WCZ (Official-Open to All)

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It was the middle of Leafbare. The land of the Clans was chilled to the core, prey was scarce, quarrels between Warriors often erupted, and nothing seemed to be getting better. Snow continuously fell, temperatures dropped, and disease sprung up in each territory. But what kind of disease? Well, Green-cough and White-cough were two of them, though there was something else...It was an unknown sickness. Its symptoms began similarly to White-cough, then into Green-cough, except something was off. With each passing day, the symptoms grew worse, Medicine cats tried using all of their already low resources, but to no avail. Cats began dying left and right, many succumbing to the disease and to despair. Leaders tried reassuring their Warriors that "Everything will be all right"...Everything was the exact opposite of "all right."
It was only a few days later, reports of "Strange Cats" were seen near Clan burial sites. Some of these cats were also seen sneaking in camps at night; occasionally screams could be heard from dens. However each morning, nothing seemed out of the ordinary (disease excluded), except there was always one missing Warrior. Similar events occurred within other Clans as well. From gathered information, the missing Warriors were usually related or close to those of who died recently. Because of the info, great fright quickly broke out within the Clan populous, and Warriors who hadnt previously prayed to StarClan, now hoped to the skies that they would continue to live...


RiverClan. Everything was near peaceful. Well, despite all of the frantic Warriors worrying that they were "next"...It was mouse-brained. All of it. Sure there was an unexplainable epidemic going around, but Cherrystar was sure it would clear up eventually. All that nonsense the other Clans were spouting about "Undead Warriors" was ridiculous. There was no such...thing...Alright, maybe there was. But not the way those bird-brained cats thought. The only "Undead Warriors" Cherry knew were StarClan and The Dark Forest. Wait, perhaps that was it then. Perhaps The Dark Forest was finally going to attack the Clans! There hadnt been any recent omens about it though...Then again, not everything could be predicted by StarClan.
Well, whatever. For now, Cherrystar had to make sure no more Warriors of hers died. She hoped Iceshard continued to serve her for many more seasons to come, along with her most trusted Warriors and her apprentice.

I can tell that this isn't a good time to break the news about my feelings so I just give a small nod and gather the cats of RiverClan. I try to cheer myself up by making up... stuff. What is this? The zombie Apocalypse? It isn't helping. I finish gathering the cats and sit at the edge of the camp, replaying that one battle over and over in my head. Until something interrupts it. A voice whispers in my head, a familiar voice. It's Speedpaw! 
   "Iceshard," she meows as her shimmering outline begins to fade into view. "Don't blame yourself for my death."
   "But I--"
   "Shhh... Tell my brother that I forgive you and that he should too. Tell him I love him."
   "I-I will."
   "In the meanwhile... I have something to share with you." Speedpaw moved closer and whispered in my ear, with an echoing voice, "The first wave has come but the predator still lies in wait. Beware of the warriors who seem to sleep, for they will rise with blood."
   I jerk awake. I must've fallen asleep for a short time, because cats are still gathering around. I haven't been getting much sleep lately because of this sickness. It's not yet gotten to the point where you could tell I haven't been getting the rest I need, but it's close. I know I need to tell Cherrystar what Speedpaw told me, but I wait until she's done announcing her plan. Just another thing to add to the pile. I sigh a weary sigh and yawn.


~(I actually yawned after writing the word "yawn." Ha! I did it again! And again. See? Yawns: one of the most contagious things in the world)~

"No I haven't seen Iceshard, Olivestar, Jayfang, or Emberblast." Dragonwing replied. "I dont think they've been allowed out of camp. Or maybe that's just me." he hesitated before continuing. "H-how's Carmelblaze?"

After a long night of rest, Drizzleflame slowly blinked her eyes open to see Crescentmoon no longer beside her. She quickly lifted her head only to see her sister's silhouette against the cloudy sky at the cave entrance. Twitching an ear from irritation, Drizz set her head back down. She felt groggily for some reason. She was still tired and her vision was still blurry from sleep. She hadnt a dream that night either, which was odd. She should have dreams every night as explained to her before by a mysterious StarClan Warrior...Though apparently, that Warrior was mistaken. Or so she thought.
Gazing off into the depths of the darkened cave, Drizzle began drooling for prey. She was really hungry actually, but she didnt have the strength to get up. Giving off a quiet sigh, she then childishly whimpered, "Cresssyyy, I'm huungryyy. Can you please get me something to eat?" Smirking, Drizz knew Crescent wouldnt reject her; Cres usually always did as she asked...

