Arrival of the Patrol

As the sun was nearly set, Cunningheart, the only female Warrior of Abyssclan, padded into Abyssclan camp.
She had won the race against the other Warriors, naturally, but Bitter had surprised everyone in the final run.
"Interesting to be back," the she-cat flicked a bit of dirt from her claw - she'd run through a patch of mud on the way up but hadn't stopped, the living tank she was - and surveyed the camp.
Where was everyone? It was nearly moonrise and it didn't look like anyone cared about the Gathering.

Bitter padded in near Cunningheart, heart still racing. Instead of heading to the Mender's den like he'd been thinking about on the way back, he followed the she-cat's gaze around the camp.
Things were... Different. He sniffed the air. "Honeyfern and rose juice?"
Cunningheart nodded, looking with dark eyes. "Burial herbs."
There, in the middle of the camp, lay many bodies.

Coming in behind the Warriors, Fire looked into the camp.
He was too late!
"Oh, no." It was now that the wild energy from the races drained from his blood in a matter of moments. They were all too tired to stop a rebellion now - what would become of them?

Meanwhile...

Despairingcall started from his trance-like state.
"It's begun," he whispered. "The moon will bring the king."

Razorclaw was being himself, making soft crude jokes and just laughing his cold laugh, Snarlgag chuckling now and then with him - but they both halted when they beheld the sight the clearing of their home brought to them.
"...Viletongue?"
Hadn't the tom been walking next to them only moments ago? Insulting someone's mother, the other Clans, sticking out his ragged tongue when he needed to pause in his speaking? But there his body lay! put next to Deadwhisker, Shadesun, Woebringer!
"How?" Razorclaw said in such a soft voice that it could have sliced the air itself. "He was with us the whole time."
"No he wasn't," Snarlgag mewed quietly. "He came out of the forest, remember?... Must have been dead before even then."
Razorclaw took in a deep breath then picked his way around the many bodies that lay in the clearing - even the Mender? - and, in a fashion that was quite unlike him, put his nose to his friend's fur.
Snarlgag, however, was bristling in rage and sadness. "Who did this," he yowled to the silent camp. "WHO!?!?! Who is responsible for the fall of my brethren? Face me so I may treat you as such!"

From the Servant's Den, Charmless peeked out. "They're back," she whispered to the others that were there - Luckless, Hopeless, Dauntless, Grace, and even Paleclaw. Where Sinface and Boneless had gone, no one knew, but they had taken Shadowstar's body with them.

OOC: My charrie - I decide who takes his body. And I remembered Viletongue was killed in the camp with the others - GAAAAAAAAH!
Though, perfect time for a ghost - WHOOOO.

OOC: Nice - ghosty ghost ghost.

IC: Grace looked at the others - they had come in here to rest, habit overriding the fact that they were free - wondering what was going to happen next.
"Okay... we didn't plan for this part, right," mewed Dauntless nervously. Grace looked at her then out of the den to the patrol.
"Well... maybe we could take them - they look weary."
Dauntless gulped while she looked at Cunningheart.

Meanhwhile...

"Huh. This could get interesting." Soulvoider rolled his stiff shoulders a bit, standing up and lashing his tail once, twice.

Tigerfrost snapped out of his stock-still pose and began to pace around the camp.
"Is there anyone here," he snarled.

Paleclaw had gone into the Servant's Den to try to talk to the Servants, trying to find out exactly why they had done and planned all of ... THIS. Hopeless had spoken of it in all of her obvious insanity, and now he sort of understood it but he knew she really wasn't the cause of all of it. Paleclaw wanted to talk to whoever that was and ask them how exactly they planned to liberate the Clan by breaking the true line of kings - sure, there were contenders, and drastic measures could be taken of course, but it would never take without a strong support system.
Now he heard the calls of the Warriors, he stood. Someone had to do something.
"I have to find Despairingcall," he mewed. "No point in stopping me, really." That being said, he padded out.

