[ti]Open[/ti]In The Court of the Rat King

[LupTacco]

RootClan had settled in as well as they could ever hope to be by now. Relations might have been tense with the other clans, but that was the end of it- so far, no further war had broken out between the youngest of the clans and their new neighbors. Some optimistic cats might begin to think this was an ideal place to stay if their old home no longer existed. Those cats were about to receive a rude awakening- nothing free was ever easy in the wild.

Deep down, in the sealed-off tunnels that even the smallest cat couldn't reach into, a large nest of rats had finally exhausted their food stocks trying to wait out the cats living above their heads. They were in a panic, milling about in agitation and scratching at the pests in their fur. Eventually, a few larger rats separated, nosing each other and almost, if anyone had been observing, looking like they were talking. One reared up, before dashing into the crowd of rats below. There was a pause before it reached the edge of the crowd, and then- pandemonium. The rats streamed out of their nesting cave and down various tunnels, most jamming down a single broad one. Some of their tails tangled, various rats climbing over each other and running with the flow of the horde.

--

Brittlebark rested in the center of the camp, grooming his paws quietly and contemplating the shadows. They gave off... an uneasy feel. It almost felt as if there were more than he could see, each piling on the last until a horrid presence filled the room. The fur on his neck pricked as a cool breeze graced his back, carrying a whisper with it- stand.... and run. "Ancestors...?"Brittlebark furrowed his brows in confusion, obeying their first warning and standing, his ears pricked as he picked up on a low rumble. And then the squeaking. "RootClan! We have to go! Find Screechstar and Blackmoon!" The colorpoint tom spun around, yowling for anyone who was listening, before the harsh sound of cracking wood erupted from a quiet corner of the camp, and a wave of black fur tumbled in, filling up every space with hungry, angry rats. Their sharp teeth and claws hunted for anything to catch onto, demolishing the fresh-kill pile while others turned on the cats themselves- Brittlebark yelped as a rat slid into his leg and then sank its long teeth into his foreleg. Swatting it away and leaping towards the nursery, he knew he had to act fast; Claykit and Floatingcloud would need help.

The rats weren't just angry, though- their eyes were glazed over, and little specks hopped around between each. Diseased fleas followed their carriers around, taking the chance to hop onto unsuspecting clan cats.

[Broadwaykat]

It had taken a long time, but he felt like he had finally done it; he had his life in a sort of order, and a proper nest. Perhaps one of the most interesting things he had learned from the clan-born medicine cats was that they had separate nests for healing the sick and injured in; as well as the sleeping quarters for the healers.

He had carefully made niches in the softer walls - digging until his claws scored hard stone to create a colder storage for the more fragile plants. He was even getting used to the occasional whispers from the cats in his ears - those, at least, who had long been dead and gone.

Watch. Listen. They come. Rarely did a message bother him during the daytime, but as he was bent over a patch of drying tansy leaves and indistinguishable voice nudged his ears; he straightened up, ears churning like satellite dishes as if they could better pinpoint the sound. But who they were...they were...shadow.

How right he was.

He was prepared to bow his head again when a terrified scream broke the air. The ground shook underpaw; and Shadowfall's fur rose along the ridge of his spine and chilled him to the core.

"Snakeleap!" He yelled for his apprentice even as he galloped forward to see that the seething mass of shadows were actually moving - a roiling mass of screeching, scratching, gnawing bodies. 

His eyes rolled in panic before instinct and memory took hold, as he did his best to block the entrance to his nest, lashing out at a runty rodent that tried to squeeze past him with a sharp kick from his hind legs. They needed to drive the rats away, yes - but even more so keep as many as possible from infesting the smaller tunnels and dens. 

Before he had been a healer, he had been a fighter; "Keep them back from our tunnel - if they lay paws on so much as a leaf, So help me - " He snapped in a no-nonsense way for the younger tom as he lashed out against a thick wall of rodent with his front claws, bearing his fangs. The time for healing would come later; 

But if they didn't drive the rats away, or protect what they had, then what was the point in healing the survivors?

[M'Lady if you want to dive in with him (although I kept it vague, calling FOR him not AT him if you don't). Also if anyone wants to help guard and drive away from hurting any of the possibly injured; that'd be cool. Other Rooter's will come tomorrow.]

[sunblaze]

Sunblaze was amidst grooming her chest fur after a filling meal. Her fur now neat and silky, she was about to exit the den and share tongues. To her surprise, yowls of panic resonated throughout camp. Scrambling tiny shadows, not like those of kits, reflected on the cave wall. These figures were scraggly, infested with dancing little fleas. Ill rats. All over the camp. 

Sunblaze bounded up any elevated surface in the Cavern. The violent squeaking of a rat swarm emerging. The orange she cat watched the Clan in shock for a moment, tottering on her narrow perch of damp stone. Her instincts kicked in strong. This was her Clan, like Kin to her. 

