The Autumn Effect [CLOSED]

Nightclaw eyed the leader as they moved from place to place. They seemed to have a lot on their mind. It must be all of the problems that they have been facing recently. He eventually padded over to them, "Is everything alright, Mudstar?"

Mudstar was unsurprised at the appearance of the black tom, or if she was she didn't show it. No-one could sneak up on her. She was ever-vigilant, determined to watch every corner and listen for every sound and detect every scent. Her enemies would not find her unaware! When the tom approached, the brown tabby warrior did her best to school her face into a more relaxed neutral front. Her clan needed her strength, not her anger. They were different things. "Affairs are no worse than they have been, Nightclaw. As you surely know, however, MarshClan will rise above its worries and flourish in its home." With a sense of her old regality, the she-cat tilted her chin upwards a notch.

"Of course it will, our clan is very strong," he answered, "even in tough situations, you manage to stay strong and pull through. You're an admirable leader."
Nightclaw didn't like many of the cats in his clan, but he found it hard to say that Mudstar wasn't a good role model for younger cats. Marsh Clan always needed a strong leader, and Mudstar seemed to be just that.

(( wow I said strong too much but whatever ))

The leader's face remained impassively neutral at the praise. She was gratified by her warrior's positive impression of her. This meant she was doing well for the clan, right? That all her worries and her fears were validated by this cat and those like him within the clan. "Thank you, Nightclaw." She would not ruin the moment by saying more, not for a while. She turned from her clanmate to the border, scanning the swampy horizon for signs of her clan's impending armageddon. "Let us patrol," she said as she once more faced her comerade. The clan had many borders that must be defended.

Beetlenose struck out with one front paw, his unsheathed claws snagging a fish from the stream and tossing it onto the marshy ground. It took a bit of wrestling but the bicolor tom was able to pin the slippery thing down and deliver a killing bite to the back of its scaly head. The warrior sat back and licked and nipped at the space between his toes and claws not too fond of the feeling of scales between them. He now had four fish in a little pile of reeds for him to take back to camp. Beetlenose had officially been ordered to patrol the borders but so had every other warrior without an apprentice, as far as he could tell! Feeding the clan was important too. The warrior froze at the sound of voices and pelts brushing through the reeds, and the black and white tom, recognizing Mudstar among them, hastily swept some broken reeds and cattails over his catches and scooted a few tail lengths away. She'd have his ears if she knew he wasn't patrolling! Beetlenose awkwardly stood as she and Nightclaw neared him. "Oh, hi", the warrior meowed with a stiff smile, bowing his head to his leader and giving a small nod towards the older warrior.

Assuming the black-furred warrior followed her, the silver-eyed leader would begin her trek anew. If he hesitated or failed, she would mark it before moving along on her own. Nothing, not even her own warriors, would stop her from defending her land and her cats and her borders. It wouldn't take too long for her to encounter yet another cat along the way. The find was no surprise to her, for she would not pretend as if she hadn't asked for increased border patrols yet again. Russetnose was a good deputy, he did his job, but Mudstar couldn't help but wonder at him. It appeared as if he was purposefully putting himself on patrols that avoided her. Of course, he was a loyal warrior and good at what he did and Mudstar would never accuse her own right paw of scheming. It was merely a tiny little gnat lost in the beehive of her mind. Only she hadn't seen him besides in camp as of late.

But now here was Beetlenose, a fine young warrior. The lad smelled heavily of fish, but that was what they ate nearly every day. It smelled fresher on him, however, almost as if he'd been hunting isntead of patrolling... Nonono. No, Mudstar. Of course not. MarshClan warriors were honorable and loyal and strong. They did their jobs and brought glory to the clan. Obviously, Beetlenose had only stopped for a moment while on border patrol to find something for the elders. Of course.

"Good day, Beetlenose." She nodded her head in response to his motion. She would not smile or openly approve his wise decision, only remain with her face impassive. "We are putting the clan's needs above our own, I expect."

