The Day It Snowed Black (Assignment)

 
Today Was like any other day to Thrushtail. She woke early, fetched herself some water from the melted deposits of snow, dust a corner near her den to lay down, and do some grooming as her clan mates started to move and do their chores as well. She felt it was too easy for her, just sitting around and gathering space while her clan did all the hard work. She felt bad to watch an apprentice being forced to clean her nest with a low grumble and slumped shoulders from little rest before. The elder kept it clean anyways but the clan had to keep the tradition up of caring for their elders no matter how able they should be. Although she did enjoy that moment of calmly strolling through their territory or catching that occasional mouse when her leg wasn't acting against her. To her, life seemed to continue on as normal despite being the one to observe it all.  

  Carefully giving a stretch the she cat grew a little bored of just laying around like some door mouse and padded over to her lean sibling who just rose from her former den. His sleek pelt looking almost a solid grey in the near sunhigh when he finally decided to rise from his slumber.'

  "Evening patrol again?" The she cat purred while her brother gave an annoyed look with a twitch of his whiskers. 

  "Of course, Blazepelt wouldn't budge so instead of letting that mouse brain get in trouble I decided to take his spot again. He's already in a debt of two squirrels so I know I'm at least getting good prey." The tom meowed while giving a quick lick of his lips at the anticipation of such prey. This causing Thrushtail's stomach to growl a little as she'd forgotten to eat yesterday since this elders position already adjusted to warriors or apprentices bringing her prey. "You going out? I thought Whispercreek advised you against doing that." The tom added at the notice of his sisters shifting paws.

  Puffing her fur at the thought of being told what to do she only could show her annoyance as other warriors where sleeping or going to sleep after going on a dawn patrol. Her ears picking up the soft breaths or her fellow warriors sleeping peacefully together. "I might as well since you mentioned it. I won't let a she cat like her stop me from doing anything." Thrushtail confidently said while pinning her ears back to she was still the same Thrushtail with or without her bad leg.

  "Keep mewing like that and she won't give you herbs for your leg. Your turning out like an old cranky she cat, Thrushtail. May starclan have mercy on our poor medicine cats and future apprentices." Ivyclaw said with fake grievance as the Siamese elder batted her brothers muzzle who chuckled while she continued to keep her fur fluffed with annoyance. Only batting him further to the point of the tall tom to take a step back with a purr of amusement. "Hey elders don't act like kits. I'll get us something to eat so no one will bat an eye of me eating a little early. The great and wise Thrushtail honors me by sharing whatever I caught so I cannot refuse." The tom added with a purr with ended the assault with Thrushtail giving a huff.

  "Be back before sunhigh or I'm getting prey without you. If it's a ribbon I'll make sure you will feel my wraith." The she cat said with a playful tone of warning as her brother rose with a purr to stroll over in long bounds to the camp entrance His thin body weaving through the bracken as he had to crouch a little due to his height which always placed him as the odd one of the trio.

  "I wonder how tall his kits will be. Will they one day tower over him as he towers over our father?", Thrushtail thought to herself before slowly turning to trail back to her sunning spot to take in the fading sunlight which warmed her pelt greatly. A soft purr escaping her throat as the lounged to the clan either moving or softly talking to one another. Her whiskers giving a soft twitch while resting her eyes to the soothing ambience of the camp; her head slowly resting on her paws to start droning out the noise until it was just things in the back of her mind. Her soft breathing even until the last faint sounds of the camp where the kits who excitedly mewed while running round and playing with whatever they had found.

---

Thrushpelt then woke to a start when her ears blasted with the cries and desperate meows of a patrol running into camp. The she cat on her paws within a blink which ended in a wince as the movement had arched her leg. Unable to really show her discomfort with the fear scent and nervousness tingling the air around the camp. Her blue eyes trained on the familiar pelts of Blossomfur, Smokepelt, and Russetfang frantically explaining something to their deputy Murkysky. The elder too far away to hear what was exactly said but by their body language it wasn't good. Perhaps they found some badger scent or perhaps trespassing but she knew better. She knew when a warrior was at their most feared so she prepared herself to listen to some meeting or a caution to all cats in case of an attack or some raid. Her stomach filling with cold stones at the realization of her brother not returning back as per promised which was not the normal Ivyclaw. 

