your mate down now. She's unstable, and I'm getting this kit out."
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Post by Kibbles on Sept 28, 2015 16:18:47 GMT
Duskblaze ignored his mate's calls as he moved back over towards her. He placed his paws against her shoulder and used his weight and muscles to hold her down into the nest. "Scorpionstorm, you have to calm down. You're going to harm yourself or the kit. Maybe both. You'll be able to see the kits once you're done. I just moved them so that they weren't in the way. Please. Please, calm down," he said, half laying on her so that she wouldn't move too much.
He looked over at Eveningblaze, eyes pleading for the tom to hurry and get the last kit out. There was sadness in his green eyes and it was clear he had realized that his mate was most likely not going to make it. He stayed strong, though, as he didn't want to cause any more panic and distress in the nursery at the moment. He stayed as calm as he could, licking Scorpionstorm's cheek every so often to try and calm her down.
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A flaming sword of burning righteousness and also fire!
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Post by ♏aple♢ on Sept 28, 2015 19:49:21 GMT
Eveningblaze worked as quickly as possible. However, there wasn't much one could do to speed up a she-cat's kitting. Except for....
Pressing gently on her stomach, Eveningblaze tried to push the kit outward. The herbs he'd given her should have helped, but the blood just kept coming. She was losing too much. He'd seen lost causes in his life. Memory flicked to his sister, Morningfrost. Shredded by a fox, she would have been permanantly scarred. She'd lost so much blood, but that wasn't what had killed her as she lay dying in her mate's paws. Eveningblaze could have saved her. He chose not to, putting her out of her misery quickly with deathberries.. But this... This was too far gone. Now they just had to get the kit out, doing as little damage to the creature as possible. It was too early for deathberries. Kit first. Kit first.
Duskblaze murmured his little words to the she-cat, but they did no good. The black warrior struggled under their grip, hissing and spitting and yowling at the top of her lungs. Her eyes were feral. Her body knew what was coming, even if she didn't. And she was fighting against it with ever fiber of her being. Narrowing his eye in frustration, Eveningblaze tried along with Duskblaze to force her back into her nest. But when Duskblaze reached forward to give her a lick-
Eveningblaze saw it happen. She surged up, sliding her head just to the side with open jaws. It was quick and sharp. She didn't even give Duskblaze time to react as a tooth hooked into the corner of his mouth. Scorpionstorm shot forward, a sickening tear filling the air. Like ripping a pelt off a mouse. Taking a bite out of a fat hare. From his place behind her, Eveningblaze couldn't see details. He wouldn't have wanted to. It happened so quickly- but he saw as blood sprayed like a fountain from the tom's cheek, splattering along the far wall. A screech of pain split the den and the tom stumbled backwards into the wall.
By the dark forest, by Starclan, by every force in forests both here and past, could NOTHING in this world go right?!
He had to reel Scorpionstorm back. Snatching the she-cat by the scruff and holding her down with both paws. She struggled against his grasp, and her fur had gone slick. It was hard to keep a good grip on the molly, but Eveningblaze did his best. Making sure, of course, to keep his paws out o the way of that damned maw. Blood covered her muzzle and her eyes were dark and crazed. And there was... Something in her mouth. Oh Starclan.
"Petal, get the kits out of here now." he snapped. They weren't safe. He had to get to Duskblaze, but he couldn't get off the she-cat for worry that she might go for her kits. To try to take them back. Or go after the tom again. Did she blame Duskblaze for this? She had to be out of her right head. No cat in their right head would even dream of... Unless... The Dark Forest. One orange eye grew wide, but he quickly shook the thought away. He held the power of both darkness and light, and Eveningblaze wasn't even going to try to think through the she-cat's thoughts right now. There was too much to do. His mind raced a mile a minute. His herbs were covered in blood. No- everyone and everything in the den was. He would have to fetch new for Duskblaze- he couldn't treat him in here! Starclan why hadn't he taken on another apprentice?!
