[Abyssopelagic]

[CLOSED, do not reply, will be posting in the clearing on the 16th]

Noticing that Russestpaw hadn't been seen around camp lately, Sorreldust found herself at her daughter's nest in the apprentice den to familiarize herself with her scent, and followed the trail out of camp and through the territory. Occasionally the scent trail would fade and she'd swap to tracking by print and by disturbed foliage.
Eventually her journey led her to ThunderClan's border with WindClan.
Panic surged through her as blood and fear scent overwhelmed her senses.
Running along the border, she prayed hard and begged and hoped and wished and pleaded with StarClan that she wouldn't find a dead or dying Russetpaw. Her paws halted as the scene came into view, and the magnitude of what happened here began to sink in.
There was..... there was blood streaked everywhere, so much that she couldn't tell if the chunks she was seeing was flesh or natural coagulation.
She was not a squeamish woman, but the thought of what had taken place here.... she felt her stomach turn itself into painful knots and she felt bile rise in her throat.

It took Sorreldust a very long time to calm down enough to evaluate the scene further to find out what happened here, where she could have gone. There were two different spots where the blood trail diverted from the origin of the bloodletting, and the reek of dog filled her nose as she continued to look.
She bit back a frustrated scream as she noticed that Russetpaw's trail led into WindClan territory, where she could not follow. No no no no no....
How was she supposed to get her to safety if she couldn't cross the border?
Was she alone, in agony and slowly bleeding away her life-force? Was she surrounded by an enemy that cared nothing for her?
Or.... was she safe? Was there someone kind enough to care for an injured apprentice from another Clan? She prayed this was so, but given the tense atmosphere around the Clan's, she couldn't find it in her to be so hopeful.
She took a running start to follow into WindClan's territory when a distant ruckus of snarling mad ever turn her attention.
She could smell that there had been a dog, but if Russetpaw was with WindClan and she'd not stumbled across a dog body on her way....
Stars, that meant whatever mauled her Russetpaw was still out there, still very much a danger to anyone that might be unfortunate enough to run into it.
She paced back and forth, struggling to think of what to do. Should she follow her heart, and look for her daughter, or should she follow the code, and warn the Clan of the dog and simply hope Russetpaw would make it out alive.
The more she paced, the more painfully aware she was that she was running out of time, and she could afford to waste little more. With a backwards glance to where her Russetpaw might be, and a whispered apology, she ran as quickly as she could back to camp, her round belly getting in the way with each step, and yet she refused to slow down. Her discomfort was nothing.
All that mattered was getting home fast enough.

As her paws pounded against the forest floor, an awful and all too familiar reek washed over her and a series of yipping barks sounded from her side. Sorreldust whipped around, fur bristling and teeth bared.
This was her chance.... if she could just.... kill the dog, she wouldn't have to return to camp to get help, and she could just turn tail and find her Russetpaw afterwards.
The fiery coloured molly ground her claws into the ground and then launched herself in the direction of the dog. With a furious, earth shattering shriek, Sorreldust propelled herself at the stupid, small dog in front of her, latching onto its back and causing its small body to collapse to the ground, teeth latching to its throat and hind legs kicking, tearing and shredding every inch of skin she could get her claws on.
Her assault didn't last long before a searing pain flashed through the left side of her head, and suddenly her eye burned, it's sight reddened, and there was a disgusting sound of flesh ripping and the wet gnawing sound of her flesh in the dogs grip. And yet, she didn't let go. She wasn't giving up just yet.
She had a good start, she couldn't give up so soon. She had to kill it for Russetpaw. One of her front paws flashed forward and caught one of the dogs bugged little eyes and scooped it from its socket.
And suddenly it's teeth were snapping at her leg, and she barely pulled away before it could snap the bone, instead tearing at her pelt and the flesh beneath.
Giving up on the assault from behind, she leapt to the ground and whirled around as the small dog got up and, far faster than she'd ever expected, the canine was on her, gnashing it's slobbering teeth into her shoulders and chest.
She yowled and pulled back, giving one last lash at its face and connecting with its nose, immediately soaking into its nostrils. As the dog screeched and began rubbing at its nose and desperately trying to breathe, Sorreldust admitted defeat and hauled ass back to camp, ignoring the new pains that coursed through her and the tangled branches and roots that grabbed at her.
She could have had it.... what went wrong.... she's better than this.
But vengeance would have to wait. It would do Russetpaw no good if she died before she could raise the alarm.
Russetpaw...
Her baby....
"Please be safe."