Open to Join Plot Thread A bold choice for breakfast… (13CF20)

What I dream, the day might send. Just around the riverbend.

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A dark chocolate face peered at the coalescence of her children laying in their nest, both natural and adopted. Mistykit was doing her best to fit in, and she and her siblings would be with her every step of the way. She was just adjusting the lining of her nest before she decided she migth have a stretch about camp. As she turned to leave the nursury she nearly bumped into Boldstar, and gave a soft chuckle at the small startle.

"Hello, Boldstar." Her whiskers twitched with some amusement, eyes narrowing into pleasant slivers. Face to face with the much bigger cat who seemed to barely fit inside of the warren, Otterwhisker wouldn't let his answer wait for long. "Of course. I was just about to step out and invesitgate the fresh kill pile myself. I'd love to share a meal with you." Sincerity, she thought was one of her strong points, and she did indeed like spending time with him. Having five kits wrestling between your paw falls made it a bit harder as of late.

The weather made her chipper, and had gotten a decent night's rest, so Otterwhisker was ready for anything.

Out with the old - In with the bold

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Boldstar shifted his weight out of Otterwhiskers way to let her slip by, then defended into the Freshkill hollow. That mole was still calling his name. He pulled it from the pile without hesitation. He did, however, have some manners.

”Would you like some?” Mole was a special catch for him, but not all found it to their liking. Most RiverClanners tended to favor fish, something in the bloodlines he’d guess.

What I dream, the day might send. Just around the riverbend.

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Otterwhisker was, indeed, thinking of a nice slippery fish to sink her teeth into. She hadn't eaten much since the prior day and been rather sleepy as of late. Perhaps it was the heat of the day that seemed to call her to snooze in a nice sunning corner of camp or nestle in her den with her kits in a pile. She moved deftly through the great furry lump that was Boldstar, well, a bit less furry since his green-leaf shed.

Making her way towards the freshkill hollow, he watched as Boldstar took up a mole freshly dangled in his claw. Politely she refused, shaking her head while her eyes were searching for something specific. "No thank you - I'm craving something else, specifically - ah ha, a bluegill!" She exclaimed after a moment, pulling the small mealy fish from underneath a couple of herring.

She purred, settling herself on her haunches and becoming a contented loaf. Her aqua eyes flashed up towards his, encouraging him with a flick of her short tail. "You enjoy that mole... Did you catch it?"

Out with the old - In with the bold

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”I did!” Boldstar couldn’t keep the pride from his voice as he settled himself next her with the velvety-furred mole between his paws. ”It was out in the sunshine, so I think it might have betrayed its clan and been exiled.” His voice was colored by humor as he manipulated the rodent with his paws. His teeth dug into the soft belly of the creature. He’d waited long enough and would start with the prime bits: Liver, Heart, and whatever fats were tucked into the belly cavity.

”A bluegill is a fine fish!” He licked his fangs before he dove back in to savor the prime organs he’d been seeking. Once those were down he quickly gulped down the less prime parts of the viscera. It all went down smoothly, the mole clearly being well fed on two-leg leavings. Boldstar couldn’t contain the sigh of happiness as he savored for a moment before his plan to move on to the more ordinary flesh.

It was during that moment that he felt the first sensation of tightening in his chest. Boldstar ignored it, leaning down for another bite. Must be butterflies from the presence of his favorite she-cat.

Then the first tremor struck. His paw stuttered, sending the mole’s open carcass rolling away. Boldstar tried to reach out to catch it, his paw refusing to obey once it was halfway raised. A spasm wracked his body, sending him face first onto the ground where he lay gasping, a trickle of blood leaking from his nose.

What I dream, the day might send. Just around the riverbend.

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Otterwhisker listened to her beloved clanmate with a purr vibrating throughout her body as she hooked the fish closer to her body. Indeed she hoped this fish was everything she desired, and it just helped to have Boldstar at her side. It was a small feat that he managed to find a mole much less snag one for himself. More likely it had gotten tired from digging and had become slow in the sun for such a large cat like Boldstar to catch it. Yet the she-cat humored him nonetheless.

