t: @January | Dusklily

@20mia08 [Pebble & Raccoon] @Rusty He raised one eyebrow at the challenge from his brother— Was Raccoonspring trying to get him to eat the weird glowing mushrooms? Well… Brookshine was a cat that never backed down from a challenge. It only took him a moment before he began shovelling different types of strange funky plants into his mouth, completely ignorant to the goings on of everyone else around him, and particularly of important conversations including what they should be doing to make the area safe. It wasn’t until the voice of his novice, Branchpaw, reached his ears did he immediately spit out the fungi, straightening up and brushing back his fur. Clearing his throat, he peered between the younger tom and Ebonystep, pushing aside the tinge of jealousy that grew in his belly at the sight of them. The caretaker knew that if Branchpaw had been able to choose, he would’ve much preferred the excavator over him— Who wouldn’t? It made sense to be trained by an expert in the rank, rather than some caretaker. So why did it dampen his spirits? Brookshine agreed that the next best step would be to concentrate on trying to figure out the issue at paw. Where was the ice coming from? Was there a water source near by or was it produced by the cold, damp air alone? He cautiously sniffed, trying to be helpful. Brookshine could find nothing of note… Though that wasn’t really saying much, because he didn’t have much experience with these sort of things. Awkwardly (and mostly because he felt out of his depth), he turned to Dusklily and his brother, Stonestar, eyes quizzical. “So, uhh… Should we get right into it, then? No point just standing around.”

One moment he’d been messing around, both trying to make one of his brothers laugh and another being insecure about his novice. There hadn’t been any indication that something was about to go terribly, horribly wrong. The smile had dropped off his muzzle so fast as the first few crumbling pebbles tumbled past his nose. After that, everything had become a swirl of chaos and Brookshine wasn’t sure he’d be able to decipher ear-tip from tail-tip. His ears rang with the echo of Ebonystep’s warning, and he tried his best to throw the weight of his body away from the falling debris. He wasn’t successful. The distinct sound of his tail getting crushed under the mass of falling rocks was the first indication of his failure, followed by a flash of blinding pain that vibrated along his spine. He cried out, claws unsheathed as he gripped desperately at the rock face below him, trying to wrench his tail free— His injury was slowly becoming numb, which he supposed was better than the initial pain. Brookshine was attempting to push down the mounting panic rising in his throat as he realised that he wouldn’t be able to shift the rock alone. Fortunately for him, he was with his clanmates— But unfortunately for him, he had no clue where they were. The dust was still settling and his eyes were itchy with attempting to clear his vision of it. “Stonestar? Raccoonspring?” He coughed, ears pinned against his head as the dread squirmed in his belly. After a pause, he added a little more uncertainly, “…Branchpaw?”

The thundering of his heart in his chest does not stop, in fact, it only grows worse as he comes to realize who is and isn't trapped. Dusklily was right, that they shouldn't have done this— they should have waited. He should have listened. But then Rustlepaw is speaking to him, and there's the troubling fact that his apprentice and both of his brothers are trapped underneath the rubble. He moves without thinking to Rustlepaw's side, gaze hovering over her with a concern he had never expressed outwardly toward the young she-cat before. She looked frenzied and was pretty clearly injured, that much he could make out in his dark surroundings— but for the most part Rustlepaw was okay, fortunately. "I'm glad you're okay," The words leave him suddenly and thoughtlessly, but that doesn't remove their genuinity. Stonestar doesn't even realize what he's said as he turns his focus onto the rubble and debris. If Rustlepaw surfaced from here, it likely meant at least one of his brothers were in this general location. So he digs and presses hard against the rocks, teeth grit and jaw clenched. A horrible terror threatens to make his heart climb out of his throat at the idea of one of his brothers being... Being worse off than Rustlepaw. Being gone. He can't accept that, so he tries to focus all of this terrible energy and fear into his physical strength. Stonestar can't let himself panic, not now, not when he has to get his clanmates and siblings out of this mess. A sense of relief washes over his person like a splash of river water when he catches sight of Brookshine's familiar pelt, quick to grab him by the scruff and drag him away from the rubble. Stonestar could cry at the sight of his horribly silly brother, who usually gets underneath his pelt in the worst of ways. He's overjoyed, but this sense of relief doesn't last for long. He doesn't let it, because Dusklily's voice is a reminder that someone is still trapped underneath the rubble. He drags Brookshine far enough from the debris that they won't be an issue for him again, but quickly turns his sights back toward his advisor and the trapped Ebonystep. The grey-furred leader practically charges forward, giving a sharp call to the older she-cat. " 'm coming to help, Dusklily!"

@kait [ s & s ] @PlatinumPlayz @Rusty

Fortunately for him, his fear hadn’t lasted very long— As if he were the sun himself, Stonestar arrived and freed Brookshine from the rock without much hassle. The expression on his face wasn’t as bright as the sun, mind you, and likely would be a better representation for an angry badger, but Brookshine was glad to see him nonetheless. His tail had almost lost all feeling by now, and the tom believed that perhaps he might’ve lost it permanently… He tried not to think too much about this, instead focusing on the coldness of the rock below him and his steady breathing. Just because he was safe didn’t meant everyone else was. Once it was revealed that Ebonystep still lay trapped under the rubble, the dark-furred tabby tried to get shakily to his paws. Though by the time he looked up, Rustlepaw had already dragged him out— As well as Raccoonspring, who was snoring away. If their lives weren’t currently in danger, Brookshine likely would’ve snorted and rolled his eyes. Only his lazy brother would find a way to get a quick nap in, even in a time of life and death. Luckily, Rustlepaw seemed to share his frustrations and was dealing with him efficiently, so he left them to it. He seemed to like the novice enough, so maybe being awoken by her wouldn’t be too much of an issue. As the chaos from earlier finally seemed to be settling, Brookshine threw his gaze around the lot of them. To say they were a mess was an understatement. Hobbling over to his novice, who was trying to comfort Meadowpaw, he gently touched Branchpaw with his tail-tip. “Are you okay?” He didn’t try and think about how the younger cat’s sister might not be, instead focusing on what he could do right in that moment to make Branchpaw feel better. He quickly realised that there wasn’t anything he had the power to do right now, unless he had the strength and fortitude to bash a hole into the pile of rocks now blocking the entrance they’d just walked through. With a sigh, he tried to smile at the novice though it didn’t exactly reach his eyes, and turned back to the others. “Ebonystep.” He called, flicking an ear anxiously. “I know you’re injured but you’re an excavator— You know these tunnels better than us, right? Do you think you could help us get outta here?” He wasn’t the leader, but he knew there was no other way out of this situation. His eyes blinked at Stonestar, as if waiting for the other tom to agree with him. Brookshine wasn’t overstepping by any means, but with the injuries a majority of them had… Well, you could say he was a little stressed. He didn’t want to think about how much exhaustion treating all of them will cause Spidershadow. First, they had to escape from the cold dampness crushing in on them.

PATH 1: Right Tunnel PATH 2: Middle Tunnel PATH 3: Left Tunnel

Stonestar has earned +12 Prestige!

Ebonystep has earned +17 Prestige!

Crowstrike has earned +13 Prestige!

Branchpaw has earned +10 Prestige!

Meadowpaw has earned +9 Prestige!

Rustlepaw has earned +10 Prestige!

Raccoonspring has earned +9 Prestige!

Dusklily has earned +8 Prestige!

Brookshine has earned +8 Prestige!