deimos
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Post by deimos on Aug 22, 2020 20:49:37 GMT -8
MOON 040 Written on Mar 19, 2017. A calming warmth enveloped the young molly as her eyes were shut in a dream, a content and lazy smile was spread on her face as she nuzzled deeper into the soft fur of her mother while she felt Molekit's body besides her, the little tom appeared to be chattering excitedly to Shadowstar about something - but his sister couldn't tell what it was as his words came out muffled, almost like she was hearing him underwater. Then something stirred in her mind, Molekit never spoke so exuberantly before, and Shadowstar's fur never had the same kind of warmth it had now.
Shadepaw snapped her eyes open, scrambling away from whatever nightmare her mind had conjured up now as she stared wide-eyed as the scene of the nursery evaporated into nothing, Molekit turned to his face his twin sister with an undetectable glint in his bright green eyes before he too was washed away. Shadepaw felt her heart beat in her chest as a bitterly cold wind swept though the empty dark surroundings and she choked back a cry of horror as her mother materialized before her, this time in harsh spasms that racked her whole body the exact way they did when she was first fed the poisoned seeds.
"I'M SORRY! I'm so sorry, mother! Please, please stop this!" She wailed, shaking her head frantically as she cried and kept wishing for to wake up and escape from this terror that seized her heart and kept her captive. At her wails, the dream-version of Shadowstar stopped, all but it's head was still as it turned to face Shadepaw with a bleak and dead look in it's eye.
"You killed me." It stated, it's voice was exactly like Shadowstar's, Shadepaw wanted to weep. "You killed me." It repeated, it's voice morphed into a threatening snarl before it shrieked in pure and unbridled rage as it moved to pounce on the poor apprentice.
Before it could sink it's claws in, Shadepaw woke up.
Shadepaw licked at her chest, trying to hide how much the dream had shaken her from Weaselstorm if the tom was inside the den. Shadepaw felt herself unable to stop shuddering, and she let out a strangled cry as she recalled everything from her nightmare. She searched frantically for where Weaselstorm kept the chamomile and thyme and once she found them, wasted no time in eating them in hopes that would calm her down. Shadepaw took a few labored, shaky breaths and forced a blank look on her face before she decided to go outside. She needed to know where her mentor was, she needed to know if Weaselstorm was okay. She couldn't afford to lose him, he was all she had left.
She just barely caught him coming out of the nursery after checking in with the Clan's newest queens: Skunknose and Wasptail. Juniperkit, Egretkit, and Orchidkit were at his heels, trying to get a word out of him considering their apprentice ceremonies. Shadepaw managed to smile at the sight, her mentor may not have enjoyed the company of kits or apprentices, but it seemed like they were drawn to him like moth to light. Shadepaw sighed in relief, thanking StarClan that he was close by as she fully left the medicine den, her ears twitching as she heard Ratpaw greet her. The tom and her had some sort of connection, at least in her eyes.
Neither really committed to growing closer, it was only after the day after the Clan had buried Shadowstar's body was when Ratpaw decided to try and grow closer to her after seeing how utterly depressed and empty she looked. She truly didn't deserve his kindness one bit, not when she was a murderer, though he nor anyone else in the Clan besides Mintstar and Weaselstorm knew of what truly happened to Shadowstar. Shadepaw assumed they thought she died fighting Mintstar, seeing as their new leader returned home from the Moonpool battered and bloody.
Shadepaw suppressed a shudder over the memory, thinking of the look on Mintstar's face as she struggled to say any words of comfort to her. She forced a smile on her face as Ratpaw grew closer, one that he returned. "How are you, Shadepaw?" He asked with a purr, he truly was oblivious about Shadepaw and what she'd done, she felt awful at how comfortable he was around her.
"Good... it's a, a nice day out." She mewed awkwardly, her aloof stance was not lost on Ratpaw as his former expression was replaced by one more confused.
"I guess so, huh? Hey, listen, if there's anything wrong would you just let me know? I want to help." He responded, so genuine and kind-hearted.
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks." She said, spared from saying anything as Rowanpelt called his apprentice over so they could go train, Ratpaw said his goodbyes as he trotted over to his mentor and Shadepaw overheard him ask if he had already set up patrols before they left. Once he got his answer, he waited until Rowanpelt walked ahead of him before following suit, but not before casting a look to Shadepaw that mimicked the one Molekit had given her in her nightmare. This one didn't seem as undetectable and ominous though, but rather concerned instead.
Shadepaw sighed, maybe she should go ask Weaselstorm if they could go out today, she needed anything to get her mind off her dreams. She moved to go find her mentor, ignoring her Clanmates greeting mews as she passed them.
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Aug 22, 2020 21:19:06 GMT -8
MOON 041 Written on April 5, 2017. Minkcloud and the unnamed kit were resting on a moss nest inside the medicine cat's den, the brown molly didn't even dare to take her eyes off the tiny tortoiseshell for even a moment, almost as she was afraid that the kitten would be swept off by another current again. Her mate, Comfreyfang, laid beside her. The gray cat gave Minkcloud a warm lick on the cheek before directing her steely green eyes towards Weaselstorm - who was having a hard time examining the kit with these two protective mollies in the way. Shadepaw blinked owlishly at their patient, noting how awfully little she seemed compared to how the kits of PineClan were. She wondered what kind of upbringing she had before she was found and taken here. The apprentice's attention was now on Comfreyfang, who demanded an answer from her mentor regarding the kit's health.
"Well? How is she?" The warrior asked, her frown deepened as she noticed the small and exasperated huff that left Weaselstorm and the way he resisted to roll his eyes before answering.
"I don't know, hard to tell what's wrong when she's swallowed up by brown fur." He answered sharply, not missing the way Comfreyfang let out a silent hiss while Minkcloud blinked apologetically before gently moving away from the kitten and towards the farthest corner of the den, beckoning for her mate to join her and smiling as she complied. Weaselstorm nodded in thanks before staring at the kit, now alone in the moss nest and laying on her side. He looked at Shadepaw in a way that she knew meant he wanted her to examine their patient by herself, as he believed the best way for her to learn was by doing things herself.
Shadepaw gulped before making her way to sit besides the brown-and-white tom, her eyes searching the tiny kit's sleeping body before nosing her chest, flinching back the moment she could feel her ribs so easily. There was no way this kitten was healthy, not when she was literally bone-thin. Shadepaw hesitated and stared up at her mentor with sad eyes to see if maybe he might be willing to continue. Weaselstorm blinked slowly in response, which slightly comforted the molly, and then he moved in to finish the job. He pried the kit's mouth open as gently as he could with his fore paw, trying to judge how old she was by looking at her teeth, which was a hard feat when it was so easy for her to wake up. Shadepaw stared at the scene intently, trying to commit this to memory in case she had to the same thing by herself one day.
The medicine cat pulled back with a grimace on his face, making a shiver go down Shadepaw's spine upon seeing her mentor wear such a heavy expression. Comfreyfang noticed this change too, jumping up to her paws while ignoring her mate's protest before padding up to Weaselstorm. Shadepaw almost questioned why she was so protective of the kit, but then she remembered hearing stories about how the stocky feline held a fondness for any kitten, a fondness that was first introduced when she found Fawnfur out in the forest when the queen was only two moons old. "I know that look on your face, something's wrong, isn't it?" She meowed to Weaselstorm, her mew was stern, but it also held some anxiety to it as well.
"She's a moon old. She's supposed to be a lot bigger then she is now." He replied, making all cats in the room freeze. They had seen kits younger then the one before them scamper around camp with overwhelming energy, their stomachs were plump and their coats were shining with health and clean as they'd ever be. This kitten looked like she was ready to greet StarClan.
Comfreyfang blinked, her mouth agape as she struggled to find any words to say before sighing and moving to lay besides the kitten like Minkcloud had done earlier, her eyes brimming with sympathy. Minkcloud hesitated before speaking to the medicine cat, her yellow eyes staring at the floor. "Is... is there anything you can do for her?" She asked, the question catching her mate's attention as well as both mollies stared at the medicine cat expectantly.
Weaselstorm shook his head, "She's too small to eat any herbs without some major side effects, so that's a no." he stared at the kit before continuing, trying to jog memories of his kithood back when he lived on his lonesome. He too had been as thin as the tortoiseshell was now, and it was only thanks to a molly he thought of as his mother that he managed to survive. "Just feed her, but not too much, or she'll get sick." he replied, pleased that both mollies seemed to agree with his answer. "And take her to the nursery, she'll be safer there." He said, dismissing them with a wave of his tail. He watched silently as Comfreyfang gently took the kit by the scruff, pausing the moment she heard a squeak come from come from her.
The kitten blearily opened her eyes, which immediately snapped wide open as she was aware of her alien surroundings, she squirmed as hard as she could from her hold to the point where Comfryfang had to set her down again. The tortoiseshell fluffed out of her fur and her bright eyes were wide in fear as she stared at all the unfamiliar cats around her, Minkcloud was the first to react. "Calm down, little one. You're safe here, we helped you." The motherly cat mewed softly, her yellow eyes warm as they could be.
Her nurturing effect easily made the kit taken to her, and a significant change could be seen as the fur along her back went down and she sat on the floor, shyly staring at her paws. "H-hi." She practically squeaked out, a chuckle leaving both Comfreyfang and Minkcloud. Weaselstorm gestured with a nod of his head for he and Shadepaw to leave while so the three mollies could be acquainted with each other comfortably.
Shadepaw followed him out of the den, gazing back curiously at the scene behind her, they seemed so relaxed already. It was almost like they were a family. "Will the kitten be okay?" She asked her mentor, sighing in relief as he nodded.
"Yeah, she'll be fine." He calmly answered, staring at them out of the corner of his eye. "She's been given some pretty good mothers." It was now evening when the storm had gotten worse, thunder was as loud as earthquakes and the rain pounded against one so hard it actually stung. Mintstar hissed curses under her breath, surely rain as hard as this had to be a bad omen of some kind. And it just had to fall this hard on her grandniece's apprentice ceremony today too. She could see Acornkit bickering with Juniperpaw now from inside the apprentice's den, and with a smile Mintstar was glad that at least those two remained the same despite the heavy weather, the young cats had remained as both friends and enemies over the moons they had been raised together, though their arguing and playfighting was never done with ill intent. Juniperpaw threw his head back in laughter while Acornpaw pouted and playfully swatted him against the ear.