"You shouldn't be here." I growled. "In fact, you shouldn't be on WindClan territory at all!"
The caramel-colored cat stepped back in fear. "O-Olivestar, it's m-me, Carmelblaze!"
   My expression softened. "Carmelblaze? Oh! I didn't recognize you."
   "What happened here?"
   "The sickness got too bad over here, so we had to move to a different camp. Come come."
   Carmelblaze followed me back to the camp. When we arrived I looked around for Sepckleleaf. "Speckleleaf!" I called. "Where are you?"

Speckleleaf, a thick-furred calico she-cat with amber eyes wasn't sure about her surroundings for the time being. At the moment, she was out collecting herbs when she heard a voice call out her name. Olivestar's calling me! I must go to her! This sounds urgent! she thought before she raced towards the source of her voice. At the sound of her asking where she saw, she called out to her. "Here!" she shouted, racing to her leader's side. "What's going on?! You look like you saw a StarClan cat right before your eyes!" she exclaimed, eyes widened in worry.

"Have you found any useful herbs yet?" Olivestar asked. To Carmelblaze she murmured, "Most of our herbs were useless or used up."
   Carmelblaze nodded, looking around at the camp.
 "Strange isn't it?" Olivestar meowed. "That a simple sickness forced us to abandon camp."
   "It ain't that simple." Carmel replied. 
 "true."

Sandstreak raced towards SkyClan camp. "Hello? Is anyone here?" she asked. A light breeze blew and ruffled her fur, she peered into the dens to see if anybody was there. "Hello?" she asked again, hoping her voice would still be easy to hear through the breeze.

"So you haven't seen them around huh?" Stormstar meowed, silently praying to StarClan that all his friends are safe, "Well, it's good to see that you're okay at least, thanks for the info!" He turned back to Dragonwing, "Also, Carmelblaze is doing well, he's just worried about everything that's happening and the rumors he's heard."
Stormstar darted back up the tree and began heading for RiverClan, Wait, who should I check on first? Stormstar thought, I'll check on Olive, Jayfang and Moonwind first, knowing her she's crazy worried about them. Stormstar turned and began leaping through the trees towards ShadowClan territory

~you didn't answer Dragon's question, Storm

Cedarpebble sniffed around the forest floor. Only the scent of rotting flesh hit her nose. Caught in a trance her nose traced over a dead crow. She immediately threw her self back with a sound of disgust. The vulgar scent linger in her nose. "Ew..ew.EW!" She whinned and began rubbing her nose, attempting to rid of the stench. She smirked in success and turned around. To her luck she had found prey, but not the plump kind she was hoping for- a scrawny mouse. She picked up the mouse and made her way back to Thunderclan camp.

Sandstreak decided to go towards the the other clans. She began to walk there, though her legs felt stiff and tired.
***
Finally, she arrived there. She saw other cats about and walked towards them.
"Hello?" She inquired curiously.

Nodding after Iceshard, Cherrystar climbed her way back to the frozen high ledge, waiting for her RiverClan Warriors to gather beneath. Surprisingly, her heart was pounding. For once, she felt worry that she'd make a great mistake with what she was about to say...But it was worth a shot, wasnt it? The other clans would hopefully catch on sooner of later; their territory was never that large to begin with.
Gazing once again out over her clan, Cherry couldnt help but smile. This place, her home and her Warriors' home...She never once hated this camp and it's inhabitants. Despite all the hardships that occurred, she had made the most of it. After many, many moons or proving herself to her clan-mates, she somehow wove herself into charge of the clan. And with everything that she had done, horrible or great, Cherry hadnt regretted any of her actions. If what she's done in the past is what made her into who she was today, then that was satisfying enough.

