*CLOSED(Storm<3+Hawkstar) Chaos: Floods that Fight

[rainfeather]

The day was sunny, but Amberfrost could see the dark grey clouds that were heading straight for RiverClan. After they hit the water- cats' territory, it would pour on ThunderClan., and usually the feisty silver bengal didn't mind the rain, but today she had a strange feeling. She couldn't figure out what it meant, but it was like water was something she should steer clear of. Amberfrost picked up hear squirrel, vole, and sparrow as she walked on the well worn path down the forest.

Crouching low and breathing quietly, the she- cat stopped suddenly when she saw a small rabbit scavenging amongst the undergrowth in search of a quick meal before hiding in its burrow from the oncoming storm. It smelled of rain, but Amberfrost could still clearly smell the prey, and it made her mouth water. She decided she'd eat the it once she caught it since she had enough kill to feed around four cats. Plus, she had skipped breakfast. When she thought about it, she hadn't eaten since her and Hawkstar shared a squirrel at sunhigh the day before. Her stomach growled loudly just then, frightening the rabbit.

She sighed at her carelessness and chased after the brown furball. It was a little difficult to see it for it blended in with the undergrowth., and it was fast for it's size. Amberfrost didn't realize it had started raining as she chased it, and instead continued towards her prey; it was fast but not fast enough. The brown prey suddenly veered to the right, and Amberfrost couldn't steer herself in time to follow it. Instead, she plummeted headfirst into the increasingly deep river. She could feel her front right forepaw turn a direction it could only execute is it were broken.

The bengal went under the current, and was confused on which way was up for a moment. SHe then stopped and used her common sense and swam up towards the surface, minnows darting around her. When Amberfrosts head finally broke through, she gasped or air, intaking a large amount of water, causing her to cough and gasp. The rain was pouring so hard it her her to stay above the waves for too long, and the river was flooding at a rapid pace, and it wouldn't take long for her to fall down the waterfall into the monsterous gorge below.

Amberfrost pushed as hard as she could with her three remaining paws towards the nearest land, which was the RiverClan bank, but just couldn't keep up with the current. She tried to clear her throat from the water and shout for help, but all that came out was a high pitched squeak, and the sound wasn't exactly the most audible of sounds. But Amberfrost tried her best anyways, despite the waves filling her nostrils and mouth.

The longer she squealed, the more water she inhaled, and her struggle to stay above the waves was slowly decreasing. The combination of a potentially broken paw, blinding rain, menacing waves, thick fur to weigh her down, and a very cold river were to much for her to handle, and she fought to keep her eyes open. Amberfrost didn't realize it, but this was only the beginning of a series of upcoming events that would change her life forever if they weren't treated right.


Words: 550
OOC: Stormeh i decided i would start the flood thread where hawkstar would save amber now <

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Hawkstar crashed through the gorse tunnel, his ears flattened against his skull. His fur was matted and drenched from the rain. Thunder boomed from a distance as the ThunderClan leader quickly trotted toward the fresh-kill pile and dropped his prey on it. He had caught a pathetic lot; one scrawny mouse and a thrush - which was all he could find, really.

Where's Amberfrost? That was his first thought once he had deposited his prey onto the fresh-kill pile, and to his confusion, he couldn't find her anywhere. "Amberfrost?" he called over the deafening rain. No answer. Maybe he couldn't hear her? "Amberfrost?" he repeated his now worried yowl, his expression turning into a nervous one. Where could his mate be? He saw her in camp when he left to hunt.

But after searching in the warriors' den, and even his own den; she wasn't anywhere in camp. By now, the broad-shouldered tabby tom was extremely worried. He had no idea where she was, and in a storm like this, anything could happen. And that also meant anything bad could happen to Amberfrost. Whisking around, he found that the only sensible thing to do was to search for her in the territory. He had no time to take warriors with him as he, instead, pelted back through the gorse tunnel and into the woods.

The rain seemed to be slightly lighter due to the trees, but he could still barely see his own paw in front of his face. Hawkstar blindly crashed through the undergrowth, his voice desperate as he called out, "Amberfrost!" His pace quickened until he was at his limits, dashing through the damp greenery and bursting into an open clearing. Sunningrocks.

