deimos
Global Moderator
Posts: 202
|
Post by deimos on Jan 24, 2020 19:33:30 GMT -8
MOON 020 Written in January 2017. The Gathering had been an exhilarating experience, Shadowstar was happy that it all went smoothly and that she came back with four allies to work with. PineClan seemed happier ever since she had told them the news too, she caught Comfreyfang telling Wasptail it was nice to know that weren't the only Clan in the forest and Lizardpaw seemed to be the happiest of all though, but he wouldn't tell anyone why. But now the Gathering had ended and it was time to resume daily Clan life, Mintclaw and Lizardpaw left to train earlier, Lizardpaw seemed very hasty to learn whatever he could this time. Skunknose and Weaselpaw went to gather herbs, and Owlfur had just sent out Shrikeface and Wasptail to patrol.
Aspenkit, Magpiekit, and Fawnkit were all conversing excitedly to one another - Fawnkit seemed to be happiest she had ever been by Magpiekit's side, being around the level-headed and calm tom seemed to comfort her. Aspenkit was chattering happily about he and his brother's upcoming apprentice ceremony which would happen once everyone came back home. Shadowstar wondered about which kit would be a better apprentice, for she was going to take one of the toms as her apprentice - and she had promised Owlfur one of them to train too.
|
|
deimos
Global Moderator
Posts: 202
|
Post by deimos on Apr 26, 2020 3:28:25 GMT -8
MOON 021 Written in January 2017. The stars were still high above in the sky when Shadowstar had set off to visit the Moonpool, her intent was to ask StarClan to grant PineClan with another warrior for the Clan as well as receive the blessing of her ancestors for Fawnkit's upcoming apprentice ceremony which would take place as soon as she came back - the leader had offered for the young molly to accompany her, but she was not surprised when she received a vehement 'no' in response. Shadowstar would have to ask her mentor, which she had already chosen Comfreyfang as, to have her train in camp until Fawnkit was ready to venture outside. The leader paused as she saw the familiar Moonpool in front of her, her swift trot turned into a walk until she lay down and touched her nose against the icy cold water, sleep overtaking her until she saw StarClan in her dreams.
It was as if worry was the only emotion Owlfur felt now, Mintclaw felt bad seeing the poor deputy pace outside the leader's den endlessly while he waited for her return from the Moonpool, his reaction made it seem like Shadowstar had gone out to fight fifty badgers by herself instead. 'I've gotta do something.' Mintclaw thought, padding outside the warrior's den and towards the worrisome deputy. Owlfur's ears twitched upon hearing her footsteps and turned around, his ears drooped slightly when he realized that it was only Mintclaw that came up to him which made the molly's pelt prickle. "We could do a dawn patrol, perhaps we'll run into Shadowstar on our way?" Mintclaw suggested.
Owlfur considered her words before nodding. "Good idea, I wouldn't mind taking a stroll anyway." Owlfur mewed, attempting to stay casual. The two cats made their way to leave until a hushed 'wait!' stopped them in their tracks.
Owlfur's apprentice, Magpiepaw, quickly padded his way up to them. "C-can I go with you? I'm a bit nervous about Fawnkit's ceremony and I want to... take my mind off that, yeah." He mumbled awkwardly, making Mintclaw scoff at how the tom reminded her of his mother.
Owlfur purred kindly at his apprentice, which made Magpiepaw sigh in relief. "Sure thing, kiddo. We'll train on the way back too."
Lizardpaw crept through the bushes with ease, making sure to stay out of the patrol's sight, he smirked to himself at how easy it was to distract them by using Magpiepaw as the bait. It made Lizardpaw's escape from camp much easier, he had much better things to do with his time - such as try and spot where Rosepaw could be and talking with the gray-and-white molly again, he had a hard time getting the FlurryClan apprentice off his mind ever since the Gathering that it was starting to interfere with his training. He just had to see her again for his sake, something in his head telling him that he had to get to know her more.
Skunknose let out a wistful sigh as she watched one of her sons leave for dawn patrol, it seemed so odd to her how fast her boys had grown, she missed the days where they were still tiny and snuggled into her belly, safe from the prying eyes of their curious Clanmates. The medicine cat twitched an ear when she heard the sound of Weaselpaw getting up from his nest, her apprentice had been a big help than he should've been while she still cared for her kits in the nursery, and yet she never found a way to properly thank him for that. If anything though, the tom proved himself a capable medicine cat for his age, carrying the burden of such a rank with grace much unlike herself when she was younger. He deserved to become a full medicine cat now, and she had a feeling he thought the same. "Weaselpaw?" She mewed, receiving a questioning trill in response. "If you're ready we can set out to the Moonpool now, it's time for your naming ceremony." Skunknose ignored the urge to smile as Weaselpaw hastily made his way over to her, his blue eyes wide with surprise.
