#vincemare

She couldn’t be mad that this was happening. In fact, she shouldn’t even be surprised. Kitten raids were common in these territories, and Burdockstar had even partaken in those raids on other Clans; MarshClan had been struggling with kits lately, as Burdockstar had heard.

               But this still didn’t console her now as she watched MarshClan warriors and even caretakers flooding the camp. They had hit RushingClan at their weakest time, at dusk when all patrols were sent out and most warriors or caretakers were out training their apprentices. In fact, the only caretakers within the Clan were Comfreyclaw, Maypaw, and Silverstrike.

               Burdockstar grunted as she felt claws root into her broad shoulders and teeth met her neck, and, with difficulty on her twisted leg, Burdockstar reared up and fell to her back. She rolled to the side, meeting the other warrior with a ferocious hiss. They writhed and wrestled, with Burdockstar hissing as she felt another pair of teeth at her flank.

               Comfreyclaw and Silverstrike were being drawn out slowly from the nursery entrance, leaping forward to push away warriors and enemy caretakers, snapping their jaws and letting their claws dig into flesh and fur. Maypaw was huddled inside the den, curled protectively around the kits; Comfreyclaw had sent the apprentice inside to avoid the fight, considering Maypaw was still young. A fight like this was too dangerous, and Comfreyclaw would be absolutely devastated if something happened to the poor apprentice. He heard a yowl, and a flash of red fur, and Redflare was pelting across the camp with his claws outstretched and teeth bared; the small tom scrabbled up the rocks and leapt onto an enemy MarshClan cat’s back, bringing them both down into a writhing heap of fur.

               He didn’t even realize he had left Pansypaw out in the open and vulnerable. The young apprentice hissed as he was suddenly cornered by four more MarshClan cats, and his stomach dropped as the small group parted to reveal Monarchstar slinking forward towards him. Her amber eyes flashed with surprise as she stared down at the young calico, before she narrowed and nodded to the warriors.

               They leapt.

               Burdockstar managed to throw off one of the MarshClan cats attacking her, green eyes flashing around in a confused daze as she struggled to comprehend the absolute chaos going on; she and her cats were greatly outnumbered – did Monarchstar bring in her <i>entire</i> Clan for this job? Comfreyclaw, Redflare, and Silverstrike fought viciously, but they could only be in one spot at one time, and while they were pushing back against the MarshClan cats attempting to barge into the nursery, more MarshClan cats slid behind them and inside.

               Silverstrike turned with a yowl, flicking his tail tip against Comfreyclaw and directing the white tom’s attention to the nursery opening, and a panicked look shone in their eyes as they realized the severity of the situation. By now, they had been circled by the MarshClan cats they were already facing, and the few warriors still within camp were too busy fighting off others to help them. Even Redflare had been pinned by one of the MarshClan cats.

               It was chaos. It was disastrous. It made Burdockstar feel <i>sick</i> because she knew that they would be getting away with their kittens.

               “We’ve got we want,” Monarchstar yowled, muzzle bloody and pelt smeared with traces of the crimson material, “Let’s go before the patrols get back.”

               With that, she bounded off, and out raced the MarshClan warriors, carrying three kits – Dawnkit, Grizzlykit, and Spiderkit. There was a flash of white fur and a shriek from the crowd, and Burdockstar realized with a drop of her stomach that –

               “They’ve got my son!” Comfreyclaw shrieked, charging forward to chase after the warriors with Silverstrike on his heels; Burdockstar limped forwards at the fastest pace she could, and Redflare even scrabbled to his own paws now that the MarshClan cat had gotten off him.

               Unfortunately, they were still outnumbered, and the MarshClan cats not with kits or Pansypaw turned around and swarmed the approaching caretakers; Silverstrike was forced to flee back to the camp, but Comfreyclaw still clung on, desperately yowling and hissing as he fought to get forward, to reach his child, but his strength was draining. By the time the MarshClan cats were fended off, Comfreyclaw was slumped over, white pelt stained a dark crimson color and his claws still digging into the earth beneath. Silverstrike was at the nursery den now, watching as Maypaw limped out, battered and beaten from the invasion, and following him were the kittens remaining. He rested his shoulder against Maypaw, helping him down the stones while Redflare and Burdockstar helped Comfreyclaw to his own paws.