Dark clouds ominously rolled throughout the sky, and the wind seemed to pick up speed. If felt colder than earlier this morning, now that each of her clan-mates settled uncomfortably beside each other.
Shifting her eyes to gaze upon them, Cherry began to frown. She could feel it; she could feel their hopes and dreams crushed. All of them looked kind of depressed, and the small clearing was grey with gloom. It wasnt a surprise though, many of them had each lost someone important, of which they stayed up nights while in grief. Yes, she felt terrible for all of their losses, she too grieved, but now was not the time to stay in the past. They had to carry on, with StarClan guiding their way...

Taking in a deep breath then letting it out, Cherrystar stood up straight trying to show her remaining confidence. Warriors of RiverClan. I have gathered you all here today as we must discuss this crisis. As you all know, there is a raging epidemic killing many of our kin. But we musn't falter. I believe in StarClan, as do most of you, that they are still willing to help us live through this together. Pausing for just a moment, Cherry couldnt help but feel a twinge of guilt before continuing. We have lost many Warrior's in the past sunrises, we are still going to hold vigil for them all, but we cannot let this interfere with our future. Our futures will be just as bright as the stars in the sky, just as our ancestors continue to watch over us as we never fail to confide in them for seasons to come. I hold great faith in them, as they do in I to lead RiverClan throughout many more of the seemingly impossible misfortunes that will inevitably fight their way into our lives. But no matter what, we shall prevail for we are grace, we are power, we are RiverClan. Cherrystar grew a hot from the heart pounding speech she just gave, but she wasnt over yet. I have one more thing to say... Clearing her throat, she continued. We will have one last Gathering at the Trees- Cherry raised her voice as gasps and murmurs sounded out down below her. Yes, only one more as RiverClan shall move out of this territory. I know this is shocking news, but we all dont want to lose anymore Warrior's to this epidemic. As a whole clan, we will be leaving camp at Sundown; heading towards The Gathering Trees. Cherry dipped her head to her clan-mates before waving off her tail, signaling that the clan meeting was over.
Backing away from the high ledge, she felt her whole body burn from the heat. Wait, heat? It was leaf-bare, why was she burning up? Was she that nervous about her plan? Was it a laughable idea at that? Feeling a bit woozy, Cherry had just made her way into her den before collapsing. None of her Warriors spoke to her after what she said, and she was glad but also felt shameful. Now all alone atop her dried moss nest, she heaved a sigh. She didnt think anxiety was something to get her sick...Or make her feel sick, at least...

I take a deep breath and slowly make my way towards Cherrystar's den. With shaky legs and my pelt growing hot, I know I have to break the news to my leader. It is my duty as a medicine cat anyways. Just then, a wave of shame drops on me, and my legs buckle and I collapse. I can feel tears welling up. I get in a sitting position and try to stop the flow of tears. Don't c-cry. I tell myself. Don't y-you DARE cry. I can't help it. I starting crying silently, waves of shame and guilt and grief passing over me, one after the other. Killing Speedpaw. Losing my friends. Kaity, Starz, all of them, dead. Because of... me. And now, I have to put more burden on my leader's shoulders. My body convulses and another wave of guilt passes over me. I lower my head to my paws and curl up, hiding my face. There I lay, almost right outside Cherrystar's den, crying.

   I feel a presence next to me. I look up to see the outline of Speedpaw. "Why are you crying?" She asks. 
   I-I-I-I... My mind is spinning too fast to respond.
   "I'm sure whatever it is, you're strong enough  to overcome it, right?"
   My tears have ran out and I nod. "You can beat down the shame, the grief, the pain, the everything! You're a warrior!"
   With an extra boost of confidence, I stand up. Thanks. I say. But she's gone. I walk towards Cherrystar's den and, with a shaky breath, ask a simple question. May I come in?

~BTW I edited my comment and answered Dragonwing's question

Phantom slinked through the bushes, her dark pelt be lending easily in with the background. The air smelled distinctly of fish and water. RiverClan. Hmmm. Should she talk to them? Back as a clan warrior, she never really had a grudge against RiverClan, burbshe knew they hated her and the rest of the Dark fores. But.. it was a risk she'd have to take. Straightening up, she padded towards the entrance into the cam, her head high and eyes flashing ominously in the cloudy night.