He blinked and took a deep breath, that uninterested look that he always wore returned. "I'm ready," Weaselpaw mewed. Skunknose nodded, standing up to walk out of camp with Weaselpaw behind her. "and Skunknose? Thank you." The molly was taken aback by how earnest her apprentice sounded, she smiled widely and gave out a loud purr in response. ───────────────────────────────────
|
|
deimos
Global Moderator
Posts: 202
|
Post by deimos on Apr 26, 2020 3:31:52 GMT -8
MOON 022 Written in January 2017. It had been a long time since Shrikeface and Skunknose got to be alone, the mates were by the creek where they had first confessed to each other moons ago. Shrikeface stared at the water, smiling at seeing how close he and Skunknose were sitting besides each other - he remembered how shy she used to be whenever he was the slightest bit too close. How times have changed, indeed.
"What are you thinking about?" Skunknose mewed, curious of why her mate was so silent.
Shrikeface purred, affectionately licking Skunknose's cheek before answering. "About us." He meowed, making the medicine cat all the more curious.
"Oh? Only good things, I hope." She answered, nervously shuffling her paws as the sudden thought of Shrikeface leaving her ran through her mind.
Shrikeface twined his tail with hers, a little attempt at comforting her. "Always good things when it comes to you, darling." He meowed sincerely, making Skunknose sigh in relief. "But you know... I wouldn't mind having another litter again." And with that Skunknose nearly choked on her breath, looking up at Shrikeface with a flustered expression.
"We were lucky to have Magpiepaw and Aspenpaw the first time! Imagine what Shadowstar would do to us if we had another." She mewed, trailing off towards the end.
"You... You could resign, now that Weaselstorm's fully trained." He suggested, wincing at how shocked Skunknose looked.
The molly stared at the ground, the silence between them tense. "I-I don't know, just... I'll think about it." She mewed, her voice quiet. Just as Shrikeface opened his mouth to apologize, Skunknose shook her head. "I'm going to collect some herbs, you better get back home." Shrikeface sighed, turning away from his mate and back to camp.
Fawnpaw gulped, her ears flat against her head as she stared at the exasperated face of Aspenpaw as he backed her against the wall of the apprentice's den. "I just don't get it!" He exclaimed, making Fawnpaw crouch low to the ground, her tail twitching anxiously. Aspenpaw rolled his eyes at his denmate, annoyed by her behavior. "You're a warrior apprentice, not a scared mouse. You need to get over whatever issues you have and actually go outside of camp for once." He snapped, not missing the frown on Fawnpaw's face as he said 'get over it'. Aspenpaw didn't know about what she had experienced when she was just a kit, he didn't know how badly it still haunted her to this day.
Though even if he did, Fawnpaw supposed he would still react the same as he did now. Aspenpaw was far more abrasive and rude than his brother, the mellow and collected Magpiepaw - Fawnpaw wished he were around to stop Aspenpaw from speaking. It seemed StarClan answered her wishes, as the familiar mew of Magpiepaw sounded at the entrance of the den, making Aspenpaw turn and look at his brother.
"Shadowstar wants us, we gotta go training now." The black-and-white tom said, Aspenpaw nodded and shot a look at Fawnpaw that said 'this isn't over' before leaving the den. Fawnpaw hesitantly followed after him, avoiding looking at the tom as she stared at the ground. She missed the concerned look Magpiepaw gave her before he padded by his brother's side to leave camp. Once they left, Fawnpaw slowly raised her head to look up at the gigantic trees that surrounded the camp's clearing. She would leave camp, eventually. She would have to, but as of now she knew she wasn't ready yet. Comfreyfang, Fawnpaw's mentor, came up to her and led her to a more secluded part of camp to train. Before the two mollies started, Fawnpaw saw Wasptail and PineClan's newest warrior, Rowanpelt leave to patrol out of the corner of her eye.