"Tigerfrost," Paleclaw called to the young Warrior.
Tigerfrost whirled around, relief flooding through him. "Oh, thank Those Above, Paleclaw! For a moment I thought everyone had been killed -" The relief in his eyes was quickly replaced by determination as an Abyssclannian would. "No one can take all of Abyssclan. No, not until we're avenged."
Paleclaw sighed, dipping his head to Cunningheart. "Everyone - this wasn't an attack from outside of our Clan."
Cunningheart looked at the smaller tom, her ears flattening in unhappy surprise - with a gleam of knowing in her amber eyes.
"Then who, Paleclaw." It was more of a statement then a question.
The pale tom clawed the ground, glancing back to the Servant's Den.

Hopeless glared out from the den. "Nothing happened!" She snarled, strutting out of the den. "Nothing but the cry of freedom and the victory of the oppressed! Now that the great have fallen," she whapped Bitter with her tail, whisper hissing, "Where were you, Choosing!", then turned back to the Warriors, "I shall take my rightful place as leader."
Bitter, Cunningheart, Paleclaw, and Tigerfrost stared at her.

Meanwhile...

Searingeyes just stared at the ceiling, the glow from his eyes flickering out as he said, "O-kaaaay." The glow returned as he mewed, "Our time is coming."

OOC: I swear I JUST posted this... and it sounded a lot better.

Snarlgag's eyes narrowed and he was the first to move. "A Servant, huh? I've been wanting to kill you for a long time," she was a manipulative little thing (OOC: She was, check the old site), "prepare yourself."
Razorclaw glared at her from behind his large friend, hissing at her.

Luckless peeked out at the action occurring, "Uh-oh!" She pelted out of the Servant's den - somewhat awkwardly since she was still wearing the dog-tooth claws - and bowled into Snarlgag.
Snarlgag nearly stumbled sheerly from the shock of a Servant attacking a Warrior, but just moved with the hit, sending the she-cat to the ground.
It looked as though Snarlgag might claw her, or even Razorclaw might have, so Charmless decided to join the fray. She ran out of the den and leaped onto Razorclaw's back, sending him stumbling into Snarlgag and away from her friends.

Grace just looked out of the den, wondering just what was going to be the end of all of this.

Dauntless, however, was all for joining in. She let out a wild yowl and rushed at Paleclaw - he was the smallest of the group, barring the Choosings - even though she had little idea as to what she was doing! Sure, she'd gotten some battle training with the other Servants, but it was now that she realized that it was nowhere near enough to take Warriors out in single combat!
But she would try.

Bitter hissed as he jumped to avoid being crushed by a falling two Warriors.

Tigerfrost snarled and batted Charmless off of Razorclaw, then kicking her away (OOC: I have permission) so he could round on a yowling Hopeless.

Cunningheart was somewhat amused by the events occurring - she padded forward to bat away a careening Dauntless, lightly scoring her face with her claws.

Bitter turned to Fire and said quite calmly, "What the hell haven't you told us?"

Paleclaw looked at the attacking Servants and was unimpressed.

Fire backed into the bushes a bit then mewed, "They poisoned the Warriors."

OOC: Yes, yes she does. Tit for tat, all of that.

IC: Razorclaw found himself flattened on the ground by Snarlgag - but he managed to bite Hopeless's tail quite hard.
Snarlgag hissed as he got to his paws and he boxed Luckless to the ground. He made sure the Servants were down then yowled, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?!?!?" He whirled to face Hopeless,
"Servants poisoning Warriors? Killing the King?" He hadn't seen the body but he figured it was safe to assume the worst. "I mean, it was a clever plan and I commend you for it - which is saying a lot - but you," he meant Hopeless even though he was speaking to the whole of the Clan -or what was left of it - "You, bat-sh!t crazy she-cat, cannot lead this Clan! Firstly, you're bat-sh!t crazy. Secondly, it's common fact that it's the eldest son of the eldest son -and so forth - of Scourge that leads the Clan. Thirdly, and most importantly, while your plan really was clever, frankly you're all wimps. Every single one of you. None of you have what it takes to defend a patch of grass, much less an entire Clan!" The tom sighed. "Just... what was the point of all this, anyways? Did you think any further than the poison?" He laughed hollowly - he really didn't want to get into a fight. He'd just lost one of his best friends and he was weary from the races. "I think not - you were all hiding in the Servant's Den, defenseless(!). If you were wounded," his tail flicked towards the body of Bloodclaw, "If you needed a strategist," flick to Woebringer, "A smooth-talker." He looked at Viletongue sadly - when he looked back he was cold. "You're all fools."
Razorclaw chose now to speak.
"...Who will be King now?"