His heart stopped as soon as his eye caught something silver flash through the water. StarClan, help me! Hawkstar ran straight for the raging water, his heart beating faster than it had ever beat. As he neared the dark, churning river, he bunched his haunces and pushed off his powerful hind-legs, diving straight into what could be his grave.

His last thought was a promise that he wouldn't come out of those waters until he pulled Amberfrost out of them - even if it killed him. For a split-heartbeat, his mind flashed back to how Nettlepaw tried to save Runningleap in the same flood. The only thing is - he didn't make it. I have to try! He began to churn with his strong legs, attempting to beat the current that crashed against him. He spotted Amberfrost's head bobbing above the water before disappearing again.

Suddenly, everything went dark. Hawkstar had went under. His muscles were already screaming from exhaustion, and his lungs were about to burst. With a mighty push, he shot up above the surface and gasped for air before advancing toward his mate. Slowly, he was succeeding. Finally, he was close enough to grasp Amberfrost's scruff in his jaws. We're almost there. he thought. With the last bits of strength he had left, Hawkstar began to push the two of them toward the bank of the river.

[rainfeather]

The bengal was coughing severely as the water filled her throat, causing her to cough more, which only repeated the process. She'd heard her beloved mate crying for her, but hadn't been able to respond. And it was breaking Amberfrost's heart to cause her mate this much worry. Despite nearly dying, she couldn't help but feel like a complete mouse- brain. Amberfrost was aware of Hawkstar's presence, but everything was to distorted and she couldn't quite grasp what was happening, and it was all her fault.

If she'd paid more attention to where she was rather than trying to be a WindClan cat and outrun a rabbit, this wouldn't of happened. It was her own greed that had caused this mess, and if Hawkstar died, she would never live it down. She couldn't bear the thought of killing someone that close to her, or anyone at all. In her near- death state, it still pained her, as she sensed her mate in pain, for she was powerless to help him.

She couldnt tell if she was dreaming or not, but she thought she heard her mother's voice in her ears. She was telling her to... Keep her head above the waves? Well duh! What else would she be trying to do?! But she cleared her mind and adjusted herself in the best position to help Hawkstar swim. She kicked feebly with her three good legs.

Amberfrost knew it wasn't much, but she also knew that every little bit she could offer her mate would help them out of this mess. The bank was in sight, or maybe it was the bottom of the river. Whatever it was, Amberfrost could feel anticipation as the two cats grew closer and closer to their destination. Soon it would be over.

As the tom and the she- cat clamored up the bank, Amberfrost only made it a couple tail lengths out of the water before she collapsed. She lay in the once soft sand that had turned to dark brown dirt, coughing and wretching. She spat up some water and a little bit of what looked like very deluded blood. She lay her head down on her paws and closed her eyes.

Amberfrost then remembered her mate and feebly lifted he head to see if he had made it. Her eyes weree extremely blurry, probably from the mixture of water and dirt and a near death experience, but she thought she saw him on the shore too. The now dark grey bengal couldn't be sure, but for the moment it was all she needed for her mindset was only focused on resting.

Exhausted and barely breathing, the silver bengal drifted into a light slumber. She dreamt of kits. They looked like the mates that had just recently almost drowned, except healthier, and there were more than two. She dreamt of Hawkstar and her in the Leader's den, happily sleeping, cozy and warm. Exactly where she wanted to be, except better since she had her own kits, and the dream made her smile.

But then everything vanished. Shattered. Gone. As if it had all washed beneath the waves, downstream into the gorge, disappearing completely. She remebered what her mother said, Keep your head above the waves. Somehow, Amberfrost had a feeling that Amberpelt wasn't just referring to the river, but to something else she was prone to in the future. And by what had happened today, it would only get worse.


Words: 573
I thought starting the thread would help get others on the right track too!

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Amberfrost was like a dead-weight in Hawkstar's jaws as he slowly made his way to the opposite bank. He noticed that she was moving, but to his dismay, she was only moving with three legs. How he was even able to think at all was incredulous. Come to think of it, he shouldn't have been thinking at all. He just needed to get Amberfrost out of the water.

Suddenly, Hawkstar felt pebbles underneath his feet; solid ground at last. He almost collapsed on the second step, but even while his body was half-dead, he wouldn't stop until he knew that his mate was safe. But as they both dropped onto the ground, realization flooded over him. What if she wasn't safe? No, it couldn't be. For once, it felt like all of the confidence and knowledge he had gained during his entire life had vanished completely. So, this was how Nettlepaw felt.