"Of course, Mudstar", the tom replied smoothly. He relaxed a little and managed to look natural, not like a cat who was hiding something. Not him. Nope. "I heard you coming and decided to wait and check in with you." The tom flicked his white-tipped tail, his eyes lifting slowly to meet the she-cat's eyes. Beetlenose hated lying, especially to his leader, but if he didn't secretly hunt and keep the clan strong enough to meet Mudstar's high expectations, who would?

"There's no disturbance along the CloudClan border. We refreshed the scent markers there." That was technically true, though Beetlenose was careful to make it sound like it was a recent thing - he'd actually done that an hour or so ago. The past hour had been about fishing. "We scented a fox on the isolated island, and I've a good idea where the beast's den is, but I knew we wouldn't be able to take it down with just the two of us", the tom explained with a humble downward tilt of his chin. This was also mostly true; though he'd actually had to drag his clanmate away from the den insisting the two of them wouldn't be enough to kill it, especially if it had pups. Beetlenose was hoping by mentioning the fox, Mudstar would be too distracted to concentrate on the fishy smell or his brief awkwardness.

Of course, indeed. See, StarClan? This warrior knew what he was doing. Clan before the individual, like a proper warrior. Mudstar nodded, waiting for the report. It was good that CloudClan was quiet, but they would not stay so for long. Those hillcats couldn't be trusted as far as a kit could pounce. Her eyes widened and her lips raised as she began to lose the delicate calm she adopted while dealing face-to-face with her cats. Nonono, she would remain calm. A fox, though! A fox! On her territory! so close! Danger, she had known all along the things the bad that was coming! They had to prepare to fight off this fox immediately! "Thank you for telling me, Beetlenose." Her voice remained in the smooth calm that once matched her emotionless demeanor. Now she was wrestling her demons in place to put up a front. She was very good at it, too. Moons of practice, standing at the great oak with the other leaders. How would it look if the MarshClan leader, so known for her dispassionate visage and eternal infalliable cool suddenly appeared on night an emotional wreck? Why, the other clans would see weakness and attack! Her precious clan would be in danger! This could /not/ happen.

"I will talk with Russetnose about chasing out the fox. In the meantime, why don't you join us?"

What was that old saying? The more the merrier?

((OOC: picture sorta rushed because you guys kept on going and I had to play catch up and add Beetlenose, and try to finish before you moved on again  u-u'' ))


It was never fun when Luckychance got lost, it was always a confusing and partially embarrassing thing, but when he got distracted, the different parts of the marsh all looked the same to the white and brown tom. He'd been with one of the border patrols, and when they veered off to inspect the next part of the border, he'd gotten left behind, as was apt to happen occasionally enough for Luckychance.

His amber eyes scanned for any landmark he actually remembered, but instead settled on the familiar pelts of some of his clanmates. With a sigh of relief, he padded towards them, giving a polite nod to Mudstar as he seated himself next to Nightclaw to listen to what their leader had to say. He supposed he could come up with an excuse for being off on his own easy enough, so Luckychance decided that he'd save thinking of one until, and if he was asked about it.

Beetlenose's heart dropped when the tabby invited him on her patrol. Crap. He had expected her to charge off immediately and take care of the fox now, not wait until Russetnose got off his lazy tail. He flicked his white ears and white-tipped tail before offering the she-cat a smile. "Of course, Mudstar", he obediently, unwilling to make a fuss in front of one- make that two -warriors. Luckychance's arrival made the older warrior cant his head to one side slightly, a questioning look in his blue eyes, but not wanting to call the young tom out in front of Mudstar.

Instead he looked back at Mudstar. "Where are we headed?" The black and white tom hoped someone else would come along and take the fish he'd caught back to camp before they spoiled once the four of them vacated the area. Else he'd have to make a long-winded trip back to grab them and avoid Mudstar on the way home.

