literature

TWG || Pay No Mind To the Rabble

Deviation Actions

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Literature Text

"Follow me, hurry!" The dark warrior mewed urgently to his family. Cats were scattering everywhere, everyone trying to find the best way to get out of the camp, out of the forest, and away from the fire. He was determined to keep his family together, though, as he lifted Tricklekit up and placed her on Skylily's back. The tiny calico looked terrified, an emotion he was sure he had never seen cross his small daughter's face. He gave her forehead a hurried lick and turned to find his son, taking him by the scruff and placing him on his own back. Pinekit gripped into his fur quietly, wide eyes watching the flames as they rose around them. Skylily had already taken Dizzykit, leaving Peacekit as the last one on the ground. Wishspirit swiftly grabbed her and, after sharing a look with Skylily, her fear mirroring his own, he set off.

It was a lot of blind running for a while, constantly checking behind or beside him for his smaller mate while being careful not to snap his daughter's tiny neck by swinging her too hard. The fire was everywhere already, no thanks to all the drying and dead undergrowth that once grew thick in the dark forest. Screams and yowls filled the air as everyone tried to escape, to go to the lake of the river, anything. Some cried for their lost or missing family members while others screeched as the flames licked at their fur. Any landmark once used to navigate the territory was now burned, made unrecognizable. There were no scent markers, only the thick stench of smoke that threatened to choke anyone who lingered for too long. Eventually they were forced to stop. Wishspirit looked in every direction, desperately looking for any sort of sign that would tell them where they were. But no such luck. Skylily had her eyes pinned on him, unwilling to look anywhere else. Oh Starclan, how was he supposed to do this?

---

Pay no mind to the rabble, pay no mind to the rabble

---

As he turned around once more, Wishspirit's gaze fell over something in the distance, only somewhat visible through the roaring flames that whipped back and forth. Was it a rock? Something he could use to find his bearings? He squinted slightly, trying to make the shape out. No.... no, that wasn't a rock. If he hadn't been gripping Peacekit he would have tightened his jaw.

That was a cat.

They looked to be trapped in the fire, turning in circles and opening their jaws to call for help. Yet.. no sound came out. There was only one cat Wishspirit knew of that wouldn't be able to do that.

It was Stormpaw.

Skylily appeared at his side suddenly, looking up at him with a mix of confusion, fear, and urgency. "Wha are yu lookin' af?" She muffled around Dizzykit's scruff. The she-kit was curled into a ball, dangling from her mother's jaws as her grey eyes glanced fervently between her father, Peacekit, and the fire. Wishspirit looked over at Skylily for a moment before looking back at Stormpaw, ears pressing back against his skull. The calico at his side followed his gaze, eyes widening when she too saw the apprentice trapped in the fire.

"Starclan no.." He heard her breath out. What could they do? What could he do? He had his family to protect, to save, but here was this mute apprentice, completely helpless in this raging inferno. Just as he was contemplating this, he heard the loud caw of a raven as it flew above the trees, away from the fire. It was like a sign. In an instant his mind was made up.

Quickly, but carefully, the scarred tom placed Peacekit on the ground, then turned his head to grab Pinekit. Skylily watched him sorrowfully, already aware of what he was doing. One he had placed Pinekit beside his sister, he met the periwinkle eyes of his mate steadily, a sort of resolve settling inside him. "... Follow the sound of that bird. There's no way it would stay anywhere near a fire; it may lead you out." He mewed, his voice raised over the sound of the crackling flames around them. He watched as his mate's eyes crinkled, trying to push back tears that were beginning to form. She gently put Dizzykit down for a moment, mouth ajar as if she was trying to think of what to say.

"Wish..." What could she say? To leave Stormpaw helpless to the fire? Or let him go with the chance that they may never meet again? Wishspirit wouldn't let her choose either, however, as he pushed his muzzle against cheek, staying there for a few seconds that flew far too fast before pulling away again, but not too far.

"I'll come back to you." He whispered, their noses just barely brushing. "I promise." Skylily gave a fraction of a nod, rasping her tongue over his lips before he pulled back all the way. With one last glance over his family, Wishspirit turned around and bolted back into the thicker part or the forest, the roaring of the fire around him not quite overcoming the pounding of blood in his ears.

-------


The dark warrior dodged around the flames as best he could, weaving through the burning undergrowth and leaping over the smoldering branches that had fallen from the trees above. He was getting closer to Stormpaw with every stride he made, although getting to him was proving to be more and more difficult the deeper in he went. He was only a few fox-lengths away now, though, a large wall of fire being the last major obstacle standing in the way. Wishspirit came to a halt, looking around for any way to get in, when once again something else distracted him. This time, it came in the form of a smaller body smashing into his, causing him to stumble sideways. He shook his head to clear it and looked to see who it was.

"What do you think you're doing, you idiot?!" A deeply familiar voice hissed at him loudly. Wishspirit narrowed his eyes slightly, meeting the eyes of his dark apprentice. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Get out of here, Dreampaw." He growled in return. "It's dangerous in here. Go!"

The she-cat lashed her tail, fur sticking up along her spine. "Do you think I'm stupid? I know it's dangerous! That's why I'm trying to stop you!" She practically spat the words at him. He didn't think he'd seen her this angry since she attacked her father.

"Look, I know you really don't get what it is to care about others, except your mother. But Stormpaw is mute. There's no way he'd be able to call for help, and I doubt anyone else is close enough to see him. I'm lucky I did for the distance I was at!" Wishspirit retorted, his voice hard. Dreampaw looked down at the ground, glaring at the space between them, before snapping her head back up to look at her mentor.