               By the time the patrols returned, MarshClan was long gone, but Juniperpounce and Squirrelpaw were still making their rounds within the camp. Moonblaze, who had been leading one patrol, froze briefly before shooting to Burdockstar’s side; the rest of the cats quickly began to disperse and head straight to the loved ones injured.

               “Great StarClan, what happened here?” The large black and white molly mewed as she hovered by Burdockstar, sniffing at the nasty wound on her neck. Burdockstar flicked her shredded ear and grunted bitterly, “MarshClan attacked.”

               “Has anyone died?” Moonblaze mewed, anxiously glancing around the camp, and Burdockstar simply sighed slowly, shaking her head, “No. Comfreyclaw’s in the medicine cat’s den, though. He’s pretty badly wounded. And they’ve taken Dawnkit, Grizzlykit, Spiderkit <i>and</i> Pansypaw.”

               “Oh my <i>stars</i>.” Moonblaze breathed out, eyes widening with horror. There was some shifting behind her and Ebonypaw shouldered by the large warrior; he bore his own injuries from the ambush, but still lifted his head high. Burdockstar appreciated the strength Ebonypaw held, even if she was a bit cocky and headstrong with it.

               “We’ve gotta do somethin’,” The tabby mewed, flexing their claws and scraping them against the stone, “Are ya just gonna let MarshClan get away with stealin’ from us?”

               Burdockstar flicked her tail tip, grunting in response, “You’ll see tomorrow, Ebonypaw. Go get some rest, it’s been a rough day.” The tabby apprenticed snorted, parting her jaws to retaliate, before clamping them shut and sulking off. Moonblaze eyed the apprentice, and then dragged her gaze back to the huddled shape of her leader, “What are you going to do, Burdockstar?”

               The leader molly simply flicked her tail, got to her paws, and limped towards her den.

               ----

               “Everyone ready?” Burdockstar meowed firmly, standing before the Clan entrance. Nightface, Moonblaze, and Lionflame stood by her, nodding slowly. Burdockstar gave her warriors a curt nod before turning and limping out of the camp, listening to the murmurs of ‘goodbye’ and ‘good luck’ her clan mates cast in their direction.

               By the time they reached MarshClan camp, their paws were coated with mud, and all of their eyes were lit up with a fierce anger. They stood at the entrance, watching as warriors began to group around the nursery; a small, calico face of Pansypaw appeared in the entrance of the nursery, before a mottled brown tom’s face appeared. The apprentice turned, whispering something in Pansypaw’s ear, and though the calico apprentice hissed at the other, he ducked back into the nursery.

               Monarchstar stood in the center of camp, her head held high and chin tipped upwards, tail upright behind her.

               “Can I help you?”

               “You know damn well how you can help me.” Burdockstar snapped at her, advancing slowly, while her warriors stood where they were at the entrance.

               “You’ll have to refresh my memory.”

               “Give me back my kits.”

               Monarchstar flicked her large ears up, before glancing slowly to the nursery den, guarded now by two MarshClan caretakers, a large brown tom and another ragged-pelted one. The tortoiseshell was silent in thought for a moment, before she spoke in that same level tone as before, “You can have them.”

               Murmurs of surprise swelled from the MarshClan cats, and Moonblaze pricked her ears with interest; a smile crossed the black and white molly’s expression, and she glanced towards her clanmates, who were also as eager as she was.

               “Awesome! Burdockstar, c’mon, let’s go get the kits and go.” Moonblaze started, but she stopped in her tracks when Burdockstar lifted her tail, signaling for her warriors not to move; her green eyes remained locked with Monarchstar’s before she growled lowly, “What’s the catch?”

               “You’ll leave Pansypaw here.”

               Burdockstar bristled, ears flattening against her head and another growl rumbled from within her throat, “I’m not leaving without <i>all</i> of them.”

               “You’re either going to take the kits and leave Pansypaw here, or you’re going to leave empty pawed.”