"WE NEED CATS IN HERE. NOW."
He shrieked out the entrance. They needed someone to hold Scorpionstorm down. Maybe someone to get Duskblaze out of here, he couldn't stay.. They didn't want a crowd, but there was so much to be done, and Eveningblaze had to get his herbs. He had to get that kit out, and there was no time to wait for it to come on its own. He was going to use the quick way, taboo as it may be.
A medicine cat had to do what a medicine cat had to do.
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Post by Kibbles on Sept 28, 2015 20:37:29 GMT
Duskblaze could hear the tearing of his flesh before he felt it. But then the searing pain came, causing him to release Scorpionstorm and stumble back. He leaned against the nursery wall and stared at the ground as blood flowed freely from his face. He breathed in and out slowly.
He tried to speak, but the wound made him hard to understand, so he just stopped. He looked at Eveningblaze now as he called for other cats. His wound could now be seen by everyone in the den. His green eyes wide as he quickly movved back, hopping onto his mate so he could hold her down again. His family was first. His family would always be first. He would deal with his face later.
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Petal worked quickly to move all the kits from the safety of the den. She moved towards the elder's den, bounding quickly back and forth. It took a moment, but soon all of the kits had been moved. No matter how badly she wanted to watch what would happen, she knew that the grumpy medicine cat would only tell her to leave again. Plus, she had the kits to take care of.
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Post by Shad on Sept 28, 2015 23:21:08 GMT
The shecat shoved her paws over her ears to try to blot out the screams. She pushed her tear-stained face into her brothers' fur, for once envious of their deafness. Star Clan, oh Star Clan, what were you doing to that poor cat? And why oh why would the screaming not stop? She would give anything to make it stop! But, there was also a part of her that was terrified of what Scorpionstorm going quiet would mean. The screams scared her. The idea of silence scared her. Patchpaw's frail body shook violently, sandwiched between her two siblings, as they waited outside the Nursery. Another scream tore its way through the air and into the young apprentice's terrified chest. She let out a strangled wail of fear and curled closer into Cherrykit's soft fur, even lightly digging into his pelt with her claws unintentionally. "Shhhhh," a soft paw slipped over her head and she looked up to find Kei. The orange tom had been 'helping' her watch her brothers while the queen kitted, but when he continued to sit by them despite the late hour, she suspected he was only there to watch her. Something the tiny shekit did not mind in the least. Kei wiped her tearstained cheeks softly and murmured calming words to her. "It is going to be okay. It is not okay now, little ones, but it will be."Patchpaw pushed her head against the soothing paw gratefully, but flinched back in terror as another scream erupted from the Nursery, one that was quickly followed by cry that was decidedly male and decidedly not Scorpionstorm. "WE NEED CATS IN HERE. NOW!""That's Eveningblaze!" the shecat yelped, leaping to her paws and starting for the Nursery. Her heart hammered in her chest. Her paws shook. Every hair she had stood on end, but she still felt no bigger or braver. "I have to help- EEK!"The words cut off into a startled scream as Kei caught the shecat by the scruff and plopped her back down between Cherrykit and Gullkit. She looked up at the rogue tom with wide, white eyes. Eyes that were scared. Eyes that said she did not want to go, but would not abandon her clanmate. Kei smiled down at her and licked all three cats on the head in quick farewell. "You stay. I'll go. Don't worry. It will just be a bit longer."