Perhaps one day she would join them.
|
|
deimos
Global Moderator
Posts: 202
|
Post by deimos on Apr 26, 2020 3:37:39 GMT -8
MOON 023 Written in January 2017. Ever since Wasptail and Rowanpelt's last patrol, the tom couldn't help but notice how concerned his Clanmate had grown since that time, it was getting on his nerves that he wasn't able to ask her what was wrong. He had grown rather fond of her as of late, her calming and chill nature always put him at ease. As of now the ginger tabby stared at the half-eaten squirrel at her paws, deep in thought about something. Rowanpelt was on his way for a sole patrol when he spotted her and finally decided to approach her and ask what was up. "Hey, Wasptail. What's the matter?" He asked softly, catching the molly's attention as she stared at him and shook her head.
"Worried about a friend of mine, is all. I haven't seen him in moons." She mewed, referring to Ramhorn of EchoClan, but Rowanpelt didn't know that.
The tom frowned as he felt sad for Wasptail, he wondered who the cat was that made her feel this way. "That's a real shame, any way you can contact him?" He asked, though he supposed if there was she would've done so earlier.
"Don't know if the timing's right, said he was pretty busy last time I saw him." Wasptail mewed with a sigh.
Rowanpelt placed a comforting tail on her shoulder, offering the molly a kind smile. "How about you come with me on patrol? I'll stick with you until we're close to where you last saw your friend." He offered, making Wasptail smile at his kindness and nodded. She quickly finished off the last of her meal and stood up to walk with Rowanpelt, the two cats making friendly chatter along the way.
Skunknose and Weaselstorm were together in the woods, walking side by side in comfortable silence until Skunknose broke the silence. "Weaselstorm..." She started, making the tom's ears perk up as he heard his name. The main medicine cat sighed heavily, the suggestion Shrikeface had made about her resigning from her rank was still on her mind, and she had not spoken to him since that conversation as she wanted to face him with a complete answer.
Weaselstorm stopped in his tracks and decided to sit down with his tail curled around his paws as he waited for his mentor to speak. "H-How would you feel if I... resigned?" She mewed, she didn't want to say the word so bluntly, but she didn't know if there was a simpler way to put things. Weaselstorm's eyes widened in surprise as the words came out of Skunknose's mouth, he had never expected in his life for the molly to ever consider quitting being a medicine cat as she clearly loved her job so much.
"Den would be emptier, that's for sure. But I just wanna know, what brought this on?" Weaselstorm replied, his blue eyes narrowed as he waited for a response. Skunknose sighed heavily, her shoulders sagged as she sat down.
"Shrikeface brought it up recently, I'm just conflicted by it all." She mewed, upon hearing her mate's name, Weaselstorm felt a bitter taste in his mouth as he never got along with the gray-and-white tom.
"I'm not sure I could take being a medicine cat without you, we've done everything together." He meowed, he had spent his whole apprenticehood by Skunknose's side, he couldn't imagine his life without her own. Weaselstorm sighed as Skunknose stayed silent and stood up to walk towards the nearest herb patch he knew of. "Herb gathering oughta cheep us up, let's go." He mewed, not waiting for his mentor to respond.
Aspenpaw, Magpiepaw, and Fawnpaw all sat together in the camp's clearing as they waited for Lizardpaw's return from wherever the tom ended up going. They were all supposed to go training together once the missing apprentice and his mentor returned from hunting, though Mintclaw came back without an apprentice by her side and a foul temper no cat could calm.
The gray-and-white molly paced just outside the apprentice's den with her tail lashing angrily from side to side and hissing obscenities under her breath, Magpiepaw couldn't help but wince when he overheard her talk about what an irresponsible tom he was turning out to be while Aspenpaw merely snickered at seeing his aunt so angry. Fawnpaw was the only cat who didn't have a reaction to Mintclaw's anger, she instead kept casting nervous glances at the camp's entrance to the place where she and Comfreyfang usually trained.
Magpiepaw ended up noticing her stares and looked at her curiously, though before he could ask what was wrong all their mentors came up to start training. Shadowstar looked more than displeased as she saw that Lizardpaw was not with them and sighed. "At this rate you're all going to be warriors before he is. Very well, might as well start without him." With a wave of her tail she, Owlfur, Aspenpaw, and Magpiepaw stood up to leave while Comfreyfang sat by Fawnpaw's side - the pale brown molly looked as if she wanted to say something and gulped before calling out -
"Wait! Can we come with you?" - her quiet voice was uncharacteristically loud it stopped the leader in her tracks.