She felt a strange authoritative nature she didn't usually have herself, being so calm and quiet for the most part. She carefully scanned the scurrying rodents for any cats. "Make sure the kits and elders are safe!" , she yowled.  Sunblaze hoped her decision was wise, to ensure safety of the weak. 

[noctemq]

Blackmoon was sitting towards the entrance of the camp, gazing into the area beyond. Patrol assignments were on his mind; he could place Talondive and Forestfog on the morning border patrol, then—
He stood rigid at the sound of shrieking behind him. His pupils narrowed to slits and fur was standing on edge as he whipped his body around to see what was happening. The distorted mix of both cat and rat cries echoed in his ears as he raced towards the danger. Blackmoon was quick to act, even if it meant putting his own life on the line. If this was happening any slower, the deputy would’ve asked for Screechstar’s input on what to do, but there was no time.

”Evacuate to the fields! Head to Mistclan!” There was no way that the rats would be able to swim, right? He had personally never dealt with them before, so this was his best idea at the moment. Blackmoon’s breath was growing shallow; it was hard to run and yell at the same time, though that was the least of his issues. ”Find someone and stick with them, no cat left behind!” He barked, his usually quiet voice booming as loud as he could make it. His plan was to make time for the weaker to escape first, then the rest would follow. Temerarious and full of adrenaline, Blackmoon headed directly towards the rats with his teeth bared and claws unsheathed, the last part of his string of commands fading into the depth of the cave:

”Warriors, behind me!”

[Mama]

Halfshade had just returned from a hunt, taking a break in between the patrols to groom his pelt and get a quick bite to eat. The giant feline was sitting in the clearing with his short tail flicked around his flank. He was taking large bites of a squirrel, considering the pile was plentiful he didn't mind eating the whole thing himself. As, he certainly could. 

Rumbling in the distance caught his attention, and he looked up from his meal to see a cat run into the camp. "Rats?" The tom asked, wiping his long muzzle with a paw before getting to his feet. There didn't seem to be anything wrong...

Then, suddenly, they poured in like a wave of water. Like a flood. Noticing most running and a few holding them back, Halfshade decided to join the effort. With a great leap, the hybrid started to rain havoc onto the rats. He stomped on as many as he could, taking some in his jaws and shaking them before tossing aside. But even with those efforts, it wasn't really enough. There was too many, and they could only be held back for so long. A few tried to climb up him, and the tom yelped when one bit into his shoulder.

------


Echopaw didn't have much to do. Other then listen to his father wheeze and rant, the tom was more of a loner and enjoyed his peaceful off time by himself. However, this was interrupted by... Rats. Yep. Rats. Shooting to his paws, the tom searched for his father, who wouldn't be able to make it out with his worsening condition. Glancing around, he could spot the bright tom trying to get away rats who clawed at his fur and held on. 


"Hold on, dad!" Echopaw yelped, charging and throwing the rats off of him. They continued to chase themselves back towards them, so the two had to leave quickly. Echopaw roughly nudged his father towards the exit, following behind and trying to keep the rats down.


(Both are open for interaction, feel free to also mention my other characters.) I

[Storm]

Claykit
RootClan | Kit | Tom | 4 Moons | Heterosexual

Swanstream had been allowing her adopted kit much more freedoms lately.  He was younger than her litter and so the last in the nursery, by no fault on his own.  Plus Claykit was quite calm and well behaved by kit standards, what trouble could he find himself in underground and surrounded by his clan?  The chocolate tom was enjoying a little excursion, several pawsteps away from the nursery when voices rose and echoed in the cave.  Copper eyes widening and flying around to chase the bouncing and new sounds.  Screams seemed to join and cats started running around.  He might have been a large kit, but still very squishable by his larger than life, adoptive tribe ancestors.  Long fur rose, his tail turning into the bristly-est pine tree ever as Claykit felt himself shrinking into the cold hard floor.

His pleasant voice held in his throat, he quivered silently in fear.  Rats?  He hadn't known that word yet, but with everyone's reaction it meant danger.  One had taken notice of him and his eyes fell on the strange beast as well.  It was larger and uglier than the prey animal he'd known, teeth dangling crookedly in it jaw.  It was standing still a fox length in front of him, observing the kit.  That was when Claykit found his tongue, "MoooOOOMMM," his cry rose as it triggered the beast to scamper at him.

NOTES: Anyone, feel free to swat the rat away and pick up/carry Claykit.

[Ava]

Screechstar, sitting in his den, found that times were silent, much too silent. Silence before all went wrong, before the first of many problems to come occurred. He felt a cold sweep of breeze that he found could not be a coincidence- his den was far too closed off for a breeze to find its way in. A chill running down his spine, he dashed out of his den to see the camp discovering something was off, and rightly so. Only moments later rats poured into the camp, and only one thought passed his mind- save the others. He had nine lives to spare, and he would use every last one before he ran off like a coward. He was the leader, the model for others to follow, and he didn't want to raise a clan of cowards.