Patchpaw looked up at the tom, at his warm smile and calm green eyes. She nodded her head firmly and watched him walk away toward the screams. Kei The tom walked into the Nursery unsure of what he would find. His adrenaline sang in his ears, but a battle calm fell over him as he took in the sights as he would take in a battlefield. Outside he had been losing his nerve sitting still, but now, given a chance to help, his senses crystallized. He looked over the small den, taking everything in with a glance, and did not like what he saw. He did not like it at all. The queen was dead. Her body flailed and her mind rebelled in the violent throws of a death craze, but the blood sopping out of her nest spoke clearly to him. He had seen this before. Sometimes a cat refused to give up the fight, even after a battle's close, even when his time had come. The black Demon Slayer called Eveningblaze was attempting to hold the shecat down. Kei caught wind that one kit remained inside the doomed Scorpionstorm. A terrified Petal cowered at the edge of the Nursery, as far from the gore that littered almost every surface as she could get. It seemed Eveningblaze had not had time to order her out. Her milk would stop if she was too badly frightened by this ordeal. Even if the Healer had been busy, the Leader still should have stepped in to make the call. As it was... Duskblaze was up against the back corner of the den, his eyes glazed over and sightless. His face was a mask of blood and flesh so horrible Kei would not have recognized him if not for his pelt and the rogue's prior knowledge of his presence in the den. Hard emerald eyes took all this in within the span of a heartbeat. Then Kei set to work. "Petal, sweetie," Kei was on the queen in a moment, grabbing kits by the mouthful and half setting/half dropping them just ourside the Nursery exit, stroking his tail over the queen's spine to catch her attention as he did so. "It is time for you to leave. It's alright. It is going to be alright now, just go outside. Patchpaw needs your help with the kits. Up you go," Kei lent the queen his side, half leading, half pushing her out after all of the kits. "There we are. Just outside now. There's a girl. You have done well today. Thank you. Now, please, rest out here."The whole interaction took less that a minute, but Kei did not stop to reflect. With Petal and the kits gone, Eveningblaze was still working furiously for the last kit and Duskblaze... well clearly he was not cut out for leading when it applied to the tough calls. If he had more time, Kei would have curled his lip and hissed at the cat in fury. To put his own life in danger was one thing, but to risk Petal's state of mind, and the lives of all of the kits in the clan as she was the only queen that could offer them milk... This cat was no leader. He was just a back-water rogue that fancied power. With power came responsibility. With power came tough choices. In a battle, not everyone walked away. If this tom could not handle that, could not move past it and do what he needed to do for the soldiers still standing -this clan was headed for ruin. But Kei did not have time for such things. Nor would he let petty dislike get between him and what needed to be done. He walked around behind the writhing, spitting shecat. She was too far gone to even notice his presence as she grappled with Eveningblaze and her own demons. He did not look at Duskblaze, but he did hesitate. Just for one moment. Just to speak a word of warning to the broken cat behind him. "Don't look."That was all the hesitation Kei gave before he plunged down fast as a viper. His paw slammed into the shecat's shoulder, his claws digging into the flesh like knives. He sank his fangs deep, deep into the shecat's upper neck, feeling the blood squelch out into the back of his throat, making him want to gag. Instead, he yanked the two apart with all the fierceness and ruthless power the small tom possessed. The queen's head popped off like a berry from its stem, the two pieces of cat barely hung together by the mangled remains of muscle and her intact jugular. Her body went limp and her wild burning eyes dulled mere seconds after. Rending the spine was the easiest way to go, but you had to be sure to rip every last nerve or the cat would still hang on, dying quickly, but not quick enough to escape a tortuous agony. Completely removing the head was the best way to make sure minimal pain was suffered to the fallen soldier. Or, in this case, fallen queen. Kei dropped Scorpionstorm's head to thump like a soft, soggy rock against the ground, hot sticky liquid flowing freely to pool on the packed earth and lap at his paws. He spat the blood out of his mouth. His cold emerald eyes met Eveningblaze's. "Now get the kit out." he mewed simply. There was nothing more to say.
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A flaming sword of burning righteousness and also fire!
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Post by ♏aple♢ on Sept 29, 2015 1:00:12 GMT
A careful eye watched the den's entrance and two fierce paws held fast to the neck of the struggling she-cat. It didn't take but a moment for a cat to arrive. That pale ginger tom- the one who hadn't recieved his clan name. Kei, whatsit. Who had spoken out durin gthe last 'clan meeting' and had taken to following the other scarred cat around camp. This Kei worked quickly, ushering Petal out of the den and moving Duskblaze from the she-cat. Helpful and precise.