Shadowstar turned back to look at her with a grin on her face and gestured for Fawnpaw and Comfreyfang to tag along, Comfeyfang laughed happily and nuzzled her apprentice's cheek. "I'm so proud of you! Wait 'till we tell Wasptail!" She exclaimed, making a tiny smile crack on Fawnpaw's face at the thought of pleasing her aunt.
|
|
deimos
Global Moderator
Posts: 202
|
Post by deimos on Apr 26, 2020 3:41:48 GMT -8
MOON 024 Written in January 2017. Rowanpelt and the new cat he had found, a sweet molly named Mink, walked calmly side by side back to PineClan. According to Mink, she had been looking for a permanent place to settle for a few moons now which lead Rowanpelt to suggest that she live in the Clan with him and his Clanmates, Mink pondered over the idea before she agreed to come with him - finding the idea of being by other cats more appealing than living by herself. The two cats became friends fast and were laughing over some silly joke Rowanpelt made by the time they arrived home.
The laughter caught the attention of Shadowstar, who looked over at them as sound reached her large ears. The leader excused herself from speaking to Aspenpaw regarding the progress of his training to introduce herself to whoever Rowanpelt brought back home. "Welcome back, Rowanpelt. Would you mind introducing me to your friend?" She asked, making the ginger tom gulp over being spoken to by the leader.
Mink giggled at his reaction before bowing respectfully at Shadowstar. "Nice to meet you ma'am, I'm Mink, and I'd like to join PineClan if it's alright with you!" She mewed, smiling at the leader.
Shadowstar smiled as well, gesturing with her head for Mink to come to the center of the clearing. "I can't refuse such a request, come, let's formally welcome you into PineClan." Shadowstar padded up to the oak tree and leapt up to the lowest branch where she usually made her announcements.
"Let all cats old enough to stalk in the shadows join beneath the Great Tree for a Clan meeting!"
After the ceremony was done, Comfreyfang couldn't take her eyes off the pretty molly who was now named Minkcloud, she couldn't recall the last time she felt so shy around another cat. She couldn't even congratulate her after the ceremony was done, for StarClan's sake! Fawnpaw sidled up to her, following Comfreyfang's gaze to Minkcloud as Owlfur spoke to her about how patrols worked and that to join one with Wasptail and Rowanpelt.
Fawnpaw smiled cheekily as she understood what was going on, a quiet laugh escaped her.
"And what're you laughing about?" Comfreyfang asked, Fawnpaw ceased laughing and bashfully looked up at her mentor.
"N-nothing, Comfreyfang! I just wanted to ask if we could train? Inside camp this time!" Fawnpaw mewed, shuffling her paws anxiously as she waited for Comfreyfang's reply. The older cat sighed, casting one last glance at Minkcloud before the two padded towards their usual training spot.
|
|
deimos
Global Moderator
Posts: 202
|
Post by deimos on Apr 26, 2020 3:49:12 GMT -8
MOON 025 Written on Jan 28th, 2017. Skunknose gently pressed a goldenrod poultice on Minkcloud's shoulder, making the dark brown molly wince as her wound stung in response. The medicine cat purred reassuringly, waiting until the poultice dried off a tiny bit before applying cobwebs onto it. "Thankfully the injuries aren't too severe, you'll be out of here in no time." Skunknose mewed with smile, though it turned into a confused frown as she wondered what made the FlurryClan patrol so hostile. "I never expected for our own allies to attack us, though." She muttered to herself, though
Minkcloud caught what she said. "Maybe they thought I was a rogue? They've never seen me before." She suggested, she didn't bear no ill-will to the FlurryClan cats, though being attacked so shortly after joining PineClan discouraged her a bit.
Skunknose shrugged, not fully convinced by Minkcloud. "But they've seen Wasptail before, they must've recognized her." Now both mollies were confused, but before they could say anything, a questioning mew from Comfreyfang stopped them.
Skunknose was surprised to see her so close to the medicine den, Weaselstorm had always told her that the warrior always complained about how strong the smell was and how she couldn't stand sitting next to him due to the scent of the herbs that clung to his pelt. "Your first visitor, I'll leave you tw0 alone now." Skunknose mewed, bowing her head towards Minkcloud and leaving the den, Minkcloud could hear her call Weaselstorm over so the two medicine cats could gather more herbs.
Comfreyfang ignored how much stronger the scents of herbs were as she walked inside the den, her mind only thinking about how Minkcloud was doing after her injuries. The molly was worried for her Clanmate after a concerned and angry Wasptail stormed into camp with Minkcloud tiredly trailing behind, the sight of seeing her dark brown coat covered in scratches and blood pulled at her heartstrings.