'I forgot how juvenile apprentices can be.' The PineClan thought leader; the thought warmed her. They were still so young to enjoy their innocence for a few moons more, and Mintstar almost envied them. For at least they weren't saddled with the task of having so many cats' well beings and safety on their shoulders. Life seemed so much more difficult as she became leader, she began to slowly understand why Shadowstar's entire mindset had changed for the worse after spending so many moons in charge. And yet... Mintstar truly wouldn't change where her life ended up. She was blessed with a loving mate, and her family was still ever growing with Acornkit becoming an apprentice and with Skunknose's second litter of kits on the way. Life had gotten hard, but she couldn't deny that she was happy despite how strenuous things could be at times.
What dragged her out of her thoughts were the worried mews of Laurelcloud and Magpiewhisker from outside her den, Mintstar rose to her paws and strode outside, squinting against the rain. Laurelcloud stared at Magpiewhisker to see if maybe he wanted to speak, but the black-and-white tom shook his head to say 'no'. The white molly cleared her throat before speaking. "Mintstar, the water's getting real bad. I think we're gonna have to move." She mewed with such authority that it impressed Mintstar, she had quite the voice for being their youngest warrior. However, her idea was absolutely absurd. Surely the water would never reach PineClan! They were far enough for the largest stream and the land around them was flat enough, wasn't it?
"It's probably better that if we do, there's a lot of wells around here, and with enough water they could all overflow." Magpiewhisker added, which Mintstar admitted made enough sense. However, it wasn't like her Clan had anywhere safe to move, she imagined Shadowstar never stopped to think about the threat of flooding when she first found PineClan's camp to consider a safe zone somewhere. And it wasn't like she could send out a patrol to scout for one either, it was far too risky. A loud and obviously fake cough got her attention, frowning as she made out the sodden form of Larkclaw approaching. His dark brown pelt was drenched the point where it appeared black. "Couldn't help but eavesdrop on you guys, and I think I know where we can hide~" He mewed. "Before I joined your merry little band, I made my dwelling in a cave close by here. It's a wonder you guys haven't seen it, actually."
Mintstar wasn't so sure she could truly trust Larkclaw even though she was the one to convince Shadowstar to let the former rogue join. He was too sneaky for his own good and he played by his own rules, thinking mostly of himself rather then the Clan. The way he spoke could often be interpreted as subtle mockery towards his Clanmates, and judging by how Lizardstripe's hackles raised every time the pushy tom approached them. It was clear the two had known each other well before they joined the Clan, and it wasn't a very good meeting. However, this was her only lead at getting PineClan to safety. She would have to question him more about this. "Are you sure about that?" She asked coolly, making Larkclaw give out a mock gasp.
"What? You don't trust me? One of your loyal warriors? I'm pretty sure that's a sin."
Larkclaw chuckled, the sound fading one he knew none of the other cats would join in. He smirked at Laurelcloud, who had been staring at him a little oddly, snorting when she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'm not lying. I'm a jerk, sure, I'll admit that. But at least I have the common decency to respect queens." He responded, making Mintstar perk her ears in what the queens had to do with this. "I'm pretty sure you're more satisfied with living queens more then dead ones." The leader winced, he had a point. If the flooding did reach camp, there was no hope that Wasptail and Skunknose could escape unscathed.
She thought more on the matter for a while before deciding that was best for the two queens and the rest of her Clan to shelter where Larkclaw suggested. "You'll lead us there, won't you? I'll reward you with anything." She meowed, making the tom laugh again.
"Allow me to sleep in for a whole moon and we're golden." And so after Mintstar relayed her plan to all the Clan, she set off to the cave Larkclaw had talked about and walked by his side. Rowanpelt and Shrikeface were walking alongside their mates Wasptail and Skunknose, the queens looking a little tired given they weren't used to walking after resting in the nursery for so long. All the apprentices trailed on the sidelines besides their mentors, all cats holding prey in their jaws. And Acornpaw held a look of pride after receiving her apprentice name.
Finding a mentor for her would be withheld under the threat of flooding had past, but it seemed like her grandniece didn't mind either way. She focused on every bit of sound around her, swiveling her eyes to hear what was going on from behind, catching a tiny bit of her nephews conversation with each other. "I really need to tell you something." She heard Aspenheart meow, making Mintstar surprised with how vulnerable and nervous he sounded. Aspenheart was a prideful warrior, she never imagined he'd ever show weakness. Not even to his own brother.
Perhaps she'd attempt to ask him what was wrong later, though she already knew he'd ignore her anyway. He never liked her, and given how she ignored him growing up, she could see why. Lizardstripe and Laurelcloud were silent as they held the fattest mice they could salvage from the fresh-kill pile, while Comfreyfang and Minkcloud gently explained what was happening to their kitten - who was now known as Maplekit. She was thankful that everyone seemed calm, it was only Weaselstorm who disagreed with everything and Mintstar sensed he wanted to argue, but he wasn't able to given he leaf-wrapped bundle of herbs he currently carried in his jaws. Shadepaw held a bundle of her own, the medicine cat apprentice had been silent ever since they left, probably because she disagreed with leaving too.
Once Mintstar was done checking on everyone, she focused on Larkclaw, who had a tiny skip in his step as he lead everyone to his former hideout. The tom suddenly paused, throwing off Mintstar as she wondered what the holdup was. "There's someone out here." He whispered, at first she was ready to tell him it was probably a fleeing mouse until she too scented the whiff of another Clan, one she hadn't smelled in a long time: FlurryClan. She gasped as she saw her former apprentice, Lizardstripe, swiftly rush past her and towards the direction of the scent.
The tom was beyond elated as he recognized who wore the achingly familiar scent. Knowing it could be the one and only molly who held his affections for many moons, they had agreed to stop visiting each other due to concerns of being caught by either of their Clans, but he was never able to forgot her. Rosemask was a cat he could never forget. The gray-and-white cat laughed excitedly as she rushed towards the tom and nuzzled in his wet fur, a wide smile on her face as she relaxed against him, happy that she was able to be this close to him again.
Lizardstripe purred loudly, his green eyes shining with love for the FlurryClan cat before his expression turned into confusion. "Don't get me wrong, it's amazing to see you again, really. My heart's beating faster then a rabbit hop but... I thought we weren't going to see each other again?" He meowed, ignoring the curious mews coming from his Clanmates.
Rosemask purred briefly before letting out a sigh. "I really couldn't be away from you anymore, I had to do something about it. So I said my goodbyes, and my family told me to send you a message: take care of me, or else!" She replied, playfully imitating her father's voice before both lovers exchanged a laugh.
A loud meow from Mintstar made them stop, and the leader narrowed her eyes as she stared at Lizardstripe. "So this is who you sneaked off to see when you were an apprentice." She meowed pointedly, causing for the tabby tom to flatten his ears and stand protectively in front of Rosemask.
"I know you're mad, Mintstar, but I love this cat with my life. If she can't join us, I'm leaving too." He meowed with a hiss, Rosemask gazed concerned at both Lizardstripe and Mintstar and stayed silent, praying to StarClan that the leader would be forgiving. After a while, Mintstar sighed, she needed warriors more then ever. And Lizardstripe was stubborn, there's no way he'd let her get away with rejecting Rosemask as one of their own.
"Fine, she can stay. But you're both going to have to prove your loyalty to me." She said, ignoring the urge to crack a smile as both cats exclaimed their thanks happily before frolicking like a pair of playing kits before joining the rest of the Clan.
"Mintstar! We're here!" Larkclaw exclaimed a little ways away from her, the cat immediately went to join him and her Clan, her eyes widening to see a gaping hole lodged in the center of a stone wall as she approached. It took a little climb for her cats to get inside, she watched as Rowanpelt assisted his mate Wasptail up and sighed in relief as Skunknose grabbed the ginger tabby's scruff to pull her up the rest of the way.
She thanked the gray queen before the two vanished deeper in the cave. Larkclaw beckoned her over with a wave of his tail, the tom smirking pridefully as he watched the rest of his Clan jump in. "How's this for shelter! We got a cave big enough for all us 'Clanners and the water can't touch us. No need to thank me~" He said, not giving Mintstar the time to respond before he jumped in with the rest of his Clanmates.
Mintstar shook her head as she watched him leave with an appreciative smile, perhaps he did earn a moon's worth of sleeping in late for showing her Clan a grand hideout like this. However... this could never match up with their actual camp, which she hoped was going to survive in the rain and possible flooding. She shut her eyes, silently praying for StarClan and Shadowstar to watch over their camp. She stared up the dark sky above, squinting to shield her eyes from the ever falling rain. The clouds were so thick it was impossible to see the sky, was StarClan able to watch over them at all? Mintstar shuddered, she hoped her warrior ancestors were able to protect them. She huffed, perhaps sending out a patrol to scout the surrounding area would take her mind off things.
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Aug 22, 2020 21:40:48 GMT -8
MOON 042 Written on April 13, 2017. "Can I ask you a question?"
Skunknose blinked in curiosity as the ginger queen stared at her with a vulnerable expression, one unfitting for a cat who had a clear mind. Something was bothering Wasptail, and Skunknose was compelled to help her in whatever way she could. The gray cat nodded gracefully and motioned for her to lay down besides her on the stone floor of the Clan's temporary cave, where Wasptail silently thanked her and slowly laid down on her side as to try and keep her kits comfortable and quiet. They were very active lately, Skunknose could tell as she overheard the soft, pained hisses and grunts that often left Wasptail's mouth over the past few weeks. It looked like she'd be delivering in either a matter of days or possibly even hours.
Skunknose smiled gently, she couldn't wait to see them once they arrived, and she knew they'd be raised with utmost care with Wasptail as their mother as she treated every young cat with affection. "Of course, dear. What do you need?" She asked, expecting for her to question how long kitting usually lasted or if she could examine her seeing as she was the former medicine cat and bared kits before. What she did ask actually surprised her, she never imagined anyone would be curious about her life.
"How did you and Shrikeface meet? How did you manage after you learned you were having kits?" Wasptail mewed, her tone quiet as the words left her mouth.
Despite the manner of the question, Skunknose answered anyway. "We... we met as young cats, Owlfur found him and Mintstar and patrol and," She queen sighed as she recalled her youth, she had been an overly nervous cat plagued with anxious thoughts nonstop, struggling with her emotions as the flirtatious Shrikeface began to take notice of her. "I couldn't deny that I liked him, I struggled not to think of him seeing as I was the medicine cat." Meanwhile Wasptail was wondering if Ramhorn thought the same, she hoped she didn't cause him any strife as he realized he loved her. She remembered feeling a little scared when she realized her attraction to him, but it was always replaced by a longing to see him again.