"Finally someone useful." Eveningblaze grunted, moving from his place at the she-cat's back to her front as the other tom got a good grip on her neck. Unsheathing his claws, Eveningblaze prepared to set to work on the queen's stomach. There would be no saving her now. This wasn't a treatment often used- if it could be called one at all. It was a last resort. A method that Aurorasong had only taught him by word- never by paw. It had never been needed. Not until now. But there was a way. A way to get a kit- or even an entire litter if lucky- of kits out of a she-cat if there was going to be no way of saving the queen. So similar to feeling for the number, but so much more complex. Eveningblaze had never done this before. But he'd be damned if he showed any inexperience.
However, before he could dig into the she-cat, Kei's position shifted. Eveningblaze watched, two gentle paws on her stomach as the golden warrior moved his paws from her neck, replacing them with his fangs. The queen's screeches halted with a gruesome bubble, turning to a gurgle before cutting off completely. In a show of swift cleanness that Eveningblaze had never seen in a non-healer, the tom disconnected the she-cat's head from the body. Eveningblaze blinked. Impressive. A cat who knew how to get things done for once. They would have had to deal with her sooner or later, but making it painless and quick was an honorable way. Eveningblaze nodded to the tom once eye contact was made, and something rare flickered in his one orange eye. A show of respect.
Now that that was out of the way, Scorpionstorm's body had gone still. He had to work quickly and carefully to get the last kit out. With it's mother dead, it would run out of breath before long. And too long without that, brain damage would be suffered. And death. If it wasn't already dead. Eveningblaze flipped the body of the she-cat onto her back with a sickening squelch, placing two careful paws back on her belly. And with delicate claws, he set to work. He had to cut very precisely. Not deep enough and he could miss it. Too deep and he could injure the kit. He had to measure just perfectly, and feel around while he did so.
Despite having never preformed the procedure, Eveningblaze worked efficiently and focusedly. He was used to gore. Healers had not to be sickened by such things. Could you imagine, a healer who feared blood? Smooth slices, quick movements. It took but a moment to free the kit from it's mothers body.
Severing all ties from the sac to its former home, Eveningblaze gently removed the ball and set it on the moss. He snipped the sac with a shallow nip, spilling the fluid and tiny body onto the stained moss below. Eveningblaze frowned. The cord was twisted, wrapped around the wet ball of fur's neck. He removed it in a heartbeat, taking the kit in on himself and attempting to lick the fur backwards. Cleaning the mucus from the nose and mouth. It wasn't as though the father would be in any state to do it, and the mother... Well, the father still clung to her head.
It took a good few moments of vigerous licking and cleaning. The taste sickened the medicine cat, but he'd experienced such things before. In his own kits. In Jay. Healers were never supposed to have young of their own. But then again, Eveningblaze had done a lot of things he'd never been supposed to do. This though- this was not one of them. Bringing new lives into the world. Taking them out. All the business of a healer laid bare in this den. Laughable, in a dark way. And then, the kit let out a cry. A weak, frail, almost breathless cry. So faint and high it could barely be heard.
"You have a son."
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Post by Kibbles on Sept 29, 2015 14:48:08 GMT
Duskblaze was holding her down as best as he could, tongue half out of his wound. He could hear Kei's voice as he spoke to Petal about moving the kits. If he wasn't so busy worrying about this kitting, he would have shaken his head. After all, Petal was no where near terrified. She was excited more than anything. but he made no comment on it, nor did the queen as she moved the kits out of the den.
Suddenly, the broad tom was shoved to the side. He landed on his should and looked up at the screaming of his mate. His eyes widened as he saw the claws digging into her pelt and then her head came off, rolling right towards him. His green eyes watched it as it stopped in front of him. Her yellow eyes had lost the living light, but still had a crazed look to them. They stared at him and he shivered as he felt as if they were looking into his soul.