               Burdockstar flung herself forward with an enraged yowl, her claws meeting Monarchstar’s shoulders and wrestling her to the ground. There were shouts from both cats of each Clans, but no one made any more moves; this was a fight that would be fought between Monarchstar and Burdockstar. It was a fight between the two leaders, a fight for the two Clans, a fight between two mothers.

               Burdockstar sunk her teeth into Monarchstar’s flank, hooking her claws into the molly’s sides, and the tortoiseshell growled lowly, twisting around and kicking at the blue gray molly. Burdockstar rolled onto her back, and Monarchstar pounced, only to be thrown to the ground as Burdockstar flipped themselves over. Monarchstar writhed around and wiggled out of Burdockstar’s grip, before whirling around and smacking her paws against Burdockstar’s muzzle, sending her stumbling backwards; there was another low growl, which no one could tell who it came from, and the two molly’s flung themselves against each other again. Monarchstar sunk her claws into the bad wound on Burdockstar’s neck, reopening it and watching as blood trickled down; Burdockstar shrieked with pain, bringing up her large paws and, essentially, batting Monarchstar off. The tortoiseshell stumbled, giving enough time for Burdockstar to whirl around and sink her teeth into Monarchstar’s scruff, rearing up on her shaky legs before bringing both herself and Monarchstar onto the ground with a grunt.

               The dust settled, and Burdockstar peeled herself away, hovering over Monarchstar’s body. The tortoiseshell’s flank rose and fell rapidly, but she remain still and unmoving; her amber eyes were narrowed and staring hard at the nursery.

               “We’re taking Pansypaw back, too.” Burdockstar declared firmly, lifting her head to declare that to the other MarshClan felines; Monarchstar’s ears fell back and she breathed in sharply.

               “Over my dead body!”

               It happened in a flash; Monarchstar shot up, sinking her teeth into Burdockstar’s open throat, and the molly yowled in pain. She brought up her paws and pulled Monarchstar off of her throat, and Monarchstar tumbled back down to the ground, but the damage had been done. Scarlet droplets were scattered around the MarshClan ground, and the crimson blood was already seeping through and staining Burdockstar’s throat, trailing down towards her chest; she inhaled in rapid, ragged gasps, and Moonblaze wailed in horror, shooting forward to meet Burdockstar as the molly collapsed to the ground. Nightface and Lionflame began to approach, their ears perked, and they surrounded their leader’s limp body.

               Monarchstar was hovering behind them, eyes narrowed, and her teeth glinted when she heard a wheezing gasp from Burdockstar. The life returned to the molly’s green eyes and, shakily, Burdockstar got to her paws; Moonblaze pressed against her friend’s side, allowing the leader to lean weakly against her side.

               “Because of your little fighting stunt, you’re not taking back <i>any</i> of them.” The tortoiseshell leader spat at her rival, and Burdockstar simply hung her head weakly, though her tail lashed behind her. As the RushingClan patrol began to pad towards the entrance, one of the caretakers called out towards them, “Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of them. We promise!”

               Burdockstar turned on the brown tom, spitting at him aggressively, “They’re not yours to be taking care of!”

               With that, the patrol left the camp and headed back to their own camp within RushingClan territory.

               ----

               The gathering was just as aggressive as one might expect. It hadn’t taken long before it had dissolved into arguing madness; at the moment, Burdockstar and Monarchstar stood facing each other, with their pelts bristling and tails lifted. Mudstar was hovering next to them, head below his shoulders and eyes narrowed as he listened to them bicker.

               “Pansypaw belongs in RushingClan, just like the other kits! Why are you so intent on keeping <i>him</i> in your ranks?” Burdockstar snapped, tail lashing, and Monarchstar simply hissed, “We need more kits!”

               “And you’ve taken them! You have to return them.”

               “I told you,” Monarchstar shot back, “You can take back the three kittens, if you leave Pansypaw within MarshClan.”

               “I’m not leaving anyone behind!”

               “Pansypaw belongs in RushingClan!” Comfreyclaw yowled from below, limping forward; his wounds were still fresh, and Juniperpounce was already on her paws, swiftly stepping towards Comfreyclaw to try and get him to sit back down.  