"I remember Mintstar telling me I was a selfish fool for thinking the way I did, those words hurt the most..." Skunknose trailed off as she remembered Mintstar's angry hazel eyes directed at her, and she held onto her contempt for many moons - only now attempting to connect with her family after ignoring her brother and his sons even since Aspenheart and Magpiewhisker were born. Shadowstar thought the same thing from the very beginning though she hid it very well. The days when Aspenheart was an apprentice and coming home complaining how the stares their former leader gave him were unnerving now made sense. And Skunknose felt a bitter taste in her mouth as she reflected on the day Shadowstar had yowled they were heathens right in front of her face.
"I told him that too, that to be a medicine it's foolish to hope for love, medicine cats are meant to care for everyone equally. To have a romantic bond with someone would mean you're more inclined to care for them then any other."
Wasptail slowly nodded, she supposed she could see sense in that, but she still felt sad over how lonely a medicine cat's life could be. "But you clearly got together. I joined when Aspenheart and Magpiewhisker were newborns." Wasptail noted, she didn't understand it then, but she remembered being confused as to why everyone kept casting perturbed stares towards the nursery.
Skunknose nodded, a fond smile as she recalled the time with Shrikeface by her side and her kits at her belly, she felt like they were the only cats in the world without anything able to tear them apart. "We were both a little scared, I think Shrikeface was even more nervous then I was!" The former medicine cat mewed with a chuckle, she had lost count of how many times her mate asked her how she was feeling and how the kits were doing. "And I think we both managed alright despite my rank, my sons turned out to be wonderful warriors, that's all I could hope for."
Wasptail laughed along with her, but a pang of envy went through her body as she knew that she'd never have the same closeness with Ramhorn as Skunknose did with Shrikeface. She was alone here with her mate in a different Clan with a demanding job to boot, she wouldn't be able to snuggle into his pure white fur while they watched their kits playing on needle-littered grass, and it saddening to realize he wouldn't be able to watch his kits grow up to begin with.
Wasptail sighed, staring at the ground feeling lonely despite being surrounded by her Clan. She gasped as she felt Skunknose's tail on her back, the queen giving her a concerned stare. "Are you alright, Wasptail? What's the matter?" She asked.
Wasptail also knew she was mainly on her own with this secret as well, the only cat in her Clan that knew was Rowanpelt because he agreed to act as the father. She couldn't confide in anyone knowing they could tell Mintstar, she couldn't even tell Skunknose despite that her Clanmate had broken the code too, the risk was far too great. "I'm fine, really. Just little tired, carrying kits takes a lot out of you!" She mewed, putting on a convincing smile and forcing out a amused purr.
Skunknose smiled too, clearly not able to pick up on Wasptail's troubles. "I can understand! Let's get you to Weaselstorm and Shadepaw, they'll have something for you."
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Aug 22, 2020 22:14:01 GMT -8
MOON 043 Written on April 25, 2017. It had been deemed safe enough to return to camp after the threat of flooding had vanished, and just in the nick of time too, because Wasptail collapsed right by the entrance of camp as the pain of kitting quickly took her over. It took great effort for both Weaselstorm and Rowanpelt to lead the queen inside the nursery as she snapped at the both of them out of stress and fear, but the toms managed to get her where she needed to be in the end. Weaselstorm was a bit annoyed at how quickly Rowanpelt scrambled of the den, he would've assumed the deputy would be present for the birth of his kits, yet he sped out of the nursery quicker then a scared hare.
Everything went well until Shrikeface suddenly burst in saying his mate was kitting too, which made the already strained medicine cat feeling even worse given that Skunknose was his former mentor and he deeply care about her and her safety. He yelled to go get Shadepaw since she was well-versed in what to do and growled at the warrior as he questioned his apprentice's ability before Shrikeface got the message and went to fetch her. Needless to say, PineClan wasn't able to celebrate being back home before bring thrust into yet another colorful situation, but the Clan was secretly relieved at how quickly they were able to find a rhythm again. It wasn't home unless something big happened within it.
Night was falling now, the sound of crickets filled the air as well as the excited chattering of cats as they happily discussed the two new litters of kittens that had been blessed upon their Clan. Wasptail was in a blissful daze as she stared at her first litter, five tiny kits suckling and kneading at her belly greedily as they all tried to get a generous share of milk. Weaselstorm had complimented their energy, saying he was pleasantly surprised at how healthy they were and how it wasn't common for a cat to deliver so many kits in the first place. He was gone now, left as quickly as he was able to go check on Skunknose who was in a separate den with her two newborn kits.
"Hello?" Mewed Comfreyfang from the outside, Wasptail invited the gray tabby to come in, where her best friend smiled widely upon seeing the kits as she entered. She was followed by Minkcloud and Maplekit, who was nuzzled against Minkcloud's side as she blinked owlishly at her new denmates.
"Oh, they're beautiful~" Minkcloud cooed softly, making Wasptail give out a prideful purr.
"C'mon Maplekit, go say hi to your denmates." Comfreyfang whispered encouragingly to her daughter, gently nudging the tortoiseshell forward to get a closer view. Maplekit tipped her head to the side as she viewed the five kits in confusion, as she was perplexed by their existence. She timidly smiled at Wasptail before returning to her mothers' side.
"Have you thought of names yet?" Comfreyfang asked as she settled herself down besides her friend, Minkcloud and Maplekit following suit as they laid down in their nest towards the corner of the nursery. The dark brown molly had her ears pricked as she awaited Wasptail's response. She nodded and smiled gently as she looked at her kits again, she could never get tired of staring at her young, the glow of pride she felt towards them was unlike any emotion she felt before.
"Yes I have. There's Marigoldkit, Patchkit, and Sorrelkit." She began, using her tail to gesture to the ginger tabby tom and his ginger-and-white brothers and later doing the same to her daughters. "And these two are Dandelionkit and Sheepkit."
Comfreyfang purred, complimenting their names before twitching an ear at the sound of another cat wanting to enter, this time it was Fawnfur, Wasptail's niece. With a nuzzle to the cheek, Comfreyfang said her goodbyes and she and her little family left the den to give the two mollies some time to themselves. Passing back Aspenheart and Magpiewhisker as they headed to the least crowded den to rest. The two brothers had just come outside the vacant elder's den to greet their little sisters, while Magpiewhisker was more then ecstatic, the same couldn't be said for Aspenheart who still had a lot on his mind ever since Rosefur from TumbleClan's departure. He still hadn't confided in his brother about the whole situation either, dodging the subject every time before he could build up the courage to say anything about it. "C'mon, let's go and see Asterkit and Lavenderkit again." Magpiewhisker mewed happily, leading his brother towards the elder's den with his tail. Totally unaware of the gray tabby's discomfort.
Aside from newborn kits and uncomfortable tabby toms, there was another matter to tend to before the busy day could truly come to an end, and it was in the form of a battered ginger molly who laid in the dim medicine den while the tired medicine cat and his apprentice searched for the appropriate herbs to treat her. The loner, named Daisy, had her injured hind leg rested upon a wad of moss where she was slowly finding it difficult to not reach over and give it a lick. The sting of pain that came from the wound was very, very hard to ignore. Yet the medicine cat told her not to do anything more to her leg, and since he seemed like such a big deal here she elected to comply.
"So tell me," Daisy watched as the brown-and-white tom laid two sets of herbs by his paws as he crouched to be closer to her leg. "how'd you get this roughed up anyway?" Weaselstorm asked as he began to chew the herbs in his mouth before he placed the poultice on her injury. The black molly besides him watched observantly, her blue eyes intent on every thing he was doing.
Daisy figured she must have been his young charge, she doubted any cat could just waltz here and stare while he did whatever he had to. "My son and I got separated in a flood," She replied calmly, yet the fur spiking along her back proved the memory wasn't a pleasant one.
Weaselstorm had heard her, but he was more concentrated on ensuring this poultice was a good enough consistency before placing it on her injury, he wanted it to be able to rid the wound of infection as fast as it could or else his patient's condition would quickly go downhill. "Funny thing really, one moment we're together and the next I know the water whooshes me away and I hear my kid goes whee! and then we obviously found ourselves separated after, I managed to cut myself on a rock as I was swept away." She continued, Shadepaw and Weaselstorm exchanged a glance that clearly conveyed 'yup, this is definitely Firepaw's mother' once she finished. Weaselstorm had finished chewing up his comfrey-chervil mixture and gingerly set it down on infected wound, quiet as he felt the expected flinch of Daisy's leg once the medicine made contact.
Daisy's foot curled and she clenched her teeth as she felt a sting of pain from her leg, sure that meant it was working and all, but it still hurt. "Must've been a sharp rock." Weaselstorm meowed, paying no mind to the molly's discomfort, he knew it was a natural reaction after all. Shadepaw frowned in concern, she was a lot more empathetic about sick cats more then her mentor was, placing herself in their paws as she imagined what kind of pain they might be in. It helped when diagnosing cats sometimes, other cases nearly made break down over witnessing the beat-up forms of her Clanmates.
"Are you hungry?" She asked, the answer was obvious given Daisy's skinny frame, but it would be rude to point that out to her. The ginger-and-white cat nodded, her belly grumbling added to her response.
"Starved! You won't believe how hard it is to catch a mouse like this." Daisy said, Shadepaw mewed she would be right back with a fresh piece of prey as she exited the den, leaving Weaselstorm and Daisy alone. The two cats were quiet, though Daisy wasn't one for that, she was a lot more comfortable when there was noise in the room. "Where's my son? Your cats said I'd see him here." She mewed, while her voice sounded casual, the look in her eye showed how badly she wanted to see Firepaw again.
Weaselstorm shrugged, "Asleep, most likely. We've been busy today, training probably took a lot out of him too." Daisy relaxed at his reply, finding it easy to trust the medicine cat. "You should rest too once you finish your meal, I'll wake you up first thing tomorrow." Daisy mumbled a thanks, watching as Shadepaw came back with a mouse in her jaws. A few days had passed ever since the birth of Wasptail and Skunknose's kits as well as the newly named Daisystorm's joining, the ginger molly had been beyond excited to see her son the day after she had her wounds treated, nuzzling into her little boy and covering him with licks while the small tom giggled and smiled the widest he ever had as he was overjoyed to be reunited with his mother again. Juniperpaw watched on, slightly jealous of the situation, becoming a little more grumpy when Acornpaw gave him a playful shove and mentioned how she won their bet over whether or not their mentors would find Firepaw's mom. Daisystorm had adjusted to Clan life well, she often accompanied Duckfoot when the tom intended to go and train his apprentice, if she wasn't with him she was most likely at Weaselstorm's side and asking him about herbs.
