where . did . she . go?! [Clan plot]

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

   

    She was gone! Ivypaw paced restlessly in a secluded corner of camp, her paws all but wearing a track in the dusty ground. That elder, that stupid, useless blind lump of fur that served as one of her Clanmates, Morningfrost was gone. How was that even possible? The thing was so frail and pitiful that she couldn't even make dirt by herself, let alone sneak off for an adventure like a kit. Yet she had disappeared completely; it had been days since any cat could remember seeing her, and so far all of the search patrols had come back with nothing to show for their inadequate efforts. No pawprint or whiff of scent, not even a clue as to where she had gone. She snarled. It was like she had disappeared off the face of the earth!

    Her concern was not that of a sister, of a littermate. In fact, Ivypaw would be pleased to find out that the young elder was wandering alone somewhere, afraid and miserable. Her hatred of Morningfrost ran that deep. But never would she wish death upon her sister, even if she herself was bleeding in the dirt. Never would Ivypaw wish for her the release of death, for then she would be beyond her reach, beyond the constraints of her blindness and her frail body. And if Morningfrost were to die, then she would be together with Cloudpaw, and that of all things the apprentice would never, ever allow. He should have been mine. He should have lived!

    Ivypaw composed herself with an effort. Morningfrost had to be found, no matter what. If Ravenstar and the warriors couldn't manage it, then it was up to her to find and bring back her sister. She needed help, though, because it was impossible to know what she might find while she was looking. Slipping through the shelter of the gorse at the edge of camp, protected by deep shade cast by the young dawn sun, the apprentice slipped back into the den that she shared with several other cats--and proceeded to prod the ones nearest to her with an impatient paw, her voice hissing in the darkness. "I need to find Morningfrost," she said roughly, urgency in her low voice. "She could be anywhere, and none of the warriors can find her. Wake up!"

---

Hello WindClanners, and welcome to WindClan's first official Clan plot thread. Events that take place here are for the most part irrelevant outside of WindClan, and will reach a concise conclusion by the thread's end. Keep an eye out for posts by your friendly WindClan admin (namely me) to keep abreast of what's going on.

For those of you who have not been keeping up with Alfa's creepyness, our favorite pedo-cat has kidnapped Morningfrost, the youngest elder in the forest, and she has been missing for days. Any apprentice is welcome to join in and help Ivypaw search for clues, although whether or not any will be found remains to be seen... The setting starts in camp, but I placed it in this board since everyone will be leaving camp soon anyway.

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The dawn was new in the air when Breezepaw was prodded awake by some mystery cat standing in the entrance to the apprentice den. "Wake up!" a voice was hissing, and as the little lynx-point she-cat blinked sleep from her eyes, she realized it was Ivypaw who was poking at them and growling at them to get up. "I need to find Morningfrost! She could be anywhere, and none of the warriors can find her!" the younger apprentice said.

That's right -- Ivypaw was Morningfrost's sister. Breezepaw had been quite worried for the past few days, since everyone realized that the young elder was missing. It was bad enough for a nine moon old cat to be alone and lost somewhere out there, but not only was Morningfrost young, she was blind and partially deaf. A few of the other apprentices were starting to stir now as well.

Now, Breezepaw wasn't mousebrained. She knew just as well as anyone else that Ivypaw was not that fond of Morningfrost, and that most of the time, the tabby-and-white apprentice couldn't care less about whatever happened to her sister. Nevertheless, Breezepaw always liked to believe the best about others, and it was much easier for her to think that, now Morningfrost was in trouble, Ivypaw had gotten over her resentment of her sister and was going out to look for her out of some sisterly love.

She was, of course, eager for someone to find Morningfrost. The poor thing must be so scared, wherever she was, and Breezepaw only hoped no serious harm had come to her. How had she managed to get lost in the first place? The apprentice wondered vaguely, but, well, that wasn't really important as long as they found her, right? That said, if the warriors couldn't find her, how could they be of any help? They were just warriors-in-training...

Still, Breezepaw couldn't pass up the opportunity to help someone in need.

"I'm awake," she said, getting to her paws and shaking moss from her fur. If they all helped, maybe they'd have a chance at finding Morningfrost; now it just remained to be seen whether any of the other apprentices would join in the search party.