               “All of his family is in RushinClan!” Comfreyclaw continued on, shouldering Juniperpounce away from him with a threatening hiss, before turning his head to glare at the tortoiseshell leader, “You can’t take away my kit because you need one extra apprentice!”

               “He’s not your kit.”

               “Of course he is! <I>I</I> raised him, I’m his father.”

               “Not by <i>blood</i>!” Monarchstar shouted back, and Comfreyclaw stiffened, black-tipped ears flicking back; Burdockstar narrowed her eyes at the tortoiseshell leader, “How would <i>you</i> know that?”

               Monarchstar froze.

               “It seems to me that there’s a little bit more MarshClan blood in RushingClan than you expected, Burdockstar.” Possumfang sneered from where she huddled by the base of the rock, though she glared sharply at Monarchstar.

               “Who cares? So what? The other kittens Monarchstar took probably have half-blood too! I’m sure I’ve got FloodedClan blood in RushingClan, that doesn’t make the kits any less loyal to the Clan that raised them! They belong there.”

               “I’m sure there’s FloodedClan blood in MarshClan, too,” Mudstar suddenly mewed, lifting his eyes up and narrowing them at the two leaders beside him, “How come Monarchstar can take that MarshClan blood back to MarshClan itself? Surely, I should do the same for my Clan.”

               “Now, now,” Monarchstar snapped, lashing her wiry tail, “You’ve got RushingClan and MarshClan blood in your FloodedClan ranks, too. Maybe I should raid your camp, too!”

               Mudstar bristled, “You wouldn’t dare!”

               “Try me.”

               “Enough!” Burdockstar yowled, shouldering herself between the tortoiseshell and the gray-brown spotted tabby, “This is a disagreement between myself and Monarchstar. Quit shoving your nose in here, Mudstar.”

               “It’s not a disagreement between yourselves anymore!” Mudstar countered, meeting Burdockstar’s gaze, “FloodedClan is a part of this war now. How can I trust either of you not to raid my camp?”

               Burdockstar opened her twisted jaws to protest, but Monarchstar simply flicked her tail and cut in first, “Fine then. We’re all at war. See you on the battlegrounds.”

               <hr>

 THAT’S RIGHT KIDS !!! The event is FINALLY here, and EVERYONE is involved. But wait! There’s still another journal coming up with more specifics – we’re doing a different version of assignments this month. This is just to let everyone know it’s finally here.

  The Battle Patrol Organization:

Hey everyone! Assignments for this month/December will be to rp! That’s it – rp in the comment section of your respected journal and you’re checked in. This journal right here is to organize the patrols and which journals people will be rping in.

The rules:

·         Participating in the November and December rp journals is NOT necessary, <i>however</i>, it is mandatory to rp in at least one of them. If you cannot make it to either the November or December one, please let me ( :devKingSikey: ) know which one you aren’t attending and which one you will be attending.

·         Caretakers CAN partake in the battle patrols as long as there’s still some caretakers at camps.

·         Apprentices have two choices: Follow their mentor’s on whatever patrol they choose to be on, or stay at camp. Apprentices MUST attend the patrols with their mentors.

·         Just comment below what battle patrol you will be on (date wise and at which border) and we’ll put you on the list.

