WindClan Camp

Lilysong raised her brow quizzically when Larkstar revealed the origin of her worries about the rouges. She had heard no reports of rouges on the border for many moons, and to hear that two had appeared so suddenly was a strange occurrence. It was curious, indeed, but Lilysong didn't quite understand why Larkstar seemed so uneasy. Rouges came and went, most without much hostile behaviour, and she couldn't stop herself from wondering what other information Larkstar may have chosen not to divulge.
Lilysong opened her mouth to reply but felt an odd sensation before the words came, one that compelled her to stay quiet and made the hair along the ridge of her back stand up. She felt trepidation. But at what?
A quick scan of the camp revealed that she was not the only one to be experiencing it and she noted a few gazes were upturned at the sky. Feeling a strange darkness creep over her, Lilysong cast her gaze skyward and felt her jaw drop in awe as a quick glance at the sun revealed that it appeared to be in the process of being swallowed up. I don't understand, she thought worriedly as she contemplated the image that would forever be seared into her mind.
The sandy coated warrior flinched as the next horrific development reached her ears - the wind had picked up exponentially and created the illusion that the moor was screaming. Lilysong was relieved to see Lilacsplash and Heavypaw returning to camp, not wanting them out on the rolling hillsides alone. It was a childish thought, but with the sound of the wind she could almost imagine the hills as hungry demons, waiting to swallow up those who ventured too far. The relief that she had initially felt for her Clanmates' return promptly melted away as she realised that the howling was not just being created by the wind, but was also being emitted by Heavypaw. He did not appear to be in any physical pain, but it was plainly obvious that he was indeed being tormented by something. Something personal and unseen. Dread and fear for Heavypaw seeped into her veins but she refrained from approaching him, deciding that he was well enough attended to by Larkstar, Heavypaw and Kiaspirit. To approach him now with so many others already surrounding him and demanding answers seemed unwise. She didn't want to smother him and he seemed distressed enough without them probing for an explanation.
Lilysong watched as Larkstar ordered Ashfrost to provide the hysterical apprentice with medical support. She wasn't sure quite what herbs could soothe such a troubled mind, but if anything could help she was sure that Ashfrost would find it.
She found Silverfern in the crowd and approached the female as Larkstar situated herself upon the high-rock, finding the other she-wolf's presence comforting as she sat down to listen to what Larkstar had to say. Larkstar's decisions about remaining in groups when leaving the camp settled well with Lilysong. Safety in numbers was always a good precaution to take. Besides, she didn't think she would be entirely willing to leave the camp by herself at this point, even if Larkstar hadn't forbidden it.

Heavypaw panted and gasped as he struggled to regain his energy. His beloved mother slowly stepped forward towards him, dipping her head. The apprentice's eyes widened as she did so. The red tinted fay wrapped herself around her son, humming softly into his ear. The warmth from her body soothed him, as he closed his eyes to embrace this moment. "Don't leave me," he whispered, nuzzling his muzzle into her chest.

I won't go far, she promised as her pelt whisked away in the wind.

Heavypaw opened his eyes to see Lilacsplash holding him close. It wasn't his mother after all. But still, she had forgiven him. The dark apprentice visibly relaxed as the screaming died down, then buried his face into the queen's fur. "Thank you Lilacsplash," he breathed as he begun to calm down, flinching slightly as Kaispirit licked his shoulder, but quickly forgave him. He was just trying to comfort him was all. "Thanks, everyone.
I'm... I'm okay now."

Silentpup had spent most of his time alone, huddled in the back of the nursery. His ears remained flattened against his head, the wind outside of the den irritatingly loud. He felt lonely, absolutely lonely, yet there wasn't much he could do about it. Older wolves intimidated him, while socializing drained him. For a pup, he wasn't energetic, not fond of playing whatsoever. Sighing, he perked his ears upon hearing Larkstar call a clan meeting. He crept out of the den, yet upon feeling the harsh wind, he immediately scooted back in, straining his ears to hear what the leader had to say. Upon mention of the sun, he poked his head out, glancing skyward. Figuring he shouldn't look for too long, he glanced back downwards, letting out a concerned whine. What happened to it? Why was the sun black?! Why was it making the winds so much stronger? Huddling close to the ground, he looked over the warriors for comfort, hoping they weren't too concerned. When the older wolves were concerned, then nothing good would come. Unfortunately, they all were rather shocked- an apprentice even seemed hysterical until being calmed down. 'What's going on...?' he wondered, ears flattened and fur fluffed.