[/justify]

[Amber]

The world between sleep and being awake was such a nice place to be. In the world of dreams, anything was possible. You could catch the biggest mouse the forest had ever seen, or you could fight with the most powerful warrior and win. This would be fine and dandy for most cats, but for one young apprentice, this is what she would have been dreaming about if her life was not all screwed up. No, this apprentice was dreaming about days in the past, a past not too far from the present, but far enough to have her life flipped upside down. This dream was four, possibly five moons in the past, when Ripplepaw was Ripplekit. She couldn't have been more than four moons old at the time, and was the center of her family's world.

"Ripplekit, come on I'll show you how to do a hunting crouch!" a familiar voice called the young kit. It was a voice she longed to hear, one that had become almost stale to her in the past moon. Ripplekit's bright blue eyes shone with excitement as she saw her visitor. Her big brother had come to play with her! He must be done with his patrol if he was coming to play. Maybe he brought her something fun. Grinning widely, the little kit ran to Thistlefrost's side, bouncing up and down excitedly. Laughing, the warrior put his paw on his sister to attempt to calm her down. Ripplekit purred and prodded at him with her paw, and he quickly returned the prodding...

It was then that she felt similar prodding in her side. Her blue eyes blinked open as she, for a slight moment, thought it was Thistlefrost. When that thought was quickly diminished, the white and brown patched apprentice sighed. So much for her dream. It was Ivypaw that had prodded her, not her brother. And here she had gotten all excited over nothing. Rising to her paws, she shook the dirt from her pelt and sighed, contemplating what she should do.

Now here was a cat who she actually could relate with. Ivypaw and her sister didn't really get along, and with the recent events happening neither did Ripplepaw and her brother. Maybe the older apprentice could give some advice? Listening to what Ivypaw had to say, she blinked at the thought. Why should she care? Why should Ivypaw care, didn't they not get along? Realizing something deeper must be the problem, why else would Ivypaw want help, she opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by another apprentice stirring, Breezepaw. So it looked like Ivypaw had help, and from the sound of it needed more than one apprentice.

Taking a few moments to just stare at the she-cat, Ripplepaw had made her decision. "I'll help." she mewed softly. She just didn't know how she could help. She was pretty much useless. Her brother refused to train her, so how could she keep up with the older apprentices? "Or well, I'll try to help if you want me to." she added quickly.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

    Ivypaw waited impatiently for some of the other apprentices to rouse and speak. She didn't need the entire den, just one or two to help her search. After all, she wasn't an idiot, and knew that she couldn't expect to be able to get anything done by herself. Still though, it was hard not to growl and hiss under her breath at the delay. She needed to be moving, right now, she needed to move now. Instead, the she-cat kneaded the moss beneath her with her claws and swung hot, feverish eyes in Breezepaw's direction. An older apprentice. Good, she might know something useful. She didn't like Breezepaw that much, finding her foolish and not worth paying attention to, but didn't deny that the light-coloured she-cat had two moons more experience than she did. Ivypaw nodded curtly.

    Ripplepaw, a cat only one moon younger than she was, got up too. Since the smaller cat seemed willing to help, Ivypaw decided that three apprentices would be plenty to search the moors, and looked both females over one last time before jerking her head rapidly towards the den's exit. "Come on, then," she rasped, "let's go. I don't want to be seen by any warriors..." The muscular she-cat pushed her way out of the gloomy tangle of brush quickly, slipping into the dawn's grey light and looking around furtively as she led the way out of camp. Out on the moors they would be easy to spot, but if any warriors were to ask them what their purpose was, she was determined to convince them with some lie so that they would leave the group in peace.

    I have to find Morningfrost, Ivypaw thought grimly to herself. I have to bring her back alive. She won't be free that easily... The apprentice led on, absorbed by her task and her thoughts, and paying little attention to the other two cats as she walked along. Yet her eyes, as they flicked along the grasses and hills, were keen and sharp. Each breath was deep and careful, to better examine the scents of the air before she released them once more. There had to be some clue, something... "Ripplepaw, Breezepaw," she said suddenly, as if only just remembering their presence. "We should spread out a bit, to cover more ground. Tell me if you find anything..." She didn't know exactly what they would be looking for, but obviously they would know it when they saw it. There must be some important piece of information in their territory that the rest of their Clan had missed.