"Comfreyfang, right? It's good to see you." Minkcloud greeted, the smile that she gave her made Comfreyfang's heart beat so loud she was positive Minkcloud could hear it. The molly could only manage a nod, her ear tips warm as she heard Minkcloud's quiet giggle. The dark brown cat patted the ground with her tail, requesting for Comfreyfang to down besides her. Comfreyfang quickly complied, the two beginning to talk about whatever they wanted to.
Shadowstar and Owlfur were talking in the leader's den, both had serious looks as they discussed what could have possibly made the FlurryClan patrol attack one of their own. What if the Clan was lying about their alliance and preparing for a battle instead? PineClan was strong, but it was much too small to risk sending out a battalion to face the FlurryClan warriors. Shadowstar supposed that would have to be addressed at the next Gathering, if they had enough warriors to fight by then. Another thing that concerned both leader and deputy was that Mintclaw had reported FlurryClan scent extremely close to the border, what reason could that be for? "We should be on guard from now on, send out patrols much more frequently." Shadowstar ordered, Owlfur giving a brisk nod in response.
"Will do, Shadowstar. Now then, how about we discuss the apprentices?" He mewed, all four were approaching their warrior ceremonies and doing fairly well in training: Lizardpaw seemed compliant to listen lately than he used to, Aspenpaw was a very aggressive and competitive tom who acted like a spoiled kit whenever things didn't go his way, Magpiepaw was the most intent listener, and Fawnpaw was learning better than expected from her mentor.
"PineClan will be proud to have such fine warriors, though Aspenpaw concerns me." Shadowstar mewed, staring at her paw which had a fresh bite mark on it from her battle-hungry apprentice.
Owlfur nodded, his friend's trainee was a lot more hard to handle than his brother, though the leader was good at reigning him if need be - Owlfur wished he had that kind of skill with young cats. "I have idea what to tell you there, though if I might say something, maybe you shouldn't stare at him so coldly." Shadowstar always stared at Aspenpaw and Magpiepaw that way, her golden gaze piercing and calculating, it was no wonder the two were always on guard in her presence.
Shadowstar sighed, Owlfur had a point, but she couldn't look at them without seeing their parents - two cats that had gotten away with breaking the code. "Perhaps you're right, I'm letting myself act immature and superstitious around them." She admitted, Owlfur's ears perked up in curiosity.
"Superstitious?" He echoed, wondering what the molly meant by that.
Shadowstar frowned, annoyed at herself for accidentally mentioning it. "I've heard stories of the ancient Clans in my travels, the kits of medicine cats in those always turned out to be mighty powers or destructive forces. I suppose I'm expecting Aspenpaw and Magpiepaw to turn out the same way." She said. Owlfur nodded, though he didn't really understand. The two cats decided to end the meeting there, Owlfur requested for Shrikeface to patrol by FlurryClan's border and for Rowanpelt and Wasptail to go hunting while he, Shadowstar, and Mintclaw gathered their apprentices to train.
|
|
deimos
Global Moderator
Posts: 202
|
Post by deimos on Apr 26, 2020 3:58:02 GMT -8
MOON 026 Written on Jan 30th, 2017. The stars where still shining bright when Owlfur stepped outside of the warriors' nest, a curious trill left him as he saw Shadowstar sitting outside her den with her head turned towards the sky, her eyes were shut and she had a serene look on her face as the cool air swept through her soft, black pelt. Owlfur took a deep breath, making sure his paws did not make a sound as he slowly approached her, his ears twitched once he caught wind of her quiet mutterings that she was making under her breath. 'Ah, now I see.' The deputy thought as he remembered how Shadowstar had told him she liked to wake up before anyone else so that she could pray to StarClan in peace. He nodded his head in understanding at the time, though now he could really witness how devoted the molly was to the spirits.
Owlfur decided to sit down, resting his tabby tail over his forepaws as he watched his leader continue to pray with a content smile on his face. He even shut his eyes the same way she did to attempt to pray to StarClan himself even though he knew it wouldn't work, he didn't share the same beliefs as Shadowstar did, though it was nice to - it made him feel closer to the molly in a way. Owlfur stayed quiet for a few more moments with his head bowed to the ground, only opening his eyes and raising his head upwards to see Shadowstar stare at him with a amused and fond look. "Good morning, Owlfur." Shadowstar mewed kindly which made the deputy's heart flutter: he loved that no matter what tone she spoke in, Owlfur found himself enchanted by it immediately.