There was no scraps of energy left in him, and his vision was not only beginning to blur even more, but it was turning black. No... no, what's happening? His hearing was blocked out and he couldn't see a thing. It was as if everything had disappeared, and he was left in blackness. But slowly, his vision began to clear, and the darkness was turning into light. It was then, that Hawkstar realized that he was losing a life.

Two figures stood before him, and it took a few moments for him to recognize who they were. ThunderClan's previous leader and himself, but more transparent. His duplicate stared right through him, but said nothing. "Hawkstar, you have lost - " he began, but the tom was cut off. "Enough! Send me back, I need to go back!" Hawkstar growled. Not out of anger, but out of desperateness. The previous leader shook his head slowly. "It will take a moment for your body to heal. Until then, you must wait."

Hawkstar stared at the tom in dismay. How long would that take? "You don't understand - " he started, but his vision began to fade again. Was he returning to the waking world? He must be, since he was starting to hear the water lapping at the shore and the rain thundering down upon him. "Amberfrost!" he gasped, coughing and wretching. His flanks heaved as he vomitted the last bits of water that remained in him.

Hawkstar barely had the strength to turn his head sideways. Amberfrost was still with him, but she wasn't moving. Still gasping for air, the tom slowly crawled toward his mate, each movement he made sent pain through his limbs. "Amberfrost," he choked out, nudging her with his nose. Nothing. His tone sounded with agony this time. "A-amberfrost, say s-something," he begged, rolling her around so that she was facing him. Please, don't be dead, he pleaded, shutting his eyes tight while repeatedly licking her cheeks and ears.

[rainfeather]

Amberfrost rolled over onto her back as Hawkstar gently pushed her over. She hung onto the last memory of her dream inadvertently as her mate summoned the bengal back into consciousness. Amberfrost opened her eyes slowly and blinked a few times before her vision became somewhat clear again. 

The sight she saw before her was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen; her mate. In one piece. It gave her a sense of relief. But that relief didn't last more than a few heartbeats. Amberfrost noticed how much frailer he looked, and had a terrible realization that Hawkstar had probably just lost a life.  

Cold and somewhat happy, the she cat whispered her mates  name. She coughed a few times, a burning sensation ran up and down her throat as if she'd swallowed a thorn that refused to go down. Amberfrost turned away from her mate and threw up a few mouthfuls of water. 

It was a good thing she hadnt eaten recently or else it would be more than water. Gaining the strength to finally pull herself up from the sand, the dark half sand half dirt substance coating her fur, she shook violently and touched noses with Hawkstar. 

Amberfrost drew in a rough breath and asked, "Im fine... Did you... Did you lose a life?" she looked at Hawkstar deeply, as if to say, 'I don't care how much pain I'm in I want the truth'. She knew it would be hard for her to tell her mate shed lost a life, so she could imagine what it would be like for Hawkstar. 

The rain was beginning to let up even more, to the point where she could see a few fox lengths ahead of the two cats rather than a mouse length, and Amberfrost  thought she saw her mother standing just behind Hawkstar. She wondered if Hawkstar had seen her when he lost his life, for she was sure he had lost one. But then she remembered that Amberpelt was HER mother, not Hawkstars. 

Without waiting for an answer, she went on to ask how many he had left. Eight? Seven? Two? Amberfrost could barely stand the fact shed costed him one at all, let alone costing him what could be his second to last one. He needed those for battle and his Clan. Not her foolishness. Amberfrost  lowered her head and flattened her ears. She was ready for the wrath of Hawkstar as she sat down on the half grassy area of Sunningrocks. 



Not as short as i thought it was 0.o

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Hawkstar felt a wave of relief flood over him as Amberfrost whispered his name. He let her cough up the last bits of water she had let in herself before touching noses with her. "No, you're not fine. We have to get you back to camp," he rasped, his lungs burning from inhaling so much water. He pretended to ignore her question about how many lives he had lost. How could he tell her?

But by the look on her face, he realized in dismay that he had no choice but to tell her. Besides, he didn't like to lie to her in general. "Yes. I have five left," he meowed, almost sheepishly. Before he could let her reply, he pressed his cheek against the back of her head - which fit snuggly into his neck. "It's nothing, really. You don't have to worry about anything," he told her softly, staying in his position as if the wind alone would sweep Amberfrost out of his grasp.