As she stepped one foot into RiverClan, all eyes shaped towards her. She could feel their not-even-veiled hostility aimed directly at he. But she did not wave. She was Phantom, the Dark forest' leader. She didn't DO hesitance. "I need to speak with Cherrystar." This statement was a blatant command, and came our as a low growl.

Cherrystar closed her eyes as she lay silently in her nest. As she heard Iceshard's soft voice come from just outside, she sighed. She didnt particularly care to see anyone at the moment, but her voice sounded urgent. Yes...Come in. She meowed, unknowingly of what was occurring outside her little den. Cherry had a miserable tone in her own voice but didnt try to hide it. Maybe Iceshard could see what a mess she was and go fetch her some herbs. Yeah...That would be nice. She'd been feeling sick ever since the speech. Perhaps StarClan was trying to her something...But then again, why would they? She never believed in them. Everything that she had said in that speech was false; about her holding so much faith in them. And that was also the reason why she felt guilt during her speech. She had lied to her clan-mates, but what was she supposed to do? If she had said anything mouse-brained, her clan may have turned on her then and there.

I feel guilt wash over me again but push it away. I step inside Cherrystar's den and am shocked by how miserable she looks. But I have to tell her this. It's been kept from her for too long. I'm not sure if you know about this but... I'll tell you anyways. When I was still an apprentice, there was a battle -- which I'm sure you know about. I saw a SkyClan apprentice attacking my Clanmate and attacked the SkyClan she-cat. Her brother, Carmelpaw, he's Carmelblaze now, came for me. J-Jayfang attacked him and... and... I pause to take a deep breath and push everything terrible, except for the battle scene, to the back of my mind, and continue. And the apprentice and I fought hard. Then, she knocked me down with a blow to the head. I felt dizzy, a-and my mind was swirling. She started pummeling my belly and raised her paw for another hard blow that was sure to knock me out, but not kill me, when Jayfang shot out and attacked her. It was chaos. My mind was still fuzzy and my vision blurry. I lashed out, aiming for the SkyClan apprentice's belly, when she dropped on all fours, and my claws sliced her throat. Carmelblaze told me he would never forgive me, and that's just what happened. H-her name was Speedpaw. I hang my head and am about to go, when my head jerks up and I say, The first wave has come, but the predator still lies in wait. Beware of the warriors who seem to sleep, for they will rise with blood. I gasp. I wasn't going to say it right then and there! But perhaps, StarClan thought it was time.

Blinking her now widened eyes open, Cherrystar's head shot up. Not because of Icey's past but because of the omen. Sure, her story must've been scarring for Iceshard, but there was nothing for Cherry to do about it. Pondering on Ice's last words as an eerie silence fell between them, worry washed over her. Beware of the warriors who seem to sleep, for they will rise with blood. What did it mean? With this new information, it made Cherry's head throb of which made her fever raise even more. Staring at Iceshard, Cherry opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Was it that she was shocked at the omen or had her sickness kept her from talking? Either way, the words she needed to say just seemed to not care about her situation. Things were taking a turn, werent they? Trying to stand up from her nest, Cherrystar had only stood on all four paws before collapsing right back down. Useless. She didnt have the strength to do anything now, huh?

Phantom had enough of waiting. None of the warriors were going to answer her anyways. They just kept glaring at her with hostile glances. She bared her fangs at them and glared dangerously, before she shouldered her way past them. She could hear the yowl of protests from behind, but paid them no attention, and walked into the den. Two cats were currently inside. One was definitely Cherrystar, and the other smelled distinctly of herbs. The medicine cat, probably?

Her face twisted into a sneer. "Well, well, well. Look at the great Cherrystar, lying helplessly at my paws." But that wasn't right. She seemed so weak, so helpless now. She wasn't trying to compliment the RiverClan leader, she was merely making an observation. Maybe it was that.. that epidemic? If it could somehow strike her dead warriors, then it was bound to be able to touch living warriors too. Her expression became impassive once more. "But don't worry about that. I'm not here to kill you. I just need to talk with you."