But to be quite frank, Owlfur had lost count of how many things he had grown to love about the molly, he suspected he loved her more than there were stars in the sky. The tom purred at Shadowstar as he got up to his paws, nodding in greeting to her like he always did when everyone was awake. "And the same to you, Shadowstar." He replied, smiling widely at her. "We've got quite the busy day today." Owlfur remarked as he flicked his tail in the direction of the apprentice's den. Shadowstar immediately got what he was referring to, feeling prideful of the three toms who would be getting their warrior names later on today.
"It's incredible how much PineClan has grown, the days where it was just you and I seem like their nine lifetimes away now." She mewed, her smile turning reminiscent.
Owlfur's smile mirrored her own, though he couldn't help but secretly miss those moments when it was just them together, back when they didn't need to focus on their duties as leader and deputy as much as they did now. He was brought back out of his thoughts after hearing Shadowstar sigh and shake her head as if she was attempting to rid herself from thoughts of the past. "We can't spend all day reminiscing, just look, the sun's already coming up." The molly mewed, both her and Owlfur craned their heads upward to see the sky beginning to lighten.
Owlfur was surprised at how fast the time went, he would have to get the dawn patrol ready now. "Looks like that's my cue, better wake up some of our cats." He mewed, making Shadowstar nod her head in understanding as she watched the tom pad towards the warrior's den to gather his patrol. The leader mewed greetings to the sleepy duo of Rowanpelt and Shrikeface as they followed the deputy towards the camp exit. Shadowstar was about to gather a hunting patrol until a mew from Owlfur made her pause. "And Shadowstar? Forgive me if this is sudden, but I love you."
Shadowstar turn to look at Owlfur, her eyes softened and she purred affectionately at the tom she had always considered her greatest friend, and as of now: her mate.
"I know." It was now the afternoon, and thank StarClan that the weather stayed nice for Lizardpaw, Magpiepaw, and Aspenpaw to complete their final assessments. They had just finished and were now waiting underneath the shade of the oak tree for their mentors to finish talking about their training and whether they were truly ready to receive their names. Aspenpaw grumbled impatiently, burying his head into his brother's black-and-white fur while Magpiepaw looked very confused by what he was doing.
Out of the three, it was Lizardpaw that seemed the most excited, it was almost comical to see the young tom's green eyes light up with unmistakable glee. "S-so, Lizardpaw. You look like you're excited?" Magpiepaw awkwardly mewed, attempting to distract himself as Aspenpaw still had his head pressed against his side. He nearly breathed a sigh of relief when Aspenpaw pulled himself out and snorted at Lizardpaw, a knowing smirk was on his face, making both his brother and Lizardpaw gulp nervously.
"Pssh, please. I know you're just happy getting your name so you can impress your girlfriend." Aspenpaw mewed, his voice taking on a teasing tone as he spoke to Lizardpaw.
Lizardpaw bared his teeth, narrowing his eyes at Aspenpaw as his mind began racing about whether or not the gray tabby had spotted him while he out meeting with Rosepaw. The teasing tom's smirk grew over seeing his reaction and decided to kick it up a notch, leaning real close to Lizardpaw's face to the point where their noses were touching and batted his eyelashes playfully.
Magpiepaw hid his snout in his paws as he tried not to giggle as he didn't want to unleash Lizardpaw's wrath. The tom growled and shoved Aspenpaw's chest with his forepaw, refusing to look at the smug expression he knew was on his face. Aspenpaw laughed, rolling his eyes and licking at his chest fur. "Well, I guess I can see the appeal for Fawnpaw, she's pretty cute if you can get over how meek she is." Aspenpaw mewed, making Lizardpaw want to sigh in relief as it appeared that his denmate didn't know about Rosepaw after all.
Magpiepaw could feel a growl build up in his throat as he heard Aspenpaw talk bad about Fawnpaw yet again, sitting up at cuffing his brother on the ear. "When are you ever going to leave Fawnpaw alone?" He hissed, taking both Aspenpaw and Lizardpaw aback by how the normally level-headed apprentice sounded. Magpiepaw gazed angrily at his brother, Aspenpaw stared coolly back at him before grunting and turning his back away. Magpiepaw sighed and gave an apologetic look at Lizardpaw. Just as he was about to say that he should be apologizing to his brother, the cat that they were fighting about appeared.
"Hi there, guys!" Fawnpaw mewed cheerfully, catching Magpiepaw's attention almost instantly. The black-and-white tom's eyes softened as he stood up and bumped his head against his denmate's in greeting, causing the light brown molly to giggle embarrassingly.
