Run Away Bravely (Stormwind)

Lionblaze stalked off towards the bushes Dovepaw had pointed out, not answering her question just yet.

Ashfur hopped up into the tree with her, flicking his tail towards the nearby clan camp and giving her a warning look as she growled softly at him. If she tried to hurt him, the whole of Darkclan would know.

Dovepaw nodded, looking confused. “Can’t you hear them?”

Hollyleaf let out a faint growl, glaring at him.

Lionblaze angled his ears towards the spot Dovepaw was indicating, glancing to her to confirm that was the spot she claimed to hear prey in.

Ashfur gave a weary sigh, starting to pad closer to the tree she sat in instead.

Dovepaw tilted her head to the side, listening. While most new apprentices wouldn’t even know what prey sounded like, with her hearing she could hear the entire territory if she tried. “There’s some hiding in the brush deeper into the closer forest.”

Hollyleaf’s lip curled into a faint sneer that he thought she’d obey him.

Lionblaze blinked at Dovepaw, disbelief in his eyes.  No cat can hear that well.  Deciding to test his apprentice’s assertion, he then Mewed “What about prey?  Where are they?”

Ashfur beckoned Hollyleaf down with a wave of his tail, gazing unflinchingly back at the warrior.

Dovepaw barely managed to stop before she bumped into him, looking bewildered. “They’re not any closer than the closest river to us.”

Hollyleaf stared back at him silently, green eyes narrowed.

Lionblaze stopped. He was totally unable to hear any sign of the infected. “...How far away are you thinking, Dovepaw?”

Brackenfur was more than happy to let Ashfur take his place guarding Hollyleaf, glad he could now go rest his weary paws for a little while before his next patrol. Ashfur glanced up at the She-cat with a pretty neutral expression on his face, not showing a hint of his reaction to taking charge of guarding her for the moment.

Dovepaw blinked up at him. “Not nearby,” she said, unaware that her enhanced hearing was abnormal.

Hollyleaf narrowed her eyes at the gray tom warily.

Lionblaze strained his ears as well, turning to his apprentice and slowing down slightly as he turned to Dovepaw. “Can you hear any of them?”

Before long, Ashfur padded up to Brackenfur and started to exchange some words with the tom.

Dovepaw had to trot to keep up with her mento, ears pricked as she listened for any infected. Obviously, she could hear quite a few, but none close enough to worry.

Hollyleaf huffed, ignoring the following Brackenfur, her guard, as she climbed up a tree and settled herself on a branch.

“Just stay quiet,” warned Lionblaze in a low voice, heading a little ways into the territory so they wouldn’t be spotted before heading towards Thunderclan territory.

(BTW, sure on the ashfur idea! He’ll try it now.)

Dovepaw waited for Lionblaze to lead the way, shifting anxiously as she darted her gaze around.

Lionblaze frowned to himself, though he let out a soft sigh of relief when he and his apprentice were able to leap off the log onto the lake shore without being challenged from the camp.

Dovepaw cautiously crossed over the log, though not as warily as she would have had there still been water down there.

(*ponders* Maybe Ashfur raped/tried to rape Hollyleaf when he still thought Squirrelflight was her mother, or he rapes/tries to rape her now)

“Wether you’re meant to be out here or not, the clan still has mouths to feed,” sighed Lionblaze in explanation, having Dovepaw get on the log first so that he could conceal her from view from the camp by walking behind.

Dovepaw hurried after him, looking a mixture of curious and wary. She didn’t think she was supposed to be leaving the camp yet, even with her mentor, but she didn’t mention that.

Lionblaze sighed softly, glancing out over the The nearly empty lake. “Come on,” Mewed The tom, waving his tail for Dovepaw to follow as he started towards the log bridge.

(Lol.

I did say distant. :p)

Dovepaw stopped in front of the tabby tom and blinked her blue eyes up at him guilelessly. She hadn’t really expected him to be amused at her trip-up, the tom having been grim in the entire five days they’d been together.

(I had no idea!  Sorry! [I read that and it took me a good 15 minutes to find where I could accept the request XD]

I don’t want there to be a cure until the very distant future, because once that happens we just have a multi-clan RP, and if we had one of those I’d rather it be with OCs.  I like literally all of those other ideas, though :3 )

Lionblaze would have normally made an amused sound at his apprentice and smiled warmly at her after her little trip up, but the loss of his son had taken a toll on the tom.  Along with that, Rowanclaw had been stirring up trouble with the Darkclan leadership circle as of late.  His question was simple enough: was he still a deputy?  If so, what powers did he have?  It seemed easy, but no two leaders could answer his question the same way, and they bickered among themselves and with Lionblaze frequently on the matter. Some of the other former deputies were starting to wonder as well.

Dovepaw quickly trotted over to her mentor, tripping over a random cat’s tail before catching herself.

(I sent you a friend request a long time ago and you still haven't replied :C

*ponders new things for this* Sometime in the distant future, the Twolegs find a cure and the apocalypse is stopped; some cats might not even go to their original Clans. Closer to now, some cats might get fed up with the way DarkClan is led and leave to reform one of the four Clans. SkyClan coming before the sixth arc (AVoS). Cinderheart/Breezepelt kits before they realize they're in love with each other. Flamepaw somehow becoming important to the Clan's survival. That prophecy Willowshine got ages ago happening. Hm.)

Lionblaze spotted Dovepaw and waved her over quickly, a grim frown on his face.

The Clan had slowly started to recover over the almost moon and a half since the battle but there were still obvious signs in the wreckage of the island and their gloomier attitude. The Clan had lost five cats because the battle, along with Mistystar and Onestar each losing a life. Two of the queens, Honeyfern and Shrewfoot, had been slaughtered by the infected and Whitetail had been killed while trying to protect Barkkit, who had been alone afterwards and no one was near enough to save him. Voletooth died shortly after when his wounds got infected. They had even lost Smoky and Floss just a couple days before when the two had left the island while practically asleep on their paws.

Hollyleaf prowled around the edge of the island, green eyes narrowed as they scanned the dry area surrounding the island; the lake was practically dry by this point. The leaders had ended up deciding that they couldn't afford to confine Hollyleaf to the camp after seeing how easily she had taken down the infected, but she wasn't allowed to go anywhere without at least one cat. Case in point, Brackenfur was currently following her around.

Jayfeather and the rest of the medicine cats had been working their paws off even more lately, especially as Leafpool wasn't able to help them at the moment. She was less than a moon from kitting and her rounded belly often got nasty looks from her Clanmates. No one tried anything, though, well aware that they still needed her skills.

Heathertail had deeply grieved for the loss of her only son and her mother, and she still was. The only things that kept her going were her mate and daughters; Morningkit and Ravenkit didn't quite seem to understand why they would never see their brother again but they did their best to make their parents happy.

Dovepaw searched the camp for her mentor with wide blue eyes, twitching her tail. All training of the apprentices was done on the island and the only reasons they were ever allowed to leave it was for tasks. Even then, they had to have a warrior with them. Absently, she wondered what the dream she'd had the night before meant.

Cinderheart rested her sore paws by laying in the shade of a tree, having already been on two patrols since dawn that day and it wasn't even quite midday yet. Closing her dark blue eyes, she let out a tired sigh. With every cat being as overworked as they were, the shortage of prey, and now the lack of water, she wondered how long they would be able to continute like this.

(Got it)

(Um. Dovekit/paw’s vision which is just a little under a moon and a half from now?)

(Sure. To when?)