From the ground, or sitting, Charmless and Luckless were listening with wide eyes and pursed mouths.
"We didn't think about any of that," whispered Charmless.
Snarlgag looked at her. "I know." He looked to Razorclaw and mewed, "Could be any of us."

Cunningheart scoffed. "Any one of us? As in a battle of strength, of claw and fang?" She'd win, paws down.
Her paws clacked as she rolled her shoulders - sure, she was thinking about her dead Clanmates that were everywhere - but let's face it, they were Abyssclannian.
Death via fellow Abyssclannian was the favored brand of death amongst their kind, Servant or no. Besides, there were more important things to consider now, obviously.

Paleclaw looked at the massive she-cat and mewed, "Try to be more creative, Cunningheart."
The she-cat looked back and him and snarled. "Oh, and you'd make a better leader?"
Paleclaw flattened his ears, "Better than any she-rat!"
The she-cat looked at him cooly and mewed, "This coming from the bastard-heir." He was the son of Shadowstar's sister, therefore ineligible for the throne. Paleclaw hissed and swiped his tail, judging the distance between him and the monster cat.
"You don't want to do that, you know," she mewed in a teacher-voice.
Tigerfrost was watching both of them with great interest, eyes wide.
Cunningheart suddenly flashed her claws out, Paleclaw leaped back. He growled low in his throat, tail whipping around. He leaped at her, paws ready to bash her head to the ground. The she-cat dropped and rolled, throwing off Paleclaw's timing, he hitting the ground awkwardly. Cunningheart was standing in a moment and kicking back at the tom, connecting with his jaw and throwing him back, claws scoring his throat.
Paleclaw yowled in defiance and rushed forward, managing to latch onto the side of Cunningheart's head. The she-cat returned the favor by digging reinforced claws into the tom's shoulder and throwing herself to the ground, Paleclaw on the underside of her. The tom screamed as two of his clean teeth snapped on impact and let go, enraged.
The two were back on their paws, glaring at each other and growling and spitting, tails like whips. Paleclaw lunged forward and swiped at her paws - but he was too far away, his reach too short, and Cunningheart smacked his paw to the ground, nailing it to the ground with her claws.
The tom howled as his paw was impaled, whining and hissing as he crouched, admitting defeat.

"I have your teeth," she snarled in his ear as she yanked her reinforced claws out of his paw.
Paleclaw spat out of anger and blood, but was out for the count.
Tigerfrost gave a mocking purr at Paleclaw's defeat but froze as he caught his former mentor's dark gaze. He dipped his head quickly, averting his gaze.

Hopeless was angrier than she'd ever been. "Like I'd allow a Warrior to lead this Clan!?!?!?"
Cunningheart turned on her but the Servant was too mad to realize impending doom.

Luckless and Charmless felt the fires of battle flare back up and they rushed to stand between the she-Warrior and the mad Servant, fur bristling and mouths spitting.
Razorclaw didn't care about the Servants in this moment - he wanted to lead the Clan! The idea, opportunity, all of that had never come up in the history of Abyssclan. He felt the desire stronger than all others. Razorclaw cared more about being King than he did the death of the Clans, his Claws, or his life.
The gray tom attacked Cunningheart. No boxing or formalities, just attacked her from the side.

Snarlgag watched the carnage unfold. Sure, he wanted to be leader as much as the rest of them.
Let them kill each other and I'll be the leader of a bone pile(!).

OOC: Funny how the Warriors are just a part of their own little world, right?