"You think I don't know what it is to care for someone else? Well guess what? I care about you, Wishspirit! I'm doing this because I CARE ABOUT YOU!!"

Her blue eyes blazed like the flames surrounding them. Wishspirit was silent, mouth slightly agape and eyes blinking a few times. He honestly hadn't expected that sort of reaction from her. His silence seemed to anger her more, though.

"You know what? FINE. If you want to kill yourself and make everyone you so 'love' suffer for it, then go ahead. But I'm not sticking around to see it!" She snapped. Without another word, she turned and fled into the fire. She didn't look back once; not that he saw anyway. He stood there for a moment longer, stunned, before once again shaking his head and turning back to the wall of fire before him. He had wasted enough time. He needed to get to Stormpaw.

---

Pay no mind to what other voices say
They don't care about you, like I do


---

Wishspirit glanced around the area quickly, trying to scout out a way to get to the apprentice. The flame had grown much too high to jump over, and they were too strong to try and jump through. How else could he get in? After scanning around him again, his eyes fell upon a rather high tree, one with branches that arched over the wall of fire. Only the topmost branches were burning at the moment, having spread from other nearby treetops. It was risky, but there was no other option.

Dashing it gain momentum, the dark warrior lept at the truck, latching on and clawing his was upwards as quickly as he could. His muscles were already beginning to weaken from running so much, receiving no aide from the smoke-filled air, which was quickly burning up all the available oxygen. It only got thicker as he went higher, and by the time he reached the branch he needed his chest was heaving, searching for the air it so desperately needed as his throat burned against him. But he couldn't stop now. The flames circling Stormpaw were drawing inward, towards Stormpaw, who opened his jaws in a silent scream. He had to act now.

Seeing that the trunk of the tree wasn't quite on fire yet, Wishspirit quickly jumped down into the ring, startling the apprentice. His grey eyes were wide with shock and fear, his breathing harsh from the smoke. Wishspirit stepped forward carefully, not wanting to scare him any more.

"I'm here to help you." He called over the sounds of the fire. "Just calm down; I'll get us out of here."

Stormpaw blinked a few times, then nodded in understanding, his body quivering. Wishspirit nodded in return.

"Good. The tree I came through here on should still be safe. If we just-" The words got caught in his throat as he turned back to look at the tree, only to see that the trunk had erupted into flames while he had his back turned. His golden eyes widened and he glanced back at Stormpaw, who was staring at him with the same expression. Quickly, the scarred tom began turning in all directions, looking for another way out. Starclan, there had to be another way out! They were so close! Just then, his eyes caught onto a small part of the fire wall, which occasionally broke open more widely than any other part of it. There. That was their way out.

He turned back to Stormpaw, who was now visibly shaking. They both knew this was risky, that much was true. But if one of them lept through unfocused, then there was no way they would make it.

"... Stand still." Wishspirit said suddenly. Stormpaw gave him a look of confusion before apparently catching on. He pressed himself against the ground, trying to stop himself from shaking with little luck. Wishspirit ignored this and closed the distance between them, reaching down and gripping the tom's scruff firmly in his jaws. Stormpaw was almost of Warrior's age now, so he wasn't exactly the smallest cat to carry. He did his best to curl up into a ball, tucking his legs in so they were off the ground. His grey eyes were squeezed shut in preparation for what they were about to attempt.

Wishspirit turned to the fire wall once more, studying it carefully. He had to jump through at just the right moment, at just the right height. If he didn't make it high enough, Stormpaw would be in danger of getting critically burned. If he went at the wrong moment, both of them would burn. It had to be precise.

Yet the wall wouldn't open. The flames that had once been so giving now seemed to be roaring just as the rest of them did. The moment had passed. Once again, he was too late.

What now? What could he possibly do to escape? He had to think of something. He couldn't give up. But before he could even begin to make another plan, a loud crack from above them caught him off guard.

Wishspirit looked up in horror, still gripping Stormpaw, as a large branch broke off the tree and began falling down towards them. It was entirely in flames, wood, leaves, and all. And with the circle of fire having grown smaller, it was the perfect size to come crashing down on every bit of open space there was left. Wishspirit took a shaky step back, eyes stuck to the thing. Was this is? Was all this effort for nothing in the end? Maybe it was a punishment from Starclan for all he'd done wrong. Maybe, if he had just left Stormpaw here and run back to his family, this punishment would have only struck him down, not the apprentice too. But, then again, Stormpaw had been trapped...

All these thought crossed his mind in that moment, while everything happening outside his head was happening all too fast. In a flash he dropped Stormpaw and curled his body around the apprentice, ears flattened against his skull as he looked back up at the burning branch, the firelight reflecting off of his eerie eyes.

All he remembered was the feeling of an immense force slamming against his body, coupled with the searing pain of fire as it burned across his body. He felt himself falling somewhere, Stormpaw's body tumbling with him. Smoke filled his nose and throat making him gag, his lungs burning as they were quickly deprived of oxygen. He hit the ground on his back somewhere, and the last thing he felt was Stormpaw's body landing on top on his chest and his head smacking against the ground.

Then there was nothing.

---

Counting bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums

And with this, Wishspirit and Stormpaw have gone missing. Will the be found? Will they live? .... Psh, I dunno xD

How could things get any worse?

Prequel
Skylily's Story
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dehani's avatar
/casually sCREAMS BC WISH <3