[Amber]

It felt good to know that someone was actually allowing her to come along with them to do something. Maybe it was because Ivypaw was desperate, either that or felt sorry for Ripplepaw. Whatever the reasoning, she didn't care. It would do her some good to get out of the den and do something other than sulk around. Nodding she got on her paws and shook off her pelt.

So this was some sort of secret mission? It had to be if Ivypaw didn't want the other warriors to know. It also meant they could get into serious trouble for going out of camp without telling anyone. Ripplepaw managed a small grin at this. Maybe going somewhere that wasn't training related would get her noticed by her brother. And if she got into trouble, it really didn't matter. It's not like her life could be any worse than it already was.

Whatever the thoughts running through her mind would have to be put on hold. When Ivypaw left, Ripplepaw followed close behind. It seemed as if Ivypaw was distracted as they traveled, though it didn't bother this apprentice at all. Ripplepaw wasn't really one for much conversation lately, so silence was fine with her, she just continued to follow the older apprentice.

When it was acknowledged that she and Breezepaw were there she listened. They were going to spread out? Well that made the most sense, but really, giving her such a task, this would be a challenge. "Should we be looking for anything specific, or are we just going to search for anything?" Ripplepaw questioned.

[Yoko]

Dreams of glory. Not an apprentice but a tall and slim warrior that all the kits danced around. His every movement praised, his hunting never failed, and battles were bloodless and skilled. This was perfection. He was the great warrior his parents wanted him to be. With a smile in he rolled contently onto his side, before feeling a sharp prod in in it.

Not feeling at all threatened, he yawned and half-opened his eyes to see Ivypaw. Outside the sky was dark, and although he wasn't at all upset at being woken up early, he was confused as to why an apprentice was waking him like this.

At the mention of Morningfrost, Britlepaw sat back on his haunches and thought hard. When was the last time he had seen her? Not in a while...Even when he was visiting Nightpelt and Mudpelt...did they even mention she was gone? Still confused, he followed Ivypaw on her search to find her sister. His heart jumped a little as he realized that Ripplepaw was coming too. Even when ordered to spread out he moved in her general direction, sniffing the ground and looking at it for clues as to where Morningfrost had gone.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

The morning was still new, enough so that the sun was a mere half-orb in a watery-blue sky, and dew still glistened wetly on the heather as the small group of apprentices fanned out across the moor. Ivypaw's senses were strung up like taught wires, ready to go off at the slightest hint of another cat, be it WindClan or otherwise. The dampness of dew on her legs and flanks was disregarded; pebbles and grit that became caught in her pads received not a blink from her. Her attentions were focused elsewhere, on the sister whom she had so carelessly lost, and who had vanished so completely despite being blind and crippled.

How could she have gone anywhere, in the state that she was in? Some cat must have helped her, and yet no one in the Clan would admit to knowing anything about her disappearance. There was no one in WindClan who bore Morningfrost ill-will--no, the only one who hated the pitiful creature was Ivypaw, who was just as ignorant of the elder's disappearance as any other cat. A cool breeze rolled across the heather, and she drew in a breath carefully, willing her sister's scent to be mixed in with the gust. But there was nothing, nothing but stale WindClan scents and the smell of rabbit and plant-life. There was no sign of Morningfrost here.

They would have to move closer to the border, perhaps even beyond it. No cat would expect the small she-cat to make it far, so perhaps the edges of WindClan's lands had not been combed thoroughly. None of her companions had found anything yet, or they would have said something. The currs were still meandering aimlessly around, however, so she called out to them to make sure they were still following. "We're going to look farther," she meowed, her voice flat and hard like lifeless stone. "Keep an eye out for anything odd as we're moving."

ooc: The cats now head toward the thunderpath, where it is possible a that Morningfrost might have wandered, unable to hear or see it in the storm. Feel free to find random interesting bits of info or do other things, however, Alfa and Morningfrost didn't actually come this way, so there are no traces of them here.

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Ivypaw had suggested that they spread out, to cover more ground in their search for Morningfrost or any signs of her presence. It was a good idea, Breezepaw agreed, so she and Ripplepaw went along with the plan, the three young she-cats heading off in slightly different directions and looking for clues. Bristlepaw came to join them, too, wandering in Ripplepaw's general direction, so Breezepaw went the other way.