Sinface padded out of the Leader's Den. He and Boneless had been preparing Shadowstar's body for burial in the only way Sinface knew - clean the body, apply burial herbs, and remove the claws (he'd never heard of a leader being buried with ceremonial claws before - they were passed down).
But what he came to face in the clearing was the last thing he expected. The skies darkened by the looming storm, the trees beginning to whip back and foth', and the Warriors from the patrol appearing to fight to the death!?!
Dauntless was lurking at the edge of the clearing and spotted the Warrior. "Sinface!" She ran up to him and greeted him with a relieved mew.
"What's going on," he demanded.
Dauntless cowered at his tone and mewed, "Snarlgag said any one of us could be leader since there's no heir - we have no heir! No King! What were we thinking? It's all for nothing! Abyssclan is running to it's ruin - TODAY!" The she-cat began to moan low in her throat.
Sinface's ears twitched in irritation and worry. Well, it's not like I planned or anything - how the hell am I supposed to become King if I have no one to back me up? The heir to Abyssclan sighed. The other Warriors were in full battle mode. "If I were to announce myself," he murmured, "They'd be on me in moments."
The carnage continued.
"How are the Servants faring?"
Dauntless' ears pricked in surprise. "Oh. Uh..." She pointed to the three who were facing the Warriors. "Grace is in the den, I'm here - but where's Boneless?"
Sinface pointed to the Mender's Den. "I think she's looking for honey, but I'm not sure."

Fire was listening to Dauntless and Sinface. Sinface was in on it, too?
"Huh..." It was like all of his ideals were being turned on end - he could see now that his ambitions were not his, but Shadesun's. What do I want to do? The young tom wasn't too sure what he wanted to do with his future.
But he knew what he wanted now. I want to go home.
Sure, his Abyssclannian side screamed for him not to, that he was so close to becoming a Warrior - but the City was calling.
The orange tom turned to the West, and ran.

OOC: He's gone.

IC: Boneless was in the storage. She wasn't looking for anything, just taking a rest. She'd been on her paws all day and was exhausted - also, she didn't want to get caught up in the insanity that was occurring on the surface.

OOC: Hey, I went back to to the old site - Meany, you wrote Snarlgag as Woebringer's BROTHER.

Meanwhile...

Searingeyes stood. "Let's go." He padded towards the exit to the den and the entrance to the Clan.

Cunningheart snarled as Razorclaw's claws ripped her side and turned to attempt to bite his face off.

Meanwhile, Paleclaw was slithering off back to the Warrior's den, neck bleeding and front right paw utterly useless.

Bitter hissed at Hopeless and snapped at her - officially, no one like her anymore (not that they did in the first place).
The she-cat responded by suddenly attacking the Choosing.
Bitter was no cold fish when it came to fighting even if he was training to be a Mender, but the she-cat beat him in crazy points and size.
This would take a short while.

Soulvoider followed Searingeyes to the exit.

OOC: We really don't play these guys often enough.

Razorclaw snarled and jerked his head away, boxing at her face - so much for close combat.

OOC: @LS: *facepalm*

Searingeyes, now on the surface after a long time of lurking under the ground in the dark, surveyed the camp.
Blood and clumped fur was spattered everywhere, the scent of death and herbs heavier than the scent of the coming rains. Any light there was was just about gone but that didn't seem to be deterring the fighting, screaming Warriors of Abyssclan - or those that remained, anyways.

Tigerfrost, still not participating in the fights, saw Searingeyes. The two's eyes met and Tigerfrost was suddenly gripped by the memory of Searingeyes looking at him oddly for a long, cold moment then looking away.
He said something then, he thought, What did he say!?!? It was so long ago, the tom couldn't remember. All that lived in his mind these days was the will to serve, patrols, Cunningheart, and enemies.
There's something... missing?
Admittedly, there were times he dreamed of the City. He'd never been there - but he knew it by heart.