She was out hunting now and Weaselstorm was currently inside the nursery after Wasptail asked him to check on Dandelionkit since the small cream molly wasn't drinking as much as her siblings and she appeared sickly. Thankfully it wasn't nothing a little feverfew couldn't cure, and he reassured the anxious queen that it was natural one of her kits would get sick as there were so many of them. Shadepaw, noticing how quickly they were going through herbs left camp with her mentor's permission to go and gather some more. Mintstar and Rowanpelt sat in the clearing with their warriors surrounded by them as they picked and chose which patrols they would go on. It was yet another normal day in PineClan, aside from the the pure white tom who was currently drinking in every bit of their territory as he wandered deeper in its forest.
To say Ramhorn was overwhelmed was an understatement, everything about PineClan seemed so unfamiliar as he had lived in EchoClan for a greater portion of his life. This was completely new to him. And somehow the feeling was... pleasant, being here already made him feel closer to Wasptail. It was only a matter of time until he found himself entering their camp, where he would be hopefully allowed to join the Clan to be with her and his newborn kits. What he had learned from Rowanpelt at the Gathering hardly sated him, he fully desired to be with his family now more then ever.
As he attempted to follow a stale scent trail which he hoped would lead him to PineClan's camp, he neglected to notice the curious stare of a black molly who was supposed to go out and gather herbs. However, Shadepaw was now much more interested in what brought a medicine cat from another Clan in her territory. Did EchoClan need help? She remembered they had helped them once before in battle, it wasn't too farfetched to assume they would ask for assistance once again. "Ramhorn? What're you doing here?" She asked, whispering a sorry as the tom jumped in surprise. Her pure black pelt and silent paw steps often surprised others when she didn't intend to, it always made her embarrassed.
"Shadepaw, it's good to see you." He greeted, recalling that this was Weaselstorm's apprentice he was talking to. He wondered if the tom was still mad at him for snapping at Brindlecloud at the last medicine cat Gathering, even though that was the first thing he could think of doing after his former apprentice was close to revealing the rogue attack that the late Bloodyclaws had a large part in. "Could you lead me to your camp? I have to talk to Mintstar about something." He mewed, he could tell that Shadepaw was trying to guess what he wanted from her leader, but he waited until the young cat nodded and led him home.
Shadepaw was growing curious by the minute, but she had a feeling she'd now soon enough what the tom wanted from her leader. She stared at him out of the corner of her eye, noticing how he seemed to drink in every bit of her home, like he was committing it to memory. "It's nice here, isn't it?" She mewed pridefully, smiling when Ramhorn hummed in agreement. The two made short conversation on the way to camp, which was still mainly full as the patrols hadn't set out yet. Ramhorn was suddenly taken over by a small bout of culture shock as he compared the differences between EchoClan and PineClan.
PineClan didn't have as many cats as EchoClan did, but they were coming close. Their camp seemed a lot more sheltered and protected, but then again they did have a fairly secretive reputation - of course their home would reflect that too. The placement of their dens was obviously different, and a great oak tree jutted out right in the middle of camp where Ramhorn presumed that was where Mintstar probably did her announcements. He already felt a pang of homesickness, but it was shaken off as he assured himself he was making the right choice. He knew he had a home in EchoClan, but what he felt there was nothing compared to what he felt for Wasptail, she made him feel more at home then anything.
Rowanpelt was the first to notice him, the deputy's yellow eyes lit up in recognition as he saw him, Mintstar followed his stare and gazed curiously at him. He former medicine cat stood up a little straighter as his presence was becoming known, Shadepaw reassuringly mewed at him before walking up to her mentor's side as he exited a bramble thicket den and stared at him blankly. Mintstar padded up to him, her tail tip twitching anxiously against her wishes. "Ramhorn! It's a surprise to see you, is-is EchoClan alright?" She stuttered, clearly not used to the sight of a cat from another Clan in the heart of her camp. At the sound of his name, the bramble thicket Weaselstorm previously walked out shook a little until Wasptail's head stuck out of the entrance.
Ramhorn felt his heartbeat quicken, a rush of love swept through his entire body as he saw his mate again after two full moons, she had been absent from Gatherings and stayed inside camp while she was pregnant. It was hard for him not to see her, but he knew she was doing it to keep their secret safe. Wasptail gasped as she immediately recognized Ramhorn, she smiled widely at him and padded outside the nursery, purring sweetly to her kits as they began to cry over the loss of their mother's warmth. 'My kits!' The tom thought happily, a smile as bright as his mate's was on his face, confusing Mintstar as she still waited for an answer.
Brought out his elated stupor, he cleared his throat to reply to the PineClan leader, he tried his hardest to ignore how much he desperately wanted to run to his mate and tell her how proud he was to be hers and how much he already loved his kits despite that he didn't even know what he looked like like yet. Wasptail was struggling not to run to him too, she had felt so lonely without him by her side and missed the feeling of nuzzling into his soft fur. "I'd like to join your Clan, if you'll have me." He mewed smoothly, yet this was the most nerve-wracking event in his life. The Clan didn't hide their confusion, a couple of surprised murmurs could be heard and Rowanpelt and Wasptail exchanged a shocked glance, knowing full well the reason behind his request.
Mintstar didn't even try to smooth down her ruffled chest fur, her hazel eyes were wide and searching as she tried to find any reason why a medicine cat of all ranks would want to join a different Clan. "I-I need to think on this some more, what's the reason?" She asked, her mind was racing as she imagined what he'd say next. Ramhorn took a deep breath, staring at Wasptail and silently asking her for consent to tell not only Mintstar, but all of her Clan about their relationship. The two cats stared at each other evenly, Wasptail nodded and padded up to his side where he then twined his tail with her own. It was here Mintstar began to connect the dots, but she refused to believe it.
"Wasptail's my mate," He announced, a shiver going through him as the Clan immediately began to whisper amongst themselves over the news, so far everyone seemed more confused then anything. Hopefully that was a good sign. Mintstar stammered in disbelief, directing a wide-eyed stare at Wasptail, never believing she out of all her cats would ever commit such a huge violation of the code. The ginger tabby stayed quiet, but her eyes issued a silent challenge to anyone who questioned her decision to take a mate from another Clan. "I want to join to be with her and my kits." Ramhorn meowed once he sensed the initial shock died down.
Mintstar's answer was almost immediate, "No." she answered. Wasptail and Ramhorn's confidence shrunk significantly, both now afraid of being separated from each other again as it now seemed like that was a big possibility.
"Mintstar please don't this to us, to me." The queen meowed, her voice tinged with desperation that made the leader's chest tighten. But she had to do this, it was the right thing to do, wasn't it? Ramhorn broke the code, he should pay for it. Wasptail too, for that matter. At least that's what Mintstar kept telling herself, she truthfully wasn't confident about her decision. 'What would Shadowstar do in my place?' Is what she asked herself, missing the former leader more then ever.
"Isn't this all a little biased of you?" Aspenheart meowed with a mix of annoyance and confusion. Mintstar turned to look at her nephew, who's frown deepened as he met her stare. Juniperpaw moved to stand by his side, as he had begun to look up to the warrior and also agreed with his opinion.
"In what way?" Mintstar asked, her heart pounding over being challenged about her choice.
Aspenheart huffed, "You let Rosemask join so easily, and she's Lizardstripe's mate." he meowed, ignoring the protective growl that came from the brown tom as he mentioned his mate. "Lizardstripe was your apprentice. Did that influence your decision?" At his words, a lot of other cats meowed that he had a point.
Mintstar shook her head slightly, and what were actually nothing more but quiet meows among her Clanmates echoed in her mind like caterwauls, but she wasn't biased! The Clan needed warriors in case of flooding, that's why she let Rosemask join! She wanted to say so, but she was now worried whether or not everyone would take that as a bad justification and her throat felt dry. Wasptail and Ramhorn gave Aspenheart a grateful smile as the tom was the first to stand up for him, and he snorted. "I'm not doing this for you, I'm just a little ticked off about her decision." Magpiewhisker grumbled under his breath, something about how his brother should probably shut up now before he got in trouble.
"F-fine, he-" Mintstar stopped herself short, what kind of a leader was she if she changed her decisions so fast? Surely everyone was internally laughing at her, maybe a little shamed too. This wouldn't have happened when Shadowstar was in her prime, everyone would have listened to her. It wasn't hard to tell that the leader was having an mental battle with herself, and Ramhorn waited with baited breath to hear the final verdict. Wasptail let out a shaky breath besides him, and he immediately tried to comfort her by giving her a gentle lick on the cheek and having her nuzzle into his fur, his head resting atop hers. With a heavy and reluctant sigh, Mintstar forced herself to give cohesive answer.
"Ramhorn is now an official member of PineClan, a-as a warrior. Please, get back to whatever you were doing, meeting dismissed." She meowed, her voice void of emotion. The Clan seemed alright with her answer, though the burning stare she felt coming from Aspenheart and Juniperpaw felt like it was scorching her soul. Duckfoot came up to her and gazed at his mate in concern, she wanted nothing more then to cry, but she didn't want to weak in front of so many eyes. The brown-and-white tabby invited her to go on a patrol and she accepted, wanting to be away from the Clan for a while. As he lead her away and grouped up with the other members of his patrol, Wasptail lead Ramhorn to the nursery so that he could see his kits for the first time.
Skunknose and Rosemask were both inside, with both queens watching over Wasptail's kits after she had momentarily left them, the two were quiet but gave Ramhorn a respectful welcome to the Clan. The tom gave them his thanks, a light and relieved feeling in his chest over being able to stay. Wasptail also thanked Skunknose for nursing them and laid down in her nest, Skunknose gingerly guiding the five kits to their mother's belly. The tom's chest swelled in pride as he saw his perfect kits, all so wonderful and so amazing in his eyes. Nothing he ever felt before could compare to what he felt now, nothing could ever come close to the love he felt towards his family. Nothing.
He let out a jolly laugh, his voice cracking as he threatened to cry joyfully, and rested his head against Wasptail's. Their eyes closed as they took in the sensation of being together again, the whole world seemed to fade into nothing except for them and their kits, and they stayed this way for a while. When they opened their eyes, the world came into existence again, but it existed quite differently.
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Aug 25, 2020 14:19:46 GMT -8
MOON 044 Written on July 14, 2017. "Can we talk? Alone?" Shrikeface meows as he pads up to Mintstar, who was resting underneath the shade of the grand oak while her mate Duckfoot was laying besides her. The gray-and-white warrior's eyes dart towards his sister's mate, who stares at him with a look of guarded suspicion over what he could have possibly wanted with Mintstar. It wasn't surprising to Shrikeface that he was suspicious, the two siblings have not spoken comfortably with one another for moons, their relationship was in tatters ever since the leader dropped all connection with her brother when he had broken the code with Skunknose seasons ago. Even now they were still on uncertain terrain, and while Mintstar had tried her best to connect with her brother and his family, it was obvious they could never be as close with each other like when they were young.