She had volunteered for this, and she was taking it quite seriously. Maybe she didn't know Morningfrost that well, but Breezepaw had always thought she seemed nice, and it was horrible that she had just gone missing like this. The warriors were out looking for her, Breezepaw knew, and they had more experience, of course, but then again, Morningfrost was blind and deaf in one ear -- she wasn't considered very valuable to the Clan. They probably weren't looking for her as avidly as they would search for, say, a promising apprentice or a beloved warrior.

But that was so wrong! Everyone was worthwhile. Everyone deserved somebody who would really look for them if they disappeared, and for the right reasons.

If Ivypaw didn't care about her sister, then Breezepaw would.

They started moving farther, approaching the Thunderpath, and the gray and brown she-cat continued to keep an eye out for anything unusual. But aside from a few tracks in the grass that were most likely left by rabbits or some other small prey, there was nothing that would point to Morningfrost having come this way. That was disappointing, but at least it meant that the poor lost thing hadn't accidentally wandered onto the Thunderpath in the rain and been hit by a passing monster.

Breezepaw liked this part of WindClan territory herself; there were pretty rocks lying around sometimes, or brightly-colored feathers on the ground. But there would be time to gather trinkets for her collection some other time, when Morningfrost had been found.

[Sydney]

[/center]

Strangely enough, while most cats would find their warrior ceremony bringing them more work and responsibilities, Thymenose had actually found himself with more spare time. No one asked him to go on patrols, (not that he minded- okay, he kind of did), his mentor was always busy... The other apprentices never liked to play with him, other then Breezepaw but, she had apprentice things to do, like training or helping the elders! So, to occupy himself, Thymenose resorted to doing what he did all the time... chasing beetles. He had found a really pretty one today, red with black spots, and he had chased it all the way to the thunderpath.

Actually, he chased it across the thunderpath, and somehow, during the chase had gotten his brain all fuddled up. In Thymenose's head, now, the side of the thunderpath near highstones was WindClan territory... And WindClan territory was now neutral territory. Don't ask how it happened but, it did.

So, frolicking through the tall grass on the neutral side of the thunderpath, the little brown and white tom looked out for the spotted beetle he had chased. He had seen it here earlier... Oh where had it gone?!

Huffing, the lanky tom plopped down on his haunches, tail twisting back and forth. Across the thunderpath, (which was oddly silent), he could hear the whispers of others. Gasping, (intruders?! Another Clan patrol, going to highstones?!), the tom pressed his ears back against his head and slithered through the grass towards the thunderpath.

If he could spy on them- ohhh, Ravenstar would be so proud! He'd praise him!

Wait.. that wasn't...

”Breezepaw!” Leaping up off his belly, the tom cocked his head and stared at the group of apprentices across the thunderpath. ”What are you guys doing over there?! You're gonna get in trouble!”[/ul][/color][/blockquote]

[Amber]

Well at least a friendly face had decided to join the expedition. Though as they spread out, she was separated from her friend. That was fine with her, she was used to being alone by now. Though she still had a feeling deep inside of her that she was being followed. Maybe she was just being paranoid. That had to be it. Shrugging, Ripplepaw continued on her way. If something wanted to stalk her, feel free. Though the sense of it possibly being a warrior that had found them out was looming in the back of her mind. Well this was pointless. She wasn't any help whatsoever, how could she track something when she had no clue how? It wasn't like she had someone to show her.

Now they were looking further out? Well this would be better than what she would normally be doing, absolutely nothing. So why not? Forget getting in trouble, if they succeeded it would be worth it. As they spread out once again, Ripplepaw recognized her surroundings. They were close to the Thunderpath. But what was that?

Crouching down low, the apprentice spotted something in the distance. It looked like a shadow of some sort, but what did the shadow belong to? Creeping closer, Ripplepaw let out a sigh when she saw what it was. Oh yes, she was such a great apprentice. Rolling her eyes, she set out again. Now how did she mistake the shadow for something important. Stupid funny looking tree....

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Ivypaw wasn't so much searching the ground as she was pacing on it. Her restless paws seemed almost to be wearing a track in the pebbled earth near the Thunderpath's edge. Sure, she was still looking. Her ears rang whenever a monster's growl rumbled in the distance, and the golden morning sun seared into her eyes. She could feel every piece of grit under her paws, could sense every teasing caress of the wind. So why couldn't she find Morningfrost? Why did her missing sister continue to elude her? Cats didn't just vanish off the face of the earth. She had to be somewhere.