[Oops. Sorry, again. :C]

Mudstar prepared to renew the expedition along its course when none other than Luckychance strolled right up and sat beside Nightclaw so casually. The warrior bore an unusual name, for an unusual cat. If he wasn't MarshClan born and bred, the tabby might have considered him an ill omen. However, he was within the clan and therefore of great value to her. "It appears we have ourselves a complete patrol." She tilted her head, angling to give the newcomer a look that said 'we'll talk about this later'. "We will turn due south and check the border at the great oak before returning to camp." Enough time wasted with idleness, the leader would start moving along her planned trajectory.


Before long, an odd scent began to permeate through the humid swamp air, thick and nasty like a festering wound. No such thing could escape Mudstar's overactive senses. Without warning or checking to be sure her patrol was together, she veered off towards the source. Nothing good was emitting such a stench.



[Here's a map showing our location and the route:


Also, please don't have your character find the source of the smell, I have something planned out and want to give you guys time to post characters moving and initial reactions to the budding plot.]

(( yeah, you got the map right. Sorry, that thing is 2 years old OTL ))

Nightclaw had silently watched the others as they chatted about patrols and a fox at the isolated island. Beetlenose had seemed to be a bit on edge when Mudstar approached them, however. He found this, and the fact he had a heavy scent of fresh fish on him, to be a little suspicious. It wasn't his place to question it though.
When Mudstar darted off, he seemed a little surprised at first, but soon realized why she had left in such a hurry. With a last glance at Beetlenose and Luckychance, he went to follow her. If it was something dangerous, she shouldn't have to face it alone.

[ I have permission from Mud to post the info in this post. ]

The bicolor tom trailed after the other felines, keeping up with them, but clearly not enjoying being called on. Beetlenose caught the putrid odor a split second before Mudstar veered off into the grass. He caught Nightclaw's glance and padded after the two, his ears angling backwards but not quite pinning to his head.

It wasn't long before the black and white cat nearly stepped in a shallow pool of blood. Beetlenose hadn't been following the two cats very closely and was a little off track of the others. He recoiled briefly, recovering instantly and lowering his nose to the ground. There was a trail of blood- well, calling it a trail was a little generous. It looked like someone- or something -had dragged itself through the reeds while bleeding heavily on everything. The tom's hackles rose and he unconsciously bared his teeth as he hissed loudly, "Over here!"

Luckychance had started moving after the others last, but trotted up quickly to stay close, lest he veer off and get himself lost again. He'd seen the looks that the others had given him, and wondered idly if they'd already guessed that he'd gotten himself lost again. Probably, because, despite how remote the occasions of his disorientation, it seemed to be a thing with the tom.

Luckychance turned at the sound of Beetlenose's voice, looking back at the black and white tom curiously. Whatever had the warrior riled up must have been important, as he looked particularly alarmed at what he'd found. The white and brown tom wondered what that could be.

[WARNING THERE IS SOME GORE AND CHARACTER DEATH AND THINGS. idk I'm not really the best at drawing gore but it's there and according to the rules there are kids on the site so erk.]



Following her nose, the she-cat would track the scent around. They were nearing the training hollow, weren't they? The thought was interrupted by Beetlenose's call. He had found something?! She immediately broke off her own trail and went to his side, dark lips pulling back at the scene that had been presented to her. Blood coated the grasses and darkened the water and stained the dirt. The mess had been to the right of where she'd been searching, and so she had missed it while Beetlenose had discovered it. He was a worthy warrior, an ideal MarshClan cat. It was now obvious what she had to do: follow the blood.







At the end of the gore lay Russetnose, collapsed half in the water with his side torn open and his eyes cloudy. One of his ears was torn off, and an enormous bite had been torn out of his hindquarters. The wounds were far too big to have been caused by any one cat. Even the biggest cat couldn't have had jaws so large and long. The warrior's gold-yellow pelt was muddy and clotted with filth. His ruddy ears and namesake russet-colored nose were indistinguishable from the blood that surrounded them. The deputy had lost a lot of blood, and if Mudstar had to guess she'd have said he'd fallen from that fact. She was no medicine cat, but how could anybody lose so much blood without dying?