Mintstar lets out a sigh, an unsettling feeling in her chest as she quickly guessed what her brother wanted: to speak about the way she handled having Ramhorn join PineClan. She considered it her most difficult decision as a leader yet, switching from saying he couldn't join to changing her mind once Aspenheart challenged her about it and hearing the rest of the Clan agree with him. Duckfoot gives her a reassuring lick on the cheek, whispering words of comfort before sitting up and leaving to go gather the apprentices to train. Mintstar keeps her eye on him, a smile plays on her lips as she watches his apprentice Firepaw scamper up to him excitedly before a mew from Shrikeface brings her back to reality. "Let's go inside my den." She meows quietly, reluctant to look Shrikeface in the eye.
The leader's den was a burrow underneath the grand oak that was centered in PineClan camp, most assumed it was dug up by some big and powerful predator as a den far before Shadowstar founded her Clan which was why is managed to hold its form after being left abandoned for so long. It was large enough for several cats to sit inside comfortably, the ground was cool under-paw, and there was a comfortable moss nest lined with soft feathers that could be seen in the corner: Mintstar's roost. The leader seated herself in the middle of her den, curling her gray tail over her paws and stayed silent as she waited for her brother to speak, she could already imagine his yellow eyes glaring at her disapprovingly.
Shrikeface narrowed his eyes at her, feeling a stab of disappointment over seeing how she still would not meet his eyes. The two stayed quiet, a pregnant pause until Shrikeface managed to find his words. "Do you plan to be anything like Shadowstar?" He asked, his voice was calm, yet an underlying twinge of anxiety could be heard as well. Mintstar's ears, which were slightly flattened now stood alert at her brother's question. She had expected to be scolded about what had happened with Ramhorn, to hear this coming from him was surprising given how hard it must have hit home. For the first time today, the PineClan leader finally managed to look her brother in the eye and was taken aback at how vulnerable he looked.
"I-I, well..." Mintstar wasn't sure how to talk about the former leader to him given how she had publicly offended her brother's family when she was in a poor state of mind, and while Mintstar had been the one to force her out of camp and eventually challenge her for leadership, a part of her still clung on to the memories of the proud leader and how calmly she addressed everyone. Shadowstar had treated her warriors with respect, speaking to them as equals despite their difference in rank, she was so wise and experienced that to see her fall from grace after her son and mate's death was almost earth shattering since Mintstar had looked up to her for so long. "I don't see what's wrong... if... I were to follow her examples. She was a good leader. Wise and strong." She meowed, confident in her words.
A tiny growl escaped Shrikeface, frustrated that his sister still looked up to Shadowstar despite knowing how much the old leader had torn up his family. He remembered the frustration he felt when she told him that while he and Skunknose could continue to be mates, he was not allowed be anywhere near her due to her rank as a medicine cat. Mintstar or Mintclaw at the time did nothing to comfort him, she just ignored him and his kits to the best of her ability while admiring her leader from the sidelines. She was there when his sons were apprentices and she had one of her own, often accompanying Shadowstar since she decided to train Aspenheart herself and she knew of how harsh the leader treated his son. The heartache he felt when Aspenheart would share his insecurities about how his mentor hated him was incomparable to anything else he had felt before.
"She was cold, Mintstar. I'm worried you're straying down that path too." Mintstar's whiskers twitched over hearing his criticism, she didn't want to believe her leader was 'cold' or that she would turn out the same. Shadowstar was a model example of what a leader should be, Shrikeface only spoke bad about her because he was disciplined accordingly when he took a mate he wasn't supposed to have. He broke the warrior code, and he had to pay for it. She sat a little straighter in an attempt to make herself appear bigger and more authoritative before replying. "She wasn't cold, she was suffering. And I won't tolerate you disrespecting her." She meowed, the fur along her neck beginning to rise as her brother growled in frustration.
"Quit lying to yourself, Mintstar! You can't be this featherbrained to believe Shadowstar was so high and mighty!" He replied, his former composure lost as he grew even more exasperated with his sister. Mintstar's claws dug into the dirt, her pupils narrowed to slits as she forced herself not to start an outburst of her own. She was very disappointed in hearing how he spoke about Shadowstar, sure he had his reasons, but they were all in the past now. He should be focused on honoring the memory of their first leader instead of saying her name in vain. She curled her lip, shutting her eyes and releasing a quiet growl before making her next orders. "Get out of my den." She commanded, relaxing her tense shoulders once she heard him take his leave, but not before snarling at his sister before he did.
Mintstar slowly opened her eyes, staring somberly at the entrance of the den as she realized she most likely lost Shrikeface forever, but her expression sharpened as she told herself she didn't care. PineClan mattered more than anything, more then herself and whomever she spoke with. She would now work even harder to make sure that Shadowstar's Clan did it's best to succeed. Cottonbush couldn't remember the last time he had been caught in such a compromising position, and while the WitherClan tom usually had a witty remark on the ready, he couldn't quite get his thoughts straight as he was currently pinned under a very angry white molly while his former Clanmate Blissheart was cornered against a pine tree with an equally angry gray apprentice staring him down. In hindsight, perhaps he should've expected this kind of reaction given he was found hunting in another Clan's territory and had gathered a decent amount of prey, but he honestly thought he could get away with theft as he heard so much about how the pine-dwelling cats spent their days sleeping in camp until the sun went down.
Now either he heard that wrong or luck decided to hightail it right when he needed it most, and as Cottonbush tried to pick apart where he went wrong Laurelcloud was finding it a lot more difficult to concentrate on questioning the WitherClanner about breaking the warrior code when the tom in question could actually be very attractive if he wasn't cycling through every conceivable emotion right at this moment. The young warrior made sure to keep her captive under a tight grip as she checked to see if her apprentice was able to make sure the cream tabby didn't run away from her, and to her relief, he just looked more confused and slightly offended he was trapped by someone half his size.
Orchidpaw caught her gaze, her former intimidating look turned into her natural casual demeanor as she spoke to her. "He says he tried to stop Cottonbush from stealing prey from us." The apprentice reported, earning a disbelieving scoff from Laurelcloud and a uncomfortable grunt from the thief below her who stared at Blissheart disapprovingly. The tabby, who was notably unkempt and skinny compared to his Clanmate now that Laurelcloud got a good look at him, tried to voice his protest before Orchidpaw shot him a warning glance which signaled him to shut up.
"Well whatever the case, it's up to us what happens to you. I'm taking both of you to Mintstar." Laurelcloud mewed, stepping off the tom to give him room to stand, which she regretted instantly as she unwillingly admired his lean body and handsome face. She cleared her throat and ordered for Cottonbush and Blissheart to follow, not quite meeting the former's eyes not of embarrassment, and it was then Cottonbush was putting together the pieces of how to possibly convince the PineClan warrior to maybe tell her leader to go a little soft on him after what he did. The minute the two 'prisoners' entered camp, Blissheart was struck with a sense of longing as he stepped inside a Clan camp once again. It wasn't WitherClan, it could never have the same charm as his home, but seeing PineClan's camp was a breath of fresh air after spending so many lonely moons on his own after being unceremoniously exiled due to sudden claims that he was threat to everyone's safety. He hated to think about it, hated remembering his mother's furious look as she hissed at him to leave all while standing protectively over his younger siblings while they looked so confused as to why everyone suddenly grew so distrustful of their older brother.
...He could have sworn he saw the tiniest of smirks on Asceticslash's face as he left camp for the final time, but he quickly shut the thought out as he never wanted to believe his own sister plotted to get him out of WitherClan. Lost in his thoughts, he failed to hear the surprised gasp coming from his own friend in PineClan alongside a black tom who looked almost identical to her aside from different fur lengths. "Blissheart?" Shadepaw mewed in shock, quickly trotting up to him while the tom followed just behind. Blissheart flinched, feeling self-conscious over how ragged he looked compared to her own well-kept self.
"What in StarClan happened to you?" She mewed in concern, ready to look him over like she had whenever she had a patient in the medicine den before remembering that Blissheart probably wouldn't be comfortable if she fussed over him in front of her entire Clan.
"It's a... long story." He replied, unwillingly to tell Shadepaw how he was thrown out of his Clan over heated accusations. The medicine cat quickly realized this was not something he was comfortable with sharing, but she still felt a little hurt that she wasn't able to be there for him when he really needed it.
"A-Anyway, who are you?" He mewed, changing the subject from himself to the black tom who had stayed quiet as he and Shadepaw spoke. "Shadepaw never told me she had a brother." At least he assumed they were siblings due to their similarities, but given how flustered the pair got, it appeared he was incorrect. He licked at his chest fur in embarrassment until the tom chimed in with a voice almost as clear and soft as Shadepaw's sounded.
"I'm Ratpaw, and you're not the only cat who's said that, no worries." He mewed, smiling kindly at him.
The three cats exchanged casual conversation with each other, Ratpaw discussed how he was getting his warrior name sometime this night while Shadepaw chimed in about how her own medicine cat training was going. Blissheart truly realized how much he missed Clan life then, and he briefly wondered if there was any way he could request joining PineClan since he had no where else to go. Eventually he was called up to talk to the leader herself, Shadepaw and Ratpaw mewed encouragement as he left and Cottonbush grumbled that she probably slept on burrs because she was a lot more snappier and irritated then he thought she would be. Blissheart thought he was just being rude until he stared into the intimidating hazel eyes of Mintstar as she ordered him to tell his side of the story.
Blissheart and Cottonbush waited inside the vacant elder's den once that was over and done with, Mintstar calling her deputy and medicine cat over to speak over what to do with the two toms. The cream tabby attempted to clean his fur to make himself look a little more presentable, while Cottonbush kept staring at Laurelcloud as she sat right by the den's entrance to keep guard on them. He sighed defeated, unsure of how to get himself out of the mess he found himself in. "Never thought this would ever happen to me." He mumbled to himself, Blissheart paused mid-lick to give him a disapproving stare.
"What'd you expect? You know stealing's against the warrior code." He meowed, ears perking up when Cottonbush chuckled and shot him an amused look.
"It's weird hearing your voice again, never thought I'd see you after... you know." Blissheart's face fell thinking about his exile again, and the two of them laid in awkward silence before Blissheart mewed dejectedly.
"At least you're probably gonna go home."
Cottonbush really had no idea how to reply to that, his own thoughts of his former Clanmate's exile were muddled at best, but he didn't agree with how his father Fadedstar had handled things.