Lily jumped as Silverfern spoke up next to her. She had become completely absorbed in her own thoughts as the world seemed to collapse around them, and had momentarily forgotten where she was sat. She twisted her head around to look at Silverfern as she spoke in her thickly accented voice. "A great mess indeed..." she echoed quietly in response, eyes glazing over slightly as she re-entered the labyrinth of her thoughts.  Surely an event like this had to have happened before at some point in the Clans' history? For such an event to occur and no memory be passed down by the generations seemed utterly absurd, and her eyes wondered over to the pelt of the elder, Honeybadger, where she lay in the camp clearing. If anyone were to have any useful knowledge about this catastrophe, it would be Honeybadger. But the elder had a disdainful look about her now that discouraged Lilysong from approaching. If she was likely to tell anyone anything, she guessed that she'd be most likely to reveal any information to Larkstar, and so she remained resignedly where she sat. "Did any of the elders in SunClan ever mention anything like this, Silverfern?" Lilysong tried, knowing that it was a hollow question. It was unlikely that the elders had ever had cause to reveal such information, but it was worth asking. Most elders liked to tell a story or two to the younger wolves of the Clan, and the sun being swallowed up certainly seemed like a good scary story to tell.

Giving a worried glance at Honeybadger, Ashfrost nodded, about to ask her another question when Larkstar came over. Sniffing at the cheek to order him about, he stayed where he was, watching the apprentice before giving a sigh. The pup should probably have something to calm him down, though Lilacsplash seemed to be doing quite a good job on her own. Padding over with a soft groan, he grumbled to himself over the leader. She was being too proud for a time like this. Examining the now calm Heavypaw, the old medicine wolf spoke in his usual gruff tones. “You've done well with him,” he told her briefly, giving the young female a quick once over as well. He had his suspicions about her, but unless she asked what was going on, or let the rest of the clan know, he'd keep them to himself. “If he'll go with you, take him into the medicine den. He'll need some quiet time to recover.” He didn't want to drug the pup if he didn't need it, and by the looks of things, he just needed some time to recover and curl close with a mother figure. Trying to ignore the howling of the wind, he moved purposefully over to the leader, not bothered by his thick fur being tugged and grabbed by the fingers of the wind. “A word with you alone, Larkstar, if you please.”

Heavypaw looked up as the medicine wolf spoke. He suggested for Lilacsplash to go comfort him in the medicine den, which he quickly shook his head in refusal. "No, I'll be okay now." He looked up at Lilacsplash and back towards his leader, his eyes flickering with insecurity. "I want to help. What are we going to do, Larkstar?"

Leaping down a little less then gracefully from the High-rock, Lark began to pad towards her brother when she heard her apprentice call her. She turned towards him, giving him a small smile that concealed some of her worry. "For now, we'll just have to wait it out I'm afraid." She replied, quite impressed at the young wolf's tenacity and determination. "He's going to make a fine warrior someday." She thought before continuing. "Why don't you have a rest? It's been a long day, and you wouldn't want to be exhausted when the clan needs you." She offered him, well aware that he had already been out the camp twice that day. That was a lot for a growing apprentice, and his body would probably appreciate the rest.
When Ashfrost came up to her, the she-wolf turned and dipped her head. "Excuse me Heavypaw." She woofed, pardoning herself from the conversation to speak with the Medicine Wolf. "Of course, would you like to speak with me in my den?" Lark asked, wondering if Ashfrost had received some sort of sign from Starclan from the phenomenon.