His heart pace had slowed by now, but he was still in severe shock. "I'd give all of my lives for you." And it was true. Hawkstar had no regret for what he had done. If Amberfrost was ever in any danger, he'd protect her no matter what; gladly offering to lose each of the five lives he had left. The tabby tom knew he shouldn't be so generous with his precious lives, but his Clan - and mate - came first.

The rain had lightened, but it was dangerous to stay by the bank of the river. "Come on, let's go," he told her, struggling to his paws. His muscles were screaming and he had no energy left in his limbs, but he would make sure that his mate would make it safely back to camp - even if it meant carrying her on his back. If Hawkstar let anything happen to his beloved, he'd never be able to forgive himself.

[rainfeather]

Amberfrost flattened her ears when he told her she wasnt fine. It was true; she was freezing, had a very tough time breathing, a potentially broken forepaw, and just costed her mate one of his lives. But Amberfrost wasn't going to complain, she knew it wouldn't help things. So instead she told her mate how she felt. "Hawkstar, I don't WANT you to give up all of your lives for me. You need those for the wonderful Clan you've been doing such a great job running. Not for my foolish mistakes. I'm so sorry..." She felt like she had more to say, but had no words to put to her thoughts.

Amberfrost slowly stood up with her three good legs and hobbled a little bit. Score regaining her balance. Her muscles were exhausted, but not as bad as they were while she was fighting the current. Amberfrost lapped at her injured right forepaw before she lapped her other paws. She didn't bother lapping anything else because the rain would just ruin it all again. She just hated the feeling of something on her paws.

The silver bengal began to hop towards the ThunderClan territory alongside her mate. She attempted to put weight on her paw and it was fine before she stared walking. When she tried to move with it, she could feel an intensely sharp pain, and it felt like it had just cacked even more, which cause her to fall face first into the dirt. Amberfrost tried to laugh at her clumsiness but it just hurt her more. So instead she just smiled and tried to stand back up.

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Hawkstar couldn't believe his ears. Why did Amberfrost keep apoligizing? Didn't she realize how much she meant to him? He'd do anything for her, and protecting her was his top priority, along with leading his Clan, of course. But after everything they'd been through, she thinks that she deserves less than giving his life for her? He couldn't help but growl in frustration. The tabby tom wasn't one to lose his temper, but this was particularly confusing for him.

Turning to look down at his mate, it took him everything he had to keep his voice somewhat level. "Amberfrost, I love you. If you had ever gotton hurt, I never would've forgave myself. Are you saying that I shouldn't bother about your well-being?" he meowed, his voice having an edge to it. But his intuition told him that Amberfrost still wouldn't listen to him.

Hawkstar only lost one life. If he saved Amberfrost's with it, then it was nothing to fuss about. But here she was, apoligizing and saying that she didn't want him to care about her. How could that be? What if Hawkstar had drowned, and Amberfrost came to his rescue? Then it hit him. He would've done the same thing. Amberfrost only has one life, and he has five. He looked away, almost sheepishly, before swallowing and going on.

"Don't be sorry. You could've died." Hawkstar's throat swelled at the last part, and his mouth went dry just at the thought of losing his beloved. Without her smile, the sound of her voice, he wouldn't be able to do anything. Leading his Clan without Amberfrost would lead straight into disaster. But he wasn't thinking about what would happen to his Clan if Amberfrost had died, he was thinking about the sorrow and raw pain he'd feel, just as Nettlepaw felt for Runningleap on the dark day.

[rainfeather]

Amberfrost had her ears flat against her head as she listened to Hawkstar. She heard the slightly unlevel tone in his voice and Amberfrost felt even worse that she was annoying him. The silver bengal looked up at her mate and spoke quietly. "No, Hawkstar, I don't mean that at all. I love you too, but all I was saying is that I made a mistake, and I'm sorry it costed you a whole life to fix it. I just... I guess I should be grateful that you have more..." One less because of me, though. She thought to herself. I guess I can understand why I am annoying him...

And then Amberfrost thought of something. Was he saying that he didn't want her to feel bad about it? That he wanted her to be glad she costed him a life? "Hawkstar... Are you trying to tell me I should be happy you practically killed part of yourself trying to save me?! If that's what you want, then I'm sorry, but I can't do that." Amberfrost shook her head and raised her ears again. She stood up straight and stopped dead in her tracks.