A sharp mew from Laurelcloud saved him from saying anything and Cottonbush took the opportunity to give her another charming look that made her stutter before saying that Mintstar wanted to see them. The way she grew so easily flustered around him was rather amusing and if he was going to wind up staying in PineClan he didn't think he'd really mind. Mintstar said that he as well as Blissheart were going to stay in camp for a moon until she could find a way to reach Fadedstar given how far away their Clans were from each other before dismissing them back to the elder's den. This news was alright with them, but a question nagged at the back of Cottonbush's mind.
"How'd you manage to stay here? Didn't you tell her how we kicked you out?" He asked once they were inside, his yellow eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Blissheart shrugged, laying in his nest and resting his head on his paws. "I just told her we were on a hunting patrol and went out way farther then we were supposed to? I couldn't just go up and tell her the truth, I got nervous." He admitted, Cottonbush sighed and rolled his eyes before laying in his own nest and stared outside.
'A whole moon here, huh? This should be fun.'
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Sept 5, 2020 0:17:23 GMT -8
MOON 045 Written on August 9, 2017. There was never a feeling so unearthly like the sight of a dead kitten.
Lizardstripe would know, the junkyard he had grown up in was anything but forgiving, especially towards the young. It was more often then not that the stench of death filled the senses near collapsed piles of junk or crudely dug holes, it only took some scavenging to uncover the deceased, and as a scavenger - that was exactly what Lizardstripe had done. It succeeded each and every time to send the tom into a panic, made even worse by his father, who often forced him to continue working without any sign of sympathy for his young son.
He hoped to escape death when he first joined PineClan when he was hardly six moons old, and he almost did, for many peaceful moons he had nearly forgotten the terror of his former life in his personal prison for seasons until the birth of Shadowstar's kits. Lizardstripe just knew something wrong was going to happen then, as he was acquainted with the same agonized wails the first leader had made with nearly all the births in the awful junkyard he spent his kithood in. It wasn't surprising to see that one her of own died two moons after. It hurt him, sure. But he wasn't surprised.
He just hoped that after that he would never had to remember it again, and the moment his mate first told him she was expecting every thought of that day was just prayers to StarClan to keep her and their kits safe. Evidently the stars didn't listen, he didn't know why, he mused that perhaps they didn't pay attention to cats like him. But he immediately understood things were going terribly wrong the moment he heard Rosemask's pained yowls, and his fear increased tenfold just by observing how Shadepaw acted when she frantically came out of the nursery.
Soon after, Lizardstripe became the father of three kits, five had two of them not been born dead. He and Rosemask were beyond devastated, she was almost inconsolable, the cheerful molly he fell in love with replaced by a mourning mother who was shell shocked by what just happened. He managed to bring her out of her frozen state long enough to think of names for their litter and settled on Birchkit and Ashkit for their daughters, and Elmkit for their son.
They weren't sure if it was appropriate for them to give names to their deceased, but Lizardstripe once heard a tale from Skunknose when she was still the medicine cat that if a dead kit was unnamed they would not be able to rest and would sap the strength from the next expecting mother, and he did not another another molly to go through the pain they were experiencing now, so they named the two Firkit and Cedarkit - a molly and a tom. Rosemask gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, saying that the names they chose fit their kits just perfectly, and drifted off to sleep. Lizardstripe slept by her side shortly after, hardly paying attention to Ratpaw's warrior ceremony taking place outside the nursery.
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Sept 5, 2020 0:21:12 GMT -8
MOON 046 Written on August 22, 2017. The slender somali lay in the shade of the warrior's den, his long-furred coat was uncomfortably hot as the relentless heat wave that beat down on the forest showed no sign of letting up yet. Rowanpelt's yellow eyes were focused on the Great Oak, waiting for any sign that Mintstar would leave her den so that he could have a chance to speak to his leader in private. From what Willowbolt had told him at the last Gathering, JinxClan was on the brink of war and she admitted they would need help to drive away the cats who threatened to take over her Clan. He felt for their neighboring Clan's plight, really he did, but in truth the main reason he wanted to reach out and help was because his entire family was there and they were at risk of being harmed.
When several minutes went by and there was no sign of Mintstar leaving her den, Rowanpelt decided to go see her for himself, he was careful as he stood up from his nest and maneuvered past the sleeping bodies of half of his Clanmates as they waited for the sun to fall down so they could finally hunt without the threat of weakening under the sun like poor Egretpaw had. Rowanpelt chuckled despite his heavy thoughts, remembering how Weaselstorm had chided the tom's mentor Aspenheart for working his apprentice too hard while the gray tabby took it all with a tired eye roll that signified he had been in this situation with his mother's friend many times before.
"Mintstar? May I come in?" Rowanpelt called out, receiving an affirmative mew in response before the deputy headed inside the burrow underneath the Great Oak to finally speak to the leader about what the situation in JinxClan was. Mintstar stood up from her nest slowly, still weak from the aftermath of losing her first life. The scarred puncture wounds on her neck from being caught in the hawk's talons were glaringly obvious against her stark white neck fur and Rowanpelt couldn't help but feel guilty for dropping all the information he knew on the recovering molly.
"Yes Rowanpelt, what is it?" She asked, blinking away the sleep from her hazel eyes as she attempted to straighten herself out before her deputy.
Rowanpelt froze, his mouth dry as he struggled to find a good place to begin speaking before throwing all caution to the wind. "It's about one of our allies; JinxClan. They need our help." He mewed seriously, watching as Mintstar's face shifted from dazed and tired to interested and curious in an instant. JinxClan had been one of their allies from a long time now, even when Shadowstar was still in power, and not once did they ever decide to reach out to either her or Mintstar - so why would they speak to the deputy?
Upon seeing her perplexed expression, Rowanpelt gulped and let out a long exhale to continue what he wanted to say, it was important for him to tell his leader what was going on. For Velvetrabbit, his kits, and of course for JinxClan. "It's been kept a secret between me and their own deputy Willowbolt for a few moons now, Jinxstar didn't want anyone to know what was happening." Mintstar frowned, growing ever curious as to what the two deputies discussed behind their backs.
"I don't like secrets Rowanpelt, especially if they involve cats from other Clans, what's going on?" The leader meowed sternly. Rowanpelt sighed again, and then went on to tell her about the cats in JinxClan who wished to take total control over it and wouldn't be afraid to target their own Clanmates to get what they wanted.
After he was done, both cats were silent for a long time, the deputy could clearly see Mintstar trying to figure out what to do in her head. This was probably her biggest decision as leader yet and there were a lot of possibilities to consider when a battle was involved. After all, PineClan had only been involved with one battle before and didn't like to cause fights to begin with, there was also their Clan's numbers to consider too as their troubled allies were much larger then they were and that it would be difficult to help them in any significant way if they were to fight against the entire Clan itself.
Eventually Mintstar released a long and resigned sigh in the process as she was finally coming to a decision. Rowanpelt's ears perked up, waiting with baited breath for her answer. "We'll help them." She finally said, the tom resisting the urge to cry in relief, he should've expected that she would agree as Mintstar wasn't the kind of cat to look away from another in need. He thanked her and bowed his head to hide his relieved smile, staring at her again when she ordered for him to tell all the warriors to start working on their battle moves whenever they had free time.
As he made his way to leave Mintstar stopped him with a single, curious mew. "There's... there's something more going on, isn't there?" Rowanpelt was still for a few heartbeats before giving her an affirmative nod. "Can you tell me what it is? Why this battle seems so important to you?" The deputy turned back to look at her, his yellow eyes showing too many emotions for the molly to place, and gave her his answer.
"You'll find out."
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Sept 5, 2020 0:24:14 GMT -8
MOON 047 Written on October 2, 2017. Initially the night was as cold and quiet as it had always been, the forest floor was illuminated by twinkling stars that blanketed the sky and the only sounds heard were that of paw steps crunching the snow-covered ground and the occasional owl hoot made high up in the pines. Had they not been on patrol the four cats would have most likely spent the twilight hours in leisure, relishing in the quiet until dawn came.
A eerie scream quickly broke any thoughts of relaxing and Duckfoot immediately took action, spraying snow behind him as he darted towards the wail with energy akin to a young warrior, paying no attention to how his back leg screamed in protest over being pushed too hard for this level of activity. The tom felt a spike of dread in his heart as the air grew rank with the scent of blood followed by more awful wailing and yowling. Whoever this cat was, they needed help, and fast.
"Duckfoot, I know where the scent is coming from!" He heard Ratnose say, the young tom quickly coming up to his side with his eyes wide in fear and ears pinned to the back of his head. Duckfoot nodded, slowing slightly to let him take the lead as his nose was far more reliable than anyone else's, if anyone could track a cat - it would be certainly be Ratnose. The black warrior then lead his older Clanmates towards a tumbled pile of stone, some holding holes big enough for a cat to shelter in.
Once again the scent of blood flooded Duckfoot's nostrils, curling his lip in disgust before signaling for the rest of the patrol to stand back while he approached the entrance of the undoubtedly injured cat's 'den'. He only hoped he wouldn't find anything too gruesome, however once he caught glimpse of who was instead, he would've dealt with anything worse then seeing the cat he was raised with suffer like this. "Anthiese!" He called in horror, voice breaking as he stared in shock at his sister's suffering state.
He got a low, tired moan in reply. Anthiese was clearly too dazed from pain to respond appropriately, but he didn't miss the flash of recognition in her dull green gaze. Duckfoot jumped when he felt Minkcloud's fur brush against his, her face briefly morphing into one of shock before making herself appear calm in front of them. "She's kitting, but it's not looking good." The brown molly stated, making her way inside to be with Anthiese and help her in any way she could.
"C-could we try and find Weaselstorm and Shadepaw?" Duckfoot suggested helplessly, the two medicine cats had left camp hours ago for the Moonpool, and any chance of finding them was like meeting a StarClan warrior face to face for the time being. They would have to figure this out on their own, and it terrified him to think his sister's life was in their inexperienced paws.
Minkcloud was quiet as she tried to think of any way she could help, racked with guilt as not much came to mind. "Just... find a stick, it might distract her from the pain. A-and tell Larkclaw and Ratnose to run back to camp, Skunknose and Ramhorn would know what to do."
Duckfoot nodded as he made his way towards the two toms, not bothering to care about taking orders from a cat younger than he, and hurriedly told them to go fetch both former medicine cats from camp. He growled as Larkclaw protested - "Are you kidding?! There's no way we're coming back in time." - the tabby mewed while Ratnose's paws twitched as he was eager to leave.
"We'll go, don't worry Duckfoot." He meowed, shooting an apologetic look at Larkclaw who stared at him angrily before racing off to PineClan camp with him reluctantly following behind.