Fawnstar could hear the silent waves of the shallow half of the river beat against the shore. She padded towards the water and padded in, the water reaching half ways ago her paws. At this point she was only steps away from the fourtrees, having to walk through Thunderclan to reach Riverclan, or swimming through the river, avoiding the Rapids. Risk drowning or being caught by Thunderclan? She shook her head and swam across the water to the other side. The four trees stood tall and proud. She smiled slightly seeing the moon uncovered, soon to be covered by black clouds. She shook her head and thought about her clan. Thats right. Today's the gathering... Yet not many warriors are alive or even strong enough to survive. I might as well rest here, seeing if any of the clans will come by moon high. Hopefully if any survivors of Shadowclan are around they'd realize what day it is and come. If not... I don't know what will happen.

Why should we trust you? I ask, slightly surprised that my voice didn't quiver. This can only mean bad news, Phantom being here. I think back to the prophecy. The first wave has come, but the predator still lies in wait. Beware of the warriors who seem to sleep, for they will rise with blood. Seem to sleep... first wave... I can't make any sense of it. To be honest, the only thing I can think of right now is whether or not I should trust Phantom.

Cedarpebble padded quietly into the campgrounds. She looked around the camp and sighed seeing that no members were currently within her sight. She rolled her eyes and dropped the scrawny mouse in, what was supposed to be, the fresh-kill pile. She starred at it. Very few pieces of prey were present, only five or four- but they were all rotting, quickly. This epidemic is spreading fast. She starred at the prey for a bit longer. She flicked out two pieces of rotten prey and sniffed it. She recoiled and starred down at the prey. Maybe the prey has caused this... but what kind of prey? Rabbits...Frogs... Fish... mice... rats... She sighed, seeing at there was too much prey in the forest- too many to count.

Cherrystar only gazed up at the Dark Forest Warrior from where she lay on the ground. They were right though, she was helpless. She couldnt even speak if she wanted to, but the least she could was signal her tail for Iceshard to quiet herself. She wanted to hear what the dark Warrior had to say; perhaps what ever it was could help her in the long run. Nodding her head to the Warrior, Cherry let her continue.



~So short, I know...
At least it's five sentences.

Jayfang sped out of the camp and headed towards the RiverClan border. I must know if Iceshard is okay. He thought. He slowed as he got closer. He knew he had to conserve his energy. Soon, he was simply walking. When Jayfang reached the river, he stopped. He wasn't sure if this was such a great idea.

Stormstar leaped through the trees along the river towards ShadowClan when he spotted Jayfang at the river. Stormstar stopped and climbed higher up the tree he was in for cover, he scanned the ground for signs of other cats. He climbed down the tree and opened his mouth to drink in the scent and only scented Jayfang and stale RiverClan scents. Stormstar padded out from behind his tree.
"Jayfang!" he meowed quietly, "Over here."

Phantom gazed at Cherrystar. "The zombie virus hit you clans, right? It hit my own warriors. So many of my warriors have been turned into disgusting, brainless creatures." Her long claws escaped her paws and dug into the ground. She was angry. Angry that she couldn't stop this from happening. Angry that she was stooping so low as to ask the clans for help. "The remaining of my warriors have come with me to the real world. We would like to offer a truce with you 5 clans in order to escape this epidemic." She wasn't positive Cherry would accept this truce, bur she could still try, right?



~short.~

Cherrystar froze in place as the dark Warrior said the word "zombie." Was this what the epidemic was all about? Honestly, it was the first time she heard about Warriors being brain-dead. Were they really coming back to life? Perhaps this was what the living had seen when burying their most recent deceased, or when some cats had been abducted in the middle of the night... As ridiculous as it sounded, there was a chance this were true. Then again, it was a Dark Forest Warrior telling her; maybe she was deceiving her? But the tone in her voice sounded so sincere. She couldn't have been lying...
Cheery hadn't hesitated any longer before nodding in response to the phantom like cat. Yes, she'd like a truce, and she'd like them to escape this land. Why would she say no, anyway? Days like these are when Leaders like her should accept life saving risks, even if they had fault behind them.
Attempting to stand up, Cherrystar had only stood for yet, another second then her knees buckling beneath her. How irritating...And what an awful time for her to get a fever. How did this happen anyway? She was feeling perfectly fine this morning...