 <b><u>November 4th – November 7th </b></u>

<i>Rushing-Marsh Border</i> Pikeclaw,

<i>Rushing-Flooded Border</i>

<i>Flooded-Marsh Border</i>

 <b><u>November 11th – November 14th </b></u>

<i>Rushing-Marsh Border</i>

<i>Rushing-Flooded Border</i> Minnowflower,

<i>Flooded-Marsh Border</i>

 <b><u>November 18th – November 21st </b></u>

<i>Rushing-Marsh Border</i>

<i>Rushing-Flooded Border</i>

<i>Flooded-Marsh Border</i> Chubtail,

 <b><u>November 25th – November 28th </b></u>

<i>Rushing-Marsh Border</i> Burdockstar,

<i>Rushing-Flooded Border</i>

<i>Flooded-Marsh Border</i>

“The Gathering is over,” Burdockstar called, tail tip flicking, “It’s time for the Clans to head out.” Her irritation was evident, and she pushed past Monarchstar, knocking her to the side, and slipped down the rock. As she rounded the smooth stone to get her medicine cat and deputy, and then leave, Burdockstar nodded to Juniperpounce, who was getting to her paws with Squirrelpaw by her side. And then she froze up, stiffening, with her eyes wide with horror. Scarletsnow and Ivycreek, who had also gotten to their paws, froze up as well, and the medicine cats gazed around in startled fear. -- The gathering area darkened, and darkened, and just kept darkening until Juniperpounce couldn’t see her clan mates anymore. The last thing she heard was Squirrelpaw’s worried mew of her name. She glanced around, staring at Scarletsnow and Ivycreek with horror; where were they? Why had it darkened? Were they still in the gathering? There was a shining light, and a shimmering ginger molly stepped forward. Her eyes shone weakly with a tired weariness, and she paused her gait in front of the three medicine cat mollies before her. Lifting up her dark ginger tail, the StarClan molly swept her tail against the ground, and a small, white flower rose from the ground, its petals folded together as if it were holding something. Juniperpounce shuffled closer, peering closer at the dainty flower. “A flower shall bloom of forgotten kin,” The dark ginger molly spoke clearly, voice soft and gentle, “and with it shall swarm bugs that crawl within your blood.” The flower’s petals bloomed, opening up to reveal maggots, writhing in the center, and fluttering insects that Juniperpounce couldn’t pinpoint the exact critter began to swarm from it. The stench of rotting flesh and carrion hit Juniperpounce like a solid smack to her face, and she stumbled back, letting out a choked cry at the sudden burning feeling that blossomed from her claws to the tops of her legs. It felt like… “They’re crawling in me!” Juniperpounce shrieked, and Ivycreek wailed in panic at the horrible sensation ripped through her as well, “StarClan, help me, they’re inside of me! They’re inside of me!” Scarletsnow yelped as the sensation reached her, and the molly cried out to the mysterious StarClan molly before her, “Please, make it stop, make it stop, it hurts!” The dark ginger feline simply stared with a saddened expression, as if she were watching her closest loved ones die but unable to reach them or save them. When the burning, writhing sensation began to rise into Juniperpounce’s chest, her panic flared again. <I>I don’t want to die like this!</i> She awoke in the middle of the gathering to a comforting weight on her side. The blue gray tabby was sprawled out on the ground, and Juniperpounce glanced to her paws, noting the scores in the dirt that her claws had dug up. She was still digging her claws into the soft earth when she awoke. “Juniperpounce? Juniperpounce, are you okay?” Burdockstar was leaning over her cousin, green eyes shining with worry; Squirrelpaw leaned on her hefty leader’s side, staring with wide fear, and the rest of her clan mates had gathered around her. Juniperpounce craned her head, trying to see if Ivycreek and Scarletsnow were alright; Mudstar was helping the silver tabby to her paws, and Monarchstar sat before Scarletsnow, murmuring something to her that was indistinguishable. “We must get to camp,” Juniperpounce whispered to her leader, who had lowered her figure and was now hoisting Juniperpounce onto her broad shoulders, “We must leave, we must get to camp <i>immediately</i>.”

<hr>

  Bringing in a large animal that is a threat (such as foxes, badgers, <b>dogs</b>, humans, large reptiles like crocodiles or alligators, etc.). Smaller threats such as spiders, poisonous or venomous bugs, poisonous plants, and snakes are fine.

 Killing said large animal!!!!!! These are cats, they’re not that strong when it comes to animals that big. They can leave some damage (well, depending on the animal. Definitely not gonna damage a large reptile such as an alligator/crocodile) but it’s unlikely for a cat to kill something like a badger or a dog, especially on their own.

 Murdering a cat against the owner of said cat’s will.

Those are a few examples. If you’re unsure about the plot you have for a roleplay, <b>ask the admins first</b>, please. Thank you. If you have any further questions, let me know.