Beechpaw had been lost in thought, still in the sheltered place he'd discovered just outside of the camp, when he noticed that it was beginning to get dark. What's happening? It was still relatively early in the day. It shouldn't have been getting dark. He flattened his ears back and slunk lower to the ground. Was a storm coming? He quickly lifted his head toward the sky but didn't see the dark gray clouds that would signal the arrival of bad weather. Hesitantly he glanced toward the sun. He knew it wasn't a safe thing to do, but what else could be causing the darkness? What he saw caused his eyes to widen and he let out a soft gasp. Something other than a cloud was blocking the sun. His worry quickly turned to fear, and he knew that he needed to get back to camp as soon as possible.

The apprentice got up to his paws right when the wind began to pick up, battering his pelt with dust and grass. The wind didn't die down, and instead increased steadily as he hurried back into the camp. He'd arrived just in time to hear Larkstar call a Clan meeting. He grew more fearful when she mentioned that she didn't even know what was causing the strange event. Would the sun be gone forever? Beechpaw let out a quiet whine, heading over to the edges of the camp once the meeting was over and huddling down there. He was careful to stay clear of the brambles that made up the camp barrier and just wished that this would all be over soon.

Heavypaw let out a frustrated growl, but didn't argue. He was certainly tired, a failed hunt and racing with Delilah wiped him out, which was equally as frustrating since he often hoped he'd be invincible to the heavy grip of fatigue.

The dark apprentice shuffled off to a set of nests where the apprentices slept and curled up into one of the nests. This was his favorite spot to stargaze, but the sky was nothing but darkness with the slight glow of where the sun used to be. It felt like it was nighttime already, but it was impossible to tell. Either way, no matter how hard he wanted to deny it, Heavypaw was exhausted, and slipped quickly into deep sleep.

Giving a studying glance at Heavypaw, the medicine wolf didn't push the apprentice, leaving it up to Lilacsplash. She seemed to have a handle on things. Nodding once at Larkstar, he padded over to her den, not really caring if he was being rude. Once they were out of hearing of other wolf, he studied her sharply. “A couple of things,” he said bluntly. “If any wolf looks at the sun too long, they will injure their eyes. Better off not to do it, but if it happens, I can deal with it,” Flicking his tail a little, he sat down, uneasy about the howling wind. Not that he was going to show it to anyone - it would be best to keep the clan calm until they could work out what was going on. “Secondly, you need to learn how to ask others for help. You're young and inexperienced, we all know that. There's nothing wrong with asking anyone for help, regardless of what it is.” Finished, he got to his feet again and walked off, heading back into his den to sort out his herb supplies and make sure that he had enough to deal with whatever might be coming for them.

Wrenclaw snapped his head up when Cypressrunner called out his name, asking for him and Ember to head with him to the Sunclan border. A part of him felt uneasy at his suggestion, and he could only wonder if he was being called to patrol because of his past relationship with a Sunclan she-wolf. Embershard gave him a look that made her appear that she had a similar thought, and Wren inwardly sighed. "Are they all thinking the same thing?" He thought, silently wondering if they were all questioning his loyalty to Windclan. "I already gave up so much for the clan, are they still worried I might leave?" The notion did not sit well with the male, especially now that his sister had become clan leader. Proving his devotion to Windclan was a foremost thought in his mind since he had stopped seeing Weedfang, and Wrenclaw was determined to prove that. Although Embershard had given him an encouraging smile, he could not be sure if she was genuine.
"If you want to do a border patrol then I'm sure Larkstar would be fine with that." He answered, glancing at the leader's den where his sister and the Medicine Wolf we're currently speaking. Seeing Ashfrost exit the den, he figured that he would ask her before another wolf came up to talk. Being a clan leader sure was a busy job. Padding over to the leader's den, Wrenclaw stuck his head inside and nearly collided heads with the she-wolf who was padding out.
"Hey Lark, me, Embershard, and Cypressrunner were going to check on the borders for anything unusual." He told the she-wolf, noticing the worry that sparked her gaze. While she tried to look calm, he knew that she wasn't as good at hiding her feelings as he was. "Are you good with that?"