Duckfoot whirled around to face the stones again, finding a thick stick leaning against one of the rocks and taking it in his jaws to give to Anthiese so she'd have something to distract herself with. He tried not to think so grim, but having her kit in that bad of a condition in the middle of Leaf-bare? He knew he had to prepare himself for the worst.
He only hoped he would have the strength to deal with whatever happened next.
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Sept 5, 2020 0:34:21 GMT -8
MOON 048 Written on October 25, 2017. Howling winter winds blew with an unmatched ferocity as they blew through the coats of Duckfoot and Minkcloud, both cats struggled to stride through the currents with two newborn kittens held protectively in their jaws. Duckfoot kept glancing at his brown-furred Clanmate just next to him, worried over whether or not she would keep his kin safe during the trek home. A sharp pang of hurt and guilt rammed through his chest as he recalled the disastrous kitting of his late sister earlier that night; Anthiese had delivered two healthy kits, but at the expense of her own life.
She didn't even get to see her kits. He thought in dismay, his eyes watering as more tears threatened to escape again. The tom tried his best to focus on what he was currently trying to do, but his mind was swarmed by wondering just how much pain his littermate had been in - from the stress and pain she suffered as she delivered to not being granted enough mercy to gaze upon her newborns before death took her away from them forever. A shudder ran through Duckfoot, and not from the cold, but from the overwhelming feeling of sadness that overtook his mind at the moment.
He could not erase the lifeless form of Anthiese from his memory, and he was certain the traumatic image would stick to his mind for the rest of his life. He lost his own sister after all, he had watched her die and he had completely and utterly powerless to aid her. It was no wonder the warrior felt so broken, he was so lost in his own grief that he didn't even realize he was already home until Minkcloud pointed it out to him. She gave him one last sympathetic look before entering the camp with him following just behind, both cats quickly making their way to the nursery.
Rosemask was the only queen awake as Wasptail slept with her five kittens crowded around her while Skunknose was out with Ramhorn, Larkclaw, and Ratnose - the four digging out a grave for Anthiese at Duckfoot's request, as he didn't want her body to become some snack for carrion-eaters, she deserved more respect than that. The brown-and-white tabby felt another pang of sorrow as he set the kit down on the moss-covered floor, Rosemask gazing curiously at the newborns. Minkcloud shot a look at Duckfoot to see if he wanted to speak, but she took over for him as he shook his head.
"Rosemask, these two kittens just lost their mother... they'll need someone to take care of them." She mewed quietly, watching as the two kits mewed and squirmed towards the warmth of Rosemask's belly, clearly having some difficulty due to the queen's much larger litter of three blocking their way. Duckfoot frowned in concern as he stared at her, deep in thought over what to do, he hoped this wouldn't seem offensive towards her as she was a mother who lost two kits and now was requested to care for two kits who lost their mother.
The tom felt relived as he saw Rosemask's eyes soften as she guided the two kits closer, her maternal instincts taking over. "Of course I'll take care of them." She mewed reassuringly, smiling in response to the pleased purr that rumbled from Minkcloud's throat. "What are their names?" The gray-and-white queen asked, exchanging a questioning look at both Minkcloud and Duckfoot.
The tom sighed, briefly wondering what his sister could have named them before coming up with an answer. "...The pale cream-and-white kit is Lightkit, while their littermate is Morningkit." He answered, hoping Anthiese would like the names he had chosen.
She had always liked to stay up and see the first rays of light come from the morning sky. If he had to guess the snow-white tom would say it had been about a half-moon ever since Lightkit and Morningkit were brought into the Clan, and in that short amount of time the entire territory had changed from an expansive frost-covered landscape to a blooming green world. It were times like these where the former medicine cat would reminiscence on how relieved he was every time he noticed the herbs growing back on EchoClan territory, knowing he wouldn't have to worry about growing short on herbs until Leaf-fall started to come around again, and he knew the same thoughts extended to both Weaselstorm and Shadeleaf, who spent most their time gathering herbs nowadays.
And if his moons spent as a medicine cat taught him anything, he knew the two were stocking up to hide the guilt of losing a patient again. True, a cat of their rank had to expect death, but it never made it any easier as they knew that it was not only their patient who was counting on them - but the entirety of the Clan. Ramhorn could tell Shadeleaf was taking it harder than her mentor, she seemed far more sensitive then the snappy Weaselstorm from what he had gleaned. "Daaad." A voiced moaned from behind him, bringing Ramhorn out of his thoughts as a young ginger tabby heavily leaned on him before letting out an over exaggerated sigh.
Ramhorn chuckled, licking the top of his eldest son's head while the tabby let out a disgusted snort and mumbling about how he was too old for that now, though his eyes shone with affection as he stared at his father. "What is it, Marigoldkit?" He asked, knowing that whenever Marigoldkit acted this was because he usually wanted some attention.
The kit kicked away a pebble at his paws, grumbling under his breath before answering. "Do we really need to wait one more moon just to be apprentices? I wanna get out of camp now!" He complained, staring at the camp's entrance just as Rowanpelt and his hunting patrol were leaving with Mintstar staying behind as she wished them good hunting.
"Afraid so, but it's only one more moon until your time." Ramhorn replied, purring at his son as he wrapped his tail around him comfortingly. "What are you looking forward to the the most about being an apprentice?" He questioned, trying to brighten up Marigoldkit's mood.
The tom let out a thoughtful hum before a big grin made it's way on his face. "The Gatherings! I want to see what EchoClan's like." He replied, making Ramhorn's heart flutter with pride. He and Wasptail never neglected to let their kits know of his former home as they wanted them all to feel proud of themselves rather than feel ashamed of their half-Clan blood.
"You'll love them I'm sure, and I can't wait for you to meet Squirrelstar." Ramhorn mewed, unaware of how Mintstar had been listening and flinch at the mention of the EchoClan leader's name. Unbeknownst to him Mintstar had not yet told him of Squirrelstar's death as she was too busy making sure her Clan could get a head-start in hunting and patrolling this season, there was also her mate's niece and nephew to worry about now and she did her best to support him in any way she could have. As he and Marigoldkit continued speaking, Mintstar got up to her paws and padded towards the two toms, mewing to gain their attention.
Marigoldkit gulped as he caught the leader's eye, he liked to put on a brave face around everyone else, but the thought of being so close to a high ranking cat such as she didn't sit well with him. He smiled sheepishly at his father and Mintstar behind scampering off towards the nursery where his littermates and Skunknose's two kits were outside, playing with a single pinecone they batted around with their paws. Ramhorn watched him leave until directing his attention towards the leader, the air suddenly tense around the two of them. He respected Mintstar due to her position as the Clan's leader, but he never really got over how hesitant she had been when he initially requested to join PineClan and her avoidance of him ever since.
The two cats did nothing but stare at each other for a few heartbeats, Mintstar took a deep breath before speaking. "I didn't - I didn't mean to keep this from you for so long. I knew it was important, considering it's about your former Clan..." She mewed, her voice was steady, but Ramhorn could see she was feeling conflict as she stared at him. The tom felt his heart quicken at the mention of EchoClan and he gestured for Mintstar to continue so he could learn about what she about to say considering them. "Squirrelstar lost her final life, I'm sorry."
At that one little sentence, Ramhorn felt like the whole world froze, his body felt like ice. "N - No, she couldn't have, she... How?" He croaked out, numbly staring at his paws.
Mintstar almost wished she could do anything to comfort the tom, but she knew just as well as he did that they didn't have the best relationship, so she was quiet as he processed the EchoClan leader's death. In a way she supposed she could understand his pain, while she wasn't as close to Squirrelstar as Ramhorn was, she knew her loss would be felt deeply for a long time. She had been around far longer then she had been, even longer then PineClan and Shadowstar's time in fact. To be reminded that she wouldn't see the light ginger tabby alive and well anymore was a very foreign thought. Ramhorn in the meanwhile was remembering the first time he had met Squirrelstar, a young and scrappy cat who didn't make the best first impression; stealing herbs for his own use and attempting to fight off a patrol when he knew he was outnumbered.
Yet she allowed him to live in EchoClan anyway - an event that completely changed his life for the better. He could never find a perfect way to thank her for that, and with a heavy heart he now realized he would never be able to. The forest now felt a little emptier without her in it and he wondered how his former Clan had been taking her passing, knowing none of them ever knew a time without Squirrelstar leading them. "Do you... know how she died?" He inquired, his voice void of any emotion aside from sadness, sharply turning his head away from Mintstar as she began to reply. "Never mind, I-I think I'm better off not knowing." The word death left a bitter taste in his mouth, it just didn't feel right to associate Squirrelstar with it.
"Thank you for letting me know, I... apologize for my behavior." He mewed, moving to stand up and head towards the nursery to let his mate know of the news before Mintstar stopped him with a tail wave.
"Don't ever apologize for that," She mewed, confusing him. Normally she and him would exchange a few words and be done with it, never before had she ever wanted to continue a conversation with him. "it's hard to lose a leader, even more so when it was a Clan's founder. Believe me, I still grieve for Shadowstar every day." She mewed solemnly, sighing at the thought of the old PineClan leader. "You have my permission to visit EchoClan territory, I'm sure you'd want to... pay your respects."
Ramhorn never would have expected that kind of response from Mintstar, and had it not been for his current state, he would've felt beyond excited to learn that she was beginning to trust him more. A shadow of a smile was on his face as he bowed his head in respect, "You have no idea how much that means to me, thank you Mintstar." The molly nodded in response before turning away to assemble some cats for a daylight patrol, her gaze stayed on Ramhorn as the tom entered the nursery. She wished him a safe journey to EchoClan, and that the pain of losing Squirrelstar would fade instead of lingering in the back of his mind like how Shadowstar's still lingered in hers.
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deimos
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Post by deimos on Dec 7, 2021 13:51:43 GMT -8
MOON 049 Written on December 1st, 2017. "A new warrior walks among PineClan today; from this day onward this young tom will be hailed as Firestream, for his adept swimming prowess and overall love for the water." Mintstar announced, an inaudible purr leaving her throat as the Clan chanted Firestream's name while the ginger tabby stared at the crowd around him with unbridled ecstasy. Laughing gleefully to himself, Firestream could barely listen to Mintstar finish the ceremony and was only aware it had ended once he witnessed the crowd begin to break away. He barely had time to move before his mother barrelled into him, covering his face with a barrage of licks and muzzles while he took it all in stride.
