RushClan/Outside land border

Most of Rush's border along the North and East is accentuated by large cliffs, of which the tops are marked to signify the edge of their land.

Spiderstar had found herself wandering along the very edge of her clan's territory, looking to the outside lands. She flattened her ears and fluffed out her fur upon feeling a harsh wind, that threatened to nudge her over the cliff's edge. Her claws flexed into the dirt to ground herself, and she took a careful step away. That's when she heard the hot breath. Her sensitive ears twitched and she scented the air, whirling to face the large, bared teeth of a wolf. Panic settled and she darted to the side, sprinting across the snow with the canine hot on her heels. The movements of the wolf seemed almost lazy, but when she got too far, it sped up. And then there were two. They were younger, juveniles most likely. She gulped. And then she ran again.

The two wolves trotted after the interesting figure in the distance, ears shoved forward and noses twitching with interest.

Spiderstar glanced back toward the wolves, shivering in fear. She couldn't lead them to her clan. She darted into another direction, looping around her original course.

The wolves looked at each other and split up, getting on other side of the cat darting through the grass.

Spiderstar glanced around herself, catching only glimpses of the larger animals. She panted, shivering in the cold and whirling to face them.

The wolves continued forward, one of them lowering their head and sniffing the cat with the other licked her lips.

Spiderstar hissed and lashed out with a paw, raking her claws along the muzzle of the one who sniffed her. She backed up slowly.

The young wolf drew back with a yelp and the other darted forward and snarled at the cat.

Spiderstar jumped back with a yelp, but returned the snarl, lashing out at the other wolf.

The wolf yelped and snapped at the cat, his teeth sinking into her shoulder scruff.

Spiderstar yowled and writhed to claw at the wolf's face, kicking up with her hind paws.

The wolf rapidly shook her head from side to side with enough force to snap a rabbit's neck.

Spiderstar's fur and skin tore with the brutal shaking, and she dropped limply to the ground with a whimper. She backed up, claws unsheathed into the snow, but froze when she hit the front legs of the other wolf.

The second wolf playfully barked and picked up the cat, shaking her rapidly. The first wolf began bounding around, yapping and bowing at the other.

Spiderstar let out a pained cry before a snap sounded and she hung limply in the wolf's jaws, black tail just barely grazing the top of the snow. With the consistent shaking, her remaining lives followed just as the first, the force preventing her from healing. When her last life left, an little exhale escaped her before she went completely silent.

A sharp howl from the hills beyond RushClan sounded, bringing the young wolves to attention. They dropped their torn play thing in the snow and ran to reunite with their pack.

Firelily padded slowly through the snow, green eyes scanning over it for her leader's black pelt. "I really hope nothing has happened to her," she mewed to Stagheart, nudging the tom lightly with her shoulder.

Plumdrop sneezed as a brisk breeze flicked up some of the loose snow and blew it into her nose. "This place...stinks," she sniffed.

Stagheart shuffled instinctively towards Plumdrop as the scent hit his nose. "Wolves," he mewed, "Stay close."

Plumdrop glanced at the deputy, but for once was thankful that he thought of her and pressed her side to his. "I don't intend on wandering," she mumbled, still trying to scent the air for Spiderstar.

Stagheart felt his pelt grow warm, a welcome feeling as the cold winds ruffled his fur. He trotted into a fresh snowbank, sniffing for the familiar scent of his leader, when he caught the metallic tang of blood.

Firelily tensed and turned to look towards Stagheart when a breeze brought with it the scent of blood. "That doesn't bode well for us," she meowed worriedly.

Stagheart blinked. "She might've lost a life," he mewed, his voice lined with concern as he crept towards the smell. "Be careful, whatever drew blood might still be around."

"Wolves, by the scent of things." Plumdrop squeaked as she almost stepped into a half melted snowdrift, stained with red.

"This looks like too much blood for just one life, though." Firelily pushed out hurriedly, russet tail fluffed up with worry.

Panic flared in Stagheart as he trekked through the blood stained snow. He spotted fur poking out from a fresh patch of snow and darted towards it, nervously slowing as the blood under warmed his paws.

"You don't know that," Plumdrop reminded her, though her own fur stood on end as she stepped up on a rock and realised the extent to which the snow was disturbed. "Oh...oh no..."

Firelily darted forward to the limp body, grabbing what fur she could and dragging the black she-cat out of the snow. Only to drop her and stumble backwards right after. "StarClan.."

Shivers went down his spine as he gazed over the snow, covered in blood, fur, and paw prints. He looked at the leader's body, mangled and bloodied beyond belief, and forced himself not to faint.

Plumdrop closed her eyes, her head dipping. "At least we found her," she mumbled weakly.

"Part of me wishes we hadn't." Firelily muttered and swallowed. "We need to hide how she looks before bringing her back, right?" She looked towards the deputy, tail drooping.

"I-we'd need cobweb or something for that, we can't waste herbs during leafbare, right?" Stagheart squeaked, his confidence drained.

"Right. Should we bring her back closer then try to find some?" Firelily gulped and flexed her claws into the snow. "Should one of us run back and get Stonestripe? Or Frozenthistle?" The russet she-cat paced in the snow, tail lashing.

I have to take charge here. "We should get her out of the snow before we make any decisions." he mewed, grabbing the once proud leader by the scruff and dragging her from the snowbank.

Firelily nodded and shied away from the blood covered snow, fighting back nausea. "Oh StarClan, poor Spiderstar," she whispered, mostly to herself.

Stagheart looked squeamishly at the leader. I can't just drag her the whole way to camp...but if I carried her I'd be covered in blood. He looked at the other cats in his patrol, knowing they would be echoing his thoughts.

Firelily was stuck staring at the body of the once proud leader, her tail hanging low against the ground. She gulped and directed her green gaze towards Stagheart. "Maybe we could all pick her up? To keep from getting covered in blood?" She shuffled her russet paws nervously.

Stagheart shook his head. "I can do it...I'm the strongest of us here and...she was supposed to be able to rely on me." he mewed, voice cracking.

Plumdrop gulped. "I can run back to camp and try and get one of the medicine cats?" she suggested.

"Get Frozenthistle if you're worried about strength." Firelily padded over to the deputy and rubbed against his side comfortingly. "He could at least help carry her. You shouldn't have to do it alone."

Plumdrop's tail flicked. "I-I...I don't trust him," she blurted without thinking. "He's...oh StarClan," she sat down, looking at her paws with a sigh. "I suppose he's going to be our leader now."

Firelily whirled on the other warrior with a surprising ferocity. "If Spiderstar trusted him enough to make him deputy after Jadescorch stepped down, then he's trustworthy." She huffed and paced, ears flattened.

Plumdrop's ears flattened. "Whatever. I'll bring back a medicine cat." She turned tail and stalked off, her neck fur fluffed.

Stagheart kept his ears laid flat and hung his head. "What happens now?" he mewed.

"We wait." Firelily flattened her fur, tail still lashing while she paced in the snow. "I don't understand her prejudice against him," she mewed and faced the other deputy. "He's done nothing worth her bad judgement."

Stagheart snorted. "He's an efficient deputy, but rather fox-hearted." he grumbled.

"He is not! The only bad thing was with his kits.." Firelily slumped and sighed, resting her head against the tom's shoulder. "He's trying to make up for that, by the way."

"Whatever you say," Stagheart sighed, shifting uncomfortably against her touch.

Plumdrop padded back alongside Stonestripe, and though she'd been there before the stench of blood still made her flinch. "I bought help," she stated, stiffening a little when she saw Firelily sitting so close.