"Then it won't be missed." Glancing down at her own meal, she felt invested as its scaly hide slipped between her claws until she got a good hold on it. Once she had made a decent tear in its flesh she began to unfurl its meat and innards for her to sample. Few things went to waste and even its small bones made for a crunchy delight. She had devoured its eyes and most of its underbelly before she glanced at him again, licking the flavor from her lips.

"I'd love to spend some more time with you sometime. The kits keep me busy, but I'm sure someone could watch them whlie you and I do some sunning... fishing. Best to enjoy it now before the - Boldstar?" The word caught in her throat as she watched him stagger. Eyes wide, she bolted to her paws, bluegille tumbling. Her meal forgotten in sake of reacting to the horror scene that unfolded in front of her... Boldstar; a massive oak tree of a cat, fell flat on his face after spasming in a way that made her skin crawl.

"Boldstar!" Her front paws crashed onto his shoulder hoping to stir him back to awakening, but after her first assault her head rose, eyes staring - searching. "Willowfrost! Nettlepaw! Someone come quick!" Her wail was a demanding, desperate yowl that carried across camp. She didn't wait to see if the medicine cats would come to her as Otterwhisker dove back into the warren, but when she reached the medicine cats den it was empty. She hadn't seen the pair leave early to search for herbs - and she raced back out to Boldstar's side.

'Hah, you think you can outdo me?
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Bloomfire had been rummaging through the prey pile before hearing a ruckus come from Otterwhisker. She turned her head with an impatient twitch of her whiskers to see her mighty leader face first in the ground and she couldn't help but snicker, just a little. 

It was unexpected, that was for sure, but to see the large tom keeled over like that, Bloomfire couldn't help but feel a spark of concern run through her. Which she then of course quickly diminished. 

There was nothing she could do, and Otterwhisker's wailing was pointless, and irritating. She had seen RiverClan's two medicine cats leave earlier, so there was no cat able to help Boldstar. She didn't move, and instead turned her greenish gaze to focus curiously on her leader. Would he loose a life? Maybe two? Or all of them? Only fate would tell and Bloomfire couldn't wait to see what would happen.

Part of her wanted to approach the brown she-cat and offer some sort of help as she didn't exactly dislike her. But that was uncharacteristic of the ruddy she-cat so she simply watched the chaos unfold. Why waste her energy on something that will have nothing but a bad outcome?

What I dream, the day might send. Just around the riverbend.

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During the horrific disturbance that shook the she-cat to her very core, she barely had noticed Bloomfire sample something from the fresh kill pile herself, but when she galloped back without the medicine cats in tow she spied the she-cat seemingly calm as could be in light of her leader's hardship.

She pointedly glared at the ruddy she-cat, one who didn't even seem bothered to lift a paw for her leader - a leader in all cases would do anything for his clanmates, and had done multiple times before. Time and time again. Her rage boiled under the surface of her pelt, prickling stiff like a briar bush even if all her attention seemed on Boldstar. He wasn't face up - he wouldn't choke up on any blood or saliva, but she made work to steady his embarrassing position first by rotating his shoulder up and then keeping his head level so he wouldn't rock back inhaling dirt.

Boldstar wasn't a manageable cat by any means, and Otterwhisker mustered all of her might to make sure he wouldn't drop onto his face again, and she wiggled herself underneath his chin, steadying his front half with the arch of her back as she soothed over his cranial fluff with a few licks. Deep breaths... she needed to stay calm; Boldstar was old, yes, but he still had extra lives. He should live in the end right - right?

"Boldstar - He just...collapsed." Was all she could say (for now), a quiet factual mew uttered to no one in particular even if Briarfang had inquired.

Out with the old - In with the bold

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Boldstar could only hear the muted murmuring around him, the glaze over his eyes preventing him from seeing more than moving shadows. He could feel his head being lifted, the warmth of Otterwhisker against him and under his chin.