Daisystorm pulled away once she realized her affection was getting a tad excessive, the wide grin she wore on her muzzle faded into a soft smile as both she and Firestream grew quiet. "I'm so proud of you," The molly mewed genuinely, eyes locked on her only son while Firestream had his own forest-green hues focused on her as well. Overcome by emotion, Daisystorm felt her eyes begin to water with unshed tears all while the tom stared on helplessly, his own eyes welling up. "M-mama? Are you okay?" He inquired, wishing he could do anything to help her feel better.
It might have been seen as an odd sight, two grown cats suddenly tearing up out of nowhere, but it was a common occurrence between the pair; stemming from the close bond they forged long before the two of them found PineClan. It had been moons of heartbreak after heartbreak before either of them would find any semblance of peace in their lives, and as the rest of their family perished right before their eyes they understood that they would only ever have each other. With that in mind, they became in tune with each other's emotions and whatever one felt, the other would react the same regardless of their own feelings.
"I'm fine, I-It's just..." Daisystorm let out a shuddered breath, her voice cracking as the first tear fell. "Y-You made it... out of everyone, you're h-here." She stopped herself from speaking there, but nothing could stop her tears as she held Firestream close to her and unceasingly sobbed into his fur. Firestream felt his claws dig into the earth in a desperate battle against his own tears, his body trembling with the effort to look strong until a sudden memory of the cats he lost flashed through his mind. At that, not even the cheerful tabby could stop himself from weeping alongside his mother. Dusk gave way to dawn in the blink of an eye, the distant sky becoming a swath of orange and purple hues, decorated with a pawful of stray stars. Firestream gulped as he stared, owl-eyed, at the sky above him. He knew soon enough he would undergo his warrior's vigil once dawn came, and knowing he was going to do it alone was daunting. He tried reassuring himself that he wasn't going to be completely alone as most of PineClan would be in camp during the day, but that did nothing to alleviate his nerves.
Firestream chided himself for acting so vulnerable, usually, he was able to completely hide his innermost feelings of diffidence even from himself and it surprised him that he was having difficulty doing so this time. He supposed it had something to do with the emotional moment shared with his mother much earlier today, thinking of his family always managed to affect him negatively after all. Sighing heavily, the ginger tabby made his way out of the warriors' den and headed towards his group of friends, making sure to put on one of his casual smiles before they noticed him.
The five cats were as lively as they had always been; Juniperpelt and Acornclaw exchanging quips and over-exaggerated tales while Orchidnose and Ratnose pretended they were listening by nodding their heads and adding in a few mews like they weren't totally lost in whatever stories the tom and molly conjured up this time. And then there was Egrettail, the gangly white tom who eluded Firestream throughout the entirety of his apprenticeship, batting a pine cone between his forepaws inattentively. "Hey, guys!" Firestream mewed, causing Egrettail to release a strangled gasp and throw his pine cone to the side before choosing to stare at the bark of the Great Oak rather than the tabby.
Firestream's smile fell as he watched Egrettail avoid him, again. He was hurt knowing that the tom's apparent avoidance towards him hadn't faded a whisker after he left the apprentice's den and he helplessly wondered over what he could've possibly done to make Egrettail dislike him in the first place. Firestream stifled a sigh, choosing to lay beside his best friend Ratnose since the black tom invited him over by patting the ground next to him with his tail. Neither toms noticed the jealous gaze that Egrettail sent to both them, nor the defeated sigh that left his maw before staring at his paws.
"Congratulations, Firestream!" Ratnose mewed kindly, giving the tom a closed-eye smile that had Firestream's mood rise after Egrettail had given him the cold shoulder. He chuckled sheepishly as the rest of his friends' mewed their own praises.
"It'll be nice to share a den with you again." Orchidnose mewed cordially.
"And it'll be easier to sneak bugs in Comfreyfang and Duckfoot's nest now." Acornclaw chimed, a smirk on her muzzle.
"I know a certain someone will be very happy having you in the warriors' den." Juniperpelt mewed playfully.
At that Firestream's ears swiveled towards the gray-and-white warrior in interest, tilting his head in bemusement at the knowing smirk on his face while his siblings stared at him in disapproval. Egrettail, in particular, looked the most offended, his skinny tail twitching to and fro like a frenzied adder while the fur along his neck slowly rose. "Egrettail, are you alri-" Firestream was cut off by the tom jumping up to his paws, bewildered by the unreadable gaze Egrettail sent his way. "S-Sorry guys, I have to go. I-I don't think that squirrel agreed with me." He stuttered out before scampering to hide inside the warriors' den.
"You didn't even eat a squirrel! You had a mouse, you mouse-brain!" Juniperpelt called out after him, rolling his eyes as he directed his attention back towards the rest of the group. The tom frowned as he noticed how utterly dejected Firestream appeared, the concerned gazes everyone gave them were burning, but this time he made no effort to hide how he was feeling. "Does your brother hate me?" He asked in defeat, earning a pair of sighs from Egrettail's siblings as they tried to reassure him that wasn't the case. He hardly paid attention and instead hoped nightfall came soon.
A night by himself on vigil seemed preferable instead of sharing a den with a tom who hated him. "Tell my brother that I am at peace now, that he needn't feel blame for what happened, and that I was happy to see him one last time."
Shadeleaf stiffened as the melodious voice of Anthiese echoed in her mind once again, preventing her from focusing on reorganizing the herb store like she was supposed to. Weaselstorm cast her a curious look, letting out a soft sigh once he understood what was wrong with his apprentice. "You're thinking about her again, aren't you?" He stated; suspicions confirmed as he noted the thin grimace that appeared on Shadeleaf's maw. As always, nothing could get by Weaselstorm when it came to what she was thinking, and she learned to both appreciate and slightly resent her mentor's keen observation over time.
"We should've been there, Weaselstorm. We-we could've, h-helped..." She choked on her words, a bitter sob leaving her throat as her resolve crumbled away. Shadeleaf hadn't been a full medicine cat for long, but she knew she didn't deserve holding the title given how she managed to fail her patients time and time again. If she hadn't forgotten about what raspberry leaves looked like she could have saved Firkit and Cedarkit, and if she had held off her ceremony just a little more she could have saved Anthiese's kits from becoming orphans and sparing Duckfoot of the grief that came from losing his sister.
Quiet sobs filled the den as regret tore through her like gales of wind, head bowed in shame as she broke down in front of her mentor. Weaselstorm's maw formed into a remorseful frown, the sight of Shadeleaf like this squeezing his heart painfully. The medicine cat took in a deep sigh before mewing, "...Shadeleaf, there was nothing we could have done for her." He mewed calmly; Shadeleaf shook her head in denial. "I know it hurts. It hurts knowing there's so much life placed in your paws and that it crushes you to realize that sometimes you can't save it."
Shadeleaf hesitantly met her mentor's eyes, eyes still brimming with tears as she waited for Weaselstorm to continue. "But we have to think like medicine cats, and that means we have to keep looking forward no matter what, so that we can focus on the cats that need us in the future." He meowed incisively, skinny tail curled around his paws as he waited what Shadeleaf would say in response. The contrite molly knew there was truth in his words, but she couldn't bring herself to accept them yet. "What about the cats we lose, Weaselstorm? We can't leave behind the ones we failed."
"Easy, we don't." He replied shortly after, like it was the simplest thing in the world. Shadeleaf's head tilted questionably, not expecting the quick answer. "We never forget the ones we lose, Shadeleaf, they help us learn from our mistakes and make us better healers in the long run," Weaselstorm explained, letting his words sink in as Shadeleaf processed what he said. Once again she knew he had a point, but something about this made it a little easier to bear. She stared outside the den, catching the brown tabby pelt of Duckfoot as he stepped outside the nursery.
"We should tell him, shouldn't we? About Anthiese's message." She mewed, thinking of the late queen once more. Weaselstorm nodded pensively, it had been a few days since they received it, and Duckfoot definitely had the right to know. "I think we should." He replied, getting up to his paws to leave the den until Shadeleaf stopped him by blocking the way out with her tail.
"Thank you Weaselstorm, really." Marigoldkit was the first to rise out of his own siblings, though second only to Lavenderkit who sat beside her sister now. Asterkit who caught Marigoldkit's gaze and purred happily at the tom, making the tips of his ears flush red as he averted his eyes shyly. "Who do you think is going to be our mentors?" Sheepkit mewed out of the blue, eyes wide in curiosity. Patchkit answered first, self-assured and cocky as usual. "I bet you mine is Comfreyfang, she's one of the best warriors in the Clan after all." He stated, Sorrelkit rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Man, I hope Mintstar gives you a bad mentor, might knock you down a stump." He hissed, Patchkit staring at him incredulously while Dandelionkit held a front paw to her muzzle to hide her giggles.
"I hope mine is Vervaincloud, he's really handsome." Dandelionkit swooned, ignoring how all of her littermates stared at her like she grew two heads. "Uh, ew, he's like - a million moons older than you," Sorrelkit remarked, swatting the cream molly's ear with his tail. Marigoldkit chuckled, catching Sorrelkit's attention as he moved to sit beside him. "And what about you? Any cat you want to mentor you?" The tabby kit asked. Marigoldkit shook his head nonchalantly in reply. "Personally I'm fine with anyone, as long as I learn fast enough."
He heard Sorrelkit mutter out a 'same' before being approached by Lavenderkit and Asterkit, the former shooting a judgemental look at her five denmates. "You all sound like you get to choose who mentors you, you know that's not how it goes, right?" She mewed disapprovingly, Asterkit huffed as she nudged her sister playfully. "And you sound way too uptight! C'mon sis, liven up a little, it's a big day, after all~" She sang, making Marigoldkit purr at her liveliness as the gray molly attempted to get a smile out of her sister. Stoic as she could be, not even Lavenderkit was immune to Asterkit's playfulness: the fond smile on her face was definitely proof of that.
"It's not like we're being serious anyway, Lavenderkit. We were just curious, is all." Sheepkit mewed, holding her denmate's blue stare evenly. Lavenderkit nodded curtly, "I know, Sheepkit." she replied. Marigoldkit tensed as the mollies continued to stare at each other. He knew they were friends, but he also knew of the rivalry that brewed between them over the course of six moons, even though neither of them refused to acknowledge it themselves. "Anyway..." Marigoldkit stressed, carefully maneuvering his sister closer to the rest of their littermates. "I think we should all settle down and wait for the ceremony and stuff. I think it's almost time?"
Asterkit, oblivious to her sister's stare down with Marigoldkit's, nodding eagerly in agreement. "I think you're right! Ooh, I can't wait!" Marigoldkit smiled once again seeing Asterkit's exuberance before locking eyes with Lavenderkit, the gray-and-white molly stayed quiet as she looked directly at him thoughtfully before staring up at the Great Oak like nothing happened.
Something told Marigoldkit that he was in for an interesting apprenticeship.
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