"Hey there Fawnpaw, are you going training?" He asked, Fawnpaw pulled away to nod at him, a nervous smile on her face as her eyes darted towards the entrance to camp.
"Training outside? That's great! I'm proud of you." Magpiepaw mewed genuinely, he was the only apprentice to understand how terrifying the forest was to Fawnpaw as she had confessed to him that a fox had attacked and killed her mother when she was barely two moons old, thus she couldn't face being outside due to remembering her mother's death. But with support from her aunt Wasptail, her mentor Comfreyfang, and from Magpiepaw himself: Fawnpaw was looking like she was starting to recover.
"I hope it's fast, I want to see you become a warrior." The molly mewed, making Magpiepaw purr and lick her on the top of her forehead.
"I wish you were up there with me, but at least I'll only have to wait a moon." He admitted, ignoring Aspenpaw's groan of disgust in the background followed by Lizardpaw's laugh at the tabby's reaction.
Fawnpaw stuttered as she struggled to respond, though she was saved from having to say anything as her mentor called her over so they could leave. Fawnpaw simply grinned at Magpiepaw, bounding away from him quickly so he couldn't see her flustered expression.
|
|
deimos
Global Moderator
Posts: 202
|
Post by deimos on Apr 26, 2020 4:03:23 GMT -8
MOON 027 Written on Feb 6, 2017. "How're you feeling?"
"I've been... good, why?"
Weaselstorm's ice-blue hues stood out sharply against the dim light of the medicine cat den as he stared directly at his mentor with a unreadable look in his eye. He was beginning to grow tired of how detached Skunknose had become ever since Shadowstar and Owlfur had become mates, it was also hurting him to see the molly act this way when she was so bright and warm before. He sighed in defeat as he wasn't able to get a clear answer from her once again, sitting back on his haunches while Skunknose turned to look outside the den.
The pair stayed quiet for a moment, until Skunknose spoke up. "I'm sorry, I suppose I'm just jealous." The medicine cat murmured, her mew so quiet Weaselstorm had to strain his ears to hear.
"Shadowstar and Owlfur are able to be together whenever they can, I don- can't have that with Shrikeface." Skunknose explained solemnly, and with that Weaselstorm finally understood what had been bothering his mentor for so long. Her relationship with the warrior was one the rest of the Clan either disapproved or ignored, the Clan leader had decided not to place any serious punishment on the two as they had a family of their own to care for, but she had declared that the two weren't allowed to be with each other as often as mates usually could. Skunknose tried her best to ignore how saddened she was because of it, though it was far too hard to hide her feelings now that the leader and deputy had become mates.
Weaselstorm was not sure of what to say, he was never good at comforting anyone, so he just moved to sit beside Skunknose and placed his tail on her back. "...Let's go for a walk, maybe we'll collect herbs on the way back." He suggested, hoping that perhaps a distraction would do her some good.
|
|
deimos
Global Moderator
Posts: 202
|
Post by deimos on Apr 29, 2020 1:32:26 GMT -8
MOON 028 Written on Feb 7, 2017. Fawnfur had meant to receive her full warrior name when she was twelve moons, however, due to a rather violent anxiety attack the poor cat had suffered shortly before her original planned ceremony it was thought best to wait a bit until she had recovered from that terror completely. The molly was now fifteen moons, her fourteenth was when she and Shadowstar had agreed to conduct her ceremony after Fawnfur had told the leader she was ready. At first, she wasn't too pleased with the name she had been given, though looking back that was all because Aspenheart had been the first and only one to say that it was bland.
Fawnfur could never figure out what was it about her that the gray tabby despised, but every time they were in the same vicinity he would always manage to say some thing that put her down. At least his brother Magpiewhisker wasn't blind to it all, always biting back whenever Aspenheart would say something demeaning. Fawnfur was grateful for that at least, and for the support her former mentor Comfreyfang and her aunt Wasptail always gave her as well. She was certain she wouldn't have been able to stand living in PineClan without the help from her friends and family.
It was a pleasant afternoon as she thought about these things, she as well as several Clanmates had recently woken up to see who would be picked for the sunhigh border and hunting patrols, and as soon as she spotted Owlfur and Shadowstar sit in the center of the clearing Fawnfur knew they were ready to arrange them. Though... she couldn't help but notice how tired and pained the leader looked, she hoped that she was feeling well. "A-anyhow, we'll send out a patrol t-to... look for the kittypet Owlfur sce- I just can't do this." Shadowstar mewed tiredly, flinching as yet another sharp pain was felt against her stomach.