He wanted to say that he was fine, that he could stand up, but all he managed with a gurgling wheeze before another spasm rocked his body. The uncontrolled extension of his legs jerked his body sideways, violently away from warmth of Otterwhisker’s pelt. His legs thrashed, digging trenches into the packed soil under his paws.

Then, just as suddenly, he stilled. With a last, shuddering breath the big gray tom drooped. Foam dripped from Boldstar’s frozen jaws, pooling under his chin, the blood dripping from his noise coloring it pink.

'Hah, you think you can outdo me?
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Bloomfire stood up now, her fur bristling with irritation. She had noticed Otterwhisker's glare towards her, and knew she had to do something now, or she was in for a spray from, well, probably the entire clan. Padding over to Otterwhisker, she took a quick look over Boldstar. He wasn't in a good state, and even with Otterwhisker holding him up, she didn't have hope. 

'There is no point in me being over here' she hissed, 'I have no medical knowledge, and I'm just going to crowd the space when cats who do know what they are doing arrive. Feel free to boss me around and I'll listen, but I'm not just going to stand here and watch if no one has any idea what they are doing!' her voice was raised now, something she didn't do often. Maybe she was slightly concerned after all...? It was hard to tell. 

Once Coldgaze arrived, she matched his gaze with a cold glare. 'I never said I wasn't going to do anything' Bloomfire spat, 'But I can't exactly do anything if I don't know what to do'. Coldgaze then asked her to go out and find the medicine cats. Finally, someone who had a brain. 'Alrighty, but don't be mad if I come back alone' she said, flashing the deputy a mischievous smirk. She would go look for the medicine cats of course, and would likely try hard, but for now she just wanted to irritate her clanmates as much as she could. Trotting out of the camp entrance, she gave one last look to the chaos behind her and gave them a quick wink. Once she was out of sight she sped of through RiverClan's territory, maw parted, attempting to pick up any scent of their clan's medicine cats. 

What I dream, the day might send. Just around the riverbend.

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Otterwhisker wanted to swat away everyone nearby, but especially wollap Bloomfire who couldn't be bothered to move from her dinner plate let alone help out. The tension was momentarily relieved when Coldgaze stepped up, looking as irritated as usual, but there was drive to his words. The rest of the cats seemed to scramble, but Otterwhisker remained where she was - her expression one of morbid disbelief as the ruddy she-cats leisurely made her way towards the entrance of camp and winked a farewell at her clanmates.

"GO!" She yowled, furious, as Bloomfire loitered. Bristling, she heeded Coldgaze, but was throw slightly as Boldstar snapped to his side, flailing and convulsing while breath still drew in his lungs. She had to act quickly - and so she sprinted back to the warren, flew into the nursery and ripped up her mossy nest, maybe tumbling a kit or two within. She gathered as much as she could before immediately rushing back outside, even if bits dropped from her overly stuffed maw.

She barely noticed that one of her own kits had followed her out, but she worked to stuff the bits of moss by his spine even as he grew still. Even as those around her slowed their aide, Otterwhisker worked through it, brows furrowing with concentration. "You can't die on me, Boldstar! You can beat this, please!" Her sharp voice cut through the wind, shaky but firm as she worked another pawful under his side, hoping there would be no lasting effects. Just because Boldstar might have had lives to spare didn't make the loss of this one any less tragic or meaningless.

Garden's gem, in sunlight's blaze
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"Waaaa!?" Came a startled mew as the once napping Merrykit was tossed out of the giant moss ball carried back by her mother. The seal mink she-kit tumbled out in the middle of camp, blinking furiously as bright sunlight assaulted her sight. Shadows and shapes bore a more familiar resemblance and her eyes widened as she saw the massive shape of her sire spasm and froth liquids from his maw. "Whuh..?" Speechless, her eyes snapped at every other cat searching for answers - What was happening to Boldstar? She wanted to follow her mother, and took a few steps towards Otterwhisker as she padded moss around Boldstar, but her paws refused to obey her once he fell still. Eerily still. "Coldgaze...What's wrong with Boldstar?" Her tiny voice was fearful as she took shelter underneath the chocolate classic tabby's legs, not caring if her tiny tail was fluffed up like a puffy pinecone. 