Her clan hadbeen dealt a great wrong, and now were weakened by a lack of deputy. She had to name a successor, especially if she would track down Russetnose's killer which of course she was. Would the trail hold? Would the blood wash away before she could follow it? Obviously it had already started to decay, otherwise somebody would have noticed it sooner with all the border patrols she had ordered. No. Nono, Russetnose had to be returned to his clan. Perhaps the medicine cat could tell her what had done this, or maybe the new deputy.

"The body must be brought home."

(( I've been an inactive RPer oops ))

Nightclaw had silently eyed the deputy's corpse. Maybe that aforementioned fox had done this, or maybe a badger or dog. Whatever it was, it wasn't another cat. He had seen a lot of death in his lifetime, so this tragedy didn't phase him as much as it should have.
When Mudstar said they had to bring the body back to camp, he volunteered to carry the dead deputy. He was a larger tom, and didn't care if his fur got a little bloody.

Luckychance followed Nightclaw and Mudstar, his brows knitting in worry as he saw the trail of blood they were following. The bitter scent of blood burned his notsrils, and he scrunched his nose in disgust. What could have possibly caused so much blood? He wasn't sure, but whatever it was, it had been in quite a fight.

As the mangled body of the deputy came into view, the young warrior felt his jaw drop in shock. Luckychance had never seen a dead cat before, let alone one killed gruesomely as this. The brown and white tom's pelt prickled with faint fear at whatever could have done this act of savage violence, because it was obvious it couldn't have possibly been another cat, even an inexperienced mousebrain like himself could see that. He bit his lip worriedly.

The cat's amber eyes flickered over to look at Mudstar as she announced that Russetnose needed to be brought back to the camp, then to Nightclaw as he volunteered to carry the golden tom back to camp. "I'll help", Luckychance offered solemnly, his normally abrasive personality dulled by the need for seriousness presented by the deputy's tragic death.

Nightclaw glanced at Luckychance before walking over to Russetnose's corpse. He lifted one end up, expecting Luckychance to get the other.

Beetlenose frowned at the carnage before him. His eyes raked over his clanmate's mangled body, the fur along his spine prickling. It was tragic, really, but the black and white tom knew there was no time for despair just yet. He watched as Nightclaw and Luckychance began handling the body to bring back to camp at Mudstar's orders. He flicked his tail wondering if he should help, but it seemed like the two toms had it handled.

The marks on the body definitely weren't dealt by a cat. Even the largest of forest cats couldn't have so savagely taken down their deputy. Beetlenose's mind recalled following the fox to the den with his clanmate. Could it have- could Russetnose have-?

"I'll go ahead and alert the elders", the tom meowed solemnly, briefly attempting to meet Mudstar's gaze before looking back at Nightclaw and Luckychance. "With your permission, Mudstar." He could grab his fish and still be back before the two brought the corpse.

Luckychance shrugged under Russetnose, lifting the other end of the corpse. The dead weight was heavy enough, but bearable. With a glance at Nightclaw, he began moving slowly over the marshy terrain, going slowly as not to trip over the uneven ground, and so that the black tom that carried the dead deputy with him wouldn't trip up either. The young warrior had seemed to have an epiphany of sorts in relation to which direction the camp laid, and he moved on with quiet confidence in his pawsteps.

There was a swell of satisfaction as the ragtag patrol gathered their wits under this most tragic of occasions. Mudstar nodded to Nightclaw and Luckychance as they made their offer, and then once more to Beetlenose's idea. With a little advance notice, the clan would be better prepared for the scene. These duties tied up all the stray ends, didn't they? The only thing left was to track the blood back to the source. "Go, I will finish patrolling and return before moonhigh to announce the new deputy." Fully intending to do just that, the she-cat turned away from the group and headed southeast towards the border.


[OOC if anybody has any last posts then go for it, otherwise I suppose we should close this one with them going their seperate ways. A new thread will open soon in the camp board to tell the story of everyone returning and the deputy ceremony.]