Owlfur immediately could tell was what happening, their kits were coming! For a moment he thought it was happening too fast, as his mate seemed perfectly healthy earlier, though knowing her she purposely hide her pain as to not upset Owlfur. "We've got to get you into the nursery fast." He meowed, his voice full of worry. The deputy let Shadowstar lean heavily against his side as the two made their way to the nursery, Owlfur ordering for Fawnfur to fetch Skunknose and Weaselstorm as quickly as she was able and telling Mintclaw to set up the patrols in their place.
|
|
deimos
Global Moderator
Posts: 202
|
Post by deimos on Apr 29, 2020 1:39:20 GMT -8
MOON 029 Written on Feb 8, 2017. It was funny how fast the atmosphere had changed from pleasant and lively to chilling and dismal in such a short time, Lizardstripe and Fawnfur were the only warriors who stayed behind from patrols, and therefore were the only warriors to hear the painful screams coming from the nursery. The tabby tom stared down at his paws, unsheathed and trembling, while his companion crouched besides him with her eyes wide as full moons and the fur along her back raised from fright. Fawnfur was staring at the nursery, unblinking as she waited for either Skunknose, Weaselstorm, or Owlfur to appear. Lizardstripe followed her gaze, though he quickly looked away as he remembered the the harsh sound of the leader's screams as she kitted.
Finally, after a long time, Lizardstripe tried to break the dreadful silence. "Do you... do you think she's okay?" He asked to Fawnfur, who blinked and stared at him with scared eyes before shaking her head 'no'.
"I've heard kitting is hard but... that was too - too awful." She replied, her voice trembling as she threatened to cry. Lizardstripe released a heavy sigh, he had expected for the prospect of new kits to fill him with some kind of pride that their Clan was growing but now all he felt was bitter sadness and loss. In the silent nursery lay Shadowstar, who lacked the former grace and power she was known for as she lay motionless against the floor with no strength to even lift her head or breath properly.
She could only feel the warmth of her newborn kits and the raw pain in her throat from screaming earlier, her ear twitched as she could hear the hushed whispers of Owlfur and Skunknose as they were discussing the state of both her and the kittens. Shadowstar felt a stab of pain in her chest as Skunknose confessed that one of her kits was too weak to survive long. "A-ah, I see..." She heard Owlfur mew dejectedly, trailing off to stare at her and their kits.
Skunknose sighed, her guilt for not being able to save the leader or do anything for her kit was clear. "I'm going to collect herbs, Weaselstorm is outside if you need anything." The medicine cat mewed softly, she took one last glance at Shadowstar before leaving the den.
As soon as Skunknose left Shadowstar struggled to speak, her mouth open and closing as she attempted to mew anything. "N- na -" She began, her voice raspy and weak. Owlfur immediately went to her side and protested that she should rest before saying anything but she ignored him. "-me them. I can't." Shadowstar finished, grimacing in pain as she fell silent again.
Owlfur frowned, not able to find any kind of happiness in the birth of his kits. "Molekit for the tom, Shadekit for the molly." He mewed quietly, giving Shadowstar a comforting lick on the cheek and then leaving the den himself only to meet the anxious looks of the rest of the Clan as Skunknose had relayed the news of what happened.
There was one unfamiliar cat with them, a pure white cat who looked more confused than anything. Owlfur made his way up to her place besides Minkcloud, who looked she wanted to say something to comfort the deputy, but she stopped as she realized nothing she said could help. "Who's this?" Owlfur asked, the young cat looked away from him while Minkcloud gave him a nervous smile and responded.
"This is Laurel, she's the kittypet we scented, and uh, she wanted to join."
Owlfur grunted, staring at Laurel and back at Minkcloud. "She'll be Laurelpaw then, you can train her, Minkcloud." He mewed, Minkcloud tried not to be disappointed in his lackluster response as she knew he was feeling at his lowest.
"...Of course, sir. Come on, Laurelpaw."
Owlfur did not even watch as the two mollies leaved to train, only turning away to approach Mintclaw, who quickly came up to him with a concerned expression. "Owlfur, are you alright? You look like death!" She exclaimed, making Owlfur wince over remembering how Shadowstar had died during her kitting as well.
"I just need rest, Mintclaw. Could you... set up patrols again?" He asked, though he knew she would say yes, as she went off to go organize everything Owlfur decided to spend the rest of the day in the warriors' den to contemplate about everything that had happened today.
|
|