A loud screech of sadness, shock, and pain filled the air as he scrambled back away from the head, running right back into the wall. He looked over at the cat who had done it. The one who had murdered his mate. He felt as if he couldn't breathe, but it wasn't because of his sadness. Anger filled him up as his claws sheathed and unsheathed into the bloody ground.
Duskblaze leaped, tackling Kei as the other tom tried to dodge. Within the small space of the den, and the fact that the other tom didn't want to harm the kit, he couldn't really get away. Dusk had him pinned to the ground, snarling. Only half of his face would be able to curl into a snarl, the other half hanging loosely from the skin and muscles being ripped into. His blood poured down onto the cat below him. He spoke, but it was hard to understand.
"You! You killed her! She hadn't even gotten to meet her kits yet! You took her head right off! How dare you! How dare you! You've always caused problems in this clan! You've always been a problem towards my family and myself! You're just looking for ways to make me even more miserable and more stressed, aren't you?! You wanted this! YOU WANTED THIS!"
His claws dug into the tom's shoulders as he shook him. Tears ran down the leader's face now. The kitting was over. He had two sons and two daughters. But his kits were safe. He could see them in a bit. He had to(wanted to) take care of this thorn in his side right now. He didn't care if he was losing a lot of blood at this moment. He had to deal with this problem that was pinned below him.
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Post by Shad on Sept 29, 2015 15:36:42 GMT
Kei The orange tom felt more than saw Marsh Clan's 'leader' leap for him. With a cry like that, there was little else he would be doing. Kei instinctively tried to drop into a roll to dodge, but then four things hit him in quick succession: 1) If he did roll, it would be right on top of the fallen queen's body, and the newly freed kit, dishonoring her corpse and potentially harming the newborn. 2) He was tired. His legs were tired. His tail was tired. His head was tired. Most of all, his heart was tired. Even if he did dodge, Kei could not be sure he would land properly with his bad paw or if he even had the willpower for a full fight. 3) Duskblaze needed this. Kei knew the tom had looked. Everyone looked. Even when you told them not to, even when they knew themselves that they shouldn't. It was a pull that was almost impossible to deny, to see their loved one just for a few more seconds. It was not until later that they came to grips with the fact that those 'few more seconds' would haunt them for the rest of their lives. Duskblaze was half-mad with grief right now, and with the tragedy of the queen's horrid death, the clan needed a leader -not a mad tom lost to his grief. No. Kei could not deny the tom this. For the good of Marsh Clan, Duskblaze must be returned to his senses. One way or another. 4) Duskblaze himself. -That was all the time the tom got before he was barreled over. The hissing, spitting fury of Hell itself was carved into the mauled tom's face as he stood over Kei. The orange rogue stared up at the leader evenly. Blood dripped and trickled down on him, splattering against his cheek. He felt it slide down his neck fur and pool in the hollow of his throat, staining his dull fur a dark red. That was going to be annoying to clean later. Hopefully his Mistress would help him. Or he would have to go for a swim. "Eveningblaze," Kei's voice was quiet, but the hard edge in it was unmistakable. "I think Duskblaze and I need to have a talk." He did not look away from the eyes that burned down on him. His green gaze did not waiver from the horrid mask of blood and flesh and the glint of pearly white molars unnaturally exposed much farther back than the range of where the tom's lips should have been. "I think the kit should probably spend some time with Petal for now," he suggested calmly. Maybe the reminder of his kit would snap the new father out of it. For any parent worth his salt, it certainly would, but Kei had never thought all that highly of Duskblaze's priorities, and he did not expect that notion to change now. This cat was full of anger and pain and fury. Toxic emotions like that did not simply evaporate like a morning mist. They had to be bled, sucked from the victim like venom from a snake bite. Once the kit was moved, Kei did not wait. He kicked up with his back paws, claws only slightly unsheathed so as not to deal any real damage, and rapidly pounded against the tom's vulnerable belly. The idea was to make Duskblaze think he was serious, even if he would only cause a few light scratches this way. Then the tom might move and Kei could regain his footing. When he wasn't in a position where the half-crazed leader could easily rip out his throat, Kei could wait out the fight as long as the tom needed. Something niggled in the back of his mind. His tiredness. His lack of food for so long. Not to mention the drain of not stressing his injured front paw. His stamina was less than what it would normally be and his options were limited. Kei discarded that fact. He would last as long as Duskblaze needed him to. This was not about him. This was about draining the hostile emotions from the clan's leader. It was about making sure they even still had a leader after tonight, rather than a revenge and grief crazed lunatic. "I did what had to be done," he growled, "She was already dead. I just put her out of her misery."
