Lift Together [Open; Leader and Meddie needed]

Badgerthorn had barely made it back to camp. Every paw step he took he could feel himself growing weaker. He was wet and cold, and he was tired of it. He back leg gave him excruciating pain. His cuts and gashes stung. He looked like a mess. He felt like a mess. He took the one last pawstep he needed to get fully into camp and he collapsed. He couldn't take it anymore.. He was too weak. He was happy though because he met the family he wanted to meet.

Hopefully they wouldn't blame this on Riverclan because he was sure that would be the conclusion they jump too. He didn't want to tell the truth of what happened but he felt they would blame this on them if he lied.

ooc: Continuation of this https://warriorclancats.forumotion.com/t35951-strong-united-together-closed-solo

The pieces of the truth that Brindlestar defaulted to believing clicked together with astonishing speed.

After all, what Clan would leave one of her Warriors bloodied, battered, and soaking wet? Teeth gnashing together in an enraged mixture of fear and disbelief, the pale molly was quick to abandon the tedious conversation she had been previously engaged in. It took a surprising amount of strength not to yowl out at the dark-furred tom and demand insight as to what happened to him, so instead she merely reverberated with silent fury. Stiffly halting before Badgerthorn, her normally bright gaze was shadowed with a copious amount of emotions.

"Who did this?"

Badgerthorn looked up at Brindlestar. He didn't know exactly what to say. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He didn't want to lie but he didn't the truth to come out either. "I had accidentally crossed the border chasing a rabbit. As soon as I crossed by the gorge I had stopped trying to back track but a Riverclan warrior was there and decided to fight me. We fought and both us fell into the gorge.." He managed to get out.. It was a lie at least part of it was. He knew that either way drama would ensue.

the kit shoved her way threw the cats, curious to what the commotion was. She squuezed her what threw curious to what had happened ``What happened?`` She mewed staring at the tom on the ground ``Is he, dead?`` she whisper.

Brindlestar's gaze narrowed slightly at Badgerthorn's unusually reluctant explanation. Ears twisting downward into a display of vexation, the pale molly's sharp stare seemingly bore holes into the smoke colored tom. Although the pair were by no means personally close, she knew he was no fool- especially when it came to the accidental crossing of borders. Yet, why would he have any reason to lie to her? The young tom, alongside the rest of the Clan, knew that she would defend him, regardless of whether or not he was at fault for whatever had transpired. Especially against RiverClan. Brows quirking into a questioning stare, she let out a slight sigh as she peered down at the apprehensive Honeykit. "He's a bit worse for wear," She mewed, voice gentle as she gave the younger she-kit a reassuring blink, "But I'm certain he'll be fine with a bit of recovery time."

Pulling her gaze away from the young golden-furred molly, Brindlestar's gaze was shadowed as peered closely at Badgerthorn once more. "And what of the RiverClanner?"

"Hopefully worse off than you are." Thornpaw, excited to see what the commotion was about, had pushed his way to Badgerthorn's side. "Didja' show em' that Windclan isn't to be messed with?" He mewed, nudging the waterlogged tom's side in anticipation. Recovery could wait... Thornpaw was itching to hear about the fight that had taken place. "It's alright if you lost," Thornpaw added as an afterthought, concerned that he had scared the tom with his expectations. "Those Riverclanners never play fair."

"I saw the warrior make it up on the shore just as I had but from there I don't know. She was worse for wear than I was, her front leg was broken and twisted." The tom seemed to forget about his own back leg that was broken as well but wasn't twisted in the way the Riverclan warrior's was. "I just hope they don't come after us for their own warrior's mistakes.. I don't know what kind of warrior they were.. I just don't want to get into another battle over something stupid."

Sharp gaze narrowing into a frosty glare that was tossed in Thornpaw's direction, Brindlestar resisted the urge to rebuke the fiery tom for such a crass statement. Although she would never admit such a thing aloud, especially in front of the younger members of her Clan, she could've cared less about the fate of the wretched fish-eater that Badgerthorn had encounter if she didn't have to deal with the inevitable repercussions looming above her like a late Greenleaf storm. Settling for a sharp clearing of her throat, the pale-furred molly's attention redirected to the wounded young tom who splayed out before her, bleeding a sense of remorse alongside the actual viscous liquid that fell free from several of his wounds. "Jaystar might use whatever ploy he can to make his Clan out to be the victim," She mewed softly, hardly bothering to disguise the sharp note of contempt of loathing within her voice, "But I'm sure he'll just be happy that his Warrior survived such a thing- even if they did cause the mess in the first place."

Graybriar was delivering a freshly-caught rabbit to the elders' den when she heard the commotion in the middle of camp. Concerned, she stepped out immediately, only to see a large clump of cats surrounding... another cat, lying on the ground? Was that Badgerthorn? It took a while for her to process what was happening, until she smelled blood and saw his back leg sticking out at a painful angle. With a cry of fear, the lithe tabby dashed over to the circle of cats, among whom was Brindlestar. But she had no eyes for anyone but the tom in the middle of it all. "Badgerthorn, oh StarClan! Are you all right? Are you hurt? Why aren't you being treated by Goosepaw?" A nervousness and anxiety long forgotten buzzed its way to the top of her throat, making her heart beat faster than it ever had before and making her, admittedly, into a bit of a hare-brain. But a cat that she loved was hurt, and she couldn't think rationally, let alone hear what the cats there were discussing. All she knew was that he needed help.

Shadekit stood at the edge of the crowd of cats, watching Badgerthorn and the others, owl-eyed and nervous. Why can't we all just get along? She approached slowly, careful to be sure she wouldn't get in trouble for it, and sat near Brindlestar, speaking quietly. "What's gonna happen? Will we get in trouble with the other clans?"

Badgerthorn was appreciating the fact that others were concerned for him, but all he wanted to do at the current point in time was get into the medicine cat den and get some herbs and some help. He was in a lot of pain.. Where was Goosepaw? "I'm going to be okay, Graybriar. I managed to make it this far I think I can handle the rest." The tom said. He didn't know if his leg was going to be okay though. That was the worst of the damage, and he was going to be off warrior duties for a while. He was going to feel like a useless lump thats for sure.

His attention turned towards the kit that asked a new question. "We should be okay Shadekit. If they try to start something then we have the proof to prevent a fight." Hopefully.. He thought. He wasn't going to scare the kit with a small chance that Riverclan comes after them.

Shadekit mellowed a bit in relief, glad that they wouldn't get in trouble with the other clans for something that wasn't their fault. She padded slightly closer to Badgerthorn, noticing his pain increasing and that Goosepaw was nowhere to be seen. "Okay. Can I help you? W-With your leg?"

Although Brindlestar enjoyed the presence of kits just as much as any other molly her age, it was becoming quite difficult for her to focus on the task at paw whenever more and more blue-eyed youths seemed to be popping up left and right. Blinking down at Shadekit with an expression similar to the one she wore whenever speaking to Honeykit, the rounded tip of her tail gently flicked against the small molly's plump side. "Perhaps if Fishstar or Ivystar were still Leader, we'd be facing a bit of a problem, but I doubt Jaystar will try anything." She mewed, although her gaze peered at Badgerthorn whenever she spoke. Proof? Since when was RiverClan rational enough to listen to something like legitimate proof? However instead of speaking such a jibe aloud, she merely focused more wholly upon the situation before her. "Would you like me to fetch Nightheart?" Brindlestar prompted, invisible brow quirking once more as she mentioned the younger tom's mother.