Just then, it started to snow. At first it was just large flakes falling breathlessly onto the camp ground but soon became.. odd. This 'snow' started to turn a light grey, it's color turning darker and darker which only sent the camp into a panic. The queens quickly gathering their kits into the nursery as all the warriors where instructed to enter the camp in which Thurshtail noticed the orange tabby of her brother along the warriors. Murkysky quickly instructing something before hurridly going to fetch their leader Clearsky as this darkened snow began to get worse and worse. Thrushtail glancing up at the sky to see the grey clouds but they didn't look as if snow would come. It felt too warm for it to happen yet it heavily fell which some landed on her pelt which gave her a moment to examine the object before taking in the scent. Her blood now running cold in her body once she placed to and to together. This wasn't just some odd snow in the season. 

this was ash. 

Just as Clearstar and Murkysky bolted back to the clan a large branch fell into the camp with a blazing fire nearly sizzling the fur from their leaders pelt. The clan bursting into full panic as both leader and deputy where shouting commands to the clan. This branch fire catching on to the warriors den and setting it ablaze with the terrible stench clogging the she cats nose. Thrushtail quickly going over to the apprentices den that was close to the warriors to only get a glance at the frightened apprentices before shouting commands over a roaring fight. "Everyone out! Follow Murkysky and Clearstar to safety! Assist any injured cat or kit!" She yowled over the sounds of burning wood; the she cat using her claws to widen the entry way as best she could despite the pain. Allowing the apprentices to run out and seek safety while one smoky black and white she cat stopped by her side.

"What about you? Kits and elders should evacuate first." Ebonyaw called over the flames which was engulfing the camp at this point. The older she cat barely having time to honor the apprentices loyalty with a nudge to her flank. "Go, I'll be okay. Lostspirit will hear of your selfness action." The older she cat said with a faint smile before turning to limp run over to the nursery as her belly was cold with fear despite her pelt blazing like the sun itself was baking her skin. Her eyes wide with fear as the nursery was burning more quickly than anything else. Fear gripping like claws as she knew her brother Blazepelt's kits would be too small to be lead out of camp.

Hissing sharply at stepping on a hot amber she assisted a queen on widening the entrance to come in and look around despite the stinging in her eyes. Some queens already evacuated with their kits while Blazepelt and his made Dawnbrook attempted to gather their small kits who mewed and coughed in the smoke. The pain in her body a memory as old instincts took over as she bounded over to gather two kits in her mother without so much as a word, only glancing at the tom before turning to try and navigate to the camp exit. Her head lowered to keep the kits safe from falling ash and burning embers. Her lungs burning with the desire of fresh air and the ache of wanting to lay down. The camp now a burning pile which was as worse as the pain she was enduring currently. Bounding to the exit to gently drop a kit in front of a warrior before turning back to ignore the warnings. Coughing violently to barely see the familiar ginger and sandy fur of her brother and mate running to her with a kit in each mouth. Clearing the distance to catch up with some members who assisted with the kits and groomed them quickly. 

"Where is Ivyclaw?, shouted Blazepelt over the roaring fires which threatened them more as the fires got more hostile and spat at their defiance of death 

"I don't know but I'll stay to see if I can spot him." Cried Thrushtail who stopped her brother who protested. "I can't keep up so it's not worth your kits lives. if he's well he'll either be at the high ground or the old badgers den." The she cat loudly added before turning to limp run over before her brother could stop such a terrible idea. 

The forest was in ruins. 

What wasn't burned or burning was turned black with death that circled her around. Thrushtail's eyes watering with each hope of finding her brother in this mess. the tom tall enough she would of expected to see any moment just running from the smoke to grab her scruff and tell her how foolish she was. The young elder coughing and slowing down with each feeble attempt to call out his name being silenced with the roar of fire. The she cat nearly crawling to the old den which she thanked starclan over and over that she managed to find the place. Quickly squeezing herself into the small rocky cave to shield her face from the heat as she coughed for a few good minutes. Her heart aching more to see her brother not squeezed in tightly with some soot and dirt on his white pelt from struggling to enter into the space. Thrushtail carefully moving herself to a corner to curl up in case her brother did find this place while droning out the sounds of her home burning to ashy snow.