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A flaming sword of burning righteousness and also fire!
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Post by ♏aple♢ on Sept 29, 2015 16:49:10 GMT
Cherrykit It smelled so bad here. Cherrykit wanted to just pull his nose off. It smelled like prey and when hid brother had cut his paw and bad, bad things. It smelled like the cats who had invaded their home smelled all the time, but worse. Cherrykit covered his nose with his paws, burrowing his face into Patchpaw's side. He didn't understand why they had to sit here. They weren't still in trouble for sneaking out of home, so why did they have to wait outside of this gross smelling den while cats messed around inside? It had been houuuuuurs. First it had been the black she-cat and the tom. The ones they lived with. The only cats he knew here other than his siblings and mama. They were okay, most of the time, even if the she-cat was fat and boring now and the tom never played with anyone but Patchpaw anymore. Then the tom with the scary face went. And theeeeeen, the tom with sunfur went in. And the smell got worse, and he was STILL stuck out here.
He'd glared daggers as the new she-cat- the other one with sunfur- had taken kit after kit to his nest. He didn't know what was going on, but he was suspicious. His sister had kept him from going after her, but he didn't like the sound of this. Not one bit. And there were even more kits coming out of the nest than had gone in, which was also weird. Where were they coming from? Did they burrow up from the ground?! Even the kit strangers knew sneaky ways to find their way into their home. Ugh.
And then, when the sky was all dark and the smell was at its worst, the scary tom came back out. And what he looked like when he came out was even scarier than Cherrykit's worst nightmares. He'd looked up from his little burrow in his sisters fur to find the black tom towering over them, covered in red from paw to ears with a kit in his jaws. Wait... was that blood? DID THIS TOM EAT KITS?! WAS THAT WHY THE SUNFUR SHE-CAT WAS GETTING THEM OUT OF THERE?! TO SAVE THEM FROM THE KIT-EATER?! NOOOOOOOO!!!
Well, he wouldn't let them eat Pinekit and Gullkit! Scrabbling to his paws, Cherrykit's legs shook as he hissed at the big tom. But he just rolled his eyes, completely ignoring him and instead putting the kit down in front of his sister. He did some mouth movements, and then went back in the den. Did... he want them to eat it?! Was this an introduction into some kind of secret cult?! A cult of kit-eaters?! Cherrykit looked back at his sister and then his brother, eyes wide. And then, he bent down to nose the kit.
It was tiny and wet and covered in wet and blood. Like that one time the tabby tom had shown them a mouse without its' skin. Gross. Well, at least this thing had skin. It wiggled a little bit, opening and closing its mouth over and over again. Cherrykit put his head on his paws, eyes turning from scared to curious as he darted forth a paw to touch it. Ewwwwwww! But it was so soft... Golden eyes lit up and he grinned at his siblings. Hmmmmmmm... suddenly he wanted to lick it.
Eveningblaze
As soon as the words "son" had left his mouth, a screech had filled the air. One eye closed, Eveningblaze sighed through gritted teeth. Oh Dark Forest, strike him down now. Or them. It quickly turned to a growl as he felt the push of two cats against his back. Half of their leader's face was ripped off. Yes, he'd lost his mate. But at least it had been quick. Unlike his Cherryleaf... Or Sunpaw. Duskblaze was lucky his mate's life had been ended when it was. And he had kits to think about. Kits in the same damned den! Rising to his paws with a snarl, Eveningblaze stalked out of the den, kit in tow. It was so small. So weak. He had to be careful, and it shouldn't be moved a great distance just yet. It wasn't even finished being cleaned! There was no bedding in the elders den, and-
There were cats waiting outside of the nursery.