Searingeyes's golden eyes bored into Tigerfrost's pale ones, knowing his destiny and where his life would lead him to.
But he had a job to do. Prophesying could wait.
"Shut up." His voice was slow and still, but everyone heard it like a crack of lightening.
Cunningheart froze mid-bite, releasing Razorclaw.
Paleclaw looked out of the Warrior's den, thoughts paused.
Bitter looked away from Hopeless (who he'd nearly pinned).
Hopeless was still fuming and foaming, but she grudgingly looked at the Powerful.

Razorclaw slid off of Cunningheart to look at the Powerfuls.

Snarlgag lazily looked.

The Servants cowered as they looked at the Powerfuls - oh, they most certainly weren't thinking of them in the grand scheme of things.

Searingeyes looked at each and every one of them then mewed, "Sinface will be the new King of Abyssclan."

Cunningheart loved Searingeyes. Straight up, she loved him. She believed most things he said. But now?
"Searingeyes," she chuckled, "I think there's bees in your brain."

Hopeless's eyes narrowed at the Powerful, then her hateful glare was turned to Sinface.
"He only wanted to be Leader!?!?" So that's why he was helping them! "Traitor."

Switchblade mewed quite suddenly ," He's no traitor, There is good reason for what was said."
He looked quite furious for a moment as few eyes looked the small tom up and down, he suddenly wanted to cower but his vaulting respect for the Powerfuls, caused his sudden outburst of courage.
Though as he has said it, a crack of lighting shot down from the sky and the omnious clouds rumbled; promising future rain.
In the sky were oddly black clouds, he couldn't remember seeing them but for in his dreams...
As they waited, the deathly clouds grew closer and an oddly familiar scent had suddenly came to greet his noes.
He lifted his muzzle up; fire?

Razorclaw wanted to hiss, snarl that Searingeyes was very wrong - but he was a Powerful.
"You must be mistaken," mewing that politely was like swallowing twigs. "He's... a blue."
Snarlgag nodded - but it was now that he really looked Sinface in the eyes. There's only a single other tom with blue eyes in this Clan. The tom sighed. He wasn't as old as Shadowstar had been (nearing ten years!), but he knew that Shadowstar had been rumored to have a mate - No, I'm wrong. Let them fight, I'll be King of the bone pile!

Charmless looked at the similarly disfigured tom, shock showing in her single eye. "Is this the only reason you helped us," she whispered.

Sinface, having padded further into the clearing (much to his discomfort - all the cats looked like they wanted him dead, only the Powerfuls holding them back - and the Powerfuls were frightening enough), looked at Charmless and mewed,
"I did this for my brother. Shadowstar didn't tell me who I was until recently..."
Dauntless looked surprised, but it turned to distrust. "Just who are you, Sinface?"
I know who I am now. "I am Sinface, eldest son of Shadowstar and direct heir - my brother, Loveless, is the Prince of Abyssclan."

Luckless clawed the ground. " The we have exchanged one tyrant for another! And it was all through one of our own," she hissed the last words. She crouched and growled at Sinface, tail lashing, but did nothing. The Powerfuls obviously had control over the situation.
Charmless shuffled in place nervously - SInface had killed the previous King, sooo...

Razorclaw hissed long and harshly at Sinface but looked to the Powerfuls for confirmation.

"But Sinface can't be King!" burst out Tigerfrost, "It should be Cunningheart! Where is Shadowstar, anyways?"

Hopeless giggled, "I had the Warrior kill him, of course. Clever me." That sentence is what doomed Hopeless "chance for leadership" permanently.

While Cunningheart enjoyed the support from the few that gave it, Sinface was one for two in the eligibility race. She looked at her former lover and mewed, "Well? Is he?"
Searingeyes nodded curtly. "Sinface is the heir, Abyssclannians. He succeeds Shadowstar - that's all there is to it."
Cunningheart sighed. She turned to Sinface and bowed shortly.
Paleclaw looked at Sinface in surprise - he had more kin in this Clan? "Geez." That was a long hiss.
"What now, King Sinface? Gonna kill the Servants?"

The Powerfuls stood by, looking as ominous as ever - everyone sort of wished they'd go away. It was unsettling to have them there.