Don't Kill the Messenger [Swiftstar & Lionsong]

[nøx]

.. Swiftstar;

The forest was alive with sound. Leaves, twigs, petals, mushrooms and berries were flattened under the merciless sheets of rain that pounded down upon them. Everything seemed wetter here. And darker. Swiftstar and Blueclaw tried to move quickly but it seemed as if the tangle of spongy undergrowth conspired against them. Every tail length of progress was a small victory for the Windclan cats--leader and warrior--and they felt it. For all the noise of the storm battered forest, Swiftstar and Blueclaw were silent, their heavy breath as they ran as fast as they could through the unfamiliar territory the only sound they made.

Swiftstar thought it was strange that he should find himself on this terrible mission. He could think of no elders' story recalled through the ages to draw upon; this had never happened before. Cold-blooded murder was rare enough on its own. All the elements of this murder were what made it unique. Smokestar had been ThunderClan's leader. An unknown cat had murdered him and was running loose through the territories. The murder had happened at a Gathering with no witnesses. And now Swiftstar, leader of another clan, was streaking through rival territory in the heart of night during a StarClan forsaken storm to fetch a patrol for Ivyclaw, soon to be Ivystar, to help her carry the fallen leaders' body home for the last time. If it weren't happening to him right now, Swiftstar might have thought it was just an overgrown elder's tale.

Swiftstar and Blueclaw slowed to a halt as they splashed through a deep puddle overlaying what must be a small clearing, spattering mud left and right.

Swiftstar hissed in annoyance.

"As if I weren't filthy enough already," he growled, flicking mud off his ears and whiskers.

Blueclaw stared at him round-eyed. It was the first word either of them had spoken since leaving Ivyclaw at Fourtrees. Swiftstar stared back. His voice had sounded loud after such a long silence between the two cats. Of course, there was nothing appropriate to say at a time like this.

Swiftstar gave himself a cursory inspection. He was covered in mud, his short fur sticking up every which way like a hedgehog. He was more brown than white. Blueclaw looked no better. His long blue-grey fur was matted to his skinny body. His white paws and muzzle were lost under a coating of mud. Even worse, Swiftstar had lost the faint ThunderClan scent trail he had been following.

' Can this night possibly get any worse? ' he thought grimly.

With a sigh, Swiftstar breathed in deep through his mouth, searching for the trail he had been following. It was gone.

"Surely their camp can't be far," meowed Blueclaw as he looked around the small clearing-turned-lake.

"We'll just keep moving in the same direction. With a bit of luck we'll pick up on the scent once we get back into the undergrowth," Swiftstar meowed.

Shaking out his pelt, the WindClan leader picked up his paws and moved back into the dense forest at a trot with Blueclaw close behind.

A worry gnawed at Swiftstar's belly. Ivyclaw had wanted to stay with Smokestar's body. He couldn't blame her. But the murderer was out there somewhere and she was alone. If anything happened to her, he would feel responsible.

' I should have left a warrior with her, ' Swiftstar thought, too late.

There was nothing for it now but to move faster. Tensing his muscles to run, Swiftstar realized that Blueclaw had stopped.

"I found it," whispered Blueclaw.

"The scent?" Swiftstar asked hopefully.

"No," mewed Blueclaw. "The entrance to their camp."

Following Blueclaw's gaze, Swiftsar spotted it. It was barely visible, even without the torrent of rain. A small opening in the bracken, barely big enough for a warrior to squeeze through.

"Well," Swiftstar said, "it's now or never."

Blueclaw nodded solemnly.

"They're going to be wary. We're here to tell them their leader has been murdered. It's unheard of, Blueclaw. Just stay calm-- don't forget you're WindClan--and let me do the talking," Swiftstar ordered.

' Ferretfang must be worried by now, ' Swiftstar thought as he and Blueclaw pushed through the bracken tunnel of Thunderclan's camp in search of Lionsong.

Me: Swiftstar & Blueclaw [NPC]
You: Lionsong
Word Count: 681

[» robin ♥]

{ l i o n s o n g }

Lionsong was terribly aware of every sound in camp. The quiet rise and fall of his clanmate's chests, cats mewing quiet 'good nights', even wind rustling the leaves. He wasn't tired; something was keeping the warrior awake. With a silent sigh, Lionsong stood up and padded out of the warrior den. If he wasn't going to sleep, he could at least do something useful. Just as Lionsong was about to step out of the shadow of the den, he paused. His deputy was leaving camp, and she seemed rather distressed about it. He had been about to call out to her, but the she-cat left before he had the chance.

With an unsure expression, Lionsong padded to the center of camp. He didn't know what to do, with both the leader and deputy gone. No one was on watch, he noticed that right away. it was then he noticed the rain, the rain that was beginning to pour down harder and harder. His camp was protected from the worst of it thanks to the trees, but it was enough to make Lionsong uncomfortable. He retreated to an overhang; water droplets fell from the edge, creating a thin wall of water.

He laid down, placing his chin in his paws as he scanned the camp. Lionsong still wasn't sleepy, but his body was exhausted. The warrior didn't even know why; he hadn't done much today, with the gathering and all. His thoughts began to fade back to the gathering. It had been pretty uneventful. All the leaders seemed to have reported deaths from the harsh leafbare, same as his leader. It had been a quiet Gathering, too. Lionsong hadn't spoken once, not that that was anything new.

Something just outside the camp caught Lionsong's attention. He blinked then shook his head, thinking it was just that he beginning to tire. However, his suspicions were confirmed--two cats walked straight into camp. Lionsong jumped to his feet and bristled. Quickly, he made his way over to the unsure cats, his lip pulled back viciously. How dare these WindClan cats invade ThunderClan's camp? A low growl erupted from his throat as he glared at them, his amber eyes exploding with anger. The one thing he wouldn't let happen was for his Clan to be atta--

Wait a second. Lionsong took a step back, confusion swimming in his eyes. This was the WindClan leader. No leader would be the first to enter a camp in battle. He quickly realized that this wasn't going to result in a fight, unless he started it. Lionsong, however, was still skeptical. Just why were they in ThunderClan territory, and where were Ivyclaw and Smokestar?

"J-just what do you t-think you're doing?" Lionsong stuttered, with an edge to his voice. Silently, he cursed himself. Why did he have to stutter, especially in front of another Clan? He dismissed his little self-loathing and focused his full attention on the intruders.