A golden eye peered down at the three kits, sitting just outside. Honeyheart's litter. He'd been about to walk past them when another crash sounded from inside the nursery. The elder's den was still so far away- and there was still fluid all over the kit. Ugh, he had to keep cleaning, but he was out of time! Alright, this was as good as anything. Starclan he needed an apprentice. The golden kit had jumped up and growled, but Eveningblaze ignored him and moved past to the middle cat. The she-cat. The only one who could talk. She had spirit, and seemed at the very least a great deal smarter than her brothers. No idea how much of a compliment that actually was, but it was as good as he could get right now.
"You. Smart one. Clean the kit, but don't move it too much, it's fragile.
He set it down very gently between her paws. So small. So soft. Gray- like his own daughter. The exchange was only a few seconds, but he hoped to Starclan and the Dark Forest that the kit would be smart enough to actually know what to do. She probably had enough experience looking after things what acted like newborns after taking care of those brothers of hers, but if that kit died it would be on Duskblaze's head. If any of them did after being moved so roughly it would be- if not on Scorpionstorm's for being an absolute fool and not ending her warrior activities until her kits were born. A better pair of parents this litter couldn't have asked for, he snorted grimly as he pushed back through the bush.
Eveningblaze didn't even speak as he marched up to Duskblaze, pulling the tom roughly by the scruff from Kei and onto the ground. He placed one heavy paw on his chest and the other just beside the injured side of his head. So many cats underestimated him. So many cats thought that just because he was a healer, he wasn't strong. So many cats were wrong. Eveningblaze held the spitting cat in place, looking the wound over with a critical eye. The flesh from his left cheek had been ripped away, leaving a gaping hole from his top row of gums to the bottom, all the way back to the muscle near the inner throat. His tongue lolled out the side, and the spray of blood had slown to a steady stream. This was a damned bad wound. And this tom was trying to fight and talk?! Eveningblaze would be having none of it.
"What do you think you're doing, you fool?! Your mate was dead the moment she started kitting. She would never have gotten to meet them. I know the pain of losing a mate. But if Kei hadn't killed her, I would have. She'd lost too much blood. The kits weren't coming correctly. She was suffering from internal bleeding with one paw already in Starclan. If it hadn't been at the jaws of another cat, it would have been by her own body. You need to accept that, instead of attacking the cat who gave her a painless death as opposed to drawing out her pain." he snarled, nearly nose to nose with the tom. His breath smelled like blood and death. The entire den did. "Not everything is about you. Do you really think he would have killed that queen just to get on your poor nerves? Think of your kits, and your son who would have died. Think of them growing up without a father because your idiotic tail decided to attack a tom while bleeding out from the mouth! Think of your clan, unable to be lead by a tom who can't even talk because he tried to jump back in too quickly after undergoing a life threatening injury. Or maybe, think of what will happen to your clan after you die from bloodloss. You don't have nine lives to waste yet. I'm taking you to my den. Now."
Still holding the tom down, Eveningblaze looked back at Kei. The golden tom was now just as splattered as they, with blood on his back and throat from Scorpionstorm and no doubt some from Duskblaze on his stomach. Still, he was the cleanest of them. "You've done your job. Shield the kits while I get this fool out of here" he grunted. Was that the closest thing to a compliment he'd ever given? Praise the stars!
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Post by Kibbles on Sept 29, 2015 17:03:58 GMT
Duskblaze hissed angrily, but didn't fight Eveningblaze as the medicine cat held him down and talked to him. He knew better than to attack a Medicine cat, let alone one as grumpy as this one. Duskblaze would have his ears ripped off by him. Still, when Kei was ordered to protect the kits, he growled.