Larkstar followed the male inside. Sitting and wrapping her tail around her paws, she listened as he spoke of his concern of wolves staring at the sun. Even with the apparent darkness, the threat of a wolf hurting or damaging their eyes was still imminent. "One more thing to worry about." But she understood that if one of her clanmates stared at the sun for too long, they could go blind or at least permanently damage their vision. That was something that every wolf learned as a pup, yet with the new object covering the light, she realized that a lot of wolves may desire to gaze at the spectacle regardless.
Ashfrost's next words surprised her, and she felt almost offended at his criticism. "Well it would certainly be easier if to ask for help if I wasn't being nagged all the time." She retorted in her head. Yet she knew better then to aggravate him, and instead just sighed and dipped her head. "I understand." She replied simply, feeling almost like a scolded apprentice. All the stress was beginning to exhaust the fay, but she was mindful of how others might view her if she slept right now, so she didn't dare rest.
Larkstar padded to the entrance of her den, halting when she nearly knocked heads with her brother. He asked her about taking a patrol, and the she-wolf hesitated a moment before replying. "I'd rather have everyone in camp so that I know their safe. But then again it'd be wise to have a few wolves scout what's going on." Making up her mind, the fay replied. "Yeah, that's fine. But take Silverfern with you too." "The more warriors the better." "And have a look at the prairie. The prey might start hiding away if the darkness continues like this." She glanced into her brother's eyes, a part of her perturbed of his safety. He was the only family she had left. "And...be safe. Please." She glanced downward a moment before meeting his gaze again.

Heavypaw's insane screaming was disturbing indeed but blessedly short lived. He had held back as many of the Clan had flocked to comfort the disturbed apprentice, noting internally that his sister had not been one of them. Lilysong had always had a strong maternal instinct, and he thought it strange that she had not sought to comfort the young wolf at a time when he was so obviously in pain, but he figured she must have come to the same conclusion that he had - smothering him would do no good. Those around him seemed to bring him from his daze quickly enough, and with Heavypaw's screeching gone he was forced to become aware of the hauntingly shrill screams of the wind once more.
He watched Larkstar with a clinical gaze as she made her announcements to the Clan about the new precautions being put in place as a result of the madness. He agreed with the premise - after all, there was truth to the statement about safety in numbers. But Larkstar looked weary, he could see it from this distance, and the look only intensified when she emerged from her short meeting with Ashfrost. She had a lot on her plate, after all.
From the corner of his eye her noticed a party consisting of Embershard, Wrenclaw and Cypressrunner forming and heard their voices across the wind confirming that they were going to go on a patrol. He briefly considered joining them but decided against it. The patrol held plenty of wolves already and he could offer his services elsewhere. He had noticed the grey rump of Ashfrost disappearing into the medicine den and decided to wonder in after him, pausing at the entrance to allow his eyes to adjust to the change in light. "Greetings, Ashfrost," Thornfur bellowed softly, not wanting to surprise the older wolf with his sudden appearance, "I was wondering if you needed any herbs collecting or if I may be of assistance in any other way?" Lounging around camp was not an option that Thornfur ever truly considered, especially at such a frantic time as this. If Ashfrost did not want him then her would find another task to perform, but right now offering his assistance to the older medicine wolf seemed like a logical step to take.

Wrenclaw gave his sister a reassuring smile at her last words. "We will, don't worry." With that he padded off to meet the rest of his patrol. On the way he spotted Silverfern talking with Lilysong, so he trotted over to speak with her first. "Silverfern, Larkstar ordered you on a patrol with us to check the borders." He alerted her, flicking his tail. The howling wind only seemed to grow louder, and the male had to flatten his ears against the gale. "Why did the disappearance of the sun bring about all this wind? It doesn't make any sense." He knew that the lack of sunlight would cause temperatures to drop, but the sudden change in winds seemed incredibly odd. What Embershard had said earlier about Skyclan still remained in his mind, but surely this couldn't be their doing could it? Wren was still skeptical about the loners' story, but he had to admit all of this happening at once was very coincidental. Almost too coincidental. The brute didn't consider himself a superstitious wolf, but all of this was indeed strange.
Padding back over to the rest of the patrol, he nodded his head once to the other wolves. "Lark said we can go. With Silverfern along with us." Since Cypressrunner was the oldest wolf among them, Wrenclaw waited for him to instigate their leave.