Swiping his paws to keep the rats that had gotten by off of him, he dashed towards the nursery, noticing two shadows, meaning they were still in the den. Rats were starting to get into the tunnel, making it much more difficult on the way out, but he quickly swatted the rat nearest Claykit to the side, hitting it against the nursery wall, as it fell to the ground, limp. Grabbing Claykit, he tossed him up on his back. "Alright, little dude, grab onto me, we're gonna go for a badger ride," he said calmly, although while he was focused on the kit, Floatingcloud was doing her very best to fend herself from the rats. It just seemed like there were too many for her- they were starting to close in around her and pounce towards her.

Two rats jumped at once, just missing her legs. While she was occupied with trying to get them away, more pounced, biting her tail and paws. Screechstar noticed her cries and ran towards her, ignoring the nibbles on his paws and swiping at the rats as he approached her. Now, standing between her and most of the rats, he got the remaining rats out of her pelt, and helped her limp to the clearing in the cave, where there was more space to walk. 

"M-my kits, Screechstar. Where are they? Bearkit and Mousekit- I-I mean Bearpaw and Mousepaw and Lynxpaw. They might still be in there!" she cried hysterically, her thoughts running too fast for her to keep up. Even now outside the cave, she didn't feel safe. She wanted back in to find her kits, her babies, her only meaning of being alive anymore.

"I'll go back in and look for them. For now, I need you to go with the rest of everybody to MistClan. Try and take Claykit with you, but if you can find Swanstream, please hand him off to her. She'll want to know he's okay," he replied, bowing down and letting Claykit off of his back.

With that, Screechstar flicked his tail in a goodbye, hoping Floatingcloud would keep going, knowing she had the responsibility of Claykit on her shoulders. He ran back into the cave, fighting off the rats he could and ignoring any bites, just shaking them off. He kept moving, moving, trying to keep going and not kept held back. He would feel like dung later, but for right now his only goal was to help his clan out safely, killing as many rats in the process. Many seemed to already have gotten out, but there were quite a few stuck amidst the infestation. It worried him how many were filling in- but they had StarClan on their side, so surely they could make it.

[TL/DR: Screechstar helps both Claykit & Floatingcloud out of the nursery, both him and Floatingcloud getting bitten along the way. Floatingcloud is taking Claykit towards MistClan, Screechstar heads back in to look for others to help out, what a nice good savior <3.]

[Miss Tactical]

The long limbed she-cat poked her head out of the apprentices den just in time to see a flood of rats racing by. Her tail waved back and forth, there was no room to step without them being underfoot. ”I don’t think I can make it out of here!!!” One blue eye, the other leaf green looked across the tunnels to where warriors were running outside heading towards MistClan territory. Closing her eyes tightly she backed up into the cave. Normally being tall had it’s advantages, being able to reach things others couldn’t, being able to see further, this time she was plain stuck. She took a deep breath in as she saw others getting out would she be the last? It wasn’t time to think like that, it was time to think like a warrior!

She puffed out her chest slightly before taking a running leap into the masses, she felt sharp teeth dig into her hind leg. It wouldn’t let go! She rolled and kicked before another leaped onto her shoulder. Letting out a yelp, she sprinted towards the tunnel exit the rats hanging on to her as if they would be the last thing that they would eat. ”Please get them off of meeeeee!!!” Being covered in rats was certainly something that she would never forget.

Her eyes fell on a large brown tom as he raced towards her grabbed the rats and giving them a hard tug, the young apprentice yelped and cowered back, blood flooding the wound. :You could have been more…gentle you know.” With a limp she walked towards the tunnel and heard the toms snarky reply.

”But you will live to see another day.” Cloverpaw snorted before exiting the tunnels and into the outside, an occasional stray rat scampered by, but at least she was safe. She looked inside to see cats still trying to fight their way out. Please StarClan…let them be safe. ”Coming Talon?!?” She called out to the tom who saved her it wasn’t uncommon for the Rootclan cats to call each other by their prefix, Cloverpaw, still not used to things.

She watched tom grunt rolling onto his back shaking a rat off before coming out of the tunnels himself following the others who had started to run for MistClan. ”Thanks…for you know saving me.” She mewed as she limped a long. Her two colored eyes stared off into the distance as MistClan’s border came into view. She heard the tom let out a disgruntled mew, clearly not expecting any thank yous and Cloverpaw couldn’t help but chuckle.

Just doing my duty. He finally mewed before walking ahead of the she-cat helping others towards MistClan’s territory.

[TLDR Talon helps Cloverpaw, maybe they become a thing who knows!]