"Don't you dare go near my kits! Send Snowstorm," he hissed as best as he could. He shoved Eveningblaze off of him and stalked out of the den. He didn't wait to be told what to do. He knew what to do, and he went straight to the Medicine Cat's den, getting horrified looks from his clan as he passed them.
He sat down in the den, where he was alone for the shortest of time. But he sat there with his head low and eyes closed. He could really feel the pain of his wound now. He could feel the stickiness of the blood on his pelt. He wasn't sure what was the worst pain, his heart being broken, or the physical wound his mate had given him. but if she had given him that wound, had she really loved him like he had loved her?
He shook his head. It didn't matter. None of it mattered besides his clan and his kits. And he desperately wanted to check on his kits. He couldn't, though. Not right now.
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Post by Shad on Sept 30, 2015 4:46:22 GMT
Kei "Wouldn't dream of it," the orange tom answered tartly, slowly rising to his paws. "I would go watch the other kits though. Gullkit and Cherrykit do not need the nightmares this place will give them. They can sleep in my nest tonight. Tomorrow something more permanent can be set up, I'm sure."He bowed his head respectfully to Eveningblaze in farewell and went to gather the little ones. Maybe they would all be better off after a rest. Not likely -but maybe. He imagined Petal and the newborn kits would stay the night in the Medicine Den with Duskblaze -who was now storming out. He was behaving more like a kit that needed a cuff on the ears more than a leader -but Kei let the thought go. It would do him no good and only breed malcontent. Kei started to open his mouth, then shut it as Eveningblaze, who was coated ears to tail tip in blood, reached passed him to snatch a tiny, newborn kit from where the others had been licking it clean. Oh dear. One of Dusk's. Well, that could have gone worse. At least it was away from him now before his father noticed and caused yet another scene. The gorey, reaking Medicine Cat then marched off and Kei was left alone with the kits once more. He looked back and met Patchpaw's terrified gaze. And Cherrykit's. Gullkit, incredibly, was fast asleep. "He is upset now, but he will be okay. It only looks bad with the blood," he told them, smiling warmly. He made a pointed look down at himself and laughed. "I guess I look pretty bad too, huh?"Patchpaw gave a short, nervous laugh back but the fear still lurked in her gaze. Kei had an idea of how to change that. He gently bet down so that he was level with the kits. "How would you guys like to spend a night in the Warrior's Den?"Patchpaw's eyes got wide at that. Strictly speaking, there was no reason for her to move. Gullkit and Cherrykit were the only ones that needed to be relocated for the night, but it felt wrong to leave out the sister and force her to sleep on her own in a near-empty den. Patchpaw hastily batted her brother's shoulder and pointed her tail towards the new den, bounding excitedly from paw to paw, her fear temporarily forgotten with this new treat. Cherrykit could not hear him, but Patchpaw seemed to communicate with her brothers well enough. When the young tom seemed less than pleased -Kei understood. He would not like being kicked out of his home either- but Patchpaw's excitement was infectious and difficult to put down, especially when she motioned all three of them. That the three siblings would get to sleep together again, just this once. A special treat. Patchpaw started to bound off, leaving a sleeping Gullkit behind. Kei frowned and started to wake the tom himself when, all on his own, the large grey kit's blue eyes opened sleepily and he looked around, seemingly aware his siblings had moved. It was probably the lack of warmth. Not wanting to be left behind, the tom stumbled groggily to his paws and trotted after the calico. Kei winced when he took in the size of all three cats. Er.... his nest was not quite big enough. Hopefully Turtlefrost (who slept beside him) liked sharing... He took a minute or two to wash off the worst of the blood so as not to disturb anyone but then hurried along after the kits and excited apprentice. When his head finally hit his nest (or the edge of it as most was taken up by visitors), he was out within seconds. It had been a long night, and with the way things looked between him and Marsh Clan's leader, tomorrow was not looking any shorter.
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