It was the where of it that continued to confound.

Presently, a rustle and sudden yowl brought the young she-cat's attention over to the other side of the Thunderpath, where previously had senses had not been turned. A moment of pure bafflement breezed through her, followed quickly by irritated disdain. What Beetlenose over there was doing on the other side of the border she did not know, nor did she really care. However, if he opened his flapping gums when a warrior or even the deputy was in hearing, it could mean trouble for them. She considered threatening him into silence, but honestly he'd probably tell someone by accident regardless. How a cat like him managed to earn a warrior name, even at his age, still eluded her.

"We'll be in trouble?" Ivypaw sneered dryly. "You're the one playing with bugs on the wrong side of the Thunderpath. Did you get tired of the ones in our own territory?" Of all the rotten luck, she thought disgustedly, that they managed to leave camp unnoticed only to be hailed by a dweeby warrior who couldn't wait until daylight to begin his beetle-hunt.

"Why don't you just go back to whatever you're doing and leave us to- wait." In the process of blowing off the unwanted company that was Thymenose, Ivypaw stopped in her tracks. "What is that?

On the other side of the Thunderpath, a scant few fox-lengths from where Thymenose was standing, lay an unmoving shape on the shoulder of the road. Without bothering to check for oncoming monsters, Ivypaw immediately streaked across the black stone to reach it. "It can't be..." The cat, small and broken, lay with crushed hindquarters and torn fur on the hard pavement. What could be seen of its fur beneath the blood and dirt was white, with patches of ginger scattered about.

The cat's eyes were gone. Only gaping wounds remained where they should have been.

Ivypaw gasped raggedly in disbelief, then gagged as the thick stench of rot choked her lungs. Since the rainstorm a few days back, the weather had been clear; it wouldn't take long in the hot sun for a corpse to begin to decompose.

"It's... her. It has to be." What remained of the body was almost beyond recognition, but suddenly Ivypaw was sure. This ugly and bloated piece of crowfood was what remained of her sister. A fitting end for one as pitiful as her, though a horrible whisper at the back of her mind still insisted that it should have been her instead. "How... how could you have missed this?" she snarled suddenly, whirling on Thymenose. "Are you blind? It's right here! She's right here!" With rage hot in her throat, she lunged for the lanky warrior, blindly snapping. Her jaws closed a whisker from his pelt; she turned away, back to the mutilated dead.

The eerie keen that rose from her pierced the sky, and writhed away with the wind.

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Suddenly, the level of activity in the area went from nothing to a whole lot of something, all in just a couple of moments. "Breezepaw!" someone called from farther away. The lynx point she-cat looked up in surprise to see Thymenose, on the other side of the Thunderpath, asking them what they were doing out of neutral territory. Some of the other cats in WindClan didn't like Thymenose much... okay, most of them didn't. He was sixteen moons old and just now becoming a warrior, and he had developed the reputation of not being the most sensible cat in the Clan.

Breezepaw kind of liked him, though -- Breezepaw liked most cats, and Thymenose was nice, if a little odd sometimes. He knew a lot about bugs and things, and he was okay the fact that she liked collecting rocks and feathers and other trinkets, so that was enough reason for Breezepaw to like him. She had never seen him be mean to anyone, either, and that went further in her book than cleverness or strength. Thymenose might not have been her best friend in the Clan, but he was sweet.

And well, seeing others upset always made Breezepaw unhappy. She was bounding to Ivypaw's side at the sound of her shout. "How could you have missed this?" the younger apprentice was hissing, snapping her jaws at Thymenose, who just looked bewildered and frightened. Breezepaw nosed his shoulder comfortingly before moving to see what had set Ivypaw off.

She wasn't completely prepared for the gruesome sight, jolting a bit in shock and horror, but she quickly regained her composure to deal with the situation. Who else could the dead cat be but poor Morningfrost? Judging by Ivypaw's reaction, she was understandably upset, and so was Breezepaw -- Morningfrost had always been nice, and she of all cats didn't deserve to die like this.

"Someone has to go tell the Clan," Breezepaw said to the other apprentices and Thymenose, padding a bit closer to Ivypaw in concern.

This expedition had been a success after all, but not at all in the way she had hoped. Poor Morningfrost, the gray and brown apprentice thought, distraught, not knowing how applicable her words really were.