[pants]

Coldstone woke from his slumber to the noise of screeching and the constant hum of scurrying, tiny paws. Dazed from still waking up, the tom squinted his eyes, trying to blink away the sleepiness. He had been having a nice dream about their old home and how he'd used to leap up the large rocks with his tribe mates. He missed those days, even though his new clan did him well.

As he came to reality, though, the tom realized that everything was not fine and dandy, as his dream might have suggested. The yowls and screeches grew louder and higher in number, collectively filling the camp with the sound of panic. What's going on...? the tom questioned. And as if StarClan had answered his inquiry, a group of five rats appeared in the entrance to the warriors' den. Behind them, a flood of rats began to swallow the rest of camp, covering the clearing with black. Coldstone screeched himself, leaping up and raising his fur. Rats! And so many of them! How did they appear with no warning?

The tom looked at his foes, who were quickly making their way to him. They look diseased, their fur mangled and their eyes deprived of a soul. Or at least what it looked like. Tiny black dots fled their pelt in singular jumps. Fleas. They must be carrying something...

Suddenly, the largest of the rats leapt at Coldstone, claws extended and teeth bared. The tom hissed and smacked the rat with a large paw, sending it flying across the den. In that time, however, two other rats bolted for him, one attaching itself to his forepaw and the other jumping onto his back. Each took a bite at the warrior's scar covered body, sinking their teeth into whatever flesh they could get ahold of. Coldstone yowled and bit the rat on his paw, ripping it from himself before flinging it away. The other rats were about to make their move, but the pure black tom leapt, soaring above their heads before they had a chance to react. His paws landed on the dusty floor and he made no hesitation to begin running towards the first exit he could. His green eyes were wide and terrified as a swarm of rats covered the escape route before him, their beady little eyes setting their sights on the tom. He skidded to a stop and began backing away, frantically looking for a new exit. He saw his clanmates leaving through the path that lead to MistClan and turned to follow, the rat on his back biting once again, causing the tom to yowl and sprint, the flood of rats beginning to follow.

[Broadwaykat]

Hawkspring had spent a good deal of his morning helping run a morning patrol - so by the time he had returned he was hungry and tuckered out - but hunger, in this case, had one out. He had just settled down with a sparrow and prepared to take a bite when something - literally - snatched it front his grasp.

"Turkeypaw? Not fun -" He had thought it was his brother and apprentice - a dark ball of fur. But though it was roughly the size of an apprentice - and had a similarly lopsided gait - it bared yellowed fangs at him that did not resemble his brother's even in his deepest, darkest nightmares.

"Wha - OW!" He yelped as something took his moment of distraction to climb upon his back - biting down hard at the space between his shoulder blades. He yelped and bucked and managed to shake the creature off - but more came, streaming out of the darkness like some horrible nightmare.

Other's were retreating, so Hawkspring did his best to follow the herd - tripping over rodent bodies as he did. It was slow going and his shoulder throbbed.

[TLDR - Hawkspring is struggling to get out after a rat got him good in the shoulder. Uh Oh.]

The moment they had told her to run, Shrikepaw had run - or, at least, she had tried to. She hadn't gotten more than a few feet before she found herself knocked head over tail - with a rat nearly as big as her brother Claykit trying to pin her. She managed to kick up her paws and hold it back - only just - but the fierce rodent had her own her back - snapping and snarling just inches away from the delicate flesh of her belly.

"Momma! Daddy! Echowooolf!" She screeched for someone - anyone to hear her, as all four legs trembled with the effort of holding the creature at bay.

[TLDR - Shrikepaw vs. Rat - anyone wanna help a 'prentice out?]

Swanstream may have had a kit still in the nursery - but Claykit was one of the biggest kits she had ever seen, and such as sweet fellow - well behaved. A bit better than her latest brood, honestly. So she was getting used to, between herself and Floatingcloud, getting a little more freedom with them. She had allowed herself that morning to go out hunting - and enjoying the warm weather and a bit of sun, and was just heading back to camp when she noticed something - off.

Her clanmates - fleeing. Immediately she rushed forward, panic in her heart. Was it a cave in? Where were her children. Claykit! He was the most vulnerable of them now - her sons were warriors and apprentices, as well as her daughter - but he was just a kit! A single, lowly kit with a caregiver who was grievously injured!

 She rushed forward - unlike the crowd, her white body streaming upstream and INTO the camp rather than out of it - until she spotted the other she-cat whom she had shared a den with for many moons - bleeding and broken but - thank Starclan! - a familiar brown messy-furred lump on her back.

"Floatingcloud, Claykit!" She ran forward towards them and immediately nuzzled the little kit, and then her friend and fellow mother. "What's going on?! What's happened!"

[TLDR: Swanstream was out for a bit and is just glad her youngest [adopted] baby is alright. Chances are she's never gonna leave the poor mite alone again. Even when he's an Elder. Ava, Storm. ]