Amberfrost was so confused at that moment, she didn't exactly know what to think. She loved her mate, and was of course happy that he was alright, and that she was alive, too, but for him to expect her to say it was okay he lost a life, it just boggled her mind. Did he expect so little of her that he wouldn't be surprised if she didn't care? Dwelling on the subject mad Amberfrost more upset by the second.

The rain wasn't letting up anymore, and a crackle of thunder blasted through the air as lightning struck a tree that was far behind them. It wasn't close enough to hurt them, and nothing was set on fire, but Amberfrost couldn't help but feel a little hurt when it fell. Almost like she felt the trees pain. SHe shook her head and turned her face back to Hawkstar, looking at him with emotionless eyes.

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Hawkstar staresd at Amberfrost in disbelief. Opening his jaws to snap back a reply, he stopped himself just in time and, instead, took a deep breath and looked up at the sky for a few moments, watching the storm clouds slowly drift past. Looking down on his mate once more, he felt the anger fade, but he was still confused as to why Amberfrost was so worked up just because he saved her life.

"No, that's not what I'm saying. I just... if only you could..." he trailed off, not knowing what to say. Hawksar was never one with words. He'd see other toms in his Clan navigate these waters so easily, and he wondered how they did it. Maybe it was because they had experience. But how could he handle an arguement like this? Was this even an arguement at all? "Your life is more important than one of mine, and that's that." he mewed dryly, blinking the rain away from his eyes.

After a couple of moments, the tabby tom began to feel ashamed of himself for starting an unnecessary arguement with Amberfrost. Maybe I shouldn't have reacted the way I did... he thought for a heartbeat. But when she kept apoligizing, it made him feel like she didn't realize how much he cared about her. He knew that she knew he loved her, but at that time, it felt like she was just another warrior apoligizing for sleeping in late and missing the dawn patrol.

[rainfeather]

Amberfrost realized by the way he was reacting that he truley didn't understand why she was being the way she was. She wanted to explain it to him, she really did, but the memories still burned her heart to think of them, let alone share them with another cat out loud. The sikver bengal saw he'd held back a probably more than stinging remark, but she pretended to not notice and instead continued to limp forward, cold and wet. Amberfrost managed to strike her damaged paw on a hidden root, making her stop abruptly, a serious pain like a thousand cats raking their claws across her paw with the wrath of a LionClan member.

She just quietly drew in a deep breath and continued to walk on, not showing how much pain she was feeling as it slowly faded away. When Hawkstar made that last statement, Amberfrost didn't know what to think. "Fine, Hawkstar. My life is more important than yours. I'm going to go get the fresh- kill I caught before this happened," she stuck her broken paw out as she nodded to it. She turned and walked towards her prey. She couldn't see it since she'd buried it, and the rain had washed away it's scent enough for Amberfrosts keen nose to be inable to locate it. It didn't occur to her that no cat would want to eat soggy not- so- fresh- kill.

OOC: sorry it's so short 3: not sure what else to say

[♦ stormeh ♦]

Hawkstar stared at Amberfrost as she limped away, his eyes wide with shock. When she waved her injured paw at him, he winced as if she raked her claws at his face. But then, as she continued deeper into the woods, his anger grew. So she thought that all of this was his fault? It was him who rescued her from the raging waters. If it hadn't been for him, she would've been dead, but here she was, acting as if all of the bad things that happened to her (which she caused, not him), was his fault.

And all he was trying to do was to tell her how much she meant to him. In his opinion, her life was more important than the five he had left. Having more lives than her just proved his point even more. Why couldn't Amberfrost see that? Alright, maybe she was doing the right thing by apoligizing, but she didn't have to act like she just disgraced herself in the eyes of StarClan. Amberfrost was his world, but why she couldn't understand that, just puzzled him even more. If only she knew.

But what hurt the most, was the fact that she was doing this after everything they'd been through. The shock in Hawkstar's eyes faded and was replaced with a fuming anger, turning his back on her and snorting in contempt. As if he cared about her. If she wants to treat him like this, after almost dying if not for him, then so be it. He could just leave her alone and never talk to her again, so when she's drowning in a flooded river, he wouldn't be there to save her. Maybe clawing those trees was a mistake. Maybe falling in love with Amberfrost was a mistake.