Out with the old - In with the bold

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Boldstar’s return to consciousness happened suddenly. It left the words of Sleetstar, the leader he’d served as deputy to, bouncing through his muddled thoughts. Ever so slowly he tipped his body upright, haphazardly arrange moss sliding down to pool around him.

His paws were in water now, and his face wet. He shook his head a bit to send droplets scattering and clear his mind.

”Nobody should eat until we’ve checked all the fresh-kill.” Boldstar coughed slightly. Since when had breathing been such a challenge? He stilled for a long moment to concentrate on the act. Then he pulled himself into a sitting position. ”Sleetstar said this was an answer. It’s something wrong with the prey! If we can figure out what we can stop cats from dying!”

Each sentence came out in a sudden, slightly disoriented staccato as the big tom came back to his sense of self following the sojourn into StarClan’s borders. He rose to his paws, ears laid back as he looked towards the fresh-kill pile with distrust in his green eyes.

'Hah, you think you can outdo me?
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Surprisingly, it didn't take Bloomfire all that long to find one of the medicine cats. The second she scented Nettlepaw, she sprang forward. Once she found her, she made her  way through the bushes with a calm demeanor, and hissed to the apprentice that she had to come to camp, now. She didn't even bother to explain. If Nettlepaw didn't follow, well, then he was just plain stupid; And Willowfrost? There wasn't time to find her. 

She trotted into camp, her feathery tail swishing ang was greeted with a somber atmosphere. Boldstar was up now, alive, but it didn't take much to guess what had happened. Bloomfire froze once it clicked, a potent fear flashing over her eyes for a heartbeat. Boldstar just died. Her heart felt a little heavy, but she didn't understand why. Brushing away the feeling, she was ready to cheerily make an announcement to the clan. 

'I have returned with the one and only Nettlepaw, my beloved clanmates! Do not think me cold-hearted again, for I bring the one you desire!' she said in a sing-song voice, not meaning a word she said. She padded past Coldgaze, letting her tail run slowly underneath his chin, in a teasing and mocking way. 'See, no need to punish me. I can do good'

What I dream, the day might send. Just around the riverbend.

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Exhaling a long breath of relief, Otterwhisker witnessed the color return to Boldstar's eyes as they regained their focus. What a blessing that it had been Boldstar this time, and that Starclan had the grace given to potentially find out what was causing all this death that came at them with claws unseen. The chocolate mink she-cat offered herself to balance the large, once mighty tom as he regained his composure, finding all of this far too familiar as she had witnessed him regaining his self after dry drowning.

"We should find out how each were caught and connect any similarities with that mole you ate, Boldstar." She agreed fully with his caution, and felt her chest fuel with hopeful fire. Perhaps this was what had taken Duckfeather and Splashpelt so immaturely - eating whatever spoiled freshkill from the pile. It needed to be checked. This death needed to be stopped - and who knew if the other clans were affected as well. "The Gathering!" Her short tail stood on end, turning towards her clanmates and stepped away from Boldstar once she assessed that he was steady enough. "The other clans need to be warned.".

rise from the smoldering pyre of wormwood and weeds
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Rushing from his task, Nettlepaw had put everything down, abandoning his stash of herbs to follow after Bloomfire. A cream streak followed her into camp, pelt smelling heavily of the thyme he was in the middle of harvesting and carrying a few balls of burdock in the stringing plume of his tail.

He could have done less with the ruddy she-cats bravado as they both neared the fresh kill pile, and the tom rolled his eyes, before the orbs of his blue fell on the freshly dead Boldstar who had managed to stumble back on unsteady paws. Dour brows furrowing intensely at the grey ticked leader, the apprentice spoke in a manner only befitting a medicine cat. "Boldstar. What happened? Every detail you give me the better I can try to make sense of all this. The increased saliva... blood?" He had noticed the wet pool of fluids beneath him and staining his face. Dreadfully familiar.